Our political system is broken
In 1972, Gallup asked Americans how much trust and confidence they had in the federal government to handle domestic problems–70% said either a “great deal” or “fair amount,” and 29% said either “not very much” or “none at all.” When asked the same question in 2021, just 39% answered a “great deal” or “fair amount,” and 60% said either “not very much” or “none at all” (the remainder answered “no opinion”).
Pew Research Center’s consensus news polls are even more dire, with just 21% of saying they can trust the government in Washington to do what is right “just about always” (2%) or “most of the time” (19%).
Think about that. A majority of Americans used to trust their government, but no longer feel like they can.
This is a problem. If you ask Americans to think about who the people in Washington, D.C. work for, most would come up with some variation of the following list:
- Themselves and their power
- Rich donors
- Corporations
- Their party
- Special interests
See anything missing in that list? Yes. You. YOU are missing! So, who is working for you?
Who’s looking out for you?
Who has your best interests in mind? Not your representatives, that’s pretty clear.
It doesn’t matter what party is in power, who is President, or whether the representatives are long time incumbents or new to politics. They all serve interests other than yours.
Here’s some evidence:
Politifact tracks politician’s promises, focusing on the president and the party in power. They show President Trump kept his promises 23 percent of the time while in office.
President Biden, 2 years into his administration is also at 23 percent, with 28 percent “stalled” and another 33 percent as “in the works.”
President Biden’s approval rating is at 41 percent and the job approval rating for Congress is an abysmal 21 percent (with 75 percent disapproval).
If the leadership of the Federal Government were in a private business, they would be out on the street!
But the press is watching our backs, right? Nope.
The professional press is supposed to be a watchdog for citizens, giving us an ear to otherwise hidden facts and a voice to participate in otherwise private conversations. This “fourth estate” has a responsibility to keep politicians in check and keep them honest.
But are they doing that job effectively?
Gallup reported in 2019 that American’s trust in the mass media “to report the news fully, accurately and fairly” has dropped to its lowest level in their polling history (less than 25% saying they have a great deal of confidence in the media). There are many possible reasons for this, one being the proliferation of online “reporting” in free blogs and social media that has undercut the financial base of professional reporting. Others point to systemic problems including political and social bias and shifts in consumer expectations for what is “fair”.
In fact, a recent Columbia Journalism Review poll found that 42% of Democrats believe the media does not have a partisan bias, while just 10% of Republicans believe the same. The press, it seems, has little interest in representing the facts, and more and more in pandering to biased public opinion.
When it comes to looking out for the best interest of the country as a whole, it seems we’re on our own. How on earth did it get this way?
Our current dysfunction
The politicians seem to be losing their focus, but it wasn’t supposed to be this way. Our founders set up a system intended to give everyone a chance at the American dream. The job of our representatives in federal government is not just to represent the people of their state, but to balance those interests with the best interests of the country. They are chartered with taking the incredible diversity of ideas, opinions, and needs of the whole republic and, with their colleagues, synthesize those into policy that serves everyone.
We have often been very far from our ideals. From the travesty of slavery to the persistent struggle for the rights of women and minorities, to the failure of the press, we have fought, violently at times, to live up to the model of equality and liberty to “pursue happiness” within the context of American law and culture. Our current dysfunction is a failure of state, but fortunately we have a powerful, peaceful way of “altering” our government, and each of us can participate.
It comes down to this. If you’re a citizen, we have to tell you something you won’t want to hear, but there’s really no getting around it–the current situation is your fault. Not you specifically, of course, it’s the fault of all of us. Why? Well, it comes down to something written into the basic foundations of the American republic. We read in the Declaration of Independence:
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.
You see, our government exists only by the consent of the governed. That’s you. That’s me. It’s all citizens. Whatever dysfunction exists in our government is there because we the governed have allowed it to form, fester, and flourish. We’ve given our consent by our collective political tribalism, apathy, and inaction.
Voters succumb to the echo chamber of internet media and have forced the mainstream media to become more polarized and sensational to ensure they can grab our increasingly limited attention. Then we cheer on the loudest hardline politicians in that echo chamber. The result is that our government is no longer an institution focused on governing the whole of the republic, but a highly charged political battle ground intent on making sure just one side controls power to appease the fringe in their party.
When eligible voters don’t vote, it exacerbates the issues. Apathy plays a primary role, with just 65% of eligible voters voting in presidential elections, and far fewer in local and primary elections. And whether we vote or not, it doesn’t stop us from having political opinions. We take hardline stances aligned to political parties and deem those who disagree with our party not just wrong, but evil people that must be shouted down and silenced. We expect the same from our politicians and punish those who don’t fall in line.
This dysfunctional state is a government of our making, and thus we have the government we deserve. If our representatives and public institutions have become dysfunctional and we have allowed it to happen, what can be done?
Take away their power
Politicians aren’t doing their job. The Press isn’t doing their job. And we the people aren’t doing our job. What can be done?
We need a simple way for citizens to demand accountability from politicians and encourage representation of the whole republic with the consent of the governed. We can do this by putting their jobs, and thus their power, on the line with the most powerful tool we have – our vote . It will require us to come together with a simple idea we call IncumbentXchange.
IncumbentXchange activates citizens to vote out every single incumbent in federal office in every election until governance is demonstrably “of the people, by the people and for the people.”
In other words, voters are exchanging incumbents with new representatives every election. By sending a message to politicians that they must all work for collective governance or they all lose their jobs, their behavior will improve…over time. As long as the system remains dysfunctional we must assert our power as the governed and not give our consent to those that are part of that system.
See, IncumbentXchange operates with the expectation that there are many more people who want a collaborative, functional government than there are people on the extremes who are looking only for a government that supports their group. Extremists may have the loudest voices right now, but it’s time for the silent majority to be silent no longer.
IncumbentXchange is:
- A simple approach to political change that uses the most powerful tool a citizen has – the vote.
- A non-partisan activist movement that anyone can join regardless of your party or political views.
- A way to empower every citizen without having to follow every single issue, worry about districting, or be an expert on candidate “performance.”
- A way to address the systemic problems in Washington while working entirely within the existing system. Legislators are still accountable to do their jobs.
IncumbentXchange is not:
- An attempt at direct democracy. IncumbentXchange does not seek to direct legislation, to direct politicians toward specific policies, or amend the Constitution. Rather, we seek representation that is far more collaborative and far less politicized.
- A PAC or issue-based movement. We do not support specific policies or candidates. Voters are free to choose any candidate they like (other than incumbents) and follow any political ideology.
- An attempt to change the fundamentals of our representative government. We just want it to work better.
Sound interesting? Read on.
How it works
IncumbentXchange demands accountability from all our politicians. It works by IncumbentXchange members (“xchangers”) voting in every federal election, including primaries.
Wherever there is an incumbent we will vote to replace that incumbent. The goal here is not to evaluate the job of any individual politician, but change the parts of our dysfunctional system. When the system is not working the defective parts must be replaced.
For this to be effective it will require members to strictly follow some core principles:
1. We have no sacred cows – we vote out all incumbents, no exceptions.
In the 2024 elections, that means the following people in each federal branch would be voted out of office:
Executive:
| Position | Incumbent |
|---|---|
| President | Joe Biden |
| Vice President | Kamala Harris |
United States Senate:
| State | Incumbent |
|---|---|
| Arizona | Kyrsten Sinema |
| California | Dianne Feinstein |
| Connecticut | Chris Murphy |
| Delaware | Tom Carper |
| Florida | Rick Scott |
| Hawaii | Mazie Hirono |
| Indiana | Mike Braun |
| Maine | Angus King |
| Maryland | Ben Cardin |
| Massachusetts | Elizabeth Warren |
| Michigan | Debbie Stabenow |
| Minnesota | Amy Klobuchar |
| Mississippi | Roger Wicker |
| Missouri | Josh Hawley |
| Montana | Jon Tester |
| Nebraska | Deb Fischer |
| Nevada | Jacky Rosen |
| New Jersey | Bob Menendez |
| New Mexico | Martin Heinrich |
| New York | Kirsten Gillibrand |
| North Dakota | Kevin Cramer |
| Ohio | Sherrod Brown |
| Pennsylvania | Bob Casey Jr. |
| Rhode Island | Sheldon Whitehouse |
| Tennessee | Marsha Blackburn |
| Texas | Ted Cruz |
| Utah | Mitt Romney |
| Vermont | Bernie Sanders |
| Virginia | Tim Kaine |
| Washington | Maria Cantwell |
| West Virginia | Joe Manchin |
| Wisconsin | Tammy Baldwin |
| Wyoming | John Barrasso |
House of Representatives:
All 435 House seats. Here is the official list of representatives by state.
If you can’t vote to replace even a single candidate in the lists above, IncumbentXchange is not for you. You should vote as you normally would, which is a vote for the status quo.
2. We do not abstain
We vote in every election, including primaries. We understand our vote can be of any party or political affiliation. If we feel no viable candidate is on the ballot, we will write in a candidate.
3. We vote for the good of the republic.
We do not vote based solely on party, but rather for candidates we believe will further the cause of collaborative governance. While we are free to vote along party lines, we are committed to replace every incumbent, regardless of party. But it may also mean that we may vote for someone outside our normal party if that is the best way to replace an incumbent. A good test is to think of who would be your least favorable candidate for President of the United States. If you couldn’t vote for that person in order to replace the incumbent, IncumbentXchange is not for you. Remember, we’re about systemic change over the long term, not about short term partisan politics.
Above we describe the method of political change, but what are we asking from our public servants?
What we expect
So we have a way to demand more from our representatives, but how will we know it’s working? Well, we’re going to make it very simple.
Our representatives must do their job and pass bi-partisan legislation with supermajority votes that are in the best interest of the whole of the United States.
During each legislative cycle, IncumbentXchange will track and report on the votes of every member of the executive and legislative branches of government and report back to you, the voter. Any member who does not vote for bi-partisan legislation will be included on our “replacement list” in the next election. It’s that simple.
Supermajority defined
IncumbentXchange defines a supermajority as a 3⁄5 vote, or 60% of the total members of congress, plus the President and Vice President voting on a bill. Abstentions count as a “no” vote.
We will start this process by replacing every incumbent in the 2024 election. If our representatives cannot be accountable for dealing with some of the most critical issues facing our country in a bipartisan fashion, incumbents will again be voted out in the 2026 mid-terms and the 2028 Presidential elections.
If this sounds radical, it is. IncumbentXchange is for people who are fed up with the status quo of ideological infighting and party hard-liners and are looking for serious positive change. “But,” you may be thinking, “couldn’t something this dramatic have some downsides?” We believe the positives far outweigh any negatives, but continue to the Concerns section if you’re still not convinced.
I Have Concerns
So you’re considering becoming an Xchanger, but you’re not convinced it will all work out. Let’s examine some common questions.
I vote all the time and nothing changes. Doesn’t this prove my vote doesn’t really count?
If you vote in the “standard” way, meaning you vote for politicians who have convinced you they are going to change things but never really do, then you’re right, your vote doesn’t count for much. That’s precisely what makes IncumbentXchange different. We’re a group of citizens not voting for any particular politicians, but voting for the singular purpose of demanding change in the entire system. Adding your vote to IncumbentXchange makes it extremely powerful.
Until things start to improve, I don’t see most voters doing this, so how can we really get incumbents out?
The good news is that it won’t take everyone, just a core group of dedicated citizens with a passion for change.
Look at the facts:
- In 2020, only about 65 percent of eligible voters voted in the presidential election. The average over the past is even lower than that.
- We know that far fewer eligible voters vote in local and primary elections.
- Most candidates that make to the big national elections must go through the primary system first.
So that means that as long as Xchangers are diligent about voting in every federal election, we have multiple chances to vote out incumbents, and we just need a small percentage of all eligible voters from any political party to do it! If we replace an incumbent in the primaries, for example, they will never be in the national election and we have the rest of the voters helping us find new representatives!
If we’re successful, won’t legislation slow to a crawl?
Yes and no. Representative republics are supposed to be messy and slow – that’s a feature, not a bug. It’s supposed to work by collaboration, consensus, and compromise. It’s supposed to focus on governance for everyone, not for any one particular group. The system of checks and balances mean some things will go more slowly than many would like. That’s also why Federalism is important, allowing state governments to be more aggressive and innovative than the federal government. All that said, the things that are important to the country and have bipartisan support could actually move even more quickly due to increased collaboration and a reduction in partisan politics.
If we’re constantly replacing those with “institutional knowledge” about how things work, won’t government be even less effective?
No, it won’t. Here’s why:
- Just look at how “effective” government is now. We’re starting from a very low point in federal governance.
- We’re voting out incumbents, not everyone. Politicians are voted in for a set term and the number of incumbent representatives each cycle is just a percentage of the whole. The exception is the U.S. House of Representatives, who are voted on a two-year term, making every representative an incumbent each election cycle. Remember, the intent is to send a message that our politicians need to work for the people, not for themselves.
- Most of the administrative work happens by unelected staff, not by the politicians. We successfully transfer power at the highest level of government (the Presidency) every 4-8 years and things keep operating, such as they are, just fine.
- If IncumbentXchange works government will function much better and incumbents won’t need to be replaced in every election over time, reducing or eliminating any replacement costs.
What if a majority of partisan democrats or republicans make up IncumbentXchange voters, won’t that give them an unfair advantage?
The beauty of IncumbentXchange is that it makes a situation like that all but impossible. First, if a partisan really follows IncumbentXchange principles, then they are voting out members of their own party in addition to members of the other party, so we still end up sending the right message. Second, if they are voting strictly along party lines only to remove people they don’t like, well, they were going to do that anyway, so worse case is that we end up with the status quo. There’s extremely little downside risk, but plenty of upside!
Won’t politicians just take a “scorched earth” approach if they know they have limited time in office?
The fact that we expect our politicians to behave in a short-term, self-interested manner exemplifies the problem we have. Some may do this initially, but this is exactly why we need systemic change, and a movement to dramatically change the approach of our politicians, forcing them to represent us and not their own interests. Over time as IncumbentXchange does its job, this problem is eliminated.
Won’t partisan politicians just try and trap their opponents into non-supermajority votes?
In our current environment, we expect every trick in the book. But the beauty of our proposal is that if their opponent loses, they lose. Remember, we replace everyone who does not participate in bipartisan supermajority votes. Everyone. So if one party tries to trap the other party, both sides lose. They will either succeed together or fail together.