A different kind of politics

Feeling queasy about the California ship of state? Lost some faith in the Democratic and Republican parties? Maybe there is a reason. Arguably, the boat is on the rocks. The parties certainly seem to be distracted by endless mortal combat. And, they are controlled by their own political interests and special interests with their money.

The question is whether or not there is enough discontent among California voters to want to do something about politics as usual. But, do what? Something that comes to mind is forming a moderate political party. That party could differ from politics as usual by serving the public interest first and special interests, which include party interests, second. That would be different. It could be more transparent and more open to political participation by its members. It could differ by focusing more on facts, reality and common sense than a focus on political ideology, polarization and spin.

A reasonable guess is that a lot of people are not happy with politics. That opinion is based on the fact that the number of people registered as independent voters has been increasing for over 20 years (17.7% in 2004 for California; 40% nationwide in 2010). Many Californians that care about politics, maybe most, are unhappy with the political status quo. Despite that, not much seems to be in the works to fix it. 

Whining doesn't work

This blog isn't here to voice complaints about what Democrats or Republicans have done badly or failed to do. It is here to foster change and political competition. At this point, either people are happy with the existing political parties and business as usual in California or they are not. Others can voice the complaints. I want to test the temperature of the discontent by seeing if there is a real chance to build a new party. If it is hot enough, then maybe a viable challenge is possible.

Low traction parties and platforms

It is fair to say that, despite the discontent, third parties and groups like the Libertarians, Greens, Nazis, Communists, Socialists, Christian Zionists and all the rest, do not have much popular appeal. So what is left to try? What is left is this. A party that is focused on finding 'unspun truth' (which will be clearly and simply defined a later post), intelligent, common sense problem solving and true dedication to public service. That is in comparison to the present major and minor political parties, which build complex temples of political ideology to worship and defend in the name of public service.

The question is whether forming a new California moderate party under current circumstances has a chance to succeed. Given the discontent, maybe it does. Subsequent posts will be directed to facilitating the formation of a new political party or describing ways in which a new party could be different from what we have now. Anyone interested can contact me by leaving a comment with contact information.