This has been quite a bit to unpack, and believe me, it has been like unpacking on the return home from a vacation. The goal has been to get everything out of the bags; if it ends up on the floor all crumpled and indistinguishably dirty or clean, so be it. I have done my best to disclaim enough for you to remember it was a creative exercise, more meant to inspire you to thoughts than to give you mine.
This is barely a skeleton of the tip of an iceberg. There are so many dominoes that would need to fall before and/or for this fantasy to even make sense. The current system of “checks and balances”, the three distinct branches of government, would all require major overhauls to support this bracket-style, leadership-team style of governmental leadership. Or would it? Would there still be a place for professional politicians to go about their normal tasks and contribute to society in their own way? If so, would their elections follow the traditional method or jump on the train to create a massive spider web of brackets across the country?
What about the judicial system and appointments? Wouldn’t it be nice to have societal input on appointments for a change? Maybe even limit terms while we are at it? Would be nice to see some of the more successful Supreme Court justices find a comfortable place in The Council as well to give input in the other direction.
There really is so much to unfold, and, like I have said, I am no expert, I am no scholar, I am no sniff of an authority on anything besides maybe teaching and/or coaching and even that is a stretch. If I could have made this a formal project, it would have taken years of research to get it “right”. That’s just the level I hope to hold myself to with any project.
Sometimes, the ideas just need to be unleashed, letting them take on a mind of their own, whether continued within one head or extended now to many. Ask yourself the questions that came to mind, ask your counterparts, have discussions, debate the issues: Why is Entertainment one of the major Foci? Why does The Council have so much influence on the arrangement/seeding of the bracket? What’s to prevent the tournament becoming a popularity contest? Did he really suggest that some people’s votes count more than others?
I can’t claim a single truth to anything written besides that of the truth of my own mind. Yes, I thought these things that I wrote. Do I believe them, either fully or partially? Maybe, it’s hard to say. Sometimes presenting ideas and playing devil’s advocate requires a separation from statements; talking isn’t always about saying what you want to say.
I leave you with this final thought:
Do the greatest ideas withstand time, or do they inspire mindful and appropriate adaptations to fit the changing world?
E pluribus unum or, in this case, E pluribus quattuor
Own Your I,
Ben
#campaigncompete2020