Springfield DFA news and calls for ACTION!!!

[Desert Liberal]

Hello all! I'm hoping this finds you all well! The July meetup went beautifully, and extra-special thanks to Richard Napieralski (running for the 137th) and Cathy Hilliard (running for the 143rd) for being excellent speakers during our meeting!
Lots of business was discussed at the meeting as well, and Cathy Hilliard has a booth at the fair, so. . . stop by and pick up literature for all the candidates who are going to also be at Cathy's booth! If you're going to be at the Ozark Empire Fair anyway, why not meet a Democratic candidate AND help out the DFA group? We're rushing out the next issue of Stand & Deliver to have at the table, so send in your submissions! Our August issue of the newsletter is going to be all ready to go by July 27th, so please have your submissions in no later than July 24th (that's 8 days from now, so you have time!!!). We really need writers for issues in Greene County and Missouri, so please, if you have an op-ed that the Mis-Leader won't print, if you're pissed off that Congress passed a wage increase for itself while leaving the minimum wage at $5.15, or if you just want to put your two cents in about local or regional issues, PLEASE SUBMIT PIECES TO [e-mail]. This is your forum, your opportunity to make your voice heard, so get on it!
Also discussed were ways to make money to help the troops and their families. I'm so sick of the Right saying that we Progressives don't support the troops, what better way to show them they're wrong than by doing something that DIRECTLY benefits troops and their families? We discussed having a 'Troop Night' at a local club, where the club would charge a cover and donate it, having a dunk tank available with candidates for dunking, and many other ideas. If you are interested in helping plan this, or if you have other ideas, please please contact me!!! (aundria (dot) sgf (dot) dfa (at) gmail (dot) com)
Barbara Boxer wants us to decide who the next featured candidate will be in their next fundraising email. From her email:
Over 14,000 people have already cast online votes for the Democratic Senate challenger who will be featured in the next fundraising email from PAC for a Change.
This is a big decision for our community to make. We are only six seats away from winning a majority in the Senate, and the candidate who wins this online vote will get a critical financial boost as we move ever closer to the November elections.
We saw the power of our PAC for a Change community at work last month when, thanks to your support, a fundraising email raised more than $80,000 for my friend and colleague Sen. Maria Cantwell in her race against the deep-pocketed Mike McGavick in Washington.
To vote, go to http://www.barbaraboxer. com/vote
Online balloting wraps up on July 21st -- and another 12 candidates are close on the heels of our early voting leaders -- so these results could still change dramatically between now and then.

Claire McCaskill (MO) 17%

Bob Casey (PA) 16%

Barbara Radnofsky (TX) 14%

Pete Ashdown (UT) 11%

Sherrod Brown (OH) 9%

After the early voting, Claire McCaskill was in the lead! Let's help Claire win against Talent in 2006!
All right, last thing and then I'll let you get back to your life. MoveOn is giving away bumper stickers. You don't even pay postage! Go here: https://political.moveon .org/stickers/?id=8173-5613255-gUsVwG9sX 7EtblCwxzJW7w&t=6
Get your Grand Oil Party stickers now, and show those Ruthless Republicans that we are on to them and their oil-addicted ways!
The August meetup is ON! We are going to meet Thursday, August 3rd, 7 p.m. at Harpo's in the back room. Please make plans to join us!
So, don't forget:
1) Go to the fair and pick up literature from Democratic candidates and DFA at Cathy Hilliard's booth sometime between July 28 and August 6.
2) Submit your original wordsmithing (or original cartoons) for inclusion in the August issue of Stand & Deliver to [e-mail]
3) Submit your ideas for 'Help the Troops'
4) Vote at Barbara Boxer's site to get help for Claire McCaskill in defeating Jim Talent.
5) Get your Grand Oil Party sticker from MoveOn.
6) Make plans to attend the next meetup on August 3rd!

See you there!

[proud2BlibKansan]

1. Hi! Are you guys coming to the statewide DFA meetup in Columbia?

August 12.

[Desert Liberal]

2. We're trying to get it arranged...

We are going to try, if enough of us can split gas costs!

[proud2BlibKansan]

3. Let me know so we can meet up

I was thinking we should organize a DU DFA meetup.

[Desert Liberal]

6. That would be great!

As you may be able to tell, my time is scant to plan much of anything. I have a hard time getting my stuff done for my group! :banghead: But if you get it together, I'll be there! I'd like to meet you at any rate, whether or not we have a DU DFA meetup. :hi:

[cornermouse]

4. I'm not trying to be negative, but

Springfield is plastered with signs for republican candidates. I keep looking for signs for democratic candidates and haven't found any so far. Handing out literature at the fair is certainly good, but whenever I go to Springfield it sort of looks to me like the republicans are already mobilized and several steps ahead. I don't know if they're taking care of their grassroots or their grassroots are taking care of them, but the end result is that they've got their names out and I have no idea who the democrats are at this point.

[Desert Liberal]

5. Good point...

I've seen lots of Republican signs in the commercial areas, but I am seeing Democratic signs in some neighborhoods, and not so many Republican ones. In the 137th, Richard Napieralski has got lots of signs out. I don't get a chance to get out much. Gas is too expensive to just go tooling around, but I am seeing some improvement. The only thing we can do is get out there and get on it!