This is part of a series on political accountability. Political Accountability is difficult to deliver because we have 3 basic misconceptions.

Most people gloss over their misconceptions. We think we’re right and smart, so we think, “Other people have misconceptions, not me!” Plus, our misconceptions are tightly integrated into other bits of knowledge. They become part of how we see the world.

As discussed in the first post in this series, accountability for a politician to the people, where the people are the boss, has 3 parts:

1. the boss guides the politician and has expectations
2. the politician answers the boss’ questions and is evaluated by the boss
3. the boss is able to fire the politician and hire another

Misconception #1:  Political accountability is just being able to hire and fire.

The first misconception is that we accept our cultural mis-definition of political accountability” as just being #3, fire-ability. It’s like trying to build a company by hiring lots of managers and having them work out what to do, letting them work for a while and then firing them if it doesn’t work out. Companies don’t work that way. They need constant oversight. They need goals and expectations, agendas and timetables.  They need to be managed, by a boss.

Misconception #2:  It’s impossible for us, the citizens, to be the boss.

Currently, we argue and fight a lot. Many of us don’t care and we aren’t well informed. We’re too busy to be the boss of politics! Even if those weren’t true, we’re unable to communicate with each other in a way that lets us act together. 

It’s true that we currently can’t be the boss. But it’s not impossible. We just need to design and build a system that facilitates the people communicating and acting together.

At PeopleCount, we’ve designed this system- we just need to build it. But if would help if you would stop thinking it’s impossible.

Misconception #3:  Politicians will not be answerable to us.

There IS accountability. Members of Congress needs money to run campaigns to stay in office. They are accountable to their big donors. So when industry wants something, it gets it. When the wealthy want tax breaks, they get them.

And they need their party endorsements and their party’s support. They’re accountable to their party.

Let’s focus more of our attention on solutions that reward accountability. They must reward accountability to the people and deter lack of it. Let’s loosen up the dependency on donors and free candidates from being accountable to their party.

We must make an underlying system that lets people design our future together and guides Congress to build it. It must enable accountability. It must reward people for working together to be the boss, and must reward politicians for being accountable.

As you read other articles, keep listening for such as system. And keep watching the three misconceptions arise in your thoughts. See what’s in the way of you seeing that political accountability isn’t difficult to deliver.