October 14, 2017

On Election Day 2016, the two major party presidential candidates had combined negative approval ratings of over 110 percentage points in multiple polls, the highest in recorded history. Many Americans felt like they were being forced to choose between the lesser of two evils. For others, showering twice a day was a requirement as we hit new lows for our republic on a regular basis.

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The two major parties are, no doubt, dissecting the last election for clues on how to win the next one. How do they turn out their voters and suppress their opponent’s? What’s the best way to operate on Facebook? Can we create our own fake news sites to circumvent traditional media gatekeepers?

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All that analysis ignores the central lesson of the last election: The status quo isn’t working for the American people, and they are looking for alternatives who put their country ahead of party politics.

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Can anyone blame them? During the 17 years from 1999 to 2016, median household income has been stagnant on an inflation-adjusted basis. In other words, the average American household hasn’t seen a pay increase in the amount of time that it takes a newborn baby to make it through high school. At the same time, the costs for everything from childcare to prescription drugs to higher education have been skyrocketing.

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The technological forces that have dislocated so many American workers don’t seem to be slowing down. With the advent of artificial intelligence, they may actually be accelerating. These issues, and dozens of other problems that have only multiplied with Washington’s neglect, are leaving Americans very unsettled.

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The two major parties that run our country don’t seem to care. They are running their own version of professional wrestling: There’s lots of fighting, name calling, and... Continue Reading.