In theory, 30 people (or more) should be more eloquent, more credible, and more powerful together than they would be apart. That’s one of the basic principles the progressive blogosphere was built on...right?
With a couple of friends, I’m working on a democratic, web-based collaborative writing tool that depends entirely on this idea. It allows really big groups of people to express collective opinions. The site is called MixedInk – and we think it’s a pretty cool project.
This diary is meant to share the results of our largest test to date, and to get your thoughts on how well it worked. Over the last few days we asked about 30 of our friends to use the tool to help write an editorial explaining why Barack Obama shouldn’t choose Hillary Clinton as his VP. (We gave people a few topics to choose from, and this is the one where there seemed to be broadest interest and agreement.)
Here’s what they wrote together:
Many of us have long admired Hillary Clinton. She has made public service and fighting for Democratic ideals her life's work. She is smart, competent, and hardworking. Hillary Clinton is an American icon to some and a role-model to many, but she should not be Barack Obama's vice presidential candidate.
While we certainly don't expect many Republicans to vote for Obama, there is a palpable lack of enthusiasm among conservative members of the party about his nomination. If there is one thing that would put an end to this ambivalence and inspire these conservatives to unite behind John McCain, it is Hillary Clinton. Hillary has long been demonized by the conservative right, and her presence on the ballot would mobilize its foot soldiers. With our country mired in two wars abroad, a failing economy, rising gas prices, diminishing civil liberties, and looming environmental disasters; too much is on the line to risk a vice-presidential candidate who will rally the Republican right-wing base.
Concerns about "Hillary Democrats" not voting for Obama are overstated. The people who are seen as Hillary's base - working class, white Americans among them - identify with the Democratic Party and have reason to be skeptical of a McCain presidency. As the Obama campaign and the media turn their focus to McCain in the coming months, these voters will learn the many ways a vote for McCain would be a vote against their personal and national interests. Women who supported Hillary in the Democratic primaries will not migrate to McCain, whose slippery stance on Roe v. Wade would likely cost them their right to choose. Nor will blue collar workers elect another Republican who embraces NAFTA and dismisses their unions' concerns. Americans who want an end to the war in Iraq will not back McCain and his decision to stay the course indefinitely. It's true that Hillary supporters wanted this election to have a different outcome, but in the end they will not elect McCain simply to register their disappointment.
Barack Obama won the Democratic nomination because of his vision of a new America. His call for change is one that resonates with voters. It is not simply a call for much-needed policy change, but also for a change in the way government works, an end to old party politics, and a rethinking of the role of lobbyists and special interest groups. Hillary Clinton is part of the old guard. With Barack Obama's appeal grounded in a new vision for our country and government, he risks undermining his own message with Hillary as his running mate. Barack Obama has earned the opportunity to choose his running mate. Aside from selecting someone who will help him win, he should also pick someone who complements his message and style and who he wants at his side as he navigates the challenges that he will surely face during his presidency. For all her strengths, that someone is not Hillary Clinton.
Not bad, huh? Obviously the credibility of the output depends on the trustworthiness and democracy of the process. We’re still in private beta, so we can’t spill the beans yet – I’ll just say that MixedInk is sort of the beautiful democratic offspring of a wiki, a blog, and Digg.
We’re asking you for your thoughts because we think this tool has a lot of potential applications - particularly for the Netroots. Imagine if thousands of us could write an editorial, or a front-page post, or the keynote speech at Netroots Nation - together!!!
Weigh in via the poll and/or let us know what you think of this in the comments!
(Oh, and if you want to sign up to participate in future testing or find out when we launch publicly, submit your email address here.)