Reaching out to Perry Bacon Jr. and FiveThirtyEight’s wall of silence.
Perry Bacon Jr. “The most important story maybe not what changed electorally in 2020, but how and why so much did not change.” https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/biden-may-have-won-the-election-but-the-deep-partisan-divide-in-america-remains/
As you point out, there will be in 2021 some critical thinking why data was in error regarding a “blue wave” that current methods seem to miss the high popularity, passion from Trump supporters for his fuzzy policies. (I think it is a rarity to find well outlined unfuzzy procedures that deal with the reality of Federal, State, Local community dynamic details).
President-elect Biden has campaigned on reaching out to our better intentions, reducing tribal polarization, improved understanding of Republican voter’s needs, while reaching out to Senator Bernie Sanders liberals of the Democratic Party. It is unclear what policies he can or will propose that achieve this while getting support from both political parties.
Perhaps the transition staff for President-elect Biden should be looking at a cheap catalyst, systemic inflection point, that some moderates in both parties have considered, proposed? However, it has been rejected by most conservative Republicans and liberal Democrats because they, policy experts, and institutions are unwilling even to game out the implications of this policy. Any real data gathered will show how local future voting-age citizens are disillusioned as are the adults around them about acceptable government policy; for this reason, politicians keep their blinders on to this policy idea.
As a Vietnam-era USAF medical veteran in 1979, I learned of a local veteran, moderate Republican Congressman’s proposal to use only the registration process of the “military draft” run by the Selective Service System as a cheap catalyst, inflection point, every zip code. He proposed a youth wake up call to voluntary service by moving initial registration to 17th birthday, a one-year conversation on the meaning of public service, sweat equity, and educational aspects of “Service-Learning” toward more positive thinking communities. Hoping to learn the productive dynamics of a U.S. service economy being the primary economic growth for the future decades.
For more information on this proposal, please check my Facebook link: My inflection point, oral/written testimony https://www.facebook.com/notes/peter-jesella/peters-written-oral-remarks-to-national-commission-on-military-national-and-publ/2196275167117721/ at hearings for now completed Federal commission titled: National Commission on Military, National and Public Service.
In 2016 when Congress was having small debates over including women in the male-only registration process at 18th birthday for the Selective Service System, Senator McCain proposed this commission and was able to obtain Republican House funding for it. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell in 2016 indicated that women should be included in this registration but not a priority for him.
However, he also selected former Congressman Joe Heck to this commission above who then became the commission’s Chairman and is a Brigadier General, U.S. Army Reserve. This commission has rejected my proposal in their final report, unclear why. Still, I guess because they know Congress is unwilling to challenge youth between 17 to 18 to critical thinking about public service when they are public servants, are reluctant to embrace it themselves.
Peter Jesella, @pjesella, @NCMNPS
