Dean's Still Winning the Real Tests

I've been reading over the reviews of the debate last night (I was working and couldn't watch it) and about all I know is that there wasn't a clear winner. That's pretty clear from the Blogosphere and another critical place - Meetup.com (click the title). Dean2004 is still getting more members a week than any other campaign's sign-up. The only candidates growing faster in terms of percentage growth are undeclared (Gary Hart and Wesley Clark). Dean is about to top 20,000. Kerry just barely tops 1,000. Someone over at Daily Kos commented that Dean's supporters are basically nothing more than astroturf. We're fakers. My experience on the ground is that this commenter is completely wrong.

I'm pretty active on my campus and know a fair number of the active liberals and every single one of them who has settled on a 2004 candidate has settled on Dean. Those still weighing their options all like him - they're just not definitely on board. Dean's meet-ups in Montana have signed up over 40 people last I checked. Kerry doesn't have one. I don't know about the others, but I seriously doubt that any of them do.

And how did these people find out about Dean? The people I'm working with. One of my friends, when I mentioned Dean, quickly said, "Oh, my sister is volunteering for him, let me know what I can do to help." Another said his brother in DC was volunteering and that he would do what he could to help. I didn't have to sell these people on Dean. They were already sold. I haven't had time to do any real organizing, and we've got 25 volunteers signed up in Missoula. Kerry has 0. Graham has 0. Gephardt has 0. Lieberman has 0.

That's anything but astroturf. That's support from real people. Real people who will invest time and energy, laughter and tears, blood and sweat.

We're with Dean.

And he stands apart.

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