(Kind of long, but important. Please read.)

As you have likely seen, we have spent the past couple of weeks looking to establish a new leadership board. We had nearly 20 people apply to be on the board, some more qualified than others. As of today, we have met with five people that we believe should be on the board. However, they will not officially be on the board until they do an AMA, and are voted in via an “up or down” majority rules vote on each candidate. The voting will be held on testpac.org afte =r all of the AMAs are done.

The purpose of this post is to introduce the five people we want to be on the leadership board. First, though, a few things:

a) To those who applied but didn’t get a position on the board: First of all, thank you for reaching out to us. Second, we still may end up reaching out to you if someone backs out, or if we want to expand the size of the board. Third, the new board members will almost definitely be reaching out to you to get you involved in the PAC in one way or another. A lot of you had very specific writing or technical skills that the new board is going to need, especially if they want to form subcommittees. If you have any questions, please contact me.

b) The five people that we’ve selected will be posting an AMA this week / early next week.. We’re going to try to do one per day (schedules permitting) so that the community can focus on one person at a time.

c) Andy, Jeromie, and I will form something like an “Emeritus Advisory Board”, so that we are available to provide input on big decisions, and to ensure that the PAC doesn’t stray from its original intentions.

So, without further ado:

Michael Embrich (oneway252): Michael, a veteran of the Iraq War and the War in Afghanistan, has extensive political experience. He has lobbied in favor of reformed veterans affairs policies, and is a member of Veterans for Peace. Michael has been involved in multiple congressional campaigns, and state & local campaigns. Additionally, he was a key member of Dennis Kucinich’s failed presidential campaign of 2008. Michael is a graduate of Rutgers University.

Vlad Gutman (eggsofamerica86): Vlad has been the Campaign Manager of four different campaigns at state and federal levels. Additionally, he has been Finance Director of two other campaigns, and the Deputy Midwest Political Director at AIPAC. Vlad is currently the Campaign Manager for Gloria Romero Roses for Congress, in Miami. He is a graduate of Northwestern University.

Mitch Manzella (mcmanzi): Mitch has worked on campaigns for mayors, congressmen, and candidates at all levels of US politics. Additionally, he started a PAC in 2008 called Music for Democracy, where he served as Treasurer and Executive Director. Mitch is a graduate of Rutgers University.

Tom Dionesotes (TomDionesotes): Tom is currently the campaign manager for a State Senator’s re-election campaign in Massachusetts. He has past experience in field, finance, and communications at the local, state, and federal level. Tom is a recent graduate of the University of Vermont where he was an award-winning member of the Lawrence Debate Union.

Chris Woolley: Chris is a third year law student at George Mason University with a specialization in National Security and Cyber Law. He has a year of experience in criminal law, and is currently doing research into Revolutionary American treason law and working as the legal intern at an open source software company. Chris received his undergraduate degree in history from the College of William and Mary.

AMA schedule: Mitch – Thursday the 26th Mike – Wednesday the 25th Vlad – Friday the 27th Tom – Sunday the 29th Chris - Monday the 30th (updated)

Transition Phase

Once the board is approved, there will be a 2-3 week transition phase. There are two big things we’d like an accomplish during the transition phase, and we will want the community’s help on both of them.

1.   We’d like to re-write the bylaws so that they are more applicable to TestPAC in its current form.

2.   We’d like to create a document detailing the purpose, goals, and mission statement of the PAC.

But, one step at a time. We’ve assembled a solid group, and we’re looking forward to the AMA process and the subsequent votes.

• Scott, Jeromie, & Andy

Edit: As a personal note, I will be out of the country from Thursday the 26th - August 2nd, and I will have very minimal internet access... probably none at all actually. So, Andy or Jeromie will take the lead on setting up votes etc.

-Scott

Link to last weeks meeting.

Welcome new users. If you have no idea what TestPAC is, you're in the right place. This is our weekly thursday meeting thread where we discuss the current state of TestPAC. Upon posting of this thread, the previous week's thread will be considered closed.

Do you have an idea for TestPAC? - read the guide and self-post your idea.

Mostly housekeeping tasks have taken place since last week:

• We have updated the Meet the Officers page on the TestPAC website.

• The Transparency page has been updated with donor info thru August.

• We continue to ask members and interested parties to DONATE so that we can take action over the next 60 days.

• The TestPAC board is researching target congressional campaigns that we might be able to have an impact on this cycle.

• With the presidential debates coming up, TestPAC wants to know: If you could ask a question at the debates to President Obama and Mitt Romney, what would that question be ?

I highly encourage all of our users to post their open questions to this thread. This is everyone's PAC and your input is needed to keep the pulse of this subreddit going.

Hello, I'm a new subscriber to this subreddit which I found through /r/politics. I agree with the overall tenants of Test PAC, for instance I agree that censorship and exclusivity of the internet is a huge issue facing our country (and the world), and I fear that the internet we know today which provides such a valuable resource to everyone could be damaged by the agenda's of governments and those with influence. However, I wish I knew more about this movement and the problems facing the state of the internet today. I remember reading about SOPA last year (it was last year right?) but I want to learn more about issues facing the internet right now and I thought here would be a good place to start. Are there any recommended readings on the subject where I could gain a stronger understanding?

If I could offer a suggestion it would be to include some FAQ or New Subscribers information on the right hand side of the page under the subreddit's info for new users that are looking for resources on this subject. I fear some new people interested in these issues might be disheartened by a lack of readily available information to support the organization.

Thanks

We will be here to discuss the debate as it happens.

Set up a shell PAC and give it some money from PAC funds. Call the new PAC "Gay Abortion Lovers" and donate $69.69 to Lamar Smith.

Pray to Zeus that he won't notice the money, and then call him out on accepting the money.

This would work really well if we made the contribution at.his.luncheon. from a corporate check. He'll get hundreds of checks that day and nobody is going to look at the names on the ones with less than $200.

If I was a politician of 40 years I'd be quaking in my shoes right now. These upstarts on something called "the internets" destroyed our nice, sure-thing acts. What will they do next?

And then my aide brings me a memo: "Hey, Senator, those people in the internet, guess what: they decided to try and replace one congressman with another." "Oh really? is there a risk my party might lose a seat in congress?" "No, senator, this is the best part, they want to replace him with someone from the SAME PARTY!" Then: this.

Those acts had dozens of co-sponsors! You think it's going to matter, removing one? It's not even a flash in the pan. And that's IF we succeed. Not a given, BTW.

How is testPAC going to be seen if this is our first goal? IF we act like angry, spoiled children, we will be seen as angry, spoiled children. Petty scapegoating of one of the adults for trying to take our toys away? That's a sure way to look like children. You want to play that mudslinging, negative-campaigning game? You want to "swiftboat" someone? Why not just put on the scumbag hat while we are at it. FUCK THAT. We are better than that.

People wrote around here about going on the offensive. Taking the fight to big industry and the established order. Changing the debate. There are ideas out there to do that. FENA, the Free Internet Act idea, the fight for a constitutional amendment. Let's stand for some big, system-changing ideas. Let's fight the good fight, the BIG fight.

If our fight is worthy, more people will join us. The attention we have now, we will use it well. And then, even if we fail, the ideas we fought for will be strengthened. And if we mobilize the web to succeed: we make history.

Think BIG. Be the BIG ONES.

Hey all,

I don't have much to report, but did want to provide a quick update: Mitch, Jeromie, Andy & I met last night to discuss the future of the PAC. We are all committed to the PAC in the long term, and are kicking around a few different directions to take the PAC - some new approached to crowd-funding / crowd-sourcing. Once we have something a little more concrete, we will have an announcement to get some feedback.

TestPAC community- we need your help! What should we ask candidates who are requesting our endorsement?

This is more than just a formality - this is the first interaction that many candidates and campaigns will have with us, and possibly even the first time they consider our issues.

Let's hear your suggestions!

Link to last weeks meeting

Welcome new users. If you have no idea what TestPAC is, you're in the right place. This is our weekly thursday meeting thread where we discuss the current state of TestPAC. Upon posting of this thread, the previous week's thread will be considered closed. Please tell your friends to SUBSCRIBE to /r/testpac

Our main focus for the past 2 weeks has been putting out there debate questions that we want to ask at the presidential debates. This morning we sent out an email with a petition to sign.

Here's the email that went out this morning: If you didn't get this email, please sign up for our mailing list

Dear Friend;

On October 3, 2012, The presidential candidates will be debating in Denver, Colorado, and you have the chance to help change the course of history. We need your help to ensure the candidates are held accountable on the issue that matters most, Internet freedom. Below are three questions that despertly need to be asked at the debates. Sign the petition below to help get our questions asked during the debates.

The battle to get the questions asked will not be easy, please Sign the petition and Donate now

Like many Americans before us, the more we fight, the better the chance we have to change history. Don’t let the presidential candidates off the hook, Barack Obama and Mitt Romney have neither confirmed nor denied if they will try to revive legislation like SOPA and PIPA. We need to know NOW what their plans are about our future and freedoms.

Will you join us by supporting our campaign to ask the tough questions about internet freedom? Can you give $50, $25, $10, or even $5 today?

Behold our questions three:

"The ease of communication and sharing on the internet has raised serious questions about protecting the rights of content producers in the digital age. Some say that it is important we create a firm system that allows innovators to protect their ideas. Others are concerned that too firm a system would restrict Americans' First Amendment rights by cracking down on legitimate sharing and communications. Congress has attempted to address this debate through legislation like SOPA that inspired a strong response from many people. How would you as President balance the need to protect content creators and protect freedom of speech?"

"A hotly debated issue is the extent of net neutrality and the digital privacy rights of Americans. Some say that we should keep regulation away from the internet, allowing companies to purchase greater internet speeds and access to users. Others say this approach would give preferential treatment to corporations and drown out the voices of individuals. What do you believe the right approach to internet freedom and digital privacy rights should be?"

"In the digital age, cyber-security is important, but so is individual privacy and freedom. How would you, as president, balance these two concerns?"

We need your help to ask the tough questions about internet freedom. Please take action right now and give $50, $25, $10, or even $5 today?

Sincerely yours;

Mitch Manzella

Treasurer

Don’t forget to -- SIGN THE PETITION

I think it makes us sound like a joke, and as everyone hopefully notices, we all pretty much refer to ourselves as Test PAC anyway. I think this would be a good compromise on our name.

Edit: I'm not saying we officially remove the name, and refile paperwork, and all that. I'm saying that we don't attach it on everything we use to put ourselves out there: fliers, logos, letter heads, things we post on FB, twitter, other social media outlets. It makes us seem unofficial. Just put yourself in the shoes of an average person, a jock, someone who doesn't use Reddit, or even the internet, everyday. What would you think seeing Please Ignore attached to what is supposed to be an official press release? In a FB post? I would imagine they'd see it as a joke.

I can provide proof when I do the IAMA. Been really busy with other campaigns I work on so I doubt I will be doing one until Thursday or the Weekend. Only reason I'm asking is I have no desire to spend the two hours or so a IAMA deserves if it has low interest.

Link to Last Week's Meeting

Will check with Oo0o8o0oO on numbers in the subreddit.

Welcome new users. If you have no idea what TestPAC is, you're in the right place. This is our weekly thursday meeting thread where we discuss the current state of TestPAC. Upon posting of this thread, the previous week's thread will be considered closed.

Going back a month to this meeting thread, the board has attempted to address some of the issues asked about there:

• We have begun work on the bylaws. We are intending to operate under these rules provisionally while we continue to tweak specific concerns. Questions or ideas about the bylaws should go in the bylaws thread.

• There is an ongoing discussion about the TestPAC mission statement. Please feel free to contribute to that conversation there.

• President Obama did a reddit AMA this week - here's our discussion on his ideas on Net Neutrality.

• We looked at some new reddit donation options and are almost ready with our Qgiv online donation site. It will take a few weeks, but the plan is to transfer most of our donations away from Piryx to Qgiv.

• Reddit has a political bus tour in October that we are keeping an eye on

• I've created an operations model for - "I have an idea for TestPAC !"

• The goal is to have the transfer from the old officers to the new board complete by 9/1 - realistically since Mitch just received the papers and documents from Andy in the mail today the transition will likely be complete by 9/4.

• TestPAC has a mailing address - we've also created a print and mail-in contribution form.

TestPAC

PO Box 10048

Hamilton, NJ 08650

I highly encourage all of our users to post their open questions to this thread. This is everyone's PAC and your input is needed to keep the pulse of this subreddit going.

Questions and comments...

I have been actively interested in the topic of internet freedom for some time. I have two online personas that are well-known within their respective niches; I post as Uglycat on the Something Awful 'Discussion & Debate' forum, and I was a founding moderator at enturbulation.org (which now exists at whyweprotest.net) where I registered as Consensus.

Ask me anything.

Hi Everybody,

So you can see on the sidebar we have some general info about TestPAC. We also have this on the TestPAC Facebook Page:

Test PAC is an issue advocacy group established by a community of volunteers, dedicated to raising awareness on political issues chosen through an open, democratic, web-based voting process. It is committed to fundraising, organization and messaging in the struggle to keep the Internet open and free. As a FEC registered PAC, Test PAC can collect donations from individuals or businesses on behalf of these issues.

Test PAC is dedicated to organizing the resources and opinions of individuals throughout the internet community in order to promote their collective political interests.

Then there is this statement from the bylaws:

The purpose of The Organization is to promote internet equality, accessibility and freedom.

What I'd like members of the community to do is take a look at these statements. Think about it for maybe an hour or so, and then come back to this thread with your best stab at the TestPAC mission statement.

I'm including a worksheet from a class I took last year on Non-profit Strategic Frameworks at the Harvard Kennedy School for Government.

MISSION STATEMENT

Mission Statement Worksheet (from Strategic Frameworks for Nonprofits)

Create and analyze your organization’s mission statement. Remember that your organization is unique—your mission should reflect this.

Step 1: What is your organization’s mission statement? If you do not have one, create one. (2 paragraphs or less, it should be something easy to remember and repeat)

Step 2: Use the functions and characteristics framework to analyze your mission statement.

Is your mission statement well-articulated? Use Oster’s framework and definitions (below): http://books.google.com/books?id=yJ9txWojyRQC

Boundary: Oster states, “A mission statement describes the bounds of the business of the organization.”Boundaries might refer to the population served, geographic location, types of organizational activities, etc.

Motivation: According to Oster, “The second function of the mission statement is to motivate the staff, board, volunteers, and donors of an organization.”

Evaluation: Oster states, “The final function of the mission statement is to help in the evaluation function.”

Does the mission...

Create a boundary?

Motivate?

Provide the opportunity to evaluate the organization?

Is the mission statement operationalized in your organization’s activities?

Please don't be shy, there are no wrong answers and the more people who participate the closer our final version will reflect the views of those present here in the reddit community. Thanks !

Someone has to start it apparently....

Do you guys think it is a good idea to do TV ads that request our questions get into the debates? Or is there another, more effective way?

Pros and cons.

Link to last weeks meeting

Welcome new users. If you have no idea what TestPAC is, you're in the right place. This is our weekly thursday meeting thread where we discuss the current state of TestPAC. Upon posting of this thread, the previous week's thread will be considered closed. Please tell your friends to SUBSCRIBE to /r/testpac

• Still accepting proposals for congressional races to take action in. As of yet we have not found a dream scenario where the incumbant is a clear villian on our issues and the challenger is a clear hero on privacy, internet freedom, digital rights, net-neutrality, ect...

• Some minor tweaks to the TestPAC website. Please make sure you are signed up for our email list.

• Please help us build the subscriber base for this subreddit. TestPAC is the only reddit organized Political Action Committee - and yet we do not have even half the subscribers of the defunct /r/rpac - help us grow this subreddit. Spread the word.

• We are working on forming questions that we want asked during the presidential debates next month: We want to know, if you could ask a question to President Obama and Mitt Romney about internet freedom / privacy / digital rights / net neutrality, how would you phrase that question?

I highly encourage all of our users to post their open questions to this thread. This is everyone's PAC and your input is needed to keep the pulse of this subreddit going.

I don't mean to intrude, but there seems to be a growing need for people interested in technology issues and focused on test pac. I may be a small help in being able to investigate different sources. Right now, I'm doing a report on watergate which had significant reference to campaign finance reform. But I also enjoy discussing technology issues on my own channel. Thing is, I would love to hear from other reporters and put together a show for technology issues. This also means a heavy focus on journalism with a heavy bias towards progressive issues (not gonna lie, I think Fox is propagandist so yeah...)

Anyway, my point here is twofold:

1. Create interest in more coverage of testpac in different avenues

2. Recruit, if possible, reporters who would like to work together for stories in regards to technology news.

Any interest?

The Texas primaries are six months away (Tuesday 4 March 2014). Some candidates have already announced, and are currently campaigning. Are we going to do anything more than throw some money at some last minute billboards and TV spots?