Oh God, is this going to turn into a George Soros vs Grover Norquist conspiracy thread?

I have been an active member of both Dem and Repub parties and I can assure you, they are not part of the same group (other than citizens of the United States trying to maintain a two-party state in diverse, pluralistic society). 

Just because people are led so easily by the nose by powerful elites who manipulate the masses to vote against their own interest to maintain their power does not a conspiracy make.  It makes for an under-voting, ill-informed electorate.   The American people could take power back in an election cycle, if they so chose and organized to do it.  It's what the Tea Party did, only in a classic sense of Marxian false consciousness, they've been conned to vote against their own interests.