Craig Dunigan
Craig is a much-traveled jack-of-all-trades. At various times, he has called New York, Florida, Pennsylvania, California, Texas, Mississippi, and Germany his home, but now he lives happily in restive Wisconsin. He has been a chef, a car mechanic, a translator, a soldier, a writer and editor, a construction worker, a social worker, a technical support rep, a market researcher, and a project manager, and that’s just what he’s been paid to do. For now, he’s settled into programming and esoteric systems work down in the bowels of computer-land, working as a proud union public employee.
Craig has written publicly on his life experiences with politics, which you can read if you’re so inclined. If not, suffice to say that Craig woke up to the necessity of getting involved when the Wisconsin unrest broke out in 2011. He has worked as a leader in election campaigns and political action groups ever since. He thinks that regardless of political beliefs, we can’t accomplish anything in this country if we don’t start working together. His own political views lean heavily to the left, but he considers himself a pragmatic liberal instead of a committed ideologue. For example, Craig has openly identified as a would-be socialist on the Coffee Party Facebook page – that is, he “would be” a socialist if he had any faith that a socialist system could actually work.
Craig has advanced education, and still is an avid reader and researcher. He believes fervently that even civil discussion is pointless without facts. There is almost no topic that he isn’t willing to study himself when the need, or sometimes just the whim, arises. Craig’s life experience spans profound poverty to relative comfort, and he is deeply committed to a just, democratic society.
ESSAY QUESTIONS
What do you bring to the Coffee Party Board of Directors and why do you want to serve on the board?
I was initially drawn to the Coffee Party Movement by the message I saw on its Facebook page, and I stayed because of the Civility Pledge. Since becoming politically active this year, I have been looking for some way to have an influence on the national level, and I thought the Coffee Party might be that way. A very wise friend said to me during the Wisconsin uprising that people who are capable of leading have a moral obligation to do so when they see the need. That statement had a strong influence on me. Prior to hearing it, I was content to participate only. Afterward, I felt compelled by the truth of his statement to do more here in Wisconsin, because I am capable of more. It was with that in mind that I decided I shouldn't close off any options to lead in the Coffee Party.
I now want to serve on the Board because I have a passion to make the world a better place, and I think the Coffee Party has the potential to help. I firmly believe that our trans-partisan, civil approach will be critical in this country. We must find a way to work together before we tear America apart. As a Director, I can help guide and sustain our movement so that we can make that happen. In addition, I came to the same conclusion here that my wise friend helped me to reach in Wisconsin. The Coffee Party has called for leaders, I have the ability to lead, and I must accept therefore that it is my duty to answer the call.
I would bring to the Board several qualities, like my passion, my moral sense, my analytical skill, and my abilities with writing and speaking. But the most important thing, the quality that I believe allows me to claim the ability to lead, is my empathy. That might seem like an odd characteristic for a leader, but it has always allowed me to do things within groups that others could not. Empathy allows me to understand someone's message even when poorly presented, and to understand how an audience is perceiving that message. That usually enables me to make the message both understandable and acceptable to all concerned. In brief, I help people understand each other. Empathy not only gives me the ability to act for group cohesion and conflict resolution, it gives me a strong desire to do it. Empathy makes me aware of when a group is overlooking or marginalizing a member, and when a member is dominating or even commandeering the group. It is the characteristic that always prompts me to step up when I see a need, and what has made me an effective leader.
What do you think is the most important impact the Coffee Party can make in the next 5 years?
Although my overarching goal in working with the Coffee Party is to bring America back together so we can function again, that isn't necessarily what I see as the entire Party's main purpose right now. I think the most important thing we can do over the next five years is to give a voice to the people. We can provide the tools and serve as the platform for that voice. I see Coffee Party 2.0 as an incubator for many democratic movements, giving them a structure from which they can launch. By making the technical tools to harness the Internet accessible to many, we can empower their voices and enable their actions. Although I have no doubt that the Party itself will have its own voice and its own impact, I actually believe that the cumulative effect of our movement and the movements we help to launch will be much greater.
I also believe that it is crucial for the Coffee Party to remain welcoming to a wide range of political viewpoints. Although I personally support a progressive message and agenda, I think that would alienate much of the population that we seek to engage. If we lose the moderate, centrist, and conservative voices within the Party, we risk becoming nothing more than another liberal activist group that happens to believe in being civil. Civility and truth, though critical, can not by themselves sustain this movement. It is the embrace of reasonable disagreement, and the willingness to give equal hearing to fundamentally opposing viewpoints, that give the Coffee Party its real power to be an agent for change.
Link to Blog talk radio interview (Craig's interview is about 30 minutes into the show after Chris Ritter)
