A big howdy-ho to our newest advertiser, the DNC. They -- and their new online director, my former blog mate Joe Rospars -- are pushing Democracy Bonds, an idea I like:
Your "Democracy Bond" is a commitment to make a monthly contribution the Democratic Party in order to:
* Reform the political process by building a political party beholden only to the people, not the special interests
* Build the Democratic Party from the ground up in every precinct so that we can compete everywhere
* Win elections in every state and territory of the United States, at every level of office
"Democracy Bonds" are about building a community of Americans with a stake in our common future -- locally, nationally, and globally. They will bond together a person in Alaska and a person in Missouri in common cause for a political process where parties are accountable to ordinary people and their concerns.
You can only buy one bond. You can decide to commit more money per month, depending on what you can afford, but the principle is democratic with a small-d -- one person, one bond. Every person can be a stakeholder in our party.
Bush wants an Ownership Society, but we've got an Ownership Party (or so the jingle should go). In any case, it really is true that we're only as viable as the money we raise. More to the point, we're only as good as the sources we raise it from (you remember the bankruptcy bill, right?). The dream of a party driven by small donors is great for comment-thread swooning, but it only really works if all us activists open our wallets and make it happen. These bonds are a nice idea because, rather than feeling guilty three days before the election and donating $100 you really don't have, you can take out a $10 bond now and have added $180 to Democratic coffers by the time the votes are counted, all without breaking the bank.
Sound good? Of course it does.
