RCG: Reengineering California Legislature
A Radical Middle Inquiry in the Spirit of James
Madison
One of the challenges of political reform is that the 'characters' are often obscure concepts like voting methods, legislative procedures, and other matters which tend to put normal people to sleep. This is further complicated by the fact that constitutional reform is often literally unthinkable, because most American have a near-deific regard for the founding fathers.
But, the framers were human beings like ourselves. They did a remarkable job considering what they knew at the time, which is why most of us (wisely) would rather trust their judgement that re-open the can of worms involved in major reforms. Yet, as The Daily Show's Jon Stewart points out in his insightful mock civics textbook "America The AudioBook," our task is not to rest on the laurels of our forefathers, but rather to put as much hard work and careful thought into maintaining democracy as they did into creating it.
Jon Stewart puts that challenge in the mouth of Thomas Jefferson, author of the Declaration of Independence. I put mine in the mouth of James Madison, known as the father of the U.S. Constitution. To make it even more interesting and relevant, I have him discuss these ideas with Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in the context of California's legislative gridlock. The resulting dialogue is intended to be a lively, if admittedly wonky, exploration of ways to improve upon the minor but painful deficiencies in our current legislative structure. While not exactly intended for the mass market, the hope is that will at least motivate attention from people already frustrated with "politics as usual" who would be open to radical improvements.
My inspiration was the insight from Joseph Ellis' Founding Brothers, that it was the creative tension between imperfect men working in the light of history which enabled them to found an enduring nation. Which gives me hope that maybe, just maybe, that same creativity -- plus the same improbable combination of hubris and humility --- will enable us to redeem it.
One of the challenges of political reform is that the 'characters' are often obscure concepts like voting methods, legislative procedures, and other matters which tend to put normal people to sleep. This is further complicated by the fact that constitutional reform is often literally unthinkable, because most American have a near-deific regard for the founding fathers.
But, the framers were human beings like ourselves. They did a remarkable job considering what they knew at the time, which is why most of us (wisely) would rather trust their judgement that re-open the can of worms involved in major reforms. Yet, as The Daily Show's Jon Stewart points out in his insightful mock civics textbook "America The AudioBook," our task is not to rest on the laurels of our forefathers, but rather to put as much hard work and careful thought into maintaining democracy as they did into creating it.
Jon Stewart puts that challenge in the mouth of Thomas Jefferson, author of the Declaration of Independence. I put mine in the mouth of James Madison, known as the father of the U.S. Constitution. To make it even more interesting and relevant, I have him discuss these ideas with Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in the context of California's legislative gridlock. The resulting dialogue is intended to be a lively, if admittedly wonky, exploration of ways to improve upon the minor but painful deficiencies in our current legislative structure. While not exactly intended for the mass market, the hope is that will at least motivate attention from people already frustrated with "politics as usual" who would be open to radical improvements.
My inspiration was the insight from Joseph Ellis' Founding Brothers, that it was the creative tension between imperfect men working in the light of history which enabled them to found an enduring nation. Which gives me hope that maybe, just maybe, that same creativity -- plus the same improbable combination of hubris and humility --- will enable us to redeem it.
Posted: Thu - September 16, 2004 at 09:55 AM
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Published On: Nov 01, 2006 04:11 PM
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Published On: Nov 01, 2006 04:11 PM