“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

“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

“As Congress heads toward another possible stalemate over extending the payroll tax cut, a new Gallup poll shows that congress’ approval rating is at a new all-time low of 10 percent.” - CBS News, 2/8/12

The picture above is one I just happened to find on a friend’s Facebook wall the other day. I’m sharing it here because I think it does a better job at symbolizing the very basic idea behind skimmerhat than anything I could possibly write.

Beyond the humorous foreshadowing, it’s an incredibly powerful image. It describes the balance we have in this country between those in power, and those not in power. The cartoon shows a crowd of voters balanced on one end of the plank, while a politician stands at the other end — an end that extends over a black abyss.

The reason the image is a powerful one is that it accurately describes a greater truth to the political system that we often overlook. Elected officials hold their position because we, the voters, allow them to keep it. And, they will continue to do so until enough voters leave the end of the plank, and the politician drops into the abyss. 

However, I don’t believe the image is necessarily a conceit of politicians, but one of the voters themselves. One of my favorite quotes on politics comes from the great political cynic H.L. Mencken. Mencken says, “Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want and deserve to get it good and hard.” What Mencken and the image are saying is that we are the ones who elect politicians to office, and we are the ones who allow them to stay there.

It naturally follows that all the problems created by those politicians, and how long we suffer as a result, is all dependent on how long we stand at the edge of that plank and take it. 

According to a Gallup poll from 2/8/12 (which is referenced at the quotation at the top of this entry), Congressional approval has hit an all-time low. “Only 11 percent of Democrats and 12 percent of Republicans approved of the job Congress was doing in the new Gallup poll,” writes CBS News on the poll. “Among independents, Congressional approval was just 8 percent.”

Yet, who does this poll say more about? Congress, or that we, the American public, has allowed Congress to get this bad?

It’s easy to blame the politicians. However, in 2010, incumbents had a re-election rate of 85 percent in the U.S. House, and 84 percent in the U.S. Senate. If only 10 percent of voters think Congress is doing a good job, but the same people keep getting re-elected, we clearly aren’t doing our job.

Yes, the system has its faults, but it isn’t broken. People run for office. People show up and vote. And, the winner gets to take a shot at governing. 

Isn’t it time to start taking responsibility for our votes? Isn’t it time to start electing people to office who share a common belief structure with the whole of the American people? 

Skimmerhat does. It’s why we exist.

We want to take voters from all over the country and connect them with politicians who believe what they believe — regardless of district lines, or party affiliations. By making every election, in every district, a national election, we have a chance to radically alter Washington, D.C. A bill can pass by a single vote, and that bill has the power to touch every life in America. You can’t hide. 

But, if we rally together and just get down to brass tacks — the issues — we have the power to change our future. 

If you believe what we believe — that it’s time to step off the plank — then join us. Sign-up to our mailing list to get the latest news as we grow, and chip-in $5, $10, or $20 to make that happen.

We’re building this for you. We’re building this for all of us. We’re building this because we believe that we, the voters, can do better.

— Andrew

“The overall percentage of voters identifying with the Democratic and Republican parties — in Marion County and the state as a whole — has ebbed to its lowest point at any time in recent memory.” - Ocala Star-Banner, 1/28/12

The article from which the opening quote comes from is titled, “Third-party, no-affiliation voters may make a big impact in Florida,” and details the impact that unaffiliated and third-party voters may have in the upcoming elections. In 2012, these voters will be the wildcard because as more and more voters leave the major two parties, they take with them their party loyalties on which Republicans and Democrats used to rely upon. 

The premise of skimmerhat is to offer these voters the resources/organization to connect with candidates that may be a Republican, or a Democrat, or a Libertarian, or any other party. As the voter registration trend illustrates, it is becoming less about the party of the candidate, and more about the ideas he has for how to govern. 

— Andrew