My Prez 47 graphic kind of sucks. But I don’t have the donations for an upgrade. But an interesting opportunity came my way.
After losing my presidential Learjet because of no donations, I have been hitchhiking across the USA, setting up my portable soapbox in centers of small towns everywhere to announce my candidacy to be the 47th president of the United States. I keep talking until the local police ask me for a license of some kind. Then I pack up my portable soapbox and move to the next town. It’s the only way to campaign without donations.
One advantage of outdoor campaigns is that I need only one dress shirt and tie. People don’t get close enough to notice I haven’t done laundry for a while.
I was in South Dakota. I thought I could do a little campaigning at the base of Mount Rushmore. Tourists might be less likely to skirt away from my great message. Busy townspeople have been a disappointment.
The U.S. Air Force was conducting some maneuvers behind the mountain. I then envisioned a great photo if I just stood at a certain place and the camera had a certain angle. Unfortunately, my arms were not long enough to get this angle. I needed some help, so I had this interesting conversation with a tourist.
Dave: Sir, can you help me out?
Tourist: Depends!
Dave: I would like you to take my iPhone and get a picture of me in front of Mount Rushmore and all these military jets.
Tourist: Depends! What’s the photo for?
Dave: I’m going to use it for my campaign.
Tourist: What are you campaigning for? Dog catcher?
Dave: No, I’m going for the big prize. I want to be the next president of the USA.
Tourist: Do I know you?
Dave: Probably not. The mass media are ignoring my campaign.
Tourist: That makes sense. You don’t look famous. Why should they pay attention to you?
Dave: Because I’m not Democrat or Republican.
Tourist (laughing): Well, that’s a good one. How do you expect to win an election if you don’t have support from one of these parties?
Dave: I’m counting on Americans finally coming to their senses — and realizing we have to try a new way. I am that new way.
Tourist (laughing even more): And you’re the new way. I can’t see Americans abandoning Democrats and Republicans to vote for you. . . . . . Besides, you kind of stink!
Dave: I’m in a Catch-22 situation. If I had more money, I could run a better campaign. But to get more money, I have to run a good campaign.
Tourist: Well, that’s the American way. You only get money if you don’t need it.
Dave: So I was thinking this photo won’t cost me much. It could get some attention from the media.
Tourist: Well, all that military action in the skies is kind of exciting!
Dave: Yeah, it will make me look . . . patriotic. . . . . Can you take my iPhone and stand over there?
Tourist: OK . . . . . Is this the right spot?
Dave: One step to your right . . . good . . . take a couple steps back . . . . Now can you crouch down about six inches. . . . That should be OK.
<CLICK>
Dave: Let’s take a quick look. . . . . . Yep, that’s it. We captured the right image in one shot. I usually don’t brag, but I got all the angles right. Getting angles is important to be a good president.
Tourist: We sure got the rocket’s red glare. . . . I’m glad to help . . . . But do you think you can be the president?
Dave: Politics is all about being in the right place at the right time. When Americans come to hate both parties, I will be the only serious alternative. I won’t get the job if I spend all weekend watching football or Netflix. That’s my angle.
Tourist: Seems like a risky undertaking to me. How long have you been on the campaign trail?
Dave: I started in July 2021.
Tourist: Hmm. . . . It seems you have nothing to show for this past year and a half.
Dave: You’re right. Donations aren’t coming my way. Even after I explicitly state that campaign donors will be rewarded later with powerful cabinet posts or with overpaid, underworked jobs in the civil service.
Tourist: At least you’re honest. . . . . . This seems like such a long shot. What do you hope to really accomplish?
Dave: Well . . . . there is an ulterior motive.
Tourist: Oh?
Dave: Remember Pat Paulsen?
Tourist: The name is familiar.
Dave: He was on the Smothers Brothers. He was a comedian who campaigned for president for five or six election cycles.
Tourist: I remember him now. He was regarded as a joke candidate.
Dave: But he got a few thousand write-in votes in each election. He always had a little media attention.
Tourist: I don’t think he was actually intending on winning. So what’s your take?
Dave: I don’t want to win either.
Tourist: You go to all this work to not win?
Dave: I’m emulating Paulsen’s campaign to get some media attention for my alternative democracy.
Tourist: You have an alternative democracy?
Dave: Yeah. I’ve been working on this idea for 26 years.
Tourist: That’s a long time.
Dave: And without much result. So I decided to try something different. I am putting my name up to be the 47th President of the United States. While I want the fame, I really don’t want the job.
Tourist: Why not?
Dave: I don’t like people enough be around them for 14 hours a day, seven days a week. Many meetings. Many social events to schmooze — and get more invitations for more schmoozing. Being nice to schmoozy people is hard work.
Tourist: That’s probably why I’m not in politics.
Dave: And then there are the favors being exchanged to get anything done. I have to keep track of what I owe other people and what they owe me. That’s a lot of stressful, internal bookkeeping.
Tourist: I never thought of that before. But it’s probably true.
Dave: And no matter what I do and how well I do it, at least half the country will hate me and will want me to fail.
Tourist: Swimming in a shark tank. People must be slightly insane to enter politics.
Dave: You said it well. . . If a person enters politics, we should assume they are not sane. Very few people will deliberately put so much dysfunction into their daily life.
Tourist: So are you or are you not running for president?
Dave: You know Americans like their celebrities. I’m not a celebrity. Maybe I’ll get some recognition like Pat Paulsen. Then people will listen to my alternative democracy.
Tourist: Now that’s making a little sense. . . .Tell me more about this democracy.
Dave: Well, it has no political parties and . . . .
Tourist: What? How’s that possible? We need political parties! We won’t know how to vote without the political parties.
Dave: The political parties are the disease with current democracies. My book explains why they must go away.
Tourist: But who do we vote for?
Dave: My book explains that we need to be trained to vote in a different way. We are to look at our neighbors — and cast a vote for the neighbor who best exemplifies our definition of “good character” and “capacity for governance.”
Tourist: Character and capacity? That’s absurd. I want to vote for a politician who promises to do something for me.
Dave: Well, how’s that been working for us?
Tourist: . . . . That’s a good point. What other features does your new democracy have?
Dave: It will put our elected representatives into a culture of collaboration, consultation, and consensus.
Tourist: What the hell are you talking about?
Dave: When these representatives are in their meetings, they will be working together to combine their knowledge, experience, and wisdom into one decision.
Tourist: What the hell are you talking about?
Dave: Let me explain this in a different way. You look to be about 55 years old, right?
Tourist: I’m 58!
Dave: Well, would you make the same decisions today that you made when you were 20?
Tourist: Nope! I was pretty stupid back then. I have a few stories for you if you have the time.
Dave: So you somehow acquired knowledge, experience, and wisdom in the past 38 years?
Tourist: Yep. I got smarter.
Dave: How did you get smarter?
Tourist: That’s just life. We learn things, often the hard way.
Dave: So at 58 years old, would you say that you have acquired all the knowledge, experience, and wisdom there is to have?
Tourist: . . . . There’s probably more for me to learn.
Dave: So how are you going to learn it?
Tourist: More years of life experience is the best way.
Dave: If you could get — today — the knowledge you would acquire in the next 10 years, would you take it?
Tourist: You bet I would! But I need to live another 10 years to get it.
Dave: There’s another way.
Tourist: Really?
Dave: Yeah, you just have to listen to other people. They have knowledge, experience, and wisdom that you don’t have.
Tourist: Listening to others. That’s not the way we do things. In a democracy, we are supposed to push our agenda forward until it gets implemented.
Dave: Well, we have to turn that thinking around. Other people have important things to say. They need to be heard. We need their ideas.
Tourist: But nothing will get done with everyone talking.
Dave: That’s because too many of us are still in the “push our agenda” mode of thinking. So we talk over instead of talk with. . . . “My way or the highway,” Right? . . . . Even people who think they are open-minded have their agenda and ulterior motives.
Tourist: So how do we get away from that thinking?
Dave: Building this alternative democracy will be the forum.
Tourist: Huh?
Dave: Let me explain. We need to learn this new way of decision-making, right?
Tourist: If you say so.
Dave: Changing our way won’t be automatic. We have too many years of . . . “pushing our own agenda.” That thinking is not going to go away soon.
Tourist: OK . . . I think.
Dave: So we need some practice with forming consensus.
Tourist: That makes sense.
Dave: So I have instructed the early builders to write their own local constitution.
Tourist: But writing constitutions is not something most Americans can do. You are putting people to an impossible task.
Dave: If you finished your high school English, you should have enough writing skills to put together a local TDG constitution. And working with other neighbors will bring in more writing skills and community thinking. So I don’t think the constitution will be that difficult. I provide a little outline for these TDG groups to follow.
Tourist: TDG?
Dave: Sorry, that’s short for my alternative democracy, which I have called “Tiered Democratic Governance.”
Tourist: Thanks for explaining that. . . . How long is this outline?
Dave: There are about seven or eight sections. There should be about 40 or 50 clauses that need to be worked out.
Tourist: About?
Dave: The outline is just an outline. Some groups will remove clauses; other groups will add new clauses. As each TDG group works through the outline, they will discuss features that fit their locality. Each TDG is going to design itself.
Tourist: Why don’t you just write a generic constitution for everyone to follow?
Dave: That would take away the practice of working towards a consultative mindset.
Tourist: So we need to do this constitution for ourselves? Just for practice?
Dave: Yep. . . . You could even say that the actual local constitution is a side benefit to getting this practice of working collaboratively.
Tourist: But if we are coming into this project with our own ideas, won’t we just be fighting for those ideas?
Dave: And that’s the beauty of these first constitutions. The clauses aren’t all that controversial. For example, the builders will have to discuss how many members their executive committee should have. Should it be four? Five? Six? That number’s not really worth getting into a big fight, is it?
Tourist: But I’ve been part of other groups that got themselves torn up over smaller issues.
Dave: The early TDG builders must cast aside that notion of fighting for their small ideas.
Tourist: So, to avoid a fight, everyone should just keep their mouths shut? If all these “builders” do not say anything, then how does this constitution get written?
Dave: No, no, no. All builders should give their opinion and reasons for their opinions. But as they are listening to the other builders, there should be a consensus forming. Those original and differing opinions are the foundations for that consensus. That consensus will somehow use all these differing opinions to write clauses that are better than what any individual could accomplish by him- or herself.
Tourist: That sounds nice. But what about if a builder does not like the consensus that seems to be forming?
Dave: That builder needs to first ask himself: “Did my opinions and perspectives get a fair hearing? Were the others listening to me?” If so, then the builder should start yielding to the consensus.
Tourist: But what if he really thinks his opinion is right?
Dave: Let’s go back to our example. Will the early TDG fall apart if the consensus is to have four members on the executive committee but the lone builder wants six?
Tourist: While I don’t fully understand this local TDG yet, I would say four versus six is not a big deal. The builder should just go with the consensus rather than wage a small war.
Dave: You’re getting the idea! Backing down from our lofty ego will help the TDG move forward. . . And after the executive committee is operating for a few months, it might realize that six members would be better than four. Then it would later amend its constitution to allow six members into the executive committee.
Tourist: So the local TDG is amending its constitution?
Dave: Yep, they should do this at least once a year. Making amendments is part of learning this new way of governance. . . . The rules for amending the constitution are in the constitution. And each time it makes an amendment, the TDG gets more practice with this new way of governance.
Tourist: And learning how to follow its own rules! But what about all the issues currently facing society? Abortion rights? Taxation policies?
Dave: In the first years, the TDG should leave those issues alone. It needs to learn how to build consensus while working on its own self-governance. The TDG issues will be easier to find consensus on than real-life issues. Those consensus-finding skills will be important later for harder issues.
Tourist: What else should the local TDG be doing in these early years?
Dave: I gave it four tasks. First, to analyze how its last election worked out, and make amendments if needed. We’ve already talked about this. Second, increase members in its own locality. Third, help adjacent neighborhoods build their own TDG, and fourth, merge with those new TDGs.
Tourist: Merge?
Dave: The local TDG cannot stay small forever. It needs to get bigger. Two adjacent TDGs should be looking at merging. When they enter negotiations, they will be writing a new constitution for the merged area. . . which will give more practice with TDG governance.
Tourist: Whoa, Whoa. So you mean this TDG starts out with small independent units — and then these units start coming together?
Dave: You got it. Each merge is more practice. Many people will get some experience with this TDG process.
Tourist: But at some point, the TDG must step out of its comfort zone. It needs to go beyond self-governance. Otherwise, there’s no point.
Dave: Quite right. As the consultative and consensus skills are becoming settled in the TDG culture and the membership is confident of the leadership it is electing, the TDG should start commenting on various issues.
Tourist: When?
Dave: I think each TDG will recognize when it is mature enough to move outside of itself. Maybe in five years. One good sign is unity in most of its decisions.
Tourist: OK . . . So when the TDG gets to this state, does it take over government?
Dave: No, there’ll be more maturation required. Coming up with wise commentary on social issues will prepare the TDG later for real governance. Today’s authorities can accept or reject the TDG’s advice. . . . As the TDG is making its commentary, it is also building credibility with the public. More people will realize the TDG’s a credible alternative to the current system.
Tourist: So when there’s enough public acceptance, then what happens?
Dave: Then the TDG is in its last stage of development. It should set up a committee to start writing a replacement constitution for the USA. When this document has been approved within the TDG, it should seek approval outside. There should be, in my opinion, a referendum with a supermajority of American citizens. And the current elected institutions should also pass the changeover with their own rules.
Tourist: Will the constitution have a president for the USA? Or a supreme court?
Dave: It’s hard to say at this time. As the TDG grows and matures, it’ll be learning about new ways of governance. It would keep some features of American democracy intact, learning from that history. It could add some new features none of us can imagine today.
Tourist: Whatever, it still needs approval from the public.
Dave: Right. The TDG has to earn the right to govern.
Tourist: Well, that makes sense. . . . You have introduced so many new ideas in such a short time. . . . But politics is such a time-consuming hobby. How do people like me help build this system?
Dave: This is the good part. You would only need about 10 hours a month.
Tourist: Ten hours! How can political involvement be that low?
Dave: Early builders can get their local TDG constitution together by meeting once every two weeks. Get together in someone’s living room to discuss the various clauses that need to be put into their constitution. Couple hours each meeting.
Tourist: That’s it?
Dave: Well, the group should assign a writer to put all the consensus together. The writer should send a draft by email and let other members comment on the draft. A little internet discussion will refine the clauses between the meetings. That might be another hour or two per week. A bit more time for the writer.
Tourist: For how long?
Dave: Until the local TDG constitution is done. I figure three to six months. Give lots of time for reflection and refinement. No one is overworked. . . And remember, working together to write this constitution is practice for the new culture. Don’t rush it.
Tourist: Do I need all my neighbors?
Dave: Most neighbors won’t be interested. Just find three or four. No more than 12. Meetings will get bogged down with too many people. Others can join later.
Tourist: What happens after the constitution is complete?
Dave: Have a ratification ceremony. Then hold your first election according to the rules of your constitution. Your first executive committee will now manage most of the affairs of your TDG.
Tourist: So what’s the time commitment for that committee?
Dave: I figure members of the executive committee will be spending about 20 hours a month on TDG affairs. But when they experience the new consultative way, I think many of them will enjoy this volunteer service. Working in a truly consultative culture is kind of fun.
Tourist: What about the TDG members who are not elected?
Dave: We could say that they are off the hook with their TDG responsibilities. I can see some early TDG builders getting their TDG started with the first constitution, then being happy to let others do the executive committee work.
Tourist: Man, this is so much. . . . You are saying for only 10 hours a month, I will get a better democracy for my great-grandchildren?
Dave: Yep. . . . Except I would call it a “kinder, wiser democracy.”
Tourist: This TDG is such an off-the-wall concept. I wonder if you becoming the 47th president is more likely than this TDG thing.
Dave: You might be right. I shall continue working on both projects until something positive happens. I would prefer to drop the Prez 47 campaign. I don’t think I can change much with this position. Besides, living in cheap motels and racking up credit card bills is not fun.
Tourist: Ten hours a month! If I become interested in this idea, what should I do?
Dave: My TDG website has my TDG book available for a free read. That’ll take you about three or four hours to get a better understanding of the TDG.
Tourist: Well, that is too much time to waste. I’ve got things to do.
Dave: Let’s put that in perspective. How long does it take to watch a movie?
Tourist: Two, three hours.
Dave: How long does it take to watch a professional sports event?
Tourist: Three hours.
Dave: I think you can sacrifice a few hours to see if you can save the country in a TDG way. . . . And I have three TDG novels that show how average Americans can build the TDG. While these novels take another six hours of reading, they give some different and useful perspectives of the TDG. And they are more fun to read.
Tourist: If I really like this idea, then what do I do?
Dave: Spread the word on your social media outlets. You have credibility with your social groups, and I cannot reach them. Then go find some neighbors to work on your local TDG.
Tourist: I’m still not sure. . . . . Well, I wish you luck on your projects.
Dave: Thank you. I don’t like making political predictions, but here is one for you: “The TDG won’t be built if we are waiting for someone else to fix democracy.”
Tourist: And most of us Americans are waiting for someone else. . . . You seem to be the only one telling us to get to work.
Dave: Yep, there’s no new democracy without a little sacrifice and effort. Otherwise, expect the future will be the same as today; maybe worse. . . . . And thanks for taking the photo. The experts on social change talk about a tipping point. Your photo might be that point where the TDG moves from total obscurity.
Tourist: Well, here’s hoping. I’m glad to have helped your movement out a bit. I might find some ambition after I read your book. Investing 10 hours a month for such a big reward is almost unbelievable.
Dave: Remember, things could be worse!
Published on Medium 2023
Replacing American Democracy is an Unpopular Opinion
