It's time for a third party 

The 2016 field of candidates for U.S. president is a clown car and a collection of phonies and spewers of empty platitudes. The Democrats aren’t quite as bad but are also no prizes, particularly the wife of “slick Willy” (aka Bill Clinton)—who I’ll call “slick Hilly” (Hillary Clinton). Bernie Sanders seems the most honest and forthcoming, but even he tends to hide his record of supporting many U.S. military interventions around the world over time. Even his economic program is spotty and very general. Donald Trump is playing his usual loud-mouth buffoon and demagogue role, trying to rouse the crazed ultra right/neo-fascistic base of the Tea Party Republican faction. The other Republicans stumble over each other attempting to outdo each other as the most fanatic right wing, Big Lie haters and saber rattlers.

In other words, the “campaign” so far is pretty much a variation of the same bizarre dynamics that have characterized American elections increasingly since the late 1960s, especially since the mid 1990s. Through all the sound and fury, almost nothing of real substance is being put forward to seriously and substantially address the problems and crises facing poor, working class, lower middle class, and middle class people. Something radically new and different is needed for regular people. The Democrats and Republicans don’t even come close to really representing them. Both these parties started off as oppositional third parties in their own time, contrary to the common belief that “third parties never make it.” We desperately need a new, deeply progressive, grass roots based third party movement now, independent from corporate money and the resulting corruption. Bernie and supporters, take note.

-- Jim Griffin - San Luis Obipso

-- Jim Griffin - San Luis Obispo

-- Jim Griffin - San Luis Obipso

-- Jim Griffin - SLO