St. Kitts was a busy place these days, as prospective political candidates flew in to the O.U.T.R.A.G.E. headquarters for indoctrination. While anyone could run for office, a "sanction" from O.U.T.R.A.G.E. gave a candidate credibility, sort of like a political "Good Housekeeping" seal of approval. Voters would know that this candidate subscribed to the same ideals and social values as had been established because of the O.U.T.R.A.G.E. 'Rebellion of '08'. Candidates were expected to agree to the O.U.T.R.A.G.E. resolutions, or at least support the need for such resolutions. O.U.T.R.A.G.E. would provide literature and a web site that would give voters the information they needed about each candidate. O.U.T.R.A.G.E. also conducted extensive background checks on each potential candidate, and tried to pair candidates with one of the many political parties being organized. Most parties had a single agenda; some had an in-depth platform of ideas. Wherever there were similarities, the parties and candidates would be put together in hopes that they could emerge as one unified group.
What was surprising was the number of people who were volunteering to run for Congressional seats, either in the House or the Senate. "Most of these people never would have come forward to run as Republicans or Democrats," explained on of the O.U.T.R.A.G.E. coordinators. "Politics repulsed them. They didn't want to attach themselves to the stench and ugliness of the corrupt political system. Now, these truly 'honorable' men and women saw an opportunity to serve their country, and many - hell, hundreds - of bright, forward-thinking, respectable people wanted to be part of the process."
Republicans and Democrats had enjoyed a political monopoly for more than a century, and that power base had effectively been destroyed. As new candidates stepped up to the plate, fresh ideas emerged. O.U.T.R.A.G.E. members were encouraged by the activity, and welcomed all comers. There was a genuine sense of renewal going on; people obviously wanted a choice much broader than what the "Republicrats" had offered over the years. While career politicians always claimed that politics was something left to those with 'experience', this new outburst of interest proved that people wanted to be part of the political process - something from which they had excluded themselves because they didn't wish to be tainted by the dirty 'let's make a deal' tactics that so consumed the Capitol Building. Congress was full of lawyers and rich elitists. Come November 4, 2008, the new U.S. Congress would be full of 'commoners', people who wanted to serve their countrymen instead of gratifying their own grandiosity.