The September/October issue of Utne Reader makes a case for Barack Obama as the ultimate coworker. In an interview with Dana D. Nelson called Presidential Power to the People, reporter David Schimke discusses executive power with the author — how much is too much?
Nelson suggests that the presidential role has turned into that of superhero — not recently but at least as early as FDR when, “Citizens were trained to imagine that the president would be this kind of superheroic character who will offer extralegal solutions to their problems.” She says democracy is being turned into more of a monarchy, the very thing the country was founded to overthrow. Nelson points to Reagan, Pappy Bush, and Clinton as all working to maintain presidential power, potentially rendering Congress moot.
She says, “I don’t think there’s any reason to hope that electing somebody from a different party is going to stop this historical trend.” And she expounds on this by saying that if Obama is elected, “I think there’s a good chance there will be more rhetoric than action. When people step into that office… it sucks them into what they will then argue are the demands of that office.”
That said, Nelson does admit that at least Obama’s rhetoric suggests he’s interested in the concept of — our word, not hers — coworking. “He speaks the language of open systems. He’s talking about a co produced democracy; he’s talking about citizen access [and] citizen input… he talks like a leader who would reopen democracy for citizens to be coproducers…”
Alrighty then — just another reason to vote for Obama who is welcome to use LaunchPad Coworking anytime for democracy brainstorming and collaboration sessions :)
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5 responses so far ↓
1 Jerry Daniels // Oct 22, 2008 at 11:51 am
When is opening day? I can’t tell from this site whether you are open for business or not.
2 Raines Cohen // Oct 22, 2008 at 12:13 pm
Jerry,
Construction is well underway but they’re not open yet. After several dates set then postponed, I imagine they’re making sure every i is dotted and every t crossed before officially announcing. Physical infrastructure is hard work, and throwing money/resources at it doesn’t necessarily speed it up.
Julie,
By interesting coincidence, I just met with Utne Reader founder Eric Utne and his son Leif Utne last night and talked about coworking as well as cohousing in connection with some interesting technology tools they’re working on that have the potential to link coworking communities around the country and around the world to foster these sorts of conversations.
I think you’ll see greater open-systems connection, coworking, open-source movements, Creative Commons and other flex alternatives developing further under the Obama administration.
I plan on using some East Coast coworking spaces as my bases of operation as I help Get Out The Vote and document my travels through some swing states in the next two weeks.
Democracy Begins at Home… and at Work, too!
3 juliegomoll (Julie Gomoll) // Oct 22, 2008 at 5:02 pm
CoBama! Obama & Coworking are a perfect match: http://is.gd/4z13
4 Julie Gomoll // Oct 22, 2008 at 8:35 pm
Jerry –
We’re scheduled to open before Thanksgiving. I can’t get any more specific than that, I’m afraid – things simply aren’t as predictable as we’d like.
Raines -
I sure hope you’re right. When I’m feeling hopeful and optimistic about the election, I totally agree. Your confidence in the outcome is most welcome :)
Eager to read of your experiences over the next couple of weeks!
5 Cowork the Vote: Share Your Election-Day Stories « Coworking Community Blog // Nov 4, 2008 at 11:54 am
[...] Gomoll at Launchpad Coworking in Austin, Texas, while not yet open, has blogged about the connection between the citizen-driven democracy encapsulated in the Obama/Biden campaign and [...]
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