Creating a Workable Politics

 The U.S. Election Deteriorates As We Watch

Many of us in the U.S. are watching  as the Presidential race deteriorates into a combination of celebrity worship, media bashing, attack ads, sarcasm and fear. Two extraordinary candidates, each one a man of conscience and courage, are being sucked into a maelstrom so strong even they cannot resist its compelling pull. 

Thoughtful Discussion and Gravitas is Lost

We are paying a terrible price for allowing ourselves to get swept up in this trance. All sense of thoughtful discussion of the issues, and the gravitas of wisely choosing a leader who will have to make critical decisions that may affect the future not just of the U.S., but of the entire world, is being lost.   

How Did American Politics Get So Off-Course?

American politics has been off-course for years and Americans and the whole world knows it. Why? Many who have studied this issue have, cited these and other factors:

• Watergate and other political scandals with a subsequent loss of trust in elected officials
•  The loss of the Vietnam war and our unresolved shame as a nation about it
• Partisan cultural divides ( e.g. abortion, gun control, gay marriage, immigration)
• Infusion of money into political campaigns and the lobbying industry
• A hands-off, narcissistic approach to politics and government by the public
•  A mobile, culturally alienated society which is still coming to terms with the digital/technological revolution

 More of the Same–or Worse?

Unless we choose our next President, and all political candidates,  wisely,  we are in danger of creating a much more divided public. If the economic situation in the U.S. continues to deteriorate, we may well find ourselves fighting openly with each other. We will be at risk for more dangerous wars all over the globe in which we will lose more of our sons and daughters, create more huge financial losses, and plant the seeds for more anti-American rage all over the planet. Do we really want that? Do we have to reach some kind of terrible tragic bottom before we choose to re-think our current wayward political course?

Time for Bold Experiments in Democracy

We can find a way out.  It requires bold and courageous re-thinking about the ways we do democracy in this increasingly urban, multi-cultural country of 300 million people.  There are many people doing some fabulous exploring and experimenting in this arena both in the U.S. and around the world and we will be hearing from them in future blogs.  For now, I will suggest the following:

• We need to find ways to talk together respectfully about politics, without debate, arguing or trying to convert others to our point of view.
• We need to learn to listen deeply to people we disagree with  and to set volatile emotion aside. 
• We have to give up our desire for government to take care of us and fix all our problems and shift to a partnership mode.
• We need to empower each other and ourselves for political leadership at every level.

It is clear to me that deeply moral actions by our government, here and abroad, actions which reflect our core values as Americans, will only emerge when we talk together in ways that honor and dignify each other. We have to trust that in such arenas, wisdom will emerge. It is clear that what we are doing now is not working. We have nothing to lose.

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Suggested Resources:

Training in Communication:

The Compassionate Listening Project

Non-Violent Communication

Landmark Education: The Communication Courses

Resources in Direct Democracy

Center for Wise Democracy

Center for Co-Intelligence

Steven Hill-10 Steps to Repair American Democracy