This is where we are broken as a country:
From Wikipedia:
Consensus decision-making is a group decision making process that seeks not only the agreement of most participants but also the resolution or mitigation of minority objections. Consensus is defined by Merriam-Webster as, first – general agreement and, second – group solidarity of belief or sentiment. It has its origin in a Latin word meaning literally feel together.[1] It is used to describe both general agreement and the process of getting to such agreement. Consensus decision-making is thus concerned primarily with that process.
This is what the rethugs have steadfastly refused to do. They want no part of any negotiation, any compromise, and definitely have said no how no way no consensus building thank you very much.
But it is also where we haven't done our homework. We have looked to leaders who have not led. And we keep thinking Superman or FSM will come and show us the way. Truth is we don't NEED the guy in the cape or FSM. We can do it ourselves and SHOULD do it ourselves
It looks to be simple.
Could we use this to figure out what has priority and tackle that one first? I suppose we could start with a simple one and practice, but maybe if the Sh**s in the fire, we might need to put on a little haste eh?
There is a chart that points how how to do the process. And I cannot figure out how to embed it. You start with the discussion, then a proposal may come out of the discussion or there may be more than one. We test for consensus. (And consensus may be 60/75/80 percent depending on what we agree on. If there is not a consensus, then concerns are put forth. The proposal could be modified at this point. Or if the concerns are noted and that is enough, the people with the concerns could "stand aside" and let the proposal pass. Or it could be blocked entirely based on the concerns raised. If the proposal passes then action items to achieve the proposal are derived.
We as progressives or we as people who want the best outcome from our politicians haven't really been good about priorities. We have been hammered for so long by the Rethug agenda and reacting to it, that we haven't one of our own.
So what is our top priority? Can we come to a consensus about that? (Or can we agree to the top 5 maybe?) Can we tackle all things at once? Or do we have to just to take back the territory the rethugs have stolen from us?
And if you think this is difficult you might like this:
Ikea tries herding cats