A Movement is Born: Potlucks for Democracy

Our Fellow Citizens:

We have searched our soul and we have concluded that politics still has the power to inspire. Yes, we each have our list of what’s dirty and wrong. But at its core, this winter of our Democracy stems from the politics of money and two-party machinery that robs us of the indispensable sunshine of our Democracy: Inspiration.

Without Inspiration it is impossible to participate; without participation Democracy is impossible. But is Inspiration itself impossible?

And so we start with Inspiration. Today we begin a movement called Potlucks for Democracy. To help this 2010 candidacy finish the final 30 days with faith and hope, and to march on beyond November, to rebuild Democracy, to inspire our people to participate again. This we seek through the humblest of American traditions: the potluck. To potluck is to bring something good of yourself, and so to inspire participation in a community.

Below are 3 paths to Potlucks for Democracy. Please pick one, share something of yourself, and inspire America to participate again. Thank you!

John Mertens and Friends
October 2010

First, Potluck Your Inspiration.
We will showcase stories of inspiration as embodied by donated Objects of Inspiration, shared by people from all walks of life. We will auction each object, with proceeds helping us sustain Potlucks for Democracy.

Our ask: Tell us about a time you were inspired to do the impossible; share an object that best embodies this. We will post your object for a week-long auction on eBay.

• You can Potluck Your Inspiration by following these steps.
• You can also help by bidding on our objects of inspiration on Ebay.

Second, Potluck Your Community. 
We boast no money or machinery, but we have worked tirelessly in these past months, as we will work tirelessly in these last days and in the months and years beyond: to meet you face-to-face, to listen, to answer your questions, to offer our positions, to build on yours or disagree if we must, to admit when we don’t know or are unsure and to find answers and places and issues and projects where we can be constructive.

Our ask: Join us for potlucks, town-halls, debates, interviews, and other face-to-face events where authentic public discourse can happen again.

• To keep up with our community events, please sign up on our mailing list (check out the side bar to your right).
• Please spread the word about our Community events to your network - pick up the phone, email, and share via Twitter, Facebook and other social networks.

Third, Potluck Your Resources.
What does it take for a U.S. Senate candidate to get his message heard? For some, all it takes is writing another ten million dollar check from their personal bank account.  For others it takes a visit from a former or sitting U.S. President. Or a black-tie gala featuring rockstars and celebrities. For us, we have you.

Our ask: We need help to defray our modest campaign expenses and to carry on with Potlucks for Democracy. Please help us achieve these targets:

• In the last 30 days of the campaign, at least 1 donor &/or volunteer from 100 CT towns. (Scroll below for latest tallies)
• In the last 30 days of the campaign, at least 10 towns with 10 donors and/or volunteers each. (Scroll below for latest tallies)

Please contribute what you can to help make additional tools and organizing available to spread the word and restore democracy.

Through Paypal (click the donate button in the side column) or by Mail:  Make a check out to “John Mertens for U.S. Senate”, mail to:
    John Mertens for U.S. Senate
    P.O. Box 330452
    West Hartford, CT 06133-0452

The maximum contribution per individual is $2,400. For donations of more than $50, federal law requires that you provide your name and address. For contributions above $200, you must also provide your profession and employer name.

So far 40 towns (we want 100)! Is your town here?

Avon    1
Bloomfield    1
Bridgeport    1
Bristol    1
Canton    2
Cheshire    1
Chester    2
Colchester    2
Coventry    1
Deep River    2
East Haven    2
East Windsor    2
Ellington    2
Glastonbury    3
Hartford    3
Ledyard    1
Litchfield    1
Manchester    3
Mansfield    2
Middletown    5
Milford    1
New Britain    1
New Haven    3
New London    1
Newtown    1
Old Lyme    1
Oxford    1
Ridgefield    1
Rocky Hill    2
Seymour    1
Simsbury    1
Southington    2
Stamford    2
Waterbury    3
Waterford    3
West Hartford    1
Wethersfield    1
Winchester    2
Windsor    1
Wolcott    1

Stand up and be counted - we need 60 more towns!

Ansonia
Ashford
Barkhamsted
Beacon Falls
Berlin
Bethany
Bethel
Bethlehem
Bolton
Bozrah
Branford
Bridgewater
Brookfield
Brooklyn
Burlington
Canaan
Canterbury
Chaplin
Clinton
Colebrook
Columbia
Cornwall
Cromwell
Danbury
Darien
Derby
Durham
East Granby
East Haddam
East Hampton
East Hartford
East Lyme
Eastford
Easton
Enfield
Essex
Fairfield
Farmington
Franklin
Goshen
Granby
Greenwich
Griswold
Groton
Guilford
Haddam
Hamden
Hampton
Hartland
Harwinton
Hebron
Kent
Killingly
Killingworth
Lebanon
Lisbon
Lyme
Madison
Marlborough
Meriden
Middlebury
Middlefield
Monroe
Montville
Morris
Naugatuck
Newington
New Canaan
New Fairfield
New Hartford
New Milford
Norfolk
North Branford
North Canaan
North Haven
North Stonington
Norwalk
Norwich
Old Saybrook
Orange
Plainfield
Plainville
Plymouth
Pomfret
Portland
Preston
Prospect
Putnam
Redding
Roxbury
Salem
Salisbury
Scotland
Sharon
Shelton
Sherman
Somers
South Windsor
Southbury
Sprague
Stafford
Sterling
Stonington
Stratford
Suffield
Thomaston
Thompson
Tolland
Torrington
Trumbull
Union
Vernon
Voluntown
Wallingford
Warren
Washington
Watertown
West Haven
Westbrook
Weston
Westport
Willington
Wilton
Windham
Windsor Locks
Woodbridge
Woodbury
Woodstock

Potlucks for Democracy Roars On in New Haven, Back-to-Back with People’s Debate 2.0

Tuesday, October 12, 2010 @ 6pm. Andre and Renee Cala-Yap host U.S. Senate candidate John Mertens, inviting friends and family to an inspiring evening of sharing and participation. After our kickoff potluck in Hartford, we are happy to be in New Haven to continue Potlucks for Democracy, our grassroots movement to rebuild Democracy by inspiring people to participate again:

We have searched our soul and we have concluded that politics still has the power to inspire. Yes, we each have our list of what’s dirty and wrong. But at its core, this winter of our Democracy stems from the politics of money and two-party machinery that robs us of the indispensable sunshine of our Democracy: Inspiration.

Without Inspiration it is impossible to participate; without participation Democracy is impossible. But is Inspiration itself impossible?

And so we start with Inspiration. Today we begin a movement called Potlucks for Democracy. To help this 2010 candidacy finish the final 30 days with faith and hope, and to march on beyond November, to rebuild Democracy, to inspire our people to participate again. This we seek through the humblest of American traditions: the potluck. To potluck is to bring something good of yourself, and so to inspire participation in a community.

We will also continue the People’s Debate format where we use multimedia technologies to show The Day/WTNH televised debate and candidates Blumenthal and McMahon (live), pause to allow candidate Mertens to answer each question, then resume the televised broadcast, giving equal voice to all three candidates. The entire event will be broadcast via live video stream, with audience inputs streamed live via Twitter hashtag #CTSen. See our first People’s Debate last Monday, October 4, 2010.

Political Scientist Paul Scaglia wrote this letter to the Hartford Courant last October 6, a reminder why we are all diminished when we do not stand up to a negligent press:

By not inviting Dr. John Mertens and William Mosler to the U.S. Senatorial debate on 4 October 2010, The Hartford Courant and Fox News 61 failed to carry out the independent and impartial role as envisioned by the framers of the U.S. Constitution in the First Amendment. The Hartford Courant excluding these qualified and competent candidates, who are on the November ballot, undermines the political process and raises the issue of press independence and standards of accountability. The Hartford Courant and Fox 61 also denied the public access to a wide-ranging political debate.

 The exclusion of Dr. John Mertens and Warren Mosler from the Senatorial debate on Monday night, between the democratic candidate Richard Blumenthal and the republican candidate Linda McMahon, reveal how the status quo political parties work together to protect their own political power and interests from grass root political movements. In an election campaign dominated by over whelming anti establishment and anti incumbent rhetoric, it is no surprise that both establishment political parties are working together to prohibit independent candidates like John Mertens and Warren Mosler from participating in the public debate.

So like the potlucks we all know, you are invited to bring something of yourself: food, drinks, conversation, ideas, art, and more. This is a private event for friends and family.

• Tuesday, October 12, 2010
  
• 6:00 pm onwards: Potluck all night
  
• 6:45-8:15 pm: People’s Debate

Livestream details of the People’s Debate via @Mertens4Senate and #CTSen, where we invite the public to experience our movement and inspire Potlucks of their own for Democracy.