While still in the middle of organizing the September (16th or 17th) Future Salon with the theme Extreme Democracy I stumbled over the Red Herring Blog: Swift results by Mitch Radcliffe one of the editors of the upcoming book Extreme Democracy.
The Swift Boat add as Mitch points out were designed for a target audience that would amplify their messages rather than for voters in general. In the long run, it signals a fundamental change in the way ideas are disseminated. He is convinced, that this was only the opening act and the real target is to paint Kerry as a peacenik.
These tactics make me sad and this is why I am looking forward to talk about alternatives at the next Future Salon. Details to come this week. For inspiration check the Wired Magazine this month: 6 ways to reboot the [democratic] system
Problem #1: We can't count votes correctly. Solution: Open-source the voting machines.
Problem #2: The electoral college is broken. Solution: Move to a popular vote with instant runoffs.
Problem #3: The press covers elections badly. Solution: Look to bloggers to dig beneath the news.
[The Red Herring story puts a question mark behind this one]
Problem #4: Professionals have taken over. Solution: Outsource the grunt work - and costs - to supporters
Problem #5: Old-style protest doesn't work. Solution: Try new methods of activism.
Problem #6: TV turns politics into a money game. Solution: Stop buying airtime and start webvertising.
Soon more.
Problem number one may be a big one in 2008.
It appears to me that the press collectively is able to dig up stories, but not connect the dots.
Regarding new styles of activism, there is a pretty good list of social network sites at www.buzzoptimizaton.com
At the risk of offending people, it seems to me that our journalists are undereducated and too narrowly educated (hence the inability to connect dots).
Without serious monetary reform there will always be an uphill battle. The US should print its own money and pay back the Federal Reserve in US notes, then tighten fractional reserve policies to stop inflation.
AI is going to be a problem soon in the social network online, this will affect things. PR will get to be an even stranger business.
Posted by: Paris Roussos | October 08, 2006 at 01:41