The million or more people who turned out for the protests on January 21, 2017 (http://nyti.ms/2iSB4wx) are futilely mapping out their next steps to restore the Democratic Party to electoral and policy prominence. You can't really blame them for espousing protests against Trumpism, reenergizing identity groups to be more active in electoral politics, and other “politics as usual activities.” Most clear-eyed, clear-headed people would see America as regressing to levels shockingly disturbing to those believing in human learning and advancement.
But if the strategy is to play the same (serious) game of incremental politics – “just do it better!” then they better be prepared to stay frustrated.
What a waste of time, effort, and resources! At the very best the strategy will end up with a roughly 51-49% "victory" in the political sphere for the Democrats/liberals. They may elect one of their own again as president.
To what end? The same political and governance stalemates and dysfunction? The same (or even higher levels) of hate, resentments, and frustrations characterizing both camps! The same ineffective, incremental, and modest policy and budget shifts one way or the other?
Wake up! These people need a new way!
The problem is not that they don't know any better way. Or, they have a habit of acting in conventional ways regardless of effectiveness. They have no vision of a theoretically-sound alternative but maintain 18th-century conceptions of American governance and social relations.
They need a fresh, modern version of an American society emphasizing a new set of public values and a new social ethos – collective interest and fairness, a “brain” in government (i. e. rationality in policymaking), enhanced professionalism and trustworthiness in governance, more reliance on science and technology in policymaking, inclusiveness, and a new set of informal institutions which the “little people” operate themselves to pushback upon the elite class.
In essence, we need smart governance and social relations together with a leveling of the political-economic disparity between the elite and the little people.
This means adopting a new paradigm of governance and social relations more relevant to modern life. After all, we don't communicate, manage, work, live, etc. as we did in the 18th-century when most people lived relatively isolated lives on small farms and had little to do with anyone else elsewhere. Our reality is diverse mega-cities, global interconnectedness, and collective interests (whether recognized or not. (E.g., climate change.)
But, our current political and governance principles and institutions are very much the same as when George Washington was president.
How lame is that? Intelligent people of good faith need to see with a new vision of what are society can be like complemented by a practical plan to advance America into a 21st-Century nation.
That is what will make America great again. See Chapter 1 of The Action Manual for an overview of this new paradigm.
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