Political Revolution in a Trumped-Up America: How Educating Voters Can Revive Our Democracy

By Michael P Fangman M.D.

Americas leadership system and the wealthy patrons of gridlocked politicians exist within an alternate reality that is no longer tenable. Two parties purport a struggle between irreconcilable ideologies, but in truth, big money controls Washington, DC, lobbyists. Billionaires and pigs at the trough of our tax revenue set the agenda in Washington. While can-do innovation and productivity is evident on Main Street America, refusal to collaborate on national goals paralyzes our capital. Professionalism must replace the adversarial culture of our partisan system. Bad governance is made inevitable by pay-to-play politics, the elephant in the room that streetwise voters must push aside. But voters are confused or polarized. Finding the real story behind surface media reports is unnecessarily difficult today. The critical issues facing our society are ignored or deferred unconscionably by politicians. Lacking insights into this negligence, jeopardy for citizens grows more real day by day. We require understanding.

Citizens must demand two overarching reforms to create a more vibrant, secure America: (1) rational governance through professionalism replacing our divisive partisan system, and (2) reformed mainstream media by FCC edict to provide voters with abundant, intelligent coverage of election issues, unimpeded by advertisers. A sophisticated electorate requires intellectual stimulation. Citizens need a forum for collaborative information activism, where voter understanding is facilitated by digital technology. Social media offers the opportunity to compare insights within a growing citizen community. Objective evidence disseminated over a cutting-edge website can revitalize Americas representative democracy. The power of knowledge in the hands of voters can compel politicians to start working professionally for rational governance and real progress in our capital. There is no time to waste.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Jan 4, 2017
• ISBN: 9781524568399

Michael P Fangman M.D.

Michael P. Fangman, MD, FACP, is a working physician. He is trained in internal medicine, medical oncology, hematology, and is board certified in internal medicine and medical oncology. He is a fellow of the ACP and a member of ASCO from the 80s. He is a veteran who volunteered in the US Public Health Service and the Indian Health Service. He held clinical professorships in medical oncology at the University of California and the University of Colorado. He founded the cancer and blood disease programs in Fort Collins, Colorado, and headed up Cancer Center of the Rockies for decades. For him, work now includes locum tenens coverage at underserved hospitals and clinics, in oncology/hematology as well as hospital medicine / internal medicine. His children, grandchildren, family life, the courage of his patients—their grace under fire—and working to make a difference give him satisfaction.

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Copyright © 2017 by Michael Fangman.

ISBN:      Softcover      978-1-5245-6840-5

                eBook           978-1-5245-6839-9

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

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Rev. date: 12/17/2016

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CONTENTS

Summary

Reader Comments

Author Note

Prologue

Addendum

Feeling The Bern In 2017

Logic Gone Wild

Motivation

Cognitive Dissonance In Washingto D.C.

Hall Passes For Delinquent Politicians

Power For The People- Bernie’s Army Recharged

Surrealism Rules- Election 2016

Qualifications To Lead- Good Enough For Government Work Or The Best And The Brightest

Professionalism Or More Political Charade-

The Choice Is Ours In 2017

Related Topics And Resources

TO THE CITIZEN VOTERS OF MAINSTREET AMERICA-

PATIENTLY AWAITING INTEGRITY AND PROFESSIONALISM FROM OUR FAILED LEADERSHIP SYSTEM IN WASHINGTON D.C.

AND TRUTH FROM THE CORPORATE MEDIA THAT PROFITS FROM AND LEGITIMIZES THE INCOMPETENCE AND FOLLY OF POWER POLITICS

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed it’s the only thing that ever has.

—Margaret Mead

Change is the law of life. Those who look only to the past or the present are certain to miss the future.

—John F Kennedy

Half a truth is often a great lie.

An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.

—Ben Franklin

A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to put its pants on.

—Winston Churchill

We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.

I believe the unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality.

—Martin Luther King

Whoever is careless with the truth in small matters cannot be trusted with important matters.

—Albert Einsten

In our seeking for economic and political progress, we all go up–or else we all go down.

—Franklin Roosevelt

SUMMARY

America’s broken leadership system, a crony corporate media and entitled patrons of our politicians, all exist within a fabricated reality no longer tenable. Two parties proclaim irreconcilable ideologies. In truth, big money controls Washington D.C. Pigs at the trough lobbyists and billionaires set the agenda. Can do innovation and productivity characterize Main Street America but hyper partisan animosity precludes collaboration on critical national goals. Irresponsible governance is now commonplace. An ethic of professionalism must replace the self destructive acrimony of our broken system. Confused voters don’t see the backstories of events obscured by sanitized media versions. The biggest threats facing our society are left unattended by hypocritical politicians. Monetized faux elections like 2016 trivialize our founder’s goals. Jeopardy grows more real each day, as problems fester. Voters require far greater depth of understanding to lobby effectively for accountable leadership. Activist citizens can start by insisting on two basic reforms to restore promotion of our general welfare as the sworn duty of today’s dangerously negligent political culture.

1- Professionalism and ethics- must replace partisan gaming. Fact Checking needs real teeth. Politicians should be scored for honesty and integrity. Those who regularly distort and lie should be marginalized, openly ranked as incompetent to lead- fired.

2- Corporate Media Reform- Monetized media can improve by revisiting the 1934 Communication Act and FCC charter goals for voter education. Mainstream media’s original obligation to broadcast intelligent content that clarifies our nation’s crucial issues should be enforced. Electoral involvement would rise with regular and creative reviews of our challenges. Still higher levels of voter influence on politicians would then come from evolving web venues for voter education, independent of media’s rebooted Voter-Ed. Information Activism can arise from websites that amplify and fine tune voter understanding. Digital technology can spawn a huge activist community on social media. Information sharing can minimize today’s contrived ideological polarization. Documented evidence of power abuse in Washington will motivate citizens. With deep understanding of corruption, we can achieve reform and begin to see genuine progress coming from politicians in D.C.

READER COMMENTS

Dr Fangman uses literary license, relating details of a hypothetical occupation of the chambers of congress by impassioned physicians. Republicans cry foul and defend the status quo. Radical reforms of our partisan political system and irresponsible Washington DC gridlock are demanded by physicians fed up with irrational leadership. Their bold maneuver is applauded by members of Congress, staff, visitors to the hill and members of the press corp. The Hill was reenergized, even optimistic for a moment in time.

INFORMATION ACTIVISM is introduced as the best option to retrieve and sustain enlightened political leadership in America. The dormant engine of Bernie Sander’s Progressive Revolution can be jumpstarted in 2017. The writing of America’s most respected scholars and investigative journalists, documenting our dysfunctional political system, its abuses of power and the corruption inherent in pay to play partisanship can come to life online. Organized facts, unbiased evidence that exposes our political culture’s conflicts of interest, can lead to a renaissance in the electoral process. Sophisticated understanding can enable American citizens to elect leaders accountable first to the general welfare; leaders who promote sustained prosperity for all by decision making based on scientific methods, research and verified data; no longer chained to election season bribes from entitled billionaires.

Thought Leaders in contemporary society, Ralph Nader to Robert Scheer, Naomi Klein, Thom Hartmann, Cornel West, Elizabeth Warren, Jon Stewart et al, inspired the Doctor’s Occupation goals for political reform. Information Activism can grow. Based on work by diverse thinkers, it can monitor the folly of D.C. and the wisdom of science based problem solving. Investigators can become the Rock Stars of energized citizen voters, who popularize progressive reforms for these turbulent times. Preserving workable democracy and sustainable capitalism can be hip again!

AUTHOR NOTE

THE PROLOGUE DESCRIBES AN IMAGINED INTERVENTION ON CAPITAL HILL BY ACTIVIST PHYSICIANS. FICTIONAL ROLE PLAYERS ARE REPORTED ON BY ADMIRED JOURNALISTS AND COMMENTATORS, NAMES RESPECTFULLY USED. IT REPRESENTS ONE PHYSICIAN’S EFFORT TO DEFINE REVERSIBLE CAUSES FOR AMERICA’S UNRAVELING POLITICAL SYSTEM AND A WORSENING CRISIS IN LEADERSHIP:

- PAY TO PLAY PARTISAN POLITICAL DYSFUNCTION

- SHALLOW, LEGITIMIZING CORPORATE MEDIA COVERAGE.

ENFORCEABLE PROFESSIONALISM, BASED ON ETHICS AND FCC MANDATED CORPORATE MEDIA REFORM ARE ADVOCATED; MONITORED BY INFORMATION ACTIVISM, A NEW WATCHDOG OVER A POLITICAL CULTURE IN WASHINGTON D.C. THAT IMPERILS OUR BILL OF RIGHTS AND OUR VERY SURVIVAL AS A VIBRANT, DEMOCRATIC SOCIETY.

PROLOGUE

- AN UNTOLD STORY -

A CALL FOR RATIONAL GOVERNMENT BY THE WHITE COATS OCCUPYING CAPITOL HILL IN WASHINGTON D.C.:

Breaking News- Washington. Reporters from PBS, C-Span, Free Speech Broadcasting, PRI, NPR, Truthdig etc. were selected to release details of a developing story on Capitol Hill. Dramatic confrontations have taken place in the chambers of Congress. Investigators report aggressive cover- ups of this story from inception, early on Friday morning of the Labor Day weekend. No member of Congress has officially gone on record. Some details have surfaced by way of leaks from the Bernie Sanders Senate office staff and from visitors at the scene. The FBI has reportedly been involved but details from authorities are minimal. Observers calling in from the Hill on cell phones describe men and women in large numbers wearing white coats, most with stethoscopes in their pockets, generally behaving in a courteous and professional manner, conversing with elected representatives and staffers. But scuffles have been reported and one caller relates observing two congressional leaders involved in altercations early on. She tells us that Republican Ralph Crookshank was most visibly agitated, pushing into some of the white coated visitors and injuring a woman identified later as Pediatrician from Omaha. He was reportedly taken down by an elderly male doctor who tied him to a chair with available stethoscopes; and then took his pulse and applied cool, moist compresses to the red faced senator. A member from Kansas was also involved in brief altercations, and both were monitored by Sergeants at Arms until they cooled off. Another caller heard staff threatened with loss of employment if they did not forcibly eject this flash mob, as a congressional leader called the visitors. Callers also related that numerous well known congressional members from both parties and many members of the Sergeants at Arms staff, of both houses of Congress, openly supported the low keyed activities of these white coated outsiders. Several commented that our Bill of Rights and the First Amendment guarantees free speech and peaceful protest by peaceful citizens.

CableCon’s news team is reporting these events as a hostage situation, holding Congress against its will, despite official denials of aggressive behavior by the intruders. Unaccountably, they continue to speculate about violence and refer to this group on Capitol Hill as subversives. Patrol activity in the area suggests a high level of alert. Numerous SWAT teams and armored military vehicles have been seen.

Some inside Congress have expressed grave concern for the safety of these medical personnel now occupying the chambers of Congress, fearing that SWAT teams could already be targeting them.

We are told that, FSTV/Amy Goodman, Thom Hartmann, Jim Hightower, Frontline staff, Public Radio’s Tom Ashbrook and Marco Werman, Scott Pelley/60 Minutes and Fareed Zakaria/GPS, have been directly contacted by some of those involved. The Physicians have requested that a handful of trusted reporters and commentators participate in a round table discussion. We plan to carry that later. Routine coverage of activities by Congress was halted immediately, as leaders denied C-Span access to the halls of government, citing national security concern. Censorship of this story has reportedly been urged by many officials within government, including the Obama White House, FBI, NSA and CIA officials, reportedly involved in efforts to place a black out on all coverage. This muzzle was accepted by many corporate media executives, including those at CableCon.

The media outlets invited to participate have resisted government