"Democracy is supposed to give you the feeling of choice, like Painkiller X and Painkiller Y. But they're both just aspirin"

Gore Vidal's quote is a commentary on the state of democracy in the modern-day world. He is suggesting that democracy is supposed to provide individuals the sensation of option, but in reality, the choices are limited. He uses the analogy of 2 painkillers, Painkiller X and Painkiller Y, to highlight his point. Although they may appear to be different, they are both just aspirin. This implies that the options provided to us in a democracy are often not as differed as they appear, which the differences in between them are shallow. Ultimately, Vidal is recommending that democracy is not as effective as it must be in offering genuine option and meaningful differences between candidates and policies.