BMT Politics Project: Conclusion

When Booman invited me to guest post here on BMT for one month I instantly knew what kind of project I wanted to try.

I wanted to do an “open source” project that would build over a period of weeks. I wanted it to involve the work of many participants. I wanted this project to address the intersection of electoral politics and progressive politics as defined here in the Booman Tribune Community. And, finally, I wanted this project to create something of lasting value that everyone here could literally take away or build on as they saw fit.

Well, I’m pleased to announce that, with the collaboration of so many of you, and, very specifically, the tireless work of Viera Visionary, we’ve arrived at “the end” of the Booman Tribnue Electoral Politics project. I put “the end” in quotes, because, in my view, this conclusion is really only the beginning of the discussion, and perhaps, if some folks are motivated, further efforts and collaborations with others in the netroots.

Let’s take a look at what we built…
The Booman Tribune Electoral Poilitics Project involved the solicitation of names, opinions and information from the entire BMT community over a period of five weeks in July of 2006.

In that time, we discussed:

Booman Tribune Progressive Candidates:

Now, I don’t expect anyone to read through all these names, pausing at each one…and I would also point out that there are obvious lacunae. “Completeness” was never what was at the heart of this project. I would simply point out that there are some inherent political points to be made coming out of this project:

a) When we pool our knowledge, we are much stronger than when we type alone
b) The Progressive Movement in politics is no small thing
c) The Progressive Movement in the United States is RICH with local candidates and races. I am sure there are four to five times more candidates and officials than we have listed here. Easy.
d) We are a geographically diverse movement, and it shows.

I never intended to make any pat conclusions out of this process. For me, the process part of this project was as important as the results we generated. I am most proud of the kind of targeted searches one can do with the spread sheets.

Care about the environment and want to know who BooTribbers tag as elected officials who share your concern? Try this list:

Green/Environment elected officials:

Looking for candidates who will come out swinging for election reform? Try this list:

And, thanks to Viera’s hard work, we can do that on ALL of our platform planks with both candidates and elected officials: Anti-War, Campaign Reform, Budget-Fiscal Reponsibility, Church-State Separation, Civil Rights, Corporate Reform, Death Penalty, Economic Rights, Education, Election Reform, Energy Conservation, Equal Rights, Gay Rights, Globalism, Grassroots, Green-Environment, Gun Reform, Health Care Medicare D, Integrity-Ethics, Living Wage, Media Reform, Open Government, Populism, Privacy, Reproductive Rights, Retirement, Science, Socialism, Stem Cell, Sunshine Provisions, Tax Reform, Trade, Veteran’s Rights, Voting Reform and Women’s Rights.

Think about that. And think about all of Viera’s hard work. And think about how each of us, kicking in what we knew best, helped build and contribute to this project.

I’m proud of what we’ve done here on Booman Tribune. So proud, in fact, that I’m going to invite the rest of the progressive netroots to check out this project in the hope that if they don’t undertake something similar on their own sites, that they build on what we’ve done here. I’m hoping some of the dkosopedia folks, or the folks at MyDD or MyLeftWing undertake their own versions of this process.

You see, there’s a subtext to this entire process: the netroots and open source is a new way of doing politics. We are much more powerful together than we ever were alone.

Just looking at the list of names above, and imagining how many more progressive candidates, officials and oganizations are out there makes a powerful point in my mind.

It’s 2006, and our work has just begun.