What is Truly Needed to Restore Our Democracy
Motivated by the will of the people expressed during the midterms, Nancy Pelosi, John Sarbanes and others introduced House Bill H.R. 1 on January 4. It includes a number of useful provisions to restore our democracy including:
- making it easier to vote (easier registration and access, reaffirmation of voting rights act, improvements to election infrastructure)
- ending the dominance of big money in our politics (donation disclosure, honest ads, small contribution incentives)
- ensuring public officials work for the public interest (ethics and conflict of interest laws)
Their approach is to utilize the Democratic majority to pass it in the House, and then have it ignored or rejected by the Republican majority in the Senate. This would be the first step on the path to eventually reforming our election system, assuming Democrats take over the Presidency and both branches of government in 2020.
They are correct that we the people recognize that big money and corporate interests have undermined our will and subverted policy-making in Washington. Americans are indeed fed up with the current political situation, and big money has played a major role in creating the current problems with our electoral system. However, they are missing one very important element that we Americans understand all too well. Congress is broken because Democrats and Republicans are not working together to create good legislation.
Continuing to write legislation that is only supported by one political party is not a recipe for better government. Pelosi and Sarbanes have the opportunity to begin to repair this divide starting with a new Congress, and their approach to H.R. 1. If they truly want to help the American people, they will find ways to work effectively with members of the opposing party. Campaign finance reform and the success of our entire nation require they make this work.
