Obama is a great actor and speech-giver, but his war policies reflect those of Bush, and his economic policies are straight neoliberal Clintonesque. Buying into the thrill of having the first black president, or thinking he's cool after seeing him on late-night shows, or to swoon when he ridicules Republicans then drops the mic, is simply believing a carefully scripted propaganda campaign. It's superficial identity politics and fluff reporting trying to mask the solid march toward an oligarchic police state. That's not a conspiracy theory, or some party-based rhetoric, that's simply the facts. His actions do not match his smooth words.

This is the problem with our fake society's fake politics and fake reporting. We're paying trillions of dollars in tribute to other countries while our own people suffer under Great Depression levels of wealth inequality. We're bombing seven different countries, selling arms to both sides of just about every conflict, and blaming whistleblowers or even other governments when evidence of corruption gets exposed. We're coached, indoctrinated, and immersed in a sponsored team-sport culture of Left vs Right, Democrat vs Republican, Liberal vs Conservative. But just like Obama, it's all fake. Reality shows a different truth.

Your neighbor or coworker, whatever allegiances or labels their upbringing, peers, media, etc has convinced them they identify as, is not your enemy. The majority in this country isn't any of them anyway; the majority is the poor. The wealthy run the government, and are increasingly legally incentivized to continue doing so. Quite literally half of them are millionaires, in revolving door employment as lobbyists and board members for the very corporations they are supposed to regulate. We're subsidizing the already rich few while the masses stay busy fighting each other over petty identity and perspective differences.

We all pay taxes. We may differ in ideas on where those taxes should go, but surely some common ground can be found that those taxes should actually benefit us, transparently, and not just fill the offshore tax-free accounts of the CEO's who successfully lobbied for both kickbacks and a frozen minimum wage. That isn't a partisan issue, after all- it's an ethical and moral one. Investing in constant war while only winning at record childhood poverty and most incarcerated citizens isn't a legitimate policy, no matter how profitable for those who defend or excuse it. Our crumbling infrastructure isn't a political debate.

The crisis we face as a nation is our own normalized division. Everyone knows the insults and party-based slurs by heart- it's the new race war, really. Yet it's one not just egged on by our politicians, but directly funded by them. This facade has become the focal point, allowing a class of oligarchs to incrementally gain all control behind the scenes without legitimate public support. In reality, both parties have record low membership, and the national polls show an overwhelming majority distrust / dislike / disapproval / disgust for our Coke-or-Pepsi party-chosen 'elected' elites. Sadly, any loyalty there is just misplaced.

The interests of the citizenry is no longer protected or reflected by those in power. This election year has proven that big money, not any political ideology or classification, rules over America. To clarify, I have nothing inherently against financial success. However, I believe every one of us should have a problem with the subversion of democracy, of small groups of the wealthy using our government to profitably oppress the populace, and of eroding the historical legacy (from both sides of the aisle) toward legal, environmental, and economic justice. At least, if we still want our children to enjoy any of those qualities.

Yes, we live in a nation that is very divided. But to bridge that division is as simple as just admitting the game is rigged, and that nobody but those pulling the strings benefits from our playing. That's all we have to agree on. Provable facts support it. Our best interests are served only by doing so. If there is any hope of ever achieving "indivisible, with liberty and justice for all", it begins as it has in the past- uniting against a common foe. Luckily, our patriots are sworn to protect us against all threats, both domestic and foreign. Scary as individual and cultural change can be, refusal to do so ensures our country's failure.