The Shutdown Deal Highlights WHY America Needs To Reform Congress
The Establishment Leaders of both major parties stink, and stalemates lead to no good.
This is what happens when you let people stay in office for too long. Senator Schumer was too busy playing “politics” this whole time.
Democrats got nothing out of this shutdown. It led to nearly 40 days of chaos for our federal workers, SNAP benefits were put in danger, and no protection will be left for the Obamacare subsidies. That is a loss all around.
America needs a new strategy to prevent government shutdowns from occurring in the first place.
Schumer needs to step aside; he is a spineless Establishment Democrat. It’s time for new and younger leaders to step up and lead.
The best way to prevent future shutdowns is to enact proportional representation, increase the number of U.S. House Reps, enact term limits, and get big money out of politics and replace it with public financing for campaigns via matching funds.
With those changes, we can finally make progress on issues like healthcare, housing, and a higher federal wage. It’s time to build a new coalition to stop the Establishment leaders of both parties and Donald Trump.
How do we start to change Congress? Proportional representation is the key. The numbers to support it are already there because Independents and third-party registered voters now outnumber Republicans in at least 30 states
Democrats are still ahead of both, but only about 37% of voters nationally in these 30 states are registered as Democrats. See the Figure below for more details.
It may sound crazy to some Democrats…but if they actually lead the way on this issue and stop the two-party system. Then guess who the “other side” is?…. It’s no longer just Republicans who torpedo Healthcare every time. Congress would become a mix of progressives, moderates, and center-right parties or independents. Everyone could find a representative for their views.
Democrats should build a coalition with independent voters and any prospective smaller parties alike. The goal is to find Democratic Party or Independent candidates to run in several Congressional races. My research on a Proportional Representation Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) revealed that if Democrats and Independents combine their resources, they can effectively steamroll Republicans in races that would otherwise be non-competitive.
It revolves around four steps:
1. A Formal Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Democrats, Third Parties, and independent voters (who can be represented as individuals or through non-partisan NGOs or community groups), with the understanding that they will collaborate to pass proportional representation legislation in Congress.
2. Start a discussion on adding more seats to the U.S. House of Representatives.
3. A Community and Mutual Aid partnership between the Democratic Party, Third Parties, and Independents to build trust with voters and improve the community. We saw similar strategies used over the last few weeks to help save food banks from running out of food due to SNAP cuts, community aid is important.
4. Use this MOU and Community and Mutual Aid Partnership to identify Independent or Democratic Party candidates in U.S. House and Senate races that would be willing to pass Proportional Representation.
According to a recent Gallup poll, over 60% of voters believe that both the Democrats and Republicans do such a poor job that a third party should be in the mix. Many scholars agree that winner-take-all elections contribute to several concerning problems. American elections are overwhelmingly uncompetitive, partisan, and racial minorities are systematically underrepresented, and polarization and anti-democratic extremism have become worse.
Democrats, if we want to work towards universal healthcare coverage, a living wage, a clean environment, and lower energy bills. Building a new coalition via proportional representation is the key. We can do it right now, starting with community aid projects and by taking action.
Learn more about my campaign and donate at robertfornc.com to make proportional representation a reality.