ONE MOVEMENT. THIRTEEN CAUCUSES. WE ALL AGREE:  FUCK THE BILLIONAIRES.

Tired of being asked which political team you're on before anyone bothers to ask what you think? Buckle up, buckaroo - it’s because we’ve been intentionally divided by race and class for generations by the Epstein Class.  It’s time to unite, E. Pluribus Unum, style.

Mugwumps are pissed off and concerned that the billionaires have been fucking shit up for all Americans for far too long that it is time to deal with this shit as a nation.  Do you want to be a bigot or a homophobe and join Mugwumps in defeating the Epstein class?  You’re probably poor and uneducated, so yeah you can test the waters with us but you will notice there are no fucking culture war bullshit in the Mugwump society.

In fact, when we say dealing with shit, we mean deleting white supremacy from every level of government across federal, state, and local elections.  

So if you’re a billionaire or a white supremacist, we aren’t for you.

Everyone else, lock the fuck in.  You and I start preparing for 2028 to-fucking-day.

MUGWUMPS | MW

A Mugwump doesn't automatically side with the loudest candidate, the richest donor or the person wearing the correct party pin. Mugwumps demand evidence, argue about consequences and reserve the right to change their minds without asking anyone for permission.

Join none, one, or all thirteen; you will always be a Mugwump.

ROOTS · 1884: A REPUBLICAN WALKOUT WITH BETTER STATIONERY

In 1884, a group of Republican reformers refused to support their party's presidential nominee, James G. Blaine, amid corruption and patronage controversies. They crossed the aisle to support Democrat Grover Cleveland. The newspapers called them Mugwumps, originally as an insult. Imagine leaving a party over principle and being handed a nonsense-sounding nickname. Naturally, we're keeping it. (Sources 01, 02)

They were not a nineteenth-century proletarian union. Many were educated, affluent reformers; some harbored serious prejudices toward immigrants and organized labor. We can acknowledge their willingness to break party ranks without pretending their entire worldview deserves an honorary membership card. Historical inheritance is not historical obedience. (Source 03)  But swear to God if you are a “but the trans and the illegals people,” you have very tight rope to unbrainwash yourself or you will not enjoy our cool kids club.

THE NAME IS OLDER THAN THE INSULT

Mugwump comes from a Algonquian-language word associated with a leader or important person, later used jokingly in English for a self-important bigwig. The political insult took off in 1884. The famous fence joke—'mug' on one side, 'wump' on the other—is wordplay, not the etymology. We aren't building a movement for people too timid to choose. We're building one for people willing to explain their choice. (Source 04)

FUN FACT · MARK TWAIN LEFT THE PARTY GROUP CHAT

Mark Twain was a real Mugwump. In 1884, he broke with the Republicans, opposed Blaine and supported Cleveland. It annoyed some of his friends. History has yet to produce a reform worth doing that didn't annoy somebody at dinner. (Sources 01, 05)

Twain was also inconsistent, argumentative and gloriously unwilling to be reduced to a tidy slogan. That's the inspiration: laugh at pomposity, question the official story, and remember that a clever line doesn't excuse a factual error. He would be welcome to write the satire. He would not get to skip the fact-checker.

TODAY · THINK FOR YOURSELF. BRING RECEIPTS.

NO PRIMARY FACTION. NO PROBLEM.

What do Democrats stand for?  What do Republicans stand for?  It’s impossible to tell because we’ve all been clouded and coerced into divisive irritating culture war bullshit that is fucking Americans up, in particular yet another generation of young men who have no opportunities so they have to blame trans girls and immigrants.

Well, you’re going to learn about what the Mugwugs demand of our government.  We aren’t shy about it.  And we will always be honest with you.

Unlike everyone in the Epstein class.

INDEPENDENCE IS NOT INDECISION

You can be passionate about unions, skeptical of public spending, devoted to conservation or suspicious of all three arguments. Independence means you own your reasoning—but when it is time to vote, you Mugwump up because it’s literally all of us versus like 5 people.

THE PHILOSOPHY IS NOT THE MEMBERSHIP

American Proletariat is one framework for examining labor, wealth, risk, rights and public obligation. It's a philosophy to debate and refine. Mugwumps is the wider movement that makes room for the argument, including people who reach different conclusions.

POLICY TAGS · THE THINGS THAT KEEP US NOSY

Independent Judgment · Civic Participation · Voting Access · Political Accountability · Civil-Service Integrity · Corruption & Conflicts of Interest · Constitutional Limits · Due Process · Public Evidence · Institutional Reform · Economic Power · Open Debate

Tags are doors into the Justice policies and Vault histories, not instructions on what your ballot must say. We prefer a well-documented disagreement to unanimous nonsense.

WHAT’S PISSING YOU OFF?  THERE IS A CAUCUS FOR THAT.

The thirteen caucuses each bring a different set of questions. But when the time is right… November 2028… we will be united behind our candidates.

BARNBURNERS  |  BB

If the institution is beyond repair, they'll arrive with a demolition estimate. Their question: what needs rebuilding instead of another coat of paint?

GREENBACKS  |  GB

They want to know who made the money, who owes it and who profits from its rules. Dinner will include a monetary-policy lecture. You've been warned.

ANTI-EPSTEINS  |  AE

Follow the evidence, protect due process, and hold the powerful accountable. They are here for documented misconduct, not guilt by cocktail-party association.

FEDERALISTS  |  FD

Sometimes fifty separate sets of rules are a very expensive way to deliver one basic right. They ask what a capable national government should do.

FARMER–LABOR  |  FL

Someone has to grow the food, fix the plumbing, teach the apprentice and staff the hospital. They would like that fact considered before the ribbon-cutting.

STALWARTS  |  ST

Not everything is broken. They're the people checking whether the bridge has supports before Barnburners announce a spectacular new bridge.

PROGRESSIVES  |  PG

Rights, consumer protection and public institutions can all be improved. They ask whose life gets better, and how we'll know.

BOURBONS  |  BO

Show them the audit, the line-item budget and the legal authority. They believe even an excellent government program should survive a calculator.

NEW DEALERS  |  ND

Security should not require winning life's lottery. They study the institutions that make jobs, care, education and retirement support real.

DEMOCRATIC SOCIALISTS  |  DS

They want democracy to follow the money into the workplace and ownership structure. The question is who controls economic decisions.

BLUE DOGS  |  BD

Practical oversight, civil protections and public safety. They're willing to ask whether an appealing program actually works after the press conference.

LIBERTARIANS  |  LT

The government says it's necessary. They say, 'Prove it.' Privacy, expression, autonomy and due process are recurring obsessions.

GREENS  |  GR

The water doesn't care which party won. They connect land, air, climate, health and long-term survival to public decisions.

SIMILAR TO · FOUR CAUCUSES WE'LL ARGUE WITH AFFECTIONATELY

PROGRESSIVES

Shared interest in reform, voting rights and public accountability. Difference: the movement doesn't require anyone to adopt a progressive policy package.

BOURBONS

Shared affection for an honest audit and questions that make a treasurer perspire. Difference: not every worthy public service is the cheapest one.

ANTI-EPSTEINS

Shared belief that evidence applies to the important people too. Difference: every issue isn't an investigation, and a rumor isn't a conviction.

LIBERTARIANS

Shared instinct to ask why authority needs so much authority. Difference: Mugwumps makes no blanket pledge to shrink government.

LESS LIKE · WE DON'T HAVE TO THINK ALIKE

'Less like' means a difference of starting assumptions, not a blacklist. We would be a strange pluralist movement if differences disqualified people.

STALWARTS

Their instinct is to preserve institutions that function; the historical Mugwump gesture was a dramatic break with party machinery. Sometimes the cautious person has the better argument.

NEW DEALERS

They start with the case for institutions that secure ordinary life. Mugwumps starts with the question, then lets members argue over which arrangement delivers.

DEMOCRATIC SOCIALISTS

They offer a substantive theory of economic ownership and power. Mugwumps requires no one theory of ownership—only a willingness to defend one's claims.

BARNBURNERS

A Barnburner sees a rotten structure and reaches for the blueprint of its replacement. A Mugwump may first want to know whether the building is actually rotten.

FIFTY HYPOTHETICAL MUGWUMPS · AN IMPOSSIBLE DINNER PARTY

Ten politicians. Ten celebrities. Ten television characters. Ten book characters. Ten wildcards. All household names, living, dead or gloriously fictional. This is a literary thought experiment about independent judgment—not a membership directory, an endorsement list, or a claim that any real person would join Mugwumps. Similarity in one habit does not equal agreement on the rest of a person's record.

Each entry gives us one Mugwump-ish instinct and, where necessary, a gentle reminder that being independent doesn't automatically mean being correct. The dinner seating chart is not legally enforceable.

01 · TEN POLITICIANS · THE PARTY WHIP HAS A HEADACHE

TEN EXAMPLES. ZERO ACTUAL ENDORSEMENTS. The people and characters below illustrate a trait, not a verified political affiliation, shared philosophy or endorsement of this movement.

GEORGE WASHINGTON

Warned about the dangers of party spirit, then watched factions grow around his own administration. A good reminder that warning about a problem and escaping it are very different accomplishments. (Source 06)

THEODORE ROOSEVELT

Left his party to run as a Bull Moose in 1912. If the meeting needed a motion, he'd probably arrive on horseback with a new party platform. (Source 07)

SHIRLEY CHISHOLM

'Unbought and Unbossed' wasn't a bumper sticker somebody workshopped for six months. She challenged who was allowed to seek the presidency—and who was allowed to lead. (Source 08)

DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER

A career general who warned about the military-industrial complex. He would read the procurement appendix before anybody got a commemorative aircraft carrier.

JOHN MCCAIN

Broke with Republican colleagues on the 2017 health-care repeal vote. Whether you agreed with him or not, the ballot wasn't pre-filled by his party. (Source 09)

BERNIE SANDERS

An Independent with very definite economic convictions. He'd ask why the workers weren't at the meeting, then refuse to let the meeting end until somebody answered.

ELIZABETH WARREN

She brought a plan, a chart and the footnotes. Other caucuses may dispute the plan; everyone is welcome to bring an equally well-labeled spreadsheet.

MITT ROMNEY

Voted to convict a president from his own party in 2020. You don't have to share his broader policy views to understand the meaning of breaking rank. (Source 10)

LIZ CHENEY

Served as vice chair of the January 6 House investigation despite breaking with much of her party. She'd insist on sworn testimony; the rest of us would demand source citations. (Source 11)

ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ

Has challenged priorities within her own party and made budget questions into public debates. She'd ask who funded the banquet. The Bourbons would already have the receipts.

02 · TEN CELEBRITIES · THE GREEN ROOM REVOLT

TEN EXAMPLES. ZERO ACTUAL ENDORSEMENTS. The people and characters below illustrate a trait, not a verified political affiliation, shared philosophy or endorsement of this movement.

DOLLY PARTON

Built businesses and gave books to children without turning every charitable act into a partisan pep rally. She'd bring kindness, copyrights and suspiciously excellent cake.

CHER

Has survived enough reinventions to make a committee on 'appropriate behavior' deeply nervous. She would not be waiting for the chair to recognize her before speaking.

MADONNA

When told her art was too much, she frequently made more of it. Artistic independence is not a complete labor policy, but it is a memorable way to start an argument.

BEYONCÉ

Treats a concert as a production system with rehearsal, planning and exacting standards. She might not join the committee, but she'd certainly improve its opening number.

TAYLOR SWIFT

Re-recorded albums during an ownership dispute and purchased the original masters in 2025. An industrial-strength lesson in leverage, plus an alarming number of spreadsheets. (Source 12)

RUPAUL

Took an art form marginalized by mainstream institutions and built a media enterprise around it. We'd still ask how the workers behind the stage share its rewards.

LADY GAGA

Made outsider aesthetics a commercial language and co-founded a foundation supporting youth mental health. The hat isn't the platform; the work beneath it is. (Source 13)

JANE FONDA

Has tied public protest to her own fame and faced significant backlash. Independent action can demand courage and still deserve criticism of particular judgments.

MUHAMMAD ALI

Refused induction during the Vietnam War and paid a very real professional price. Conscience looks different when a championship and a livelihood are on the line.

SNOOP DOGG

Crosses cultural worlds with such ease that he and Martha Stewart somehow make perfect television. A reminder that rigid identity categories often miss the interesting work.

03 · TEN TV CHARACTERS · PLEASE DON'T LET THEM ALL CHAIR THE MEETING

TEN EXAMPLES. ZERO ACTUAL ENDORSEMENTS. The people and characters below illustrate a trait, not a verified political affiliation, shared philosophy or endorsement of this movement.

LESLIE KNOPE · PARKS AND RECREATION

Believes government can help people and would create seventeen subcommittees to demonstrate it. Her enthusiasm needs Ron's skepticism, even if Ron is hiding the stapler.

RON SWANSON · PARKS AND RECREATION

A man employed by government who doubts government should do much. He'd read every rule solely to discover which one can safely be abolished.

DOROTHY ZBORNAK · THE GOLDEN GIRLS

Would ask the question everybody is avoiding, then flatten the evasive answer with a single raised eyebrow. Cheesecake afterward is nonnegotiable.

JULIA SUGARBAKER · DESIGNING WOMEN

Can turn a breach of manners into a full constitutional address. Her political style is Southern hospitality with an emergency exit for foolishness.

LISA SIMPSON · THE SIMPSONS

Read the entire report, corrected its citations and brought her saxophone anyway. Also needs reminding that other people can be thoughtful without agreeing with her.

JEAN-LUC PICARD · STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION

Respects institutions enough to challenge orders that violate their principles. Could turn a public-comment period into the moral climax of a starship episode.

SAMANTHA JONES · SEX AND THE CITY

Would defend bodily autonomy and tell the judgmental committee precisely where it can file its moral objections. Very persuasive, very little interest in modesty.

WEDNESDAY ADDAMS · WEDNESDAY / THE ADDAMS FAMILY

Not impressed by popularity, pep rallies or compulsory smiles. She would enjoy the records request and despise the icebreaker.

MOIRA ROSE · SCHITT'S CREEK

Would pronounce 'caucus' as if it were a rare French ailment and appoint herself minister of culture. Warning label: eccentricity is not a substitute for evidence.

OLIVIA POPE · SCANDAL

Understands what power hides behind the curtain. She could help find the problem—and would need the ethics committee watching the solution.

04 · TEN BOOK CHARACTERS · THE LIBRARY HAS REVOLTED

TEN EXAMPLES. ZERO ACTUAL ENDORSEMENTS. The people and characters below illustrate a trait, not a verified political affiliation, shared philosophy or endorsement of this movement.

ELIZABETH BENNET · PRIDE AND PREJUDICE

Refused to confuse wealth, status and a confident proposal with good judgment. She would read the donor list before agreeing to dinner.

JANE EYRE · JANE EYRE

Demands dignity in relationships distorted by class and money. A larger mansion is not, in her view, a larger moral argument.

JO MARCH · LITTLE WOMEN

Writes her own stories and resists the script assigned to her. She'd revise the movement manifesto and fight us over the title.

HERMIONE GRANGER · HARRY POTTER

Does the homework, challenges authority and organizes when she sees unfairness. Also needs a Mugwump willing to say, 'You've researched this beautifully, but listen.'

KATNISS EVERDEEN · THE HUNGER GAMES

Distrusts theatrical displays of official virtue, especially when children are paying the price. Would ask who profits from the spectacle before attending.

HUCKLEBERRY FINN · ADVENTURES OF HUCKLEBERRY FINN

Struggles to question the racist rules taught by his society. Not a modern policy expert; a literary reminder that conscience can require rejecting the respectable answer.

MATILDA WORMWOOD · MATILDA

Reads the evidence and stands up to cruel adults. The accountability instinct is excellent; the telekinesis is not an approved dispute-resolution procedure.

SHERLOCK HOLMES · SHERLOCK HOLMES STORIES

Follows clues instead of applause. We'd hire him to audit the accounts and someone considerably kinder to explain the findings to witnesses.

ALICE · ALICE'S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND

When powerful people issue nonsense as rules, she asks what it means. Every bureaucracy needs one person who refuses to accept an absurd premise politely.

ATTICUS FINCH · TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD

Defends an accused man in a hostile community. His complicated literary portrayal also reminds us that admired figures are not exempt from scrutiny.

05 · TEN WILDCARDS · HISTORY, FOLKLORE AND A VERY CONCERNED FROG

TEN EXAMPLES. ZERO ACTUAL ENDORSEMENTS. The people and characters below illustrate a trait, not a verified political affiliation, shared philosophy or endorsement of this movement.

MARK TWAIN · SATIRIST

The historical patron of this naming adventure. He'd laugh at the institution, break with it if necessary and write something rude about our expensive stationery.

HARRIET TUBMAN · ABOLITIONIST

Acted to free people at immense personal risk. Not a mascot for glib humor: she reminds us that independent conscience means little without action when the stakes are real.

ALBERT EINSTEIN · SCIENTIST

Revolutionized physics and argued publicly about socialism, peace and racism. He'd want the facts correct before we pretended his scientific brilliance settled economics.

ROSA PARKS · CIVIL RIGHTS ORGANIZER

Her refusal was part of sustained organizing, not a spontaneous nap on a bus. She'd remind us that meaningful dissent needs people and institutions behind it.

MISTER ROGERS · TELEVISION EDUCATOR

He'd insist everyone is worth listening to—and then ask why the comment section has no rules against cruelty. Kindness needs actual maintenance.

ROBIN HOOD · FOLKLORE

A redistribution enthusiast whose paperwork would give the Bourbons a medical emergency. Even a beloved outlaw should be asked who decides how the loot is divided.

JOAN OF ARC · HISTORICAL FIGURE

Defied expectations about who could lead an army. Her religious convictions do not translate neatly into modern pluralism, which is why historical analogies require care.

KERMIT THE FROG · THE MUPPETS

Holds a troupe of unruly talents together without demanding that everyone become the same frog. A model for coalition meetings, assuming someone keeps Gonzo off the projector.

BUGS BUNNY · LOONEY TUNES

Refuses to play the part assigned by the powerful. His creative resistance is admirable as a cartoon strategy; anvils are prohibited under the meeting code.

THE GRINCH · HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS!

Starts with a spectacularly bad opinion of his neighbors and learns something. Proof that changing your mind can be a character arc, not a public-relations crisis.

THE DISCLAIMER THE LAWYERS INSISTED ON (AND THEY'RE RIGHT)

No living public figure listed here is represented as a member, supporter or prospective recruit. Deceased people and fictional characters cannot consent to a modern organization's use of their name. We are comparing recognizable traits and fictional choices, not assigning modern political affiliations or claiming that everyone at this impossible dinner party agrees about taxation, immigration, policing, health care or dessert.

HOW IT WORKS · JOIN FIRST. DISAGREE PRODUCTIVELY.

Join Mugwumps, then explore any of the thirteen caucuses. Follow five if you like. Follow none if you like. Read the Justice proposals, examine the Vault, ask for evidence and bring your own arguments. The membership does not change when your conclusions do.

A Mugwump is allowed to be wrong. A Mugwump is expected to correct the record. That's the difference between independent judgment and somebody who merely enjoys being difficult.

EXPLORE · THE DOORS ARE OPEN

→ Explore All Thirteen Caucuses

→ Explore the Five Pillars of Justice

→ Explore the Vault

→ Explore Membership

SOURCES & HISTORICAL NOTES

01 · Center for Mark Twain Studies — The Mugwump Bump: Mark Twain, Independent Politics & the Election of 1884.

https://marktwainstudies.com/the-study/the-mugwump-bump-mark-twain-independent-politics-the-election-of-1884/

02 · Cambridge University Press — Mark Twain in Context, chapter on politics and the 1884 election.

https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/abs/mark-twain-in-context/politics/BF35295E23B6F72A15FFCE2ED74B50CB

03 · Cambridge University Press — Mugwump Cartoonists, the Papacy, and Tammany Hall in America's Gilded Age, on reformers' social positions.

https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/religion-and-american-culture/article/abs/mugwump-cartoonists-the-papacy-and-tammany-hall-in-americas-gilded-age/9D4D5CAF2A493C6D78995C8C82D2CE8B

04 · Online Etymology Dictionary — Mugwump, origin of the term and 1884 political use.

https://www.etymonline.com/word/mugwump

05 · Cambridge University Press — Mark Twain in Context, Twain's participation in the Mugwumps.

https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/mark-twain-in-context/F2C2CC75477DA8BBDB8F93B850E34667/listing

06 · Library of Congress — George Washington's Farewell Address, political parties and faction.

https://guides.loc.gov/washington-farewell-address

07 · National Park Service — Sagamore Hill and Theodore Roosevelt's Progressive Party break of 1912.

https://www.nps.gov/sahi/learn/historyculture/upload/HRS_TRH_SAHI_2007.pdf

08 · U.S. House History — Shirley Chisholm's 1972 presidential campaign, 'Unbought and Unbossed'.

https://history.house.gov/Blog/2020/September/9-14-Chisholm-1972/

09 · U.S. Senate / Senate vote record context — July 28, 2017 health-care-repeal vote, 49–51.

https://ballotpedia.org/Republican_effort_to_repeal_the_ACA%2C_July_2017

10 · Congressional Record — February 5, 2020, Senate vote on presidential impeachment.

https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CREC-2020-02-05/pdf/CREC-2020-02-05-pt1-PgS936-2.pdf

11 · U.S. House January 6 Select Committee — Final Report and vice-chair record, 2022.

https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GPO-J6-REPORT/html-submitted/index.html

12 · Reuters — Taylor Swift Acquires Ownership of Original Master Recordings, May 30, 2025.

https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/taylor-swift-says-she-has-gained-control-her-music-catalog-2025-05-30/

13 · Born This Way Foundation — Our Mission, co-founded by Lady Gaga.

https://bornthisway.foundation/our-mission/

WE ARE ONE.  ·  E PLURIBUS UNUM.