etee's Blog

Seen yesterday over at Polimom:

I don’t think you have to agree with Polimom’s politics to support this statement:

“To the Congress of the United States: As We the People vote today we are asking you to do your part and end the blame-game politics of Washington. Partisan bickering cannot solve the crucial issues we face. America deserves better.”

If those words speak to you, Unity08’s petition is here.

What she is referring to is a group of high school students calling itself Unity08. It appears that their push at this time is for an end to the partisan bickering that has plagued our political landscape. However, their desire to remake the political landscape extends beyond this election: their goal in 2008 is no less than a re-invention of the Executive Branch, taking it back to its roots in the early days of the Republic, when the President and Vice President might well have come from separate parties.

I don't know that their plan has a realistic chance of coming to fruition, as it would require changes to the election laws in all 50 states (and the notion that the nomination process would be handled entirely online raises some issues around accessibility to those lacking Internet access, as well as the security and integrity of the process.) However, it is an intriguing concept, and it represents a creative approach to resolving the impasse we have in Washington and elsewhere.

But, the one thing that scares me more than the current political mess is a political situation where lawmaking goes smoothly, with little fuss and controversy. The idea of politicians passing laws in a streamlined process is simply terrifying.

Shudder

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