Creative Populism as a political philosophy?

Creative Populism as a political philosophy?

Our country is in trouble; the problems we face are so large we can’t even be honest with ourselves about just how big so many of them are.

The only way—the only way—we can take on these problems and build our best futures is if we work together.

The problem is, we pretty much hate each other and that’s a situation that, if allowed to play out, will only get worse—there are cameras everywhere and social media prevails and so I will be sent all the worst images of what I dislike the most on a regular basis. If it has always been hard to change one’s mind about an important belief, it is nigh onto impossible now.

So we need to find common ground; it’s vital.

For this common ground to serve us it must be a place that is currently unoccupied, so we can all arrive there together, and share in its equity.

For this common ground to serve us it must be as attractive to red as to blue, as hopeful for left as right, and as useful for those who have as it is for those who have not yet.

And this common ground by the nature of its foundation must prepare us and help us take on these extraordinary challenges as we build our best futures.

I believe I have located it in the fact that 98% of us were born with a creative genius, making it a core and defining human quality. When we fully appreciate our natural born creative and entrepreneurial qualities they will appreciate in value and we become the most creative and entrepreneurial people the world has ever known. With our shared appreciation for the importance of each of us and all of us being and becoming creatively entrepreneurial we take on these problems together—turning them into opportunities when we can—as we imagine and build our best futures, yours for you, mine for me, ours together.

Who says no to that?

I see this as a Creative Populist political moment and a movement of bottoms up self-organization as the healthiest growth, the most sustainable.

A basic political agenda has been started under the heading Creative Populism where all public policy ideas rest on creative and entrepreneurial principles. Education reform with significant investment is the keystone; fiscal policy distinguishes between investments that ‘create advantage’ and those that ‘take advantage’; and immigration policy reflects the understanding that creative diversity beats the status quo view every time.

There is an 11 page first draft that makes the case for calling this Creative Populism, that shows how storytelling will be an important service, and that roughly outlines Creative Populist public policy thinking in about a dozen policy areas.

And it invites folks to make it their own or join me in making it better. If you would like to see a copy contact me through the website and I will email it to you.