Bob Metcalfe, Acrimony & 3rd Parties

Bob Metcalfe was PopTech’s host-moderator last week. He co-founded this wonderful conference with John Sculley and I love it for its focus on the intersection of technology and humanity. I’ve also enjoyed the partisan jousting and banter between Metcalfe, the token house Republican and an audience overwhelmingly Democratic and passionately anti-Bush. While in the past, the one-line zingers, in either direction, were mostly good-natured and funny, this year the banter often bordered on heckling and were often rude and tasteless or so it seemed to me. Once, it got downright ugly as an attendee interrupted Metcalfe on stage with insinuations that the president was a coke-head. Metcalfe, handled the awkward moment with class, but you could see his chagrin. And catcalls seemed to be an ugly response to Metcalfe’s lighter comments such as urging Democrats to vote on Nov. 9 (one-week late).

I managed to talk with Metcalfe at the event reception that night and we both admitted we were equally disgusted with our flawed presidential selection system and each of us wished our selective parties could offer better candidates than we seem to get, and that candidates could discuss issues thoughtfully and constructively. Metcalfe and I realized that we both agreed with each other on more things than with either candidate. Metcalfe said he was surprised at how completely he agreed with Joe Trippi who sees the time ripening for a real third party and the possible rapid disintegration of either or both the current Republican and Democratic parties. Trippi also see all candidates in our current system as egomaniacs more bent on being elected, than serving the common good; more beholden to money interests than constituent needs.

Surely America deserves better choices than the ones we are getting and surely our experience and technology can devise a better system for campaigning, nominating and electing and we both conceded that we were riper for a third party than we had ever been. I asked Metcalfe if he would ever run for office and he looked at me as if I were insane. That’s one of the problems with our system—you need to be nuts to run. The hours suck. You have no privacy. Your competitors will distort every action you take and the cost of reelection seems to be the primary activity following initial election.

Metcalfe and I agreed that most people have a sincere interest in truth and governmental fair play. Both sides denigrate the other beyond rational levels. Campaign financing is corruptive to the system. Surely, there must be an avenue to improve the system and to draw our best and brightest citizens to serve in some offices at least for a while.

Driving back to Boston after the conference, I wondered more about a third party. How would a new party evade the pitfalls of the incumbent duopoly? How does it raise money without being beholden to large contributors? Can you be elected by demonstrating vision, leadership and a willingness to serve? How does a candidate hear the voices of everyday people when there are so many voices saying so many things?

I have no answers, but I think it is time to start asking the questions.

Comments

[Shannon Clark]

Shel,

I think re a third party that while money is seemingly always the focus, as is usually a national campaign (president mostly), that this is not the approach that will succeed.

Rather, a successful third party will arise out of local elections - but with some national focus and agenda. With success at the local level will come a base of candidates, staff, volunteers, and yes eventually money and resources (mailing lists, physical spaces, web servers, donated jets, SMS message servers etc).

My personal choice for such a third party would be a "Centrist Progressive" party - one that embraced the role of the US in the world, but also understood the need for a government trampoline to get people back on their feet and a safety net to protect those who can't protect themselves.

I am very active in one non-partisan public policy group that is doing some of the public policy work that could lead to such a movement in the future - the group is Hope Street Group (http://www.hopestreetgroup.org). I encourage you to take a look at what they are working on, volunteers are quite welcome.

Importantly, however, HSG is not focused on foreign policy (except for a small amount of work around trade). A new party would have to take positions on national security and defence, though by focusing on local elections first, international issues could be explored more slowly and carefully.

My view of a progressive party would be one that starts by:

- challenging incombants, especially ones in Gerrymandered districts

- works to get a stake in local elected bodies (including cities and villages), especially those that could help simplify/ease election laws and/or vigorously enforce good election laws (see Florida for the importance of county commissioners)

- build up a large base by offering many ways to be and stay involved, once in office retain an active constituancy and use elected office in part as an opportunity to instruct the base on the details of government and governing.

- From this expand the base of candidates, while also providing political cover and protection for candidates with complex pasts and actual experience/expertise as well as character.

- Be deeply engaged in the details of government as well as the "big ideas" - find ways to work with other parties and get things accomplished - it is unlikely, especially while there are three main parties, that any one party will control all branches of government either at the local, state or federal level - so learn how to work across parties while achieving core progressive goals.

- Build up associated with the party not just volunteers but intellectual capital and resources. Some of these may already exist (The New Republic for example while generally right leaning may be centrist enough to be embrased by a Progressive part). This will serve as a counterpoint to the 527's, PACs and established think tanks/magazines/newspapers.

- If it doesn't already exist build it (find a way to fund it) and get it out there - i.e. newspapers, books, radio shows, websites, blogs, wikis, whatever.

We live in exciting times...

Great talking with you at PopTech btw.

Shannon

[shel israel]

Shannon,

Thanks for this. We started to discuss your thoughts at PopTech and I wish we had continued. There's logic to what you argue here, and power in its potential.

-S.