Signed in as:
filler@godaddy.com
Which Side Are You On?
Friends and Enemies of Democracy
When we think of “sides” in the context of politics-as-usual in America, we think of Democrats versus Republicans, left wing versus right wing, or liberals versus conservatives. When we shift our focus to making America a Perfect Democracy, these ways of viewing the sides are irrelevant. There are Democrats who believe in democracy and Democrats who don’t. There are Republicans who believe in democracy and Republicans who don’t. There are people on both the left and the right (and centrists) who believe in democracy and people on both the left and the right (and centrists) who don’t. There are liberals and conservatives who believe in democracy and liberals and conservatives who don’t. In a campaign to make America a Perfect Democracy, the "sides" are the True Friends and Champions of Democracy versus the false friends and true enemies of democracy
True Friends of Democracy believe that the “just powers” of governments are derived from “the consent of the governed” and that consent is only properly obtained when every citizen has an equal vote or equal representation and the votes of the majority determine the outcome of elections. True Friends of Democracy believe that laws should be enacted only with the consent of a majority of the people who are to be governed by the laws that are enacted.
Champions of Democracy are True Friends of Democracy who run for office or actively support advocates for democracy who are running for office. Champions of Democracy actively promote the reforms needed to make a government a true democracy as part of their campaign. When elected, Champions of Democracy draft, introduce and/or cosponsor those reforms.
True enemies of democracy argue openly against democracy and in favor of other forms of government when debating the relative merits of various forms of government. Many true enemies of democracy (dictators and their supporters) do not engage in debates about the best form of government; they simply use violence or the threat of violence to seize power.
False friends of democracy are true enemies of democracy but claim to believe in and support democracy. They work covertly to undermine democracy. They support anti-democratic provisions in political systems, claiming the anti-democratic provisions are needed to protect the rights of citizens. They support anti-democratic methods in the conduct of elections, claiming the measures they promote are needed to protect the integrity of elections. They seek to create the illusion of democracy and convince the people of a community, state, or nation that their government is democratic, when it is not.
Democracy is government by the people.
Majority rule (with an equal vote for all citizens) is the essential element of a true democracy. The false friends and true enemies of democracy know that none of the things they want governments to do have the support of a majority of the citizens. They cannot get what they want from governments if everyone has an equal vote and the votes of the majority determine what laws are enacted and what policies are put in place.
There are very few enemies of democracy who openly oppose democracy. Even brutal dictators often claim they have the support of the people and hold sham elections to demonstrate that support. And while the false friends of democracy are a small minority within the people-at-large, they often gain control of governments that claim to be democracies. In America, they hold a majority of the seats in Congress and state legislatures and most of the offices in the other branches of government.
There are several reasons for their success in getting elected. Since they represent corporate interests and the wealthy, they nearly always have considerably more money at their disposal or spent on their behalf when running for office. They employ tried and true propaganda methods, stoking anger, fear, and hatred among us with misinformation, disinformation, and outright lies. They have perfected the art of gerrymandering, which enables them to routinely win a majority of the seats in Congress and state legislatures while receiving a minority of the votes cast in elections. They do whatever they can to make it difficult to vote in districts that are likely to vote against their candidates. They focus relentlessly on bitter debates regarding divisive issues and work quietly, behind the scenes, to keep legislation that is opposed by corporate interests from coming to a vote or even being discussed or debated.
When enough voters vote like it matters - it will.
The success of the false friends of democracy in keeping legislation that has the support of most people from being passed into law and the ugliness, anger, and bitterness they inject into the political process has caused a great many people who believe in democracy to conclude that voting is pointless and that politics is an ugly and nasty business.
Nearly all Americans believe in democracy but the flaws and corruption in our political system have led many citizens to withdraw from being actively involved in politics. The votes of most citizens have been rendered meaningless by the way we conduct elections, by gerrymandering, and as a result of the dominant role of money in our political system.
When a majority of the voters in a state or district have a shared understanding of democracy and an opportunity to vote for candidates who champion the reforms needed to make America a Perfect Democracy, every vote will matter.
Eighty-five percent of Americans agree that we need to make major changes to our political system.
The change we need to make is to –
Shifting our focus to perfecting democracy will fundamentally alter the nature of politics.
If a candidate is a Champion of Democracy who supports the implementation of systems of Personal Representation or enacting Perfect Democracy Amendments, it doesn't matter if they agree with you on the issues that concern you. Getting those reforms enacted will empower you to vote (directly or indirectly) on every issue. Getting those reforms enacted will ensure that every issue that has the support of a majority of Politically Active Citizen will be raised, voted on, and enacted. If a candidate does not support Personal Representation or Perfect Democracy Amendments, even if they agree with you on the issues that concern you, and they get elected, if the legislation you would like enacted is opposed by corporate interests, it will not be enacted or even brought to a vote.
At present, very few members of Congress and state legislatures are Champions of Democracy. Voting incumbents out of office is extremely difficult within our present political system. We need thousands of True Friends of Democracy to step up and run for office as Champions of Democracy. We need to help millions of voters learn to identify Champions of Democracy (and false friends of democracy).
In a Perfect Democracy -
True Friends and Champions of Democracy need not fear the results of thousands of elections.
The Pro-Democracy Pyramid
The Key Groups that make up the Campaign to Make America a Perfect Democracy
Politically Active Citizens
Obviously, all the people who belong to any of these groups are politically active. We use the term “Politically Active Citizens” to mean people who contribute time and/or money to political candidates, causes, and organizations, attend political events, and take the time to communicate with elected public officials.
Politically Active Citizens are the key to success for our campaign to make America a Perfect Democracy. We (Politically Active Citizens) are the link between Champions of Democracy and voters. When we unite in support of the reforms needed to make America a Perfect Democracy, it will be our turn to be “too big to fail”.
Those of us who contribute time and/or money to candidates for office tend to have one or more issues or causes that we care about deeply. We work through candidates and organizations in support of the causes and issues we care about. And we are routinely and continually disappointed when the legislation we actively support fails to get enacted even though it has the support of a majority of voters.
We need to realize that we are not likely to see meaningful action on any of the many issues that have broad popular support until we exercise our right to alter the form of our government. Once we have made America a true democracy, we will see meaningful action on ALL the issues that concern us. We need to help pro-democracy incumbents, non-incumbent candidates, and voters understand that as well.
Those of us who contribute time and/or money to candidates for office need to make it clear that we will only support and work for candidates who support pro-democracy reforms. If enough of us withhold our support from incumbents who have not signed on to the legislation included in the Democracy Agenda, that legislation is more likely to be introduced. If enough of us simply refuse to support candidates who do not support democracy, candidates who do support democracy will emerge – and they will have a better chance of winning elections.
We need to help pro-democracy voters identify and support Champions of Democracy who are on the ballot. When there is no Champion of Democracy on the ballot, some Politically Active Citizens need to step up and run for office.
Pro-Democracy Incumbents
Members of Congress and state legislatures do not ordinarily draft and submit (or co-sponsor) legislation that has no realistic chance of being enacted in a legislative session. This is especially true regarding legislation that has the support of a majority of voters but is opposed by lobbyists and megadonors. Doing so can lead to some megadonors withdrawing their financial support. And most incumbents do not want to lose that financial support to sponsor legislation that has no realistic chance of passing.
Implementing systems of Personal Representation (with proxies) will have a better chance of drawing support from pro-democracy incumbents if the proposed amendment replaces elections with selection by proxies because that will alter the nature of the role of senators and representatives. It will reduce, and possibly eliminate, the need to raise money constantly, shift power within a representative assembly to the members who best serve the common interest, and make it possible to move from being a representative to a senator and from being a senator to being president, without having to risk losing their present office.
Members of Congress and state legislatures do not ordinarily draft and submit (or co-sponsor) legislation that has no realistic chance of being enacted in a legislative session. We need to find at least one Champion of Democracy in each chamber of Congress and each chamber of every state legislature who will draft and introduce the legislation called for in the Democracy Agenda even if there is little chance of it passing immediately and then encourage other members to sign on as cosponsors. That will make it easy for us to identify the incumbents who are Champions of Democracy and give them our support.
We need to find at least one Champion of Democracy in both houses of Congress who will introduce the federal version of a Personal Representation Amendment (or a Perfect Democracy Amendment). And one Champion of Democracy in each house of every state legislature who will draft and introduce legislation implementing a system of Personal Representation even if there is little chance of it passing in the current session and then encourage other members to sign on as cosponsors. That will make it easy for us to identify the incumbents who are Champions of Democracy and give them our support and to identify the states and districts where we need to recruit Champions of Democracy to challenge senators and representatives who do not support pro-democracy reforms.
Within our present political system, members of Congress and state legislatures are most likely to respond to requests from their own constituents - the people who can vote for (or against) them. It is, therefore, very important for as many citizens as possible to contact their own senators and representatives to encourage them to draft and introduce the legislation included in the Democracy Agenda.
Pro-Democracy Candidates
Members of Congress and state legislatures do not ordinarily draft and submit (or co-sponsor) legislation that has no realistic chance of being enacted in a legislative session. This is especially true regarding legislation that has the support of a majority of voters but is opposed by lobbyists and megadonors. Doing so can lead to some megadonors withdrawing their financial support. And most incumbents do not want to lose that financial support to sponsor legislation that has no realistic chance of passing.
Implementing systems of Personal Representation (with proxies) will have a better chance of drawing support from pro-democracy incumbents if the proposed amendment replaces elections with selection by proxies because that will alter the nature of the role of senators and representatives. It will reduce, and possibly eliminate, the need to raise money constantly, shift power within a representative assembly to the members who best serve the common interest, and make it possible to move from being a representative to a senator and from being a senator to being president, without having to risk losing their present office.
Members of Congress and state legislatures do not ordinarily draft and submit (or co-sponsor) legislation that has no realistic chance of being enacted in a legislative session. We need to find at least one Champion of Democracy in each chamber of Congress and each chamber of every state legislature who will draft and introduce the legislation called for in the Democracy Agenda even if there is little chance of it passing immediately and then encourage other members to sign on as cosponsors. That will make it easy for us to identify the incumbents who are Champions of Democracy and give them our support.
We need to find at least one Champion of Democracy in both houses of Congress who will introduce the federal version of a Personal Representation Amendment (or a Perfect Democracy Amendment). And one Champion of Democracy in each house of every state legislature who will draft and introduce legislation implementing a system of Personal Representation even if there is little chance of it passing in the current session and then encourage other members to sign on as cosponsors. That will make it easy for us to identify the incumbents who are Champions of Democracy and give them our support and to identify the states and districts where we need to recruit Champions of Democracy to challenge senators and representatives who do not support pro-democracy reforms.
Within our present political system, members of Congress and state legislatures are most likely to respond to requests from their own constituents - the people who can vote for (or against) them. It is, therefore, very important for as many citizens as possible to contact their own senators and representatives to encourage them to draft and introduce the legislation included in the Democracy Agenda.
Pro-Democracy Voters
When a majority of the voters in a majority of the congressional and legislative districts in a super-majority of states understand the essential elements that make a nation a true democracy, our movement will be "Too Big to Fail". When voters learn to recognize Champions of Democracy and vote for them, America will be a true democracy. When a majority of voters are well-educated, well-informed, and respect the rights of others, America will be a Perfect Democracy. At Government by the People, our vision is to create a community where mental health is a top priority and individuals can access the resources they need to achieve optimal well-being.
The enemies of democracy will not give up without a fight.
The corporatists and plutocrats who currently control nearly all the levers of power in America will spend tons of money in support of the false friends and true enemies of democracy who hold office or are running for office and who faithfully serve their interests.
Most of the members of Congress and state legislatures from both major parties have been corrupted by the need to continually raise enormous amounts of money. They get most of that money from corporate interests and billionaires.
Corporations and plutocrats own mainstream media and the major social media outlets.
They've got the money. We've got the votes.
More and more of the money being raised and spent in our elections is “dark money” funneled through “Super PACs” that are legally prohibited from coordinating with candidates but routinely do so with impunity. Candidates know which Super PACs are spending money on their behalf and which mega-donors are contributing the dark money. And those mega-donors have considerable influence with most legislators.
Super-PACs may routinely outspend the combined contributions of ordinary citizens, but if we unite in support of democracy, we can outvote them. When enough of us unite in support of Champions of Democracy and the democratic ideals upon which our nation was founded, our pro-democracy movement will be "too big to fail".
Most Americans believe in democracy and know that money has corrupted democracy in America. Solid majorities of voters in every state will support candidates who make their support for pro-democracy reforms a focal point of their campaigns. Politically Active Citizens who are True Friends of Democracy need to encourage candidates to do so, and then help voters identify those Champions of Democracy.
Politics is a numbers game that is won one seat at a time. To get pro-democracy reforms enacted, working within the system that is in place, we need to elect Champions of Democracy to a majority of the seats in a super-majority of state legislatures and a super-majority of the seats in Congress.
When we have a Champion of Democracy on the ballot in elections for a most of the seats in Congress and state legislatures, our movement will be "too big to fail."
The prospect of making America a Perfect Democracy should excite and motivate us as much as it scares the current rulers of America.
Power to the People?
Getting Perfect Democracy Amendments enacted will shift power directly to the people by empowering citizens to propose and enact legislation (including constitutional amendments) without the approval or involvement of legislative bodies (or presidents or governors). Implementing systems of Personal Representation will shift power to the people indirectly by shifting power withinCongress and state legislatures to the members who best represent the will of the people. This will take power away from corporate interests, tax-averse billionaires, the leaders of the two major political parties, and the politicians who do their bidding, The false friends and true enemies of democracy will use all the levers of power at their disposal to keep us from enacting these reforms.
To exercise our power as the "ultimate rulers of our democracy" we must be united in support of the reforms that will make America a Perfect Democracy.
When enough voters vote like it matters – it will. And when we succeed, we will do more than make America great again. We will make America greater than it has ever been. We will make history.
Join the Campaign to Make America a Perfect Democracy
Communication is vital within a broad-based grassroots movement. We are compiling a data base of pro-democracy activists and voters. To join the campaign to Make America a Perfect Democracy, please provide your email address. Your information will not be sold or shared. You will not receive emails or text messages soliciting financial contributions.
The material on this website is adapted from a soon to be published book: Government by the People: Perfecting Democracy in the 21st Century by Winston Apple.
Content is Copyright 2025 Gary Winston Apple, unless otherwise noted..
Permission is granted to share with proper attribution. All Rights are Reserved.
This website is paid for by Perfect Democracy - a 501(c)4 political action committee.