Tomorrow, the State of Iowa leads us into the primary season for the election of the next President in November. Not mentioned as much – if at all – is the undercard of Senators, Congressmen, State legislators, Governors, Attorneys General, Mayors and Judges. Overall, the General Election of 2016 is a climactic event in American history.

The early phase of the campaign, which comes to a close with the beginning of primary season, shows immense dissatisfaction with ‘The Establishment.’ Even the Billionaire Club of folks like the Koch Brothers and all the PAC money hidden from accountability has little influence. One must acknowledge the contribution to voter dissatisfaction by the republican Congress that collapsed the functionality of Congress for all of Obama’s tenure; forty failed votes to remove the Affordable Care Act suggests the Congressmen had lost touch both with job description and with accountability to the Nation’s true needs.

Not all dissatisfaction lay with the republicans. The democratic Congressmen showed little unity at times when a unified party vote could have had results. The democratic base, also ignored for the last decade, is not satisfied with the direction of the US. Underlying the democratic dissatisfaction is a philosophy of government that rewards wealth – including corporate wealth without obligation to society – and further suppresses working classes and family support.

Influencing the 2016 vote from the sidelines are huge contemporary issues like global warming, world-wide economic recession, world-wide immigration issues, and political realignment of nations driven by economics and military dominance. Finally, ignored for too long, a planet suffering human, ecologic and geologic stress – ignored despite decades of warning from scientists.

The mariner opines that the victor in the Presidential election will be a candidate with a smaller foot in old school politics and a dominant foot in new government philosophies that focus on a forgotten working class. While this is likely, it is not guaranteed; the danger is electing an old school politician who is determined to ‘stabilize the world we live in now’ – a world that no longer exists.

 REFERENCE SECTION

Mariner occasionally peruses old posts to help decide subject matter for new posts, consider new subject matter, changes in circumstances, and thoughts that may deserve further commentary. Occasionally, mariner finds a typo or misspoken fact. In the post from December 31, 2015, it was noted that 217 Electoral College votes were necessary to win the election for President. While ‘217’ sounds a lot like ‘270’, the correct number is 270.

Ancient Mariner