Ralph's Page

Washington, DC Aug. 6, 2008. With fewer competitive congressional districts, the real political struggles now often take place in primaries, where activists' views count the most. Candidates appeal to them and are driven toward the extremes.

What Arthur Schlesinger Jr. called "the vital center" is being slowly disenfranchised. Party "bases" become more important than their numbers justify. Passionate partisans dislike compromise and consensus. They want to demolish the other side. Whether fr… Continue

dateline Washington, DC

from the New Yorker, July 21, 2008:

"I met Mikva at the Cliff Dwellers, a private dining club atop a downtown office building. As we looked out over Lake Michigan, he told me a story that has often been repeated by others to capture the essence of politics in the city. “When I first came to Chicago, Adlai Stevenson and Paul Douglas were running for governor and senator,” he said. “I had heard about the closed Party, closed machine, but they sounded like such great ca… Continue

from Austin, Texas, July 18, 2008.

While spending a day in Presidio County, Texas, on a drive across America lately, I met kaki, a charming 20-something, about The Democracy Project. She was interested yet had reservations about joining,

kaki felt that the political system is fundamentally corrupt and she doesn't wish to risk having her integrity contaminated by participating. She just, she said, wanted to live in the desert and raise vegetables.

The Democracy Project was invented especially… Continue

from Milwaukee, WI, July 14, 2008

Hi John,

As I read your commentary regarding a bi-partisan organization; I am reminded of an organization that was formed in my home state of Alabama. It was called Future Voters of America. It equipped students to become politically savvy in civics and how to participate in the electoral process without offering any particular party affiliation. As I campaigned throughout the 10th County Supervisory District, I became aware of the ignorance that exist among t… Continue

Since its soft launch on March 30, 2008, The Democracy Project has triggered activity in a surprising number of places -- with new places, even international places, coming on line consistently.

It's mostly aimed at the United States but its principles can be adapted to anywhere. And Democracy is always subversive of autocrats. Just recently we were banned in the United Arab Emirates.

There is significant on-the-ground organizing taking place in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin. Milwaukee County qu… Continue