"Democracy Firsters"
7. Massively Parallel Roles & Tasks
“Democracy Firsters,” like us, argue that we must address the short-comings of democracy, and the conflicts that are pulling democracies apart, before we can use those democracies, or indeed, any other approach, to successfully address our many other substantive problems including national security, climate change, oppression, inequality, racism, health care, etc. Examples, in addition to Beyond Intractability's Constructive Conflict Initiative, include the organization aptly called Democracy First and Issue One (whose subtitle is also "Fix Democracy First"). Both are trying (in the words of Issue One) to "unite Republicans, Democrats, and independents in the movement to fix our broken political system and build an inclusive democracy that works for everyone." Issue One together with the Harvard Program on Negotiation have formed the Rebuild Congress Initiative, which "creates the deliberative space and fosters the social cohesion necessary to strengthen our democratic institutions. This includes cultivating networks, fostering deep dialogue, and, where possible, building consensus among elected officials, influencers, and experts from across the political and ideological spectrum.” Another such organization was the Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress (which operated from 2019-2022 and looked at ways in which Congress could change its operating procedures to do its job better. It is described by Rep. Derek Kilmer in an interview he did with us in December, 2024 and also in this interview Derek and his co-Chair William Timmons did with Bruce Patton from the Harvard Program on Negotiation when the House Select Committee was awarded the 2023 Frank Sander Award.
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