|
Edited on Fri Jan-30-04 03:27 PM by Kbick
An open letter from members of the Draft Clark movement to supporters of Gov. Howard Dean
Common Cause
Do we have the power to change America? Could we actually elect an American President who represents our interests above all others? Can an outsider actually win the White House and change the way Washington works?
Since last spring, you have said the answer to this is a resounding yes and have been working incredibly hard to make this happen.
Please know you are not alone.
If there is one lesson that emerges from this race it's that "we the people" have incredible power. Our voices do matter. People, once inspired, will rise up and take the first steps into the political process to take their country back.
We are the two campaigns built by the passions of grassroots support, not by Washington politicians. Combined, the campaigns of Wes Clark and Howard Dean have mobilized nearly 1 million active supporters and raised more than $60 million from individual donors.
But the road to the White House is not an easy one. Early in our campaign, we had to learn to work with veteran political hands who brought experience fighting entrenched political machines. We joined forces with those who, like Joe Trippi, looked at the latent power of the grassroots movements and embraced the revolutionary possibilities. We weeded out those who couldn't make the adjustment to 21st century politics.
Although we differ on our choice of candidate, we always look at the Dean movement with the respect it deserves. In the quiet glow of our monitors in the middle of the night, we read your posts on blogs and silently nod.
"They are fighting the same fight we are," we say. "We are going to get to work with these people in the fall. There is a bigger battle coming."
We looked at Joe Trippi's resignation with a certain amount of sadness. Of course, on one level, we want Wes Clark to win the nomination and having a competitor's campaign lose one of the few people who "gets it" is a good thing. But on another level, seeing the rise of old-school, traditional Washington insiders reminds us that the defenders of the status quo do not sit idly by. We remember that they are the reason we're in the situation we're in right now.
We remember there is still a battle to be fought in November and we should all ask ourselves who we want standing at our sides when it begins.
We would like you at our sides.
We ask Dean supporters everywhere to take a second (or first) look at the candidacy of Wes Clark.
Wes Clark is a patriot, not a politician. He entered this race for the same reasons we all did: to change Washington and to change America.
He represents our hopes for our country - not just for our party.
If you are not familiar with Wes Clark, know this:
His mom was a secretary in Little Rock, Arkansas. He has never forgotten his humble roots and insisted on a tax plan to help working families - the typical American family will get about $1,500 under our plan and millionaires will pay their fair share.
He put his career on the line and, against the conventional wisdom in Washington and at the Pentagon, pushed for the policy that stopped the ethnic cleansing of more than a million people in the Balkans.
No Democrat NOT from the South has been elected President for more than 40 years but his values apply to all Americans. He personally built his stump speech around his core values of family, faith, patriotism and inclusiveness.
We could tell you more but there isn't enough space or time. We ask you to explore the Clark04.com website and learn more about Wes Clark.
If you like what you see, consider joining us by signing up on the home page
We don't have the luxury of a candidate who can loan himself millions of dollars. But, like you, we've raised a lot of money, in small amounts, from supporters all over the country and we're using it to compete hard in all seven Feb. 3 primary states.
A strong showing there sends a signal back to Washington insiders.
Enjoy the summer in DC. Your time in charge is coming to a close.
We've let you run the country for a while.
We'd like it back now.
Thank you,
Eric Carbone, Brent Blackaby, Larry Huynh, Susan Altrui, Maya Israel, Larry Weatherford, Josh Lerner, Chris Kofinis, John Hlinko, Jean Wallace, Christy Kitchens, Jeff Dailey
...and the tens of thousands of other Clark supporters around the country.
|
Printer-friendly format
Email this thread to a friend
Bookmark this thread
(49 posts)
Send PM |
Profile |
Ignore
