Michael Mann

After making his mark in the domain industry T.R.A.F.F.I.C. Hall of Fame member Michael Mann is now seeking to overcome a much bigger challenge - establishing a new political party in the United States that he has dubbed the Better Government Party (as a wildly successful domain investor, leave it to Mann to choose a category defining name - and yes he owns the .com, as well as the .net and the .org).

Mann, a Washington, D.C. native,  explained why he decided to take on the daunting task of establishing a major third party in a new article just published by the Upstart Business Journal. Mann, who has been featured in two DNJournal.com Cover Stories - one in September 2003 and another in September 2007,  told author Laura Baverrman that the Republican and Democratic Parties are "are useless, corrupt and fraudulent" and that his party will be "built on transparency, trust and

accountability." Mann added, "Americans are so used to Congressmen lying, cheating and stealing that they have been conditioned to think it’s acceptable. The government is broken, so there is no other choice. It doesn't have to be me. If someone else presents something rational, I'd join them. But where are they?"

Of course others, with even deeper pockets than Mann, have tried unsuccessfully to establish a viable alternative to the two current major parties. Mann is aware of that but told Baverman, "I'm very persistent and I'll spend years and years and years til I get it right." 

It is surely the longest of long shots but, you have to admit, it could be pretty interesting to have a domainer in the White House (especially one as outspoken as Mann). In the 1928 Presidential campaign, a Herbert Hoover ad crowed about putting "a chicken in every pot". Perhaps Mann could top that by promising "a category defining .com in every portfolio". I might even vote for that!