Here’s a tip on hundreds of great jobs, available in every state, and perfectly matched with the skills of many of us in this community.
If you --
- are a US citizen at least 25 years old
- have read the US Constitution and can honestly vow to defend it
- have a track record of keeping every public Oath you make
- have never received a corrupting corporate donation
-- then you’re very likely far more qualified than the person who is holding that job right now. That person can comfortably retire in January through an orderly process developed by our founding fathers. Your country needs you.
These jobs pay $174,000 a year -- with extraordinary health and other benefits that few citizens enjoy!
If you are un- or under-employed, this could be a lifeboat or the opportunity of a lifetime.
Your job application and campaign won’t require any money. It will be part of a larger campaign to make candidates and elected officials accountable, using 2-way online media -- and that’s a campaign you should join whether you’re running for office or not.
But first take the poll:
[Note: A version of this diary was posted recently in the wee hours and quietly Rescued by the Daily Kos editors. Please Rec it now so folks see it and the Democracy part works!]
In principle, America has just begun what most civilized democracies have every few years: a month long campaign season where candidates for the Congress publicly debate the issues.
Many Americans are well trained to believe that instead, it’s a money contest. The wealthiest candidates want to keep it that way. They don’t want you to notice that thanks to YouTube and Facebook, video message distribution - whose costs dominated campaigns for most of a century - is now free. And the corporate owned television and “news” media that still sells those billions in ads really don’t want you to notice. So far they’ve been pretty good at it.
But like Wile E. Coyote, it won’t be long before they look down and everyone has a good laugh.
And to have a real effect and hasten this process, all you have to do is click Like at Democracy V2 - the version without the money, and Recommend this diary.
Qualified candidates: get ready to win in 2012, if not sooner. Amazingly, poll after poll shows that your candidacy is not a long shot after all!
... only 17% approve of Congress' job. What's more, given the opportunity, half (50%) say they would vote to defeat every single member of Congress, including their own representative. Asked if they would still vote to replace every single member of Congress if that resulted in Democrats still controlling Congress, nearly three-quarters (72%) said yes. And asked if they would still vote to replace every member if that resulted in Republicans controlling Congress, a virtually identical number (73%) said yes.
And if you’re not affiliated with a political party that is rife with brazen bigots, recently self-destructed, bankrupted the country, bailed out the rich, disappointed its base, or presided ineffectively over multiple self-made catastrophes, you have an additional advantage.
Partisans -- please don’t freak out,. This campaign is about replacing corrupt and unqualified people with trustworthy public servants -- not replacing your favorite, terrific party incumbent or candidate for no good reason. When Senator Russ Feingold debates the other candidates on Facebook, it will be obvious he is the most qualified and knowledgeable person -- someone whose experience is a great asset that strengthens his candidacy. His participation in campaigns like this will help him win.
In contrast, that probably won’t happen for terrible incumbents, and that’s a good thing. You should only fear this campaign if you feel the least qualified, least accountable candidates are the ones you’re supporting. So Kossacks -- don’t panic and start insulting Democrats by rejecting this effort, when you should simply embrace holding everyone accountable and take advantage of our candidates’ stronger records. For example, in the ACORN example below, all 75 trustworthy Congress people - the ones who kept their oath to defend the Constitution - are Democrats.
Action in the 21st Century
We don’t have to congregate in D.C. or stage sit-ins to get attention. It’s the 21st century. Every incumbent has a Facebook Page that’s a perfect spot to begin debates, announce candidates, state positions, and ask questions. We’ll participate in civilized debate for 6 weeks, and follow up after the election. If the incumbent and the party candidates don’t want to participate, that will say a lot about them. Stay civil and ask fair questions, and no candidates’ staff will dare evict you -- they know you’ll be replaced immediately with two more civil constituents publicly wondering why the candidate won't answer.
Following these guidelines, we now have 471 free public Facebook Pages from which to debate issues and launch campaigns. And we’ll do press releases too.
Of course, if you think real debates are Wolf or Charlie and Kathy of the Morning Show asking the two wealthiest candidates about pastors and tie pins, you won’t like this.
But it’s the 21st century. While Wolf, Charlie and Katie’s viewership, credibility and finances circle the drain, there are more Americans on Facebook than voted for Obama and McCain combined. And they’re real voters with real questions that tools like Wolf never ask.
There will be no spoilers, and no campaigns based on fear. It’s the 21st century. Electronic campaigns can turn on a dime. That’s how Spain unexpectedly got a successful new president. If our insurgent candidates are so popular they appear to threaten a great party candidate, the party candidate needs to address those popular issues before the election, and perhaps embrace some of the insurgent’s ideas. That’s very healthy -- arguably a cornerstone of democracy. A victory.
If on November 1st it really looks like our favorite insurgent is the key factor causing a monster to win, the weaker candidate can always drop out and endorse the best alternative to ensure a win on Tuesday. The debate will still have happened and the country will be better for it. A different kind of victory.
Don’t over-emphasize the printed ballot. Most Americans can’t name even half of the 6 candidates who were on their ballot for president in 2008. Can you? (Hint -- like most Americans today, 2 of them were for getting out of Afghanistan.) What matters is your engagement and your vote.
It’s the 21st century. Participants in a strong Facebook based campaign can mobilize and even shift write-in votes in the key days and hours before the election. Every state has a write-in vote policy -- by mail, or handwritten on the ballot itself -- and I believe the rules require every vote to be counted.
Let’s collect the facts on each state now and organize at the Facebook page, to figure out how best to make democracy work.
Start by forwarding this valuable job posting to your Facebook friends. There’ll be lots more to do, and it’ll be lots of fun -- it’s only a month this election season, and it won’t cost a dime. By 2012 the overwhelming desire for change will put accountable groups like this one in the drivers seat. Don't misguidedly cede the field of change to the tea party!
Example: Accountability for ACORN votes
345 in Congress voted to destroy the nation’s largest organization registering poor voters, ACORN, in a vote that Congressman Grayson pointed out beforehand was an unconstitutional “Bill of Attainder” - as the courts quickly confirmed afterward. So most of today’s incumbents have already brazenly violated their oath to defend the Constitution -- with no accountability.
Constituents from each of their districts can politely ask at their representative’s Facebook fan page: Why?
- Was your ACORN vote a mistake? Have you made many like it?
- Did you not understand the Constitution? Do you get the part about punishment without conviction being tyranny? Why did you try to get around it?
- Did you imagine your vote could benefit you personally or help you get re-elected?
- What other unconstitutional things have you voted for? Do you bother to track it?
- Have you apologized? Will it ever happen again?
That will give us a baseline on their accountability going into the election debates.
Since these jobs, salaries, Facebook pages and the rest are real, a 'snark' tag probably isn't appropriate.
Ben Masel deserves credit for the Job Posting concept.
Everyone has permission and is encouraged to re-post this anywhere.
To participate, simply Like and share links to the Democracy V2 Facebook page, tell us what district you're from, find or share information about the rules in your state, plan your debates -- and if you qualify, even announce your 2010 or 2012 candidacy!