http://j.mp/KVJgPm
In this article, Eric Liu advocates for more robust civic engagement, that is, regular "every-day" citizens taking more responsibility and exerting more direct control over their political and social institutions. In other words, Liu seems to be saying that we should move away from organizing ourselves as a republic, wherein elected officials conduct the public's business, and toward direct democracy. Such a move would certainly help people feel that they have a more direct and meaningful role in their self-governance. It would also make political and social institutions answerable directly to the public. People could not complain that their votes were not meaningful or did not count.
But in our very large and complex government, direct democracy may not be workable or any more meaningful than a system of elected public officials. People would have to vote on each regulation or bill. To provide for meaningful debate and comment on ever matter, town hall meetings would need to be held almost nightly. Perhaps this would work at first, but the general public would quickly tire from such a routine. After a while, only the people with the most time would be able to show up to the debates and to the polls. Or, people with the most money could send representatives on their behalves. Eventually, those already with the most power would have the most influence. Such a state would not seem much different from today's.
The difference would be that the powerful who are controlling the decisions behind the scenes would claim that the decisions made were more justifiable than today's, because it was regular citizens who made them. Without question, Americans should be more involved in their government, especially at the local level. On that point, Liu is right. But is direct democracy the way to go? Must we go back to our roots in order to move forward? Instead, perhaps it is time for us to innovate once more, to recognize that the political institutions that have served us well previously can no longer do the job. We've done that before (see the American Revolution). We can do it again.
