ADF – Forum Media Group

In the novel American Democracy Forever, Charlie Durand created Forum Publishing, Inc. as a way to economically publish The Forum, a magazine that publishes discussions held in Forum Clubs. He then realizes he must go far beyond this if he is to combat the hate radio being spewed daily by right-wing radio into the ears of commuters, by the unrelenting lies broadcast by Fox News, and by the ridiculous conspiracy theories promoted by Alex Jones, Rush Limbaugh, QAnon, et all, via the Twitter social media platform

As usual, Charlie thinks big; he creates the Forum Media Group conglomerate, the FMG, and tasks it with creating a bubble of liberal, democratic thought over the entire nation. Over time, the FMG creates and buys hundreds of radio and TV stations, newspapers, magazines, cable companies, and internet service providers. He insists they promote a consistent message promoting the liberal consensus of government “of the people, by the people, and for the people,” to quote Abraham Lincoln.

But this is not enough. There remains the states, counties, towns, and rural areas dominated by the Republican party. In his recent podcast series, “Blue Dots in a Red Sea,” Michael Moore pointed out that in many of these so-called red areas, there is no local newspaper. This allows uncontested Republican politicians to do whatever they want, including gerrymandering and voter suppression. Michael’s idea of creating local, liberal newspapers in these areas is an idea that should have been included in ADF’s description of the FMG.

Michael Moore also promotes the idea of individual Democrats and Independents in red areas getting together and either joining their local Democratic Party or forming their own unofficial chapter. But realistically, most citizens do not join political parties, even if they vote from a party line. They are busy living their own lives, with little time, energy, or interest in weekly or monthly political meetings dealing with boring, obscure issues. Party politics for them is a two- or four-year nuisance primarily involved in annoying appeals for money. An incentive to encourage citizen participation is needed.

ADF Forum Clubs are organizations that support their member’s social needs while also being focused on local issues and actions to resolve them.  Each Forum Club meeting follows a fixed format, vaguely like a Catholic Mass, which emphasizes liberal democracy: the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag of the United States, a greeting that emphasizes human values, readings from pro-democracy literature, patriotic music, discussions, and an exhortation to support liberal, democratic principles. A social time follows this with food, drink, music, and often dancing; people attend Forum Club meetings because they care about the issues being discussed, but even more so because they want to socialize with their friends. Forum Clubs become central to their social lives.

The Forum Clubs are not, however, a substitute for religion; Charlie did not want organized religions to become enemies. It is up to each club member to determine their own system of beliefs, rational or otherwise. The general policy of the FMG is to support religious broadcasting and publications subject to only three rules: “that their broadcasts do not discriminate against anyone, that they do not engage in deceptive miracles, prophecies, channeling of the dead, fake healings, snake handling, or other such flimflammery, and that they do not solicit money from their audiences.” The FMG encourages churches to promote the golden rule; otherwise, they are free to promote their own brand of theology.

ADF Forum Clubs are networked by their Committee of Correspondence, CoC, which enables them to work together to arrive at consensus solutions and actions.  The Forum Clubs are supported by the national Forum Foundation with startup funds and training courses, the PEP Talk speaker’s bureau, and the OurTown social media platform. One must ask why such support does not exist for local Democratic Parties, along with lots of partying after the meetings.

The FMG has close but informal ties with the Forum Clubs. Its media personalities are typically members of a Forum Club, and their broadcasts often reflect what the Forum Clubs are discussing and the actions they take. Likewise, Forum Club discussions are often initiated in response to FMG broadcasts. There is deliberate synergy among the components of Charlie’s organizations supporting American democracy, with the whole being more than the sum of its parts. In ADF, the local, state, and national Democratic parties develop a similar synergy with the Forum Clubs, with “Democratic” Forum Clubs often the result.