To Fix Kitchen Table Issues, We Have to Reform the Political System

An American majority agrees on so much of what we need to get done. But it still can’t happen in today’s DC because of all that is wrong with the structure of our democracy. We could change that.

To say “the system is broken” hardly qualifies as a hot political take anymore. Just about everyone running for federal office says some version of this.

The real question is what we’re going to do about it.

I worry about what I see as a false choice taking root in the political advisor class, with some arguing that we have to downplay our belief in structural reform so that we can put our emphasis on “kitchen table” economic issues. No doubt, we can and should lead with a strong economic message. But the truth is that if we are to solve the problems people face in their everyday lives, we also have to fix the shape of our democracy, which currently prevents us from getting done many of the bold, common-sense steps toward lower costs, higher pay, and fairer taxes - steps that most Americans already agree on.

Health care remains unaffordable for many. The median age of a first-time homebuyer has risen to 40. Americans are carrying record credit card debt. Families still lack paid leave, sick leave, affordable childcare, and eldercare despite broad public support for addressing all of the above.

To tackle all this, we have to confront the reasons why so many popular and effective solutions never become reality. And that has to do with our system itself.

Money in politics has gone way, way too far. Gerrymandering has become absurdly extreme, allowing politicians to choose their voters instead of voters choosing them. The legitimacy of the Supreme Court is in free fall. Only a handful of our most important federal elections are even competitive, despite this being a supposedly fifty-fifty country. And we remain the only presidential democracy in the world where the person who gets fewer votes can become president instead of the person who got the most votes.

No one should expect a system that broken to somehow deliver excellent economic policy. It’s barely even capable of operating. And that’s why reforming our political system isn’t separate from addressing kitchen table issues; it’s a big part of how to do so.

If we expect government to lower costs, expand opportunity, and deliver for working families, we have to fix a political system whose weaknesses and flaws are standing in the way of a better everyday life for us all.

I recently visited Butte, Montana, for a town hall with citizens organizing around a ballot initiative to reduce the influence of corporate money in politics. We talked about why reform matters more than ever.

Watch the clip above on why democracy reform is a kitchen table issue - and let me know what you think should be priority number one.