People have the ultimate power, in America. But with political accountability missing, we are wasting our power. It feels like we’re powerless.
We’re Wasting our Power Battling Ourselves
David Brooks’ recent column about The Anxieties of Impotence says it well:
The Republican establishment thinks the grass roots have the power but the grass roots think the reverse. The unions think the corporations have the power but the corporations think the start-ups do. Regulators think Wall Street has the power but Wall Street thinks the regulators do. The Pew Research Center asked Americans, “Would you say your side has been winning or losing more?” Sixty-four percent of Americans, with majorities of both parties, believe their side has been losing more.
The problem isn’t that others are actually powerful. The problem is that we’re wasting our power. We have plenty of power, but we squander it on petty squabbles. We dissipate it constantly by battling ourselves. We organize it on party lines instead of issue by issue.
No One is Coming to Save Us
Brooks does what we all commonly do in a moment like this. We pray for a savior:
To address these problems we need big, responsible institutions (power centers) that can mobilize people, cobble together governing majorities and enact plans of actions. In the U.S. context that means functioning political parties and a functioning Congress.
Whether one is hoping for a religious messiah, a narcissistic demagogue trumpeting his anger, government imposing order or, as in this case, rejuvenated parties or a miraculously functional legislature, it’s a plea for a savior.
No one’s coming to save us. The president is trying. The next president will try. But putting your anger and hopes into a partisan leader rarely works. Simply stop wasting your own power. The first step is to stop supporting your party and stop opposing the other party.
We have Each Other, and that’s Enough
While no one’s coming to save us, the good news is that we’re not alone. We have each other. We have a pretty healthy and prosperous society. We have a lawful society and a pretty healthy legal system. There are no riots in the streets. No army is threatening to either run amok or seize control. We are in this together. Many of us are well educated. Most of us are well meaning. Most of us are not members of the angry right, the far left or the wild western separatist movement. And most of us have computers or cell phones or can borrow one. Much is possible.
If nothing new comes along, we’ll have an election. If nothing systemic changes, Congress will continue to muddle along. We’ll still have groups like NoLabels.org pulling for Congress and the President to be “problem solvers” rather than partisan ideologues or non-thinking “deciders.” And we have groups like Voice of the People (VOP.org) pulling Americans of all stripes together in its deliberative democracy exercises to build widely acceptable solutions.
PeopleCount will give us a New Chance to Work Together
And, with a little support from you, PeopleCount will be the new thing that changes everything. It’ll let us focus our power into political accountability. We’ll naturally organize our power around issues instead of parties. Instead of wasting our power fighting each other, it will be focused into guiding Congress. America will be able to move forward. Our impotence will disappear and our anxiety will dissipate.
Please give your support. We’ll be running a crowdfunding campaign in April or May, but please put your email address on our announcement list and consider making half of your donation now.
Take responsibility for our future and create that solution. Create a system to harness your wasted power. Support PeopleCount.