WASHINGTON – Baseball legend Curt Schilling believes that the politicians, bureaucrats and media in Washington no longer represent the will of the average person, and that the election of Donald Trump amounted to the American people "taking their country back."

"Washington, D.C., does not represent the United States of America anymore," Schilling said on his show, "Whatever It Takes." "Washington, D.C., represents the people with a 202 area code, period."

Chris Buskirk, author of "American Greatness: How Conservatism Inc. Missed the 2016 Election & What the D.C. Establishment Needs to Learn," agreed in an interview with Schilling, noting that the political class in Washington has morphed into a singular party in which establishment Republicans and Democrats often work side-by-side.

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"Donald Trump wasn't supposed to win," Buskirk said.

Instead, it was supposed to a member of the "bipartisan fusion party," which is how Buskirk refers to establishment Republicans and Democrats.

Buskirk added that the preference for the media was a Democrat.

"How do you know D.C. doesn't represent the people? D.C. on Election Day went 96-4 for Clinton," Schilling noted.

But outside D.C., the country was a sea of GOP waves. Schilling and Buskirk highlighted the fact that Trump soundly defeated Clinton in the number of counties won.

"This was the country roaring. This was the country coming back and saying: 'You know what, actually we do have a voice and we want Washington to respond to what we want and what we need,'" Buskirk said.

Buskirk went on to explain how "Conservatism Inc.," a term used to refer to the journalists, think-tanks and other well-funded organizations who are out of touch with average conservative voters.

"[They] just don't get it, and they don't want to get it," he said.

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Buskirk singled out Weekly Standard Editor Bill Kristol as one prominent example, citing a quote from Kristol preferring immigrants to current American citizens, an attitude that "pervades too much of the institutional right."

"That's why any sort of political change we're going to get has to come from the bottom-up," Buskirk added.

"It's got to come from Middle America, which is exactly what happened," noted Schilling, referring to Trump's election.

"The problem is Washington is so focused on the process and who gets power, they don't care about an actual agenda that will improve the lives of ordinary Americans. That's what conservatives were supposed to do, and that's what the professional conservatives forgot to do," said Buskirk

Buskirk said he believes the current political divide in the United States is not merely right versus left, but the "ruling class versus the country class."

The "ruling class" in Washington is willing to sell out the rest of the country for their own benefit, according to Buskirk, and "that's what we need to be focusing on, just pulling power out of Washington and returning it to the people."

"That's what self-government is supposed to be all about."

All you need to know about the political establishment in Washington, D.C., is found in "American Greatness: How Conservatism Inc. Missed the 2016 Election & What the D.C. Establishment Needs to Learn."