‘No opinions, just representation’

By Jerry Salley  

MAY 25, 2012 9:19 a.m. (1)

Jeff Sumerel has a few different campaign slogans in mind. “It’s been said to lead, follow, or get out of the way. I promise to get out of your way” is one. “Politics as unusual” is another. There’s a reversal of Barry Goldwater’s classic slogan: “In my heart, I know you’re right.” And there’s “Don’t vote for me – vote for you!”

But the slogan featured most prominently on his campaign materials – boiling down to two words the philosophy behind his bid to take Trey Gowdy’s seat as the next U.S. congressman from South Carolina’s 4th District – is “Just Representation.”

Follow Jeff Sumerel’s campaign at www.justrepresentation.org.

Sumerel wants to introduce democracy, in its purest and most direct form, to Washington. He will have “no opinions” of his own, he said, and his votes will be determined not by his own conscience, but by what the people in his district in the Upstate tell him to do. Everything he does in Congress will first be subject to a vote by his constituency, and the majority rules.

But what may surprise those who only know Sumerel from his often quirky and comedic film and stage work is that he’s absolutely serious.

“It’s not a prank, by any means,” said Sumerel. “We want to be respectful of the process. It’s not a joke to us at all.”

Becoming a candidate with no opinions, who would be “just a representative,” grew out of his observations of modern political discourse. “It’s so extreme right now,” he said. “The machine’s gotten so big. There’s so much opinion after opinion after opinion, and it’s always changing. The only way to counter that is with something else as extreme, so that would be… say nothing. Have no opinion.”

Sumerel turned to his longtime friend and collaborator, Sam Reynolds, tapping into his “expertise in IT design and interfacing as well as creative strategy, spirited willingness and keen common sense.” They began working on a way for the citizens of District 4 to express their will electronically.

Their idea is to take any bill that comes before Congress for a vote and present it in layman’s terms, and also to provide the full text “if you want to wade through it,” Sumerel said. Residents of District 4 can then vote directly, via the Internet or phone, on whether Sumerel should vote “aye” or “nay” on the bill.

The logistics are a work in progress. “It wouldn’t be perfect,” Sumerel said, “but (the system) is not perfect now.”

Direct democracy is not a new idea; it dates back as far as ancient Athens, was part of the discussion that spawned the Federalist Papers, and is being employed now to a limited degree in the government of Switzerland. Still, Sumerel has found resistance to the concept. “I’ve had people say, ‘Oh, these people will never vote for good things.’ Well, I don’t know what to do about that,” he said. “Do we need to move? Or do you need to get more involved with your community and help educate them if you think they’re ignorant on the issues?”

With the campaign philosophy established, Sumerel then began looking for a political party that would help him implement it. He found receptive minds in the South Carolina Green Party – first in the county caucus of six people who met in the Hughes Main Library in downtown Greenville, then at the state convention, which convened at a Mediterranean restaurant in Columbia.

The state convention was “very sincere and spirited and small,” remembered Sumerel. “It was 22 people, but it was the largest turnout they’d had, I was told.”

When the convention was over, the South Carolina Green Party had nominated Jill Stein to run against Barack Obama (with one vote going to Roseanne Barr), and Jeff Sumerel to run against Trey Gowdy.

“If I don’t keep trying some things that might seem crazy, it’s easy to get complacent,” said Sumerel. “It’s always that thing of ‘somebody ought to do this.’ Well, okay, why not me? I don’t mind looking like an idiot.”

“I see Jeff Sumerel’s campaign in general as being an effort to call into question the existing system and to stimulate thought about the changes we need to make to create a truly democratic system,” said David Whiteman, Ph.D., an associate professor of political science at the University of South Carolina, and a member of the steering committee of the state Green Party. “His campaign focus on ‘no opinions’ might not articulate the Green Party philosophy directly, but in a campaign in which he may be outspent by hundreds of thousands of dollars, it’s an innovative way to call attention to the need for fundamental reform.”

Sumerel plans to document the entire process for the public record. But this is not just an excuse to make a film, he said. “That wasn’t the motivation, but it would be sort of stupid not to document it, since I have that skill and the resources.”

Despite his reputation as a comedic writer and performer (his prior film work includes the infomercial parody “The Power of Ignorance” and “Kudzulla,” a satire aimed at urban sprawl), Sumerel is finding his message is taking root.

“When I say, ‘This empowers you after the election,’ that really seems to resonate,” he said. “Usually, when the election’s over, you say ‘Well, that’s it. My guy won, and maybe he or she will do what they said.’ Or if they didn’t win, you say, ‘All right, I’ll try again in two years.’ But this would be tangible. You could say, I actually voted, and I know it’s there, and I can point to it.”

The reception has surprised even the candidate. “I assumed people would say, ‘Oh, Jeff, that’s crazy,’” he said. “But they actually say, ‘You know what? That’s not such a bad idea.’ I don’t think they’re saying I’ve got a chance to win, but then again, after some conversation, they say, ‘Well, what if?’”

Comments

Add New

gwen heusel   |2012-11-06 14:37:53 What a refreshing idea, representation has long been lost and self promotion has taken over our politics. Good for you Jeff for pushing a new - old idea. Reply

Leave a Comment
Comments are moderated and may not be posted immediately.
Name:
Email:	do not notifynotify
Title:
	Please input the anti-spam code that you can read in the image.

3.26 Copyright (C) 2008 Compojoom.com / Copyright (C) 2007 Alain Georgette / Copyright (C) 2006 Frantisek Hliva. All rights reserved."