Power to the People! "We the People" ordained and established the U.S. Constitution but over time that power has been greatly diminished. It's time for it to be restored. But the question is: who or what is going to do it? Well, we may finally have the answer in the form of a new and exciting Populist Movement; one that has the potential to harness the tremendous, but currently dormant, power that the American people posses

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Power to the People! "We the People" ordained and established the U.S. Constitution but over time that power has been greatly diminished. It's now time for it to be restored. But the question is: who or what is going to do it? Well, we may finally have the answer in the form of a new and exciting Populist Movement; one that has the potential to harness the tremendous, but currently dormant, power that the American people possess.

There could not be a better time to get this movement underway. The people of America are angry, frustrated, they want an end to gridlock and obstruction; they want new ideas, visionaries, and strong leaders who will finally do what is right for this country. Millions of Americans have been waiting for this kind of movement for a very long time. Many have lost all hope and resigned themselves to accepting this current contaminated political system. That's why so many millions refuse to vote. But now it is quite possible that their hope will be restored.

Anyone paying close attention should be fully aware that we are all living in a nation that is beset by extreme divisiveness and polarization, the likes of which have not been present in this country since the prelude to the Great Civil War. But as bad as conditions may seem all is not lost for new voices are surfacing to bring positive and constructive messages to the American people; messages that could attract millions of Americans to this movement and could generate the power to reunite this country and do away with this deep polarization.

But what exactly is this movement, what does it stand for, who are its leaders and why is there this feeling that it could have the potential to cause a political revolution in this country? We know very little about it so far, thus much of what I say here will be hope and conjecture on my part. But there are some really great individuals who are stepping forward as its leaders, and that bodes very well for its future success.

Here are the two prominent, highly-respected individuals who are at the forefront of this movement; strong, highly intelligent and rational-thinkers; Senators Bernie Sanders, Independent of Vermont. and Elizabeth Warren, Democrat of Mass. This movement could also attract these Democratic senators: Sherrod Brown of Ohio, Jeff Merkely, Oregon, Edward Markey, Mass., Mark Udall, Colorado, and Ron Wyden, Oregon.

Sanders and Warren give this movement immediate strong credibility, such that it could attract and recruit the best minds within the Democratic Party as well as progressives and independents. These seven senators could form the nucleus of this movement that could help to bring on like-minded thinkers and problem-solvers. I can't possibly envision Hillary Clinton becoming a part of this group because she would have to make almost a 180 degree turn in her thinking and agenda.

Here's a link to an article from the Campaign for America's Future (ourfuture.org) that spells out this movement's agenda and the key issues that it intends to address in taking back this country. Here is a list of these critically important issues:

*Revive Sustainable Economic Growth, Creating Jobs for All.

*Invest in America's Infrastructure and in New Jobs for the 21st Century.

*Make Work Pay -- and Fight to Reduce Inequality in America.

*If The Rising American Electorate Succeeds, America Succeeds.

*Guarantee a High Quality Public Education for All.

*Strengthen and Expand Social Security. And Fight for Health Care for All.

*Make the Rich and Corporations Pay Their Fair Share.

*Stop Bad Trade Deals, and Balance Trade Based on Global Labor Rights.

*Reform the Financial System to Safely Serve the Productive Economy.

*Invest in The Energy Technologies That Drive a Sustainable Economy.

* Reduce the Military Budget and Invest at Home.

*Strengthen Democracy.

Also check out this link to http://populistmajority.org/; this movement's website.

Among others I see three key initiatives that this grass roots populist movement should undertake. First, find the ways and means to enlist the support of millions upon millions of Americans to this new cause; second, remove the massive anchors around America's neck; and third lay the groundwork in Congress to address this nation's most critical problems following a positive, constructive agenda and the involvement of the people.

And as soon as it is feasible, establish a Senate/House ongoing "action" group (not just another meaningless committee) to re-examine the Constitution, develop recommendations to correct its major fault areas, and then initiate amendment procedures.

Let's talk about those anchors. Above all, there is the corrupted U.S. Congress. Here's a U.S. News & World Report article which points out that only 7% of Americans have any confidence or faith in this Congress. This astounding lack of confidence clearly identifies this Congress as being the greatest problem in America. This largely useless legislative body has now become a subsidiary of Corporate America whose members, largely Republican as well as some Democrats, march to the beat of Corporatism.

Capitalism and Corporatism are the major root cause of almost every one of America's problems. This twisted form of capitalism has usurped the control of this country, its government, and our election process, and is planting the seeds of corruption throughout Washington D.C. But if the power of the people is energized to rise up and fully embrace this new Populist Movement and change the way that this Congress performs its responsibilities, this stranglehold that the Corporatists/Capitalists have on this country can be broken.

Then there is the defense and military establishment, another subsidiary of Corporate America; bloated and obscene in its massive world outreach it will, without a doubt, eventually bring great damage to this country's financial foundations. While the American people have a great deal of trust in the military there is no question whatsoever that they must come to the realization that its size must be scaled back considerably if this government is going to come up with the funds to address this nation's other critically important needs.

The Supreme Court; it is the judicial arm of Corporatism that bends and twists the Constitution as it wishes. This court, as presently constituted, with 5 Corporatists dressed in judicial robes, did massive, almost irreparable damage to this nation's political system and its election process when it granted corporations freedom to flood the system with unlimited corporate money.

This institution has become a disgrace to this country and the U.S. Constitution. If this Populist Movement can, at some point, take control of Congress and the presidency, as justices retire or die, they can be replaced by far more competent jurists who will not bend to corporate dictates. In addition the power of the Supreme Court could be held in reasonable check by carefully constructed congressional legislation that could more effectively withstand judicial challenges.

A Congress fueled by the immense power and support of the people could take necessary actions to amend the 1^st Amendment to the Constitution so that the right of free speech would be granted to only the people of America and would not apply to corporations. In this same vein, the 2d Amendment could be amended to clearly state the rights of people to own firearms, set up reasonable limitations and controls on ownership, and ban all forms of assault weapons.

Amending the Constitution by appropriate congressional action or through a Constitutional Convention is a very difficult, complex process but if there is a very strong consensus and bonding between those in Congress and the people throughout the states it certainly could be done. Also the Senate filibuster rules would have to be changed so that those opposing legislation could voice their disapproval based on standing procedures but in the end the vote of a simple majority of members of the Senate would prevail.

The Presidency: it would be absolutely imperative to make necessary changes to the president's war-authorization powers so that this nation could never again be drawn into totally unjustifiable wars such as Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya and a host of others. This authorization must be given to this Congress which then would have the sole power to send this nation into war and that, only in the case of an imminent, unavoidable attack by an enemy, could the president issue the order.

Trying to create just another third party, call it the Populist Party, could be likened to trying to scale Mount Everest without using a Sherpa guide; the chances of going up against the power and money of the two embedded parties and being successful are very slim. Therefore, the best course would be for this new movement to initiate this grass roots process by assuming control of the current Democratic Party establishment and then, over a period of time, installing significant reforms. Then again the leaders of this movement might want to change its name to the Populist Democratic Party.

In the shorter term, could we see a 2016 Democratic presidential ticket with Warren running for president and Sanders as vice-president or vice versa? Could this country be so fortunate? Once these two brilliant statespersons would get their campaign underway I think it could steamroll any Republican challenge. Can you imagine presidential debates with Warren and Sanders taking on Republicans such as Cruz, Christy, Paul or Rubio? That would be like professionals in baseball's big leagues competing against class D minor leaguers.

The biggest question of all is how to get this movement going and build momentum. There is no easy way to accomplish this except through a lot of hard work by a dedicated group of individuals who have the ability to create, organize, motivate and attract others to the movement. Once the enormous power of the people is harnessed this movement would become unstoppable; the people are desperate for positive change, they need and will respond to problem-solvers and they will be motivated by their inspirational messages.

I see this movement as emerging at the exact right moment in this country's history when the frustration of the American people has seemingly reached its limits, and its faith and trust in this government is plummeting. This is the perfect time for this Populist Movement to catch fire and return this nation's government to one that is of, by and for the people.

Michael Payne

(Article changed on June 26, 2014 at 11:25)

(Article changed on June 26, 2014 at 16:22)

(Article changed on June 26, 2014 at 16:45)