The James Madison Project

The James Madison Project is committed to a strong, healthy political system serving free and enlightened citizens through reclaiming the voice of the citizen within the political ecosystem.

 

The James Madison Project  explores James Madison’s contribution to the American Constitutional Republic in order to evolve a more modern, up to date, treatment plan for the “ mortal disease(s)” that developed in our body politics. Building on James Madison’s process in laying the groundwork, navigating and providing the initial blueprint for the US constitution, and the skill to have it agreed to and implemented, we offer a blueprint for Version 6.0. A version that is true to the vision articulated in the Declaration of Independence, modern understanding of human nature, the challenges confronted by prior versions and the evolving digital age.

 

This aspect of the project provides an overview of Madison’s understanding of human nature in general and the role passions and factions play as drivers of individual political action and impact on the body politic. Madison’s remedy, republican government with checks and balances among the various branches of government, as well as the states, to control the pathological impact of “factions” on society is reviewed and critiqued. 

 

The importance that Madison assigned to public opinion is highlighted and efforts are made to operationalize it for the twenty-first century.  Building on Madison’s use of the disease metaphor to describe the pathology of the governments of his time, and the constitutional architecture that was informed by his analysis, the medical case presentation is introduced as a framework to better understand and potentially intervene in our current complex political ecosystem.

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Setting the Madisonian Stage for Citizen Engagement  

A series of blogs and related material setting the Madisonian stage for a six months long experiment in Citizenism, that will focus on the challenges associated with the opioid epidemic and the US healthcare system.

 

The James Madison Project contains a number of initiatives and programs that will be made public over the next few years. The initial initiatives include the following:

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Diseases of the US Political System

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The political process, defined by the constitution, has been corrupted to the point that it is an existential threat to the US. Culture wars, congressional paralysis if not obstructionism, a polarized electorate, global challenges, the surveillance state, concern regarding growing national debt, growing inequality, money’s impact on the political election have all contributed to growing distrust of the federal government.

 

• The Mortal Diseases of the Political System focuses on the role of the government in meeting its responsibility to the people, citizens,  for whom it was instituted. This aspect of the project explores the structure and dysfunction of the  US body politic including the  Federal, State and local government. In addition to framing the challenges as symptoms of the disease of the body politic, this initiative utilizes the Medical Case Presentation as a framework for dialogue and action to address challenges and potential solutions for the political ecosystem.

• Diseases of the US Body Politic: In addition to framing the challenges as symptoms of the disease of the body politic, this initiative utilizes the Medical Case Presentation as a framework for dialogue and action to address challenges and potential solutions for the political ecosystem. Two medical cases are introduced, The Pain Opioid Epidemic Case Presentation and The Cancer of the US Political System Case.

• The Cancer of the US Political System Case: The Case Presentation of Cancer of the US Political System uses cancer as a metaphor for the US political system. Cancer as a metaphor serves to highlight the symptoms of the pathology of the US political system.  The Cancer  Case Presentation builds on the understanding of the biological cancer process and current treatment approaches as a framework to address the political cancer that has developed in our body politic.  It is our goal to create a more deliberative, respectable solutions-oriented process inspired by hope and built on compromise that serves the general public 

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• The COVID-19 Citizen Commission Version 1.0 and Medical Case Presentation are  frameworks for a citizen-oriented approach to engage with the challenges facing us in the body politic of the United States. Using the medical case presentation as an organizing structure, the COVID-19 Pandemic Citizen Commission offers a dynamic, interactive, collaborative process that engages our fellow citizens to address the biological, social, financial challenges confronting us as individuals, members of our community and citizens of the nation and the world. It provides a vehicle for citizens to collaborate, identify, analyze, develop, implement and monitor a solution based “treatment plan” for medical problems. ​

 

• The Pain Opioid Epidemic Case Presentation 

The Pain Opioid Epidemic Project and Case Presentation recognize that a multi-stakeholder, comprehensive public health approach to combating the nation’s prescription opioid abuse and growing heroin epidemic is crucial. It is our belief that it is up to all of us to prevent and reduce abuse, misuse, overdose and death from prescription drugs. ​

 

• The Case of the US Healthcare System 

The treatment plan of the Medical Case Presentation offers a multistage action plan divided into immediate, short and long term actions for addressing the challenges of the US healthcare system. The treatment plan format allows us to engage in a healthy deliberative political process toward our vision:

 

A sustainable system that provides access to quality, affordable healthcare for all Americans.

 

The United States 6.0 

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United States Version 6.0 is needed to address the challenges and opportunities of the 21st Century. An operating system that leverages that scientific and technical advances and most importantly the better understanding of the science of human nature and happiness and the ingredients of well being. 

 

To learn more about The James Madison Project see the website or contact us .

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