Fundraisng letter from James Carville/DNC & my response

[katinmn]

Many of you will be receiving an email from James Carville on behalf of the DNC. I love James Carville but the DNC is gonna have to change before I give any more money.

Here's my comment to the DNC:

I am a progressive Democrat. Before I get back on board and again give money and work for Democratic candidates, I am going to wait and see if the PDA and all the state progressive caucuses are brought to the leadership table.

I want the DNC to focus on election, media, education and environmental policy reforms as well as a plan for getting out of Iraq.

We saw that raising more money and spending money on zillions of ads does not win elections.

Democrats need to define themselves as the party that stands for fiscal responsibility and civil and human rights.

Millions of progressives approached the 2004 election with passion and gave and gave and gave. Yet, the party did not advance our message and values to the public.

I respect the leaders like Dean, Kucinich, Conyers and Boxer that have stood up for American people. The DNC needs to tell us that they will put all of its support behind them and encourage other progressives to lead.

Thank you.


note: I posted this a bit ago in the GD: Politics forum and then I I noticed this new forum. Great addition.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=1491596&mesg_id=1491596

[H2O Man]

1. Good letter!

It is very important that people take the time to write letters such as yours. That is a thousand times more important than simply ignoring their outreach to you. Thank you for sharing this.

[Tafiti]

2. Agreed.

If no opinions are shared, they'll just assume that the people within the party are happy with the way things are. A big enough push for change will give them no choice but to do so. Well done.

[hermetic]

3. Good letter Kat

If you don't mind I'll just borrow it and maybe reword a little because that 'send me money' message will, no doubt, be in my mailbox soon.

[katinmn]

5. Please do! That's why I posted it.

:thumbsup:

[renaissanceguy]

4. Good letter. This is the sort of stuff

we have to do in order to create change. We have to keep speaking out--the status quo is NOT OK!

http://www.cafepress.com/liberalissues.15841637

[Laurab]

6. Thanks, Kat

I received the same email, and wasn't sure how to respond, but I knew I wanted to respond. Dumb question: did you just respond to the email address that sent you the email? I wasn't sure, so I went to the website and didn't really see any ideas for where to write.

[hermetic]

7. Same question here

Got the letter and it came from [e-mail], is that where you replied?

[dandrhesse]

8. I got the same thing I sent a reply to [e-mail]

That is the email address listed on his website and I haven't gotten it back yet. I have emailed the DNC several times and never received a reply.

Mr. Carville -

I have written several times to the DNC and thus far have received no response, so possibly you could pass this on to them.

I want to know what was done with the millions of dollars that the DNC collected for a recount fund for John Kerry. I am not donating another dime until that question is adequately answered.

After 2000 we were told "never again", well here we are again in the same situation with GWB about to be inaugurated for a second election he didn't win. If the DNC had made a enough noise and insisted that the voting equipment be inspected by computer forensic experts we might not be in this position.

I worked my butt off for Kerry and have been an activist since the election. Thanks to millions of others like myself we got a GAO investigation and we got a member of both the House and Senate to Object to the Ohio electoral votes, we are tired of doing it all with no support from the party organization that we financially and physically supported for months!

I believe John Kerry did his best and I also think he is not done, but I feel that the DNC sold him down the river the same as they did Gore.

We need media exposure NOW! We need to stop Bush from doing whatever he damn well pleases with our money and our country.

That email just made me snap. The only time I am contacted by the DNC is when they want money! Well guess what? I'm done throwing my money away.

I gave all thru the election season because I trusted that the DNC would fight tooth and nail and be bright enough to realize "duh" that the GOP would try and steal the election again! I guess I gave them a whole lot more credit than they deserved.

So show me the money, the recount money and tell me what happened to it.

Put your money where your mouth is and serve the democrats that put their sweat and personal reputations on the line in their own communities and quit asking for more money when you haven't done squat for the people who given their all for the DNC.

Sincerely and with regret to you Mr. Carville for having been the last straw, I am sorry and this is not personal in any way. Please pass this on to Terry McAuliffe, or Mary Cahill or whomever at the DNC or Kerry Campaign that will give me an answer.

[La Femme]

15. Great letter dandrhesse! N/T

[cestpaspossible]

9. I sent 10 bucks

Didn't cause me a hardship, and it can't hurt for the DNC to have some money with which to fight the Bush agenda.

I guess if I didn't want to actually DO anything to fight the Republicans, but wanted to make myself feel self-righteous, I would have sent a letter like yours, instead.

[dandrhesse]

10. not meant to be self-righteous and didn't say I'd never give more $

what I said was that I have tried contacting the DNC and they have not responded except to ask for more money.

And as far as doing anything I have been "doing" a lot since the election and worked very hard for the Kerry campaign.

I would just like to see the DNC send us something that explains what happened to the recount fund and why they didn't pursue anything, including helping out with the money for the recount request in Ohio.

For all I know they have very valid reasons, but that is what I'm asking for an explanation, that's all.

[cestpaspossible]

11. Umm

'recount fund'? I'm not sure what you mean... are you talking about the Kerry campaign's GELAC account? As far as 'explanations' they've been offered, and apparently you didn't find them acceptable. I'm not really sure what needed to be explained, anyway. But, Terry's on his way out...

[electropop]

19. I haven't heard any GELAC explanations.

Can you share?

[msongs]

13. perhaps a better investment would be local dems candidates because

the DNC spends a huge amount of money to support its bloated bureaucracy and infrastructure, and as we saw in the last election, that money was pretty much wasted compared to effectiveness of local level people.

Msongs
www.msongs.com

[DaedelusNemo]

16. If you are serious about power to the grassroots thats the strategy to use

A significant shift of money from the party to local candidates would be a good poke in their softest spot - their desire to simply ignore those outside their circle.

[tsuki]

20. Yes, locally we were hamstrung. We couldn't even put an ad in the

paper for our local candidates.

[Vinnie From Indy]

12. I didn't see anything about VOTE FRAUD in your letter.

For me, fair voting and building a counter to the corporate media are the two most important issues for the DNC to focus on.

[msongs]

14. shhh yew will wake them up hehehehe

Msongs
www.msongs.com

[umtalal]

17. Well written. I wish I have used it. n/t

[xmas74]

18. I wish that I

had thought of that. I write letters to everyone else-why not them, demanding explanations?

[Daily Change]

21. Using cash to steer the party

I agree whole-heartedly with you; we really need to send messages continually to the Party, local or national, and remind them who they are supposed to be speaking for. I'm doing it on a more granular level though. My New Years resolution is to change how I donate; rather than sending a general lump sum for support, I'm giving smaller, more frequent donations based on actions. When Dean takes the chair of the DNC, I'm donating. Whenever a local candidate does something I support, I'm donating. If someone on the national stage impresses me, my pocket book will open. Between elections, my donations are my voice. I think a multitude of smaller donations based on concrete actions might be a useful rudder to keep our guys on track, especially with a letter saying that I am donating because you guys did this particular thing.

Any thoughts?

[corbett]

23. You Read My Mind

Your New Year's Resolution is very similar to mine. Kudos!

[corbett]

22. Not One Dime Until Elections Are Clean

The Democratic Party failed utterly to challenge the shrub's claim of victory on 11/2/2004. What's more, it now appears that even if meaningful election reform is pushed through Congress and signed by the commander-in-chimp by the 109th Congress' summer break, it will have little or no effect on the 2006 elections.

In light of these facts, unless the DNC can show me that it will allocate grass roots contributions to races in districts and states which had little or no election fraud in 2000, 2002 and 2004, they won't see a thin dime from me. I will continue to support them and spread the good news but no financial contributions, even though I think Dr. Dean will make a great chairman!

Steer the party with money.

[Hawkowl]

24. Agreed

I'm bitterly disapointed in the party's failure to fight for honest elections or to unify in opposition against Gonzales or Rice. Only elected officials who take a stand and stick their necks out will get me to stick my checkbook out. Boxer yes! Conyers yes! Kerry No! Dean hopefully will continue on the attack.