This is going to be a hard entry to write as I am not sure that I can get my point across and still sound neutral (as I truly am) with regard to the current state of affairs, but…here goes!

     Currently, the Republican and Democratic parties are engaged in the primary process for choosing both the Republican and Democratic nominees for President of the United States (POTUS). The process, for those that are unaware, consists of both parties placing their candidates on ballots across the nation. Each state then has an election, either a caucus system, or an election system (open or closed). Without explaining each system as it would take another full article, the eventual nominee for POTUS comes from this selection process. Think of it as a weeding out process in order to find out which candidate for each party will represent said party in the “General Election” in the fall. The process itself is interesting as it does give the voters an opportunity to choose their representatives for each political establishment. It also allow the party to essentially “vet” their nominees in front of the American people. Once each nominee gains the required number of delegates (each state has a certain amount that they get to divvy up among the candidates based on vote total, or “winner take all”) they become the nominee for that party. There is more, but for the point of this article, that is all that we need.
     Currently, the leaders for each respective party are Donald Trump for the Republicans, and Hillary Clinton for the Democrats. Let’s start with Mrs. Clinton first. Her chief rival is Senator Bernie Sanders, a self avowed Democratic socialist. Whether or not one agrees with his views, the fact remains that he cannot get a fair shake in the democratic primary. Why? As Mr. Sanders is finding out, the game is rigged for Mrs. Clinton, the establishment Democrat. While Sen. Sanders is doing reasonably well in the delegate count due to the primary process (although Super Tuesday essentially did him in), he was trailing woefully in the actual delegate count due to the “super delegates”. Super delegates are those people who are not tied to the election results in their state which makes them independent Democratic voters…they can choose any candidate they wish on the democratic ticket. To date, Senator Sanders has none…Mrs. Clinton has all of them. Even when the race was close, Senator Sanders had…NONE! If this does not smack of a rigged race, nothing does. Mrs. Clinton had over 500 super delegates to her name, Senator Sanders had none. Clearly, on the Democrat side, the lines were drawn and Mr. Sanders stood no actual chance of winning. Great window dressing to make it look as though there was competition, but in actuality, there was nothing there for him. This means that the people had no say. The primary process was actually an exercise in futility for those that chose to support Senator Sanders. The game? Rigged.
     Let’s turn our attention to the Republicans. Currently the national front runner both in delegates and vote count is Mr. Donald Trump. Whether one likes him or not, he is clearly winning in both polls and actual voting as he’s won all but 5 primaries thus far. There is no question that to this point, the people are supporting his candidacy. Based on this fact, it stands to reason that he would garner the support of the Republican party. Not only has this not been the case, there is an active movement within the party, the establishment (those that have been there for a long time – career politicians), who cannot fathom that the populace would not choose one of the people they espouse. As a result, there is an active campaign, almost a revolution, within the republican party to dismantle and destroy Mr. Trump’s campaign. Much of this is generated by the “establishment” of the republican party, those that are essentially career politicians. Many, including Mitch Mcconnell have gone on record as saying that not only do they actively oppose Mr. Trump’s nomination, they will refuse to support him should he garner the nomination through the primary process. Should he be elected POTUS, there is no question they will refuse to work with him.
     Let me suggest this. The point of this article is not to choose sides for any candidate, but simply to point out that the game for the voter, is rigged. Both parties are publicly engaged in subverting the will of the voter, and in the case of the Republicans, it is blatant disregard for the voter’s choice to this point. Essentially, the establishment of both political parties in this nation are actively circumventing the voter, making their votes null and void. I would go so far as to insinuate that the political establishment of both parties is openly telling the voting populace that we are too dumb to make the right choice, so they are going to “fix” it as best they can. If the voter still prevails, they simply won’t work with the choice of the people. Dear reader (should you have gotten this far) this is nothing short of an oligarchy at work. The American voter should not only be outraged, but so outraged that they call their senator or representative and DEMAND that whomever the voter chooses, those representatives have an obligation to work with him or her. This is not about political party, but rather, this is about our REPUBLIC functioning as a REPUBLIC. We, the voter, must understand that all political power in this nation comes from WE THE PEOPLE as exercised through our vote. Should the voter choose Mr. Trump, the Republicans have an obligation to not only support him, but actively support him. The matter of whether or not the establishment likes him as the choice is moot…he was chosen by the voter…their voice must be heard and respected. The same holds true for the Democrats. To actively attempt to negate the will of the voters is tantamount to treason and a direct violation of our electoral process, and one that should not be tolerated by the American populace. Hold those representatives accountable for THEIR actions in this debacle…vote them out! Admittedly, this piece I’ve written is not very scholarly, but I do believe it is one that I had to write. Please remember, the source of all political power in this nation is you, the voter. Use that power.