Discontent With Unity08 Top Down Leadership Style Grows

Discontent with the top-down, secretive leadership style of the Unity08 organization is growing. A new group of Unity08 members is forming, creating a coalition to challenge the leadership of Unity08 to be less exclusionary and restrictive of membership participation. Criticisms from this breakaway group within Unity08 have been focused on the steering committee of Unity08. Currently, the Unity08 steering committee is made up of "Founders" - an exclusive group of Washington D.C. political insiders. The rebellion within Unity08 is being led by those who expected Unity08 to follow through on its promise to be a true grassroots organization. They are demanding that the Unity08 organization reform its current anti-grassroots structure and give 3 seats of the 7-member steering committee to 3 online grassroots members who will be elected by a vote of the online grassroots members - not handpicked by the Founders insiders. "No Donation without Representation" is the rallying cry of the dissidents. One Unity08 member asks that Unity08 change its ways so that the organizaton "respects its cyber-activists by giving them seats at the table," and worries elsewhere that "we're losing momentum as well as some very thoughtful contriubtors" [sic]. "How can Unity '08 purport to reform American Democracy when it's founders won't even open up it's own processes - to select a "Rules Committee" or empower it's membership to vote on ... ANYTHING?!" he asks. Unity08 member Mark Green complains, "Unity'08 is not interactive in any 21st century measure - it is like the railroad signal house at the Aledo Texas crossing that each Sunday morning greets the sun with a fresh coat of student-generated graffitti. Cute, amusing, totally non-productive." Another member observes, "I am getting tired of talking without action, I see little progress on electing our president but a lot of gum beating about pet peeves. I am getting restless and tired of idle chat especially with this hard to use site." So far, the Unity08 political insiders who lead the organization are stonewalling. Eight months after Unity08 grassroots member first called for a seat at the table, the political insiders who form the Unity08 leadership are still shutting them out. Increasing discontent among Unity08 members comes as a series of other ethical failures of the Unity08 organization are coming to a head. These ethical lapses are being documented by Unity08 Watch, which has exposed the real work of the secretive Unity08 leadership: Lobbyists, lawyers, public relations executives and Washington D.C. powerbrokers. The series of revelations about Unity08 makes the organization appear to be less a grassroots political organization and more of a dishonest politics as usual campaign by powerful political insiders attempting to wield influence.