I say let's invite the Dem Chair Candidates here.

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

Hey Skin-skin, elad, EarlG! Let's get these Dem Party Chair guys to stick their camel noses in under OUR tent. Let's setup some kind of question and answer thing with them. Let the engage us, the activist wing, right here.

I cannot think of a more appropriate place for them to meet us and us meet them.

And who better to moderate/lead that but our fave-rave author, raconteur, bon vivant, all around good guy and noted Scotch connoisseur?

You guys know who I mean. ;-)

Format? Hey, you are the tech weenies. Make it so. :D

[janx]

1. What a great idear!

Excellent idea, TS.

[Sugarbleus]

26. I agree!

n/t

[goclark]

2. I think that would be a good idea!

I saw Webb from Colorado and Fowler on CSPAN this morning.
They were answering questionsx that were called in from the audience.

This would be the same format.
We post the questions and they post their answers.
Our format is better because they have a reasonable amount of time to think about the way they want to frame their answers.

My question would be how would we make it fair to all the candidates?

Would there be a set number of posts that they could respond to?

[scarletwoman]

3. Yes yes yes!!!! BRILLIANT idea!

Love the "camel noses" bit also! :7

I remember way back in 2001 when we had a live online chat here with Mark Crispin Miller (author of The Bush Dyslexicon), so we KNOW it can be done!

Make it so, indeed! :bounce:

sw

[MoonRiver]

4. Wow, wouldn't that be awesome!

I wonder how many would participate. Those who opted out would totally reveal themselves as DINOs. NO MORE DINO LEADERS!

[necso]

5. It would be difficult,

I think, to maintain the "decorum" of such an event without passing the questions through some "moderator" -- who would be subject to a certain amount of grief. And how would the questions be selected to pass on to the candidates?

Maybe we should just make a list of questions and see if the various candidates will respond (within set limits perhaps).

...Just some thoughts -- what actual changes the Chair will be able to make is unclear to me.

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

6. That is why I suggested a moderator.

n/t

[janx]

7. Yep. That's the way it's done, normally.

A list of questions goes to a moderator who then chooses some and forwards them to the candidates.

[necso]

8. I didn't read my post as saying otherwise.

Indeed, I read it as reinforcing the point by illustrating a downside to doing without a moderator.

But selection of questions still remains an issue, and I can see grievances arising out of this. And how do we ensure any kind of "fairness" in those questions, to say nothing of ensuring that the important points are always covered?

I am not opposed to the idea, I am just concerned about its form.

Perhaps we could have some set questions and others to follow -- although I still expect grievances to arise when questions are not forwarded.

[Stinky The Clown]

10. Pose the questions here and have a poll

[necso]

11. In the general sense,

I am fine with that idea... or something like it. Perhaps some scoring system could be used to choose questions (like select your x-number of favorites from a list).

But I haven't thought about it enough to decide whether I might have any questions. However, there are certainly other members who are less cynical than I am.

I do have serious concerns about organization resistance and things like that... and about what amount of attempted change (by the Chair) might plunge the "system" into chaos.

Yeah, we need to have a more effective Chair, and one who is more "in-tune", but I am not sure what this means in practical terms.

But that's just me.

[janx]

18. Well, this idea might provide a good opportunity to ask those

questions, yep?

[necso]

20. Perhaps,

but without knowing the specific details, I, for one, could only pose generic questions, the answers to which might give some idea of a person's ability to deal with the challenges that he might face. Moreover, in my experience, you can really only judge a person when he is "under fire" -- and that "fire" specifically of the kind that he will have to deal with.

And to be frank, I think that reforming the Democratic Party (to the degree that it needs to be) is not something that the Chair will be able to do. Rather, I believe that some large, powerful organization must play this role by acting both within and outside of the Party.

And while it might seem that the person "leading" this organization would be a natural for the Chair, I feel that the position of Chair may well be both too compromising and too distracting for this actually to work.

However, I say this from a "systems" point of view and I am woefully unfamiliar with the personalities, environment and "processes" that a Chair will have to deal with.

It might be best to have a Chair that just goes along with the flow -- and change the heck out of that flow.

But, again, I am a hardened cynic and there is always the possibility that I am being a little too cynical... I can concede this -- even if I do not believe it.

However, many people seem to have strong feelings about the Chair, and I am not looking to stir up a fuss. And since I do not wish to dampen anyone's enthusiasm, it is probably best if I STFU.

[bush_is_wacko]

9. They have to be aware of the existence

of this forum! They are getting emails and letters from many of us. why is it do you think they are not already here? some of the posts on this site are brilliant! Our entire system of government has become almost a hand-me-down. If your brother, husband, father, mother, etc. held the position of senator, president, representative, you can do it too! Very few un-connected people ever get into office anymore. they don't want to admit that there are many "ordinary" Americans more qualified for office than they are! I would love to see them realize this site is a valuable tool for the party and not a threat to it's existence!

On edit: I really don't have the energy to edit my misspellings and punctuation errors anymore, they are far too numerous!

[janx]

13. Dean is aware of the existence of this forum.

That much I know. And he is very much dedicated to supporting "ordinary" Americans who are inclined to run for office.

[bush_is_wacko]

21. Dean...I should have known!

He is the closests representative of the working class American in all of politics! I like him and I was po'd when our own party knocked him along w/ the repukes for acting like real people do when they are excited and really mean what they say! I sound just like him when I'm arguing politics. Some of us appreciate that kind of patriotism.

[LSdemocrat]

12. Why would they come? We don't have a vote.

[janx]

14. In a way, we do. We have an obligation to express our views to

the DNC committee people from our states who will vote.

Edit: See this thread for more information:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x1423991

[blondeatlast]

15. I like it, I like it indeed.

If they still think we're a "fringe" group, they really need to pay lots more attention.

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

16. We are many things...

The one thing we are not is "fringe". Our concerns fall smack in the middle.

In spite of what frothers might think.

[Lefty48197]

17. Why? So they can be attacked by those that support another candidate?

Without mentioning any names, I'm pretty sure the supporters of certain candidates would slander the other candidates.

[Radical Activist]

19. That would kick so much ass

yes it would need a moderator. The suggestion someone made about a list of questions would be good. I guess we'd have to take a poll on what questions to include. These people should tell us what they would do, even if none of us have any role in getting them elected.

[Name removed]

22. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[janx]

23. Really.........?

Where?

[Name removed]

24. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[janx]

25. I've been around here enough to know that those are rare,

relatively speaking. So I don't agree with you, sorry.

[Name removed]

27. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Liberty Belle]

28. Great idea! ":kick: