Ambrose M. Bennett
THE Truth is WE the People are at the crossroads where Democrats, Republicans and Independents intersect when it comes to the present & choosing the next generation of leadership for the CNMI. WE have tried Republicans for over 20yrs and its obviously time to CHANGE our Political Direction as One People! WE need Independents to “get-off the fence” and CHOOSE, as this ‘Independent Safe Poli-trick” is only about being “a safe-haven politician who only want to SIT but is AFRAID to FIGHT FOR their People.” In fact, it’s bad enough FOR the People to be divided between two parties but having the majority of our leadership being Independents now creates dichotomies in a “scatterbrain approach to governing” especially when the Independents are NOT organized to promote anything and can only respond to what’s coming down the line figuratively. However, I do want to THANK the People for at least trying to make change by electing a record number of Independents, but WE must NOW take it to the next level in order to create a “Strong Two-Party System of Governing” or be DOOMED!
Independents RULE the House with the “title of Independents” which is the real PROBLEM, as most of them are “BLUE” and are literally “real backroom-Republicans,” especially, the ones who ran for office under the Independent Banner with Arnold. I know I’ve been saying “it’s the Republicans” and hopefully voters can now see it IS about “the known Republicans & the backroom-Republicans with Arnold,” which is WHY Arnold has been getting his way and even getting away with his subterfuge with no oversight nor accountability from HIS Independents. I’m sure Independents thought they were SAFE but as readers can see “they have another THINK coming” as to which side of the fence they want to land on. I warned in a previous Op ed, “no politician is safe” and it’s the Independents turn now to be held accountable, especially when I think some, like Rep. Marrisa Flores who has skills, can be good and even GREAT if they’re FREED from Republican Yoke-of-Subterfuge!
FYI readers and to my knowledge, you may need to go back to the late 1700s to find a state-level government being entirely run by Independents because our Federal System is “a party driven adversarial system.” In Fact, our Federal System depends on the “adversarial advocating factor for the BEST solutions FOR the People” in the Towns, Cities and States (Islands) of our Nation. Independents ARE NOT a legitimate Team in the ultimate Team Sport of Politics, which spells another set of challenges if WE continue down this path with Independents who are really Republicans. WE don’t see Independent Governors being elected on the mainland but Arnold pulled-off that Poli-trick here in the CNMI, which tells any Poly Scientist the CNMI has been fooled and is LOST Politically and needs to find its WAY! WE have been electing a “mirage” with the Fake Independents of Arnold’s Crew, which is WHY our Economy is FAKE and dysfunctional due to no oversight or accountability by the House, when it’s THEIR fiduciary job! Heck, Ambrose had to expose the tax rip-off FOR the People, while Dems & Independents only “sat & watched!
Only Arnold has gone public to PROVE he is still a REAL Republican disguising himself as an Independent that is a “slap-in-the-face” for those who voted for him thinking he had changed. The question now is which Republicans, especially in the House, will join Arnold and who will join the Dems? I’ve written about the GREED for POWER by our Politicians that’s so DEADLY for the People and the CNMI because “it’s about them sitting and not the People FIRST.” The Independents in the House have been working far more FOR Arnold than the People FIRST and it should be clear WHY Arnold is getting away with so much because most of the “Independents in our Legislature are really HIS Republicans”- duh! I pray for the sake of us ALL that voters will wake-up literally and do their “homework” FOR themselves & the CNMI before 2026. OUR future is at stake, and I’m doing my best to provide as many People as possible with this wake-up call on Independents!
Being an Independent has been a safe haven in the past, which has grown to become the majority, but that tune must change if WE are to have a genuine & strong two-party system. At one time there was the need to vote for real Independents, but WE must up-the-stakes and DEMAND our leaders in the Legislature to join a party if they want to get elected. Heck there is only “ONE Independent” in the entire U.S. House composed of 435, which tells me “We’re being SUCKERED by Independents just to get elected” now with tooooo much Independents — Going Nowhere! It is critical that WE follow the “KISS Method” come 2026 and vote either Republican or Democrat, as the obvious useless experiment with an Independent Majority should be over.
But I can already sense I will be FORCED to start “naming names & proving with the facts,” as the People are always FIRST with me! FYI critics it’s not about a job for Ambrose, as I could have easily continued working for Ralph & Arnold, as they both hired me but for the wrong reason of “controlling Ambrose to ignore subterfuge & not to help the People,” but Ambrose chose the People he loves TWICE over the ugly Poli-tricks of corrupt Governors! But I’m sure the Governor & Crew think they have all the power, and Ambrose doesn’t mean anything but “they have another think coming,” as my MaDear would say. I know it only takes ONE in America to make a real difference and I’m sure the majority of voters eagerly join me in being SICK & TIRED of Republican’s name-switching-games, subterfuge schemes, lies & FAILURES when WE got a 2-billion-dollar booster shot that was deactivated from helping by Ralph’s corruption-potion and Arnold isn’t doing any better, just a better Poli-tricker”! WE must teach Republicans & Independents a Lesson, which is why it is soooo darn important that Dems get their act together quick, fast and in-a-hurry or WE are DOOMED to the Same-O Same-O!
One People, One Direction.
Ambrose M. Bennett is an Economist who minored in Sociology, a Political Scientist, a retired teacher & former CNMI Board of Education Member, a James Madison Fellow (U.S. Constitutional Scholar), a Fulbright-Hays & lifetime Humanities Scholar who resides in Kagman III in the U.S. Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
