Love this Substack! And, I love the articulation of the issue and the vision of Factional Governance. The ideas of “How we get there” (Elect Pro-democracy candidates: Encourage legislative entrepreneurship; build factional ecosystems) are great but face challenges.
Probably for many reasons, but the role of money and lack of incentives to encourage the desired behaviors are two major reasons.
For example, the control of selecting candidates in primaries that are mostly partisan primaries and heavily influenced by parties and their funders make it difficult for Mavericks to get in the race and have a chance of getting through the partisan primary successfully.
Similar challenges face trying to create the factional ecosystem as well including getting funders to recognize the value in funding it. Many large donors enjoy the influence they have and are able to gain in the current system.
So the question is whether trying to get voters to want something and even trying to will it to happen is enough? Are the barriers and incentives created by the existing system too high? Should we also be trying to change the system by limiting the influence of money and allowing every voter to have their vote matter by allowing them to vote for any candidate in every taxpayer funded election? Should we require winners of elections have some level of support from a majority of their people vote?
Eliminating publicly funded partisan primaries, addressing the issue of money in politics and using something other than plurality winner elections might be examples of how voters can change the system and have the influence to help begin bring back a government that governs the way your vision beautifully describes.
Love this Substack! And, I love the articulation of the issue and the vision of Factional Governance. The ideas of “How we get there” (Elect Pro-democracy candidates: Encourage legislative entrepreneurship; build factional ecosystems) are great but face challenges.
Probably for many reasons, but the role of money and lack of incentives to encourage the desired behaviors are two major reasons.
For example, the control of selecting candidates in primaries that are mostly partisan primaries and heavily influenced by parties and their funders make it difficult for Mavericks to get in the race and have a chance of getting through the partisan primary successfully.
Similar challenges face trying to create the factional ecosystem as well including getting funders to recognize the value in funding it. Many large donors enjoy the influence they have and are able to gain in the current system.
So the question is whether trying to get voters to want something and even trying to will it to happen is enough? Are the barriers and incentives created by the existing system too high? Should we also be trying to change the system by limiting the influence of money and allowing every voter to have their vote matter by allowing them to vote for any candidate in every taxpayer funded election? Should we require winners of elections have some level of support from a majority of their people vote?
Eliminating publicly funded partisan primaries, addressing the issue of money in politics and using something other than plurality winner elections might be examples of how voters can change the system and have the influence to help begin bring back a government that governs the way your vision beautifully describes.