Owner: Politics 2.0 Blog URL:www.hammer2006.blogspot.com Join Date: Fri, 02 Feb 2007 09:53:45 -0600 Rating:0 Site Description: Participate in the latest web 2.0 tools, activities and opportunities in the political world. Site statistics:Click here
As guest blogged on http://americanmoderateparty.b... 1970-01-01 00:59:59 As guest blogged
on http://americanmoderateparty.blogspot.com/ 02 July 2006The New Media Political Waves Are Just Beginning First things first. Thank you Peter very much!My name is Alex Hammer and I am an Independent candidate for Governor of Maine. Our campaign website is www.hammer2006.politicalgateway.comThis type of "guest blogging" is, I believe, merely one illustration of this new media that is taking politics by storm. How far these waves go, and in what directions, will impact what our country looks like going forward, so each of our efforts are very important as there is much at stake.Our collective influence will be determined by the individual and collective visions that all those in the "new media" (joining those in the "traditional media") are able to productively harness. While I am focused most heavily on Maine, I look forward to continuing to learn (and hopefully be included!) from others also using these same powerful forces that are impacting all of us in all corners.
The 2008 Presidential winner is.... (and what are ... 1970-01-01 00:59:59 The 2008 Presidentialwinner
is.... (and what are the chances of America electing an Independent President?)Where We're AtI've been spending a lot of time recently reviewing the emerging field for 2008, following numerous news sources, RSS feeds and the like in regard to the major issues of our day, which as you know are many and pressing, and networking with as many of "those in the know" as possible. Here is some of what I have found:Lessons From The 2006 ElectionRunning for Governor of Maine as an Independent in 2006 was also an opportunity for me to network with those seeking balanced, moderate and solution-oriented notions from across the state and nation. On our campaign website, http://www.hammer2006.politicalgateway.com/, you can neatly find across published articles what emerged. Clearly the electorate as demonstrated wants problems facing our nation solved. They wanted some checks on this current Administration, but if this country is not "brought together" from a fractured
Maine Leads The Nation Politically
- Maine electe... 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Maine Leads
The Nation Politically- Maine elected the nation's first Independent Governor, James Longley (1975-1979).- Maine's second Independent Governor, Angus King (1995-2003) remains a National figure, including a core founder of leading emerging political force, www.unity08.com. - Maine has two of the nation's most popular Senators, Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe. If the public agrees, either of them could greatly serve as our nation's first female President.- Maine had the groundbreaking Margaret Chase Smith. Recently we've also had George Mitchell, Ed Muskie and Bill Cohen.- Maine is a leader in political public financing with the Maine Clean Election Act (MCEA). The nation's largest states, California and New York, have been making efforts to follow suit. The MCEA resulted in a competitive, issue-incisive four-way race at the top of the field for the 2006 Maine Governor's race.- "As Maine Goes, So Goes The Nation". Maine is a swing state politically, that reflects as we Read more:Maine
Hi Alex,
Thanks for inviting me to post on your b... 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Hi Alex,Thanks
for inviting me to post on your blog. I invite you and others to check out my 2008 campaign site at www.PresidentAdams.comSteveSteve@PresidentAdams.com
Hi. Alex
Some background. I am a elected member (... 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Hi. AlexSome background
. I am a elected member (Second Term) of the State Committee of the NY State Independence Party representing the 73AD (East side of Manhattan) and the Executive Committee of NY County (Manhattan). I have worked on Presidential, Congress, Governor, Mayor and City Council campaigns.Thanks for inviting me to post on your blog.Michael H. Drucker
I recommend independents to take a look at www.cui... 1970-01-01 00:59:59 I recommend independents
to take a look at www.cuip.org. I have worked with this group since 2001.The Committee for a Unified Independent Party, Inc. (CUIP) is a national strategy center and organizing hub that designs and executes cutting edge tactics to develop America's growing independent movement. Founded in 1994, CUIP mounts political, legal, legislative and organizing challenges to partisan control of the political process. It has pioneered methods of organizing independents without a political party, creating independent voter associations to project the voice of the 35% of the electorate that considers itself independent. For CUIP, independents are not "swing voters" who exist to be wooed and swayed by one or the other major party. Independents have strongly held beliefs about how partisanship and ideological labeling are corrupting and constraining progress. Independents defy traditional political labels; what they share is support for the principle that radical stru
Can an Independent Win?
I am running for presiden... 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Can an Independent Win?I am running
for president as an independent with no political experience. Can a candidate without major party support, coming out of "nowhere", be an effective president? Why would we even consider such an idea?President Kennedy once said, "Mothers still want their sons to grow up to be president. They just don't want them to become politicians on the way" It rings true, doesn't it? And then we tell our children, "You can grow up to be anything you want to be in this country, even president" Have you heard it?Many of you may be thinking, this guy has no political experience at all. And you would be correct. I have no experience in bribery, back stabbing, lying to the press, breaking the law, or corruption…; but I see these as pluses!Like many of you, over the years, I have voted for many candidates, and I have also voted against many candidates for various offices. We are often reduced to voting for the "lesser of two evils" and that's
Can you say Politics 2.0 Avalanche?
If people tho... 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Can you say Politics 2.0 Avalanche
?If people
thought Howard Dean was an Internet political phenomenon, 2008 campaigns for President, just begun, have the potential to say, "You aient seen nothing yet".While Hillary - www.hillaryclinton.com - set a high standard with her opening three nights of web conversations in which she gained a reported 100.000 email addresses, Barack Obama - www.barackobama.com - is matching his rival step for step, and perhaps then some. In addition to his video announcement, Obama has added profound social networking capabilities to his website.And the nice widget below. Want this badge?Can you say viral marketing?Certainly much is in flux and the rules are still developing. Barack had to close comments to permission only after an ugly reader posted comment found its way into and made the rounds of the press, and John Edwards had to seek a difficult middle ground (to his bloggers' posts prior to joining his campaign) between outraged public sensibilities and o
As Posted on www.unity08.com to http://www.unity08... 1970-01-01 00:59:59 As Posted on www.unity08.com to http://www.unity08.com/node/773A Unity08 Presidential Victory in 2008 AlexHammer on February 15, 2007 - 1:20pmThis question and answer is very good because it puts more "flesh on the bones" in terms of an understanding of how Unity08 works and what is the process leading up to the nomination of the ticket in 2008.The next important step, for this group to be not only viable but successful, is to communicate interactively to a greater degree across the nation. Although Unity08.com will have an Internet nominated candidate (actually team), the group already significantly trails the "traditional campaigns" in regard to even basic viral marketing and web 2.0 tools. Where are the RSS feeds that allow one to subscribe to and receive blog postings? Where are the popular widgets to communicate video, graphics and other media across the interent? When you look at the campaigns of Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and others, Unity08 is currently unfortunately being o
We need change - the right kind.
I like to keep ... 1970-01-01 00:59:59 We need change - the right kind. I like to keep my messages and commentaries positive. But sometimes that is difficult. We live in a world of many worries. We are faced with post 9-11 fears of foreign terrorists and constant anxiety with our overseas wars. We also have things to fear in our own country, some of which are better known than others.In the latest internet poll on www.politicsone.blogspot.com that I am involved in, I came across a new evil that I didn't think we would have to worry about in the land of the free and the home of the brave. My closest challenger today (Bowles) is in the National Socialist Movement, better known as the American Nazi Party. You can visit his site but hold on to your lunch as you see the swastika painted on our beautiful nation and read more about the "White People's Candidate", his denial of the holocaust, education for white children, bringing home only the white troops and more.I realize he has the right to free speech and the right to
Electorial College Numbers Game
If an Independent... 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Electorial CollegeNumbers
GameIf an Independent Candidate wanted the shortest route to the White House,s(he) would only need to win in these states:California 55Texas 34 = 89New York 31 = 120Florida 27 = 147Illinois 21 = 168Pennsylvania 21 = 189Ohio 20 = 209Michigan 17 = 226Georgia 15 = 241New Jersey 15 = 256North Carolina 15 = 271
Who is Running Washington?
I keep reading the new... 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Who is Running Washington
?I keep reading the news and see where every day or so, a presidential candidate at a press conference will "open mouth and insert foot" A day later, they have an apology speech. Who needs reality TV when we have these people?Some are overt blunders and some are subtle mistakes. Obama talked about "wasted lives" of our American soldiers. Not a great thing to say to those soldiers' families no matter your view on the war. McCain jumped on the "I hate Rumsfeld" train after lauding him at his retirement since he "deserves Americans' respect and gratitude." Hillary demanded a beginning to troop pullout in 90 days… but with no end date. A bill sure to be struck down, but a lovely political maneuver for the sake of the publicity.Putting all their blunders, misstatements, posturing and spin aside for the moment; who's running Washington? We've got Senators and Representatives traveling the country - especially in primary states - trying to
An Independence View
Which War
All you hear toda... 1970-01-01 00:59:59 An Independence
ViewWhich WarAll you hear today is bring the troops home, redeploy somewhere, etc. But which war? There is the Iraqi war and the war on Terrorism. Which war is the public talking about?Do we stop the war on Terrorism and pull out of the Middle East? Which candidate is going to speak truthfully about the long "slog" on Terrorism and we will be in the Middle East for a long time.Independents are Ready for Barack Obama.But is Obama Ready for Black Independents?February 10, 2008 By Lenora Fulani"Barack Obama has just made it official. He's running for president of the United States. His message is that it's time to put principles ahead of partisanship. Black independents have been acting on that idea for years. How he relates to us is the first real test of his principles".There is a transition going on in the Black community. We are moving from the Civil Rights Movement generation to the younger generation of independent blacks. All independents are looking for
An Independence View
While the pundits are talkin... 1970-01-01 00:59:59 An Independence
ViewWhile the pundits
are talking about the potential impact of independent voters,we cut through the speculation to let America's independents speak for themselves.The result is a 13 minute documentary Facing America's Independents.This trailer includes some of my thoughts as the fourth voice.The documentary features highlights from interviews with morethan 40 independents from across the county.To Purchase DVDGet your copy today! DVD copies are available for a specialintroductory price of $20.00. Visit http://www.independentvoting.org/ to purchase.Michael H. Drucker
Independent Nation
We all know that a house divid... 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Independent NationWe all know that a house divided against itself will not long stand.Democrats fight with Republicans and Republicans fight with Democrats. We have come to expect this. But if moderate, bi-partisan Independents can't find common ground, then how much better at unifying the country are we really going to be?Another QuestionWhy, with the large percentage of Americans who classify themselves as Independent do we not have more Independents elected to office? I am from a state - Maine - in which we had the nation's first Independent Governor (James Longley, 1975-1979) followed recently by two term Independent Maine Governor Angus King (1995-2003). Maine's two highly regarded and popular US Senators, Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins, are known as highly centrist Republicans.2008Is there an Independent candidate that has a serious chance of winning the Presidency in 2008? I am intrigued by speculation of New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg potentially running for Presiden
A Million C-SPANs
By Jeff Jarvis, www.buzzmachine... 1970-01-01 00:59:59 A Million C-SPANsBy Jeff Jarvis
, www.buzzmachine
.comReposted with permission.February 26th, 2007 I say we need to create a million C-SPANs made by us, the citizens, using video to open up government to inspection by all. C-SPAN itself is, oddly, one of the most jealous protectors of copyright anywhere. That’s why they demanded that Stephen Colbert’s speech before the press corps of Washington be pulled down from online. That is why The Times writes today about confusion in Congress about what representatives can and cannot put on their blogs. The short answer is: government feeds belong to us all, C-SPAN feeds belong to them. So Nancy Pelosi was in her rights to put up speeches from the floor on her blog; that came from the taxpayers’ cameras. Yet as The Times points out:But last week, as it happens, C-Span did contact the speaker’s office to have it take down a different clip from her blog — one shot by C-Span’s cameras at a House Science and Technology Committee hearing o
Politics 2.0 Community Unveiled!!
Watch, upload o... 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Politics 2.0 Community Unveiled!!Watch, upload or participate in Politics 2.0 videos, photos, forum, blogs, and feeds. Make Politics 2.0 friends.Go to: http://politics20.ning.com/ The complete social network for those interested in Politics 2.0!
An Independence View
Here are some examples of th... 2007-03-01 17:50:00 An Independence
ViewHere are some examples of the conversion taking place today:South CarolinaWe are optimistic that H. 3230, the bill that would eliminate fusion or cross endorsement in SC, will be buried for this year. The South Carolina Senate Elections Committee (2 Democrats, 2 Republicans) split their votes on the bill last week and the resulting tie effectively kills the bill. On the House side, the Judiciary Committee has temporarily put it on hold.As you may know, fusion allows candidates to run on more than one party line. It has been used successfully by the New York City Independence Party, for example, to put independent voters in a stronger position politically.For the last four years, the Republicans have been itching to get this bill passed. In the last week, Wayne Griffin and the South Carolina Independence Party have bombarded the legislators with emails, letters and phone calls opposing the legislation. One letter co-authored by Griffin and Lenora Fulani, laid out the
Capitol Hill Broadcasting Network
Hey everybody, I... 2007-03-06 00:06:00 Capitol Hill Broadcasting
NetworkHey everybody, I’m James Kotecki, a political commentator on the Capitol Hill Broadcasting Network. I want to thank Alex Hammer for allowing me to tell you about the site and how it’s contributing to Politics 2.0. CHBN.com is a video-sharing site specifically for political videos. It’s a place where politicians, candidates, lobbyists, interest groups, voters, and political geeks like me post videos for a politically-savvy audience, and to make sure their videos don’t get lost among Spanish soccer matches and lip-synching under-age girls. I believe that CHBN will become an important part of the political dialog in this country, so if you have a political video, sign up and upload it. Check out my videos on the site here. I’d recommend this one in particular. Read more:Capitol
, Capitol Hill
Blair Bush Basra and Afghanistan
One has to wonde... 2007-03-07 00:52:00 Blair Bush Basra
and Afghanistan
One has to wonder if Tony Blair and George Bush are still the best of buddies. At a time when the United States is committing additional troops to Iraq Britain is in the process of standing down.Until now Blair has shown unwavering support for George Bush and his invasion and occupation of Iraq. The Prime Minister's recent announcement that British forces in Basra would be reduced by several thousand at a time when Bush has ordered an additional 21,500 troops into Baghdad certainly came at an inconvenient time for the America President.Of course, the White House and the British government put the maximum positive spin on the reduction of troops announcement, citing improvement in the Basra security situation that would allow additional powers and responsibilities to be turned over to the Iraqi Army and police.Oh really?A report by the Pentagon only last November deemed that Basra was in an even worse state than Baghdad. The report submitted by the US mi Read more:Blair
The Other F Word
I’ve never read any of Ann Coult... 2007-03-06 14:49:00 The Other F WordI’ve never read any of Ann Coulter’s books or heard her speak other than a few minutes here and there on various TV and radio shows. Her “quote heard round the world” using the “other” F word has sent shock waves through the media. I understand the offense, but I do not understand why this is unexpected. Perhaps it is not a surprise, but just another incident blown out of proportion for political gain.For those of you who have not heard the actual quote, truth is always a good thing. Coulter said, "I was going to have a few comments on the other Democratic presidential candidate, John Edwards, but it turns out that you have to go into rehab if you use the word 'faggot,' so I'm - so, kind of at an impasse, can't really talk about Edwards, so I think I'll just conclude here and take your questions"The rehab reference was pointed toward ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy TV star Isaiah Washington who used – or didn’t use – or did use - the “faggot” term to
Bank of America Launches $20 Billion Environmental... 2007-03-07 19:45:00 Bank of America
Launches $20 Billion Environmental ProgramThis Bank of America headline above screamed out to me when I read the news today.You know in general that policy has a better chance of succeeding when it becomes tied to leading vested interests.The More Things ChangeFor example, alternative energy, full of promise for years but an applied sliver of the overall marketplace and a mixed at best investment vehicle, has now taken the VC industry by storm, embraced wholeheartedly by the biggest names.Have you heard of the "second silicon valley" (solar VC investment) and what it is doing for California's economy?Alternative energy investment is now apparently not only considered safer, not only fashionable, but hot in leading investment circles. And I think I know why. Sit tight.It's because the traditional vested corporate interests that have had the most to lose in the past from technology breakthroughs are now themselves embracing the technology.How about oil companies investi
Forty Hours and a Resolution
Posted at: http://www... 2007-03-08 22:14:00 Forty Hours
and a Resolution
Posted at: http://www.bravehumans.com/2007/02/23/forty-hours-and-a-resolution/Posted with permissionHello all. Before I get into this post, I would like to reiterate Rick’s plea to expand the reach of Bravehumans. If you read my posts you know I’m a Democrat, and I lean at least a bit (maybe a lot) to the left. This describes the majority of the folks I’ve met here on Bravehumans, and that is problem I am desperate to solve. We need balanced presentation: left, right, and center for Bravehumans to work. We have the left, we have SOME of the center, but we need much more for the right. Please, if you’re a conservative and what you read here makes you think or just annoys you, comment and post. If you know a conservative, please turn him or her on to the site. The point of the post that follows here is the importance of having real, substantive debate. You need all relevant sides to have a debate, and then you have to gather the courage to have one. Pl
Bi-Partisan National Political Success
As an Inde... 2007-03-08 15:00:00 Bi-PartisanNational
Political Success
As an Independent candidate for Governor of Maine in 2006, I was fortunate to publish 30 Op-Ed articles across Maine’s largest newspapers exploring bi-partisan solutions across policy areas. The same fighting that has been seen at the national level had been intruding in a similar manner in our traditionally more politically civil state of Maine. The prior state budget, for example, had been passed very narrowly and acrimoniously across strict party lines amid recriminations, name-calling and a lot of twists and turns.National Electorate ConcernsNationally, the 2006 mid-term elections sent a message, perhaps somewhat received, of the public’s dire frustration in regard to partisan maneuvering and fighting.This type of dissatisfaction with the political process is nothing new. Nationally, there has been talk or action regarding impeachment of 3 out of our last 7 Presidents (Democrat and Republicans). This is kind of scary when you think about it
Toolbox For Moderates
Brief Excerpt Below From htt... 2007-03-09 15:40:00 Toolbox For ModeratesBrief
Excerpt Below
From http://themoderatevoice.com/politics/centrists/guest-voice-toolbox-for-moderates/ (Politics 2.0 Note: This is my most detailed examination to date on political factors influencing moderates and independents).By Alex HammerVery Very Brief Excerpt:As I sat down to do this column for The Moderate Voice I thought to myself, why do I politically identify with such terms as moderate, Independent and bi-partisan? What do they mean to me, and why do I value them?And then I started to think to myself, what are the tools that I or any moderate would need to makes one’s ideas successful? Read more:Toolbox
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