One thing that has become clear about this election cycle is that the voters are sending a strong message that they are more concerned about the direction America is heading than whether the president is Democrat or Republican.

Just think about the Sanders and Trump races. Both have garnered more voters than anyone would have guessed. Primary turnout has set all-time records. Trump became the Republican standard bearer by bringing millions of new voters to the Republican Party. Bernie is still showing remarkable strength even though the super delegates made the Democratic race a done deal long ago. Their common message on trade policy is the reason.

In other words, this election is about a return to a more traditional foreign policy that would put the national interest ahead of globalism and a return to trade policy that seeks balance and counter measures for foreign mercantilism. Roughly 25% of Sanders voters say they will either stay home or vote for Trump if Hillary is their nominee.

GOP establishment attempts to stop Trump at all costs will subvert the will of millions of new Republican voters. How do these attempts by Republican leaders help when they close the door to Trump’s voters and to populism in general? Watching the Sanders/Trump phenomenon, it should be clear to party leaders that the voters are in a populist mood and are fed up with business as usual.

The sooner party leaders accept that the voters have carried off a revolution in the Republican Party, the sooner they can be a viable party again. Any attempts to stop this reformation will only marginalize Republicans and ignore the fact that this is an historic shift and the parties will never be the same again. Efforts to stop Trump only alienate blue-collar Americans who are concerned about immigration, trade and foreign policy and leave Republicans preaching their narrow doctrine to a smaller and smaller audience.

Democrats would be wise to observe what the voters in both parties have said by their primary votes and adjust accordingly. If not Bernie this year, they had better think differently in 2020 or be left in the dust by the Republican Party.

The voters have moved on from ideology and both parties need to accept that. Any candidates in this election cycle could have taken up the cause of jobs for the middle class by getting serious about fixing our trade deficit. Trump and Sanders did and they won over millions and millions of voters while others did not. Those Republican candidates are history. Hilary’s campaign is stalling. Super delegates in her party might get wise and shift their support to a winning messenger. Pat Buchanan has described Trump as the future of the Republican Party. The Bernie phenomenon has sent this message to Democrats as well.

Political candidates that continue to defend and expand the Bush/Clinton/Bush/Obama legacy of a New World Order will pay a price at the polling booths. It should be obvious by now that the Washington Cartel’s agenda does not work for the average American and has almost no support within the electorate. Either party that devotes itself to defending the globalist agenda will become irrelevant to the debate over how to make things better for most Americans.

It is easy to get caught up in the emotion of campaigns and this one has stirred up more than most. Our forefathers were wise to make sure the nation was governed by a consensus of the people. Senate Majority Leader McConnell and House Speaker Ryan have both stated on several occasions their desire to return the two chambers of Congress to regular order and to govern from the bottom up. This should return power to the people as our constitution dictates. Their opportunity to show good faith may be just around the corner.

The voters don’t often speak as loudly as they did this time. Both parties’ first step is to listen to the voters and adjust their policies, platform and behavior to match their constituents.

Frank Shannon served in the U.S. Army, was an engineering/operations manager for AT&T for 27 years, was the owner of a small manufacturing business for 23 years, served as Colorado Chair of the Coalition for a Prosperous America and moved to Mesquite in 2013.