Coalition Purple

The winds are blowing here in California so naturally the power is turned off in some places in order to prevent fires. It seems like a better solution would be to fix the power grid infrastructure. We think some of the billions of dollars Gavin Newsom is spending on failing programs and lawsuits against his political enemies could be used for this purpose.

The year is almost over and like most people we are reflecting on all the crazy events of 2024. This always happens at the end of the year. You get together with friends and family around the holidays and talk to people from different generations.

We’ve decided it’s not just nostalgia when people from our parents’ generation talk about how good things used to be in California. We also remember when this state was affordable and when Californians and Mexicans crossed the border without a second thought about politics. Weekend in Tijuana? Heck yeah! Anyone who grew up in southern California knows about the rich cultural history and connections between those on either side of the border. Now we have to get past the noise created by the failure of the federal government to manage the border.

Despite all the changes in California our politics remain the same. We support politicians who commit to green energy and warn us about global warming. They create bad policy that results in debt. Which leads to inflation. Which is followed by yet another money grab in the form of more bad policy. Which is usually described by politicians as some clever solution for global warming.

Even on the national level you can say the more things change the more they stay the same. Trump will start his term with the promise of freeing American hostages just as President Reagan did in 1980. Democrats and Republicans were divided then and they remain as divided as ever. Our elected leaders know this and they use it to their advantage. There will be no reform of either party from within. They will continue to water down and chip away at the institutions that our founding fathers created.

So let’s do something about it. We argue that a third party with a strong platform has the power to force change and effect policy even if they do not win an election. But first we need to commit to supporting them. We can start by reregistering as No Party Preference or Decline to State in order to send a message to Washington, D.C. We can become more engaged in politics by searching out opposing viewpoints and using our knowledge, experience, and common sense to assess politicians and their policies. We can support good Independent and third party candidates at the local, state, and federal levels whenever possible.

Check out Episode 39 and let us know what you think about how a third party could positively influence politics.

#GOP #RNC #DNC #independentvoters

Because we have a freeform podcast at Coalition Purple, we’ve decided our motto is “Politics Without a Plan.” It occurred to us that this would also be a good description of California politics.

Our politicians seem to focus more on raising money and maintaining power rather than creating good policy. Add a lack of imagination and you get problems like intractable debt, complicated bureaucracy, and power shut offs when the wind blows too hard.

We think a third party could bring imagination back to politics. People from outside the bureaucracy can focus on the right priorities like fire prevention initiatives and improvements to our electrical grid.

The power to change the narrative lies with us. We can start by refusing to demonize our fellow citizens. We can approach politics with open minds. We can consult various sources for our news.

And we must stop paying attention to all those shiny objects politicians dangle in front of us to distract us. Yes, we want to stop global warming and save the world, but can we fix the electrical grid first? In the 1980’s Los Angeles was able to clean up smog and improve air quality because their elected leaders focused on achievable goals.

Our problems are solvable. As voters we need to be more engaged at the local and state levels. We should support candidates who have good ideas and the right priorities. And remember what Denzel Washington said when it comes to the Democrats and Republicans: Don’t listen to either of those parties. They’re lying to you!

#GOP #RNC #DNC #independentvoters

Stuck in the Post-Election Doldrums?

we’re still standing two days after the Presidential

And we are ok with that because we think there should be no “safe states” for any candidate. 

So how do we change things so that candidates have to work for our votes? We decided if the candidates can come up with their own math for solving problems - like building 3 million houses, enacting $2 trillion

We came up with this equation: 

New Political Party + Engaged Voters = No Safe States for

The most important part of this equation is that we need to be engaged. We can no longer rely on one politician or one political party to solve all our problems. And we cannot take it for granted that our news source of

The good news is that we might have a few options after

Will one party become more moderate or will a

We don’t know but we think now is a great time for people to coalesce toward the center and focus on more pragmatic solutions to our problems.  And we plan on being here to watch it all unfold. 

By this time next week the 2024 election will be over and we will have a new administration ready to takeover the White House… Oh wait, that’s too optimistic. This is the election that will go on and on and on. All we can say is that whenever it resolves each side needs to do some soul searching.

And that includes all of us. The only way to end this madness is to stop contributing to it. At the individual level we can offer up rational discussions and we can support governmental and election reform. We can stop voting for people who perpetuate culture wars and absurd levels of pettiness.

The two major parties are behemoths that no longer serve the people they are supposed to represent. We need more choices at the ballot box and we can start at the local level.

So when the dust settles, come and join us at Coalition Purple. Let’s do something different. It’s time to come together and start solving some problems. We promise you’ll like it here. We are independent thinkers, we have a lot of fun, and everyone is welcome.

In this episode we reflect on our podcast journey. It’s taken us about a year, but we think we’ve finally figured out what we can do in future episodes to move things forward for third parties and Independent candidates.

We know this post-election reckoning is not going to be easy, and we are here to tell you not to get discouraged or demoralized. If you drop out of the political process, democracy fails and everyone loses. 

Besides, there is hope! Bill has gone from yelling at his tv in frustration when candidates won’t answer questions to experiencing the thrill of voting for an independent candidate for the first time in his life. And why not take a chance on something you believe in? Fifty percent of people voting for the duopoly will have voted for a losing candidate. It’s just part of the process. 

So after this election, take a deep Breath and get ready for a new reality. Polling shows that over 70% of people are dissatisfied with the direction of the country. So let’s start measuring politicians based on what they do and not

It’s official.

Bill is going to have to go underground for a

Getting rid of his contact information is the only way to escape the constant barrage of phone calls, emails, and flyers from his former political party.

He’s tried hitting Stop and Unsubscribe, but it does no good.

But never fear. We will still be doing our podcast. Here’s a list of things we agreed we should stop doing:

1. Roof work.

2. Buying plastic water bottles.

3. Supporting the Avocado Mafia.

4. Sending money to political campaigns.

If you want to know our list of Do’s, you’ll just have to watch the episode!

But we will say that

#GOP #RNC #DNC #independentvoters #democrats

Well, John forgot, but it’s our one-year anniversary here at Coalition Purple! We are celebrating a year since October 9, 2023 with 30 episodes under our belts. And for good reason. Although we have different political backgrounds and opinions, we still enjoy getting together for a beer and we see each other once a week to talk politics. We figure, if we can do it, why can’t everyone else?

It’s all about compromise. For example, Bill will agree with John’s idea for a constitutional amendment to limit the Supreme Court to 9 members, but only if 25-year term limits are part of the deal. See how easy that was?

Our 31st episode is chock full of other great ideas too. It’s too much to sum up here but we’ll give you a teaser. Here are 4 takeaways from this episode.

1. If you destroy an institution, it is gone forever. So be careful what you wish for

2. The answer to misinformation or speech you dislike is MORE speech - not censorship

3. The next 4 years will basically be a do-over for whoever gets elected President because they’ve both had about 4 years to show us who they are

4. You shouldn’t go on walks because it makes you think too much!!

We hope you enjoy Episode 31. Happy New Year!