Momentum continues to build across all sectors of the progressive grassroots this month. We have lots of big news to report in this issue. First up, Jessica Falker announces that DemocracyFest has secured a location for the late July event, and 21st Century Democrats announces summer Grassroots Field Organizer Training. We have a guest report from Zephyr Teachout on ACT’s wildly successful first national voter registration event as well as anecdotes from folks in North Carolina who joined that ACTion – so to speak.
We have another great editorial cartoon, commenting on the America’s moral authority. This week’s featured cartoonist is Oklahoma’s Sue Clancy.
Of course, the whole nation of progressive activists is abuzz about the Dean Dozen. We provide quick links to these candidates’ websites and feature the first of a series of profiles on members of this group of citizen-activists turned political candidates – Kim Hynes of Connecticut.
We think you’ll also enjoy a fascinating first person account by Kimmy Cash of how motherhood inspired her to transcend her hard life to lead one of the largest and most successful progressive grassroots outreach programs in the nation: Punx for Democracy. Keeping grounded in the Punk philosophy, she has now extended this effort with a new organization – D.I.Y. Politics – and two new national tours starting Memorial Day Weekend.
As always we have great new ideas on how you can get involved in your communities and how you can help others across the nation. Rock The Vote wants help registering Native American youth, and the concerned voters in Ohio want you to help them stop the purchase of electronic voting machines.
Our Site Seeing section takes you to Carry It Forward which features a voter registration video inspired by the late Senator Paul Wellstone’s leadership. Similarly, Progressive Vote (a.k.a. Green Donkey) proffers a platform for the “Democratic Wing of the Democratic Party”. While Run Against Bush helps to take our country back by showing who really "runs" the country.
Don’t forget to check out the Tool Shed for DemocracyFest lodging information and the Grassroots Calendar.
As always, subscriptions to Taking Root are not only spam-free but come free to your email box.
| --Kimberly Krautter, Grassroots for America |
Glimpse What’s Inside!
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- News From The Roots
- NEW FEATURE: Editorial Cartoon
- New Groups Take Root
- The Power of Meetup
- Get Involved
- Candidates We’re Rooting For
- Inspiration Point
- Site Seeing
- The Tool Shed
- Worth Reiterating
- About Our Newsletter
NEWS FROM THE ROOTS
DemocracyFest Site Announced
Jessica Falker of My Vote Is My Voice announced this week that organizers have selected the historic Northampton Airport as the location for this summer’s highly anticipated DemocracyFest on July 24-25.
Located in the Berkshire Mountains, west of Boston and only minutes north of Hartford, CT., Northampton Airport is set on a wide verdant plane along on the Connecticut River, surrounded by the Berkshire Mountains. It’s where, almost 100 years ago, barnstormers and aviation’s most storied pioneers took command of our skies. What an appropriate place for the progressive grassroots to brainstorm on how to take back our country.
Falker says the airport grounds will accommodate at least 5,000 people, has on-site camping and is walking-distance to the charming downtown Northhampton. Now that a location has been secured, she expects event registration to take off. DemocracyFest was originally conceived by grassroots Bloggers as a sort of shadow convention to coincide with the Democratic National Convention happening in Boston later that week. Governor Howard Dean has agreed to make the keynote address. Joining Dean at the podium to provide instruction on grassroots organizing and mobilization will be Zephyr Teachout from ACT, Eugene Hedlund of Truth & Hope, Liz Herbert of National Rapid Response. Motivational speeches will be presented by Florida activist Charles Grapski and writer/philosopher Cathy Bao Bean.
Accommodations are sparse around the area, so DemocracyFest organizers have created SpaceShare to help match people up for carpooling, house sharing, room sharing and to coordinate ground transportation.
Taking Root will continue to provide in-depth information on DemocracyFest venues, programs and speakers in each issue leading up to the summer gathering. Find links to DemocracyFest site information and Jessica’s recommended lodging in the Tool Shed below. See you there!
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Grassroots Get Ready to GOTV with 21st Century Democrats
By Kim de Courcy, National Training Coordinator, 21st Century Democrats
21st Century Democrats will be having two in-depth trainings in June. The first will be in Washington DC, June 4-7 at American University and the second will be at Reed College in Portland, Oregon the weekend of June 18-21. These are our regional field organizer trainings and will teach trainees the fundamentals of working on campaigns.
Participants will learn everything they need to know to get a paid position on a campaign or be an effective volunteer. We will cover grassroots organizing and writing a field plan, how to target voters and not waste resources, the best strategies and methods for contacting voters and working with the voter file, how to recruit and maintain active volunteers, how to run an effective get out the vote (GOTV) effort, how to use polling to write and implement an effective campaign message, how to get earned (free) media, and many more!
Participants should plan to arrive at either training no later than noon on Friday. All participants will sleep in the dormitories at the university as the training consists of late nights, early mornings and a an intense schedule of campaign skills classes. The trainings are very intense weekends in which trainees will not only learn about campaigns through interactive classes and presentations, but they will also work on a simulated campaign plan with a small group of activists. At the end of the training the plans will be presented to a panel of experts and evaluated. The training will conclude with a job fair at which participants can discuss paid and volunteer opportunities with campaigns.
After the training, alumni will be connected to our network of other political operatives, resources and materials for future organizing and campaign work.
To reserve your spot at one of these trainings, please visit our website or send a check and the registration form to 1311 L Street. NW, Washington DC 20005. The training registration fees cover ALL your costs for the weekend including lodging, meals and training materials. Registration for the DC training is $300. Registration for Oregon is $200. Spaces are limited at both these trainings so please reserve your spot soon!
As for other trainings- we will be putting on two Democracy For America trainings this year and a bunch of Campaign 101 (High school) trainings. Check out full training schedule in the Grassroots Calendar located in the Tool Shed below.
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Asheville & Raleigh, North Carolina Get in on the ACT
By Debra Goldberg, NC ACT Volunteer Coordinator
In Raleigh, NC, as part of ACT and America Votes national election action day, thirty canvassers went door to door while three fixed registration sites registered voters. Over 150 new voters were registered (only 8 Republicans - registered at non-partisan tables inside book and grocery stores). Hundreds of others were informed of their polling place, signed up for rides to the polls and for reminders to vote. New volunteers were recruited. Canvassers were invited to speak to Church youth groups and a subsidized apartment tenants' association meeting. Most volunteers worked four-hour shifts while 8 people worked 9 -5. All in all, everyone was tired, but very happy and feeling great to be part of this successful event. More are planned starting this week with many more to come. debra-at-recards.com
A sister event was held in Asheville, NC on May 8 with fixed registration tables and volunteers walking the street with clipboards in hand. The son and step-son of Scott Parker, the Asheville organizer, dressed as miniature George Bushes and directed potential voters to the registration tables. A great time was had by all, most importantly, 25 new voters were registered. ACT in Asheville will be holding monthly events and all are welcome to join us. For more information contact Scott Parker scottbey2002-at-yahoo.com.
Act Mobilizes 10,000 For National Voter Registration Event
Special Report from the field by Zephyr Teachout, editor, ACT’s Blog for Victory
The roots are it, really, in this election -- ACT is setting up the infrastructure, and providing opportunities, but this election is going to be decided by the hundreds of thousands of citizens who decide to do something about it. It’s the year of the voter, and the year of the volunteer. Everyone thinks its going to be close--not just at the Presidential level, where its sliver-close--but at the county level, the state level, and the city council level. And if you ever find yourself thinking the Presidential is all that matters, remember Katherine Harris. (EDITOR’S NOTE: If you don’t know all about the former Florida Secretary of State, now a Congresswoman, drop us a line and we’ll fill you in!)
This last weekend, over 10,000 volunteers canvassed, registered, educated and door-knocked, and we're doing our best to learn quickly – what worked, what didn't work, how to speak to single women who care, but who just don't believe it matters. That's the beginning - we've got less than six months to win this thing. Our plan is to support voter efforts throughout the month, but focus on voter mobilization days the Second Saturday of every month.
Just for some background on ACT. We're a 527 (so we can't work with Kerry or the DNC), we're primarily a 17-battleground state operation, but we're also working in the 33 non-targeted states, with contacts in every Congressional District. We want to drill down at every level -- giving people who care opportunities to register voters, phone bank into swing states, and travel as well as organize locally. Our single focus is mobilization -- that involves some registration, some education, and lots of repeat contact.
For this to work, we're really going to need some Grassroots For America help – you all learned and developed so much, and continue to self-organize in revolutionary ways, and you can all take leadership in passing these lessons on to new organizers. If you're interested in helping out, please email me (zteachout-at-act4victory.org).
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EDITORIAL CARTOON
Read about cartoonist Sue Clancy on the Roots Blog
Candidates
Who We’re Rooting For: The “Dean Dozen” – Look Who Made the Cut
Governor Dean recently selected twelve candidates for national and state-level offices he will personally support. Many of these come from the ranks of his grassroots supporters, and we are very proud to profile two of these people in this issue. Read how Monica Palacios-Boyce and Kim Hynes each made the incredible journey from ordinary citizen to progressive activist to political candidate below the list of “The Dean Dozen.”
CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATES:
Richard Morrison for United States House of Representatives from Texas in the 22nd. Want to get rid of Tom DeLay? Here's your chance. www.richardmorrisonfordistrict22.com
Barack Obama for United States Senate from Illinois. www.obamaforillinois.com
Jeff Smith for United States House of Representatives from Missouri to fill retiring Representative Richard Gephardt's seat in Congress. www.jeffsmith2004.com
STATE HOUSE CANDIDATES:
Mary Ann Andreas for California State Assembly, 80th. www.andreasforassembly.com
Ken Campbell for South Carolina State House for Oconee County. www.takebackoconee.com Maria Chappelle-Nadal for Missouri State House. www.maria2004.com
Scott Clark, Mark Manoil & Nina Trasoff for the Arizona Corporation Commission. The Corporation Commission is a watchdog agency protecting consumers from fraud and corporate abuse. corpcomm04-at-hotmail.com
Kim Hynes for State Representative in Connecticut. http://kimhynes.smartcampaigns.com
Rob MacKenna for Hillsborough County (Florida) Supervisor of Elections. www.rob2004.com
Monica Palacios-Boyce for Massachusetts State Representative. www.monicaforstaterep.com
Lori Saldana for State Assembly in California. www.lorisaldana.com
Donna Red Wing for Colorado House District #25. www.donnaredwing.com
DEAN DOZEN PROFILE: Kim Hynes for Connecticut State Rep
Kim Hynes is on a mission: Bring back accountability to Connecticut State Government. Like many of the “Dean Dozen”, Hynes discovered her determination to make a difference through volunteering with Dean For America.
Kim and her husband Aldon made the move from private citizens to campaign activists in March last year, the day after traveling from their home in Stamford, CT to NYC to hear Dean speak at a Meetup. “We were amazed by his straightforward message of hope,” says Hynes. Together they began hosting local Meetups and coordinating house party fundraisers for Dean in their home state. Both were very active with the National Rapid Response team, in fact Aldon was one of the first state coordinators and remains a member of the Steering Committee. Owing to that level of commitment, Kim says, “After Dean’s campaign ended I just couldn’t stop. I felt that I really had a responsibility to get out there, and thought that running for office was something I could contribute.”
Hynes did some research and learned to her amazement that her current State Rep has run unopposed since 1996, and remarkably, that seat has been held by a Republican since 1914. “I thought, O.K. let’s do it, and began finding out what’s involved to run for office,” she says. “Thankfully, I’ve gotten tons of help from Dean people.”
Included on the list of helpful “Dean people” is the Governor’s brother, Jim Dean, with whom the Hynes’ worked side-by-side in Connecticut during Howard’s campaign. Now, Jim Dean has joined Kim Hynes’ campaign committee. Of course, being selected by the Governor as an inaugural member of the “Dean Dozen” is the greatest boost. Hynes says her family enjoyed many personal interactions with the Governor Dean last year, yet she was still surprised and honored by the endorsement.
Ethics in government and campaign finance reform are Hynes’ primary platform planks. She recently outlined her positions at a Democratic town meeting in Greenwich where she made her first public political address. Jim Dean introduced her, and the crowd gave her a standing ovation when she finished. (Read the full text of Hynes’ speech here.) She is also concerned about reversing cuts in Medicaid and Husky, Connecticut’s state-funded child welfare program. Hynes’ also has her eye on No Child Left Behind which, because the lack of federal funding for the program has left her state’s schools in peril and has caused property taxes there to skyrocket.
Follow Kim Hynes’ campaign for Connecticut State Rep for the 149th District at http://kimhynes.smartcampaigns.com. (And don’t forget to toss of few dollars of support her way, too!)
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NEW GROUPS TAKE ROOT
Artists, Musicians and Punx for Democracy Launch D.I.Y. Politics
A community of artists, musicians and activists from across America that have come together to promote the true progressive agenda and build a community that can no longer be ignored. D.I.Y. Politics is based on the punk rock movement. Punk rock has always been about breaking free from the corporate control that continues to suffocate music, art and free expression. A large part of punk rock was – and is – something that is now called D.I.Y. (do it yourself).
The driving concept behind D.I.Y. Politics is “Don't let someone do something for you if you can do it yourself”. Punks have always made their own clothes, distributed their own records (now cd's), published 'zine's and so on. Punks believe when someone interferes with art – when corporations get a hold of it – it becomes pre-packaged, stripping the essence out of it. Punks believe this is happening with politics as well. They see Bush Re-election campaign claims that GOP $2,000-a-plate dinners are "the largest grassroots movement in history", as evidence that real people have lost control of politics. They believe it is time for a little D.I.Y. Action.
D.I.Y. Politics has one goal: political progress through old school ethics. Complaining about the problem's that exist with this administration today create awareness, but offers no solution. D.I.Y. Politics aims to change that. With the help of America’s true grassroots, the site will offer D.I.Y. tricks, tips and proven ways to fight for progressive issues, champion progressive candidates, activate youth in the local scene, get out the vote, spread awareness, and fight corporate control of our government. So far the group has members from the Kucinich, Braun, Nader and Dean campaigns as well as new voters.
D.I.Y. Politics is launching two programs this summer. BBQ Battlefields and Club Craze. BBQ's are political art-o-thons where folks get together to create grassroots materials such as factual and creative art, flyers, ads, and posters to put up around town while enjoying good music. Voter registration and candidates tables will be featured as well. The BBQ Battlefield Kickoff happens on Memorial Day in Long Beach, CA with 15 punk-surf-psychobilly bands. The second project, Club Craze, is designed to Get Out The Vote. D.I.Y. Politics is asking club/restaurant owners around the nation to provide some kind of freebie on or after election night to voters. All of this info can be found on the site www.DIYpolitics.org. Our main goal for both projects is to get this heavily played out in the swing states.
Mainstreet Mom’s Opposing Bush (MMOB) Launch Adopt-A-Swing State Program
By Megan Matson, MMOB Director
Two weeks ago on May Day, mothers around America held letter-writing parties addressing single moms who live in the vital swing states asking them to register to vote. Dubbed the “Adopt-A-Swing-State” program, the Mainstreet Mothers Opposing Bush (MMOB) sent voter registration forms, personal letters, and absentee voting information to a what they believe is a key progressive vote: unmarried women -- specifically, single moms.
The parties were a hit. Plenty of innovations came in from this first round of events: one group printed up a beautiful children's drawing about voting as stationery, and mailed it in hot pink envelopes with star stickers on the outside. Another woman had letter-writing for her birthday party and another invited MMOB members over to watch the documentary film, "Unprecedented," while writing letters. The MMOB Adopt-A-Swing-State program was also introduced to numerous DFA Meetups around the country.
The MMOB thinks moms in highly Democratic counties will be especially motivated to register and vote this year, and will be tracking for any success in the targeted counties. The next round of parties and Meetups start the first week of June. The following states are "up for adoption": Florida, Ohio, Washington, Nevada, Missouri, and soon, Pennsylvania and Arizona. Sign up to host you own at MMOB party at www.theMMOB.com.
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THE POWER OF MEETUPS
Meetups Become a Grassroots Think Tank
By Pam Paul
This month's Meetup offered everything from staged coups to volunteers to run for office. While scanning through the accounts of the May Meetups, it is clear to see that DFA is still going strong and has no intentions of halting!
Susan in Ohio decided to take the Meetup by the horns and became the host in order to offer a more productive meeting while attendees in Vermont volunteered to recruit a grassroots activist to run for the open state senate position in Rutland. As the reports came in from IL, NY, TX, VA, CT, CA, just to mention a few, there is no doubt that the Grassroots Movement is energized and full of ideas on how to win in November and how to catapult this positive action into the next dimension.
Progressive candidates made appearances in almost every state, along with many new faces who have been encouraged to attend by the persistence of DFA's plan to better our communities and change the direction in which our Nation is heading. Plans were made for local candidate support, voter registration, canvassing projects, steering committee formation, letter writing, and a host of Grassroots events. Sizes ranged from five to over one hundred, and the diversity that DFA inspires continues to be the icon for this Grassroots miracle.
It is unbelievably moving to hear the stories as they pour in from every direction; but most impressive is the state-wide think-tank that is created out of these experiences as is the effort put in by all DFA supporters to make every Meetup even better month-after-month. The collaboration of DFA supporters far surpasses that of anyone's imagination and will continue to be the heartbeat keeping this movement alive!
Call For Agenda Items: June DFA Meetup
The next DFA Meetup is Wednesday, June 2, 2004 at 7:00pm. It’s time to select your Meetup location (http://dfa.Meetup.com/) and submit ideas for the agenda. DFA Meetup Hosts around the nation really appreciate learning your ideas and concerns. Cross-pollinating like this will keep the progressive grassroots growing. Email your agenda recommendations here.
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GET INVOLVED
Ohio Needs Your Help
Many of you are already aware of the very dire situation we’re in regarding the purchase of electronic voting machines for 31 Ohio counties. Right now, the only way to stop the purchase is to file a lawsuit to halt the purchase of these machines in time for the ’04 election.
CASE (Citizens Alliance for Secure Elections) needs donations in order to cover legal fees. They’ve been working with The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), a non-profit, non-partisan organization based in California, to set up a fund for Ohio litigation on the electronic voting issue.
You can pay two ways:
- Go to the EFF website http://www.eff.org to make an online credit card donation.
IMPORTANT: Please be sure to indicate in the "notes" section that your donation is for "Ohio E-Voting Litigation." - Send a check payable to Electronic Frontier Foundation and mail it to:
Electronic Frontier Foundation
454 Shotwell Street
San Francisco, CA 94110
415-436-9333
IMPORTANT: Please be sure to write on your check that your donation is for the "Ohio E-Voting Litigation." EFF is a 501(c)(3) organization and donations to EFF are tax deductible, to the extent permissible by law.
Please do this today. Give $100 if you can. If you can’t, give $20 and find 4 other people to do the same. We all are working very hard to get Bush out of office. That’s not going to happen if these machine purchases are not stopped. It’s as simple as that.
Rock the Vote Goes Native
Rock the Vote is a non-profit, non-partisan organization, founded in 1990 in response to a wave of attacks on freedom of speech and artistic expression. They have partnered with over fifty organizations from the non-profit, the creative and the corporate spectrums.
RTV engages youth in the political process by incorporating the entertainment community and youth culture into its activities. From actors to musicians, comedians to athletes, Rock the Vote harnesses cutting-edge trends and pop culture to make political participation cool.
RTV mobilizes young people to create positive social and political change in their lives and communities. The goal of RTV's media campaigns and street team activities is to increase youth voter turnout. RTV coordinates voter registration drives, get-out-the-vote events, and voter education efforts, all with the intention of ensuring that young people take advantage of their right to vote.
RTV's work doesn’t end when the polls close. They empower young people to create change in their communities and take action on the issues they care about. Regardless of whether youth are signing petitions, running for office, contacting their elected officials, or taking up a sign in protest, they are all rocking the vote.
Current Issues of concern for RTV are the military draft, student voter suppression, censorship, and Urban voter apathy. Future projects include he Community Street team, the Human Relations Campaign, Rap the Vote, RTV Latino, and Rock the Native Vote.
EDITOR’S NOTE: We’ve included RTV to help ensure they get the recognition they deserve and to build awareness of the great work they’re doing. We’re also proud to announce that Grassroots For America’s Oklahoma contingent will be working with Rock the Native Vote in June. http://www.rockthenativevote.com/
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INSPIRATION POINT
FIRST PERSON: Kimmy Cash’s Journey From Punk Rocker to Progressive Leader
By Kimmy Cash
My name is Kimmy Cash, and I currently live in Monrovia, California, and I plan on staying here for quite some time. I've moved around a lot in my life, and after having a baby I decided that it was time for me to stay put somewhere. I've lived quite a life so far. From a teenage runaway to homelessness to partying way too much and beyond, I've been through a lot in my 29 years. More than I care to tell – the kind of stuff you take to the grave. The point of this is that living this way built up a lot of anger inside me. A lot of anti-establishment anger.
That anger was all temporarily relieved when I had my first child who is now three years old. Yet, work/life struggles plus a new baby meant that I had even more reason to be pissed-off at the world around me. This time though, I had to do something about it for the sake of my child. "She will never go through the things I've gone through!" I said SO many times.
To make a really long story short, I grew up FAST. Going to anti-war protests I discovered Howard Dean, and our life took the sharpest, fastest turn ever. Things changed dramatically. After attending a Dean speech I created the website Punx for Dean. At first, it was just a way to get my friends involved, but it grew so fast and got so much press attention that it exploded and became my full time job. I continued to sell vintage clothes and my D.I.Y. art on Ebay to support my family and the website, but I eventually had to quit that as well.
Anyone reading this newsletter is probably familiar with the story I wrote after Dean dropped out. Not because they know of me but because Howard Dean responded to it online. After reading a story on activism it all struck me… Dean wasn't the only answer to our countries problems. Sounds corny, but his statement "you have the power" made sense to me like never before. Anyway, I wrote this story about how I came to realize that this election still mattered, and he responded. He also asked that I get all the 19,000 + Punx signups back on the DFA bus. Direction from Dr Dean, to me, is like well…it's like an order.
You see, I learned A LOT from the DFA grassroots people. Made some lifetime friendships with people old enough to be my great-grandparents. Through educating myself, attending Dean events, talking with supporters and press and getting a response from the good Doc, I rediscovered the political values my family instilled in me so long ago. Small change is always better than no change at all.
So I carried on and created D.I.Y. Politics. Do-It-Yourself (D.I.Y.) is about getting things done on your own. The site is targeted to younger and first time voters/activists but has people all ages submitting tips, tricks and campaign advice left and right. We are currently working on two projects: BBQ Battlefield and Club Craze (Read about these projects above in New Groups Take Root).
After getting D.I.Y. Politics off the ground and running somewhat on its own, I'm finally able to work on other projects like the new Punx for Dean (now Punx for Democracy) website. Punx for Democracy is the next step beyond D.I.Y. After learning the basics you can hop on over to PFD and get real training. It's sort of a mini- Democracy for America. Punx for Dean created a lot of activists. We want to help these people get into public office some day. I, myself, will be running for office one day. PFD will have Democracy for America as our role model and will work with other organizations to help our signups succeed. My final project of the year is Progressive Punks. This is sort of the mother organization of all three. There's a method to this 3-org madness. I want to be able to say what I want and do what I need to do without restriction. Sort of like Move On. A Non-Profit, a PAC and a Voter Fund.
In all of this I have learned that community is extremely important. Something as simple as linking to another organization helps wonders. When you get a free moment drop by D.I.Y. and Punx for Democracy. Give us your advice, sign-up, and help us remain a part of the great grassroots movement. We'll do whatever we can to help you as well.
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SITE SEEING
The life and leadership of the late Minnesota Senator Paul Wellstone has inspired millions around America to engage in grassroots. Carry It Forward is a web-based companion to a documentary film that celebrates Wellstone’s controversial political career and his legacy of progressive populism. VOTE! is a short, energetic film that invokes the life and work of Paul Wellstone in encouraging civic involvement. In quick, urban beat style Vote! features John Lewis, Al Franken, and a host of young activists interested in voting. You can view Vote! Here: http://www.carryitforward.org/votefilm.html
One of our Taking Root readers is an avid 5K/10K race participant. While running in the Cherry Blossom Ten Miler in our nation’s capital last month, he came across an organization that recruits avid runners and neighborhood joggers alike to “collectively and comfortably express their disapproval of the Bush Administration.” Run Against Bush is a small-scale grassroots organization of teachers, civil servants, and nonprofit and private sector professionals who are all driven by a deep concern over the direction in which our country is heading. The website helps interested citizens enter targeted road races around the country so they can run in large groups to show this administration “who’s really running this country.”
Progressive Vote (a.k.a. “Green Donkey”) wants to become “the Party within the Party” – Democrat that is, and launched its website this week. Progressive Vote seeks to rally voters in the left wing of the Democratic and push a distinctly progressive agenda at the national convention in Boston this July.
Progressive Vote group has already garnered more than 3,000 members in the last couple weeks. This group is working overtime to gain recognition of all Progressives within the Democratic Party. Progressive Vote aims to bring a platform advocating equality, social justice, environmental preservation, educational equity, and economic progress to the DNC. The group hopes to push the party to work for the majority, which when engaged, are Progressives. Arizona, Iowa, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah, and NC currently have state groups already formed with platforms in under development.
The goal of Progressive Vote is to include all campaigns, all Grassroots groups and all those who are not only deeply concerned about another four years of Bush, but about the direction we may head if we do not work within our Party to emphasize true Democratic ideals.
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THE TOOL SHED
DemocracyFest Site Information & Recommended Lodging
Here are some links to check out on the venue and the surrounding area:
- http://www.northamptonairport.com/
- http://www.northamptonairport.com/Pca/Aboutus/Northampton_airport.htm
- http://www.northamptonuncommon.com
- http://www.noho.com
- http://spaceshare.com/deanfest
DemocracyFest Hotel Information
- Quality Inn has 21 rooms and is located in Hadley, MA. Call: 413-584-9816
- Howard Johnson's has 20 rooms and is located in Amherst/Hadley, MA. Call: 413-586-0114
- EconoLodge has 10 rooms and is also located in Hadley, MA. Call: 413-582-7077
Grassroots Calendar
May 14 – 16 | |
May 21 – 23 | |
May 30 | Memorial Day Concert presented by D.I.Y. Politics: |
June 2 | |
June 4 – 6 | Field Organizer Training in Washington DC by 21st Century Democrats |
June 18 – 21 | Field Organizer Training in Portland, OR by 21st Century Democrats |
June 19 | |
June 19 or 20 | Maryland Campaign 101 High School Training by 21st Century Democrats |
June 25 – 27 | Minnesota Campaign 101 High School Training by 21st Century Democrats |
July 7 | |
July 9 – 11 | Virginia Campaign 101 High School Training by 21st Century Democrats |
July 16 – 18 | Michigan Campaign 101 High School Training by 21st Century Democrats |
July 17 | Florida Campaign 101 High School Training by 21st Century Democrats |
July 24/25 | DemocracyFest |
July 26/29 | Democratic National Convention, Boston, MA |
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WORTH REITERATING
“Tips for Finding Uncontested Races”
DFA wants every Republican candidate at every level to be challenged by a progressive Democratic candidate. 21st Century Democrats has produced a primer on how to find races where GOP candidates are running unopposed. It is an easy-to-follow guide complete with links to web resources. You can find it on the DFA website by clicking here.
ABOUT OUR NEWSLETTER
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VISIT OUR WEB SITE
Grassroots for America is a resource for progressive grassroots organizations across the nation, connecting groups and providing services, infrastructure and consulting to:
- Energize their ideas and bring them to life
- Connect with like-minded teams across the country
- Mobilize bodies of voters for active citizen engagement
- Publicize their projects utilizing a professional PR and Media team
- Multiply the impact of every grassroots initiative.
Grassroots for AmericaSM is a not-for-profit corporation operating as an IRS chapter 501(c)4 organization.
 Your contribution will help us help the progressive grassroots grow. |
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