A new website was released today by my heroes at the Sunlight Foundation that implements the first step of an open source politics dream I’ve had for several years, an online legislation app that lets the public comment on and help define public policy. My idea was to put the tax code online and let people humanize, tag and comment on it - open it up via public scrutiny, but this is pretty cool too and will hopefully someday lead to something like the tax code thing.
They call it PublicMarkup.org and they are testing it out by putting a bill that they would like to pass up for public comment, called the “Transparency in Government Act of 2008″. They would like this to be a model for all new legislation.
I personally think this should be a model for all of our public law. I think the entire US code should be put online so every American can help look for, translate and point out the loopholes and special privileges built into so much of our law. This website is the first step toward that - asking for public input in an easy to use web app for new laws is fantastic, but the next step is what really excites me - exposing the flaws in our current laws that only get passed because the arcane nature of the process makes our view into such corruptions so opaque that it can be gotten away with. (”gotten away with?” is that a phrase?)
I’ve been thinking about this for a long time now - I even started writing such an application and sending the screenshots around to see if anyone was interested in the idea some time ago, but it hasn’t gone anywhere. Take a look at how similar this app I did in October of 2006 looks compared to the new PublicMarkup.org:
Actually, in an odd coincidence, I sent that screenshot to Andrew Rasiej and Micah Sifry a year and a half ago, who both consult for Sunlight, though I highly doubt it eventually had anything to do with this site.
So, I wasn’t involved, but at least it’s getting done. I think this is a big step for open source politics and it really shows that good things are coming. It further proves how useful and important the Sunlight Foundation is and I hope to see even more wonderful work from them in the future. Congratulations, everyone at Sunlight!
This morning, bright and early, I’ll be casting my vote for Barack Obama. There are a number of reasons for this, and I wanted to write a short post on why, and to encourage you to as well.
Most importantly, for anyone who was familiar with my foray into politics, I am very concerned and interested in the possibilities in the practical application of technology in improving our governance. I think that there is great potential in connecting us, getting the public involved in a practical and helpful way and making the governments at all levels work more efficiently and fairly with the use of technology.
Barack Obama has embraced this vision more fully than any politician I have ever seen, and seems to fully understand the potential and path to seeing out that vision. In the Technology section of his website, he articulates many of the things I was not expecting politicians to embrace for years. Under the heading “Create a Transparent and Connected Democracy”, he lists out goals such as :
Making government data available online in universally accessible formats to allow citizens to make use of that data to comment, derive value, and take action in their own communities.
Establishing pilot programs to open up government decision-making and involve the public in the work of agencies, not simply by soliciting opinions, but by tapping into the vast and distributed expertise of the American citizenry to help government make more informed decisions.
Requiring his appointees who lead Executive Branch departments and rulemaking agencies to conduct the significant business of the agency in public, so that any citizen can watch a live feed on the Internet as the agencies debate and deliberate the issues that affect American society.
Employing technologies, including blogs, wikis and social networking tools, to modernize internal, cross-agency, and public communication and information sharing to improve government decision-making.
And so on. Given what I’ve been advocating and working for, this alone is probably enough to push me into voting for him. The issue that I truly care about, and which I think effects every other issue in that it opens up government to public input more fully, has never been more fully embraced by a candidate and probably won’t again for some time.
By way of comparison, Hillary Clinton has no “technology” section on her website, and the closest page, the Innovation page simply lists broadband deployment as a goal. There is no sense of her awareness of technology as a tool to connect government and public, and no call for deeper, ongoing community involvement facilitated by technology at all.
So, that is my personal issue-grounded reason for my vote, but there is another, more subjective reason as well. Barack Obama is an amazing speaker. More than that, he is an amazing writer. He is obviously a smart man - he was the president of the Harvard Law Review, which say volumes in itself, but the contrast with most politicians, especially our current president who seems to go out of his way to seem simple, is refreshing. Obama does not seem to pander - he uses imagery and vocabulary that is unusual and poetic. He has a way of describing things that are often intangible with a beautiful clarity.
For example, in his Call to Renewal keynote speech given over a year and a half ago, which I originally listened to as a podcast, he describes the draw of religion in a way that is clear, meaningful, understanding, and really quite beautiful.
Each day, it seems, thousands of Americans are going about their daily rounds - dropping off the kids at school, driving to the office, flying to a business meeting, shopping at the mall, trying to stay on their diets - and they’re coming to the realization that something is missing. They are deciding that their work, their possessions, their diversions, their sheer busyness, is not enough.
They want a sense of purpose, a narrative arc to their lives. They’re looking to relieve a chronic loneliness, a feeling supported by a recent study that shows Americans have fewer close friends and confidants than ever before. And so they need an assurance that somebody out there cares about them, is listening to them - that they are not just destined to travel down that long highway towards nothingness.
Nearly all of his speeches are like this, many of which he has written himself. In one of his speeches in the runup to the war in Iraq, he describes why he is not against all wars, even though he is against the Iraq war.
The Civil War was one of the bloodiest in history, and yet it was only through the crucible of the sword, the sacrifice of multitudes, that we could begin to perfect this union, and drive the scourge of slavery from our soil. I don’t oppose all wars.
My grandfather signed up for a war the day after Pearl Harbor was bombed, fought in Patton’s army. He saw the dead and dying across the fields of Europe; he heard the stories of fellow troops who first entered Auschwitz and Treblinka. He fought in the name of a larger freedom, part of that arsenal of democracy that triumphed over evil, and he did not fight in vain.
When do you hear people use phrases like “the crucible of the sword, the sacrifice of the multitudes” or “that arsenal of democracy”? He is comfortable with the cadence and oratory style that is predicated by speech of this style, and I feel like my friends who have heard King or Robert Kennedy must have felt when they heard them speak. Moved, inspired, urged to improve.
I saw this passed around the other day, and I kind of like it. I mean, I don’t really like the simplification of the candidate to rhetorical passion - just because he speaks like this is not really a great reason to vote for him, though I could probably make an argument that inspirational ability is an important and useful presidential attribute, but I am moved when I listen to it nonetheless.
Though oddly, no more moved than when I hear it without the musical overlay or when it is read. The speech is quite beautifully written:
We have been told we cannot do this by a chorus of cynics who will
only grow louder and more dissonant in the weeks to come. We’ve been
asked to pause for a reality check. We’ve been warned against
offering the people of this nation false hope.
But in the unlikely story that is America, there has never been
anything false about hope. For when we have faced down impossible
odds; when we’ve been told that we’re not ready, or that we shouldn’t
try, or that we can’t, generations of Americans have responded with a
simple creed that sums up the spirit of a people.
Yes we can.
It was a creed written into the founding documents that declared the
destiny of a nation.
Yes we can.
It was whispered by slaves and abolitionists as they blazed a trail
toward freedom through the darkest of nights.
Yes we can.
It was sung by immigrants as they struck out from distant shores and
pioneers who pushed westward against an unforgiving wilderness.
Yes we can.
It was the call of workers who organized; women who reached for the
ballot; a President who chose the moon as our new frontier; and a King who took us to the mountaintop and pointed the way to the Promised Land.
How amazing is this? It may not look like much at first sight, but this is the first step towards a far more open and accountable government. That link is to the Sunlight Report of Representative Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, stating what she did on Jan 9th.
* Floor Votes on 9/11 Commission recommendations (H.R. 1) (See Congressional Record).
* Steering Committee meeting where Rep. Gillibrand won an appointment to the Agriculture Committee.
* House Armed Services Committee meeting to discuss Secretary of Defense Robert Gates committee appearance later this week.
* Blue Dog Caucus meeting to discuss organizational issues for the 110th Congress.
* Attended a reception held by Women’s Policy INC. to welcome the new Members of Congress and discuss women’s issues.
I tried to get Jerry McNerney to do this, but they weren’t interested, unfortunately. I hope this gets fleshed out more and hopefully adopted by more Congresspeople.
Hey everybody – long time, no blog. A couple of things happening I thought I should let everyone know about.
For one, Mark Warners Forward Together PAC has an online contest poll for your bestest candidate and our very own Jerry McNerney – the congressional candidate here in the 11th. In fact, I don’t think I’ve blogged about that yet – Jerry won the democratic primary here, so congratulations to him.
For those of you who don’t know, I volunteered for him briefly in 2004, ran against him for a while here and then backed out in favor of Margee Ensign who also had to back out shortly thereafter. Anywho, Jerry won and has some great people on his staff this time around who I really respect and I’m following his campaign closely. He is competing in a few online contests – he recently won the DFA one and is now in the running for Mark Warners MapChangers. So, since I like McNerney and would like him to win, and I like Warners group – please do take a moment to vote for him in this contest.
Forward Together also just posted a blog entry about the Sunlight Foundation, which is a great sign. The Sunlight Foundation is where Andrew Rasiej and Micah Sifry went after the Advocates for Rasiej campaign that I wrote about several times here, so it’s great that Warner and his team are thinking that way.
Lastly for today, I wanted to share that Margee has invited Jessica and I to join her on her Africa trip this year. So, next week we will be traveling to Rwanda and Kenya for about 3 weeks. I’ll be bringing along the camcorder and camera, so hopefully we’ll have a lot to share when we get back.
