Breaking Through Gridlock

Public confidence in Congress has never been lower, and a disillusioned public believes government isn’t working and politicians aren’t listening. Members of Congress from both parties need a way to break through this gridlock and restore public confidence.

The question is, how?

We see a way based on the founding principles of our republic: that government exists to serve the people, and to do so, the people must have a stronger voice in government. Stronger does not mean louder, more shrill, better funded, or better organized. It means, as Alexander Hamilton said, that “the deliberate sense of the community … should govern.”

Americans believe, as did the founders, that the common sense of the people can help break through polarization and gridlock, find common ground and help government better serve the common good.

An abundance of research says they are right. The American people are far less polarized than Congress and more apt to compromise and arrive at practical solutions. When given correct information, the public as a whole shows remarkable intelligence. And research consistently demonstrates that the public tends to put the common good before self-interest. Clearly, hearing from the people — a truly representative sample of all the people — would help our government make better decisions.

That is why we’re proud to be associated with a new organization called Voice of the People, which just launched. This group has found a way to use modern technology and new methods to give the American people a more effective voice in government.

Voice of the People is calling on Congress to establish a national “Citizen Cabinet” — a large standing panel of U.S. citizens, scientifically selected to represent the people. Every member of Congress would hear from a sample of their constituents with a degree of accuracy not previously available, even for those who know their districts well.

Citizen Cabinet members would not run for office or be appointed by politicians. Instead, a truly representative sample — 120,000 of our fellow citizens, consisting of 275 in every congressional district — would be tapped to serve for a finite period of nine to 12 months. Like a jury impaneled to represent the community but protected from external pressure, Citizen Cabinet members’ names would be confidential. But their aggregated views on issues of the day would be made public.

Citizen Cabinet members would be briefed and asked to weigh in on issues facing Congress… They would be given unbiased background information reviewed by experts and congressional staff from both parties. They would evaluate competing arguments and then make their recommendations. Results would be broken out by Congressional district and state, and reported to the president, Congress, the media and the public. Congress and the president would continue to decide policy, but with the benefit of informed input from a truly representative sample of constituents.

A Citizen Cabinet would provide our nation’s leaders with much more useful information than any poll. Polls can provide a snapshot of voter thinking, but those surveyed may be ill-informed or misinformed. Telephone calls, emails and letters to Congress [and] those most vocal at town hall meetings are not reliable purveyors of the totality of public opinion. These inputs are often generated by organized interests or extreme voices that are not truly representative.

Moreover, a Citizen Cabinet’s “deliberate sense of the community,” arrived at after reviewing facts, hearing all sides, and weighing tradeoffs, would provide reinforcement to members of Congress to do what they think is right when faced with difficult choices…

Not surprisingly, the American people love this idea, with three-quarters expressing support in a poll by the Program for Public Consultation. As former members of Congress from different parties, we wholeheartedly encourage our former colleagues in Congress to embrace the creation of a Citizen Cabinet that will ensure our democracy is truly “of the people, by the people, and for the people.”

This article appeared in print on page 10 of the November 8th, 2013 edition of Hamodia.