What is Unity 08 doing and planning to get more exposure? How are you going to make Unity 08 attractive to the people that care more about who the next "American Idol" is going to be than the next president?
tomorrow...?
First, Nader has been busy building name recognition since about '65 when he chased the Corvair off the road - always a cool car I thought. Point there being that he is/was well known as a consumer advocate a long time before he decided to try to parlay his notoriety into an electoral effort. I personally have no use for him and lay the entire Iraq mess squarely on his shoulders - nonetheless - he spent several decades laying the goundwork for his perfidy to have had any effect.
Ditto Perot, who began before the end of Nam to begin slinging his weight about - then took over GM and rattled their cages solidly before he ever stepped into the electoral limelight. And when he did, he brought along a major amplifier (his pocketbook) without which he would never have been heard ...
To pretend that Unity08 is somehow analagous to these two and that tomorrow is just a fine time to begin suggests a myopia that will likely be fatal to our effort. To get potentially viable candidates to consider us as a viable vehicle requires our bringing a record of achievement to the game which can only be proven by the results we achieve on November 7, 2024. This is not about dumping incumbents, Republicans or Democrats - this is about having elicited from candidates regardless of party or status a commitment to non-paritsan non-controversial centrist reform positions - automated once-per-decade redistricting, publicly financed campaigns, full and total personal and campaign finance disclosure, etc. and using their commitments to measure our effectiveness. If Unity08 can prove some effectiveness in affecting the races of candidates we support in 06, we stand a much better chance of recruiting the ticket we want in 08, of eliciting positive media exposure and of developing some credibility going into that cycle among the general electorate.
I always tell folks that the one undeniable distinction between an incumbent and a challenger is that the incumbent can say "I did, I have...," while the challenger can only say "I will, I want to..." We have the opportunity to wrap ourselves in the mantle of success and accomplishment. For the life of me I can't understand why we wouldn't...
What about getting some of the founding members together and making a few short documentary type videos that could then be disseminated on Google videos, Yahoo videos, YouTube.com and other similar places... people could put them up on their MySpace pages, blah blah blah. Would be cheap to do (as long as a camcorder and someone with the ability to make good looking powerpoint type presentations are available) and could get the word out... at least to younger people.
Otherwise, there are a bunch of moderate and centrist organizations that would be a great place to find like minded people... I mean, individuals like me could do that (I plan to if I can find the time... I barely find the time to come on this site more than a few times a week...) but if some of the founding members or maybe people with official backing of Unity '08 could be assigned tasks like mining for Blue Dog Dems, Main street Repiblicans, and any other centrist type places (like the ones found on these lists: http://www.radicalmiddle.com/weblogs.htm , http://www.radicalmiddle.com/great_websites.htm , & http://www.radicalmiddle.com/great_sites.htm) I think we'd get more people in here.
I apologize if these ideas have already been put out there, I don't have the time to read over all the stuff below...
Yes, I notices the Shoutbox comments dropping off but if new readers look at the history of the Shoutbox they may well feel their views or there if not just lost in a maze or drowned out by egorattlers.
Some thoughtful people have questioned U08's limited scope (it lacks The Warrior passion). Others are questioning the timing of structural activity. The central drivers of U08 need to make some moves to consolidate and activate what we have. I am much too novice to know what that would be, but not too dense to know that it is required.
Bill"for what we are together"
"The average of age of the MOST RECENT comment on the various threads is about two weeks."
Just thought I'd clarify...
I hate to keep bugging you about this voting on a comment-by-comment basis thing, but I'm concerned that we're losing momentum, here. (Have you noticed that the average age of the comments is now around 2 weeks?).
So, here goes:
Can the web team and/or the founders give us a time line as to when this feature will be up and running?
Let me further implore you by stating that "web site mechanics" is is not merely a technical side-issue. It is fundamental to what this movement can (or cannot) accomplish.
Allow me to paraphrase Mark Green from his July 27th posting below:
"The internet is not one-way, it is instantly interactive. Your existing online community could generate within a few short weeks a well articulated agenda to put before the candidates."
I'm not sure about "a few short weeks," but I agree with the overall sentiment. The Net isn't just a photocopier on steroids, it's some kind of wild cross between the telephone, television, and a voting booth. This is the stuff of (peaceful) revolutions if it is harnessed properly!
Mark also wrote (again, paraphrased) on July 12, 2024
"How can Unity08 distinguish between fundamental issues and tactical evasions?"
***
The "Shoutbox" is simply a cauldron of alphabet soup until it is organized in a collabrative way (read: voting) by the the members. We must set an agenda! We must stand for something!
I think that you (our beloved founders) recognize that this must be done, but I'm not sure that there is a sense of urgency.
Is there?
Mark-
There are a number of initiatives out there trying to get incumbants out of office for this cycle. That's never been the stated goal of this organization, as far as I've read.
Both Perot and Nader made an impact on national elections and they didn't start until much later in the cycle. Two years early seems pretty good lead time to me.
You say this organization could make an easy impact by Labor Day 2024, yet given two weeks they couldn't gather 10,000 signatures for a flimsey petition that required no real comittments. I think they've made a wise choice in realizing it takes time to come together and mobilize for a true impact. I'm still skeptical it will really lead to anything, but rushing it doesn't seem like a great idea.
Furthermore, you state that the "existing online community could generate within the few short weeks before Labor Day a valid and well articulated reform agenda to put before the 06 pool of candidates." You clearly must be kidding. Have you read the discussions here? There is a divide as wide as the Grand Canyon on most high-profile issues.
I'm not sure how posting questions and getting answers such as the one Gerald provided here doesn't qualify as interactive. I can't remember the last time I posted a question to the DNC or the GOP and got a personalized response.
Gerald-
I appreciate your response to my post. I would say at this point that it is unlikely that I will be involved in Unity08 in the 08 cycle given that Unity08 shows no inclination of getting involved early enough to make a difference - like the 06 cycle. You have the potential to put real and immediate pressure on current candidates, both challenger and incumbent, to commit to a real reform agenda that could fundamentally change the shape and lay of the field the 08 campaign is waged upon. And you refuse to do so.
Also, I am frankly put off by the similarity in operating mode of Unity08 and MoveOn.org - one I've done my best to share with Wes. The internet is not a one-way model. It is instantly interactive, and I can say with assurance that were you to make the effort (you won't) your existing online community could generate within the few short weeks before Labor Day a valid and well articulated reform agenda to put before the 06 pool of candidates, and to parlay their responses (or non-responses) into a meaningful and well articulated movement of support for those who will carry our banner and opposition against those who oppose a "third way." You want credibility for 08? You can't wait for 08 to seek it.
I won't be waiting for orders from anybody who hasn't earned my respect. I congratulate your team on getting an interesting ball rolling - just wish you knew where the goal was and had your eyes on the game-clock/
BTW - if your web team doesn't have my email address by now, you have some rather severe technical issues to deal with as well...
I agree we need a specific agenda so the candidates know exactly what they are being asked to support. We need to know exactly also. And we do need to do this at lelasst by Labor Day `06.
Also, it is most important that we receive national attention in the press and on tv. Our founders should start to appear on talk shows and CNN and FOX News, etc.
You make a good point and it is well taken.
We may have net roots but we are also enlisting ground troops for political work in all 50 states. I hope you will be one of them. Stay tuned for announcements of activities involving thousands ( soon millions) of people who want to change the direction of our country.
At the same time we are garnering more and more publicity and serious mention in the media. The national media , reporters and columnists, have accepted Unity08 as the legitimate third way and we are concentrating on local TV, radio, editorial boards, etc.
Look for a large political push in the fall and into 2024 when the political heat starts to sizzle.
I hope we have your name and e mail address so you can participate. It's your campaign.
From another thread: "Jim Jonas on July 6, 2024 - 10:41am Question: How can Unity08 succeed without distinguishing between those issues that are fundamental and those which are merely tactical evasions of fundamental issues?
Unity08 supporters themselves will make those decisions. We envision spending a considerable amount of time and effort in building the significant numbers to this movement that will give us the strength to force the candidates who run for our nomination to focus on the fundamental (we call them "crucial") issues that matter -- and not the evasive, emotional, wedge issues that will sidetrack others. The key for our movement is to build the critical mass of people to this movement so that we can, by sheer strength of numbers, force candidates and the movement to stay focused on those fundamental issues."
I remain convinced that our best tactic is to formulate a specific agenda, and that it should revolve around systemic and systematic reform of the electoral/political process. Once we have refined and articulated this we should use this to publicize our effort and recruit supporters, and use the power of our growing numbers to pulicly identify those candidates for whatever race and from whatever Party, along with independents, who will courageously support our initiatives.
As much of what we are about will likely require Constitutional amendments (finance reform, redistricting reform, term limits, etc.), it seems preferable that we formally construct these and other agenda items so that the candidates know with specificity what they are being asked to support. And I remain convinced that our deadline for achieving this milestone is Labor Day 2024.
