I. The Independent Thinker

II. Plutocrats and Aristocracy

III. The Two-Party Shitstorm and The Failing Middle Class

IV. The “Tranders” Effect

V. Will “We the People” Survive

I. The Independent Thinker

Firstly, you must attempt to understand the lens I am seeing though. Politically, I am a staunch “Independent” – I always have been. Since my early teens I have been discussing and debating the failures of our two party system – or better yet, the two team corporate competition league – the duopoly! It was very apparent to me that the Democratic and Republican parties were simply one shade of gray away from each other (the 5-6 national wedge issues are all that distinguishes them from one another.) They are equally capable corporate teams, heavily influenced by ultra-wealthy donors and big business sponsorship, led by power-hungry aristocratic career politicians with one thing in mind – to control. Well, actually, two things in mind, the second is to unite in litigation, when it benefits both teams, and deny, through widespread influence at the judicial level, any other teams (Third Parties) or Independent Candidates access to the playing field (general elections). How pathetic is that – a competitive league with just two teams. Did the authors of The Constitution of the United States perceive a system with such limited and confined avenues toward public servitude? 

For the record, I believe in the “SERPS” – the “Selfless, Ethical, and Responsible Public Servant” that does their one, maybe two, terms and goes back to their previous career. A public servant that sees each individual policy issue through an independent and objective lens – not instantly falling in line with a party’s leadership, ideology, and doctrine – and of course, always voting with a conscience.  

II.  Plutocrats and Aristocracy

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines “plutocracy” as “government by the wealthy”(1) and “aristocracy” as “3: a governing body or upper class usually made up of hereditary nobility, and, 4: a class or group of people believed to be superior (as in rank, wealth, or intellect).”(2) Sound familiar? It seems quite apparent to me that the majority of Senators and Representatives, on both the blue team and red team, are wealthy career politicians where power, vanity, and ego lead their pursuits. And if they are not extremely wealthy yet, there is an excellent chance they soon will be! 

How is it that ultra-wealthy people can just purchase a crushing campaign machine – overnight? It is happening at this very moment in my home state of Montana within the current Class I Senate race. And what about the 45th president’s path toward political power?

Where is the hardworking middle class in all of this? Could you or I afford to run for US Senate? Could our amazing selfless, ethical, and responsible neighbor run for US Senate – without millions of dollars at their disposal?

Can you say – “campaign finance reform?” Pretty please!

So, who really represents the “voices” of “we the people?” Our selfless, ethical, and responsible neighbors, OR, ultra-wealthy power hungry plutocrats? 

III. The Two Party Shitstorm and The Failing Middle Class

Through a very broad lens, the blue team caters to those living in poverty and the red team caters to the wealthy – but what about the lower half of the middle class – the new working poor? Who represents “our” voices and where is concern for “our” wellbeing? It seems both parties have turned their backs on the middle – those who bust their asses forty to fifty hours a week while living paycheck to paycheck – with medical, educational, and personal debt – hanging on by their fingernails. 

For so many of us, the American dream feels dead!

So, the middle class, the “we the people,” have become anxious, depressed, and filled with feelings of hopelessness. We feel like our elected officials, those in charge of the policies that tear into our paychecks, have disregarded our pleas for help and have left us to rot, even though our very hard earned tax dollars fund a large chunk of the country’s infrastructure and its geo-political pursuits. 

We are screaming for help! Is anybody listening?  

IV. The “Tranders Effect"

The “Tr” is the first two letters of the 45th's last name, and the “anders” comes from the last six letters of Bernie Sanders last name. This was the mood of the 2016 US Presidential election, where the citizenry started reacting to the policy paralysis of their elected officials, on both the red and blue teams, especially at the federal level. 

So, the 2016 political answer was the term “outsider” – for both Democrats and Republicans – and it manifested itself as the 45th president and Bernie Sanders – it was the “Tranders Effect.” (FYI – Bernie Sanders has been in one office or another since the early 80’s – he is no political outsider – he is a self-described "Democratic Socialist" that utilizes the affiliation of "Independent" in his state’s electoral process).

In this current era, political unrest turned to action could be seen manifesting itself in worldwide events like the Arab Spring, Brexit, and the Occupy Movement. In the US, it manifested itself as the Tea Party, and then as the “Tranders Effect" into MAGA – where truth seems to be an opinion and one person became divine.

We are now living in the “great US political paradox” – and it is very, very scary!

I am asking you to think very long and hard about who you choose to be your political “outsider!” 

V. Will “We the People” Survive

I totally understand how economy, immigration, education, and crime weigh very heavily on the US citizenry – myself included. As I stated before, the lower half of the middle class are struggling and have negative feelings when thinking about their financial futures – and that can develop into personal and community anxiety – which can lead to political isolationism.

But, we must remember what the great thinkers have taught us about discussion, debate, virtue, and ethics – what they have taught us about mass governance and democracy – and what history has taught us about empire, hatred, and war!

We must not allow the 537 blue team/red team career politicians on Capitol Hill to negatively influence us to believe that we should not empathetically see through the eyes of those who have varying views. That we should denounce discussion and debate. That we should isolate ourselves into factions, both politically and socially, and not value anyone or anything outside of that faction. 

We cannot allow these two syndicates the ability to destroy the fabric of our wonderful nation by haphazardly and recklessly dividing “we the people” by exposing only our policy differences while not celebrating our shared nationality and humanity.

My brothers and sisters, “my way or the highway” is not democracy, and is not what our Federal Republic stands for. "My way or the highway" would translate into tyranny and autocracy – a king (the Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines “autocrat” as “2: one who has undisputed influence or power.”)(3) Why did our founding fathers feel the need to relocate to a foreign land and create a Federal Republic with a Constitution that put the people in the driver’s seat – not an autocrat? Is "my way or the highway" what the founding fathers had in mind?

“We the people” must break the cycle of placing wealthy establishment players into office, then manifesting disapproval of their performance and conduct once they fall in line with party leadership.   

“We the people” need to find the independent, intelligent, and objective middle class "SERPS" that live in our communities, and we need to vote them into office – for one or two terms – then repeat…

And if we do not; If we choose to stay the course and continue to keep validating the system we feel is failing us, well, then "I Blame We the People!”