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For full disclosure, I’m a co-founder of the Federalist Party. It behooves me to want certain Republicans, those who want to limit government, defend freedoms, and protect life, to leave the Democratlite party (better known as the GOP).
The last week has been a whirlwind for the GOP and the nation. In the gap between two major hurricane disasters, the Republican Congress has worked on or plans to address issues that one would normally associate with the Democrats. They’re going with the Democrats’ plan to raise the debt ceiling. They are now tasked to legalize DACA, bail out Obamacare, and push forth “tax reform” that seems increasingly likely to resemble a Bill Clinton plan than something fiscal conservatives would draft.
Their leader in the White House is making it crystal clear he loves working with Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi while despising the agenda (which he helped create) being botched by Mitch McConnell and Paul Ryan. If they’re unable to put forth the so-called tax reform as well as Trump’s trillion dollar infrastructure plan (which is conspicuously similar to Schumer’s plan) while trying to fund the border wall, it’s possible for the GOP Congress and the White House to no longer be on speaking terms by Thanksgiving.
Stakes are high heading into a midterm election cycle that is laced with uncertainty. That’s been part of the buzz this week, but even with the debt ceiling being in the news, few have discussed the actual debt itself. With GOP control of both chambers and the White House, it’s inexcusable that the debt continues to skyrocket. How can Constitutionalists in DC watch as their party squanders an opportunity to address the fiscal cliff we’re heading towards? That’s the $20 trillion question.
Could we see Republicans abandoning ship ahead of the election to run as Independents or Federalists? Are some who aren’t going into an election year considering changing allegiance soon rather than waiting? If things continue to look gloomy for both Republicans and Democrats in coming months, the answer to both questions is “maybe.” It’s a long-shot; we weren’t planning on running in many national elections until 2020, but the growing angst has accelerated things.
I wish I could go into detail about the conversations I’ve had this week. Some were surprising. The rest were downright shocking. We’re in a very strange situation where both major parties are failing to inspire any form of support outside of the fervent base. The best thing going for the Republican Party is the Democratic Party. The best thing going for the Democratic Party is the Republican Party. There’s a distinct lack of positive momentum on either side. At this point, all they can rely on is trying to make the other side look worse.
That’s the problem with binary choice. It’s a system that mathematically offers the lowest chance of yielding candidates the people truly want. It’s why we’ve become a political society of attack ads rather than issue-based platform building. Instead of laying out concrete plans for policy, campaigns have devolved to pure mudslinging. They no longer give reasons why you should vote FOR someone. They simply focus on making us vote AGAINST their opponent.
Our intention has always been to focus locally in the 2018 elections and expand to national races in 2020. That plan hasn’t changed, but the calculus is much more favorable now than it ever has been. I’ll be reaching out to those who appear to be Federalists before the end of the year to see what’s possible. If the interest is there (and based upon my calls this week, it is), it’s possible we could see current GOP lawmakers jump ship.
Who can blame them? The Establishment is no longer a representation of what conservatives call RINOs (Republican In Name Only). They’re now what the Republican Party embodies philosophically. It’s the small-government-minded, Constitution-loving Republicans who are no longer considered true representatives of their party’s ideology or plan.
Constitutional conservatives are now Republicans in name only. They see the party as the best vehicle during campaign season because there haven’t been any viable alternatives. We’re trying to change that. Judging by the response we’ve received so far, we’re on our way to reaching the necessary tipping point.
Our biggest challenges are the ongoing failures of third parties. They’ve suffered from amateur strategies and poor choices that end up wasting time, money, and votes. They’ve paved a road towards a dead end. Combine that notion with the self-perpetuating false dichotomy created by the masters of the two-party system and it’s easy to see why so many Americans want a third party but have a hard time believing they’re even possible.
We can suspend disbelief if one or both of two things happen. Our strategy of starting with local, city, county, and state elections is the long road heading towards DC, but it’s solid. The longshot – an exodus by current lawmakers – is entering more of our internal conversations. This time last month, it wasn’t really an option. We’ve apparently been causing some people to take notice which has prompted this week’s enlightening conversations. Now, the exodus gambit is getting stronger consideration. Thankfully, they’re not mutually exclusive. We’ll continue with the first plan while keeping our eyes and ears open for the second.
America needs to be released from the inherent dysfunction of the Democratic-Republicans who’ve had a stranglehold on government since the 19th century. President Trump has stirred the trough shared by both major parties. The time is near when Constitutionalists on Capitol Hill can no longer willfully partake in eating the slop. When the time comes, we’ll be ready.
Covid variant BA.5 is spreading. It appears milder but much more contagious and evades natural immunity. Best to boost your immune system with new Z-Dtox and Z-Stack nutraceuticals from our dear friend, the late Dr. Vladimir Zelenko.