“Blistering heat blanketed much of the eastern United States for the third straight day on Sunday, after violent storms that took at least 15 lives and knocked out power to more than 3 million customers.” - Reuters, 7/2/12

The skimmerhat AOR is officially up on the FEC’s website, as shown in the picture above. If you click this link (http://saos.nictusa.com/saos/searchao) and then go to “Pending Advisory Opinion Requests,” you can read it there.

We are pretty excited to hear the ruling/outcome from the FEC. Stay tuned!

— Spencer

“Greeks voted on Sunday in an election that could decide whether their heavily indebted country stays in the euro zone or heads for the exit, potentially unleashing shocks that could break up the single currency.” - Reuters, 6/17/12

As the above image — taken from a great scene in the movie Office Space — displays, when Americans begin to evaluate Congress they often come up with a simple question: “What do you do?”

Citizens expect results, and when progress is negated by the deafening noise of business as usual in Washington, they begin asking questions.

But we as Americans can push for better. Instead of asking questions, we can take action to ensure our voices are more accurately represented and, thus, we will not have to continuously sit down at a table to say, “Congress, what exactly do you do?”

— Spencer

“Egypt’s highest court declared the parliament invalid Thursday, and the country’s interim military rulers promptly declared full legislative authority, triggering fresh chaos and confusion about the country’s leadership.” - CNN, 6/14/12

A major characteristic of skimmerhat is the concept of ideas, and using ideas to find and fund candidates who believe what you believe. Our hypothesis is that this caters to a large and growing group of issues-based voters — citizens who first want to characterize themselves based on their beliefs as individuals. And, still, even those who define themselves through party allegiance because ultimately their allegiance is defined by a set of ideas.

We also feel like looking at candidates through the lens of ideas and issues — and being educated on each — can begin to cut through the seething divisiveness that is present in today’s politics.

We may be correct. Or we may be totally off base.

But when gazing at the landscape, one thing is for sure — citizens are fed up with Congress (which is our concentration with skimmerhat). The lack of progress on a range of issues frustrates many Americans who feel their representatives are unable to accomplish the objectives that are expected of them, just as every citizen is expected to perform their individual  job to a certain standard on a daily basis.

One organization that clearly displays this frustration is called No Labels. No Labels is:

A movement of Democrats, Republicans and independents dedicated to the politics of problem-solving.

Their description continues:

We stand united behind a simple proposition: we want our government to stop fighting and start fixing.

No Labels has set forth a dozen proposals to Congress under the campaign “Make Congress Work!” The first and most popular proposal/initiative is called “No Budget, No Pay” which is described in this way:

Congress rarely passes spending bills on time, which makes it virtually impossible for members to intelligently consider why they are spending taxpayer dollars in the first place.  No Labels Solution: If Congress can’t make spending and budget decisions on time, they shouldn’t get paid on time either.

There are over 65 Congressional co-sponsors of the No Budget, No Pay legislation and No Labels as a whole has been rapidly growing with a healthy grassroots movement and social media following.

Organizations like No Labels helps citizens look at progress through a different lens; in their case, through non-partisanship.

At skimmerhat, we aren’t naive enough to think that people won’t congregate behind parties or factions or organizations. There will always be labels — after all, even when you search for a candidate within skimmerhat through a certain stance/side on an idea or issue, you are labeling or characterizing yourself in a certain way.

However, that doesn’t mean we don’t think there can be a better way to make sense of and push progress in a complicated, and some would say convoluted, political environment. It all starts with the collective power of individuals.

With No Labels, there are Americans who recognize this and are making their voices heard.

And with skimmerhat, we hope citizens will realize it as well, so their voices are more accurately represented in Washington.

— Spencer

“Standard & Poor’s said on Friday it expects U.S. lawmakers to set aside their differences to prevent a combination of tax hikes and spending cuts from hurting the economy in early 2013.” - Reuters, 6/9/12

The political cartoon above paints a provocative illustration of the fundraising tactics used by Congressmen across the country. And though the imagery is outlandish, it isn’t that off base in depicting the skewed reality we are seeing — our representatives are willing to hand over power, influence and results for the right amount.

Whether one agrees with the notion of Super PACs or not, nearly every American would affirm that the direction of our country is better placed in the hands of individual citizens, who as a collection can leverage their power. Influence and results ultimately rests with us.

— Spencer

“Partisanship in America is at a 25-year high, according to a new Pew Research Center survey, with the majority of that movement to the two ideological extremes coming in just the last decade.” - Washington Post, 6/4/12

A quote we really like at skimmerhat is: “If we’re going to win our never ending war against the idea of being afraid, there are going to be casualties, including common sense.”

It can be applied to various aspects of one’s life — from talking to the pretty girl across the room to taking a new direction that breaks up the status quo.

The quote speaks to us on a couple levels. First, on beginning a business venture, something none of the current founders have ever done from scratch. It’s an adventure. And second, on beginning a business venture in a space as volatile and divisive as government and politics (we’ve written on a similar topic here).

Perhaps, the second point has never been more true than now. The excerpt from the Washington Post in italics at the top of this post displays as much. The article delves into the partisanship that seems to be taking a stranglehold on progress, especially in Congress.

They write:

What’s even more remarkable than that rapid growth in partisanship is the fact that there has been almost no noticeable change in other major demographic categories on Pew’s values question. White/black, men/women, religious/not religious — no matter where you fall in these demographic categories the difference between how you and your opposite broadly conceptualize values has not changed markedly since Pew started polling on this in 1987.

The partisanship that has been created has many layers and just as many reasons one could point to in how or why it has grown over the years — whether it’s the politicians, the citizens, the money, the media or a combination of everything.

But that isn’t a discussion for this blog post. The problem is staring us in the face — dissension and gridlock. The proper discussion is what will we do from here?

As Americans, we can’t be afraid to get our hands dirty and attempt something different. Fear of what could happen leads to acceptance of the present; it is the most efficient way to stifle change and progress.

We also must go ahead and throw common sense to the wind. A vision for the future requires us to loosen our grip on the world as it is now because if we are going to realize a different state, it isn’t going to make much sense to any of us at this point in time. Any great advancement in the history of the world seemed inconceivable to a group of people at one time.

This applies to our government and its politics. If Americans are to create the country we collectively think we can, we must be unafraid and accept the casualties, including common sense.

It will undoubtedly require a good bit of time and a solid dose of mental compromise as well.

At skimmerhat, we believe the sharing and discussion of ideas are at the core of this advancement, not party dogma or political rhetoric. Which is why we are building a platform dedicated to finding and funding candidates who share your ideas — the citizens and individuals who make our country what it is.

With this, we are cooking up a new primary feature for the site when we go live. It’s one that hasn’t been included in any of our videos or posts yet, but it embraces the concept of ideas. We will have more updates on this in the very near future, so please stick with us.

And as always, if you are interested in following skimmerhat, take a look at any of our social media links on the sidebar to the right or sign up on our email list.

— Spencer

“Feeble hiring by U.S. employers in May roiled markets and dimmed the already-cloudy outlook for an economy that appears to be following Europe and Asia into a slowdown.” - Wall Street Journal, 6/2/12

Has this become the modern campaign platform? In many ways, yes; when you consider how much money is funneled by PACs and Super PACs by a limited number of people and the success rate of candidates who raise more money than their competitors.

But why can’t individuals and small donors collectively disrupt this evolution of the modern campaign platform? We think they can.

— Spencer

“Two raging wildfires in southwest New Mexico merged on Thursday to become the biggest blaze among fires that have torched forest and brush in parts of five Southwestern states.” - Reuters, 5/25/12

The above cartoon displays how many citizens view Congress — we ask questions and we get little in response.

It’s troubling and it’s why Congressional approval ratings have been hovering at historic lows over the past year.

But as citizens, we don’t have to continue to ask questions. We can take action, and when we collectively apply that power, we will begin to receive more than silence and gridlock. That’s why at skimmerhat, we believe in education and action.

Check out some of the other political cartoons and memes we have gathered here.

— Spencer

“Raising the spectre of a Greek exit, the German chancellor said “solidarity for the euro” was threatened by the ongoing political crisis in Athens.” - The Telegraph, 5/14/12 

At a social gathering a few nights ago, we were talking to a successful businessman about skimmerhat and the larger idea behind what we are building. Beyond business, he has also been involved in political campaigns, either as a paid or a volunteer staffer.

During the discussion, he admitted something that we believe an increasing number of Americans are feeling: “I don’t care much any more about Republican or Democrat, right or left, I care about solving problems.”

When it comes down to it, it is hard to imagine many citizens disagreeing with that — the idea of creating an atmosphere where we can solve problems rather than choose sides.

While defining one’s individual ideology will obviously place him/her at different points on a map, when you begin talking about ideas and the weight of those ideas in a free-thinking and open way, you can begin solving problems rather than create the divisiveness that is crippling to progress — the latter of which is on display on the federal level as Americans are being held hostage by the process.

Regardless of political affiliation, a quote from Noam Chomsky sums up the type of discourse that ultimately harms, but is often seen in, America:

The smart way to keep people passive and obedient is to strictly limit the spectrum of acceptable opinion, but allow very lively debate within that spectrum - even encourage the more critical and dissident views. That gives people the sense that there’s free thinking going on, while all the time the presuppositions of the system are being reinforced by the limits put on the range of the debate.

Americans are tired of bring placed in a box when they go to the voting booth, turn on the television, or listen to the radio.

Let’s not limit the spectrum of acceptable opinion.

Technology is a great way to turn this debate on its head — as it has in so many other industries — and give the power to individuals.

With technology, perhaps, we can lower the barrier to entry for citizens to engage in and make sense of the process and find candidates from across the country who represent their ideas while also taking action to make his/her election a reality.

Perhaps, we can also lower the barrier to entry for candidates who find it difficult to fundraise, especially when facing candidates backed by the deep pockets of PACs and Super PACs.

With skimmerhat, we are hoping to turn the perhaps into a reality.

— Spencer

“Two big cases addressing marriage rights for gays and lesbians are on track to reach the U.S. Supreme Court as soon as this year, keeping the focus on an issue President Barack Obama reignited with his endorsement this week.” - Reuters, 5/12/12

While Americans can’t exactly return their Congressmen where they found them, in light of record low approval ratings and stagnant development, we can control the future of our country and have our voices more accurately represented.

Citizens have, and always will have, the power to pave the path of America.

Here are a few other political cartoons we have been posting periodically.

- Spencer

“North Carolina has become the 31st state to add an amendment on marriage to its constitution, with voters banning same-sex marriage and barring legal recognition of unmarried couples by state and local governments.” - News Observer, 5/9/12

An interesting article was published by Politico a couple days ago that reviewed all the ways the FEC is beginning to loosen campaign finance restrictions on Internet and mobile technology.

Donors will be able to give to candidates and campaigns through shopping rebated programs and texts, just to name a few.

But this push to allow Americans to leverage the Internet and technology to make donations comes down to a certain type of donor — the small donor. We’ve written before how the small donor can make an impact, especially when candidates leverage technology. And it seems many others, in addition to the FEC, are seeing that trend as well.

The difference in this type of donor is even more pronounced with so much talk and angst centered around PACs and Super PACs (remember a recent study showed that 196 Americans gave 80% of all Super PAC money in 2011, which equates to .000063 percent of all Americans).

Taken together, the new programs could help recruit legions of new political contributors who can’t afford to cut a $2,500 check to a campaign or wire $1 million to a super PAC, but wouldn’t think twice about firing off 10 bucks through their iPhones to their favorite Republican or Democrat.

And the new landscape could help small-dollar donors compete with big bucks flowing into politics from the likes of super PAC givers Sheldon Adelson, Harold Simmons and Jeffrey Katzenberg.

Cash from smaller donors “can absolutely be a counterweight to super PACs,” said Brett Kappel, a campaign finance attorney at Arent Fox who is representing the groups pushing for donations via text.

He pointed to President Barack Obama and the unprecedented number of small donations he raised during the 2008 cycle, which helped fuel his rise to the White House.

Donations via text messaging, in particular, could revolutionize political giving, campaign finance experts say.

Instead of wooing wealthy donors to write big checks, candidates could encourage a crowd full of supporters to make an impulse donation by punching a few keys.

It’s a fundraising tactic that has already yielded big bucks for charities, particularly in the aftermath of natural disasters.

The Federal Election Commission is expected to weigh in on the legality of campaign donations via text by next month.

With more tools given to Americans, the likelihood of more citizens becoming engaged in the political process increases as well, according to a group pushing for the addition of text contributions.

The text message proposal, for example, earned the backing of several prominent government reform groups and a union, including Public Campaign, the Campaign Legal Center, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, Communication Workers of America, Democracy Matters, Demos, Public Citizen, Rootstrikers, United Republic and U.S. PIRG.

“In addition to amplifying the voices of small donors, it can increase civic engagement by bringing more people into the process and enable members of Congress to spend more time with constituents and less time dialing for dollars,” the groups wrote in a letter to the FEC.

Campaign finance deregulation advocates, for their part, laud the decisions’ 1st Amendment implications, praising the FEC for improving peoples’ ability to exercise their political speech rights.

“They’re all great ideas, and the FEC needs to keep helping move campaigns into the modern era,” said David Keating, president of the pro-campaign deregulation group Center for Competitive Politics.“By allowing voters more options, you enhance their ability to participate in campaigns.”

It is exciting the see these evolutions in campaign finance. We believe the power of the individual in the political process is strong when the right tools and opportunities are available.

And when individuals gather together behind a belief or group of ideas, they can change the country. Regardless of special interests, lobbyists and PACs or Super PACs.

— Spencer

“U.S. prosecutors and defense attorneys for five defendants in the September 11 attacks dug in on Sunday for a long legal battle that one lawyer said may never be resolved.” - Reuters, 5/6/12

In our last post regarding Transparency Camp 2012 — a gathering of open data/open government activists hosted by the Sunlight Foundation — we touched on the concept that each of us has a role to play in the push for a better, more accountable government.

The initiative is a complex one. Just like the popular aphorism that “beauty is in the eye of a beholder,” to what extent “better government” looks like is visualized in many different ways by many different people. No single parameter defines what a better government means to every American.

The process itself is not easy, either. There are layers upon layers to our government, and all need improvement in not only how government serves citizens, but how it is held accountable as well. But, the multiple layers, divisions, sections, agencies, bureaucracies, and outside entities (such as government contractors) make government — from federal level down to local municipalities — too large, and too expansive, to be tackled in a single front.

And, that’s where we all have a role to play.

A Functioning Government

A better government won’t come from one place. It will originate from multiple initiatives through the cooperation of groups across the civic space. In the Gov 2.0 and open government movement, this is happening.

However, there appears to be one aspect absent. This missing element can be encapsulated in a tweet by Code for America Executive Director Jennifer Pahlka:

@pahlkadot:…technologists are more interested in getting the government to function than they are in getting their guy elected http://bit.ly/JQ5Iuf

The article Pahlka references in her Tweet is here. It largely discusses how open data and open government technologists are pushing Gov 2.0 forward. And, skimmerhat couldn’t be happier about this. But, the troubling part of Pahlka’s quote is that she seems to minimize the value of government policy and representation. This theme — we can help the government function through our ingenuity, sans politics – is inherent in Code for America’s overall branding.

Even more troubling is the trend to distance oneself from politics or political motivation, which seems to be pervasive throughout the Gov 2.0, open data and open government movements in the civic space.

It’s not that this separation isn’t understandable. Politics is complicated, divisive and in many cases, downright hideous. Politics has become such a “dirty word” that it is often avoided in conversation with family and friends.

But, we can’t afford to ignore politics, no matter how messy it may be. If we do, things will only worsen.

A recent Politico article titled “Congress: It’s going to get worse” sums up the state of our nation:

As it stands, Congress is more polarized than at any time since Reconstruction, according to data compiled by Keith Poole and Howard Rosenthal, political scientists who study congressional voting.

And getting more polarized, they correctly argue.

When presented with such a bleak picture, it makes sense that many technologists, hackers, and developers are reluctant to take a political stand when they can be effective in other areas that lack the divisiveness. They may also believe that they must first make an impact in other areas of government before tackling the political process or that too much emphasis is traditionally put on politics.

Unfortunately, this approach is much like trying to fix the engine on a car with a flat tire. It may run better, but you’re still not going to go real far.

Using the “Force”

Having an app for uncovering fire hydrants, or a platform to take a picture and report a problem with traffic lights are great examples of making government more efficient through civic hacking. And, creating APIs for data that previously were buried deep into a filing cabinet is indispensable for making government more transparent.

These endeavors compare to policy work on issues on civil liberties, tax reform and regulation — which are policy areas necessary to the lives of Americans across the country. And, this policy work is just as needed as the work of new APIs (as was discussed in the Hacking Society conversation a couple weeks ago).

Here’s why: In another recent Politico article, a Pew survey showed that it’s been 15 years since Americans haven been as disgusted with the Federal government as they are today:

Today, just one in three has a favorable view of the federal government — the lowest level in 15 years, according to a Pew survey. The majority of Americans remain satisfied with their local and state governments — 61 percent and 52 percent, respectively — but only 33 percent feel likewise about the federal government.

Voices aren’t being heard. People aren’t being represented.

It’s the car with a new engine, but a flat tire. Government may begin to run more efficiently — which benefits all citizens. But, if government isn’t listening to those citizens, we’re still not moving in a positive direction as a country.

Now, imagine applying the strength of Gov 2.0 — which already promotes engagement, transparency and accountability — to make better sense of the “p” word, and make sense of candidates involved in politics. And, not just on the “backend,” after candidates are in office, but on the frontend, too — when candidates are competing for votes in the electoral process.

Skimmerhat envisions this ideal in a system that allows Americans to find the candidates they want to believe in before they are given the limited slate of options on a general election ballot. And, to sidestep the current polarization of politics, we want to build a non-partisan way of finding these candidates.

Our idea uses the momentum of Gov 2.0 as a way for individuals and small donors to unite behind ideas, allowing individual citizens to directly influence the direction of the country — even in the age of PACs and Super PACs.

Imagine lowering the barrier to entry for citizens and candidates alike.

Then imagine this working in tandem with all of the other aspects of Gov 2.0, where data is more accessible and transparent, and where government is more accountable.

Would our government improve?

We think so, made possible through the power of citizen engagement — a core tenet of organizations like Code for America.

A Goal to Pursue Consistently

It won’t be easy. It will be infinitely more difficult than writing about it in a blog entry. After all, there is no utopia where Americans will be in 100 percent approval of the federal government.

However, just because it’s a challenge doesn’t mean we should avoid it, or ignore the problem altogether.

In a post by David Eaves — where he addresses Tom Slee’s post about the open data movement being a joke — he writes:

Open data is not the solution for Open Government (I don’t believe there is a single solution, or that Open Government is an achievable state of being - just a goal to pursue consistently), and I don’t believe anyone has made the case that it is. I know I haven’t. But I do believe open data can help. Like many others, I believe access to government information can lead to better informed public policy debates and hopefully some improved services for citizens (such as access to transit information). I’m not deluded into thinking that open data is going to provide a steady stream of obvious “gotcha moments” where government malfeasance is discovered, but I am hopeful that government data can arm citizens with information that the government is using to inform its decisions so that they can better challenge, and ultimately help hold accountable, said government.

As we mentioned at the outset of this post: there is no one approach to solving this problem. The solution combines multiple approaches that, when working together, can create a real plan for change.

Advocates of open data, open government and Gov 2.0 are creating the tools to arm Americans with more power, and creating them under the umbrella of a better, more accountable government. We’re building a process of finding and funding our representatives motivated by the same goal.

We’re all under the same umbrella.

“Employers in the U.S. added fewer workers than forecast in April and the jobless rate unexpectedly declined as people left the labor force, underscoring concern the world’s largest economy may be losing speed.” - Bloomberg, 5/4/12

Here is a cartoon for your amusement/fury, to continue the trend of political cartoons we have been posting periodically.

At skimmerhat, we want to place that pencil — the one held by lobbyists, special interests and Super PACs — into your hands, the citizens. Americans should write the agenda for our Congressmen.

We are working on a series of original skimmerhat political cartoons, and we will obviously be posting those here on the blog. But also check out our political cartoon boards on Pinterest — one for general cartoons we run across and the other for our future original cartoons.

- Spencer

“In its second-biggest case this term, the court - fresh from hearing the Obama healthcare overhaul case - will consider on Wednesday whether a tough Arizona immigration crackdown strayed too far into the federal government’s powers.” - Reuters, 4/22/12

We’ve written a good amount about the anger and confusion Americans are feeling right now with their representatives, especially those in Congress. The emotional disconnect is fuel for skimmerhat’s initiative — supplying Americans with a tool to help have their voices more accurately represented in Washington. The three main steps to reach this goal include education, action and accountability.

As Americans, we must learn who is running and what their ideology is, take action to get them into office and, finally, hold them accountable once they assume their position as a public servant.

We at skimmerhat are developing a platform to make this systematic and fluid, rather than fragmented and cumbersome.

The first step — education — is an important one in order for the next two to have an impact. So, as we build, we wanted to know where Americans go to learn about candidates running for Congress. And, what that experience is like.

Although we want to solve Americans’ disconnect with our representatives, we must first help with the process of voter education, if there is a problem there in the first place.

Of course, we had our assumptions, but we wanted our own research, along with the research we’ve read, to prove these assumptions. So far, we gathered 150 responses from respondents who are registered to vote, comprise all age groups and almost all of whom do not know about skimmerhat or the platform we are buidling.

Here we asked where respondents currently gather info about Senate/House candidates:

As you see, the majority of people already use Internet sites or blogs to research candidates, while their individual party structure ranks last.

In the “Other” category, two respondents listed the individual website of candidates while another said “Friends and family not affiliated with a party.” And a few more listed specific news channels or radio talk shows.

Then, we asked the respondents how they would classify the information-gathering process:

Time-consuming and confusing clearly outranked any other options. This section is where we received the most interesting answers in the “Other” category, which shed more light into the minds of voters. Here is a sample of the written responses:

• So much bad media, lousy questioning and hard to find the truth. However, it is there if you are informed and know where to look. If NOT informed, and you get news from only one source, you simply are not going to have the information you need.
• Don’t know who to believe.They are so 1 party minded they only print the bad about the other ones.
• The process is challenging because there is not enough information forthcoming and readily available.
• Slanted. It can be difficult to sort out the truth behind the story.
• Sometimes it isn’t clear who is running where until right before voting day.
• Haphazard
• Cryptic

If those answers, combined with the overall response to the question, don’t make you question the process of gathering information on Congressional candidates, nothing likely will.

When you look at various aspects of our government, it is obvious that citizens need better access, more transparency and more intuitive tools in order to make the decisions that can improve our government. We believe we are building one with skimmerhat that, along with other tools in the Gov 2.0/open government movement, will prove significant in Americans realizing our country’s potential in the years to come.

If you have comments, questions or additions to this post, let us know.

— Spencer

“Iran and six world powers began rare talks on Saturday to try to halt a downward diplomatic spiral over Tehran’s nuclear program and ease fears of a new Middle East war.” - Reuters, 4/14/12

The above image shows some early results from our survey that we shared with everyone early last week. We have received around 150 respondents thus far, which is great.

The insight we are receiving on voters in addition to market trends that we follow will be huge as we continue to build and mold skimmerhat into something that is useful and powerful for Americans.

So take a look at the numbers, and let us know if anything surprises or perplexes you. And note that all the numbers we listed are a plurality, or received the most votes in comparison to other choices. For example, the 42% who said they would donate to a candidate is greater than the number who said they would not or were unsure.

We will share more info in the coming weeks and apply a more aesthetic appeal, but take this for it’s worth. Which is a group of statistics we found interesting as we gather the results.

- Spencer

“Rick Santorum ended his improbable run for the White House on Tuesday after leading a Republican tilt to the right that could dog the more moderate front-runner, Mitt Romney, in November’s election.” - Reuters, 4/10/12

As we’ve said before, political cartoons are often a great way to convey a message that might otherwise require a few hundred words. So, we’ve been sharing them on the blog here and there. And here is another one (not exactly the pledge we remember in elementary school).

We also started a political cartoon board on Pinterest. Check it out; we are hoping to start releasing some skimmerhat original political cartoons in the coming months.

Ultimately, though, we want to help change the problems we see in these political cartoons so our government is held more accountable and our representatives more accurately reflect the voices of Americans.

— Spencer