#skimmerhat

"Partisanship in America is at a 25-year high, according to a new Pew Research Center survey, with the majority of that movement to the two ideological extremes coming in just the last decade." - Washington Post, 6/4/12

A quote we really like at skimmerhat is: "If we're going to win our never ending war against the idea of being afraid, there are going to be casualties, including common sense."

It can be applied to various aspects of one's life -- from talking to the pretty girl across the room to taking a new direction that breaks up the status quo.

The quote speaks to us on a couple levels. First, on beginning a business venture, something none of the current founders have ever done from scratch. It's an adventure. And second, on beginning a business venture in a space as volatile and divisive as government and politics (we've written on a similar topic here).

Perhaps, the second point has never been more true than now. The excerpt from the Washington Post in italics at the top of this post displays as much. The article delves into the partisanship that seems to be taking a stranglehold on progress, especially in Congress.

They write:

What’s even more remarkable than that rapid growth in partisanship is the fact that there has been almost no noticeable change in other major demographic categories on Pew’s values question. White/black, men/women, religious/not religious — no matter where you fall in these demographic categories the difference between how you and your opposite broadly conceptualize values has not changed markedly since Pew started polling on this in 1987.

The partisanship that has been created has many layers and just as many reasons one could point to in how or why it has grown over the years -- whether it's the politicians, the citizens, the money, the media or a combination of everything.

But that isn't a discussion for this blog post. The problem is staring us in the face -- dissension and gridlock. The proper discussion is what will we do from here?

As Americans, we can't be afraid to get our hands dirty and attempt something different. Fear of what could happen leads to acceptance of the present; it is the most efficient way to stifle change and progress.

We also must go ahead and throw common sense to the wind. A vision for the future requires us to loosen our grip on the world as it is now because if we are going to realize a different state, it isn't going to make much sense to any of us at this point in time. Any great advancement in the history of the world seemed inconceivable to a group of people at one time.

This applies to our government and its politics. If Americans are to create the country we collectively think we can, we must be unafraid and accept the casualties, including common sense.

It will undoubtedly require a good bit of time and a solid dose of mental compromise as well.

At skimmerhat, we believe the sharing and discussion of ideas are at the core of this advancement, not party dogma or political rhetoric. Which is why we are building a platform dedicated to finding and funding candidates who share your ideas -- the citizens and individuals who make our country what it is.

With this, we are cooking up a new primary feature for the site when we go live. It's one that hasn't been included in any of our videos or posts yet, but it embraces the concept of ideas. We will have more updates on this in the very near future, so please stick with us.

And as always, if you are interested in following skimmerhat, take a look at any of our social media links on the sidebar to the right or sign up on our email list.

At a social gathering a few nights ago, we were talking to a successful businessman about skimmerhat and the larger idea behind what we are building. Beyond business, he has also been involved in political campaigns, either as a paid or a volunteer staffer.

During the discussion, he admitted something that we believe an increasing number of Americans are feeling: "I don't care much any more about Republican or Democrat, right or left, I care about solving problems."

When it comes down to it, it is hard to imagine many citizens disagreeing with that -- the idea of creating an atmosphere where we can solve problems rather than choose sides.

While defining one's individual ideology will obviously place him/her at different points on a map, when you begin talking about ideas and the weight of those ideas in a free-thinking and open way, you can begin solving problems rather than create the divisiveness that is crippling to progress -- the latter of which is on display on the federal level as Americans are being held hostage by the process.

Regardless of political affiliation, a quote from Noam Chomsky sums up the type of discourse that ultimately harms, but is often seen in, America:

The smart way to keep people passive and obedient is to strictly limit the spectrum of acceptable opinion, but allow very lively debate within that spectrum - even encourage the more critical and dissident views. That gives people the sense that there’s free thinking going on, while all the time the presuppositions of the system are being reinforced by the limits put on the range of the debate.

Americans are tired of bring placed in a box when they go to the voting booth, turn on the television, or listen to the radio.

Let's not limit the spectrum of acceptable opinion.

Technology is a great way to turn this debate on its head -- as it has in so many other industries -- and give the power to individuals.

With technology, perhaps, we can lower the barrier to entry for citizens to engage in and make sense of the process and find candidates from across the country who represent their ideas while also taking action to make his/her election a reality.

Perhaps, we can also lower the barrier to entry for candidates who find it difficult to fundraise, especially when facing candidates backed by the deep pockets of PACs and Super PACs.

With skimmerhat, we are hoping to turn the perhaps into a reality.

"In its second-biggest case this term, the court - fresh from hearing the Obama healthcare overhaul case - will consider on Wednesday whether a tough Arizona immigration crackdown strayed too far into the federal government's powers." - Reuters, 4/22/12

We've written a good amount about the anger and confusion Americans are feeling right now with their representatives, especially those in Congress. The emotional disconnect is fuel for skimmerhat's initiative -- supplying Americans with a tool to help have their voices more accurately represented in Washington. The three main steps to reach this goal include education, action and accountability.

As Americans, we must learn who is running and what their ideology is, take action to get them into office and, finally, hold them accountable once they assume their position as a public servant.

We at skimmerhat are developing a platform to make this systematic and fluid, rather than fragmented and cumbersome.

The first step -- education -- is an important one in order for the next two to have an impact. So, as we build, we wanted to know where Americans go to learn about candidates running for Congress. And, what that experience is like.

Although we want to solve Americans' disconnect with our representatives, we must first help with the process of voter education, if there is a problem there in the first place.

Of course, we had our assumptions, but we wanted our own research, along with the research we've read, to prove these assumptions. So far, we gathered 150 responses from respondents who are registered to vote, comprise all age groups and almost all of whom do not know about skimmerhat or the platform we are buidling.

Here we asked where respondents currently gather info about Senate/House candidates:

As you see, the majority of people already use Internet sites or blogs to research candidates, while their individual party structure ranks last.

In the "Other" category, two respondents listed the individual website of candidates while another said "Friends and family not affiliated with a party." And a few more listed specific news channels or radio talk shows.

Then, we asked the respondents how they would classify the information-gathering process:

Time-consuming and confusing clearly outranked any other options. This section is where we received the most interesting answers in the "Other" category, which shed more light into the minds of voters. Here is a sample of the written responses:

So much bad media, lousy questioning and hard to find the truth. However, it is there if you are informed and know where to look. If NOT informed, and you get news from only one source, you simply are not going to have the information you need.

Don't know who to believe.They are so 1 party minded they only print the bad about the other ones.

The process is challenging because there is not enough information forthcoming and readily available.

Slanted. It can be difficult to sort out the truth behind the story.

Sometimes it isn't clear who is running where until right before voting day.

Haphazard

Cryptic

If those answers, combined with the overall response to the question, don't make you question the process of gathering information on Congressional candidates, nothing likely will.

When you look at various aspects of our government, it is obvious that citizens need better access, more transparency and more intuitive tools in order to make the decisions that can improve our government. We believe we are building one with skimmerhat that, along with other tools in the Gov 2.0/open government movement, will prove significant in Americans realizing our country's potential in the years to come.

If you have comments, questions or additions to this post, let us know.

"American Jim Yong Kim was tapped Monday to be the next president of the World Bank, besting Nigerian finance minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala following the first-ever challenge to the U.S. nominee in the institution's history." - CNN, 4/16/12

"Iran and six world powers began rare talks on Saturday to try to halt a downward diplomatic spiral over Tehran's nuclear program and ease fears of a new Middle East war." - Reuters, 4/14/12

The above image shows some early results from our survey that we shared with everyone early last week. We have received around 150 respondents thus far, which is great.

The insight we are receiving on voters in addition to market trends that we follow will be huge as we continue to build and mold skimmerhat into something that is useful and powerful for Americans.

So take a look at the numbers, and let us know if anything surprises or perplexes you. And note that all the numbers we listed are a plurality, or received the most votes in comparison to other choices. For example, the 42% who said they would donate to a candidate is greater than the number who said they would not or were unsure.

We will share more info in the coming weeks and apply a more aesthetic appeal, but take this for it's worth. Which is a group of statistics we found interesting as we gather the results.