Political influencer activity is at an all-time high. Yes, I realize I am currently acting as a political influencer. Every action taken in this world is a form of influence. When you do something as simple as eating a slice of cake, there’s a high chance you’ll inspire someone else to take a bite. It’s impossible to get around the world of influence that directly maps to power.

Who’s Influencing Who?

Since you’re reading a political blog, you likely know that CNN and Fox News are professional influencer networks and not new stations. A large percentage of their content is meant to use you to gain power and influence. They rile you up, send you into the world angry, and prepare you for a fight. If you fall prey to the political influencer network’s plan, you’ll believe the sky is falling, and you’ll be ready to do their bidding at the ballot box and the checkout counter. You’ll buy the products they tell you to buy, and you’ll vote against your interests as they tell you their candidate is the best candidate.

Beyond professional influencer networks, there are free-agent influencers. Free-agent influencers court favor with professional influencer networks and other like-minded influencers to amplify their political agendas. These people are usually rich thanks to influencing their followers to buy their garbage books packed with lies people want to hear. After creating smutty political romance novels, they hawk their talking heads on talk shows and new programs with inflammatory rhetoric meant to influence you to pick up a pitchfork. You’re the mark, and they don’t give a fuck about you or the United States of America. Gaining power through the accumulation of money and influence is their sole purpose.

How Do They Do It?

It’s no secret that social media companies prioritize content saturated with emotion. These influencers use their content to make you angry, buy stuff, and click on advertisements. It is their sole purpose in life, even if they pretend to be sincere. If you see an advertisement near any content online or offline, someone is on the take. They are influencing you to make money, and you can consider that their sole purpose. I don’t believe people that sell their ideas rather than let them stand alone on their own merit.

Convincing people is the job of an influencer. The influencer’s weapons of choice are emotions to ply your heartstrings and reason to sway you. Influencers count on you to skip the fact-checking and go straight to your pitchfork. They know that most people won’t take the time to learn the truth before spreading lies with reckless abandon.

Viral content is a powerful weapon in the adept influencer’s arsenal. If they are able to touch a nerve within the public consciousness with outrageous behavior all the better for their pocketbook. There is no such thing as bad publicity in the nefarious influencer’s sphere of influence.

How Do We Win?

It’s on us, as U.S. citizens, to reject the political influencer power machine. The only way we can save the republic is to change our collective behavior. We can course correct using a principled approach while looking at the political world with a clear head, limited emotion, and a well-curated collection of facts. We can fix our broken system with the true American grit and determination our country was founded upon.

I’m using reason right now to sway you towards a more positive position of influence.

Once upon a time, I had a strong aversion to influencing others. Now I embrace it, for I know we need voices of reason to counter madness. It is our job, as U.S. citizens, to make a clear case for reasoned political discourse with limited emotional content. If we don’t step to save the republic, we will lose our great country. If that happens, our world will be a much darker place. I hope you join us in putting our great country back on course towards a better tomorrow with a calm heart and mind.