In an October article last year entitled “A Conflict of Visions,” I outlined the healthy conflict of visions between Democrats and Republicans. I also mentioned the very destructive conflict of visions within each party – Globalism v. Nationalism.
Within each party there is a deep divide on this issue and it threatens to rip one or both parties to its foundation. On the Republican side, Donald Trump has opened this divide for the world to see. Bernie Sanders has done likewise for Democrats. These men deserve credit for exposing this for the voters to debate. This battle for the direction of both parties needs to be debated and resolved by a consensus of the voters.
Unfortunately, party elites in both parties have come down on the side implying that the voters are not well informed and should be ignored. The voters are saying we will not be ignored.
There is a pervasive view in academia called “Post-Industrialism” which states that there is a natural evolution of an economy from industrial-based to an economy based solely on service and financial sectors. Supposed wise people have made statements like:
- We don’t need to make products in the U.S. anymore.
- It doesn’t matter where goods are produced.
- Borders are irrelevant.
- Production capability is fungible.
- If China wants to sell products below cost, let them.
- Manufacturing workers will find work elsewhere.
- Outsourcing manufacturing is progress.
A large segment of Republican politicians, a handful of Democrats in Congress and the entire Obama administration are on this side. They believe outsourcing our manufacturing and middle class is progress.
On the other side are a small segment of Republican politicians, many Democrats in Congress and the vast majority of American voters believe we need to rebuild the middle class and the U.S. should make most of the products we consume.
Behind this Post-Industrial nonsense is what I have been calling the “Washington Cartel,” which is financed by Wall Street moguls, trans-national corporations and power elites through political donations. As long as the Cartel can call the shots, they really don’t care who is president. They own both parties.
The Washington Cartel is desperately trying to hang on to control through the Democrat Party’s “Super Delegates” and a “Stop Trump” campaign in the Republican Party. The Cartel is now pulling shenanigans with caucus and primary delegates to take Trump down. Sanders was doomed from the start by the super delegates. The Cartel prefers Hillary or Cruz because they believe they can control either.
Sanders’ main campaign theme has been fixing our bad trade deals and taking our government back from the financial elites and donor class. Trump’s main themes have been fixing our bad trade deals and securing our borders. It is relatively easy to understand how either party could unify itself. All a party needs to do is to reconcile these two forces – in other words – reform themselves.
The recipe for uniting either party is to meld the Sanders and Trump main campaign themes into their respective party platforms and acting on them.
When considering whether the Cartel or the voters should prevail, the party leaders should look to our constitution and the founding documents to decide. Hint: The sentence about “We the People….” is instructive.
As Pat Buchanan pointed out in a previous article, Trump is trying to save the Republican Party from itself. Buchanan and Trump call for an expansion of the conservative platform to include all previous planks while adding planks that advocate restoring American sovereignty and conserving/preserving the American middle class, the American Dream and American jobs.
As for political motivation, both parties should know that the party that can reform itself and get behind the people will be allowed to govern for a long time. The last time one party did so, it controlled government for 50 years.
President Reagan did this in the 1980’s when he created the Reagan coalition of Republicans, Independents and the Reagan Democrats. This coalition provided Presidents Bush and Clinton the luxury of caretaker presidencies for their entire terms. The Reagan coalition held together until President Bush 43 changed direction, adopted Clinton’s trade policies and passed several destructive trade agreements while refusing to enforce them.
Regardless of who eventually becomes our next president, Trump and Sanders have tapped into the fact that voters are in the mood for a dose of nationalism, and the Washington Cartel’s “Globalism” as an organizing principle is in disrepute. This is why there is a huge divide between the Globalist vision of the Cartel, including party leaders, and the “America First” view of the American people.
That’s why “Outsider” is the title du jour.
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.
