Touch Grass, America
We need a generation of political leaders who are not afraid to touch grass and take bold action, instead of remaining “keyboard warriors.” America is ours; it’s time we left our impression. “We have it in our power to begin the world over again.”
The National Mall. Photo by Carol M. Highsmith, via the Library of Congress. Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Since our nation’s founding, we Americans have been divided on who we are and what we will be. Resistant to concentrated power in the hands of distant leaders, we united in common purpose for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. But right now, just twenty-four percent of Americans believe we are heading in the right direction. Political violence is on the rise, and online mentions of “civil war” have spiked since the assassination of Charlie Kirk.
But there is a better path.
Instead of pointing fingers and focusing on our differences, we must do as our ancestors did and unite around our common ideas. We must lift up leaders who carve a pathway for success instead of those grifting for power.
“Much like in 1776, when we came together for independence and self-government, we must again unite in the name of reform. For Democracy to survive, to strengthen our institutions and nation, we must expand the House of Representatives.“
Osita Nwanevu, author of The Right of the People, told Ross Douthat on the NYT’s Interesting Times podcast that we need a new American founding. He says we need major reform. Nwanevu doesn’t want Democrats to rig the system; he wants us to build a new one.
Nwanevu’s book is a road map to a more democratic system. The Right of the People argues that America must be founded anew, either through constitutional amendment or by writing a new constitution. His plan seeks to strengthen communities and government by providing more choice and opportunity. He points out that our founders built a republic and not a fully democratic government. Power is insulated through the Senate and judiciary. The Republican Party, he says, has become an anti-democratic force; he believes the failure of Congress and the concentration of power by elites are instrumental to our current division.
A very different thinker is AEI scholar, Yuval Levin. He has written a trilogy of books that dissect our problems while also providing a roadmap to the future: The Fractured Republic, A Time to Build, and American Covenant. In his books, Levin critiques our administrative state, the weakening of the American family, and Congress’s dereliction of duty. He encourages Americans to think of the United States as ours. He calls for renewal and reform to strengthen our current institutions. Levin paints the picture of a large and diverse republic where individuals and communities govern themselves, balancing the interests of the few and the many.
Patrick Deneen, on the other hand, takes a more radical approach. In his new book, Regime Change, he calls for using “Machiavellian means to achieve Aristotelian ends” to balance the interests of the elites and popular masses. He points the finger at liberalism and wants to establish a new political order. He critiques the managerial class, calls for a mixed constitution built on an aristocratic populist movement (aristo-populism), and paints a picture of an integrated society—an inwardly focused nation uniting for stability and defense.
Everywhere you turn, someone is writing a book about how the American system needs reform. Lee Drutman, Breaking the Two-Party Doom Loop (2020); Philip Wallach, Why Congress (2023); Neil Gorsuch & Janie Nitze, Over Ruled: The Human Toll of Too Much Law (2024); Nick Troiano, The Primary Solution (2024), to name a few. The government is overly bureaucratic, filled with negative incentives, and power is out of reach for average Americans. But each book also contains an idea, a pathway forward out of this mess.
In 1775, America was a coalition of colonies, loosely united to push back on the concentrated and distant power of the British government. Parliament was divided on what to do; some, like Edmund Burke, supported colonial rights, while others wanted to put a quick end to any hopes of independence.
Colonists in America were equally divided. Many sided with the British government, and many who fought did so in hopes of reconciliation. Then, in January of 1776, Thomas Paine’s pamphlet Common Sense began circulating. Common Sense organized the debate for independence, critiquing the distant power of the crown and pointing to our natural rights to govern ourselves. He persuaded the colonies that independence was not only possible, but necessary.
Levin, Nwanevu, and Deneen may diverge on some issues, but they agree on some important points. Deneen critiques the managerial class, and Levin the administrative state. Nwanevu looks to balance capital and labor, while Deneen wants to balance the many and the few. Nwanevu decries the concentration of power in political elites and performative leaders like Donald Trump. Levin wants a balanced, pluralistic society that limits executive power and empowers public servants who want the responsibility, not the platform.
As Thomas Jefferson said, “The earth belongs to the living generation.” Yet, for generations, Americans have ignored the basic maintenance required for representative government. The arguments from Levin, Nwanevu, and Deneen require us to embrace self-government. And much like in Common Sense, their path is not only possible but necessary—expanding the House of Representatives.
Congress passed the Permanent Apportionment Act in 1929, capping the number of seats in the House of Representatives at 435. Since it was passed, the population has tripled, creating a divide between citizens and their representatives. In 1929, the representation ratio was one representative for every 280,000 people; now it’s one representative for nearly 760,000 people.
Uncapping and expanding the House is a reform that shrinks the distance between the people and their government. It balances the many and the few, the elite and the common man, the aristocracy and the populist masses. It strengthens Congress, balancing power between the executive and legislative branches. Finally, it creates a more democratic system by giving people more representation.
It dilutes the negative incentives for power that control our current system and brings out the best of both the left and right. It creates an opportunity for renewal by changing the current regime. Although it does not solve all of our problems, it is where left and right, progressive and conservative, can come together and compromise.
Much like in 1776, when we came together for independence and self-government, we must again unite in the name of reform. For Democracy to survive, to strengthen our institutions and nation, we must expand the House of Representatives.
We need a generation of political leaders who are not afraid to touch grass and take bold action, instead of remaining “keyboard warriors.” America is ours; it’s time we left our impression. “We have it in our power to begin the world over again.”
