Hundreds of Texans heading to Iowa, N.H. for Dean (AP)

[dajabr]

MONTPELIER, Vt. - Hundreds of voters from President Bush's home state will be spending their weekend knocking on doors in Iowa and New Hampshire talking up the presidential campaign of one of his leading Democratic rivals: Howard Dean.

"We plan to block walk and do community service and talk about why we think Howard Dean should be the next president of the United States," said Glen Maxey, Texas coordinator for Dean and a former state legislator from Austin.

Maxey and seven other Texas supporters spoke with reporters on a conference call Wednesday organized by the Dean campaign about why they've agreed to serve as "Texas Rangers for Dean" this weekend in Iowa and New Hampshire.

As many as 475 Texans are boarding planes from Austin, Dallas and Houston. They'll be flying to Des Moines and Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and Manchester, N.H., respectively to talk about Bush's tenure as their governor and why they back Dean for president, campaign aides say.

More: http://www.dfw.com/mld/startelegram/news/state/6851111.htm

[liberalmuse]

1. Awesome!

Now there's some committed people!

[dajabr]

2. I highly recommend doing this!

Pick a weekend and get to NH or Iowa if you can, they are always looking for help and it's alot of fun! (educational too...)

[UnapologeticLiberal]

3. If they will fly me up I will gladly go again

I am already planning to go over winter break, but from here I would have to fly, since i don't have a car here and it is too long of a drive anyway. But if the campaign would fly DC students up to Manchester, which they could do for $100 roundtrip each if booked far enough in advance, I bet a bunch of us would go for a weekend. I went twice over the summer and it was a great experience.

Make this a September to Remember

[w4rma]

17. I believe these Texans are traveling on their own money (n/t)

[Cha]

4. It that where you've been?

:)
This is dedication like nobody's business! :yourock:TexasforDean!

[WatchWhatISay]

5. That's Me! That's Me! I will be on that plane to New Hampshire!

And I am taking my daughter with me. This is just the reason I'm in the Dean camp. Has any candidate ever involved truly grassroots people, in this number, in such an innovative manner before? If so, I've never heard of it.

I am getting really excited about doing this. I plan to spend Friday "studying up" on the best way to answer what I believe will be two most asked questions - Why do you support Howard Dean? and Why are you doing this?

[Cha]

6. Why ..Bless your Heart, Honey!

:yourock:

Thank you so much from all of us who won't be going! :D

[RevolutionStartsNow]

28. You are too cool!

How old is your daughter? My 11 year old would love to go on a trip like this.

I met a woman on a plane last night who remembers being 5 years old and rallying for RFK with her mom. How great is that? (I gave her the signup postcard and a flyer, of course -- I actually signed up 2 people on a flight from Chicago to San Jose last night!)

Do you have a Dean Team Leader page? My money this weekend is going to be donated in the name of all you hard working Texans, do you know if there is a site?

[WatchWhatISay]

32. Kathryn is 15

She has attended some MeetUps with me before and, in fact, actually wrote letters to Iowans at one meetup. And this is a kid who NEVER writes anything except AIM messages to her friends and the minimum requirements for school assignments.

I know we are going to have a great time! Some of the state coordinators from Austin are staying at my house tonight in order to catch our plane out of Intercontinental at 6 am tomorrow.

I don't know what you mean by a Dean Team Leader page. State Rep. Glen Maxey seems to be coodinating this whole thing.

[Closer]

7. Dean

and his supporters are in the hizzouse!

:yourock:

[Cha]

8. I just saw you were our "newest member" and here you are!

Thanks for joining the fray ..we need your support and you!

Welcome Aboard, DU, closer!

And Thanks! :D

[Closer]

11. Thanks Zidzi!

Great to see so many other Dean supporters here!!

[xchrom]

9. welcome closer

and you rock!
ya gotta love those dean folk -- they get out and pitch for their guy.
that's chutzpa.

[blessedleader]

10. I hope they come to my house!

Maybe I'll give them a cookie. :-)

-tony (Cedar Rapidian)

[jburton]

14. Chocolate Chip, please

I would love a cookie! It's not every weekend I fly up to Cedar Rapids.

[CMT]

12. this is why the Dean campaign has come on so strong

innovative ideas of getting the message out. What better than to bring in Texans to talk about the Bush they know.

[genius]

13. The Texans brought us Dubya

And now they want to bring us Dubya II.

[LuminousX]

26. I have no love for Texas

but you've taken it to an interesting new level. So nothing any Texan supports should be accepted by the rest of the nation.

[lastliberalintexas]

29. Umm, no.

Corporate America brought you Shrubbie. Do you honestly think it would have mattered what state he was in, so long as he could get elected Gov?

And actually, all bets were on Jebbie Boy being the presidential frontrunner- and then he went and got beat by Lawton Chiles.

Don't blame us for this mess- at least not any more than any other red state. This is all the doing of the corporatists, PNAC, and the military industrial complex.

Go say something nice about your own darn candidate rather than bashing Dean- for once.

And on edit- if you knew anything about Texas politics, you'd know that Glen Maxey is not only verrry liberal, but he was also the first openly gay state rep of my state. Not exactly someone who would be out campaigning for "Dubya II".

[Nicholas_J]

15. I repeat...

This is how Dean makes it look like he has major support in an area in which he may have far less support than he does. Trucks in ringers.

Just like in Boston...

This is fundamentally dishonest politics.

It sort of reminds me of how Dubya stole the vote here in Florida.

[genius]

16. Bush did that between the election and the selection

He would bus in people to events and protests in an effort to outnumber the Democrats.

[whirlygigspin]

18. this would be laughable

if it were not so pathetic.

[acerbic]

19. I don't see those as mutually exclusive...

The idiot twins are both laughable and pathetic. :-)

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

23. Must be 2/3 of my ignore list.

:D

[cprise]

20. Not when they advertise they're from Texas

Trucking Texas Democrats around the country.... It's an ingenious way to take on Bush! There is nothing phony or underhanded about this.

[jburton]

21. what's dishonest about it?

It's not like Dean is smuggling in Texans across the Iowa border in the dead of night.

As far as the Boston event goes, there are parts of New Hampshire and Connecticut that are basically suburbs of Boston. What the hell is wrong with them going to the city?

[Vikingking66]

22. I think this went over your head

They're going there AS TEXANS. To say that Dean stood up for them during the redistricting scandal. This is called innovative campaigning. If you don't think Dean has NH supporters other than these, you're fooling yourself.

BTW- I'm a Bostonian, and I didn't see anything unlikely or false about the crowd numbers for Dean. MA voters love fiery politicians and Dean is that.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

24. Didn't you hear?

The Boston crowds were either:

1. Trucked in.

or

2. A creation of Industrial Light and Magic.



There can be no other explanation!

[LuminousX]

25. Then I guess

we will see the 'truth' come election day. But until you provide verifiable proof that a majority of the people in Boston, even 10% of the people in Boston were from somewhere else in the country, I will have to say you are in denial.

[RevolutionStartsNow]

27. Oh, my, that's funny....

Look out, the Texas Rangers are coming to NH to STEAL THE VOTE!

Wow, you are really confused.

[UnapologeticLiberal]

31. You still have not proven that they bused people into Boston

and there is a big difference between bringing in volunteers from out of state to canvas and bringing in people to make a rally look like an area has more supporters than it does. And of course, the campaign would have to be encouraging people from out of state to come and covering their expenses for your claim to have any validity. As to bringing in volunteers, this is just smart...I went up to New Hampshire twice this summer and plan to go again over winter break.

The Democratic Party usually buses college students from all over on election day to help out in competitive states...I have a friend who is trying to talk me into taking a weekend trip on November 4th to Kentucky to help out (despite the fact that I could help out in Virginia, which is 15 minutes from here, or go home to NJ to help out...I am not sure why they are trying to send DC students to Kentucky instead of having us help in Virginia). Some of my friends in College Dems went all over the country last year to help out on election day. So I am not sure why you find this objectionable.

If Kerry were smart, he might do the same thing...he sure could use the help in New Hampshire right now.


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[WatchWhatISay]

33. I fail to understand how what I am doing is part of anything dishonest, NJ

Dean has terrific support here in Texas. What is dishonest about having a little fun and getting grassroots people really involved???

[ISUGRADIA]

34. Oh Yes

Especially since the local media here covered it last night as _Texans_ coming to Iowa to campaign for Dean. Hardly ringers and we have seen this before by neighboring candidates (Mondale in 84, Gep and Simon in 88) who brought home state residents here to doorknock etc. Your attempts to destroy Dean seem almost pathelogical.

[RevolutionStartsNow]

35. "Almost"? (nt)

[gully]

30. yeehaw!!!

:toast: