Political Dharma

Vice-president J.D. Vance calls himself a "post-liberal Catholic." What the heck is that? In this video I critique a speech by author and scholar Patrick Deneen, one of the chief intellectual voices in the movement.

00:38: Commentary on National Guard in L.A.;03:23: Republican organization opposing MAGA;05:53: New DNC chair complains of internal problem;09:05: Green Party's Butch Ware campaigns for CA governor;13:34: Kshama Sawant runs for Congress;16:24: Elon Musk calls for new centrist party;17:52: Andrew Yang calls for Musk to join Forward Party;19:09: Libertarian Angela McArdle to head Mises Caucus;21:54: No Labels party online "conversation."

I interview Arend Castelein of the Equal Vote Coalition about efforts to change the type of voting method we use in the U.S.: what alternative voting methods are being proposed, how they work, how people are responding to them, and what the current prospects for change seem to be.

Stephen Wolfe gave an interview toTom Sharrouf of the YouTube channel Intercollegiate Studies Institute. I give a critical commentary on clips from that interview.

I present a very convincing case from a recent book by Mary Haverstick of who the actual assassin of President John F. Kennedy was and who was behind it all. I also discuss why this knowledge is important in our current political situation.

The InfluenceWatch website was my source for the info on the President of Open Primaries.02:06: Robert F. Kennedy ballot case;04:38: Green Party CA governor candidate Butch Ware;19:35: Freedom Fest for independents and libertarians

Alan talks about you can participate in implementing the Agenda of a New America.

I give a few brief updates on alternative political parties, then discuss the rising profiles of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and the roles they may play in the 2028 Presidential election. I also explain how the recent history of the Republican Party can help us understand what is happening in the Democratic Party and what new possibilities this opens.01:30: The Libertarian Party in danger of collapse;04:40: Update on the Green Party;05:05: Growth of the Forward Party;08:00: RFK's rising profile among Republicans;16:15: Nicole Shanahan expresses doubt about RFK;18:59: AOC's as a possible Presidential contender;26:06: Republicans' history compared to Democrats' current situation.

Alan explains why a system of employee-controlled businesses would solve economic and environmental problems better than either Trump's MAGA agenda or the policy proposals of the Democrats.01:08: The chief problems we face02:23: The MAGA agenda06:29: The Democratic agenda10:41: Why an agenda of worker control would work better13:39: The Mondragon Coops as a real-world example26:11: Initiatives in the U.S.

Alan describes a strategy for advancing the Agenda for a New America into its eventual fulfillment. 

05:04: Brief updates on political parties, RFK Jr., Nicole Shanahan10:12: Review of the Agenda for a New America12:30: Addition regarding sacredness of nature12:57: How Christian culture affects U.S. politics19:07: Moral foundations of rights27:07: Political rights29:58: Do animals have rights?35:06: General moral principles and specific applications42:31: Is eating meat moral?

Alan explains the background of the agenda for a New America and describes its main proposals and principles.00:19: Why I was covering independent and alternative party candidates02:19: The Third Party Project and my change of direction04:49: How my focus will be shifting going forward08:13: Historical background for the agenda for a New America12:08: An overview of the agenda17:21: The economic agenda: voluntary exchanges21:10: The economic agenda: employee control of big businesses24:00: The economic agenda: property rights & responsibilities29:00: The economic agenda: a guaranteed income

01:34: Nicole Shanahan announcement about CA governor's race;03:29: More on Shanahan's conversion to Christianity;10:19: RFK Jr. cuts workforce in Dept. of Health & Human Services;16:54: Recently resigned CDC director criticizes RFK;22:17: TX girl's death claimed not to be due to measles;27:53: RFK pushes ban on using SNAP benefits for soft drinks;31:05: RFK pushes for testing food additives;34:06: Update on my plans for the show.

Alan discusses the current political situation: the actions of the Trump administration, the flailing of the Democrats, and how they both are complicit in where we find ourselves. He then explains his own political activities and motivations over the last few decades, why he created this channel, and where he might go from here.

Alan interviews Desmond Silveiria, an activist in the American Solidarity Party, about the party's principles, platform, strategies and more. Silveira was the party's Presidential campaign manager in 2016 and a candidate for California Governor in 2018, among other roles he has played in the party.

01:08: RFK Jr. pressures food companies about additives;04:08: MAHA commission holds first meeting;05:29: HHS buyout offer to employees;06:30: HHS grants DOGE access to database;07:32: CDC nominee withdrawn due to vaccine positions;09:25: CDC posts vaccine advisor conflict list;16:17: Nicole Shanahan criticizes Trump decision;18:10: Shanahan offers funds for chronic disease research;18:49: revisiting my comments on L.A. wildfires;22:18: revisiting my comments on Shanahan conversion.

01:37: Workers Strike Back first national convention;08:32: Green Party announces national meeting;09:06: state senator switches from Republican to Forward Party;10:15: Forward Party reveals plans for this year;11:05: Democrat Dean Phillips calls for third party;13:56: former Libertarian Party chair to speak at forum;15:12: & a new electoral reform organization.

01:56: RFK Jr. responses to measles criticism;14:33: HHS rescinds public comments rule;20:28: scientists' HHS contracts not renewed;24:25: RFK to meet with food corporations;25:56: Nicole Shanahan funds L.A. mayor recall.

01:26: Green Party vote vs Libertarian Party vote in Presidential race;05:48: Green Party vote in Congressional races;07:22 Working Class Party vote in Congressional races;08:13: Green, Libertarian, independent vote in state legislative races;12:07: Presidential vote for Party of Socialism & Liberation;14:09: Libertarian Party leadership criticized for selling office;18:23: former LP chair Angela McArdle defends her leadership;25:56: Alan's commentary on McArdle interview;30:50: Libertarians losing voters to new parties;33:51: RFK supporters form group to improve ballot access laws.

(Sorry about the occasion sound quality issue)01:39: Another vaccine advisory panel put on hold;06:00: COVID trial also put on hold;08:08: RFK Jr. remarks on measles outbreak;12:42: Supreme Court refuses RFK ballot case;14:23: Nicole Shanahan's geoengineering post;25:14: Shanahan's conversion to Christianity.

01:18: New plan to investigate former Libertarian Party chair,03:18: Another party joins California lawsuit vs top-two voting,07:01: Independent Congressional candidate shares reflections,17:28: Leftist organizers meet in Seattle this weekend.

This weekend I break my update into two videos, this one covering Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and a second one covering alternative political parties and independents. In this video I look into Nicole Shanahan's role in the Dept. of Health & Human Services, the mass firings at HHS, RFK's speech to his new colleagues, and the reception to his speech at HHS.

00:52: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. & Tulsi Gabbard confirmed,03:47: Why health care lobby couldn't stop RFK,09:04: Libertarian Party discusses sale of headquarters,09:52: Green Party considers tracking nonpartisan wins,12:16: United Independents' plans in motion,14:22: My plan for endorsement vote in CA governor race.

00:34: Description of the proposed organization02:26: The crisis of the two-party system in the U.S.04:35: Why does the U.S. have a two-party system?07:56: The prospects of change in the major parties12:16: The role of alternative parties in the system13:55: Why an alternative party has not emerged15:53: The problem with voting reform as a solution17:37: The benefits of the proposed new organization20:06: STAR Voting and how it works

00:56: Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. & Tulsi Gabbard nominations,05:10: Libertarian Party elects new chair,09:00: Green Party VP candidate Butch Ware to run for governor,16:33: Bernie Sanders consultants to help independents,19:02: more on the Good Party,20:37: more on the Third Party Project.

01:24: Trump sledgehammers bureaucracy, 04:20: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Senate hearings, 05:42: Nicole Shannahan's warning to Senators, 08:22:: Democrats elect new party chair, 08:57: DNC candidate threatens Green Party, 10:15: former Libertarian chair gets new job, 12:08: California responds to top-two lawsuit, 14:24: update on my Third Party project, 15:21: more on the Good Party, 19:11: update on United Independents, 19:49: Jesus and Christian nationalism

01:12: Trump orders release of assassination documents, 04:14: Committee hearing on Robert F. Kennedy Jr. nomination, 05:51: Bernie Sanders files to run in 2030, 07:00: Trump nominees confirmed, 09:27: Cornel West's Justice For All Party gets organized, 11:12: Libertarian Party chair resigns, 12:51: The Good Party assists independent candidates, 17:48: United Independents founder explains goals.

I present a model of what the U.S. economy could look like which is different from Trump's economic nationalism, Biden's industrial policy, business conservatism, or progressivism. I also explain the political tradition behind the model and give examples from the policy program which have been instituted in history.

I discuss four potential paths offered in the national discussion to deal with economic issues after the failure of the neo-liberal era. These are Trump's economic nationalism, Biden's industrial policy, progressivism, and economic conservatism. To assess them I point out the main dynamics driving economic and political change across U.S. history and apply them to each of these paths.

00:51: Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. accused of voting fraud, 08:19: Trump vote certified and court sentence determined, 11:52: Democrats shun party label to run as independents, 18:04: Libertarian Party judicial committee overturns suspension of Secretary, 20:51: update on my third party project

Alan talks about the interconnection between our political existence and spirituality, defining spirituality as a development of human personhood in its aspects of mind, emotions, and will. He also describes a method of meditation that can help facilitate this development.

02:50: Party composition of the new Congress 08:54: The fight over electing the Speaker of the House 11:43: Elon Musk's influence on Congress 15:25: Splits in the Democratic caucuses 19:43: Ballot access of alternative parties 21:11: FEC inquiry into Kennedy/Libertarian fund 23:34: Two-top voting lawsuit delayed

I reflect on my coverage of the Presidential campaign over the last year and the future of non-major party candidates and parties: 01:48: the major parties rigging their primaries 08:42: Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s campaign and prospects for a Cabinet position 18:37: Jill Stein and movements to unify parties and organizations on the left 25:00: the financial problems of the Libertarian Party 28:30: uniting independents and third parties behind a Congressional slate 29:50: other topics I plan to cover in 2025.

I offer more evidence from this Presidential election that the Green Party has displaced the Libertarian Party as the top alternative party in the United States. I also talk some more about how to begin creating a different kind of alternative party that includes multiple ideological perspectives and a fairer voting system.

I report on the states in which non-major party Presidential candidates did better, the fracturing of the Libertarian Party, and the ongoing realignments of the major parties. I also discuss my concept of a "mothership" party for alternative political candidates and my desire for a participating minor party based on a version of libertarian socialism.

I discuss the minor party lawsuit against California's "open primary" top-two election system, how previous court decisions will likely determine the outcome, and the implications for electoral method reforms in other states. I also look at ways that California could try to fix their election method to meet court approval (and what it might mean for my idea of a new political party).

03:04 I look at the lawsuit the Peace and Freedom, Libertarian, and Green parties have brought against California's "open primary" top-two election system, including some previous pertinent court decisions. 23:22 I discuss Bernie Sanders' call for more independent candidates to run for office. 35:56 After a clip of Jill Stein's remarks about the Green Party possibly being in a process of significant change, I give my views on the party. 47:10 Report on the No Labels lawsuit against Democratic operatives' sabotage of their Presidential campaign hopes. 50:21 The Libertarian Party claims Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. as the Cabinet nominee that Donald Trump promised them.

I check in on what some of the alternative Presidential candidates are doing: Robert F. Kennedy's effort to win Senate confirmation to head the Dept. of Health & Human Services; and Green Party candidate Jill Stein and Socialism & Liberation Party candidate Claudia de La Cruz working together on protests for Presidential Inauguration Day. Also: Green Party Vice Presidential candidate Butch Ware running for California Governor; the results of the Alaska ranked choice voting repeal; and more. 

I interview Sara Wolk, the Executive Director of the Equal Vote Coalition, about the several open primary/ranked choice voting ballot measures that failed in the November 2024 elections. Sara explains the talking points vs. the reality of RCV elections, why voters have turned against voting method reforms this year, and the big money behind RCV. She also describes voting methods better than RCV, particularly STAR Voting. For more info on alternative voting methods, go to https://www.equal.vote For more on STAR Voting, go to https://www.starvoting.org And to help the mission of the Equal Vote Coalition, please donate at https://www.equal.vote/donate

I review the campaigns of alternative Presidential candidates such as Cornel West, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Jill Stein, and Chase Oliver and draw some lessons about ways to challenge the two-party system. I also outline a new idea about how to move forward in empowering voters against an entrenched political system. 

In this video I update the election result numbers and review the overall pattern showing what happened: where previous Democratic votes went and where new Republican votes came from. I also consider and try to answer three questions: (1) Did Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s suspension of his campaign and endorsement of Trump cause Trump's win?, (2) What caused the big bump in votes for Biden in 2020?, and (3) did someone rig the vote so Jill Stein, RFK and Chase Oliver all got about .4% of the vote?

I take a second look at the election results using the vote totals for each candidate and comparing the 2024 election to the last few Presidential elections. This gave me a different story about Trump's victory, the Democrats loss, the role of RFK in the election, and how the Libertarian and Green Parties are doing over time. 

I discuss the Presidential election, how the independent and minor party candidates did, and why I think Donald Trump won. I also give the results of ballot measures in several states to change voting methods such as with open primaries and ranked choice voting.

Presidential candidate Claudia De la Cruz of the Party of Socialism and Liberation has entered into agreements with both independent candidate Cornel West and Jill Stein of the Green Party to cooperate in helping each other's campaigns. I talk about their agreement and what it may mean for future challenges to the two major parties.

I give updates on alternative Presidential candidates such as former candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Green Party candidate Jill Stein, and Libertarian Party candidate Chase Oliver, including court cases involving ballot access, RFK's future role in a Trump administration, and polling showing the candidates' likely support among voters. I also reveal what Donald Trump's "little secret" with House Speaker Mike Johnson is.

I talk about the fear, anger and confusion surrounding this election season and how I understand it from my own spiritual perspective. My discussion includes counter-acting fear, anger, and division; what spirituality means to me; the background of my own views on spirituality and politics; and how I understand politics and political activism.

What to watch for in the upcoming election results: how the major party coalitions will be affected; what percent of the vote candidates such as Jill Stein, Chase Oliver and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. are able to get; and how voting method reform initiatives do in several states.

To be transparent with viewers about my perspective on the Presidential race, I explain my thoughts on which candidate I will--and won't--be voting for.

I examine how group loyalties are shifting between the Democratic, Republican, Green and Libertarian Parties, the dependence of the Libertarian Party on fundraising with Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the migration of Libertarians into new Liberal Parties, and what all this means for a potential major realignment of the party ecosystem. 

I explain the coalitions that back five Presidential candidates: Democrat Kamala Harris, Republican Donald Trump, Libertarian Chase Oliver, the Green Party's Jill Stein, and former independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.. I also give some historical background on the shifting coalitions of the Democratic and Republican Parties and give my considerations about who to vote for.

I discuss the historical origins of the two-party system in the creation of the office of U.S. President, the vote splitting dynamic and its results, and how the party system can be reformed to be more responsive to voters.