AROUND THE BLOGS: SEEING THE FOREST

Dave Johnson over at Seeing the Forest has been getting some good air time with his defense of what it means to be from the Democratic wing of the Democratic Party. He writes:

Being in the Democratic wing is about being an opposition party and standing up for the people of the country and the interests of the nation instead of cowering before the Bush intimidation machine, allowing the right to persue their radical agenda to take the country back to the 19th century. That's what it's about, not about being a leftie. And it's about getting it. Checking in with weblogs is getting it. Reading BuzzFlash is getting it. Understanding what the grassroots are talking about is getting it. THAT is why Governor Howard Dean is doing so well with the grassroots, and THAT is why Dean can use the phrase "from the Democratic wing of the Democratic Party.

DOC SEARLS DIGS DOCTOR DEAN

Or at least this humble little weblog. Searles writes in Digging Dean:

In the Official Howard Dean Weblog, we may have (far as I know, which admittedly is not... enough) a model political campaign blog.

What makes a good poliblog? Human beings speaking in human voices (like Matthew Gross, who signed the latest several posts). Making the ends the means. Links galore. Cross-crediting where due. Permalinks. RSS. Involvement. All that stuff is good to see, regardless of the policies involved.

Are any other candidates even close?

Well, what can we say? It put a smile on our face, even if the old first name was misspelled yet again (the bane of my existence-- one lonesome "t," just spread the word). A very good end to a very good week for the Howard Dean campaign.

HOW WILL BUSH SPIN THE UNEMPLOYMENT RATE?

As the number of unemployed Americans increased to a 9-year high, the question today is, how will the Bush Administration explain the effect of its disastrous economic policies on the millions of unemployed Americans who are not enjoying the benefits of a supposed "recovery?"

"The problem is not that President Bush isn't paying enough attention to the economy, the problem is that his economic policies are leaving hard-working American families behind," said Governor Howard Dean today. "Our economy cannot withstand one more misguided tax cut cloaked in the guise of economic stimulus. This president has broken the bank, and it's time we cut up his credit card."

Howard Dean is running for President to restore fiscal discipline to the federal government. As Governor of Vermont, Dean balanced the state budget every year while providing health care to virtually all of Vermont's children and creating thousands of new jobs.

ON PETITIONS

In regards to a petition that is circulating online: it should be stated clearly that Governor Dean does not believe pressure should be placed on anyone to withdraw from the race. Governor Dean is standing up for the democratic ideals of our nation, and those ideals mean that the voters should decide-- at the polls.

In order for Howard Dean to win the White House in 2004, we must bring together all of the constituencies and viewpoints that make up the Democratic party. Efforts to encourage a particular candidate to drop out-- no matter how well-intentioned-- will only alienate those whom we need to include in the fight against George W. Bush.

Howard Dean welcomes the healthy debate that a broad Democratic field brings to the nominating process. It's a chance for the Democratic party to consider where it is going, and where it has been. We will win this race based on the power of our ideas and the rightness of our actions. And we will win this race by bringing the entire Democratic party together.

AROUND THE BLOGS: TOMPAINE.COM

TomPaine.com calls Howard Dean a "Man We Won't Misunderestimate":

Remember when we had competent presidents? Clinton press conferences were like college seminars with a star professor. He could speak broadly and authoratively for hours -- completely off the cuff. We were reminded of him when we read the Grist Magazine Q&A with Howard Dean. The lengthy, free-ranging conversation about environmental policy occurred while Dean was walking through the airport, going through the security checkpoints, not sitting at a desk with a binder of briefing sheets. Unlike Clinton, though, and today’s DLC-fed presidential contenders, The Doctor seems genuinely committed to alternative energy, pledging to ramp up renewables to a hearty 15% by 2010.

UNEMPLOYMENT HITS 6.1%

The Washington Posts reports:

WASHINGTON - The nation's unemployment rate climbed to 6.1 percent in May, the highest level in nine years, as businesses cut 17,000 jobs in a weak economy struggling toward recovery.

The rate was up one-tenth of a percentage point from April, peaking at a level not seen since the country was emerging from the last recession, the Labor Department reported Friday.

DEAN SURGES IN IOWA POLL; MOST OTHER CANDIDATES HEADING IN WRONG DIRECTION

In the latest KCCI poll of likely Iowa voters, Howard Dean has made tremendous gains while most other candidates are losing ground. The poll results for the top 5 candidates now, as compared to March:

             JUNE  MARCH   NET CHANGE
Gephardt     27    22    plus 5
Kerry           14    20    minus 6
Dean           11     6      plus 5
Lieberman   10    16     minus 6
Edwards      4     8      minus 4

The poll reveals that only two of the top five candidates-- Howard Dean and Dick Gephardt-- are gaining support in the race to win Iowa. Howard Dean has leapt from 5th place to 3rd. The direction of John Kerry's momentum suggests he risks falling back into the pack, and Senators Lieberman and Edwards have also lost traction.

AP: DEAN SUPPORTERS USE INTERNET TO ORGANIZE

Ron Fournier files his story with the Associated Press on yesterday's Meetup:

"Time to break out the checkbooks!" Morrill shouted as a Dean campaign worker passed out donation forms.

The purpose is to build a deep, cheap grass-roots political organization and take the extra step to victory that eluded Gary Hart, Pat Buchanan, John McCain and other insurgent candidacies.

JOIN THE DECLARATION CELEBRATION JUNE 23RD

On June 23rd, Governor Dean will formally declare his candidacy and lay out his vision for America in a major address from Burlington, Vermont.

In addition to the rally in Burlington, the Dean for America campaign is organizing Declaration Celebrations in five cities.

You can also organize your own local Declaration Celebration—-we can show the country the strength of support for Governor Dean by holding hundreds of parties in towns and cities across America.

How can you organize a Declaration Celebration? By using the ultra-secret, pretty-darned-cool tools that our web team has been working on around the clock. Click here for more info.

CNN TO REPORT ON MEETUP

Legend has it that CNN will report on yesterday's Meetup on today's edition of Inside Politics, broadcast at 4 pm EDT.

FROM THE ROAD: WASHINGTON, DC

Right now we're in our nation's capital. We got here this morning after spending the last two days in New York. We had two great days in New York City. We met with activists who we are trying to get on board and we had several fundraising receptions for solid Dean supporters. One of the receptions was hosted by Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward. As a Vermonter who doesn't get to see movie stars everyday it was very exciting to see them in person. (I even had a conversation about oatmeal raisin cookies with a extremely famous composer!) The meetings were great, but the weather wasn't and being the frugal campaign that we are we don't do taxis! So, we walked, took a bus, and took the subway every where we went. Needless to say we were soaked by the end of the day, but we are now experts at public transportation!

In addition to the typical campaign meetings we had to do, Gov. Dean gave the commencement address at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York. The Gov. graduated from Albert Einstein, so he had a great time seeing some of his former classmates and professors.

This morning we flew from New York to Washington, DC. (The flight was not without incident. We were dropped off at the wrong terminal and the shuttle bus to the right terminal never came. It was too far to walk, so we had to break our no taxi rule and jump in a cab to get to the terminal just in time to board the plane!)

Thankfully, we made it to Washington!

MEET UP SUCCESS IN THE PRESS

Dean supporters across the country did a good job of getting local reporters to their Meetups last night. Two examples:

Santa Fe New Mexican

San Mateo County Times

TV SPY INTERVIEW

TVSpy.com has a short online interview with Howard Dean, in which the Governor discusses HowardDean TV:

TVSPY: Governor, what exactly is Howard Dean TV?

DEAN: Howard Dean TV is essentially a way of getting our message out unfiltered over the Internet. It's been terrific. It's really been a great success. It allows people to go onto the Net, where they are able to see the direct message without being snipped into little sound bites and without being filtered by Rupert Murdoch and "fair and balanced coverage".

MEETUP MEMBERS SURPASS 32,000

32,044 people have now signed up for the Dean 2004 Meetups. This means that in the past 48 hours ALONE, 3,149 new people signed up. To put that in some perspective, less than 3,000 people are signed up to Meetup for Kerry, Edwards, Gephardt, Lieberman, and George W. Bush combined.

BACK FROM THE BURLINGTON MEETUP

We just got back from the Burlington Meetup an hour ago. Because it is, even in Vermont, warm enough to sit outside, the Burlington staff and dozens of supporters sat together on the patio, ate french fries, watched the video on Dean TV, and listened to each other. Vermont Coordinator Sam Osborne, Joe Trippi, and Michael Silberman spoke, and one woman who claimed to be unable to speak eloquently in crowds proved herself completely wrong. One of the best parts of this entire process is seeing people who have never previously been political getting so actively involved. A local volunteer, Jim Brayton, took pictures which you can see here. Then I came back to the office to read reports from Meetupers from around the country, like Clay from Georgia:

"This meetup was decidedly different than the others. People were much more ready to take action. They were energized. They were BEGGING for action. I don't know what y'all did in Vermont, but whatever it did worked here in the south. People here want their country back. And I'll have a team together that will not only carry Dekalb County, but quite possibly the State of Georgia."

or Rachel from Chicago:

"Chicago meetup was FANTASTIC. This thing is really rolling!"

or a supporter from Cincinnati:

"The Cincinnati meetup was attended by about 30 people - no small feat considering that we had to scramble for a new location after the first location cancelled (they were worried that we would take up too much space!) About 3/4's of the people were new!

We organized ourselves, raised money and had a great time.I agree - this is winnable!"

There is a great CBS News article today on Dean and the extraordinary Meetup grassroots movement. "The largest component spreading the word – both in money and organization – are the Meetup folks," says Joe Trippi, Dean's campaign manager. "Meetup has been incredible. Just incredible."

HOWARD DEAN ON CHARLIE ROSE

For those of you who missed it, last night's interview with Howard Dean on the Charlie Rose show is now available in Quicktime by clicking here.

"REALLY COOL ORGANIZING TOOLS"

One of the best parts of the unprecedented grassroots movement for Dean is the independent organizing that has grown out of Meetup. In Atlanta, New York, Nashville, California, Minneapolis, Albany, Houston and dozens of other cities, Meetupers and others have been organizing their own events--outreach events where people pass out flyers and sign people up for Dean, and social events, like barbeques and pizza parties, where Dean supporters come together to meet each other, plan and raise money. In upstate New York, Meetupers passed out flyers at the local tulip festival; in Chicago, volunteers are signing people up at this weekend's book festivals; in Durham, supporters get together for trivia night.

As of yesterday, supporters can now arrange those outreach events and social events on the Dean for America website. These are the “really cool organizing tools” that Joe Trippi mentioned in his blogpost last night (no, Joe, I was not at the Pub & Brewery--I was working really, really hard on that new project we're always talking about). Go to http://action.deanforamerica.com/meet to see if anyone in your area has scheduled an event (just enter your zip code), and, if you have already planned a local event, try posting your event on our website, and inviting friends to join you. Or you could just post your Meetup tonight as an event. Meetup hosts in a handful of towns have already started doing just that. (Have I mentioned that tonight is Dean Meetup night, and nearly 31,500 people have signed up across the country?)

These are new capabilities, and will take time for people to get used to using them, and there will doubtless be several kinks that need to be worked out, so be patient with us as we all figure out the best way to use them. You should know, though, that we would never have tried to provide this new service if it weren't for the incredible organizing and energy that is out there already. We'll put a link to the tools on our website tomorrow, and provide more information, but if you want a sneak preview and to try scheduling your own events, you can be among the first!

MID-WEEK IN THE BLOGOSPHERE

Yep, it's Wednesday (already?), which means it's not only National Meetup for Dean day-- it's also time for Daily Kos' Weekly Cattle Call. Kos (rightfully) notes the power of blogs in the coming election:

The passion we demonstrate for politics is making waves. The Dean people are pioneers in this regard, but by next cycle all campaigns will be "working" the blogs. By becoming engaged in the political process, we will help shape it.

Indeed, do any of you think Dean would be where he is without the power of the weblog? The other candidates, thanks to their techno-ignorance, have ceeded this entire territory to Dean. You better believe no one will make that mistake in future campaigns.

It's a whole new world, and I think it's cool that we are all playing a role. And like it or not, these weekly rankings are part of the process.

ROCK THE VOTE AT DEANROCKS

Adding to the Howard Dean presence online is the website with the cool title DeanRocks. From the site:

Deanrocks.com was started in May 2003 by a 24 year old single mother in Southern Vermont. DeanRocks.com seeks to inspire the 25 million Americans aged 18-30 who are not currently voting to support Vermont's former Governor, Howard Dean, in his bid for the Democratic Nomination for President. Our website will utilize the unique combination of art, music, politics and the internet to inspire our generation to unite and TAKE BACK AMERICA from the Bush Regime!

GOVERNOR DEAN ON DIANE REHM ON NPR 10:30 ET

Howard Dean will be on the Diane Rehm show on NPR at 10:30 am ET today-- fifteen minutes from now. Check the schedule of the NPR station in your area for broadcast times near you.

Also, many PBS stations will be rebroadcasting last night's interview with Governor Dean on the Charlie Rose Show. Check your local listings to catch it today.

31,000 PEOPLE SIGN UP TO MEET UP FOR HOWARD DEAN

Well its midnight, and we've grown somewhere well over a few thousand in just the last 24 hours. So where are Matt and Zephyr when we have great news to post? Well I am guessing either getting some well deserved sleep, or more likely down at the Vermont Pub and Brewery downing a well deserved local brew. Of course there is always the chance they are just scouting the place to get ready for tomorrow night's Burlington Meetup. Today was a really great day -- we began to test some really cool organzing tools that we should be launching on our site this Thursday. June is going to be a critical month for our fundrasing efforts and the netroots response, Meetup Challenge, and Grassroots House Parties are all going to be crucial to our success. The filing deadline is June 30th for this quarter -- so we only have 27 days left to get every penny we can in -- and in this campaign every penny counts. We were having what was looking to be a strong day in terms of contributions over the net -- people have really begun to respond to the June deadline -- but when the network, that supports 25% of the nation's ATMs, along with our electronic credit card transactions, went down for 6 hours today......well lets just say the rest of the staff was happy that my office is kind of out of the way and relatively soundproof. So if you responded today but could not get through -- please try again tomorrow. Take the time in your Meetup to make it clear that the June 30th deadline is coming up --- this campaign must prove that our grassroots strength also translates to competitive financial support. Every day we are growing stronger -- we are not just talking about it -- we are working to build the strongest grassroots organization in our party's history -- every person who contributes to our effort -- by giving what they can in terms of time or money helps Howard Dean take another step forward towards the nomination and the White House. It is pretty amazing how far we have come together -- in so short an amount of time -- we can take a giant step forward by exceeding our fundraising goals for this quarter.

THIRTY THOUSAND PEOPLE SIGN UP TO MEET UP FOR HOWARD DEAN

Over 30,000 people in over 400 cities have signed up to meet tomorrow night to help elect Governor Howard Dean, M.D. the next President of the United States. Governor Dean is the most popular topic at MeetUp.com, and his numbers continue to grow every hour.

Governor Dean made the following statement:

“I'm amazed that so many people across the country are working so hard at this stage of the campaign. Our grassroots support has experienced tremendous growth so far. In February, there were fewer than 500 people signed up through MeetUp.com. Now, over 30,000 have signed up to meet tomorrow night to find out how they can help take back our country. Our democracy is still in the hands of the people, and it's thrilling that so many care so much about the future of America.”

MEETUP HITS 30,000!

30,000 people are now signed up to Meetup for Howard Dean tomorrow.

MEETUP COORDINATORS: ESTABLISHING THE DEAN NATIONAL MEDIA NETWORK

Richard Hoefer of the grassroots group San Francisco for Dean writes:

I had a long conversation with Nicco (webmaster, video) at DeanForAmerica about 10 ten days ago. One of the things they still need, among many things, from the Dean supporters are PHOTOS from venues where Dean appears, preferably mixing with people vs just on a stage. There is also a need for coordination of video assets that are available all over the web -- so more people (and city-sites) know about them, and to push more media out showing Dean in action. Moving broadcast quality video, DVD quality and even quicktime media fluidly from city to city is important and requires coordination. There are asset management issues, there are general questions like "I shot this video and I don't know where to send it"...

Third, there is a need to identify pro video photographers in Meetup cities who can cover Dean at local appearances -- wherever he might be -- then get that video fed back tothe Campaign and to State/Regional/City sites.

Fourth, a number of creative folks in LA, SF, NY and elsewhere have been developing targeted ads to introduce Dean to their city's various communities of people. We also need more people, and want to identify who these people are in each Meetup city.

Such as: Video Photographers & Editors, Ad Producers, Still Photographers, Designers, Illustrators, Flash Animators, Writers, Copywriters, Creative Directors, Music Composers, Production Artists/HTML Builders, and any other creative personnel.

For all these reasons, I discussed with Nicco that having a single place for compilation of these resources would make coordination of these creative efforts much easier -- and speed up the whole process of message creation and distribution thru web, DVD, print, broadcast media.

SanFranciscoForDean has taken on the task to coordinate Media talent in forming a National Media Network. Meetup is right upon us. What we're
asking Dean Supporters in all Meetup cities across the country to do is: At your Meetup meeting, specifically ask and solicit within your Meetup group:
Who are the professional crreative media personnel who would volunteer their services for Dean in these areas: Video Photographers & Editors, Ad Producers, Still Photographers, Designers, Illustrators, Flash Animators, Writers, Copywriters, Creative Directors, Music Composers, Production Artists/HTML Builders, and any other creative personnel.

The intention is not that all of these people come together on a national project. The intent is to be able to share media assets -- and ideas that
work -- so that appeals to take a look at Howard Dean are targeted for different voting segments.

PLEASE HELP AND SUPPORT THIS COORDINATION EFFORT

By having your Meetup Group coordinator gather this information and post it to the SF website here:

http://www.sf4dean.com/forums/index.php?act=ST&f=8&t=32

Thanks very much!

VIDEO OF DEAN IN CALIFORNIA

Carl with a K has put up streaming video of Howard Dean's June 1st address to the California Teacher's Association. Check it out.

MEETUP SURPASSES 29,000

29,531 people are signed up to Meetup for Howard Dean tomorrow.

FROM THE ROAD: NEW YORK

It's Tuesday morning and we just arrived in New York. I've been a little behind on reporting in because Gov. Dean has been flying around the country, leaving me little time to get on the computer!

On Saturday we were in Lake Placid, NY where the Gov. addressed the Democratic Rural Conference. A large group of Vermonters crossed Lake Champlain to greet the Gov. when he arrived. The Gov. gave his stump speech, and as many of the press accounts accurately reported, he got a better response than the other candidates (especially when he uttered the now famous, "We don't need another Dean-lite" line.)

Early Sunday morning we took a plane to Los Angeles, California where Gov. Dean was the keynote speaker at the California Teachers Association meeting. The reponse from the teachers was amazing. Their reaction reminded me of the enthusiastic reaction the Gov. received at the California Democratic State Party convention earlier in the year - (there must be something in the CA water) . The teachers especially appreciated when the Gov. recounted his short stint as a teacher (five hours on your feet with no bathroom break!) It was great to see all of the California Meet Up people. They held a rally outside of the hotel where the teachers were meeting. I know I am sounding like a broken record, but once again, there was a large, loud and enthusiastic crowd of sign waving Dean supporters!

We saw two celebrities during the California trip. The Body by Jake guy was on our plane, and even more exciting was seeing Karl of Karl with a K website fame at the teachers convention. Karl broke his arm when he fell off a cliff (I see a made for tv movie in Karl's future!). All of us at Dean for America wish Karl well!!

Now we are in New York for two fun filled days!

OVER 29,000 MEETUP MEMBERS

Over 29,000 Dean supporters have now signed up through Meetup.com to meet tomorrow, June 4th, in hundreds of cities across the country. If you have not yet signed up--and asked all your friends--you can sign up now and get involved on the ground floor in the largest grassroots campaign in presidential history. At this Meetup, Meetup hosts will be focussing on how individuals and local groups can help the Dean movement take off in the next month through doubling our base, and raising grassroots and netroots money as the vital June 30th Federal Elections Commissions deadline approaches.

IN THESE TIMES PROFILES HOWARD DEAN

Progressive magazine In These Times writes:

Real American strength, Dean says, comes from internationalist cooperation on matters such as terrorism, global warming, raising living standards, and bringing greater democracy to the poor countries of the world (whose debts need to be forgiven as much for American security interests as for their own economic growth). Domestically, he proposes a safety net for the “middle class” as well as the poor, guaranteeing that health care, education and affordable housing are available for everyone. That’s hardly an “elitist” program, but the DLC attack may reflect the rising political fortunes of this previously little-known governor from the next-to-least most populous state. In one early New Hampshire poll, Dean is tied with Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts for the lead, and he is making a strong showing in Iowa, where he has visited more than 30 times already and has a strong staff.

STATEMENT OF HOWARD DEAN ON TODAY'S DECISION BY THE FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

“Today's decision by the FCC delivers a crushing blow to the ideal of diversity in our nation’s media, and threatens access to local news in many small towns and communities across America.

"In Vermont, as in other states, we rely on local newspapers and local television and radio stations to alert us to weather hazards, broadcast local breaking news, and keep us informed on the important events in our communities. I am deeply concerned that when local media is no longer local -- as may be the case in many cities and towns as a result of today's action -- residents will be less informed, alerts may happen more slowly, and an entire community may be endangered by the lack of an effective communication tool in an emergency situation.

"The Bush Administration should have blocked this deregulation; instead, they urged its passing, choosing to side with the interests of the few, rather than the millions of Americans who will be affected by it.”

On May 27, Dean wrote to FCC chairman Michael Powell urging the delay of the June 2 vote so that the American people would have a real opportunity to provide public input on a decision that effects every American.

CALL FOR SEATTLE VIDEO

If you have the original video of the May 14th Seattle event (not in Quicktime), please send an email to deanforum@deanforamerica.com.

MEETUP SURPASSES 28,000!

There are now more than 28,000 Americans signed up to Meetup for Howard Dean!

The next National Meetup for Dean Day is this Wednesday, June 4th. If you are a Meetup Host, download your Meetup Host kit.

If you have broadband access, get the Howard Dean video message to Meetup participants at HowardDean.tv. Be sure to bring your laptop with the video to your Meetup to share with other supporters of Howard Dean.

If you have yet to sign up for Meetup, click here to meet people in your area who are working to elect Howard Dean the next President of the United States.