Thank you for these efforts.
I already recruited a potential candidate for you from Grant Park in Atlanta, GA. He is a video editor and family man, a graduate of UC Berkeley. I told him about your group and he is interested. I've been encouraging him to run for office since college, and his wife is on board.

I am also working on a vision for the movement. A vision which would allow it to be broad-based in membership, yet focused in policy, and where people make activism part of their daily and social lives.
People would be encouraged to find a role where they can be most effective, and to find regular intervals of time they can consistently donate. Even if it is only a few hours, one day a month, with the right focus and distribution of efforts it can make a huge difference. I would very much like to share this vision with Brand New Congress and all the groups that will participate in the Chicago summit.

My vision is not weighted towards any particular policy, or hard rules, but to providing a platform where varied progressive voices can find common ground, without losing their own particular focus.

I hope you will occasionally engage with me on this, and maybe review my early efforts, to tell me if you think I am going in a productive direction.

Thank you for all you are doing and all you have done.

I read that as a key component in the Brand New Congress and I suspect one that can be easily corrupted.

It is said that every man (and woman) has their price. Our survival instinct under capitalism is harnessed on the necessity of money. This usually can be measured and kept in check to reasonable levels, but the potential exists for the money to betray your constituents. It is more common these days.

Altruism is also a trait of human nature. This is clearly visible with Bernie and what separates him from the political competition. That is self-evident, he is a lifelong Democratic Socialist.

The political reality I see is that there is good in human beings(very little). But more commonplace is the bad 'n ugly in politics, there's quite a surplus of it.

Brand New Congress is an ideal, but you need strong moral people who do not operate under the constraints of capitalism. We've got a good example with Bernie, but can we make it in the long run with a younger generation?

I like the concept, not the name. The Tea party name works because it is an historical reference (Boston Harbor tea party), a patriotic reference (colonists vs. British), an acronym (taxed enough already), plus it joins the colonists struggle against unfair taxation with the libertarian hatred of any taxes at all. I abhor the Tea party, but am pointing out why their name is so powerful. Also, Brand New Congress sounds like an advertising gimmick for a product. Can't you come up with another name that hits all the highpoints mentioned above?

Should this concept of fighting the Dem party from within pan out, and I don't see why it wouldn't, it would be an incubator for the kind of Congresspeople and presidents our country desperately needs. Brava(o)!