Today we opened registration for the National Presidential Caucus!
Firing on all cylinders and taking monumental leaps. We’re up and we’re going to make it stick.
Go America go!
REGISTRATION FOR THE NATIONAL PRESIDENTIAL CAUCUS IS NOW OPEN!
Americans Everywhere On December 7, 2007 To Participate In Local Discussions To Express Views And Learn More About The Candidates And The Issues
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sausalito, CA & Washington, DC — September 13, 2007 — The National Presidential Caucus (NPC) today announces registration is now open for voters to freely organize local caucuses across the nation. Caucus groups will meet in thousands of towns across the nation, led and attended by everyday citizens who’ll gather in small groups to wrap their arms around the candidates and the issues — before they’re confronted by the frontloaded primary calendar.
There will be a preliminary Straw Poll & Caucus Warm-up on Friday, November 9, 2007 and then National Caucus Day will be Friday, December 7, 2007. Both events will be held anytime between 3-8 pm local time.
Voters with an interest in starting or finding a local caucus are encouraged to sign up @ http://www.nationalcaucus.com
‘’We’re excited to be part of the renewal or even the reinvention of American democracy,'’ says Don Means, event coordinator for The National Presidential Caucus. ‘’This historic moment, when the stakes are enormous, is a profound opportunity for the country. We believe a far higher level of citizen engagement, speaking openly face to face, is necessary to tap the inherent genius of our system and reach that more perfect union.'’
The objectives of The NPC are to level the playing field by giving voice to the electorate outside the realm of media-driven polls — and to slow the Primary rush to judgment as the nation heads into a de facto ‘’national primary'’ on February 5th, 2007. The National Caucus is an antidote for primary frontloading.
The NPC aims to amplify the voice of the voter locally by empowering them to easily find and participate in local Republican Caucuses to discuss republican candidates and issues, Democrat Caucuses to discuss democrat candidates and issues, and Open Caucuses to discuss any and all candidates and issues.
The NPC aims to amplify the voice of the voter nationally by aggregating and reporting on both data and issue and candidate preferences collected on http://www.nationalcaucus.com, as well as via exit polls after the caucuses.
The NPC is at the pinnacle of how the Internet is transforming politics and the electoral process, which is accelerating and unpredictable. The NPC is embracing the national trend in the rise of volunteerism, expanding on the estimated 5 million people who used the Internet to organize or participate in a political meetup, house party or town hall meeting during the 2003-2004 election cycle.
The NPC will recommend the use of top online tools to give caucuses an active voice, including:
* Enabling participants to capture and broadcast their caucus meetings live on the Internet on Ustream.tv;
* Showcasing videos submitted by participants to the dedicated National Caucus channel on YouTube;
* Providing a platform for live web-based discussions and deliberations on ekkoTV.com for individuals who cannot make it to a local Caucus but still wish to participate in the national event;
* Empowering people to become ‘’co-chairs'’ of the NPC Facebook Group to help drum up more interest online, and beyond;
* Encouraging people who are already part of active ‘’Meetup'’ groups on Meetup.com to add the caucus dates into their monthly event schedules.
In addition, The NPC is collaborating with Reframe It Inc. and the Stanford Center For Deliberative Democracy to ‘’reframe'’ the presidential campaign. Through Reframe It Inc.’s innovative technology, noted authorities and everyday citizens will be able to place and read comments that will appear along-side the Presidential Candidate sites in a special side-margin. All caucus participants will be able to review these comments before they go to their local caucus events.
NPC is endorsed by Americans for Campaign Reform Co-Chairs former senators Warren Rudman (R-NH) and Bill Bradley (D-NJ) and a host of other political operatives, academics, business leaders and political scientists from both sides of the aisle, including:
* Howard Rheingold, Author, Smart Mobs
* Mike Turk, E-Campaign Director, Bush/Cheney ‘04
* Phil Noble, Founder, Politics Online
* James Fishkin, Director, Center for Deliberative Democracy
* Bob Fertik, President, Democrats.com
* Tim Draper, Founder, Managing Director, Draper Fisher Jurvetson
* Dr. Larry J. Sabato, Director, Center for Politics, Univ. of Virginia
* Peverill Squire, Professor, Political Science, University of Iowa
* Doug Bailey, CEO, Unity ‘08
* Jim Dean, Chair, Democracy for America
* Carol Darr, Director, GW’s Institute for Politics, Democracy & The Internet
* David All of the David All Group and founder of TechRepublican.com
NPC’s partners and supporting organizations include:
* Stanford University’s Center for Deliberative Democracy
* Politics Online
* University of Virginia’s Center for Politics
* Democracy for America
* Unity ‘08
* The National Coalition for Dialogue and Deliberation
* Americans for Campaign Reform: Just$6
* TechRepublican.com
* Democrats.com
#30#
CONTACT:
Myles Weissleder
National Presidential Caucus
myles@mylermedia.com
http://www.nationalcaucus.com/launch_release
