The distinction is becoming progressively academic, and really only seems to matter when all the congressional showmen take part in the electoral farce every few years. The economic elite exercise an operating control over the economy, the media, the legal profession, the military, the secret services, as well as the majority of congressmen to whom they provide campaign funding , no matter which party is in power. Of course getting control means more than just winning a Presidential election, because the elite are as capable of using a Democratic president as a pawn for their purposes. The previous discussion of the Trilateral Commission under the topic of The Covert Takeover of America should have left no doubt about that. The infiltration by elected and appointed members of the government who swear allegiance to the Trilateral Commission makes it increasingly irrelevant which major party is seen to be in power at any given time.
Elections serve two main purposes.
For the Republicans and Democrats alike, it is a time of arranging future rewards for the lower echelon business communities in return for their support. Secondly, they are festive events to cleverly create a happy atmosphere in which to reinforce the illusion that America functions as a democracy. Legislation would have to be introduced to eliminate the campaign support dependency of candidates and to cut the ties between politicians and the media. Without doing both of these, the job cannot be accomplished. As long as big money effectively determines how the country is run, and even who rules the country, democracy will exist in name only.