Category Archives: Politics & Society

The “Ground Zero Mosque”: The Perfect Republican Talking Point

Posted on September 12, 2010 by Spencer

Written for the Huffington Post:In the last post Zach Friend and I wrote, we detailed the recipe for a Republican Talking Point. In the short time since then there has appeared a perfect example: the “Ground Zero mosque.” It isn’t … Continue reading →

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Have Democrats Lost The Narrative?

Posted on August 20, 2010 by Spencer

By Zach Friend & Spencer Critchley, at Huffington Post: Time after predictable time, Republicans roll out a new set of bogus talking points. And time after time, Democrats argue the facts — and lose. That’s got to change. Here’s how … Continue reading →

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Obama’s Credit Gap – Why the President’s Victories Go Unnoticed

Posted on August 1, 2010 by Spencer

By Zach Friend & Spencer Critchley, at Huffington Post: We knew this was coming. The media have finally noticed the gap between Barack Obama’s extraordinary achievements — health care reform, financial reform and preventing a depression, to name a very … Continue reading →

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Op-Ed: Local think tank forming to take on sustainability

Posted on April 7, 2010 by Spencer

By now it’s clear that the future of the economy is a sustainable one, as global investment trends attest. As the cost of cleaner technologies falls ever lower, sustainability is becoming a question not of limits, but of opportunities.

Imagine, then, the possibilities for a region that combined these assets: world-class academic and defense institutions, excellent infrastructure, a coastal California/Pacific Rim location, some of the most fertile land in the world, a culture of innovation, and a quality of life that attracts talent from all over the planet.

There is such a region: We live in it. Continue reading →

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Obama promised, and is delivering, “a more perfect union”

Posted on January 4, 2010 by Spencer

Originally posted at Personal Democracy Forum / TechPresident, in reply to a post by Micah Sifry called “The Obama Disconnect: What Happens When Myth Meets Reality”, which claims that Barack Obama has never really been committed to the grassroots. A … Continue reading →

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Local Government 2.0

Posted on November 22, 2009 by Spencer

Government 2.0 is a big interest of mine – just like at the national level, I think we can make local government more open, participatory and productive by using technology intelligently. Although there’s been talk about this for a while, … Continue reading →

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Obama: Advancing Civil Liberties in the Face of Difficult Constraints

Posted on November 22, 2009 by Spencer

My opening statement for the debate at the ACLU Santa Cruz Annual Dinner, Nov 18, 2009:

…Let’s begin by recognizing the magnitude of President Obama’s first civil liberties achievement: getting elected.

In hindsight, the success of the Obama campaign can look inevitable. But at the outset, the only thing that looked inevitable to most observers was that it would not succeed, that it was at best a dry run for the future. Well, facing incredibly steep odds, Barack Obama brought the future into the present.

He had some great talent helping him. But I can tell you that there was never any question who was running things, and that was Barack Obama himself… Continue reading →

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ACLU Debate: Defending Obama’s Civil Liberties Record

Posted on November 16, 2009 by Spencer

I’ll be arguing the position “Obama: Advancing Civil Liberties in the Face of Difficult Constraints” at the ACLU Santa Cruz chapter’s annual meeting Wednesday, Nov 18, 2009, starting at 7:00 pm. From the ACLU: “Each speaker will have opportunities to … Continue reading →

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Politicians’ Web town halls boost their approval ratings – Nextgov

Posted on October 28, 2009 by Spencer

Lawmakers’ Internet-based town hall meetings increase constituents’ approval ratings for the politician, enhance citizen engagement in politics and ultimately impact the probability of participants voting for that member of Congress, according to a new Congressional Management Foundation report. CMF Executive … Continue reading →

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WhiteHouse.gov Goes Drupal

Posted on October 25, 2009 by Spencer

From Personal Democracy Forum: http://personaldemocracy.com/node/15131 WhiteHouse.gov has gone Drupal. After months of planning, says an Obama Administration source, the White House has ditched the proprietary content management system that had been in place since the days of the Bush Administration … Continue reading →

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