“The remedy for what ails our democracy is not simply better education (as important as that is) or civic education (as important as that can be), but the reestablishment of a genuine democratic discourse in which individuals can participate in a meaningful way – a conversation of democracy in which meritorious ideas and opinions from individuals do, in fact, evoke a meaningful response.”

Al Gore, The Assault on Reason

At its core, the Activist Solutions program is an attempt to create a new kind of political dialogue where everyone is included and can get a hearing, substantive solutions can be put forward sincerely and discussed honestly, and enough consensus can generate to make change happen. Finally, the process itself must be meaningful and enjoyable enough to make participation grow over time.

Our critique of the current state of political dialogue is implied in this proposed remedy. Most political conversation is not inclusive. It is usually not solutions-oriented, and most ideas are not put forward frankly or discussed with the intent of understanding rather than arguing. If agreement is reached, it is just “talk” – we are not likely to forge a working alliance around it or have the capacity or the drive to do anything about it. As a result of all of the above, the process of political interaction is too often unpleasant, and even more often feels like a waste of time, and participation in and respect for the political process has been dwindling for many years.