A Nascent Evidence and Reason-Based Political Party

The Common Sense Party is working to become a registered party in California. The group needs about 67,000 registered voters to register with the CSP as their party to obtain official recognition by California. A group of voters decided to form the CSP last September out of frustration with the two major parties. I joined the group effort a few days later when I heard about it. The party intends try to to mostly set standard liberal and conservative ideology aside and instead look more to evidence, reason and public opinion as influences on policy formation and choice. The group has registered over 15,000 voters so far.

Not surprisingly, local commentators have pointed out the difficulty that third parties have in gaining traction with the public. Lack of ideological unity among independents and dropouts from the two main parties is cited as one reason for why third parties don't easily gain traction. Despite the problems, there is enough discontent to lead about a quarter of California voters to register as no party preference or NPP voters.

A possible unifying belief that might help to attract ideologically disparate voters is a belief in facts, truths and sound reason as important guides to inform both reality and policy choices.

My participation

Once the party is officially registered in California, the group plans to have party members vote on a platform. I communicate with the group's Interim Chairman, Bob Campbell, a former republican US congressman and currently a Professor of Economics and a Distinguished Professor of Law at Chapman University. At present, I am writing platform and position papers for the CSP to take up once the party is officially recognized. 

To the extent I am able to do so, I will take this unusual opportunity to introduce the anti-bias mindset and moral basis of pragmatic rationalism to the CSP. In part, doing that is my attempt to provide some basis for cohesion and CSP identity. Obviously, CSP members will accept or reject anti-bias and pragmatic rationalism in whole or in part as they see fit. Nonetheless, my position and platform papers will be informed and shaped by my anti-bias mindset and the moral principles that pragmatic rationalism is based on. 

The CSP's website is here.

For California residents interested in registering with the CSP, you can do that online by going to the Secretary of State's online registration form: https://covr.sos.ca.gov/ . When you get to the choice of party option, select OTHER and then type into the Other (specify) box that lights up when OTHER is selected. After you fill out the form and submit it, you will receive a card a week or two later indicating that you are registered with the CSP. Note, this is a legal affidavit and the registration form must be filled out honestly.