Tuesday, March 31, 2015

Attn: Nominators of MAYDAY reform allies

In the MAYDAY action plan for 2015, MAYDAY's goal is "to prove that reform is possible, by closing the gap on a majority in Congress — both Republicans and Democrats — committed to reforming the system of corruption in Washington, D.C."

To do this, MAYDAY is "looking for leaders who understand that the way campaigns are funded is broken." MAYDAY has compiled information about which Members have already committed to reform, and it wants its supporters to "Tell us who you think we could persuade to join us next, and why."

In response, many MAYDAY supporters are submitting to MAYDAY nominations of Congresspersons to be reform allies. Ostensibly this is being handled in the form of private communications by the supporters suggesting to MAYDAY Congresspersons as possible allies, and MAYDAY then tweeting to the Congresspersons a message that their name has been put forth as a possible ally. See @MAYDAYUS.

How successful MAYDAY is going to be in achieving its 2015 goal remains to be seen.

I think its action plan could be significantly buttressed if there was added in a heavy amount of tweeting in the Congressional districts of Congresspersons who have been nominated as possible reform allies.

If you are a nominator of a Congressperson as a potential ally, and you would like to initiate a tweeting campaign in your Congressional district, I would like to work with you. Please contact me if you are interested.

Note:  MAYDAY has a website page for submitting ideas to MAYDAY and internal processes for deciding which ideas to take up. I have been doing a lot of direct contacting of MAYDAY supporters about my ideas. While I have called MAYDAY's attention to things I have been doing, and ideas I am trying to put out, I have not done any formal submissions using MAYDAY's website page for submitting ideas. I do not know what MAYDAY's views are about the above idea for bolstering its activity for seeking reform allies that is currently going on.
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Friday, March 27, 2015

Report on #TweetToDefeatMoney

I am still trying to get organization of I tweet to defeat the money monster going.

Thus far, there is minimal or no expression of support for #TweetToDefeatMoney by MAYDAY.US, MoveToAmend, Represent.Us, WolfPAC, Stamp Stampede, NHRebellion and TakeBackOurRepublic.

I continue to interpret retweets and favorites of my tweets by those in the "grassroots" as encouraging of #TweetToDefeatMoney.

More urging by the grassroots to the organizations to get behind #TweetToDefeatMoney would be helpful. See #TweetToDefeatMoney, Tweet Sheet 1.

Please pardon if I continue to tweet directly to those who have retweeted and favorited me. I do that to try to keep #TweetToDefeatMoney alive.

If  #TweetToDefeatMoney does not pick up more support, at some point it will need to be killed.

In the meantime, please bear with me.

Thank you.

Update: No luck from the below tweets sent this morning:






Update 3/28: I tried again this morning with the below tweets:






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Sunday, March 22, 2015

#TweetToDefeatMoney, Tweet Sheet 1

[Update 3/25: Yesterday, Stamp Stampede favorited this tweet message: "Will @StampStampede support #TweetToDefeatMoney? http://is.gd/56NqOW #getmoneyout #representus #wolfpac #movetoamend #maydayus #maydaypac" That favoriting could mean Stamp Stampede supports  #TweetToDefeatMoney. Maybe that would persuade MAYDAY, Move To Amend, Represent.Us, and WolfPAC to support #TweetToDefeatMoney. Maybe that would induce supporters of the organizations to tweet in tweeting campaigns. That would be very good news.]

[Update 3/23: There were about 250 page views of this yesterday. There were many retweets and favorites, but only three or four people copied and pasted tweet messages and tweeted the same to MAYDAY, Move To Amend, Represent.Us, and WolfPAC.   I would say, if those organizations cannot express support for the organized tweeting campaign being attempted, it is probably a waste of time and should be dropped. Right now those organizations are not reacting, and I think more tweets need to be sent to them. Today, I will tweet links to this entry again to those who retweeted (or favorited) yesterday. I ask those persons please to copy and paste one or more of the tweet messages into tweets and send the tweets to the organizations. We have to get  MAYDAY, Move To Amend, Represent.Us, and WolfPAC (and other organizations) at least to express support, and this is the only way I know how to do it. Thanks.]

Thank you, all you retweeters, etc., from the past several days.

Your retweets, etc., indicate to me you want  the I tweet to defeat the money monster campaign to work.

To make it work, we need to get MAYDAY.US, MoveToAmend, Represent.Us, WolfPac, Stamp Stampede, NHRebellion, etc., to be behind the campaign and to promote it. See To campaign finance organizations.

Maybe MAYDAY.US, MoveToAmend, Represent.Us, WolfPac, Stamp Stampede, NHRebellion, etc.  don't believe enough yet.

So, #TweetToDefeatMoney needs to make them believers and get behind this.

And you need to tweet to make them believe.

Below is a "tweet sheet". For now, you have to copy and paste tweets from the tweet sheet into your "Compose new Tweet" popup box on your Twitter. (I have not yet learned how to create "tweet this tweet" buttons for this page. I am trying to find out.)

So please copy individual tweet messages from the below tweet sheet as you wish to tweet, paste the same into your "Compose new Tweet" popup box on your Twitter, and tweet it.

TWEET SHEET MESSAGES

Message 1:

Hey, @MAYDAYUS, you should get behind the #TweetToDefeatMoney tweeting campaign. Thanks. #maydayus #maydaypac  http://maydaysupporters.blogspot.com/2015/03/i-tweet-to-defeat-money-monster.html

Message 2:

Hey, @RepresentDotUs, you should get behind the #TweetToDefeatMoney tweeting campaign. Thanks. #getmoneyout  http://maydaysupporters.blogspot.com/2015/03/i-tweet-to-defeat-money-monster.html

Message 3:

Hey, @WolfPAChq, you should get behind the #TweetToDefeatMoney tweeting campaign. Thanks. #getmoneyout  http://maydaysupporters.blogspot.com/2015/03/i-tweet-to-defeat-money-monster.html

Message 4:

Hey, @MoveToAmend, you should get behind the #TweetToDefeatMoney tweeting campaign. Thanks. #movetoamend  http://maydaysupporters.blogspot.com/2015/03/i-tweet-to-defeat-money-monster.html



Update 3/24: Will or will not #maydaypac #maydayus support #TweetToDefeatMoney? http://is.gd/56NqOW

Update 3/27: See Report on #TweetToDefeatMoney


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Thursday, March 19, 2015

MAYDAY's 2015 plan and public mobilization

MAYDAY.US says:
So in 2015, we’re doing something different. To prove that reform is possible, we need to close the gap on a majority in Congress — both Republicans and Democrats — committed to reforming the system of corruption in Washington, D.C., by changing the way campaigns are funded.
Help us find allies in Congress.
We’re looking for leaders who understand that the way campaigns are funded is broken. You can see which Members have already committed to reform here.
Tell us who you think we could persuade to join us next, and why.
The above suggests approaching Members of Congress singly.

The above suggests that there are Members of Congress who do not understand that the way campaigns are funded is broken.

This is in the context of an ostensible, stark partisan divide about "campaign finance reform," with Democrats ostensibly on the side of "reform" and Republicans ostensibly against "reform." See Soul searching re: Gov't by People Act.

And yet, this is supposed to have nothing to do with Democrats versus Republicans. See November 14, 2014 Forbes magazine article Lawrence Lessig Shows That Today's Political Struggle Has Nothing To Do With Democrats Vs. Republicans. The article states:
The mortal struggle at hand today is not between the right and the left. It is not between Republicans and Democrats. It is not between the Congress and the president. It is between us (currently outsiders to our own government) voters and the Washington Insiders.
How will approaching Members of Congress singly work in the aforesaid environment of ostensible stark partisan divide, where it is supposed to be really about outside voters versus Washington Insiders?

How will it work particularly in light of the Republicans taking control of Congress in the 2014 elections?

Is there going to quiet, behind the scenes, persuasion of some additional Members of Congress that "reform" is not really Democrats versus Republicans, it is really about outside voters versus Washington Insiders, and you can quietly be part of a triumph for the American people that gets their Republic back for them with their barely knowing of the feat?

What about "massive public mobilization? Can the 2015 plan happen without that? See Where's our massive public mobilization?

Some clarification on this could be helpful.

EDIT:
I believe "public mobilization" should be sought. The question is how can it be fomented. MAYDAY has money to spend. Maybe MAYDAY agrees with me and MAYDAY has ideas for how to spend some money to get some public mobilization in 2015. For that, we will have to wait and see.
Can the "tweet to defeat" tweeting campaigns I am advocating (see I tweet to defeat the money monster) contribute to public mobilization? 
Here is what I am currently trying in Alabama. I am tweeting links to this: Scrutinizing Alabama's legislative delegation. Yesterday I got about 140 page views of the link. Do you think if I keep on the path I have started with this tweeting, I will be able to increase the public attention to the subject in Alabama and begin to get public mobilization?


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Wednesday, March 18, 2015

Call of the wild to WolfPAC

I am familiar with WolfPAC's plan and with the mission of the state WolfPAC's to get voters in their states to ask state legislators to make a call for a convention of states.

I am in Alabama and am endeavoring to lend support to the WolfPAC effort in Alabama.

I don't know what tools and activities WolfPAC believes are most effective and doable in trying to carry out its plan.

It seems to me that the louder and the more widespread can be made publicity about the money monster in politics, and the resultant failure of Congress for the American people, the better will be WolfPAC's chances for its plan, and for state leaders to get voters in their states to contact state legislators.

I am trying to get going campaigns to "tweet to defeat the money monster in politics."

The message I have developed to tweet links to is set out at I tweet to defeat the money monster.

In that link, I invite tweeters who are interested in "tweet to defeat," but who prefer an alternative message, to draft the same to link to, which I will be pleased to post on this blog, or they may post their message elsewhere for linking to.

I hope the "tweet to defeat" campaign appeals to WolfPAC supporters, and they will participate in the campaign.

I hope tweeted links to this will be retweeted.

Thanks.
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Tuesday, March 17, 2015

Links I am tweeting in Alabama

In Alabama (where I live), I am tweeting links to Scrutinizing the Alabama legislative delegation (meaning Alabama's two Senators and seven Representatives in Congress).

I am doing this as a start for trying to get engagement of those Senators and Representatives with Alabama voters and with one another on the subjects of "corruption," "reform" and "democracy."

Please see how this fits in with the tweet messaging set out in I tweet to defeat the money monster.

Please consider whether this would be a good approach in your state and whether there is a way for you to do it in your state.
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Monday, March 16, 2015

Supplement to "I tweet to defeat"

This is a supplement to I tweet to defeat the money monster.

Please read Money, votes, organizing, messaging.

Ultimately campaign finance reform is about influencing votes, including votes of regular citizens and votes of lawmakers.

That calls for messaging in as massive a way as possible.

Campaign finance reformers don't need instruction about how money can aid messaging and influence votes. Money buys advertising, including TV, direct mail, phone banks, and door to door canvassing. Money also buys a staff for organizing and making a vote seeking campaign more effective. "Walking around money" can be used to get voters to the polls. Campaign contributions can buy lawmaker votes.

Campaign finance reform organizations have some money to aid in messaging, but that money is minuscule compared to the money arrayed against them. The organizations need to spend their small amount of money as effectively as they can in doing their messaging.

This "tweet to defeat" effort is to try to extend the messaging as broadly as possible without spending money.

Retweets of I tweet to defeat the money monster contribute to the desired messaging.

Tweet storming has been explained to me as a group of tweeters tweeting one or more of several pre-drafted messages of a related tenor, and using a pre-arranged hashtag or hashtags. This also contributes to the desired messaging.

I have little experience in how far the foregoing will go to achieve "massive" broadcasting of the message.

I am urging direct "spamming" of tweets to seek to achieve more "massive" broadcasting.

I know some senders and some recipients will consider this kind of "spamming" objectionable.

For those who have reservations, I would ask you to think about all the money, and all the advertising purchased with such money, which is part and parcel of the "money monster" campaign finance reformers are trying to defeat. When I think about that, I have little qualm about "spamming" on Twitter. I hope you will see it the same way. See Spamming on Twitter.

If you have ideas for how "tweet to defeat" can achieve even greater broadcasting, please pass them along.

Bottom line here is: Your retweets are great, and thank you for those, but can you push yourself and do direct tweeting as well? Please, please do, and, if you feel comfortable about it, please allow me to add your name to the list of those who are tweeting to defeat the money monster.
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Sunday, March 15, 2015

I tweet to defeat the money monster

I tweet to defeat the money monster in politics. You should too.

I have thousands of allies who want to defeat the money monster. You can find many of them at MAYDAY.US, MoveToAmend, Represent.Us, WolfPac, Stamp Stampede, and  NHRebellion and their Twitter accounts @MAYDAY.US, @MoveToAmend, @RepresentDotUs, @WolfPAChq, @StampStampede and @NHRebellion.

Yesterday, Harvard Law Professor Lawrence Lessig announced the launch of stage 2 of MAYDAY's plan  "to build a government of, by and for the people." Professor Lessig articulates as well as anyone why the money monster in politics needs to be defeated for the American people.

He gave an hour long speech yesterday, and when a link to it is on the Internet, the link will be placed here, and you should listen to what Professor Lessig said yesterday. In the meantime, read about the MAYDAY plan at MAYDAY.US and watch this earlier video:



There is ostensibly a stark partisan divide about "campaign finance reform." See Soul searching re: Gov't by People Act. Professor Lessig is adamant there has to be a non-partisan assault on the money monster, and I agree.

Professor Lessig says the small sliver of funders effectively controls the policies of the country, that small sliver has a bias, and the general public interest is ill served in the status quo.

I emphasize the following about why the money monster in politics needs to be defeated:

With willful culpability or not, the political class in Washington DC profits enormously from the status quo, and it would not profit so much from the campaign finance reform Professor Lessig seeks. The DC political class does not want to change and will oppose change.

The status quo results in poor laws being passed from the perspective of the general public, and there is an explanation why. This is because, as to most matters of governmental action (legislation and regulation), in each niche, the interest of a small number of persons is greatly affected, and they are willing to spend large amounts to protect their interest in that niche, and the interest of the general public, on an individual basis, is affected only a little and that does not get translated into campaign contributions and appropriate Congressional support for the public interest in the niche.

The "money monster" in politics results in the lawmakers scrambling to show their donors that the lawmakers did their best to look after the donors' particular interests, and this impedes the enactment of "good" laws that serve the general public interest.

Additionally, the political class in Washington benefits from, and foments, hyper-partisanship in the country because that keeps the American people divided and keeps them from getting their Republic back.

The Washington DC political class, including Congress, has a great aversion to acknowledging the truth of the foregoing. If you ask them a question about it, most of them won't talk about it.

You can see this exemplified if you track through this link: Just answer the question, Gary Palmer. (Gary Palmer is the recently elected Congressman in the Alabama 6th Congressional district.)

On any list of who to tweet to to defeat the money monster in politics, there should be your Senators and Representative in Washington. You should make an inquiry of them in the nature of "Is something fundamentally wrong with Congress?" For ideas about what you might say, see Open letter to Alabama legislation in Washington.

If you write to a Democrat, and the Democrat says, "I am a supporter of campaign finance reform legislation, and it is my Republican colleagues who are obstructionist," you should reply to your Democrat, "If you are in agreement that Congress has failed the American people, you need to say so expressly, and go into Republican districts to enunciate the same. If you don't do that, I am going to think you are just playing party politics." [Listen to the Lessig speech, and Q&A, related to this.]

On the matter of Democrats, please note that Democratic Representative Terri Sewell, in the Alabama 7th Congressional district, would not respond to this letter Dear Representative Sewell, and Professor Mark Lester, the Democratic candidate in the Alabama 6th Congressional district last year, would not respond to this Open letter to Professor Mark Lester.

The starting point in tweeting to defeat the money monster is to show that the political class in Washington DC cares more about its interests than it cares about the interests of the American people, and one way of showing this is Senators and Representatives refusing to talk about the matter or playing political games with it.

I have started my tweeting to defeat the money monster in politics by tweeting links to this webpage.

You should do the same.

If you receive a tweet with a link to this webpage, you have the Twitter name of who tweeted to you.

Those who tweet links to this webpage may elect to put their names on this webpage.

If you read this webpage, please join in yourself by tweeting links to this webpage. Tweet the link to your friends. Tweet the link to your Senators and Representative and their Twitter followers. Once you get started, you will come up with many more persons to tweet links to.

If you wish, provide your name for putting on this webpage as someone who is tweeting to defeat the money monster.

If you would like a different entry than this entry for tweeting links to, please submit what you would like, and that will probably be accommodated.

Update 3/16: Please see Supplement to "I tweet to defeat"

Update 3/17: See Links I am tweeting in Alabama

Update 3/17: Join the "Tweet to Defeat the Money Monster in Politics" Community Page on Facebook

Update 3/19: See MAYDAY's 2015 plan and public mobilization

Update 3/23: See #TweetToDefeatMoney, Tweet Sheet 1

Update 3/23: Discussion commenced on MAYDAY Reddit page

Update 3/27: Report on #TweetToDefeatMoney

The below persons are tweeting to defeat the money monster in politics:

1. Rob Shattuck

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Saturday, March 14, 2015

A messaging plan

Preceding entry: Votes, money, organizing, messaging

[This is posted after Lessig launched phase 2 of the MAYDAY plan. I don't have a link for his speech right now, but when it is available, I will put it here. You should watch the speech in passing judgment on this entry.]

An imperative for doing tweeting campaigns is to have a messaging plan which tweeters will believe in and send tweets for.

This entry is to put something on the table for discussion.

There is ostensibly a stark partisan divide about "campaign finance reform." See Soul searching re: Gov't by People Act. Watch the Lessig speech to decide on whether the tweeting message should be non-partisan. I think it absolutely needs to be.

Lessig says the small sliver of funders effectively controls the policies of the country, that small sliver  has a bias, and the general public interest is ill served in the status quo.

Maybe that should be the central messaging of a tweeting campaign.

I propose a slightly different tack.

I believe, with willful culpablilty or not, the political class in Washington DC profits enormously from the status quo, and it would not profit so much from the campaign finance reform Lessig seeks. The DC political class does not want to change and will oppose change.

Further, the status quo results in poor laws being passed from the perspective of the general public. This is because, as to most matters of governmental action (legislation and regulation), in each niche, the interest of a small number of persons is greatly affected, and they are willing to spend large amounts to protect their interest in that niche, and the interest of the general public, on an individual basis, is affected only a little and that does not get translated into campaign contributions and appropriate Congressional support for the public interest in that niche.

The "money monster" in politics results in all the lawmakers scrambling to show their donors that the lawmakers did their best to look after the donors' particular interests, and this impedes the enactimet of "good" laws that serve the general public interest.

The Washington DC political class, including Congress, has a great aversion to acknowledging the truth of the foregoing. If you ask them a question about it, they won't talk about it.

To see the truth of what I say, please track through this blog entry (and links): Just answer the question, Gary Palmer.

So, here is what I propose for a first step in a campaign to "tweet to defeat" the money monster in politics.

There should be sent to your Senators and Representative in Washington an inquiry in the nature of "Is something fundamentally wrong with Congress?" This could be something along the lines of Open letter to Alabama legislation in Washington.

If you write to a Democrat, and the Democrat says, "I am a supporter of campaign finance reform legislation, and it is my Republican colleagues who are obstructionist," you should reply to your Democrat, "If you are in agreement that Congress has failed the American people, you need to say so expressly, and go into Republican districts to enunciate the same. If you don't do that, I am going to think you are just playing party politics." [Listen to the Lessig speech, and Q&A, related to this.]

On the matter of Democrats, please note that I could not get Democratic Representative Terri Sewell, in the Alabama 7th Congressional district, which is adjacent to my district, to respond to this letter Dear Representative Sewell, and I could not get Professor Mark Lester, the Democratic candidate in my 6th Congressional district, to respond to this Open letter to Professor Mark Lester.

The starting point here is to try to show that the political class in Washington DC cares more about its interests than it cares about the interests of the American people.

What do you think about that for initial messaging in the suggested tweeting campaigns?
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Votes, money, organizing, messaging

Previous entry: Let's start a discussion.

In the end, whether it is this year, or 2016, or after, campaign finance reform is about votes.

It can be votes of a city council passing a resolution recommending overturn of Citizens United, or votes in a Congressional election, or votes of a state legislature to call for a convention of states, or votes in Congress to pass campaign finance reform legislation.

Some votes can depend on other votes, such as a vote in Congress can depend on prior votes which have determined who is in Congress.

A vote in Congress can depend on expectations of how votes will be cast in the next Congressional election.

Campaign finance reformers don't need much instruction on how money can affect votes.

Money buys advertising, including TV, direct mail, phone banks, and door to door canvassing. Money also buys a staff for organizing and making a vote seeking campaign more effective. "Walking around money" can be used to get voters to the polls. Campaign contributions can buy lawmaker votes.

The political voting arena is a gargantuan Tower of Babel, involving numerous important policy issues, thousands of different viewpoints and priorities, and raucous, nonstop barrages of competing commentary and messaging.

What do campaigns to "tweet to defeat" the money monster in politics need in the foregoing environment?

They need lots of tweeters.

They need organizing.

They need unified, effective messaging.

It is better if tweeters don't have a personal problem with "spamming." See Spamming on Twitter.
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Friday, March 13, 2015

Let's start a discussion

Let's start a discussion about campaigns to "tweet to defeat" the money monster in politics.

There are scores of Twitter followers of MAYDAY.US, MoveToAmend, Represent.Us, WolfPac, and Stamp Stampede, who have evidenced interest in campaigns to "tweet to defeat" the money monster in politics. This was evidenced again by retweets, favorites, etc., I received today.

The foregoing organizations have been advised of that interest of their followers, by means of tweets I sent to the organizations having a link to To campaign finance organizations.

MoveToAmend has followed me, presumably in response. The other organizations have not responded.

I don't know whether any of the organizations will provide organizational and promotional support for the suggested tweeting campaigns.

If they won't, I have to consider what is possible without them.

If I want to try without the organizations, I need to lay out my ideas to followers of the organizations for their consideration.

I will proceed to do that.

Next entry: Votes, money, organizing, messaging.
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Thursday, March 12, 2015

To campaign finance reform organizations

TO: MAYDAY.US, MoveToAmend, Represent.Us, WolfPac, Stamp Stampede, NHRebellion and other campaign finance reform organizations

RE: Tweeting campaigns

There are scores of Twitter followers of your organizations who have evidenced interest in campaigns to "tweet to defeat" the money monster in politics.

For more information about this, see my blog entries Tweet to defeat the money monster; How to tweet to defeat the money monster; and Update for retweeters, etc.

I cannot organize these tweeting campaigns on my own, and need your organizing and promotional capacities.

Please evaluate the potential of the suggested tweeting campaigns, consider your available resources, and reach a decision whether you can and wish to provide organizational and promotional support for the suggested tweeting campaigns.

Thank you.
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Wednesday, March 11, 2015

Update for reweeters, etc.

My effort to get tweeting campaigns going is described at Tweet to defeat the money monster and How to tweet to defeat the money monster.

I have had many retweets and favorites by followers of MAYDAY.US, MoveToAmend, Represent.Us, WolfPac, and Stamp Stampede.

The key to this is to get organizational help and promotion of tweeting campaigns by these organizations (and of other organizations as well).

I am trying to get the attention of organizations to do  this. I have not yet achieved satisfactory success.

To those who have retweeted me or favorited me and who want something to happen, I urge you to communicate to your organization that you think they should provide organizational help and promotion of tweeting campaigns to be carried on by their supporters.


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Friday, March 6, 2015

How to tweet to defeat the money monster

I have posted entries which solicit tweeting to defeat the money monster in politics. See Tweet to defeat the money monster.

Some billions of dollars will be spent in the 2016 election cycle, and go to feed the money monster.

A few organizations are battling the monster. The organizations have a little money, but that money doesn't have a chance without massive grassroots caring by voters, who are willing to do things which show they care.

This will be very hard to achieve.

The organizations are trying their best. They know how hard it is to get voters to care and to show they care.

One way is for the organizations to get petitions signed by voters.

More, however, is needed. Petitions don't take much effort to sign, there are petitions about many different things, and campaign finance reformers should seek more emphatic manifestations of voters caring about defeating the money monster in politics.

I offer the tweeting campaigns I am trying to get going.

Can they happen?

I don't know, but let me endeavor to keep you informed of the effort going on.

If tweeting campaigns are to happen, they need organizing, and the organizing needs to be done by or through one or more of the organizations fighting against the money monster. This takes a decision by an organization that tweeting campaigns are worth trying, and that resources will be used to promote them. I am urging to the organizations that they do this, but, to my knowledge, none have made a decision to promote tweeting campaigns.

To encourage the organizations, I am undertaking to find willingness to tweet among followers of the organizations. I have sent hundreds of tweets to followers of @MAYDAY.US, @MoveToAmend, and @WolfPAChq. These have resulted in over 2000 page views of Tweet to defeat the money monster and a lot of retweets, favorites, and other responses. Some WolfPAC followers in Washington, Missouri, and California have expressed a willingness to do tweeting and I have passed that information to the Wolf PAC state leaders for those states.

I am now tweeting links to this blog entry.

I will particularly tweet again to those who have previously retweeted or favorited me, and give a link to this entry.

This is the only way I know how to try to build this.

I hope further willingness to tweet is indicated by followers of the organizations. I will pass that information along as well to the organizations. Even better is for those followers to contact their organizations themselves and say they would like to see tweeting campaigns conducted.

Slowly, something may begin to happen.

Update 3/8
I am working my way through sending links to this entry to @WolfPAChq followers. Also, I have sent these email messages to the WolfPAC state leaders of Missouri, California, Washington, Florida, and Ohio:
Dear Missouri state leader,
Please allow me to introduce myself by means of this blog entry of mine: Tweet to defeat the money monster.
In doing my tweeting, I came upon a Wolf PAC follower in Missouri who expressed an interest in doing tweeting such as I am suggesting.
If you would like to follow up on this, and I can help you out, please let me know.
Sincerely,

Dear Alison,
Please allow me to inform you of The Campaign Finance Reformers Blog and, in particular, of tweeting campaigns that I am trying to get going as described in the blog entry Tweet to defeat the money monster.
In doing my tweeting, I came upon a Wolf PAC follower in California who expressed an interest in doing tweeting such as I am suggesting.
If you would like to consider the idea of a Wolf PAC tweeting campaign in California, and I can help you out, please let me know.
Thank you.
Sincerely,

Dear Jeff,
Please allow me to inform you of The Campaign Finance Reformers Blog and, in particular, of tweeting campaigns that I am trying to get going as described in the blog entry Tweet to defeat the money monster.
In doing my tweeting, I came upon a Wolf PAC follower in Washington state who expressed an interest in doing tweeting such as I am suggesting.
If you would like to consider the idea of a Wolf PAC tweeting campaign in Washington state, and I can help you out, please let me know.
Thank you.
Sincerely,

Dear Erik,
Please allow me to inform you of The Campaign Finance Reformers Blog and, in particular, of tweeting campaigns that I am trying to get going as described in the blog entry Tweet to defeat the money monster.
In doing my tweeting, I came upon a Wolf PAC follower in Florida who expressed an interest in doing tweeting such as I am suggesting.
If you would like to consider the idea of a Wolf PAC tweeting campaign in Florida, and I can help you out, please let me know.
Thank you.
Sincerely,

Dear Chris, [sent 3/9]
Please allow me to inform you of The Campaign Finance Reformers Blog and, in particular, of tweeting campaigns that I am trying to get going as described in the blog entry Tweet to defeat the money monster.
In doing my tweeting, I came upon a Wolf PAC follower in Ohio who expressed an interest in doing tweeting such as I am suggesting.
I am aware of the Wolf PAC plan and the mission of state leaders to get voters in the state to urge their state legislators to pass a call for a convention of states. 
I live in Alabama and have contacted the Alabama state leader. I am interested in learning about the Wolf PAC effort being made in Alabama and whether a tweeting campaign could be a helpful component of the effort.
I have also been communicating to Wolf PAC followers outside of Alabama to push my idea in other states as well.
I have not yet been able to engage in discussion with any Wolf PAC state leader about my idea. This email is part of trying to do that. If there is anyone on the Wolf-PAC Ohio team I could have a discussion with, please advise me.
Thank you.
Sincerely,

Update 3/10
I have sent links to this entry to followers of Represent.Us. I have had about 20 retweets. I have not had a response from my contact at Represent.Us to the email I sent him which is posted on my Tweet to defeat the money monster blog entry.

Update #2  3/10
I have started sending links to this entry to followers of StampStampede.

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Thursday, March 5, 2015

The Campaign Finance Reformers Blog

I have changed the name of this blog to "The Campaign Finance Reformers Blog." (Previously, the blog title was "The MAYDAY Supporters Blog.")

There are numerous organizations besides MAYDAY.US, such as MoveToAmend, Represent.Us, WolfPac, Stamp Stampede and NHRebellion, that have a common objective of defeating the money monster in politics and regaining the Republic for all the citizens.

These organizations have different focuses of action.

MAYDAY is at work on a plan to elect a reform minded Congress in 2016. Other groups are also pushing for Congressional passage of reform legislation.

Move To Amend is trying to get a constitutional amendment to overturn the Citizens United decision, by working from the bottom up and getting city councils and state legislatures to pass resolutions urging such a constitutional amendment.

Represent.Us is seeking to get anti-corruption measures passed at local governmental levels.

Wolf PAC is trying to get states to call a convention of states under Article V and pass a Free and Fair Elections Amendment to the Constitution. Wolf PAC is seeking a convention of states because it believes Congress cannot be looked to to do the job. At the same time, Wolf PAC has taken note of historical precedent of Congress acting to pass a constitutional amendment when under pressure from a realistic threat of a convention of states being called. On its website, it says, "The threat of a convention is the strongest message we can send and the most effective way to restore our democracy in the United States."

Surveying the activities of these organizations, I think the consensus would be that defeating the money monster in politics needs the maximum pressure, on as many fronts, and as from as many quarters, as possible, including especially from average voters.

The hardest part of all of this, it seems to me, is getting average voters to care, and to show the politicians that the voters care.

I think the best way to achieve that is for average voters to see that other average voters care and are making efforts to do something about it.

Whether anything will accomplish the desired objective cannot be known in advance. I am sure the organizations are trying their best. They know how hard it is to get average voters to show they care and to do things showing they care. Petitions are one way, but probably more than just petitions is needed. Petitions are easy to sign, there are many petitions about many different things, and campaign finance reformers should look for more emphatic manifestations of average voters caring about defeating the money monster in politics.

I have been personally working on trying to get tweeting campaigns going. See Tweet to defeat the money monster.

I hope one or more of the above organizations will promote tweeting campaigns. I have been urging the organizations to do so, and I am tweeting to their followers and members directly to solicit interest and participation.

I believe that changing my blog title will allow me to make better communication to the organizations and their members and followers, concerning what I am doing.
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