In Case You Missed It!

Following are the opening remarks for the first Truth Party rally!

Welcome to the very first Truth Party rally.

Take a look around.

This is how it starts.

Not with a hundred thousand people in Washington.
Not with a billionaire writing a check.
Not with some political consultant telling us what we’re supposed to believe.

It starts with a few people deciding to show up.

And you showed up.

So thank you.

My name is John Eagleton, and a few months ago I did something that, at 69 years old, I never imagined I’d do.

I started a political movement.

Which is a terrible retirement plan.

Most people my age are looking at cruises.

I’m looking at voter turnout.

But I started the Truth Party because I kept asking myself a simple question:

What the hell happened to us?

We’re the United States of America.

We put people on the moon.

We built highways across a continent.

We created incredible universities, hospitals, businesses and technologies.

And now we can’t have Thanksgiving dinner without somebody getting pissed off about politics.

Something went wrong.

But here’s what I’ve discovered:

I don’t think Americans are the problem.

I think most Americans want basically the same things.

We want a decent life.

We want our kids and grandkids to have opportunities.

We want good schools.

Good healthcare.

Safe communities.

Good jobs.

Roads that don’t destroy your suspension.

And we’d really like to go to the grocery store without needing a small-business loan.

We’re not nearly as divided as we’re told we are.

We’re disconnected.

We’ve been separated into little political tribes and told that everybody outside our tribe is the enemy.

Republican.

Democrat.

Conservative.

Liberal.

Progressive.

MAGA.

Left.

Right.

Red.

Blue.

Everybody gets a jersey.

Everybody gets a team.

Everybody gets somebody to hate.

And meanwhile, the people with the money and power are doing just fine.

That’s why the Truth Party isn’t interested in becoming another tribe.

I don’t want to create the tenth political tribe.

I want to create the meeting place for the other nine.

Because there’s another division in America that I think matters a hell of a lot more than Republican versus Democrat.

It’s this:

CITIZEN VERSUS SPECTATOR.

A spectator watches.

A spectator complains.

A spectator posts something on Facebook.

A spectator yells at the television.

And believe me, I’ve yelled at the television enough that I’m surprised it hasn’t filed a restraining order.

But a citizen participates.

A citizen learns.

A citizen asks questions.

A citizen talks to their neighbors.

A citizen volunteers.

A citizen votes.

And most importantly:

A citizen shows up.

That’s why you’re here.

The Truth Party has four very simple ideas.

Wake up.

Pay attention to what’s happening around you.

Get engaged.

Talk to people. Volunteer. Attend meetings. Ask questions.

Participate.

Especially vote.

And finally:

Demand accountability.

From Republicans.

From Democrats.

From corporations.

From institutions.

And from ourselves.

Nobody gets a free pass.

Because truth doesn’t have a political party.

And I want to make something clear today.

I’m not standing here pretending I have every answer.

I don’t.

Neither does Washington.

Neither does cable television.

Neither does the guy on Facebook who somehow became an expert on constitutional law during lunch.

What we need is a place where ordinary people can say:

Let’s figure it out together.

Let’s disagree without becoming enemies.

Let’s ask whether an idea actually works instead of asking which political team proposed it.

And when something doesn’t work?

Change it.

That’s democracy.

Democracy isn’t something our grandparents handed us in a box and said, “Don’t touch it.”

It’s something every generation has to maintain, repair and improve.

So when you leave here today, I’m asking you to do one thing.

Don’t just watch.

Do something.

Talk to somebody you normally wouldn’t talk to.

Volunteer somewhere.

Learn about an issue.

Go to a city council meeting.

Help your neighborhood.

Register somebody to vote.

And when Election Day comes:

SHOW UP.

Because politicians aren’t ultimately the most powerful people in America.

We are.

But only if we participate.

So welcome to the Truth Party.

Welcome to the experiment.

Welcome to what I hope becomes something much bigger than any one person standing up here with a microphone.

The Truth Party exists to turn spectators into citizens.

And today—

we showed up.

Now let’s get to work.