About us | Who We Are | Endorsements | What is a NPC Caucus? | Goals | Timeline
What is a NPC Caucus?
NPC Caucuses are 2-hour meetings anytime between 3pm and 8pm local time on National Caucus Day, December 7, 2007.
Organizers facilitate a discussion round where participants may each speak to their most important issues and to establish a group consensus on the top 2-3 issues for that caucus. Then, a second round of discussion to express candidate preferences.
The organizer then posts the results at www.NationalCaucus.org for aggregation and general reporting.
- Help the country better prepare for the vital business of selecting its next president, not in haste, but through 1000s of informed face to face discussions and thoughtful deliberations.
- Foster deeper and more meaningful access to the country's political system toward the goal of helping revitalize American democracy.
- Create a new voice for those willing to participate in person.
Timeline:
September 5, Caucus registration opens. Local volunteer organizer/conveners across the country are invited to set up a National Caucus in their community to convene as either Republican, Democratic or Open Caucuses.
A Preliminary "Straw Poll" Caucus on November 9th to refine National Caucus rules and allow for feedback and improvements to the process.
The National Presidential Caucus is December 7, 2007.
About us:
Our democratic process, as currently practiced, has proven unsatisfactory to the great majority of Americans. Even with hopeful new signs of internet enabled participation, our national elections remain essentially poll-driven, mass media campaigns and little more than an ugly spectator sport, though one with enormous stakes.Now, with nearly no opportunity for input by ordinary citizens, the presidential state primaries and caucuses are being scheduled earlier and closer together, dramatically altering the primary election process. The country now faces a de facto National Primary on February 5, 2008, in which two "finalists" may suddenly emerge from this "rush to judgment" only to commence a protracted 9-month general campaign.
In response, a consortium of partisan, bi-partisan and non-partisan interests have initiated the National Presidential Caucus with an "Open Call to Participate" in local, self-organized, web-enabled face to face gatherings across the country on December 7, 2007 in preparation for the highly compressed national primary process.
- Don Means, Digital Village, Event Coordinator
- Howard Rheingold, Author, Smart Mobs
- Phil Noble, Founder, Politics Online
- James Fishkin, Director, Center for Deliberative Democracy
- Michael Silberman, Director, EchoDitto
- Myles Weissleder, Principal, Mylermedia
- Mike Turk, E-Campaign Director, Bush/Cheney '04 (on indefinite leave to Thompson campaign)
Supporting Organizations:
- 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
- TechRepulican.com
- Democrats.com
Endorsements (see full endorsements):
- Warren Rudman, Former United States Senator (R-NH) and Americans for Campaign Reform Co-Chair
- Bill Bradley, Former United States Senator (D-NJ) and Americans for Campaign Reform Co-Chair
- Bob Fertik, President, Democrats.com
- Tim Draper, Founder, Managing Director, Draper Fisher Jurvetson
- Phil Noble, Founder, Politics Online
- James Fishkin, Directory, Stanford University's Center for Deliberative Democracy
- Howard Rheingold, Author, "Smart Mobs"
- 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 of 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
- Scott Heiferman, CEO, Meetup.com
- Trey Grayson (R), Kentucky Secretary of State
