Re: candidate endorsement quandary

[Dena Marchant <denam@fsr.com>]

My two cents:  No, I dont' want to read a bunch of 
political endorsements.  It's not the reason I subscribe to 
this list.

Dena Marchant
Deary, ID


At 01:43 PM 11/3/99 PST, bill london wrote:
>Here's a topic I would love to see discussed by more subscribers to this 
>list:
>
>During the political campaign periods, should the Vision 2020 list include 
>"endorsements" or "non-endorsements" of political candidates?
>
>Are those kinds of messages a turn-off for members or a valued service?
>
>We've had a few comments on this subject already.  I would like to see more.
>
>Vision 2020 serves as a community forum, like the soapbox in the park.  
>Nobody screens or manages the postings.  Civil discourse is the goal, and 
>with few exceptions, has been the rule.
>
>I fear that encouraging political candidate endorsements on 2020 would 
>degenerate into a pathetic name-calling mess.  But what if the opposite is 
>correct?  Perhaps we would all learn more about the reputations and 
>experiences of the candidates.  Maybe all we would read is petty third-hand 
>gossip and innuendo.  Perhaps the scrutiny would be positive, or perhaps it 
>would scare people away from offering to serve.  Maybe...
>
>Several council candidates posted their ideas and discussed their 
>motivations on the 2020 list during this campaign.  This, it seems to me, is 
>different from their supporters or detractors posting messages endorsing 
>candidates.  Candidates' own messages seems to me to be a good use of this 
>community forum.  Please consider that aspect as well.  Perhaps you 
>disagree...
>
>I encourage you to post your ideas about encouraging discussions about 
>specific candidates, or candidates' own postings on community issues, on the 
>Vision 2020 list.
>
>One use of the 2020 list that seemed to work is the questionaire we 
>developed and then asked of all candidates. We then reported all responses 
>on the 2020 list and on a website donated by FSR. The responses were more 
>thorough than I had expected.  Several 2020 subscribers (as well as several 
>candidates) contacted me to support that process.  I do expect to see, in 
>future political campaign periods, continued use of the Vision 2020 list as 
>a forum for those candidate questionaires.
>
>BL
>
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Dena Marchant
Web Programmer
First Step Research

(208) 882-8869 ext 20