You've heard the claim... perhaps even said it yourself on occasion: "They're all the same". Democrats and Republicans are all the same? Really? Let's take a look.

In some ways, I suppose that's true. Pick any random politician and I'm sure you will find they take campaign donations from Someone/Some Company You Don't Like. They've likely voted on a bill in a way you disagree with. They've likely broken a campaign promise.

But does that make them all the same? What about on substantive issues that really matter?

Consider health care reform. That was a major effort pushed through by the Democrats. Sure it's not what most of us wanted. There's no "public option" (which means different things to different people), it's not "single-payor"... But it does address some of the worst practices of the insurance industry. That's why the Republicans (and their insurance company overlords) are fighting tooth and nail to get it repealed. The Democrats care about people; the Republicans care about business.

What about the Environment? Even though the EPA was originally created by a Republican (Nixon - back when Republicans were about policy, not politics), they are constantly trying to keep it from doing its job. Right now the Republican-controlled House is trying to pass a bill to prevent the EPA from regulating certain forms of pollution. The Dems have dubbed it the "Koch Brothers Appreciation Act" and President Obama has vowed to veto it, should it show up on his desk. When was the last time Democrats tried to neuter the EPA?

Medicare, Social Security, and other "entitlement programs" (a term Dems should stop using) are also targets of the Republicans. The Republicans are essentially trying to defund Medicare and replace it with a voucher system (what the hell is it with Republicans and vouchers? It seems to be their answer to everything). Are Democrats leading the charge to kill these programs?

President Obama has often been criticized for not closing Gitmo. How can he when a Republican-led Congress put laws into place making it impossible for him to do so?

Republicans are also trying to defund Planned Parenthood, NPR, and take down AARP. Is this something Democrats generally do - attack groups that help people? (correction: non-wealthy and/or powerless people)

How often do you see Democrats pushing measures requiring state colleges to promote "traditional family values"? How often do you see Democrats palling around with religious "leaders" that say Welfare causes blacks to "rut like rabbits"?

So the next time someone says Democrats are the same as Republicans, there are plenty of examples of why that is absolutely not true. The next time someone says that President Obama is the best Republican president we've ever had, send them to this site. Elections matter. Getting politicans that care about people over business matters.