Joining the SAM Party: Rising above the fray

Just last month I switched my political party designation from Democrat to the SAM Party. SAM stands for the Serve America Movement. To me, it represents hope that we can rise above the current political tribalism that has taken over government at every level and get back to working for the people. SAM welcomes members with every political background and was started by Democrats and Republicans in the wake of the 2016 elections. SAM’s founders surveyed the damage done to our democracy and decided that the only way to combat the divisiveness of the two traditional parties was to create a disrupting new force not built on ideology and division, but inclusion and good government practice. The best description I have heard about the SAM philosophy is “radical sensibility.”

The status quo was just not working for me. By way of background, I have spent the last thirty years working with New York State local government elected officials and employees and have seen first-hand along the way how politics has changed the way government worked. It wasn’t for the better. For instance, our county legislature is passing legislation to grab the headlines without a hot minute of background research or considering the effects on all residents and businesses, qualified and dedicated women are running for office against much less qualified men and yet the local controlling party will not endorse them, and major “vanity” projects are undertaken in local municipalities while serious infrastructure issues are left unaddressed. The decisions are made before the first public hearing is held and the only thing that happens before the actual vote is a public relations campaign to insure that the voters believe what the government is doing is the only and best way to go. If anyone has a different viewpoint, they are being “political,” so it just isn’t heard, or they are subject to personal attacks.

Many of you are probably thinking, why bother? We have had a system with two major parties forever and it will never be any different. I’ve always been a fill in the blank. We need to be asking ourselves some questions. What would happen if I changed my party? How has my party changed since I joined? What happens when we stop the personal attacks and listen to each other? What if our elected officials only goal wasn’t to keep winning elections?

SAM is an ideologically and demographically diverse organization of people who believe that:

People should always be valued above politics,

Government exists to serve residents,

Policymaking should be an inclusive process built on evidence,

Government needs publicly available long-term strategies they can be held accountable to,

Government needs to evaluate its performance regularly to ensure it uses its resources wisely, and

O

ur democracy should be vibrant and accessible, with competitive districts and easy access to voting.

The current political tribes care more about keeping and consolidating power than they do about ideologies or accomplishments. I grew up with elected officials who tried to leave politics at the door once they were elected and serve the people. This type of philosophy is sadly missing from today’s government. Once elected, politics is firmly at the center of government decision-making. Decisions are made and candidates are endorsed based on promoting policy that party leaders believe will garner the most votes or secure higher office. Research, discussion, negotiation, and speaking with constituents is no longer necessary to achieve the party goals. It makes the job of an elected official much easier.

It took me a while to get here. How do you walk away from something you’ve been a part of your whole life and fit like a comfy old slipper? When the slipper is so old that it no longer resembles the slipper you loved and the sole is now missing. I heard about SAM during the 2018 gubernatorial election. The SAM Party ran Stephanie Miner, a Democrat and Michael Volpe, a Republican for governor and lieutenant governor, respectively. Their first time out, they were able to gather 50,000 votes in order to gain ballot status. I didn’t join right away. I wanted to see if they would fall into the abyss of partisanship. They haven’t.

The SAM party formally nominated 103 candidates for offices across New York State this past election. It is moving forward at some level across the nation. I was involved in interviewing some candidates locally and was so impressed by the candidates drawn to the party for their endorsement. Qualified, involved, passionate and committed to ending politics as usual.

The SAM Party of NY is interested in creating a thriving, inclusive economic future for all New Yorkers regardless of where in the state you live. Its platform is focused on fixing the culture of corruption that is pervasive in New York politics, reducing the State’s high cost of living, revitalizing the State’s economy, reducing health care costs, and improving outcomes for New York’s students.

It’s really simple to me. Work with the community you were elected to represent, measure progress, and be transparent about what government is doing and what it is accomplishing.

This is movement that can succeed and we can correct the traditional party system whose results are failing all of us. We have the flexibility to work across political divides to build broad support. It’s time for all of us to stop saying there is nothing you can do or to keep voting along party lines no matter who the candidate is.

If you are interested in making the move to SAM, contact your local board of elections and change your party designation on your voter registration form. Party designation can also be changed online through the New York State DMV Electronic Voter Registration Form. For more information you can contact me at bsamel@nycap.rr.com or contact www.facebook.com/joinsamNY.org, on Twitter and Instagram @SAMforNY, or

https://joinsamny.org.