Pete Ashdown

One of my childhood memories is the legend behind the creation of chess. The creator presented his finished game to the king and the king was so pleased that he told the creator to name any price for his work. In response, the creator stated that he wanted one grain of rice on the first square of the chessboard, then have it subsequently doubled for each square thereafter. The king laughed and said, “Is that all?”

The king didn’t realize the power of exponents. Considering the first square had one grain of rice, the remaining squares had 2 to the 63rd power of rice. My calculator tells me this is 9.22e18, which is a 9 followed by 18 digits, or over 9 quintillion (a billion billion) grains of rice. Most likely the king could not pay off.

Marketers believe “word of mouth” is the most powerful form of advertising. Indeed, more customers have come to my business XMission based on recommendations of friends and family than any other method. Political campaigns want to use this but it is not anything you can purchase, so they mainly rely on traditional methods of advertising through broadcast and print media.

Traditional media is still part of this campaign’s strategy, but it hinges on significant funds being raised. When I encounter a willing volunteer, instead of shaking them down, I tell them to sign up for the mailing list and spread the word. The numbers are pretty simple in this race. In 2004, just over 940,000 voters participated. This was a presidential and a gubernatorial year in Utah where turnout is high. In the “mid-term”, 2002, about 570,000 voters cast their vote. So lets say 700,000 show up in 2006. This means a winner would need a maximum of 350,001 votes. A stark figure until you think of the chess board.

Tell two people a day about this campaign, and have them do the same. In 19 days, 524,288 people will have heard about it. Of course we realize that people are busy, so expecting this to happen is not realistic. However, make up the gaps by increasing the number of people you tell, and the potential is vast.

Some prominent technology websites have refused to greenlight articles about this campaign. National technologists have not responded to my emails. Cracking national media from the top is futile. The word needs to rise from the bottom. Politicians talk about the “grass roots” ad nauseam, but this is what the Internet does best. In order for this campaign to succeed, we not only need votes from inside Utah, we need funds from across the country. Send an email to your friends. Put a button on your web page. Spread the word.

The KCPW interview with Blair Feulner went well this morning. You can listen to the recording here. Kos of DailyKos did a nice summary here. Finally, the campaign hit Metafilter this morning. A nice way to kick off December!

Dr. Alan Rosenblatt of the Media Center at the American Press Institute has written a blog entry about my use of a wiki. His point that this is the future of politics is apt. Communication, technology, and the Internet has affected every aspect of our lives. Government and politicians need to realize it is better to embrace this change rather than continue to fight against it.

Bob Mims of the Salt Lake Tribune, has written a report about the campaign wiki.

One hundred forty-two years ago, our greatest President, Abraham Lincoln proclaimed:

“The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God…
No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy.
It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and voice by the whole American people. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to his tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquillity and Union.”

Someone once said,

“It never occurs to some politicians that Lincoln is worth imitating as well as quoting.”

I hope that all of us recognize the great blessings we have, but also give more than words as our thanks. Below are a few of the numerous organizations who need your actions during this Thanksgiving:

America Supports You
American Red Cross
Bush-Clinton Katrina Fund
LDS Humanitarian Services
The Road Home
United Way of Salt Lake
Utah Food Bank

Whatever you consider giving to my campaign, please consider giving double to any of these or other charities. I wish all of you a happy, meaningful Thanksgiving, as we work to “restore…peace, harmony, tranquility, and Union.”

I spent last Monday in Saint George, Utah. In the morning, I had the opportunity to talk with the Southern Utah Democrats club at their luncheon which was covered by the Saint George Spectrum. Later I talked with local officials and citizens, did an hour talk show with Bryan Hyde, and was interviewed by Tamara Lee on KCSG Channel 6. Thanks to all who made this visit possible. I look forward to seeing you again.

While I was in Saint George, Politics1.com reinaugurated its “Site of the Day” picks and made my site the first for “allowing richer public participation”. Many sites picked up on the recent poll; Daily Kos, DSCC “From the Roots”, MyDD, Western Democrat, and Swing State Project.

Last night, I was honored to be hosted at a gathering of moderates and conservatives by James and Jenica Humphreys. A Democratic candidate meeting with Republican-minded voters is something that KSL Radio considers newsworthy in Utah. In this radio piece, the Hatch campaign responded by saying, “Ashdown is just custom tailoring his message to his audience instead of taking a stand.”

This attitude from Senator Hatch is not surprising. Ted Kennedy is trotted out repeatedly as an example of “working across the aisle,” but Senator Hatch repeatedly demonizes Democrats for all of society’s ills. During a recent interview on KCPW, he claimed that it was liberals who came up with the “derogatory term”, “nuclear option” in reference to blocking Democratic filibusters in congress. According to the Wikipedia article on the subject it was Trent Lott who first came up with the term, although I liked their first choice better, “Hulk.”

Taking a stand is not exclusive of building consensus. The forum last night was one of the most productive campaign meetings I’ve been to. There was a minimum of rhetoric and a focus on problem solving. Roughly twenty people had taken their Saturday evening off to hear what I had to say and express their views to me. There was rarely a subject that everyone agreed upon, although the sad state of health insurance in this country was prominent. What impressed me about this group is that they were passionate about making America a better place to live. I believe most Americans are, regardless of party affiliation.

James joked with me after the meeting that the “Scarlett D” is what keeps conservatives in Utah from listening to anyone from the “other side”. Conservative bloggers in Utah have been agonizing over whether they can stomach voting for a Democrat since Urquhart left the race. Understandably, it is hard for anyone to put trust in a politician. Since I have never run before, you can judge me on what I have done with my business. I was honored that the most conservative guy in the room last night, Vince, wanted to get his picture taken with me because he admired how I run XMission. I have had many opportunities to sell XMission for considerable amounts, but I haven’t because I knew it would have been bad for my employees and worse for my customers. Why would I sell out my constituency for anything less?

What I have been advocating in this campaign is openess and transparency in government, along with open access for interested parties to give their input on subjects that concern them. Today’s Salt Lake Tribune has an editorial by BYU philosophy professor Jeffrey Nielsen about just this. Thomas Jefferson endorsed the idea of “peer councils” and it is only now through the use of the Internet we truly have the ability to put this into action.

Good solutions are non-partisan, they simply solve the problem. I believe the best way to fix America’s problems is for everyone to work on them rather than promoting partisan ideologies.

A KSL/Deseret News poll by Dan Jones and Associates shows our efforts are paying off. Senator Hatch is currently polling at a 45% reelect against 48% stating it is time to give someone else a chance. The same poll also shows that Representive Jim Matheson, a Democrat, is the most popular politician in Utah.

This is tremendous news with a year to go until the general election, yet it is no time to cease our efforts. Right now, the most important help I can receive is continuing to spread the word to drive your friends and neighbors to the campaign website. I am also asking you to dig deep and consider donating to the campaign. The fact that we have gotten this far on the limited resources we’ve been given shows what we could do with more.

Thank you again for all your efforts. We are going to win this with your continued help.

I was invited to speak at the press conference for the newly formed Utah Democratic Veterans’ Caucus. Read the text of my speech in the press release or simply listen to the actual audio of my speech.

A prime example of the lack of congressional technology chops is this new HR 4194 bill presented in a most positive light as a way to protect “bloggers”. The mistake it makes, and this is the same broad clumsy brush that painted Hatch’s INDUCE act, in that it refers to “web logs” only. INDUCE referred to “P2P” technology without bothering to define it. P2P can equally cover the technology behind email, instant messaging, and legal file transfers, all which would have been made illegal by INDUCE. HR 4194 seems to think that all political communication on the Internet is done over “web logs” and therefore only that should be protected speech. Nevermind mailing lists, Usenet, web bulletin boards, audio, video, and other technologies down the road. Some staffer thought the only speech that needed to be free was “web logs” and therefore we have our amendment to protect “that Internet thing”.

For the first time in the history of democracy, the Internet presents the opportunity for all to have an equal voice in lobbying congress and political action. What disturbs me about the FEC actions is that it appears they are attempting to curb that freedom.

Many prominent political blogs have joined together, across – the political spectrum, to fight this. I echo their efforts to have you call your representative and let them know to vote “NO” on HR 4194.

What remains to be seen is whether the political efforts of online communities will ever result in the election of a candidate who understands what they’re talking about.