On September 11th Barack Obama and John McCain will be at a forum given by Service Nation. The Conference is happening in New York City on the 11th and 12th. The fun part is that anyone can post potential questions to the candidates with the possibility of them being asked these questions. Currently there are 62 pages of questions and they are none too kind to the remarks by Palin and Giuliani at the RNC this past week.
I think McCain will definitely be on the hotseat at this forum and look forward to him trying to distance himself from the idiotic line about community organizers. By the way, this one-liner was not just a one shot, she said it on Friday at a campaign stop.
Feel free to stop by their website at to ask a question.
I've never heard of Service Nation, but I definitely commend them on what seems like a great idea (and a great use of the internet). Their mission statement and some sample questions from folks are below the fold.
ServiceNation is a campaign for a new America. An America where citizens unite and take responsibility for the nation’s future. An America that restores the great tradition of citizen service, and honors the profound sacrifices made by so many Americans who have passed before, from the small band of Founders to the millions who have fought for equality and justice at home, and defended our freedom abroad. ServiceNation is about an America that is ruggedly idealistic, compassionate, and above all committed to the idea of shared sacrifice in pursuit of America’s boldest promise: liberty and justice for all.
To begin this journey, ServiceNation will unite leaders from every sector of American society with hundreds of thousands of citizens in a national campaign to call on the next President and Congress, leaders from all sectors of society, and our fellow Americans to create a new era of service and civic engagement in America, an era in which all Americans will work together to try and solve our greatest and most persistent societal challenges. This campaign will launch with a ServiceNation Summit, Sept. 11-12 in New York City, and build with a national grassroots movement aimed at inspiring widespread public support for a new and transformational national service act that will encourage all Americans to step forward and take the lead in bridging our divides, strengthening our communities, and building a more vibrant democracy.
Mr. McCain,
What values do you place on service in our country and how do you plan on encouraging America's youth to partake in service organizations such as Americorps when your running mate, Palin, clearing describes community organizers as without "actual responsibility?"
I would like the candidates to discuss the challenge of motivating and inspiring more Americans to get involved in grassroots efforts to improve life in communities across the nation when notable leaders such as George Pataki, Rudy Giuliani, and Sarah Palin recently publically ridiculed and mocked the value of such work. Are the candidates concerned about how such statements might impact the perception of millions of Americans that ordinary citizens can make a difference? Do the candidates believe that change comes only from the top down, as Giuliani, Palin, and Pataki seem to think?
I would like to know why Mr. McCain and the Republican party make light of Senator Obama's past work as a Community Organizer?
Working with disadvantaged people is what we should all be doing as human beings and as fellow citizens.
Why does Mr. McCain and the Republican party feel that the work of a Community Organizer is not valid experience for the nest President of the United States? I would argue that view and say that it most certainly does count as experience. Maybe even more so than this so called "executive experience." For a candidate to actually know the people she or he is campaigning for is priceless.
Shame on you, Mr. McCain and your party for disregarding what we AMERICAN CITIZENS do for our brothers and sisters.
You say "Country First." We should all be saying "People First."
Updated with some questions that are being asked.
Updated with a link to all the pages of questions