Is the US Political System Rigged?

Simple answer? No

The US political system is a participation based system. Groups that participate benefit. Those that do not participate do not benefit. In the early days of our country only white male landowners had a voice in the political process. If you weren’t white, a male, nor owned land you were SOL. So blacks and other people of color as well as women fought for and received a place at the table from a voting perspective.

Participation is much more than just voting. Voting is the bare minimum. Participation includes engaging elected officials on needed legislation as well as following up with elected officials on campaign promises. Participation includes joining like-minded groups and using group leverage to keep elected officials honest.

The problem with participation is this:

First, the percentage of the population that participates is very small. There are far more non-participants yelling that the system is rigged who don’t see that their non-participation is the reason the politics does not work in their favor. 

Secondly, there are participant groups that are a few members short of the numbers needed to achieve their like-minded goals. That lends to frustration that can cause the participation rolls to drop.

So the key to benefitting from the US political system is knowing that power is in the hands of those with the numbers. Get active. Join a political group. Participate.