New political party ‘We The People’ eyes 3 Lane County commission seats

Presenter: A new political party called ‘We the People’ has qualified for the Oregon ballot. The founding members in Lane County say this is your chance to change local and national politics—in 2026, three of five Lane County commissioners will be up for election. Speaking for We The People Lane County, Alan Cohen:

Alan Cohen: I had an article just published in Eugene Weekly, which was really kind of a statement of what we’re trying to get across. And the more I think about it, the more I think that that would probably be a good way of starting, that is, for me to read from that article:

[00:00:39] The United States was intended by its founders to be the answer to an age-old problem: inequality. The founders’ solution was first to state the self-evident—that all men are created equal. Then democracy, the balance of powers, and the federal system were all intended to assure, insofar as possible, equality of opportunity, of impact on our government (of, by, and for the people) and before the law. There were the two threats to be protected against: “mob rule” and rule by the rich.

[00:01:17] The system worked reasonably well until corporations escaped from their carefully drawn charters after the Civil War. It took the Populists, the Progressives, and then Franklin Delano Roosevelt to build systems that put the genie back in the bottle. And from 1935 to 1975, we were the most successful civilization in history: admired, envied and emulated.

[00:01:45] 75% of us thought our government was doing a good job back then, while for the past 10 years, only 20% have. That’s because the business community, especially the corporate elite, began to organize in the 1910s in response to the Progressives.

The National Association of Manufacturers developed the “Big Myth” (government bad, business good) and it, and its newer allies (Chamber of Commerce, etc.) have patiently marketed that misinformation for more than 100 years—with increasing success since the 1960s and with increasing dominance since 1980.

[00:02:26] Large corporations have once again escaped regulation, and this time pretty much control all three branches of our state and federal governments. Both major parties are now parties of the rich and the countervailing forces—unions, in particular—have dwindled.

The corporations have demanded and are getting a redirection of funds once dedicated to our safety net, the arts, and education to corporate welfare.

The mainstream media and the universities increasingly provide us with corporate narratives, textbooks, and research, as they too increasingly depend on corporate financial support and inequality has grown under each administration for the past 50 years.

[00:03:11] The two dominant political parties no longer pay any attention to the wishes of their constituents, which is why, when we work to protect flora and fauna or the climate to improve health care and housing, etc., we have little success. Changes that once were and could again be routine are, according to our present structure, unrealistic.

[00:03:35] The only viable solution is a third party, not beholden to corporations or the rich and focused on a fair redistribution of our collective productivity, reestablishment of competition, and a rejuvenation of government of, by, and for the people.

[00:03:52] The extant third parties have failed because they insist on taking positions on controversial issues. That is how the corporations have kept the focus away from inequality—by promoting polarization around controversial issues. Once we again have a prudent government of, by, and for the people, we can address the controversies as the founders intended: in debates in Congress with executive and Supreme Court oversight, representing the will of the people, or by national referenda, or in nonfoundational cases, by letting each state decide.

[00:04:33] We The People, a new political party dedicated to representing the will of the people, is on the ballot. In Oregon, it plans to elect candidates devoted to the people’s needs—candidates who believe in capitalist competition, not monopoly or oligopoly, and so in the appropriate regulation of corporations, plans to promote equality of opportunity and before the law.

The party will not dissipate its energy and support by taking positions on divisive issues—death penalty, abortion, etc. Along with state and national efforts, we will act locally to improve quality of life, address excesses and inequalities in cost of housing, insurance, taxation and utilities, corruption, electromagnetic radiation, parking, zoning, auditing and farming; to gather and share information about judges and candidates for councils and various other offices, many of whom run unopposed so that we can vote wisely, rather than arbitrarily without information.

[00:05:44] Democracy is not a fairy tale. No one is coming to rescue us. If we find ourselves too busy and leave the task to others, we will have built not a democracy, but just another authoritarian regime.

[00:05:56] If demonstrations were sufficient, they would have an identifiable impact. But though governments pay lip service, policies rarely change in response. What is needed is direct political involvement now. Please join We The People. You need it and it needs you. 99% of us will benefit and the rich will be saved from their obsessions.

[00:06:19] Presenter: That was Alan Cohen, reading his article published in the Eugene Weekly Aug. 7. He sees a bright future for the party ahead.

[00:06:28] Alan Cohen: We want to build, and it’s a hard slog at the beginning, but if you can get traction, you can make a big difference. If we act locally to begin with, we can pull off some kind of successes, if we can do the job—like Lane County, three people running in 2026. And if we can put together a team that will actually get traction, we could possibly build a party that could win those elections. If we got three, we would control that (board of commissioners).

[00:07:07] If you did that, there is a return on changing corruption, recognizing, identifying, which is difficult to do from outside.

[00:07:18] Cedric: Alan Cohen says the new political party ‘We The People’ plans to challenge for local offices: Lane County commissioners, city councils, school boards, water and electric utilities, and other local boards and commissions. You can learn more at their Lane County website, WTPLane.org.