Today’s Good News: Claim Democracy 1: Grover Norquist Not An Asshole
Last weekend I attended the Claim Democracy conference in DC, sponsored by FairVote. This meeting brought together a wide range of folks interested in fixing our broken political system. I met some great people, reconnected with some Green Party friends, and learned about some great things going on right now. I will highlight a few of them here. The first bit of good news: Grover Norquist is not an asshole. When I saw Norquist’s name on the opening plenary session, I was extremely suspicious. Isn’t this taking “bi-partisanship” a bit too far, I asked myself. Isn’t this the guy who said he wanted to make government small enough to drown in a bathtub?
Well, he not only seemed personally charming, he has done some really good things. He supports proportional representation, and said reasonably that it should start small, in places like Vermont and Idaho, so we can show the right wingers that we “won’t steal their guns.” He has also worked with Ralph Nader on an effort to increase transparency by getting government contracts and legislation posted online, with enough time for the press and legislators to absorb them. He also doesn’t think we should have “dynasties” in government, like where so many wives and sons follow men into elected positions. He seems sincere about wanting to improve government. Who knew??
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