Dean Getting Out in Front in South LA

[sfecap]

Dean Getting Out in Front in South LA


We just came from South LA, a community forum at the Regency West in a pale green room with twenty rows of chairs about 150 local leaders and residents.

The meeting was the first of its kind -- LA Councilmember Bernard C. Parks (of the Eighth District of LA) and Councilmember Eric Garcetti arranged the forum, but emphasized repeatedly that the Governor himself had imagined and pushed for it. Parks said "This is one of the few times a presidential candidate has been willing to come south of the Santa Monica Freeway to hear the views of the people who live here."

The man next to me, Herman Hendricks, took his lunch hour on jury duty to come listen, and after a few questions he took my pad and wrote his address and a substantial pledge to give. "He's always taken the lead," he said. "Others followed, but he's out there in front. We need someone who will be out there in front."

The governor took about 10 questions -- he clearly loves the back and forth -- and after the first two questions the line swelled from 3 to 20. I asked the question-askers afterwards what they thought, and to a person they all said that they were struck by how he "actually answered the question." A woman who does not use the Internet but has a granddaughter who does took the website address so her granddaughter could download flyers and put out on a table she puts in front of her door, usually with snacks for neighbors. "I'm everybody's mother," she said, "they'll listen to me."

My favorite lead into a question was a community activist and writer who began, "Good afternoon, Mr. Presidential Potential ...."

What did the Governor talk about? Racial disparity in life expectancy, community grants, AIDS and condoms, the Patriot Act, no Child Left Behind, community-based organizing and community-based decision-making. He answered the question.

It's inspiring to watch him, but also see the universal reaction of hope. A man organizing for prison reform outside, who missed the forum, said to me "yeah, but it's all going to come down to special interests in the end." I told him about the nearly 180,000 people who are giving to the campaign, and about the average donation. He first said he didn't believe me, and then he said he wished he'd seen it.

You have the power to affect so much change, and you are showing it. You gotta believe, and whether for the first, second, or eighth time, show your belief with your contribution. Thank you so much for what you are doing.

(Now I'm we're the warehouse-like NBC studios, in the press room with Hugo Martin (LA Times reporter) a bank of metal chairs and phone lines, as the Governor preps for Leno. I'll send more updates later. I snuck onto the Tonight show stage for just a minute and then got shushed off because Lyle Lovett was still practicing in the corner. More updates and pictures soon.)

www.blogforamerica.com

[Cha]

1. THis is so Great and Encouraging! I saw this on the Blog,

earlier and was very heartened by it!

How exciting for Dean and all of his Supporters that he is going to be on the tonight show,too. leno has been zinging bush lately but who knows what will happen.

[LuminousX]

2. That's great, but

I sure hope he starts hitting the streets of New Hampshire hard. Clark is cutting into his numbers there.