If you cracked open the New York Times today you may have noticed something different—-you saw a progressive voice of reason. Today the Institute for America's Future, a leading progressive think tank, ran a full-page ad (pdf available here) challenging the media to give us a debate worthy of a great nation in trouble, a debate on the real issues that matter to everyday Americans. Enough with the lipstick and pigs or pitbulls. Enough with the feigned outrage and manufactured controversy. Enough with the mind-numbing tunnel vision on the minute-by-minute horse race. Our nation's challenges are too big to spend the next two months talking about small things.
If you've looked at the state of the nation recently, you may have noticed that things are not well—-the financial sector is in ruins, working class families are struggling to stay afloat, we're seeing record foreclosures, rising unemployment and inflation, stagnant wages, rising debt, a broken health care system, our children left behind, our infrastructure crumbling, global warming going unchecked, and our brothers, sisters, sons, and daughters living in constant danger, needlessly, in Iraq. It is time we demand an election focused on the issues, because on November 5th, which animal wears which shade of lipstick isn't going to matter to anyone, yet we could very well find ourselves stuck with a president who doesn't have the right ideas and plans to put America back on track, all because we ignored the issues when it really mattered.
Yesterday the campaign launched with the first of seven ads, and will run an ad every week in the op-ed section of the New York Times demanding a debate worthy of our great nation. The campaign continues now with a petition drive aimed at the moderators of the up-coming presidential and VP debates: Tom Brokaw, Gwen Ifill, Jim Lehrer, and Bob Schieffer.
Here is what we need from you, the progressive community:
Sign the petition to the moderators, so we can be sure they get the message: This time around, Americans demand a real debate on real issues, we won't settle for a repeat of ABC's infamous non-debate from the primaries. Press them to help move America beyond the gossip, the gotcha politics, and the horse-race "journalism", and re-focus the candidates and the debates on the issues that matter most to most Americans. We've already had over 6,000 people sign in less than 24 hours. We can multiply that many times over with your help.
Join the discussion of these issues on our website at institute.ourfuture.org, where you can view the ads, get updates on the campaign, and discuss the issues with others who believe we cannot afford another wasted election.
Help spread the word about this campaign. Digg it. Facebook it. Tweet it.* Discuss it on your blogs.* Make it your own. If this campaign is going to have any impact on the opinion makers it needs synergy. Let's make this thing organic, let's create a stir in the blogosphere, let's keep it going from now until Election Day! We need to send a clear signal that we aren't going to accept anything less than the debate, and the focus on the issues, we deserve.
Over the next seven weeks, we'll be working with progressives like you to bring increasing opportunities take back the debate. We are only setting up a vehicle, it is up to the progressive community to give it wings. Thank you in advance for everything you can do to help us kick it off today!
And please rec up this diary so as many progressives can see it as possible!
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* Note: If you write about this campaign, tag it with "debateweneed" in your blog or diary, and it will be automatically featured on our "The Debate We Need" homepage. Tag your Twitter tweets with "#dwn" and they will also be featured. We are trying to make this as interactive and dynamic as possible.
You can also use our "broadcast" tool on our website to share the ads with friends and family as they become available. (More info available here)