{"id":371,"date":"2012-11-28T11:15:47","date_gmt":"2012-11-28T18:15:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.triplespacedagain.com\/wordpress\/?page_id=371"},"modified":"2014-06-15T15:06:36","modified_gmt":"2014-06-15T21:06:36","slug":"the-primary-project","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.triplespacedagain.com\/wordpress\/?page_id=371","title":{"rendered":"The Primary Project"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Primary Project:\u00a0 the first step to saving America\u2019s constitutional democracy<\/h1>\n

The Primary Project in a Nutshell<\/em><\/h3>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 What do you think is America\u2019s Number One political problem?\u00a0 It\u2019s likely that you put partisan gridlock in Congress near the top of the list.\u00a0\u00a0 As you know, our most serious issues are not being resolved because Congress is still \u2013 even after the election \u2014 stuck in gridlock.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/b>Whether you are happy or disappointed with the re-election of President Obama, no president can govern effectively with a Congress that can\u2019t make decisions.\u00a0 So we\u2019re all stuck.\u00a0 Partisan gridlock is Problem One.<\/p>\n

We have to fix it, and we can.\u00a0 This message is about HOW.\u00a0\u00a0 The idea is simple: more people \u2013 millions more people \u00a0\u2013 have to vote in primary elections.\u00a0 Primary elections set the limits of the choices we have.\u00a0 They are now even more important than general elections.\u00a0 <\/b><\/p>\n

But millions of concerned Americans don\u2019t vote in primaries.\u00a0\u00a0 Voter turnout even among party-registered voters is low, and it\u2019s reported that as many as 40 percent of registered voters are now independents.\u00a0 They dropped out of the parties to express their frustrations, but that has to change.\u00a0 The parties used to be called \u201cbig tents.\u201d\u00a0 We need them to be big tents again.\u00a0 That happens when millions of voters with different values and priorities vote in primaries.<\/p>\n

Congress can only be reformed if it reforms itself.\u00a0 Congress makes the rules.\u00a0 The current members of Congress were elected under the current rules.\u00a0 If we want them to change the rules, we have to give them a huge incentive.\u00a0 This is it.<\/p>\n

The Challenge\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Members of Congress are elected by a two-step process.<\/p>\n

    \n
  • First, candidates run in a party primary. \u00a0By choosing candidates at this stage, voters set the direction for their party. The primary narrows the field of candidates to just two for the general election.\u00a0 (Realistically, minor party and independent candidates have little chance of winning most general elections.)<\/li>\n
  • Second, the winners of the primary run in a general election. In the House of Representatives, they run in a district that has been redistricted to favor one party or the other.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    The Republican Party is dominated by activists and special interests on the right; the Democratic Party is dominated by a coalition of special interests on the left.\u00a0 \u00a0Members of Congress who try to work collaboratively across the aisle risk losing the next primary to a challenger who claims more loyalty to the partisan orthodoxy.\u00a0 The primary election is where the process breaks down. (This is also happening at other levels of government such as state legislatures, where the next generation of Congress members is in training.)<\/p>\n

    Instead of a broad diversity of viewpoints, Congress is increasingly locked into just two inflexible positions \u2014 a stalemate that could lead to a national breakdown.<\/p>\n

    And, notice, nobody is winning.\u00a0 Not the party you prefer, and not the other one.<\/p>\n

    The Real Meaning of Party Registration\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n

    Party registration enables you to vote in a primary.\u00a0\u00a0 Party registration does not have to define your identity or your values. Surprised?<\/p>\n

    Millions of Americans dropped out of parties because they believed their former party no longer represented their values.\u00a0 They thought party membership meant endorsing values they didn\u2019t agree with. \u00a0But that\u2019s not necessarily true.\u00a0 You can vote in a primary not to support current party values but to influence <\/i>them, by voting for candidates closest to your own values. \u00a0That\u2019s what happens in a big tent.\u00a0 And you can still vote for whomever you like in the general election.<\/p>\n

    What about open primaries?<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

    Almost half the states allow independent voters to vote in primaries. The laws vary from state to state.\u00a0 Check the laws and restrictions with your own state\u2019s Secretary of State.\u00a0 If you register in a party, you\u2019ll have more influence.\u00a0 Either way, VOTE in primary elections under the laws of your state.<\/p>\n

    What about minor parties?<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

    Today, with a few exceptions, those who register in a minor party are not helping their cause but simply making themselves ineligible to vote in primaries.\u00a0\u00a0 They can continue to support the values of their minor party, donate money wherever they choose, and vote for minor party candidates in the general election, while registering in a major party to help solve this crisis. \u00a0Later, perhaps a more responsive Congress and state legislatures will change election laws to make it easier for minor parties to participate.<\/p>\n

    What about me?\u00a0 I REALLY BELIEVE\u00a0 in my party just the way it is.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

    Some people won\u2019t like this Primary Project at all, and you might be one of them.\u00a0 Perhaps you believe that the other side is profoundly wrong and that defeating that other side is absolutely and urgently necessary. So this message might make you furious.\u00a0 I\u00a0 won\u2019t try to convince you otherwise.\u00a0 But look at the reality:\u00a0 you\u2019re not winning.\u00a0 Neither is the other side.\u00a0 We are all stuck in a stalemate until the balance is changed.<\/p>\n

    \u00a0The Solution<\/strong><\/h2>\n

    We can solve the gridlock problem by changing our voting habits to pick candidates who represent a more diverse range of viewpoints.\u00a0 We just have to vote in primaries, where the initial selections are made. It\u2019s easy, it takes very little time, and it\u2019s free.\u00a0 But it needs millions of people.<\/p>\n

    Here\u2019s what has to happen.<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Millions of independent voters must register to vote in one of the two major parties \u2013 either one. \u00a0\u00a0This should be done sooner rather than later so the current members of Congress know it\u2019s happening. (This step is preferable but not necessary in states that have open primaries.)<\/li>\n
    2. Then they, and all the party-registered voters who have been staying home, must vote in the next primary election \u2013 for Congress and for state and local offices, voting according to their personal priorities and beliefs. If their state has a caucus process instead, they have to show up and vote in the caucus. That takes a little more time.<\/li>\n
    3. By voting in primaries based on their own criteria, they will support diverse viewpoints and can move the parties toward civility, reasonableness and new collaborative solutions that combine the best ideas of right and left.<\/li>\n
    4. If they feel so inclined, voters can write letters and e-mails to their senators and representatives, telling them, \u201cI\u2019m a voter in your party and here\u2019s my opinion\u2026\u201d but that is not mandatory.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Nothing more is required. No party loyalty, no campaign donations, nothing! That\u2019s all there is to it.<\/p>\n

      Once the balance is changed in the primary elections, what could happen is:<\/p>\n