A broken Congress, where “winning” trumps governing. Can we fix it?

“We have to look at states [for] models” – Norman Ornstein

Our Campaign is the first to commit to the ONLY PROVEN way to reform Congress – a reform already successfully tested in a large, real-world Pilot Project, with bipartisan support.

Evidence?

80 years' worth.

How could there be a proven reform,

​

applicable to Congress,

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field-tested in a large-scale Pilot Project, for 80 years . . .

and no one knows about it ?

Wyoming, a state not given to proselytizing, gave women the vote in 1869, but didn’t boast about it.

Maryland, not paying attention, followed glacially, 72 years later.(1941)

Fast Forward : The proven, Western-state model for Congressional Reform -- Pilot-tested for 80 years is in Wyoming's neighbor, Nebraska.

(And it isn't about Unicameralism)

It’s about being officially nonpartisan.

No Majority/Minority/Leaders/Whips. (Congress had none either - until 1899; a simple Rule change, they’re gone, again.)

Will there be resistance? Powerful, privileged men resisted women’s suffrage, too.

Instead, all members elect the Speaker, and Committee Chairpersons, by secret ballot.

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In RED Nebraska, "Senators", electing their Chairpersons by secret ballot, with no official partisan structure or pressure, elected Democrats, in 2015, to chair 8 of the Legislature's 14 standing committees . That happens no where else in all of America. ​

Political Parties still participate. But don't control. Nor constantly divide.

​And antagonize.​

All the M​embers of Congress become​ empowered.

Without party bosses & whips, telling them how to vote, M​embers do their jobs - study the issues & vote on the merits, rather than being forced to obey, and do as they are instructed, like sheep whipped around by their masters.

Nebraska, a "Red" state, has operated this way for 80 years. In 2015, the legislature there, absent party bosses, whips and dictates:

•eliminated the death penalty;

•raised the minimum wage;

•raised the gas tax;

•gave undocumented DREAMERS driver’s licenses.

Why? Because, without "party discipline", they could vote on the merits, Nebraska is still a RED state. But now, their legislators can think for themselves.

A majority of Congress members also don’t want to be sheep.

And that's why - although it will likely take 1-4 years before we can get a final vote to implement these simple reforms in the Rules*of Congress - we can fix Congress. ​

​* With Two Rules changes:

1) Eliminate the 10 or so divisive, partisan Political party positions - Majority/Minority leaders, Whips, party caucuses/conferences; and ban official, structural partisanship from the Capitol (as has been the case in Lincoln, for 80 years) ​;

2) let all House Members elect the Speaker, and the nineteen Chairs of the Standing Committees, all by secret ballot (as is done in Lincoln).

For good measure, we'll also push to enact Congressman John Delaney's (Md-6) "Open Our Democracy Act" , which calls for implementation of open, nonpartisan primary elections for Congressional seats, nationwide.

​Based on the 80-year, real-world Pilot Project & Field Test, in Lincoln, here are the predicted results, in journalistic parlance :

The Atlantic (2015)

Politico​ (2014)

NPR (2015)