Donald Trump, on the other hand, should not be president. It is evident based on his utterances that he has no real core beliefs other than that of a self-aggrandizing fascist. Donald Trump doesn’t believe most of the things that he is saying. Rather, his outrageous statements are a calculated attempt to meet a large segment of the Republican voters where they are. The man is a marketer and the Republican voters and the media are his subjects, his clients, his consumers. He gives them what they want. He manipulates them.

Trump has beaten the media by using their weaknesses against them. He uses their thirst for profits over substance as they command eyeballs and clicks that become free advertising for Trump—and increased advertising dollars for them.

At the other end of the spectrum is Bernie Sanders, who has crowdsourced his campaign. He gets little love from the corporate media and his party. But he is showing that crowdsourcing media and fundraising can be just as effective and closer to the people—a grassroots movement, the catalyst for a revolution.

The fact that we have an American fascist, a Democratic socialist, an establishment Democrat, and a right-wing Republican as viable candidates for the presidency of the United States is astounding. It’s a huge range of ideologies. It gives Americans a wide spectrum from which to choose—from good, to not so good, to outright disastrous.

The corporate media and the political establishment’s diminished power are a good thing. It gives real democracy a chance. But here is an important sidebar: Many Americans are indoctrinated. Inasmuch as we think we are free, we see the world through the utterances of politicians with an agenda, and a corporate-controlled media.

Today, the average American has utilized social media to become their own mini news outlet. In other words, we all make, consume, and deliver the news. The internet, along with a more engaged population, have made this a reality. Engagement is the fertilizer for democracy.

The plutocracy sees this as well. It is imperative that the following is understood: Social media and the Internet are a danger to the status quo. They’re a danger to the American plutocracy. Going forward, expect continuous attempts to clamp down on the internet. More than ever, everyone must join the net neutrality fight.

No one knows the outcome of the 2016 election. But what we’ve seen so far does give us a glimpse of a possible future, a future where individuals start believing that they matter, that they can make a difference, that they no longer have to walk between the lines laid out by unelectable masters.

The 2016 election could be pivotal.