WHAT TO DO NEXT???
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From: Bruce S.
Date: Sunday, January 24, 2010, 8:48 PM
Subject: What to do next???
Reply to: 269659
ID: 269660

Good, Claudia, interesting to hear from you.

I've been clicking away on a few things -- but this Purple concept has got me pretty excited.

We've actually had about 8 people join that network, just by wandering in the door and filling out the signup form -- or -- just by signing in with their USA.CAN email address and password (Purple is on the same system as USA.CAN -- kinda like NING)

It's going to take a little more time to get that place dialed in -- but more or less, the idea is -- pull in people and organizations from ANYWHERE on the political spectrum -- right, left, up, down, green, blue, yellow, whatever...

With the one condition being -- that they agree to treat everybody else on the network with respect.

For me -- this Purple project is a way of keeping some promises for Obama -- that, as I see it, and many others see it -- he's not been keeping, or isn't able to keep.

I think he said it himself in speech last week -- he's "in the bubble". Hard to listen -- even with those big ears of his -- when you are "so busy", as he described himself, that he hasn't had time to listen to anybody from the grassroots -- that huge group, including us, who were thrilled at his vision, and totally excited to help him get elected.

So, in my case -- I am not "mad at him" -- and if I am "disappointed" -- it's not that I am disappointed with him. I just figure I overestimated what was possible. He said "politics as usual is broken and I am going to fix it" -- and millions of us, including me, believed him.

But then he got elected -- and the way it looks to me is -- he turned over most of the policy decisions to the democratic machine, and we ended up with very little Obama and a huge plate of Nancy Pelosi. As regards "change" -- he surrounded himself with a bunch of political and wallstreet insiders -- the same old gang that just about ran the economy over the cliff in the first place.

They say the American electorate is "furious" right now.

It's been that way for a while, underneath -- but it looks to me like this problem might get worse.

Here's what I think is going to happen....

David Plouff is showing up on the scene again.

His big thing is political marketing and sales.

Now, if there is anything I personally am "furious" about -- it's the trade-off of "truth in politics" for the marketing and spin of these political manipulators.

All his advisers are telling Obama to "fight". I heard somebody on MSNBC say that Obama said the word "fight" twenty times in that recent speech. They are telling him to "adjust his message". To me, that is garbage. Act with integrity -- period. Full stop.

I thought Obama was different. I thought we were going to get a politician with integrity -- somebody who would tell us the truth. Good luck. My take on the situation is

Millions of American trusted Obama. They figured we finally had a leader not only brilliantly skillful and articulate, but with real integrity. If times were tough, he would tell us the truth. We would listen, we would rally around him, we would come together as a people, nothing can stop us, we're Americans, the sky's the limit. Skyrockets.

But instead -- these guys in the administration are listening to the marketers and spin-meisters, instead of telling the truth and acting with integrity. What they are thinking is -- "This is the way the game is played -- this dirty stuff is what you gotta do to get elected. We gotta do this suckky stuff or we'll get killed in 2010."

Am I exaggerating? I wish I were. It's scary, and my feeling is -- hell hath no fury like a hugely trusting electorate scorned...

But -- where do we go from here?

I'd say -- it's up to The People to help Obama keep his promises.

Look what it says in our banner -- and on the OFA banner.

"I'm asking you to believe -- not just in my ability to bring about real change in Washington. I'm asking you to believe in yours"

I still go for that.

I'd say -- if Obama can't pull us together to Give The People A Voice -- let's US do it.

All the People.

Not Red States, not Blue States -- but the United States.

The People. Everybody.

"We the People of the United States of America, in order to form a more perfect union . . . do ordain and establish . . . " this new agreement that we are going to start working together in a respectful way -- even if we disagree, even if we are "furious". Even if we are totally sure that it is THEIR fault -- 300 million fingers pointing at fellow Americans in a huge circular firing squad...

Obama tried that old line in his recent speech. "It's not about me, it's about you."

Who is "you"?

It's everybody -- even, dare I say it -- Fox News...

Today on Meet the Press, I heard Mitch McConnell say that if Obama comes towards the center, the Republicans will meet him there. There's been times when I did not trust a word Mitch McConnell was saying -- but today, on Meet the Press -- his words resonated with me. I thought (most) everything he said was true.

And David Gregory himself said it, more than once. Politics is broken. A lot of commentators are saying that.

We're not going to fix American politics by selecting the right sub-group to hate, and everybody else throwing rocks in their direction. Even Mitch McConnell and Fox News, like a broken clock, are right at least twice a day...

I've been hearing that a lot. Politics is broken. Lot's of people know that. Washington doesn't work. Obama told us that a thousand times during the campaign.

Well, I know what DOES work. And that's good people coming together from everywhere, treating each other with respect, and settling down and fixing what is broken -- and meeting their neighbors, and having a good time and maybe a good meal doing it.

Take a look at this Purple interface. I'm still thinking of things to say, and one or two pages ain't so great.

But the inside logic is getting better. A lot of it is actually working right now.

You go in there, you click off a little "agreement" about working with other people -- and you decide what issues you are interested in, and what you want to do about those issues.

The idea is to keep it really brief -- like Twitter. Instead of "What are you doing right now, tell us in 140 key strokes" -- on this Purple Alliance, you pick the issues you are interested in, and you (more or less) answer the question "What do you want to do (about this issue)?" Other people can click the brief choice you make, and bingo -- you got an instant "electronic coalition" on that one agenda point. I think we can ramp up some heavy People-Power with a fast-click interface like this....

Somebody joined the Purple Alliance and they said they were an immigrant and they wanted to give voice to "We the People" -- and they wanted to get into organizing some resistance to this new Supreme Court decision about unlimited campaign spending (I think Mitch McConnell said he supported that decision).

That would be a fun and exciting thing to organize an alliance about. Let's go find 10,000 of our closest friends and get them into this Alliance, and see how much push-back the American People can come up with on this point...

http://purplealliance.us

Peace, brother (and sister). I like it that way... :) Tastes mo bettah. You might like it too.

(Bob Marley song "One Love" here....)

--- On Sun, Jan 24, 2010, in msg269659, Claudia Collier wrote ---

Bruce, I looked at the beginnings of Purple Alliance and it looks good. I will be back to check it out from time to time. I am not a computer nut, but I am learning. I will post Regina's campaign info from time to time, and let you know how we are doing. We are having our first BIG meeting of all the core volunteers this week (after many smaller meetings and an earlier "bump in the road" regarding a campaign manager). We are all blogging and posting on every website we can (any suggestions?), but I will find out specifically what they have in mind for me to organize.

Like the rest of your writers, I have suffered a set-back in my enthusiasm in the last month. But like you, I am slowly building a new plan. Some of the national writers are getting their fight back, and their creative ideas are spreading new hope and initiative, just like with your new webpage. Coming together is a great theme, but we definitely have some work to do to bring liberals, progressives, and moderates together before we tackle the far right.

Please contact me so I can get you in touch directly with Regina or her new campaign manager. I am doing initial outreach, but I think Regina herself can make the most dramatic impact. She will need to marshall all the politcal savvy she can, while staying true to her nature. She is on Facebook, I think under Regina Thomas for Congress. My email is: ccollier376@yahoo.com (but then you probably knew that.) Also, let me know what I can do here in Georgia for the Purple Alliance.

Our mutual friend . . . think Hilton Head, SC . . . .

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