I'm 17 and I support Dean

[ProudToBeLiberal]

I was just wondering what I can do to help. If Dean doesn't win the nomination I KNOW that I'll be a lost soul. I know that I will be disillusion. Dean just has this aura that inspires me. My hope rest in deans hands...I think a lot of people have given their hope to dean. Many teenagers are starting to be interested in politics because of Dean.

This is my plea to you help Dean take back the white house.

I use to be a kerry supporter...but along came dean. I didn't switch because Kerry was lacking qualities to be president but because I found someone who had more. Who was something more than a regular politician. I found the passion in Dean. I found the simplicity in Dean. I found the anger in dean the roused me up from the gloom.

this is my plea to you help Dean take the White House.

You have to admitt there isn't a better candidate that has inspired the younger generation than dean.

Kerry supporters...Kuicinich supporters...Clark supporters...and the other supporters let us put our differences aside and stand beside Dean help us take the Back our country.

[newsguyatl]

1. hehe

you gotta admire the kid :-)


thanks for your post! there are tons of us standing with you my friend... :hi:

[Cha]

8. Really!

[caledesi]

11. Yeah, tons of us...did you see the Bryant Park rally?

They were so many young people there and I must say as a middle-aged person, it felt GOOD. Reminded me of the 60s.

Peace out.

[dorktv]

2. hey kid

http://www.deanforamerica.com

[TSIAS]

3. I'm 19 and a Dean supporter

There are a number of candidates who excite me. Each candidate should use the next few months to present their case to Democratic voters. We should definitely unify when the nominee is chosen, but the race is still very contested and all the candidates should continue to run hard.

[Cha]

4. Well ...it's wonderful to get a perspective from a young Dean

supporter! And you'll be able to vote in the 2004 election but not in the primaries?

There's a lot of us on DU who are working hard for Dean as well as others across the Nation and Dean inspires me, too!

Are you going to a Dean Meetup tomorrow night? :kick:

[ProudToBeLiberal]

7. I can vote in the primaries

I'll turn 18 in september

[AWD]

5. I'm 34 and I'm a Dean supporter

But If Kerry gets the nod after next April, I'll be 35 and a Kerry supporter.

But for now, I'm with you!!!!

[Rose Siding]

6. Seventeen, huh?

Really don't think it's a good idea to send pleas out to supporters of other candidates. They know what they are doing- If it were me, I'd appreciate more respect for my decision.

[ProudToBeLiberal]

9. hey

at least I'm trying to unite not divide

[MarianJack]

10. I'm Proud of You!

You have a great maturity for one so young and a good perspective. You know that what unites us is greater than what divides us. :thumbsup: :hi:

I wish that I had had your outlook when I was a 17 year old McGovern supporter in 1972. By the way, I am NOT saying that to compare Dean with McGovern. I don't do that. Thanks for the great post!:yourock:

[caledesi]

12. You're showing real class MJ (and you know why)

[Eloriel]

13. Don't mind the old grump

I just want to reach out and hug you!

I feel the same way, and I'm (wait for it ...) 55. But I have a great deal of hope that he'll get the nomination and win. What's happening in the Dean campaign is absolutely unprecedented in American politics. The numbers he's getting at his appearances, at THIS early stage of the campaign, just hasn't EVER happened before. Not for Kennedy, not for Clinton, not for anyone. Journalists -- the ones who accompanied him on the Sleepless Summer tour, for example -- are simply astounded.

Barring unforseen circumstances, it can only get better from here. One thing we both know: he's not a fake, so he can't be brought down on that account. I'm not a betting woman, but I don't think he's got any "other women" in his background, so there'll be no Gary Hart-type deja vu. His record in VT is excellent, superb even, so while there are those who are already planning to distort that record to try to make points, his supporters KNOW better, and will be able to continue explaining to others what the truth is. His money-raising ability will only grow as his support continues to grow.

It's lookin' darned good to me. After people see Dean a few times, the others look pretty stale and unexciting. Plus, people tend to gravitate to him simply because he's so authentic, a quality the other top tier candidates sorely lack. Dean is fresh, exciting, charismatic, etc., etc. (But you know all that.)

There are many things YOU can do to help get him elected and that will help you feel more empowered yourself, and will also help the campaign. Try to get connected with the nearest MeetUp (tomorrow night!!), or look in the Get Local listings for other activities around and sign up for them.

Get some bumper stickers and buttons, if you can afford to do that, and have them available for people. Go ahead and let them buy them back from you so you can keep doing that.

Start a group at your school, on your own if you can't get MeetUp help. And read the blog every day if you can -- read about what the Dean campaign is asking supporters to do for the whole month of September.

There are 100 THOUSAND people working for Dean. I can only say one more time: at this stage of the game that is literally unprecedented. With our help, I can't imagine he won't make it.

Glad you're at DU!

Eloriel

[Rose Siding]

32. Hey! I didn't mean to be an old grump

With all the pleas to cut down on rancor between the supporters of different candidates, I was trying to make a point of respecting them.

It's great to be young and involved- As a Dean supporter myself, I was shooting for tolerance (poorly, I see), that's all.

[Forkboy]

14. My dad always tells me

"Dont put all your eggs in one basket"

Of course I rarely listen to my dad :D

Seriously though,search through all the candidates.Have a backup ready so your disillusionment isn't so bad if Dean doesn't win(though I think Dean has an excellent chance).There's a pretty good field out there,whether you like Kucinich (my choice),Kerry,Braun,Edwards etc. They all have some fine points and would be a step up from what we have now.

Thanks for a great post!

[JohnKleeb]

17. fork you got something special

You have an ablity to be extremely fair and I try my best to be and I would like to think I am. That said I am a 16 year old for Kucinich and I am damned proud of it. But its good to know that Dean inspired you. Also we got 4 15-16 year old DUers supporting Kucinich :) woohoo I must say.

[MarianJack]

20. I'm proud of you, too!

For all of the reasons I stated a little while ago! :yourock: :kick: :bounce:

[JohnKleeb]

21. thank you MJ

We have a hard fight but theres no doubt in my mind its the right one.

[Forkboy]

24. Thank you John

I appreciate the kind words.People like yourself inspire me to try to stay that way.You try to be fair and you're succeeding.

[JohnKleeb]

25. Thanks

Really are doing great, I do get down sometimes but when I think of what has me supporting Kucinich in the first place, my spirit rises. I think I inheirted something from my grandfather an ablity to be fair.

[veganwitch]

15. why dont we wait...

until we see who is the nominee. thats pretty presumptive to say "forget your candidate. rally around mine."

and whatever, while, i suppose, i prefer dean over bush, i have no illusions about him. i might actually even vote for him if that was the case. but until then im voting my hopes and not my fears.


edit: 'cause i was using a period for all puncuation. dont tell anyone was an english major!

[Cornus]

16. Wait 'til you get to know Clark

Shouldn't be too much longer now.

[XanaDUer]

18. You won't be a lost soul, no matter who wins or does not

Politics and politcians come and go in cycles.

I am afraid, however, despite your eloquent plea, there is too much I cannot look past in Dean's record.

Just stirring up voters' emotions is simply not enough. There is a whole lot to look when deciding to vote.

That being said, thank you for your post. :)

[David Zephyr]

19. The Dean Meetups Are Packed With Young People

In fact, I don't recall ever witnessing such a welcomed flood of youth into American politics since the 1960's.

I have been truly taken by the zeal and passion that so many young people are bringing into Howard Dean's campaign. It truly is something wonderful to behold.

Great post, ProudToBeLiberal! :hi:

[molly]

23. Probably 98% of Dean supporters are under voting age?

[JohnKleeb]

26. I havent encountered any at school yet

BTW 4 and I repeat 4 young DUers support Kucinich compared to Dean :). I obviously will go in to how and why DK inspires me, he loves the idea of peace much like Gandhi and MLK did.

[David Zephyr]

27. Wishful Thinking, Molly.

but I respect your loyalty to Kerry.

[molly]

28. Not wishful - just logical

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[uptohere]

22. good for you kiddo !

find the local Dean camp and go offer help. Someone there ought to be able to find ways you can support your guy.

You really should sort out this fear of failure before you do though. You must come to realize that politics is nothing but a VERY LONG string of battles that don't even have the context of a war to pull them together. Moreover, there are little battles amid the big battles between factions of the larger sides. This would be the primaries. Just because your faction may have setbacks, you have to remember that you are part of that larger side and even trickier, that which doesn't kill you makes you stronger. A primary season is a trial by fire for the resultant candidate. He becomes stronger from the fight and those who he defeated are also his friends in the end when all turn to the larger battle.

You fight hard and faithfully and you take your lumps and if its to be then your side wins the day (or four year term as it were). And sometimes your guy is the one to do that and nothing feels better than that.

Hang in there, have a great time. YOu'll love it if your head is prepared for it. I know I loved it when I got involved even younger than you !

[hedda_foil]

31. Here ya go! Generation Dean is what you're looking for.

Check this out. I think you'll love it.

http://generationdean.com/

[depakid]

33. Talk to your friends; get people to register and vote

A lot of young people don't bother to pay attention, much less vote- which pretty much sucks, because there's been something of a war on youth in America over at least the last 15 years or so.

Whether it's skyrocketing tuition & shitty financial aid or low wages with abusive employers or harsh mandatory minimum sentences for some bonehead play- Republicans are screwing American youth right in the here and now. Mostly because they can count on the fact that people 18-30 generally don't vote or even if they do, that they can be easily manipulated.

Anything you say or do that gets people to look around, question what's happening and take even some small interest in politics will help Howard Dean become our next elected president.