I don’t get this. Why isn’t the administration supporting our troops?

Speaking of which, Alex has posted a terrific idea at his site that makes it easy for you to help our soldiers keep in touch with their families. He’s encouraging folks to pass it around, and I agree.

Remarks made by Governor Howard Dean on the Future of the Democratic Party. Given at The George Washington University on December 8, 2004.

Thank you for that introduction. It’s a pleasure to be here.

Let me tell you what my plan for this Party is:

We’re going to win in Mississippi
…and Alabama
…and Idaho
…and South Carolina.

Four years ago, the President won 49 percent of the vote. The Republican Party treated it like it was a mandate, and we let them get away with it.

Fifty one percent is not a mandate either. And this time we’re not going to let them get away with it.

Our challenge today is not to re-hash what has happened, but to look forward, to make the Democratic Party a 50-state party again, and, most importantly, to win.

To win the White House and a majority in Congress, yes. But also to do the real work that will make these victories possible — to put Democratic ideas and Democratic candidates in every office — whether it be Secretary of State, supervisor of elections, county commissioner or school board member.

Here in Washington, it seems that after every losing election, there’s a consensus reached among decision-makers in the Democratic Party is that the way to win is to be more like Republicans.

I suppose you could call that philosophy: if you didn’t beat ’em, join them.

I’m not one for making predictions — but if we accept that philosophy this time around, another Democrat will be standing here in four years giving this same speech. we cannot win by being “Republican-lite.” We’ve tried it; it doesn’t work. The question is not whether we move left or right. It’s not about our direction. What we need to start focusing on… is the destination.

There are some practical elements to the destination.

The destination of the Democratic Party requires that it be financially viable, able to raise money not only from big donors but small contributors, not only through dinners and telephone solicitations and direct mail, but also through the Internet and person-to-person outreach.

The destination of the Democratic Party means making it a party that can communicate with its supporters and with all Americans. Politics is at its best when we create and inspire a sense of community. The tools that were pioneered in my campaign — like blogs, and meetups, and streaming video — are just a start. We must use all of the power and potential of technology as part of an aggressive outreach to meet and include voters, to work with the state parties, and to influence media coverage.

Continue reading →

Read about it here.

More at Military.com.

Then again, this administration doesn’t care about our soldiers.

Just listen to Donald Rumsfeld: “You can have all the armor in the world on a tank, and it can [still] be blown up.”

Keep on the look out for ways to help families with loved ones in the services.

Dean and DFA are doing terrific work keeping the passion that arose during the presidential campaign alive and focused. Howard Dean will be webcasting a major speech today. I’ll let the email many of us were sent speak for itself:

Dear Karl,
Live Webcast December 8, 2004

Governor Dean will lay out a vision for the future of the Democratic Party this Wednesday at 12 p.m. Eastern in Washington, D.C.

He will outline not just a direction for our party, but a concrete destination: a party built from the ground up.

That means a party powered by millions of small donors, not millionaires. It means a party that speaks plainly and commits to concrete outcomes that affect real people. And it means a party that competes in every single race, for every single vote, in all fifty states.

You can watch live video of the speech on Wednesday morning at the Democracy for America web site:

www.democracyforamerica.com

Be sure to join us for the live webcast on Wednesday at 12 p.m. Eastern. Thank you.

Thank you,

Tom McMahon
Executive Director
Democracy for America

P.S. — Since I last wrote to you, about the need to protect every vote in the Washington Governor’s race, over 15,000 small donations poured in to put the Washington Democratic Party over the top — they raised enough money to pay for a full hand count and ensure that every vote counts.

Democratic candidate Christine Gregoire’s campaign manager wrote a personal thank-you to the Democracy for America community. Read his letter and all the latest news at the blog: www.democracyforamerica.com

Email from Democracy for America: Tom McMahon

Wow, I’d imagine it took a lot to push the forum maintainers at DU to do this. It’s always a shame when people decide to use invector to make an argument instead of arguing the merits of their point. I have a real hard time trusting people like that and they can hurt the cause they are pursuing. There is passion and their is self destruction. Keep your passion on the goal – not on trying to control people already on your side.

More at Metafilter.

BTW – Where is DU’s RSS feed? I need to write them. What’s up with that? Ehh?