Well intended Reformers Don't Get It

What stands between supporters of an Article V Constitutional Convention and actually seeing their dream become a reality? Congressional incumbents opposed to such a Convention.

What stands between supporters of Congressional term limits and actual legislation invoking term limits on Congressional politicians? Congressional incumbents opposed to term limits.

What stands between supporters of GOOOH and electing their own grass roots candidates to the federal Congress? Answer: Congressional incumbents opposed to rivals and challengers who might unseat them. GOOOH doesn't understand that BEFORE they can elect their own candidates, they first have to convince the voters of the wisdom of voting out their incumbent representative. GOOOH leadership lacks an understanding of first principles, and the absolute necessity for a majority in democratic elections, which means tying their organization's results to a larger majority of voters voting for something bigger and sounder than just another political party.

All reform organizations have one thing in common? Their need to support and grow the Vote Out Incumbents Democracy political action committee's efforts, in order to dramatically grow the numbers of voters willing to vote for a challenger to an incumbent already in Congress. None of these other organizations can hope to make inroads into Congress, or reform, as long as the Congress remains populated with a majority of incumbents opposed to such organizations and reforms.

So why does GOOOH refuse to even list VOID on their web site? Why don't more Article V Convention supporters engage and work with VOID to help bring about their own goal? Why does the Independent Party ignore VOID as the vehicle to their own rise to rival the Duopoly Parties? I frankly can't answer that question. One would have to ask their leadership and organizers why they refuse to take the most obvious first step to make their dreams of a better federal government a reality.

We have reached out to all these organizations, one way or another in the past, with the logical and common sense proposal to organize ALL voters disgruntled with Congress for whatever reasons, to unseat incumbents. But, they all appear to fail to see how that would further their cause. Perplexing, isn't it?

It would appear they fail to comprehend the concept of leveraging. GOOOH could leverage the supporters of the Article V Convention folks, the Independent Party, and Term Limit supporters, and VOID supporters in their first and primary objective of organizing and educating voters to vote out their own incumbent representative. But, the GOOOH leadership truly fails to comprehend that getting voters to vote against their incumbent representative is the first step to electing GOOOH candidates. Why? Again, I cannot answer that question. I have made this same appeal of reason to the leader of GOOOH, but, he just doesn't comprehend it.

The folks at VOID, of which I am one, understand that retraining voters to act in opposition to their incumbent representatives, in the voter's own self-interest, is the first and foremost step to be taken. If voters wish to acquire the power to influence Congress and control their representative's agenda in the voter's interests, instead of the wealthy special interests, the corporate interests, or the Duopoly Party's interests, the voters must first demonstrate they control who gets elected.

Congress represents those who control their reelection campaigns, funds, and media campaigns. The majority of voters respond to those reelection campaigns, funds, and media campaigns as if they were the only game in town. That is what has to change before Congress will change the way it governs and uses tax payers. An anti-incumbent sentiment and strategy taken up by the voters as their best friend and defense at election time, is key to any kind of improvement in the results of Congress.

Switching from the GOP to the Democratic Party and back again is not improvement. It is exchanging one set of devastating national problems with another set. That is because the majority of Congress persons yield to their Party, their wealthy campaign contributors, and their media influential organizational contributors, in pretty much that order, before they ever get around to representing what would be in the best interest of voters and this nation, if that is possible at all.

And switching parties does not address the fundamental problem. The fundamental problem is that voters are not in control of the elections, or even their own vote. They vote as their Party dictates. They vote for what they read from their Incumbent's mailings to them at tax payer cost. They vote for who they most recognize. They vote for a single or small cluster of issues instead of the future of this nation as a whole. Voters are not dumb. They simply lack an appreciation for an alternative to voting for a Political Party instead of their own, their children's, and the nation's future.

VOID offers voters an alternative to voting for the status quo, perpetuating ineffective, corrupt, and self-serving incumbents at the rate of 80 to 90% each and every election. But, it takes word of mouth discussions, dollar support, media reach, and an ever widening number of organizations building their own success on the back of VOID's success. As VOID becomes more successful in creating a majority of voters whose common strength and agenda is the understanding and need to remove the status quo from Congress, especially the ineffective, corrupt, and irresponsible, our government will improve, and needed reforms will take place.

If you are a supporter of GOOOH, the Independence Caucus, or any other organization seeking reforms in our government and improvement in our nation's future, you should sincerely consider asking your organization's leadership why they ARE NOT YET supporting VOID's efforts as their first major step to success. Vote Out Incumbents Democracy is the wedge that can open the doors of consensus to elect challengers instead of ineffective, corrupt, and self-serving incumbents. And that opens the elective door for GOOOH, Tenure Corrupts, and a number of other organizations seeking a better future and government in America.

Nelson Walker of Tenure Corrupts gets it. Mr. Walker emailed me awhile back and in his email he had this to say:

"CONGRESS, with a 9% approval rating, is still getting a 95% REELECTION RATE!!! ... My latest thoughts revolve around the fact that there are many groups like us around the country (see partial list below) , who in their own way are trying to take back the Congress. Each may have built a following, in which there may be some overlap with others. We all ought to get together.

For any reform organization to neglect support of VOID and its efforts, is to fail to take the first concrete step to making their organization's goal a reality. If reform organization leaders don't get it, perhaps their supporters need new leadership before they can hope to reform the Congress and our nation's future. Persuading voters to vote against their own incumbents and for challengers in general, due to their dissatisfaction with Congress, is the path to government reform.

VOID is the only organization with that singular objective and agenda, as its reason for existence. Which makes VOID truly non-partisan, and non-affiliated with any political party, candidate, or political agenda other than forcing greater numbers of newly elected Congressional representatives to represent the people's and nation's needs, above those of Party, special interest lobbyists, and wealthy campaign contributors; or fail to be reelected. If they fail to get reelected, the voters will control the Congress, and no one else. Politicians will understand this like they understand nothing else so clearly.

So, why again does GOOOH refuse to list VOID on their web site? Why does FOAVC leadership fail to understand that voting out incumbents must come before getting Congress to recognize the State's call for a Constitutional Convention? Why again, does the Independence Caucus not recognize VOID as the spearhead of their own movement, and advocate for VOID?

Like Congress, such reform organizations too often get led by a few with too narrow a focus. A narrow focus which attends specific reform but doesn't address a national effort and consensus to remove status quo incumbents first and foremost, is a self-defeating strategy. Reform begins with removing from Congress those opposed to reform. And that requires a majority on election day. A single issue reform organization is incapable of creating that majority. That is why America needs Vote Out Incumbents Democracy to rally around and support, in order to address directly the obstacle to reform for a better Congress and future for us all.

And the obstacle is a voter mindset which seeks to reelect incumbents because that is what incumbents have convinced them is the right thing to do. First principles requires addressing first obstacles, in order for progress to proceed.

By David R. Remer
Published: May 15, 2009 11:16 AM
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