The Two-Party Cartel

The Far Middle episode 89 is proudly dedicated to perhaps the greatest professional football player that most people never heard of: Gino Marchetti. A player for the ages, Nick looks back on Gino's great career that spanned fighting in the Battle of the Bulge, dominating the gridiron, and growing a restaurant chain to more than 300 locations. Nick begins this episode’s connections by noting that individuals like Gino are rare today, much like the political moderate, whether that’s a moderate Republican or moderate Democrat. Nick proceeds to revisit his recent commentary, “America Needs a Third Party.” A third party would put pressure on the two-party cartel that exists today, resulting in the inevitable moderation of the Democratic and Republican parties. “I’m not a politician and don’t desire to be one, but I do want to be able to choose the very best of options when it comes to selecting our political leaders,” says Nick. “That’s what the founding fathers envisioned, and I think that’s what America deserves.” Evidence that Americans are rejecting extreme positions can be found in domestic population moves this past year. Nick discusses census data showing Americans are rushing to the exists from states like California, New York, Illinois, Massachusetts, and New Jersey. These states, coincidentally led by some of the most Leftist leaders you’ll find, are seeing an exodus as residents look for something more moderate and more normal. Nick moves from extreme ideology in the U.S. to similar ideology in Europe. That ideology, along with climate change policy, has led to skyrocketing electricity prices and situations where the cost of charging an electric vehicle is more expensive than fueling a gasoline-powered vehicle. Meanwhile in Europe a larger problem looms. European governments are in the process of or preparing to flood the market with new bonds and debt issuances, explains Nick. He criticizes these governments for borrowing more to shield consumers, attempting to mask the economic consequences of the policies these governments are responsible for. Nick closes by recounting a recent Bob Dylan interview where Dylan discussed how he spent his time during the lockdown of the pandemic—including restoring his 56 Chevy, painting, reading, and perhaps opium if laying around. While Nick is a Dylan fan, he counters that if we all take the Dylan lockdown approach the world is going to come to a grinding halt. And that government actions that aim to take us there are not the path forward. The sooner that we realize that the better.