You Say You Want a Revolution, Well, You Know—The Polls Do

2026 isn’t just another midterm. It’s a launchpad. A chance to build a new generation of leaders—and in 2028, defeat MAGA with a vision that finally takes this country somewhere.

We all wanna change the world, and every four years we go through the same old routine. We pick a presidential candidate, we rally, we donate, we fight with relatives at Thanksgiving. Then we cross our fingers, vote, and hope something big changes. Spoiler alert: it never does.

The problem isn't just who's in the White House—it's who isn't in Congress. We keep electing presidents who promise transformation, only to realize they can't transform a damn thing alone. Even a president willing to burn down norms and disregard institutions like Trump hits brick walls when Congress won't move.

No president, no matter how bold or reckless, can fundamentally change the system without a Congress ready to fight for that transformation. Right now, we're seeing what happens when you have a president who'll break every rule, and still, he struggles to move his agenda forward. And if that isn't a wake-up call, nothing will be.

Congress's approval is sitting at a pathetic 29%. Democrats? 27%. Republicans? 36%. Even Donald Trump, a convicted felon and twice impeached, is more trusted than either major party.

Americans are ready for revolution—just look at the polls. That isn't a glitch—it's the whole damn system finally losing its mask.

But here's the thing: DC isn't scared. DC knows we'll eventually cave in November and vote for one of the two parties anyway. A handful might protest-vote Libertarian or Green, but most of us ultimately hold our noses and pick a side. DC has us exactly where they want us—too scared to risk "wasting" our vote, too angry to feel represented.

So what's the answer? First off, we have to weaponize the system itself. We're dealing with parties corrupted from top to bottom. The primaries are rigged. Districts are gerrymandered beyond recognition. That means we can't just pick a side—we have to infiltrate, disrupt, and exploit these corrupted structures. That means running insurgent candidates in Democratic primaries, in Republican primaries, and even in gerrymandered districts as independents. It means seizing every opportunity to reclaim power from the machine that's stolen our democracy.

This revolution can't be attached to the old guard, even the Democratic Party. They've been complicit too long—whether it was Clinton repealing Glass-Steagall, signing NAFTA, or Obama's bailout of Wall Street while Main Street collapsed. These aren't accidents; they're features of a captured party that sold out working people decades ago. They’ve presided over the corruption of our institutions.

Trump didn't invent corruption, he just stopped pretending it wasn't happening.

Look at our Supreme Court—captured. FDA? Captured. Congress? Obviously captured. Democrats complain about Trump's antics while quietly protecting the same broken system he exploits openly.

A president alone, no matter how amazing, will never fix all that ails us by themselves. But historical examples tell us exactly what's possible if we get a serious Congress. One ready to take on the system itself. Lincoln didn't end slavery without a Congress willing to legislate. FDR didn't create the New Deal on his own. The Civil Rights Movement wasn't just protests—it was a Congress eventually forced to act. Congress is where the power lies, and it's Congress we need to revolutionize first.

Here’s the simple truth: Congress isn’t weak—it’s deliberately broken, sabotaged, and sold out. When it’s united behind a bold vision, Congress can do almost anything. FDR didn’t single-handedly drag America out of the Great Depression; massive congressional majorities created Social Security, electrified rural communities with TVA dams, and reshaped labor rights forever. LBJ didn’t pass civil rights and Medicare alone—he had unstoppable congressional majorities behind him.

We don’t need incremental tweaks. We need a Congress ready to swing the wrecking ball, tear down what’s corrupt, and build something new.

Imagine what a unified, revolutionary Congress could do right now:

• Rebuild healthcare beyond insurance: Publicly-owned hospitals, federal training programs for medical professionals, and community health centers that actually serve the public—not insurance company profits.

• Launch public infrastructure on a massive scale: Publicly-owned broadband, clean water systems, modern power grids, and transit networks owned and accountable to every American, not shareholders.

• Crush monopolies and rebuild public industries: Break corporate giants’ hold over our economy—Wall Street, Big Tech, Big Ag. Congress once built industries that served the people. Let’s revive that tradition.

• Restore democracy by enforcing accountability: Impeach corrupt Supreme Court justices, add new states to enfranchise millions, and permanently close the revolving door between government officials and corporate boardrooms.

Congress has been intentionally crippled for decades. But it doesn’t have to stay that way. We don’t need to beg for permission—we can elect fighters who’ll use the real power Congress holds.

If we’re serious about revolution, it’s time we harness the true power of Congress—the power to build the America we deserve.

We know what we're against—oligarchs, corruption, rigged systems. But what are we for? What's our occupying ideological force?

Here's the part that's missing, though: a unifying ideology. It's simple: the government must work for us, build for us, protect us. Not corporations, not billionaires, but us. We need institutions like the Reconstruction Finance Corporation again—public investment and direct action, building real things that benefit real people.

I saw what this looks like growing up in East Tennessee—the prosperity that TVA dams and lakes brought, the ripple effects from projects like Oak Ridge. I watched that decline in real time as "small government" dogma replaced the idea that we can build things together.

We need a government that sees itself not as a referee between corporations and people, but as a builder. A government that:

• Creates infrastructure that benefits everyone, not just wealthy areas

• Runs industries when private monopolies fail the public interest

• Ensures healthcare, education, and housing as rights, not commodities

• Protects workers and their right to organize, not just shareholders

Until we take control of Congress, until we send fighters—real fighters—into office, until we have a clear vision of government as a builder and protector, we'll keep cycling through disappointments.

We need a concrete plan with a timeline: 2026 is our battleground, the midterm elections that could reset America's trajectory.

I know this because I've seen firsthand what happens when you win congressional victories without a unifying mission. I co-founded Brand New Congress and Justice Democrats. I helped elect AOC and other members of what became "the Squad." We won those races, we got fighters into Congress, and you know what? It wasn't enough.

These representatives arrived in DC ready to fight, only to find themselves isolated against an entrenched machine that knows how to neutralize individual threats. Without a shared ideological vision binding them together, even the most principled members get picked off, one by one. They get worn down by the system, by leadership, by the endless pressure to conform. I watched it happen in real time.

Think about it. If we transform Congress in 2026—if we elect a wave of insurgent representatives who actually fight for the people—we set the stage for something bigger. We build momentum for 2028 when we don't just "defeat Trump" or "stop MAGA," but actually advance a superior vision for America and the world. A vision where government builds again, where workers have power again, where we put billionaires and corporations back in their place.

2026 isn't just another midterm to survive. It's the launching pad for a political revolution, the moment we can inspire a new generation of American leaders and American people. It's the setup for the breakthrough in 2028, when we finally break the cycle of choosing between bad and worse.

So, you say you want a revolution? It starts in the halls of Congress.

It starts in Democratic primaries, in Republican primaries, in every district drawn to silence us. It starts with us deciding not to choose between bad and worse, but to fight for what we deserve.

The old politics of incremental change, of waiting patiently, of begging politely—they're dead. This is our moment to declare that government must serve us, that we're done being consumers and debtors in a rigged system.

If you want a revolution, it's time to make Congress feel it.

-Corbin

Postscript

People always ask, “What’s the solution?” Whether we’re talking about healthcare, genocide, mass shootings, or our hollowed-out economy, my answer is the same: change who holds power. Not just the White House—Congress. That’s where the real power lives in this system.

I’ve spent years fighting for that change. I worked on both of Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaigns. I helped found Brand New Congress to replace incumbents. I co-founded Justice Democrats. I stood with AOC, first on the campaign trail, then in Congress. Has it worked yet? Not fully. But just because a revolution hasn’t succeeded yet doesn’t mean it’s wrong.

People ask, “Where are the leaders? Why don’t good people run for office?” The answer hurts: there’s too little support and too much dysfunction. Good people go to DC or the state house, try to do the right thing, and get kneecapped before they can stand.

If we want a different future, we have to back better people. Not just on election day—but every day after. They need to know we’ve got their back, and that they won’t stand alone once they get there.

A united Congress with a clear vision and a willing president can bulldoze bureaucracy, outmaneuver corporate lobbyists, and override elite resistance. We don’t need more policy memos or TED Talks. We need different people in power. And in this country, that still starts with Congress.