The goal of this campaign is obviously to get elected President, but that is not the end, it's only the beginning. Since it is the beginning, let's start with a few important observations. We are all well aware of the fact that our form of government divides power among 3 branches; the executive (president), the legislative (congress), and the judicial (supreme court). This brilliantly devised system of checks and balances was intended to prevent the federal government from hoarding power in any one place. It is important to note here that the term "checks and balances" applies to the 3 way division of responsibility enshrined in the Constitution. It is not the idea of Republicans against Democrats that defines checks and balances. It is vital that you understand this!! The 2 parties want you to believe that they each represent a check on the other.
Over the last 150 years or so, this idea of a 2 party system has greatly weakened the protections the founding fathers intended. The Democrat and Republican parties have learned that if they could elect majorities in both houses of congress and also hold the presidency, they could virtually monopolize power. With the President having the authority to nominate Supreme Court judges, either party, if in such enviable position, could then do whatever it wanted to, and the opposition party could only, in most circumstances, offer token resistance. Do not kid yourself that this opposition party has your welfare in mind however! Far from it; their only concern is that they do not control the reins of power and so they cannot do whatever it is they want to do. In the end, little gets done that truly benefits the nation. At best, we see pork barrel legislation which is designed to look like something is getting done but is really a sop to buy your vote.
Therefore, the 2 party system is the heart of the problem we must fix. Unless and until we break that mold, we the people will continue to be pushed in whatever direction the ruling elite has in mind. They raise our taxes, waste the money, intrude into all aspects of our lives, send our children off to war, and in the end, with faulty legislation and partisan judges, whisk away our rights and make us servants of their ambitions and interpretations of the "New World Order". The way to break this mold is to elect a President who is not a member of either party. When that happens, the power structure of the federal government will be disrupted and removed from the hands of these 2 parties, and that will in turn, present a slew of new opportunities.
We should not be naive about these new opportunities, because with the good can also come the bad. If we analyze the possibilities, there are 2 likely outcomes of having a President who is not a member of the 2 major parties.
1. The first possiblity that could happen is the best possible outcome. Imagine that members of both parties realize they have no President to defend, and conversely, the President has no party to be loyal to. In an effort of goodwill and high expectations, the 2 parties get together and, working with the President, move America forward in the 21st century.
2. The second is that both parties become so angry at having not won the presidency, and not wanting their rivals to gain any advantage in the next presidential election, continue in their same old partisan ways. In this scenario both parties will avoid doing anything of consequence and try to blame this failure on the new President. If they are really clever enough, they can even portray the other party as complicit with the President for not accomplishing anything!
No matter what the scenario, the point is that a 3rd party President will need a different set of leadership skills. He or she cannot be of the same old politics as usual stripe. This individual will have a real chance to inspire the members of congress to do what is best for the country. What we need in this person is steadfast loyalty to the Constitution, someone above party politics, a leader who will propose ideas that are good for the nation as a whole, but most importantly, a person who will uphold the highest standards of integrity and character!
The campaign slogan, "of the people, by the people, for the people", more fully expresses what I have in mind. If you recall, in the Campaign Announcement and Who's Qualified sections, I said that you would be part of the decision making process, reminded you of how often many of us have thought we could do a better job than our politicians, and that together we would fix this mess. Now is the time to meld those ideas with a philosophy of leadership of a new kind. In order to get congress to do the job it is hired to do, the President must lead as I just described above. We know however that the partisanship inherent in our current politics will resist such leadership. Here is where you play the most important and valuable part in this whole scheme.
It is my intention to inspire our congressmen and senators to do what is best for the country. I intend to offer real solutions, many of which you can read in the policies section of this website. I am under no illusion however, that I will get instant cooperation. Therefore, I intend to change the way the President does business.
Previously, I mentioned to you how the 'State of the Union' message has degenerated into a partisan side show. This is not however, the President's only opportuntiy to communicate to us. Many of you might not even be aware of a weekly event called the "President's radio address to the nation" which is presented each Saturday morning. When was the last time you jumped out of bed and ran to your radio, then frantically searched the dial to hear what the President had to say? Not too often I'd say. Presidential press conferences are few and far between, and their only purpose is to make the President look good by announcing some new initiative we think will change something, and written by some speechwriter whose job it is to con you. In a nutshell, the point is the President must communicate more often and more effectively in this modern age.
Under my administration, all this will change. The Saturday morning radio address will give way to a weekly Tuesday night T.V. address in prime time. What I say at that time will not be a speech written by a hired speechwriter. I will talk to you, the American people, openly and directly, about everything that is going on in the nation. Except for reasons of absolute national security, I will tell you what I think, what I believe we as a nation should do, what I expect to happen. And then I am going to tell you what your elected representatives and senators are doing to either help or obstruct. Where credit is due, I will acknowledge it. Where there is fault to be found, I will also make that known. I will not hold back, I will name names and put these people on the spot. If they are being partisan for no other reason than to try to score political points, they will feel the heat. Then I am going to turn to you, the taxpayers and voters, and I expect you to get on the phone, send out the faxes and e-mails, and move these people off dead center. I cannot say it too often, either we assume responsibility for our country or we leave it to the elites. As your President, I intend that you have the correct information to act upon. I expect us to be partners in the governing of our nation, and not leave it to politicians to do whatever they want. I firmly believe that when you speak up they will respond, but we cannot wait for the next election cycle. By the time that happens, we will have forgotten all the stuff they did or didn't do and they will flood the airwaves, newspapers, and TV screens with more propaganda to be sure you hear about all the goodies they gave you, and they hope you forgot the rest! You must act at that very moment!
This is the basis of my plan, and if elected, I will put it into practice immediately. There really is no other choice. The power of governance is yours and you must keep strict oversight on those whom you have elected to represent you. As your President, I will guarantee that you stay informed. Then it will be up to you. |
|
