In his farewell address, George Washington forewarned us of the rise of political parties and factions in the United States. Now, nearly 230 years later, we face the repercussions of their rise and are witnessing the hypocrisy and corruption that lie within the Democratic and Republican establishments.
In the contemporary political landscape, Americans like myself consistently witness the breeding and perpetuation of an intentional two-party duopoly, which is defined as a system where two major political parties hold a near-monopoly on a state’s political power.
Or, as Douglas J. Amy, Professor Emeritus of Politics at Mount Holyoke explained in Second Rate Democracy, if supermarkets suddenly restricted their inventory to only the top two best-selling items — like offering only broccoli or corn in produce, or just Cheerios and Frosted Flakes in the cereal section — shoppers would be frustrated.
We are the shoppers in the supermarket called America, and we are profoundly frustrated with the incessant bickering, ineffective policy, corporate conformity and blatant hypocrisy.
The hypocrisy doesn’t hide in the shadows — it exists in plain sight. In Congress, for example, we see individuals on both sides who argue against congressional stock trading, calling for a complete ban on dealing individual stocks while in office.
Yet, we have congressional officials, such as Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut and Republican Representative Michael McCaul of Texas, who are ridiculed — and rightfully so — for their massive stock portfolios. More alarming however is the profound, intentional institutional silence that enables it.
The leadership of both parties consistently drag their feet on passing actual enforceable bans. Moreover, members of Congress give fiery speeches along the campaign trails and use buzzwords to get re-elected, but behind transparency lines, the duopoly ensures the golden goose remains unharmed, despite their corporate alignment.
More recently, we’ve witnessed the Trump administration stretch the boundaries of the Constitution — and almost none of his party loyalists have called him out — in relation to the ongoing wars. Under Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution, only Congress has the explicit power to declare war and fund the military.
Yes, President Trump is the commander in chief of the armed forces and has the power to protect Americans, but the intent is for the president to direct troops. And the direction of those troops should happen only after Congress has authorized force or in the event of an imminent attack on the United States.
Yet, during recent military escalations with Iran, the Trump administration bypassed these constitutional constraints entirely, launching a campaign without a formal declaration or authorization from Congress. Intelligence officials and congressional officials did openly question whether Iran posed an imminent threat to our homeland — yet military action proceeded anyway.
This is where the hypocrisy comes in.
When a president from the opposing party exercises unchecked military power, lawmakers will scream about constitutional overreach and the War Powers Act. However, when their own party leader does it, those same constitutional purists quickly fall silent and rush to applaud the executive branch’s strength.
The institutional norm becomes very clear: constitutional principles are treated as temporary weapons to bash the opposition, but only to be discarded the moment your side controls the White House.
This is the system that has been constructed by the two-party duopoly, and it only continues to grow with each passing day. It engineers voters to only understand the conformity to a political establishment and lose the ability to think independently.
Furthermore, it tells them that the corruption and malfeasance of their own party is completely okay. But when the other side commits the same actions under the same precedents, it is a grand issue.
When engaging in political discourse, I always hear the phrase, “Well, we need to continue on the same ideas and principles as our Founding Fathers and the Constitution.” While the wording does vary, the sentiment is always the same. And I always tell them the exact same thing: they didn’t listen to or understand George Washington’s warning.
Let’s remember that warning next time we witness hypocrisy not only in our own elected officials, but through all three levels of government. And next time, don’t be afraid to call them out. They serve you — you don’t serve them.
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