Peace, social justice and environmental sanity; presumably we’re all after these same things. And yet it seems such an elusive goal. Many, I believe, have given up. Others, whose faith is greater, follow the mantra of more and better Democrats, believing that superior organization and tactics will eventually turn the tide in a battle as old as the Republic. But I represent a third, minority view. In my opinion our goals are within reach, but organization and tactics alone will never bring us victory. What’s required is an entirely different strategy.
It’s an enormously overused cliché, but so apt I can’t resist:
It is insane to do the same thing over and over always hoping for a different result,
and since it’s arguable whether we have made any lasting social progress whatsoever in the last hundred years of political engagement, by what logic may I expect that Democrats today will achieve goals beyond the reach of Populists, Socialists and Progressives of the past two centuries? At some point, when you’ve been beating your head against a wall for many, many years, it’s necessary to step back, take the long view and ask some fundamental questions. I’m no intellectual giant, but being stubborn and independent I took it upon myself to ask these questions anyhow. After a period of years I feel that I have reached some answers. And while I would never promote these conclusions as fact they are at least worthy of your serious consideration.
My position is this. The architecture of our government is completely and utterly incapable of supporting social progress in any sustained or dependable manner. With all due respect to the framers, the world has changed virtually beyond measure since the 18th century, and even though humans may still be pretty much the same, our Constitution was based on economic and technological assumptions which no longer hold. What was appropriate then is no longer reasonable today. Specifically, my central conclusion is this:
Despite popular misperceptions, our government is fundamentally aristocratic (or plutocratic if you like). We have added various superficial democratic reforms (the bill of rights, universal suffrage, secret ballots, direct election of senators, etc…) but the fundamental nature of government is determined primarily by the manner in which we select officers. Electoral mechanisms, no matter how you dress them up, are still an aristocratic device, and despite the time honored myth of “anyone growing up to be president”, only certain types of people will ever be elected. These individuals are not (as a rule) willing or able to enact the legislative programs required to ensure progressive goals. To achieve authentic progress we must change the fundamental nature of our government, replacing aristocratic institutions with democratic ones. The only bona fide Democratic selection mechanism is the lottery, the same tool we use for selecting jurors and (previously) soldiers. Now we must extend this time honored practice to our government officers.
Please don’t go ballistic on me, I’m not saying we shouldn’t still hold elections. I’m merely suggesting that the authority to select candidates for those elections should be removed from political parties and entrusted to the same Office of Personnel Management which oversees all other government employment.
In the late 19th century there was broad recognition that patronage politics are unhealthy. Americans were sick of the spoils system, tired of graft, incompetence and patronage; hence the Selective Service Act of 1883 which set standards for the impartial selection of qualified professional government employees. This same logic applies every bit as much to those highest of all government employees who were exempted from the original act; Lawmakers. Why have standards for every other employee and not extend this thinking to the leadership???
Would anyone dispute that patronage politics is the primary impediment to progressive legislation? Would anyone argue against educational and professional standards for legislators? And while we’re at it, would anyone object if we closed the revolving door between the public and private sector completely and permanently?
Some people might even call these ideas common sense. Undoubtedly others have made similar suggestions. But somehow the idea never took hold. It’s understandable though, a civil service selection process for electoral candidates represent an enormous departure from the traditions of Western culture. A sea change of this nature could only occur under the exceptional pressure of desperate circumstances. Are we there yet? Surely we can‘t be far off. By any measure our society is in deep decline. Imagining that an opportune moment may soon draw near, I’ve made a serious effort to promote this innovation by writing a forty page essay that makes the case for civil service standards in candidacy with as much persuasion as I could muster.
I present the argument as something more than just a common sense suggestion. In my opinion it’s a necessary and inevitable step in humankinds social evolution; a way of maintaining the ecological dynamic which permits humans to continue inhabiting this planet. Just as larger brains and an upright gait were necessary to our physical evolution, so democratic forms of organization are essential to the future of our social development. Purely aristocratic forms of government were appropriate to humanity in the earlier phases of our existence, as hunter/gatherers and as farmers. Democratic forms crept into our social vocabulary as cities were established. And now, in the era of full blown industrial and technological development, democratic forms must take precedence over the aristocratic. The likely alternative is for homo sapiens to become a mere footnote in the history of earth; remembered for our connection with a dramatic geologic event that caused widespread extinctions and left some very curious artifacts. Perhaps a strategic shift in Democratic policy might avert such a cosmic embarrassment for our species.
Just a wacky theory? Read the essay and decide for yourself. I’m looking for a few converts to help promote the concept.