George Washington was by no means a perfect leader, but he had some of the wisest words when it came to his farewell address. Having his own frustrations and experience with corruption, he seemed to predict the future when warned us of political party affiliation:

“It serves always to distract the public councils and enfeeble the public administration. It agitates the community with ill-founded jealousies and false alarms, kindles the animosity of one part against another, foments occasionally riot and insurrection. It opens the door to foreign influence and corruption, which finds a facilitated access to the government itself through the channels of party passions. Thus the policy and the will of one country are subjected to the policy and will of another.“

So, what now? Associating with parties can lead to, well, some of the issues we have today, but we can’t always just opt for voting in “independent” candidates. Can we find a happy medium between independent and party? Can this movement collect enough votes and momentum to truly make a difference? What do we call it, and how should we move forward?