There were a few priorities that emerged from the net activist meeting we held late last year. One of them was a package of changes to the electoral system. Any hopes for IRV soon foundered after a Burlington mayoral election revealed its shortcomings, allowing opponents to make the perfect into the enemy of the good and sink its prospects. Moving the primary earlier in the year got watered down and ultimately shoved into a corner to die in the House. And nobody even brought up a return to campaign finance reform (though I’m a little more sympathetic there as every attempt gets vetoed or sued into oblivion). In terms of making our electoral system more fair going into the all important election that will determine who holds the redistricting cards, this legislature gets a big fat ‘F’ (okay – the Senate gets big extra credit for passing something – maybe a B-?).

But there were a couple other priorities of the group that I want to honor before putting together another meeting – and with the legislature in recess, now seems like the time.

The big dynamic that works against us in trying to take the Governorship is, as often mentioned, the primary election, coming so close as it does to the general – especially if you feel, as many of us on the left and engaged with the netroots do – that a primary contest is an absolute necessity to put together the voter interest and media attention necessary to win in November, as well as to have an opportunity to choose the best candidate, rather than have one chosen for us by the political illuminati (such as they are) or simply by default. And one way that it hurts us is by leaving little time for raising competitive funding after spending on a primary battle.

So, here’s my solution. I’ve created a Facebook group: 1000 Vermonters for Change. My goal is to get 1000 people to join over the next year – 1000 people who commit to sending a $100 contribution to whoever wins the Democratic primary, the day after the primary election. That’s $100,000 and its a pretty big boost.

Now obviously, this won’t be for those folks who would never support a Democratic candidate. And its not a suicide pact either – if we elect our own Zell Miller, nobody’s gonna show up at your door with a crowbar demanding the cash. Still, it’d be something powerful and meaningful that we could do right now. Folks who give large amounts of money can afford a hundred more. Folks like me who cant afford squat can commit to putting the occasional $5 bill into a jar to build it up to $100 by September of 2010.

It’s not too early to step up to the plate and do this.

Now I know not everyone is on Facebook, but it has such powerful (and growing) viral qualities, that it makes sense to do it there. Here, again, is a link to the group, and I encourage you to join Facebook if you haven’t by clicking here, and then returning to this diary to click on the group link. Send it areound to everyone you know. I’ll put a permanent link on the sidebar and include some banner links soon that can be used for other blogs or personal webpages.

1000 people. In more than a year. We can do this.