Let’s keep talking. Thanks so much for your thought-provoking comment!

Yes, let’s! Thank you.

jacob – Yes, I liked the Javers article too, and to your question, my goal, such as it is, is to bring to light the many ways that independents are being talked about, and hopefully including the words and more importantly the ongoing activities of actual independents (on the ground, so to speak — activists) so that thoughtful political people can talk and dialogue on all these issues more independently, in a less partisan manner. A government of the people, by the people, for the people is a very tall order given our current bureaucratic and alienated systemized governmental procedure.

Apple didn’t get built that way, and for that matter neither did we! We need a resurgence of political entrepreneurship! It’s a matter of creativity, building new things, inventions, possibilities. Brand loyalty is something that commercial enterprises have learned from psychology and I wouldn’t deny the power of advertising. But marketing doesn’t replace the production of new ideas, new forms, new products.

What are we going to do with it? I really hope we can become a more creative people in the name of humanity. I think you have hit the nail on the head when you say “I suppose we start by just getting involved and making our voices heard.” At the same time, I wouldn’t discount the “lunatics at either fringe” — there might be a good idea or 2 there! I also seriously doubt that we will ever get the Donks and Phants to listen. They’re the establishment! Why would they listen? I would go further and say that we should start now to create a new way of doing politics.

And what will we say when we do that? We’ll say whatever we want to say, and whatever we need to say, on our own behalf. Will our voice have a particular ideology? I don’t think so — we have to move beyond ideology to say what we have to say I think.

Let’s keep talking. Thanks so much for your thought-provoking comment!
Nancy

If I may, what’s your goal with all this? Is it to build a new party and make it viable (the Donklephant Party!)? Or is it to work on the hearts and minds of the people, and in the bowels of our government, until all third parties are viable options?

It seems like in many contexts independents are just pendulums that swing back and forth between Republicans and Democrats. They swung over to Obama last year and if all goes well will swing back to whoever in 2012.

If you agree with Javers (and I do), America is ripe for real change. Which, to me, means breaking free of the two party system. Trippi and Dean taught us the power of the internet to build a movement and, apparently (though I’m not sure how to apply it yet), Apple can teach us a few things about building loyalty …

But what are we going to do with it? I suppose we start by just getting involved and making our voices heard. When we’re louder than the lunatics at either fringe and the Donks and the Phants are forced to listen, though, what are we going to say?