Wow, This is a fascinating email from Plouffe regarding the "future of the movement"

[Perky]

"Exactly one month ago, you made history by giving all Americans a real opportunity for change.

Now it's time to start preparing and working for change in our communities.

On December 13th and 14th, supporters are coming together in every part of the country to reflect on what we've accomplished and plan the future of this movement. Your ideas and feedback will be collected and used to guide this movement in the months and years ahead."

The use of the words next and movement suggest that he want to try something at he community level that is even outside the bounds of the party apparatus,


Something like a volunteer corps to restore civic virtue maybe?

[Triana]

1. Well - they've solicited ideas for healthcare reform from the public...

...likely they will be asking for input on other issues. "Change doesn't come from Washington. Change comes TO Washington"

They're inviting us to bring it - to participate and make our voices heard. NOT that we're always going to get things exactly the way we each want them. But nothing wrong with making your ideas and opinions known. Our government is ASKING for them. That hasn't happened in at LEAST 8 years (many more, actually) - and that IS change.

[sandnsea]

5. That's what I think

They're going to need our help in getting the info out on the health care plan and other issues. Finally. We're going to take to the streets in an organized fashion and get some shit done.

[Perky]

6. It is the use of the term "movement" rather than "the party" that makes this fascinating,

[NashVegas]

10. pwning the Progressive Movement

Before it gets out of hand is part of why Obama was elected.

[AllentownJake]

2. Carville said it best

That's not a donor base...that's a political party.

I'm hosting an event :-)

[Perky]

3. That's not a moon- it's a space station!

[peace13]

4. Thanks for posting this.

I am still a little burnt out from the campaign but I need to go back and read about what the goal is for these house parties. Maybe we can get something going here. I know that the election house party we had was pretty good. We found that a little wine helped the whole thing. Peace,kim

[qwlauren35]

7. I Got that E-mail and I'm EXCITED About it!

Specifically because it means we don't have to try this alone.

People keep quoting FDR who said "Make Me Do It", and it meant that serious people would have to stand up and push, even if they had to start and stand alone.

I don't have the energy. But I would give my voice if given the opportunity.

And here is opportunity.

I hope those who are frustrated to date will take advantage of this.

[Pirate Smile]

8. Wonkette's characterization of Obama's Change.gov website with comments cracked me up.

A Children’s Treasury Of Polite, Intelligent Threaded Comments On Change.gov



We read somewhere, here, that Obama’s transition website, Change.gov, was getting pretty Internettish these days. This is Obama’s thing, he does it all the time: using standard Internet crap — stuff that other politicians somehow haven’t discovered — to help his readers connect and engage one another on the issues important to them (and possibly sometimes donate $$$$…) (and also maybe plan to fuck in a motel.) This is all to say that Change.gov suddenly looks a lot like Fark or Digg — long comment threads where you can “tell Obama” your thoughts and respond to each other and even rate each other’s comments. So we headed over there to witness the hilarity one sees on every Internet comment board in the world. But as with all things “Obama,” the discussion is well-written, informed, polite… it is terrifying. This is not the Real American Internet.

The current top thread has the transition team asking, “How is the current economic crisis affecting you?” All kinds of territory for commenters on this one, right? Maybe a little “Itz affecting me w/ itz cock,” or how about your favorite, “moar assfucking plz,” or even the old standby, “RON PAUL 2008.”

What we found on this thread instead… it is not for the weak of stomach:

- Commenter “Charles Vanderbilt” — that’s probably his REAL NAME for Christ’s sake: “In regard to a down payment for a home, there used to be a “Rent With Option To Buy” available for people who didn’t have the full down payment. Why couldn’t this be offered today? If a homeowner faces foreclosure or eviction, he could get a new contract. The new purchase price could be the original price, adjusted to the amount of rent paid. This would get the housing money flowing in the right direction and not overwhelm the homeowner. The amount of rent would be comparable to the original payment to the mortgage. Any discussion on this?”

-Commenter “Matthew_Johnson” — again with the real name, and a boring one at that: “It should be considered a great privilege to be a publicly traded company in our society and one that comes with great responsibility. It should not be considered a corporate “right” to be public if they abide by a few accounting rules. It is not unreasonable for we as citizens to expect more from our corporations including balancing of interests as opposed to maximizing short-term profit at all costs. It is also not unreasonable to expect the corporation to know their ‘place’ in our society and economy and to expect that the corporation not demand equal rights with the individuals they exist to serve. Their rights should be subordinated to and defined by the rights of the individuals they affect. I look forward to a great discussion about these ideas and sincerely hope the administration will consider implementing some of them in one form or another.” Uhh… uhh… GO AWAY TROLL…??

- Oooh, the evilly named “drfaust” is responding to “Matthew_Johnson” — this might be the downward spiral in quality and grammar we were looking for! Maybe “drfaust” will post a LOLcat of a Lego giraffe fucking a steampunk turtle or something: “Respectfully, however, I believe your call for corporate democracy will be immensely difficult for the Obama administration to achieve within the bounds of law. While we can certainly call for public responsibility by corporations, it will be the consumers and the shareholders, not the government, that inevitably decides whether or not a corporation should profit at the expense of stakeholders such as workers. Like in government, democracy in a corporation tends to be limited to those who elect the corporation’s leaders - the shareholders - rather than to all people who contribute to the government’s well being, and this is unlikely to change.”

Johnson and drfaust, along with a few other latecomers, ultimately reach a balanced consensus about reconciling — but not overly restricting — the role of the corporation with the individual’s interest, and the thread ends on a cordial note.

Chilling.

http://wonkette.com/404742/a-childrens-treasury-of-polite-intelligent-threaded-comments-on-changegov

[Perky]

9. kicking for more dialog

[Cha]

11. I like where this is going! It's all

good stuff..they are all about growing something better for America and that's going to take a whole lot of peeps, ingenuity, hard work, dedication and some money.