Let’s Form an Anti-Party
The Democrats and the Republicans are a poor set of choices for America. They each market themselves based on phony issues, and agree to continued deficit spending, devaluation of American labor, selling out America to foreign interests, and government bailouts for the wealthy.
The Republicans market themselves as economically and socially conservative, but if their wealthy friends need a bailout they sell it to us as frantically as a used car on a lot. This bailout deal may not be here tomorrow, act now! The great depression will happen if you don’t sign on the dotted line, pronto! Over and over they fight to let the wealthy have a field day playing games with our nation’s collective wealth, and bail them out on the taxpayer’s dime at the end of the day.
The Democrats market themselves as standing up for the working poor and middle class, but they put the lie to that claim constantly. Bail outs for risky investments and banks, at the government’s expense? Yes, please. An influx of illegal immigration that will devalue labor in America and will swell the poverty rolls? Yes, please. A phony health care proposal that all but guarantees cost increases rather than dealing with cost drivers? Yes, please.
Neither party governs responsibly. They have each in recent times given us a President who is an inexperienced novice, whose appeal is based almost entirely on personal charm rather than acomplishment. That is, demonstrably, what they offer us – a smiling face and a quip and speeches galore. Neither party has many real solutions proposed to the issues we collectively face.
What’s more, neither party is even honest enough to market themselves based on their real agendas. They each function primarily to get people scared of the other one.
I sympathize with those who support the Tea Party. They recognize the poisonous level of corruption in both parties, as well as the collusion between them (the lack of choice for voters on real issues) and rebel against it. However, what they are doing won’t amount to a hill of beans if the majority of them end up voting GOP in 2012 – which I believe they will.
I sympathize with those who support the Coffee Party. They recognize the loss of civility in current political dialogue, and the loss of rational thought underpinning much of that dialogue. However, if most of them pull the lever for Democrats in 2012, it won’t add up to a hill of beans.
The only way to move forward past the stranglehold that these two ossified parties have on our government is for a sizeable chunk of the electorate to stop reacting to the fear campaigns that these parties mount every 2-4 years, and to honestly cease to care which of them wins any given election. If enough people were to start pledging to vote Independent, it would upset the balance of power and send a real message – the one and only message that the Democrats and Republicans will care to hear.
If enough of us sign a pledge that in 2012 we will vote for AT LEAST ONE Independent candidate (nationally or locally) it could start to move us past the two-party stranglehold. And at least send that message, that we are not satisfied with what we’re being sold.
So let’s do it! Let’s call it the “anti-party” movement and let’s start communicating our disgust in the only way that matters.
