By Harold Pease, Ph. D
For some time Donald Trump has said that this election is “rigged” in favor of Hillary Clinton. He talks about the “pile on” against him by the establishment media, establishment Democrats, establishment Republicans, establishment bankers and corporations. He could have added the globalist establishment special interest groups such as the Council on Foreign Relations and the Bilderbergers. There has been collusion amongst all these groups for decades more easily seen now than at anytime since Barry Goldwater. This is evidenced most clearly by the establishment media’s reluctance to cover Wikileaks released emails so devastating to Clinton and the Republican establishments hostility to their own candidate, as for example, George H. Bush’s vow to vote for Hillary.
Remember, Trump is the only “outsider” still in the race. From the onset non-establishment candidates Bernie Sanders, Ted Cruz and Donald Trump collectively had at least 60% of primary voters. Most Americans have felt something amiss in Washington DC in both major political parties for some time. We have mentioned in previous columns that Wall Street “elites” have, by their funding, owned both political parties and the mainstream media for most of a century and Trump threatens their continued power.
But most Americans do not understand that presidential elections have been “rigged” for decades by deliberate media exclusion of other political party candidates. I write the Federal Elections Commission every October of every election year to find out who is running for president as the establishment media has not told me. Yes, I know the candidates of the two favored political parties, but little else. I wish not to have my choices limited by the managed media.
The Federal Elections Commission requires that anyone running for president that spends or collects $5,000 or more on his/her candidacy for president file with them. My students are surprised to learn that there are always over 200 persons who do so, often many more. In every presidential election there are at least 20 political parties offering a presidential candidate. Part of the “rigged” system is the agreement among the mainstream media to cover only Republicans and Democrats.
The Libertarian Party has offered a presidential candidate in every election for decades and are on the ballot in over 45 states in every election but are seldom mentioned and never invited to the “big debates.” Certainly they feel excluded. One may argue, “but they do not have enough voter strength to warrant inclusion,” but in fact, they do not have sufficient voter strength because the establishment media does not cover them.
When the establishment press wishes to advantage a candidate it suddenly allows inclusion, such as when Ross Perot was “allowed” real participation in 1992 because he would take more votes from George H. W. Bush than Bill Clinton giving Clinton, the then media favorite, the White House. Ross Perot was on the ballot in every state in the Union because he received sufficient media attention to be there.
Such would be the case today for anyone else getting media attention. The media get to vote first by its collective exclusion of those not registered with the Democrat or Republican Party. In political science we learn that the first election is theirs. We get to choose from those the media have not excluded. The wisest, most experienced, most gifted and most honest person in America could not be president of the United States unless he/she were a Democrat or Republican.
Media corporate owners have allowed media collusion and, as we have said in other columns, they are overwhelmingly also globalist. Trump survived this media filter by running as a Republican, and vaulted over the establishment by funding his own primary campaign enabling him to say it as he saw it and win over the majority of Americans who have also felt something amiss in Washington DC.
So what other political parties offer choices for president on the ballot this year? They follow: Gary Johnson (Libertarian Party), Jill Stein (Green Party), Darrell Castle (Constitution Party of the U.S.), Gloria LaRiva (Party of Socialism and Liberation), Rocky de la Fuente (Reform Party USA), Emidio Soltysik (Socialist Party USA), Alyson Kennedy (Socialist Workers Party), Evan McMullin (Better For American Party), Frank Atwood (Approval Voting Party-Colorado), Scott Copeland (Constitution Party of Idaho-Texas), Princess Khadijah Jacob Fambro (Revolutionary Party-California), Jim Hedges (Prohibition Party-Pennsylvania), Mike Maturen (American Solidarity Party-Michigan), Monica Moorhead (Workers World Party-New York), Rod Silva (Nutrition Party-New Jersey), Peter Skewes (American Party of SC-South Carolina), Tom Hoefling (America’s Party-Iowa), Chris Keniston (Veterans Party of America-Texas), Kyle Kopitke (Independent American Party-Michigan), Bradford Lyttle (US Pacifist Party-Illinois), Dan Vacek (Legal Marijuana Now Party- Minesota), Jerry White (Socialist Equality Par-Michigan). These persons were able to go through the different state hurdles to get on the ballot without significant media coverage. The list ends with another 550 running for president as write-in candidates.
In this election many wish to know of options other than Clinton and Trump. The establishment media reluctantly noted the Libertarian and Green Party candidates, but unless voters do their own research they are not well informed on either and are totally ignorant on the other political parties running candidates. Obviously Trump is mostly arguing that elections are “rigged” because of the “pile on” against him, but it can also be argued that they were “rigged” long before him.
Dr. Harold Pease is a syndicated columnist and an expert on the United States Constitution. He has dedicated his career to studying the writings of the Founding Fathers and applying that knowledge to current events. He has taught history and political science from this perspective for over 30 years at Taft College. To read more of his weekly articles, please visit www.LibertyUnderFire.org.