What’s The Best Way To Change Our Political System?

Aug 17, 2007 by JOE GANDELMAN, Editor-In-Chief

Is it through reforms passed by Congress? Or is that naive? Is that the equivalent of having Sylvester the cat babysit Tweety bird?

Is the best way via reforming politics by changing campaign rules WITHOUT Congress getting involved?

Walking Think Tank’s idea is the latter. The post is a MUST READ (even for those who already don’t like the idea) but we won’t quote much of it here because it would take everything too much out of context.

So here’s the beginning and the ending of this intriguing, thoughtful post:

Al Gore, Mike Bloomberg and Newt Gingrich may come from different parts of the political spectrum, but their potential candidacies all share a common rationale: our political system is failing to address the enormous challenges we face as a nation.

Gore has fended off calls to run for president by describing himself as a “recovering politician,” but that’s exactly why he should run – as a public service to help our political process recover and elevate our democracy.

Any one of the three men that decides to run has a rare opportunity – win or lose – to begin to redefine public service, reinvigorate our democracy and help bring about the change they seek. But if they all get into the race at once, they could transform our politics practically overnight. If they want to do something incredible for their country, they should really give it some thought, pick up the phone and talk it over.

Here’s why:

And the ending:

There are talented, thoughtful, independent-minded citizensaround the country who have ruled out a run for office, but they may reconsider if they see a real chance to make a difference without diving into the neck-deep muck of big-money politics. And there are surely some members of Congress who understand that our political process no longer serves the country well and who wish to leave a different legacy. They can leave a different legacy and lead a renewal of our democracy. Together those challenging Washington from the inside and from the outside have the power to unleash a new idealism in American politics and overpower the forces of cynicism, opportunism, entitlement and apathy.

Those answering this call need not be united by ideology or partisanship, only a dedication to a cause greater than themselves – the cause of America. The point isn’t to elect more Democrats, more Republicans or more independents. All things being equal, voters would choose a candidate who is a true public servant, rather than a party hack. But at the end of the day, voters will select the candidate who inspires the most confidence and bestrepresents their views. The only purpose is to let our democracy flourish and to give people a real choice.

Now be sure to read it from beginning to end — to learn all the details.

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