My mission between now and my state’s primaries in february is to encourage everyone to take the time to research candidates and reacquaint themselves with the responsibilities of living in a democratic republic while we still can. There is no reason to vote for the alleged front runner just because you are too lazy to click a link and take a peek at the candidates. I would prefer that you didn’t vote in that instance. We are going to have to be especially vigilant in the 2008 elections because we know the folly of believing the msm; we know that the folks with the most money used to have the edge; we know that there are still diebold machines and the like out there and politicians are still tinkering with redistricting and whatnot- we know that this is a fight for our survival. Not to get all melodramatic or anything- but we need a pro-environmental, anti-war, pro-constitution candidate and hillary clinton ain’t it. john edwards ain’t it.
Having said that- i will say this- if clicking the provided links isn’t your thing- feel free to ask betmo- i will try to get you any answers you need about the candidates- rethuglicans excluded- and post about them. We need frank and open discussions about the candidates- we need real information and not just the canned responses to the predetermined questions at the photo ops- i mean ‘debates.’ these folks don’t really understand the way that the internet works- they just know that it does. It is more important than ever for us to be communicating with each other. There are a whole lot of idiots out there on the left- and we need as many progressive, forward thinkers as we can find. We are not only locked in battle with the conservative mindset- but the regressive thinkers on the left- of which status quo clinton is at the helm. Let’s do what we can to save the democracy- maybe that’s the first step in us saving the planet.
links:
project vote smart- “On common ground at a unique research center high in the Montana Rockies, a struggling group of Americans, who you are unlikely to know and will probably never meet, have begun a battle. A battle to protect all of us from the selfish interests that strip us of the most crucial component in our struggle to self-govern — access to abundant, accurate, and relevant information.”
just $6- “Congress would only have to spend $6 per citizen per year to publicly fund each and every election for the House, the Senate and the White House. When you consider that “pork barrel” projects cost every one of us more than $200 last year alone, it’s no contest.”
election line- “electionline.org, a project of the Pew Center on the States, is the nation’s only nonpartisan, non-advocacy website providing up-to-the-minute news and analysis on election reform. Established by Pew after the November 2000 vote, electionline has become the leading source for journalists, policymakers, election officials, academics and concerned citizens to learn about, discuss and debate election administration issues.”
5 comments:
I wish we had public financing but the corporations would just funnel money into Swiss bank accounts, as if they don't already.
My choice is down to two, I am not only concerned about ending wars, but about workers rights and I have only found two who harbor the same feelings.
Comprehensive as always,... well put.
Help Create Democracy 2.0
Week Released: September 17-21, 2007
The Millennial Generation, including myself, is interested in being an
active part of changing public policy. This interest led me to be a part of
Mobilize.org¹s Democracy 2.0 Campaign.
On July 4, Mobilize.org began the Democracy 2.0 project to call attention to
the ways that our democratic process and institutions are properly serving
and failing to serve the interests of Americans, specifically young
Americans. The purpose of Democracy 2.0 is to call attention to the main
problems of our current political system, highlight the distinct
characteristics of the Millennial Generation, and provide guidelines for
change to help cultivate a renewed political process in America.
Currently, our political system is trying to manage a 21st century society
with 18th century political institutions. Democracy 2.0 will upgrade our
current political system, empowering citizens to identify community
problems, propose solutions, be a part of the implementation of these
solutions, and change the way politics is done in this country.
To begin this endeavor, Mobilize.org asked a series of questions and
collected data from youth, ages 16-30 that will be reviewed and evaluated by
Democracy 2.0 Ambassadors at the Democracy 2.0 Summit on October 3, 2007,
with the intention of releasing the Democracy 2.0 Declaration of Our
Generation. The Declaration of our Generation is a short statement of
principles describing a citizen-centered approach to democracy. The
Declaration will focus on three themes: 1) What currently works and what
does not work in our democracy; 2) What defines our generation; and 3) What
Democracy 2.0 should look like.
The Declaration will call attention to areas in which the government is
succeeding and failing to serve the public interest, highlight the unique
and defining characteristics of our generation, and provide guidelines that
will serve as a call to action for American citizens to help create this
renewed form of democracy.
I wanted to mention this opportunity since every posting here has an
interest in this. Mobilize.org is looking for people who want to serve as
Democracy 2.0 Online Ambassadors to be a part of the drafting process. If
you have any questions, please shoot me an e-mail at brendan.chan@mail.utexas.edu.
Excellent post Betmo.
Karen & I weren't politically "active" until the 2004 (s)election and I have to tell you that we went through hell volunteering for our local Dem outfit.
We called several times. We stopped in several times- telling them that we wanted to volunteer to do something- phone bank, run between precincts, drive voters, ANYTHING- whatever. NO ONE would return our call or give us anything "organized" to do. We finally had to DEMAND (in person) something or we were going out rogue on our own because we felt that strong about removing the Nazis. And we were informed.
We did this, but also were finally given a precinct to monitor voter rolls checking registered voters against those who had/hadn't voted, getting that information to the connected phone banks to get as many no-shows to the voting booths as possible.
All to no avail, but we tried- gave it everything we had.
People must be educated and then they must vote, so I THANK YOU for doing this! :)
A great post. I have read alot about Edwards, Obama and even Gore who isn't running but it's hard with 6 months to go before primaries to pick "the one".
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