The policies enacted in the past 40 years have been detrimental for Americans. It’s clear that circumstances are on track to worsen, especially with the status quo in place.
Why is that?
Our politics have almost entirely removed the people from power. Almost all established politicians, including the current incumbent of CA-34, are entirely driven and directed by their corporate contributions. Their campaigns, their very mandate to govern, is being reprehensibly provided to them by these corporate donors. In exchange, they follow the direction of those corporations’ lobbyists when in office. Who is cut out of the process? The American people. That is precisely the reason why little meaningful action is taken on Capitol Hill. Our government has been effectively hijacked to perpetuate de-regulation, dismantle labor rights, and relieve the mega-wealthy of any responsibility to pay their fair share. This is how we got to today: the top 1% of Americans’ wealth has grown from 30% to 39% from 1989 to now, while the bottom 90% decreased its share of wealth from 33% to 23%. This is why while corporations report record profits, real wages for average Americans have stagnated. This is why despite short term decreases in inflation or unemployment, the cost of living continues to skyrocket and the once self-sufficient middle class continues to shrink into non-existence. It is why, despite directly causing many of our economic downturns, the top 1% come out of each recession with more wealth and control over our economy, while the other 99% struggles to recover.
How We Plan to Do It
Campaign Finance Reform
Our political system is broken. Dependency upon the constant cycling election battle, and the efforts to attain donations for these cycles aren’t serving the people. By working to reverse the effects of Citizen United, reduce the unlimited power of corporate contributors, and elevate the role of grassroots support within campaigns, we dramatically shift the paradigm for how our political system operates, transferring direct power from corporate influence to the people’s influence.
Democracy Vouchers
For too long, the needs of impoverished communities and marginalized peoples have been entirely ignored within the modern political system. The reason? The lack of campaign dollars flowing from these communities to politicians in power. We can force our representatives to listen to their true constituents by delivering political power to the people’s hands, in the form of a democracy voucher which they can use to donate to any representative who truly meets their needs.
Ranked Choice Voting
It’s time for us to re-examine our election system, with the question of who it truly benefits? Right now, it solely benefits the interests of the two parties’ establishment at the helm of the political machine. Established incumbents keep taking advantage of the two-party system, forcing unsatisfied voters to keep voting for the status quo, in order to prevent a worse option winning. Ranked-choice voting allows people to vote for the candidates they truly desire, without succumbing to the pressures of the current two-party restriction. It allows true progressive candidates like David to take on establishment incumbents all across the country!
Enfranchisement
The imbalance of power we have witnessed in our political and economic systems is preserved by anti-democratic measures which suppress vulnerable communities. Our politics can only be people-centered when civic rights are safeguarded. We must identify and dismantle any legislative attempt to obstruct voter registration, purge eligible voters, reduce voting accessibility, or disenfranchise BIPOC & formerly incarcerated populations.
Holding Elected Officials Accountable
A revolving door in Washington has created an intimate relationship between elected representatives and lobbyists. Politicians seeking to advance their personal interests move from the public to private sector, using their Washington connections to represent corporations as career lobbyists. Furthermore, representatives can use their post to aid the very companies and industries they hold private ownership in. Eliminating these opportunities for corruption disincentivizes self-interested agents from seeking office.
What This Will Do For Us
A people-centered political system should excite us. It represents an unprecedented opportunity for bountiful legislative change, allowing us to construct a material future that prioritizes equity. We know the barriers which currently prevent us from reaching this nation’s potential: a Washington dominated by corporations, poisoned by corruption, and de-legitimized by voter suppression. By amassing grassroots support, we can dismantle the political status quo and facilitate a democracy that prioritizes the people’s needs.
