Agenda Setters
Agenda Setters is a democratic strategy designed to mobilize people throughout the United States to participate in creating laws. An internet town hall forum will feature applicants’ ideas, which will be voted on by residents in their Congressional districts. The top proposals will be featured in the national television series Agenda Setters. It’s like American Idol but for democracy! Each episode will feature the top ten ideas in a related area, such as education or justice. Just like in a television game show, people throughout the country will elect the winners. This will give a platform to the next generation of national agenda setters and their elected officials the political capital to turn their ideas into law.

21 comments
wendy b • about 13 years ago
Excellent!
Paul Costa • about 13 years ago
Love it -- using the collective wisdom!
William WAUGH • about 13 years ago
A portion of the proposal seems to be missing. The vid. gets up to where one person is chosen in her district. Where is the rest of the process?
Nate Walker • about 13 years ago
Sorry it wasn't streaming properly, William. Try refreshing your page and it will hopefully reload. Cheers, Nate
David Breeden • about 13 years ago
Brilliant!
Sue Coffey • about 13 years ago
What a great way to get voices heard and provide a platform for new ideas!
Daniel O'Connell • about 13 years ago
Great thinking Nate. Your innovative ideas are wonderful. The only thing I suggest you consider changing for a future iteration of this idea is to have more balance between the two examples-- in other words, keep one liberal, but put one conservative example. That way it will look more balanced. Again, thanks for your creativity and passion.
Nate Walker • about 13 years ago
Great feedback, Daniel. Thank you.
Silly me. I was under the impression that the tuition endowment concept was a conservative one. Rather than big government making money off of student loans, the interest made from students could return to students. Citizens helping citizens. But given that this proposal is about government involvement in higher education, I can see how it can be perceived as a conservative issue. Thanks for that feedback.
As for alternatives to capital punishment, you're right, they tend to come from a liberal worldview. Although, I've noticed an interesting trend. When asked whether people support the death penalty, many social conservatives agree with capital punishment. But when asked whether they would put into their will a legal statement that requests the state to kill the person who killed them, they tend to articulate more nuances. That’s when compassionate conservatism is weighed against traditional party lines. Funny how new questions can elicit new responses.
Often social issues can be framed dualistically, which perpetuates ideological gridlock. My hope is that Agenda Setters will train us all on how to ask new questions to traditionally divisive topics, thereby inspiring an engaged citizenry to make meaning rather than demean one another.
Thank you for the suggestions you’ve raised. I'm grateful for your feedback.
Cheers,
Nate
David Straka • about 13 years ago
The last paragraph of Nates' response above sums up precisely what we most need today and is reflected in the submission. Perspective.
Nate Walker • about 13 years ago
Great point, Tracy. I think many of the talent tv shows restrict the entries to those who haven't already made it. Maybe the same disclaimers can be made with Agenda Setters. After all, it's designed to be a democracy scout - a national platform to empower the next generation of Agenda Setters.
Chris Alburger • about 13 years ago
This is really cool and really exciting, Nick!
Eric Taxer • about 13 years ago
I love it!
Julie Schell • about 13 years ago
This is an innovative, terrific proposal. I can 100% see this succeeding.
Nate Walker • about 13 years ago
Chris, Eric, Julie, thanks for your support!
Kathy Bradshaw • about 13 years ago
This is radically fantastic!!! What a concept!!!!
David Lewicki • about 13 years ago
Nate, it's good, but I have questions. Why are the congresspeople going to meet with the agenda setters? What is their motivation? It seems to me that your idea tries to create public pressure on the reps, but isn't the real corrosive motivating influence in politics money? Also, how do the issues of the agenda setters move toward real legislation? Who is doing the heavy-lifting of drafting the laws, figuring out how to get them into committees, moving them through committees, etc.
Would love to hear you respond!
Nate Walker • about 13 years ago
Great question, David.
The simple answer is “Political Capital”. If residents of Nevada elevate Ian to the status of District Agenda Setter, then it is in Representative Mark Amodie's self-interest to give Ian's proposal a fair shake in Congress. If Rep. Amodie doesn’t help, maybe the next candidate running against him will adopt Ian’s platform. Or maybe Governor Brian Sandoval and members of the Nevada State Legislature will rally to adopt the Life Penalty Advance Directive at the state level.
Or maybe after Ian presents his idea on the television series, thousands of people will forward that video clip to their elected officials, leading U.S. Senator Dean Heller of Nevada to champion the bill through Congress.
If that doesn't work, Ian may be like Jennifer Hudson on American Idol - lose the competition but gain a blockbuster career.
Maybe Ian goes on to found a non-profit to advocate for alternatives to the death penalty, or maybe he lands a job at a think tank, or is offered a book contract, or maybe he becomes a professor who develops a course on the ethics of death.
Likewise, maybe Tanya was not successful in establishing a National Tuition Endowment – a lofty dream, indeed. Instead, maybe she used her success on the Agenda Setter television show to persuade her local credit union to create a new banking formula called Student-to-Student Loans. If successful, maybe she spends her career consulting with credit unions throughout the country to ensure that interest student loans returns to students.
The ultimate goal of Agenda Setters is not only to create laws. The process itself is designed to stimulate district-level civic engagement. The product of television show is intended to frame the moral issues of our time. The process and product will not only be measured by how many new bills are introduced or how many of those bills become law, but the ultimate benchmark will be how many people participated in their democracy.
Dana Reynolds III • about 13 years ago
David L's question and your answer, Political Capital, is where it has to go. For example, background checks on gun purchases failed primarily because only 1 in 10 non-gun owning households contacted an elected politician to support the issue, whereas 1 in 5 gun-owning households made contacts to oppose it. If voters are not mobilized into action at a grassroots level, lobbyists will win the day every time. That said, I would LOVE to see such a show (or anything at all) that might help mobilize an apathetic citizenry.
Nate Walker • about 13 years ago
Thanks Dana. Here's to an engaged citizenry!
Harlan Johnson • about 13 years ago
I like what you submitted. It's got a lot of the qualities I think the judges are looking for - and it makes sense.
I have also entered the competition. My proposal is in some ways less elaborate - but a good thing about both of ours is that they don't depend on legislation to happen.
Check out my video. I hope to win. My entry proposes a practical step to bring about informed, involved voters.
Here's my entry on Vimeo and Youtube Elections Clarified
https://vimeo.com/64616892
[Youtiube]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQZSII6C3-A
I hope to hear from you. Maybe we can work together in some way. Let's connect.
Harlan Johnson, MS, LMFT, LCPC
Community Therapist
harlan@actualizations.net
ACTUAL! authentic solutions
815-968-5433
CELL 815-494-5666
Permanent email address:
harlan@actualizations.net
Visit www.CommunityTherapist.net
and also www.ComeTogetherRockford.com
Nate Walker • about 13 years ago
That's very kind of you, Harlan. You're generous to create a video about the vote-usa.org platform. When we launch the Agenda Setters series I'd like to follow your lead and help promote it. Go team go! Cheers, Nate