Week In Review: National Organizing Kickoff a Great Success

November 18, 2005

On November 15th, Democrats in all fifty states participated in over 1000 individual National Organizing Kick-Off events. Several organizers checked in with the DNC just before their events began. These are the photos from a few of the meetings. If you would like to submit stories and photos from your kick-off, email us. If you'd like to hear Governor Dean's conference calls,

Of the one thousand plus national organizing events held on November 15th, perhaps none was more inspirational than the one hosted by Deborah and Alan Langhoff on Canal Street in New Orleans. Because all of the furniture was lost to Hurricane Katrina, attendees used lawn chairs for seating as a generator provided power for the event. But it wasn't the lights hanging from wooden beams that illuminated the room that shined brightest that night -- it was the awe-inspiring commitment of that group to democracy and Democratic principles that left a lasting impression on everyone at DNC Headquarters as we became aware of the "Lawn Chair Rendezvous" over the course of the day. After hearing Deborah's story, the DNC asked her to introduce Governor Dean on the 7:30 nationwide call. He was so moved by their commitment that he couldn't help but share their story with participants on the final conference call of the evening, and hasn't stopped talking about it since.

Democratic Women truly took the lead by hosting kick off events. Here is some feedback direct from the ladies!

Our Rochester meeting welcomed about 15 people. Some of them will be the activists left standing, so to speak, from hard-fought campaigns this fall. Tonight we are also going to meet some new folks, Democrats from around the county who saw the meeting on the website and are driving some distance to hear Governor Dean.

We have strong feelings that we must organize at the grassroots level even more efficiently and effectively, and we need to raise our money there, also. The program outlined in the PowerPoint presentation, which we will be presenting low-tech on cards, is an excellent overview of what it will take. We have good, strong ties with our local and county Democratic committees, and we can make them even stronger. Feeling that in fact we do have the power.
Monica, Secretary, Brighton Democratic Committee

I've had some experience with conference call house parties; they are a lot of fun and great for organizing. That's why I jumped at the chance to host a meeting tonight where we roll out the 50 State Strategy. We've needed something like this for so long here in West Texas where we are overlooked and isolated. Everybody who lives in a conservative town like Lubbock can probably understand what that feels like. We never see a presidential political ad on TV, our primary comes late, etc. A connection, that's what we need -- have a party with a conference call--what a brilliant way to be connected, to be a part of the Party.
Sue in Lubbock, Texas

Here in coastal Monmouth County New Jersey we are licking our wounds and we are celebrating. We are certainly celebrating Jon Corzine's tremendous victory! That is the best news we have here! However, we are very upset about our losses in our local races. We had wonderful candidates and all of them were close races. We know that in a large part, the bias of our local newspapers against Democrats had a lot to do with the losses. But, we have to be able to get our Democratic message out in spite of the newspaper coverage.

I think that Gov. Dean is way ahead of the curve with the Democracy Bonds! The Republicans are controlled by and the spokesmen for big corporations because that's where their money comes from. It's wonderful to think that the Democrats are controlled by people like all of us--people who are working hard and trying to pay their taxes and raise their families. I bought a Democracy Bond quite a while ago--and am going to buy another. We--the everyday Democrats--need to be the "special interests" of the party.
Susan in Monmouth County, New Jersey

Maybe it sounds corny, but another reason we are excited about hosting a kick off session is that we love to meet new friends and "put the party back in the Democrats!" Imagine my surprise when I checked my email a few minutes ago and eight people I don't know are coming to my house tonight!
Susan, Ocean Grove, NJ

My partner and I decided that we want to make an investment in democracy, an investment in the Democratic Party and an investment with our friends in grassroots movements in Clark County. For this reason, we signed up to host a DNC organizing party. We're excited about the PowerPoint presentation, which we shared last night at the Clark County Democrats meeting. It describes power coming from the grassroots -- and I think that's right. We're looking forward to hearing from Howard Dean tonight and we're looking forward to more information coming directly from the DNC.

The most wonderful thing about being involved in local politics is the friends that we have made. Before we were politically active, we thought partisan politics would be "political" in the bad sense of the word. Instead we have found wonderful people to work with -- wonderful people who are also trying to make a positive difference to America. I feel more connected to my community now than I have ever felt before.
Patrice in Camas, Washington

DEMOCRATS TAKING THE LEAD

2005 GOVERNORS RACES: Our victories in New Jersey and Virginia show us that Democratic Governors continue to win in both blue and red states. People know that Democratic Governors are the leaders they can count on to improve their lives. Democratic Governors champion innovative policies and share America's values: fiscal responsibility; strong economic growth and job creation; better schools for our children; affordable health care; safer communities; and a secure nation. And Democratic Governors balance our state budgets.

* Jon Corzine's winning affordability agenda of creating good jobs and good wages to boost family wages and of lower property taxes; fiscal responsibility, affordable health care, and safer communities resonated with New Jersey voters.

* Tim Kaine's message of effective state management, creating good-paying jobs, tax relief for homeowners, better schools for Virginia's children including pre-kindergarten for four-year-olds, and his transportation plan put him over the top in the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Decisive victories on November 8th by democratic candidates Tim Kaine and Jon Corzine demonstrated how we will win in '06 with strong candidates who offer a vision based on the American peoples' priorities. While Republicans offer more of the same failed policies that have led our country in the wrong direction, Democrats across the country offer vision and leadership.

And women candidates were successful at the ballot box in local and legislative races across the country. Women made modest gains in Virginia, and New Jersey posted a record number of women elected to its legislature. Visit the Center for American Women in Politics to view the election results, including big-city mayoral races featuring women candidates, These victories were a sign of change to come.

Democrats swept governors' races in New Jersey and Virginia -- Voters in those states made a conscious choice to reject the Republican culture of corruption and their slash and burn politics. They are not alone. We've all had enough -- enough of Republican incompetence, arrogance and corruption. We saw it in Virginia and New Jersey, we saw it on the Senate floor last week when Democratic Leader Harry Reid demanded accountability on Iraq, and we will see it every day from now until our country is put back on track. Democrats are ready to lead.

DNC Announces Dates for 2008 Democratic Convention

The DNC has announced that the 2008 Democratic National Convention will be held Monday, August 25th through Thursday, August 28th. The late August convention date will allow the Democrats to host their convention after the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing and to maximize momentum for our Democratic Ticket in the final months of the Presidential election.

Any registered Democrat may serve as a delegate to the DNC Convention. Each state will begin crafting delegate selection plans in 2007 which will detail the process and how you can get involved and raise your voice in the Democratic Party by serving as a delegate to the Convention.

Ground Operation in Alaska

November 17, 2005

Hello from Alaska! My name is Jonathan Teeters and I am working with the Alaska Democratic Party and the Democratic National Committee to give Alaskans back their voices! For years, Alaska has been a tough place to be a Democrat. This tide is beginning to turn though, as evidenced by our outstanding success just a few nights ago.

November 15th was a big night for all of us in Alaska as we took part in the National Organizing Kickoff Parties that took place all over the country. Alaskans all across the state came together as Democrats, hosting nearly 20 parties, to resoundingly state that we are tired of politics as usual.

I am really excited by what has been happening. I have only been working for the Alaska Democratic Party for just over two weeks, yet the excitement and determination of the numerous people that I have already met, talked to on the phone, or communicated with through email is contagious. I am excited to be part of the team—and part of a team that will win in Alaska, and across the country.

The challenge that we face in Alaska is sizable. If the excitement that was felt on the phone on the 15th is any indication though, we have all the opportunity in the world to overcome the challenges that we face as Democrats and as Alaskans. With all of your help, the DNC 50 State Organizing Strategy will pay dividends on November 7, 2006.

Lawn Chair Rendezvous

November 17, 2005

Of the one thousand plus national organizing events held on November 15th, perhaps none was more inspirational than the one hosted by Alan and Deborah Langhoff on Canal Street... in New Orleans. Because all of the furniture was lost to Hurricane Katrina, attendees used lawn chairs for seating as a generator provided power for event. But it wasn’t the lights hanging from wooden beams that illuminated the room that shined brightest that night -- it was the awe-inspiring commitment of that group to democracy and Democratic principles that left a lasting impression on everyone at DNC Headquarters as we became aware of the "Lawn Chair Rendezvous" over the course of the day. After we heard her story, we asked her to introduce Governor Dean on the 7:30 call. He was so moved by their commitment that he couldn’t help but share their story with participants on the final conference call of the evening, and hasn’t stopped talking about it since.

One attendee from California, who just happened to be in Louisiana that evening on his way to Pensacola, was at the event and wrote the following on his blog.

NOK in Virginia

November 16, 2005

Jerome Wiley Segovia, who was gracious enough to blog from the DNC's Hispanic Summit a while back, sent in this account of one of his organizing events in Virginia last night...

The Fairfax County/Falls Church DNC Kickoff event was a great success. Because we were all involved in the Tim Kaine for Governor campaign here in Virginia, most of us were not focusing on planning for this event. At the last minute, we decided that it was a fairly simple undertaking, and that if we were able to get ten or fifteen folks out, it would be a good event. We only had about 48 hours to plan the event, but the online DNC tools helped.

First, we got a commitment for 160 empanadas, which probably drew some people in. Then, we were able to get some of the folks we e-mailed to forward the invitation to large local e-mail lists, and get the word out. We had 52 people sign up overnight. Puente Latino, a Latino organizing consulting firm, sent word to statewide Latino Democrats urging them to make the event. By the time the live conference call with Governor Dean started, event attendance reached 100.

Germán Gómez, senior partner with Puente Latino, emceed the event, and introduced Andrew Hurst, who is a candidate for the VA-11 Congressional seat. Hurst delivered a genuine and inspired speech that I would title "Why are you here?" asking each of those present to stop and think about why they were present at the event. He related a story about a moment when he first asked himself "why am I running for Congress?" and how it gave him the clarity of thought that guides him today on the campaign trail.

The other exciting aspect of the evening was that many, many county and statewide Latino activists and leaders were present. As Virginia moves forward within Governor Dean's 50-state strategy, one way we will gain 10 new Democrats in each precinct, one way we will win back th e necessary 30 seats in the House, will be by identifying and training leaders within the Latino community, and the most effective way to bring that about is by enlisting the help of leaders within that very community.

Jerome Wiley Segovia
reporting from DNC Kickoff Event - VA 11

Firsthand Kick-Off Accounts

November 16, 2005

The most exciting part of the DNC's new 50 state strategy is the foundation is built by grassroots participation and investment.  Over the past several months Democrats have invested in the party by purchasing Democracy Bonds; these bonds have allowed for the hiring of three local organizers in 38 individual states across the country so far.  Last night Democrats invested in their time and effort as over 1000 individuals in all fifty states (and 20 countries abroad) held "organizational kick-off events" in their own homes and local establishments.

The night was exciting from start to finish.  Here's the play-by-play.

At around 5 PM, less than two hours before the first event, we started to get reports from local event hosts about their preparation and excitement.  Here are a few snipits from a larger entry over at Kickin' Ass.

Sue from Lubbock, Texas
I've had some experience with conference call house parties; they are a lot of fun and great for organizing. That's why I jumped at the chance to host a meeting tonight where we roll out the 50 State Strategy. This is a great program, a great event and I am very excited to participate. We've needed something like this for so long here in West Texas where we are overlooked and isolated. Everybody who lives in a conservative town like Lubbock can probably understand what that feels like. We never see a presidential political ad on TV, our primary comes late, etc. Connections, that's what we need -- have a party with a conference call--what a brilliant way to be connected, to be a part of the Party.

Sue checked back in later that evening with this report after the conclusion of her event:

Update from Lubbock TX: we expected 15 but we had a total of 34 people! I'm very encouraged about the strength of the Democratic Party in this conservative stronghold. We have a great candidate for congress Dist. 19, Robert Ricketts. The conference call with Gov. Dean was inspiring to the nth degree. Shelley, thank you for the encouragement. You know what we are up against here. Tell your parents they are not alone. Onward.

And that was just one of one thousand plus stories from yesterday evening.  In New Orleans a number of Democrats, just allowed back into their homes, held an organizing event on lawnchairs, under lights powered by generators.  Over the course of the evening, Governor Dean held several conference calls with attendees to discuss the organizing strategy, and took questions from a number of event hosts across the country.

Wednesday Morning Open Thread

November 16, 2005

We're working on putting together a nice little compilation of photos and reports from last nights National Organizing Kick-Off. You might remember Sue from Lubbock, Texas reporting in shortly before her event was to begin:

My guests are coming over in two hours. I have the all the host materials downloaded. I've been to Kinkos to copy a handout of the power point presentation. I've got the name tags ready to go and a sign up sheet. I also have voter registration materials for people who need to register. I have five Democracy Bond packets printed out and ready. I have my computer set up to enter volunteer information online. A friend is bringing over a laptop and projector for the power point presentation. I expect to have 15 people, maybe more.

It was great to see her in the comments afterward giving an update on how successful her event was. Even better was the sense of inspiration in her words -- something certainly duplicated at event after event throughout all fifty states, sixty college campuses, and twenty countries abroad yesterday evening:

[W]e expected 15 but we had a total of 34 people! I'm very encouraged about the strength of the Democratic Party in this conservative stronghold... The conference call with Gov. Dean was inspiring to the nth degree.

Tonight's the Night

November 15, 2005

Tonight, over 1000 Americans made the decision to invest the time necessary in beginning the process of creating a local infrastructure on-the-ground in each and every one of the fifty United States. By all accounts, the 50 State Strategy National Organizing Kick-Off is already a tremendous success. As we get closer to the hour in which Democrats across the country will gather in each other’s homes and local establishments, here are a few stories from some of the local event organizers:

Monica in Rochester, New York

Our Rochester meeting will welcome about 15 people. Some of them will be the activists left standing, so to speak, from hard-fought campaigns this fall. DFA-Rochester's leader, Tom Janowski, a campaign manager and member of his local Democratic committee, is my co-host and our digital photographer. County Leg candidate Ted Nixon, a member of his local Democratic committee and a brave man who teaches French to eighth graders every day, will be supplying the speaker phone. ( Mine died during a critical test.) Tonight we are also going to meet some new folks, Democrats from around the county who saw the meeting on the website and are driving some distance to hear Governor Dean. It's my pleasure to host; the request came over Governor Dean's signature, and that was all the push I needed.

In the most recent election, our success varied by towns, but county-wide, we fought them to a draw. The names switched, but the number of Democratic and Republican seats in our leg did not change. This is a matter of grave concern locally. We have strong feelings that we must organize at the grassroots level even more efficiently and effectively, and we need to raise our money there, also. The program outlined in the PowerPoint presentation, which we will be presenting low-tech on cards, is an excellent overview of what it will take. We have good, strong ties with our local and county Democratic committees, and we can make them even stronger. Can't wait until 7:30!

Feeling that in fact we do have the power,
Monica Gilligan, Secretary, Brighton Democratic Committee

I've had some experience with conference call house parties; they are a lot of fun and great for organizing. That's why I jumped at the chance to host a meeting tonight where we roll out the 50 State Strategy. This is a great program, a great event and I am very excited to participate. We've needed something like this for so long here in West Texas where we are overlooked and isolated. Everybody who lives in a conservative town like Lubbock can probably understand what that feels like. We never see a presidential political ad on TV, our primary comes late, etc. Connections, that's what we need -- have a party with a conference call--what a brilliant way to be connected, to be a part of the Party.

Because I want to support the DNC and Governor Dean in every way I can, I bought a Democracy Bond. We all need to do everything we can to help the Democratic Party succeed. I'm going to be selling those bonds! My guests are coming over in two hours. I have the all the host materials downloaded. I've been to Kinkos to copy a handout of the power point presentation. I've got the name tags ready to go and a sign up sheet. I also have voter registration materials for people who need to register. I have five Democracy Bond packets printed out and ready. I have my computer set up to enter volunteer information online. A friend is bringing over a laptop and projector for the power point presentation. I expect to have 15 people, maybe more. I'll report back later with a picture.

Here in coastal Monmouth County New Jersey we are licking our wounds and we are celebrating. We are certainly celebrating Jon Corzine's tremendous victory! That is the best news we have here! (And personally we are very invested since my daughter, my two friends and I were in just about every photograph used in the campaign literature and our picture is the first one you see when you click on www.corzineconnection.com right now!)

However, we are very upset about our losses. In spite of arrests of many Republicans, we were unable to win the county freeholder(county commissioner in the rest of the country) or the state assembly or our local town. We had wonderful candidates and all of them were close races. We know that in a large part, the bias of our local newspapers against Democrats had a lot to do with the losses. But, we have to be able to get our Democratic message out in spite of the newspaper coverage. It seems to me that if we did a better job of getting our message out, we would win!

I think that Gov. Dean is way ahead of the curve with the Democracy Bonds! The Republicans are controlled by and the spokesmen for big corporations because that's where their money comes from. It's wonderful to think that the Democrats are controlled by people like all of us--p eople who are working hard and trying to pay their taxes and raise their families. I bought a Democracy Bond quite a while ago--and am going to buy another. We--the everyday Democrats--need to be the "special interests" of the party.

Maybe it sounds corny, but another reason we are excited about hosting a kick off session is that we love to meet new friends and "put the party back in the Democrats!" Imagine my surprise when I checked my email a few minutes ago and eight people I don't know are coming to my house tonight! I guess I had better get busy and make some cookies! Susan Folta, Ocean Grove, NJ

My partner and I decided that we want to make an investment in democracy, an investment in the Democratic Party and an investment with our friends in grassroots movements in Clark County. For this reason, we signed up to host a DNC organizing party toinight. We're excited about the powerpoint presentation, which we shared last night at the Clark County Democrats meeting. It describes power coming from the grassroots -- and I think that's right. We're looking forward to hearing from Howard Dean tonight and we're looking forward to more information coming directly from the DNC.

A few months after the election la st year, Howard Dean came to speak in Clark County. He told us that we needed to donate to political causes because otherwise the money only comes from large corporations. My partner and I have taken his advice to heart. We have a Democratic VISA card that pays 1% to the DNC, we've signed up for Democracy bonds which will charge a specific amount each month, and we are both involved in the local Clark County Democratic party and in various progressive causes in the local area. We work on local campaigns as much as we can and contribute what we can.

Our participation and donations have already paid off locally. We had a lot of progressive victories in our recent election in Clark County and in Washington state. We elected a wonderful Democratic County commissioner, Steve Stuart in a hard-fought race. We voted to stand behind the gas tax passed by our state legislature last year to pay for infrastructure improvements all over the state. We voted against letting insurance providers write our laws abou t malpractice. In the primary we supported the local public transportation. The only sad point locally was losing the Ft. Vancouver library bond, which has to have a super-majority, by 59.4% when we needed 60%.

The most wonderful thing about being involved in local politics is the friends that we have made. Before we were politically active, we thought partisan politics would be "political" in the bad sense of the word. Instead we have found wonderful people to work with -- wonderful people who are also trying to make a positive difference to America. I feel more connected to my community now than I have ever felt before.

I'm looking forward to tonight, to seeing friends and fellow volunteers and to meeting new people who want to do something for democracy. I appreciate the DNC making this possible.

1,000 Organizing Events and Counting

November 14, 2005

Tomorrow night - in all fifty states (and in 20 other countries) - Democrats will come together and begin the work that's needed to win in 2006 and 2008. In the past, these initial meetings happened just months before Election Day, and the bonds formed and the lessons learned disappeared just hours after the votes were counted. Starting tomorrow, all of that will change.

If you want to host an event, you still can. There's no reason why you can't invite your friends and neighbors over - even if it is the day before.

If you want to go to an event, there are over 1000 nationwide, so finding one shouldn't be a problem.

If you're already hosting, you can get all the materials you need. We'll send you the conference call information later tonight.

If you have any questions, feel free to email us After your meeting, send us your photos and stories and we'll share them with others who are deeply invested in laying the groundwork for the coming elections.

Organizing Alaska

November 12, 2005

We're at 946 Organizing Kickoff Meetings nationwide on Tuesday November 15th. And when we say "nationwide" we mean it -- here's an email we just got from Tommy, a host of of a meeting in his community:

Got everything. Thanks for all your hard work. We're ready to go. Now realize, we live up in the mountains at 3000 ft., 114 miles NE of Anchorage, our community is called Glacier View/Sheep Mountain, we're in a VERY red state, so we are few, but we are very, very fed up, we've had enough ...