 |
|
Thursday, October 14, 2004
Chris Bowers:
George Bush repeatedly talks about the need to spread freedom around the world. However, here at home, his own campaign has engaged in a nationwide effort to keep people from casting votes. Across the country, in important swing state after important swing state, Republicans want to reduce the number of people who vote in the upcoming election:
In Colorado, they do not want you to vote.
In Florida, they do not want you to vote.
In Minnesota, the do not want you to vote.
In Nevada, they do not want you to vote.
In Ohio, they do not want you to vote.
In Oregon, they do not want you to vote.
In Pennsylvania, they do not want you to vote.
In West Virginia, they do not want you to vote.
In Wisconsin, they do not want you to vote.
By contrast, Democrats have worked tirelessly to register as many new voters as possible and increase national participation in the political process nationwide. In state after state, Democrats have registered tens of thousands more new voters than Republicans. One party wants you to vote; one party does not. This is something voters need to know.
Don't fall for it, Compare | Decide | Vote November 2nd at www.comparedecidevote.com
Posted at 08:54 pm by blog swarm
Political News Permalink
ROCK THE VOTE
Thursday, October 14, 2004
Republican Party Chairman Tells Us To Stop Talking About The Draft" name=109779237957217297>
Yesterday, Rock the Vote received a very startling letter from Ed Gillespie, Chairman of the Republican National Committee. He demanded that we stop talking about the issue of the military draft.
The letter leaked out on the Internet and a lot of people wondered whether it was even real. Yes, it is real.
The letter from Chairman Gillespie is here. Our response is here and below.
---------------------
October 14, 2004
Mr. Ed Gillespie, Chairman
Republican National Committee
310 First Street, SE
Washington, DC 20003
VIA FASCIMILE: (202) 863-8774
Dear Chairman Gillespie,
The letter I received from you yesterday was quite a surprise. It struck us as just the sort of "malicious political deception" that is likely to increase voter cynicism and decrease the youth vote. In fact, it is a textbook case of attempted censorship, very much in line with those that triggered our organization's founding some fifteen years ago.
I am stunned that you would say that the issue of the military draft is an "urban myth"that has been "thoroughly debunked by no less than the President of the United States."
I have some news for you. Just because President Bush, Vice President Cheney, and Secretary Rumsfeld, and for that matter Senator Kerry, say that there is not going to be a draft does not make it so. Just because Congress holds a transparently phony vote against the draft does not mean there isn't going to be one. Anyone who thinks that the youth of America are going to take a politician's word on this topic is living on another planet.
By your logic, there should be no debate about anything that you disagree with. There's a place for that kind of sentiment (and your threats), but its not here in our country.
There are questions that the politicians are running away from. How long can we keep 138,000 U.S. troops or more on the ground in Iraq? What if full-scale civil war erupts there, as the CIA has warned is a realistic possibility? Would the next President be faced with a choice of pulling out of Iraq rather than institute a draft? Would women be drafted? What exactly would the draft-age be?
According to the Pentagon's own internal assessment, there are "inadequate total numbers" of troops to meet U.S. security interests. The current issue of Time magazine reports that, "General John Keane, who retired last year as the Army's No. 2 officer, says the continued success of the all-volunteer military is not guaranteed" Keane has told Congress that adding more than 50,000 troops to the Army would require thinking about a return to the draft."
But you want young people to believe that the draft is just an "urban myth." I was expecting that you were going to present some facts to back up your assertion. But, instead, you have demanded that we stop talking about it.
Although the draft may not be a discussion topic for someone of your age, we have found that young people - Republicans, Democrats and Independents - are very interested in this issue. We believe in the capacity of young Americans to make their own judgments when fairly presented with the facts. That is why we are actively promoting an informed, educated dialogue. I urge you to review the "Debunking the Myths" section on our website where we address misperceptions about the draft.
Mr. Gillespie, this is a generational issue. Nothing cuts closer to the core of the very reason Rock the Vote exists. We think young people deserve to know where the politicians stand on this issue - and that a generation that could be called to service deserves more than the phony debate they are getting. We believe that it is only by asking questions - not by censoring debate - that our democracy can remain strong and vital.
Issues such as jobs, health care, Iraq, taxes, and education have energized the electorate, and the draft issue deserves the same serious treatment and candor. Blanket denials do not square with the facts and do not level with the electorate.
As far as the possibility that Rock the Vote's efforts might "decrease the youth vote," we are feeling very confident at this point that the opposite is true. More than 1.1 million people have used our website to fill out voter registration forms this election cycle. Our street teams and ground partners have registered hundreds of thousands more. Young voters are going to surge at the polls on Election Day and make the difference for whichever candidate does the best job reaching out to them.
Despite the strong and often strident tone of your letter, I would hope that we could both agree that honest and open debate is the surest guarantor of our democracy and liberty.
Sincerely,
Jehmu S. Greene
President
:: posted by hans @ 3:19 PM
http://www.blog.rockthevote.com/2004_10_10_archive.html#109779237957217297
Tuesday, October 12, 2004
The draft issue is more than rumors on the Internet(s).
As the media begins to actually dig into an issue that it has largely ignored throughout the year, awareness is growing that, regardless of political unpopularity, the draft deserves more attention.
Check out this new Time magazine piece for a very comprehensive overview of the draft issue from all sides. Everyone from draft-age young men and women to experienced military experts see, at the very least, that a draft is indeed a possibility.
The article brings up a Pentagon fallback plan to increase the financial incentives for enlisting, with some rewards reaching as high as $40,000 for special-op fighters. Realistically, that seems like where we are headed.
This is a good example of something that we think needs public discussion in this presidential race. How long could we keep up incentive-based recruiting? And at what point does fairness come into play? To put it bluntly, are these really “volunteers” in the sense of the word that both candidates use on the stump, that the military leaders use in the press conferences?
Do yourself a favor and read the Time magazine article.
:: posted by Matt Teper @ 8:24 PM
Sunday, October 10, 2004
Rock the Vote Draft Campaign Garners National Attention" name=109746281217818319>
Check out this great LA Times article about our campaign to make sure all young voters are educated about the possibility of a draft. Looks like the right people are starting to take notice ...
THE RACE FOR THE WHITE HOUSE
Rumor of a Draft Touches a Nerve. Bush and Kerry deny conscription plans, but Rock the Vote raises the specter.
By Kathleen Hennessey Times Staff Writer
WASHINGTON — An army of new voters received a startling call to serve recently, when one of the largest nonpartisan groups trying to increase voting by young people sent fake draft cards to nearly 640,000 e-mail addresses.
"You've been drafted" was the subject line of the message sent by Rock the Vote. The message contained an image of a draft card addressed to the recipient and warned, "real cards may be in the mail soon if the situation doesn't improve."
President Bush and Sen. John F. Kerry both have rejected suggestions that they would move to reinstitute the draft, positions they reiterated in their debate Friday night in St. Louis.
But by raising the threat of the draft, Rock the Vote has staked its claim as the edgiest of the multimillion-dollar campaigns trying to push young people to the polls. The effort has also caught the attention of Republicans, who said the group misled voters and crossed into partisan politics. "
It has the face of a nonpartisan group, yet it's promoting the agenda of the liberal left," said Alison Aikele, spokeswoman for the College Republican National Committee. Aikele said has she received complaints from local chapters about draft rumors on campus.
Rock the Vote political director Hans Riemer said the group was trying to inform its members about the limits of U.S. military forces, not persuade them to vote for a particular candidate.
"It would be crazy if young people went to the polls and didn't factor this into their votes, however they come down on it. It's very real," said Riemer. "We're one major military conflict away from the draft. I don't see why candidates get to talk about war all day long and we can't talk about a draft."
Despite the stated opposition by Bush and Kerry to reinstating the draft, a recent survey found that only a quarter of young people knew this, compared with 42% of older people.
About half of 18- to 29-year-olds believe that Bush wants to reinstate the draft, according the poll conducted by the Annenberg National Election Survey this month.
Last week, House Republicans sought to dispel suggestions that the war in Iraq could lead to a new draft by hastily bringing the idea to a vote and defeating it in a 402-2 vote.
But that move is unlikely to end the talk on college campuses.
"If there is a draft, I would still be eligible," said University of Michigan student Paul Indyck, explaining why he was leaning toward Kerry.
Posted at 08:51 pm by blog swarm
Political News Permalink
Comment on Kos:
EMAIL ROCK THE VOTE AND TELL THEM YOU SUPPORT THEM AND WANT TO KNOW THE TRUTH ABOUT THE SKILLS DRAFT MEMO RECOVERED THROUGH THE FOI ACT.
blog@rockthevote.com
The most important thing to keep in mind is that the Bush Administration could add several billion dollars to the Defense budget and add two active-duty divisions to the military to save the Volunteer Army. John Kerry is actually proposing just that in his $7 billion plan to add the 2 divisions, and strengthen the military with increased benefits, a doubling of Special Ops and several other programs like his volunteer Civilian Stability Corps (kind of a Peace Corps on steroids).
Yet instead Bush is stretching the Army so thin, they are now calling up the retired Individual Ready Reserve--and they have even sent Company B of the Arlington Color Guard to the Mideast, giving them real bullets instead of the blanks they were firing at military funerals. If they want to preserve the Volunteer Army, as Bush said in the first debate, and not have to reinstate the combat draft, why has the Bush Administration not added the several billion needed to avoid having to call a draft? Out of the $200 billion allocated for Iraq, not one penny was ever allocated to do this.
Timeline of activity on Skills and Medical Drafts
Feb. 11 2003--Top-level meeting between the head of the SSS and Deputy Undersecretary Abell in charge of Personnel and Readiness of the DoD on a new type of draft, the Skills Draft. This is the meeting recorded in the unpublicized Agenda Document, revealed by a Freedom of Information Act request in May 2004, which recommends a Skills Draft and an upgrading of the Medical Draft. The memo proposes the SSS be able to call up any number of several hundred skills the Pentagon and even the Dept. of Homeland Security might be short of. Option 3 of the agenda's "Next Steps" outlined moving "promptly" to change the mission of the SSS, to actively plan and prepare for the massive datbase needed to track men and women, "virtually every young American" under 35 and their skills (more details below). The SSS goes back to the drawing board after this meeting, encouraged enough to do some more planning.
http://www.blatanttruth.org/selective_service091304.pdf
Summer 2003--A drive begins to start filling Draft Board vacancies by asking current board members to find new ones. (Salon, "Oiling Up the Draft Machine")
July 25, 2003 - World Net Daily article on plans for the medical draft (HCPDS). System could draft up to 80,000 doctors, nurses and specialists, men and women.
http://wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=33754
Fall 2003 - In its July 13th , 2004 article, "Could Your Child Be Drafted?", Family Circle reported that in the Fall of 2003, "Karl Rove polled Republican members of Congress on how they felt about the draft. They said they'd support the President." Despite Family Circle's circulation of 23 million, this charge was never refuted by the White House. http://www.oregonparentsunited.org/article..._be_drafted.htm
Fall 2003--DoD announces critical skills shortages in linguists, computer experts and engineers. SSS Director Brodsky orders the designing of the SKILLS DRAFT procedures, the registration card, and the massive database needed to track every young American under the age of 35 AND their skills (the first step in creating a database is to decide what data fields are needed). The two-year process to gear up SKILLS DRAFT starts a year ago, in Fall 2003, meaning a skills draft could be ready in late 2005 (a new law would have to be passed by the Congress and signed by the President along the lines suggested in "Next Steps" at the end of the Skills Draft Agenda document).
September, 2003 - Acting SSS Director Brodsky, misleads J. E. McNeil, the head of Center on Conscience & War, a Conscientious Objector support and information group, telling her that in February of 2003 the SSS had to "justify their existence" before a hostile committee and that the Skills Draft "planning" was just a way to keep the Selective Service funded for another year. In reality, the SSS and DoD were having the Skills Draft meeting in that same month of February and he himself had just started designing the new draft registration cards and procedures, making it his top priority when the Pentagon announced the critical skills shortages. http://www.nisbco.org/UAA/03152004.html
September 23, 2003 - Draft Board Recruitment ad appears on Defense.Link site. First public ad for Draft Boards in decades. Page scrubbed within a few days of being noticed by some media in early November. Spokesman says there is "no plan" to reinstate draft, that it must be authorized by Congress. Public concern over new draft begins. "If a military draft becomes necessary," the notice explained, "approximately 2,000 Local and Appeal Boards throughout America would decide which young men, who submit a claim, receive deferments, postponements or exemptions from military service, based on Federal guidelines."
http://www.thememoryhole.org/mil/draft-boards.htm
November 2003--Draft board ad scrubbed.
Nov. 12, 2003 - "If President Bush is re-elected, it is likely that he will reinstate the draft. The war on terrorism will not end in Iraq, but instead will proceed into countries like Syria and Iran," said Daniel Ellsberg, of Pentagon Papers fame.
Dec. 2003--Acting SSS Director Brodsky announces the Skills Draft to be the "top priority" of the SSS in the Winter 2003 newsletter The Register, talking of rapid progress to come on the Skills Draft. As with the health care draftees, no medical deferments are allowed in the Skills Draft except for total disability. Startling inside information is revealed: "SSS officials consulted with DoD planners to learn that medical personnel, computer specialists and linguists are difficult to recruit and hard to retain. There are also fears that lengthy and repetitive activations of Guard and Reserve members will boost Reserve Component attrition rates. So a principal objective of PIP-2003 is to shift the Agency's focus away from maintaining a high state of readiness to execute a large draft of untrained manpower and toward preparing for a much smaller draft of trained personnel possessing critical skills needed for military service in a national crisis." This is a direct statement the Selective Service is focused on "preparing" a Skills Draft, that it is not just a planning paper or "food for thought". In addition, there is the internal Pentagon fear that the Guard and Reserves will not meet re-enlistment rates, despite public statements by DoD spokesmen and Rumsfeld himself that a draft is not needed.
http://www.sss.gov/PDFs/NovDec2003-Register.pdf (go to P. 6)
March 13, 2004--Word of Skills Draft leaks out in a SF Chronicle story--the SSS admits it but tells reporters it's just a "planning contingency." In a misleading statement to allay fears, the SSS also says it would take 2 years to gear up and work the kinks out of a Skills Draft and that there is no funding for it. In fact, the SSS admits 6 weeks later that it has been actively designing the procedures and the data fields to be used on the Skills and Medical Registration cards since Fall of 2003 when the Pentagon announced shortages in liguists, computer experts and engineers. And SSS Spokesman Richard Flavahan contradicts spokesman Amon saying: "We want to gear up and make sure we are capable of providing (those types of draftees) since that's the more likely need," Eric Rosenberg, the reporter on the story, finds out about the Feb. 11 meeting agenda document and files a Freedom of Information Act request to get a copy.
May 1, 2004--Eric Rosenberg's writes an article on the Skills Draft Agenda memo with the memo in hand--but fails to mention several key points: skills conscription would be expanded to fill labor shortages throughout the Dept of Homeland Security, which is 1/3 of the whole government, the Skills Draft can be called without a combat draft, Skills induction will take a mere 90 days of reauthorization, the SSS wanted to "promptly" change the very MISSION of the SSS, and so on. The article does, however, reveal many major points of the sweeping plan. http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/171522_draft01.html
May 2, 2004 - Second Rosenberg article with memo in hand. ""These ideas were only being floated for Department of Defense consideration," Amon said. He described the proposal as "food for thought" for contingency planning." "Nonetheless, <SSS spokesman and Congressional liason> Flahavan said, "the agency has begun designing procedures to conduct a targeted registration and draft of people with computer and language skills, in case military officials and Congress authorize it." In actuality, however, the SSS was right then designing the cards and data fields needed for the entire Skills Draft and upgrading the Medical Draft based on that design work, they were not just working on a draft for computer and language skills. http://www.dailystar.com/dailystar/dailystar/20404.php
Summer, Fall, 2004--Mock Combat Draft Lottery held, and sample medical exam report orders issued to sample addresses with mailing list software. Alternative Service is geared up for first time in 31 years. Papers to place Conscientious Objectors with employers as Alternative Service Workers are actually drawn up. With the Alternative Service for the first time geared up in the culmination of a 5-year readiness plan, the SSS is brought up to 95% operational capability. Full Medical Draft capability is set for 2005, and all DRAFT BOARD vacancies are to be filled by Spring 2005, according to column by Ted Rall. The SSS must report to the Director on March 31, 2005, that the entire system could be operational within 75 days. This means that all 1,980 local draft board offices would be open by June 15, 2005. Theoretically, the first draft lottery for Combat for 20 year-olds and older Skills and Medical registrants could then take place. http://www.sss.gov/perfplan_fy2004
Sept 13, 2004--Agenda memo of key Feb 2003 meeting posted on the Web. The .PDF file reveals the full scope of the Feb.11 agenda and, in the context of the statements by Flavahan and Brodsky, makes clear the SSS was told by the Pentagon a year ago to go ahead with the Skills Draft. What Option 3a and 3b at the end of the memo indicates for the future of "virtually every young American" can now be read by everyone, so each person can decide for themselves what it may mean to them.
Sept 20, 2004 - Howard Dean reports in a column entitled: "Hidden Agenda: A National Draft in the Future?" that two draft board members told him that the Selective Service has informed boards that a draft is coming next year: "Selective Service boards have already been notified that 20-year-olds and medical personnel will be called up first."
http://www.yubanet.com/artman/publish/article_13568.shtml
Sept 27, 2004 - When the Rocky Mtn News noted the Feb. 11 memo itself was circulating on the Internet, SSS Spokesman Amon "said the memo was authentic, but he called it nothing more than a `food for thought kind of thing' that was largely rejected inside the Pentagon." These were the same exact words he used in early 2004, despite Flavahan's "gear up" statement, and the revelation that the SSS had been "designing procedures" and data fields for the Skills Draft since Fall of 2003. <ROCKY MTN NEWS> http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/elec...3212279,00.html
October 7, 2004 - Rock The Vote posts Feb. 11 Agenda memo on their Blog!
http://blog.rockthevote.com
HANG UP THIS FLYER EVERYWHERE!!
Printable pdf: http: http://somnamblst.tripod.com/draftalert.pdf
More: http://blatanttruth.org/draft.php
Posted at 08:46 pm by blog swarm
Political News Permalink
Wednesday, October 13, 2004
A few minutes ago, the third and final presidential debate came to a close. Once again, I am about to head over to the "spin room," and once again I am going to have the chance to talk about a victory for John Kerry.
During these debates, John Kerry has left no doubt that he has the strength and character we need in a commander in chief. He has shown the American people his command of the facts, steady demeanor, and well reasoned arguments. He offered hope and optimism, and showed that he will fight for middle class families.
The Bush campaign has tried to lower the bar for each debate. But the bar can only go so low.
The bottom line is, when it comes to the concerns of the middle class, George Bush just doesn't get it -- doesn't know how to talk about it -- and has no way to fix it. While he offered nothing but more of the same tired rhetoric -- John Kerry presented real solutions to real problems. That's the reason why John Kerry won and George Bush lost -- lowered expectations and spin from the Bush campaign will not change this.
Tonight George Bush's denials further damaged his credibility. He denied we have problems with immigration, No Child Left Behind, equal pay for women and the minimum wage. Bush pretends our problems don't exist, and he won't level with the American people.
Posted at 10:16 pm by blog swarm
Political News Permalink
"It is the same people who told us that Saddam Hussein had something to do with 9/11; the same people who told us Saddam Hussein had something to do with weapons of mass destruction; the same people who told us we would be able to use the oil for reconstruction money; the same people who told us we would be greeted as liberators, not occupiers; the same people, the same President who told us the Taliban is gone; the same President who told us that Poland is our ally 2 days before they pull out; the same President who tells us Iraq is going just great; the same President who tells us the economy is going just great; the same people who told us the tax cuts were going to create millions of jobs; the same people who told us that the Medicare program only cost $400 billion when it really cost $540 billion."
— Rep. Tim Ryan, October 5, 2004
Dear Friend,
 When I spoke those words on the floor of Congress last week, I never dreamt the reaction they would cause. But the truth is that people are fed up with being denied the truth. For too long — far too long — we have been fed one pack of lies after another by the President and the Republican leaders in Congress; by the Karl Roves and the John Ashcrofts; by the apologists and the excuse makers.
And here's one more truth: We have the opportunity to change all of that on November 2nd, but it's up to us to make it happen!
https://secure.dccc.org/win/ryan.aspx?id=ryan
Those of us who have expressed outrage, who have complained, and who have proclaimed, "Someone needs to do something," must realize that it's up to each and every one of us now — no one's going to do it for us.
As part of DCCC leadership, one thing I am doing is urging people to join our "Million for a Majority" campaign. As you may know, in just the last two weeks we shocked Republicans by vastly expanding the number of races we were targeting in states in every region of the country.
If we can raise $1 million more between now and October 24, we can put additional races in play, strengthening our position and our ability to remove Tom DeLay and his allies from control and restore a Democratic majority in the U.S. House of Representatives. We've already raised $612,000, so we need less than $400,000 more to go. Whether you can afford to give $12, $18, $25, or $100 or more, please understand how your contributions add up to give us the critical resources needed for this fight.
https://secure.dccc.org/win/ryan.aspx?id=ryan
This election is about more than just honest disagreements about policies, it is about a pattern of behavior that rewards lying to the American people about every issue we hold dear.
On November 3, I don't want to hear that President Bush has been reelected and that Tom DeLay is still in charge of the House. We cannot reward this President and his right-wing allies in Congress with another victory. Please do what you can right now to help us remove George W. Bush and Tom DeLay from doing more damage to our country and to our collective future:
https://secure.dccc.org/win/ryan.aspx?id=ryan
Warmest Regards,
Rep. Tim Ryan
U.S. House of Representatives (OH-17)
Posted at 10:14 pm by blog swarm
Political News Permalink
Tonight is the third and final presidential debate -- once again, John Kerry will demonstrate his command of the issues and his ability to lead America. And once again, George Bush will refuse to level with the American people.
As soon as the debate ends, the next critical phase of our campaign begins. We turn our attention to key battleground states that will decide this election. As part of this new phase, party strategists will meet this weekend to discuss where to dedicate precious resources.
So we have another fundraising deadline -- by Friday night we have to make sure they have the money to make decisions based on strategy, not finances:
https://www.democrats.org/support/kerry.html
Last weekend they met to discuss advertising, and thanks to the money that you contributed by the Friday deadline, they were able to make some key choices that were not available in 2000. This weekend's deadline is even more critical to the Democratic ticket.
https://www.democrats.org/support/kerry.html
Every step of the way you have been with us. George Bush thought he was going to win reelection by overwhelming our campaign. His strategists did not count on the strength of our supporters. You have given us the ability to face down the Republican attack machine and you have given the Democratic Party the ability to make decisions that nobody thought possible.
I asked the strategists who are meeting this weekend to tell me how much money they needed to make their decisions solely based on strategy. They informed me they needed $4 million. I told them, don't worry, our online supporters are going to give you and all our Democratic candidates $5 million. Prove me right before Friday at midnight.
Thank you,
Mary Beth Cahill
Campaign Manager
Posted at 10:13 pm by blog swarm
Political News Permalink
Somebody needs to snap this Administration and its Congressional Allies out of the 4 year trance they've been living in. Because it seems like no amount of expert testimony on Iraq, intelligence reports on 9/11, or facts and figures on the economy seem to be doing the trick. I mean, the stories and characters featured in my new children's book are more believable than what we've seen from the Republican Party.
For anything that remotely resembles the truth, the Republican national machine puts through their spin and smear cycle, leaves it up to hang dry, throws in another load and re-starts the process all over again. This Republican machine has been working in overdrive for 4 years; now, it's close to breaking down entirely. In fact, it's due in for a replacement. And that's exactly what the folks at the DSCC are close to securing for the American people. They're watching every race, every hour. We're just 2 seats away from trading in this rubber-stamp Senate and the polls say we can do it.
I've worked on ENOUGH races to know that during this critical phase of the campaign, the DSCC will need at least $2 million dollars from contributors like you by October 28th to push our candidates over the finish line.
That's why my Democratic friends over at the Senate are chipping in for the final push to 51 with the DSCC's Match Campaign. They're turning up the heat on Republicans by matching your gift dollar for dollar. By doubling your commitment, they're throwing in that 'little somethin' extra' Democratic Senate candidates will need over the next 20 days to pull through to victory.
Click here to contribute to the DSCC's $ 2 Million Dollar Match Campaign today.
Because Democratic Senators know that fixing America's problems begins with facing the truth-the truth about Iraq, the economy and our country's future. And what they want you to know is, we must first face the truth about this election-that it will take the daily support of all of us to take back control of the Senate from the Republicans.
Now, I know a lot of you folks already gave to the DSCC in the past. But you wanted to hear the truth, and the truth is this: we needed your contribution yesterday, we need it today, and we'll need it for every day until the Election. The polls tell us that the races are so tight, we'll need to raise more money, knock on more doors, put out more ads and get out more Democratic voters to the polls if we're going to win this thing. It will take at least $1 million dollars to make this happen and the moment you make a contribution, the DSCC will send it out to the closest races where it will make the greatest impact.
Give Democratic Senate candidates that little somethin' extra so we can trade in this Republican era for a new era of hope and prosperity. Click here to contribute to the DSCC today.
The Republicans got away with ignoring intelligence experts, our allies, economists and the media for the past 4 years. Let's make sure they don't ignore the voice of the American people on Election Day. The truth is catching up to them and so are Democrats.
Sincerely,
James Carville
P.S. Forward this message to a friend or colleague. Tell everyone you know how Democrats are trading in this rubber stamp Senate for a Senate that works for all of us--not just George W. Bush. They can join the campaign for 51 by clicking here.
Posted at 10:12 pm by blog swarm
Political News Permalink
I have said many times on the campaign trail that I took my last election for granted. By the time I realized that my opponent was a serious contender it was almost too late. Consequently, I won by an overwhelming margin of 428 votes. This year I know every vote counts.
Click here to contribute.
I have the opportunity to work in the halls of the U.S. Capitol and not a day goes by when I don't feel the weight of those I represent and the responsibility that comes with my position. We have been able to accomplish much together, but we still have much to do.
Click here to contribute.
I assembled my campaign team early and we have been effective at mobilizing a grass-roots team, amassing bi-partisan support, and communicating a positive message throughout our great state. But it's not over yet!
Click here to contribute.
I used to box and I can tell you that most fights are not won by a first-round knock-out, but by consistent stamina. So, I am asking you to go the distance with me to finish the fight we started. Help me win one more round by making a contribution to my campaign. Let's close this election year together with a victory not just for Nevadans, but all Americans!
Thank you for your continued support and generous contribution.
Sincerely,
Harry Reid
United States Senator
Posted at 10:12 pm by blog swarm
Political News Permalink
reach out and call someone
The election is just three weeks away! As all Americans are getting to know John Kerry in the debates, the Bush-Cheney campaign is getting desperate again. Their only hope now is to pummel a small handful of "swing" states with false advertising, push polls, and paid canvassing -- and hope that cynicism and deception wins the day.
Luckily, Democratic Party field teams in the swing states planned ahead for this. They're running aggressive door-to-door programs using tens of thousands of volunteers to get information to undecided voters and to encourage infrequent voters to vote.
Because of the Internet, you can now help them succeed no matter where you live. Using JohnKerry.com, you can make phone calls to Kerry supporters in swing states to recruit new volunteers.
Every little bit adds up to an enormous effort -- click here to join the "Phone Corps" and we'll get you started:
http://calls.johnkerry.com
These calls have already doubled the number of volunteers on the ground. However, we're only calling through about one third of our potential volunteers every ten days. WE NEED MORE CALLERS. If we can just triple our number of regular callers to 15,000, we'll be able to call through all of our potential volunteer lists every single week.
That will have a massive impact on the election.
Every volunteer you recruit will make dozens of voter contacts on the ground in his or her state. Even if you can only give 15 minutes every few days to make calls, that helps us enormously -- with 2.5 million people receiving this request, every little bit adds up.
When you make these volunteer recruitment calls, you'll be reaching out to other John Kerry supporters who signed up or contributed on JohnKerry.com, just like you did. Most have indicated that they want to volunteer. There are simply too many of them for paid staff to call through -- so every call you make unlocks a resource that the campaign would be unable to tap without you.
Please help us with these calls by clicking here:
http://calls.johnkerry.com
Thank you,
Josh Ross
Director of Internet Strategy, Kerry-Edwards 2004
|
P.S. |
Don't forget that you can travel to a battleground state and volunteer on the ground through the Road Trip to Victory. Just take one minute to plan your trip by clicking on the link below.
http://johnkerry.com/roadtrip |
Posted at 10:11 pm by blog swarm
Political News Permalink
10,000 'hoods/500 staff = 440,000 votes
This election is within our reach -- and I am proud to announce a major initiative to get the votes to win. Democracy for America is partnering with MoveOn in a massive get-out-the-vote effort called Leave No Voter Behind.
Here's the plan: 500 paid organizers will mobilize thousands of volunteers in 10,000 key neighborhoods in battleground states. Together they will turn out 440,000 new voters for John Kerry and Democrats at every level. Work has already begun -- organizers are calling tens of thousands of DFA supporters in swing states.
But what can you do in a state that is firmly red or firmly blue? Help pay for the effort:
www.democracyforamerica.com/contribute
Leave No Voter Behind uses proven, neighbor-to-neighbor methods to get out the vote. But nothing comes for free. George Bush's education policy with a similar name failed because he refused to fund it.
Please give what you can to get voters to the polls:
www.democracyforamerica.com/contribute
These next three weeks will be intense, but we have to keep our eye on the ball. The fundamentals are in place -- we just need to execute.
Organizers are on the ground, we are recruiting volunteers, and -- with your help -- we will deliver on Election Day.
Thank you for everything.
Tom McMahon
Executive Director
Democracy for America
P.S. Thanks to your resounding response, during the final week of September we wrote over $200,000 in checks to fiscally responsible, socially progressive candidates across the country. Now we need to turn out the vote for them -- please give what you can to make it happen: www.democracyforamerica.com/contribute
Posted at 10:10 pm by blog swarm
Political News Permalink
|
|
|
|
|
|
