BOHICA. The startup model comes to politics. Meet "The Blue Lab"
I'm just old and jaded, but the subject of this OP just about says it all for our politics. Political campaigns are now being literally prefabricated by political entrepreneurs. They have a staff of starry-eyed young interns ready to go. A wannabee candidate just plunks down the cash, and presto - instant campaign.
The sales pitch is efficiency and cost effectiveness, with a dollop of "social justice" thrown in so you don't notice how corporatized the whole process is.
the Blue Lab in Boston’s Liberty Square is not about designing apps or websites. It launches political campaigns — on a budget and for a fee.
The company aims to cut the cost and inefficiency of building individual campaigns from scratch by offering candidates shared space and resources — much like a tech incubator.
The 10-month-old business was started by Democratic operative Scott Ferson, once Senator Edward M. Kennedy’s press secretary, and Sean Sinclair, a former campaign manager for US Senate majority leader Harry Reid. Ferson and Sinclair call it a “political incubator,” and their goal is to shake up the business of campaigning by bundling services at discounted prices.
“It’s more profitable,” Ferson said of the new campaign model. “It’s volume.”...seeing their commitment to social-justice issues gives me hope that there are so many young people that still care,” he said.
- Boston Globe, Tech startup process a model for political trail
You can check out their website, where you get more slick corporate packaging.
We assist in voter engagement, research, fundraising and advocacy when creating and structuring a campaign. The Blue Lab makes running for office easy and possible to even those who have no experience in state politics. Described by the Boston Globe as “The next big thing,” we are gaining traction in political advocacy and will help make the campaigning process easy.
Right, because politics isn't about committment, goals, or inclusion. Its about money and efficiency. These guys sell political wannabees like they were a new brand of toothpaste. These guys are basically hired guns. Have political machinery, will travel. But, really, trust them, they are progressives.
The founder, Scott Ferson, touts that he used to be Teddy Kennedy's press secretary. But, he doesn't mention that he was communications director for Steve Lynch, the most rightwing member of the MA Congressional delegation. Blue Lab implies, without promising, that they are not mere mercenaries, but that they are genuine progressives. Well, if you worked for Teddy AND Steve Lynch AND Seth Moulton, you are either a mercenary or a camouflaged rightwinger; because Teddy was on the opposite side of the ideological fence from Lynch and Moulton.
----
Blue Lab's first victory was to primary long-time liberal Congressman John Tierney out of his newly gerrymandered district and replace him with ex-marine, Hillary supporter, Seth Moulton, who gives off just the right level of maverick vibe to deflect how corporate he is.
The sad thing is, in local elections, where turnout is low, and candidate budgets are even lower, this approach works. We all know that national and state (ALEC) politics are completely corrupted. Many people say we should concentrate on local politics.
How does that play now that anybody with a little spare cash can hire a team to put him into office? And, the more of his own cash he has, the more of these corporatized services can be bought. Does that sound like grassroots or astroturf? Micro-manipulation for micro-districts.
I found out about these guys because some 24 year old, in a small town far from Boston, was getting endorsements from Boston Mayor Marty Walsh and being touted as a "rising star" for a two year stint on a city council - and I didn't see any reason for it. Now I see a reason. The endorsements and publicity are part of the deal offered by Blue Lab.
This is supposed to make progressives stand up and cheer?
It makes me want to puke. With this kind of company sticking its nose into local politics, I would say local politics is also corrupted. Pay to play comes to mom and pop elections. Genuine enthusiasm replaced by a hired crew of twenty-something political entrepreneures - the political equivalent of Uber drivers.
Even honest local politics is over.
Comments
This is designed to sabotage any future Bernie-like movement
Bernie's campaign proved that the DNC is a corrupt organization that will smash any progressive attempt to get control of the Democratic Party, and cheat to do so.
We see those Bernie supporters who decided to stay in the party still fighting for justice INSIDE the party, while those who left the party are trying to run their own candidates from the OUTSIDE.
We know what a tough fight the INSIDE fight is. Well "The Blue Lab" is designed to preempt any genuine political organizing of progressives OUTSIDE the Democratic Party. It says, don't bother to organize yourselves, progressives, we will do it for you.
What they don't say is that when enough "progressive" candidates use them, they are then kingmakers. They are the beginnings of a new Progressive party leadership. Only its "Meet the new boss, same as the old boss." Because they are just a corporation trying to make money with a business plan. They are reducing politics to business, so when someone says, "this is pay to play", they say "of course it is, its a business."
Who appointed these guys? Oh, the people who have enough money and few enough scruples to use them.
Political campaigns cost money and require staff
One thing I finally, fully grasped in the past few of years -- after reading campaign books about the Obama campaigns in 2008 and 12, John Edwards tragic campaign, Bernie's campaign, and Her's campaign -- and learning about the careers of professional campaign operatives who move from one to the next, is that they are almost all essentially "mercenaries" who do it as a job, for a paycheck. Few actually care that much, if at all, about the actual candidate. Working political campaigns is their job. When one ends, they start looking for their next job.
That someone would package and sell such services is not surprising to me at all. It could just as easily benefit someone good who is trying to start from scratch as anyone else. Many people who might never be able to pull a campaign together on their own could potentially consider running for office by using this type of service.
I don't think the existence of this company would preclude another Sanders-like campaign. Anyone who runs for office needs money to do it, one way or another. Bernie might have gotten farther, faster if he'd had an opportunity to purchase a lot of infrastructure rather than building from scratch. I'm not feeling the outrage on this one, sorry.
What outrages me is this "progressive" working for Steve Lynch
and Seth Moulton. This operation sucks in progressive interns, and then has them campaign for corpo-Dems.
I understand with the points you make about politics being a business, although I think that itself is a problem. We need publicly funded campaigns, not the further privatization of politics. I mean, the DNC has shown just how unresponsive a supposedly non-business entity can be, so the solution is to make politics a for-profit business?
As I said, I am old and tired of the complete hypocrisy of our political system. It may just be my personal breaking point. YMMV.
I don't see how you can claim...
.
Bernie's whole appeal was that he wasn't some slickly package corporate apparatchik. He carried his own suitcase, he ran to catch the Amtrak. He was genuine. And he did just fine financially. It was the DNC and their Southern Primary shit that put him behind early.
You have the same idea that Blue Lab does - that politics is about money BEFORE it is about ideas or goals. Get some money to hire some consultants to get out your message.
I know you will tell me that "retail" politics died decades ago. And I agree that politics is populated by consultants and pollsters. But maybe that's why everyone hates politicians today. Because they are a scripted fraud.
As I said, this story just makes me feel completely cynical about all of them - Dems as well as GOP.
I'm not saying it's good or bad.
I understand you feel it's bad. My thoughts about Bernie getting farther, faster is not about him being slickly presented. I mean, nuts and bolts. Building a website. Hiring staff in each state who know the ins and outs of getting on the ballot. People to open offices and print signs and get volunteers organized.
Bernie could have still been Bernie, rumpled and down to earth. And raised money by being authentic. But his actual campaign would have been able to ramp up faster and more efficiently if he didn't have to create all of that from scratch. And there are people who do those things. They have to be hired one way or another.
I understand. We just see things differently. Neither is wrong.
I am just overwhelmed by the galloping corporatization of everything. With Google,Facebook, the NYT, and the WaPo declaring everyone who disagrees with them to be "fake", I don't have faith that some consultants who are in it for the money are going to support a genuinely leftwing position if it hurts their bottom line. That's why the business angle really gets up my nose. I'm also sick of the glorification of startups. These days they are about getting some deep pockets to fork over lots of money for business models that are either dubious or monopolistic (Uber), not about real innovation.
Politics is not supposed to be run like a business, much less a startup. Its supposed to be a place where non-financial considerations take precedence.
I also object to the preemption of local politics. When the mayor of Boston endorses some 24 year old in a small town, don't you think that tilts the playing field. I think small town politics should stay small town, not be a totally owned subsidiary of big city politics. Once again, its all about the corporitization of politics.
I don't have an answer to the corporatization, unless its some internet operation whose documents are authenticated by blockchain technolgy and who is funded by some kind of trackable e-currency. But I will do my best not to buy into it. I am done voting for the lesser of two evils.
I get it, and understand how you feel
I'll admit to having a very detached point of view these days. I kind of look at everything through a layer of thinking like some alien sociologist who is observing this planet and culture at this period of time. It's a psychological defense mechanism. I was losing myself in anger, fear, and feelings of rage and powerlessness. I decided I needed an attitude adjustment if I was to survive. So I detached and just started trying to look at what is, not what I believe should be.
And that I think we basically agree about. What politics should be, in a better world. But personally I've pretty much written off electoral politics, in terms of thinking it's going to get us anywhere positive. So I don't have any emotional investment now in how things should be. I guess that's bad, but it's keeping me from losing my mind entirely.
thanks
I'm headed towards your POV, as the while political process has been hijacked by money and Deep State propaganda.
I too find the reality of how screwed we are almost unbearable. Further, there's no place on the planet that is safe; and no monetary asset of us peasants (house, stock, bonds, money) that is safe in the face of the crooked financial system. Rather than sitting around waiting for the ax to fall, I write essays.
Thanks for reading mine and for sharing your thoughts.
Writing helps a lot
As does conversion with friends and thoughtful people. Thanks to you for writing and being here. This place for me is like hanging out at a local pub, without leaving home. Also an important element of keeping my grip these days.
But that's just it.
95% of us, or more, that "worked for Bernie" did so for free. Campaign volunteers. His campaign actually ramped up rather quickly considering Bernie's was our first campaign for many.
"Campaign In a Box" was bound to happen sooner rather than later, what with even local yokel campaigns costing mega bucks, and state and federal races costing millions. Can you say ka-ching?!
the little things you can do are more valuable than the giant things you can't! - @thanatokephaloides. On Twitter @wink1radio. (-2.1) All about building progressive media.
There are always many volunteers, but not 95%
Political campaigns have to hire a staff, and major campaigns need a very large and experienced staff of professionals in many areas. Just qualifying to get on the ballot is very complicated, and the process varies from state to state. Nomination rules are ridiculously complex. Volunteers can't do all of that.
I gave money to Bernie and supported his campaign. I'm not criticizing his performance and competence. They came from nowhere and grew exponentially, and it was great. He came close to winning, far beyond anyone's early expectations.
However, he was not ready for a full-blown serious campaign out the gate. It took time for them to ramp up certain critical aspects of campaign operations. I'm just saying that having a built-up structure and staff available could have helped him get things up and running faster, especially once it became clear he had a voice people were responding to in droves.
Please differentiate local versus national politics
You said:
I would grant that about national politics. But what I don't like about Blue Lab is that they are bringing the professionals into small town local elections. It's like 7-11 blowing away the mom and pop convenience stores. It just furthers the destruction of all social layers standing between the individual and the corporations.
Just one more piece of democracy washed away in a flood of money
People should be outraged that you need so much money to get into politics even at the local level. Why should a campaign where there are no more than 50,000 eligable voters (which translates to maybe 10,000 voters in a primary) require a million bucks? That's $100 per actual voter.
They are simply pricing the little people out of the political market.
@CS in AZ
Thing was, Bernie was supported by the people, by volunteers who wanted to finally achieve the true American Dream of government of, by and for the people, with equal rights, treatment and opportunity for all.
So, much of his staff consisted of his supporters working toward having shared goals become a reality, or at least having a fighting chance of achieving a democracy and a decent life for Non-Billionaire Americans.
Had Bernie hired this sort of corporate help, the DNC might not have had to cheat so hard to defeat him.
Psychopathy is not a political position, whether labeled 'conservatism', 'centrism' or 'left'.
A tin labeled 'coffee' may be a can of worms or pathology identified by a lack of empathy/willingness to harm others to achieve personal desires.
Campaigning 4 Sale w/bundle discounts brought 2U by
a perfect example of "both sides are the same".
*Suck it, Kos!*
The essay and accompanying cynicism are understandable
Your outrage is that these mercenaries don't give a shit about any principles except one: making money. But, I agree with CS in AZ, this could be considered like a combination construction company and advertising firm for small scale political hopefuls. The candidates do not have to be regressive retards obsequiously bowing to oligarchs. They can be Progressive--or conservative--and not necessarily corrupt. There is plenty of room left for this small scale political candidacy facilitation. Nothing in the concept prohibits true Progressives from benefitting from this approach. Rather, your ire, rightfully is against the DemBots who started the idea. But now the concept is out of their control--they are just the first such firm to do this; but they won't be the last.
Cheer up--this may yet work out well. (P.S., your cynicism is quite appropriate). Thanks for another fine essay.
Thanks for finding the pony in the pile of s***
You are correct that it was the mendacity of presenting people who worked for Steve Lynch as "progressives", as opposed to garden variety political mercenaries, that got me to write the essay in the first place.
I recognize that politics is about money and ever more money; but I think that money is killing us. Mrs. Arendt has said for thirty years that "the only issue in politics is Campaign Finance Reform."
What you say is a good idea; but it shouldn't be run on a for profit basis. The Democratic Party and labor unions (remember them?) used to provide these services out of a sense of solidarity and self-preservation. Isn't there anyone left on the left who helps candidates get organized because they support their ideas and policies? What happened to the grass roots organizers who came out to support Bernie? Didn't they have the ability to get an organization in place fast? Why should we be turning to corporate hacks like Blue Lab?
Principles? Principles!
Whazzat got to do with politics?
We elect school principles, don't we? :-) n/t
Another dead end route to the duopoly and this
undemocratic political system. Doesn't look like it's taking off anyway which is no surprise when probably 1/3 of eligible voters will vote in the next election.
We need a revolution with revolutionary thinking not the same old bullshit. The criminals in charge have to be taken down, all there is to it. Trying to do that by electing politicians is useless.
It doesn't matter whether it's local or national, the nature of representative government within a capitalist system is that the representation will go to the highest bidder.
I too am with Chris hedges
Politics is over. It only listens to money and power, not to us little people.
Hedges suggests street demonstrations, but I think those are also no longer effective. Too easy to kettle or to wreck with agents provocateur.
Don't have an answer. Just know that pilitics as it is is not the answer.
Thanks to the moderator who cleaned off 10 duplicates
Sorry. Cell phone froze, and I kept banging on the save button.
No probs...
that's what I'm here for.
Please keep up the great work, arendt.
Thank you for being on the job at 1 AM. n/t
All they need to do now...
... is set up a booth at Netroots and they'll have a fully automated astroturf machine taking in young activists and spitting out neoliberals.
A lot of wanderers in the U.S. political desert recognize that all the duopoly has to offer is a choice of mirages. Come, let us trudge towards empty expanse of sand #1, littered with the bleached bones of Deaniacs and Hope and Changers.
-- lotlizard
pretty much what they've
been doing at NN the last 3, 4 years. 2013 in San Jose might have been the last NN worth attending as far as advancing the progressive cause.
the little things you can do are more valuable than the giant things you can't! - @thanatokephaloides. On Twitter @wink1radio. (-2.1) All about building progressive media.
Perfect: "a fully automated astroturf machine"
And now it reaches down to the local level, poisoning the political well at the very beginning of politicians careers.
Bingo. And local really was, in many ways, our
last hope of really draining that swamp. Not gonna happen. And I fully agree with the point regarding how everything under the sun simply MUST be run for profit. Neo-liberalism for all, but too bad it doesn't EVER work for all. Compete or die.
Only a fool lets someone else tell him who his enemy is. Assata Shakur
I hardly think we are screwed
Sure, the plutocrats will buy the activists who are dumb enough to be bought. But honestly, of what use were those activists anyway? They were always going to end up on the wrong side.
I am not even remotely convinced that all the activists are ready to be bought & paid for.
A lot of wanderers in the U.S. political desert recognize that all the duopoly has to offer is a choice of mirages. Come, let us trudge towards empty expanse of sand #1, littered with the bleached bones of Deaniacs and Hope and Changers.
-- lotlizard
So....
if this "Campaign in a Box" is used in primaries, what's going to prevent one carpetbagger or another being bought to throw the election. I kinda remember that computer geek that worked for the DNC, and they highly recommended him to Bernie's campaign. Then he used his old credentials to root around in the DNC database, fairly open about it, and Lo, DNC and HER start wailing about Bernie and his dirty campaign. That's one thing about mercenaries, we know what they are, the rest is all about the price.
Exactly. Once its all about the money, politics is corrupt.
Absolutely nothing.
This brings the Libertarian worldview to politics. The (political) market will self-correct. Right, after electing polticians based on fraud, we can throw them out in the next election. Or we can sue them for damages, or...
Oh, wait. You can't sue politicians.
Besides, that's like saying the way to have safe airplanes is to sue the manufacturer or the airline or the airport after your loved ones have been killed in a crash. Its Social Darwinist logic. Caveat emptor.
This is literally exactly what happened in AZ in 2010
Oh I wish I had time to give the whole story but it's a work day for me.
But see, this was the very experience that opened my eyes (and crushed my hope). In 2010 John McCain had lost the presidency to Obama and he was battered in Az, very low approval ratings,people saw him as washed up, and his senate seat was vulnerable for the first time in a very long time.
Enter one Rodney Britz Glassman, the son of a very wealthy agribusiness family in CA with a history of supporting republicans, who moved to Tucson, volunteered for a brief time for congressman Raul Grijalva, then with that on his resume, he ran for tucson city council as a Democratic and won, then quietly started buying the Democratic nomination for the US senate election against McCain. Mostly with strategic large "donations" (primarily his personal/family money and mystery donations funneled through a dummy PAC with a PO box in Yuma as its address), to supposedly liberal, progressive, democratic organizations, and he assumed a veneer of progressive positions. But he was entirely fake. He was on record making openly homophobic comments. But he still had the endorsement of local and state LGBT groups. Why? Money!
Anyway, he got his nomination and then as a candidate he phoned it in, more or less went on vacation, and John McCain sailed back to the senate, and Glassman disappeared (thank god), his job completed.
So ya know, this is how it works at the local/state level and has been this way for a very long time. It's not like oh no, the last frontier of clean politics is suddenly being breached.
@CS in AZ Wow....I guess he could
Wow....I guess he could have put on a better dog and pony show and would have been considered a dem, indistinguishable from many we have now. Who needs Russians?
We live in a thoroughly corporatized environment.
Everything from the food we eat, to the cars we drive, to the houses we live in, arrives to us via a controlled network of various corporate relations. The primary purpose, and the the principal motivating factor of any corporate entity is its bottom line. By definition. So that the profit motive would seem to be "baked in" as it were, to all forms of corporate organization.
Is a different form of effective social organization even possible, given our extremely competitive, and corporate-controlled financial environment? Possibly... but I don't know what it might be. Is profit the only measure of social power, or is it simply a prerequisite? I wish I knew.
native
The entire system has been bought
and almost every politician. This is yet another example of a capitalist political system for hire. I'm sad to say I've given up on our political system. I don't even trust the vote and I do not to believe the registration process is open and honest. Additionally I think the districts are rigged in my state (and many others) to promote the rethugs.
Although I've given up, I'm about to vote against Roy Moore in Dec. with little hope he will be defeated.
Thanks for the packaged campaign info!
“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”
America has been uniquely corrupt for decades
Many European countries give out free TV time to parties based on their showing in previous elections. In UK, at least, the campaign season is strictly limited.
No other First World democracy has the kind of legalized bribery system (and years long "wealth primary") that has been in place, tacitly, since at least Buckley vs Valleo in 1976 - and SCOTUS approved sincer 2009 in the democracy-destroying Citizens United decision.
CU made bribery the law of the land, and it is legal for the bribery to be anonymous and from foreign countries. Traitorous scumbags like Sheldon Adelson have more power than Senators.
We aren't a democracy anymore, we are an oligopoly, tending towards an aristocracy of soulless billionaires like Jeff Bezos.
Money money money.
Everybody wants more of it, nobody has enough of it. Sacrifice has gone out of style.
To have or not to have... that is the question.
native
Someone needs to come up with a political authenticity app
That will expose all the phoniness and lies and send out alerts when it finds someone who's authentic.
Beware the bullshit factories.
And then an app to make sure that app hasn't been hacked...
And then an app to make sure...
Sad but true: Once trust is gone, you can't get it back with enforcement.