Blog #213--Turbulent Election Cycle is the Calm Before the Storm

The 2016 presidential election in the US will finally occur Tuesday. It seems like the current campaign cycle has lasted far too long, with myriad debates and endless pundit prattling about everything that is wrong with the two presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. Campaign watchers have hoped the dirt spewing from the mouths of the candidates toward each other would finally end, only to find each week bringing new all-time lows to negative campaign tactics.

There has been minimal discussion of actual governmental policies, replaced by personal attacks. The candidates themselves have been asking US voters to choose them based on their description of their competitors’ behavior and misstatements. All presidential elections are character debates, but when both candidates are inherently lacking in honesty and trustworthiness, character is harder to compare. We have been told little about what they might actually do once they are in office; how anyone can believe they will consider the needs of their citizens is beyond me. If they did care about all of us, they would be happy to share specific details of their plans for the country.

But there is nothing unique about this ambiguity. For many elections now, we have faced increasingly two-dimensional rhetoric. After all, a majority of voters appear susceptible to clever sound bytes and resistant to in-depth analysis. Politicians say what they think the voters want to hear, and each election has degenerated more and more into a hissing contest rather than an actual democratic process. We have favored the charming young-soul liars over responsible adults, to the point where we have two extremely selfish candidates from which to choose.

This is all part of a predictable pattern. As I mentioned in my book “It’s a Secret, So Pass It On: a Toolbox For Life,” all things on Earth are subject to cycles of beginnings and endings. Civilizations rise and fall, as do economic and political systems. In this case, politicians have equated democracy with unregulated capitalism, and both appear heading for an end-game scenario.

The US is no longer the beacon of righteousness it claims to be. Perhaps it never was. We have a constitution guaranteeing certain freedoms, but over the years those freedoms have been eroded. With media consolidation, we have lost our ability to find out what is really going on around the world. This prevents us from carrying out our constitutional duty to govern as “We the People” are meant to do. The advent of a shadow government composed of the financial, intelligence, military and corporate elite operating behind the scenes without oversight guarantees both major political parties work for them, not vice versa.

Of course, “We the People” have abdicated our responsibilities over the years. We would rather play with all the new technology, visit our friends on social media and create our own private worlds sans all the harsh realities, hoping our lives won’t be impacted negatively by governmental decisions. Most of us have already been harmed by self-serving governmental decision-making, but we are like babes in the woods, oblivious to those realities. We are ripe for the plucking, and shrewd politicians have taken full advantage.

It would be nice to imagine our misery observing such a down-and-dirty election cycle is about over, but it's really just beginning. Most of us realize neither presidential candidate can be trusted, but we are helpless to respond so we pretend it will all go away soon. In reality, both candidates are licking their chops at all the power they will have if they win, and all the enemies they wish to punish once in power.

Clinton, the Republican pretending to be a Democrat and latest in a long line of politicians molded to perpetuate the shadow government’s wishes, is eager to fight the wars her benefactors require to take over the world. If her “pay-to-play” philosophy works as intended, she owes many favors that will be repaid. The top 1% will reap most of the financial benefits from either a Clinton or Trump presidency.

Donald Trump may care only about helping himself, but he will have to go along with the shadow government in most ways to get the support he needs to get his way. Republicans who have been obstructionist these past few years in Congress will be thrilled to get most of what they want. They would also get their way with many of Clinton’s decisions, but they won’t allow themselves to admit it publicly.

Besides the lack of leadership talent, both parties have distorted the true function of an election. Private and corporate funding has made a mockery of fair elections, as have all the legal restrictions individual states have placed on eligible voters with opposing political views. Extreme gerrymandering of voting districts has proven that politicians will do anything to influence votes. And while individual voter fraud is not the problem some have suggested, voting and tabulating machine alterations make it possible to alter subtly the vote results in highly-contested districts and states. Truly, any resemblance between the current process and original intent is purely coincidental.

Trump has carefully cultivated the support of those who feel alienated from their country and wish to return to the days of white supremacy and racial bias. He has helped them increase their hatred for all things Clinton and all things government. They will be dangerous if they win because they will begin to use strong-arm tactics to take over local governments in Trump’s name. If they lose, they may become openly hostile and may never accept election results. Anarchy and death squads are possible regardless who is elected. Martial law and internment camps are definite possibilities as well.

Trump has indirectly encouraged his followers to attack Clinton physically if he loses. Clinton has a clandestine intelligence group more than capable of neutralizing Trump if desired. It is hoped no harm will come to any candidate for office, but the mood of the citizenry is anything but civil at this time. Democracy appears to be in its death throes.

A group of courageous, enlightened men crafted a new country based on democracy and fair play. They were far from perfect...slavery and voter limitations were two of their least enlightened decisions. But they created a government “of the people, by the people and for the people” that has lasted more than two hundred years. That is a long time for a government, but its glory days are far behind it. The power people running the government now would have created a military and/or corporate dictatorship from the start, and it appears they are moving closer to that result with each passing day. A number of people are now beginning to wonder if the best solution is to scrap the whole thing and start over.

That would not be a fun experience for most of us, but it may be a better alternative than what’s ahead for us after the election. The view into the future looks anything but promising. Democracy has its benefits, but all things must come to an end eventually. We may be seeing its end in the not too distant future.

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