5 ms·

I'm curious, what is the agenda of this group? Bringing meaningful change is rather vague

verst 10y ago
Honestly, I can't represent it well. Let's just say that we are all good human beings committed to making things better for all of us. Very politically active individuals with deep government experience and connections.
- memset 10y ago
  Hello! I (as a non-politically-connected technologist) have been bouncing around ideas for how to become more active. Would you be amenable to my sending a note asking for advice?
- jgord 10y ago
  How the hell do we get the money out of politics and the democracy back in ? The DNC also seems almost in a stalemate due to this cancer - under the survival pressure they evolved into a fundraising outfit beholden to big money, and they have not rallied at all post election defeat. They don't seem to understand they can represent Dems and get funded in $27 increments... and win over large swathes of young supporters if they just change their mindset. I think at this point the only hope to replace the old-timers with less-infected newcomers but that will take us to 2018, when we need a strong and vibrant and well organised opposition, urgently.
  - yeukhon 10y ago
    > How the hell do we get the money out of politics and the democracy back in ? Don't take this negatively, but you lost your argument when you said "get funded in $27 increments." You are already going back to money. Crowdfunding / crowd donation works really well when people are running for major elections like the Presidential election or the governor race. When it comes to your own district's representative, you can't find hundreds to fund them through crowd funding. You just can't for every representative. Maybe for NYC, but what about that rural area in Maine? You need to rely on big donators and getting money from your party. Where does your party money come from? Membership and donations. You don't actually need to go to the big corps because the people who are the most likely to donate to you are the locals, business owners who held prestige roles and titles in the community/district. They won't donate 1M but they will donate 10K, 20K by getting their uncles and aunts to send you checks. Actually, little do some people know, Dem and GOP each has a building in D.C. where Congressmen and Congresswomen would sit in a designated cubicle cold calling voters. That's the worst kind of job one can get. Also, don't ignore the older folks. Not every non-20-ish years old men and women voters voted Trump, there were plenty sided with Bernie Sanders, just to be fair and respectful.
- camus2 10y ago
  > Let's just say that we are all good human beings committed to making things better for all of us. If by all of us you mean the world then it would be nice to start with a change in US foreign policy. Less of "beacon of the free world" rhetoric and less "moral obligation" to fuck up the rest of the planet, please. You dropped way too much bombs on innocent people already.
  - ihuman 10y ago
    I don't think federal government employees working in various technology aspects have the ability to directly influence US foreign policy
    - uptime 10y ago
      Mr. Snowden would like to have a word with you... (not what you meant but I couldn't resist)

verst 10y ago

Honestly, I can't represent it well. Let's just say that we are all good human beings committed to making things better for all of us. Very politically active individuals with deep government experience and connections.

memset 10y ago
Hello! I (as a non-politically-connected technologist) have been bouncing around ideas for how to become more active. Would you be amenable to my sending a note asking for advice?
jgord 10y ago
How the hell do we get the money out of politics and the democracy back in ? The DNC also seems almost in a stalemate due to this cancer - under the survival pressure they evolved into a fundraising outfit beholden to big money, and they have not rallied at all post election defeat. They don't seem to understand they can represent Dems and get funded in $27 increments... and win over large swathes of young supporters if they just change their mindset. I think at this point the only hope to replace the old-timers with less-infected newcomers but that will take us to 2018, when we need a strong and vibrant and well organised opposition, urgently.
- yeukhon 10y ago
  > How the hell do we get the money out of politics and the democracy back in ? Don't take this negatively, but you lost your argument when you said "get funded in $27 increments." You are already going back to money. Crowdfunding / crowd donation works really well when people are running for major elections like the Presidential election or the governor race. When it comes to your own district's representative, you can't find hundreds to fund them through crowd funding. You just can't for every representative. Maybe for NYC, but what about that rural area in Maine? You need to rely on big donators and getting money from your party. Where does your party money come from? Membership and donations. You don't actually need to go to the big corps because the people who are the most likely to donate to you are the locals, business owners who held prestige roles and titles in the community/district. They won't donate 1M but they will donate 10K, 20K by getting their uncles and aunts to send you checks. Actually, little do some people know, Dem and GOP each has a building in D.C. where Congressmen and Congresswomen would sit in a designated cubicle cold calling voters. That's the worst kind of job one can get. Also, don't ignore the older folks. Not every non-20-ish years old men and women voters voted Trump, there were plenty sided with Bernie Sanders, just to be fair and respectful.
camus2 10y ago
> Let's just say that we are all good human beings committed to making things better for all of us. If by all of us you mean the world then it would be nice to start with a change in US foreign policy. Less of "beacon of the free world" rhetoric and less "moral obligation" to fuck up the rest of the planet, please. You dropped way too much bombs on innocent people already.
- ihuman 10y ago
  I don't think federal government employees working in various technology aspects have the ability to directly influence US foreign policy
  - uptime 10y ago
    Mr. Snowden would like to have a word with you... (not what you meant but I couldn't resist)