(originally published 3 days ago at Polcampaign.comThis diary has be slightly edited)
McCain again today issued another of his snark filled, substance empty Top Ten lists. Of course no research went into anything beyond the funny sounding titles that he could easily be snarkish about.
I'm sick of the lack of data, the lack of research and the lack of public discussion going into the national efforts to find innovative solutions to our national and worldwide current crisis.
For god sake, let's start by have two hour round tables with experts on one subject per meeting, which would cover various subjects over time. Then let's broadcast that discussion live on all three major networks and the cable net.Dedicate each broadcast to some part of the issue. Take emails and tweets into the discussion. Leave the subject on the table for future sessions as new ideas are developed. Things cannot be solved in two hours. ( more real content follows)
Let's have an intelligent discussion based on the concept of first creating some commonly accepted foundations and problem definitions. Then we can move into brainstorming solutions to those solutions. Before anything can happen there has to be an accepted definition of the problem. That serves as the foundation for everything that follows.
Those discussions, over many hours ( ie: many broadcast on TV, cable or Net) by bright people, will lead into previously unconsidered new concepts and ideas. Open the floor to emails/tweets and you have the basis for real conceptualizing new solutions to a situation the nation and the world has never faced before. We can harness the collective brain power of the US. I can think of no better way to lead to original thinking than brainstorming.
That used to be a specialty of mine. I would lead brainstorming sessions for organizations and people with difficult situations.
First you start building a common agreement on the statement of the problem. Then you would move from there. Brainstorm: No idea is too nuts: No idea is auto-rejected.
I had an office covered with white boards waist to ceiling on all four walls, except for the doorway, with more colored markers than you could count. We would start to list ideas, facts and thoughts. We would then use the synergistic energy of those efforts to jump to other ideas and thought and eventually reach a path to a proposed solution. If it didn't work then start again. It's a powerful methodology!
We need something like that to serve in this crisis and we need it in public. Give the American people a path to assist/help. Let's use the public platform bring together the best and brightest minds of all persuasions and don't keep the discussion on shout TV/Radio and the closed doors of Washington.
Put it into play publicly, enlist the creativity of the various experts and the American people and who knows what might happen!
Spread the concept. It could be more powerful than you initially think.