##OMGWUT?
Core idea: it's all open and maintained in source control so it can evolve (refactor) as needed.
Not "Left" or "Right", more like "Outside"
The "Refactor Party" is one of two parts of an idea. The idea is something of a circular project, one part political party (Refactor Party) with the other part being the "Party Platform". The "Party Platform" is a set of tools (at first curated open source tools, ideally custom build some day) configured and deployed following a methodology to provide communication and transparency for political parties and candidates. The "Refactor Party" is a prototypical political party that plays two key roles. First, the Refactor Party's initial primary mission is the creation of the Party Platform. Second, the Refactor Party is the initial "use case" for platform.
##Participation
There's no way to join yet, it's just an idea. However, you can submit issues, pull requests, or fork if you want. I just put the idea out here in case it caught on with anyone else.
##The "Refactor" Name
Our time in the long history of humanity is marked with the birth and rise of the first human programmers. Like the steelworkers constructing skyscrapers an era before us, we've labored collectively to bring rise to the age of computing. For so many of us who've warped our minds to think in data structures by default, the term "Refactor" needs no explanation. For the neo-Luddites of our time, refactoring is a disciplined technique for restructuring an existing body of code, altering its internal structure without changing its external behavior (refactoring.com). At the core, this party believes in re-factoring all of the things that need re-factoring, including potentially the Refactor Party itself.
##Party Tenants
- Responsible Evolution: Everything is dynamic. The Refactor Party understands that everything is subject to change, including these very Tenets. However, change should happen responsibly and equitably. This is why the Refactor Party promotes a mindful discipline of always working to change towards the ideal through small, manageable, well-reasoned steps. This is responsible evolution. In a world that has seen countless revolutions, why not focus on only fixing what's broken?
- Respect for Science: Science is a methodology; it is not a dogma. It is a practice built upon a way of thinking. A respect for science drives the desire to fund research (looking at you, NASA, NHI, NSF) and education. Where we re-evaluate what we have already put together when we refactor, science also re-evaluates what it has already deduced by constantly challenging old ideas. Science shares the spirit of Refactoring.
- Use the Best Tool: Nationalism often leads to the praise of one system of governance and the critisism of others. History has shown us that just about any form of governance can fail. The way a programmer needs different kinds of datastructures to build complex systems, nations need different sytems of governance to handle the different challenges a nation faces. The Refactor Party believes in using the right tool for the job.
- Love Humanity: Always work to reduce human suffering and celebrate human excellence.
##Party Goals (should probably be tracked as issues)
- Disrupt the two-party system.
- Collaborate with third parties of shared interest.
- Use technology to support political party equality.
- End corporate personhood and refactor the corporate concept.
- Open Government and Open Data
- Adopt the metric system.
- Increase science and education funding.
- Political income capped at median income level for district/state/etc represented.
- Health Care For All!
- Operate core campaign on Bitcoin as much as possible.
- Apply good UX to government laws and services.
- Legal framework for all levels of government archived in revision control system.