Flag City Politico

Countdown to NPC

The countdown is on, and can you feel the excitement building? In less than 24 hours, we will be meeting at The University of Findlay for the first ever National Presidential Straw Poll. Remember, the FCPolitiGal will be in attendance and the FCPolitiKidz will provide babysitting services (both my daughters are Red Cross certified sitters; send me an e-mail at flagcitypolitico@gmail.com if you need to have them watch your youngsters).


 

Election07, F.A.R.T. & NPC

What more can be said about the election that hasn't already been addressed by the media or in this - and other - blogs? Well, a little...

• Thank you to every candidate who ran for office. I know it is not easy to invest so much time, emotion and resources into campaigning; you all have earned my respect for doing so.
• Congratulations to everyone who won; we will be waiting with anticipation as you take on the complex issues that face our community.
• For everyone who made it out to vote, give yourselves a big pat on the back.
• To the 71.41% of registered voters who did not go to the polls yesterday - what happened?

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29 Days and Counting

Thanks to all of you who have asked about attending the National Presidential Caucus. There are 29 days to go until we meet.

One of the questions was about babysitting. Well, you asked...and I got it taken care of. There will be two Red Cross certified sitters available that evening, and the only thing we need to take care of now is a location.

A few of you have asked about doing this at a restaurant, and I am open to this. Does anyone want to suggest a place where we can enjoy a good meal and sit around for a few hours talking about politics?

For those of you new to this, what is the National Presidential Caucus? The organizers have put a system into place that allows communities from across the United States to hold a straw poll (Nov 9 - 6pm) and caucus (Dec 7) before the first official Presidential elections are held...you get to voice your opinion before the folks in Iowa, New Hampshire, Michigan, Florida, Nevada and South Carolina narrow the field dramatically.

So what happens on these two days? Well, the November event is basically a trial run of the system to make sure everything is going to work correctly, but the real fun comes in December. Here is what the NPC website has to say:

"NPC Caucuses are 2-hour meetings anytime between 3pm and 8pm local time on National Caucus Day. 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.com for aggregation and general reporting."

To sign-up and be part of the action, click here. If you are going to need the sitter, let me know...if you have a suggestion for a restaurant, let me know.

-RSKnopfJr

An Invitation (update)

Back on August 16th, I told you to mark a few dates down on your calendar. Well, I have an update.

Mark these two dates down on your calendar: November 9th and December 7th. Go ahead...I'll wait.

OK - now that you're back...these are the dates for two new events on the national election cycle: the National Straw Poll (in November) and the National Presidential Caucus (in December).

What is this all about? The organizers have put a system into place that allows communities from across the United States to hold a straw poll and caucus before the first official Presidential elections are held...you get to voice your opinion before the folks in Iowa, New Hampshire, Michigan, Florida, Nevada and South Carolina narrow the field dramatically.

So what happens on these two days? Well, the November event is basically a trial run of the system to make sure everything is going to work correctly, but the real fun comes in December. Here is what the NPC website has to say:

"NPC Caucuses are 2-hour meetings anytime between 3pm and 8pm local time on National Caucus Day. 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.com for aggregation and general reporting."

You may be wondering how you fit into all this...well, as I told you, I signed-up to host a meeting here in Findlay (first up, November 7). Right now I have it scheduled for my home, but as we get closer, we may try to organize something a little more social (fun).

To sign-up (and you know you want to), go to www.NationalCaucus.com, click on the 'Find a Caucus' button and follow the directions If we're good, maybe The Courier or WFIN will do a story on this event (hint, hint) and help us publicize it. Just in case, however, start telling everyone you know.

Democracy in action - live the excitement!

-RSKnopfJr

_____ for Mayor

Both of the candidates for mayor of Findlay now have websites, so let the real campaigning begin. Here is a snapshot of each (click to open a larger size), or better yet, visit their sites to find out more information about Pete and Thomas.

It is interesting how the Pete's site is mostly red, while Thomas' is mainly blue. That may not mean anything, but subconsciously, I know this means something.  ;-)

After you visit their sites, come back to the FCPolitico and leave some feedback in the comments section with your review of each as well as what you think of their chances this November.

Pete Sehnert for Mayor
'The Right Man for the Job'
www.electsehnert.com 

Thomas Knopf for Mayor
'Putting People First!'
www.thomasknopf.com

-RSKnopfJr

An Invitation

Mark these two dates down on your calendar: October 26th and December 7th. Go ahead...I'll wait.

OK - now that you're back...these are the dates for two new events on the national election cycle: the National Straw Poll (in October) and the National Presidential Caucus (in December).

What is this all about? The organizers have put a system into place that allows communities from across the United States to hold a straw poll and caucus before the first official Presidential elections are held...you get to voice your opinion before the folks in Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina narrow the field dramatically.

This is an endeavor that is founded on what democracy should represent, and is purely idealistic...so you would think that it would be scoffed at by mainstream media, politician, think tanks, policy institutes and the like. However, that does not appear to be the case...check out these stories:

CBS NEWS: A National Caucus?
With up to two dozen states looking to hold a presidential primary next February 5, we’re already looking at a national primary on that day. So why not a national caucus?
read more

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: Democracy Heads to Web Laboratory
Last month's YouTube Democratic presidential debate, starring "Billiam the Snowman" and other Internet questioners, was just the beginning. In coming months, the candidates will become guinea pigs in a host of Web-based debating experiments -- from "video mashups" to instant-message questioning -- that will continue to transform how debates are produced and watched.
read more 

ABC NEWS - SAN FRANCISCO: Local Group Pushes For National Caucus
The Iowa caucuses are the first true test for the presidential election, which means a disproportionate number of candidate visits and media attention. But now a Sausalito-based group is working to change that.
read more 

Partners include groups that are considered conservative and liberal, as well as the Unity08 movement (we'll discuss that soon). Warren Rudman (former Republican Senator), Bill Bradley (former Democratic Senator) and instructors from Stanford, University of Iowa and University of Virginia have all endorsed this idea.

So what happens on these two days? Well, the October event is basically a trial run of the system to make sure everything is going to work correctly, but the real fun comes in December. Here is what the NPC website has to say:

"NPC Caucuses are 2-hour meetings anytime between 3pm and 8pm local time on National Caucus Day. 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.com for aggregation and general reporting."

Like I said earlier, this is very idealistic. In fact, here are the goals from the group:

• 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.

I am going to be (hopefully one of many) setting up a local effort. We can meet for dinner, discuss a little politics, have a little fun and then vote. It may be for nothing, but if this does anything to make voters more interested in the candidates, and if it informs them of the issues, then I am all for giving up a few hours of my Friday. I hope you feel the same way. Add your name to the comments area if you would like to participate. Stay tuned for more information and updates.

-RSKnopfJr