If we posted all the email that flies by our mailboxes, we wouldn't have time for anything else. But this seemed well worth sharing. — Eds.

From: Miles Kurland <miles@kurland.com>
Date: Sun, 12 Jun 2005 08:08:48 -0700
Subject: [DFA-NorCal] Support Howard Dean Day: Weds. June 15th

DNC Howard Dean is under attack. A few of his comments have been taken out of context and used to discredit him... and by doing so, keep Democrats and progressives down.

No one can stand the kind of critical scrutiny given to Dean: he's under a microscope where every pore and mole is made to look like a disfigurement... while the President of the United States is viewed through reverse binoculars with vasoline on the lens.

But the worst part... the worst part is that Democrats have been adding fuel to the fire, criticizing Dean when we need to stand together. Our elected officials are fiddling about Howard Dean while the Republican party burns America.

We at Sonoma County DFA are proposing an outreach effort to all Democratic activists to make a big splash to enhance our visibility and demonstrate our fund-raising and organizational capabilities: Support Howard Dean Day - June 15th.

Between now and June 15th, we’re encouraging our fellow activists to do whatever we can to enlist support and participation not only from our core activist lists, but also our extended communities of sympathetic - but less engaged - friends and family.

Because frankly we don't have any time to waste. The 2006 elections will be upon us sooner than we think, and we want to make sure that the party is with the program:

Together we need to move away from the special interest fundraising of the Republicans... and Democratic Washington insiders... towards building a party that represents the interests of the American citizen.

Together we need to move the center of gravity of the party away from Washington and towards the states, the counties, and the precincts.

And just as importantly, together we need to aggressively challenge the Republican talking points and have the courage of our convictions to unapologetically champion the traditional Democratic values which have been under unremitting attack for the past few decades.


So lets do the following... and encourage others to do likewise on or before June 15th:

1. Give money to the DNC: http://www.actblue.com/list/dnc or go to Democrats.org . It doesn’t matter how you give... they’re getting the message.
2. Call Your Democratic Elected Officials. Let them know that Democrats are tired of making jokes about "the circular firing squad": we stand behind Chairman Howard Dean and expect them to refrain from ripping into him in public. If they disagree with him on strategy or tactics, tell it to Dean directly: don't air it to a hostile media.
3. Sign the Dean Speaks for Us Petition: http://www.petitiononline.com/Dean/petition.html
4. Write Letters to the Editor
5. Spread the word to your network of friends and family

Here are some good articles that point out the ways that Howard Dean is doing a great job as DNC Chairman:

William Rivers Pitt: Dean Was Right
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/061105Z.shtml

Reuters Article: Democratic Leaders Back Dean, don't want 'wimp'
http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=politicsNews&storyID=2005-06-11T185639Z_01_N11690898_RTRIDST_0_POLITICS-DEAN-DC.XML

Dana Blankenhorn: A Master Politician At Work
http://www.corante.com/mooreslore/archives/2005/06/10/a_master_politician_at_work.php#more

Thom Hartmann: Dean Just Told Them The Truth and They Thought It Was Hell
http://www.opednews.com/hartmann_061105_dean.htm

Rob Kall: Dean is Doing What We Hired Him To Do
http://www.opednews.com/kall_061105_dean.htm

All these opinions showcase the great job Howard is actually doing... but we also need to address the problem: Democrats who really are making gaffes - by turning on our own. The following articles starkly illustrate how our own elected officials are giving talking points to our adversaries. And that has to stop.

Senator Obama Says Dean Using 'Religion to Divide'
http://www.townhall.com/news/politics/200506/POL20050609b.shtml

Howard Dean: Does He Speak for the Democrats?
http://www.nationalledger.com/commentary/article_1517.shtml

Will Rogers famously said: "I'm not a member of an organized political party. I'm a Democrat".

Well, that ship has sailed. If we don't become an organized political party right now, this nation is finished. In fact, it's past due. And Dr. Howard Dean is giving the party CPR. We shouldn't stand by while he's being undercut by the very folks who haven't been speaking up for us against the Republican juggernaut.