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Post by scickay on Jun 9, 2012 18:05:53 GMT -5
Does the Steering Committee still meet on Sunday evenings? Who can present these questions to them and demand answers from them by early next week?
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Post by scickay on Jun 9, 2012 18:06:09 GMT -5
Dinner time. See you later.
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Post by maureenmower on Jun 9, 2012 19:12:51 GMT -5
What is the latest status of the election? There is a rumor voting was extended to June 11. If we are trying to improve the American democracy,we need some transparency in our election. When and how will results be posted? Will vote counts be published for each district? Please keep us informed. Thanks. That isn't a rumor. I got a ballot (again) yesterday from Votenet that said the voting ends on Monday (which would be June 11). So it's straight from the horse's (Votenet's) mouth.
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Post by Matt Forbes on Jun 9, 2012 19:57:29 GMT -5
Alright.
Those are quite a few suggestions (and questions, heh).
Let me briefly provide an explanation:
I will try to find out answers to all of those questions; however, I am not on the Steering Committee or any committee, for that matter. For a short time, I had been the Virginia State Coordinator, but a new job and some other life adjustments had me more focused on immediate, personal issues.
I've begun to have more time to put into the project again and found us in a bit of an odd state. I threw this forum up to provide something a bit more useful than the Facebook group.
I am not an experienced forum developer. I also work a bit more than full-time.
I was expecting to have some time tonight to throw some things together for the discussion, but it will have to wait until tomorrow afternoon when I have fewer restrictions on my time.
That being said... it's a good thing that I do not have the time tonight. That means there are good ideas already flowing and I have to sort through them and make sure I take all of it into account.
I do not work on Monday or Tuesday. During that time, I will attempt to get in contact with someone from the Steering Committee and try to provide some answers. Until then (or, really, even without those answers), we can use this as a virtual staging point to plan for the conference.
Scickay, keep the questions coming. While my brain is still a bit addled from exhaustion, I'm reading through all of them and will continue to do so. I can't promise getting all the answers, but I'll do my best.
Maureen and Michael, I will attempt to set up the boards in a fashion similar to those from the main site. I won't guarantee perfection and may look at delegating some authority to moderators in setting up some forum elements... as soon as I take a look at what options I have for that.
This is a learning experience for me. We needed a forum, so I made one. Now I get to learn how to make it chug-chug-chug-along.
Also, Maureen, thank you for the information concerning the Votenet extensions and redelivery of ballots. That should help allay some of the concerns out there.
I apologize that the board will be unorganized for one more night. After tomorrow night, we should have some good stepping stones and maybe an additional moderator or two to help smooth the process.
Thank you for bearing with me.
-Matt Forbes VA-06 Delegate
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Post by Matt Forbes on Jun 9, 2012 20:10:16 GMT -5
As an addendum:
While going through the administrative functions to get a feel for how it works to make the organizing a bit easier tomorrow, I've noticed I can set up what appears to be a free chat.
Would that be something useful? I know the early days of the chat on the main site was not being used, so I'd rather not toss my information out there if it's going to just sit there; however, if we're going to get some use out of it, I don't mind taking the time to set it up and get it rolling.
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Post by Matt Forbes on Jun 9, 2012 20:20:58 GMT -5
And, just for the record:
I am not in any form of control, leadership, board, etc. I saw a need and I chose to fill it with a bit of patchwork until the Steering Committee either gets the main forums back online or sets up a more official forum. If that doesn't happen, then I will gladly volunteer to maintain this forum (with any volunteer assistance I can get) until the conference.
I am simply doing what I can to keep us moving in a forward direction and trying to skip beyond these current hiccups.
The Steering Committee and previous boards have laid some good groundwork. Let's get everyone we can back in action and start building the structure.
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Post by scickay on Jun 10, 2012 7:29:28 GMT -5
CRISIS OF CONFIDENCE IN LEADERSHIP
Let me clarify what I mean by using the words "Ivory Tower" in the context of a Steering Committee devoted to creating transparency in government and removing the pernicious influence of big money from our democracy.
1. When the founder of the movement is rumored to have resigned and there is no communication whatsoever about the rumor or any plans offered about the process to replace that leader, there is a lack of confidence in your leadership.
2. When the organization's communication medium (The Forum) is suddenly without explanation significantly pared down and delegates are censored from posting; and then it is completely wiped out with all good ideas vaporized (where can we find the latest set of Grievances?); and then replaced by an even worse communication tool (facebook), AND ALL THIS IS DONE WITH NO EXPLANATION WHATSOEVER. (Is this the work of an organization dedicated to American democracy? Seems more like something Lenin would do in the 1920s.),there is a lack of confidence in your leadership.
3. When the basic rules of our election change and suddenly the election end date is extended to June 11, WITH NO EXPLANATION (Sounds like something a right wing dictatorship would do in their "free and fair" election), there is a lack of confidence in your leadership
4. When rumors from folks who had been on the Steering Committee fly fast and furious about how uncivilly and with lack of respect folks were treated because they had the audacity to suggest alternate ideas for improvement, how can you expect to motivate fresh ideas and ardent followership from us all? If we raise our hands, will they be summarily chopped off? This creates a lack of confidence in your leadership.
So yes, evidence points to your leadership living isolated in an ivory tower to the detriment of this noble cause.
You need to perhaps meet more often, make decisions, move forward, and above all communicate constantly. The technology is there. Use it well.
If mistakes have been made, acknowledge them honestly and suggest plans for ensuring they will not occur again. If you try to pretend they don't exist, you will lose credibility.
And if Michael is truly leaving, let him announce this publicly so we can proceed to finding a successor. We need mature leadership now. Not someone who will throw a hissy fit when things don't go exactly his way. This is democracy, where opposing points of view are to be expected, expressed, and examined vigorously in the light of reasoned discussion. If you want everyone to believe in the same dogma in mindless lockstep, join a church.
Time is running out. Decide, lead,communicate.
------------- Dawn Clarke Hale Steve Cickay, I really wish you had emailed this to me so I could print it and better be able to answer your questions. That is why I gave you my email address. Dawnh1@aol.com. I could also share your concerns with the other SC members. It is too late to respond to this right now. It is 12:19 am but let me assure you that the SC is not in an ivory tower fighting amongst our selfs. We are all dedicated to having a successful CC 2.0 and are working to make that happen. The election has been extended to Monday to give everyone the chance to vote because of the glitches we encountered. If there are problems, you need to email support@votenet.com. I will answer your questions tomorrow as I am headed to bed now. 8 hours ago via mobile ยท Like
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Post by Dawn Hale on Jun 10, 2012 13:08:21 GMT -5
I have copied all of your questions to a word document and will answer them after the SC meeting this evening.
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Post by maureenmower on Jun 10, 2012 18:22:09 GMT -5
Just as an FYI to everyone:
If I've been interpreting the messages from MP and some of the other SC members correctly, I believe that this kind of thing (setting up our own forum) is EXACTLY what MP intended.
I have heard from more than one person, including MP, that he never intended to maintain an active role after the elections, at least in part because he expected the delegates to start organizing for themselves.
In other words, both MP and the Steering Committee were intended to be facilitators to get the ball rolling - securing the venue and voting process for electing delegates, advertising to attract candidates and voters, fund-raising and providing the initial website for all of us to post our profiles and offer our grievance suggestions.
BUT - and here's the big one - I believe the intention was that once the delegates had been elected, the process going forward, from determining how the actual Congress would operate and how grievances would be voted on to carrying things forward after the Congress, is up to each of US.
So I wouldn't expect this to be a temporary forum. And I am not sure that we will get answers to all of Steve's questions either - because, if my interpretation of all this is correct, WE are supposed to come up with our own answers to some of it.
I could be wrong, but that's what I got out of both the information on the website and the various responses I've had from MP and some of the SC members.
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Post by rebeccalindsey on Jun 10, 2012 20:41:44 GMT -5
Hello, I am Rebecca Lindsey, female delegate for the Missouri 8th Congressional District. It's good to see something like this getting started, because frankly I've been extremely put off and frustrated with the lack of communication from the Steering Committee. I thank Matt Forbes for getting this forum set up and am very interested to see the current list of grievances and hear delegates comments. Also want to thank David Itkin for posting this on the 99% Facebook page, which made me aware that it even existed. I'll be checking back daily.
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Post by Matt Forbes on Jun 11, 2012 7:41:47 GMT -5
Rebecca, I'll adjust some of the Facebook page information to, hopefully, provide more readily findable links to this forum. I've posted the link, as have a few others, but they continue to be pushed down the page, which is the ever-loving joy that is Facebook.
Maureen, I have the same assumptions. I signed up as a delegate candidate back in November, I believe. Conversations I've had with various Board/Steering Committee members, as well as one of the earlier conference calls with MP all seem to lead to the same conclusion. The 99% Declaration Working Group tasked itself with providing us the tools and the venue... once the delegation was elected/determined (as the current case may be), the authority would be transferred to the delegates.
It's up to us to make or break this.
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Post by Julio on Jun 11, 2012 22:11:18 GMT -5
Election results will be announced shortly.
Agenda will be sent to all delegates within the next few days.
Thank you for your patience.
-julio
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Post by robertmanning on Jun 12, 2012 11:44:22 GMT -5
I just added a topic on the new forum: Attracting Media Before the Congress. I wanted then to add one Attracting Media During the Congress. And suddenly I can't add any more. They probably don't fit under your 4 general categories, but what the hey? Feel free to include it where you see fit. And I would like to add fora for these too: ADD: Reach out to other external groups to partner with them so they assist us in supporting these key set of grievances. ADD: How to Improve the internal communication process to delegates. ADD: FOR DURING Congress : Improve the external communication process to the media. For DURING the Congress: Some initial ideas: 1. Engage local Philadelphia institutions (e, g. National Constitution Center) in our event planning. 2. Stage media events. How about a continuous reading (24 hours, 3 days) of Supreme Court Justice Stevens dissent on the Citizens United decision in front of the Liberty Bell? Each of the delegates could read a portion of his passionate 90 page dissent for the length of the Congress. I can see the local ACTION NEWS cameras already. 3. Invitations to the media to cover key parts of our Congress (e.g. keynote speakers, final petition decisions, the reading of the final petition, etc.) 4. A peaceful march to historic Philadelphia sites from our Congress location. We can sing as we march patriotic American songs with lyrics adjusted to the themes of our Congress. 5. Invitation to Mayor Nutter to welcome us to Philadelphia at the beginning of the Congress. 6. Joint press conference between 99% leaders and the Occupy Philadelphia leaders where our differences in methodology can be explained. Media love the controversies. ADD: EVENT PLANNING (more than just logistics) A. Operational Planning for Before the Congress and B. Operational Planning for During the Congress. Clearly articulate the process of what will be done between now and the end of the Congress (how the election results will be posted, who will attend as delegates, who will attend as invited delegates-at-large, will other groups be allowed to sit in as observers and/or participants, how will grievances be accepted and documented, who will speak at the Congress, what kind of voting steps will occur at the Congress, what the final product of the Congress will be) DONE (Your Grievance Section) Define the key set of grievances that must be clearly articulated and sold to the other delegates. DONE: ADDED FOR BEFORE Congress : Improve the external communication process to the media. Thanks.
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Post by Mike on Jun 13, 2012 0:49:54 GMT -5
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Post by jondenn on Jun 13, 2012 8:05:37 GMT -5
Mike, good work on the process! Just to clarify, I originally suggested all the "consensus" items be the "consensus package" that would be established in the first half day or so of the Congress (least contentious items first). Then as the harder work gets done of "on the cusp" near consensus items there will likely emerge logical strategies, call them compromises, and then these "near consensus package(s)" could compete with the "consensus package" for the final RoG. Example, Stephen Erickson's Electoral Reform compromise pairs End Gerrymandering, with Campaign Finance Reform and Term Limits. I've widely written about this. The theory is conservatives would be much happier with CFR with TL. And progressives may be willing to cave on TL to get CFR. I'm not suggesting this should be the RoG, it's not in my draft of a consensus reform agenda, but I do quite like it. And I advocate for it in my activist life, but that is quite different from the work of drafting a RoG. I feel it is important to separate the two.
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