I just don't get politics in the USA.

People from the same party talk down on each other!! Then why be in the same party??

And what is the difference between republican and democrats anyways?

Could someone give me some insight into this topic? It makes no sense to me.

Neither do most Americans. They don't even try.

You might be thinking of the primary races. Basically, people from the same party are competing to be the one to run against the other party. So, they have to prove why they are better for the job. Outside elections, there is also dissent here and there.

Not enough anymore. In theory, Replublicans are supposed to be for limited government, where Democrats tend towards expanded government size and power.

Let me know if you have any more questions.

The U.S. has had only two major parties for nearly it's entire existence. The prevailing thought has been that running third-party only hurts the party you most closely agree with. I disagree with that mentality, but it's so pervasive as to be self-fulfilling. I don't vote down party lines, personally, but the fact that the majority of voting Americans do is self-evident.

The two major parties have only become so similar in the modern era. We historically had at least one party that successfully advocated limited government, non-interventionism, and individual liberty.

We now have a choice between left-statists and right-statists, which is effectively no choice at all. Our leviathan-state grows larger every year, and the citizenry becomes more accepting of it's intrusions into their personal lives every day.

I have nothing against a third party in theory, I just don't want to hitch my wagon to a horse that'll never win. I'd rather plug my nose and vote for a Republican who has some chance of winning over throwing away the vote and increasing the chance a Democrat will win the office. The Republican will forward some of my agenda in part, where a Democrat in office, or a Libertarian that lost won't.

It's a matter of practicality over principle I guess. And yes, it makes for a self-licking ice cream cone.

To me, it looks like the US democracy has always been a play ball for economic forces.(Varying over time. Now it seems to be more the corporations.) Not that it is a dictatorship, but it does not work well in creating accountability for politicians or control for the people either. It cost the US population dearly.
I guess you know my opinion about what is to be done.
That said, i dont really know enough to really be saying this .

More then two parties works fine. It just means they have to discuss and think about policies better to come to conclusions. (.. do their jobs.)

I saw an interesting quote the other day on TV from Al Franken that appealed to me. Paraphrasing ...

'Conservatives claim that Government doesn't work. They run for office and get elected, then set about proving it.'

Sounds like a true statement coming from a domocrat. I guess from the republican view, it might be liberals claim government works great, they run for office and disprove it. I dunno, something like that.

Sure, but the inherent contradiction doesn't arise that way. In the first scenario, you would think that people who are opposed to Government either would not run for office, or would do so with the aim of changing the system once they got in to power. But they don't, they get into power then just do more of the same or worse.

In the second scenario, you're talking about people who do believe in Government simply participating in its processes, and (depending on opinion) succeeding or failing at their jobs while in power.

That's primarily because these assholes are just reading the script. They don't really support the values they give lip-service to. They're just waiting for the highest bidder to buy them. We're responsible to holding them to their word, and we haven't been, for generations.

And that goes for all politicians.