The recent events of congress have really made me upset. I stand by my statement that the recent "Stimulus" bill will go down as one of the worst pieces of legislation in history. The fact that we had a President promise that ALL bills would be made available to ALL members of congress at least FIVE (5) prior to a vote and watching Congress UNANIMOUSLY agree to making sure the "Stimulus" bill would be on the internet for the public to view 48 hours prior to a vote and then see it available for a mere 10-12 hours prior to a vote is maddening.
It is time WE THE PEOPLE take our country back. Republican, Democrat, Independent we are all losing our vote. Here is just one example:
The freshman congressman from Colorado admitted that his constituents called his office and by a 4-1 vote OPPOSED the legislation HE decided to pass. That is not representative government, that is power brokering at its best (worst).
This is legislative malpractice and it is time we do something. Here is my idea:
Build a Grass Roots Social Network -- independent of party affiliation. Here are the main components:
Profile:Anybody can have a profile. On your profile you specify what your interests in politics are--aspiring candidate? political consultant? interested citizen? People will be able to state their political affiliation. In a profile there needs to be links to where a person can weigh in on issues that would like to an issues page. The profile page would provide a place where a person could say who they are supporting for which office, all the way from local to state, to national politics.
Interactive Components:There needs to be all the interactive components of most social networking platforms...chat, private messaging, vote for somebody's ideas, and I would like to see something where users can vote to "nudge" somebody into politics. We get stuck with idiots in all parties because not enough people are taking the time to understand the political process to help get the right candidates to run for office.
Candidates:Once somebody is verified as a candidate they will be added to a database that can then display all of their supporters, where they stand on major political issues, and a platform for them to lay out their campaign platform and publish policy statements. Current politicians should have something that displays their voting record on specific issues.
The candidate section would also have areas that would allow them to display where their campaign needed help; yard signs, phone calls, social media management, etc. This would help provide somebody that might not be as well connected politically to be able to establish a base of support to try and build the team needed to make it through an election cycle.
Politics 101I just got into politics in a much more involved way last year thanks to the help of a man much wiser than me. He showed me the ropes, explained how Utah holds its primary elections and pulled back the curtain to explain how we get the candidates we do (through the state conventions) and that if you arent' involved in that process you may not have a voice in who the candidate representing your party in the general election will be.
I would like to see a place where people could explain the political process in their states and local communities and the best answer could be voted on (like Yahoo answers does) and then that would become the primer for those interested in politics in that area.
Tag CloudsTag clouds would be on each page of the site to display what are the hottest issues. What are people talking about on a certain issue, regarding a certain candidate, or on the website in general.
DonationsIf you decide you want to donate to a candidate that has a profile on the site, the social network could be integrated into sites like
Slatecard that help support candidates. I'm sure there are a dozen other websites like Slatecard that could be integrated into a site like this.
Take Action on Current PoliticsThis would be a section that would present all the major issues and then provide information on how to reach your local or national politician and allow you to weigh in on what is happening in YOUR country.
Getting involved in politics as a state delegate this past year has really opened my eyes to the political process in our country. We ALL need to be more actively involved, we can make a difference, we just need a vehicle to help that happen.
I watched as
Jason Chaffetz was able to beat two men that all the political experts said would beat him soundly. He is a passionate man that had a message that resonated with voters and he continues to take that passion to Washington D.C. and is making his voice heard. It isn't all about who has the best name ID, who has the most money, or who has the best political consultants, because he had none of those. What he had is a massive amount of campaign volunteers that got behind him and supported him until he was elected. We need more people like Jason, and our current way of finding these people has proven to be ineffective.
Change is something that resonated loud and clear all throughout presidential politics.
Barack Obama and
Mitt Romney both used it very effectively, people continue to feel a need for change.
If you agree with me and would like to help me get a project like this off the ground let me know by leaving a comment. If you like the idea and want to steal it and build it, go for it, just invite me when it is done.
Sorry for the long disjointed rant. Such is the mind of a busy entrepreneur. ;)