A New Phrase, A New Mentality

We are going to be using a phrase here: From the grassroots up.  Get used to it.  As I hope to explain in (perhaps too much) detail here, it takes time to see how and why this phrase is so important.  I believe it is.

One reason this phrase "from the grassroots up" is important is because it draws a clear distinction between the prevalent media narrative of the grassroots movement as being on the far right.  To be clear, the grassroots movement is not about left vs. right as much as it is about up vs. down.  It is about the presumed authority of the overgrown State vs. the true authority of the Constitution and "the consent of the governed" (see paragraph 1 of the Declaration of Independence).

The health care debate gives us a clear example of why leadership from the grassroots up is critical right now.  I will attempt to use that debate as an example of what I mean.  Note that this is not meant to be an exhaustive breakdown of the health care reform issues of the day.  This is about how the debate reveals the need for new leadership from the grassroots up.  It is also about how to get to the bottom ourselves, so that we see why leadership from the grassroots up is vital.

Take it from the Top

Yesterday I left a lengthy comment at the BearingDrift blog following J.R.’s post about a Politico.com story on certain intimidation tactics by the President and the DNC towards those in Congress who have opposed the Democrat’s health care legislation.  This looks a lot like a top-down power play, and if it were only against a battered GOP it would probably work.

But before stating why it will not work, let me just say that the entire health care debate is an intriguing and revealing development for the state of the State today—from both the left and the right.

From the Democrats in the White House and in Congress , we see some real credibility gaps in this legislation and its surrounding debate.  I’m sure most of us have been affected by the left’s moral argument that all people deserve health insurance.  For those of us who greatly appreciate the gains of the civil rights movement, there is a familiar ring here.  Who wants to see available health care denied to another man, woman, or child?  Constitutionally speaking, that’s another person endowed by our Creator with certain unalienable rights!

But, the actual legislation has been tested by the cool light of common sense, not to mention many economic experts, and it has come up wanting in the very areas it has claimed to champion with moral arguments: affordability and availability.

The expected true cost will be over $2.6 trillion and when it is all said and done, 23 million Americans will still be uninsured.

Huh?

Back the Truck Up!

I think many Americans on the right see the gap between the words and the deeds of many leaders on the left.  While many seem outraged, I am saddened to see this integrity gap from the supposed standard bearers of MLK’s vision.  Was it not he who called us all to look at the content of one another’s character as the basis for how we judge one another?  Judging by that standard, what are we the people to do with those many voices on the left that seem so stone-cold, lead-pipe, dead-bolt locked into using the tones of guilt and shame to advance their case—as if we are not open to reason?

Yet, the state of the State on the right is little better.  While many see the integrity gap on the left, there seems to be a reflexive fear, or at least a hesitation to be open—even vulnerable—by GOP leaders.  But, to truly serve Americans and do our best to represent the full plurality of voters, we must be willing to go deeper and look at the legitimate reasons so many of our fellow citizens on the left want health care reform that expands government.

If the right thinks the truth is on its side, why does it run and hide from these arguments?  In probing these kinds of questions, I think the grassroots movement has real promise to change the game and elevate the awareness and sense of urgency among Americans that we must be the ones to change the compromised culture of Washington.  Leaders from neither party will do this, and if we don’t set ourselves to changing it, the State will only grow, while special interests, large donors, and lobbyists will continue to command the allegiance and shape the legislation of our elected representatives in Washington.

One way to know the GOP is compromised is the way they communicate.  When you have divided interests and are not really aiming to serve the voters, it is hard to be candid.  Yes, the issues are complex, but there should be clear, open dialog if our representatives really care most about serving us within their Constitutional constraints.  Right?

Naive you say?

The fact is that there are many strong civil rights, common sense, and economic arguments to make for health care reform—and they need not be contradictory.   This is possible when one’s allegiance is no longer to competing special interests. To see this, we first must back the truck up and admit our negligence as voters.

The moment we back up and look again with fresh eyes, we see some new questions and unique opportunities before us.  Heres one: Does anyone doubt that the collective wisdom of Americans poring over all the data and having open discussion could not figure out how to expand health care coverage?

I may be too new to the political game, but I believe we can find a balance, on the one hand, in standing FOR:

More Americans getting cheaper, faster, better medical care through increasing free market competition and reducing monopolistic practices among insurance companies and exorbitant costs generated by ambulance chasing lawyers.

While on the other hand, standing AGAINST:

Government overreach into the largest sector of our economy and into our most important personal decisions.

Yes we can!  We don’t need to outsource the analysis process to Washington anymore.  We have the knowledge, the tools of communication, and the responsibility to do this together and come to a workable compromise.  Yes, we need subject matter experts to play a key role in the discussion, but the grassroots movement needs to see that it is on us to drive the ship of democracy.

Who doubts this?

Another way to get at all this would be to get a group of bloggers speading out the work load and conducting detailed analysis of several interconnecting questions, such as:

1. What can the government do to promote individual Liberty (see sanctity, life) in this difficult case (healthcare is not just about markets but about individuals endowed by our Creator with certain unalienable rights)?
2. What can the government do to limit its role in allowing the free markets to do what it uniquely can do to enable better, cheaper, faster products and services over time?
3. What have certain special interests done through lobbying to skew the playing field in their favor--at cross purposes with the individual and economic interests of the American people at large?
4. How have we the people been negligent in vigilance about this complex issue, and how can we get engaged through the tools of communication so that we are always-on henceforth and forever?
5. How can we see through the agendas of power and greed and get to sustainable legislation that serves the majority, protects the minority, and stewards America toward a better situation for our children?
6. How can we ensure our solutions are not reactionary and too disruptive, but can be implemnted to minimize negative unintended consequences?
7. How can we set up this new legislation to be easily tweaked and refined over time--without having to go back to the drawing board time and again?

Once these blogs set to work breaking down these questions and incorporating the multiple viewpoints that make up their audience, then they or a political campaign like ours could "conference" the work of these various bloggers into something cohesive and well-informed for a larger debate.  Why couldn't this work?

Let the Dominoes Fall

I suspect the main reason this won't work is because we still have pre-Internet habits.  But that can be changed. And when the first few dominoes of change fall, I think there can be big momentum to follow. 

Where do we begin?  Since the GOP is still in the wilderness, I say we start right here.  If we are going to go have the kind of broad national dialog needed to balance the above concerns, we conservatives must be the first to embrace a new way of considering the issues--from the grassroots up.  And that means truly considering the concerns of those on the left.

Part of this is the deeper recognition that none of us can control Washington.  Not even the President can do that (or the VP, as the case may be).  None of us can control the affairs of our own life, for crying out loud!  We all need to let that domino fall, and give up any illusion of control.  Then we can get on to the true task of humble but bold self-government in the post-Internet world.

Again, listening is the first domino.  If we don't hear these concerns for real, do we really think the left will hear our appeal about the dark side of government overreach?

So, to the next domino that needs to fall is cronyism.  Washington has been an insider's game.  Health care reform debates are no different.  There is a lot of money flowing around this town--as it has been for a long time.  Money sits on some big levers of institutional power in Congress.

That starts with the GOP.  We need the current crop of GOP cronies to see the handwriting on the wall and step forward to both listen to the left's legitimate concerns and state clearly where donors have been lining pockets to have their way?

The next step is to be proactive not to wait for domino #2 to fall.  We should call folks to the high standard, but it would not be wise to expect a compromised (i.e., donor-driven) Congress to step outside its own collective skin and make the right decision for the American people.  Cultural change like this does not happen overnight, but we don't have time to wait.   The stakes are too high.

We all need to recognize that the culture of Washington pre-Internet has been relatively opaque and obscured from the light of day, but this is a post-Internet world and the cavalry is now riding in.  That is no small part of the promise of the present grassroots movement.  Now, new candidates like Jim Trautz can ask the hard questions without the compromise of divided allegiance between voters and donors.

(Note to self: Get some donors!  These late night blog posts when I got work the next day are making me long for the blissful ignorance of pre-Webdom!)

The next domino to fall--one of the very biggest--is to reject self-importance.  That means putting away every last vestige of self-righteousness from the culture wars of the last generaton.  That also takes us back to point one, to listening to our fellow citizens from across the ideological spectrum--no matter their lifestyle or belief on certain core social issues--and really to consider the wisdom in their views of the issue.  If we believe in the sanctity of life, we should believe in the sanctity of liberty for every voter.

We conservatives who have tended to advocate for limited government must be willing to recognize where government services have made a positiive difference in various local communities.  As the son of a retired Fairfax county juvenile courts director, I know first hand that government services are very important for the community.  As much as I am committed to Constitutional fidelity and fiscal responsibility, I hope to maintain the prescience and humility to see these questions from multiple perspectives.

This is another reason why the right must set the example for the left.  If we say high moral standards are good for America, then we need to be the ones putting off any looking down on the left, and truly inquiring into whether there is any accuracy in the left’s claim that the GOP is beholden to the insurance companies rather than the American people.

Some may say this is political suicide.  I disagree.  There is a large, disengaged but watching center.  To the degree the GOP has aligned with big donors and special interests over the voters, the GOP has compromised and has failed to steward America for future generations.  All but the most dyed-in-the-wool party operatives will see that--the left blogosphere and MSM will get the word out!

We cannot put our interests first and then ask our friends on the left to put aside dependence on the government.  They have every right to call a spade a spade.

Finally, we must admit that we the people, by and large, have been negligent and outsourced our thinking on the hard questions to the two major parties.  We have lost sight of the fact that "the consent of the governed” is bedrock authority in America.  This is stated clearly in the opening of our Declaration of Independence and embodied throughout the Constitution through elections, separated powers, checks and balances, federalism, and the Bill of Rights.

Good news is that This last domino has fallen and produce the grassroots movement across America.  People have said Enough!  They are looking for leaders, for alternatives to the incumbents on the left and right.  If the GOP is going to effectively respond to the left’s attacks on healthcare or any other issue, its leadership must be humble and open enough to admit any compromises.  It must also recognize any cronyism will be beaten back by those like Jim Trautz who are stepping forward out of conscientious concern, not an ego trip, in order to bring new enduring leadership from the grassroots up!

This is a long and drown out way of getting to the bottom of things--at least in outline form.  There are many details that can fit within this analysis, but we are at the top of the funnel in this campaign, and as we circle down we will get more and more refined in driving this analysis into specific policy recommendations for issues like health care and, eventually for every other question that the voters have of their representatives in Congress.

Going Down the Funnel

There is a place to start, for those of us who have let these dominos fall in our minds, and now stand ready with Jim to start going down the funnel and to take ownership of Washington from the grassroots up (wait, did you just say going down the funnel from the grassroots up?? Que pasa?).  For those of us who make our living in the marketplace and are not interested in being career politicians, we know a surefire shortcut to trace the source of most compromise:

Follow the money.

The good people at Independence Caucus have gone to great lengths to create detailed videos that show how the money trail flows in Washington from special interest to lobbyists to those who are supposed to represent the voters and steward our money responsibly.  Check them out!

Let "follow the money" stay in your mind as you track the machinations of Washington.  We all need to see how the money trail flows from certain special interests to existing GOP representatives.  We also need to see how have these representatives have voted and inserted certain earmarks to favor these money interests, rather than the wishes of the voters.

When we follow the money in this way, I think we’ll see a picture that calls us out to ask the hard questions of the left and the right.  It also shows us why the current political tension surrounding our nation is no longer abot left vs. right, but about the grassroots vs. the overgrown State.

Speak Up at the Liberty Forum

Am I rambling?  Must be those late nights.  This is precisely why we need many voices driving the grassroots dialog forward, and why we need strong leaders who stand ready to do the above and lead from the grassroots up.  Jim Trautz is such a leader.  No doubt.

As we follow this campaign, may each of us back the truck up, let the dominos of presumed control fall from our minds, and proceed down the funnel to get to where we must:

We must own the direction of our government.  That is the charge given to us, and we can only outsource it in a limited way.

Now, with the grassroots awakening taking place across the ideological spectrum, and with the tools of communicaton so widely adopted, we the people can drive the direction of government.  In this campaign, we will facilitate through a broad and open dialog focused on protecting and promoting the timeless value of Liberty.

We need to own the direction of government together!  The countless questions that surface from a long post like this need to be raised.  Please raise those questions and feel free to question all that I have said.  Please do that by opening up new topics at the Liberty Forum.