Where does a new coalition come from? Not, I think, from the habits and narratives that got us where we are now. Not, I think, from blame, accusation, or concession to some “new normal” where ignoring evidence, suborning prejudice, and inciting fear are acceptable forms of leadership. Not even from the recognition and naming of oppression, which is both necessary and insufficient.

We live in a representative democracy, which means that we elect well- or poorly-chosen individuals to take care of governance on our behalf. Yet somehow, we have begun equating governance with responsibility, and now we begin to think the only way to solve a problem is through those self-same representatives, however ill-qualified they may be for the job. And thus, we look at congress at declaim partisan gridlock, but we take no responsibility for it ourselves.

So let’s. Politics is, in theory, of the people. It is, in theory, for the people. Why do we make ineffectual choices, and then express surprise when they ask for our votes and our money, but not our ideas? The one thing we agree on across party lines is that our government regularly fails to meet our needs. Thus, I think it is time for a politics of service.

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