The Blog Party

FYI - on August 10 (a little over a week from now) I will be participating in The Independent Candidates Mayoral Forum. Step off the party line and beneath the headlines to meet 6 passionate and innovative candidates for Mayor.

Wed, August 10
Forum 7:00-8:30
Doors Open 6pm.
The Tank @ chashama
208 West 37th @ 7th Ave
www.TheTankNYC.org
Admission: Free

It should be a good time and will feature Me, Christopher X. Brodeur, Seth Blum, Audrey Silk, Chris Riggs and at least one other mayoral candidate. I believe it will be moderated by jarrett murphy.

Sounds like an 80’s band name or a sitcom. But really it is an article in the Daily News about how gifford miller has accepted donations from some of the city’s worst landlords.

The Daily News chimes in with a signature count:

“It only takes 7,500 signatures to land on the mayoral ballot, but Democratic hopefuls were out to make splashes with overkill yesterday, led by Gifford Miller’s 158,000-name petition….Next up was Democratic front-runner Fernando Ferrer, whose campaign said it gathered 100,000 signatures. Virginia Fields’ aides said they collected 60,000, and Rep. Anthony Weiner’s campaign said it snared 40,000.”

Well, the fact that Weiner, who is a congressman and presumably has pretty significant resources and clout only gather 40K makes me feel a little better, I guess. But what really made me feel better was that Tom Ognibene only garnered 7,800 signatures.

I think after this is all over I’m going to write the “Independent Candidate’s Guide to Running for Mayor.” I’m admittedly not doing this very well, but I’m learning a lot.

And the fact of the matter is that signifcant reform is still needed in the political process. I was at a Community Board meeting the other day and I saw how things go down on the local level and let me tell you, it ain’t pretty.

Everywhere I go people say that they feel shut out of the process, but they are very rarely motivated to do anything about it. I think, if we want to really increase civic particpation, then we have to build the mechanisms to do it. (ahem. did somebody say INTERNET?) Though it wouldn’t hurt to reform the schools and re-prioritize civics classes as part of the core curriculum.

First off - I’m going to wake up early tomorrow to find out about the Olympics. With odds of 50:1 I’m thinking we’re probably not going to get it.

Second - there’s an amusing little article on the Public Advocate Campaign in The New Yorker. Mostly about Andrew Rasiej, whose campaign is picking up steam.

And yet again a reminder that tomorrow, Wednesday JULY 6th at THE MARQUEE (356 bowery between E. 3rd and E. 4th) I will be having a campaign rally/town hall meeting as part of Dixon Place’s HOT Festival at 7:30 p.m. I will be getting a little help from my friends including Chris (www.uffish.com), Desiree (mebigyoulittle.blogspot.com) and Joe (www.joemygod.com) My “lovely wife Rachel” will be there, too.

So if you’re available, come by and have a drink and hang out.

With my trusty attache John moving back home (I think the stress of the campaign got to him) I could use some help. If you want to help take new york city back for the people - or at least go to some interesting parties - drop me a line at info@blogparty.org

In case you didn’t see it, Nate at The Apiary offered me the opportunity to address the Comedic Community of NYC.

You can read my speech to them at The Apiary.

And I’m looking forward to meeting many of them personally, this Sunday at Galapagos.

As I’ve mentioned before, one of the main purposes of this campaign, for me, is to listen to people and when possible give them the chance to have their voice heard. Or at least post their feedback here for others to read.

I just got an email from janice amato asking why I’m not joining forces with Christopher X. Brodeur…

(more…)

My campaign buttons are here! So I’m too legit to quit now. See?:

If you want one let me know. I can’t afford to mail them to you. But I can meet you somewhere…

Taking it to the streets. I’ve been thinking a lot about this, obviously, as June 7th approaches and the clock starts ticking. In 1770 the population of the Colonies was about 1.8 million people. In 2005 the population is approximately 296 million people. Of those, about 159 million people were internet users as of 2002. One can only assume that the total number of internet users has vastly increased since then.

SO why is it that the mechanics of our political system still operates as if we were in the 19th century? Yes there are searchable databases and information is available online, but you can’t vote online. You can’t nominate online. You can’t gather signatures online. And that’s just ridiculous. Most people - especially working people in offices - spend a LOT of time online. In ten short years it has been completely assimilated into everyday life like the phone, television and postal service. So we need to start pushing to:

A: Get Municipal Broadband and Wireless and
B: Get the Mechanics of the Political Process online.

That’ll be a long haul. But if we bundled education and job training initiatives with universal internet access we would do a lot to bridge the digital divide and empower new generations of workers to move into the digital age. Why should we outsource to India when there are unemployed people right here in NYC that could be trained to have these jobs?

In the short term, I’d like your help to use the internet to at least get on the ballot. Between June 7th and July 14th I have to gather at least 7500 signatures. I will be making campaign “Listening Stops” and appearances to do this. (I am also collecting platform items - send me your ideas for platform items at info@blogparty.org). BUT it is impossible to be everywhere at once. I have only a few volunteers who can devote that kind of time. But as the venerable proverb says, “Many hands make much work light.”

Basically, if you’re a registered Democrat who lives in NYC, then you can download the Independent Nominating form(I’ve already filled out part of it), print it out on legal size paper, take it around and get people to sign it. They have to be registered Democrats who live in NYC, too. Then sign the bottom as a witness. I’m working on finding out the exact specifics of how the form is to be filled out and how to avoid having them disqualified. But if 100 people download it and get 75 signatures, I’m on the ballot, theoretically. So please, download the form and get some friends to sign it and then get it to me before July 14th!

This isn’t about ME - this is about harnessing the power of the internet to empower the citizenry. This isn’t just about getting me on the ballot, this is about proving that it can be done without a lot of money and a huge machine. This is about proving that the internet can pull people together to accomplish actual goals in the real world. I mean, blogs and discussion forums and online conversations are great. But let’s bring the change directly to the process, not only as a means of commenting on the process.

Thanks!

In both Gawker and The Politicker I was referred to as “this guy” - and it got me to thinking. More than any specific platform - because so much of what all the candidates are saying is the same - the real issue here is how inaccesible politics is to the average person. Wealth buys influence and the Regular Joe is completely cut out of the process. All the politicians give lip service to “speaking for the people” but the act of running for office insulates them from regular people, regardless of their good intentions. And then the process of being in office insulates them even further. They carefully craft media images to make themselves attractive to specific constituencies, they are varnished and buffed and sheened until they are only a simulacrum of a real person.

Now me, I’m just some guy. A regular guy. Not a hipster, not a pundit, not a poltician - just some guy who has opinions and wants to be heard, wants to be a part of the process. And I’m completely unpolished. I’m rough around the edges and plain spoken, just a normal guy who works for a living and is trying to get by in NYC. Plus I’ve got nothing to hide - I’m completely transparent. I’ve been documenting my life online for about 5 years - there’s no dirt to be dug up that I haven’t already copped to. I’m flawed, just like everyone else. But I’m honest, trustworthy and loyal - and I think that those are qualities we should ask for in a mayor.

This campaign is just as much about “being real” as it is about politics. And it is about showing just what it takes to even get a foot in the door of City Hall.

So help me get on the ballot and let’s see what “Just Some Guy” can do.