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******************************************************************
INTERNET DEMOCRAT
Vol 1, 2b
******************************************************************
1. Recruiting Computer-savvy Candidates THIS YEAR For
The Information Age
2. A Vision of the Future
3. Awed and Appalled
4. Charisma: Do You Have It? Do You Need It?
5. A Word of Caution
By James Buie
Publisher
Internet Democrat
With this technology, an amazing computer network for the Democratic Party is
emerging. We've got 10,000 Democrats online, many of them eager to volunteer.
We believe we'll have a "virtual community" of 100,000 Democrats by fall.
The problem/challenge now is that the Democratic Party doesn't have enough
candidates who "get it"--who realize that the old main-frame, bureaucratic,
top-down,
economic order is collapsing. We Democrats desperately need a new generation
of leadership, entrepreneurial in spirit, impatient with bureaucracy,
dedicated to personal empowerment of traditional Democratic constituencies
and eager to rejuvenate the ideas of citizenship, community, civic values,
individual and corporate responsibility, and computer networking. Bill
Clinton was "first in his class", first in his generation, to reach the
Presidency. He, Al Gore, and their advisors have done much to advance these
values, but their work is under assault by the Republican Congress. Now the
rest of us who share those beliefs must find ways to participate and become
effective advocates.
A VISION OF THE FUTURE
The computer revolution, the rapid transformation to the Information Age,
leaves many people feeling insecure and anxious. The U.S. needs leaders who
can reassure people that the future is indeed bright, that with the emergence
of this new computer technology, we are on the verge of what could become an
economic and cultural renaissance:
* the smallest of businesses, even in rural areas, selling their goods and
services to an international market on the World Wide Web. America could
become truly
"a nation of virtual shop-keepers.";
* a reduction in bureaucratic inefficiency and automobile congestion through
the use of e-mail, web sites, virtual teleconferening and other technologies;
* a shift away from the alienating notion that consumers are "targets".
Instead, with this technology, they become "partners", virtually connected to
the creation and improvement of products and services.
* a shift away from the alienating notion that employees are disposable
commodities. In its place, a new paradigm in which workers develop more
personal autonomy, more ownership of capital, and sell their services to
bidders in a world-wide market on the information superhighway.
* new ways for workers to organize quickly and efficiently for collective
bargaining.
* with 25% of the workforce expected to be working in SOHO's (Small
Office/Home Office) by the year 2005, the virtual office will allow for more
time with families and friends, more flexibility; and more time to devote to
local communities;
* easily accessible virtual communities for every conceivable hobby or
interest, emotional problem, career counseling and financial advice, at
little cost.
* a strengthening of family, friend and community ties across state and even
national borders, as instant computer communication and "virtual
relationships" become commonplace.
* an artistic renaissance in which individuals are encouraged to express
themselves, and engage in collective creativity. Marshall McLuhan predicted a
global village in
which every person gets 15 minutes of fame. With these rapidly-developing new
technologies, small non-profit organizations may be able to operate
interactive TV stations off their PCs.
* a reduction in the alienation people feel toward politics, as computers
allow for direct, interactive communication between office-holders and their
constituents.
AWED AND APPALLED
This vision may be overly optimistic. If we could see the future, we would
probably view it as we do the past. We would be both awed and appalled--awed
at all the wonder and beauty created; appalled by all the blindness, cruelty,
stupidity, dehumanization and senseless violence, and why we didn't do more
as individuals and as communities to stop it.
New technologies inevitably unleash negatives as well as positives. If we had
known in the early part of the 20th century that the automobile would be
responsible for tens of thousands of deaths each year, more than are killed
in many wars, would we have embraced it so readily? Certainly this new
technology raises new questions regarding privacy, libel, copyright,
protecting children and preserving jobs. And Democrats, especially, owe it to
their constituencies to advocate for computer literacy, broad access, low
entry fees, and just labor practices.
Now is the time for Democrats who have some notion of the challenges ahead in
this brave new world of information to step forward on the national, state
and local levels. Your country needs you.
CHARISMA: DO YOU NEED IT?
Read the current Fortune magazine article by Patricia Sellers about charisma
(Michael Jordan is on the cover). The article should be on the Web at
http://pathfinder.com. Charisma is "real. It matters to your success. And it
can be dangerous."
Charismatic leaders:
* Simplify and Exaggerate.
* Romanticize Risk.
* Defy the status quo.
* Step into another's shoes.
* Spar and Rile.
A WORD OF CAUTION, according to Fortune:
"Charismatic visionaries lead people ahead--and sometimes astray. They can be
impetuous, unpredictable, and exasperating to work for, like Turner, Trump,
Steve Jobs, Ross Perot, Lee Iacocca. "Often what begins as a mission becomes
an obsession. Leaders can cut corners on values and become driven by
self-interest."
WANT TO DISCUSS THE IDEAS PRESENTED HERE? Send an e-mail message to
IntrnetDem@aol.com.
--James Buie, Publisher
Internet Democrat
Intrnetdem@aol.com
202-625-4390
The Internet Democrat is a free, independent publication. Paid subscriptions
are welcome, and help defer distribution costs. Send your check to Internet
Democrat, P.O. Box 75848, Washington, DC 20013. Be sure to include your
e-mail address on the check.
TO SUBSCRIBE, send the message "subscribe" to Intrnetdem@aol.com
Feel free to forward this message to friends all over the Net.