My first Dean Meet-up, huge turn-out - Photo Proof

[joefree1]

I've been trying to get to a Dean Meet-up for the last six months. Because of business travel I've been out of town or still working whenever I tried to go to a meeting. But finally last night my wife and I made it. What an exciting event!

I must admit that even though Dean is doing great in the polls the recent media firestorm and the online sock-puppet brigades piling-on Dean was starting to impact my otherwise optimistic view of this campaign.

However last night changed that. I strongly suggest any Dean supporters, or other candidate supporters, to get to your local campaign meet-ups. Avoid the negativity. Support your candidate with positive contributions. We'll all feel better when whomever we nominate goes up against the Bushies.

My wife and I attended one of several San Fernando Dean meet-ups here in California. Some of the highlights were the following.

They showed a video of Al Gore endorsing Dean. When did he become such a powerful speaker?

We also almost ran out of seats. The organizers were stunned by the turnout. Great to see after all the recent negative media.

The organizers gave great pep talks about all the exciting events coming up. My wife are looking forward to giving 5 to 10 hours to the campaign a week. I'm really excited by the upcoming rallies.

Even our waiter was a Dean supporter. Man, that guy worked hard bringing drinks and food to the overflow crowd.

So here's the picture. This shows less then half the crowd as the room was too small to get all of us in one shot. I'm the guy holding up victory signs on the right.

More photos here:
http://dean2004.meetup.com/photos/?locale=514&time=200401071900

*ON EDIT: the images don't seen to come up when I check back on this link. Probably due to the changing file names as more and more Meet-ups upload their images. If you don't see an image here try going to the links below.

More pictures here of various meet-ups around the country. It will take a couple of days for all the meet-ups to upload their pictures.
http://dean2004.meetup.com/photos/recap/200401071900

So see ya at the next Meet-up?


Images from Dean Rocks the House of Blues, Hollywood
From wtmusic http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=919849
From Joefree1 http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=921300

[joefree1]

1. Here's another pic

This was taken from the middle of the room and before the meeting started. Imagine this room filled up. Great time.

[rucky]

6. Are you the red "X" in the middle of the picture?

[bobbieinok]

2. c.icked on the dean2003.meetup.com

saw there were 84!!!!!!!!!!!!!! at Tulsa meetup

[tnlefty]

3. I missed last night's meet-up darn it!

But I just went into the Chattanooga link and saw the top of my head in the pic that loads first. Wow the top of my head! It's over the woman in red and looks like a pom-pom on top of her head!

I'm glad that your meet-up went well and that there was such a large crowd! At the New Year fundraiser there were many new faces and that was exciting!

[Capn Sunshine]

4. We have outgrown our meeting space!

It was too crowded. And many of our regulars did not attend this one , but there were at least ten "newbies".

We are splitting again to offer the Chatsworth/Northridege/Simi Valley folks their own space.

Despite the doom and gloom of the Socko show, our movement keeps growing.

Obviously, setting records for volunteer attendance and fund raising means that the candidate is doing something right!

Party on the 19th. Check a locale near you on Deanlink.
Thanks to the vast numbers of Dean supporters at DU.
:yourock:

[Demobrat]

5. We had to add two new venues this month

and were still packed to the rafters. We're up to ten now. Not bad for a city the size of SF.

[maxanne]

7. that's great Joe!

Congratulations on a successful event! We had 7 new supporters, and in a small town - that's pretty awesome. We wrote about 50 letters last night - and had some excellent organic pizza. :thumbsup:

[Hoppin_Mad]

8. We had to split our area into 2 venues - too many people for 1 ! :-) -eom-

[cthrumatrix]

9. I attended last night...in Florida...must have been about 50

and 3/4's of them were new (according to hands)...so the mo is moving

[Cha]

10. Thank you for giving us that illuminating

report, Joe!

I couldn't make to my Dean Meetup last night because of blinding snow conditions but that's what I get for living in New York instead of back in Sunny Cal!

I almost feel like I went to one with your descriptive account! And pictures, too!

[Cheswick2.0]

11. I had such fun looking

I was examining the different pictures from different cities to see what the character was in each place. I clicked on Ithaca thinking surely I would find those latte drinking, hollywood loving flakey freaks...."sadly" I only found very normal looking people.

[Atlant]

12. What a surprise!

> "sadly" I only found very normal looking people.

What a surprise! No one with horns or a forked tail, or anything
like that!:)

Atlant

[slinkerwink]

13. great news about the meetup!