Writing down these thoughts from my European perspective. The last couple of weeks a peculiar theory has materialized in my brain.....

Can't help but thinking that "Republicans" and "Democrats" are not the 2 biggest electoral parties in the U.S. There are 2 other parties, bigger, mightier, more influencial than the "D" and "R" camps. They are both secret. They both don't have a publically known name. At least not an official one. Dunno if they have a formal organization, Dunno if they have their own funding and financial structures. What are their names? Easy: one is "Demopublican Party", the other is the "Republicrats". They probably don't even need their own funding.... because they have secretely subverted the old "pure" parties, and taken control of the commanding heights already. In any case, these bodies do only club together to fiddle with offices, foster their Red Tape and advance their personal careers. Whoever is voted into offices -- nothing much changes fundamentally for their voters (just for those who were lucky to make it into their seats).

Sometimes one or two or 50 don't get re-elected. Sometimes a Defense Secretary, aged 74 years, looses his office. He'll be replaced by someone with similar "qualifications"....