Spady: Trump and AOC signal the death of the American political party system

There is a lot to learn from Freshman Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s Green New Deal. It’s an entirely new and radical plan that would never work economically in this country. We could discuss that all day, but I’d rather investigate what the person pushing this plan is doing to America.

In my mind, Ocasio-Cortez is the beginning of the end for the Democratic Party. She represents the collapse of the party towards the left. I’ve compared her to President Trump before on the Saul Spady Show and I’ll do it again. I believe that Trump is also the beginning of the end for the Republicans.

Each of these two politicians are reshaping Washington D.C. They are breaking down the walls of the boxes that define and contain each party. Meanwhile, they are pushing Americans further away from the middle. Those of us in that ‘silent middle’ need to push back against this and embrace the changes that are happening in this country.

Let’s take a look at Washington state. The Republican Party didn’t win a single race in King County in November. Are these the leaders that we should look to define our party? Do we need to let them define how we deal with issues in our state? Under their watch we could see the Democrats pass an income tax in our state, pass a capital gains tax, maybe even pass Jay Inslee’s carbon tax that voters have rejected several times.

Why do I have to keep trusting these politicians who represent the Republican Party in Washington? What have they done to prove to me that they care about our most important issues, such as homelessness? Two thousand kids sleep outside every night in King County. Forty thousand kids in our schools are dealing with homelessness in their families across the state. This is an issue both parties can get behind. They should be working together to find solutions. But they aren’t. It’s only getting worse.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has shown us a clear example of what you should do when you feel like your party isn’t looking out for your best interest. She stopped listening to what the national politicians were telling her, and she is out there doing what she thinks needs to be done. I don’t agree with her policies in the slightest, but I admire what she is accomplishing. She is taking control of her message, and of her anger, and she is pushing it out to the people to help fight her battles.

How long will the Republicans let this happen? How long are we just going to sit in our box and wait for things to get better? We need to create our own monster to match Ocasio-Cortez and break down the political walls that are suffocating America.

There are ways we can make a difference. That’s what I’ve tried to do with No Child Sleeps Outside. That’s what I am trying to do 6-9 a.m. every morning on my radio show. We are actively searching for the rational opposition. I won’t let anyone tell me we can’t make a difference. We can push private-public partnerships. We can find solutions for those who are homeless by creating emergency shelter with enough room for everyone, we can enforce drug laws and provide rehab as well as first-time employment. We need to help those in need find a path to self-sufficiency. We can’t just spend more and more money and give out free needles with the hopes that things will magically get better.

We need to respectfully push back and find our own concept of what our nation’s political parties can be. Millennial Republicans, Millennial Democrats, and Millennial Independents have an opportunity to create a 21st Century America.

We can embrace American exceptionalism again. That exceptionalism exists in the sense of how we treat each other equally despite gender, despite race, despite economic stature. There will be opportunity for people at the bottom of the ladder to rise up. Similarly, there will be times when people at the top will fall. But we will create a system that will catch you, and help you to produce the capitalistic attitudes that have always made America great.

We don’t need to “Make America Great Again.” It’s been great all along. We just need to come together, break out of our boxes, and find solutions to the problems that our elected leaders have been failing to solve for too long.

Listen to the Saul Spady Show weekdays from 6-9 a.m. on AM 770 KTTH.