The most significant political event in the USA since Donald Trump took his trip down the escalator was the Virginia gubernatorial election last November. It was a close race. But even if the Democrats had flipped another 100,000 non-voters to be Democrat voters and take the governorship, the Republican candidate still got 30% of eligible voters to vote for him. This 30% result came despite the antics AFTER January 6, 2021, which validate the political direction of a future one-party state. Thirty percent of Virginians still voted for the Republican.
Let’s go back to August 1974. Richard Nixon did not want to resign. Yet he resigned. Why? Because high-ranking Republicans saw big losses in the 1974 midterms. They told Nixon to either resign or face conviction. We could argue that the US Constitution worked its magic in that moment of time.
If that same magic were working today, the Republican candidate’s vote should have dropped to 20% of eligible voters, maybe even 15%. This drop in the polls would have given most Republicans incentive to change their outlook. Instead, there seems to be no political punishment for political malfeasance that is much bigger than anything Mr. Nixon did.
In other words, the USA has lost its ability to self-correct itself, politically speaking.
Oh, what to do? What to do? What to do?
The Two Parts of Plan A
From left-leaning political writers on Medium, I am seeing two possible solutions.
The first solution is convincing the rank-and-file Republicans the error of their thinking. So Medium articles are carefully crafted such that the illogicality of Republican thinking is clearly exposed.
Unfortunately, very few conservative thinkers are on Medium. They might read these articles but will likely not digest them. They will not share them with friends. But the left-leaning mainstream media has some reach into this demographic. They can go places where 10,000 Medium writers cannot. And this media has more expertise in communications.
Even if these Medium articles do find their intended target, they do little to address the psychology of that target. Members of the Trump base have built their identity around this man. They have built their social structure with like-minded people. To suddenly say “Hey, I was wrong,” would mean giving up a big part of their life. Making such a big change is so hard for nearly all of us. We humans will rationalize bad decisions.
“Oh, but I only need to convince a few,” the left-wing writer might say, “If 10,000 of us write such articles, we could flip a few elections.” And even if a few elections are flipped, that does not take care of the 30% of Americans who are still voting for a one-party state. And that one party already has the answer for any election it loses: “the election must have been rigged.” So that party still wins when it loses. Flipping a few elections is not going to change the direction of a loaded cargo ship heading too fast for a reef.
The second part of Plan A involves admonishing the Biden administration. So many Medium writers, from the comfort of their keyboard in their own little room, know the actions the Biden administration should take to fix the USA. These writers are obviously smarter than the entire Biden team.
The trouble is that these writers did not win the election. Nor are they are working fulltime in the turbulent river of politics to fully understand the complexity of the American situation. For example, Mr. Trump has at least 100,000 followers willing to die for his cause. If we think that is not affecting the thinking of the Biden administration, we are naïve.
And these Medium writers are not beholden to forces that help politicians become elected. For example, I have written about the American Aristocracy, to which both Democrats and Republicans must appease to win elections. A political party cannot get the responsibility of governance without the endorsement or acquiescence of a significant part of this this demographic. All other American demographics are secondary to this aristocracy.
So do these writers really believe that their solutions will work?
The Dystopic Writers
These days, there is no shortage of Medium articles predicting the upcoming oligarchy. There are all sorts of cries of civil unrest, civil war, suspension of rights, arbitrary arrest and imprisonment, regions of the USA leaving the USA, etc. If we are truly heading towards an oligarchy, then what’s the point of writing about it?
Well maybe these writers are painting such a grim picture to motivate us into finding a solution to prevent that oligarchy. Which then leads back to the two well-known solutions of Plan A: chastising Republicans and chastising Democrats. Have I got this right?
Or maybe these dystopic writers know the kinds of articles that attract Medium readers, which leads to reasonable Medium payday?
Despite the dystopic articles and their dire warnings, we are still sliding towards the oligarchy the writers are warning us about. Month-by-month, the result we so fear gets a little closer. We’ve been sliding backwards since Mr. Trump took that trip down the escalator. The Virginia election shows how far we have slid. Should we not consider that the oligarchy is now plausible? Should we not have a Plan B for this outcome? Would not this plan be better than . . .
. . . hoping . . . and
. . . . . . . wishing . . . and
. . . . . . . . . . praying . . . that
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . the upcoming oligarchy does not happen.
In other words, there is no Plan B if the oligarchy does happen.
And nobody wants to talk about a Plan B. No one wants to talk about the oligarchy actually being a reality. We’re all just hoping, wishing, and praying — for Plan A.
Here’s a Plan B
If the oligarchy does take over, methinks free speech will take both formal and informal hits. Medium writers who continue to post Medium articles against the new government just might be getting little visits from guys in black suits driving black SUVs if these articles seem to be too public. That’s how oligarchies behave. All the hoping and wishing and praying won’t allow free speech anymore.
Medium writers could join the left-wing militias, which are likely to arise. A militia warrior is a very stressful occupation with not a great lifespan. Most of us will try to keep our heads low than sticking our necks out.
I have an anti-oligarchy activity we can participate while living in an oligarchy.
Let’s build a new democracy!
Tiered Democratic Governance (TDG) is that new democracy. During the oligarchy, you need only spend 10 hours a month on this project. Meet with neighbors. Hold some small meetings in living rooms. Write some local constitutions. See what happens after.
You should be able to find that 10 hours of spare time in an oligarchy because there will be fewer recreational opportunities. Building this new democracy will give you some purpose. It will also pull your community together, which will be useful in these hard times.
Yes, the oligarchy might cause the early TDG a few troubles. But the new rulers will have much bigger fires to put out. The oligarchy will be quite consumed with trying to govern a nation; the oligarchy probably won’t be competent in this job. Add in the left-wing militias and right-wing infighting, more energy will be drained from the oligarchy. The oligarchy really can’t afford to chase down this new democracy, which will not be an immediate threat. The TDG will be left alone. As more people join, the oligarchy will be less likely to offend this movement.
Eventually the oligarchy will fail by its own hand. When dust settles, people will be looking for an alternative. If there is no unified vision to show the people, the USA will likely revert to Democrats and Republicans and documents from 1789. The very things that drove the nation to an oligarchy.
When the dust settles, the TDG could be ready to assume responsibility and authority of governance. It would have its own constitution and capable leaders in place.
So yes, it is possible to build a TDG in the oligarchy.
TDG Requires Effort and Sacrifice
In the past three years of my Medium activity, the TDG has acquired about 50 TDG cheerleaders. They like the TDG idea, but they are not moving it forward in any meaningful way. If I were to summarize their reasonings, they either believe that the current system (or a future system) would never allow the TDG to build itself OR they believe human nature cannot arise to the level required for the TDG to function well. So there is no point in even trying to build the TDG — in these cheerleaders’ minds.
Since 2009, I have offered a plan for the USA and the rest of the world. At that time, I believed western democracy had 20 years remaining before it reverted to an oligarchy. The TDG could be built before the final throes of western democracy. Before conditions would materialize to create an oligarchy, western democracy would just yield to the TDG. And the TDG would capably take over. I have explained this process in Chapter 6 of my book.
But these days, I believe that the 20-year time frame is no longer there. We will need to build the TDG during the inevitable oligarchy. Chapter 7 explains that transition. That’s Plan B.
My TDG cheerleaders have given the TDG a 0% chance of success. But let’s assume it has a 10% of success. Should these people start building it?
What’s the sacrifice? About 10 hours a month.
What’s the challenge? Working with your neighbors, who you may not know or like.
What’s the reward? Being able to pass a kinder, wiser democracy for your progeny and the rest of society. These are the people that the early TDG builders are working for.
Is the reward of a kinder, wiser democracy worth a 10% chance of success? We could still say “no” to building the TDG, but many of us have bought lottery tickets for a lot lower chance of success — and probably not as much reward.
What about a 30% chance of success? What about a 60% chance? At what probability will it make sense for you to build the TDG?
And what’s the worst that could happen? Some early TDG builders will be harassed. But early TDG builders will not be plotting to assassinate Republicans or blow up hydro lines. The oligarchy will soon learn it needs to focus on the left-wing militias.
What’s another worse thing that could happen? The early TDG could fail. That would only leave the USA is the same place as if the TDG was not attempted: in a state of oligarchy. There’s an old expression that says something like: “It’s better to try and fail than to not try at all.” How should that apply to building the TDG?
And what else is there to try? Other than the oligarchy itself?
I seem to be the only person on Medium with a Plan B.
Published on Medium 2022
Myth of Political Accountability
