The old parties are husks, with no real soul within either, divided on artificial lines, boss-ridden and privilege-controlled, each a jumble of incongruous elements, and neither daring to speak out wisely and fearlessly on what should be said on the vital issues of the day.
Theodore Roosevelt
Politics here are in chaos. I should be sure that either party would be defeated if it were not for the fact that the other is its opponent.
By 1911, Theodore Roosevelt was quite frustrated with the political atmosphere in the United States. It was completely uncertain what would happen at the next presidential election.