Truth and Hope.org collecting money for Kerry - last day to help!

[mzmolly]

Here is the text of an email I received from the founder of Truth and Hope.org. This organization started as a group that was helping Howard Dean initially. They have made the transition to helping Kerry and are trying to raise money. TODAY IS THE LAST DAY FOR THE FUND RAISING EFFORT, SO IF YOU CAN...PLEASE HELP OUT!

"I have $3,075.44 for Kerry from TruthandHope members for Dean in my possession right now. Beyond that, I have 41 people that have requested Credit Card forms or who are sending checks. So, if the average contribution is $50, we're half way there & if it is $100 we're well over that. I expect that between the mail delivering & people faxing from work tomorrow that number should grow significantly.

I really appreciate your support in this & making is easier to request in the first place with that support. It took me a few hours to get up the nerve to send out the initial request, as it is obviously not something we ever wanted to do when we started this, or during all the time that we have individually supported Governor Dean. I knew we'd even lose a few people, so far only 3 but even that is hard for me. I hate to think that people who support Governor Dean, or support TruthandHope will be so apt to withdraw support over one issue, especially when Dean has always pledged support for the nominee & is so actively supporting Kerry in his interviews & speeches.

I don't feel that I am a leader in this effort. It is my support for Governor Dean & his taking the lead along with the prospect of his gaining credit & higher standing with the nominee for his agenda that makes it not only possible as it was a couple days ago, but something I can now say that I am fully behind. I know that everyone needs their own time to consider supporting someone we so actively tried to defeat, because I have needed my time to get to such a place. My initial thought when Gov. Dean dropped out was that I would vote for him in November anyway. Now I see that whether or not someone commits to help financially, there are ultimately only four options: Vote for Kerry, Vote for Bush, Vote for a 3rd party or don't vote at all. Three of those four help Bush to another term. Aside from Gov. Dean's support of Kerry & if I understand from the Face the Nation show today correctly, an official endorsement this week, when I think of the Patriot Act, War based on lies, NCLB, Medicare reform, job loss, negative perception around the world, FCC attacking free speech & the absurd tax breaks that I get as a corporate business owner & in the "1%" while so many people are working so hard & cannot pay for health or child care, as Gov. Dean puts it any change even "incremental change" is so incredibly desirable, so very necessary that I can easily support Kerry or just about anyone else that had a reasonable chance to end this reign.

A couple people have emailed in the past hour that they are now pledging support, due to what Richard Clarke said on 60 minutes. It has not aired on the west coast yet, but I am looking forward to watching it. Perhaps there is some more (as if we needed it) good material for a Bush ad! Speaking of which, I am sitting on a couple business plans for TruthandHope moving forward & hope to have some positive feedback from Gov. Dean next week, as well as the other Dean's list members who represent large donors. I am excited to get back to airing media in support of progressive candidates, and against those that need to go! In the interim I have been meeting & speaking with other Dean supporters who have spent the months doing rather than saying & we are all on the same page for moving forward with full effort again to oust the current administration. It continues to be the most inspiring thing in my life thus far to be associated with so many people who not only feel so strongly about taking their country back, but are doing so much to make it happen.

Thank you for all that you do,"

Eugene Hedlund
Founder
TruthandHope.Org

"We are currently using paypal, with the email address [e-mail] ... If you have spent you $2,000 limit & wish to contribute more, this is the perfect opportunity to assist the election effort & have a real influence on how the money is spent."

http://www.paypal.com/

A personal note about the author:

I am writing a book, as expediently as possible about my experiences & observations, having lived in the epicenter of right-wing Repulicanism for nearly a decade. I want to trace my thought process' and the learned behaviors from childhood to the adolescent & adult friend & family circles of influence that effected my conservatism. The idea being why do so many people vote for conservatives or Republicans, despite the overwhelming evidence that their policies cause them harm. I have some theories & evidence that I am exploring, and would ask that anyone who is either a former Republican, grew up in a Republican family, is currently surrounded by Republicans or otherwise has what may be particularly interesting somewhat scientific thoughts about this subject to contact me, if you have a willingness to share & possibly contribute to the book. I believe, in no small part from my own experience, that if we could get past the walls of fear & the emotional basis' behind their beliefs & voting patterns, that we could turn a great number of conservatives or Republicans to our cause, for they are hurt by George W. Bush's policies too, but too ingrained in the conservative social structure & patterns to make such a move easily. This is a tremendous untapped resource.

Even if you can't help out, please keep this thread kicked until Tuesday, 3/23/2004 ... Thanks! ;)

[madfloridian]

1. Eugene has more now, I think.

He is a good guy, and we have communicated often. He is a Republican with a soul and heart. I admire him.

He has never wanted anything but what is good for our country.

[mzmolly]

3. Thanks MF. I agree with you. My DH was a Republican and he is now

a typical *bleeding heart* like mua' ;)

Has anyone ever told you :yourock: !!!

[Extremeleftovers]

2. Great

I get my tax refund next week and the extra $1000 I got because of chimpy's tax cut I'm sending in! Ironic isn't it? Using it against him.

[mzmolly]

4. Well, I'm not sure if that's more ironic then believing we got a tax

refund in the first place? :P But I think that's an amazing idea! Thanks!

And ... Welcome!!! :hi:

[Robb]

9. Hi Extremeleftovers!

...and welcome to DU! :)

[newyawker99]

12. Hi Extremeleftovers!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[mzmolly]

5. Lookin for some help from Kerry supporters old and new here?

;)

Thanks!!!

[mzmolly]

6. FORMER DEAN GROUP RAISES $$ FOR KERRY?!

There that better? :kick:

[mzmolly]

7. Welp, this donkey is runnin out of gas folks...!

One last kick! :kick:

[mzmolly]

8. EXCITING UPDATE FOR THIS VERY POPULAR THREAD!!! A must see.

"A quick update, I have $5,114 in hand now, with 39 form requests outstanding. Once I receive your form or check, I am sending out an acknowledgement & thank you note, so if you have sent something in but not received an email regarding it please let me know asap! I am leaving tomorrow evening so please get everything to me by then if possible, but I will be able to access any faxes that trickle in after I go.

Hopefully we hit the goal, Terry Lierman told me today we would be one of the top fundraisers if we do, which would be a powerful statement from a Dean grassroots group, when compared to the large donors that are represented by the other attendees.

I look forward to meeting some of you on this trip!

We are finally changing the whole website to improve not only it's look, but also to bring it up to speed with our new focuses. As they become clearer after this meeting, we will be able to finish the changes & roll it out.

For those who may not have seen it, Governor Dean posted a message on the DFA blog regarding his impending formal endorsement of Senator Kerry. I am copying it here for you as well."

Thank you for all of your help!

Eugene Hedlund
Founder
TruthandHope.Org

Message from Gov. Dean
Hi folks,

Thank you all so much for the great response to the roll-out of DFA 2.0 as some of you call it, otherwise known as Democracy for America. We have already raised 40k without asking, and some of our partners have kicked in a lot in the cause of corporate responsibility (SEIU) and working to get George Bush a one-way bus ticket to Crawford. (AFSCME).

The grassroots part of this, which encourages and helps local folks to run for office is the key piece of this, and the meetups in April will focus on this. We want to have Chapters of Democracy for America in every state, and work through you to support grassroots candidates who can win, or who can credibly spread the message of empowerment, and teach Americans that there is another set of values besides the right wing values of the Bush Republicans that we can offer, and that are better for our kids and our lives.

I don't want to give any of you a heart attack, but I plan to formally endorse John Kerry on Thursday, along with all 34 Congress people who endorsed me during the campaign.

One of the goals of the campaign was to send George Bush back to Texas, and the only person with a chance of doing that is John Kerry. I have spoken with him on numerous occasions. He is committed to universal health care, he has an excellent environmental record, and for that and many other reasons, he is a far better choice for president that the current resident of the White House who apparently (as revealed on Sixty Minutes over the weekend) ignored warnings of the potential of a terrorist attack before 9/11 in addition to costing us 2.3 million jobs!

In any case, I encourage you to support Sen. Kerry, but if you are not ready to do so, I hope you'll put lots of energy into the other two goals: reforming the Democratic Party to nurture its recent backbone transplant, and making the grassroots stronger to get progressive voices on every school board, county commission, City Council, etc. in the country. Many thanks for all you do!!

Howard Dean

For those that contributed THANKS!

[oasis]

10. kick

[mzmolly]

11. Hey thanks!

I think I'm being publically shunned. :P

Oh well....