3 October 2012 By 1 Comment

MindfuVOTES Update #3

READY, SET, DEBATE
Watch the 2012 Debates - Mitt Romney & Barack Obama
Debate-Watching Resources: Visit the MindfulVOTES Debate Watching page to download these important resources to help you keep track of the candidates and their responses to the issues that matter most to you. Resources include the following items and we’ll add more as we find them:
  • League of Women Voters Discussion Guide
  • League of Women Voters Debate Watchers Notebook
  • League of Women Voters Candidate Report Card
  • MomsRising.org Bingo Card
Download the Debate-Watching Tools HEREWant an alternative to the Conventional Debates?OccupytheDebates: The Occupy Movement is presenting an alternative to the “scripted” conventional debates. Through live dialogues over UStream and social media they hope to bring more people’s voices to talk about the issues that matter to them most.

What’s Next?

Many people have asked about “next steps” for taking action on the MindfulVOTESmessage. Throughout October, there will be four national debates: 3 Presidential and 1 Vice-Presidential. We believe the practice of mindfulness in voting will happen best when we engage one another in respectful conversation, exploring our values and connecting to the issues that matter most to us. To that end, we’re encouraging:Self-organized Debate-watching Parties. Keep it simple. Invite a few friends, colleagues and fellow practitioners over to watch the presidential debates. There are several opportunities to come together. We thing the Town Meeting style debate is especially important:•    October 3- Presidential Debate – Domestic Policy•    October 11 – Vice Presidential Debate

•    October 16 – Presidential Debate – Town Meeting

•    October 22 – Presidential Debate – Foreign Policy

Debate watching parties can seed connection and community for our most important action:

 

Mindful Circles

Imagine hundreds of conversations nationwide bridging our politics and our practice.
  • How would our collective thinking shift?
  • How would our committment deepen?
  • What values would surface?
  • What actions would arise?

MindfulVOTES is far more than an online campaign. It’s about Mindfulness That Matters(sm).Here is where we move beyond the virtual to meet you and your community where you live. Mindful Circles are small circles conversations (ideally 12-15 people in a circle) that create a forum to bring forth the values and practices of mindfulness and put them into action to create the society we believe in, and that is possible.Interested in hosting or organizing one or more Mindful Circles in your community? Become a Leader if you’re an individual, or a Partner if you’re representing a community or organization. Join the growing number of Leaders that will be given access to an event-organizing toolkit and  trained on calls in the basic MindfulVOTES facilitation skills, principals and agreements, all critically important for the nonpartisan, compassionate community-building approach of unleashing a MindfulVOTES movement. Partners are invited to offer space and spread the word amongst their networks.

Bring forth Mindful That Matters. Now. Get Involved.

 

Brief History of

US Presidential Debates

Al Jazeera News shares a glimpse into some of the opportunities and pitfalls of Presidential debates and the impact they can have on elections.

*|YOUTUBE:[$vid=gVRccdvYI6I, $max_width=400,$border=N, $title=N, $trim_border=N]|*


                  

                  
Take Action at

                

                
MindfulVOTES.org

                
    
                  
  • Pledge to VOTE: The easiest thing you can do is take the pledge. Pledging commits you to and intention and builds the energy of action.
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  • Become a LEADER: Go beyond the “click” and lead others to vote mindfully. One out of every 15 people is a mindfulness practitioner in the US.  Organize and facilitate a Mindful Circle, bring partners on board and recruit more leaders. Actions big and small add up. Together we CAN have an impact.
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  • Be a PARTNER: Your organization, institution or group is where communities come together. Leverage your networks to inspire, engage & transform how politics are done in America.
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  • REGISTER to Vote: Find out if you are registered properly and on time.
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  • DONATE to MindfulVOTES: Big impact calls for bold investment. We’re just getting started and we need your support to expand our reach and connect as many people as possible.
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                Filed Under: debates, updates
              

            

            

              
Comments

              
    
                
  1. 
                  
    
                     Jordan Van Voast says:
                  
    
                  
    
                    6 October 2012 at 11:25 AM
                  
    
                  
    
                    
    Hi,
    
                    As a Buddhist who leads discussions in various venues, I’m considering your group as a way to share my facilitation experience. I encourage you to direct people to Democracy.org’s coverage of the debates which includes hosting third party candidates (who are on the ballot in enough states to make a difference). Here is the website:
    
                    http://www.democracynow.org/blog/2012/10/4/expanding_the_debate_watch_democracy_nows_full_three_hour_special
    
                  
    
                  
    
                    Reply
                  
    
                
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