The Republican Party, as a result has benefited, especially
in America’s heartland and in
particular, at state and local levels. Yet, its support seems to rest on the
last vestiges of a fading demographic white, mostly male, middle class voters,
and there is a subtle cold and callous undertone to their call for austerity
and “making America great again” by cutting back on social security and the
public social safety net but continuing to spend more money on the military
than the next ten nations (including China, UK, India, France, and Russia) combined!
However, neither those who agitate on the Left or Right are
satisfied with what their side is offering. The result is an America more
deeply and widely divided than at any time since the years proceeding the Civil
War. Some ominously predict a pending
revolution while others anticipate a second civil war at any moment, and still
others foresee for a “civil divorce”.
Even during our formative years as a nation there were those
among our Founding Fathers who questioned whether we were or could ever become
a truly “United States” of America. We were fundamentally too different; a
multitude of nations. Over the subsequent
decades and centuries, as millions came to our shores, those divisions have
only intensified. Regardless, one thing is for sure. This is not the America
our Founders intended. So, lets take a look at our political landscape. Perhaps
we can even predict an America just a few years or a decade or two down the
road.
First, despite the popular belief that America is a “two
party” nation, the truth is that it was never established that way. In fact,
the majority of the Founders opposed the creation of political parties, fearing
that they could become powerful special interest cliques which would in time
weaken the political power of the average citizen through deception and
corruption and eventually dominate government (nah. That could never happen…could
it?).
However, despite their
public perception of two differing parties, the fact is they’re more similar
than not. For example, they’re both
owned by special interests from Wall Street. Wall Street controls the finances
of both parties. It funds their campaigns, their leadership PACs, and sets
their agenda. It dictates their domestic and foreign policies (which are not overly
dissimilar). The corporate media defines their public persona and influences
their political message. Both are legal fictions given the rights of the
average citizen…and then some. They are,
in fact, a duopoly of Wall Street. Another thing they have in common is that
both are actually minority parties.
According to the most recent polling, Independents are the
largest political demographic in the United States with just over 43% of all
registered voters not aligning with either the Democrats or Republicans. As an
aside, did you know that Independents have been the dominate political
demographic since 2011? Meanwhile, the two corporate owned parties are roughly
equal with 28% each of the electorate making Independents (erroneously called “swing
voters” by some) the literal “kingmakers” of today’s politics.
Something else the Democrats and Republicans have in common
is that not many people like them. According to a Pew poll, 65% of registered
voters, irrespective of registration, disliked Republican polices. 56% felt the
same way about Democrat policies.
A 2025 NBC News Stay Tuned Poll, showed that 71% of
Independents disapproved of the direction the Republican Party was going. 91%
of Democrats agreed as did 13% of Republicans (could they be the nefarious “RINOs”
so hated by GOP hardliners?).
Amusingly, in 1960, 4% of Democrats and 4% of Republicans
said they’d be unhappy if their son or daughter married someone outside of
their party affiliation. In 2019, nearly half---45%---of Democrats said they’d
be unhappy if their child married someone from a different party. Republicans
were apparently a little more open minded. Just 35% said they would object.
Today, I suspect they’d be disowned.
Another factor affecting both parties is that they’re losing
their base. Demographics in America are constantly changing. Historically,
America has been a predominate white European nation since its founding while
blacks were considered the largest minority, As a result, legislation and
funding was directed accordingly. But that’s all changing.
Today, whites are still the largest racial demographic at 58.4%
(white males, often viewed as America's political, social, and economic “powerbrokers”
are projected by the Census Bureau to become a de facto minority by the early 2040's). The second largest population are Hispanics, who comprise 19.5% of the population (that number would likely be higher
if all illegal immigrates were included. However, it's only
as an estimate). Black Americans make up just 13.7% of the population. Asians are 6.4%.
Those claiming two or more races make up about 3.1% of the population (and
growing). Native Americans, Pacific Islanders, and others make up under 2%.
Based on projections, sometime in the next 25 years, America
will no longer have a majority racial population. Whites and Hispanics are
expected to have a near parity. Black percentages are expected to drop while Asians
are anticipated to increase along with the number of those of mixed racial
ancestry. So, what does that mean?
Secondly, there will be an increase in the number of people
of Hispanic ancestry being elected to office at all levels as a result of both a
growing population and an increased concentration in key districts or dominate
state with high electoral votes. So, don’t be surprised to see a Hispanic
president in the next 25 years. Also, although historically, there’s been a decrease
in ancestral allegiance over generations, that doesn’t seem to be the case when
it comes to Hispanics.
The reason is that historically, immigration came in waves, thus giving time to integrate into American society, aka the proverbial “melting pot”. Note too, this “absorption” was also encouraged by previous immigrants and society in general as well as newly arriving immigrants had a strong desire to become “Americans” as quickly as possible.
That’s no longer the case. First, the arrival of Hispanic immigrants
(legal and illegal) are occurring as such regular rate and volume that there’s
little time or opportunity to integrate. Secondly, many have no intention or desire
in becoming “Americans”. They are here solely for a payday. These are economic migrations. As a result,
few bother to learn English, the laws, or adopt to customs, values, or
traditions. They tend to congregate in their own ethnic enclaves. Many regularly
support family back home. Therefore, nearly everything about them remain tied
to their native country.
Black Americans have faced a series of serious issues since emancipation which the federal government has attempted to correct through legislation and various taxpayer based programs with varying degrees of success. As federal funding for programs and services are reduced or redirected, along with competition for jobs now being taken by Hispanics, black Americans are going to be forced to struggle harder.
This brings us to an interesting question. With Democrats
and Republicans shrinking in number, generational dissatisfaction with existing
partisan politics (especially among Millennials, Gen Z and facing a declining
number of Babyboomers and aging Gen X), what does our political, economic, and
social future look like? Cities, starving
for economic resources, are gobbling up
smaller surrounding communities. Corporations are also continuing to gobble up everything
they can, thus eliminating or consolidating competition. It already controls
the government, and with it, controls funding as well as domestic and foreign policy.
Technology,
especially AI, is already proving to be a double edge sword. It’s provided
opportunities for a few while reducing or eliminating jobs thus contributing to
the already enormous gulf between the rich and the rest of us. It is also the
tool behind our evaporating personal privacy and becoming the ever watchful eye
of our emerging surveillance state. It bears mentioning that Millennials and
Gen Z, both raised on technology, don’t appear to have the same regard toward privacy
as older generations.
As I briefly touched on, the wage/income gap between the
elites and the rest of society (which also benefits Congress and others in
power) is widening. For instance, did you know that the top 1% control 31% of
the nation’s wealth compared to the bottom 50% which controls just 2.6%? From
1979 to 2023, the top 1% saw their wealth grow 182% while the bottom 90% had a
growth of 44%. The average CEO makes roughly 334 times that of the average
employee.
Neither party are willing or able to make the changes which we
need. Besides, it’s not in their vested interests to do so. It’s taken decades
crafting the perfect scam. The tune they dance to isn’t the voice of the
American voter. It’s sound of vast sums of money played by Wall Street. Corporatism,
as under Fascism or Communism, requires a compliant citizenry convinced into
surrendering their integrity and wellbeing to a state absent any real
accountability, which to me is a lot like an alley cat telling a mouse to “trust
me”. Bon Appetit anybody?
Thank you for reading
"Another Opinion", the Op/Ed blog page for the "militant
middle". Here at "A/O" we truly value our readers. At
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article. Thank you.
Political Polarization in the United States
Digging into America’s sour views on both political parties:From the Politics Desk
GOP Holds the Edge in Party Affiliation for Third StraightYear
Wage inequality fell in 2023 amid a strong labor market,bucking long term trends
U.S. Census Bureau: Quick Facts
Partisan Politics drags U.S. towards failed-state status
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