About the Call to Action Blog and the Meetups:
I think it is not difficult to do essentially freelance campaign work for the Dean campaign. The Call to Action blog can put together a number of pieces to make this happen.
One campaign activity that is very doable by motivated individuals is tabling for Dean. Set up a card table at a high traffic place. Have on hand:
* Voter registration forms.
* Dean signs. (The campaign can set up images of signs that individuals can print.)
* A binder of recent press (The campaign can set up a page of links)
* Position papers/introductions.
* Buttons and bumper stickers to sell. (It would be a help to have the campaign get in on this business rather than refer us to outside vendors.)
People can set up a table (they'd have to provide their own) at street fairs, supermarkets, public transit. It would be an enjoyable and effective way of getting outside and getting the message out. They register people to vote, talk with people and sell buttons and bumper stickers for $3, sending the proceeds to the campaign.
I wish I could do more of this myself -- I am busy with childcare, school, work. I can contribute money more easily than time. But this is very doable and a little help from the campaign could set it all up.
Thanks for your response we'll get on it!
After the campaign's commericals have been cut, I would like to see a link (either on the homepage or on the blog) where we can access them.
Also, adding a webcam, where we can see what is going on in the national hq would be an intresting feature as well.
I think if there was one place where the Dean Campaign needs to put its focus right now: it's on IMAGE. Gov. Dean has a powerful message. He has a powerful presence and the crowd enthusiasm he generates is awe inspiring and probably very intimidating for his fellow candidates. But the image just isn't there. His logo and website need to be revamped. They need to convey seriousness. When people start going to look for information on "this guy" who is setting the Democratic Party on fire with energy, they need to have their first impression be: this guy looks like a president. The logo doesn't convey seriousness. It doesn't convey professionalism. It doesn't convey intelligence. It doesn't convey that he was and can be an effective executive. And the website, while many of us are glad to see that it is updated on a regular basis - it can do so much more! Look at Joe Biden's page (www.joebiden.com) and click on check out why it matters. You can have a commercial out there before anybody else! Use it the official web page to inform and use it to inspire! My website has been getting hundreds if hits in its first few weeks with minimal promotion. I think this is because people are hungry for a news outlet. Oh, and get the man into some navy blue suits, blue shirts, and red and yellow ties. 
A professional image will convey a message: Howard Dean will win the primary, and he will beat George W. Bush.
Thanks Matt -- love your site -- and also checked out "why it matters" you make a great point in terms of what we can and should be doing.
Joe,
In reading your thoughts tonight, I am thinking about planting the seeds for a greater America, and thinking about how our youth will be soon be the growers of this future. In Sunday’s Nashua NH Telegraph, there are quite a few letters to the editor that were in response to a condescending letter that criticized local high school students for protesting the war. This older fellow called the kids zeroes and suggested that they should be quiet and focus on their studies.
Joe, I was amazed at the many thoughtful responses of these young adults. They mentioned that they took time away from school, and the inevitable 2 hour detention, as a matter of conscience, because they felt it important to let us know their feelings about a war that they believe is wrong. And, as one of them said, they will be voting in 2004 and should be taking these matters seriously. As was I late last year, these kids are looking for a principled leader, someone with honesty and integrity.
So, if this campaign is about planting the seeds of change, how about nourishing the fruits of our future and targeting a few Dr. Dean messages to our kids? I can’t imagine a better use of his time.
Joe -
My bias is towards the technology - and so far I like what I see. In particular, I like that the campaign was the first to embrace the blog concept and the first to embrace the wireless network. (By the way - Howard Rheingold - who coined the term "smart mobs" using technology to self-organize - picked up on this in his weblog last week!)
On a bit of a tactical note, I'd like to see you start to use RSS as a way of making the information more available. This would include press releases, position papers, blog posts, calls to action, campaign appearances, etc. RSS is what makes weblogs "viral" - and can be a key way of distributing the information to a much broader audience. Most weblogs publish their content in RSS (which is an XML format) - and using it in this way would be a big step forward. It would also make it easier for those of us who maintain weblogs to further distribute campaign info.
On a more strategic note, I think that there's an un-tapped democratic demographic in the tech community. You can leverage your obvious commitment to the technology (blogs, wireless, Meetup) and your endorsement from Rep. Lofgren to mobilize a critical base. There's still money in Silicon Valley - and we can't let Lieberman or Kerry (both have deep ties to the area) lock it in.
Beyond the PR benefit of getting some of the key tech people on board early, I think the next major battleground for civil liberties will be on the tech front. Gov. Dean has a great record (esp. with the civil union legislation) on "equal rights" but will need to show that he understands the serious threats to civil liberties in the technology realm that have been posed by the Republicans (i.e., Patriot Act). With some heavyweights on his team early (again, Lofgren was a big win here), Gov. Dean could stake out a key policy area that would be difficult to match.
Keep up the great work, and let me know what I can do to help.
I've noticed that Dean always puts health care first, and then a balanced budget second when talking about his priorities (which I assume is based on polling). But I'm really starting to think this is deja vu all over again. On the Washington Post politics page is an article about how Bush is in trouble with the economy (I'm sure you've seen it, but I'll pate a link below). It seems that Dean might do well to start pressing the economy first, and health care second.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp...4-
2003Apr4.html
John -- yes we need to do more to get to young people -- every time we have done it the event has been great -- I think we are doing a UNH stop soon.
Rick -- thanks -- it was your blog that Rheingold cited on the Dean Wireless Network! I will check out RSS (thanks for the link). I started out politically in Silicon Valley -- and have worked for the last 3 mayors there -- as well as several others -- we are only now beginning to crack through -- the California Democratic Party Convention really helped in terms of getting people thinking about us up and down the Golden State.
Thanks all -- I had some time today (given its a Sunday) to check back several times. I really appreciate the comments and suggestions. I will make sure I read every post here -- and make occasional comments -- but I will probably be underwater and might not be as active or as responding in the next few days. So please keep it coming -- and don't think I don't care or am not reading them all -- I do and I will.
Trippi
Joe-- for young people, get Meetup to have more non-bar venues, so they can actually attend the meetups. Make sure there are shirts in small sizes (showing Dean's concern for the little people). Look at the cafepress stuff and decide if yours is really that much better. I'd also like to be able to search the speeches.
Lisa, I know no one will believe this -- but this campaign to date has not conducted a single poll -- and nothing Howard Dean says has occured because it was polled -- including the order of things Governor Dean talks about. Governor Dean got into the race for President because he believes every American should and must have health care -- and that he is uniquely qualified to do it. Then came the Bush Doctrine and war in Iraq -- and the press was only interested in one thing (appropriately so I think). That said it doesn't take a poll to see that the economy is in a shambles -- And your point is well taken. And I am not saying we will never ever take a poll (I am not that crazy). Just that we have not to date. Further our greatest asset is Howard Dean and his courage to say what he thinks - whatever polling we do -- I never want it to impact that critical strength.
90210 -- got it on the Meetup venues -- we have been working on that and I think we are moving in the right direction. I agree completely on the smaller size thing -- and will pass it on with the cafepress notion to the folks here that deal with that stuff (I am sorry to admit that I have no idea what we are doing in this area -- so you are better informed than I am -- yikes).
Joby -- are you really sure a HQ webcam would be that interesting? I mean all you would see is a bunch of us quietly reading "Sometimes a Great Notion" Its an interesting idea, and I will think about it.
Ok past my bedtime for real this time!
Thanks!
Little tibit: John Edwards hired a media guy who sent the wrong commercial to our station and our campaign got heat from the AARP cuz of it...
I got to say, you are doing a great job. Hopefully I can get an internship in july so I can work up there in Burlington.
Some ideas for website: Quotes by regular people and elites about Gov. Dean, possibly a campaign HQ webcam, addresses of field offices, email contact list, possible Spanish version (see the website i did last year www.maloney2002.com ), a listing of upcoming major events/fundraisers, a chart comparing Dean with Bush that can be printed out.
Some general ideas: get Dean onto late-night talk shows/john stewart, have him wear a Democrat tie to an event, or have an online Q & A session with supporters/potential supporters.
Hope you liked those...
Joe
I didn't mean to suggest Dean is a "stick a finger in the wind" candidate. Obviously, his appeal is that he's saying what he believes. The economy is most definitely in a shambles, and with news about Iraq having peaked, the economy will be front and center. It really is deja vu all over again.
Lisa
Joe, you articulated precisely why so many of us are involved: "You may not agree with him on every issue, and he will make his share of mistakes during this long campaign (everyone does), but Howard Dean says what needs to be said, challenges what needs to be challenged, stands up forcefully to those that attempt to divide us, and has a vision powered by the simple fact that as Americans we are all in this together."
Two points, humbly made, only since you asked:
It is critical to make sure that the meet-ups aren’t a waste of time. It seems that far too few people got their hands on the two files that would have given them talking points and a list of things to do for Howard Dean before the last meet-up. Everyone -- the campaign, bloggers, meeters-up -- needs to work hard to get a meet-up packet of some sort distributed in time for the next one.
Also, since the netroots are mostly people who haven’t been involved in campaigns or even the party before, it seems vital to find ways to “plug in” to the party machinery. One thing people can do is find out who their county chair is and write to him or her about Howard Dean. Similarly, letters and calls to local, state, and national legislators urging endorsements could help the campaign plug in the netroots to the party around the country. The campaign should encourage this, and bloggers should facilitate it.
Thanks for your attention and for the work that you do. It may not get said often or articulately, but a great many of us are moved by your involvement with the grassroots/netroots. Thank you for everything.
We need young people. Our Dem party here in Georgia is infused with people >55. A great point for Dean's healthcare stance, but other than the few Young Democrats chapters, there is no real showing of young people. Our college campuses and GOTV efforts are the only "standards" that come to mind. Anyone else having success with other outreach programs?
This isn't news to anyone, but Dean needs to be absolutely relentless in exposing the damage the Bush Administration and the GOP-controlled Congress is doing to the fiscal stability of our nation. It's not simply the pursuit of bad economic policy that is so troubling; it's the intellectual dishonesty accompanying the Bush agenda.
The Republicans want to portray Democrats as weak on security. Let's turn the tables. Bush's outrageous voodoo economic policies aren't just decimating domestic programs; they're undermining our national security at the same time. Let's call a spade a spade: more tax cuts means less money to fight terrorism. If you read The New Republic, there was a fantastic example of this basic truth in last week's "Notebook" section. (Scroll down to "9/10 PRESIDENCY WATCH, CONT'D")
It's not enough to say that you present a clear alternative to Bush. People like Bush. He's a popular guy. We have to present a strong case for why that popularity is misplaced. We have to expose the gap that exists between the President's rhetoric and the reality of his actions. It will be tough. It will be ugly. It will be necessary.
At the end of the day, none of this matters unless people show up to vote. There are only two sides to this coin: 1) Give people a reason to vote for Dean. 2) Make sure that they do.
One of the things we do here in Georgia is use "Dean Cards" which are business cards with Howard Dean messaging on them. We use them when talking to friends, family, or strangers.
I've found them much easier to carry, and much more effective than flyers. After all, business cards were developed, anthropologically, for a reason.
Check out mine, I just ordered a few from vistaprint.com. Comes to a grand total of 8 bucks for 250.
http://clayjohnson.org:81/
webimg...an2004_card.gif
Following the thread of enthusiastic young people, it could be useful to promote a concerted effort to reach college students nationwide BEFORE they leave for the summer. Perhaps through the next meet-up partipants could fan out to their local college campus to garner support and send an article about Dean to the campus newspaper. Dean has the kind of appeal that attracts the younger crowd.(a rare acheivenment these days) Tapping into that more thoroughly would be a source of enormous energy.
Anyone interested in getting students involved in the campaign should visit www.studentsfordean.org. There are Students for Dean chapters at over 50 campuses around the country, and we're planning various events on those campuses on April 26, in coordination with the national campaign. The national Students for Dean leaders have done a great job creating a framework that the rest of us can use to get students involved.
Additionally, I'd just like to thank Joe Trippi for posting on this blog and being so open to suggestions from volunteers. How many presidential campaign managers regularly participate in a forum like this, much less ask for recommendations from volunteers? We really appreciate the fact that the campaign cares enough to ask us how it can improve.
Joe--
I can only speak for myself when I say that I would love to see for myself what is going on in the Burlington office.
Since I can't leave Virginia anytime soon, I wouldn't mind seeing what is going on up in the central hq. Even if it means watching the flies on the wall. It also demonstrates Governor Dean's "straight talk, have no hidden agenda" philosophy that attacts so many of us.
Joe -
You've got the tech angle cornered, far better than I could've hoped. Keep up the great work, and kudos again for using this medium as it should be - interactively.
--Rick
High tech has played a vital role in this grassroots campaigne. Right now though it may be hard for some of us to fully appreciate how unknown to the general public, Howard Dean really is. I'm talking about name recogntion.
Now is the time to heighten the visibility of Howard Dean's name, literally with the low tech approach, BUMPER STICKERS.
If the 15,000 members of meet-up could get ten other people each (or a whole lot more) to advertize Dean on their car,then DEAN would begin to become more familiar to others.
This is important. Sure I'd love for someone to vote for Howard Dean because they liked his ideas, but I would be just as happy if they voted for him because his name was so ubiquitous it was the only one that was familiar to the voter.
"Yeah I voted for that Dean fella, No I don't know much about him but his name is everywhere so I guess he must be on to something."
Not everyone follows the issues and name recogintion is just as important to a candidate as are ideas and money.
Think - BUMPER STICKERS, BUMPER STICKERS...
I want to address a question to the "Students for Dean" folks: how much of what you do will focus on the fact that it's becoming increasingly difficult for students to vote in the college towns where they live for most of the year? When I was living in Michigan, the Republican-controlled legislature moved a bill that made it virtually impossible for college kids to register in their college town if they wanted to maintain a permanent address in their hometown. The predictable effect of this legislation was that only those students who were savvy enough to obtain absentee ballots voted.
I would like to see more professional looking t-shirts and bumper stickers.
And for the LOVE of GOD, stop using the Comic Sans font on your stuff (like the "meetup for dean" bumper sticker). It looks totally cheesy.
Oh, and when you include URLs in writing, the shorter the better. So, on the Meetup for Dean bumpersticker it is should say: "deanforamerica.com/meetup".
I have more suggestions regarding technology which I'll post in a little while.
Great work, Joe! But please, PLEASE, strike the phrase "make no mistake" from future writings. It's a Bush regime construction that clowns like Gephardt love to work into their scripts. The Dean campaign has already proven itself to be above that.
Joe, you are fantastic!!! You have no idea what a validation it is to have you post on this blog for those of us who view Dean as a down-to-earth, independent voice in American politics. Here are a few suggestions:
About the official blog: the only problem I saw with it was that it operated like a propaganda machine, only turning out copies of official speeches. To be credible (and to keep your edge over the Gary Hart Meetup people, who are already copying your idea) you need to have people posting on the blog other than the ubiquitous "mathew". You, the Governor, and key Dean writers like Aziz Poonawalla, Joe Rospars, and Christopher Curtis need to be posting regularly on the blog, as well as major media reporters and analysts. The blog needs to be DISCUSSION-based, not simply info dissemination.
Another thought: try reaching out to the independent vote for Dean in the primaries. I know the open primary system is dead, but you actually can capture a significant primary vote from nonpartisan voters who love straight-talking candidates and perceive that Dean is the only one in the race. Nonpartisans will really start registering Democratic in droves to vote for Dean if he stays viable and honest and gets his message out. I'm a college student and lifelong rabid nonpartisan who started a nonpartisan political club at my college in Maryland and plan to reregister Democratic to vote for Dean in the Arizona primary. I predict that Dean, getting a start this early in the game an being a true outsider, can capture the McCain indie vote and much, much more. (That is, if Dean ever unseals his gubernatoial records -- the one shady thing I've seen from the campaign!)
I agree with Allan Todd: don't ever use the phrase "make no mistake" again. It's typical of Bush's black and white view of the world, of blind certainty, and does not suit someone who recognizes the subtler shades of grey. It makes me cringe.
I hope the campaign is looking at things like the voter mobilization experiments conducted at Yale (see http://www.yale.edu/isps/publica...ons/voter.html)
. A lot of foundations have put a lot of money into trying to figure out how to get more people to the polls. It would be great for the campaign to put their findings about what works-- and what doesn't-- into action.
I have to second what Nonpartisan for Dean said, Dean really needs to open his gubernatorial records, or at the very least clarify why he has chosen to keep them closed. Non-disclosure is a big issue for Bush, one I have heard many people, both conservatives and liberals, complain about. Bush is using "security" to hide insider deals and Dean needs to confront him on this. How can he do so when he covers his own past?
Just got back from a day trip over to New Hampshire....thanks for these ideas -- I will try to get back later with some direct responses once I've had a chance to really read everything.
Joe -
Keep up the good work!
OK, OK I promise to never say "make no mistake" ever again! I also understand the critic of expanging the writers on the Call To Action blog --- they have been trying to get me to do it -- but I haven't had the time. And the Governor actually comes in now from the road and asks to blog! Its hard for him to do it on the road (just a time thing) and right now he is only off the road about 4 days a month (which we try to give him the whole day off) But we will be better at getting him the time to blog once in awhile. I like the idea of others here being invited to guest blog. I will see what I can do about a HQ webcam -- we are working on a redo of our blog and website -- can't get it all right -- but will keep trying. I know I missed some comments -- but Zephyr, Matt and I have read them all and will implement as much as we can, where possible.
I will keep checking back til the thread dies or it gets archived (which ever comes first)
Thanks again
Trippi
Hi Joe,
Gov. Dean already has one 50 state grassroots organization on the ground. Well almost... Wyoming and Delaware are lagging just a wee bit.
I'm here to give you an update on the work already being done by very dedicated people in the 120+ state and local Dean Yahoo groups around the country. The Dean groups are generally home to people who have more time and enthusiasm than political organizing experience. There are probably by now more than 1000 people who are looking to help act as bridges from the online Dean internet explosion to grassroots the grassroots level. Many individuals in these groups have already done a lot of work helping David Salie with fundraising tasks he is responsible for. The members of the Dean groups are now all looking forward to taking the next step as grassroots-level volunteers where they reside and communicate Gov. Dean's message in their communities. They will be of great assistance to their state organizations when those are officially formed, and they can do many basic grassroots-level tasks to begin connecting with voters (tabling, flyering, etc.) before the official state organizations appear on the scene.
Nobody in these Dean groups wishes to start doing any serious grassroots efforts until you make it clear in Burlington that you wish the Dean groups to begin to do so. We do not want anyone at HQ to think we are assuming any form of decision-making authority of any kind. We just figured this was an issue that was better to err on the side of caution about.
So... who am I and why am I talking about all this? My name is Adam F. Smith, and I started the first Dean state Yahoo group in January, about a day after John Sykes started the first online state group in NH on MSN. That has placed me in a leadership role in this particular group of Dean supporters. I want to communicate to you their desire to help with whatever needs being done to ensure Gov. Dean's succeeds in his quest for the White House. There is a whole ton of people looking forward to hearing from you.
Adam
ok, here's some ideas:
to reach more young peope -- step one: music. find some bands that will endorse dean (there are plenty that would, trust me). then concerts, preferably with dean there to speak.
step two: dean needs to visit college campuses - plain and simple. everywhere from liberal arts colleges to state universities. these are goldmines of student votes, and are always ignored by national politicians. he claims to represent the youth, let's see him go out there and talk to them.
step three: talk about the environment more. it might not be on the minds of middle age baby boomers, but its on the fore of the youth of america's minds. its the one issue that saved gore, and its one issue that can save the democratic party from the far left. if we can pull voters who voted Green in the last election (a significant number of which were young people), we will not only do better in the primaries, but in the general election as well.
lastly, more multimedia content on the web site. commercials. video of speeches. audio. this is the new age of technology, use it. and use it well.
thanks for taking my ideas into consideration, or at least reading them.
joseph reed
Joe-- I'm on the case multimedia content-wise, been talking to Zephyr about it.
Again to chime in to support what someone else has said.
A. F. Smith says there's groups on the ground in nearly every state. He's right. Here in Minnesota, we're rearing to go. We're having Meetups, focused small group meetings, house parties. We're marching in a parade next month. This is all totally self-orgainized.
The Dean campaign is sitting on top of the most grassroots, decentralized presidential campaign in all time. But we need resources from you to pass out to our fellow citizens. Those of us who are experienced in campaigning know that we have to stay "on message", know our place in the campaign, and not overstep our bounds. We're just Dean supporters -- we can't speak for him.
So the Dean campaign needs to speak for us. We need literature. DeanAction.net is a good start, but not enough. A few weeks ago, I sent in a request for a piece of literature which would focus on Dean's environmental record which could be distributed on Earth Day (April 21).
With just a few day's lead time, if you get a flyer like that to the online Dean community, we can get it out to 10,000 - 100,000 dedicated activists on Earth Day. I think a few of them would like to hear about Dean.
You've got an army of volunteers spinning their wheels. Give 'em something to do! (That's the most common question we hear at the Minneapolis Meetup: "What can I do"). Check out what Texas For Dean is doing : http://deanfortexas.com/ . They have some AWESOME ideas that we are going to steal.
From a strategic point of view, in Burlington we really only had the time and resources to do two things through March 31st -- and that was raise as much money as possible to surprise the pundits (and give us the resources to do more) and secondly to put our remaining focus (as haphazard as it was) towards at least moving beyond of the basics of building a netroots and grassroots organization. I think (and much of the thanks goes to those who have posted here) we did well -- extremely well on both counts. We are only now able to take this to the next step -- to actually give the netroots/grassroots important actions to take on behalf of the campaign as well as provide better tools to accomplish those tasks.
John Kerry had 14,000 individual contributors -- Howard Dean had 12,000 individual contributors. Kerry was the frontrunner throughout this past quarter -- but in a relative sense did not have that many more contributors than us. The difference was the size of the contribution made. The answer for the Dean campaign is not to try to increase the amount of the average contribution -- its to increase the number of people committed to Howard Dean that will contribute what they can contribute in terms of time, and if they can, money. We are still at the very early stage of growing the organization -- the most important thing anyone can do for Howard Dean right now is to continue to recruit friends, neighbors, and others to our cause -- getting them to join a Yahoo group, attend the next Meetup, join a Dean Campus organization. But I understand that we need to provide the message, position papers, speeches, and flyers and other tools in order for you to be able to keep us growing.
It is one of the reasons I posted and asked for suggestions -- and I appreciate the time all are taking to give us guidance.
Oh, and I almost forgot -- please try to really embrace and expand the Dean Wireless Network (www.upoc.com) the actual link is in my post. We intend to us this as a powerful action alert tool -- in the future -- but we have to build it first.
Thanks
Hi Joe,
I moderate the Washington state Yahoo group and run www.wa4dean.com. First, thank you so much for being so responsive in this format! It means a great deal to us to know we're being heard.
I must second the voices that are crying "give us something to do!". We need some kind of direction; as Adam Smith pointed out, many of us have no experience with campaigns, so seemingly obvious action items may sometimes be missed. Also, as has been pointed out, we desperately need materials - brochures, brochures, brochures! When we have them, they're flying out of our hands!
So you know, the Green party has already sent their members a rather negative assessment of the Governor's environmental record...and I was dismayed to not have enough information to refute their claims! Position papers are an absolute must! Since we are going to be celebrating the anniversary of the Civil Union legislation soon, a detailed flyer or position paper on that issue would be quite timely as we go out to Democrat groups and local NGO's to garner their support.
Thank you again for all your involvement. As a last point, I'd like to mention that Kerry had 14,000 individual contributors and Dean 12,000, but Kerry also has near-ubiquitous name recognition and the Governor is still in single-digits despite continued improvement. I say that's a pretty good proportion! They key here is to use us, your army, to get the name and image of Dean out on every street corner, at every event, every college, and continue recruiting - Dean sells himself, but people won't look him up; we have to knock on doors.
Ray,
Eventhough some Greens (like here in Va.) are supporting Governor Dean, are we really surprised about the actions taken by The Greens?
Hey Joe,
It seems that the Dean Phenomenon has grown faster that anyone could have imagined. (like a super nova!!) Joe was right in his assessment of priorities, but now the Dean campaign has to switch into a higher gear( dare I say a MUCH higher gear ) and do 10 things at once and do them well.
Here are a few suggestions for those of you who don't want to wait. There's enough information out there for you to create your own Dean literature. It doesn't have to be fancy, that's what xerox copies are for. If you're not that adverturous, then use the Dean website for information.
And JOE, that web site needs to have as much useful information about Gov. Dean ASAP. Right now there is not enough. This should be the central source for those seeking information to broadcast out to their meet-ups.
There are other sources on the web for items that promote Howard Dean. Yesterday I found a web site for bumper stickers. They're cheap and look good. www.makerstickers.com You use their templates and type your message and all works very nicely.
Take initiative. Don't wait for offical sanction. FOR SURE GET YOUR FACTS ABOUT DEAN RIGHT. But now is not the time to hold back this explosion of energy and stew in frustration. You gotten yourselves together now do it!!!
wrong spelling on web address
www.makestickers.com
Robert -- Amen brother
We need to go better about getting you more facts and usable stuff.
But please do not wait -- do everything you can to keep us growing --
Trippi
President Bush and the war have turned me into a born again Democrat. Dean's message and attitude (his willingness to say what he believes and stand by it proudly)have given me hope that things can change. We are ready to do what is asked of us. I think that is part of the attraction of the Dean campaign. It feels like we are really involved and we count. Maintaining this feeling of commitment to the grassroots will be what separates Dean from the rest and puts him in the White House. Have you considered making Wednesday nights Dean Nights? First Wed is Meetup, 2nd Wed Is Dean LIVE on the net 3rd Wed Joe Trippi LIVE 4th Wed Dean LIVE again answering questions ( I know his schedule will make it difficult to commit, but for those of us out here in the hinterland that direct connection would be a huge motivation, and by making it a regular scheduled event would be easy to promote and something as simple as every Wed is about Dean, easy to remember. I hope when you redo the home page that you will make Spanish language info easier to find. I think you should have an entire duplication of the site in Spanish. So much to Do!
I would be more than willing to set up some form of regular "Live Nite". Would we do it here? I am more than open to the idea -- how could we do it? I'll ask Matt and Zephyr and the gang here in Burlington -- but would be interested in people's thoughts.
Joe, I don't think having a regular night of the week is a good idea. Regularity is good but it excludes everyone who's busy Wednesday nights. Also probably some of the Meetups are already using that time. I'd say make it sporadic but well-publicized. But Live Night is a great idea. Make it lateish to catch the west coast folks after work. Don't solicit questions ahead of time-- make people call in and talk to someone, and then you can have a drawing or something. That makes it into more of a real-time event.
Call me a loser, but I would also recommend more use of the phrase 'All your base are belong to us', especially with reference to Kerry and MA. Heh.
Joe, thank you so much for your direct input. It does wonders for my morale (as a Dem in Texas, thank you very much) to know that the Dean campaign not only solicits, but VALUES input from voters.
Joe, my hats off to you! With your direct communication to the grassroots in forums like this you only reinforce the notion that this is the campaign of, by, and for the people! To give you a sense of where you stand in Maryland...The Baltimore Meetup folks have formed several committees that include Community Outreach, Fundraising, and Lobbying (to get our elected officials on board). We have also formed a central organizing commitee to coordinate the activities between the DC metro and Baltimore Meetup groups to make sure we are all on the same page, and when we get an official state field office they can easily plug into our operation already up and running. We have a list of area community events that extends into August that we will make a presence flyering, tabling, etc., we held a home fundraiser in which the Mayor of Annapolis attended, and we are about to launch our own website that will include a list of contacts by county for people looking to join the campaign. I have no doubt come the February 10th primary, that we will deliver Maryland for Dean!
The only addition I have to the extensive and very helpful comments above are that you should have on the campaign website in the "Issues" section Deans stands on Labor related issues. Most states that "lean Democratic" are still very big labor states (Maryland is one of them) and Deans positions on labor issues need to be well articulated and highlighted on the website. He should be trying to get as much milage out of the recent "Paul Wellstone Award" he recieved as posible. The labor vote is still very much up for grabs (dispite what Gephardt might think!)but Dean has to go out and get it.
Keep up the Great Work Joe!!!
Hey gang, just got in from catching up with the Governor (today's his day off but he still came in for 4 or 5 hours to talk over stuff). He is still amazed at the number of netroots folks he meets on the road -- and he wanted me to thank everyone.
At the campaign we are busy trying to get some of these ideas you've given us in place -- (the new one today on Labor issues is another point well taken).
I apprecitate the thank yous from everyone here -- but you should be the folks receiving the thanks.
The real power of the Internet is that unlike television that is essentially a one way communications platform. The net is a two-way/multi-way platform for interaction and collaboration. Our little campaign really deep down understands this in a way that the bigger campaigns just don't seem to get. And because of you we are getting bigger and stronger every hour of everyday.
Thanks again
Trippi
I heard a blurb on radio here that Dean is not going to be at a Latino Elected Officials group meeting in AZ on June 28th. From what I heard Lieberman,Edwards,Kerry and Gephart were going to be there.
I am assuming Dean's got a scheduling conflict. I believe Dean, with his pro-gun position, could win the AZ primary which surely would help with early momentum. It better be an Iowa or NH event that he's giving this one up for!
Joe,
I think what you've done so far with utilizing the internet has been amazing, but you needn't stop now. Other campaigns will imitate, as they have already done with the meetup, so you need to continue to be creative. Here are a few ideas.
1 - Court the tech crowd. Others have mentioned it, but a great wat way is to get an interview on Slashdot. The process works with users suggesting questions and ranking the best. The top 10 get sent to the person being interviewed, then their replies are posted and discussed. Here is an example of the questions given to Congressman Rick Boucher (D-VA) http://interviews.slashdot.org/a...221&mode=thread
The people who read Slashdot are tech savvy, and will be interested to see how the Internet is being used in a pioneering manner by Howard Dean. They will also be the ones who write about Dean on their weblogs and attend meetups.
2 - Encourage people to contribute by publishing the ammount contributed by people whose donations ended in .01 (Meetup participants), and .18 (College aged kids like myself). There was an article which mentioned how some candidates couldn't even calculate how much they had received in Internet donations. Make your grassroots support a story.
I can imagine a day during primary season where the Dean campaign has a PR touting the 20,000 college students who made online campaign contributions of $x.18 in a nation-wide effort planned by members of Students for Dean. (Of which hopefully UCLA will soon be a member)
3 - Help those of us starting independent Dean websites by lessening our workload. Rather than us all posting every scheduled media event, campaign stop, online video clip, and Campaign PR, make RSS feeds of each. That way we can stylize the content to fit into our sites, while keeping independent Dean sites "fresh" with the latest content.
4 - Continue targetting college students. I was amazed to see official AIM icons; AIM is the lifeblood of college communications. Make campaign stops on college campuses, especially the strongest members of StudentsForDean.org. Senator Edwards stopped at UCLA on earth day, and I didn't even know about it until I saw is picture in the Daily Bruin the following morning. With the grassroots support increasing everyday, I can't imagine a pre-announced Dean appearance that wouldn't be met with overwhelming support, support worthy of an LA Times article quite possibly.
That's all I can think of for now, I've got a midterm tomorrow to study for, but I had to get that out of my head first.
Thanks for the great work, and I look forward to meeting Mr. Dean when he stops by UCLA next fall
-Cameron