UPDATE: WE HAVE JUST RECEIVED OUR FIRST DONATION to a candidate via the "Candidates for Colbert" Fundraising website!!!
Will the lucky first donor come on dowwnn!! You deserve some mojo points.
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I am extremely proud to announce, from the same hodge-podge conglomeration of bloggers who brought you things like ThankYouStephenColbert.org and several great diaries on Kos, the next permutation of The COLBERT Effect: CANDIDATES for COLBERT.
www.CandidatesforColbert.com
[There's more...]
Cross Posted at
Deny My Freedom
Candidates for Colbert is a new launch of a very simple, very basic, netroots fundraising site, with an infinite capacity for expantion/refinement. The objective is to find Democratic candidates out there who are not afraid to give their support to Stephen Colbert. It should be noted that politicians have been avoiding him as much as the media has.
Well the object of the site is to find, as Stephen would say, candidates with "balls"--usually we call it 'backbone,' but whatever works for him.
And what exactly does it take to constitute having "backbone?" Well, the good people at Candidates for Colbert were nice enough to tell us:
More specifically, we're hoping to promote candidates who can:
Demonstrate a commitment to people-powered politics--
Our candidates will always embrace bottom-up campaigning, emphasizing the importance of building relationships with the grassroots and netroots communities. We don't want to herd people through a gate like cattle--with an over-emphasis on rampant ad-buying and corporate sponsorship--and we don't think people want to be treated like cattle. Nothing is more important to us than the candidates we support showing faith, confidence, and collaboration with their base constituency.
Add a new, progressive voice to Washington--
We support Democrats who are dedicated to change and growth as a party. As much as we look forward to replacing an irresponsible Republican majority riddled with corruption and deceit, we also want to revitalize the national Democratic outlook, and help an entrenched party leadership and silent mainstream media come out of their shells.
STAND UP for what they believe in--
Having backbone doesn't mean that you should be ready to defend yourself--it means you should already be in a position representative of your beliefs. It is our belief that silence has never been a virtue in politics, and the coming elections are no time to start testing that theory.
There are already five Dems that are either expressing direct interest in becoming candidates for Colbert, or just fit the ticket perfectly. But, first let me ask: do you get it? "Candidates for Colbert"--it's a relatively good play on Colbert's character as a self-centered ass... he'd be elated to have candidates supporting him
Some of the beginning candidates just reflect extremely well the values that the CforC team is interested in--such as Ned Lamont. Both of these types of candidates are what we're looking for, and we are staying in touch with various campaigns as the sight is developed to see who else's interest is Piqued. But! That's for a little bit later... You know you're not leaving this diary without reading a little background--
Notably, NYCO, myself and the Deny My Freedom crew(Yoss, Xelnein), and, of course grokgov, creator of Thank You Stephen Colbert.org--have been kind of sounding off on one another, experiencing nearly the same reaction to the continuing "Colbert Effect" as the weeks go by; but never before this week have I found it so eerie. Even as the idea/design for this "Candidates for Colbert" site was being born, NYCO was posting a diary on his latest analysis of the traffic on ThankYouStephenColbert.org.
Why is this eerie? Well, I think I'll let NYCO and his Dairy introduce themselves first. Here's a quote:
- as of this afternoon, over 59,000 entries have been made.
[...]
I don't think this huge body of intensely focused commentary (prompted by a single event - Colbert's routine) ought to be ignored as a raw source of Zeitgeist among the anti-Bush American population. It is very rare to have such a treasure trove of visceral reaction to a single happening all compiled in one place, without it devolving into... well, a typical bulletin board with debates, flames and social structures that distract from honest and immediate expression. A smart politician would read these comments very carefully and listen to the themes sounding within.
Some of the recurring themes in the comments are predictable; some are a little disturbing.
Now, if you haven't read NYCO's diary (and shame on you if you haven't), you don't know what might be disturbing. "After all this positive energy and happy outpouring of interest, what could possibly be 'disurbing'?" You ask.
And I am building suspense. I want to take this little opportunity to thank NYCO for his excellent work on this topic thus far--by far the best out there. But, on to the disturbing part of his post, and subsequently the creepy (but in a good way!) feeling I got:
The main themes I get from the mass of 59,000+ messages is a mixture of:
--extreme relief from feelings of great despair
--shame at being American (and having feelings of shame removed after seeing the routine)
--an expectation of change or "revolution" (?)
--fervent gratitude bordering on religious mania (really.)
--a worship of "balls" (see Susan Something's astute comment below
and, ominously,
--little or no indication of any interest or participation in electoral politics. NOBODY is talking about any of our current elected leaders, much less as any sort of "hope."
[...]
There is a huge depth of feeling which is going completely untapped - unappreciated by both the world at large and by our own politicians. This is quite sobering. Reading these messages, all one can think is, "Sheep without a shepherd." (Not "sheep" in the usual pejorative sense, but good-hearted and passionate and very worried people with strong emotions who apparently are profoundly disconnected from the political process.)
NYCO is, of course, spot-on in this anaylsis as usual, but the creepy part was the work being done to try and aid this problem--the fact that this feeling of being somewhat overlooked, or left behind, by our party leaders is made even more raw by this event that has meant so much to us.
The main conclusion to draw from these two intersecting actions is simple and unfortunate: there is a real feeling of aloofness among leading Democrats, and the "Colbert Effect" is making it more evident than normal.
Now, say what you want about how this is nowhere near what the Democrats should have their minds on right now--and I might be able to see where you're coming from--but one thing remains undeniable: this is something that affected us. This is something we love and care about. Fringe lefties, centrists, the religious left, fiscal policists, libertarians--all our ranks together (otherwise known as our base). And people still don't seem to care. Washington, if this funny little speech is too risky for them to associate themselves with, I say:
Replace them.
Replace who?? Well, outside of Lieberman, I'm not really talking about insurrection--I'm talking about framing the debate.
And here we are, having set it up for them: Candidates for Colbert-- and we're going to give them a chance. We've already got some supporters--and we're looking for more.
Here's a quote concerning aligning oneself with the spirit of Colbert:
It's a simple, progressive site, designed for one purpose: To identify which democratic candidates out there are able to appreciate the passion and courage of Stephen Colbert's White House Correspondance Dinner speech, and then take the significance of the resulting "Colbert Effect," and apply it to real-life politics.
Each candidate who fits the description of a "Colbert supporter" --caring about the progressive base, being connected with the netroots community, interested in "bottom-up" grassroots campaigning, willing to show a little backbone regarding the issues, etc-- will get a small profile with an "about" blurb and a quote that they'd like to make public about their perception of "The Colbert Effect" or a "Colbert Moment"--which is really great, when they select the moment in their campaign when they realized they were a "Colbert Democrat," so to speak, as well as their own fundraising box to funnel this national attention into an engine for their local campaigns.
Barry Welsh's Colbert Moment: On Tuesday, February 7th, Barry Welsh announces and outlines his candidacy on Daily Kos, explaining that he is, "a populist candidate with a populist message, and it is not tailored or fabricated, but based upon my life, my experience, my faith, and my education." Ever since this moment, Barry has embraced the Netroots community with open arms. Just as Stephen Colbert is blazing a path for the media in America, Barry Welsh is setting an example for all Hoosier progressives to follow.
Check out the site to see the examples like this one about Barry Welsh. Running in Indiana's 6th District and perhaps the most tech-wise politician in the state, Welsh is a clear trailblazer into netroots politics for the Indiana Democratic party.
And as NYCO's diary reminds us:
There is a heck of a lot more "dry tinder" out there among rank and file Americans than we have been led to believe - by "dry tinder" I mean emotional fervor, exasperation, and lack of faith in the people running our government (of either party). This is, in my opinion, a potentially dangerous state of affairs.
You've read the criteria. You know the score. People need imagery--people need a rallying point... even our leaders sometimes. Colbert was speaking to someone that night three weeks ago--and it clearly wasn't the press or the Administration.
You know what?
It was us.
I'd like to get a groupthink going on here so people can toss out candidate ideas, ideas for the website, etc. Just a collaborative effort, as everything is. Let's get the ball rolling on this puppy and see if we can't turn a few heads towards the government--and a few government heads towards us.