People Over Politics: Texas House District 138 Candidate, Demetrius Walker, Challenges the Political Status Quo

Today, politics is more about obstructing the agenda of an opposing party than serving the best interests of the American people. Lost in the tug of war between Democrats and Republicans is a country that can no longer afford to waste time tackling climate change, educational decline, and public health. Putting our faith in political parties to combat these critical issues is dangerous for the planet and a threat to the future of human civilization. Political parties stifle competition, creativity, innovation, and progress. In order for the best ideas to make their way into public policy, Independent candidate for Texas State House, Demetrius Walker, says America should do away with political parties altogether.

Before dismissing Walker’s idea as fringe, consider the cautionary words of our nation’s first president, George Washington, an Independent who feared political parties. Washington correctly predicted that political parties “are likely in the course of time and things, to become potent engines, by which cunning, ambitious, and unprincipled men will be enabled to subvert the power of the people and to usurp for themselves the reins of government, destroying afterwards the very engines which have lifted them to unjust dominion.”

Under constant, intrusive surveillance, present day America in many ways resembles an open air prison. Women’s reproductive freedom is under assault and healthcare is lacking. Tap water filled with lead and carcinogens like chromium-6 pervade our nation’s water supply from Flint to Houston. In many neighborhoods, the public education system lacks the resources necessary to prevent students from avoiding the school-to-prison pipeline.

Considering the circumstances, Demetrius Walker issues a grave warning: “Bipartisanship will soon march America off a cliff unless people unite to reject revenge politics. It’s time to get back to our roots as a nation and install candidates based on the merits of their leadership and intelligence, not their political affiliation.” To liberate ourselves from dysfunctional government, Walker advocates dissolving political parties and restructuring our entire political system.   

As a testament to his faith in this new future, Demetrius Walker is running an independent campaign funded solely by small, public donations. Playing on The Luniz’ classic anthem  “I Got 5 On It,” Demetrius asks supporters of marijuana legalization, a core tenet of his platform, to make donations as small as five dollars. In flood weary Texas, he has a plan to use marijuana tax revenue to fund drainage improvements and universal Pre-K. A Vanderbilt graduate, Demetrius is a staunch supporter of Women’s Rights, favors prison eradication over prison reform, and wants to end the federal reserve banking system. On November 6, Demetrius will face off against an incumbent Tea-Party Republican and the winner of the Democratic primary in Texas House District 138. A Demetrius Walker win could set the tone for a nationwide political overhaul in 2020.