Direct Democracy Can Happen
Americans can govern themselves
In
1992 Ross Perot, a mostly unknown billionaire, ran for president of the United
States. Before dropping out Perot was
polling 38%. A song written for him
began with the lines, “Welcome to America in 1992. The factories here are closing down, we're
scared and jobs are few. Greedy
politicians sold out you and me. It's
time we had some layoffs in Washington
D. C.”
After
Perot appeared on Larry King Live on February 20th campaign offices
began to open, funded by supporters who had never met their candidate. They shared the frustration of a government
out of control and elected officials who increasingly viewed themselves as
unaccountable to those who had entrusted them with the offices they held.
But
the Perot surge had started in January for reasons the media missed entirely.
Americans
have been accused of political indifference but this was not the case.
Their abandonment of the two major parties was a reaction to being
forced to passively accept what their public employees decided. In 1992 Americans were restless, seeking
ways to take back control of government
and find solutions to the problems government had caused.
The
subsequent break-out events, the Ron Paul Revolution and the Occupy Movement,
have proven this has not changed.
The
1992 campaign introduced a technology which could have begun the return of
control to the people. Because of
manipulations by those vested in the two party system this did not take place. Instead, increasingly onerous controls on the
electoral system have continuously been instituted to stifle further attempts
by the people to control the government for which they were paying.
These
efforts united the Republican and Democratic Parties strategically in 1992.
This
is the story of Brock d'Avignon, a cheerful and innovative satellite expert who
designed a way for voters to register their opinions on candidates and policy
that year.
On
January 21st d'Avignon launched Palla Productions, and began
offering services to candidates for president.
His first client was Ross Perot, then polling less than 7%. Alongwith the other 64 candidates for
president d'Avignon had contacted Perot to ask the plucky executive to
participate in Let Freedom Ring, a televised event, much like America's Got
Talent today, which would allow candidates for president to debate issues
and be judges in advance of the election by PhoneVoters watching the ongoing
events on television. Soon the name of
the company would become PhoneVoter Television Network.
On
February 29th d'Avignon received a fax sent by Dave Hansford, the head of Keystone Satellite
Communications. PhoneVoter Television Network was ready to go live on 4
satellite transponders by March.
From
January until March PhoneVoting took place entirely by telephone.
Brock's
PhoneVoter system allowed voters to express their support or opposition to
candidate statements and inject their own comments into a dialog created by
using 700 phone numbers to register their opinions. The 700 number cards were supplied by a
company in Encinitas, CA. The company's
clientele was generally used by porn operators.
Calls deducted one dollar each from the card, per vote. The cards cost $20.00.
Perot
was the first of four candidates to accept the offer of services from
d'Avignon, which were provided by phone and satellite during the late winter,
spring and summer of 1992.
PhoneVoter,
the technology he owns and originated, was
the first participatory system, allowing audience feedback in real
time. In addition to Perot, Jerry
Brown, Pat Buchanan and Bill Clinton also received advice and services.
At
the time these services began each of these candidates was below below 8% in
polls. PhoneVoter TV Network made them
known via satellite every day using a donated feed from Keystone Satellite
Communications which ran 16 hours a day.
PhoneVoters
viewing Perot participated in polls allowing them to register support or
disagreement on issues also offered the American satellite TV audience two
PhoneVotes on any panelist issue: one moral, one legal.
Compiled
responses were cross-indexed by zip codes and phone numbers, to the PhoneVoters
Congressmember. Questions to be asked
were determined daily through communications with Perot's media team. These
increased lines of communication with voters allowed the candidates to
voice their concerns and modify their
positions on issues.
PhoneVoter shows like “Unedited
Presidential Candidates’ Speeches” with AGREE/DISAGREE numbers, which ran
16-hours per day coast-to-coast with cumulative tallies, also acted as a guide to what people really
cared about.
In early April Governor Jerry Brown
went live via satellite in New York City, tossing IRS code books into a trash
can in front of the NY Library. He
tossed books all day, filmed by main stream media. An uplink
feed the images to Keystone's satellite, looping the event so more
PhoneVoters could register their reactions.
Using the 800 number line the Governor repositioned himself as a man of
the people by asking only small donations be made to his campaign.
By
May the PhoneVoter Team had worked out a visual stunt for Governor Brown with
rows of federal tax law-books on shelves receding into the background behind
him as he pitched his postcard-size IRS 1040 flat tax form. The plan had been
for the Governor to toss the books in a NY trash-hauler. That was thwarted by Clintonistas with
contacts to the trash-haulers union in New York. Instead, Brown adapted by throwing away
volume after volume of the Federal Tax Code Books into a trashcan in front of
the New York Public Library, while holding up his percentage-of-income
1040 postcard like the Statue of
Liberty. This was viewed by Americas on
13 other networks in addition to PhoneVoter.
The looped film was shown every
day. On each of those days Brown climbed 2%. If the primaries in New
York & California were held two days later, Brown would have taken the Democratic
nomination.
Soon, Pat Buchanan was also
receiving PhoneVoter TV services and rising in the polls. Buchanan's run began as a way to register his
disapproval of then President George H. W. Bush's policies. Buchanan focused on instituting a line item
veto.
The last candidate to utilize the
system originated by d'Avignon was Governor Bill Clinton. Because he had only $50,000 left in his
campaign coffer the Clinton campaign was about to fold when, on Brock's advice
to his campaign team, Marcus and Greer, they rented the last uplink satellite
truck available in the country for $35,000.
What Time Magazine described as “The Bill Clinton Roadshow,” with Al
Gore along to provide the repartee which delighted onlookers was seen by
10-million people per day.
Clinton was playing to his strength,
which was his ability to interact with people and even control the microphone
himself while being filmed. According to
Time Magazine Clinton will be remembered as, “equal parts Master of
Ceremonies, Televangelist, and group-therapy facilitator.” Using this hands on technique, Clinton's
numbers began to rise as well just after the time he steps into the uplink
truck to take his personal performance to those 10-million people per day.
Cast as a touchy feely guy,
sensitive and people-oriented, Time Magazine overlooks the source of the technological revolution it later credits to
Clinton savvy along with the fact Perot was the first to use PhoneVoter, which
is the new technology responsible. In fact,
Clinton was the fourth client who experienced a sudden rise in the polls due to
PhoneVoter Television Network.
Only later will Americans realize
the other implications of Clinton's 'hands-on' approach to the opportunities
made available through political contacts.
And the sensitive and feeling Clintons, newly inaugurated, will make
history by incinerating children at Waco with military technology, another
innovation revealing an entirely different aspect of the Clinton
co-presidency.
At
this same time, President Bush was talking to 10 people a day on a whistle-stop
train campaign. By 1992 most Americans
did not know where their local station was located. Bush's campaign had refused to even consider
the PhoneVoter Team's services, which were offered.
Brock and his entire team realized
they were about to see a sitting president lose, despite winning a war
overseas, because of this choice.
It was a stunning defeat brought
about by ignoring the change in technology and the voiced concerns of
Americans.
After
the primary season ended the potential for American voters to find out what
presidential product their votes could buy ended. The PhoneVoter Invitational
Debate Tournament, planned for all Presidential Candidates to debate at length
to the Final Four and Final Two did not take place. However, both major parties reacted to the
proposal by creating the Debate Commission, eliminating the threat of
competition.
The
League of Women Voters has never forgotten.
Organizations like Christina Tobin’s Free
& Equal attempted to bring in the
Russia Today Network to challenge it to show third party candidates’s
debates in America the last election cycle.
In
1996 the Dole Kemp Ticket doomed themselves by refusing to use PhoneVoter. Haily Barber and DNC colluded on the decision
not to compaign on Satellite.
In
2000 Cindy McCain commented, having been told about PhoneVoter, “If we had
known about this technology you would be president!” to her husband, John,
who had lost his early lead on Bush due to manipulations of another kind.
The
power of allowing Americans to express their thoughts and effect change
directly was rejected by the present establishment. They understood what they were doing and how
it threatened their control of government policies.
What we are proposing is to allow
Americans a forum which makes it possible for them to govern their own
affairs.
PhoneVoter
has remained an edge technology, now enlarged in scope and power. Today,
collaboration can take place between formerly passive memebers of the audience,
enabling them to prove out alternative approaches to problems and interact with
the mass audience through the PhoneVoter technology.
If
you though the Perot phenomenan was fast, just wait until millions are engaged
and participating.
Politics
remains politics. Solutions have to work
for everyone, if the course chosen is government. Otherwise, relocalizing to local areas is the
natural path to prosperity, freedom, and sustainability. Solutions to the problems we face today
exist in many instances. Many are blocked because those invested in
those moribund technologies want to money to continue to roll in.
No
matter, it can happen anyway. We have
compiled these for consideration by participants along with nominations for Cabinet and Agency
positions. The positions are not in the Constitution and there is no reason
these appointments should remain in the power of the establishment. If
Congress, or others, object, the power of recall remains.
When
Americans consider how little impact they have on government, and realize how
ineffective government is, they will have the best argument for the people to
reclaim their power.
Housing
First, which proved in Utah the problem of homelessness can be solved and money
saved, by simply providing housing.
Percentages
As You Earn is a financing alternative, originally suggested by Ludwig von
Mises, which provides stability by tying payments to a percentage of
income. Applied to mortgages, health
care, and other major purchases, individuals can have security through the
unexpected problems which touch each of us.
Housing, the restoration of infrastructure,
and more. There are solutions which are
proven and work.
Solutions
are not provided by government, but are made available through the market. Deciding how they will spend our money, which
they appear to believe their own in toto, is not in the Constitution
either.
Instead
of being marginalized Libertarians can break into the mass audience and speak
directly to millions. Even better, those millions will be able to speak to them.
It
is time to get serious about change. If
you want an oak tree you have to start with an acorn.
Forget politics and policy - come together for solutions which work for ALL of us.
