r/PoliticalOpinions

Research indicates that Congress appears indifferent to the preferences of ordinary citizens.

Beyond that, they frequently fail to enact legislation that would serve the broader American population.

According to a study by Gilens and Page

published in Perspectives in Politics, “

“The preferences of the average American appear to have only a miniscule, near-zero, statistically non-significant impact upon public policy."

Whether we're talking about taxation or national debt, education or economic policy, America continues to struggle with our most pressing challenges. The wealthy and well-connected secure favorable outcomes, while everyday people bear the burden.

It's the ultra-wealthy who consistently get their way. Consider Elon Musk, ( the welfare king).
He stands as the world's richest person largely because of government subsidies funded by taxpayers like us.

Our tax dollars fund the government, yet those same dollars flow to the ultra-wealthy, who in turn wield enormous influence over our elected officials. This creates a self-perpetuating cycle that seems impossible to break, since Congress primarily crafts legislation to benefit the wealthy elite.

Most people recognize how the government system disadvantages ordinary citizens, yet meaningful change is out of our reach because of how the system works.

People seem to think if Trump is gone things will “return to normal” in the US. But “going back” is just not possible in history. The best case in the US would require an FDR-level reformer to reshape the federal government just to undo everything Trump did and everything that allowed for a Trump and project 2025 to happen anyway.

But the Democrats aren’t talking about major structural reform. They won’t even openly call for abolishing ICE aside from their social democrat fringe that the party leadership hates more than they hate the Republicans. In fact they mock and fear monger over small groups like the DSA having a platform that includes structural change they think would increase democratic input into the government.

[This is for people who are concerned about the increase in state repression and erosion of democratic leverage. If you support unitary executive rule, increased militarism, and police state repression because you think it will only be used against those you dislike or fear, this discussion is obviously not directed at you.]

I’m talking about people who swear they are not racist, but support ice and blame our economic problems on “mass immigration”. Like just admit you want to make America white and that you will be unsatisfied until that happens. It’s like they know how evil their views are, so they have to sugarcoat it with ideology/conspiracy theories in order to feel justified in their racism.
For context my whole family is made up of these Christian conservative assholes. I’m 26 and have been fully out of the cult for about 4 years now but I still think about how long I held those same views. I think about how they used to say “well if these immigrants would just do things the right(white) way then they wouldn’t have to worry about their families being torn apart”. Like do you not hear how incredibly privileged you sound? I think about how I used to blame my lack of employment on immigrants, rather than confronting the fact that I was incredibly depressed and was therefore incapable of holding a steady job.

I wanted to post an open letter to the Democratic leadership, in the hope that they will read this and understand WHY they doing so well politically.

If you win the upcoming election, please pause for a moment to think about this message. Yes, we are handing you the keys, but we want you to know WHY.

This victory does NOT mean the American public has suddenly decided to wholesale support your historical agenda—including abortion, gun control, or ideological policies. If that is your takeaway, you are completely missing the message.

You are not winning because the country is suddenly aligned on every single policy you support. You are winning because you are the last chance we have of saving this nation from a complete democratic collapse.

For decades, political parties have tried to divide us, weaponize us, and use us for their own gain. Guess what... more and more of us see through it. ALL of us are tired of being used as pawns in a "culture war." That culture war is just a tool to control us while enriching campaign chests and billionaire supporters.

Our enemy is not an immigrant, not a poor person on assistance, and certainly NOT healthcare.

The votes you receive in this election are not proof that you converted Republicans into Democrats. We are BEGGING you to put the country before greed and to unite us as Americans despite our differences.

To be 100% clear here, so there is no "interpretation" left to spin: We NEED you to govern for the people, and to save our republic.

How do you actually do that?

1. Focus on the issues that affect us all: Economic stability, affordable living, rebuilding infrastructure, access to healthcare, transparent government, and above all else—protecting this Republic from threats within.
2. Stop pitting groups against each other: Lead with a vision that supports everyone, holds bad actors accountable, and gives the country a chance to heal from the constant outrage and exhaustion.
3. Show us that decent leadership still exists: Prove that "blue and red" aren't just two sides of the same corrupt coin, and refuse to give in to the big money influencing your decisions.

We are handing you a mandate for national healing. We expect you to use it to rebuild the middle class, restore the American dream, and secure a future for our children. If you ignore this message, you WILL break the remaining trust holding this union together—and that will be your legacy.

Prove to us that you understand the gravity of the votes you are about to receive. Understand why you are getting this surge of support.

We don’t want Schumer. We want Talarico.

I genuinely believe ordinary Americans could be the world's greatest hope against rising fascism. But they must start with a revolution against their own increasingly authoritarian and belligerent government.

Corporate America, financial institutions, billionaires, and the ruling elites will not save us. They will continue exploiting people and weaker nations, supporting far-right governments wherever it serves their interests. Their greed, exploitation, and willingness to embrace authoritarianism are fundamentally evil.

Look at Brazil's ongoing elections. Even American lawmakers have accused Trump's administration of attempting to interfere with our democracy through sanctions and economic pressure.

Americans must confront Trump, challenge the power of the ultra-rich, defend international law, and ultimately demand a genuine revolutionThe world doesn't need America to save it. It needs Americans to save their own asses.

And I mean areal revolutionn. One that dismantles concentrated power instead of simply handing it to another group of billionaires. Start with redistributing wealth and land. No more obscene fortunes accumulated in the hands of a few while millions struggle to survive.

Because if Americans cannot break the grip of their ruling elites, the entire world will suffer the consequences. Especially here in Latin America, where American interference has shaped our history for generations.

These elites won't hesitate to turn against even their closest allies if there's enough money or power to be gained.

Please, America. For your own sake and ours, make a revolution.

For most of my long life I’ve heard politicians default to a talk about “waste, fraud and abuse.” It’s such a mainstay of the speech circuit that reporters make fun of the line. We’re all told that yes, the grift is real, but it’s just a rounding error in the grand scheme. Sure, prosecute it, plug it, pontificate about it as much as you want. But it doesn’t really matter and nothing will really change.

The DOGE sideshow gave us a hint that some real serious numbers might be at play. Then the USAID audit and the “money overboard” attitude in the last weeks of Biden showed that billions were really on the table. Now the “Learing Center” fiasco and the California hospice scandal show that gigantic sums are at stake.

So is it practical to lower federal outlays in light of these discoveries? Or is it business as usual, with bad actors and bad uses treated as just talking points and not really worth pursuing?