Monday, June 30, 2003
WP on the Deanathon http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A54865-2003Jun30?language=printer
Washington Post Tuesday:
Thanks to a wide-open field and the power of the Internet, Dean has gone from dark horse to serious contender at a time when many Americans are only vaguely aware that a nomination battle is underway.
....
Dean's online gold mine -- he also has signed up 45,000 supporters to attend "meet-ups" across the country Wednesday night -- stunned his rivals.
An adviser to another candidate said: "Ever since 1996, people have been talking about the potential of the Internet to organize and raise money, but no one figured out how to do it. Not even Al Gore. The thing about Dean is, not only is he using it, he is building an organization through it and he is raising money through that organization."
The last hours of Dean's effort bore a faint resemblance to the woozy end of a Jerry Lewis telethon. Dean's Web site -- DeanforAmerica.com -- featured a running total of contributions received. Every half-hour, the number rolled a little closer to $7 million. Online donors were offered the chance to chat on the phone with the candidate himself -- normally a privilege reserved for the rich. Dean said he would call five contributors chosen at random from the virtual pool.
"What this campaign and the Internet is about is putting the grass roots and the community back into politics," said Dean campaign manager Joe Trippi. "It puts back what television took out."
$7 Million Monday: We are the Champions
I've paid my dues, time after time
I've done my sentence, but committed no crime
And bad mistakes, I've made a few
I've had my share of sand kicked in my face
But I've come through
We are the champions, my friends
And we'll keep on fighting till the end
We are the champions
We are the champions
No time for losers
'Cause we are the champions
Of the World
I've taken my bows, and my curtain calls
You brought me fame and fortune
And everything that goes with it
I thank you all But it's been no bed of roses
No pleasure cruise
I consider it a challenge before
The whole human race, and I ain't gonna lose
We are the champions, my friends
And we'll keep on fighting till the end
We are the champions
We are the champions
No time for losers
'Cause we are the champions
Of the World
We are the champions, my friends
And we'll keep on fighting till the end
We are the champions
We are the champions
No time for losers
'Cause we are the champions
Of the World
I've done my sentence, but committed no crime
And bad mistakes, I've made a few
I've had my share of sand kicked in my face
But I've come through
We are the champions, my friends
And we'll keep on fighting till the end
We are the champions
We are the champions
No time for losers
'Cause we are the champions
Of the World
I've taken my bows, and my curtain calls
You brought me fame and fortune
And everything that goes with it
I thank you all But it's been no bed of roses
No pleasure cruise
I consider it a challenge before
The whole human race, and I ain't gonna lose
We are the champions, my friends
And we'll keep on fighting till the end
We are the champions
We are the champions
No time for losers
'Cause we are the champions
Of the World
We are the champions, my friends
And we'll keep on fighting till the end
We are the champions
We are the champions
No time for losers
'Cause we are the champions
Of the World
The Home Stretch http://www.deanforamerica.com/site/TR?pg=personal&fr_id=1090&px=1179278
The Bat is at $6.95 Million !!! Just $50k to go! The Dean Nation Team tally is at $1900!
Let's bring this baby home! SUH-WING BATTUH BATTUH BATTUH!
Let's bring this baby home! SUH-WING BATTUH BATTUH BATTUH!
transcript: CNN Inside Politics http://www.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0306/30/ip.00.html
CNN Inside Politics today featured an extensive segment of how $7 Million Monday is redefining this race. Hat tip to Scott on the ZonkBoard for te link to the transcript, excerpts:
I find the thought that all the other campaigns are glued to DeanForAmerica.com, hilarious! But Woodruff goes on to put all this in perspective - George Bush has raised $30 million in just six weeks. Bush raised $1.8 million during Monday lunch hour in Miami alone.
But Woodruff is wrong that these insane sums demoralize Bush's opponents. It should energize us. It gives us a clear view of what we are facing - a small pool of the moneyed elite. But we have the vast base, the netroots and the grassroots, who Meet Up and Move On and who collectively have made their voices heard today.
Join the chorus. Donate NOW. Let's break the cap on $7 Million Monday and show Bush Corp, Inc. that it's not money, it's men, and women, united to reclaim democracy. Let's take our country back.
TODAY!
SNOW: ... Judy, Moseley Braun's campaign treasurer says, "I'd like to steal some of Dean's fund-raisers, if I could." In fact, every campaign aide I spoke with today, all the other eight campaigns, most of them said they were watching Dean's Internet Web site, they had it up on their computers, Judy, and they wanted to how he was doing. They all said they were amazed by it. But they wonder whether it will hold -- Judy.
I find the thought that all the other campaigns are glued to DeanForAmerica.com, hilarious! But Woodruff goes on to put all this in perspective - George Bush has raised $30 million in just six weeks. Bush raised $1.8 million during Monday lunch hour in Miami alone.
But Woodruff is wrong that these insane sums demoralize Bush's opponents. It should energize us. It gives us a clear view of what we are facing - a small pool of the moneyed elite. But we have the vast base, the netroots and the grassroots, who Meet Up and Move On and who collectively have made their voices heard today.
Join the chorus. Donate NOW. Let's break the cap on $7 Million Monday and show Bush Corp, Inc. that it's not money, it's men, and women, united to reclaim democracy. Let's take our country back.
TODAY!
audio: Howard Dean thanks the netroots http://www.audblog.com/media/5612/18169.mp3
Governor Dean has some special words of thanks for all his netroot supporters - click the link to hear his words! (MP3 format) Transcript:
There are only 6 hours left until the deadline - so there's still time for you to donate to the campaign! $7 Million Monday is almost over and we have only $250k left to go! That's only $40k an hour - we can do this!
I'm Governor Howard Dean. I'm amazed by the incredible outpouring of support we've seen on the Internet today. We have 7 hours left until the midnight filing deadline. Thank you so much for all the help; thank you so much for making this history. This campaign is really moving, and I appreciate it.
There are only 6 hours left until the deadline - so there's still time for you to donate to the campaign! $7 Million Monday is almost over and we have only $250k left to go! That's only $40k an hour - we can do this!
open thread: $7 Million Monday http://www.deanforamerica.com/site/TR?pg=personal&fr_id=1090&px=1179278
Got something to say? Share your thoughts about this historic day with the rest of us. This is $7 Million Monday and the netroots will not be silenced!
rampage! http://www.deanforamerica.com/site/TR?pg=personal&fr_id=1090&px=1179278
Dean is mentioned in two segments on NPR's Morning Edition. Dean is featured in Doonesbury. Andrew Sullivan - of all people - says Dean would be better than Bush for the country's fiscal health. Josh Marshall's attention has been drawn away from the Texas redistricting by a "thunderclap" over the head of the Democratic Party.
And the Bat rises - acknowledging at long last that today is $7 Million Monday!
Quickly - we only have until midnight - get your donation in and be counted! The Dean Nation All-Star team has raised $1,105.42 out of our pledge goal of $10,000 and I know that we can do better! Just click the link above and you'll see our Dean Nation contribute page where you can add your voice to the growing chorus - the roar of the netroots, taking back America!
UPDATE: Howard Dean will personally phone 5 randomly-elected contributors today! Join us and donate NOW!
And the Bat rises - acknowledging at long last that today is $7 Million Monday!
Quickly - we only have until midnight - get your donation in and be counted! The Dean Nation All-Star team has raised $1,105.42 out of our pledge goal of $10,000 and I know that we can do better! Just click the link above and you'll see our Dean Nation contribute page where you can add your voice to the growing chorus - the roar of the netroots, taking back America!
UPDATE: Howard Dean will personally phone 5 randomly-elected contributors today! Join us and donate NOW!
It's $7 Million Monday! http://www.deanforamerica.com/site/TR?pg=personal&fr_id=1090&px=1179278
Kos of The Daily Kos succinctly summarizes the New Reality:
(and Mighty Joe, too, of course). TODAY is $7 Million Monday. Let's get that bat to pop its cork and break 7 Million Dollars by midnight tonight.
We are the netroots. We are not "obscure bloggers" and our Meetups are not the pretensions of an elite caste. We are the American People. And we want our country back. We want it back TODAY - on $7 Million Monday.
Join us and show the world that it's the power of the common man that makes America an inspiration to the rest of the world. Join us TODAY and make a statement that political power resides with We the People, not K-Street.
This is the campaign to Take Back America - TODAY.
Ooh. It's time for all the anti-Deanies to rise up in anger. Really, you guys should be angry at your chosen candidates for running thus-far inept campaigns, poking fun at Dean for "wasting his time" talking to "obscure bloggers" and dismissing meetups as something out of the Star Wars cantina. Oops, turns out that all those things were important after all.
Who would've thunk it?
It's a new world, and Dean was the only one to catch on.
(and Mighty Joe, too, of course). TODAY is $7 Million Monday. Let's get that bat to pop its cork and break 7 Million Dollars by midnight tonight.
We are the netroots. We are not "obscure bloggers" and our Meetups are not the pretensions of an elite caste. We are the American People. And we want our country back. We want it back TODAY - on $7 Million Monday.
Join us and show the world that it's the power of the common man that makes America an inspiration to the rest of the world. Join us TODAY and make a statement that political power resides with We the People, not K-Street.
This is the campaign to Take Back America - TODAY.
Why it is so critical to contribute NOW! http://www.deanforamerica.com/site/TR?pg=personal&fr_id=1090&px=1179278
Let's not get too giddy and think Dean's nomination is now inevitable. Read what Hotline's Republican analyst Mike Murphy has to say:
Dean is the only candidate rising meaningfully in early state polls. He is raising decent money. He has the heat in the race; love him or hate him he is the candidate people are talking about. His anger shtick is selling; Democrat primary voters want a Bush-Fighter. The others are lagging behind. Sure, they can tell you how they are going to win, but they aren't doing it. Show me any triple, let alone home run, hit to date in this race by The Official Invincible Front-Runner Kerry. Explain to me how Graham gets nominated. Is Edwards still in the race? Where is Gephardt getting stronger? Where is Lieberman's money?With your help, they won't be able to stop us. Let's Take Back America, Today.
I think this race will boil down to a two-man contest of Dean versus one of the others. . . . a snarling Stop Howard movement is now well afoot, with means, motive and plenty of murderous intent.
History will be made today (YES! GOING FOR $7 MIL) http://www.blogforamerica.com/
Just got the mailing from Joe Trippi...
"Today will be historic and we will be posting reports every half-hour on our progress, as we make this one day push towards $7 million by midnight tonight. Check our progress regularly throughout the day at:
http://www.blogforamerica.com
(as well as right here! stay tuned!)
"Today will be historic and we will be posting reports every half-hour on our progress, as we make this one day push towards $7 million by midnight tonight. Check our progress regularly throughout the day at:
http://www.blogforamerica.com
(as well as right here! stay tuned!)
Dr. Dean Treats Patient on Campaign Trail http://www.notgeniuses.com/archives/000140.html
Sunday, June 29, 2003
Back from NH http://www.grassrootsfordean.com
This weekend a bus load of Dean supporters left NYC for New Hampshire to volunteer for the campaign. Below is a portion of my reflection on this experience, the rest can be found on my website:
I decided to start writing this blog out on paper long hand (yes, I am a revolutionary) on the bus back from New Hampshire with New York for Dean and to transcribe it when I get home (only after showering). I think we had a very successful weekend. While the other campaign offices we saw appeared empty and closed (except one young gentleman in the Lieberman office in Manchester who did a full body double take when he saw a bus plastered with Dean for America signs drive past), we were out knocking on door after door after door. We were told that we hit over 5,000 in two days (3,300 the first day in Manchester and the rest the next in Nashua).
No, the trip was not glamorous. We slept on short, thin, and probably less than clean exercise mats at the Manchester YMCA. All we ate was pizza. We were thrown out of the Y 1/2 hour after they woke us up - that's right, no shower time!!! Oh, and the bathroom on the bus smelled like... well, you know. Also, we never got to a destination without getting lost and turning around three times.
There were, however, many upsides... Follow link above to continue
I decided to start writing this blog out on paper long hand (yes, I am a revolutionary) on the bus back from New Hampshire with New York for Dean and to transcribe it when I get home (only after showering). I think we had a very successful weekend. While the other campaign offices we saw appeared empty and closed (except one young gentleman in the Lieberman office in Manchester who did a full body double take when he saw a bus plastered with Dean for America signs drive past), we were out knocking on door after door after door. We were told that we hit over 5,000 in two days (3,300 the first day in Manchester and the rest the next in Nashua).
No, the trip was not glamorous. We slept on short, thin, and probably less than clean exercise mats at the Manchester YMCA. All we ate was pizza. We were thrown out of the Y 1/2 hour after they woke us up - that's right, no shower time!!! Oh, and the bathroom on the bus smelled like... well, you know. Also, we never got to a destination without getting lost and turning around three times.
There were, however, many upsides... Follow link above to continue
Fund-Raising Puts Dean in Top Tier http://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/30/national/30DEAN.html?ei=5062&en=8bca433c557f1d41&ex=1057550400&partner=GOOGLE&pagewanted=print&position=
From Monday's NY Times:
Howard Dean announced yesterday that he had raised close to $9 million this year, establishing himself as a top-tier candidate in the Democratic presidential field. The figure stunned his rivals and transformed Dr. Dean from a maverick into a more traditional contender.
Much of the money was collected over the Internet, his aides said, leaving little doubt there are now ways to solicit contributions other than the telephone calls and elaborate fund-raisers that are the stock and trade for most mainstream candidates.
Dr. Dean's aides said he would report raising at least $6.2 million in the three-month period that ends at midnight, on top of $2.6 million he raised over the first three months of the year. Dr. Dean announced the figure 36 hours before the filing period ends, timing the release for a slow-news Sunday afternoon.
"We are thrilled," Dr. Dean's campaign manager, Joe Trippi, said. "Right now our new goal is $6.5 million by midnight tomorrow."
The other campaigns said yesterday that they would wait until the fund-raising period was over before releasing their results.
"He'll beat everybody," Steve Elmendorf, a senior adviser to Representative Richard A. Gephardt of Missouri, said of Dr. Dean.
Dr. Dean's strong showing seems certain to cause a problem for some congressmen who are running for president — in particular, Mr. Gephardt and Senator Joseph I. Lieberman of Connecticut, who had weak financial showings in the first quarter. Mr. Gephardt and Mr. Lieberman were looking to strong showings in the next report to erase any concerns among Democrats about their viability.
Several Democrats said that Dr. Dean's success posed a particular problem to Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts, since the men have been competing for many of the same voters and since it could undercut Mr. Kerry's effort to present himself as the front-runner.
Mr. Kerry's campaign manager, Jim Jordan, disputed that analysis.
"If their fund-raising projections are accurate, then perhaps it makes it a two-candidate race," Mr. Jordan said. "If so, it makes it clarifying and helpful to us."
Dr. Dean's advisers said that as of a week ago, he had raised just $3.2 million. They said contributions had increased sharply over the last week because of his announcement speech on Monday and the online vote by the organization Moveon.org, which served to enlisted a lot of new supporters, many of whom made contributions.
Mr. Trippi also said that Dr. Dean had been helped by his appearance on the NBC interview program "Meet the Press" on June 22.
Dr. Dean's appearance on that show, in which he was unable to answer some questions and appeared to change his position on some issues, drew widespread criticism among Democrats. But his aides suggested that as far as Dr. Dean's supporters were concerned, it might have proved an old show business nostrum: There is no such thing as bad publicity.
"My own theory of it is when Howard Dean says things like, `I don't know the answer to that,' the echo chamber in Washington says: `Oh my God; he doesn't know the answer!' " Mr. Trippi said. "But the guy at home says, `Hey, someone who admits he doesn't know the answer. We haven't seen that before!' "
Dennis Miller attacks Dean http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=638&ncid=579&e=2&u=/nm/20030628/en_nm/politics_bush_miller_dc
W's new sidekick at a Bush fundraiser in LA, according to Reuters:
He had a special barb for one candidate, former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean, who has questioned the Iraq war, comparing him to Neville Chamberlain, the British prime minister who followed a policy of appeasement of Nazi Germany in the years before World War II.This is the sort of ridiculous comparison that can only help Dean, by drawing more attention to him and getting people to see what he really has to say. I can just imagine W listening to Miller and thinking, "Neville who?"
"He can roll up his sleeves all he wants at public events, but as long as we see that heart tattoo with Neville Chamberlain's name on his right forearms, he's never going anywhere," Miller said.
momentum
in 7 days:
The vast, untapped potential of the grassroots should be clear the money collected so far represents an average of $130 per person, from only 7% of his potential donor base!
Already we've raised $100,000 in just a few hours Sunday morning! If we work together we can make the 7 Million Monday a reality.
- 4,000 people joined Meetup
- 21,000 people donated $2.8m
- 23,000 unique visitors to Dean Nation
- 140,000 people voted for Dean in the MoveOn primary
- 264866 people say they would enthusiastically support Dean against Bush
The vast, untapped potential of the grassroots should be clear the money collected so far represents an average of $130 per person, from only 7% of his potential donor base!
Already we've raised $100,000 in just a few hours Sunday morning! If we work together we can make the 7 Million Monday a reality.
goal: 7 Million Monday http://blog.deanforamerica.com/archives/000520.html
Yup, that's right. The bat reads $6 million dollars. Note that this is the total for the quarter, not just the amount raised since Friday. Joe Trippi posted to the official blog about this jaw-dropping figure, but didn't post here, so I'll excerpt:
The bat only goes to $6.5m as a goal, but we can and we must help Dean reach the $7 million mark by Monday. Sunday and Monday need to be $500,000 days.
Already the Dean Nation all-star Team has raised almost $800 towards our own $10,000 pledge goal - and we can do better.
We need to make June 30th "7 Million Monday" ! So please, dig in and do what you can - donate to Dean today!
That is a surge in contributions of $2.8 million in just eight days. Of the $2.8 million over $2 million has come from Internet contributions -- including our first $500,000 day on Friday June 27th.
To put this in perspective the McCain for President campaign had a surge of $2 million in Internet contrbutions -- but that happend in the days after Sen. McCain's victory in New Hampshire in January 2000.
The bat only goes to $6.5m as a goal, but we can and we must help Dean reach the $7 million mark by Monday. Sunday and Monday need to be $500,000 days.
Already the Dean Nation all-star Team has raised almost $800 towards our own $10,000 pledge goal - and we can do better.
We need to make June 30th "7 Million Monday" ! So please, dig in and do what you can - donate to Dean today!
Q2 Predictions - Who will raise what?
I think the big story of Q2 will be Dean. The second story could very well be why the others (Kerry, Edwards, Gephardt, Lieberman) didn't break their Q1 numbers. Candidates unable to show momentum from Q1 to Q2 are in serious financial trouble. Traditionally Q1 leads to a larger Q2 followed by a smaller Q3 where the frontrunner continues to grow and most opposition tapper down signifigantly because of the dry summer months. Let's see what the others say.
Post a comment with your predictions on the field.
Post a comment with your predictions on the field.
Dean tops $6million... let's keep at it!
From the official Dean Blog, "As of last Sunday morning, June 22, the Dean for America campaign had raised $3.2 million in this quarter. Since that morning--beginning with the Sunday Meet The Press interview, through our announcement of candidacy, continuing with our victory in the MoveOn primary and through Saturday June 28th--we have experienced an unprecedented surge in contributions, and have now crossed the $6 million dollar mark."
Let's get Dean to the $6.5 million mark! We have just under 2 days left before the reporting period ends at midnight on June 30th. Do your part!
1. Make a contribution yourself - CLICK HERE
2. Email everyone you know and ask them to give $25.
3. If you run a blog or a Dean support group website, join Dean Nation's All-Star Team and link to our donation page!
Why not shock the world and hit the $7,000,000 mark? Kerry, Edwards and Gephardt better hope they reach what they raised last quarter... a candidate unable to build on past successes is a candidate with no momentum. Governor Dean has big mo and is certain to capture an even brighter spotlight with these kinds of numbers!
Saturday, June 28, 2003
clarification regarding federal matching funds
Several people have been posting in the comments and the Zonk Board that the federal matching funds are for each donation, up to $250, so that you should donate in increments. This is false. Zephyr from the campaign clarifies:
An individual may donate up to $2000, but only the first $250 is matched dollar for dollar.
Secondly, and more importantly, the donations must be accompanied by your occupation and employer information. These fields are included in both the online contribution form and the printable form (.pdf format). This information is required by the FEC, and the donation is matched by the FEC only if that info is included.
As of this writing, Dean Nation has met $498 of our $10,000 pledge goal . There are only two days left in June before the FEC deadline, so please donate now!
The FEC doesn't care how you give it--the sum total of contributions is all that matters. Every dollar, however, given, up to $250 is matched.
An individual may donate up to $2000, but only the first $250 is matched dollar for dollar.
Secondly, and more importantly, the donations must be accompanied by your occupation and employer information. These fields are included in both the online contribution form and the printable form (.pdf format). This information is required by the FEC, and the donation is matched by the FEC only if that info is included.
As of this writing, Dean Nation has met $498 of our $10,000 pledge goal . There are only two days left in June before the FEC deadline, so please donate now!
Democrats raise $1.7 million http://wvgazette.com/section/APNews/News/ap0869n
from the story:
Funding the DNC is a critical issue that has largely been overlooked. Note that the candidates, including Dean, all do recognize that the DNC fundraising is critical to defeating Bush, regardless of who is nominated.
Seven of the nine Democratic presidential candidates attended the fund-raiser at a Washington hotel, with 750 people who paid at least $1,000 apiece; comedian and author Al Franken was the host. Another 750 young Democrats met at a nearby restaurant later in the evening at a cost of $50 apiece.
Candidate Howard Dean, the former governor of Vermont, poked fun at his own tendency to shoot from the hip and apologize to his rivals later.
"I am delighted to have all the candidates in one room so I can issue a blanket apology should one be needed later in the campaign,'' Dean said, as the crowd burst into laughter.
...
Democrats are trying to remain competitive under the new rules of the campaign finance law that bans the unlimited soft money the party used to receive from corporations, unions and wealthy donors, said Terry McAuliffe, chairman of the Democratic National Committee.
"It's a challenge, there's no question,'' said McAuliffe, a veteran fund-raiser who has worked at updating DNC donor files and improving direct-mail fund raising. "We're going to have the biggest six-month direct mail effort in the party's history.''
McAuliffe said the party is "in the best financial shape we've ever been in,'' with $6 million.
Republicans already have a huge early advantage, with the Republican National Committee outraising the DNC by more than 3-to-1 in the first three months of the year. Bush's re-election campaign is halfway toward raising $20 million in a two-week push intended to intimidate Democrats; the goal is $200 million or more. In a single night Monday in New York, Bush raised $4 million.
Funding the DNC is a critical issue that has largely been overlooked. Note that the candidates, including Dean, all do recognize that the DNC fundraising is critical to defeating Bush, regardless of who is nominated.
Friday, June 27, 2003
Dean says Bush's policies leaving nation, troops at risk http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2003/06/27/state1959EDT0129.DTL
Democratic presidential hopeful Howard Dean said Friday that the Bush administration's energy and fiscal policies were putting U.S. soldiers and the nation's security at risk.
"This president, because of his economic policies, is a threat to the security of the United States of America," Dean said during a campaign stop in San Diego. He said Bush's economic policy was driving the nation deeper in debt and weakening crucial programs.
"Not only will we undercut Medicare and Social Security, ultimately we will undercut our ability to adequately defend ourselves if this president's fiscal policies continue the way they are," he said.
Speaking before 500 people at a City Club of San Diego luncheon, Dean said that the American people may have been misled by the president into going to war. He said either the U.S. intelligence community were mistaken about the existence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, senior White House advisers withheld information from the president or Bush himself "did not tell us the truth."
"The truth is it's a good thing to have Saddam gone. But the other truth is that we went to war without knowing the facts, that our service people are dying now because we went to war without knowing the facts," Dean said before a largely partisan crowd.
The former Vermont governor said the lack of evidence that Saddam's regime possessed deadly weapons proves he was right to doubt Defense Secretary's Donald Rumsfeld earlier assertions about Iraq's weapons program.
"Where are those weapons, Mr. Secretary?" Dean asked during remarks that lasted about 15 minutes...."
UPDATE (Aziz): It's even worse than that - see Daily Kos for more information on how Bush and the GOP are putting the screws to soldiers andtheir families on the home front. Dean needs to incorporate these facts into his rhetoric, because there's a solid chance to appeal to military voters.
"This president, because of his economic policies, is a threat to the security of the United States of America," Dean said during a campaign stop in San Diego. He said Bush's economic policy was driving the nation deeper in debt and weakening crucial programs.
"Not only will we undercut Medicare and Social Security, ultimately we will undercut our ability to adequately defend ourselves if this president's fiscal policies continue the way they are," he said.
Speaking before 500 people at a City Club of San Diego luncheon, Dean said that the American people may have been misled by the president into going to war. He said either the U.S. intelligence community were mistaken about the existence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, senior White House advisers withheld information from the president or Bush himself "did not tell us the truth."
"The truth is it's a good thing to have Saddam gone. But the other truth is that we went to war without knowing the facts, that our service people are dying now because we went to war without knowing the facts," Dean said before a largely partisan crowd.
The former Vermont governor said the lack of evidence that Saddam's regime possessed deadly weapons proves he was right to doubt Defense Secretary's Donald Rumsfeld earlier assertions about Iraq's weapons program.
"Where are those weapons, Mr. Secretary?" Dean asked during remarks that lasted about 15 minutes...."
UPDATE (Aziz): It's even worse than that - see Daily Kos for more information on how Bush and the GOP are putting the screws to soldiers andtheir families on the home front. Dean needs to incorporate these facts into his rhetoric, because there's a solid chance to appeal to military voters.
June 30th http://www.deanforamerica.com/site/TR?pg=personal&fr_id=1090&px=1179278
The Q2 deadline is June 30th, and all donations up to $250 are matched, dollar for dollar, by the federal government. Dean desperately needs to build on the incredible momentum of the past week - we have won the MoveOn primary, broken the 40,000 mark on MeetUp, and seen more coverage of our candidate in the major media than in the entire previous year combined!
The Million Dollar Challenge is only $100,000 shy of the ultimate goal. And we here in Dean Nation can do our part - by contributing through the Dean Nation All-Star team, we can meet our pledge goal of $10,000. Please donate whatever you can afford - and add a penny for the internet.
Imagine - if Dean breaks the million dollar mark in two days. Imagine - if we in Dean Nation can raise $10,000 dollars collectively for Dean. Imagine - if we, at the nexus of Dean's netroot support, are able to make such a powerful statement! 10,000 powerful statements, in fact...
We have over 2,000 daily visitors a day. If only half of those visiting donate $10 each, we will meet our All-Star pledge and move Dean $20,000 closer to the Million Dollar Challenge (including federal matching funds).
We can do this. We must do this. Please, donate now, donate tomorrow, donate before June 30th. We are making a difference. We are taking our country back!
UPDATE: Dean for America has raised $600,000 in just 24 hours!! The new goal at-bat is 2 million - and Dean Nation has already raised $500 towards our own pledge goal of $10,000. June 30th is now only two days away - please, join in our collective effort and let's show the campaign the real power of the netroots!
The Man to Beat http://www.msnbc.com/news/932201.asp?0cl=c1
Eleanor Clift gets it:
IT'S NEARING THE end of the second quarter filing period, and Democrats will measure who's up and who's not by how much money they raised in the last three months. The buzz is that Howard Dean will post over $4 million. Two rival camps privately predict that Dean will come close to $6 million.
There is panic in the air. Democrats on Capitol Hill see Dean and his anti-war populist campaign as "McGovern Redux." They worry he'll lead the party into a repeat of Democrat George McGovern's 49-state loss to Richard Nixon in 1972. It's not that the war in Iraq was that popular with Democrats. If the congressional resolution empowering President Bush to invade Iraq had been a secret vote, many more Democrats would have voted no. But lawmakers fear the unknown, and they don't know Dean the way they know the other contenders in the race. Plus he's running a campaign against them, and the way they have accommodated a popular president.
Democrats have won the White House only twice in the last thirty years. Both times it was by somebody who was not part of Washington. Governors don't speak Washingtonese. Whatever you think about Dean and his cranky assault on the Establishment, you can't avoid the fact that he fits the pattern. Thanks to a little strategic thinking and a lot of luck, the former Vermont governor is positioned as the only outsider in the race at a time when Democrats have given up on insider politicians. Dean says that when he travels around the country, he finds that Democratic voters are almost as angry at Democrats in Washington as they are at Bush.
Dean appeals to the idealism in the party. His theme -- "Let's take back the country" --echoes Jimmy Carter's campaign call a quarter-century ago for a government as good as its people. Like Carter, Dean is not someone you would immediately peg as charismatic. But his edgy personality is reminiscent of John McCain, and his blunt talk gives him a Trumanesque appeal of the little guy who fights back. When Dean first spoke out against the war in Iraq, he did so in a political climate of 70 percent support for the war. Analysts saw it as political suicide. "How many electoral votes are there in Iraq?" Dean was asked at one political gathering. "None," he fired back. "They're in Iowa."
The centrist wing of the Democratic Party is fighting hard to head off Dean. In the upcoming issue of the "New Democrat" magazine, an editorial headlined "Why we fight" lays out the case against a Dean candidacy. Without having read the piece, which is embargoed, I presume it rests on Dean's opposition to the war as exposing the party's longstanding weakness on national security. Not long ago, the Democratic Leadership Council, the Vatican of the New Democrat movement, pointed to Dean, a fiscal conservative, as an example of a successful governor in the DLC model. The DLC's change of heart appears principally based on differences over the war with Iraq. After siding with Bush, the DLC and the pro-war Democrats have a lot at stake in defending that position regardless of the deteriorating situation on the ground in Iraq and the growing concerns about whether Bush misled the country in the run-up to the war.
What Dean's critics find especially galling is how he is weathering his poor showing on "Meet the Press," the premiere Sunday talk show. Host Tim Russert quizzed him on U.S. troop strength around the world, caught him in Gore-style exaggeration on an anecdote about a teenage girl seeking an abortion, and questioned whether he had the "temperament" to be president. Dean appeared uncertain even when his facts were OK, and he seemed annoyed at being grilled. By all accounts, it was a terrible performance. "If he was Gephardt, he'd be out of the race," says a Democratic strategist. But the next day Dean presided over a hokey official announcement of his candidacy, which drew a large press contingent and got him on all the news shows. "The rules don't apply to him," says the strategist. "He operates in a different universe. His supporters say, 'That mean Tim Russert,' and they send him another $200 on the Internet."
The terrible logic of the Democratic nomination is that anybody who runs left enough to get the activists can't win a general election. Dean has the centrist credentials to maneuver his way back to the center, where he's probably more comfortable anyway. His health care plan is relatively modest, and he supported the carrying of concealed weapons in Vermont. But Democratic officeholders have a fear of the unknown, and when they look at Dean, they see an angry liberal who will send them into the wilderness for another 25 years. Savior or spoiler, Dean has gone from a second tier candidate to the man to beat.
bumper stickers back in stock http://www.cafeshops.com/deanforamerica/
I've received an avalanche of email asking about this, so here's a public anouncement. Bumper stickers are now back in stock (general Dean stickers, regional, and crossovers).
Bulk discounts on merchandise is available for meetup organizers, please email azizhp at yahoo dot com for more details.
Bulk discounts on merchandise is available for meetup organizers, please email azizhp at yahoo dot com for more details.
IssueWatch - Fair Trade http://www.cfr.org/publication_print.php?id=6072&content=
The media has been guilty of misrepresenting the discussion about globalization for a long time. Very few parties involved in the discussion support a viewpoint that could be considered “anti-globalization.” Almost all the participants in the global trade debate recognize that greater trade around the world is not only a reality, but it can benefit everyone involved. However, those who promote “fair trade” policies recognize both sides of global trade transactions must benefit for a healthy world economy to be the end result.
Gov. Dean discussed fair trade in his speech this week at the Council of Foreign Relations…
Share your thoughts on globalization and fair trade. Also, how do you feel about the mass media distorting this discussion?
Gov. Dean discussed fair trade in his speech this week at the Council of Foreign Relations…
“…We must recognize the importance of spreading the benefits of economic growth as widely as possible. The growth of multinational corporations and the globalization of the economy have helped create wealth and economic growth. But we must make certain that people in the developing world are full and equal beneficiaries in this growth and are not marginalized by it.
As long as half the world's population subsists on less than $2/day, the U.S. will not be secure. Poor states and failed states provide breeding grounds for disease as well as recruits and safe havens for terrorists. A world populated by "hostile have-nots" is not one in which U.S. leadership can be sustained without coercion.
We want a trade and development policy that does not enrich the minority but will empower the majority.
In addition to supporting the growth of fair global trade we must use our foreign assistance monies strategically to support the rule of law, combat corruption, help the most needy and assist governments in creating democracies and developing infrastructure and human resources in their countries. We must bring still more energy to the cooperative battle against HIV/AIDS, which in too many countries is undermining security and tearing the heart out of economies, communities, and entire generations….”
Share your thoughts on globalization and fair trade. Also, how do you feel about the mass media distorting this discussion?
Jake Tapper defends Dean's MTP perfomance in NY Times http://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/27/opinion/27TAPP.html?pagewanted=print&position=
Have you ever been pleasantly if mildly surprised by a movie the critics have panned? I had just such a feeling when I watched, two days late, a recording of Howard Dean's now infamous appearance last Sunday on NBC's "Meet the Press."
Dr. Dean, the Democratic presidential candidate and former Vermont governor, has gotten notice for bringing some energy to the dismal Democratic ranks. But after his appearance his candidacy was immediately suffused with bad buzz. "If Dean wants to have any chance of getting into the White House, he needs to learn some basic facts about our country," said Joe Scarborough of MSNBC. Even The Associated Press reported that Dr. Dean "did not help himself with an uneven performance."
But many of Dr. Dean's answers seemed perfectly reasonable. His response to Tim Russert's pop quiz about the number of soldiers on active duty — he said one million to two million; the answer is 1.4 million — seems acceptable, especially at a time when the number is in flux. His answers about the solvency of Social Security were glib. But they were no more dishonest than any other candidate's.
Dr. Dean did seem perturbed during some of the program, and many of his answers — especially an evasive response about whether Canadian same-sex marriages should be accepted in the United States — showed he is all too aware of the political consequences of his self-proclaimed boldness. But his appearance was no disaster.
video: message from Joe Trippi http://svr29.edns1.com/~pickle29/media2/TrippiThanks_100k.mov
A message of thanks from Joe Trippi to all of us - link above goes to high-bandwidth version, click here for dial-up.
(via Heath of DeanTV.org)
(via Heath of DeanTV.org)
Governor Howard Dean M.D. Statement on Passage of Medicare Prescription Bills http://www.deanforamerica.com
From the Dean Campaign...
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 27, 2003
Governor Howard Dean M.D. Statement on Passage of Medicare Prescription Bills
“I am disappointed that attempts by Democrats to improve legislation to add a prescription drug benefit to Medicare have been defeated.
“The bills that have emerged from the House and Senate are flawed, driven by Republican ideology intent on privatizing Medicare. The Senate bill, though better, will only get worse in conference with the House, where Ways and Means Chairman Bill Thomas has made clear that the real Republican agenda is to ‘end Medicare as we know it.’
“America’s seniors like Medicare as they know it. They want it improved not drastically altered and left to whims of the healthcare marketplace.
“Both bills fragment the buying power of the 40 million seniors on Medicare and relinquish the leverage that would force drug companies to reduce their costs.
“They reflect a false premise that private health plans are better and more cost effective at delivering health insurance to seniors. History shows that privatizing Medicare forces seniors to face increased out-of-pocket costs, limited choices of plans and doctors, and a confusing, complicated benefit structure.
“Private plans provided coverage to seniors before Medicare – and only the healthiest and wealthiest seniors were insured. Republicans seem determined to return America to that same flawed system.
“It is essential to add a prescription drug benefit to Medicare. I appreciate that this desire has led many Democrats in the Senate to support the bill. Creating this benefit must be a top priority for our elected officials.
“However, because these bills move Medicare towards privatization, I cannot support them. We can and must do better.”
Nader might run as a Republican http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/afp/20030619/ts_alt_afp/us_politics_nader_030619140209
It is critical that Dean makes the case to supporters of Nader and the Green party. Only united can the common agenda be achieved - and the bitterness must be left behind. Dean's performance in the MoveOn primary has demonstrated his broad appeal, but there is a lot of work yet to be done.
Complicating matters is Nader himself, who has been notoriously coy about his plans for 2004:
It's a measure of Nader's detachment from reality that he would even consider running as a Republican - and proof that it's the campaign, not the policy, he seeks to influence. The best scenario is that the Greens endorse Dean. So, make the case - how do we convince a Green that Dean and not Nader is their man on the issues? Comments from actual Greens - both supporting and against Dean - are especially welcome. Let the dialouge begin.
Complicating matters is Nader himself, who has been notoriously coy about his plans for 2004:
For 2004, a second Green Party presidential candidacy may be in the works.
"It's too early to say," commented Nader.
Green party official John Strawn confirmed that Nader is among several potential candidates for the next election.
"Many folks are actively promoting particular candidates, Ralph being one of them," he said.
Nader says that if the Greens reject him, he might choose to run as an independent, or possibly even as a Republican, which would pit him against George W. Bush in the primary.
It's a measure of Nader's detachment from reality that he would even consider running as a Republican - and proof that it's the campaign, not the policy, he seeks to influence. The best scenario is that the Greens endorse Dean. So, make the case - how do we convince a Green that Dean and not Nader is their man on the issues? Comments from actual Greens - both supporting and against Dean - are especially welcome. Let the dialouge begin.
Dean Wins MoveOn.org Primary in Landslide http://www.deanforamerica.com
SAN DIEGO—While campaigning in California today, Governor Howard Dean, M.D. released the following statement regarding his victory in the Moveon.org primary:
“On Monday, I stood in Burlington, Vermont and said that my campaign—our campaign—was built on ‘mouse pads, shoe leather, and hope.’ Today, we see just how far that combination can go: We have won the Moveon.org primary by a landslide.
“We want to thank everyone who helped make this victory possible. To the volunteers and Dean supporters across the country, thanks for all of your work. To the 139,360 who supported me, thanks for casting the first votes to take our country back. You have demonstrated that you really do have the power.
“This primary was participatory democracy at its finest. This week’s vote was not about money—other campaigns devoted far more resources to this primary than ours did—and it was not about special interest groups buying access to government. This primary, the first online primary of the modern age, was about individual Americans influencing the process directly. Hundreds of thousands of ordinary Americans researched this race, voted, and told their friends to vote.
“This is a milestone that will be remembered. It is moments like this that will help restore American democracy to the ideals upon which it was founded—ones that make the processes of government accessible to every American.
“We are excited to move on bolstered by the many thousands this process has brought to our campaign. We are taking the country back—one voter at a time.”
“On Monday, I stood in Burlington, Vermont and said that my campaign—our campaign—was built on ‘mouse pads, shoe leather, and hope.’ Today, we see just how far that combination can go: We have won the Moveon.org primary by a landslide.
“We want to thank everyone who helped make this victory possible. To the volunteers and Dean supporters across the country, thanks for all of your work. To the 139,360 who supported me, thanks for casting the first votes to take our country back. You have demonstrated that you really do have the power.
“This primary was participatory democracy at its finest. This week’s vote was not about money—other campaigns devoted far more resources to this primary than ours did—and it was not about special interest groups buying access to government. This primary, the first online primary of the modern age, was about individual Americans influencing the process directly. Hundreds of thousands of ordinary Americans researched this race, voted, and told their friends to vote.
“This is a milestone that will be remembered. It is moments like this that will help restore American democracy to the ideals upon which it was founded—ones that make the processes of government accessible to every American.
“We are excited to move on bolstered by the many thousands this process has brought to our campaign. We are taking the country back—one voter at a time.”
Dean wins MoveOn poll, but not endorsement http://moveonpac.org/moveonpac/report.html
Dean won the MoveOn poll, earning 43.9% of the vote. Kucinich earned 23.9% and Kerry 15.7%. Tis means that Dean doesn;t get the official endorsement - but we are very close. It looks like Kucinich is playing a spolier role to Dean for the progressive vote, which in unsurprising but still a major problem (and Dean certainly can't make any "electability" appeals to Kucinich voters!).
It is also interesting to look at the results from the multiple-choice poll:
This is actually the more important number - 86% of those who voted in the MoveOn primary would also support Dean. It's very probable that there will be more MoveOn primaries in the future and it's clear that Dean has demonstrated that he has the ability to win. Even without MoveOn's official endorsement, the exposure to the broader audience has strengthened him at teh expense of virtually every other candidate... except Kucinich.
It is also interesting to look at the results from the multiple-choice poll:
| BRAUN | 155628 | 50.54% |
| DEAN | 264866 | 86.02% |
| EDWARDS | 172076 | 55.88% |
| GRAHAM | 153045 | 49.70% |
| KERRY | 231830 | 75.29% |
| KUCINICH | 210164 | 68.25% |
| GEPHARDT | 163110 | 52.97% |
| LIEBERMAN | 132447 | 42.01% |
| SHARPTON | 109249 | 35.48% |
This is actually the more important number - 86% of those who voted in the MoveOn primary would also support Dean. It's very probable that there will be more MoveOn primaries in the future and it's clear that Dean has demonstrated that he has the ability to win. Even without MoveOn's official endorsement, the exposure to the broader audience has strengthened him at teh expense of virtually every other candidate... except Kucinich.
Stepford Democrats http://www.chronwatch.com/featured/contentDisplay.asp?aid=3266
An intriguing article from ChronWatch.com observes how Dean dominates the debate, and has reversed the pundits:
There is some amusing role reversal going on in the press. ABC.com describes Dean’s recent Meet the Press appearance, ''Besides being evasive, Dean left himself vulnerable from the left, right, or both on the military, gay marriage, Social Security, and more. He looked thin-skinned, unprepared, stuttering.''
More conservative voices, The New York Post’s Deborah Orin for instance, praise him. ''If you think Dean won’t sell down south, he is sort of pro-gun and the NRA likes him. Yet that doesn’t seem to irk his liberal backers. He’s become the Teflon Dean among liberals.''
Look for this to change if Dean gets the Democrat nod. Old-line liberal outfits like ABC, who would like to see a more traditional (John F. Kerry) candidate, will reverse field faster than Roger Staubach. Quirks now observed with amusing contempt will become statesmanlike virtues. Conservatives will find fault with his diversity of viewpoints. This promises a fine donnybrook for political observers.
...
Nothing can be taken away from Howard Dean. Through sheer force of will, he dominates the debate. The others are like puppets. They hop to and fro, puffing out their medals, shaking their wattles at the television cameras. They are his Stepford shadows.
Republicans love anything that moves their opponents left. The premature clinking of champagne glasses could prove distracting. No doubt such premature celebration will vanish if Dean begins to surge. Republicans know how to run scared. They have had a lot of practice.
Thursday, June 26, 2003
Join the "Dean Team All Stars!"
There is now another way to help Governor Dean's campaign raise money in your sleep. You can now join the "Dean Team All Stars" and raise money online for the campaign.I've created the image in this blog entry for those who'd like to add a link to their Dean Team All Star page on their website or blog. Every Dean supporter or regional Dean group with a site should sign up for this option. If you'd like help adding this image to your site as a link once you've joined the Dean Team All Stars just let me know.
UPDATE (Aziz) : I've registered Dean Nation as a donation "group" to the Dean campaign. By donating money to the campaign through this link, we DeanBloggers collectively get (symbolic) credit for raising funds. I've set a pledge of $10,000 for the Dean Nation Team to meet - so we have a long way to go!
If the Dean campaign offers any tangible prizes to groups that raise the most money. we will hold an auction on this blog for those prizes to raise even MORE money :)
RNC Attacks Dean http://gop.com/Newsroom/Releases/June03/Gillespie062603.htm
Good news! The top story on the Republican National Committee website is the following:
Ed Gillespie, Senior Advisor to the Republican National Committee (RNC), today issued the following statement:Pair this with Rush Limbaugh's near obsession with Dean and you might start to think the Republicons are scared of having to run their frat boy against the Doctor.
“Democratic presidential candidates continue to find political expedience in appealing to the anti-war activists in their party. Howard Dean positions his opposition to the war as an act of ‘political courage’ and says he was ‘right all along,’ and other presidential contenders are following his lead.
“But what are they ‘right all along’ about? Their policy is this: when presented with the widely shared conclusion that a dictator with a history of using weapons of mass destruction is developing more, in defiance of an international order, the United States will not act until after such weapons have been used - perhaps, even, against us.
“That is a policy destined for failure, or worse, tragedy.”
former McCain advisor looking to join a campaign... http://www.tnr.com/etc.mhtml?pid=503
The New Republic magazine backed McCain strongly during the Republican primaries. So it's with nostalgia that they report that McCain is definitely not running in 2004. However, their misery might well translate into Dean's fortune - when it comes to McCain's campaign advisor, John Weaver:
we all know there's only one candidate in the field that can invoke the legacy of McCain's campaign... there are some interesting quotes from Weaver in an attack piece published in NRO last year that really are tantalizing:
stripped of Lowry's highly-selective moralizing about Big Money, Weaver sounds like the kind of advisor who's looking for more Straight Talk. Let's see whether he can recognize it in Vermont.
But while McCain may be sitting out the '04 race, the same probably won't go for Weaver. Although he has been waylaid from politics for a few months due to illness, Weaver is working almost full-time again, and sounded eager to work on another presidential campaign. (For a Democrat, that is: Weaver changed parties last year.) Weaver hasn't signed up with any campaign yet, but it sounds as if he will. For that we're glad. We just wish his candidate could be McCain.
we all know there's only one candidate in the field that can invoke the legacy of McCain's campaign... there are some interesting quotes from Weaver in an attack piece published in NRO last year that really are tantalizing:
If John Weaver really thinks Big Money politics is corrupt, one would think he'd go out of his way to avoid becoming a Big Money Washington consultant. It is on this principle that, say, televangelists don't cavort with strippers, or when they're caught doing it, at least act really embarrassed.
Weaver, however, is not embarrassed. His excuse is that he's the only honest man in Washington. "It's the difference between people who are in Washington to get something done and people who are in Washington who want to be someone," Weaver told Roll Call.
stripped of Lowry's highly-selective moralizing about Big Money, Weaver sounds like the kind of advisor who's looking for more Straight Talk. Let's see whether he can recognize it in Vermont.
Statement of Governor Howard Dean on Justice Scalia’s Dissent in Texas Sodomy Case http://www.deanforamerica.com
From the campaign...
For Immediate Release
June 26, 2003Statement of Governor Howard Dean on Justice Scalia’s Dissent in Texas Sodomy Case
“In today’s landmark Supreme Court ruling striking down the Texas sodomy law, six Justices understood that private consensual sexual conduct is just that – private. It is none of the government’s business, and it was unconstitutional for the State of Texas to make it a crime.
Justice Scalia, Justice Thomas and Chief Justice Rehnquist opposed the civil rights of homosexuals. Scalia wrote a harsh dissent filled with words that will be hateful to many Americans. He spoke darkly of “the homosexual agenda” and echoed Senator Rick Santorum by writing that laws against homosexuality further “the same interest” as laws against fornication, bigamy, adultery, adult incest, bestiality, and obscenity.
As a former Governor who appointed many judges to the Vermont bench, I value the quality of judicial temperament. Scalia’s intemperate dissent in this case shows why he should never have been appointed to the Supreme Court in the first place and why he is not fit to serve as Chief Justice should a vacancy occur. His increasingly shrill opinions have become an embarrassment to the Supreme Court.
President Bush says we need more Justices like Scalia. I say we cannot afford more Justices like Scalia, and we cannot afford four more years of the President who would appoint such Justices. “
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