"The presidency is not a crown to be passed between two families," proclaimed possible presidential candidate Martin O'Malley [source]. The former Maryland governor has a point. Who among us is enthusiastic about the prospect of another Bush or Clinton in office?
America, with a population of more than 350 million people from every race, religion and background, apparently can only field viable candidates for its highest office from one of two prominent families in 2016.
It's rather pathetic. It showcases the role of wealth, privilege and name recognition over the value of leadership and new ideas.
I'm not sure O'Malley will get much traction with such fiery words. The court of the media seems to have already pronounced victory to Hillary Clinton, at least on the Democratic side.
It's more likely that O'Malley will end up as a potential vice-presidential candidate. But even that is a long shot.
Think about it.
Could he deliver Maryland? Well, there probably isn't any question of the small state going Democratic anyway -- in spite of the recent GOP victory of the governorship. Perhaps O'Malley could stand up for liberalism and deliver the party's more progressive sector.
Progressive Democrats are not enthusiastic about Hillary.
I am not enthusiastic about Hillary.
In my opinion, she is a corporate Democrat. She has the backing of Wall Street and big money. Her most recent example of bowing to the tycoons was a plus-$400,000 speaking fee she took from Goldman Sachs.
We do need new ideas for governance in the 21st century. We do need to extract money from politics. Legal bribery is no way to run a democracy.
President Obama recently proposed that voting be mandatory. What an excellent idea! Most Americans support liberal ideals. If voting were required, we would probably see advances on all fronts.
People with money do not want everyone to vote. It is not in their interest if the masses vote against those interests! However, this is the crux of democracy.
Organizations like WolfPac are taking on the culture of influence and advocating for the removal of money from politics. Through a state-by-state effort, the group is making progress convincing state lawmakers to call for a constitutional convention. This would be the only way possible to amend the constitution and overturn the Supreme Court ruling legalizing bribery (known as the Citizen's United ruling).
Clearly Washington will not get its own house in order. The path on which we are headed is delineated by the current environment of money and influence. Those of us without either do not merit consideration by our lawmakers.
Even in light of these conditions, I am optimistic. We should all be confident in the inevitability of progress. At one time, we were a nation with slavery. At one time, we were a nation that denied women the right to vote. At one time, we embraced segregation. All that is behind us. We have made amazing progress. But there is much yet to be done. Health care is cheaper and more universal. Marriage equality is one the move. Money in politics is being discussed.
At one time, social security was extremely controversial. Then, generations of Americans paid into the system and found they could rely on it in their twilight years. The Affordable Care Act is also experiencing the same controversy. However, in the coming decades, millions of Americans will become believers. The facts will bear out the efficacy of Obamacare. Health care costs will be driven down. People who had no insurance, or paid too much, will be covered.
Progress is what we should all strive for. It is for this reason that accepting status quo candidates from either party is unacceptable.
How soon we forget about the perils of the housing crisis of 2009. The GOP curried the favor of Wall Street bankers and pushed for deregulation. Is there any question about what caused the financial crisis? Yet here we are again, considering the GOP as viable contenders for the presidency. I shake my head.
Let's look for alternatives. Let's seek people with new ideas. Let's encourage as many people as possible to vote in the next election.
Our window of opportunity is now. We have a few short months in which to influence the election as we head into primary season. Get active. Talk to your friends and family. Support alternative potential candidates on social media, or even financially. The time is now. The choice is yours.