Yes this issue with the parties and non-parties is a good point. No doubt it is reality. And yet it seems totally artificial since "party" is just an abstraction. Same with the political parties : abstract entities. Not that abstract entities need to be problematic. But when they are the kind of abstract entities which define themselves in opposition to other abstract entities, then I think they are quite useless. Kind of like the separation between "left" and "right" in politics seems useless. It is like this way of thinking which creates artificial conflicts out of thin air. And when people begin to identify with those kind of concepts the artificial abstract conflict suddenly turns into a real psychological conflict between people. People who may have been friends if they had not viewed each other through these artificial conflict-enhancing frames.
When it comes to financial interests and puppeteers this is obviously a complex issue. It seems related to a wish to control resources. However if we had a system where resources could be used superefficiently then maybe many of these problems could be sidestepped. And yes I really think the concept of steem can bring something useful to this. It will be interesting to see what way it will evolve. I do see the potential for a new economic model hidden here.