The Right Answer: on Government Reform


John Delaney: Presidential press briefings are just propaganda sessions

[The president should] engage in open, televised debates with members of Congress. If you've ever watched the Prime Minister's Question Time in the British Parliament, you will understand what I am proposing. Once a week, the prime minister appears in the Commons Chamber and, for 30 to 45 minutes, takes whatever questions the members of Parliament want to ask. There's no hiding, no obfuscating. The give-and-take is chaotic but genuine.

Compare this to current system of White House press briefings. The president's press secretary in theory, answers questions. In reality, these press briefings have devolved into propaganda sessions.

What I'm proposing is, as president, I would engage once a quarter, for 2 or 3 hours, in a televised open debate with members of Congress. The American people deserve to hear a real debate about real issues. Transparency is the greatest tool for getting at the truth and bringing forth new ideas, so let's open the door to real debate and let the light shine in.

Source: The Right Answer, by Rep. John Delaney, p. 17-8 May 29, 2018

John Delaney: Gerrymandering corrupts our democracy; get rid of system

Gerrymandering is an unusually divisive topic: for obvious reasons, many politicians love it, but the vast majority of Americans hate it. In my view, it's the clearest example of how representative democracy is failing. Moreover, it's worth pointing out that Democrats are usually on the losing end of gerrymandering. Question: Why do we want to keep playing a game we're bad at? Why shouldn't Democrats take the lead in getting rid of this dishonest system altogether?

The problem is that nobody wants to unilaterally disarm. As long as the federal government fails to pass legislation cleaning up redistricting, in most states the party in power is free to do what it wishes. Gerrymandering corrupts our democracy, but because no party wants to give up power willingly, this cynical practice continues.

Source: The Right Answer, by Rep. John Delaney, p.153 May 29, 2018

John Delaney: Independent redistricting commission to end gerrymandering

The Open Our Democracy Act would end gerrymandering by requiring every state to create an independent redistricting commission. It makes no sense to allow the party in power to unilaterally draw districts, because it will always try to redraw them to its advantage. Creating an independent bipartisan of judicial committee would ensure that redistricting wasn't driven by partisan goals.
Source: The Right Answer, by Rep. John Delaney, p.153 May 29, 2018

  • The above quotations are from The Right Answer
    How We Can Unify Our Divided Nation
    by John K. Delaney    .
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2020 Presidential contenders on Government Reform:
  Democrats running for President:
Sen.Michael Bennet (D-CO)
V.P.Joe Biden (D-DE)
Mayor Mike Bloomberg (I-NYC)
Gov.Steve Bullock (D-MT)
Mayor Pete Buttigieg (D-IN)
Sen.Cory Booker (D-NJ)
Secy.Julian Castro (D-TX)
Gov.Lincoln Chafee (L-RI)
Rep.John Delaney (D-MD)
Rep.Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI)
Sen.Amy Klobuchar (D-MN)
Gov.Deval Patrick (D-MA)
Sen.Bernie Sanders (I-VT)
CEO Tom Steyer (D-CA)
Sen.Elizabeth Warren (D-MA)
Marianne Williamson (D-CA)
CEO Andrew Yang (D-NY)

2020 Third Party Candidates:
Rep.Justin Amash (L-MI)
CEO Don Blankenship (C-WV)
Gov.Lincoln Chafee (L-RI)
Howie Hawkins (G-NY)
Gov.Gary Johnson(L-NM)
Howard Schultz(I-WA)
Gov.Jesse Ventura (I-MN) 		Republicans running for President:
Sen.Ted Cruz(R-TX)
Gov.Larry Hogan (R-MD)
Gov.John Kasich(R-OH)
V.P.Mike Pence(R-IN)
Gov.Mark Sanford (R-SC)
Pres.Donald Trump(R-NY)
Rep.Joe Walsh (R-IL)
Gov.Bill Weld(R-MA & L-NY)

2020 Withdrawn Democratic Candidates:
Sen.Stacey Abrams (D-GA)
Mayor Bill de Blasio (D-NYC)
Sen.Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY)
Sen.Mike Gravel (D-AK)
Sen.Kamala Harris (D-CA)
Gov.John Hickenlooper (D-CO)
Gov.Jay Inslee (D-WA)
Mayor Wayne Messam (D-FL)
Rep.Seth Moulton (D-MA)
Rep.Beto O`Rourke (D-TX)
Rep.Tim Ryan (D-CA)
Adm.Joe Sestak (D-PA)
Rep.Eric Swalwell (D-CA)
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Page last updated: Feb 10, 2020