How bout' a Website where candidates can campaign for free?

[Philosoraptor]

Daydreaming again, but the internet opens up all sorts of new ideas for democracy.

Why couldn't there be an official government website where the candidates, all of them, from all parties and persuasions, can set up an account and state their cases and accept donations and network all from the comfort of our own living rooms and kitchen tables and offices?

You could even vote on this website, and poll, and interact with the actual candidate and his representatives, ask actual questions, make actual suggestions, and it would be absolutely free, all expenses paid for by we, the people, from our taxes.

Instead of making us go to a polling place on one day a year, for only half a day, we could vote easily and at our leisure, by computer.

Even I could run for office, and I would be accepted or rejected by the people, not lobbyists and weird special interest groups.

And I wouldn't have to spend a dime, or maybe I'd have to pay $25 to register, and then they could watch a video of me speaking, ask me questions, etc.

The website would be strictly controlled so that no money would be exchanged, except the MINIMAL donation, and that should be a very small amount of money also. We have a minimum wage, they should have a minimum donation.

So I've made my silly point, I just wish we could come up with a better system than the current one, which is driven by billions and billions and billions of dollars a year, and only the very very very very wealthy can participate.

[deaniac21]

1. This will happen when the whole world is populated with 100%

nerds.

[MissWaverly]

2. Act Blue will have to do for you

http://actblue.com/

It's a progressive website where you can look up all kinds of neat stuff, but what you are
proposing won't happen yet. We need the people to pay for public campaigns because we pay
now after they're elected with all their loyalty to their big ticket donors, if this was not
the case, there would be a windfall profits tax on the major oil companies right now.

[Philosoraptor]

3. THAT'S what I'm talkin' about

Exactly, the news guys have pointed out that the internet is the big new influence on not just politics, but everything.

[MissWaverly]

4. what is so powerful is that we speak the truth

we don't care about the car maker advertisers that want to soft pedal EPA, we say what we
know about what is going on. My neighbor who is 55, has just been called to go fight in Iraq,
his mother is 81 and he is the only family she has. The best and the brightest are being
sent to Iraq per Rummie. He is in the National Guard.

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

5. This is an IMPORTANT thought, I was thinking this VERY thing yesterday.

PM me if I forget to get back to this thread and post.