Before I get to the videotaping I want to share with you a random thought that just popped into my head a while ago. It should really be an open-thread comment or diary of its own, but hell... here it is: I've come to think that any Democrat seeking the nomination should make an explicit promise to pursue all criminal public corruption PAST & PRESENT, with an even more explicit promise to exempt nobody from the long arm of the law. We SHOULD NOT just "move on". We cannot allow a lawless executive to establish a precendent of "untouchability".
Now, onto the diary...
I'm diving into video with both feet... made the decision after the George Allen skullduggery in which I was really screwed by the lack of video evidence. When you go into the Republican lion's den, it's folly to expect to find a witness willing to tell the truth. They, after all, are liars by trade.
So anyway, in recent days, I've been circulating the document you'll come across over the jump. I'm in law school now, but I think this will be great "school of hard knocks" experience/training for preparing me for my after-school career goal of becoming an investigative reporter/documentary film maker.
I've recently decided to focus my efforts on video - this extended election cycle will probably provide more opportunities to force issues and push things that were once "blogger's only" (Allen's confederate flag, noose, spousal abuse) into the mainstream media than any other. And video is the medium for that.
As such, I put together this first-draft of a proposal. I'm happy to do this stuff, but I took quite a risk: I told my wife that I'd raise the $5K (to cover the sunk costs of the computer/video camera/software) before Halloween... it's risky, but I think I can get it done... If any of you have suggestions, contacts or other ways of helping, please let me know.
finally, you should realize that this draft is highly fluid. As prepared, it is meant to be presented to non-partisan good government groups/527's... If it needs to be sent to more partisan groups, it has room left to be spiced up quite nicely. The sample questions, for example, can be highly customized.
I don't want to contemplate the consequences of not fulfilling my promise to Mayin, my wife. She's every bit of 5 feet of Chinese tiger with really sharp claws and ominous teeth...
here's the draft:
A. Introduction
- As the 2008 Presidential campaign season takes on urgency, candidates, supporters and tertiary political figures will cycle through a "season of accessibility" – making themselves available, and vulnerable, to the public with increasing frequency.
- If there was any doubt about Virginia's key role as a swing state, it was dispelled by the elections of 2005 and 2006 in which we saw Democrats win two statewide seats - the Governorship and a United States Senate seat, respectively. Demographic shifts in Northern Virginia have made the state a tantalizing pick-up opportunity for the Democratic Party in the Presidential election of '08. Similarly, Republican candidates are on notice that they may no longer take Virginia for granted.
- Virginia's thirteen electoral votes exceed those of Wisconsin (10), Minnesota (10), Missouri (11), Nevada (5) and New Mexico (5) – other "key swing states".
- Virginia's proximity to Washington DC makes it an easy locale for candidates and their allies to visit.
- In Charlottesville, the Miller Center for Public Affairs, Rutherford Institute, Sorenson Center, University of Virginia Law School and other institutions draw a steady stream of influential and prominent political personas.
- Consumer digital video cameras and internet video sharing sites have combined to provide unique opportunities for the average citizen to memorialize their interactions with politicians and their coteries.
B. Objectives, goals and targets
- As candidates and other political figures cycle through Charlottesville, and to the extent possible, the rest of Virginia, I will attend their rallies and speaking engagements with my high definition video camera.
- When appropriate (I never heckle or otherwise make a spectacle of myself), I will ask the questions speakers least wish to be confronted with. Democratic or Republican, virtually every candidate has espoused or voted for something that can be said to be controversial. To the extent that the traditional media is uncomfortable asking the great moralizing politicians about their ability to live by the standards they set for the rest of us, I am more than comfortable doing so. To the extent that the traditional media fails to insist on straight answers to straight questions, I will not so fail.
a. Example questions:
i. "Minimum wage bank tellers are forced to submit to FBI background checks as part of the hiring process. Congress has mandated drug tests for several classes of citizenry. Why shouldn't Senators and House Members be forced to live by the same standards they set for many of us?"
ii. "Company XXX donated $XXXXX to your leadership PAC. Did that have anything to do with the reason you voted against the will of your constituents and in accordance with the wishes of Company XXX?"
iii. "If you are elected President, will we ever see you in this town again?"
- These "uncomfortable question/answer" sessions will be captured in high definition and published to the internet.
C. Equipment/tech specs
- I am equipped with a SONY HDR-SR1 – a hard-drive, hi-definition camcorder, the editing suite SONY Vegas and a Dell XPS 710 system built around a Quad core processor. In short, video quality will be fantastic and product will be produced in a timely manner.
D. Distribution
- At the time of this writing, YouTube is the largest video service and reaches the widest audience. As such, early videos will be uploaded to YouTube and embedded in blog entries at the Huffington Post, DailyKos and other blogs as their owners see fit. Of course, if a sponsorship opportunity (discussed below) materializes, this method of distribution may very well be short-lived.
E. Partnership Opportunity
- I'm looking for a sponsor (or sponsors) to defray my sunk costs ($5,000 – for the camera, computer and software), expenses I incur while on assignment and when appropriate, payment for extraordinary services rendered. This sponsorship can take one of many forms: interstitial commercials in the videos, video branding, sale of rights or any other funding mechanism found to be convenient.
F. Sample Product
- The computer and software should be delivered somewhere towards the middle of the week of May 20th. By the following Monday I expect to have a video (of Newt Gingrich) produced and launched through the aforementioned channels. If you are interested in seeing the result, fell free to email me at stark(dot)m(at)gmail(dot)com; I'd be happy to send you the link.
G. Contact
Any inquiries should be sent to:
Mike Stark
email: stark(dot)m(at)gmail(dot)com
So... if anyone reading this can think of any way of helping me - whether it's putting me in touch with the right people, suggesting improvements to the draft, offering advice on how to go about promoting this project otherwise... well, please email me! I am truly the quintessential outsider. originally from Albany, NY, I've never written a grant proposal or attempted to raise funds otherwise. In other words, I'm really quite naive about this stuff and can use your help. Many thanks!