The One Voice Concept

Nuts, bolts and logisitcs are not my forte. I focus more on vision and broader group dynamics. I am not too eager at shaking many hands, but I can really raise morale when I get to it. So no, I am not all that theoretical. It is just that my specialization is at the big picture level.

I am really proud of the work I have done on the Nepal front. I am really part of the peace process conversations at the highest levels.

I don't live in offline America. I drop off just to socialize, do some grocery, things like that. You really have to imagine the Internet as a new country. The Internet makes multi-tasking more possible. I am more active in Nepali politics today than I was ever before, even more so than I was active when I was back there, before I came to the US for college.

And I am active in US politics, in NYC politics. Recently I have had this outburst of mental activity, and I really feel I have been able to cover some new ground. I almost feel a sense of completion. Yesterday I was thinking for the first time in months, I could really devote some time to my business activities. I felt that sense of completion on both Nepal and America fronts.

DFA is not just another PAC. If it is just another PAC, it is not going too far. So what makes DFA different? I have thought long and hard. I have come up with some concepts.

1. One person, one vote, one voice.
2. Total, transparent democracy.
3. Non-violent militancy.
4. Face time, screen time.

The thing about all my concepts is all of them are open source. They are not going to descend upon you like a law. People get to pick and choose. People get to modify the concepts for local use. And all of them are subject to an open discourse, starting right from my comments sections.
But I stand by them. I think I have a broad idea of how I would run Dean 2008, if I were Campaign Chairperson. I would have a CEO to take care of the logistics, a CFO to take care of the finances, a CTO for the technology, and a COO for operations. And I would whizz by the competition. That is the kind of confidence my concepts give me. I could do it.

The one voice concept, I have talked about it earlier. The best ideas do not come from committees. And groupthink is the name of a disease. The one person, one vote transparent mechanism has to be in place. Even the best ideas will have to go through that democratic filter, true. But one voice has to be alive. Individuals should freely think, and express and archive those thoughts. The most effective organizations live by the dictum the best ideas could come from anywhere.

On the big issues of race relations, I have already thought out the big thoughts. My approach is highly sophisticated. Policy talk is often inter-related. But then once in a while you bump into white folks at a micro level who say or do or suggest something as if maybe you should go organize a civil rights movement. At that level, I would rather respond in a way that it is they who feel the need to organize a civil rights movement. Or you just avoid them. I don't consider it my personal responsibility to help every Tom, Dick and Harry climb up the social progressive ladder. I don't have that kind of time. They need to be wiping their own noses. When I am politicking, I am in the business of getting votes, like business people are in the business of getting money. It is political entrepreneurship. Race is only one of many issues, although it is a big one as is. Progressives will, simply put, just have to feel comfortable talking about it.

And while I am at it, let me also briefly touch upon Howard Dean. I have often asked myself this question, what makes Howard Dean different? I asked that in 2004. I have asked that this year before I got to meet him. I have asked that while I met him. I have asked it after.

John Edwards is made for TV. Howard Dean is made for the internet. I think that is the difference. Edwards is good with soundbites, and looks good on television. But Dean feels much more real. You can not package this guy, and that is good, because with the new medium of the internet, you could not even if you wanted to. Dean's very appeal is that he is a regular, plainspoken guy. The TV creates a facade, the Internet takes it away. If 2008 will be an internet election, Dean wins, if it will be a TV election, Dean will have to work harder.

Don't Need To Wait Till 2008

If you want to see Howard Dean in the White House, you start work now.

Take back the City 2005.
Take back the Congress 2006.
Take back the White House 2008.

We need to apply and perfect our basic principles of organization. We need to put them to use now so when we have to put them to use for 2008, we are all experienced. We are ready to go. The guy in the White House will be relying on the MeetUps also for governance.

1. One person, one vote, one voice.
2. Total, transparent democracy.
3. Non-violent militancy.
4. Face time, screen time.

DFA Organization Framework

We could formally launch in January 2007, that is the earliest. And Howard Dean himself can not talk about it before that. But nothing stops us. And until then it is not even about Dean 2008, but rather our local races.

This is to be a bottom up organization. And hence the local races matter. The White House does not operate in a vacuum.

One Blog One LinkUp One Atom

Roll the ball, get it moving.

You don't need any resources beyond what you already have. Get your MeetUp moving. Get your MeetUp group blog to blossom.

Drop the buckets. You are at the mouth of the Amazon.

MeetUp, LinkUp

DFA was with MeetUps. That was true when I came into town. And suddenly DFA launched LinkUps. It was kind of unexpected for me.

Not long after I came into town I became personal friends with Scott, the self-effacing CEO of MeetUp.com. I am proud of that friendship. And I wish him all the best, of course.

The MeetUp, MoveOn cocktail can be positively devastating. They did some real good work with Katrina.

Social Networking: Where The Internet Comes Down From The Clouds

I hit the road. Scott went to work a coutner at McDonald's. We both had our downtimes. If in the late 1990s, you were not part of the dot com mania, where were you!

And it is not like I landed in NYC, more like I landed at DFNYC. As I have said, NYC is the crown city, DFNYC the crown jewel. I expect to go to the White House with Howard Dean in 2008, the year America the republic will become America the democracy.

DFNYC In The News
Tracey Denton Of DFNYC
Who Is Leecia Eve?
Lewis Cohen Has Been Behind Ferrer Since Summer 2004

Soaking In Howard Dean
Dean Was In Town Yesterday

DFA MeetUps were and still are the largest at that site. And I was not part of the LinkUp decision, and still am not in any position to have a say. I am kind of on neutral ground. That might actually help what I have to say.

I am for DFA using Google's Blogger, as opposed to starting something in-house from scratch. That "outsourcing" helps us stay focused. We are a political organization. In Blogger's case, it helps that it is free. We instead work the blogalaxy idea in-house. Google will always beat us on the blogfront. We should not even compete.

One Blog One LinkUp One Atom

The same argument could be made for MeetUp. A company whose sole focus is to leverage out MeetUps and is financially backed by eBay will likely do a better job than our in-house LinkUps in the long run.

MeetUp.com and Dean 2004 fed on each other. Dean 2004 could not have been imagined without the MeetUps. We have history together.

I would like to suggest a second attempt at a newfound business relationship. It might not bear fruit, but why not give it a shot?

MeetUp.com should realize losing its largest customer is a crisis situation, and should go out of its way to please that customer, especially when Dean 2004 and Dean 2008 are going to be whole different ballgames: Dean 2008 will be much, much larger. The DFA MeetUps will likely grow even larger after Dean is in the White House. The MeetUps will be key to the Dean governance style.

More On Organization
DFA Organization Framework

On the other hand, we DFA people need to realize the MeetUp idea is not our specialty.

Can something be worked out?

Costs. Those have become a major issue. What about applying the wholesale-retail concept? Prices at Sam's Club are not the same as those at the Walmart stores. As the largest customer, DFA should not have to pay the same price per MeetUp. If the rest of the world pays, $19 per MeetUp, perhaps DFA Organizers should pay $12 a MeetUp. Or $10. Just because there are so many of them, and there will be many more of them, if allowed.

Another way to bring down costs would be for the central DFA to "subsidize" some. And so individual Organizers chip in maybe $8 per MeetUp. Something like that. That might lead to a $1 per MeetUp price tag for each participant. And that is fair enough. We don't want just anyone to show up.

Living wage is around $10. If you go attend a MeetUp for an hour, that is already $10 you did not make that you could have. Or if you are a lawyer, that is $100, maybe more.

And MeetUp.com should be willing to add features that LinkUp has but MeetUp does not. And MeetUp should be willing to add more features down the line, always giving ears to its largest customer.

I think if we talk, something could be worked out.

One feature I request, a Google map that lists all DFA MeetUps on one map. As you zero in from the country to state to city to locality, you start seeing the specific locations.

The amount DFA must be spending to upkeep the LinkUp might pay for the "subsidy" part.

Ours tend to the most prominent, largest MeetUps in any town. When people go to the site to join, say, Knitting MeetUps, some of them end up joining us. Our standalone LinkUps do not have that advantage.

MeetUp is snazzier.

MeetUp could further reduce costs by really getting into the ad model. Google ads alone will not do. Even Wonkette sells its own ads. Maybe video ads like Yahoo. The more MeetUp.com works on the members' profile pages, more it can make through ads.

Ideally, MeetUp shoud be able to support itself solely through ads. Paid Yahoo Mail does not seem to fly all that high.

Lessons for social networking are to be drawn from real life. Members should have the option to tab each other, for example.

But those details are something to keep working on.

For now I throw in the idea of dialogue. Maybe something can be worked out. Maybe not. I don't know. I am not in any position to decide.

I mean, was the DFA taken into confidence before the mega decision of charging Organizers $19 a month? And if not, did that become a stickler? Was DFA's decision to launch a LinkUp also as abrupt?

Maybe we should talk and see if something can be worked out.