This Is What I Am Talking About

A woman has become Chancellor of Germany and suddenly a lot of career women in Germany are coming forth with gender specific workplace questions.

A few days back I talked of going beyond foetus talk. This is what I am talking about. The pro-choice stand is all good, but that is not the only issue women face. Infact, for most women, that is more symbolic than a choice they personally hope to face.

So expand the agenda. Talk more broadly. Dig up many more issues in gender relations. Issues to do with relationships and marriages, issues in the home, at the workplace, issues out in the streets, issues where big money and big power come into play.

The same applies to race relations, and cultural diversity issues. Too often worshipping Martin Luther King is used as an excuse to make no further progress on race relations. Education, health and economic growth cut across all racial lines, but there are a host of issues that are race specific, and those have to be talked about openly.

Digging up issues, and putting them on the table, and engaging in productive dialogue might be the best way to make progress on both race and gender.

Only I wish the women in Germany talked these issues up also before.

• Woman on top Khaleej Times, United Arab Emirates
• Merkel Becomes First Female German Chancellor Zaman Online, Turkey
• Let the Merkel era begin International Herald Tribune, France
• German Press Names Merkel 'Miss Germany!' Zaman Online, Turkey
• 'Merkel smashes stereotypes' Independent Online, South Africa
• 'The girl' who surprised the old boys in Berlin politics San Francisco Chronicle, United States
• Deal gives Germany 1st female chancellor San Francisco Chronicle, United States
• Merkel emerges as new face of Germany Globe and Mail, Canada
• Merkel to lead Germany as first female chancellor Detroit Free Press, United States
• Merkel to Be Germany's First Woman Chancellor Los Angeles Times, CA
• Chirac invites Germany's Angela Merkel to France People's Daily Online, China
• Merkel reaches deal to become Germany's first female chancellor Minneapolis Star Tribune (subscription), MN
• First female chancellor plays it cool Financial Times, UK

My Photo At ABCNews.com

It is from this event: Dean Was In Town Yesterday. I am in the top right corner.

Howard Dean Backs Bloomberg Challenger
ABC News Sep 27, 2005

The Bloomberg Machine

Poll: Bloomberg Extends Lead in NYC Race Two new polls indicate the mayor's response to the terror threat helped him nearly double his lead over Fernando Ferrer. And an overwhelming majority of voters said they believe Bloomberg is stronger on security than his opponent....... Bloomberg with a 28-point lead over Ferrer, 60 percent to 32 percent, among likely voters....... the mayor appeared with the police commissioner and FBI officials to announce the potential al-Qaida attack and a tightening of subway security........ A Quinnipiac poll released three weeks earlier found the incumbent leading by 14 points...... CNN and the New York Post, citing unidentified sources, reported that an informant in Iraq who had told U.S. authorities about the plot later admitted he made it up. Bloomberg and police officials questioned those reports Tuesday........ The billionaire incumbent, who is financing his campaign with his fortune, led among both black voters and Democrats in the Quinnipiac poll. Ferrer, who is of Puerto Rican descent, had a slight edge over the mayor among Hispanic voters...... More than three-fourths of those surveyed gave Bloomberg high marks on security and favored him over Ferrer for keeping the city safe.......

Ferrer Attack: Ferrer's chief complaints about Bloomberg's security record are that he has failed to fight for federal counterterrorism funds, and should hire more officers to the city's police force of nearly 37,000.

Bloomberg Attack: Bloomberg's opposition grumbled about whether last week's threat announcement was a political ploy, but Bloomberg said Monday that he and his police commissioner were not playing politics....... "The implication that Ray Kelly or I would try to scare people for some sort of petty political gain is pretty cynical," the mayor said. "You can't stop and worry about politics when you're talking about keeping people safe in this city."

Looks like Bloomberg did get a major security boost.

Bloomberg: No Mr. Security

And compare the Ferrer attack to the Bloomberg attack. Bloomberg's is sharper. Sharpness works.

Bloomberg's online ads the past few days have been more message focused. The beauty ads are gone. I wonder if people on the Bloomberg campaign have been reading my blog. Maybe not. But I did criticize the beauty ads a few days back.

Ferrer could get more aggressive. But then if Bloomberg is getting most of the black vote, something is cooking up.

The self-made billionaire perhaps has limitless supplies of money and a political instinct or two to top that.

Ferrer Can

One Blog One LinkUp One Atom

Blogger allows that. So every Organizer of a MeetUp/LinkUp would have a blog, and all participants of that MeetUp are invited to become members of that blog. And so the meeting literally never stops. It is at that blog that you can read the agenda a few days before the MeetUp.

After getting a Blogger account to join the LinkUp blog, a member can create a personal blog or more using the same account. Having a Blogger account is kind of like having one of those email accounts, Yahoo, Gmail, Hotmail, what have you.

This way there is virtually limitless space for policy talk. And the policy discussions during Face Time will be more informed.

That will also free up time at the MeetUps. We could use that to make sure the MeetUps stay within the hour. If people were to know MeetUps last only an hour, more people are likely to show up.

More free time would also mean we could use that for team building exercises. Ice breaknig exercises. Let's get to know each other exercises.

We could get really creative.

One blog per MeetUp would also mean the leaders in the organization could really get a feel of the larger group on their own schedule.

A blog plus a MeetUp/LinkUp would thus be the building block of the nationwide DFA organization. This is transparent democracy.

Instead of minutes, we could have a volunteer take pictures of each MeetUp. The enthusiastic ones might even snap up video highlights to post online.

This synergy will really help us communicate with MeetUp groups across the country.

Star LinkUp Organizers could hope to receive a national audience. Kind of like having your own TV show.

The LinkUps would feel more national that way.

The social bonding would get enhanced.

Screen Time does not take away from Face Time, it contributes to it.

This idea would also lessen the pressure on the Pre MeetUps, and the After MeetUps. Such gatherings could then afford to be more social and less business.

For members to get to know each other as individuals is important.

Audio, Video, Photos.

Once we have this unit going, we could then work on the blogalaxy idea. This is one star. A galaxy is many stars.

From atoms, you can make molecules, compounds, and bigger things.

A LinkUp plus its blog is the atom.

Takes Two Arms And Two Legs To Swim

This is my attempt to recoincile my stances on free trade, and education and health.

The Failure Of The Global South In The Recent Global Trade Talks
Race Relations, Personal Relations, Free Trade

There is sound economic theory behind free trade. If America had $1 in 2000, 33 of the cents got created in the Clinton 1990s. And understanding the essence of free trade was key to how Clinton achieved the longest peacetime economic expansion in history. And he did more for education than five presidents before him though still not quite enough. He fell short on health, far short. It was not Hillary, it was Bill.

Free trade is like moving your arms while swimming. Education and health are a leg each. You need all four limbs to swim well. The body is the economy.

Bill Gates voted for Clinton in 1992. Warren Buffett is a Democrat. Larry Ellison has always maintained he would not mind paying higher taxes. The two Google founders are diehard Bill Clinton fans. Those are just a few examples.

My point being the true entrepreneurs are all progressives. Progressives dream up the industries of tomorrow, they create the companies of tomorrow, they create the jobs of tomorrow. They create socially progressive corporate cultures. Progressive entrepreneurs are our allies. Only the fake entrepreneurs bribe presidents for tax cuts to pad up their bank accounts. All Nobel Prize winning economists disagreed with the George W. tax cuts. But then the guy is also a creationist. Talk about worldviews. (Dumb And Dumberer: Creationist Bush)

Bill Gates is a huge fanatic when it comes to public education. That is a progressive right there.

And I wonder if we should not pass a constitutional amendment such that noone should have to pay more than 40% of their income in taxes by all levels of government put together. That would take tax cuts out of the political equation and the Republican regressives would be deprived. George W. never saw a problem whose solution did not lie in tax cuts.

Who pays how much in taxes is a legitimate part of the political conversation, but once that money has been paid, that collective money belongs to all 300 million Americans equally. The one person, one vote mechanism has to be perfected to help the poorest Americans feel that sense of ownership.

Corporate welfare is a major drain.

I imagine a world where the global per capita income is $20,000 and growing. Free trade is fundamental to such a vision. And we have to watch out for right wing alarmist rhetoric on India, China and other emerging economies. If India grows richer, Indians have more money to buy American products and services. That is good news. It truly is a win-win situation. There is room for everybody. Wealth is literally created out of thin air.

Legendary network marketer Bill Britt once said there is enough marble just in West Virginia to build a mansion for every family on the planet. But we have to come up with the political, social, economic infrastructures to make that happen. We progressives come into that infrastructure part. We are in the business of building that political infrastructure to unleash the human potential.

Lifelong Education

The information age asks for it. Education can never stop for anyone. And it has to be reimagined. It has to be broken free of geography.

Think of this cocktail: free, wireless broadband plus all books online for free, all, textbooks, fiction, non-fiction, all.

Free Wireless Broadband, Reenergized Microsoft
In Defense Of Google Digitizing Books
Into the Nitty Gritty Of WiMax

Google has come up with a business model whereby a company can offer free wi-fi and make money through ads. It also has taken the lead on digitizing books, although the idea really needs to be thought through.

The book industry as we have known it will likely disappear. And that is just fine. If technology brings the price of books to zero, then so be it. Don't fight the technology. Not even Google has taken the next step. But I believe the next step is for a company like Google to become a digital publisher. Books are put online that readers may access for free. Money is made throuugh ads. Google and the author split the money. Google could suggest 50-50. If Yahoo says 60-40 in favor of the author, there is competition right there.

And the hardware industry needs to make the computer screen friendly to the eyes.

Print books become antiques and cottage industries.

Universal Health Care

There should be a two tier model: public health care centers that work on a drop-by basis for anyone inside the geographical United States that keep expanding in scope as the economy expands, kind of like minimum wage, although that wage has stagnated too long. And the private sector health care with reform. Let's face it, the private health care sector is not exactly in tune with basic market forces, or it would have taken the lead on adopting information technology in all aspects of its operations. Something is going on. Daal mein kuchh kala hai, as they say in Hindi: there is something dark in the lentil.

I think the total, transparent democracy weapon would work great for another major effort for health care reform. Blog it all the way. Let all voices be heard and archived, even those opposed to any reform, especially theirs, so our grassroots volunteers can see for themselves where the clots are. We want Steve Forbes on record saying a flat tax is a cure to all health care reform.

And you expand the insurance coverage.

So, have a bedrock of public health care, reform the sector in general, and expand coverage through insurance with the goal being universal coverage down the line.

And a major cultural shift has to be engineered, from an illness-focus to a wellness-focus. You score points when you do what it takes to stay healthy. Are you sleeping your six to eight hours? Do you drink your daily water? Are you physically vigorous for at least half an hour each day? Go walk. Follow me. Do you eat a balanced diet? Do you eat your fruits and vegetables? Do you stay away from smoke and alcohol? The city hall should pass a law and make bars serve mango lussee. Do you get your multi-vitamins from my online shop?

And, last but not the least, do you vote for doctors?

More On Organization

An Email From Headquarters

Luigi.

I hope you are okay with my keeping public our conversation. This is the transparent democracy part.

I just wanted to add a few things in response to your email.

I am not asking the question if Dean will run in 2008 or not. I have met him twice, and it is all over his face. He will. I knew that even before I met him. If he does not run in 2008, then 2004 was sham. And I know it was not, I was part of it.

I am not even asking the question if he will win. Victory is guaranteed. He will win.

The question I am asking is what if 2008 is more like 1776, a year when democracy itself gets reinvented. Will we have the orgnanizational framework in place to handle all that outburst of energy all over the map? That is what I think about. The grassroots organizational structure that will elect him will become even more important after he is in the White House. The very idea of governance stands to get reinvented.

When the goofy white men invented democracy in 1776, they did have many deficiencies, when looked at in hindsight and compared to the future, but it was a total revolution when compared to the past. 1860 expanded upon the idea. Then women got voting rights. In 1932 organized labor gained some sort of a victory. 1960 saw JFK really bring the focus onto the primaries. 1992 was also a watershed. Bill Clinton claimed he was the first person to get himself elected president solely based on his network of personal friends, Friends Of Bill. He said he became president because he had more friends than anyone else in America.

The original idea was of a republic. The people vote for these hopefully wise white men, and they take care of business for the next so many years. That idea stands to get challenged through DFA. Citizens organized at grassroots levels participate in the democracy on a monthly basis. That is a fundamental departure. The country moves from being a republic to becoming a democracy. Are we up for it? That is the question.

I think we are on our way to direct elections for President. Bye bye electoral college.

So the organizational framework is of fundamental importance.

You are right, most of what I am talking about is political and organizational, not technological. The technology already exists and is available for free online for anyone who might want to use it. And it is only going to get better.

I am very impressed with DFA Link.

Maybe you have the people and the resources, but I would be wary of DFA becoming too technology centric. We are not a technology company, we are a political organization. It makes sense to do some things in-house. But I think we should be leery of trying to do everything in-house.

If you think you are up for it, by all means do the blog aspects in-house. But I am kind of thinking, why would we want to compete with Google? They show signs of becoming the successor company to Microsoft itself. They have billions in the bank, and more coming. Why not just use their Blogger? They also have audio and video options. And they keep improving the whole thing. Blogger is as close to word processing online as it gets.

Instead we focus on having a framework. A mechanism that puts all Deaniac blogs on one map, a mechanism for Deanics to vote for blogs and blog entries. That way we still do the core work, but what can already be done online for free, we don't duplicate, and instead pour our resources into political and organizational work.

Just a thought.

We will keep talking.

DFNYC And This Blog

As my blog expands its readership, some concerns have been raised. I take this opportunity to make a few things clear, because I expect the readership of this blog to expand more as the mayoral election progresses, and I seem to be getting more sucked into it. I mean, if Dean keeps showing up, I am going to keep showing up.

I am a staunch member of DFNYC, and I might be one of the very first members of Dean 2008. But this blog is not officially affiliated with DFNYC. The organization has its official site. This blog is one person talking. I usually will post a blog entry and then email the permalink for it to a few people over email. That way I take less space in their inbox. And they get to see the topic before they decide if they want to even click on the link. If they choose not to, that just shows their interest did not get piqued. Which is just fine. And my politics is not my private life, it is my public life. I think I am already at a point where I don't know my entire readership. And that is great. I would love to have a ton of readership.

I want to make that absolutely clear. I would have thought that was already clear. It is in the nature of the blog to be that way. This is Paramendra Bhagat's blog.

Blogging is not just writing, although writing it is. Blogging is not reporting, although it can be that. Blogging is blogging. It has to be seen as something new and kind of stand-alone.

Blogs are brainscans of the crowd's mind.

I encourage more and more DFNYC members and Deaniacs to get into blogging. Let a million blogs bloom.

Having a blog is like having an email account, I think. It is that fundamental. If you are not going to launch one now, I think you are going to do it later.

And I do expect to deal with some social progressive issues also within the progressive movement. And I am up for it. The productive way for people who are genuinely trying to get along is to keep an open channel of communication at the collective identity level also.

If you are a 6, you are still within the Democratic camp on social issues, but you are not a 9 yet.

2008: Some Themes

If there is a common sense assumption out there that there is some sort of a hiearachy - white male, white female, minority male, minority female - I don't subscribe to it. Not in my personal space. I am a progressive, seriously.

I think for the most part we interact as individuals, but channels of communication have to be kept open at the collective identity level also. We need to expand the agenda.

Like on gender. We need to expand it beyond foetus talk. We need to dig up issues and comfortably talk about them.

Race and gender are mirror images to each other.

Race Relations, Pesonal Relations, Free Trade
Gender Consciousness Vs. Feminist Consciousness
The Intersection of Race and Gender Relations: A Contemporary Perspective

Ferrer Can

Ferrer Can Lead

Truth On Bloomberg Ferrer Four Ferrer Can

Fernando Ferrer	Michael Bloomberg
1. His leadership style is political. He knows how to work the system.	1. His leadership style is corporate. He cuts some major corners on essential social expenditures so he can build a stadium. Don't blame him: that has been his life's training. It is hard to change course mid-stream.
2. He was Bronx Borough President. He delivered.	2. He never held a political office in life before he became Mayor. He has not delivered.
3. People say he is a machine politician, I say he is in tune with the voters and their various organized groups, he knows the system inside out, he is better positioned to deliver.	3. People say he has so much money, he is not beholden to any special interests. I say he has so much money, he is out of touch.
4. Ferrer's style is political. He has delivered in the Bronx, he will deliver for the city.	4. People say Bloomberg is a successful entrepreneur who can lead. I say his leadership style is corporate.
5. NYC is the capital city of the world. It should n-e-v-e-r again get itself a Republican mayor. The world needs some respect.	5. Bloomberg is a Republican. He gives more money to George W. than anyone else in the country.
6. Get out the votes. Many who will vote for Ferrer do not get phone calls from the pollsters. Forget the polls. Get out the votes.	6. Put out more meaningless feel-good ads.
7. He is a Democrat.	7. He is a Republican.
8. His lack of deep pockets makes him more dependent on voters. That makes him more responsive.	8. His limitless supply of personal money to be spent on TV ads makes him politically tone-deaf.
9. He is a Hispanic who believes in the American dream.	9. He is elitist.
10. He is not personally that rich.	10. Bloomberg is so rich, he is practically a carpetbagger in this city of the poor, the lower middle class, the middle class, the upper middle class, and the rich. Don't vote for him. He is not one of you.

• Bloomberg: No Mr. Security 10/11
• Messages To Dean, Ferrer 10/11
• Soaking In Howard Dean 10/10
• Lewis Cohen Has Been Behind Ferrer Since Summer 2004 10/10
• Going On The Offensive For Ferrer 10/09
• Dean Was In Town Yesterday 9/28
• Bloomberg Is No Democrat 9/22
• Fernando Ferrer 9/21

Bloomberg: No Mr. Security

After the Democrats had their convention in 2004, Bush's Homeland Security chief Tomland Ridge put out security alerts. Four major NYC landmarks were targeted it was said. The information was several years old. Ridge received massive media coverage.

Howard Dean was one Democrat who came out saying this was not a security move, this was political.

Kerry was the first presidential candidate in history who did not get a bounce after a convention. Even Dukakis got a huge bounce in 1988. Whatever Tomland Ridge did, it worked. And it is the strange psychology of the powerless that the Kerry machine actually went after Dean for saying what he said. Those scared of the enemies pounce on their friends.

Now Bloomberg is out playing the same cynical game. I am Bush, Mr. Security.

Have you noticed, every time Bush sinks in the polls or works himself out of the news cycles, he comes swinging with a speech on Iraq desperately trying to blame Saddam Hussein for 9/11. I think Saddam was a jerk and I am glad he is gone, but it is an outright lie to suggest Saddam had anything to do with 9/11. Because you can not nab Osama, you blame it on Saddam who you did nab. That is some logic.

My point being the security threat is very real. The War on Terror is very real. But those politicians who monkey with the security threats to win elections are precisely those who will not lead the country to victory on the War On Terror front. They do the major disservice of desensitizing the public. So where might be a real threat down the line, the people might not respond the way they ought to, and we might all be in for some serious heartbreak.

This is beyond cynical. This borders towards the criminal.

Bloomberg should apologize and cease and desist.

Compete on policy differences, track records, delivery records and leadership styles. Don't play cynical games with security. Go shake more hands and ride the subway more often if you are getting desperate, but don't monkey with security issues.

When it comes to security, do err on the side of caution, but do not be driven by political temptations.

• Sources: Tip on NY subway threat a hoax CNN Information that led to heightened security for the New York City transit system was a hoax, government sources said Tuesday..... After Bloomberg's warning, some intelligence officials played down the New York information, saying it was not credible...... On Monday, Bloomberg said he stood by the decision to increase security.
• NY Subway Fears Ease AXcess News
• NY subway threat causes alarm People's Daily Online, China - Oct 7, 2005
• NY Subway Bomb Threat Not Credible All Headline News - 23 hours ago

Messages To Dean, Ferrer

Message To Dean

I have been to all 48 states in the continental US, Vermont was the last one, nothing personal.

America is the leading country when it comes to science and technology, but it has a creationist president. (Dumb And Dumberer: Creationist Bush) That right there is proof democracy in this country is not working as is. America needs a president who has read a few science books, maybe a certified doctor or something.

I know you can't talk about it until at least 2007, and I am not going to bug you about it. But Reagan ran and lost early and bad in 1976, not that I particularly like him. Bill Clinton ran for re-election in Arkansas in 1990 pledging to complete his four year term. Arkansas is better off he did not. And I like Bill Clinton, I know you do too.

DNC can do without you, America and the world can not.

You are inspiring, and you are going to continue to inspire. That is all we need from you. Dean 2008 is already on. We are already at work.

Message To Ferrer

I really do think you have a shot at winning. I really do. We need you to win. If not the headquarters, NYC is at least going to host the War Room for Dean 2008. And we don't want a Mayor Bloomberg around at that time. He might arrest us. So go win!

Going On The Offensive For Ferrer

Talk about your management style, not just your policy differences with Bloomberg. People say he has so much money, he is not beholden to any special interests. I say he has so much money, he is out of touch. People say you are a machine politician, I say you are in tune with the voters and their various organized groups, you know the system inside out, you are better positioned to deliver. People say Bloomberg is a successful entrepreneur who can lead. I say his leadership style is corporate. Your leadership style is political. You have delivered in the Bronx, you will deliver for the city.

NYC is the capital city of the world. It should n-e-v-e-r again get itself a Republican mayor. The world needs some respect.

Get out the votes. Many who will vote for you do not get phone calls from the pollsters. Forget the polls. Get out the votes.

Message To The White Democrats In NYC

The ethnic minorities are the strongest supporters of the Democratic Party. They never show up among the swing voters. They never became Reagan Democrats. And now you are all going to vote for Ferrer for the simple reason that he is a Democrat. You don't need to know anything else.

You know you agree with him on policy. And you know he has delivered before in an executive capacity. You know he has what it takes.

Let's make history. Let's elect a Hispanic Mayor. To me it is important Ferrer is Hispanic. That is a big plus. What about you? He is and should be proof America is for all its immigrants, not just the white ones.

This is the time for you to express your party loyalty.

Bloomberg Is No Democrat

Spread the word on Ferrer. Go vote for Ferrer. Get the votes out for Ferrer.

An Email From Headquarters

Date: Tue, 11 Oct 2005 10:48:17 -0400
From: "Democracy for America"
To: "Paramendra Bhagat"
Subject: DFA blog post

Paramendra,

I just wanted to let you know that we here at HQ have read your blog post from yesterday and we think it has a ton of great ideas. I've passed the link along to Chris Warshaw (the Field Director) since the organizational suggestions fall under his area, but I'd like to tell you a bit about the technology projects we have coming up after DFA-Link is (more or less) finished.

The overarching project is being called MyDFA, and its basically what you describe -- an online portal for our grassroots activists. DFA-Link is the first part of that. This winter we'll be working on turning Blog for America into a community blog (coded from scratch, just like DFA-Link) that works as you suggest. Local groups and local activists will be able to publish their own posts, with the best ones filtering up via a community ratings system. As you mention in the comments, we'll encourage that local events be blogged. RSS Feeds will be pulled from exising local group blogs and be pushed out to whomever wants them.

So thanks for all the suggestions, and keep them coming. We're listening!

- Luigi Montanez
Deputy Technology Director