RAPID RESPONSE: Saturday 11/12/05

[Ian David]

From: Rapid Response Network [e-mail]
Date: Nov 12, 2005
Subject: RAPID RESPONSE: Saturday 11/12/05

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ISSUE
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Democrats Losing Race For Funds Under Dean
By Chris Cillizza
Special to The Washington Post?Saturday, November 12,
2005
http://digbig.com/4fgkn

** THOUGHTS **

This headline and much of the article is quite
misleading by what is omitted... talk about turd
blossoms.

- Democratic National Committee fundraising is
actually up several million dollars versus last year
but Republican National Committee fundraising is
relatively flat

- Said another way, DNC money raising is up by about a
third, while RNC fundraising is only up by about 5%

- Given the historical fundraising imbalance... it's
rare that the DNC outraises the RNC, but
percentage-wise (if not in actual dollar amounts) the
DNC is doing just that under Chairman Howard Dean

- A little context: The national GOP has operations in
all 50 states to coordinate between the national party
and the state parties. Historically, the Democrats
have not had this infrastructure. Part of the reason
Howard Dean was elected chair of the national party
was to correct that imbalance. His focus over the past
few months (he hasn't even been chair for a year yet)
has been to focus on strategy, not to blindly raise
money with no reason.

- Some more context: Part of Chairman Dean's strategy
is to direct more fundraising directly toward state
parties to help them build their structures and farm
systems... If the monies are going directly to state
parties they're not going to the national party. Duh.

OTHER THOUGHTS...

Chairman Dean's philosophy is to have a party which
raises money from many people not just the wealthy
elite or the Establishment few. Given the number of
anonymous sources in this story it is surprising it
made it into publication (besides, I thought anonymous
sources were out of favor among journalists given what
happened in the lead-up to the Iraq Invasion).

This story seems to be little more than a plant,
either by conservatives who want to reassure their
base that there's money in the bank or by
Establishment progressive consultants who are now out
of favor within the party structure (or both).

** ACTION **

You may want to ask why so many "anonymous" sources
were used for this story and why any sort of context
regarding past performance and/or the strategy of
building the infrastructure was ignored....

#1 - Washington Post reporters are available through
800.627.1150 or 202.334.6000. I'm sure the operator
can help you find Chris Cillizza.

#2 - The current Post Ombudsman is Michael Getler. You
can reach him by e-mail at [e-mail] or
by phone at 202-334-7582.

#3 - Letters to the Editor [e-mail] or by
snail mail:
Letters to the Editor
The Washington Post
1150 15th Street, N.W.
Washington, DC 20071


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ISSUE
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Asterisks Dot White House's Iraq Argument
By Dana Milbank and Walter Pincus
Washington Post Staff Writers?Saturday, November 12,
2005
http://digbig.com/4fgkm

** THOUGHTS **

As mentioned briefly in yesterday's alert, this WaPo
story surmises that our conservative president's
speech defending his invasion of Iraq was not "wholly
accurate."

A shorter word for not "wholly accurate"?

"Fib." ("Lie" works too.)

** ACTION **

Check your local media to make sure they are reporting
not only on the president's speech but also the
progressives' response (plus the full background --
such as, according to Bob Woodward, the Prince of
Saudi Arabia having more intel than Congress before
the US invaded Iraq).

Write a letter to the editor with your own thoughts on
"rewriting history" and being not "wholly accurate"...


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ISSUE
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U.S. sends signal on value of television
$3 billion planned for viewers to buy digital
converters
By William Neikirk
Chicago Tribune senior correspondent
Published November 12, 2005
http://digbig.com/4fgkk

** THOUGHTS **

Conservatives want to cut Katrina aid, health care,
food, education, children's and a whole host of other
decent, neighborly programs that help Americans in
need... yet they can find it in their "compassionate"
conservative hearts to scrounge together $3 billion
for converter boxes so the needy don't go without when
TV signals go all-digital.

What?! You can't eat Martha Stewart's cooking shows.
"Grey's Anatomy" and "ER" don't help you when you're
sick or hurt. And the only TV shows you can learn from
(like those at PBS such as Sesame Street and others
for the young or NOVA and Now for the mature) are
under constant attack as it is from corporatists and
right-wing fundamentalists.

Just as long as Bridges to Nowhere get built in Alaska
I guess this sort of twisted priority making is ok in
conservative fantasyland.

** ACTION **

Make sure your local and national media are on this
story too. Write to reporters and call editors.

What are your two cents about this $3 billion?


----------------------------
FYI
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**
Our Endangered Values: America's Moral Crisis
(Hardcover Book)?by Jimmy Carter
http://digbig.com/4fgkj

++ Being Mr. Nice Guy only gets you so far these
days...


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[NMDemDist2]

1. I thought that fundraising article was stinky, thanks !! n/t

[Wilms]

2. Ditto. n/t