Republicrat (Republican + Democrat)

A “Republicrat” (Republican + Democrat) is someone who has traits of both political parties. “Republicrat” is used by those who often believe that there is no difference between the two parties.
 
The term “Republicrat” has been cited in print since at least the 1890s.
 
 
Wikipedia: Republicrat
Republicrat or Demopublican (also Republocrat or Demoblican)* are pejorative terms for each of the two major political parties in the United States (the Republican Party and the Democratic Party) which characterizes the policies of the two parties as indistinguishable in practice, and so form essentially one party with two names. One of the earliest uses of the term online was a net.politics.theory usenet post from 1985.
 
An equivalent term used in the United Kingdom is -Lab-Con or LibLabCon, a pejorative portmanteau referring to the three main political parties (the Liberal Democrats, the Labour Party, and the Conservative Party). An equivalent term used in Canada is LibCon or ConLib, a pejorative portmanteau referring to the two main political parties (the Conservative Party of Canada and the Liberal Party of Canada).
 
Usage
Republicans have often portrayed themselves to be pro-business and, in recent times, have favored an aggressive foreign policy; Democrats have tended to campaign on more liberal social policies and a more important role for government-funded social programs. Some commentators, such as right-wing radio talk-show host Michael Savage and left-wing activist Ralph Nader who have both used the terms, have opined on how it is often hard to tell the parties apart, leading to the term’s popularization. This was a view shared on the left by the Green Party during the 2000 U.S. Presidential election, whose bumper stickers read, “Bush and Gore make me want to Ralph”. Jello Biafra has used the term during interviews as well.
 
The term is also used in a pejorative sense by members of one party to attack members of their party who are either centrist or who have the “wrong” ideology. The term Republicrat is commonly used by liberal Democrats to attack conservative and centrist members of the party, such as Senator Joe Lieberman. Another term used by liberal Democrats to describe conservative and centrist members of their party is “Democrat In Name Only” or “DINO.” Likewise, a conservative Republican term for liberal and centrist Republicans is “Republican In Name Only” or “RINO.”
 
There is also a slightly lesser known usage of note. In this usage, the words are put together in order to voice the not unheard-of opinion that the two mainstream American political parties are two sides of the same coin. Often this usage expresses the sentiment of “ordinary citizens” who see all politicians as serving the same special interests and make little distinction between the two parties.
 
On August 19, 2008, Microsoft’s MSN and Generate (an independent entertainment studio) launched their latest scripted original Web series, the political satire Republicrats. Created by and starring comedian Sean Masterson, the creator behind Generate’s critically-lauded Web series Home Purchasing Club, Republicrats follows Masterson as a former weather man who forms the “Republicrat” party and runs as the party’s presidential candidate. Masterson’s approach is to allow the American people to make every major decision in his campaign, from selecting a VP running mate to a First Lady. Viewers will have the opportunity to share their opinions on Masterson’s various platforms and pitch themselves to be a part of his presidential Cabinet by uploading videos directly to the Republicrats robust, interactive destination site.
 
Usage In Popular Culture
. In the 1994 movie “Reality Bites” actor Ethan Hawke performed the song “I’m Nuthin’”, written by him. One of the lines was “I ain’t no Republicrat or Demican, ain’t nothing in between.”
The song “Slow Down Gandhi” on Sage Francis’ album A Healthy Distrust includes the line “republicrat, democran, one-party system.”
. A 2008 speech entitled “Republicrats” by Thomas Teague was awarded first place at the Oklahoma State Speech and Debate Contest, which drove home the point that neither party has all of the answers and that people should be open minded.
. The term republicrats became the titular subject in a webisodic series produced through MSN and Generate: Republicrats.
   
Urban Dictionary
republicrat
A derogitory bastardization of Republican and a Democrat based on the belief that one is just as bad as the other, since they are both controlled by the same special-interests, and so we effectively have a one-party system just like the former Soviet Union.
If only there was a viable alternative to the Republicrats, I’d actually vote!
by Her Excellency Countess Rosette Spittlebrix, Duche Oct 29, 2003
 
12 September 1874, Cincinnati (OH) Commercial Tribune, pg. 4:
Does this Republicratic Democan—we beg pardon for getting things mixed—we mean does this new saint in the Democratic church believe that Mr. BANNING did not do his duty when he declined to vote for FERNANDO WOOD as Speaker of the House? 
 
28 March 1890, Aberdeen (SD) Daily News, pg. 2:
Harry will have to be called either a republicrat or a demopublican, for the paper company is made up of democrats and republicans and perhaps mugwumps.
 
8 February 1894, American Nonconformist (IN), “Flubdub and Flimflam,” pg. 1:
WASHINGTON, D. C., Feb. 6.—Some two weeks ago the republicrats resolved to bring thjeir sham fight to a close in a burst of smoke and thunder, and their daily papers were set to work advertising it day after day.
 
11 April 1895, American Nonconformist (IN), pg. 3:
There is no difference between them. it is the democans or republicrats against the people.
 
Google Books
Captain Jinks, hero
By Ernest Howard Crosby
New York, NY: Funk & Wagnalls
1902
Pg. 363:
The Republicrats hold their convention at St. Lewis next month, and they’ve been looking around for a military candidate, and you’re jsut the thing.
 
Chronicling America
28 December 1903, Washington (DC) Times, pg. 6, col. 3:
With Senator Hoar abusing the President’s Panama policy, and Clark Howell defending it, it is going to be a difficult thing for the party sheep to know whether they are Demicans or Republicrats.
 
8 November 1928, Trenton (NJ) Evening Times, pg. 22 ad:
Republicats, demolians, and socialists who care for comfort in the home and want their fair share of it—all accord “Silver Ash” a warm welcome.
 
19 April 1936, Hartford (CT) Courant, Parade of Youth section, pg. H1:
‘Republicrat’ Party Nominates Poytress
 
25 June 1937, Ironwood (MI) Times, pg. 1, col. 1:
REPUBLICRATS!
(...)
Alas for their posterity,
The little these and that’s—
No doubt they’ll all grow up in time
To be Republicrats!
—Licille Benson in Detroit Saturday Night
 
Google News Archive
24 April 1944, St. Petersburg (FL) Times, “Pepper’s Support of F.D.R. Big Issue in Campaign,” pg. 8, col. 4:
JACKSONVILLE—(AP)—Senator Claude Pepper and his four opponents have made his outspoken support of most of the Roosevelt administration’s objectives the chief issue in the May 2 Florida Democratic senatorial nomination race.
(...)
Pepper in his campaign speeches says many of his opponents are “Republicrats,” who he describes as voters “who are Republicans at heart but register as Democrats to participate in our Democratic primaries” because Democratic nomination is the equivalent of election in Florida.
 
Google Books
7 April 1945, Saturday Review of Literature, pg. 15:
SIR: Anent the article on new words, “reublicrats” is not original with Sen. Pepper, as I coined that word…
   
18 November 1949, Chicago (IL) Daily Tribune, sec. 1, pg. 1:
For I am a Republicrat.
 
Time magazine
ARIZONA: Nonpolitical Politician
Monday, Mar. 26, 1951
(...)
Democratic leaders watched with dismay while their huge majority in the legislature melted away—13 of the 19 senators got behind Howard Pyle; as many as 40 of the Democratic house members fell into the distressing habit of voting for his measures. The bosses thought up an epithet for them—“Republicrats”—and screamed at their heresy.
   
Time magazine
REPUBLICANS: Westward Ho!
Monday, Aug. 15, 1960
(...)
Republicrat or Democan? Reporters who made the long plane trip with him cabled home informed stories about what kind of campaign strategy Nixon intended to follow.
 
4 November 1964, Hartford (CT) Courant, pg. 19:
I approached the polls in a Republicrat - Demican frame of mind. Probably the first time since I hit the august age of 21 without a firm conviction and a soapbox stand on the presidential candidates.
 
28 October 1990,

(Newport News, VA), “Anti-incumbent group pickets Bateman office” by David Lerman, pg. A9:
One sign at the protest read, “Republicrat or Demopublican: No Difference.”
 
OCLC WorldCat record
America besieged
Author: Michael Parenti
Publisher: San Francisco, CA : City Lights Books, ©1998.
Edition/Format: Book : English
Contents: America besieged—The evasion of politics—The president as corporate salesman—Our leaders don’t know best—Republicrats and Demopublicans
   
OCLC WorldCat record
The Rise of the Republicrats
Author: E Klein
Publisher: Princeton, N.J. : New Prospect, Inc., [1990-
Edition/Format: Article : English
Publication: The American prospect. 17, no. 9, (2006): 40-43