Welcome to the Awakening Podcast, where we delve into the deeper truths shaping our world. In this compelling episode, we sit down with Stu Strumwasser, a novelist whose fictional thrillers bravely expose the intricate socio-political issues of our time. Stu, a self-proclaimed polymath with a background in music and finance, shares his journey from a young writer to an author challenging the very foundations of American democracy. We explore the philosophical dangers of political parties, the impact of Citizens United on campaign finance, and the surprising ways in which the two major parties collude to maintain their power. Stu also touches on the critical organ shortage crisis, offering a powerful example of a fixable systemic issue. This conversation is a call to conscious citizenship, urging listeners to question the narratives and envision a more authentic democracy. Tune in for a thought-provoking discussion that will challenge your perceptions and inspire you to seek real change.   Join my PodFather Podcast Coaching Community https://www.skool.com/podfather/about   Start Your Own SKOOL Community https://www.skool.com/signup?ref=c72a37fe832f49c584d7984db9e54b71     About my Guest Stu Strumwasser Stu Strumwasser is a modern-day muckraker who writes literary novels that address important sociopolitical issues. His first novel, The Organ Broker, was published by Skyhorse (distributed by Simon & Schuster) and shortlisted as one of five finalists for the Hammett Prize for literary excellence in crime writing. Strumwasser was also the primary songwriter and drummer for the indie rock band Channeling Owen. He is a longtime investment professional (investing in sustainable technology that improves the manner in which we make food) and hails from Brooklyn NY. His new novel, A Real Collusion, is both an exposé and analysis of broken government and a fictional David Vs. Goliath(s) story of the man who almost took down the two-party system in America.     Awakening Podcast Social Media / Coaching My Other Podcasts   ⁠⁠⁠https://roycoughlan.com/⁠⁠     What we Discussed: 0:00 Welcome & Introduction to Stu Strumwasser 0:35 Stu Strumwasser: Author, Musician, Polymath 1:02 Stu's Journey as a Writer: From Childhood to Published Author 2:02 The Organ Broker: Stu's First Published Novel 3:07 The Two-Party System: A Global Perspective and its Flaws 3:51 The Elephant and the Donkey: Origins of US Political Symbols 4:50 George Washington's Farewell Address: Warning Against Political Parties 6:43 The Danger of Political Parties: From Totalitarianism to Fascism 8:01 The Founders' Vision: A Republic, Not a Democracy 9:01 The Electoral College: Why it Exists and its Impact 10:01 The Problem with the Two-Party System: Lack of Choice 11:01 The Illusion of Choice: How Two Parties Control the Narrative 12:01 The Need for a Third Party: Breaking the Duopoly 13:01 The Power of the People: How Grassroots Movements Can Effect Change 14:01 The Role of Money in Politics: Citizens United and its Consequences 15:01 The Billion-Dollar Campaign: Why Running for Office is So Expensive 16:01 The Unlikely Leader: How an Ordinary Person Can Spark a Movement 17:01 The Zeitgeist Moment: When Society is Ready for Change 18:01 The Impact of a CEO: How One Person Can Transform an Organization 19:01 The Need for a Real Leader: Capturing the Frustration of the Electorate 20:01 Social Media and Censorship: The Challenges of Organizing Movements 21:01 Blockchain Technology: A Solution for Decentralized Movements 22:01 The Collusion of Parties: How Republicans and Democrats Cooperate 23:01 The Epstein List: A Symbol of Bipartisan Corruption 24:01 Suppressing Third-Party Movements: An Unethical Practice 25:01 Un-American Practices: The Opposite of What the Country Stands For 26:01 America's Imperfection: A Loss of Pride and Nationalism 27:01 The Presidential Debates: A Critical Part of the Election Cycle 28:01 Nixon vs. Kennedy: The Impact of Television on Politics 29:01 The Commission on Presidential Debates: A Private Organization 30:01 The Two-Party Monopoly: How Debates Exclude Third Parties 31:01 The Unfair System: Why Third Parties Can't Compete 32:01 The Organ Shortage Crisis: A Fixable Problem 33:01 21 Deaths a Day: The Human Cost of a Broken System 34:01 Solutions for Organ Donation: A Call to Action 35:01 Stu's Offer: A Three-Way Conversation on Organ Donation 36:01 The Power of Awareness: Doing Good Through Discussion 37:01 Stu's Book: A Real Collusion - Where to Find It 38:01 Reading the First Chapters for Free: Arealcollusion.com 39:01 Stu's Band: A Conversation for Another Day 40:01 The Importance of Reviews: Helping Algorithms and Authors 41:01 Final Thoughts and Call to Action 41:16 Outro: RoyCoughlan.com and VA.world 41:24 The First Televised Debates: Nixon vs. Kennedy and their massive impact 42:13 The League of Women Voters: Non-partisan debate hosts 42:59 The Commission on Presidential Debates: Created by RNC and DNC to exclude third parties 43:26 Federal Election Laws and the 5% Vote Barrier for Third Parties 44:22 The 15% Debate Threshold: An impossible bar for third parties 44:34 Ross Perot: The billionaire who broke the 5% barrier 45:18 The End of the Commission on Presidential Debates: Parties negotiate directly with networks 45:41 Is this Freedom? Is this Democracy? Questioning the current system 46:16 Trump's Nuts: An illustration of the problem with severe partisanship 46:42 Why We Don't Need Parties: Stu's unique viewpoint 47:08 Senators and Representatives: How they should represent the people 48:43 Why Hate? Disagreeing without animosity in politics 49:06 George Washington's Warnings: Factionalism, Sectionalism, Foreign Influence 49:54 Party Loyalty vs. Representing the People: The corruption of voting records 50:22 The Independence Center: Supporting independent candidates to break gridlock 51:31 Hillary Clinton vs. Donald Trump: Stu's protest vote for Jill Green 52:46 The Electoral College: Why votes are meaningless in certain states 53:29 The Need for Updates: Amending the Constitution for a modern society 53:51 Pathetic Political Parties: Voting along party lines in Ireland and the UK 54:39 Direct Democracy: Accountability and immediate removal for non-performance 55:09 Global Suffering: Politicians ignoring local needs for international conflicts 55:37 Insider Trading & Corruption: Pelosi, Trump, and the meme coin 56:06 Citizens United: The linchpin that removed campaign finance guide rails 56:32 Minimizing Wealth's Influence: The key to real democracy 56:51 A Real Collusion: Stu's book as a roadmap for political reform 57:22 John Campbell: The regular guy leading an independent movement 58:09 The American Coalition: Inviting all to join, country over party 59:17 Why the System Worked: Nobility and magnanimity in early government 60:45 Well-Intentioned Politicians: The attorneys who could make more in private practice 61:24 Term Limits: A solution for professional politicians and corporate influence 63:20 Corporate Donations: Democrats are also the party of money 64:07 Change is Inevitable: The power of a fictional novel as a catalyst for reform 65:21 Organ Donation Crisis: A call for a future discussion and awareness 65:54 Where to Find Stu: Arealcollusion.com and his bio 66:33 Stu's Passion for Organ Donation: 21 deaths a day and fixable solutions 67:39 Invitation for a Three-Way Conversation: Raising awareness for organ donation 67:59 Roy's Outro: Links, virtual assistants, and supporting Stu's book         Contact  http://www.arealcollusion.com   www.instagram.com/stuthemeddler     More about the Awakening Podcast: All Episodes can be found at www.awakeningpodcast.org   Our Facebook Group can be found at https://www.facebook.com/royawakening     #AwakeningPodcast #StuStrumwasser #PoliticalThriller #Democracy #TwoPartySystem #CitizensUnited #OrganDonation #SocialChange #ConsciousCitizenship #PoliticalCorruption #ThirdPartyPolitics #AmericanPolitics #RealCollusion #AuthorInterview #PodcastRecommendations #Empowerment #TruthSeeking #SystemicChange #BeyondTheNarrative