Moneyball for Votes
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Michael Lewis in his 2003 book Moneyball wrote in-part about how baseball has become an unfair game controlled by the big-spending teams. The same can be said of our political system, and the problem is only getting worse.
Moneyball for Votes
- 2. 1787
- 3. Article the ?rst... After the ?rst enumeration required by the ?rst article of the Constitution, there shall be one Representative for every thirty thousand, until the number shall amount to one hundred, after which the proportion shall be so regulated by Congress, that there shall be not less than one hundred Representatives, nor less than one Representative for every forty thousand persons, until the number of Representatives shall amount to two hundred; after which the proportion shall be so regulated by Congress, that there shall not be less than two hundred Representatives, nor more than one Representative for every ?fty thousand persons.
- 4. Article the ?rst... After the ?rst enumeration required by the ?rst article of the Constitution, there shall be one Representative for every thirty thousand, until the number shall amount to one hundred, after which the proportion shall be so regulated by Congress, that there shall be not less than one hundred Representatives, nor less than one Representative for every forty thousand persons, until the number of Representatives shall amount to two hundred; after which the proportion shall be so regulated by Congress, that there shall not be less than two hundred Representatives, nor more than one Representative for every ?fty thousand persons.
- 8. Source: why435.org 6,000 — 10,000 Article I 435 Today
- 12. PROBLEM Too easy for moneyed interests to buy votes
- 13. Source: opensecrets.org $3.55B Total lobbying spending in 2010
- 14. For every dollar spent on lobbying, the companies got $220 in tax bene?ts... a return of 22,000%.” Alex Blumberg Source: npr.com “
- 15. PROBLEM Winning votes to be elected is very expensive
- 16. Source: opensecrets.org $6.5M Cost to win Senate race in 2008 $1.1M Cost to win Congressional race in 2008
- 17. 1948
- 19. 1964
- 21. 1988
- 23. 2004
- 26. What do we have?
- 30. SOLUTION Disrupt mass media by using a cheaper channel to deliver votes
- 31. Mass media ? Top-down, one-to- many ? Expensive, self- reinforcing ? Message concentrated in few hands ? Command-and-control organization Social media ? Many-to-many ? Cheap, accessible ? Message can evolve ? New blocs can form based on shared interest ? Self-organization
- 32. SOLUTION Use their tools to your advantage
- 33. Before ? Voter data kept hidden by political parties ? Consumer data expensive, locked away ? TV watching high ? Phone, location, transit limits message Now ? Voter roll data available to the public ? Data is being shared on Facebook ? TV on the decline; cell phones, internet increasing ? Messages can spread virally
- 35. SOLUTION “I’ll deliver my votes to you if...”
- 36. Still Happening ? Donors and their agendas most important ? Negative ads dominate ? Politicians forced to satisfy donors to be re-elected ? Outspending Future ? New power-brokers on social media are the most important ? Positive messages dominate ? Politicians need to hold support of engaged citizenry ? Outfriending
- 37. “the person who brings in the most online voters between now and September 10 will win coffee with the Congresswoman”
- 38. IN CONCLUSION Apathy is out, engagement is in