It's been a while since I went on a long rant here (or, even posted here--I seem to be more and more just on facebook among my own friends), but here I go up on a soapbox again.
I keep seeing so many posts on social media decrying our current political and election system and wanting change. And i absolutely agree---our system needs to change. There are a lot of problems with it and some could be dealt with fairly easily, others will take more time--but all should be addressed--I could not agree more.
Here's where I disagree with most of the memes and rants about this that I have seen over and over in the last few months:
WE SHOULD NOT BE TRYING TO MAKE ANY MAJOR CHANGE BETWEEN NOW AND NOVEMBER!
Why not, you ask?
Well, first of all it is simply wrong to change the rules midgame and as we are well into this election cycle, then changing them now is absolutely wrong. IF you really care about this issue (as I do), if you really want to see changes happen, show that by continuing to care when there is not a canidate you love who would benefit NOW, in THIS election, by a rule change.
Show that you are truly concerned about a flawed system and not just trying to swing things in your canidate's favour by staying interested and not losing focus after the election, but rather jumping in come January with a renewed and even stronger focus on changing the system, THEN, when no canidate is going to be seriously helped or hurt by doing so, beucase the country will not be in the thick of national elections is the time change can and should happen. If you do not care enough to put the effort in when no particular canidate is at stake, then, honestly, quit whining beucase you are not that concerned about the sytem and jsut want things in November to go your way and this seems like a convieneint way to try to make it happen.
Secondly--it is flat out not realistic to try some subversive way of creating change NOW. Writing in your Green party or Independent or whatever else canidate this year will NOT suddenly mean a third party generates enough votes to make any sort of real and lasting difference. What it might do, is squash the current momentum to make change, as then peopel will have seen an effort to change thigns fail (and, it WILL fail). If it fails in a particularly spectacular way by resulting in syphoned off votes leaving a winner that most people do not want--well that is just going to hurt the overall movement even more.
Simply not voting, or voting for someone who doesn't stand a chance, is not a realistic way to change the system--it's like going to a buffet, reufsing to eat any of hte food nad then being surprised that most other poeple ate and the chef did not come out and make something you wanted after all.
At the end of the day, if inssiting on trying to change things right now does anything at all, it will harm the chances of creating realstic and meaningful change down the road.
So, what CAN you (and I) do?
Well, this year--do our best to work within the system to elect the best of the current crop of canidates both for president and at the congressional level. Though I was a Sanders supporter in the primaries, for me that means throwing my support fully behind Hilary Clintonv for president--she's an amazingly well qualified canidate--running a platform which is more progressive than I have seen in a good long while, thanks largely to Sanders' influence.
Push for legislation which prevents media outlets from repoting the results of exit polls, and polls from releasing results, until ALL polling places for that election close. I think this is the simplest thing on the list, but would have an effect----the West Coast and Hawaii should not be influenced by how people voted in Vermont and Florida anymore. It is such a simple thing, and we will all survive waiting 24 hours to satisfy our curiousity about the outcome (maybe even push for this before November--this is the ONE change to the current system that I could imagine MIGHT be able to change so soon--though realistically I doubt it could happen before, so keep pushing for it after November too please).
Push for reforms to the lobby system. This is probably the biggest flaw in our political system--and so many politicians benifit from it in so many ways that this is going to take lots of time and effort (and it is so nearly impossible to be a national level politican and NOT take part in it and actually get elected that I cannot blame them) Don't get bored and lose interest--keep caring and keep pushing until change happens.
Research and push for realistic ways to dismantel the hold a two party system has on our politics. Personally, I would like to see double run off style elections for anyting national: the first vote includes all elegible canidates. The top two vote getters then go into a second run off election (or top four if voting for two Senators, for example). Under such a system no one feels they are "throwing away" a vote by voting for an Independent or Green or Libetarian, or other canidate in round one--and a particularly strong canidate from one of those parties might actaully then get through and to the final election; where I feel their chance would be as good as now as to get that far one of hte major party canidates would be knoecked out and not pulling votes away from the third party person. In my opinion this is the best way to dismantle the stranglehold the two party system has on presidential elections--though I am very open to other ideas. The MAIN thing is to have a realistic plan of what you want to change to, and then to work for that change outside of primary and election season.
Push to get rid of the electoral college. The electoral college was a BRILLIANT way to represent a large number of voters in a huge country in the predigital age. There is no compelling reason to keep it now, and many to move forward into something more mordern and better representing the voting public. Once again, change has to happen outside of an election season though.
I am sure there are plenty of other things to work on too--but if it is about electoin reform: IT HAS TO HAPPEN OUTSIDE OF THE CURRENT ELECTION----DIGGING IN YOUR HEELS AND INSISTING ON PUSHING FOR REFORM MIDGAME WILL NOT ONLY FAIL BUT, LIKELY; HARM REOFRM EFFORTS AT OTHER TIMES.
And while I am at it--really, seriously, one of the best things you can do to effect life in our country is to educate yourself and get out and vote in every election you are elegible for. School board elections, local shrrif elections, etc--very often what happens on the local level has a profound effect--make sure you are part of the change you want to see by taking part.
Ok, I'll get off my soapbox now--but I might jump back on in January to remind you all to KEEP CARING ONCE THE ELECTION IS OVER SO CHANGE CAN HAPPEN.
--Hadley
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