A lot of people ask, "Who is Financing Americans Elect?" and/ or say "This will just Split the Vote." Here are my thought on these issues:
Only donors who actually reveal THEMSELVES are public. So, it is a personal choice of the donors. I did tell the leadership that all donors should be strongly encouraged to reveal themselves and IF they all disclose, that AE should then make a public statement in that regard. I think this would go a long way toward building the movement. One interesting comment Jake Brewer made in regards to this is that the Presidential candidate chosen by Americans Elect will be in a better position to not kowtow to these large money contributors. Especially since the Board of Directors and anyone who works for Americans Elect cannot endorse or support a candidate. They must remain neutral. Therefore, this process really gives the power to the American people. It begins to build a direct Democracy - You choose the issues. You nominate the candidates. You pick the President. In my opinion, this is much better than the illusion of choice we are currently given by powerful elitists who contribute to the Presidential candidates and then come knocking on the door for a favor once the person is elected.
On the issue of "Splitting the Vote" both Democrats and Republicans have been controlled by the same powerful monied interests for far too long. I believe it is time to SPLIT THE VOTE. However, I do have to say that Americans Elect has put some safety nets in place if this SPLIT is actually not big enough to make a difference. If Americans Elect wins the electors in one or more states, but not a majority of the vote, they will have the delegates vote again to determine who these electors should vote for from the other candidates.
America's Third Party Vice Presidential Candidate, Sarah Hart, shares her thoughts throughout the campaign. www.americasthirdparty.com
Monday, January 30, 2012
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
On The Road Again
It took us much longer than I anticipated to pack the car. We finally left the house at 1:30. We drove through Seattle about 3:30. It's amazing how much traffic there was at 3:30pm on a Wednesday. We have a couple of more days of driving and will arrive in San Ramon in time for the Delegate convention for Americans Elect.
Before I left the house this morning I sent a Press Release to TV stations in San Francisco (and posted on there Facebook walls and twittered them) about the event. I got an email tonight that the Conference will coincide with Americans Elect having a Web-Conference with Delegate Leaders across the country about the Draft Committees for Candidates! This is very exciting news, and I feel like writing another press release.
We are traveling with Amber. I think she was getting a little bit of cabin fever at the house. She only meowed once, when David brought her in the carrier to the car. She settled into his jacket that we had positioned between us. About an hour into the trip, she meowed again. I think she was trying to tell us she didn't feel well, because right after that she threw up. I guess she had a bit of car sickness. After we pulled off the road and cleaned up the mess, she settled back down and slept the remainder of the trip.
We are staying in a Motel 6 tonight. They do not charge a pet fee. We have stayed in quite a few, traveling with Amber across country in the past. She is comfortable in them. David bought her a fabric pet kennel for Christmas, and he put her litter box in there. She finished her wet food and a little bit of kibbles. I just hope she doesn't hide under the bed when we try to leave, as she has a tendency to do when we stay in these places.
I might not post for a few days, since we might camp out tomorrow and then I will be busy with the conference. Do follow me on twitter in case I decide to stream the conference - I'll post the web address on there. My twitter is www.twitter.com/ThirdParty
Before I left the house this morning I sent a Press Release to TV stations in San Francisco (and posted on there Facebook walls and twittered them) about the event. I got an email tonight that the Conference will coincide with Americans Elect having a Web-Conference with Delegate Leaders across the country about the Draft Committees for Candidates! This is very exciting news, and I feel like writing another press release.
We are traveling with Amber. I think she was getting a little bit of cabin fever at the house. She only meowed once, when David brought her in the carrier to the car. She settled into his jacket that we had positioned between us. About an hour into the trip, she meowed again. I think she was trying to tell us she didn't feel well, because right after that she threw up. I guess she had a bit of car sickness. After we pulled off the road and cleaned up the mess, she settled back down and slept the remainder of the trip.
We are staying in a Motel 6 tonight. They do not charge a pet fee. We have stayed in quite a few, traveling with Amber across country in the past. She is comfortable in them. David bought her a fabric pet kennel for Christmas, and he put her litter box in there. She finished her wet food and a little bit of kibbles. I just hope she doesn't hide under the bed when we try to leave, as she has a tendency to do when we stay in these places.
I might not post for a few days, since we might camp out tomorrow and then I will be busy with the conference. Do follow me on twitter in case I decide to stream the conference - I'll post the web address on there. My twitter is www.twitter.com/ThirdParty
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Preparing to Travel
Last night, I spent at least another three hours on formatting the book for the Kindle. The good news is, we now have it published for the Kindle. I posted the link on our website and on BlogTV.
Peter Arno should be calling me today to finalize the plans for the AE conference. After that, I will pack the car. That is actually more involved than it sounds. We are going to be taking out the back seat, cleaning out everything that's currently in the car, and putting in a mattress and blanket so we can camp in the car on the way down. I still also have to pack snack food for the trip too. Plus, Amber will be going with us.
Tonight is the AE Northwest conference calpl where we will be discussing committees and electors. I would be willing to serve on a committee, but not as an elector at this point.
While we are on the road, I will be reviewing Kris McAlister's questions/ suggestions on the AE Bylaws. His concern is that ther Board can seemingly over-ride any committee activity. They can also advise the electors if the AE candidate does not win a plurality or the popular vote. Kris' concern is that the Board is not elected by the Delegates. The original Board was appointed by the founding members and future Board members will be appointed by the sitting Board.
It will be interesting to see how Americans Elect evolves. It's almost February and their candidate selection process is not live on their website yet. That is my next big project, to put together a Draft Committee for with all the necessary information so I am ready to go live when they are ready. Until then, I'll post the information on our website.
Monday, January 23, 2012
Accomplishments and Goals
When I woke up this morning, I spent an hour and an half formatting the book to prep it for the Kindle. I still have to convert it to a webpage format before I upload it. I may also look into Amazon's version of a paperback store, called Create Space.
I just wrote an email to one of our supporters, Jake in Idaho, about an idea I have for a video. I'll have David do most of the Voiceover, or we'll each do a section of the voiceover.
Jake can edit the video which will save us a lot of time.
I'm glad I bought this Pandigital Nova eReader, since I can write draft emails while David is driving, which I am doing right now. Then, I can just send the messages when I get access to a wireless connection. This device is definitely coming with me on the trip.
When I get home tonight, I plan on packing David's clothes. Then, I'm going to print out business cards and flyers to take with us. We will also take a big banner that we have.
Other things I need to do is continue my research of news email addresses and send out the Letter to the Editor I created. I also want to keep on with my ballot access research.
Sunday, January 22, 2012
The frustrations of writing a book
Whrn I woke up, I wrote the previous blog, from bed on my eReader. Then I spent a couple of hours doing internet work -reading posts on facebook and an article about Americans Elect. I signed up for a Politico account, but I did not comment on there, yet. I created an event on Facebook for the upcoming AE conference and invited my politically-minded friends. I also did some corrections on our website, including limiting the number of posts on the front page to 3.
When David got up, he was admiring our book. He realized that some of the bibliographical information was missing - the last page and a half. So, I started the program we used to edit the book, Booksmart by Blurb. It had deleted the information. Perhaps this happened if we saved and closed the program and reopened it before uploading it. Booksmart is one of the worst programs I've ever worked with. We would have been finished with the book much sooner, or would have written much more, if that program had not kept crashing on us. When it did crash, it would delete huge amounts of information. The only way we got through it and actually published a book was through sheer tenacity and determination.
Anyway, I reuploaded the book. Of course, the link I sent in the email that went out yesterday was to the wrong version. So, I posted a link to the corrected version in the description section of the previous version. I then sent an email to the support team telling them what happened and asking them to do an auto -redirect from the old version to the newer version. I don' t really have hope that they will actually honor my request, since they have not responded to other emails.
I decided to go through the book and save each chapter in a file. That took quite a few hours. Then, I researched how to self-publish a Kindle book on Amazon. The ebook through blurb that I bought was unreadable on my eReader - it completely jumbled the words.
Now, I have to go through and put all the book into one Word file and do some special formatting to prep the book for the Kindle. I trust Word more than Booksmart.
Right now, I need to post the updated links to the newest version of the book on our website and on our BlogTV page.
I think the only writing I'll do for a while is here or in my journal.
Newsletter -New signup
Yesterday, I made a few edits to a Lettert to the Editor I've been working on. Before I sent it to any publications, David said what I really should be working on is sending out a newslettter, announcing the Release of our book - Hybrid Capitalism. He was really upset we lost our ability to send the newsletter through our website server since the last newsletter I sent, requesting donations, was seen as spam.
Anyway, I checked out Mailchimp, and there free service allowed many more emails than I thought. So, I decided to go forward with using their service. The thng is, I had to remove many email addresses I had gleaned from correspondence from my list, since they require you only use addresses from people who signed up at your website. I now have a clean list for mailchimp.
David helped me create a very nice newsletter which we sent out in the wee hour of the morning. It looks much better than anything I've sent out previously. I may still forward my newsletter to the people I removed from my list and ask them to sign up on our website: http://www.americasthirdparty.com/Member - new sign up forms which will input the data into Mailchimp.
David also made suggestions for changes to our website. He wanted the chat buttons above the fold, so they are more apparent to visitors. I just realized, I need to do some more work on this today. I moved the things into the header from a sidebar, but that header only appears on the main page. So, I need to re -add tthem to the sidebar, but make those not appear on the front page. Coding is difficult, because it takes so much time to get everything to look right. That is why I get so defensive when someone criticizes my website. I DO want to get better, but I've already spent huge amounts of time on getting it to the point it's at now.
This morning, I created an event on Facebook to promote the Americans Elect conference I'll be attending this coming weekend. It's at the San Ramon Marriot in California. I'm really looking fotwarde to meeting Peter Arno and other members of Arno Political Consulting and Americans Elect.
Today, I'm going to start packing for the trip. I'm also going to print material for America's Third Party to take with me - lots of business cards, some flyers and some brochures. I'm really looking forward to this event. It has alreadu reignited my passion for politics.
Friday, January 20, 2012
A Letter to Americans Elect
Dear Americans Elect,
I want to begin by stating that I appreciate the changes you made to the Rules regarding Contingently Qualified Candidates. Although I feel it is still unequal, I appreciate the changes made. I know I had my own agenda, to make it easier to Draft David Jon Sponheim For President to being the Americans Elect candidate. Yet, I want you to know, I truly appreciate what you are attempting to acheive at Americans Elect and I completely support the process, regardless of the outcome.
I understand very well how the ballot access laws, and election laws in general, are stacked against any change. We live in a highly technical world. It is time to UNITE America and bring our Candidate Selection Process into the 21st century. By creating a coalition ticket and introducing an Online Primary and Convention Process, you are acheiving something that seems almost impossible. Keep up the great work and do not get discouraged. What you are attempting to do at Americans Elect is nothing less than affect a complete change in the political system. BRAVO!
I understand why your have set up your organization as a 501c4 and why you allow the donors/ lenders to not disclose their information. This is the right thing to do at this juncture as the people who go public with support for your efforts may be harassed and intimidated. Many people are scared of this type of political change and will attempt to discredit your efforts. We have a secret ballot in our country to encourage democracy - so that voters are not intimidated or bought by politicians to vote a particular way. Therefore, I believe donors/lenders should have the right to remain anonymous as long as they wish. Although I do not have financial resources to donate to your efforts, I will continue to support Americans Elect through my volunteer efforts. I will not be anonymous in my support of Americans Elect. (Please read: http://www.americasthirdparty.com/NotAnonymous to see how I feel about this).
Please know that any recommendations I make are because I believe in YOU and I believe in making Americans Elect the best possible organization it can be. We are at the very beginning of something truly transformative. You are a valuable part of the process. I have stated for some time that we are starting a social online revolution to avert a violent revolution. We are the re-founding fathers and mothers of America. This process truly has the power to be something bigger than any of us individually can imagine, just like our Founding Fathers may not have realized what a great nation America would become long after their lifetimes.
Thank you,
Sarah Hart
I want to begin by stating that I appreciate the changes you made to the Rules regarding Contingently Qualified Candidates. Although I feel it is still unequal, I appreciate the changes made. I know I had my own agenda, to make it easier to Draft David Jon Sponheim For President to being the Americans Elect candidate. Yet, I want you to know, I truly appreciate what you are attempting to acheive at Americans Elect and I completely support the process, regardless of the outcome.
I understand very well how the ballot access laws, and election laws in general, are stacked against any change. We live in a highly technical world. It is time to UNITE America and bring our Candidate Selection Process into the 21st century. By creating a coalition ticket and introducing an Online Primary and Convention Process, you are acheiving something that seems almost impossible. Keep up the great work and do not get discouraged. What you are attempting to do at Americans Elect is nothing less than affect a complete change in the political system. BRAVO!
I understand why your have set up your organization as a 501c4 and why you allow the donors/ lenders to not disclose their information. This is the right thing to do at this juncture as the people who go public with support for your efforts may be harassed and intimidated. Many people are scared of this type of political change and will attempt to discredit your efforts. We have a secret ballot in our country to encourage democracy - so that voters are not intimidated or bought by politicians to vote a particular way. Therefore, I believe donors/lenders should have the right to remain anonymous as long as they wish. Although I do not have financial resources to donate to your efforts, I will continue to support Americans Elect through my volunteer efforts. I will not be anonymous in my support of Americans Elect. (Please read: http://www.americasthirdparty.com/NotAnonymous to see how I feel about this).
Please know that any recommendations I make are because I believe in YOU and I believe in making Americans Elect the best possible organization it can be. We are at the very beginning of something truly transformative. You are a valuable part of the process. I have stated for some time that we are starting a social online revolution to avert a violent revolution. We are the re-founding fathers and mothers of America. This process truly has the power to be something bigger than any of us individually can imagine, just like our Founding Fathers may not have realized what a great nation America would become long after their lifetimes.
Thank you,
Sarah Hart
Productive Day
Yesterday was a very productive day for me. I worked on promoting America's Third Party (ATP) and Americans Elect (AE) .
When I woke up, I received an email about a negative article about AE asking if I could write a response defnding AE. I posted my response and a link to the article in yesterday's blog. I sent this to the actual publication as a letter to the editor as well as posted it as a comment.
Then, I made some changes and posted it on the ATP website. I madw more changes and posted it on the South Whidbey Record Facebook page, and submitted it as a letter to the editor for that publication.
After lunch, I researched the contact information for all the main stream media news organizations in San Francisco. This is actually quite tedious work, since I had to go to the website for each station and look for it. I'm creating a spreadsheett of this information to push publicity in the future.
Before the show, I created a rough draft of a Press Release for an AE West Region Delegate Leaders conference I have been invited to next week, starting on the 27th.
I know there is always more to do. I'll just keep moving forward.
Thursday, January 19, 2012
David Jon Sponheim Should Be Americans Elect Candidate
I wrote this in response to: Americans Elect: The Flaws of the Elite Center by Artur Davis
http://www.nationalreview.com/
The two-party system is corrupt. The American people want a chance to BE HEARD. No one can be heard in this corrupt two-party system. Any attempt to change this corrupt, heavily controlled system is a positive venture. Americans Elect has opened up an opportunity for average Americans to become involved in their government. Americans Elect offers an alternative to the two-party system. They are working to bring about a new form of direct representation for the American people.
For over three years, David Jon Sponheim has been running an independent grassroots campaign in America to build America's Third Party. He has been using every avenue possible to get exposure in the media. This effort has been completely independent of Americans Elect. David Jon Sponheim will be seizing the opportunity Americans Elect offers to raise awareness for his Presidential campaign.
The answer to many of the very valid issues raised in this article IS America's Third Party and David Jon Sponheim for President. The American people are seeking an honest candidate who is not bought off by the elite. They want someone who is an average American and can relate to them. Yet, at the same time, they want someone who is intelligent and can lead them out of the mire that our country has devolved into. David Jon Sponheim is the perfect Presidential candidate at this time for America.
David Jon Sponheim is a centrist, but not an elitist. He would agree that, "Too much of the elite... are immersed in a worldview that is famously tolerant and cosmopolitan, but tone-deaf about... their communities [that] are becoming poorer." He will stand up to the elitists that have taken down our nation in pursuit of personal profits. He has worked tirelessly for three years on the internet to reach out to thousands of people using social media networks.
It's time to fight against the powerless and alienation the American people are feeling. You can change this, simply by chatting directly with David Jon Sponheim every week night at 6pm Pacific at www.blogtv.com/people/
David Jon Sponheim is a centrist and can bridge the "fault-lines that are dividing the country." He has a strong border policy and he wants to encourage the American people to invest in alternative energy through the creation of Renewable Energy Saving Bonds.
To put the American people back to work and on a path toward sustainability, Sponheim proposes a Homestead Renewal Plan where people can work fixing up houses they can live in at an affordable rate.
On social issues, David Jon Sponheim believes the government should stay out of the way, for the most part. He defers to state rights on the issue of gay marriage. You can read more about his stances at www.americasthirdparty.com/
No one from Americans Elect has tried to draft David Jon Sponheim for President, yet they will (supposedly) offer the opportunity for any American to Draft a Candidate of their choice. Therefore, I will be starting a Draft Committee on Americans Elect for David Jon Sponheim as soon as they go into the final stage on their Candidate Section.
The reason I will start this draft committee is because Americans Elect offers the potential for ballot access in all 50 states. The way that ballot access rules are written make it extremely difficult for third party and independent Presidential candidates to get on the ballot. Ballot access is the only "gift" Americans Elect will give to a Presidential Candidate.
Why is Americans Elect attempting to gain ballot access in all 50 states? They want to a create a new form of direct representation for the American people. The very name "Americans Elect" says what this organization is about- Having the Americans elect the Presidential candidate, rather than limiting the primary to people who are involved in a particular party. Instead of powerful elitists attending and controlling the convention (as is often the case with Democrats and Republicans), ANY U.S. registered voter can become a delegate and vote in the online primaries and ONLINE National Convention for Americans Elect. To become a delegate, you simply have to sign up to their website, www.americanselect.org and then SUPPORT the Candidates you like (once this goes out of Beta Stage). Then, vote in early April in a round of voting that will shorten the field of candidates to the top 6 contenders. Then vote again this summer to choose who will be the Americans Elect Presidential candidate.
Americans Elect is a 501c4, a nonprofit organization that can affect political change but cannot endorse or support any particular candidate. They are attempting to bring the primaries into the 21st century by using technology- introducing an Online Convention into the process. In addition, they want to incorporate the entire American electorate. Finally, they want to encourage politicians to work together by requiring the Presidential candidate to choose a running mate who differs from themselves politically.
Americans Elect is not a Third Party in the traditional sense. They do not have a platform that candidates and members must classify themselves into. The Candidates themselves will reveal where they stand on these issues. Then, the American people will choose the candidate that they feel will best serve the needs of the American people. I personally hope they choose David Jon Sponheim.
http://www.nationalreview.com/
The two-party system is corrupt. The American people want a chance to BE HEARD. No one can be heard in this corrupt two-party system. Any attempt to change this corrupt, heavily controlled system is a positive venture. Americans Elect has opened up an opportunity for average Americans to become involved in their government. Americans Elect offers an alternative to the two-party system. They are working to bring about a new form of direct representation for the American people.
For over three years, David Jon Sponheim has been running an independent grassroots campaign in America to build America's Third Party. He has been using every avenue possible to get exposure in the media. This effort has been completely independent of Americans Elect. David Jon Sponheim will be seizing the opportunity Americans Elect offers to raise awareness for his Presidential campaign.
The answer to many of the very valid issues raised in this article IS America's Third Party and David Jon Sponheim for President. The American people are seeking an honest candidate who is not bought off by the elite. They want someone who is an average American and can relate to them. Yet, at the same time, they want someone who is intelligent and can lead them out of the mire that our country has devolved into. David Jon Sponheim is the perfect Presidential candidate at this time for America.
David Jon Sponheim is a centrist, but not an elitist. He would agree that, "Too much of the elite... are immersed in a worldview that is famously tolerant and cosmopolitan, but tone-deaf about... their communities [that] are becoming poorer." He will stand up to the elitists that have taken down our nation in pursuit of personal profits. He has worked tirelessly for three years on the internet to reach out to thousands of people using social media networks.
It's time to fight against the powerless and alienation the American people are feeling. You can change this, simply by chatting directly with David Jon Sponheim every week night at 6pm Pacific at www.blogtv.com/people/
David Jon Sponheim is a centrist and can bridge the "fault-lines that are dividing the country." He has a strong border policy and he wants to encourage the American people to invest in alternative energy through the creation of Renewable Energy Saving Bonds.
To put the American people back to work and on a path toward sustainability, Sponheim proposes a Homestead Renewal Plan where people can work fixing up houses they can live in at an affordable rate.
On social issues, David Jon Sponheim believes the government should stay out of the way, for the most part. He defers to state rights on the issue of gay marriage. You can read more about his stances at www.americasthirdparty.com/
No one from Americans Elect has tried to draft David Jon Sponheim for President, yet they will (supposedly) offer the opportunity for any American to Draft a Candidate of their choice. Therefore, I will be starting a Draft Committee on Americans Elect for David Jon Sponheim as soon as they go into the final stage on their Candidate Section.
The reason I will start this draft committee is because Americans Elect offers the potential for ballot access in all 50 states. The way that ballot access rules are written make it extremely difficult for third party and independent Presidential candidates to get on the ballot. Ballot access is the only "gift" Americans Elect will give to a Presidential Candidate.
Why is Americans Elect attempting to gain ballot access in all 50 states? They want to a create a new form of direct representation for the American people. The very name "Americans Elect" says what this organization is about- Having the Americans elect the Presidential candidate, rather than limiting the primary to people who are involved in a particular party. Instead of powerful elitists attending and controlling the convention (as is often the case with Democrats and Republicans), ANY U.S. registered voter can become a delegate and vote in the online primaries and ONLINE National Convention for Americans Elect. To become a delegate, you simply have to sign up to their website, www.americanselect.org and then SUPPORT the Candidates you like (once this goes out of Beta Stage). Then, vote in early April in a round of voting that will shorten the field of candidates to the top 6 contenders. Then vote again this summer to choose who will be the Americans Elect Presidential candidate.
Americans Elect is a 501c4, a nonprofit organization that can affect political change but cannot endorse or support any particular candidate. They are attempting to bring the primaries into the 21st century by using technology- introducing an Online Convention into the process. In addition, they want to incorporate the entire American electorate. Finally, they want to encourage politicians to work together by requiring the Presidential candidate to choose a running mate who differs from themselves politically.
Americans Elect is not a Third Party in the traditional sense. They do not have a platform that candidates and members must classify themselves into. The Candidates themselves will reveal where they stand on these issues. Then, the American people will choose the candidate that they feel will best serve the needs of the American people. I personally hope they choose David Jon Sponheim.
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Early morning ideas for ATP
It's 4:30am and I can't sleep. Last night, I had a conference call with Americans Elect Northwest, which always gives me ideas on how to grow ATP. The thought that came to me tonight is to create a powerpoint demonstration that supporters could use at a Meetup. It could be fairly simple - who we are, why we started and what we hope to accomplish.
I also need to start working on the candidacy draft committee for David Jon Sponheim - submitting biographical info. and videos to AE. They still have not gone live with the candidate pages, so this will get us into the process early, I hope.
Another thing on my agenda is to contact my members, especially my electors by phone. I know that will take some time, but it will be time well spent. I am thinking ofn reloading phplist onto our website to access the member information over the last year, but not using it to send out anymore newsletters. I might check their site for suggested servers to use for emailing and compare that to the cost of Mailchimp. Maybe I could make multiple Mailchimp accounts, one for electors, one for press and one for general newsletter. I'll also look into google apps for this solution.
Today, after I get some more sleep, I will call Petern Arno to discuss theh AE conference that's coming up in 9 days. Last night, I created an Americans Elect NW Facebook GROUP. Hopefully, that will allow the delegate leaders in thisn area to have better communication between conference calls. That reminds me, I need to look into "Diasporia" - not sure if it's like hootsuite. Anyway, I will ask Peter what email solution they use.
Also on the agenda for today, if I don't get called to work, I will call ALL Senators and tell them to vote NO on PIPA. Maybe, I'll keep a tally of who has committed to voting no, so people can target the other Senators. So far, the 2 Senators from MD and Maria Cantwell from Washington have said they will vote no. Patty Murray is undecided.
I also need to start working on the candidacy draft committee for David Jon Sponheim - submitting biographical info. and videos to AE. They still have not gone live with the candidate pages, so this will get us into the process early, I hope.
Another thing on my agenda is to contact my members, especially my electors by phone. I know that will take some time, but it will be time well spent. I am thinking ofn reloading phplist onto our website to access the member information over the last year, but not using it to send out anymore newsletters. I might check their site for suggested servers to use for emailing and compare that to the cost of Mailchimp. Maybe I could make multiple Mailchimp accounts, one for electors, one for press and one for general newsletter. I'll also look into google apps for this solution.
Today, after I get some more sleep, I will call Petern Arno to discuss theh AE conference that's coming up in 9 days. Last night, I created an Americans Elect NW Facebook GROUP. Hopefully, that will allow the delegate leaders in thisn area to have better communication between conference calls. That reminds me, I need to look into "Diasporia" - not sure if it's like hootsuite. Anyway, I will ask Peter what email solution they use.
Also on the agenda for today, if I don't get called to work, I will call ALL Senators and tell them to vote NO on PIPA. Maybe, I'll keep a tally of who has committed to voting no, so people can target the other Senators. So far, the 2 Senators from MD and Maria Cantwell from Washington have said they will vote no. Patty Murray is undecided.
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Trying to Get Press
Recently, I have been working on gathering more email addresses to send out press releases. It's a tedious job. I found a great site that links us to ALL the websites for television stations in the nation, and lists the top 100 TV markets and more: http://www.stationindex.com. Yet, it does not list the contact information for these sites. So, I have been methodically going to each website and getting the email address, phone number, Facebook page address, Twitter name, etc. for these stations and creating an EXCEL file with this information.
Some stations do not have email addresses and instead use online submission forms. For these, I keep the link to the submission page and I also actually submit a story idea:
David Jon Sponheim is running for President of the United States under America's Third Party. You can reach
him at americasthirdparty@gmail.com. He is a centrist- fiscally conservative and socially liberal. He has many new ideas for America, including a Homestead Renewal Plan and an Ocean Pipeline.
He just released a book entitled "Hybrid Capitalism." The concept behind this new type of economy he proposes is that the government can compete in the free market without taking over any industry.
Every weeknight, David Jon Sponheim hosts a video chat show at www.blogtv.com/people/americasthirdparty - you can also find out more at www.americasthirdparty.com
David Jon Sponheim will be seeking to be a candidate for Americans Elect.
Americans Elect is a 501c4 that will be holding an Online Convention to choose their Presidential candidate.
You can sign up to be a delegate at www.americanselect.org
Some stations do not have email addresses and instead use online submission forms. For these, I keep the link to the submission page and I also actually submit a story idea:
David Jon Sponheim is running for President of the United States under America's Third Party. You can reach
him at americasthirdparty@gmail.com. He is a centrist- fiscally conservative and socially liberal. He has many new ideas for America, including a Homestead Renewal Plan and an Ocean Pipeline.
He just released a book entitled "Hybrid Capitalism." The concept behind this new type of economy he proposes is that the government can compete in the free market without taking over any industry.
Every weeknight, David Jon Sponheim hosts a video chat show at www.blogtv.com/people/americasthirdparty - you can also find out more at www.americasthirdparty.com
David Jon Sponheim will be seeking to be a candidate for Americans Elect.
Americans Elect is a 501c4 that will be holding an Online Convention to choose their Presidential candidate.
You can sign up to be a delegate at www.americanselect.org
Sunday, January 15, 2012
America's Third Party and Americans Elect
I am co-founder of America's Third Party and campaign manager for David Jon Sponheim For President. We are fiscally conservative and socially liberal. We believe the government should help provide for the citizenry, but do so in a cost effective means. We recently published a book called "Hybrid Capitalism" which lays out many of our new ideas for America.
It's time to get back to the basics and focus on water, food, housing, healthcare, transportation and renewable energy. Our innovative ideas include an ocean pipeline which will bring seawater inland and use passive desalination to provide freshwater in Central California and other desert areas. We will use the salt from this system in concentrated solar plants. We also propose solar rooftops, power-pole windmills and many other ideas.
In 2008, we started America's Third Party and I ran for Washington State Senate. During that campaign season, I heard about Unity 08 and tried to volunteer for that organization. Unfortunately, Unity08 closed up operations shortly after I signed up. Since then, I have been researching ballot access laws for third party and independent Presidential candidates. When I heard Americans Elect was started by the same people involved in Unity08, I emailed to ask how I could volunteer. This was Spring/Summer of 2011. Kellen Arno spoke with me and said he had been looking at my website (www.americasthirdparty.com) while researching ballot access information.
I understand how difficult it is to get on the ballot as a Presidential candidate, and I am excited that Americans Elect is working on attaining ballot access in all 50 states.
I told Peter Arno, the Northwest Regional Director of Americans Elect, how to create Facebook Pages and Facebook Groups. I've told our supporters about Americans Elect and encouraged them to sign up as delegates. I've made my voice heard and encouraged Americans Elect to change their Rules as they applied to "Contingently Qualified Candidates." I believe this will not only level the playing field, it will encourage more grassroots campaigns to join the movement.
I hope that the ballot access process can be more fair. Americans Elect can provide for this venue. By getting and maintaining ballot access in all 50 states, they can change the paradigm. No longer will powerful two-party interests have the only voice in the process. Instead, ALL Americans will participate in the convention. This brings our candidate selection process into the 21st century.
We need to work together to provide a brighter future. We need to balance the budget and still provide for our citizenry. For instance, we can create a Homestead Renewal Plan to solve our housing issues and have the government earn a return on investment.
It's time to give a voice to the average Americans. That's why we host a show every weeknight at http://www.tinyurl.com/ATPBlogTV - join us to discuss politics, current events and more.
It's time to get back to the basics and focus on water, food, housing, healthcare, transportation and renewable energy. Our innovative ideas include an ocean pipeline which will bring seawater inland and use passive desalination to provide freshwater in Central California and other desert areas. We will use the salt from this system in concentrated solar plants. We also propose solar rooftops, power-pole windmills and many other ideas.
In 2008, we started America's Third Party and I ran for Washington State Senate. During that campaign season, I heard about Unity 08 and tried to volunteer for that organization. Unfortunately, Unity08 closed up operations shortly after I signed up. Since then, I have been researching ballot access laws for third party and independent Presidential candidates. When I heard Americans Elect was started by the same people involved in Unity08, I emailed to ask how I could volunteer. This was Spring/Summer of 2011. Kellen Arno spoke with me and said he had been looking at my website (www.americasthirdparty.com) while researching ballot access information.
I understand how difficult it is to get on the ballot as a Presidential candidate, and I am excited that Americans Elect is working on attaining ballot access in all 50 states.
I told Peter Arno, the Northwest Regional Director of Americans Elect, how to create Facebook Pages and Facebook Groups. I've told our supporters about Americans Elect and encouraged them to sign up as delegates. I've made my voice heard and encouraged Americans Elect to change their Rules as they applied to "Contingently Qualified Candidates." I believe this will not only level the playing field, it will encourage more grassroots campaigns to join the movement.
I hope that the ballot access process can be more fair. Americans Elect can provide for this venue. By getting and maintaining ballot access in all 50 states, they can change the paradigm. No longer will powerful two-party interests have the only voice in the process. Instead, ALL Americans will participate in the convention. This brings our candidate selection process into the 21st century.
We need to work together to provide a brighter future. We need to balance the budget and still provide for our citizenry. For instance, we can create a Homestead Renewal Plan to solve our housing issues and have the government earn a return on investment.
It's time to give a voice to the average Americans. That's why we host a show every weeknight at http://www.tinyurl.com/ATPBlogTV - join us to discuss politics, current events and more.
Thursday, January 12, 2012
FEC Filing - End of Year 2011
I just completed the FEC paperwork for the end of 2011 for David Jon Sponheim For President campaign. We have a little less than $2,000 in the bank to work with. Overall, we had $3,779 in donations since the beginning of the campaign. David has actually contributed the most of anyone, mostly through "in-kind" contributions- paying for postage, copies, etc.
In 2008, we spent $570.25 on advertising on cable television. We've already spent over $1,000 on operating expenses- postage, copies, website hosting, etc. That does not include the Paypal fees that occur when someone makes a donation. We've spent $140 on that. We are on a quarterly filing schedule. So, the next filing will be in early April.
In 2008, we spent $570.25 on advertising on cable television. We've already spent over $1,000 on operating expenses- postage, copies, website hosting, etc. That does not include the Paypal fees that occur when someone makes a donation. We've spent $140 on that. We are on a quarterly filing schedule. So, the next filing will be in early April.
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
New Member/ Elector Sign up
The most newsletter I sent out using phplist was seen as spam by my server. So, my server suspended my site until I removed phplist from the server. Therefore my new member/elector dign up forms were no longer functional. Now, I've gone back to using a Google doc form for new people to sign up. My next step is to get another server dedicated to sending emails, or maybe I will end up using Mailchimp. I'm just against spending money when we have so little in our coffers.
Anyway, you can sign up to be an elector at http://www.americasthirdparty.com/Elector or just be a Member at http://www.americasthirdparty.com/Member
Anyway, you can sign up to be an elector at http://www.americasthirdparty.com/Elector or just be a Member at http://www.americasthirdparty.com/Member
Americans Elect No USA Parliament
This morning, I spoke with James Ogle from http://www.usparliament.org/
He's been working on an idea to have a parliamentary style government in the United States.
I had signed David Jon Sponheim up to receive updates from his site and hoped to get some radio coverage. David is not interested in any type of parliamentary system in the United States. I think it would work for the US House to be set up with a different system that gives more opportunity to third party and independent candidates. However, it makes no sense when it comes to the Presidential election. I believe James Ogle has his heart in the right place- he wants to bring candidates together to work to change the system. However, the system he proposes is too complicated. We need to keep any changes simple for the American people.
I like that our platform is simple to understand even though it is definitely a lot to read as well.
Speaking of a lot to read, our book is being printed as we speak. I am waiting until I have it in my hands and proofed on paper before I make the ordering system public for everyone. The name of the book is Hybrid Capitalism. It's about 200 pages long and there are 2 sections. The first section talks a bit about the foundations of America's Third Party and problems with our current system. The second section offers solutions to our problems based on the idea of getting back to the basics and having the government compete in the free market.
Tonight, I had a weekly conference call with Americans Elect. They are getting ready to have a Western Regional Conference at the end of this month in San Ramon, California. We have not yet decided if we will be attending. I think it would be fun to meet a lot of the people from the national team- Elliot Ackerman, Michael Arno, Kellen Arno, Peter Arno and others. If you are located in the Northwest or Southwest, feel free to contact me for more information.
Thanks to suggestions I offered, there have been some recent changes to Americans Elect Rules. I am ready to start a Draft Committee to get David Jon Sponheim to be their candidate as soon as they are ready. Once they have David's information LIVE on their site, we will have until April 3rd to get him at least 50,000 support clicks (5,000 in each of 10 states). That is much better than the 100,000 support clicks within 30 days they were previously requiring of "Contingently Qualified" Candidates.
He's been working on an idea to have a parliamentary style government in the United States.
I had signed David Jon Sponheim up to receive updates from his site and hoped to get some radio coverage. David is not interested in any type of parliamentary system in the United States. I think it would work for the US House to be set up with a different system that gives more opportunity to third party and independent candidates. However, it makes no sense when it comes to the Presidential election. I believe James Ogle has his heart in the right place- he wants to bring candidates together to work to change the system. However, the system he proposes is too complicated. We need to keep any changes simple for the American people.
I like that our platform is simple to understand even though it is definitely a lot to read as well.
Speaking of a lot to read, our book is being printed as we speak. I am waiting until I have it in my hands and proofed on paper before I make the ordering system public for everyone. The name of the book is Hybrid Capitalism. It's about 200 pages long and there are 2 sections. The first section talks a bit about the foundations of America's Third Party and problems with our current system. The second section offers solutions to our problems based on the idea of getting back to the basics and having the government compete in the free market.
Tonight, I had a weekly conference call with Americans Elect. They are getting ready to have a Western Regional Conference at the end of this month in San Ramon, California. We have not yet decided if we will be attending. I think it would be fun to meet a lot of the people from the national team- Elliot Ackerman, Michael Arno, Kellen Arno, Peter Arno and others. If you are located in the Northwest or Southwest, feel free to contact me for more information.
Thanks to suggestions I offered, there have been some recent changes to Americans Elect Rules. I am ready to start a Draft Committee to get David Jon Sponheim to be their candidate as soon as they are ready. Once they have David's information LIVE on their site, we will have until April 3rd to get him at least 50,000 support clicks (5,000 in each of 10 states). That is much better than the 100,000 support clicks within 30 days they were previously requiring of "Contingently Qualified" Candidates.
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Thoughts of a Third Party Campaign Manager
Sarah Hart's Blog Post: Tuesday, January 10, 2012 4:30 AM
With a little less than 11 months until the election, I think I should focus on ATP even more than I have and keep a journal/ blog about my thoughts on this venture for the next year. I just watched Julie/Julia and that inspired me.
I have a touch of hyper-vigilance. So, I am sitting in the dark writing this on my Pandigital Nova at 4:30 in the morning.
There is so much to do as a campaign manager. I often feel inadequate in the role. I blame myself for the fact that we have not received mass media coverage yet. Plus, I take full responsibility for any inadequacies with our website, etc.
With that being said, I must be careful not to fall into the abyss of despair and self-doubt. I have a wonderful life. Just because I am not President of the United States or in the main stream media (yet) does not mean that I am a failure. In fact, very few people have the time, the desire or the driven to even attempt what David Jon Sponheim and I are trying to achieve.
It's so disheartening to hear constant criticism, even if people are trying to be "constructive." I was taught to give criticism in the form of a sandwich -say something positive, then add a constructive criticism, finish with something positive. Plus, as soon as the person follows your advice of the criticism, you should praise them. My mom said one better, "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all."
Anyway, the next steps I need to take are to file a year-end report, straighten out some banking, work on the website, and focus on getting David in the media.
With the website, I had the idea of going back to using Ning as a forum, etc. I really liked their platform and the only reason we stopped using it is because they started charging for it. Perhaps I could pay for the basic plan and see if they had some kind of paid service. I'm thinking people should be able to read any info. on the site, but should have to pay if they want to post themselves. I could set Drupal 7 up like this I think, but it would take a lot more work. So, I'll see if Ning has something like this available. They should, since they charge based on the number of users you have. Another option that doesn't charge would be Google groups. So, maybe I'll blog there as well.
I am going to suggest Ning to Americans Elect tomorrow, if they have a conference call. I wish I had the resources they do to invest in our campaign. In the meantime, I'll offer advice as if I could run their organization. When I see where they are at during this stage in the election season, I feel good about the progress I have made, given the resources I've had to work with.
With a little less than 11 months until the election, I think I should focus on ATP even more than I have and keep a journal/ blog about my thoughts on this venture for the next year. I just watched Julie/Julia and that inspired me.
I have a touch of hyper-vigilance. So, I am sitting in the dark writing this on my Pandigital Nova at 4:30 in the morning.
There is so much to do as a campaign manager. I often feel inadequate in the role. I blame myself for the fact that we have not received mass media coverage yet. Plus, I take full responsibility for any inadequacies with our website, etc.
With that being said, I must be careful not to fall into the abyss of despair and self-doubt. I have a wonderful life. Just because I am not President of the United States or in the main stream media (yet) does not mean that I am a failure. In fact, very few people have the time, the desire or the driven to even attempt what David Jon Sponheim and I are trying to achieve.
It's so disheartening to hear constant criticism, even if people are trying to be "constructive." I was taught to give criticism in the form of a sandwich -say something positive, then add a constructive criticism, finish with something positive. Plus, as soon as the person follows your advice of the criticism, you should praise them. My mom said one better, "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all."
Anyway, the next steps I need to take are to file a year-end report, straighten out some banking, work on the website, and focus on getting David in the media.
With the website, I had the idea of going back to using Ning as a forum, etc. I really liked their platform and the only reason we stopped using it is because they started charging for it. Perhaps I could pay for the basic plan and see if they had some kind of paid service. I'm thinking people should be able to read any info. on the site, but should have to pay if they want to post themselves. I could set Drupal 7 up like this I think, but it would take a lot more work. So, I'll see if Ning has something like this available. They should, since they charge based on the number of users you have. Another option that doesn't charge would be Google groups. So, maybe I'll blog there as well.
I am going to suggest Ning to Americans Elect tomorrow, if they have a conference call. I wish I had the resources they do to invest in our campaign. In the meantime, I'll offer advice as if I could run their organization. When I see where they are at during this stage in the election season, I feel good about the progress I have made, given the resources I've had to work with.
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