With only a few weeks left until the mid-term elections it's safe to say that the Tea Party has positioned itself as the rock star de jeur of American politics. The question now is whether they will be like Elvis, who shaped American music for generations; or like the guys who wrote "Come On Eileen" and shaped wedding receptions and bar mitzvah dance parties for generations. By demanding political process change, the Tea Party could ensure a more spirited and representative democracy and in doing so shape our government for generations.
They should start with fusion voting, a practice that allows major party candidates to run on third party ballots. Fusion-voting mixes idealism with pragmatism -- allowing citizens who don't see their values represented by the major parties to select a third party without "throwing away" their vote on a spoiler candidate. In short, fusion-voting opens wide the doors of participatory democracy and fosters a more representative system. This common sense reform substantially narrows the gulf between politicians and the people they represent.
There was a time in American history when fusion-voting took place in almost every state. But as the two-party system grew stronger those in power sought to ban the practice -- and for good reason: fusion-voting meant a better organized and more vocal electorate. It allowed citizens to cast a meaningful vote on an unadulterated platform. By drawing in disenfranchised voters the practice fostered greater competition and demanded more accountability from politicians. Unfortunately for the people, in most states today the major parties maintain a monopoly on viable candidates, giving many voters little reason to go to the polls on election-day. Fusion voting is currently only practiced in eight states (it is technically legal under limited circumstance in a few others). Through a federal mandate, this third-party friendly practice could potentially be enacted in all 50 states.
In a thriving democracy social change requires procedural change. The bond between government and the people has been broken. No personality, however strong, can restore that promise. Tea Party candidates made an impressive showing Tuesday but even if they win in November their impact on our political system will likely be minimal.
Successful political movements in American history have in common the recognition that apt structural change is often the most effective way to advance constructive policy change. At the turn of the 20th century the American progressive movement championed essential issue-specific legislation including anti-child labor laws, but they also sought to reform a system of governance fundamentally unprepared to confront challenges resulting from a new social landscape. They fought to ensure the direct election of senators fostering structural changes that allowed the next generation of social activists to hold politicians accountable to the people.
Progressive-era reformers and the Tea Party have much in common -- both disenchanted by the marginalization of average American voices in the political arena, and tired of a government run by special interests. Democracy cannot survive as a static system -- and our democracy is clearly broken. To advance better solutions we must re-imagine our systems and institutions. The Tea Party's influence puts them in a unique position to do just that. By putting their energy behind fusion-voting, the Tea Party will ensure that -- win or lose in November -- they leave the American political scene "All Shook Up."
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Jim Wallis: It Takes a Movement: Why a 'Movement' Is Necessary -- Part 3
They run from the media at all costs b/c they are unable to discuss anything in substance
They have extreme views that make little to no sense but sound cool...thus no chance of ever being practical
They will get laughed out of DC when a few of them take office AND when the Tea Party people compromise on something, they will get YELLED AT by their own base
At any rate, Progressives need to stop wasting time over "Angels dancing on the head of a pin" arguments. Just as Bishop Shelby Spong announced that "God does NOT hate gays" and declared that a settled issue he would no longer discuss, we need to list those issues that belong with "slavery" on the "done and dusted" list.
Such as:
Abortion in the first trimester: end discussion - it's on the list!
Homophobes in the military do NOT deserve better treatment than gays in the military.
Fox News is evil.
Rush & Glen are sociopaths.
Ronald Reagan did NOT decrease the deficit.
Every Congressperson who looks for money before voting is despicable.
Our founding fathers were NOT confused when they insisted upon separation of church & state.
Climate change was NOT invented to piss you off.
Add your own settled issue here!
It's ridiculous! There are SO many problems to solve - areas with two legitimate sides to the story. And we'll only have time to deal with them once we refuse to debate, for all time, the issues on the "settled" list!
When it is all said and done it will be the Tea Party that is
Pretending that they are still Around.
America is a melting pot. The sooner some of those in the anglo community come to that realization, the sooner the greater majority of the country might come to accept that section of the party. They cannot continue to alienate hispanic voters who will be the majority in the near future. They cannot keep alienating black voters by voicing some of the toxic rhetoric and "PERSONAL" attacks against a sitting black President.
When the next white President gets in office, in order to validate themselves as a legitimate organization, they must run candidates, protest, and speak out with the same vigor. If they disappear into the background political noise, this current run will only come off looking like they didn't like a black President.
The politics of fear can only do MORE longtime damage than good. The use of fear tactics is a cheap, selfish way to run, just to get elected. It's not good strategy to run a country with.
This isn't a party that is trying to emulate European socialism, but a party based on and from the Classical Liberalism of the late 18th and early 19th century. These values are a part of America, and the renewed spirit is coming from so very deep in the American psychie.
These ideas are not new. They are the ideas of Jefferson, Monroe, Locke, Montesquieu, Hume, and Adam Smith.
I agree with John Locke (for the liberals - not the smoke guy on Lost).
Human history is a record of irrepressible conflict between Power and Liberty, with Power (government) always standing ready to increase its scope by invading people's rights and encroaching upon their liberties.
The battle is almost always with government. Government grows on its own and we must actively fight the growth of government.
The power of large corporations must also be regulated, but that is a secondary threat when compared to government.
We must rediscover the traditional American principles of limited government, individual liberty, free markets, and peace.
the battle is always with those attempting to get a monopoly. that's why there are checks and balances written into the constitution. that's why the glass-steagall act was good law. it kept greed in check. that's why we need a modern version of it today. right now, the battle is with greedy, multi-national corporations, who are enabled by the governmental pawns that they've purchased. that's why free trade needs to be changed. it enables greedy hegemonies.
traditional u.s. government is strong federal government. the market functions best when there are checks and balances on it. unrestrained trade is as bad as no trade - maybe worse.
i say you work for the p.r. dept. of a large multi-national.
i understand your need to regress in times of stress, but that too is dysfunctional. idealising the past is not the way forward.
(That would be a guy called "Taco" since no-one remembers him or the song)