Liberal, progressive, and left wing have traditionally been associated with the Democratic Party and conservative, restrained and the right wing attach to the Republican Party. If this last election has shown anything it is the reality of those associations have flown off into the wind. Yet somehow that is the model we still carry in our heads. The Republican Party is playing loose and fast with the Constitution and supporting authoritarian government which is anything but conservative and the Democrats are distracted chasing feral cats in the form of secondary issues when not arguing over the deck furniture on the Titanic.

The Republicans have apparently made their bed for the next two to four years. The always dodgy and unreliable executive order has become the central means of governing and retribution, humiliation, ruin and punishment the price of stepping out of line with the Party doctrine as exclusively dictated by the President and his acolyte. 

I don’t think most voters thought this last election was a referendum on democracy and dismissed the warnings as hysterical, but it turns out the warnings were spot on. This Good Decision Project proposes it is the foundations of democracy that will be on display and in contest these next two election cycles. Human rights, health care, particularly for women, education, particularly for the poor, and the middle middle classes, and freedom of speech, for the journalists, educators and activists will all be in contest. Health care concerns, solid appropriate education for every citizen leading to opportunities to thrive, and responsible freedoms will be needs felt rather than needs thought. There is a strong coalition out there waiting to be called coherently into action in a deeply different version of political language.

Democrats could use this moment to regroup and hoist the flag of true democracy, but whichever party articulates the virtues and actions necessary for restoring the constitution to a free democracy in a clear straightforward message will find support in this leadership starved nation. That said the opportunity to lead will go to the first political Party, be it the liberals if they drop their memes, denials and complicated rules or to the new conservatives if they drop their factual denial, authoritarian dogma, constitutional disrespect, bully boy attitude and incivility nationally and internationally. Providing we commit now to pursuing a reformation of our government, perhaps in 10 years we could be respected leaders in the world order again. That just might be good