November 22nd, 2006
Last weekend, I concluded a two-month project called RootsCamp by sitting around various tables with a small group of locals, talking politics. There were some disappointments, of course, mainly tied to the lack of numbers filling the venues. But I’m glad I made the effort. In fact, there was strong support for continuing the idea, perhaps in January for a single session.
Some of the key lessons learned include:
- Like-minded people have a lot of disagreement. The dozen people who attended were all progressive-liberal types of some definition. No students. No Republicans. No cultural diversity. Still, everybody has her own agenda, his own way to make sense of the world. Diversity of any kind is needed for good conversation, and it will surface even in a vanilla group of ideologues.
- When recruiting, there is no substitute for face-to-face conversation. Time and money were big resource constraints for me, but I also recognize that getting out of my office and talking to people about this idea is uncomfortable. Yet, I was at my most effective in explaining the concept when I did so. Blogging, email, web sites … all very important in the process, but they should support the act of looking someone in the eye.
- People will talk about what is important to them. The strength of this self-organizing format is that people are empowered to fill the Big Board with what interests them. Choices and opportunity are key ingredients, and we should actively fight against our own impulses to dictate agendas.
- The web site was an obstacle to entry. The pbwiki site is a bit on the clunky side, as are most wikis. The registration process, which required people to edit a wiki page, was a hurdle (I also accepted email and phone calls). The site also notified all members of every page edit by default, which led to a lot of notification emails for people who didn’t want them. Technology should facilitate, not dictate or interfere.
- There is no “good” day to have a conference. Every day is contended in Bloomington. This particular weekend of RootsCamp had many conflicts … Men’s basketball game on Friday night … IU-Purdue football game on Saturday … parenting conference on Saturday … Last weekend before a major holiday … The release of Wii, which required some to sit in the cold for two days to pick up one of the 45 units Best Buy got Sunday. Advance notice and frequent opportunities can help overcome the hurdles to participation, but there will never be a “perfect” time to do anything.
- Every place, every person, has an embedded identity. I take some pride in the fact that I can stand in a conversation and have people wrinkle their brows trying to place me in an ideology. I am not a Democrat, nor am I Republican. I am progressive, but even that isn’t clearly defined. Still, the fact that I attend, or that I organize forces others to make the attempt to classify me. And in doing so, they react to that classification, whether it is accurate or not. RootsCamp’s national effort is definitely “progressive” in the Democrat sense of the word. Anyone going to the site from the other side of the fence might be chased off by that. Those in attendance are talking about getting local organizations to host a session every month or so. Any location we choose is going to have embedded in it some identity that invokes reactions. The best way to compensate is to identify with a philosophy that can withstand those biases.
What’s Next? … Well, it is difficult to imagine not leaning on these new connections to become engaged in the local political scene. The absence of conservative voices (Republicans were largely defeated in this area in November) makes me want to redouble my efforts to get those people coming to the tables, perhaps starting with a conservative-centered conversation. There are a few tech and research initiatives that came out of the conversations, so I see some tangible things I can do to contribute.
What’s this mean for 3rd Party? … This experience reinforces two central beliefs. First, the best way to engage is locally through establishment of personal connections. Second, diversity exists even within like-minded people. To improve the quality of our political thought, we need to get people with lots of different ideas talking to each other. Not to convince, but to validate their life experiences and make sure they are considered in the action that results from the conversation.
Continue Reading November 22nd, 2006
So, who do you all think were the most successful minor party candidates this year? That can be a tricky question because there are all sorts of factors to consider.
On one hand, if a person scores an 8% showing in a 2-way race, that really can’t be considered better …
Continue Reading November 22nd, 2006
With the 2006 elections starting to fade from memory, it’s time to look ahead toward 2008. With that in mind, leading Libertarian Presidential candidate Steve Kubby has issued the following “open letter” that outlines his position on the situation in Iraq.
Dear fellow Libertarians,
Since I declared my candidacy for …
Continue Reading November 22nd, 2006
The Constitution Party’s candidate for governor of Illinois posted an impressively strong showing last week… as a write-in candidate.
While the numbers are still pretty sketchy, Randy Stufflebeam appears to have captured at least 1% of the vote statewide… and potentially more than that.
See here for the campaign’s latest and best …
Continue Reading November 22nd, 2006
Here’s another handful of notable results from this year’s midterm elections, focusing on the gubernatorial races…
> Minnesota Independence Party nominee Peter Hutchinson received 6.5% of the vote in a race in which the Republican defeated the Democrat by a margin of less than 1%.
> In Texas, Kinky Friedman finished fourth …
Continue Reading November 22nd, 2006
Sad news today as we learn that political strategist Doug Friedline has passed away at the age of 49.
From the St. Petersburg Times…
Campaign workers at Max Linn’s office knew something was wrong Friday when Doug Friedline didn’t show up for work.
The workers found Friedline, campaign manager for Linn’s failed gubernatorial …
Continue Reading November 22nd, 2006
THURSDAY NEWS UPDATE.
Note: We’re going to take a brief break for the Thanksgiving holiday. Our next update will be on Monday, November 27.
FREE SPEECH ZONE: THE DAILY OPEN THREAD.
Talk about sore losers, check out this bitter message from a recent Congressional candidate.
Posted by Ron Gunzburger - 11.23.06 | Permalink | postCount(’112306a’);
WEDNESDAY NEWS UPDATE.
SHAHEEN PONDERS COMEBACK; SCHMIDT WINS; FRANKEN PONDERS.
Former New Hampshire Governor Jeanne Shaheen (D) — who lost a competitive 2002 race for US Senate to John Sununu (R) — is considering a 2008 rematch, according to the Boston Globe … Comic and author Al Franken (D-MN) promises to make a public decision as to whether or not he will challenge US Senator Norm Coleman (R-MN) by the end of this holiday long weekend … While the counting of provisional ballots continues in Ohio, Congresswoman Jean Schmidt (R) can be declared the winner in CD-2. Schmidt gained votes in the ongoing counting, making her 51% advantage mathematically insurmountable at this point … In the Ohio CD-15 race between Congressman Deb Pryce (R) and Franklin County Commissioner Mary Jo Kilroy (D), the incumbent leads by 3,717 votes. However, nearly 19,000 ballots still remain to be counted in Franklin County. That count is expected to be completed sometime next week … Texas has yet to decide whether the CD-23 runoff between Congressman Henry Bonilla (R) and former Congressman Ciro Rodriguez (D) will take place on December 12 or December 19. Postscript: Governor Perry selected December 12 as the run-off day.
Posted by Ron Gunzburger - 11.22.06 | Permalink | postCount(’112206a’);
FREE SPEECH ZONE: THE DAILY OPEN THREAD.
Have a happy thanksgiving.
Posted by Ron Gunzburger - 11.22.06 | Permalink | postCount(’112206b’);
TUESDAY NEWS UPDATE.
LIKELY CANDIDATES POSTURING FOR ‘07 KENTUCKY GOV RACE.
Leaders in both major parties agree scandal-tinged Governor Ernie Fletcher (R) appears highly vulnerable as he seeks re-election next year. With the January 31 filing deadline drawing nearer, potential candidates are starting to tip their hands. Former Governer Brereton Jones (D) — who served 1991-95 — confirmed to the Lexington Herald-Leader he is interested in the race. One other possible candidate — attorney and ‘02 Congressional nominee Jack Conway (D) — said Jones recently met with him to see if Conway would be his runningmate. Conway, however, remains interested in the top job. Term-limited State Treasurer Jonathan Miller (D) appears likely to run, as does Lieutenant Governor Steve Pence (R). Other Dems openly considering the race include State Senator and ‘04 US Senate nominee Dan Mongiardo (D), State Senator David Boswell, and former State House Speaker and ‘79 candidate Terry McBrayer (D). Attorney General Greg Stumbo told reporters last week he had “no plans to run for Governor at this time” — but added that he was not yet ready to make a final decision ruling out a run. Congressman Ben Chandler, who was the Dem nominee against Fletcher in 2003, is sounding like he plans to stay in Congress now that the Dems captured majority control. Former Lieutenant Governor Steve Henry (D), McCracken County Board of Education Chair Billy Harper (R), demolition contractor Otis Hensley (D) and frequent candidates Peppy Martin (R) and Gatewood Galbraith (D) have each publicly stated they are in the race. Other prominent Republicans are also being mentioned as possible primary challengers. Louisville Mayor Jerry Abramson (D) and State Auditor Crit Luallen (D) both announced last week they are not running.
Posted by Ron Gunzburger - 11.21.06 | Permalink | postCount(’112106a’);
FREE SPEECH ZONE: THE DAILY OPEN THREAD.
Have at it.
Posted by Ron Gunzburger - 11.21.06 | Permalink | postCount(’112106b’);
MONDAY NEWS UPDATE.
DEMS WIN MT SEN; FL-13 HEADS TO COURT; NC-8 GOES TO HAND RECOUNT; GREENS GAIN.
Montana State Senator Sam Kitzenberg switched from Republican to Democrat on Friday, breaking a tie and giving the Dems majority control of the State Senate. He told the AP he’d been thinking of switching parties “for about 12 years” … The recount in the NM-1 race shows Congresswoman Heather Wilson (R) officially won re-election by 879 votes … Former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger — who served during the Vietnam War under Presidents Nixon and Ford — said Sunday in an interview with the BBC that he did not believe it was realistic for the US to win a victory in Iraq. “If you mean by clear military victory an Iraqi government that can be established and whose writ runs across the whole country, that gets the civil war under control and sectarian violence under control … I don’t believe that is possible,” he said … In FL-13, auto dealer Vern Buchanan (R) will be certified the winner on Monday by a 369 vote margin. The big issue remains the inexplicable 18,000 “undervotes” — possibly meaning that thousands of cast ballot were lost in Sarasota County due to machine or programming errors. Florida touchscreen voting machines currently do not produce any paper trail of receipts, meaning that ballots “lost” by machines are permanently lost. Look for banker Christine Jennings (D) to file suit within the next ten days seeking a new special election against Buchanan … A “hand-eye” manual sampling recount is expected to begin this week in NC-8, where Congressman Robin Hayes (R) is currently leading teacher Larry Kissel (D) by just 339 votes. The provisional ballots will also begin to be counted Monday in the still undecided OH-2 and OH-15 races … Green Party candidates for Governor across the nation this year scored a combined total of over 854,000 votes, making this the best third party showing in gubernatorial contests since the Reform Party’s showing of 1.3 million in 1998 (when Jesse Ventura was elected Minnesota Governor as a Reform candidate). The Libertarian candidates came in this year at around 422,000 votes … Recently defeated US Senator Rick Santorum (R-PA) said he will “absolutely, positively not” be a candidate for President in 2008 … Governor John Lynch (D-NH) said he is not looking to run against US Senator John Sununu (R) in 2008.
Posted by Ron Gunzburger - 11.20.06 | Permalink | postCount(’112006a’);
FREE SPEECH ZONE: THE DAILY OPEN THREAD.
FYI — if you collect campaign buttons — I’ve got a few of my duplicate 2006 items for sale this week on eBay. The pins include some of the Pennsylvania congressional winners (Carney, Sestak, Murtha), a few of the Dems who didn’t win (Winter, Madrid, Seals), Florida Governor pins (Crist and Davis), some Green Party locals items from Maine and NY, and a button from porn star Mimi Miyagi’s recent GOP run for Nevada Governor. Click here to see ‘em.
Posted by Ron Gunzburger - 11.20.06 | Permalink | postCount(’112006b’);
WEEKEND NEWS UPDATE.
HOUSE REPUBLICANS PICK BOEHNER, BLUNT, PUTNAM, COLE.
Current US House Majority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) easily fended of a challenge from Congressman Mike Pence (R-IN) for the Minority Leader position by a lopsided 168-27 vote. Pence praised Boehner’s past service, but had vowed to return the House GOP to fiscal conservatism. The race for Minority Whip was thought to be much more competitive, but it also ended in a blowout. Current House Majority Whip Roy Blunt (R-MO) defeated Congressman John Shadegg (R-AZ) by a 137-57 vote. Shadegg was aligned with Pence’s call for more conservative House leadership. Congressman Adam Putnam (R-FL) defeated Congressman Jack Kingston (R-GA) by a 100-91 vote on the third ballot for House Republican Conference Chair. Two others were eliminated on earlier ballots. In the race for NRCC Chair, Congressman Tom Cole (R-OK) was elected on the second ballot. Cole — the NRCC’s Executive Director in the early 1990s — is also the father of Mason Cole, one of our regular bloggers here on Politics1.
Posted by Ron Gunzburger - 11.18.06 | Permalink | postCount(’111806a’);
FREE SPEECH ZONE: THE DAILY OPEN THREAD.
Enjoy the weekend!
Posted by Ron Gunzburger - 11.18.06 | Permalink | postCount(’111806b’);
FRIDAY NEWS UPDATE.
HOYER WINS; FOLEY PROBE GROWS; STEVENS & DOMENICI TO RUN AGAIN.
Current US House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-MD) easily was elected as the next House Majority Leader on Thursday. Hoyer defeated Congressman John Murtha (D-PA) — a decorated combat veteran and vocal Iraq War opponent — by a vote of 149-86. Hoyer spent the past year fundraising and campaigning on behalf of over 80 House candidates. Murtha, although backed by incoming House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), was hurt by his past involvement in the 1979 ABSCAM corruption probe … The Florida Department of Law Enforcement, after opening a preliminary review last month, confirmed Thursday it was now launching a full-scale criminal investigation into the online sex scandal of former Congressman Mark Foley (R-FL). An FDLE spokesperson told CNN the agency found “a basis to open a criminal investigation” … Congressman Bobby Jindal (R-LA) reactivated his gubernatorial campaign account this week and has begun raising money for a second run next year against Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco (D) … Two aging incumbents thought to be likely retirement candidates — US Senators Ted Stevens (R-AK) and Pete Domenici (R-NM) — announced Thursday they will both seek re-election in 2008. Stevens, a seven-term incumbent, will be 84 in 2008. Domenici, a six-term incumbent, will be 76 in 2008 … Congressman John Barrow (D-GA) officially survived his tough re-election challenge from former Congressman Max Burns (R) by a margin of 864 votes. Burns conceded on Thursday, saying he will not seek a recount. The vote counting and recounting still continues in five congressional contests: FL-13, NM-1 NC-8, OH-2, and OH-15.
Posted by Ron Gunzburger - 11.17.06 | Permalink | postCount(’111706a’);
FREE SPEECH ZONE: THE DAILY OPEN THREAD.
Very brief posting today, as I’m busy studying for my Mass Appraisal test on Friday morning (related to my day job).
Posted by Ron Gunzburger - 11.17.06 | Permalink | postCount(’111706b’);
THURSDAY NEWS UPDATE.
McCONNELL, LOTT WIN SENATE GOP LEADERSHIP RACES.
US Senate Republicans on Wednesday unanimously selected current US Senate Majority Whip Mitch McConnell (R-KY) to be the US Senate Minority Leader in the next Congress. By contrast, the race for Minority Whip between Lamar Alexander (R-TN) and Trent Lott (R-MS) was hotly contested. Both men have national stature. Alexander is a former Presidential Cabinet membet and two-time White House candidate. Lott is the former US House Minority Whip, US Senate Majority Whip and US Senate Majority Leader — who gave up the Leader post under pressure in 2003 after making remarks seen as praise of Strom Thurmond’s Dixiecrat run for President in 1948. Since then, Lott wrote his memoirs — Herding Cats — detailing his career. The book savaged the White House and a few of his GOP colleagues for what he complained was back-stabbing disloyalty to him during the Thurmond incident. When the votes were counted Wednesday, Lott defeated Alexander by a 25-24 upset win.
Posted by Ron Gunzburger - 11.16.06 | Permalink | postCount(’111606a’);
P2008 NEWS … and SSG’S BAD DAY AT THE OFFICE.
Former Wisconsin Governor Tommy Thompson (R) announced Wednesday in Iowa he will file paperwork in January to form a Presidential exploratory committee. Thompson briefly flirted with making a 2000 White House run, and later served as HHS Secretary in the Bush Administration. Thompson is expected to have the same impact on the GOP contest as former US Senator Mike Gravel is having on the Democratic contest … As I previously mentioned two days ago, US Senator John McCain (R-AZ) filed paperwork this week for his Presidential exploratory committee. Since then, the GOP frontrunner launched his new campaign website. Other good news for McCain this week was the victory of his P2008 supporter Senator Trent Lott for Senate Minority Whip, and the elevation of McCain ally Senator Mel Martinez (R-FL) for RNC Chair … Appearing Tuesday on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, former US Senator John Edwards (D) pretty much said he will launch his 2008 campaign within the next few weeks by means of an announcement on his political website … Roll Call reported that interim Congresswoman Shelley Sekula-Gibbs (R) is off to a rocky start during her two-month term for the remainder of resigned House Majority Leader Tom DeLay’s term. When Sekula-Gibbs arrived at the DC office for the first time, the entire GOP staff of DeLay holdovers immediately resigned and walked out. National Journal’s Hotline also reports she is unlikely to make a second run for the seat in 2008 against incoming freshman Congressman Nick Lampson (D).
Posted by Ron Gunzburger - 11.16.06 | Permalink | postCount(’111606b’);
FREE SPEECH ZONE: THE DAILY OPEN THREAD.
Have at it.
Posted by Ron Gunzburger - 11.16.06 | Permalink | postCount(’111606c’);
