Hatfield and McCoy were sitting solidly in their seats, holding tightly on to their bourbons and beers for dear life, drinking doubles and ordering new rounds before their glasses were empty. You could tell they were shook but it would be a long while before the drink took hold, despite their intent to put themselves to sleep and leave the communal national nightmare behind.

"There is a lot I like about that Nader fella and he is right about most things, but he missed it by a mile when he said there wasn't a dime worth of difference between the Democrats and Republicans," Hatfield ventured, but McCoy was having none of it.

"You were wrong, too, when you said it was more like a dollar fifty. You were no donkey lover."

Hatfield rimmed his bourbon glass with his forefinger. He looked deep into it, as if it led down into the nether regions. "So they are not Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum. Damn me, I was off by a mile. There is a whole Jackson between them. What sets those political parties apart is the thickness of a twenty dollar bill." He held up his thumb and forefinger, peering through the space, though he had pinched them together.

"They are all bums for sure," McCoy agreed, but that was an easy one. "The Democrats are stumbling around bent over, looking for their backbones. When push comes to shove they are holding on to the status quo."

"It is easy to kick the Democrats around. Some are trying to do the right thing, are principled, but that is the noisy minority," Hatfield slugged his beer down. "Stumblebums they are. Give some of them credit for being human, having beating hearts. The Republicans? Complete bums, the lot of them. They might bleed red but they long ago sold their souls."

McCoy waved his hand, signaling for another round. He looked at his friend. "Hat," he said, "Hat, they are total bums. They don't stumble one step. They are not the least bit confused. Their eyes are on the prize. Their one principle is power. When they are victors they will rule. That is their aim. They never take their eyes off that damn prize. All that talk of lock and load and be ready but stand down for now, just how the hell long do you think 'for now' lasts?"

Hatfield stood up, a bit woozy. "The Democrats bet wrong, didn't they? They thought playing by the rules was the thing to do. They thought the rule of law was the rule everyone followed. They thought democracy was forever."

McCoy once again got in the last word. "Bums of the worst kind the Republicans are, for sure, but with their principle of power, they aim to be the last man standing. That is their target and that is what they are shooting for."