To save American "Democracy" we must ...
- Stop the slide to Autocracy
- Restore and Improve our Constitutional Republic
- Transition to "Wise Democracy"
The Wise Democracy Project is 8 accessible steps by which "we" (i.e. a few of us) can spark all three to happen. The Project is aimed at FACILITATING all the people to come together as "We the People," a powerful new ongoing actor capable of determining and supporting the "public interest." This dramatically reshapes our current System away from a collective decision-making process based on competing "special interests" to one where we also "think together" collectively. For instance, when people say "We need to overcome the partisan gulf"... or ... "We need to stop the slide to Authoritarianism" ... or "We need to enact ranked choice voting" etc., they are usually assuming some coherent societal "We" exists to consider these things and choose responsibly. But of course, this intelligent, powerful "We the People" does not currently exist. If it did exist this would mean that we live in more of a democracy than a Constitutional Republic ... a "Wise Democracy."
Yes, if all of us could be in one conversation and reach shared clarity about what is going on, what We want and what to do ... then certainly We would be capable of stopping the slide to Autocracy, improving our Constitutional Republic and evoking a new System of governance where this living "We the People" is the ultimate authority (i.e. Wise Democracy)
Today we have a confusion in terminology. Just the word "we" can mean "lots of us as individuals" or "just those members of our Red or Blue team," or "the elected officials who determine policy." Each of these "we's" currently exists. But they aren't the one that matters for solving today's Monster Problems, or for saving "American Democracy." The We" that's needed is a new actor: "We the People."
Also, the term "democracy" is misleading. The Founders intentionally created a Republic, not a democracy. But their founding moment was largely democratic because, with the help of George Washington, they achieved a unity of delegates to the convention, states, and enfranchised citizens. All chose to adopt the new Constitution.For democracy to exist today, we also need ALL the people to become involved and support our shared conclusions.
Originally, we assumed that a U.S. Constitutional Amendment was needed to spark a legitimate "We the People" into being. But through experiments with the Wisdom Council Process in different settings it has become clear that we(just us) with adequate resources can convene the necessary whole-system "We the People" conversation.
Yes, if all of us could be in one conversation and reach shared clarity about what is going on, what We want and what to do ... then certainly We would be capable of stopping the slide to Autocracy, improving our Constitutional Republic and evoking a new System of governance where this living "We the People" is the ultimate authority (i.e. Wise Democracy)
Today we have a confusion in terminology. Just the word "we" can mean "lots of us as individuals" or "just those members of our Red or Blue team," or "the elected officials who determine policy." Each of these "we's" currently exists. But they aren't the one that matters for solving today's Monster Problems, or for saving "American Democracy." The We" that's needed is a new actor: "We the People."
Also, the term "democracy" is misleading. The Founders intentionally created a Republic, not a democracy. But their founding moment was largely democratic because, with the help of George Washington, they achieved a unity of delegates to the convention, states, and enfranchised citizens. All chose to adopt the new Constitution.For democracy to exist today, we also need ALL the people to become involved and support our shared conclusions.
Originally, we assumed that a U.S. Constitutional Amendment was needed to spark a legitimate "We the People" into being. But through experiments with the Wisdom Council Process in different settings it has become clear that we(just us) with adequate resources can convene the necessary whole-system "We the People" conversation.
Handout on "How to save American Democracy"
This handout contains 12 slides in a front/back manner. It provides an overview of the Systemic nature of the problem and outlines what's needed.
"Getting it" ... that this Project will work and it must happen
Our current System, a Constitutional Republic, no longer fits our Situation and this mismatch is causing today's Monster Problems. Our System is competition-based and does not deliver the level of citizen empowerment or collective intelligence that's needed. The Wise Democracy Project merely adds a new conversation to what already exists. But this simple addition is the vital missing element: a thinking process where we face our biggest problems creatively and collaboratively; reach shared conclusions about what's going on, what we want and what we need to do; and where we provide responsible leadership to elected officials, the economy and the culture. Hopefully you will explore this exciting new development and "get it"! Check out some of the different ways to approach this human dilemma: "Getting it" - this must happent