It’s Coronation Day! On May 6, 2023, the world witnessed the making of a new king in Britain. It’s a bit of an ancient ritual that has often coincided with the privileges of power and wealth in society at large. For thousands of years, human society has dealt with the rituals of power and politics. In the democratic political system of the United States of America – a constitutional republic – the political parties that dominate our system have become the kingmakers of our time.
This post is preliminary to the publication of The Common Sense Papers - A collection of essays written in favor of a new national independent political coalition for the common good of all U.S. citizens. I want to address why I am starting this project. This journey crystallized in another country, watching a different crisis unfold, and having the mysterious voice inside my head start asking questions that begged to be answered.
The 21st Century has brought to American political life an escalating series of battles and concerns. We have witnessed organized terror within our own land (2001). We have witnessed a great financial crisis that rippled through our housing sector (2008-2009). We have witnessed a global pandemic that shuttered many businesses and deprived young people of educational opportunities (2020-2023). We have witnessed a series of forces that have brought political polarization into sharp focus. The toxic dysfunction of national politics leads to headlines and discussions that seem dystopian and dreamlike for many Americans. Amid the plummeting approval ratings for Congress and other government institutions, we are left with questions. We wonder where to find answers. We are looking for vision and the possibility of some path to a brighter future, not just for ourselves, but for the collective soul of America.
The language of politics, as filtered through media, has become partisan, disparaging, and hostile. Here are just a few examples of some current trigger words that are tossed around across the political spectrum: fascist, systemic racism, fake news, deep state, climate denier, cancel culture, social justice, defund the police, QAnon, income inequality, and critical race theory (CRT). As culture wars and other divisions of society manifest, the dominant two-party political machinery has become complicit in the downward spiral of American political life. These forces weighed on my mind in the summer of 2022.
In July 2022, the real moment of political awareness crystallized for me. I celebrated the 4th of July in Oxford, England on my way to London while on a vacation trip with my extended family. The next day I attended various meetings at a committee of the UK Parliament on the topic of religious liberty. By the afternoon of the 5th, I was sitting in the gallery of the House of Commons watching fierce debate regarding the scandal implicating Prime Minister Boris Johnson - the calls for his resignation were vociferous and intense coming from all directions. As I walked off the London Tube on July 7th and saw the fresh newspapers announcing his resignation (between the night of the 5th and the morning of the 7th, 60 members of his government and party had resigned), a powerful series of thoughts gripped me: “what if the dysfunctional political duopoly in the U.S. could fall just as fast? how could it be done? is it even possible?”
It's been ten months since that moment, and I have spent most of my spare time developing the blueprint for what I refer to as Operation Common Sense. I've read or referenced 50 books on politics and political theory; I’ve joined more than half a dozen political organizations to up my grassroots toolkit; and I've penned nearly 50 essays that will comprise this Substack to answer the questions to the American people. The essays are a work of MATH, a form of political calculus – an attempt to Make America Think Harder. I feel compelled to bring this message and strategy to the light of day and give it a fair presentation in the marketplace of ideas to see if it will rise or fall for the good of the American people.
A quote from Elon Musk created the tipping point for my undertaking this project: “When something is important enough, you do it even if the odds are not in your favor.” According to author Malcolm Gladwell, there are three key ingredients to major tipping points – context, message, and messengers. I believe the prolonged dissatisfaction stemming from political power games has created the context for a political system revolution of the American people – a peaceful, thoughtful, careful, prudent, logical, optimistic, uplifting, and healing political system revolution. We are simply missing two key ingredients: a highly compelling message and a significant number of influential messengers to spread the word throughout their networks. So, while fully realizing that any new political movement is a long-shot cause, I want to share my “why” for offering this message. When life asks you a serious question, how do you answer? Think about it.
This is a personal project for me that has many layers of “why”. Politics has become the most key area in public life where we act as though full discrimination is acceptable - you weren't born a Democrat, Republican, or Libertarian, you chose that. It's on you. Perhaps to avoid tribes and labels you choose to be Independent like almost half of the country - so that's now cool. As political parties and media companies began to build and appeal to identity brands, the tribal status of politics took hold. Politics became uniquely dangerous to public judgment, not simply contentious in policy disagreement. Social media amplified the sorting and polarizing of the electorate bases housed in the two-party system, each with its own extreme faction. To jump into the fray might risk your professional veneer - so, many have learned to be silent on political talking points. Many who choose activism for a living shout loudly for the world to hear and take notice.
I'm launching The Common Sense Papers to propose a new movement for citizens to reboot the American political system. I invite you to subscribe to The Common Sense Papers, where the community discussion is going to take place.
The full political pitch to the American people will begin by July 4, 2023. In brief, HERE IS MY POLITICAL WHY:
I'm proposing the creation of a new movement to reboot the American political system because...
Politics has turned dreadful.
There is too much corruption in public life (and thus private life).
Culture wars look interminable.
Poverty exists in a land of plenty.
Young people are suffering.
The American dream is dying.
A healing influence needs to move upon the citizens of this great land and bring an end to the polarizing divisions that are hurting our social fabric.
I love my fellow Americans and I believe there is a better way forward, thus, I feel compelled to speak out and let the American people decide what is best for our shared destiny.