Ameritocracy

The Mayor, the City Councilman, and Obama 2.0

A few months ago I moved to the DC metro area.  During the final stretch of the presidential campaign, I noted over and over how many times the candidates talked about “bringing change to Washington.”  That mythical beast Washington was waiting for the salvific hero from outside to come tame her.

Now as far as I can tell in my brief time here, the only politicians in Washington, DC are the ones the rest of America sent here.

On November 8, Americans turned out to make their voice and vote heard, and many stood in lines for hours to do so.  But change won’t come to Washington just with one vote.  Washington politicians such as senators and representatives have enormous impact, but who waits in line for hours to vote for a senator or representative?  How many of us vote at all for the local mayor or judge?  It turns out that those who cast a vote for the mayoral election in Wasilla in 1996 had enormous influence on history.  Those who voted for Joe Biden in his bid for New Castle city councilman in 1970 cast a very early vote leading to the November 8 election.

The Obama campaign illustrated that massive impact strong grassroots work can have.  The American people illustrated how responsive, active and caring they can be about their candidate.  Parents took children into voting booths and cast a vote together.  Strangers hugged on the street after Obama was declared the President-Elect.

It’s time to take that momentum and turn it into a new habit, not just a historical moment.  It’s time to remember that civic duty is a duty.  And a privilege.  And civic duty is best exerted when the population is civically literate.

Ameritocracy is a tool which helps people learn and educate others.  By posting quotes, responses, and comments, Americans can learn quickly whether oft-quoted comments by politicians are actually true.  Those in the know have an easy way to contribute their knowledge to the greater good.  Quotes made by the president can be added.  But so can quotes by your local and state officials.

Obama is leading the way with Obama 2.0.  So, what do you, as a citizen, want to  know more about – from Obama, from your representatives, from your fellow Americans on ameritocracy.com?  What would you like to be educated on in order to be a better citizen?