Audrey Henson Founder and CEO, College to Congress. Congress should represent its’ people, not just the elite.
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Description
This podcast was recorded at the very start of the pandemic in the US. In a world now where the role of government at a national and local level is becoming increasingly important, understanding how Congress needs to better represent each district might well help drive a better sense of connection and believability and support of the government systems. This might be the moment where we as citizens we connect better with the government because at least at a congressional level, we see people like us in government and the support functions that are seen more as elitist than it is representative. Citizens love to hate Congress with approval ratings in the single digits. Audrey Henson worked as a political strategist for women and minority candidates. She recognized that you could not get a minority candidate in at the top of the ticket and then not have a staff system that is also not female and or minority orientated. This podcast covers that discussion—her experiences inside a ground-level campaign through to an approach that could radically reconnect Congress and each district. Think of these two points in the podcast together We will not change how we govern in an increasingly fragmented world until we have representation that is very close to the various signals from their full range of citizens. We have to find the right model to bring in representative talent from the very entry point of the congressional model so we can avoid the campaign mentality that still drives the usual gridlock we see each day. Funding the community of support as it can cost $10,000+ for an internship as well as clothing These interns have lived the process and the outcomes from congressional laws, so they just know better By 2050 predicting a minority-majority nation. We need to change laws and procedures radically. Need to see blind spots by 2030 – find people in their districts. Needs to spread across all government as winners in elections take all the roles. We need to take more from cross parties. College to Congress works because it is meeting congressional members at their point of acceptance. This is like society. College to Congress recommends candidates for each congressional member based on the demographics in their district.
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