Mainstream pundits constantly lament polarization in Washington. We’re told that the United States has never been more fractious, that perhaps we’re even on the brink of another civil war.

But when it comes to the military and so-called national security, the two parties couldn’t be closer. They both endorse absurd levels of Pentagon spending and offer full-throated support for an expansive, largely unaccountable national security state. Elected liberals might offer token criticisms of overreach at times, but just like Republicans, they prefer to keep the military and intelligence sector cordoned off from popular rule. Elite Democrats are fine with giving us a few progressive crumbs as long as we don’t go after those military bases — or the industry that supplies them.

That’s not only a lethal deal for those caught in the crosshairs of US empire — it’s a rotten one for workers at home. Because democracy in the United States will always lose out when the war industry and intelligence services are allowed to run amok.