Why is it that Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders, two candidates that could not be more opposite, are doing better than originally projected by the politic experts across the country?

It is actually pretty simple. Many Americans are tired of our two party, corporately owned political system. They are tired of big corporations that write the laws, pay for elections, and essentially sponsor the mainstream candidates.

At first glance, you might be tempted to think that this doesn’t make sense. After all, Trump is a wealthy, racist, egotistical, blowhard that is very much the quintessential “Ugly American” while Bernie Sanders is a down to earth, man of the people that believes in moderate Democratic Socialism.

But based on what I see and hear from my politically active friends, both the right and left see similar problems in this country. Both see the huge wealth gap. Both see laws that favor corporations and big business. Both see bankers abusing the system, threatening our economy, and getting away with criminal activity. Both sides see elected officials that are looking out for the interests of the few, rather than the general public.

Where the two sides differ, is in how to fix these problems. The left thinks government reforms, getting money out of politics, and cracking down on banks are the answer. The right blames our problems on illegal immigrants, deficit spending, and too many government regulations that prevent small businesses from thriving.

It is hard to imagine how two sides can see such dramatically different solutions to our problems, but that is the reality of politics in our country.

I find it very interesting that even within the more moderate elements of both sides, people see the same problems and the same general solutions. But they still have faith that the mainstream candidates can accomplish these goals.

Of course there are many conservatives that have fully bought in to the ridiculous anti-Democrat propaganda that the Republicans have been spinning for decades. They believe that their guns and freedom to be Christian are in jeopardy. They believe that welfare is the cause of our deficit and our budget woes. They believe that our military is weak and ineffective because of Democratic budget cuts. They believe that talking to our enemies and using diplomacy to solve differences is a major problem and threatens our future. They are wrong!

This has been an election season that is defying the odds. I still expect Hillary Clinton to secure the Democratic nomination but I now believe that unless the Republicans can pull a rabbit out of their hat, Donald Trump will represent the Republican Party in the general election.