We have a very serious crisis in democracy brewing. The establishment is deliberately sending protesters to Trump rallies to create the image that the bulk of the people are against Trump. Worse is the prospect that, even if Trump wins the Republican primaries, they will not allow him to be the Republican candidate. This is turning out to be a war with those in power against any reform of the people.

In Portugal, we saw the party elite would not allow reformers to take office after they won the election because the people voted to exit the EU. Now in Germany, the former CDU Minister President Oettinger has publicly called on his party to  overthrow the green election winner, Kretschmann. We are witnessing the refusal of career politicians to accept that the people want real change; not fake change as described by Obama’s slogan “Change We Can Believe In.” Every election promises change, but when the people vote for real change those in power move to a dictatorship. What is the point of voting if we cannot make a difference? That is when those in power push the people to the point of issuing a Declaration of Independence.

Günther Oettinger