You know, there’s an old saying in American politics.
It’s the economy, stupid!
Bill Clinton’s campaign made that famous back in 1992.
And here we are, 34 years later, and apparently Washington still hasn’t figured it out.
I read a fascinating article in The New York Times this morning about what’s happening in Iowa.
Now, Iowa is farm country. Corn, soybeans, cattle, tractors, combines.
These are hardworking Americans who get up before the sun comes up, work their asses off, and produce the food that feeds this country.
And right now, a lot of them are getting absolutely hammered.
Not by the weather.
Not by some biblical plague of locusts.
By economics. By government policies. By decisions being made thousands of miles away in Washington.
Let me give you an example.
There’s a farmer named Kelly Nieuwenhuis who operates 3,000 acres in Iowa.
He voted for Donald Trump in 2016 and 2020.
But he didn’t vote for him in 2024.
And now he’s looking at what’s happening to his farm.
Diesel prices have nearly doubled since earlier this year.
Fertilizer prices are climbing.
The prices he receives for his corn and soybeans have been depressed by international trade disputes.
And this fall, he spent $16,000 just filling up his fuel tanks.
Sixteen thousand dollars!
Folks, that’s not a fill-up.
That’s a down payment on a house!
And here’s what really caught my attention.
This man is a registered Republican.
He’s not some radical left-wing activist.
He’s not marching around with a protest sign.
He’s a farmer.
And he’s looking at his checkbook.
And he’s saying, essentially, “Wait a minute. Something isn’t working here.”
Now, that’s interesting.
Because when you get right down to it, economics doesn’t give a damn what political party you belong to.
Diesel doesn’t cost less because you’re a Republican.
Fertilizer doesn’t get cheaper because you’re a Democrat.
And the bank doesn’t forgive your loan because you voted for the winning candidate.
The bills come due regardless.
And that’s something I think Washington has forgotten.
We’ve turned politics into this ridiculous sporting event.
Red team versus blue team.
Republicans versus Democrats.
Everybody wearing their jerseys, cheering for their side, booing the other team.
Meanwhile, the concession stand is charging everybody $18 for a hot dog!
And nobody seems to notice we’re all getting screwed on the price of lunch!
Now, here’s another fascinating part of this story.
The Trump administration has announced another $8 billion in assistance for farmers.
Eight billion dollars.
And that’s on top of previous assistance.
Now, emergency aid can certainly help farmers survive a difficult season.
But it raises a legitimate question.
Wouldn’t it be better to create economic conditions where farmers can make a living selling their products instead of needing repeated government assistance?
That’s a question worth asking.
And it’s not just agriculture.
The article talks about manufacturing jobs disappearing in Iowa.
Companies cutting workers.
Higher production costs.
Problems in renewable energy.
And an economy that’s been growing more slowly than much of the rest of the country.
These are real people.
Real families.
Real communities.
And when a factory closes in a small town, that doesn’t just affect the people who worked there.
It affects the restaurants.
The grocery stores.
The schools.
The hardware stores.
The entire community.
Now, I want to point out something else.
Not every Iowa farmer blames Donald Trump.
One woman interviewed in the article is spending about $6,000 every week to 10 days on diesel.
She’s even sold equipment to help cover expenses.
But she still supports Republicans.
And you know what?
That’s her right.
That’s democracy.
People can look at the same economic circumstances and reach different political conclusions.
But here’s what I think we should all agree on.
We ought to be able to ask our elected officials tough questions without being treated like we’re betraying our political party.
When did asking questions become disloyal?
When did demanding accountability become controversial?
These people work for us!
We don’t work for them!
And that brings me to something I’ve been discovering right here in Greensboro, North Carolina.
As many of you know, I’ve been conducting a thousand-person listening project.
I’m walking around town talking to complete strangers.
Asking them what they like about Greensboro.
What they don’t like.
What they’d change.
And what they want their city to look like in the future.
And something remarkable keeps happening.
People open up.
They tell me about their families.
Their jobs.
Their struggles.
Their hopes.
And you know what I’m discovering?
Most people aren’t nearly as divided as our politics would suggest.
They want a decent place to live.
They want safe neighborhoods.
They want good schools.
They want affordable healthcare.
And they want to earn enough money to provide for their families.
That’s it!
Five basic things.
You don’t need a Ph.D. in political science to understand that.
You don’t need a 900-page government report.
You just need to talk to people.
And listen.
Really listen.
Because whether you’re a farmer in Iowa or a young person trying to afford your first apartment in Greensboro, the fundamental questions aren’t that different.
Can I afford to live?
Can I build a future?
Can I take care of the people I love?
And is my government making those things easier or harder?
Now, we’re less than two weeks away from the midterm elections.
And Iowa has suddenly become a fascinating political battleground.
A state Donald Trump won by 13 points in 2024 now has several competitive races.
Some longtime Republican voters are reconsidering individual candidates.
Others are sticking with their party.
And that’s exactly why elections matter.
Because politicians should never be able to take our votes for granted.
Not Republicans.
Not Democrats.
Not independents.
Nobody.
Your vote isn’t a lifetime membership in a political party.
It’s a decision about who you trust to represent your interests.
And you’re allowed to change your mind.
In fact, changing your mind when presented with new information is something we ought to celebrate.
That’s not weakness.
That’s thinking!
And thinking is something we could use a hell of a lot more of in American politics.
Now, I started the Truth Party because I believe we’ve become a nation of spectators.
We sit around watching cable news.
Arguing on Facebook.
Yelling at our televisions.
Complaining about Washington.
And then too many of us fail to participate in the one process that gives us a direct say in who represents us.
Elections.
But participation isn’t just voting.
It’s asking questions.
It’s listening.
It’s understanding the issues.
It’s holding people accountable.
And yes, it’s showing up on Election Day.
So here’s my message today.
Don’t vote for somebody just because they’ve got an R next to their name.
Don’t vote for somebody just because they’ve got a D next to their name.
Look at what they’re proposing.
Look at what they’ve actually done.
Ask whether their decisions are improving people’s lives.
And make up your own mind.
Because there’s something happening in Iowa that ought to get everybody’s attention.
Farmers are asking hard questions about the future of their livelihoods.
And those are exactly the kinds of questions every American should feel empowered to ask.
So let’s get engaged.
Let’s get informed.
Let’s get registered.
And let’s participate.
Because the future of this country doesn’t belong to Donald Trump.
It doesn’t belong to the Democrats.
It doesn’t belong to the Republicans.
It belongs to the American people.
And it’s about damn time we started acting like it.
Let’s turn spectators into citizens.
I’m John Eagleton.
And I’ll see you out there.
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