2006 elections only one year away - what are the Democrats doing?!?!?!

[begin_within]

[blm]

1. Putting together great candidates for Sec of State races.

For starters.

[elehhhhna]

2. Hil's collecting record amounts of cash from Saudibank, er, Citibank.

No, wait, she's no Democrat...

[Jim Sagle]

3. Squat.

[JNelson6563]

4. Some of us are doing a great deal

From what I've seen Dean is traveling heavily, building state parties, sending them staff and funding them. He's hitting lots of states and events, helping state, district and county parties build their coffers and ger more organized.

Here in Michigan we've been working to recruit candidates as well as get Granholm and Stabenow re-elected. My county alone has already given/helped raise many thousands of dollars for each. We've also paid (in full) another year's rent for our store front office, we save $3,000 by paying that way. This is the second year in a row we've maintained our perm. storefront and we're a red county.

Personally I have been doing workshops. I had a district wide big one in January and have been traveling throughout the 14 counties of my district, giving individual workshops that are more tailored to each county. The topics of these workshops are building membership and fund-raising, the two go hand in hand. It is my short-term goal to have every one of these counties get a membership mailing out this fall. Long-term many more will have year-round storefronts, established annual fundraisers and booming membership that increases every year.

Not only am I working to teach everyone how to do these things, at the District level I have raised funds and will disperse them to the counties as needed to cover the cost of postage for these large mailings.

It's not enough to sit back and ask "What's the party doing?". We are the party so the real question is "What are we doing for 06?".

Well, I showed you mine, you show me yours....what are you doing for 06?

Julie

[blm]

15. Serious salute here.

.

[JNelson6563]

16. Thx blm, looking to hear back from OP

:kick:

[LiberalEsto]

5. They're hitting us up for money.

I tell them:

a) I'm broke, and

b) if I had money, I wouldn't give them any until I saw our party leaders acting as a team, with courage and party discipline, standing up to the rethugs and fighting them tooth and nail on things like the bankruptcy bill.

[emulatorloo]

6. waiting for you to volunteer at your local Dem organization n/t

[sandnsea]

7. Oh, this and that

Senate Democrats Demand New Course Amid Questions On Iraq
http://www.lightupthedarkness.org/blog/?view=plink&id=1402
House Dems Invoke Never Used Procedure To Force Vote On Bush Gulf Wage Cut
http://www.lightupthedarkness.org/blog/?view=plink&id=1421
Reid & Pelosi To Host Katrina Survivors Forum
http://www.lightupthedarkness.org/blog/?view=plink&id=1422
Democrats Stand With Working Americans, Reject Crony Tax Cuts
http://www.lightupthedarkness.org/blog/?view=plink&id=1419
McNerney To Challenge Pombo And His "Species Extinction Act"
http://www.lightupthedarkness.org/blog/?view=plink&id=1415
John Edwards Launches "Project Opportunity"
http://www.lightupthedarkness.org/blog/?view=plink&id=1396
Democrats Question FTC Oil Refinery Merger Approvals
http://www.lightupthedarkness.org/blog/?view=plink&id=1398

[BeFree]

8. Good website

Sandndsea

Question: can we help to post some more info about reforming elections on LUTD? There are some folks in Election Reform that could supply you with edit ready info at the click of a button.

Kerry On!

[sandnsea]

9. That would be very helpful

It's hard to keep up with everything. There's a text link on the right under "Action Resources", Submissions. Just pluck anything in there. I will look at it first, so's you know. And thanks for the nice words.

[BeFree]

10. Website construction is a hassle

If you would go to the Election Reform Forum:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topics&forum=203
and post a request for material, I'm sure you will get some good articles and links.

There's one of the best DU links on the front page now:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=5123958&mesg_id=5123958
Comprehensive TruthIsAll Resource--DUer "DrDebug" Put it Together

Thanks for being responsive, Election Reform is about as important an issue as any that faces a free people.

[sandnsea]

11. Election Reform is great

Rehashing stolen election material, I'm just not interested in. That's why I stay out of that forum. Also because the Baker-Carter report found problems with the voting machines too, but because Conyers trashed the report, so did everybody else. Because he praised the GAO report, so did everybody else. Too much bullshit that is preventing progress and I'm not interested in it. Not to say the GAO report isn't great, it is. But I'm sick of the cults of personality.

[BeFree]

12. I don't blame you

I stayed away from that forum for the last few months. But, as you say Election Reform is great. If you will check in over there with a post asking for links, etc. to the best Reform Links or articles, I can promise you they won't bite!

[sandnsea]

13. Here's what I'll do

I'll do a post on the GAO Report cuz I was going to anyway, post it in the election forum, and then let people know they can submit election reform stuff, particularly related to legislation around the country. I know we're working on it in Oregon, just had a summit in fact. It should be a movement, like Return The Government To The People or something, not just look like scattered attempts by sour grapes loons. So if I can help do that in any tiny way, that would be great.

[BeFree]

14. That oughtta work just fine.

Everyone needs their comfort zones. I think you will get some good replies. There are some really great people in that forum. Folks there get a little frustrated at times, and the passion gets cooking a lot, but there are hundreds of good folks who are working this issue who read that forum for up to the minute info.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

17. Begging for money and trying to figure out how far right to move.

Politics as usual.

[SheilaT]

18. Here in my part of Kansas

(Johnson County) we're already making plans. We intend to run a Democrat for each and every race available. We're hoping to have primaries, especially for the seats we know we can't win. If more than one Democrat files, it will make lots of people sit up and take notice.

I'll run again if and only if no other candidate steps forward in my district. I still have plenty of yard signs, and I won't spend any other money, if I run again. If the current incumbent, a likable moderate Republican runs again, no Democrat has a chance in this district. But if a right-winger challenges, as happened in 04, and if this time the right-winger wins, then a Democrat could easily carry the seat.

On a state-wide level there's the beginning of a co-ordinated campaign going on, which seeks to identify Democrat voters, or voters, regardless of affiliation, who are willing to vote for Democrats in various races.

[JNelson6563]

19. Good stuff Sheila

Sounds like you all have your work cut out. :toast: