In reading a New York Times article interviewing younger Americans who voted for the current administration I came away with the sense the only thing they absolutely agreed upon is the opposition party (in this case Democrats) lacked coherent identity and the collective power necessary to do the work.  These interviewees were also increasingly ambiguous in their approval of the people for whom they voted.   They generally appreciated the current administration’s vitality of wielding power but were beginning to question the morality and economic results of the whole show.  These youth wanted their representatives to know how to collect and use power to stabilize economy and make the world safe again.  These same youth wanted focus and commitment and seemed to be growing tired to the two cults called Democrat and Republican.

Collecting power in a democracy means achieving the loyalty and the votes of your constituents.  Everything else is either time passing chatter or imminent violence when it comes to politics.  What collecting power for the minority party means is checking and adapting to the better angels of your constituency which also means talking to people you have ignored and in their language. Right now minority party must ask what is it we did we do so wrong that this man or that woman in power today feels free to dismiss the very idea of democracy and freedom.  This project begins it recommendations returning to the matter of the United States and its former attachment to democracy in governance.  

A Modest Proposal to focus Good

The genius of this administration is its capacity to distract the fish while the president and friends run the currents collecting private fortunes.  The current minority tends to leap at every fake fly cast on the surface.  This administration attacks diversity, flaunts racism, gender and promotes Christian Nationalism and the minority leaps to the same debates they had already lost with the last election. Nihilism is nimble in the hands of authoritarians. A government by the people frames their positions in the working language of the people. The minority party must find out where the people are living and what they value  This project proposes the minority concentrate on articulating their the values in a way that speaks more directly to ‘the people’ starting with the importance of a democratic form of government. The American people will respond to a message that unites us around our traditions and are sure to dump a message that scolds in the trenches of secondary battles.  We can’t wait three years for people to discover that democracy’s pocket has already been picked. We must address the foundational crisis of this democratic country today. That might be both powerful and good. If you are still interested read on.