Promoting the Independent Contractors' Party

URGENTLY NEEDED:  Raw material which can be developed into ads promoting the Independent Contractors’ Party. I’m trying to encourage total strangers (you) to come up with a overkill of ideas from which others may build.

Material could consist of something as simple as slogans. Here’s one I used during the 2008 presidential campaign (yeah, I had run against Obama…very far behind, I might add): “You wouldn’t consider selling your house without a written contract. Why give your vote away?”

The first step: Keep it simple, but keep talking it up

Ideas don’t have to be elaborate, highly polished, or even complete. Sketches, widely distributed, are a good place to start. Posting to YouTube, Facebook, and MySpace could generate feedback and inspire others to post their ideas. But it’s absolutely necessary to keep posting, to keep hacking away; let people know you’re there.

And then what?

Independent groups or individuals might catch wind of these ideas and decide to produce and buy exposure in the appropriate media markets. Remember: The beauty of the Independent Contractors’ Party is, nobody’s in charge. Nobody (least of all me) will pick up the phone or make the rounds trying to line up financial backers. If ICP is to become an effective third party, spontaneity is the name of the game. If a critical mass of public awareness is achieved, those who can make a contribution (without having to be asked) will know what to do. They will step forward on their own – or, more accurately, after having been inspired by what the ICP can do.

And what can the ICP do? Simple: It will stand in such stark comparison to the GOP/Dem combine, candidates will be encouraged to run under its banner and offer written contracts of their own. [Of course, they won’t have to seek permission to do this.]

Types of ads

I would like to go to a movie theater someday (soon!) and be able to see an ICP ad projected on screen. It’s pretty common these days to see such commercial spots before the featured attraction. Before that comes to pass, perhaps short pieces along the lines of experimental film might appear at art house theaters. A lot of creative people could be exposed to and inspired by what they see. Hopefully, they will add their ideas to the mix.

Ads could be based on particular statements in ICP candidates’ contracts. For instance, my pledge to void US diplomatic recognition of Israel while granting US diplomatic recognition to Palestine. Someone with a DVC camcorder could go out on the street and approach “random” citizens for their reactions to such proposals. By “random,” of course, I mean footage of scripted scenes with actors could be included. For instance, one such actor could express his surprise: “Can the President do that? Doesn’t he need the Senate to approve?” [“Yes” and “No,” respectively.]

Just now, I tried posting a comment to a Yahoo news article concerning military service. Quite often I am censored by Yahoo, as I was with this anti-draft post. But since conscription could well become an issue again, this statement from my contract could inspire quite a range of artistic possibilities:

QUOTE: If elected, I will “void” any military draft which might be passed by Congress by ordering all conscripts to follow only one order (from me, as their Commander in Chief): “Carry on with your lives as if you weren’t drafted, which means don’t follow orders from anyone else but me – and this will be my only order to you.” [Conscription is a violation of the 13^th Amendment.] :UNQUOTE.

Jaws would drop to the ground upon hearing that. You could actually feel the earth shake.

Other ads could be based on the unique nature of ICP: Imagine a political party that wasn’t controlled by lobbyists, that didn’t seek campaign contributions (in fact, couldn’t accept them because the ICP doesn’t exist – it’s virtual), that didn’t trade future favors for present endorsements. In short, a party that doesn’t conduct business as usual.

Comparing tired old mainstream parties to this breath of fresh air could yield some absolutely inspiring ads. While it’s true that the Dem/Pubs can more easily place candidates on the ballot, if enough people came to see ICP as a viable contender, they would volunteer to obtain enough signatures to place contracted candidates on the ballot. And to canvass on his behalf. If not, at least if not in the beginning, there is still the possibility of conducting write-in campaigns.

However, no contracted candidates will step forward unless they sense a groundswell of movement at the grassroots level. And that won’t happen unless those potential supporters are exposed to the ICP’s commercial messages. Again and again. Which will be necessary because, believe me, the Dem/Pub machine will try its damnedest to flood media markets with their messages.

Steven Searle for US President in 2012

“You don’t need a billion dollars to campaign for the US presidency. I aim to prove this can be done with substantially less.”