I have paid close attention to politics since the 2016 election. In 2016, I realized that something is terribly wrong with our entire political system. Many people think that the country just needs to elect the right politicians from their political party to fix the country’s issues. They believe the opposing political party is destroying the country. However, the problems of our corrupt political system are much more difficult to solve.
The Root of American Corruption
America’s main problem is that the country is divided into two classes: the elite class (which includes the rich, powerful, and well connected) and the class of average Americans. Politicians from neither the Republican nor Democratic party represent the desires of regular citizens. Instead, they represent special interest groups. A handful of elites in our government and in corporations have consolidated power so they can have greater control over the economy and our political system.
Our entire system is rigged against regular citizens to benefit the elite class. Political policy is tailor-made to benefit corporations, politicians, and the wealthy. Many people feel that their voice doesn’t matter in the democratic process. I think this is a big reason why nearly half of all eligible voters don’t vote. Fixing our country is not just a question of electing the right people. We need to reevaluate our entire political system.
But Where Do We Start?
As I have studied the problems facing our nation, I realized that there are three main issues that enable the corruption of our system. All other problems are just symptoms of these root issues. Our corrupt political system is held up by three pillars: polarization, the two-party duopoly, and crony capitalism.
These are interconnected principles that work together. If one of the pillars were to break, it would be much more difficult for the political establishment to maintain control over the people. The policies that we should focus on are ones that will fix these aspects of the system.
These are the three topics that inspired this blog, and I will write many articles illustrating how these three issues affect every aspect of our politics and culture. Without solving these issues, people will remain deeply divided and progress will be slow or nonexistent. We will inevitably repeat the same mistakes every election cycle by electing corrupt leaders who break their campaign promises.
Let’s take a deeper dive into the three main pillars of corruption and why they exist in the first place:
Pillar #1: Polarization
The first pillar of our corrupt system is polarization. People from all sides of the political spectrum have become extreme in their views. Our political system conditions us to despise each other. It teaches us to close our minds to alternate viewpoints. Most people are incapable of having civil discussions and finding common ground. Very few people make the effort to understand the viewpoints of those they disagree with.
We should be working to come to a consensus on some issues or find a compromise. Although we will never completely agree nor should we, we can learn to respect and understand each other’s ideological differences. We can learn from each other. I think both conservatives and liberals have policies and perspectives that can make this country better. Having a mutual understanding will help us create policies that better meet the needs of citizens.
The truth is that we could fix political corruption in our system today, but the majority of people are asleep. Their partisan bias blinds them to the truth. Most people don’t recognize the full extent of corruption in our government, media, and corporations. They only recognize corruption outside their political party while ignoring it in their own party. This ignorance and complacency allow our corrupt system to continue to exist. Lack of outrage or selective outrage toward corruption is due to polarization, which allows cronyism to thrive and keeps the corrupt republican and democratic parties in power. Which brings us to the next pillar . . .
Pillar #2: The Two-Party System
Polarization and political bias have always existed, even without the two-party system, but this system is designed in a way that fuels division. The two-party system may seem benign, but it is one of the most insidious control mechanisms in our society. In 2016, I came to the horrifying realization that the republican and democratic parties have monopolistic control over our democratic system. This level of control has been devastating to our democracy. Here are some reasons the two-party system is so damaging to our country:
1. It Separates Americans into Tribes
With only two major political parties, blind loyalty is more important than principles and policies. People will vote for their tribe no matter who the candidate is. I have heard democrats use the phrase “vote blue no matter who.” Most people don’t outright say that slogan, but they subconsciously follow this line of thinking. Republicans do the exact same thing. This in no way is a condemnation of anyone who voted for one of the two parties. It just means that many people think like this. Everyone should take a look at themselves to see if they fall into this line of thinking.
2. This Leads to Hypocrisy
Because people are loyal to parties, they will minimize or outright ignore the hypocrisy and faults in their leaders while heavily scrutinizing the faults of the opposite party’s leadership. Under two-party rule, politics has become a zero sum game. You don’t win the game by coming up with solutions that solve problems. You win by discrediting the other party. If beating the other party happens to result in a policy that will help people, that is just an added bonus, not the goal.
Hypocrisy is especially apparent in the news media. . Both conservative and liberal media select stories to fit a particular narrative. They will emphasize the stories that make the other party look bad and hide the stories that make their own party look bad. Because of this, the media has become another weapon in the political arsenal.
3. Political Rivals Dehumanize One Another
When people constantly hear stories about the other party being so bad and their party being good, people from both parties often demonize and make sweeping generalizations about those who belong to the other party. They view the other side as evil people who are trying to destroy the country. The other party poses an existential threat, so they must be defeated at all costs. Many people will rationalize bad policy positions a candidate may hold by saying that it would be far worse for the other party to be in power.
4. Two-Party Dominance Leads to Lack of Ideological Diversity
There is a wide array of possible policy positions and also a wide variety of solutions that can solve societal and governmental issues. These various positions are known as the political spectrum. However, the two-party system tries to place voters and politicians into a political binary. The Republican and Democratic parties teach people to hold a very narrow set of political beliefs. If you hold beliefs or policy positions outside the party orthodoxy, you will be shamed and shunned until you comply.
This behavior has always troubled me because it attempts to push all voters into a narrow set of beliefs that don’t reflect what they truly desire for America.
For all these reasons, the two-party system lacks accountability. Our politicians break the promises they make to us, but we keep electing them over and over again because they assure us that the candidate of the opposing party would be much worse. The fear of the other candidate winning keeps people in line. The propaganda campaign to discredit third parties as an alternative has been extremely successful. Congress has terrible ratings and 62% of U.S. adults believe that the “parties do such a poor job representing the American people that a third party is needed.”
Pillar #3: Crony Capitalism
The third problem with our political system is crony capitalism, which is the corrupt relationship that currently exists between corporations and our politicians. Corporations help elect politicians in order to influence policy to benefit the wealthy and the elites. The two-party system makes it difficult to fight against cronyism. With only two parties, it is easier for corporations to buy off our elected officials in order to influence policy.
Both parties engage in corrupt behavior, so neither party needs to worry about citizens holding them accountable. Our news media, which is owned by a handful of large media corporations, rarely mentions the rampant corruption in our government unless it enforces a narrative. In fact, these media corporations drive bias and polarization so that the elites can stay on top.
In order to maintain the status quo, the elite class uses mass media to indoctrinate us. This concept is called “manufacturing consent.” Here is an excellent video on the subject:
The media creates narratives in order to turn Republicans and Democrats against each other. Because republicans and democrats view each other as an existential threat to America, they are too divided by partisan bickering and culture wars to recognize the root of our country’s problems.
Concluding Thoughts
I have thought about sharing my views for a long time, but after listening to the political rhetoric and the partisan warfare following the 2020 election, I felt that I had to add to the conversation. Most conversations about policy end with name-calling and arguing. We need to change the way we as a society go about discussing politics.
If you learn nothing else from this article, I want you to understand two things: First, understand that power in the hands of a few people leads to society becoming slaves to the whims of the corrupt and powerful. This system most affects the poor and disadvantaged. Second, realize that everyone, even the people who do the most research, has deep political biases. Whether you are on the left or right, you need to also get information from sources on the opposite side of the political spectrum. Otherwise, you create an echo chamber for yourself.
In preparation for this blog, I have done a lot of research over the past seven months. I have studied issues from conservative and progressive sources. Even though I still have several conservative viewpoints, I have changed my mind on a number of issues because I sought to understand both sides of the argument. I hope that you can also approach political policy with the same open-mindedness as I share my thoughts with you.
