We cannot afford this silence now. We can't afford to wait. We must find a way to put this issue into the center of this presidential campaign. And the only way to do that just now is the most misunderstood movement in this election cycle so far -- Americans Elect.

AMERICANS ELECT: THE OPPORTUNITY

For the first time in modern history, there will be a candidate on every presidential ballot in November who is not the nominee of either major party. That candidate will have been selected by voters from across the country who register at AmericansElect.com, become delegates, and who reveal, through a series of questions, their own position on a wide range of issues. Those delegates will then narrow the field of possible candidates through a series of online caucuses. The final six nominees will then select a Vice President not from his or her party. Those six then continue to an online convention which, through online caucuses, will select the Americans Elect nominee. (Disclosure: I serve on a noncompensatory board of advisors for Americans Elect.) Thousands of delegates have already registered for this process. In two weeks, the first round of candidates will have been filtered from the rest. And soon after that, the biggest wildcard in a presidential campaign since Ross Perot could be on the field -- except this time, because also on the ballot of every state, this wildcard could also have a chance to win.

Or at least, to be heard. The Commission on Presidential Debates will invite to the debates any candidate who has more than 15 percent support in six national polls. If allowed onto the stage, the issue that is the central issue for that candidate will be then be the issue the two other candidates have to confront.

For those of us who believe that the corruption of this government is the issue these candidates must address, Americans Elect could be an important opportunity: 10,000 clicks from 10 states could begin a candidate in the process towards winning the AE nomination. If a number of serious candidates vie for that nomination, it could get the attention of a politics-starved media necessary to excite the imagination of at least 15 percent of the public. And if it does that, then there is a straight path to getting what we most need now: The attention to this critical issue that solving it will depend upon.

This argument is not accepted easily by many. First is the fear that a strong independent would cheat either Obama or Romney of his victory. And second, among any mixture of sane and (small c) conservative souls, there are plenty of questions about Americans Elect, and whether any of us should trust it.

These are fair and serious concerns, and I would respect anyone who wrestled with them and resolved them differently from how I do. But as I have reckoned them, I have come to believe that we should do what we can to make this chance real. For the risk to this democracy of letting this issue slide is profound and urgent.