Bridging the gap: How Gary Johnson can help mend a nation divided
Last month the Equal Citizens movement was vindicated when the Democratic Party clearly embraced a package of democracy reforms for combating the gross inequalities of influence in Washington. It was a momentous victory — made possible only by the time, talent, and treasure given by thousands of activists over many years.
Unfortunately, this is only one half the battle. One of the most successful ways to make sure nothing happens in Congress is to shape it into a polarizing issue. All those hours, dollars, and marches will mean very little if equal citizen reforms become just another partisan football in an increasingly dangerous game.
Despite Donald Trump’s very clear statements on the gross inequality of influence in Washington, the Republican platform is still calling for reforms that move in the totally opposite direction of empowering equal citizens. A position that Trump’s recent fundraising activity clearly supports.
Following Trump’s increasingly harsh and unjustifiable rhetoric, a growing number of conservatives are now finding it impossible to continue backing the demagogue. This has opened the door onto a once in a lifetime opportunity for a modernized alternative to an extremist takeover of the Republican party.
On the other side, Hillary Clinton has now become one of most polarizing figures in politics today. That means Gary Johnson is the only candidate on the ballot in all fifty states that is capable of bridging a divide that threatens to rip a nation apart.
Progressives simply cannot afford to put all of their faith into the success of one party — Just as conservatives cannot afford to be steamrolled by the singular ambitions of a man whose sanity is constantly brought to question.
Libertarians have demonstrated little savvy when it comes to equal citizen reforms, but on Gary Johnson’s website, supporters are allowed to endorse their most important issues. The top three by a very wide margin are: Wasteful Spending, Taxes, and Term Limits.
As a systems scientist I have spent years researching the wide range of problems with the federal government. All three of those issues are indeed very clear symptoms of a government that has failed its people. Yet they are only symptoms. Before Johnson can count on a Congress capable of enacting any realistic reforms on those issues, he must mend a nation divided.
After decades of abuse, trust in government has hit rock bottom. It is true, people hate wasteful spending, a broken tax code, and politicians that have made a career out of winning reelection. Government today is a mockery of our sacred Constitution and a far cry from the democratic republic that was promised to us and our children.
Yet, the only way Johnson can bridge the gap between those reforms most endorsed by his supporters and the American people is to provide a credible plan for how to fix democracy first. For as long as defense titans can lobby for weapons that the military does not need, wasteful spending will continue. For as long as economic giants can lobby for breaks and loopholes, the federal tax code will continue to pick the winners and losers. And so long as candidates are forced to depend on a tiny group of funders and partisan insiders, only career politicians shall prosper.
Waste, taxes, and permanent politicians may indeed be some of the worst problems of a corrupt system, but Americans are smart enough to know that no President alone can fix them. By taking on the root causes of these issues Johnson can help mend this nation and restore our faith in government.
The ideas behind the Citizen Equality Act represent the most comprehensive solution to date. To end the oversized influence of money and partisan politics, we must provide alternatives to exclusively private funding, we must end gerrymandering and practices to suppress duopoly alternatives, and we must safeguard the right to vote from partisan manipulation.
By bringing together Americans across all spectrums to define solutions to the root cause of every issue before Congress, Johnson can help usher in a new era of equality and freedom.
The Democrats may have been first to check the democracy reform box off by adding it to their long list of issues, but they have done so only in a manner that has increased the partisan divide. Johnson has the chance to take a different road.
If he does, he will not just gain the support of a movement determined to change the system, he will also gain the support of all Americans that truly love the peace, prosperity, and freedom that come with liberty. #LiveFree America.
