Date: Mon, 30 May 1994 14:10:51 -0700 From: Jim Warren Subject: GovAccess.037: re #038-#040 and net-based grassroots political action May 30, 1994 GovAccess concerns computer-assisted government-access. So do elections. GovAccess.038 will be relatively-brief personal election-related advocacy. GovAccess.039 will give details re California's Secretary of State race. GovAccess.040 will give details re California's gubernatorial race. Thereafter, I will return to postings not focused on elections. [If you want to drop off of GovAccess, please phone or fax. I'm still apallingly backlogged in my email.] If you can vote in California, these may be of direct interest to you. EVEN IF YOU CAN'T VOTE IN CALIFORNIA, THEIR RESULTS *WILL* LIKELY IMPACT YOU: The results of the June 7th primary elections in California will very-probably effect what happens in *your* state, and in Congress - in various ways, e.g.: ** 1. For better or worse, what happens in Californica [sic] politics - and what fails to happen - is often picked up by legislators and activists in many other states, and by Congress. The prime examples are the tax-revolts of the late '70s (as I said, for better or worse; opinions vary). California's Proposition 13 sparked those revolts. Also: Last year's California Assembly Bill 1624 that mandated online access to Calif's legislative information has become a model for at least half-a- dozen similar (often almost-identical) bills, introduced this year in other states' legislatures. And they coulda done better than to semi-blindly pick up the Calif legislation, mo'less verbatim. (It was very-much less-than-optimal, from having been whip-sawed by powerful foot-draggers and ego-trippers in the Calif Legislature. Bill-author Debra Bowen has already managed to repair one of the minor irritations - passing recent legislation declaring that legislative information specified in her 1993 AB 1624 was, in fact, *public* information. More fixes are needed.) The point is: Californication splatters far beyond California's borders. ** 2. *You* can very-probably help guide what happens in California, even if you've never been near the state - or even the nation. [Details follow.] Big-bucks influence-purchasers have long known the value of buying political patronage in states other than their own. It's time that us "mere" *citizens* to urge *our* preferences on those who will likely impact our futures - even if we can't vote for (or against) 'em. ** 3. To the extent that we - nationwide - show that the *national* (and global) power of the net has trans-border political impact, politicians *will* be more and more responsive to our wishes. And, no, they *won't* try to stop us. Why not? 1. 15- to 25-million of us now have access to the ultimate political power - timely information and functionally-free *mass* communications (via the nets). 2. It's too late for them to try to squelch it; the net's too damned big. 3. And just incidentally, its a free-speech issue, and U.S. politicians and courts aren't *about* to risk charges of censoring political speech. By using *your* net-speech to impact California "local" issues, you can probably have an impact on *your* state's and nation's future policies. GO FOR IT! &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&& HOW TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE. EASILY. NOW. FROM "THE PRIVACY OF YOUR OWN HOME" >> Grassroots WORD-OF-MOUTH ADVOCACY by folks who are not political hacks is >> THE most-powerful form of political action. Therefore, use our tools: 0. Research the issues; check out the allegations; select the candidates and ballot measures that you support and oppose; outline your justifications. 1. Look through the list of everyone you know with an online address. If you have a fax-modem, also see what fax-numbers you have. 2. Email and fax your political positions to *ALL* of your friends and associates on the net. Include verifiable rationales for your positions. >> In most cases, YOUR RECOMMENDATIONS TO THOSE WHOM KNOW YOU will carry far >> more weight than all political advertising (assuming you're not a known >> political hack for or against an established party or candidate). 3. Encourage your friends and associates to cascade your message to *their* friends and associates - just a few keystrokes away. 3. Email your comments - positive or negative - to those politicians who are online and likely to have any interest in the issue(s). 4. Post your advocacy to all relevant news-groups and forums. Your well- reasoned positions, supported by verifiable rationales, ARE effective! 5. In the case of local or state races beyond your voting precinct -- wherein political decisions may, nonetheless, ultimately impact YOU and YOUR family -- so state. Recipients will then understand why you are concerned. 6. In the case of the California June 7th elections, ACT NOW! (Email's fast, but lots of folks are voting by absentee ballot, well before Election Day.) Most of all: Believe that timely-informed, well-informed voters WILL make the most responsible choices. (True or not, special-interest dictatorship is the only alternative.) &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&& WHY I GOT OFF THE FENCE AND BECAME A SUSPECT, uh, POLITICAL ADVOCATE Regarding my #038-#040 advocacy re the gubernatorial and Secy-of-State races: When I began this year's push for [landmark] California legislation to require computerized filing of, and online public-access to, significant lobbyist and campaign-finance disclosures, I planned to remain politically-neutral re the upcoming California campaign zoo. But, one of the dangers of wading around in political swamps (cesspools?) is that ya quickly learn a *lot* more about the players and their *actual* character - or lack of it - than you do as "merely" a concerned citizen, dependent upon sound-bite newscasts and sheep-herd, band-wagon print reporting (the Tanya Harding mega-trivia ink-tons being a recent example). Even worse: There is *extensive* astute, accurate, penetrating reporting by astute and diligent print and broadcast journalists of *important* information that *is* valuable to voters making decisions that will effect us all. BUT, its buried in the GLUT of print, video and audio that gushes through our daily lives. Except for the too-often-trivial flashy iotas of political specifics that catch the press' fancy and inordinate time and ink, much of the most useful information flashes past in the glut, and is likely forgotten by Election Day. Anyway ... Among those who work around a capitol (or town hall, or Washingtoontown), the *real* behavior and character of legislators and bureaucrats is actually quite well-known - in detail! But it is too-rarely reflected in the flood of gotta-be-balanced don't-offend-sources reporting, especially by reporters who are outside of the capitol. *Any* capitol. So: In the last several years, I've learned *lots* more than I ever knew about the state's political players - some from watching them; much more from numerous candid conversations with a broad range of very-experienced public-interest activists who have worked the capitol more-or-less full-time, and from a number of off-the-record conversations with various capitol reporters and political writers whom I have come to know well enough to trust. Part of it pleased and impressed me. Other parts disgusted me, and turned me against several politicians of whom I originally had good impressions. But that still wasn't enough to incite me to *publicly* support or oppose any of the candidates in the upcoming elections. THE LAST STRAW(S) But, recent power-plays and verified bull-droppings, detailed in #038-#040, have been so offensive - so *OUTRAGEOUS* - that they pushed me over the edge; pushed me to advocate for some candidates, and publicly oppose others. Sadly, that means that now *I* will be suspect - part of the turf. But I *will* provide citations for my information and rationales for my positions. And I certainly *encourage* your independent verification. Hope you'll check out #030 thru #040 -- coming soon to a terminal near you. And, I hope YOU'LL ACT! &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&& AND A CLOSING PERSONAL FOOTNOTE No, I won't be voting for or against any of the candidates I mention. After last year's slogging around the odious capitol quagmire, pushing for AB 1624, I was so disgusted with arrogant career politicians and destructive, wasteful, stupid partisan turf tricks that I changed my party registration from a wee-minor curmudgeon's party to "independent." And unlike more aware and democratic states, California doesn't permit voters to cross party [or un-party] lines in the primary elections. So often, the whole state gets stuck with one of two extremes in the general elections. AND THEIR ACTIONS OFTEN IMPACT FOLKS IN MANY OTHER STATES. But my vote *is* useful in November. *Please* -- gimmie some decent choices. &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&& "How is the world ruled and how do wars start? Diplomats tell lies to journalists and then believe what they read." -- Karl Kraus [sent by ppjc@igc.apc.org ] Mo' as it Is. --jim Jim Warren, columnist for MicroTimes, Government Technology, BoardWatch, etc. 345 Swett Rd., Woodside CA 94062; voice/415-851-7075; fax/415-851-2814 >> To join or drop the GovAccess list, email to jwarren@well.sf.ca.us . << >> Permission herewith granted for unlimited reposting and recirculation. <<