At present, running for office is a task that would almost entirely yield candidates with extroverted personalities with high degrees of self confidence. This elected body was intended to be a deeply thoughtful, intellectual and humble group of citizens that represent the people of their district and work soberly and selflessly to further their interests as well as the interests of our country. I picture the founders’ image of this body as solemn, introspective and contemplative. Willing to consider viewpoints of others and perhaps on occasion concede and compromise on positions they had formerly held with strong convictions. At present, we have a radical overrepresentation of the worst individuals rather frankly. Certainly some of the least introspective and most self aggrandizing grifters that our great country has to offer.
We need more introverts and those who are not inclined to self select as the best candidates to become candidates. My proposition to remedy is insanely simple and elegant in my opinion: randomly appointed citizens summoned at random to legislate. We would be governed by a representative sample of our country as was intended. Why do we accept to be judged by a jury of our peers and potentially delegate to them the decision that would suspend all of our individual liberties and even life in the court room, but not trust them to do the same good faith and sober duty of crafting and refining and maintaining the laws by which we are all socially contracted to follow.
Like a good neighbor, your randomly selected class of legislators will be there. Sequestered and solemnly seeking consensus of our evolving values and needs as a country and a community of people in this land. I’m sure the experts and elites and handsome handshaking politicians will say this would never work. But at this point I would place my trust in each reader of this sentence and exponentially so when we assemble a representative sample and work when summoned to do our sacred duty of maintaining the democracy and vibrant society we’ve built together as a nation working in good faith alongside good people.
This is the real silent majority and I dream of the day to be governed by them. by you. After all it is supposed to be a government for the people by the people. It doesn’t get much clearer than that.