Barackface

Friday, June 18, 2010

I Want To Go Full Time With Reshma 2010

The last time I hinted at this, (My Political Resume, Reshma 2010, And September 14) I was not in a position to take a job - I am now, (Employment Authorization Card: It's Here) and I am not a citizen and a voter, so I could not have volunteered on the petition drive of the past few weeks. And I have actively looked at a few tech sector options the past few weeks. (Not MeetUp, After Entry Level Jobs, An Internship, Entry Level Jobs, Job Search) But getting an email about the party Monday (Reshma 2010: New Office: Party: June 21 Monday) put Reshma 2010 front and center on my mindscreen all over again.

Reshma 2010 is too historic a campaign to miss out on. I think I want to do a three month stint - June 22 to September 22 - with this historic campaign before going to do another job. In New York the primary election is what matters. You win on September 14, Maloney then endorses you, and you go claim victory in November. But I would keep the option to add six weeks open. This district was Republican before Maloney took over 18 years ago. And someone from a Republican candidate's campaign has taken to leaving comments at most posts I put out about Reshma here at this blog. See you in November has been my refrain.

I am going to lay out my thoughts here, then I am going to shoot an email to Reshma and Kevin. (My Talk With Kevin Lawler Of Reshma 2010) I should not assume just because I want to go full time with the campaign, the campaign necessarily wants me full time. But if they do, working out a role would be part two, and that might be trickier. Kevin and I are going to sit down before the party Monday to hash things out.

These are some of my early thoughts.

My Political Resume, Reshma 2010, And September 14
A 14-7 Office For Reshma 2010
An Afternoon At The Reshma 2010 Headquarters

I would want an amorphous role. The title of Political Consultant might be a good one for me. That would keep me an outsider who is now an insider. I would like that.

The pay would be $1000 cash advance before I even begin. I would go right away to the Best Buy at Union Square and get me a laptop (Toshiba Satellite), a smartphone (Droid Incredible), and I would get me a monthly metro card. And there would be a $1000 a week payment for the 12 weeks, and a $2000 bonus to be part of the final paycheck conditional to a September 14 victory. And then I am out of here. I go back to being a Volunteer. Or I do six more weeks at $1000 a week, and a $1000 bonus conditional to a November victory. But we will cross that bridge when we get there.

If I were thinking of doing one year with the campaign, I might have thought, oh no, that is a lot of money, the campaign should instead put that into TV ads. But putting 15K into me to ensure a September 14 victory is a sound investment.

I am predicting victory. This is not a make feel good statement. This is not a boost team morale gesture. This is a prediction. My coming on board will make extra sure that that is what happens. (Jupiter And Obama)

And this is not going to be any ordinary victory. Reshma is going to hit the national headlines on September 15. And then she works to make sure the Democrats keep the House and the Senate. She helps the national effort.

As for my hours and role, I have had a few thoughts.

Wednesday and Friday, I take my two days off. I work 1 PM to 9 PM Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. On Thursdays and Saturdays I am at the Queens office, once that is up and running. And I put in 10 flex hours on top of this 40. I put in more as necessary during the final weeks leading to September 14.

I would want to blog daily for Reshma right here at this blog. Already a search on her name online brings this blog up on page two. I want to show up on page one. Closer to election day a lot of people will be googling her up. We want them to find some of my blog posts. That would be a lot of free advertising. And I have a feeling we will come across a lot of people who volunteered and voted for Obama in 2008. This blog's name should get them. I have 10 hours of video from that campaign, and hundreds of blog posts. That is a good foundation to have to place the Reshm name on.

One big reason I want to get the Droid Incredible is so as to be able to post photos, videos, tweets, updates, and blog posts in real time from wherever. I am going to lead a major social media effort inside the team. All staffers, interns and volunteers need to retweet every tweet sent out by @reshma2010. We all need to press the Like button on all Facebook updates by the campaign.

And in blogging daily I think I am going to end up talking much about the team as well. The core 30 people will get featured.

I go to some tech events in town, about one a week. I would want to keep doing that. And I want to step out to watch most of the key World Cup matches. I will make up for that time in additional morning hours.

Some of the things I would want to focus on right away.

Debate preparation.
Weekly mock debates, first attended by a few key staff, then by the entire staff. Maloney role play by various staffers, myself included. When it is my turn, one line I would like to use: "But, Reshma, I brought about equality for women, and put down the Second Avenue subway line. What have you done?"
Sit down on all strategy sessions. First to absorb and listen, then to collect data on the progress of the campaign, and then to suggest moves.
The war room concept. Let no attack go unanswered.
Own the Obama platform. Work to create a 2016 platform.
Get on the phone with voters one hour each day.
Work a subway stop for two rush hours each week, then more often.
Go attend every possible political event in the district. You meet political junkies who thrive on this stuff. If some of them come along as volunteers, you win big.
Work on an exhaustive list of all community leaders, events and newspapers. Go out to those events. Visit the newspapers in their offices. Identify the key bloggers in the district. The goal is to get these bloggers and newspapers to do one piece each on Reshma.

I might need a few days to get situated before going intense.

Everyone you meet at a Subway stop can donate, or most people can. So don't worry too much about if someone is a primary voter or not. And, remember, Obama did not win Iowa by relying on a list of people who had a track record of having voted before. He won with new, first time voters. We have to get a healthy dose of new, first time voters to show up on September 14.

Some blog posts I might do down the line:

Maloney Is Never Going to Run For President, Nor Schumer
Maloney Wrote A Book Saying Her Best Is Not Good Enough
Rangel Needs To Retire, Maloney Too
Mike Arrington Is A Sexist Pig (this on my tech blog)
Reshma 2016: The Biggest Rationale For Reshma 2010

The core team needs this victory. Some people get to go to DC with Reshma. Those who stay in the city become hot property, like happened to Obama people after 2008. All politicians wanted to hire them. We win on September 14 and that's two more months of paychecks for all staffers.

But even paid work for a political campaign falls in the public service domain. You would probably be making more money doing other things. You put in those extra hours, you run that extra mile, because all the good your candidate will do for the larger common good.

Calling voters for an hour each day should probably apply to everyone on the team. Maybe even the candidate should do an hour a week, but in her case she only calls voters who have been identified to be strong supporters.

"Hi. I am Reshma. I am running for Congress. My core team has identified you as a strong supporter. I was wondering if you will host a house party for us. If you can get 30 people to show up, I commit to being there for an hour. Can my Campaign Manager please get in touch with you about this? Thanks."

The campaign needs a few MetroPCS phones in the office, unlimited talk, text and web.

And I am serious about that lassi thing. ("Where Was This Google All This Time?")

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

9/11, Great Recession, Gulf Oil Spill: Paradigm Shifts

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To the three items I just listed - 9/11, the Great Recession, and the Gulf Oil Spill - I should perhaps add a fourth, while the three are of the negative kind, Obama's election to the White House has been a positive kind of paradigm shift, race being America's original sin.

9/11 is accepted as having been a paradigm shift event. It hijacked the Bush presidency. Obama's presidency has similarly been taken over by major events that he could not have foreseen. Reminds one of the famous Lincoln line, that he does not control events, it is the other way round.

This has been a strange recession. Now there is talk it might end up being a double dip recession. The recovery sure is not full. The jobs that were lost, not enough new jobs have been created. And if that were not headache enough, the oil spill happened. The ocean remains less explored than outer space in many ways.

The private and the public sectors have not even begun to measure the size of the damage, they sure have not managed to bring the spill to an end. The damage will last at least a decade, maybe more. And it might not be just the gulf that stays affected. It is one scary scenario no matter which way you look at it.

The term superpower is a term in the human realm. The pressures one mile deep in the ocean do not care for that term, apparently. Human technology can do only so much stretching when basic human values and a way of life themselves are in question.

The Gulf Oil Spill is a wake up call that the planet is surely on an unsustainable path, environmentally speaking.

All three - 9/11, the Great Recession, and the Gulf Oil Spill - challenge the notion that the nation state is the be all and end all. All three force us to face the fact that globalization can not be stopped, but it can be shaped. We are all global players now. We have been a while.

Obama did not ask for the recession, he sure did not ask for the spill, but he gets to rally the nation to lessons learned from both.

Gulf Oil Spill
A Dirty Bomb Just Went Off In The Gulf

Obama's Gulf Oil Speech

Because there has never been a leak of this size at this depth, stopping it has tested the limits of human technology. ..... We now have nearly 30,000 personnel who are working across four states to contain and cleanup the oil. Thousands of ships and other vessels are responding in the Gulf. And I have authorized the deployment of over 17,000 National Guard members along the coast....... millions of gallons of oil have already been removed from the water through burning, skimming, and other collection methods. Over five and a half million feet of boom has been laid across the water to block and absorb the approaching oil. We have approved the construction of new barrier islands in Louisiana to try and stop the oil before it reaches the shore ....... oil has already caused damage to our coastline and its wildlife. ..... no matter how effective our response becomes, there will be more oil and more damage before this siege is done ....... a wrenching anxiety that their way of life may be lost. ....... BP will pay for the impact this spill has had on the region. ...... Oil companies showered regulators with gifts and favors, and were essentially allowed to conduct their own safety inspections and write their own regulations. ....... we need better regulations better safety standards, and better enforcement when it comes to offshore drilling ........ oil companies are drilling a mile beneath the surface of the ocean - because we're running out of places to drill on land and in shallow water. ...... The tragedy unfolding on our coast is the most painful and powerful reminder yet that the time to embrace a clean energy future is now. ..... The oil spill is not the last crisis America will face. This nation has known hard times before and we will surely know them again.

Reshma Is Better At Raising Money, Way Better

Image via Wikipedia

Reshma 2010: New Office: Party: June 21 Monday

I totally see why Pelosi and Obama need to keep the House in November. I absolutely, totally see that. That is a big reason why I am supporting Reshma. Reshma is going to win on September 14, and then she is going to help the party raise a lot of money for the races across the country in November. Maloney can't do that. In her own district. Look at how much money Reshma has raised as someone noone ever heard of. The first quarter she beat Maloney two to one in fundraising. Imagine how much money she will be able to raise after she hits the national headlines on September 14.

Maloney has done some good work, but her time is up. It is time for some fresh blood into the New York congressional delegation. It is time for both Rangel and Maloney to retire. They are both past retirement age.

When it comes to fundraising, Reshma's hands are magic. She was one of John Kerry's top 10 fundraisers in 2004. I am waiting for John Kerry to endorse her any time now. It is called gratitude.

You want Reshma Saujani to win in New York on September 14 because you want Democrats to win across America in November. That is as good a rationale as any to support Reshma now going onto September 14.

Randi For Reshma
Zuckerberg Has Stature
Reshma 2010, Square, And Pro.Act.Ly

Reshma Saujani At The Huffington Post
An Afternoon At The Reshma 2010 Headquarters
A 14-7 Office For Reshma 2010
My Political Resume, Reshma 2010, And September 14
Reshma Saujani, Carolyn Maloney
My Talk With Kevin Lawler Of Reshma 2010
Reshma 2010 Get Together In Little India
Reshma Saujani Ad Spotted At The New York Times Website
Reshma Saujani, Scott Heiferman, Chris Hughes: TechCrunch Disrupt
Reshma Saujani, Haiti Earthquake, Harvard Yale, And 2016
Reshma Saujani "Gets" Tech
Reshma Saujani: Innovation, Ethnic Pride, Thought Leadership
Do I Know Rajiv Shah?

Reshma 2010: New Office: Party: June 21 Monday

Food and Drinks
Monday, June 21st at 6:30 p.m.
The fifth floor of 143-145 Madison Avenue
(between 31st and 32nd Street)
Office opening party!

"And keep an eye out for our Queens office -- coming soon!"

Randi For Reshma
Zuckerberg Has Stature
Reshma 2010, Square, And Pro.Act.Ly

Reshma Saujani At The Huffington Post
An Afternoon At The Reshma 2010 Headquarters
A 14-7 Office For Reshma 2010
My Political Resume, Reshma 2010, And September 14
Reshma Saujani, Carolyn Maloney
My Talk With Kevin Lawler Of Reshma 2010
Reshma 2010 Get Together In Little India
Reshma Saujani Ad Spotted At The New York Times Website
Reshma Saujani, Scott Heiferman, Chris Hughes: TechCrunch Disrupt
Reshma Saujani, Haiti Earthquake, Harvard Yale, And 2016
Reshma Saujani "Gets" Tech
Reshma Saujani: Innovation, Ethnic Pride, Thought Leadership
Do I Know Rajiv Shah?

Monday, June 14, 2010

Bush: Genius? Visionary?

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New York Times: U.S. Identifies Vast Riches of Minerals in Afghanistan: The United States has discovered nearly $1 trillion in untapped mineral deposits in Afghanistan ..... huge veins of iron, copper, cobalt, gold and critical industrial metals like lithium ..... Afghanistan could become the “Saudi Arabia of lithium,” a key raw material in the manufacture of batteries for laptops and BlackBerrys. ..... could attract heavy investment even before mines are profitable, providing the possibility of jobs that could distract from generations of war. ..... Afghanistan’s gross domestic product is only about $12 billion. ........ charges of corruption and favoritism continue to plague the Karzai government, and Mr. Karzai seems increasingly embittered toward the White House. .... the newfound mineral wealth could lead the Taliban to battle even more fiercely to regain control of the country. ..... Just last year, Afghanistan’s minister of mines was accused by American officials of accepting a $30 million bribe to award China the rights to develop its copper mine. The minister has since been replaced. ..... officials fear resource-hungry China will try to dominate the development of Afghanistan’s mineral wealth ..... mineral deposits are scattered throughout the country ....... In 2004, American geologists, sent to Afghanistan as part of a broader reconstruction effort, stumbled across an intriguing series of old charts and data at the library of the Afghan Geological Survey in Kabul that hinted at major mineral deposits in the country. They soon learned that the data had been collected by Soviet mining experts during the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan in the 1980s, but cast aside when the Soviets withdrew in 1989. ...... using advanced gravity and magnetic measuring equipment attached to an old Navy Orion P-3 aircraft that flew over about 70 percent of the country. ...... the most comprehensive geologic survey of Afghanistan ever conducted. ..... iron and copper, and the quantities are large enough to make Afghanistan a major world producer of both

Bush spent over a trillion dollars for his wars. Is this news the guy getting validation after all? The Afghans were just sitting on top of it, and did not even know it.

NextGen Africa Forum @ NYU June 14

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I have been seeing a lot of buzz around this event at NYU this evening. I signed up and I think you should too. Pass it on.

NextGen Africa Forum
Monday, June 14, 2010 from 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM (ET)
NYU's Kimmel Center
60 Washington Square South
New York, NY

And there is an after party at Amity Hall, proceeds from drinks to go to Goods4Good.

80 West 3rd St

Amity Hall is showing all World Cup games live. That would be one great reason for many people to keep going back there: to celebrate Africa. I love soccer.

Christine Huang: The Huffington Post:NextGen Africa: What's Next for Africa's 50 Million Orphans?

Of the 2.2 billion children that populate the world, 163 million of them are parentless. ..... "It's getting worse," Aronson explained. "The number [of vulnerable children and orphans] is increasing because the number of adults living with AIDS and other diseases is increasing; because of conflict and war... These are all large contributors. But the most important reason is the increase of extreme poverty. This is an issue which has been growing over the decades; the hundreds of millions of people living in poverty is growing daily, and the financial crisis we're living in today is adding to that." ....... Goods for Good, a New York-based nonprofit organization, that partners with international corporations and grassroots organizations to provide school supplies, clothing, health products, and other necessities to orphans and vulnerable children in developing nations. ........ "Children's and women's issues are not given their due in mainstream press -- they're the least interesting topics in the media. And yet they're the most interesting topics -- because the success of the planet is up to them," Aronson said with conviction. "If I were asked, what would be the best bang for you buck in helping the world be a better place to live, I'd say it would be investing in women and their families -- so that all women would have prenatal care, and so their babies are born healthy, and their families could live in a healthy environment."

Dr. Jane Aronson
Joyce Banda
Ann Veneman
Dr. Claire Gaudiani
Melissa Kushner

This event is not going to be easy to attend. I am already going through so many emotions. So many large scale problems grip the continent of Africa. But one has to always make the effort to fall on the side of hope, not despair.

I roam the tech circles in town hoping to contribute to the idea of universal broadband. I am a Third World guy. Africans at college looked so different, but they knew what mud huts were, and we bonded. I was one of Obama's earliest supporters in New York City. 500 years of world history can not be remedied in five years, but the journey has to begin.

On my way to this event I am also reminded of Madonna. I have always liked her. So I was not surprised with her Malawi work.

Iran: The World Has Wasted A Year

The Azadi Tower is the symbol of Tehran, Iran,...

Image via Wikipedia

It has been a year since the Iranians have been braving the streets. Their courage is in stark contrast to the Iranian diaspora that has failed to help steer the political goal of the revolution from forcing the mullahs to hold a re-election to pushing the theocracy out of power altogether and turning Iran into a modern democracy, and in stark contrast to the global netroots/grassroots that has been myopic, unreal, shallow, and just plain not pragmatic. And I am not even going to talk about the world leaders and the world governments.

A theocracy and a dictatorship is designed to be unreasonable. If you want to feel the warmth of reason from Tehran, you help the democracy movement. You help the reform movement. But the people who are pissed the mullahs might be sharpening nukes want to act cautious lest they cross those mullahs. That is insane. There is not much logic in that thinking. The world has to help the Iranian democracy movement to the hilt. Talk of moral support sickens me. Turn your Twitter avatar green. You impressed someone else, not me. Because I have been under the impression you are going to start and stop with that. That's not enough. This democracy movement should have been over and concluded by now. This is taking too long. A democracy movement is supposed to last weeks, not months and years. This is unreal. The world has not stood with the people of Iran.

There are two huge reasons for the world at large to get behind the democracy movement in Iran. One, nukes. Two, the larger so called War On Terror. You want Iran to become a democracy because a democracy makes sense. A democratic Iran the world will be able to reason with. And you want the democracy movement in Iran to succeed so that success can be replicated in every other country in that region. I can't wait for democracy movements to erupt in Saudi Arabia and Egypt, for example.

I am glad the people in Iran are still going strong. I am sad they have been so let down by the world.

Effort has to be made to shift the goal. Begging the mullahs to hold a re-election will only lead to frustration and possible failure. You give the mullahs a deadline. They step down or you shut the country completely down until they step down and make way for a caretaker government that will hold elections to a constituent assembly. And you announce all human rights violations to that point will be persecuted by the caretaker government. The beatings of protesters and the torture of those detained has to be accounted for. There has to be a price to pay.

And the world has to give logistical support. A democracy movement asks for logistics just like military misadventures in Iraq and Afghanistan do.

Iran: An Opportunity
Iran: Yes, We Can
How We Have Failed Iran
Dumb White People (DWPs) And Iran
The Fraud In Iran
Iran: This Is What I Am Talking About
The First Major Revolution Of The 21st Century Happened In Nepal

A democracy movement is science: it can be made to work every single time.

Wednesday, June 09, 2010

Samuel Eto'o

NewPage Bit The Hand That Feeds It And Is Hurting

Image via Wikipedia

A robust free trade global and domestic environment is the optimal condition in which a company like NewPage can best flourish. But NewPage did its level best this past year to pour oil into that water and in the process has damaged itself and more than a few players in its industry and especially in its affiliated industries. It is high time for counter arguments and counter measures. A counter balance has to be provided so paper and publishing industries go back to being in a healthy state.

The US economy has always been in a state of change, some major some not so major. A country that elected Abrahan Lincoln was primarily agricultural.

There is a right way to get rid of the competition and there is a wrong way. There is a market way and there is a non market way. The market way is the right way. NewPage has made some shady moves the past year. And now the situation has to be rectified. Common sense has to prevail in September.

Coated-Paper Maker NewPage Withdraws Planned IPO Wall Street Journal NewPage Group Inc. Tuesday pulled its planned initial public offering, according to a Securities and Exchange Commission filing
NewPage Withdraws Plans For $805 Million IPO Reuters NewPage manufactures coated paper, which is used in corporate reports, brochures, magazine covers and catalogs. The filing did not give a reason for the withdrawal. .... NewPage filed to float shares in May 2008 but never said how many shares it hoped to sell or gave an expected price range, despite two amendments to its initial filing.
Paper Manufacturer NewPage Cancels Plans For IPO BusinessWeek Coated paper manufacturer NewPage Group Inc. withdrew a two-year-old plan for an initial public offering ..... The company, based in Miamisburg, Ohio, makes paper used by the media and in marketing materials such as corporate annual reports and high-end advertising brochures. .... Earlier in May, NewPage said its parent company's first quarter net loss widened to $179 million from $114 million a year ago .... NewPage was formed by private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management LP in 2005 to acquire the printing and writing papers business of MeadWestvaco Corp.
Proposed Paper Tariff Pits Jobs Vs. Costs Hartford Business Journal A U.S. Department of Commerce proposal to impose stiff tariffs on coated free sheet paper imported from China and Indonesia would help save American jobs and allow domestic companies to compete more fairly for business, supporters say. ..... But the plan could launch an international tariff war, warns a Connecticut printer and other opponents, that could backfire and almost certainly would drive up the cost of printing everything from multicolored catalogs, magazines and books to advertising flyers, menus and greeting cards. .... Chinese and Indonesian producers already hold 30 percent of the U.S. market for coated paper. ..... “If this decision holds, which I think it will, it will be a very good one for our industry,” said John Williams, president of the Maine Pulp & Paper Association. ...... Whether they make coated free sheet (CFS) paper or not, U.S. producers will benefit from the ruling because it likely will reduce Asian imports worth more than $269 million and drive up domestic sales, said Williams. ........ But there’s another view. ..... duties will hurt U.S. printers. ...... “Duties in this case will lead to reductions, delays and disruptions to the paper supply that will increase business costs for thousands of U.S. printers and related industries” ...... “It will jeopardize the competitiveness of U.S. printers as higher costs force many publishers to seek cheaper foreign printing solutions or use other media.” ......... The dispute came to a head when three paper companies — New Page Corp., Appleton Coated LLC and Sappi Fine Paper North America, the U.S. arm of South Africa’s Sappi Ltd. — joined the U.S. Steel Workers in filing a joint anti-dumping petition with the U.S. Department of Commerce and the U.S. International Trade Commission last year. ........ New Page Corp., the largest paper manufacturer in the U.S. ....... “We haven’t seen any new coated free sheet paper mills in decades.” ....... As part of its preliminary anti-dumping ruling in March, the U.S. Department of Commerce suggested a rate of 135.8 percent on certain CFS paper products imported from China — up from a range of 30.82 percent to 89.71 percent; the agency proposed a single rate of 10.62 percent for all coated paper products imported from Indonesia. ....... That means a Chinese company assessed at 30 percent would pay the U.S. Treasury $300,000 in fees to export $1 million worth of coated paper to the U.S. For companies assessed at 135 percent, the import rate would be $1.35 million for every $1 million sent to the U.S. ...... In a similar case brought by U.S. paper manufacturers in December 2007, the International Trade Commission blocked final duties from going into effect because the domestic paper industry had not been harmed. ...... a final determination expected from the U.S. International Trade Commission in September.
Paper jam hits Cerberus The Daily Deal NewPage, the Cerberus-owned coated paper manufacturer, filed for an $805 million initial public offering two years ago but never got close to market.

(Blog post ad)

Wednesday, June 02, 2010

Reshma Saujani At The Huffington Post

WASHINGTON - MAY 06: Arianna Huffington (C), ...

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

Reshma Saujani At The Huffington Post

My parents, originally of Indian origin, barely escaped the brutal regime of Idi Amin in Uganda. Forced to flee during the government’s violent persecution of foreigners, my family lost everything. But amnesty in America gave them a chance to rebuild. A highly qualified mechanical engineer, my father found work in a machine shop. My mother was pregnant – arriving in a new country with little money, our family couldn’t afford medical treatment. My sister was born at a local hospital supported by Catholic Charities, and my father still describes the free care my family received as a miracle...... After the enactment of the Patriot Act, I volunteered with the New York Bar Association to offer free legal services to documented immigrants in Queens. I painfully witnessed innocent New Yorkers having their civil liberties being violated day after day. This experience emboldened me to build a national movement within the Democratic Party to encourage South Asian Americans to get involved in the political process. ...... my deep understanding of the financial industry ..... We need a bridge builder who can align the ambitions of Wall Street with the needs of Main Street to rebuild our economy. We need to reclaim the City of Aspiration, and create hope and opportunity for everyone – from the small business owner in Murray Hill, to the woman behind the counter at the bodega in Astoria, to the public school teacher in the East Village. I believe these times call for innovative policies and bold leadership to prepare the next generation for the new global economy.

Empire State of Security

The danger is that the US today risks losing the high tech race to India, China, Brazil, and other emerging economies. ........our economic competitiveness and our national security are increasingly not distinct issues, but two sides of the same coin...... The future of our national security is inextricably linked with our efforts to get our budgets back in the black, revitalize our economy, manage our borders, and reduce our dependence on foreign sources of energy. ....... We need more networked cooperation with foreign intelligence agencies to thwart terrorist plots. We need more spending on high tech port security to prevent smuggled nuclear material from landing on our shores in containers. That means reinstating the 28 percent drop in Transit Security Grant funding for New York this year. ..... . What we really need is to
rethink what national security means, and how to achieve it. ......Increasingly, security means innovation. ..... I plan to work with President Obama to double the National Science Foundation's funding, make the Research and Experimentation tax credit permanent, and restore our national R&D investment to its previous level of 3 percent of GDP. .....as the city with the highest concentration of hospitals in the world, and the largest concentration of research facilities in the nation, New York can spearhead a new national biotech strategy. With eager investors and a rich talent pool, we're the ideal place to ramp-up a new National Innovation Fund that leverages private investment against national priorities, notably biotechnology research. ....... In 2009, for the first time, China topped the G-20 in clean energy investing, more then doubling what the US committed to this sector. ..... the President's proposal for 25 percent of our national energy portfolio to come from renewable, homegrown sources by 2025. ...... craft a comprehensive national security strategy (read: national innovation strategy) that will secure a prosperous and safe future for all Americans. ....New York can lead the way.

Comprehensive Immigration Reform to Create Jobs and Secure our Future

From 1995 to 2005, over 25 percent of technology companies started in the US had a key immigrant founder. These companies generated over $50 billion in sales and employed half a million Americans during that span. Immigrants are just 12 percent of our population but earn a staggering 47 percent of the nation's science and technology PhDs and file for 24 percent of US patents. Today, over 50 percent of the immigrants returning to India or China hold advanced degrees......We should lift the cap on H1-B and EB-5 work and investor visas and pass the "StartUp Visa" program ..... Creating a pathway towards legal status for the 12 million illegal immigrants in the US today would boost GDP by $1.5 trillion over the next 10 years. Implementing a guest worker program would add another $792 billion to GDP during the same period. ...... reframe the debate around cultural inclusion, economic competitiveness, and plain common sense ....... moving illegal immigrants from our under-the-table economy to our above-the-table economy is smart fiscal policy for the nation ......In 2010, New York's share of the Department of Homeland Security Transit Security Grant Program - which funds sensors and bomb detecting equipment - fell by 28 percent. This is unacceptable. ...... pass provisions for illegal immigrants who have critical witness information to come forward and help law enforcement personnel address street crimes and security threats .....3.1 million American children have at least one parent who is in the US illegally ...... the Uniting American Families Act, which would allow US citizens in same-sex couples to sponsor their partners for legal immigration status ..... 36,000 of these couples are at risk of being separated because one partner is not a citizen ...... I am the daughter of political refugees. My family was forced to flee the brutal regime of Idi Amin after he ordered the mass expulsion of Indians from Uganda. They lost almost everything, and sought asylum from many countries, but were only offered that opportunity in the United States.

On Women's Rights, Democrats Should Stand Up, Not Back Down

In times of political turmoil, when difficult decisions were required, Democrats stood their ground and fought hard for the Civil Rights Act, Social Security, Medicaid, Head Start, campaign finance reform, and other critical legislation....... As a leader of one of the most progressive districts in the nation, the representative of the 14th should always stand up and fight for core Democratic principles, such as reproductive choice. ...... Deal making is part of the political process. But a core Democratic principle like a woman's right to choose should have never been on the table for negotiation. ....... If there's one thing that separates the two parties, it's that Democrats are the party of principle. And when we stick to our principles, our party wins, and our nation wins. ....... (I spoke at event recently on the need to focus on job creation. Someone asked me if I was really a Republican. It's clear our party has lost its way when New York Democrats think job creation is the sole territory of the GOP.) ...... We need to stop "legislating in haste and repenting at leisure." We need to stop "voting against the bill before we vote for it."

Financial Reform From Soup to Nuts

.....Wall Street needs to stop obstructing reform in Washington...... Congress needs to stop demonizing Wall Street...... It's about eliminating the bad lending practices, encouraged by loose regulation, which together have conspired against the entire economy. It's about a new regulatory framework that empowers Wall Street to generate growth and jobs in New York City and across America. ...... I'm not making the case to engage the financial sector because it used to pay my rent. If the circus were the biggest employer in New York, I'd fight for every acrobat and ringmaster in the tri-state area. ..... We need to work with Wall Street to move high finance away from unsustainable short-term thinking, and toward long-term investments in clean-tech, biotech, nanotech, health-tech, and new media......

Generation Innovation: Creating Jobs and Growth in New York City

New York ... even managed to reach the highest point in the sky at the lowest moment of the depression." ..... New York City has always been a place of possibility, innovation, and imagination. That's why, in the wake of the Great Recession, our sustained economic crisis calls for an audacious economic vision. ....... The national retailer Macy's started in 1858 as a modest dry goods store on 6th Ave. and 14th Street. MetLife, one of the nation's largest insurers, began as a downtown startup during Reconstruction. ...... the world's most vibrant and diverse city, and also the world's most vibrant and diverse economy. ....... Since the 1970s, New York City's economy has been dominated by the financial services sector. ....... In 2007, an astounding 38 percent of the New York City's total payroll came from the financial sector. ....... New York must and will remain an epicenter for global finance. But we must also diversify our economy. ........ Bailouts have targeted mega-banks, and stimulus dollars have gone to construction contractors. These are necessary measures, but they're not sufficient to spark the kind of innovation we need to jumpstart economic growth in New York City. The Bloomberg Administration has certainly demonstrated progress in this area, doing what it can on a tight city budget - but there's a long way to go, and federal funding can help. ........some 47 New York venture capital firms funded startups to the tune of more than $2 billion in the first half of 2009. ..... growth industries such as clean-tech, high-speed rail, and broadband ...... investing in the dreamers and doers of tomorrow.

Morgenthau Withdraws, Cites City's 'Resentment' Of Him Huff Post Former Manhattan district attorney Robert Morgenthau withdrew on Tuesday from his role overseeing the city's efforts to improve the hiring of black and Hispanic firefighters, citing the city's "resentment" of him. ...... He said it appears the administration of Mayor Michael Bloomberg "has exhibited resentment against me." ...... arguing Morgenthau's "known distaste" for Bloomberg would make it impossible for him to be impartial. ..... his performance as district attorney had "not been to its liking." ...... There are about 350 black firefighters out of 11,500 firefighters working for the Fire Department of New York. Most city residents are minorities.

Tuesday, June 01, 2010

An Afternoon At The Reshma 2010 Headquarters

I was at the Reshma 2010 headquarters for a few hours this afternoon: 833 Broadway. The highlight was I made 70 phone calls, and made 10 contacts with voters. It did not feel like a Buzzd office shared with Reshma 2010. It felt the other way round. There were many more Reshma 2010 staffers and interns. (Buzzd)

In my mind I have been toying with the idea of going to work full time for Reshma 2010 for three and a half months. But that might or might not be the best fit for me and/or Reshma 2010. We will have to see about that. (My Political Resume, Reshma 2010, And September 14) If I end up with a formal role, it is likely going to be amorphous.

The campaign is not in top shape right now. If the elections were held today, we would lose. Two words: name recognition. But the campaign is promising. I see victory possible. September 14 could be ours. But there has to be a willingness to try out new things, to push the envelope. But we can not be worrying about poll numbers right now, this is why: February To September: Little Change.

If we emerge victorious, September 14 is going to be the second most glowing item on Kevin Lawler's resume, the first being the Obama victory in Iowa in January 2008. Kevin was there. (My Talk With Kevin Lawler Of Reshma 2010) He told me some of the war stories. I hope to ask him more about that experience. Without that Iowa victory, Hillary might have been president.

The first debate is going to be our Iowa. We really, really have to win that first debate with Maloney.

We have to hold mock debates. A few different people could step in for Maloney.

I asked Aaron why we don't canvass the East Side the way we canvass Astoria and Long Island City. He said it is because on the East Side we have these huge buildings that we can't get into. And at that moment an idea struck me. Take a look at this site called NYC Bloggers. It lists about 7,000 bloggers by subway stop. People on the East Side have to be digitally savvy. We should perhaps create a blogroll of all the bloggers in our district, and we have to engage them. We read their blog posts, leave comments for them, engage them, and gently guide them over to the Reshma 2010 website. This might work better than reaching out to the community newspapers, or working the subway stops. If there are 1,000 bloggers listed in our district, and each such blogger has at least 10 readers in the district, that is 10,000 people!

This NYC Bloggers idea is no argument against community newspapers, community leaders, and community events though.

There are three types of campaigning.

Targeted Campaigning. And we seem to spend a lot of our time and resources on this one. We know who the potential voters for September 14 are. And we try our best to reach out to them, to identify them, to target them.
Broadcast Campaigning. This is when you put out an ad in the New York Times (Reshma Saujani Ad Spotted At The New York Times Website) or when we work a subway stop. Or when our candidate gets media coverage. Not everyone who reads a newspaper article about Reshma Saujani is a potential voter. But getting that buzz is still important. If a potential voter has already heard of her through broadcast campaigning, it becomes easier to reach out to them through target campaigning. Right now most voters are not even paying attention. Primaries tend to be low turnout events in the first place. But the real mad dash to the finish line will begin with the debates.
Getting First Time Voters. This is key. The Maloney campaign might match us in the first two categories, and we have to make up for that by reaching out to people who might otherwise not even bother voting on September 14. We have to appeal to the New Woman on the East Side.

Talking about the New Woman and the East Side, I spent my first 15 minutes at the Reshma 2010 offices staring at the three huge maps of the district, the district split into three. That was revealing to me. The backbone of the district is the East Side. Unless we can compete with Maloney on the East Side, we can't win. And there is no reason why we can't. Reshma had a lot of early donors on the Upper East Side. You compete on the East Side, and you beat with the votes in Astoria and Long Island City. But the big chunk of the votes are on Manhattan's East Side.

Within a week, the Reshma 2010 headquarters will be moving to a bigger space in Midtown. The office could use a few netbooks - $300 each - and a few Metro PCS family plan phones: unlimited talk.

My best phone call of the day was with a voter with whom I deviated from the script. So would you say you are very political? I asked. The guy got flattered. He took over the conversation. He told me how strongly he felt about the various issues. He said he had been voting a long, long time. He said he thought Obama was a "weak president" for not having passed immigration reform already. Finally he said, don't waste your time on me, I am already committed to voting for Reshma, go talk to someone else.

So I am working the phone, and a Buzzd staffer walks by. He points at me and exclaims, "Barackface!" And walks away. That's right, I say.

"How do you know him?" Aaron asks me.

"I don't."

Aaron gets impressed.

A 14-7 Office For Reshma 2010
My Political Resume, Reshma 2010, And September 14
Reshma Saujani, Carolyn Maloney
My Talk With Kevin Lawler Of Reshma 2010
Reshma 2010 Get Together In Little India
Reshma Saujani Ad Spotted At The New York Times Website
Reshma Saujani, Scott Heiferman, Chris Hughes: TechCrunch Disrupt
Reshma Saujani, Haiti Earthquake, Harvard Yale, And 2016
Reshma Saujani "Gets" Tech
Reshma Saujani: Innovation, Ethnic Pride, Thought Leadership

Pages

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