Six hundred randomly-selected citizens from across the country are flying into Austin, Texas this week, for an event billed as an ambitious experiment in bottom-up democracy. The National Issues Convention will culminate this weekend in televised discussions between convention participants and presidential candidates. Minnesota Public Radio's John Biewen, who will cover the convention for Democracy Place, filed this report:
What if Americans based their answers to polling questions, and their votes, not on kneejerk predispositions and 30-second TV ads but on thorough knowledge and civilized discussion of the issues? Would election results, and the quality of our democracy, be any different? Those questions are the basis for the National Issues Convention, a 4-million-dollar experiment that convenes Thursday, January 18, at the University of Texas in Austin.
The centerpiece of the convention is a "deliberative poll," the brainchild of University of Texas political scientist Jim Fishkin. In a deliberative poll, a cross-section of voters are surveyed on political issues twice -- once before and once after thorough discussion of those issues. The 600 randomly-selected citizens were approached in their homes last year and asked questions on the economy, family issues, and the United States' role in the world. They'll be polled again after two days of moderated small-group discussions in Austin.
"We're the cross-section, the rabble. And they're going to educate us somehow with seminars and then see if we're gonna change our minds."
Tom Egerman is a retired, 60-year-old art teacher who lives in a working-class neighborhood of Minneapolis. He says when he was asked to take part in the National Issues Convention, he thought the offer was too good to be true -- and not only because he'd never been to a warm place in the winter. He welcomes the chance to discuss the direction of the country with other citizens. At the same time, however, Egerman is not so sure there's much to be gained by letting ordinary people set the agenda.
"I'm usually disappointed with the electorate. They tend to elect fools. I mean there are some politicians of national scope for whom I couldn't imagine anybody ever voting. I don't know how anybody could have ever voted for some of these Republican presidents we had recently. It just baffles me."
Egerman calls himself a Gene McCarthy Democrat who's conservative on fiscal issues such as the federal budget. He thinks Congress should not only balance the budget but begin to pay back the $4-trillion national debt -- and should do so by raising taxes, something he says few national politicians have the courage to propose.
As far as the national media are concerned, the deliberative poll is likely to take a backseat to sessions over the weekend bringing the convention delegates together with presidential candidates. Delegate Sandy Barnes, a 40-year-old attorney from Minneapolis, says she welcomes the chance to question the candidates and force them to go into detail on their policy proposals.
"No concrete solutions are ever put forth. What ends up is, 'Oh, I believe in law and order, I'll get more policemen.' Where, and how are you paying for them? Specifics are never given, it's just this broad, general... it's politically correct to say you're for law and order."
Barnes is disappointed at reports that neither of the two front-runners, President Clinton or Bob Dole, plan to attend the National Issues Convention. She hopes they'll change their minds. But she says candidates may find a roomful of informed voters a frightening prospect.
The National Issues Convention is sponsored by the Public Broadcasting Service, the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation, and several other corporations. PBS, and some NPR stations, will broadcast the candidate forums on Saturday at 8 p.m. Eastern Time, and Sunday at 10 a.m. Eastern Time.
For Democracy Place, I'm John Biewen.
[ Issue | Radio | TV | Newspapers | Press Club | Polls | Meet the Candidates | Community Center | Let's Talk ]