I wanted to extend a hearfelt thank you to David, Charley and Bob not only for giving Governor Patrick the chance to communicate with the BMG community yesterday, but also for taking the time to attend the DNC and provide a very different and important view of this historic convention. It has been an amazing few days, and the fact that the BMG community has the opportunity to see and engage in it shows just how important a role the “new media” plays in our civic life.
The Governor enjoyed his time blogging yesterday, and asked me about the best ways to continue to engage going forward. I would like to open that question up to the BMG community for your ideas – and make it part of a larger discussion about the best way to implement the Governor’s vision of grassroots governance. I look forward to the discussion and your suggestions and comments.
Heck — answer just 3 questions a week. Let the editors choose ’em or let the editors have some sort of voting system. Maybe the editors want to choose topics [e.g. this week: marriage] or just have a free for all.
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p>The BMG community asks questions.
The BMG editors choose three to ask.
Governor Patrick answers them.
His aides and handlers stand by, trusting that the Governor doesn’t need handlers and PR-spinmeisters to communicate honestly and effectively with the people.
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p>Every week too often? How about 3 questions every two weeks? Any less frequent than that and I’d bet it’d be hard to keep the commitment.
I asked a question yesterday, but I was too late – I’d love to see the governor use his new account and engage us directly on a regular basis.
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p>Perhaps the folks at RedMassGroup will offer him an account there as well – but he might need a flame-proof suit to wear when he blogs with them…
Definitely sounds like a good idea to me.
The Governor already does the monthly call-in show on the radio that’s available as a podcast (http://askthegovernor.969fmtalk.mobi/rss2.aspx); it’d be great if he could take, say, 4 questions online 2x a month.
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p>That allows those of us who can’t call into his show (I don’t even know what time it’s on as I listen the podcast) to have a shot.
But rotate which blogs get the chance to host and produce it.
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p>The local blogs (yes, mine included) often have different audiences than BMG, because they are more regionally based. I know, for instance, there are a lot of readers of LiL who don’t frequent here (though many do).
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p>That way, the questions can come from the concerns of the entire region, not just one blog which has one specific constituency. It also gives the smaller blogs the opportunity to shine a little too, occasionally.
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p>Not that we’re, like, jealous or anything. ;P
“concerns of the entire region” should read, “concerns of the each region.”
State Senator Brian Joyce’s effort to ban the administering of painful Electric Shocks to disabled kids at the Judge Rotenberg Educational Center. This is a barbaric and cruel practice.
The Governor skipped my question about this the other day, presumably due to time restraints. So I’ll bring it up again.
The administering of painful Electric Shock Therapy to disabled kids at the Judge Rotenberg Educational Center is a total disgrace at best, and, yes, totally barbaric, cruel and dangerous, at worst. I agree that Governor Deval Patrick should definitely throw his support behind State Senator Brian Joyce’s effort to ban this archaic, brutal and horrific practice. The Rotenberg Educational Center should be forced to ban this dangerous, inhumane and unjust practice, or be forced to close down.
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p>btw, Electric shock therapy shouldn’t be administered to anyone of any age. It ‘s too dangerous.
I can’t believe that any true therapeutic effects could proceed from this ostensibly torturous treatment.
What is it the Governor would be trying to accomplish?
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p>The majority of bloggers I know use blogs because it is their best tool to maximize their audience. But the Governor of Massachusetts can get as many audiences as his schedule can handle. Would visiting BMG be any different than visiting the Knights of Columbus?
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p>If he wants to be really open and active, but keep his scheduling flexibility, privacy and security, he could start MassGovBlog.com. (Paul Levy-style)
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p>Or he can easily do what the rest of us do; lurk on some blogs and engage on some. He can post as “Mr. 56” if he wants to ensure that people are shooting him straight.
a biannual “bloggers” press-conference-style Q&A session. Have it someplace that can be streamed live and/or liveblogged. Invite the public of course, and hold it in different regions of the state to ensure the maximum participation.
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p>Unlike the press, we bloggers tend to ask wonkish questions about policy and lawmaking. It’s an opportunity for the governor to talk about something other than the sausage-making, which appears to be the mainstream press’s only interest these days.
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p>Hell, allow the press to be spectators – let ’em see how we do it, instead of making assertions about how bloggers think or how we behave.
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p>Invite all bloggers, including conservative ones, even. I think the Governor can handle a few tough questions from the other side of the aisle.
By a “try it”, well, Gov. Patrick can read BMG anytime, and comment on any column, comment, or article he feels he would like to weigh in on; just join the community like Doug Rubin has.
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p>The feedback is then Gov. Patricks to print out, ponder, or ask questions about as he pleases.
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p>After all, a number of the posters here are professionals, appellate attorneys, social workers, folk with a real data set worth sharing so that at times, maybe, this is a place Gov. Patrick can ask questions as well as answer them.
Lynne’s idea is good, similar to what the Gov did at Boston Latin early in his admin. That was definitely a great, useful event and I’d love to see more like it. (A reminder for those who don’t remember: the ‘Gov invited about 15-20 of us local bloggers to Boston Latin during a major policy speech early on and gave us around a half hour… just for the bloggers. We each basically got a question each.)
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p>I also like the idea of the Gov regularly blogging some Q&As, though 3 questions a week may be a) unrealistic and b) drown out the importance of it. Maybe the Gov could answer the “question of the week” or do a liveblog once a month.
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p>That said, so long as you stay active, Doug, the Gov’s got his bases covered in the local net. Not that I’m not advocating for more time (what kind of representative of an interest group would that make me? LOL).
I like Lynne’s idea about using BMG to ask questions – as you have here – as well as to answer them.
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p>Building on that notion – one way the Governor or members of the Administration could use BMG to further interact with the blogosphere and wider public would be as a forum for consulting on critical policy issues/questions. You have done this already (and successfully) on occasion – such as previewing ideas for the Readiness Project. This could be done more regularly on other issues as well, particularly in shaping the agenda to come.
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p>As the Administration considers its agenda for the next session of the General Court – it may be worthwhile to touch base here (and through other venues) on some of the key themes underpinning that agenda in advance of its unveiling.
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p>So if the key areas for the next session are improving education, tackling crime and addressing property taxes – you or others may want post on the key questions you are grappling with in these areas.
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p>For instance – a post on tackling crime could set out the facts on crime in the Bay State and draw out some of the specific challenges the Governor would like to tackle. Say its teenage violence in our cities – a post that set out the facts about what is happening on our streets, what has been done so far to stop the violence, some ideas for what could be done further – and then sets out key questions for consultation – like how can we maximize community involvement in getting kids out of gangs – then you can trigger an informed debate and get us discussing ideas.
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p>The thing is – such consultation should be mirrored/aligned to a wider public strategy around each of the Governor’s key priorities. So as the post is going up on teenage violence, it is done at the same time the Governor and his key public safety officials hold a public forum on the issue – with BMG of course live blogging it and maybe with some ideas coming off the web into the forum – so its completely interactive between online and in audience participants. Such an event should be where the Governor sets out his vision and goals on the issue at hand, maybe suggests some possible ideas for going forward, but importantly asks the audience (and blogosphere) what they think we can do about it.
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p>In the run-up to the next General Court (after the presidential election on Nov 4 and before Thanksgiving and the holiday season/and bill filing) the Governor may want to give some speeches on priority areas and host some public consultative forums on these areas along the lines proposed. There he could set out the broad vision on these issues and seek input – informing the legislation he files on these issues for next year and building some attention and momentum for his agenda. Obviously there are potential political risks from consulting on potentially controversial issues – these would need careful management. But opening up the policy-making process and making grassroots governance a reality as he is want to do could be worth taking the risk. A more vibrant democracy will not necessarily make governing easier – but it should make it better.
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p>And while we are at it….can something be done to make the budget hearings more enlightening, engaging and interesting? I remember reading last year about how some of those sessions had no members of the public participate – a waste of time for Department heads no doubt. I would consider how they can be made more consultative, how they can be made more attractive for the general public to participate in and how they can be used better to inform and forward the Governor’s wider agenda. Maybe some form of online interaction could be built into the budget hearing process as well.
It was stomv’s, my point was to not just use BMG.
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p>:D