Deans much heralded "organization"

[Dr.Phool]

I've been a Dean supporter for a long time, and Iowa showed some glaring weaknesses in the much heralded grass-roots organization that Dean put together.

We may have a half-million volunteers across the country, but they're disorganized to irrelevency.:shrug: Meet-ups and banner waving are fine, and we're good at fund-raising, but where's the beef?

We have a primary coming up in Florida in 6 weeks, and as far as I know we have no formal organization on the ground. I had to call Vermont to get campaign material for our Democratic HQ, and it took 2 weeks to get a few pamphlets and stickers. If you want buttons or yard signs, you have to buy them at a meet-up.

We have all this money, but where are campaign coordinators, door knockers, people putting out signs?

The grass ain't gonna grow if you don't fertilize and nurture it. Hire some people away from Gephardts staff, or anyone who knows how to run a campaign.

This is too important to blow.:kick:

[Ninga]

1. I don't know anything about you, but

your account of the Dean organization just doesn't square with the experience I have had for the past 6 months in NE Ohio.

The Dean campaign is the most amazing I have experienced. We have had material for the past 6 months, and strong informed volunteers.

The Iowa experience can be summed up in just a few words.

Kucinich and Edwards joined forces and exchanged people in order to gain delegates.

Think about it. Edwards, co-author of the Patroit Act, voted for No Child left behind, voted for the war......and KUCINICH??????

The stench is overwhelming.

Have faith, the Dean machine is stronger than ever.

[Dr.Phool]

2. NE Ohio

What part? I moved down here from the West Side of Cleveland last year.

[Ninga]

3. I don't know where

"down here" is, but I am............are you ready for this,
in the far eastern corner of Cuy. cty......Chagrin Falls.

Yes, Dorothy, there are Democrats in Chagrin Falls!!!!!!!!!

[Dr.Phool]

4. Sorry

Down here is just north of Clearwater Florida. I'm really getting tired of shoveling this sunshine out of my driveway. I almost had to come up to Cleveland next week, but I lucked out.

[Ninga]

6. Ok, no Cleveland in the winter jokes.....

it was 5 deg. this morning.....but the sun is out and glistening brighly on the snow.....come on......you miss Cleveland in the winter admit it.

[Ninga]

5. Also, if you

contact Dean Headquarters in VT, they will for sure help you get
the material you want/need and perhaps put you in touch with other Dean people in your area so you can move the movement so to speak.

Good Luck.

[mdmc]

7. my local Dean group

just got taken over by the establishment dems. These guys know how to campaign, but think that the grassroots efforts are a waste of time. Now they point to IA and say, do it our way or lose.

[stickdog]

9. Grassroots lost Iowa? No.

Grassroots is just a bunch of people trying to help who need leadership and direction.

The failure in Iowa was a failure in campaign tactics, leadership, direction and especially inside caucus politics, not grassroots.

Or candidate for that matter.

[Capn Sunshine]

10. I'm not sure where you are

but the democratic party framework is a valuable asset and if they are for Dean; that is totally cool! Eventually you will find yourselves working with these folk anyway. They are seasoned veterans of many campaigns. Welcome them.

One paramount problem with the iowa caucuses was the dem organizational structure there was VERY pro Kerry.

[Hep]

12. Everyone and noone is a leader in this campaign

Tell them to shove it up their asses.

[stickdog]

8. Sometimes if you want to get something done right, you have force

the issue yourself.

Dean's campaign started riding a little too high on the hog over the last month.

Their TV ads sucked and they tried to use their grassroots as a prop, rather than a true force to intelligently recruit people into a new political organization and to spread the word that there's a new way for regular people to have a voice in their government and that -- even if you can't volunteer yourself -- Dean's grassroots wants you to have a voice, too.

[Hep]

11. You don't get it.

It's YOUR campaign. You're the campaign coordinator. You're the door knocker. You're the people putting out signs.

This is the single hardest thing to get people to understand. In NC we don't have a DFA office. We don't have a single paid staffer. What we have is 3000 unpaid volunteers who create their own brochures, hold their own meetings, and take the campaign into their own hands.

You are the grass AND the fertilizer. It is up to YOU. Don't wait for someone to tell you what to do. Do what works for you and those where you live. PM me if you need any help at all. It's hard. But when we take the responsibility, we reap the rewards.