The Struggle For Democracy
Divisive Politics Engenders Disaster
Whether we are weary of divisive politics or enthusiastically participate in elections, those who seek and attain power ultimately affect our lives.
The battle for the U.S. presidency has lost all traces of sanity and democracy. The extreme opinions regarding which potential leader supports freedom and justice — and who is a charlatan or criminal — reflect the schizophrenic polarization of the country.
This crisis in choosing leadership is no accident. The unscrupulous, disruptive methods of attaining and maintaining high office reveal the continuing degeneration of ethical standards, constitutional rights, and a willingness to abuse the electoral process.
Political strategies designed to skew perception and incite emotion, rather than display the actual qualifications and predisposition of candidates, are a blight on the country. Most Americans are not fooled by these charades, though consequently, confidence has been lost in U.S. institutions; particularly the presidency.
The Democratic National Committee’s changing of rules including the date of the Iowa caucus and the New Hampshire primary are solely designed to rig voting and influence the image of President Biden. This chicanery is matched by the Trump campaign’s attempt to dominate the Republican Party’s nomination apparatus.
The deterioration and division caused by the two-party system are not hidden. The United States is being torn apart by partisan agendas that have little to do with the daily lives of its citizens.
Beneath the manipulations, slogans, and propaganda — different facts are revealed.
An Economist/YouGov poll provided a stunning revelation about the favorability of presidential contenders and who would likely become president if the electoral process was not encumbered by a divisive process. Among all Americans, regardless of party affiliation, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has the highest ratings above every candidate — surpassing both Donald Trump and Joe Biden.
A subsequent Harvard-Harris poll of registered US voters on the Favorability of Political Figures confirmed similar profound results.
A few news articles reported these meaningful findings, although both surveys have been virtually ignored. Mr. Kennedy’s name was not included in a later Gallup poll of popular newsmakers, confirming a disinterest in acknowledging the preferred candidate of the majority of Americans.
Coverage of the surveys simply twisted words, exposing a desperate attempt by mainstream news to blur the truth. In a bizarre story, Newsweek magazine announced that Robert Kennedy Jr. Would Be Winning 2024 if it Was a Popularity Contest. In an effort to deflect the importance of the data, the article diminishes the relevance of its headline and attempts to reduce the viability of the Kennedy campaign.
The sum of what a candidate presents to the public, including personality and platform, determines the ultimate elements of their popularity. The Economist and Harvard polls present a reality that won’t be disguised or repressed. The numbers clearly indicate a preference for Mr. Kennedy’s leadership; reinforcing the fact that the current electoral process is engineered to betray the will of the people.
A Broken System
Additional statistics and trends confirm the threat to democracy.
Only 68% of the population voted in the 2020 presidential election. In previous contests over recent decades, where many results were close, the President of the United States has been elected by just over half of those who voted; about one-third of the US population.
In some cases, candidates have won the popular vote and lost in the electoral college, a process that has been long criticized for not reflecting the will of the people.
The most glaring weakness in elections is the lack of majority rule. In most other democracies, leaders must be elected by over 50% of voters. Some states have already initiated the transition to Rank Choice Voting where if an initial election doesn’t yield a winner with over half of voters, a subsequent poll is held, allowing the two leading candidates to vie for leadership.
Ignoring the need to maintain a truly representative government, two-party politics in the US has manifested a degradation of the electoral process. This becomes increasingly apparent as the 2024 primary season approaches.
Narrowing the parameters for presidential contenders serves something other than righteousness. Among those who vote and those who don’t, at least half of the country is well aware there is a crisis; many people are alienated from an unfair system that doesn’t consider their needs. Partisan politics has discouraged entire sectors of the population from participating in government; a recent Pew Research poll indicates frustration with the two-party system and shows that nearly half of younger adults say, they wish there were more parties to choose from.
Corruption Dominates
Elections do not engender fair and responsible government; the process is increasingly structured to allow powerful interests to gain undue control. In particular, the corporate and financial impact on elections often results in legislation contrary to the preferences and needs of the people.
This breach of democracy overshadows the impact of any illegalities or fraud at the polls.
Monetary backing of parties and candidates has taken hold of government in an unprecedented fashion. Over 14 billion dollars was spent on the 2020 election and nearly 17 billion in 2022 on the mid-term elections. Rather than financing campaigns for noble causes, this funding is targeted to support those who will sign on to policies and laws favorable to donors.
The most revelatory donations display the depth of the disorder; some individuals and corporations hedge their bets, giving to both Republican and Democrat candidates in the same race.
This existential threat to the United States is now integral to a process where huge budgets are the primary influence on outcomes, permitting campaign financing to be the overwhelming force, permeating all aspects of government.
The outrageous fact that material interests dominate elections is accepted with despondency by voters; and winks, smirks, and shrugs by business leaders and politicians. Unsurprisingly, this corruption engenders both anger and apathy towards the government — and distrust of public figures.
Yet few leaders dare to mention or complain about the pernicious effect of corporate campaign financing.
The Real Divide
Election reform ensuring a majority of voters choose their president is the most threatening challenge to Washington’s elite and their reliance on a combative environment.
Those who highlight the damaging bipolar system are berated and sidelined. Anyone who defies internal or external party politics — and supports a fairer electoral process — is deemed an interloper and unworthy of the presidency.
Mr. Kennedy has agreed openly with Republicans on a number of issues. Rather than recognizing this as an effort to find common ground, his fellow Democrats claim this proves his duplicity and betrayal of the party. His desire for Democrats to return to former priorities and historical role in representing the interests of the middle classes is ignored.
The powerful leaders of both parties know that their presidential candidate will pretend to be many things, but any transgression from corporate favoritism is unacceptable.
Despite the country’s majority of voters having a preference for Mr. Kennedy’s leadership, so far he has declined to run as an independent, recognizing this could inflame the adversarial atmosphere. His ultimate goal is healing the divide, he said, “My aim is to convince every Democrat that you’re not a Democrat and every Republican that you’re not a Republican.”
This quote and concept are not found in any news coverage because it violates an essential code that allows continuing partisan corruption. Instead, Mr. Kennedy is insulted and berated because of his threat to the kleptocracy that dominates the country.
Divisive politics serves only one purpose: while Democrats and Republicans insult each other and brawl, the wealthiest and most powerful Americans profit from the battle.
The antagonism that drives public controversy in the United States is an over-riding dominant force. The us vs. them mentality continues to fuel dangerous animosity; Americans have not experienced this degree of a polarized climate since the Civil War. If this trend is not reversed, the damage will be irreparable.
The dysfunction highlights a desperate need for a president who recognizes the systemic flaws in politics and the corporate capture of government. The electorate can recognize the dignity and potential of a candidate who speaks to these central concerns. And the one-third of Americans who don’t vote might come to the polls if they heard from an aspiring leader whose perspective crossed party lines.
Mr. Kennedy’s strong popularity is very worrying to those who have struggled to maintain illicit and treacherous power. This explains the relentless efforts to diminish his prominence.
Nonetheless, it is apparent that if Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is on the ballot next November, he will win the presidential election by a greater majority than any candidate in recent history.
The electorial process is to designed to give fair representation to all states. Majority rule is mob rule as only high population states and cities will drive the elections. States with low populations would not have any representation in the Executive Branch of Federal Government. Candidates would only campaign in those high population places. I don't think San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, and Chicago should decide the President for low population states who should have representation.
There is nothing wrong with the design of the United States. The Forefathers commented that human's are fundamentally corrupt and they designed a system to dilute corruption. They said they combined the principles of civil government with the principles of Christianity in a single indissoluble bond. They designed a system for principled people. There is something wrong with people in Government and society.
The two party system was never favored and each party has morphed over time. The Republicans emerged out of Jeffersonian principles. While the Democratic party has had several transitions. The Democratic Party was founded by Andrew Jackson but made a major twist circa 1955 when they adopted the socialist manifesto. At that time, the socialist and communist parties in the US merged into the Democratic Party. Norm Thomas, a six time Presidential candidate on the socialist ticket, said in a November 1956 NBC interview that he could now run as a Democrat and Americans would accept the tenents of socialism incrementally. This is also when Ronald Reagan Left the Democratic party.
If people believe in America then they should learn Original Intent. By doing so, they may discover how far from Original Intent America has become. The Forefathers made audicious remarks about Christianity. They held no belief in Separation of Church and State (Everson vs Board of Education, May 1947) as widely held today. In fact, they felt compelled to use public money to educate people on Christianity, so people would be as convinced as they were convinced. In the Trinity Church vs United States, circa 1892, the Justices wrote an opinion that this is a Christian Country and these are Christian people then gave a 400 year litany of veritable evidence compared to the one letter used in evidence during Everson vs Board of Education. Where does the preponderance of evidence lay?
People do not have to choose to be Christian to be American, they can remain secular or some other theological bent. However, they should learn and know why this nation was designed the way it was and how the Forefathers intended it to be operated. Afterall, God does not impose himself upon men, so who are men to impose God.
In the span of my life, I have seen many things; traveling to over 50 countries, living in the Middle East and Europe, been on nearly every ocean, and lived across the US in 15 States. The US is the greatest nation on Earth but it will only remain that way as long as its people are great.
This is a very useless column with ideas that sound more like those coming from a RINO or a Dem looking to conflate the parties. I've been a Dem and Republican at different times in my life, working in many campaigns of both, and while there similarities between the two, there are deep philosophical different ones, too. I think Kennedy has made great contributions to the combatting the virus scan and mass murder but on most issues he's a traditional Dem. I do think he's an honest guy but he has no chance of getting the Dem nomination because it's run by a bunch of gangsters who will steel it from him, or anyone else who has even the vaguest patina of "reformer" around them. The Democratic Party is the party of slavery, secession, the Klan, Jim Crow, communism/fascism, and now pedophilia. They have a deep seated hatred of the Constitution, Bill of Right, free markets, Western Civilization traditions and norms, and are moving us inexorably to a totalitarian state. I don't see how we can defeat them with a weak gruel of vague ideas and soft criticisms. It didn't work for Kerensky versus the Bolsheviks a nor the Junkers versus the fascists. We need stronger men and women with stronger ideas and beliefs to sustain the Republic.
Danny Huckabee