In discussing the AIP approach to ending the polarization and ineffectiveness in our political process, I often meet with people who say, “Oh my, innovation sounds like such a great solution, but how does it work?” My response is simple and straightforward, it works in precisely the same way that we have applied innovation to transform dozens of other fields, all of which have generated exponential advancement and improved every facet of our daily lives.
More specifically, to apply innovation to our politics, we first need to bridge the divide by replacing the tired, old, failed political culture we have endured for far too long and embrace a new national narrative with a relentless focus on solutions. Next, we apply the method of innovative problem solving to remove the error and mistakes from our proposed solutions and test the results. We base our conclusions and ongoing improvements on what is working and what is not. In reality, it is just that sensible, practical, and uncomplicated. I know this because we have successfully applied innovation to many modern fields from science and technology to medicine and industry in precisely the same way.
Let’s look at a real-life example to show how this works in practice. In 1982, two Australian researchers began investigating the cause of ulcers. At that time, ulcers were a chronic, frequently debilitating illness that produced immense discomfort and even death. During the analysis, they discovered that the only common link between the subjects of their research was a bacterium that they named Helicobacter pylori or h.pylori. Even though their study was carefully done, following standard medical protocols, the medical community refused to take their conclusions seriously.
As is commonly the case, they found themselves caught between two prevailing dogmas of the day. The leading dogma was the assumption that the cause of ulcers was already ‘known,’ so why bother researching a cure. All of the medical textbooks taught that ulcers were caused by stress, agitation, and too much work. The problem with accepting this conclusion was that the facts and evidence did not support this analysis. The other dogma preventing a solution was the assumption that nothing could live in the stomach because the corrosive gastric juices killed all microorganisms.
Frustrated by the unwillingness of the medical community to set aside their dogmatic assumptions and consider the facts and evidence before them, in July of 1984, one of the researchers gathered a group of scientists together and boldly drank a vile of the h.pylori bacteria in front of them. Within days, he was violently ill and beginning to develop ulcers. Fortunately for the doctor and his shocked research staff, this story has a happy ending. After a regimen of antibiotics, he recovered quickly, and in 2005, Dr’s Barry Marshall and Robin Warren were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their life-altering discovery. Today, instead of years of pain and the counterproductive consumption of milk, this devastating condition can be cured by a simple treatment of antibiotics and other medications. Together, they proved that looking at old problems in new ways can yield miraculous results.
Bridging the Divide
Our current political process cannot reasonably be categorized as a dialogue, it is really two separate monologues taking place independently of one another. If an alien came to earth and viewed one side and then the other, I am reasonably certain they would be convinced the partisan American earthlings were talking about two entirely different countries. More importantly, without a shared goal and unifying focus, any group of people, no matter how intelligent or talented, will just end up running around in circles, achieving nothing. If you would like a real-world example of this exercise in futility, just look at Washington or any cable news channel.
The AIP, on the other hand, is implementing a new national narrative with a crystal-clear focus on tirelessly, relentlessly discovering, and implementing the most efficient and effective solution for each problem we face. By neutering the forces of dogma, ideology, and partisan tribalism, the AIP shatters the feckless and incompetent status quo of both sides and provides the bridge to inspire people of all political persuasions to pursue solutions.
Once our focus is firmly fixed on problem-solving through our new national narrative, we are empowered to look at old problems in new ways. This creates an entirely new landscape to allow us to end the tyranny of entrenched political assumptions and divisions. After all, enduring difficulties persist and often get worse because of our refusal to consider new alternatives. Innovation is that bridge because it defines success based on what objectively works and what does not. This is the opposite of our current political process which defines success based on how closely any action or policy comports with the leading dogmas, ideologies or partisan tribalism of the moment.
Solve the Problem
After we have built the bridge above and beyond the current quagmire, we are ready to fully embrace the method of innovative problem-solving to propel us across it. Before any problem can be solved, there must be a shared understanding of what the problem actually is. For over 1500 years, the greatest universities in Europe taught that the earth was the center of the universe. Once that galactically false narrative was corrected, it took less than 100 years to discover the actual motion of planets in our solar system and modern science and cosmology was born.
The first step in applying innovative problem solving is to consider only the facts and evidence of a particular issue by stripping away the barriers to clear thinking and analysis. Hanna Arendt carefully studied the barriers to successful political systems and made the following observation: “The ideal subject of totalitarian rule is not the convinced Nazi or the convinced Communist, but people for whom the distinction between fact and fiction… and between true and false… no longer exist.” The difference between opinion and fact is a slippery slope, but if we do not carefully guard against the false narratives and assumptions of both sides, then we cannot make progress in finding solutions. As Aristotle, one of the principal founders of scientific analysis said over two millennia ago, “the fact is the starting point.”
The next step is to objectively consider all of the viable options for solving the problem. If we allow our judgment to be dictated by a whole host of assumptions from either the left or the right, then we will end up like the people who claimed the earth was the center of the universe or that ulcers were caused by stress. Objectivity mows down the tired, old failed assumptions of the past and provides the pathway to look at persistent problems in new ways. Combined with facts and evidence, it is the solid foundation upon which all innovative thinking and solutions are built.
The final step is to implement the best solution available with a perspective of experiment and testing. Since our Founding Fathers, America has been called the “Great Experiment.” This framework was applied by Jefferson, Washington, and Franklin because our wise founders knew that only the crucible of real-world application could provide guidance on how to adjust policy to actually solve problems.
There is no possible way to know with any degree of certainty all of the effects and unintended consequences of a bill or policy; therefore, we must be vigilant to continually reevaluate and continuously improve all actions and legislation. The 1994 Crime Bill is a perfect example. Passed at a time of the rapidly rising crime, many of the inflexible provisions and false assumptions embedded in the bill have had a devastating effect on communities across the country, contrary to the original intentions. As crime subsided and the evidence of this unintended negative impact began to emerge, adjustments should have quickly followed. Instead of defending the flawed provisions, we should have had bipartisan action to correct the errors.
Onward and Upward
The problem with our current political process is that we are attempting to leave the bitter divisions in place and still produce solutions. That will not happen, as our status quo has become the perfect formula for division and dysfunction. Further, liberals and conservatives, Republicans and Democrats cannot use innovation in their approach because their energies are entirely focused on generating evidence that their instinctual reactions and theoretical assumptions are correct, not systematically finding what works and what does not.
Our founding fathers were some of the most politically innovative minds in history. They took the best ideas from great thinkers of the Age and throughout history and intricately wove them together to create the most dynamic, innovative system of government in history. We should honor their legacy by continuing the grand tradition they established by embracing a new national narrative that embodies their innovative spirit. By relentlessly looking for ways to improve our unique heritage of self-government and accelerate the enormous success to which we have become accustomed, we will transform our political process, just as we have done in so many other areas of our lives.