Wednesday, August 31, 2016

Open letter to Tim Canova

Dear Professor Canova,

This open letters seeks to inquire about your next steps in the FightBigMoney battle (following your loss to Debbie Wasserman Schultz in the FL23 primary yesterday).

To begin, I wish to call your attention to Democracy Spring's recently announced five phase Grand Strategy



Phase 01 has gone by, as has most of phase 02.

Phase 03 is to "mobilize voters [in the 2016 elections] to elect  a President and federal and state legislators committed to honor the reform mandate."

It is late in the game to go to work on mobilizing voters in the 2016 elections. (I am sure you wish there could have been more voter mobilization in FL23 prior to yesterday's FL23 primary.)

However late the game is, a central question in the Grand Strategy is how will Democracy Spring "mobilize voters" around the country in the next two months.

There is no indication that Democracy Spring has funds to advertise on the TV or radio or by U.S. mail, or to pay for other means to get its message spread in the public domain. Democracy Spring may not even have volunteers to do door to door canvassing, phone banking, or handing out of leaflets during the next two months.

Instead, Democracy Spring's plan is for "a robust and decentralized national network of local teams performing coordinated acts of civil disobedience from coast to coast, who will make it clear to the nation that We the People are rising and we will not rest until we have the democracy we were promised. From now until election day, we will disrupt, shame, and isolate candidates who defend the corrupt status quo and lift up, celebrate, and support those who publicly commit to passing fundamental reforms."

To get into the public consciousness during the next two months, it seems Democracy Spring is going to be basically looking to news reporting of "its coordinated acts of civil disobedience from coast to coast," in order to generate voter mobilization in phase 03 of the Grand Strategy.

Based on the news reporting of Democracy Spring's April disobedience action and the Democratic convention acton in July, the goal to "mobilize voters [in the 2016 elections] to elect  a President and federal and state legislators committed to honor the reform mandate" may be far fetched. (Keep in mind how MAYDAY raised $10,000,000 in 2014 in order to embark on a two year plan to elect a reform minded Congress by 2016, spent most of its funds in test 2014 Congressional elections, and basically gave up in 2015, and how Lawrence Lessig attempted a "hail Mary" Presidential run in the fall of 2015, which foundered in a few weeks.)

However farfetched may be significant mobilizing of voters in the next two months, all stops should be pulled out, because, as Democracy Spring says,
The opportunity of this moment is extraordinary. Over the last year, the overwhelming public consensus that we need to get big money out of politics had exploded onto the national stage. Throughout the primaries, presidential candidates from both parties have repeatedly raised this issue; progressive candidates up and down the ballot are claiming it as a core element of their reform agendas; and Democratic Party leaders, including Hilary Clinton, are making their strongest commitments to date to protect and expand voting rights, establish publicly funded elections, and overturn Citizens United.
For more than a year I have been advocating the use of tweeting banks to mobilize voters in the 2016 elections.

As laid out in Template for Congressional districts, the basic idea is "I/we are tweeting to you, with a link to here, and I/we solicit you to join in the tweeting, and we thereby grow our numbers, and tweets." (i.e. a pyramiding of tweets that engenders and embodies significant voter mobilization). (You are probably aware of the FL23 tweeting bank I tried to get going, but that I could not get going.)

What are your thoughts about phase 03 of Democracy Spring's Grand Strategy?

Do you agree that the next two months represent an extraordinary opportunity, for which all the stops should be pulled out to try achieve voter mobilization?

What ideas do you have for mobilizing voters in the next two months?

Do you think my idea of tweeting banks should be at least attempted in order to mobilize voters in the next two months?

In considering the the opportunity of the next two months, what are your thoughts for groups that are focused on a constitutional amendment that skirts Congressional involvement.

I think those groups should join in tweeting banks during the next two months.

Tweeting banks are flexible, and their messaging can be tailored to particular objectives of Democracy Spring, MoveToAmend, Represent.Us, Wolfpac, etc.

With the goal being to get messaging out as widely as possible to the general public, the messaging of all the groups, even though slightly different, will be mutually reinforcing, because all the messaging will call attention to the problem of the corrupting influence of money in politics and the need for voter mobilization to force an addressing of the problem.

Further there is significant strategic complementation. As Wolfpac points out on its plan webpage, in the following quotation, taking steps to call a constitutional convention can pressure Congress.
Something to keep in mind: Near the turn of the 20th century the American people wanted to be able to elect their senators directly, but Congress was the last body of government that was going to change the way they got elected (sound familiar?!). So the states took it upon themselves and started calling for a convention one by one for the sole purpose of the direct election of senators. It took 13 years before they got within a couple states of the necessary 2/3 threshold to force a convention. When it became clear to Congress that the 17th Amendment was going to happen with or without them, they decided to preempt a convention by proposing it themselves. Calling for a convention on a specific issue is the strongest message we can send to Congress, and the most effective way to restore our democracy in the United States.
By the same token, ostensible failure of Congress to act in the face of widespread citizen demand will heighten citizen reaction to the effect of "OK, you Congress refuse to act, and we the citizens are all the more impelled towards the constitutional convention route."

I hope you are persuaded by the tweeting bank concept, and, in taking your next steps in the FightBigMoney battle, you will urge that all FightBigMoney organizations join in tweeting banks during the next two months to generate voter mobilization.

A final matter I solicit your consideration of (if you are persuaded by the tweeting bank concept) is what tweet messaging and what linked webpage will be most effective in drawing in voters who receive tweets to join in and do tweeting themselves in the tweeting bank.

Also, I would emphasize the idea of "decentralized" activity that Democracy Spring refers to in phase 02 of the above Grand Strategy. In Alabama, I am currently working on Be an Alabamian who wants to know. That tweeting bank is not complete, and I need to add to it appropriate Twitter follower lists in Alabama for participants to send tweets to, in the vein of "Tweet for Alabamians who want to know whether their Congress is corrupt. http://al6thcongdist-ihaveuntiljan13.blogspot.com/2016/08/question-to-al-congresspersons-re.html"

Thank you for giving whatever consideration you can to this letter.

Monday, August 29, 2016

To DemSpring leaders: add tweeting banks to your toolbox

It has been announced that 319 volunteer leaders from around the country have applied to Democracy Spring's first National Training, to be held from September 8th through 11th in New Jersey.

The training is for local leaders around the country "to get trained, form local teams, and organize the kind of widespread nonviolent direct action we need to make this the last corrupt election we ever have to endure." Democracy Spring says:
The opportunity of this moment is extraordinary. Over the last year, the overwhelming public consensus that we need to get big money out of politics had exploded onto the national stage. Throughout the primaries, presidential candidates from both parties have repeatedly raised this issue; progressive candidates up and down the ballot are claiming it as a core element of their reform agendas; and Democratic Party leaders, including Hilary Clinton, are making their strongest commitments to date to protect and expand voting rights, establish publicly funded elections, and overturn Citizens United.
There are two key things to understand here.
First, we are only here because the movement to end legalized corruption and establish true democracy got us here. Thousands of people have been organizing and volunteering around this fight for many years and millions have participated in some way to have their voices heard. Last April, over 1,300 people were arrested with Democracy Spring on the steps of US Capitol in what was the largest American civil disobedience action of the 21st Century. We are shifting the national conversation and opening up the space to pass fundamental reform to fix democracy, not in 2018 or 2019, but next year.
Second, we have a hard and critically important fight ahead of us. We will only win the sweeping reforms we need to swiftly address catastrophic climate change, the mass incarceration and deportation of black and brown people, our national healthcare emergency, and so many other issues, if we are able to grow this movement quickly and use escalating nonviolent direct action and noncooperation on a historic scale, putting decisive pressure on power-holders to concede to the movement's demands.
How do you do that? With a robust and decentralized national network of local teams performing coordinated acts of civil disobedience from coast to coast, who will make it clear to the nation that We the People are rising and we will not rest until we have the democracy we were promised. From now until election day, we will disrupt, shame, and isolate candidates who defend the corrupt status quo and lift up, celebrate, and support those who publicly commit to passing fundamental reforms.
The forgoing sounds as if the goal of Democracy Spring is to affect significantly the Congressional elections in November, and to do that Democracy Spring is going to depend on news reporting of its acts of civil disobedience for breaking through into the public consciousness (make "clear to the nation" its message) between now and November 8th.

Democracy Spring presumably does not have funds to advertise on the TV and radio or by U.S. mail or to pay for other things to get its message spread in the public domain. Democracy Spring may not even have assets to do door to door canvassing, phone banking, or handing out of leaflets for its campaign.

For a year, the Presidential election has sucked up the nation's attention, and Democracy Spring's  April civil disobedience and Philadelphia convention disobedience got little news coverage.

I think it is a fair estimate to say it is going to be very tough for Democracy Spring to break into the public consciousness between now and November 8th.

In the face of that, I would say to the DemSpring volunteer leaders and others: get creative, expand your vision for breaking into the public consciousness; and, in particular, do tweeting banks as laid out in this blog.

The tweet banking does not take training. It does not take waiting until September 8th through 11th. It just takes gumption and a willingness to start sending tweets.

Do you have the gumption?

UPDATE 8/30
The Democracy Spring material set forth above is from an August 24th email. An email Democracy Spring sent today says "over 100 volunteer leaders" will attend the National Training, and today's email lays out the below 5 phase Grand Strategy. I continue to urge on the volunteer leaders to develop and promote tweeting banks in their Congressional districts in order to contribute to mobilizing voters before November 8th. See suggested Template for Congressional districts.




Thursday, August 18, 2016

Trump should lead charge against corrupt Congress

Tweet to Trump
Trump should lead the charge of the country to demand that the current Congress face up to and act on its corruption before Nov. 8th, or else face eviction from office. Send Mr. Trump a tweet asking him to lead this charge by clicking on the below link. The tweet you send will have a link to this blog entry (Trump should lead charge against corrupt Congress).  Also your tweet will contain, and show up under, the Twitter hashtag #FixCongressNow.
In deciding whether or not to tweet to Trump, you know that he has been on the corruption and broken political system from the start.

In the very first debate, Trump was brutally honest. Here's the video of that.



Donald Trump has been saying that many times, in many ways, ever since.

Donald Trump tweeted yesterday that "we are going to make this a government of the people once again."

In his tweeted video Trump lambastes the "pay for play" corruption of Hillary Clinton, the "profiteering," and the "favors given to foreign corporations and governments," all being "not acceptable," "corrupt" and bringing "great dishonor" on our government.

As to the goal of making this "a government of the people once again", Trump says this is "the last chance" for the people to take back their power, and that the "establishment is scared" and "has no idea how many people are going to come out on Nov. 8th and vote"

Trump needs to escalate and take on our corrupt Congress as well. He needs to lead the charge for the American people to #FixCongressNow.

If this is indeed the "last chance" for the people to take back their power, that should extend to it being the last chance for the people to reclaim their Congress.

The people need to be unified to demand that the current Congress address its corruption before Nov. 8th, or else be evicted from office on November 8th.

Trump can and should lead this charge against the corruption of Congress.

And you should tweet to him using the "Tweet here to Donald Trump" button on the top of this page.

Thank you.

UPDATE 8/19
Oklahoma voters are tweeting to their Congressional candidates to demand #FixCongressNow and threatening incumbents with eviction November 8th if nothing is done. You may find  tweets of the Oklahoma voters at #FixCongressNow.




Making this messaging more effective
I am using the #TrumpPence16 hashtag to send individually directed tweets (such as the one you may have received from me), which say:
Tweet for Trump to lead the charge against our corrupt Congress. http://2016candidatesdeclarations.blogspot.com/2016/08/trump-needs-to-escalate-against.html
I have gotten over 500 page views of this blog entry.

A few people have used the above "Tweet here to Donald Trump" button, and a few tweets to Donald Trump can be found at #FixCongressNow.

I have received 25 to 50 likes or retweets of my tweets.

I would like people to tweet to their Congressional candidates as has happened in Oklahoma (referred to above).

Further, I would like people to set up "tweeting banks" in their Congressional districts in the vein of Template for Congressional districts.

If you have any suggestions for how the messaging I am attempting can achieve greater reach and be more effective, please tell me. Suggestions can be made by posting comments below, or by joining and making discussion in this google group I have created, or by emailing or tweeting to me.

Thank you.

UPDATE 9/2
In Alabama (where I live), I am trying to get going this tweeting bank: Be an Alabamian who wants to know (whether Congress is corrupt). Please let me know if you desire a tweeting bank in your State and if I can help you.

UPDATE 9/2 #2
There has been news reporting that the Trump campaign is deficient in the number of its campaign offices in the field and a corresponding deficiency in field operations (canvassing, phone banking, etc.) to press his campaign. If you are a Trump supporter and have a concern about this aspect of the Trump campaign, that might be a special motivation for you to help set up and participate in tweeting banks in your State and local communities.
Trump tweeted today that the ground game will be great. Tweeting banks can help make that true.

Thursday, August 11, 2016

Will you tweet to #FixCongressNow?

More than half the country is in despair over their choice in  the Presidential election.

Circumstances have made this an ultimate "change" election, but circumstances have yielded two candidates who are a huge problem.

Clinton stands for the status quo political establishment in Washington DC, which millions of Americans view as failed and corrupt. Clinton's own corruption and dishonesty make her a reprehensible choice for more than half the voters.

Trump is the "change agent" in the election.

For a year, Bernie Sanders was a "change agent" but circumstances have been that the Democrats chose Clinton over Sanders, and that has created the other half of problem in the Presidential election.

Trump is now, and will be until November 8th, a "change agent" the likes of which the country has never seen, and he has a realistic chance of winning.

The problem is that Trump has scared the bejeezus out of half the country.

This has become perilous for the country in the eyes of many.

If voters are in despair about the Presidential election, they should turn their eyes to Congress for possible salvation. It has been a failure of Congress for many years that has been a significant factor contributing to the 2016 Presidential election being an ultimate "change" election for the American people. Congress ought to account for itself on this before November 8th.

All Americans should demand that the current Congress face up to Congressional responsibility for the perilous situation the country is in, and the current Congress must deliberate and act on the matter before November 8th. If the current Congress will not do this for the American people, they should be voted out of office on Nov. 8th.

This blog, and the Congressional tweeting banks it recommends, are a possible tool for Americans to make the foregoing demand. See Template for Congressional districts..

If you are as alarmed as I am, here is what you should do:

FIRST ACKNOWLEDGE YOUR ALARM BY SENDING A TWEET THAT SAYS
I am a [State identification, Alaskan, etc] imploring my Congress to save the country from the Clinton Trump choice. http://2016candidatesdeclarations.blogspot.com/2016/08/will-you-tweet-to-fixcongressbeforenov8.html
You can send a tweet by clicking on the link below for the State you are from. The tweet you send will have a link to this blog entry (http://2016candidatesdeclarations.blogspot.com/2016/08/will-you-tweet-to-fixcongressbeforenov8.html).  Also your tweet will contain, and show up under, the Twitter hashtag #FixCongressNow.