There are some people in America who think there is no difference between the two major parties. These parties are the “Republicrats.” They are Tweedledum and Tweedledee (or Tweedledum and Tweedledummer, as people say, chortlingly).

In Britain, there is the same phenomenon, of course. UKIP talks of “LibLabCon” — the Liberal Democrats, Labour, and the Conservatives. They’re all the same, a three-headed monolith.

Yesterday afternoon, Ron Paul gave an interview to Russian state television. He holds the view that America is basically a one-party system. “What do they do with our young people?” he said. “They send them all around the world, getting involved in wars and telling them they have to have democratic elections. But here at home, we don’t have true democracy. We have a monopoly of ideas that is controlled by the leaders of two parties. And they call it two parties, but it’s really one philosophy.”

He added, “I think the status quo is pretty strong right now, and I imagine that the status quo is going to win the election tonight.”

For the last couple of weeks, I have been writing my journal of the Oslo Freedom Forum. (Today’s installment is here.) I heard a lot about dictatorships, and anti-democracy. I heard a lot about fake elections, in which there is no real choice.

I thought of this when going to the polls yesterday — and finding a ballot with real choices on it: for governor, congressman, and other offices. I was so grateful to pull the lever for my guys. They didn’t win. (This was New York.) But I’m so glad they were on the menu.

This is genuine democracy. And we in America are really lucky — or blessed or something — to have it.

Ron Paul was not happy about the election results. He wrote, “Republican control of the Senate = expanded neocon wars in Syria and Iraq. Boots on the ground are coming!” It could be that ISIS, and radical jihad generally, is nothing to worry about. If we just keep our heads down, and don’t meddle, they won’t bother us. Or it could be they have to be confronted.

I hope that the government does the necessary to protect the country.

P.S. Does anyone think it’s funny that Paul complains to Russian state TV that the United States lacks democracy? Does he know about the Bolotnaya Square figures in prison? Does he know that the authorities tortured Sergei Magnitsky to death? (None of our business, I know. Musn’t be a “neocon.”) How about Nigel Farage and Putin? Is that funny? “Interesting” may be a better word.