Constructing 21st century democracy
A four-stage program for 2024
During his decades of work toward Indian independence from the British, Gandhi developed what he called a constructive program. Built on principled nonviolence, it is described as a positive program of self-improvement for individuals and communities. Rather than focus on bringing down a defective social structure (an effort which often runs parallel to it), the primary purpose is constructing a new one. Gandhi made the spinning wheel the center of his program; the simple, repetitive task encouraged contemplation; it was productive work that could be done by almost everyone; the homespun fabric, khadi, could be sold, addressing poverty; wearing the fabric demonstrated support for the cause of independence; and replacing foreign textiles with homespun put economic pressure on the British.
A similar program with a holistic set of solutions can be used in the 21st century, thanks in large part to digital tools for instantaneous collaboration. The American Union model is a new political paradigm for influencing the 2024 election, one I’ve developed based on decades of activism, work with third parties, service in the state legislature, and studies of history and nonviolent organizing. It doesn’t require changing the way that we vote; petitioning for ballot access; or launching yet another new political party. Instead, political reforms result from a satyagraha (soul force) campaign, which works to persuade rather than defeat opponents. At the center is a monthly group fast, answering the challenge Gandhi issued in August of 1947. “The 15th is the day of our trial,” he said. “Observe a fast on that day.” It is a fast for peace.
Like the spinning wheel, the fast connects and augments all parts of the program; it encourages development of self-control; it is a free and accessible way for diverse people to participate; the shared self-sacrifice is a fast of moral pressure directed at Washington with a clear set of demands; the fast serves as an opt-in for voting on policy; and its voluntary nature roots the program in nonviolence. Distinct parts of the Gandhian constructive program address cultural, social, electoral, and legislative problems; each part supports the others as well. The four-stage process produces transformative results by applying principles of nonviolence to each of the four areas.
What follows is a brief summary of the four stages, as we climb the mountain of nonviolent social change.
Stage One – Cultural reform through self-improvement
Change starts with ourselves, and leading by example helps to establish the moral authority to craft changes in America. This stage contains self-improvement challenges (organized eight times per year), which include 30 days of sobriety and two 24-hour fasts, plus optional, stackable challenges. The cohorts gain knowledge about the principles of nonviolence and the path up the mountain of reform. It also serves as a vetting process for participation in higher stages of the American Union.
Sobriety is an important building block of a nonviolent social structure, where the architects opt out of the implied violence towards oneself implied by the use of inTOXICating substances, whose very root word reminds us that they are poison. Abstaining from them for a month demonstrates self-control and an ability to put the general welfare ahead of our own pleasure.
There are no qualifications to participate; self-improvement is accessible to all. Challenges start every month and a half; January 1, February 15, April 1, and so on.
Stage Two – Social reform with a fast for peace
Everyone starts at stage two. Call it universal basic karma if you like, but stage one is entirely voluntary. Stage two is a group fast on the 15th of each month. The fast for peace is a 24 hour period without food or intoxicants, drinking water only; Gandhi recommended a dinner-to-dinner fast. (Medical exemptions are available as needed.) The shared self-sacrifice of the group fast builds more moral authority and creates a common experience across class, color, and creed. It unites, building bridges across political division.
The fast for peace serves as a hub connecting all the stages of the American Union program. Fasting is free, and has many benefits for physical and mental health. Individual progress can be tracked by keeping score; each month of participation on the 15th is tallied as the denominator of a fraction — 15/1, 15/2, 15/3, and so on. Real peace takes ongoing effort, and these monthly fasts culminate on October 15, 2024, just before the general election.
Basic membership in the American Union requires United States citizenship; a good-faith pledge to vote together in 2024; and a minimum monthly contribution of $7. Fasting is not required for basic membership, but participation qualifies a member to vote on policy.
Stage Three – Electoral reform by unionizing as swing voters
When the framers wrote the Constitution, they set up an adversarial system which led inexorably to national politics being controlled by two parties. Applying the principles of nonviolence to our elections means refusing to engage in lesser-of-two-evils politics. As a practical matter, just 3.5% of the electorate working as a bloc of true swing voters can control the balance of power in Washington, where Republicans have 51% of the House, Democrats 51% of the Senate, and Joe Biden won with 51% of the vote.
By ignoring party affiliation, the candidates for federal office can be divided along different lines; incumbents vs. challengers. The electoral leverage will be used to demand pre-election passage of specific legislation in exchange for the winning bloc of votes. Incumbents of both parties have the first chance to win endorsements in all 470 federal races, by advancing a legislative package based on the duties of Americans laid out in the opening words of the Constitution.
The American Union of swing voters is set up as a super PAC, committed to influencing the 2024 election. The role of organizer is open to members in good standing who have reached 15/2 and completed a stage one challenge in the last 12 months. In addition, organizers pledge to promote and participate in the monthly fast for peace, and to contribute at least $28/month to the PAC. Organizers can optionally earn commission on their recruitment and fundraising efforts.
Stage Four – Legislative reform by crowdsourcing Congress
The legislative package upgrading our social contract is crafted by the people’s legislative assembly, a unicameral legislature drawn from the pool of organizers. By sidestepping partisan gridlock and working outside of the Washington swamp, clean legislation can be written by the people, for the people. The base legislative package for 2024 addresses Martin Luther King's triple evils of poverty, racism, and militarism – a moral crusade worthy of support. It ends poverty with universal basic income (UBI), issued digitally by the US Treasury; ends mass incarceration with police, prison, and prosecutorial reforms, including an end to the federal war on drugs; and ends the endless wars with both military downsizing and specific changes in foreign policy.
Qualified members can also propose additional policies that delegates may draft into amendments to the package, which the entire body can vote on. To ensure diversity in ideas, liquid democracy is used. Each member of the American Union has 1.00 vote, which may be divided and assigned to delegates in the people’s legislative assembly. The amount of proxies that a delegate holds determines their voting power. Qualified members also have the option of casting their own vote during sessions. The final version of the legislation will be published and given to Congress in the fall of 2024.
Delegates to the assembly must be organizers in good standing; have reached 15/3; complete a stage one challenge at least every six months; and take a vow of sobriety when the congress is in session. Besides helping individuals make more thoughtful decisions on behalf of those who have entrusted them with voting power, it provides additional moral authority for ending the very violent war on drugs.
Conclusion
The policies and strategies contained within this nonviolent revolution will make people uncomfortable. (Some more than others.) This is intentional - as Bryan Stevenson has said, fixing America will require choosing to do uncomfortable things, because sometimes it is necessary in order to create justice. One of the purposes of the challenges at the first stage is to give individuals a way to demonstrate a willingness to be uncomfortable, especially in service of larger societal goals. (Read more: Change starts with ourselves)
Similarly, supporting the legislative package will require compromise. The various components support cultural, social, and political reforms, and while no one is expected to like everything in it, everyone will come out ahead with its adoption. One of the purposes of the fast for peace is to practice this; fasting and compromise are two sides of the same coin – willingly giving something up.
(Read more: Six reasons to #fastforpeace.)
De-escalating electoral politics requires offering voters a constructive alternative to the status quo. The organizers of the American Union take on a duty to spread a positive vision of a nation which ends poverty, mass incarceration, and the endless wars, and the message of how swing voters can wield the power of nonviolence to achieve it. Like franchisees, organizers represent the national brand in their local communities and the digital sphere, working to grow the membership to the critical 3.5% threshold.
(Read more: The political franchise as a tool for nonviolent social change)
Finally, crowdsourcing the legislative process in the style of open-source software or Wikipedia is a natural progression for democracy. Currently, politicians often seek political capital by generating controversy; the people’s legislative assembly rewards the creation of mental discipline and leading by example. By creating a parallel structure to the dysfunctional dynamic in DC, power can be wrested away from the entrenched interests, and returned to where it rightfully belongs: with the American people.
Together, we can construct a more perfect union.