This is the third article about myths that help keep Congress broken. The first one was about elections. The second one was that it’s someone’s fault. This one is about the myth that we should fight harder.

Myth 3: To fix things, we must fight harder to win

This is the myth that’s most powerful. This one keeps us busily sending money to incumbents and the parties- fueling the expensive fight. It distracts us from the real cause of our problems. And the money rewards everyone in their roles in the broken system.

The system is producing our current results: Congressional disapproval is at 79% (and approval at 18%). Voters are fighting like mad. We’ve been fighting for years. We keep fighting harder and raising more and more money. The dysfunction in Congress worsens.

Fight smarter, not harder

We need to fight smarter, not harder. The solution will NOT be to run a new campaign on any one issue. There are plenty of those. We need lots of existing campaigns and groups to rally their people against incumbents who scuttle good bills and for challengers who’ll support what people want.

The solution will NOT be to get more promises from candidates before the election. The key will be to hold them accountable after the election. This is especially important when the parties put pressure on them to oppose each other and the lobbyists pressure them to betray the people.

Distraction

How much do you pay attention to the presidential debates? Were you undecided? Most of us weren’t, but the fight captivates us. We don’t take a new look at our representative’s record. We don’t take a look at the challenger’s web site. Instead, we engage in the ultimate spectator’s sport.

The fights are so captivating that we don’t look for better answers. We just assume that this fight deserves our attention. We’ll keep cheering for our candidate and complain about the other until we win. It’s like our endless sports games. We’re addicted to the drama.

But unlike sports, this has real implications. The income gap is widening. The climate is getting worse and worse. For most people, the economy is getting worse.

How’s this working for you?

Does the drama help you live a good life? Does it help you enjoy your family and sleep well at night? Or is America’s broken political system a source of stress and worry?

Stop believing the myths. Let’s work smarter. That’s what PeopleCount is all about-a way to actually hold politicians accountable. It’ll pressure the bad ones to support issues people want. It’ll empower challengers who want to deliver better representation. Please add your email address to our mailing list.