Shortly after posting Shocking Social Decay In My Neighborhood a few weeks ago I received a lengthy and thoughtful message from a reader. He said he was a lifetime Democrat, but that he was now leaving the party. He had become disillusioned with the intolerance and intransigence that his beloved party has descended into and no longer felt it offered pragmatic solutions to our social problems.

A radical wing has emerged within the Democratic Party charging that America is morally corrupt and asserts that the only course is fundamental revision of institutions and values. Like their 1960’s Marxists predecessors they allow no dissent or discussion.

But that does not seem to be a popular position…

The more moderate wing of the party that focused on issues like abortion, gun control and poverty has been marginalized by the more rabidly vocal leftists, shifting the party away from its traditional base.

Now, suburban Democrats are leaving the party. The Associated Press is reporting that more than a million Democrats have registered with the Republican Party in just the last year.

The poster child of radical Democrats, Rep. Ilhan Omar, was shouted off the stage at a concert in Minnesota.

But radicalism isn’t the only problems the Democrats are facing. Inflation is increasing, a recession is on the horizon and food and fuel prices are a constant reminder of the state of the economy. These things are pulling President Joe Biden’s approval rating lower even than Trumps at the same point in his presidency, according to website FiveThirtyEight.

Things aren’t much better for the GOP…

The GOP has become The Party of Trump. Like the radicalized wing of the Democratic Party, Trump hardliners tolerate no dissent or compromise. True believers are fully obedient and compliant. In their view fellow republicans are either for or against Trump. Moderate republicans are turncoat collaborators, belittled as RINOs, weaklings and traitors.

That’s not the view of most Republicans….

Many Republicans are disgusted with the lack of principles that resulted in Trumps megalomaniac pursuit of power, and the related lack of principles of influential GOP members.

Cracks are spreading in Trumps once solid control of the GOP.

Mehmet Oz and Ron DeSantis, both of whom once aligned themselves with Trump, are now distancing themselves as the general election comes closer.

Republican Congresswoman Liz Cheney made headlines when she said that she didn’t think the GOP would survive a 2024 Trump run for the White House.

GOP mega-donors are washing their hands of Trump and turning their attention to more moderate Republicans like DeSantis and Pence.

Mainstream voters are so disgusted with both parties that they are leaving them in droves.

But they are not joining the other major party…

…Instead they are registering with the Independent Party.

The major parties are in such disarray and paralysis that they only watch as their supporters melt away. So many have left the Democratic and GOP parties that now the Independent party has more members than either.

Notice that this is a long term trend, starting in about 2010 and increasing as the years and elections go by. It will likely continue into the years ahead and elections of the future.

The desertion from the two main parties by their long term loyalists might be a promising sign. The coming election cycle might prove to be an era in which moderate politicians can be heard and elected. We may see the trend towards an honest analyses of social and economic challenges instead of empty slogans, appeals to emotional reactions and a constant race to raise funds and serve the needs of only our wealthiest citizens.

Change is on the way…

Americans are voting with their feet and pulling support from these arrogant and authoritarian parties. This has been happening for the last ten years. Sooner or later both parties will face the choice to either give up on radicalism or be replaced by a third party.

Read more at VicNapier.com and my Medium.com page.

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