Climbing Everest: Get Money Out’s Next Steps
November 15, 2011Hey,
It’s been a few weeks, so let’s catch up.
We live in a system of legalized bribery. You and I have committed to end it. This is a monumental task that will be achieved exclusively by our ability to form a massive, singularly focused coalition. And that’s what we’re doing.
Like climbing Everest, a variety of resources, skills, and equipment are critical to success. Climbing the highest mountain in the world alone is impossible, but together, people climb it every year.
Today on my show we’ll be announcing that we’re growing our team. We’re adding resources and deep expertise from people who know how to reform democratic systems and are organized to help us do it. Specifically, we’re merging Get Money Out into a group called United Republic, who noticed the same thing we all did – our government is bought.
So let me introduce the team.
Joining Jimmy Williams as the three principals at United Republic will be Josh Silver and Nick Penniman. I’ve known Nick for years. He and I first met when he was running an investigative journalism unit for the Huffington Post, exposing the powers behind the financial crisis. Josh, who I’ve recently gotten to know and like, is the former founder and CEO of Free Press, the nation’s largest media reform group.
United Republic is forging a bigger, bolder movement to end our current, corrupt way of financing politics in this country. Get Money Out will be their first campaign. And they have already forged an alliance with Lawrence Lessig’s Rootstrikers. Countless other organizations, from the People for the American Way to the Committee for Economic Development, to the Goo Goo Dolls, are with us.
United Republic is looking for lots of volunteers like you. In the weeks ahead, we will be asking you to tell us how you want to help, and how we can help you. Like climbing Everest, we need lots of different skills and a shared goal.
United Republic will be coalition building, organizing across the country, as well as issuing grants to home-grown activists to help give you the resources to get our work done.
Using my show as a platform, I plan to highlight you and your work, hosting the debates that need to be had, and grilling those who dare to stand in the way of reform.
I believe that this is the most important fight of our era. Gather yourself. Forward this note to your friends and family, so they know what’s coming and can join. Facebook it. Tweet it. Tell the world.
It starts with us.
If you have thoughts or comments, you can email me here, find me on Twitter @DylanRatigan, or join the discussion on our Facebook page.
Dylan
This is a good goal. Right now giant corporations are the only ones who have politicians' attention, because they use their money to buy influence. If the great majority of people organize into one large group, our numbers alone give us the potential to match corporate money and clout. We can "buy" our own voice in the process, only instead of using our voice to tear down the economy, the environment and the health and safety interests of the public, we can speak and act to help heal the country. If we don't band together in this way, we simply don't stand a chance against corporation domination. This is the only viable solution.
We must run a 3rd party independent ticket of noncorruptible individuals of hi integrity to destroy the 2 party system. Progressives unite in endorsing and campaigning the "Lose your chains" 2012 ticket of Ralph Nader/Michael Moore for Pres/VP in opposition to the Republican and democratice establishment.
I posted the following on my Facebook page: This is a good goal – worth reading and listening to what Dylan Ratigan has to say on his show. Right now giant corporations are the only ones who have politicians' attention, because they use their money to buy influence. If the great majority of people organize into one large group, our numbers alone give us the potential to match corporate money and clout. We can "buy" our own voice in the process, but instead of using our voice to tear down the economy, the environment and the health and safety interests of the public, we can use any influence we gain to help heal the country. I see this kind of organizing as our only viable option.
Progressive Anarchists are opposed to organizing as this will stifle our creativity
Saul, I think if United Republic, or any similar group, were put together in the most democratic way possible, in a way that emphasizes real equality for all its members, it might not stifle creativity. I think it should be modeled after the Occupy movement in its respect for every person as a leader. It might include a forum where everybody could offer ideas for keeping the group's thinking from turning into "groupthink." I think one reason the U.S. has turned into an oligarchy is because the founders didn't think through ways to prevent staleness and to keep power from concentrating in the hands of few.
Get it out is an awsome idea the only bad thing is that theree are parts of money that are good yet t to many tjat r very very very bad soy this in a light way is a double edge sword but absolutely yes the money the unhumanely big money is discustingly wrong yet there is apoint on this soawrd that is being forgoten and that is the medias side of all this sorry I havent signed your potion yet but I will recall walker amd yes im a conservative liberal or else a liberal conservatove which ever sounds best let us please just start voting on policy not party
Dylan, United Republic sounds like a terrific idea, but does the group really need a president AND a CEO? How many V.P.'s are there? What's the total executive management payroll relative to program expenses? How much of a $100 donation would go to doing the real work of the group and not into the pockets of administrators?
Big government is Good,,, Government is administrative overhead,, ergo administrative overhead is Good…. Need lots of it to get bigger and bigger benefits.= Big bucks$ from Big Government.
One way to help keep United Republic from authoritarianism and inner corruption would be to have a small panel of leaders instead of letting the leadership be concentrated in one or two all-powerful people, and to have that panel rotate often. It could be similar to Occupy groups, where everybody is a leader and large numbers of members are ready to take over top positions as they rotate. The group could be dedicated to educating ALL its members and could be structured in a way that makes it hard for any one individual (or any one small group) to gain too much power or to profit individually.