Politics and the Common Good

Here is a video of my recent talk at TEDxHendrixCollege:

The theme of the TEDx event was "Us vs. Them" - and the organizers wanted to include a talk political in nature. Of course, the most obivous "Us vs. Them" in politics today is Democrats vs. Republicans. But in my talk, I argue that this partisanship is only a symptom of the real problem – a division within our republic between a "political class" and the people. To get back to a "We the people" government, I suggest some fundamental political reforms as well as a need for a bottom up reinvigoration of civic participation. Leave your feedback!

On Taking Risks

I've worked with Americans Elect since its inception two years ago because I believe our political system is totally dysfunctional and needs to be shaken up. After all, it's the youngest generation that stands to lose the most from the kind of policy stagnation we're seeing in Washington. I believe AE offers a way to break through the gridlock and put our country back on track again.

In theory – AE a brilliant idea: 50-state ballot access for a bipartisan/non-partisan presidential ticket chosen directly by the people through an online convention. It leverages our new technology to open up the process to more people (not just those on the extremes) and expand the pool of candidates to those who otherwise would not run through the circus of either party's primary. But in practice - it has proven more difficult than expected to engage voters in the process and attract credible/viable candidates and draft movements. 

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Interview with Comcast Newsmakers

Interview with Austin Lifestyles

I recently joined an Austin radio program to talk about Americans Elect and a panel disucssion we were hosting at the University of Texas.

One Year in Washington

I've been working on a timelapse project of Washington, DC since January 2009, with a friend who lives in Arlington. His apartment overlooks a fantastic view of the National Mall – from the Lincoln Memorial to the U.S. Capitol. We worked with the talented Michael Marantz to put this video together using some of our pictures and some audio from past presidents to illustrate all that can change in a year...even in Washington, where change is often hard to achieve.