Howard Dean has been Very Busy gives $140,000 to NC Dem Party just

[KoKo]

Now to hire three GrassRoots Organizers at the County Level...something "unprecidented in NC Dem Politics" ...and something sorely needed since even with Dem Govenors for 14 years we have barely had funds to support Dem candidates because NC Dems tend to be "DINO Lights" (not as bad as Zell by any means but close in bed with Real Estate/Corporate Interests).

Dean has promised this money because we got a Progressive Dem elected to Democratic State Chair to replace the DINO Repug Barbara Allen. (and, it's us DU'ers and activists from the other campaigns who caused it to happen.) :toast: to us...:toast:

This has all come about because of the Dean/Kucinich/Green/Nader ACTIVISTS who are making their name known in NC Politics.

I give them all a "Toast" and support them all and "WAY TO GO, DEAN!" Don't want to hear anyone trashing this guy. Anyone whose worked with these Dem "old Stuck in their Ways" knows what a hard job he has as an Administrator.. So far it's great! We finally have some funds which are delegated to the States for targeted Grassroots Organizing at the County Level...rather than funds given by Dems that go into the pockets of the "K-Street Crowd."

This is from NC for those of you who want to know what Dean has been doing that you haven't heard about from the Main Stream Media....Whore's Woodruff, Blitzer, Russert, Sheiffer, Stephanopolis and the rest of them. THEY don't WANT YOU TO KNOW!!!!

[BattyDem]

1. One more reason to love Dr. Dean!

Not that I needed one! :loveya:

[mzmolly]

2. I didn't need another eitha!

:loveya: :toast:

[dhinojosa]

3. that is outstanding...kick and recommend

congrats NC dems

[shance]

4. Thanks for posting KoKo. That's great news.

n/t

[KoKo]

27. As I said to a poster down in the thread. A Nice Light in the Darkness

for us. Dean is on the job but his job is very hard. He is organizing and can't be like Joe Biden out there shmoozing with Russert and the rest on the talking head shows.

You'd think our state Dem Parties would be supporting massive change...but here in NC it's "business as usual," and we have a Democratic Governor! Edwards seat which was won against all odds after Jesse Helms and Pig Farmer Faircloth was lost because he ran for VP and Erskine Bowles ran and lost to NC Queen Liddy Dole and then he lost again running for Edwards empty seat...so we now have lost both Senate seats to the Repugs.

So, there's much to do. Plus our election was crooked and we are working on that...some of us.

[trogdor]

38. There should be a rule.

Senators whose terms expire the same year as the presidential election are ineligible to run for President/Vice President on the Democratic ticket, regardless of their intention to run again for the Senate, until we've regained the majority in that house of Congress.

[shance]

46. Agreed.

n/t

[coloradodem2005]

5. Alright.

[tsuki]

6. THEY don't WANT YOU TO KNOW!!!!

Exactly. They are afraid of him, and I am afraid for him. He is too effective.

[wakeme2008]

7. I like what Dean is doing... He is funding States that the old DNC

did not fund well. Can not build a party with no money....

[KoKo]

8. BTW this was just announced at NC Dem Meeting tonight and this weekend

we have our County Conventions where "Voter Verified Paper Ballots are on the Agenda for vote!" And, again DU'ers here are active and working
for Voter Reform here in NC because of the information we've gotten here on DU and from allied sites. I'm a total DU'er so I give a :toast: to those here who worked tirelessly in the "Elections Forum" (still active) here who gave us links and ammuntion to go after our legislators to inform them.

DU has a broad influence with links all of you give to so many sites that it makes organizing easy....if one has the fingers to do the searching.

:toast: to all of you for your links and work on making our VOTES COUNT!

:toast: again...we are working hard here in NC and we are one of those states folks like to put into posts about the color "red." We are working hard..

[DemoTex]

9. Sweet music to my ears (echoing in the mountains!). Dulcimer music!

I'd love to either run against or work against Congressman Charles Taylor. I'm available for either. He ill-serves NC's 11th Congressional District (Counties covered: Cherokee, Graham, Swain, Haywood, Madison, Yancey, McDowell, Buncombe, Clay, Macon, Jackson, Transylvania, Henderson, and Polk; part of Rutherford). I live in Transylvania County. I'm looking into it, believe me.

Mac

[libnnc]

11. I was born and raised in Haywood

and I graduated from Brevard College. I well know the trials and tribulations of trying to beat Charles Taylor. He's one sorry fellow and it is so frustrating that no dem has been able to unseat him. I think it will be interesting if Heath Schuler decides to run against him.

[KoKo]

14. So much is centered in Raleigh and Charlotte and it's hard getting our

Western parts involved feeling they have a voice. The "Triad Greensboro/Winston-Salem has a good group of activists but they are saying they need help deseprately, too. But our Western Group really needs some folks to get message out..and we are building a Progressive Base...slowly... It's kind of good...to be here at this time when there's hope and it's not so fundie that we are totally drowned out.

It's hard even here in Raleigh, though...without folks angry as hell and dedicated to keeping this up...we wouldn't have gotten this far...but we need to GROW...

[Spiffarino]

23. Patsy Keever came mighty close

...but she was swept away in the end by Taylor's well-aimed lies, distortions and smears.

Patsy was trying to be "above" that sort of thing and it cost her. I hope she runs again, only this time with the gloves off and teeth and knuckles bared.

[libnnc]

25. and with enough $$$ to run her own tv ads to battle his

[Spiffarino]

29. Amen

...but that will be up to us. I only contributed $100 and feel guilty about it now. I won't be so cheap next time.

[KoKo]

45. Kick...........

[KoKo]

12. We need you and if you could be a contact for us over there in the West

please PM me...low key involvement is great to. We need more contacts.

Some great folks here in NC ...but our numbers need to grow. :-)s if you can do anything...no matter how little time you have to be a contact..particularly in e-mailing our Dem Reps in the Western Part of the State about verified paper ballots.

It's costing NC too much money with three elections now in dispute because they put in these paperless trail machines in some counties. They've ALL had problems. Optiscan is what we think will be okay in preference to the "Touch Screen Paperless" that lost thousands of votes and caused mucho money to repair with hang ups and delays and possible revotes.

It would be nice to have a Western Contact. I'm in the Capitol area so it's easy for me to be involved just 20 minutes from Legislature...but so many NC'linians so far away...Internet would connect us fast...

[Bouncy Ball]

22. Mac, that would be SO fantastic.

You'd have a TON of support here. I'd love to be able to support you in a run!

:toast:

[Cha]

10. This is so brilliant!

Feels like progress is goin' in your neck of the woods, KoKo.. I'm so happy for ya'll and for all of us!

Thank you, Dr Dean! :toast:

[dhinojosa]

15. oh oh

we are starting to use brilliant like the brits. Actually that would kick ass, I hate the phrase "true dat".

[Cha]

24. That's right! I watch a lot of Brit

movies and pick up what they say, intentionally.

They have a whole other language goin' on..and I get tired using the same words all the time.

Isn't "true dat" from the Hawaiian Island.. Pidgin English language?

[KoKo]

26. Thanks Zidzi...it's a nice little light in the darkness. Wanted to share

it! :-)'s

[gratuitous]

13. Excellent!

I'm not real familiar with North Carolina, but I feel like it and Tennessee are two very "reachable" states for Democrats. Harvey Gantt ran a strong race against Jesse Helms the last time Helms won, and the textile industry has been hurting for years under the ministrations of the GOP. The Democrats can definitely make inroads in North Carolina, and an infusion of cash will surely help.

[KoKo]

17. You are right on...and some of us think Kerry/Edwards did win...and that's

why we are working on voter reform here so heavily...:-)'s NC is winnable if we have proper paper ballots and no interferance...

[keepthemhonest]

16. This is great

and I think that Dean was made for this DNC chairman job.he is just what the docotr ordered.

[KoKo]

19. And, it wasn't easy to get him in that job...just like here with Dem Gov.

it hasn't been easy for reform. Activists...Precinct chairs and sincere average folks getting involved.

[keepthemhonest]

34. I know it was worth whatever struggle to get him in

if he had been the presidential dandidate ,I don't believe he would have conceded like Kerry did. Someone brought that up at the Nashville conference and I believe that is a good point.

[PeaceProgProsp]

18. This is probably groundwork incase Edwards is the nominee.

They'll want to hit the ground running with an infrastructure that can secure NC for the Democrats.

[KoKo]

28. No...this is independent of the candidates who ran. Neither Edwards or

Bowles has supported us. They are "out of the loop" in local politics because they ran nationally.

[LittleClarkie]

20. Cool

(deep breath) YYYYYYAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRGGGGGGGG!!!! (coff, coff)

Still needs work.

[Bouncy Ball]

21. That is FANTASTIC.

I have already gotten two mailings from the DNC and I never got mailings from them before, despite having made contributions.

WAY TO GO DEAN! And way to go North Carolina Democrats!!!!!

:toast:

[marions ghost]

30. thanks for posting, Koko

:woohoo: :kick:

[Clark2008]

31. Why?

Arkansas and Virginia are more likely to go blue.

Sorry to rain on this happiness parade and I'm not doubting giving money to any Southern organization is a good thing... but... um, of all the Southern states, why North Carolina?

[Capn Sunshine]

32. The Plan, in case you haven't heard

Is to have a Democratic party PRESENCE supported on the national level in all 50 states. Likely win or likely loss, we make a stand, and we fight.

That way, they know who we are, and hopefullly, what we stand for.

[Clark2008]

33. Yes, I know that... I'm just curious as to why he started in the South

in North Carolina - instead of Arkansas or Virginia or, hell, even Louisiana... crap, or even Tennessee. North Carolina had a harder margin pro-Bush than even Tennessee.

It looks to me like you'd spread it on what you can bank on first and then lay down the line.

[Tom Rinaldo]

39. No, this makes good sense to me

For one thing NC is not a deep red state, it did elect Edwards, it fairly regularly elects Democratic Governors, and not always Zell Miller types by any stretch either. But even if NC were bright red, it makes sense. There is a powerful more than symbolic statement that needed to be made that the Democrats best represent the interests of the American people, not just the "Liberal" North Eastern and coastal West people. The Republicans are also trying to energize their Southern base (which includes fund raising for national issues) by demonizing Dean in the South now that he is DNC Chair. They are trying to make the case that the Democrats wrote off the South when they picked a Vermonter to head the Party. This flies in the face of that and fires up our base, and Lord knows we have to fire up our base in the South or there will never be the energy needed to turn the situation there around.

I'm sure Dean will follow this up in rapid sequence with a number of other States. Your point about certain Southern States possibly being closer to flipping Democratic is valid, I believe, but I don't think that makes this specific decision wrong. For all we know there was a technical reason why NC came first, the Party may have scheduled an event long ago that dove tails with this. In either case I am confident the DNC will come through in the States you mentioned. If they didn't, I would feel differently.

[KoKo]

43. All states will be getting these funds for Grassroots Organizing. I just

reported it, because I'm involved here and heard about it last night.Wanted our NC DU'ers and others to know that Dean is doing great stuff and not sitting on his butt in his office shmoozing with the K-Streeters. :D

[comsymp]

44. Excellent points, and very well stated

Although I would quibble with "it fairly regularly elects Democratic Governors..."

We've had two R Governors in the last hundred + years - Martin (84-92) and Holshouser (72-76). IIRC, that's pretty similar to other State offices and Lege majorities, as well. (And it's always important to point out some outstanding Dem Senators beyond Edwards - Sam Ervin and Terry Sanford come immediately to mind)

[KoKo]

41. He's doing it everywhere. His plan was to get the money into grassroots

in each state. State Dem Chairman have been complaining for years that they don't give us money for even a clerk to update the voting records.

Here in NC and in other states they relied on volunteers and the voting records hadn't been updated until activists from Dean Campaign went in and computerized them. Without that we couldn't have done the door to door canvassing for Kerry/Edwards.

We haven't gotten any money from the National Party. It was shocking when we got involved to see that everything was going to to the K-Streeters and National Ops and nothing to support Grassroots local activities. You wouldn't believe how bad it is in the State Organizations with lack of funds.

Repugs know every single person in their Precincts, who died and who moved and how often they've voted. They have the money to spend on computers. We only had one old computer. Changes were made by the Dean/Kucinich activitists who started working early..with almost nothing even donating their own money and time because we desperately wanted to win in 04. It shouldn't be this way. We should have always had money from DNC to update our Democratic voting rolls and someone paid to do this full time, plus handle the grassroots organizing.

Dean is working with all the States Party Chairmen to get funds in place. And, we are working on getting those Touch Screens out of the
state, too. That's on our own...not Dean's responsibility.

[knight_of_the_star]

48. Think about it this way

If we setup solid, self-sustatining parties that can hold their ground and fight in coming elections in every state then we can focus the presidential campaign's monies on winning the states that we can pickup and use the party's funds to make the GOP fight us everywhere instead of just where they need to.

[SheepyMcSheepster]

35. ahh, great news! kick!

[comsymp]

36. That isn't good enough

Why isn't Dean here going door-to-door? I was home all last weekend and never saw him - no phone calls, nothin'.

WHERE IS HE!?!

:evilgrin:

(having said that, this is great news - thanks, KoKo!)

[Tom Rinaldo]

37. LOL You nailed it.

I just had the news on this morning and Howard Dean wasn't in it, that slouch. Last night I was at a meeting of my local Democratic club and Howard didn't show up. I'm getting tired of this disappearing act.

I wish he would stop putzing around and just push the magic button and make everything better! But no, Dean has to go around the country talking to Democrats one group at a time. Where's that going to get us?

[loudsue]

40. KoKo this is GREAT news! NC DEFINITELY was going blue in 2004

And if it wasn't for those damned black boxes, we would have shown the rest of the country a thing or two.

Congrats to you and your group for all the hard work! As an NC DUer who is out of state, working, half the time, I'm sure glad to know you guys are on top of this! I'll send $$, too!

I'm ready to get rid of our DINO governor in favor of a REAL Dem governor, as well as TWO :puke: republican senators who STOLE the elections in NC. Repuke fundies in NC are the WORST and meanest lot in all 50 states (home of the Southern Baptist Convention, dontcha know), and we need to keep working to drown out their preaching!

:woohoo: Great work! Keep up the momentum! :applause:

:kick::kick::kick:

[ProgressiveDepot.com]

42. Dean's quietly doing his job

More and more I love that he's in charge. I think his strength is getting things done. He had a tough run as a candidate but no one can question his history of making things happen.

[KoKo]

47. And the first money went to States who had Progressives in Place and

raring to go... He put out an announcement asking for more money from folks to give to DNC...but he's very clever in that he's putting the money forward to the states that have "Activists."

He's very good. I like that he's DNC Chair.

[Mass]

49. Great news!

[libodem]

50. that is WAY good

and grassroots is the way to go. Awesome!!!

[GreenInNC]

51. Progressive North Carolina

WOOHOO! Money for organizing, gotta love it.

I am a precinct chair and got elected to the State Executive Committee this past weekend so I am looking forward to working with Dems across the state to put this money to work.