Hey guys! Sorry for being on hiatus for a month or two; between moving, the COVID breakout, and trying to figure out a good direction for the site, things have been busy. During the lockdown, I’ve been doing my best to spend as much time with my daughter as possible, catching up on reading books, watching the riots in sheer awe, and trying to continue school. Another reason for the delay is switching podcasting platforms; the current one I’m using is fine, however, it isn’t cost effective, and with starting another podcast, just isn’t the correct choice.
I’m happy to say, however, I’ve been still working in the dark on the site:
· I have an interview coming up with a buddy of mine on the forefront (at least here in Minnesota) of the gerrymandering front (if you don’t know what this is, please visit this wiki page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerrymandering). On this episode, him and I will discuss what gerrymandering is, the importance of it, and how to limit or completely get rid of it. This will be my first ever interview, so I’m not sure how well/bad it will go, but my thoughts are it will go well and be a lot of fun doing. Here is a brief except from my current show notes:
Gerrymandering- manipulate the boundaries of (an electoral constituency) so as to favor one party or class. (essentially, the ability to draw districts in such a manner that your respective party can win a majority of the seats by securing less than a majority of the votes)
PACKING- A packed district is drawn to include as many of the opposing party’s voters as possible. That helps the governing party win surrounding districts where the opposition’s strength has been diluted to create the packed district.
CRACKING/CRACKED- Cracking does the opposite: It splits up clusters of opposition voters among several districts, so that they will be outnumbered in each district.
Cut from: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/27/us/what-is-gerrymandering.html
The majority opinion, written by Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. and joined by four other conservative justices, said that in order for judges to evaluate claims of partisan gerrymandering, they would need “a limited and precise standard” that would be “clear, manageable, and politically neutral.” But no one had proposed one, the court said.
The court noted that it was not condoning or endorsing partisan gerrymandering. Rather, it said that Congress and the states had the power to deal with the issue.
· That same friend and I are working on a little group, titled “Patching up Democracy”; here is a little preview (this is also in the very early stages, so this is subject to change/evolve as we see fit):
Dear friends and supporters,
In our current political climate, we are bombarded with hate mongering and unethical rhetoric. Our leaders play into partisan politics instead of focusing on solving some of our greatest issues. The vitriolic nature of our political climate has left me, and many others, feeling disheartened and disgusted.
It is because of this negativity that I would like to start an organization that counters the damage with open conversation and a critical analysis of policies. Engaging friends like yourself in a grassroots group can encourage ethical participation in our democracies. By understanding and upholding principles that make a strong republic in our public lives we can fight against threats like racism, fascism, and populism.
The scope of what we do does not need to change the world. It is enough to remember that how you act and look upon the world ripples to all those around you. The power of that ripple combined with methods of introspection can help strengthen all of our communities.
These are just a few ideas about how the group could operate.
* Each week we pick a policy to analyze. We would rip the policy apart on facts, biases, ideologies, etc etc. As we go through this, we would stick to principles the group established in order to properly moderate ourselves.
*We focus on how people are involved in their communities, how they could be participate in local elections, what careers in politics look like, how to behave in ethical ways. Etc etc
* We bring up topics of political philosophy and debate how these impact our modern political climate and what aspects may be best to act on for a just and effective republic.
These are just a few ideas I have, but I welcome everyone’s input. In addition, I would help found the organization, but I do not need to lead it alone. Anyone else can step up and build officer positions to build the organization into something open, welcoming, and diverse.
· I do want to start to interview local politicians, but with how small the site is so far, that may be a challenge. I’m going to start advertising again, but the best, most efficient way to grow the site and podcast is simply by sharing/retweeting/reviewing. I hate bringing this up, but unfortunately that’s the way the current system is set up. I encourage you all to share and tell your friends about what we’re doing; with the support of you, we can achieve great things.
· Lastly- a BIG thanks to those who have supported this journey thus far. This is a rather large step for me personally, and part of the reason why it’s been a slow going is from sheer anxiety of being in the spotlight (for lack of a better term) and trying to promote myself and my site on a statewide and national level. In todays political climate, you have more people attacking you (personally, too) vs actually being critical and having a conversation. I genuinely think what we are doing can change the way politics is viewed, we are encouraging conversation, encouraging thinking, encouraging analytical thinking, and bringing rational, civil debate back to the center of American politics. Please, stay safe out there, try not to riot, and continue to check back in!
Alexx