I’m especially interested in pragmatic questions of political achievability, and what we need to do first. E.g. if you tell me we need to overturn Citizens United, I’m game! but I want to know how, in the current system, we get legislators with enough guts to change the Court. - ThreadSky

tedunderwood.me • 10 days ago

I’m especially interested in pragmatic questions of political achievability, and what we need to do first.

E.g. if you tell me we need to overturn Citizens United, I’m game! but I want to know how, in the current system, we get legislators with enough guts to change the Court.

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thejefty.bsky.social•10 days ago

Basically this and even more so for suggestions that restructure the basic nature of the government. Rewriting the Constitution from scratch is unlikely to be an option.

segaru.bsky.social•10 days ago

Rewriting the constitution from scratch would be the best way forward. However, we need people of sufficient Stature and Caliber who have the Heft to do a good job to deliver a better constitution. And therein lies the rub.

thejefty.bsky.social•10 days ago

And we need those people to be in dominant control not merely of the federal government to start the process, but also of a supermajority of states to ratify it.

stmoot.bsky.social•10 days ago

Be kind to others, and invite actual (if not socratic) dialogue every chance you get. Ambient culture in the USA has to change. That ought to be the bedrock to everything else.

agoldst.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy•10 days ago

@tedunderwood.me if you want legislators with guts, start by getting, uh, block captains with guts? Chris Maisano, "What Are Parties For?" :

agoldst.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy•10 days ago

@tedunderwood.me also there's this Domhoff golden oldie, which I turn back to every 2–4 years
https://whorulesamerica.ucsc.edu/change/science_freshstart.html

katinthesoup.bsky.social•10 days ago

And stop gerrymandering. Increase or reduce the amount of representation to be population dependent.

scottbot.bsky.social•10 days ago

blockchain will surely save us

transitive.bsky.social•10 days ago

There I was betting on TCP/IP. Shows what I know!

tedunderwood.me•10 days ago

you know I think the internet will also produce decentralized participatory democracy — have you heard about this “blogosphere” thing?

scottbot.bsky.social•10 days ago

what a time to be alive

tedunderwood.me•10 days ago

Part of the answer may be that we’ll have a massive turnover of Congressional seats in the next two elections, like we did after Watergate.

thejefty.bsky.social•10 days ago

Basically any plan requires a massive turnover of seats. Presuming a Democratic President and more than marginal control of Congress, I'd say the biggest thing would be a renewed Voting Rights Act. That will also almost certainly require ending the filibuster and expanding the Supreme Court.

thejefty.bsky.social•10 days ago

Beyond that, and probably campaign finance as you suggest, the filibuster and the Court changes will allow Dems to actually pass their policy agenda, which might help.

thejefty.bsky.social•10 days ago

I don't think it's possible for structural reforms to keep fascists from breaking things once elected, so focusing on keeping them from stealing/winning elections is the key.

segaru.bsky.social•10 days ago

💯
Cancún Cruz is sounding the alarm about a 'bloodbath' at the 2026 elections. If that comes true, and if the Dems get a sizeable majority in both houses, esp. the Senate, may be some of what you are mentioning can at least be begun.
We live in hope.

tedunderwood.me•10 days ago

Although I hate personalist theories of history, another event that might help make change conceivable involves Rupert Murdoch’s arteries.

lancetungsten.bsky.social•10 days ago

Lachlan is worse

oratrix64.bsky.social•10 days ago

Maybe, but he and his dad lost their attempt to dissolve the trust, so he will only have 1/4 control when his father passes on. https://www.cnn.com/2024/12/09/media/robert-murdoch-family-trust/index.html#:~:text=A%20family's%20legal%20fight,Times%20they%20planned%20to%20appeal.

lancetungsten.bsky.social•10 days ago

In James we trust.

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