A constant chorus of calls for regime change in Iran, Syria, Venezuela and North Korea weaves its way through American political dialogue. Yet in the past few years it has become obvious to anyone living outside the Washington beltway that the most sweeping mother of all regime changes needs to happen in America itself.

The country’s great experiment in freedom and democracy has run aground. Dollars have long trumped ideals and the halls of Congress are rife with corruption. The system of checks and balances has been compromised by corporate lobbyists who must scrutinize and vet every piece of major legislation before it can be voted into law. On the surface, things seem fine: Spectacular election campaigns reignite hope and usher in change; passionate debates unfold every day on CNN and FOX; and millions of people seem politically energized, launching cyber campaigns 24/7. In many ways, America’s two-party system seems to be thriving, offering substantive philosophical and policy choices. Yet teeming just beneath the surface is the truth:

Big Banks, Big Oil, Big Pharma and Big Food have the power … And every congressman and senator must feed at the corporate trough.

Only the rise of a mythical “third party” can save America now. The Tea Party movement is a promising start, but it must find a counterpoint – the birth of a radical Coffee Party movement on the left. Then America will be poised on the brink of an historic political power shift. As the planet heats up and our global systems approach their terminal tipping point, people in each movement will wake up to the fact that, in essence, they are both dreaming the same dream, fighting the same fight. Opposing views will synthesize into one powerful voice, one unified movement screaming for radical freedom, radical democracy and a future we can all believe in. Once this synthesis kicks in – maybe as soon as 2013 – we’ll see the first rumblings of true regime change in America.

—Kalle Lasn