[Peace-discuss] One Hundred Days

[Evan Past]

Some have expressed concern that with so little time
remaining one should not engage in massive
all-consuming projects. I would argue that in fact the
opposite is true. If the present election is dominated
by new initiatives led by Democrats that promise to
revitalize the country, and are not partisan in and of
themselves, that is a recipe for victory. And it will
not take a hundred days to take effect. The media is
the issue of the day, not just an issue. To put it
another way, the campaign should make the formation of
an alternative media system a cornerstone. 



DEMOCRATS, MEDIA AND DEMOCRACY
ONE-HUNDRED DAYS

Most people join the Republican Party because they
expect some reward. They think it will help them in
business or give them some financial or legal
advantage. The Democratic Party has not done as good a
job. Well, you could say, it should be based just on
idealism. But in fact only about 5% will be drawn to
the party just based on idealism. But there are other
things that the Democratic Party can offer and one
hundred days is not too short to start. It is not
important that all changes be implemented in 100 days,
but just that the tide start to shift in a clear
manner. 
 
 
Democratic Headquarters should become a center for
alternative media both local and national. 
 
Americans are starved for honest and reliable
reporting. They fall asleep when they look at either
local or network news. Republicans would like to make
everything into a "left versus right" issue, but there
is nothing ideological about this problem. It would be
easy to put together networks of people to get out the
local news that makes a difference and national news
that is never reported. That could be a major role for
the Democratic Party. It does not need to be just good
news about Democrats. And if the networks we put
together are powerful enough, they will draw people in
and sway them. 
 
It would not be hard to put together a weekly e-mail
about your community in which you give honest
reporting on topics that otherwise will never be
covered. There are plenty of ways to include national
and international news in an objective tone that
otherwise will never be put in the newspapers.
Moreover, the challenge is to limit it to the truth,
literally "we report you decide" and leave out
judgement. That will make people feel that they are
being offered something truly valuable by the
Democrats. Get together a mailing list for these
valuable reports on local and national issues, but
also print them up and give them door to door. Even in
the most Republican of districts, they will be read if
they are well written.
 
 
One should not forget the power of habit and pride.
Most all Republicans know that there is something
seriously wrong, and most are deeply troubled. The
point is to break the ice with a pitch which is a
service and aimed at the long-term interests of the
community. It does not take a rocket scientist to see
we are deprived of valuable information. 
 
 
 
Democratic Headquarters should also become a social
and intellectual hothouse for engagement.
 
Don't just get out to register the vote. Get out and
integrate people into a living, growing Democratic
party which will help them in their lives, and which
they can rely on. We have this out-dated image of the
machine politics. I don't advocate that. But a
political party that is part of the community and
something that can be relied on as an institution is
the path to massive success. Imagine a Democratic
headquarters as the place people who are concerned
about their country would want to hang out at on a day
off: A center for artistic, intellectual and social
engagement. It may seem fantastic, but I would argue
that most communities do not offer such spaces--and
the need is very great. 
 
 




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