Hello. This is my first diary here. It’s something I posted at DailyKos an almost nobody was interested.
The diary is almost off the Recent Diaries list over there and I was hoping that in a different forum, perhaps someone thinks this is worth reading.So here is my long manifesto about an alternate way of presenting presidents in a nation that has a really bad track record of picking leaders. I hope you find it to be engaging.
What about a Shadow Cabinet?
Since this is the era of the blog in American politics, there may just be an opening for a candidate already earmarked by the media as an “also ran.” As the race to see who can collect the most money and accumulate the most sound bites goes on, what if one or several of the candidates offered something different?
Utilizing the British tradition of a Shadow Cabinet may just be an answer. This Shadow Cabinet is not only used in the Great Britain. It serves the voters in many nations. Here in the United States it’s about which cowboy looks best on his horse and most Americans really don’t know if there is any substance behind the sales pitch.
This would give the Americans voters a chance to cut through the smoke screen and familiarize themselves with the person asking for the people’s trust. It may just increase American’s interest in national politics and bring more people to the voting booth for both primary and general elections.
Instead of business as usual with our candidates at the mercy of the media, a little bit of originality may go a long way. A candidate, who is willing to push self-assertively forward with real information, could change this flawed system forever.
In the present political atmosphere there are many talented candidates who under the existing set of controls don’t stand a chance. If just one decided to inject some change and took this move, it could perform a great service to this nation.
If a shadow cabinet turned out to be so properly executed that it forced other candidates to follow, the era of voting for someone who seems like a good drinking buddy and has some real good thirty second sound bites may just end.
The mere fact that someone is offering more doesn’t mean he or she will get enough votes to go all the way. A first attempt would be filled with unknowns. Any challenge to the status quo has a tough time in this nation. The public may not be ready for it. The media would certainly see this as a loss of power and the resistance would be great. The Republicans may be successful in a vicious attack against a new idea with the consolidated media on there side. But something this bold and new may just turn out to come at them so fast that they won’t know what hit them.
Even if it doesn’t work out in 2008, if it leaves a lasting impression and someone who is now young but has a star that is rising, tweaks the first try and has success with a second try, then that first person will have changed history. It could make the difference to a present day candidate between being an also ran who will be forgotten and being a person who will have a chapter in history books one hundred years from now.
Because if this serves the direct effect of bringing more pertinent issues to the platform. If this forces other candidates to take the same measure, redesigning the exposure of the issues and places all candidates in an open and honest environment, then the first person who tries it will not only have made history. That candidate will have made America a better place.
This virtual reality or Mirror White House, a blog owned and operated by a presidential hopeful with input from candidates for each cabinet and staff position in the present White House, would be an alternate source of information by a very high profile blogger. An approach that may just rise above the frames designed by the media and offer some genuine information and real issues to a very disconnected public.
But who would read this blog besides the members of the blogosphere? Let’s face it, the media isn’t going to lend a helping hand to any candidate who is not in corporate America’s pocket but they could be fooled into being very helpful.
At first, once the rumors started flying, the media would jump on the bad publicity band wagon because that is what they do best where Democrats are concerned. “Who is this man that he is so cocky, he feels he is in a position to start picking staff members,” would be heard everywhere. The right wing pundits would have a field day with the news that a candidate is getting way ahead of himself. They would be unaware at the time that they were simply publicizing a very energetic idea until it was too late.
If after the news leaked out that someone is staffing for the future White House and the media has been berating that candidate, the news channels would have to allow some exposure for a response.
The right answer could capture the interest of many Americans who feel totally disconnected form the any sort of representation in Washington D.C. If one of those underdogs came on television and offered an explanation for being so uppity, like the fantasy speech below, there just may be interest from far and wide.
What if someone walked up to the podium and said this;
There have been many things being said about my early interviews for White House staff and cabinet positions. I have chosen to take these bold steps for many good reasons.
The first reason is that in the present day political atmosphere it has become very hard for the American people to understand what they will get out of a candidate. In an era of 527’s and slick commercials followed by “I’m so and so and I approve of this message,” a prospective candidate can hide behind a Madison Ave. façade without the people really learning much about the person they are being asked to vote for. I am taking this step to break that chain of unfamiliarity.
I think presidential elections have become both misleading and stale. I think the time has come for Americans to go to the polls making a more informed decision. I think that a candidate should be exposed to the American people before that place so much trust in a person who will have so much control over their lives for four years.
The second and perhaps most important reason for this move is to give the people of this good nation a chance to feel connected. As the most secretive White House in America winds down people feel more disconnected from the office of the president than ever before. I want to make a connection and offer more than views on some hot button issues. I want the voters to know everything about me so they can anticipate an open book president.
This approach that I have designed will not only expose me to the American public and give the people a true idea of what I’m all about. It will give Americans an idea of the responsibilities of the many positions that need to be filled in the Executive Branch. Anyone will be able to go there and see how my choices to fill these very important jobs will respond to national issues as they unfold.
My third reason for taking this step is to have the necessary experience of working with a large staff long before the election. The Executive Branch of the U.S. government is a major undertaking. Stump speeches, hand shaking and baby kissing offer no preparation for this very demanding job. Getting a leg up would seem to be the sort of preparation for the task at hand, that Americans should expect. This dress rehearsal can be very helpful in getting right down to business and skipping the honeymoon era of the presidency.
And finally, I want to prove that I have the ability to work with others. If there is anything we have learned from the present administration, it is that the president of the United States is no job for a maverick. I could never understand the waste of putting the enormous White House staff to no good use.
I have no plans of being a lone wolf president and I wish to prove that to the American public that I will interact fully with the advice of the best minds in America. This is not to say that I am presenting government by committee. I stand before you asking to elect me as your Chief Executive. I will be the boss but you should have a chance to see who this Chief Executive will take advice from.
I also wish to assure the people that a president can put together a staff that is geared toward the service of the people. That hasn’t happened in a long time and this nation needs a people’s president.
Today my staff will be launching a new website. It will be a simple but very active blog. There will be three columns. The column to the right will offer news links to the current events and what is going on in both the White House and Congress. There with polls for the visitor to vote on how they feel about these issues as they unfold. Comments will be allowed by anyone and it will bring me closer to the wishes of the people.
On the left will be a list of White House staff and cabinet positions that will lead to not one but four or five prospective candidate for the job. As part of their job application they will be expected to write a viewpoint of any statements or actions made but the person that is presently holding that position. As time goes by an I familiarize myself with these highly qualified people, I will narrow my choices down to just one person to fill each job.
In the center column, you will find a daily morning message from me. Not some staff member offering a message that I approve of but a daily means of familiarizing your self with the person who wants to be your president. Also throughout the day, essays form the prospective staff members will be promoted to this center column with an explanation as to why I approve or disapprove of that statement.
During this campaign season, you will see more of me and the people who I think will make up the best White House staff that any candidate has ever offered in the past. These are times for change and this is what I have to offer so far. Visit my website and find out what else I have to offer. Feel free to take the time to find out what you may be getting into. A candidate owes you at least that much.
Of course the battle would not be won there. A candidate may be able to get the entire speech on the air live but then it will be given the old MSM spin. The right wing pundits would narrow the speech down to whatever they could tear apart and continue to slam the new means of information.
At first the media will probably try to ignore such a move. Perhaps a snip will be shown with some commentary. The right leaning talking heads will soon realize that there was way too much truth going on for any more mention. The last thing any of these mouthpieces would want is a propaganda free look at American issues and the assault would just die off.
The media’s eye would not go away. This amount of exposure would be a very dangerous proving ground and every statement would be watched very closely for something to tear apart. One thing is certain. The typical ad hominin attack of both the press and Republican opponents “He doesn’t even have a position on that issue,” would be put to bed if a candidate has something to offer on every issue.
Anyone who is willing to expose themselves while the rest of the field is trying to say as little as possible would be far more susceptible to the malicious scrutiny of the media. Besides the fact that he would be portrayed as some sort of dependant, a proponent of government by committee who can’t stand on his own two feet, there would most likely be statements taken apart and twisted. Answers would have to be allowed though and the exposure would increase for a candidate that was just going to be ignored.
Eventually the newsmakers may just start seeing this as a big moneymaker. One thing the media is well aware of is the fact that controversy sells papers and brings viewers to television sets and a website like this could really stir up the hornets nest. It would begin to serve as a free counterpoint to the White House message.
Because the media wants their news on the cheap and can’t be bothered with the expense of investigative reporting and fact checking is one of the many reason the MSM has become White House stenographers. As much as the news channels lean to the right, they are still just a bunch of prostitutes whose jobs are hinged on ratings. Any statement that brings CNN to the water cooler may get some airtime. Viewed as a possible means of increased ratings, it may be hard to turn down an aggressive statement on a shadow cabinet website.
Take for instance Condi Rice. The media has failed over and over to point out the lack of truth in her statements for years. Whether it is a fear of repercussions or just an unwillingness to defend a fact based report, simply copying and pasting the statements of a few prospective Secretaries-of-State would not commit to an alternate view but it could spark some viewers to change channels.
Knowing this ultra aggressive White House, if some statement does make it into the MSM, swift response would probably add more wood to the fire and people would hear more about this alternate source. As Tony Snow makes attempts at damage control, the points may get some more exposure. It may be a golden opportunity to expose the White House and the Republicans for what they really stand for.
Who knows how Bush would respond to something that is so different? They do have a history of responding poorly to anything that doesn’t have a set of prewritten talking points. Perhaps Alberto Gonzalez would even come out and start threatening media sources again or go right to the source and start taking about throwing a presidential candidate in jail for revealing White House secrets.
There two other promising means of exposure. The first would stem from the fact that these mirror cabinet members would get out on the hustings and support the candidate who they stand behind. And whenever the MSM digs up some dirt on one of the potential staff members, the candidate can go on the air to remind everyone that the jobs are not taken. Remind the nation that one of the reasons for the shadow cabinet is so the prospective members can be vetted in the public eye. Remind everyone that is why this is an honest campaign.
The second would be Hollywood and the performing arts. While the press would try to shun such a website as much as possible, there are many people in the public eye who believe in a Progressive America. What if Bruce Springsteen promised the nation a message and a preview of a new song on a candidate’s webpage? Some American might just go below the fold and take an interest.
Now what if a Dixie Chick premier or one of the many artists that David Geffen handles brings in a few million viewers? Probably only an intellectual minority would hang around to read what is available but many would see there is a candidate that has something to offer other than the accepted form of getting votes. Even if people don’t read the information, they will see someone is willing to give real answers. It may just leave an impression.
Another way to really capture the American public, the most appealing part would be the elimination rounds. Eventually the candidate would have to narrow down the field and pick the prospective the staff members that offer the most promise. It would be Survivor, Washington D.C! A competition like that could bring out as many voters as American Idol. A shameless publicity stunt but isn’t that really what getting elected is all about in present day America?
But what it all comes down to is not another method of slick advertisement. What it comes down to is substance. When a candidate is willing to offer a little more that an essence of what might be, there could be political arguments between members of the public like “What does your choice offer on social security? Oh I remember he said `Social Security needs to be fixed and I’m the man to fix it.’ My guy has twenty thousand words on how he is planning to fix social security, available to the public. My guy has links to white papers and gives an analysis on how he would implement those ideas to insure social security for the coming generations. I don’t know if he’s right but I know he’s really working.”
If other Democratic candidates accept the challenge and get out there with all of the issues on the table, challenge the MSM with their own shadow cabinet, then we will have taken a giant step away from oligarchy.
If none do then the candidate who did would have one killer speech to deliver once the primaries draw near. He could just get the nomination by painting a picture of the rest of the field as a bunch of guileless automatons, programmed to say the same things over and over.
You are facing a field of candidates who are asking for your trust. In almost every aspect of life, trust is something that accumulates as you get to know somebody better. Why the people of the United States are asked to trust someone with the most important job in the nation with as little information as possible is something that should change. My efforts have offered you that change and you should always demand at least that much information before you trust someone with your lives.
I didn’t take these bold moves because I perceived them as the path of least resistance. I worked the campaign the way I did because I think the time has come for Americans to have a better choice than voting for a perfect stranger. I think the time has come for Americans to have the information necessary to pick the right candidate and vote for a person who while not perfect, has the right stuff.
My fellow Americans, you have had the opportunity to witness how I feel about every issue. I’ve said things that not everyone agrees with while I offered up my viewpoints on every issue.
Of course, not everyone agrees with everything that I have said bcause I’ve said so much. I only know of one method of never saying or doing anything that nobody disagrees with and that would be never saying or doing anything. I could have played the same game as my opponents but I wanted to offer Americans a choice based on knowledge.
You may just agree with every statement made by one of my opponents but my opponents haven’t said a whole lot. My opponents kept their cards very close to their vest. They sat in smoke free rooms with consultants, designing the message that Americans most want to hear.
You may not agree with one hundred percent of every statement I made while on the campaign trail but you did get to find out my feelings on more that a few hot button issues. If you agree with most of what I sad and everything one of my opponents said, then I ask you to remember the fact that my opponent didn’t say much of anything.
You have witnessed who I would pick to run this nation and seen how I would interact with a White House staff. You have seen my honest daily response to the current events and the issues that America face today. Do you have any idea who my opponents will pick, how well they will work with that staff or what their reaction will be to the many issues that will come up over the next four years?
Now you have these people standing before you who have tried to present the image of a perfect candidate so you would trust them. No human is perfect and if I tried that old method of gaining your trust then I would already be telling you a lie. My campaign was never about the façade of perfection. My campaign was about the real promise of progress.
Since I’m planning to make an open and honest presidency, I could not have offered one of those typical campaigns with a bunch of sound bites filled with false hope. I think the time has come for an honest president and that’s what I’m offering to the American people.
As I bared my soul to the American public on this long campaign trail, I challenged the other candidates to open the books and show Americans just what they were getting into. Every one of them saw what I was doing, how I was creating a new and open platform but not one was willing to accept the challenge of getting honest with the voters.
You may have decided that one of these people standing here has the right stuff but ask yourself, isn’t that pure speculation. Americans deserve a leader who will be able to react to change in this ever changing world. This is the time for an American president who can think on his feet.
For the very first time you have a choice between voting for a candidate you actually know and voting for a bunch of wildcards where you can’t possibly know what to expect from them.
Just the threat of such a powerful closing at a debate could get everybody on board and place all candidates in an open and honest environment. It may even redesign the exposure of the present day issues and bring more pertinent issues to the platform.
If it paid off. If other Democratic candidates took the challenge or the presidential hopeful that went at it alone secured the nomination of the party, imagine how lost the Republican nominee would be if he was competing in a fact based presidential election.
Of course such a move would have been far more beneficial to John Kerry in 2004, when he was addressing a White House staff that was seeking reelection. How many votes would Kerry have gotten if he offered up an alternative White House? Better yet, how would Bush have done in the 2000 election if he was forced to show the type of White House he would offer and debated in a fact filled environment?
In 2008 with all parties unfamiliar addressing an outgoing White House would not have the direct effect against the present administration but it may just show the people that they relate to the Democratic candidate. They may get past the Republican driven issues and start talking about the issues facing the future of this nation.
That would greatly benefit the voters.