MIGHTY PLAN

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Proof Through the Night ProofThroughTheNight.Org (The website is a work in progress)

Proof Through the Night is a nonpartisan, voter education and empowerment program. It's name comes from the Star-Spangled Banner:

“…The rockets’ red glare
The bombs bursting in air
Gave proof through the night
That our flag was still there…”

Even though the program just applies to the United States, there are three reasons it is part of Mighty Plan. First, many people don't have enough trust in the power of small efforts to add up to a changed world. This kind of plan, global change from the individual level requires a faith that most people don't have. So, to give them some faith in my methods, I have developed a program that addresses a problem that people think could be solved. In other words, if I can come up with a plan to repair and restore American Democracy, then people will be more likely to take my bigger plan seriously. This is especially true since Proof Through the Night applies a similar chain reaction strategy as the overall plan. Second, at this point in time, restoration of the American political system seems to be critical to the stability of the world. Third, the PTTN model can, with minor changes, be applied to other democracies in the world.

To be an informed and responsible citizen, five ingredients are needed:

1. Reasons to care enough to become informed and active. (motivation)

2. Belief that their involvement will make a difference. (vs. believing that the average citizen has no real power.)

3. Getting enough good quality political information in time.

4. Being able to understand and analyze it

5. Taking enough action in time. (This includes action that results in structural changes, for example, PAC reform that diminishes the influence of money in politics.)

Proof Through the Night is based on seven strategies, added together:

1) Put all the information that a citizen needed to know on one website. You can find this at http://www.proofthroughthenight.org/politicalknowledge.htm

2) Find strong incentives for political involvement, ones that cause real engagement. For most people, doing only one’s patriotic duty is not enough of an incentive. For many people, a stronger incentive would be to make the most of the investment that you already made through the thousands of tax dollars you already invested. Also: to maintain the quality of life for you and your children, and to avoid future misery.

3)   Create an online course and online proficiency test for voter competency. Encourage people to take it. Hold it up as a new standard, as something every voter ought to work toward passing. Some people may need 15-20 hours of study to pass the test. Use the analogy that if people need to take a test before they can drive, maybe they should be able to take a test to prove they know enough of the basics to be intelligent voters. The course can be found at www.proofthroughthenight.org/PTTNcourse.htm

4) Start a chain reaction that spreads person to person. The idea is to begin with people who already care about politics and understand the importance. Invite them to take and pass the proficiency test, and then to each invite two or three others to take the online course and pass the test—and then support them to pass it on. If each person invites and supports an average of two more people, the number of participants will keep doubling.
        Here’s my thinking on this: You’d be much more likely to do something if someone you know asks you personally, especially if they went through the program and believed in it. A person-to-person approach has three big advantages: 1) It provides a stronger source of motivation, since you are being invited by someone you personally know, rather than a stranger; 2) It comes with a built-in source of support: the person who invites you can also support and encourage you. They are likely one of your best sources of support, since they know you; and 3) I don’t need millions of dollars to promote PTTN.
         One of the coolest things about the chain reaction is that it would be “of the people, by the people, and for the people.”
         Will the support of a friend be enough? Yes, in some cases, no in others. It depends on the friend’s commitment to the program (and the support the friend gets to pass it on) depends on whether the person has fully grasped the payoffs of action, and penalties of inaction.
         I think that this program will spread in waves. First it might begin with people like you, who spread it to their less active friends. Then, once it demonstrates a track record, more people will participate.

5) Inaugurate a new American tradition for the weekend before elections. Call it "Proof Through the Night Saturday and Sunday". The idea is for people to plan a 2-3 hour study session the weekend before a general or primary election. People study the current candidates and issues with one or two friends, either over a meal, or in a low key “chips and dip” party atmosphere.

6) Although the heart of our growth will be the person-to-person chain reaction, we can work through organizations to accelerate our impact. We have two strategies that involve organizations. One happens when the chain reaction reaches a person who is an organizational leader; he or she can invite other leaders in his or her organization to participate. The leaders then lead by example, gaining proficiency themselves. Then the leadership creates a "climate of expectation" among the members of the organization—they encourage and expect them to participate in PTTN. But once again, we expect that the person-to-person relationships within the organization will also stimulate participation and ongoing action.
       An organization officially becomes a participant when two-thirds of the members take and pass the proficiency test. This will first happen with smaller organizations, or chapters of larger organizations. It will also happen first to organizations that value political strength. Naturally, political parties will want their members to be proficient. But also many civic, religious and social-change organizations will want their members to be politically proficient. There are a lot of organizations that are working on issues, and they would all see Proof Through the Night as a valuable tool.

There is even a sort of “wicked” way to motivate some organizations to participate. For example, you might go to a local Republican group and offer the tools. Then assuming they participate, you run across the street to the Democrats and say, “The Republicans are using this tool and are getting stronger. You will lose power if you don’t get your members to use this tool!”

You may wonder why this program would have any impact if it would just add an equal amount of power to both sides of an issue. I have two thoughts: First, it will be better if everyone is more knowledgeable and skilled. Less games will be played on all sides. Less games means less waste of time and money. Second, this will give more power to individual voters who are mostly looking out for themselves and their families. Some wealthy people and corporations are actually looking out for the common good, but many are not. And these special interests will lose some power.

7) A second organizational strategy is to create organizational contests. Organizations challenge each other to a contest, a race to political proficiency. One group of college students could challenge another to a contest. One church could challenge another. One university could challenge another. One chapter of an environmental group could challenge another, and so on.
Besides stimulating their members, organizational contests will also be an excellent way to get publicity and build prestige for Proof Through the Night.

Conclusion

It’s an ambitious program, but I feel that we need to confront each other and say, “No half measures; if it takes 15 hours of study to pass the test, and 2-3 hours a month of advocacy each month, well that’s the price of freedom. The payoffs will come.

The other important point to impress upon people is that since everyone has friends and since many people can lean on their friends, we don’t need a $100 million a year publicity campaign. We just need to remind people that “Raindrops make rivers, and rivers move mountains.” People just need to accept the power of small impacts adding up.