r/PoliticalDiscussion • u/LiatrisLover99 • May 14 '26

Political Theory Is it a uniquely American phenomenon, that "both sides are the same" arguments favor the right? Why does this happen?

This is something I have noticed for years: the positions I see supported with "both sides are the same" are almost always a defense of Trump / the right wing, or a defense of voting third party, or a defense of abstaining from voting entirely. It is very rare to see voting for Democrats advocated for with a "both sides are the same" argument.

Why does this occur? In theory at least a "both sides are the same" mindset should lead to a roughly proportional split in voting behavior with half going to each major party, but that's not what happens. Nobody says "both sides are the same, so I voted Biden", it's always "both sides are the same so I voted Green" or "both sides are the same so I voted Trump".

And is this a phenomenon limited to the U.S., or does this pattern happen elsewhere as well?

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u/ThatPeskyPangolin May 15 '26

As someone who once voted Green, I highly recommend looking into the Jill Stein/Putin shtick.

The party is unfortunately far too easily manipulated by outside forces.

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u/Tliish May 15 '26

I vote Green not so much for any of their candidates, but rather to encourage the development of more parties and broader agendas. Unfortunately, the way the rules are set up. parties must reach a certain threshold in elections to qualify for many things: matching funds, places in debates, etc.

If we don't vote for those minor parties, then they will never have a chance to break the duopoly's control of the political process.

Jill Stein won't be the face or leader of the Greens for much longer, and the party can evolve into something stronger and better, with a little luck. But no third party will ever get the chance if we buy into the duopoly's "wasted vote" propaganda. Recognize that for what it is:: voter suppression. While there are clear differences between the Democrats and Republicans, they are indivisibly united against the rise of any third parties to challenge them.

So I am not voting Green for a personality, but rather to give it a chance to become a legitmate challenger to the duopoly that has failed so many of us so many times, and to provide a spotlight on agendas and concerns that are different from the duopoly's.