California Moderate Party

Moving On

@Roughani — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 17:25:42 +0000

April 17, 2012

The California Moderate Party was an idea more than three years in the making. In 2009, I initially launched the effort as a side project in my spare time. That side project unexpectedly became a conflict of interest with my employer, so I was forced to shelve it until July of last year—when I left my job to devote the time and effort a project of this undertaking deserves.

Today I am saying goodbye once again.

I was never under any assumption that this would be easy. In fact, I always tried to be as explicit as possible about the necessary steps to make it reality.

Last week author Seth Godin posted an entry on his blog titled Don’t give up (you’re on the right track). An excerpt:

Wrestling with a puzzle, a project or a problem, the likeliest reason to give ... Read More »

Halftime in California [VIDEO]

@Roughani — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 10:32:07 +0000

California Moderate Party founder Ash Roughani asks Californians to join him in fixing our broken government. Inspired by Chrysler’s “Halftime in America” Super Bowl ad starring Clint Eastwood.

California Moderate Party: An Idea Whose Time Has Come

@Roughani — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 10:27:46 +0000

California Moderate Party: An Idea Whose Time Has Come

View more presentations from California Moderate Party 2014

Download the Low-Quality PDF (4 MB) Download the High-Quality PDF (37 MB)

John Mackey: How do we combat cynicism and restore trust? [VIDEO]

@Roughani — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 21:21:22 +0000

Whole Foods founder John Mackey dissects the lack of trust in today’s culture. He offers purpose as a solution. We’d take it one step further and argue for shared purpose and shared responsibility as the keys to changing our political culture.

I think it’s essential that we get back to purpose and that be at the core of what the organization is doing. If we do that, we have a chance to break out of cynicism that’s holding us back. Cynicism erodes trust. Cynicism erodes performance. Cynicism is the enemy of fully human beings flourishing in the world.

We don’t trust big government solutions. We don’t trust corporations. We don’t trust the media. We don’t trust, in many cases, traditional religious organizations. We don’t trust lawyers. We don’t trust journalists.We no longer have a high trust society.We’re in a process of disintegration. And so purpose ... Read More »

PPIC Poll Shows Most Independents Would Not Register With A New Political Party… Or Does It?

@Roughani — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 08:36:25 +0000

The latest Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) poll has bad news for Californians hoping for a viable third party alternative – at least on its face. For the first time, PPIC probed deeper into the attitudes of independent voters. Specifically, they asked independents the following question:“Would you join a political party if it was a good reflection of your political views or do you prefer to be unaffiliated with any specific party?”

And the results aren’t so good:

With 3 in 4 voters saying they’d prefer to stay independent, our prospects don’t look so hot. Until you think about what’s actually going on.

The increase in independent voters over the past two decades closely tracks the increase in partisanship and political gridlock we’ve seen in Sacramento and Washington, D.C. That is, voters don’t like what they perceive to be the pathological nature of political parties. ... Read More »

Moderate Third Party Well Within Reach of Frustrated Electorate

@Roughani — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 19:50:49 +0000

Cross-posted at Fox&Hounds

Last week, when Joel reflected on public dissatisfaction with the current political culture, he responded that “a new party is highly unlikely.” I agree.

Huh? Why would I undercut my own effort to launch a moderate third party? Because my goal is to earn the trust of Californians.

Voters are sick of talking points and platitudes. They’re angry at politicians who overpromise and underdeliver. Because they’re looking for candor and real solutions, it’s not in my interest to overhype this effort.

Previous attempts to bring third parties into the mainstream have failed for myriad reasons, but all of them have not been successful because they’re completely unrealistic about what’s actually feasible. So let me break down why I think the California Moderate Party could succeed—even if the skeptics believe it’s unlikely.

Reason One: We’re Taking a Bottom-Up Approach

I left a job that I loved last Summer ... Read More »

“Occupy Capitol” Protest for Higher Education Funding Highlights Need to Restore Trust in Government

@Roughani — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 23:17:28 +0000

Thousands of frustrated students today are protesting budget cuts at the State Capitol. As tax revenues have declined, money to the state’s college system also has declined. To make up the difference, the universities have been forced to raise tuition and fees on the backs of students.

As is typical in politics, the issue has been oversimplified, particularly on the part of Democrats in favor of raising taxes to restore these budget cuts. The problem isn’t that they’re in favor of more revenue; instead it’s that they’re pitting Us vs. Them in the process.

Take, for example, the proposed Millionaires Tax of 2012. Maybe it’s a good idea. Maybe it isn’t. That’s not the point. When we decide to tax anyone but ourselves, we’re ignoring the reality that we’re all in this together. Shared responsibility is the best approach.

We may never see the ... Read More »

We’re Building a New Political Brand You Can Trust

@Roughani — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 21:57:29 +0000

Brands are everywhere. Beyond mere logos and taglines, a brand is what identifies your product from that of the competition. Brand is, in fact, the result of promises you keep.

There are tons of examples. Volvo reminds us of safety. Wal-Mart reminds us of low prices. Nike reminds us to just do it – whatever that means. What about political brands, then?

Republicans are strongly in favor of low taxes and personal responsibility, while Democrats favor government programs and equal opportunity. There are many other interpretations, of course. But let’s think about political branding on a single dimension: trust.There is so little trust in government, it’s really hard to figure out why the Democrats and Republicans are still in business.Then again, it’s easy for each side to place blame with the other. That is, it’s not that we don’t trust ourselves; it’s ... Read More »

Serving Students, Serving California: Updating the California Community Colleges to Meet Evolving Demands

@Roughani — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 07:39:43 +0000

California’s community colleges have been the gateway to a better life for many Californians and an essential tool for the state to build better citizens as well as the workforce needed to support California’s dynamic economy. Now more than ever, the state and its people need the system to help students succeed, to move up and move forward with their lives.

In theory, anyone can enter and everyone has the opportunity to succeed. But in trying to be all things to everyone, the community colleges are coming up short for many students. Thousands leave without the degrees and certificates they sought. Thousands more want to stay but cannot get into the classes they need.

The causes are many: a priority enrollment system that rewards longevity, unprepared students who may take seats from others ready for college-level classes, and budget cuts that have ... Read More »

Public sector, disrupted: How disruptive innovation can help government achieve more for less

@Roughani — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 23:35:58 +0000

In the wake of the deep austerity facing most governments around the western world, we hear a steady refrain from politicians and pundits to “do more with less.” Unfortunately, budget cutting, typically an exercise in using the blunt instrument of across-the-board cuts, is more about “doing more of the same, but with less money.” The inevitable result however tends not to be more for less but less for less.

This paper proposes an alternative path: a way to use innovation to make public programs radically cheaper without slashing services; a way to break the seemingly unavoidable trade-off between paying more or getting less.

The key to doing this is through disruptive innovation. Disruptive innovations start out less good but cheaper than the market leaders, but then break the trade-off between price and performance by getting better, and typically even cheaper, over time. ... Read More »