I bring this DUOSRDE2K4DCCMS Caucus to order. So to speak.

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

Well, I have been more than a little busy with a website I have been working on. The work is going slowly, because I am also learning the ins and outs of Xoop(http://www.xoop.org). It's gonna be a pretty good place, once I get done with it. I installed the Invision Power Board forum module for Xoops on it. A great bit of forum software for those who just don't want to roll their own.

/me bows to elad. ;')

Looks like we have a pretty nice nucleus of people who want to involved. But we need more of the geekishly-inclined. People with the PHP/MySQL chops and people who have the chops to simply install the software. Now, I am not locked into Xoops for anything. I have a simple philosophy: Whatever deploys rapidly. Whatever the installer is comfortable with and can deploy rapidly. Whatever works. Period.

We are not going for gold medals here, nor are we doing software brand advocacy. The essential thrust of this is to put modern and efficient Content Management Systems in the hands of Democratic Party Candidates, at any level, rapidly and cheaply. The sites should be passably attractive, with decent logos and themes. But we do not have the lusury of time and self-indulgance to turn the sites into that magnum opus, opus dei site that we have in our dreams. The point is to give as many candidates a site that is sufficient, affordably and rapidly. Why? Because the repukes, on every level, are kicking our asses in funding and in their hammerlock on the media. Professionally-built CMSs are beaucoup expensive. We can do our bit, in the spirit of Progressive Volunteerism, with a nice digital twist. We can help level the field a bit.

One of our DU members(I will not drop his/her name. He/she can out themself) runs a hosting company and wants to play. Cool. That is one step closer to the goal. That person is welcome to take the floor for a position statement.

At some point, when we really get our legs with this(and IF we do. This isn't a lead pipe cinch) I beseech and implore ANYONE with connections to the DNC, DSCC, state parties and anyone else that can help us get the word of our existance out to the people that matter, the candidates. As it stands now, we are nowhere ready to go live. We need more players. We need the help of the Photoshop crowd that runs rampant here. We need help and the best efforts of those interested. We need the help of those who can introduce us to the people with the Democratic Party Juice.

We CAN do this, and in that way, contribute our bit to changing things in this country, by giving the Democratic candidates out there the tools they need to get their message out in a digital fashion, at a price they can afford. That price should be as close to free as we can get it.

No one has ever done something like this before, as far as I know. What is proposed is both Democratic and Underground, a delightful soucon' of goals, methinks.

That sounds like a shitload of fun, from where I sit.