This actually has nothing to do with Meetup, but I thought I'd share this story:

Vermont Public Radio had a story on yesterday about Gov. Dean's trip to SC for the debate, they ended with this story from a homeless man (paraphrasing, can't find a transcript on VPR's site): "So, I bump into this guy, and he tells me he's a candidate, I say, 'Nawwww.' He says, 'yeah.' So's I talk to him a little, and he says, 'Are you hungry?' and I say, 'oh, yeah.' so he says, 'come on.' And then he takes me into the fish fry! [I assume the Clyburn one, but it could have been the J-J dinner] The guys at the gate didn't want to let me in, but then he (Gov. Dean) says, 'no, he's with me.' and I went in to eat." The homeless man made some kind of "and all this from a politician!" comment, and then the reporter mentioned the big, blue Dean button the man was wearing (which was the only reason they found the guy, btw).

Just thought with the "Dean is a meanie" comment some other campaigns are making, a glimpse at the private Dean compassion would be nice.
BriVT | Email | Homepage | 05.08.03 - 9:16 am | #

I watched the video of the SF Meetup speech that the governor gave back in April. At one point someone in the audience yelled, "Give 'em hell Howard!" Dean, in response, quoted Harry Truman and said, "I don't give 'em hell. I just tell the truth and they just THINK it's hell!"

That, I think, is the correct response to the "Dean is mean" meme. He sounds mean to those who don't want to hear the truth and the truth is that the Democratic party has failed in its obligations to its supporters.

If some Democrats are offended by that assertion then maybe they are part of the problem.
Chris Andersen | Email | Homepage | 05.08.03 - 9:37 am | #

Yes Howard Dean as Harry Truman is an Ace of Spades that should be played early and often.

One "advantage" Truman had as a truth-teller was a pipsqueak voice--his barbs came across just as sharp but not nearly as mean-spirited as Howard's seemingly do. He played the quaint old daddy who's trying to set the kids straighten. I hope Howard commands the same appealing mantle in time.
Scott G. Medford, MA | Email | Homepage | 05.08.03 - 9:57 am | #

Love to Google.

BriVT, this one's for you:
http:// www.publicbroadcasting.ne...TICLE_ID=492847

".....
Still, Dean fights hard, one vote at a time. He won a convert last weekend as he was going to Congressman Clyburn's fish fry. A homeless man named Lucky Frasier stopped Dean on the street:

(Frasier) "When he told me he was running as a candidate, I didn't believe him. I said man you must be telling me a joke! And he said, no."

(Dillon) Frasier says Dean got him past security so he could enjoy the meal of fried catfish.

(Frasier) "He said, 'You hungry?' I said, 'Yeah.' He say, 'Come on.' And then when we got to the place with the fish fry, one of the people didn't want to let me in. And he says, 'That fella there - he's with me.'"

(Dillon) Frasier wore a bright blue Dean button all weekend. He's a registered voter, and he says there's no doubt he'll vote for Dean in the primary.

..."

And something extra -
http://rutlandherald.nybor.com/N...tory/ 64920.html

"...
COLUMBIA, S.C. — Ann Lau was in desperate need of a Band-Aid.

And so she did what any one of the other hundreds of people gathered at the weekend’s state Democratic Party convention would do — she sought out the only politician who used to be a doctor.

“Is the doctor in? Because I need a Band-Aid,” Lau joked, pointing to the campaign signs for former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean bearing the slogan “The doctor is in.”

Lau was one of more than a dozen South Carolinians waiting for Dean as he approached his booth at Saturday’s voter meet-and-greet inside Rosewoods restaurant at the South Carolina State Fairgrounds.

“Actually, I think I do have one,” Dean said, fishing in his pocket for his wallet and producing a dog-eared bandage.

Lau laughed, gratefully accepted the Band-Aid, and had a brief chat with Dean about health care before another prospective voter elbowed into Dean’s view.

After the exchange, while affixing the bandage to her scraped knee, Lau shared her impressions with the gaggle of reporters swarming the restaurant. And in doing so, she summed up Dean’s struggle in South Carolina and the rest of the country as he vies for the Democratic presidential nomination.

“I really liked him. He was kind and generous-spirited ... and, you won’t believe this but he has a crappy looking wallet with bills hanging out of it, just like the rest of us,” she grinned.

..."

Stories like these is what touches me about Dean. Of course, there's a third one of a woman collapsing at a Ben & Jerry and Dean stopped to help out. It's been posted here already somewhere. Who needs cameras, $1Million jet ride, and a sock in the pants to inspire people? Sincerity and care is what will gravitate people to Dean.
Pfb | Email | Homepage | 05.08.03 - 10:21 am | #

If any of you listened to Vermont Public Radio's story on "Dean's chances in the South," (which includes the story about bringing the homeless man to the fish fry) it says to me yet again that Howard needs to stress the "equal rights" aspect of the civil unions bill to religious Southerners who vote Democratic.

He must sound very strong delivering this message, with the same confidence that preachers and ministers claim homosexuality is a sin. Dean is doing an excellent job of painting GLBT people as "just like other Americans," serving in the military, church-going etc. If he does not do both of these things, I fear his voice will be drowned out and marginalized by the entire Southern electorate.

Go Howard go...
Scott G. Medford, MA | Email | Homepage | 05.08.03 - 11:46 am | #

Another note: I want him to stress these ideas because I think the strength of character it took for Howard to sign the c.u. bill will be looked on as a real sign of great strength among religious Southerners who on the whole are such an admirably principled group of people.
Scott G. Medford, MA | Email | Homepage | 05.08.03 - 11:49 am | #

We were talking at the Meetup last night about how poor white people and poor black people have more in common than either have with rich white or black people (which is why Clinton has been called the "first black President"). Dean is saying this too, and he needs to keep saying it. It's smart, and it's true.

I think he's going to surprise people in the South.
chase | Email | Homepage | 05.08.03 - 3:25 pm | #

Okay, I'm definitely fishing around for comments on this one. Fortunately, another Deanophile suggested passing the hat at our Meetup and we supposedly collected about $360. As there were two other meetups in Portland, if the hat was passed there too, we should now have a good chunk of change. The idea is to use a portion of that money to rent out a larger facility for next months meeting. Funds collected above and beyond this would go directly to the Dean campaign. We are not going to get the ideal facility for free.

For those of us who are in late primary states, I believe it is far more important for us to generate funds which the Dean campaign can then use in earlier primary states. All or the organizing on the ground here in Oregon won't do us much good when we don' t have our primary until May, and the candidate has already been decided on. The best thing we can do is churn out money, and I believe that the best way to generate money is through an organized and professional looking meetup which functions as both an educational tool for undecideds and new and eager supporters, and as an organizational tool for those who are committed to doing more.

We may not be able to generate as much money as Kerry or Edwards, but we can generate enough to stay competive. I feel confident that if our candidate can at least stay afloat on the money end, we will be able to compensate for the rest with good old fashioned legwork and voter education campaigns. I discussed this idea with a representative from the Multnomah County Democrats and he seemed to be responsive to the idea.

To reiterate, those in Meetups in early primary states should be focusing on good old fashioned voter education. Those of us in later primary states should put our efforts into fundraising.
JTsantella | Email | Homepage | 05.08.03 - 6:57 pm | #

Just wanted to say...

Photos from the May 7 San Francisco Meetup are now posted:

http://dean2004.meetup.com/photo...ca/ sanfrancisco

Go Dean!
rhfactor | Email | Homepage | 05.10.03 - 3:07 am | #