#415 Beyond the Two-Party Illusion: Stu Strumwasser on Democracy, Disillusionment, and the Path Forward
Welcome to the Awakening Podcast, where we delve into the deeper truths shaping our world. In this compelling episode, we sit down with Stu Strumwasser, a novelist whose fictional thrillers bravely expose the intricate socio-political issues of our time. Stu, a self-proclaimed polymath with a background in music and finance, shares his journey from a young writer to an author challenging the very foundations of American democracy. We explore the philosophical dangers of political parties, the impact of Citizens United on campaign finance, and the surprising ways in which the two major parties collude to maintain their power. Stu also touches on the critical organ shortage crisis, offering a powerful example of a fixable systemic issue. This conversation is a call to conscious citizenship, urging listeners to question the narratives and envision a more authentic democracy. Tune in for a thought-provoking discussion that will challenge your perceptions and inspire you to seek real change.
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About my Guest Stu Strumwasser
Stu Strumwasser is a modern-day muckraker who writes literary novels that address important sociopolitical issues. His first novel, The Organ Broker, was published by Skyhorse (distributed by Simon & Schuster) and shortlisted as one of five finalists for the Hammett Prize for literary excellence in crime writing. Strumwasser was also the primary songwriter and drummer for the indie rock band Channeling Owen. He is a longtime investment professional (investing in sustainable technology that improves the manner in which we make food) and hails from Brooklyn NY. His new novel, A Real Collusion, is both an exposé and analysis of broken government and a fictional David Vs. Goliath(s) story of the man who almost took down the two-party system in America.
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What we Discussed:
0:00 Welcome & Introduction to Stu Strumwasser
0:35 Stu Strumwasser: Author, Musician, Polymath
1:02 Stu's Journey as a Writer: From Childhood to Published Author
2:02 The Organ Broker: Stu's First Published Novel
3:07 The Two-Party System: A Global Perspective and its Flaws
3:51 The Elephant and the Donkey: Origins of US Political Symbols
4:50 George Washington's Farewell Address: Warning Against Political Parties
6:43 The Danger of Political Parties: From Totalitarianism to Fascism
8:01 The Founders' Vision: A Republic, Not a Democracy
9:01 The Electoral College: Why it Exists and its Impact
10:01 The Problem with the Two-Party System: Lack of Choice
11:01 The Illusion of Choice: How Two Parties Control the Narrative
12:01 The Need for a Third Party: Breaking the Duopoly
13:01 The Power of the People: How Grassroots Movements Can Effect Change
14:01 The Role of Money in Politics: Citizens United and its Consequences
15:01 The Billion-Dollar Campaign: Why Running for Office is So Expensive
16:01 The Unlikely Leader: How an Ordinary Person Can Spark a Movement
17:01 The Zeitgeist Moment: When Society is Ready for Change
18:01 The Impact of a CEO: How One Person Can Transform an Organization
19:01 The Need for a Real Leader: Capturing the Frustration of the Electorate
20:01 Social Media and Censorship: The Challenges of Organizing Movements
21:01 Blockchain Technology: A Solution for Decentralized Movements
22:01 The Collusion of Parties: How Republicans and Democrats Cooperate
23:01 The Epstein List: A Symbol of Bipartisan Corruption
24:01 Suppressing Third-Party Movements: An Unethical Practice
25:01 Un-American Practices: The Opposite of What the Country Stands For
26:01 America's Imperfection: A Loss of Pride and Nationalism
27:01 The Presidential Debates: A Critical Part of the Election Cycle
28:01 Nixon vs. Kennedy: The Impact of Television on Politics
29:01 The Commission on Presidential Debates: A Private Organization
30:01 The Two-Party Monopoly: How Debates Exclude Third Parties
31:01 The Unfair System: Why Third Parties Can't Compete
32:01 The Organ Shortage Crisis: A Fixable Problem
33:01 21 Deaths a Day: The Human Cost of a Broken System
34:01 Solutions for Organ Donation: A Call to Action
35:01 Stu's Offer: A Three-Way Conversation on Organ Donation
36:01 The Power of Awareness: Doing Good Through Discussion
37:01 Stu's Book: A Real Collusion - Where to Find It
38:01 Reading the First Chapters for Free: Arealcollusion.com
39:01 Stu's Band: A Conversation for Another Day
40:01 The Importance of Reviews: Helping Algorithms and Authors
41:01 Final Thoughts and Call to Action
41:16 Outro: RoyCoughlan.com and VA.world
41:24 The First Televised Debates: Nixon vs. Kennedy and their massive impact
42:13 The League of Women Voters: Non-partisan debate hosts
42:59 The Commission on Presidential Debates: Created by RNC and DNC to exclude third parties
43:26 Federal Election Laws and the 5% Vote Barrier for Third Parties
44:22 The 15% Debate Threshold: An impossible bar for third parties
44:34 Ross Perot: The billionaire who broke the 5% barrier
45:18 The End of the Commission on Presidential Debates: Parties negotiate directly with networks
45:41 Is this Freedom? Is this Democracy? Questioning the current system
46:16 Trump's Nuts: An illustration of the problem with severe partisanship
46:42 Why We Don't Need Parties: Stu's unique viewpoint
47:08 Senators and Representatives: How they should represent the people
48:43 Why Hate? Disagreeing without animosity in politics
49:06 George Washington's Warnings: Factionalism, Sectionalism, Foreign Influence
49:54 Party Loyalty vs. Representing the People: The corruption of voting records
50:22 The Independence Center: Supporting independent candidates to break gridlock
51:31 Hillary Clinton vs. Donald Trump: Stu's protest vote for Jill Green
52:46 The Electoral College: Why votes are meaningless in certain states
53:29 The Need for Updates: Amending the Constitution for a modern society
53:51 Pathetic Political Parties: Voting along party lines in Ireland and the UK
54:39 Direct Democracy: Accountability and immediate removal for non-performance
55:09 Global Suffering: Politicians ignoring local needs for international conflicts
55:37 Insider Trading & Corruption: Pelosi, Trump, and the meme coin
56:06 Citizens United: The linchpin that removed campaign finance guide rails
56:32 Minimizing Wealth's Influence: The key to real democracy
56:51 A Real Collusion: Stu's book as a roadmap for political reform
57:22 John Campbell: The regular guy leading an independent movement
58:09 The American Coalition: Inviting all to join, country over party
59:17 Why the System Worked: Nobility and magnanimity in early government
60:45 Well-Intentioned Politicians: The attorneys who could make more in private practice
61:24 Term Limits: A solution for professional politicians and corporate influence
63:20 Corporate Donations: Democrats are also the party of money
64:07 Change is Inevitable: The power of a fictional novel as a catalyst for reform
65:21 Organ Donation Crisis: A call for a future discussion and awareness
65:54 Where to Find Stu: Arealcollusion.com and his bio
66:33 Stu's Passion for Organ Donation: 21 deaths a day and fixable solutions
67:39 Invitation for a Three-Way Conversation: Raising awareness for organ donation
67:59 Roy's Outro: Links, virtual assistants, and supporting Stu's book
Contact
www.instagram.com/stuthemeddler
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Order the book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0G5K3BJ1K
Stu Strumwasser is a modern-day muckraker who writes literary novels that address important sociopolitical issues. His first novel, The Organ Broker, was published by Skyhorse (distributed by Simon & Schuster) and shortlisted as one of five finalists for the Hammett Prize for literary excellence in crime writing. Strumwasser was also the primary songwriter and drummer for the indie rock band Channeling Owen. He is a longtime investment professional (investing in sustainable technology that improves the manner in which we make food) and hails from Brooklyn NY. His new novel, A Real Collusion, is both an exposé and analysis of broken government and a fictional David Vs. Goliath(s) story of the man who almost took down the two-party system in America.
