I know that I have been hammering the fact that volunteering is the most important thing you can do this political season. Let me say this I am not telling you to vote for who I believe in. What I am saying is to choose the candidates that you like. And get to work for them. There are too many people sittin around doing nothing. If you want things to change, you have to get off your duff and make things happen. for more than a month I have talked about my experiences and the volunteer work I have been doing. And you know what It feels great to be making a difference in my state. YOUR CANDIDATE'S NEED YOUR HELP. Local level candidates have little to no money. So any time that you can give them would be helpful. Here are some ways you can pitch in.

1. Donate your time doing simple things.(Ect)
a. Data Entry.
b. phone banks.
c. filing and book keeping.
d. canvasing (public outreach)
e. event setup (local forums)
f. envelope stuffing
g. packet prep
h. driving people to the voting center.

* All it takes is 5 hours a week and you can help your candidates immensely.

2. Places to find your local candidates, and how you can help.

a. State Democrat website.
b. County Democrat website.
c. Go down to your City Hall and find out who the
candidates are and where they are located.
d. Very few have their own website unless they are
going for the Senate or House, but you can check.

*Your precinct might need a captain get with your county democrats office to find out.

GET OUT THERE GET INVOLVED HIT THE STREETS!!!!!.....

Good evening Democratic and Obama Family!

Great weekend of Unite for Change parties!! Good job volunteers and all you hard working Obama supporters out there!!

We have a Voter Registration Training event scheduled for this evening and we had a great signup of over 20 people.. The excitement for our candidate is really getting strong. We don't know if we're going to have enough seats for everyone..

Voter registration is now the name of the game!! Let's get it done.

YES WE CAN!!

I live in Utah, a state where a large majority of the voters automatically vote Republican. So entrenched is the Republican Party that they have a virtual gridlock on all the elections, local, state, and national.

However, after McCain secured his bid for the nomination, there was a widespread rumor voters were thinking about going for Obama. Unfortunatly, there is a strong anti-Hillary sentiment here that would make a democratic win nigh impossible. Forunately McCain is mistrusted here. And the LDS Church came out with the message that party affiliation is not connected to religion.

Groups like Mormons for Obama are trying to create inroads to the predonminate faith here. Democrats who, in the past, figured they might as well not bother to vote because it wouldn't count anyway (I am one of them) have changed their minds and intend to vote - many for the first time.

My belief in the Obama campaign is so overwhelming that I am volunteering and plan to do everything possible to facilitate his victory here. I live in Salt Lake City, one of the democratic islands in a red sea.

The new attitudes here can be fanned and encouraged with the commitment of grassroots work here - the same grassroot support that has raised so much money for Obama and energized people across the board. Democrats will galvanize behind Obama and influence the Republicans to do the same.

I urge super delegates to come out for Obama and get the campaign behind the clear winner for the nomination. We have indulged Clinton long enough. Please press her to withdraw with grace.

Our job in Utah would be much easier if the message from the party was unified. This is the first time in living memory a democrat had a chance in a presidential campaign.

A new group, Avenues Volunteers for Obama, has been created. The avenues is home to many progressives and liberals who would like to secure Obama's nomination and victory in November. I invite everyone who is working for Obama in this area to join. It's not trite to say we really can make a difference.

If more Democrats don’t start supporting our processes such as serving at our polling places AND serving as poll watchers at Republican Polling places, our party is going to continue to be an Avis.  We need a lot more Democrats volunteering their time to support our party.  Please call the party today and volunteer your services now.  Our party needs you—especially in Red states like Texas.  We Democrats have a lot of work to do. 

Yesterday, once again I was an election judge here in Dallas County (even though I swore I wouldn’t).  Once again I had no Democratic volunteers to assist me.

I learned from a constable who was checking on various polling places that several had only the election judge and no clerks to assist.  That is pitiful.

Because of this, the party had to combine precincts. On our Super Tuesday the polling place I was in charge of had only three precincts and we had 925 voters. 

Yesterday for the Democratic runoff, the polling place I was in charge of had not three but seven precincts, more than twice as many. (On the ballot we only had three offices in which Democrats were tied: tax assessor, district judge and railroad commissioner).

See extended post for the bad, the good and the ugly of my day as an elections judge.  It’s funny because I extracted revenge on a few of the Republicans who voted for Hillary.

   Read More »

The Penobscot County Dems will be hosting a meeting on Jan 19th to do training for Feb 10th Caucus. If you are interested in volunteering on caucus day or would like to know more about the caucus process please plan on attending!! We will meet Saturday Jan 19th at 9:30am in the Bangor Lounge of Memorial Union on the UMO Campus Orono.
Bring a friend and get active!! Hope to see you there!!

The military refuses to come clean, insisting the high rates are due to "personal problems," not experience in combat. Link

Earlier this year, using the clout that only major broadcast networks seem capable of mustering, CBS News contacted the governments of all 50 states requesting their official records of death by suicide going back 12 years. They heard back from 45 of the 50. From the mountains of gathered information, they sifted out the suicides of those Americans who had served in the armed forces. What they discovered is that in 2005 alone -- and remember, this is just in 45 states -- there were at least 6,256 veteran suicides, 120 every week for a year and an average of 17 every day.

ETC

Link = OUR SPACE HERE

MY RESPONSE:

I am a vietnam vet

Ever since i got out in august 1974 i have had a tough time finding stable work. The only real job i had was the C.E.T.A. job = comprehensive employment training act.
i was given in N. Calif working for parks and recreation and then solid waste, where in 1975 in redway Calif I started a recycling center as i picked through trash to separate bottles and cans.

Since being a UCMC soldier i found that i am the kind of person, who wants to serve others. Its ingrained in me. Many call me nuts. I don't know how to work so called regular jobs. I have been a volunteer off and on ever since. I was fortunate in one way moving to Garberville calif where we had many pot growers. that gave me something to smoke to allow myself the ability to hide from my past. I was also told never to mention my service because people would hate me. I kept quiet until this past year. Along the last 33 years i had many stops in VA hospitals. Many times i had cut my wrist. I have scars all over my left arm. I over dosed on tylenol and had my stomach pumped and hung myself and became a cocaine user and over-dosed many times in the 80's. I was told in 1999 i had HEP-C from the injections to prevent it in boot camp. I prepared to die and began to drink hard again, only to find out i was one of the so called lucky ones (15%) who was actually immune to it. Why am i still alive in beyond me. I cut my wrist many times just to get a bed at the VA. However, some VA hospitals did offer me food to eat. Finally in 2004 i was sent a check after i got out. My only friends are those who have died.
Today i volunteer my time for the Obama campaign. I sleep on an 84 yr old womans couch and cook for her to get food. I am her friend and she appreciates me. The very old seem to understand and well they do need help. I have done this since 2004, when i went back to N. calif again to find hope or pot to hide from my past. Today i am in Phila pa suburbs helping another woman.

I am just one and i could go on and on and tell you about how when i got my check i bought a RV to live in but gas got too high so i gave it away to another vet who got a big check than me. Along the way i picked up hundreds of vets along the roads and highways and i fed them.

You people need to understand soldiers like my Dad a deceased 2nd WW vet, who was the second wave at normandy (D-Day) don't have the ability to fit in to so called normal life. Yes there are a few and some of them get involved in politics and try to help others or they get corrupt.

What we need is a place a farm a home where we can work together and then reach out to others from a place of safety. http://www.farmsnotarms.org/

I have heard recently about a farm that is in the works. I pray that it becomes a reality. Link

http://www.nchv.org/women.cfm

I would have never found these above sites without having volunteered for the Obama campaign.

Finally i will say i know how our soldiers feel to be in a war we should have never been in!

Danielle Clarke USMC volunteered disharged honorably august 74 mos 6075

TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE CLICK READ MORE   Read More »

Okay, So I'm not a techno geek, but I and finding it easy to put down what I think and find out what YOU think. I respect all opinions and ideas.
I think Bush is a TOAD.
I think Immigration should apply to ALL people in America that came here by other than LEGAL means. ID cards should be required by everyone working or getting SOCIAL SERVICES.
A Social Security/Idenity Card with PHOTO and THUMB PRINT should be the law of the land and NOTHING GIVEN AWAY with out PROOF you deserve it. ie: You are LEGALLY IN AMERICA or a Citizen. The NEW DNC motto should be, "THE BUCK STOPS HERE".
I think the millitary should allow ALL people who what to server their country the ability to do so, no matter what sexual orentation you may have.
I think people should marry whom ever they wish, as long as it is not a relative. (There are Enough Republicans)
I think we should be more understanding to each other and inclusive in our daily living.
I think Democrats should come together and support Hillary Clinton, for the GOOD of AMERICA.

OFF TOPIC....

Executed man gets last meal wish after he dies

NASHVILLE, Tennessee (Reuters) - A convicted murderer put to death in Tennessee this week got his last meal wish after he died.

Philip Workman had turned down the usual final meal of his choice traditionally offered the condemned, asking instead that a vegetarian pizza be given to a homeless person.

Prison officials refused to send out a pizza and Workman died Wednesday by lethal injection.

But news accounts of his request touched a nerve with the public.

Nashville's Union Rescue Mission received 170 pizzas. Media reports said listeners to a radio station in Minnesota also ordered pizzas sent to another organization for troubled youngsters.

No matter what the inspiration, I love reading about citizens giving back to their community. The only thing more enjoyable is actually participating in charitable events myself.

If anyone lives in the DC Metropolitan area and would like to volunteer with me in the National Poverty Action Day on May 19, please contact me through PartyBuilder.

Also, don’t forget guys… On Saturday, May 13, the United States Postal Service in more than 10,000 cities and towns across America will collect non-perishable food items donated by customers. They will be participating in the 14th annual National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) Food Drive - the largest annual one-day food drive in the world. Postal employees in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam and the Virgin Islands will collect food and deliver it to local community food banks, pantries and shelters. Please plan to participate!

With all of the hype and hoopla surrounding the recent release of first quarter fundraising results, the potential impact of grassroots supporters should not be overlooked. Especially in the smaller early primary states such as Iowa and New Hampshire, one on one contact with voters is an important factor in a candidate's successful campaign. Having worked on two congressional campaigns, I know that while commercials are effective (consultants love them) voters tire of them quickly. That is where a volunteer can make a difference. Going to someone's door and letting them know that you care enough and believe in a candidate enough to travel and go door to door to answer questions can sometimes win votes from an undecided voter.   Read More »

Many people seem to have the mistaken notion that the only political exercise that matters is electing the President.

These people, in a "Groundhog Day" -like ritual only come out to vote once every four years and then return home and to hibernate and forget about politics until the next Presidential election.

This is a serious mistake because the powers of our government have been divided between the three branches of government - executive, legislative, and judicial.

The judicial branch is unelected but who gets appointed to it depends on who gets elected to the other two branches.

Furthermore our government is a "Federal" government meaning that not all powers are possessed by the national level of government. Much of the power of government resides at the state and local levels.

This problem of only caring about the Presidential race affects not only the voters, but also "activists" many of whom appear on cue to help out generously during the Presidential campaign but then mysteriously go back into hibernation for the next four years.

The reality of politics is, as Tip O'Neill famously once said:

"All politics is local"   Read More »

Want to get more involved in the Democratic Party?

Here are 5 things you can do to help make a difference:

1. Sign up for Washoe County Democratic Party's Newsletter at
http://www.washoedems.org

2. Invite 5 Democratic friends to join PartyBuilder.

3. Use this site to write a "Letter to the Editor". It is REALLY easy, and you can send the message to as many newspapers as you like.

4. Volunteer to be a Area Coordinator or better yet, a Section Coordinator for the WCDP! Just contact your District Coordinator to find out how.

5. Offer to walk you neighborhood to pass out a newsletter. Contact your District Coordinator to find out how.

If you've read my bio on this site, you've seen that I've been involved in a lot of campaigns since 2003. So I think I'm fairly well equipped to answer the following question:

"What is the difference between winning and losing?"

A lot of people think it's all about the money - It's not. Money is important, don't get me wrong and I urge you to contribute but don't think that money will win races or that money is all that matters. Your volunteer efforts are often times worth ten or twenty times what the maximum amount you can donate in a race if you really contribute your time and effort.

1) One difference is in building from the bottom up, not the top down. By that I mean we need to elect dog catchers before we elect Presidents.

If you only vote or volunteer in Presidential elections then you are starting with a huge disadvantage. Local politicians (School boards, water boards, sheriffs, mayors, city councils, county commissions, etc.) make many of the decisions about how our lives will be conducted and can do a lot to affect what happens in terms of winning larger races at the state level and federal level.

In turn, state representatives and state senators are the "farm team" for where our future governors, and US congressmen. They in turn become the farm team for US Senators and Presidents.

It is important to have the local and state elected offficials on your side when it comes to the Presidential election. Imagine if, in 2000, Florida's governor had been a Democrat? Jeb Bush would not have been governor but more importantly his brother George would never have been President either.

So we need to work on local and state elections every chance we get.

2) Another difference is grassroots participation and door to door canvassing based on effective voter targetting. I have seen this at work in about four campaigns in the last two years where an underdog with very little money can, by getting his or her friends, family, and neighbors to go door to door for him, they can beat the big money candidate.

Why? Because people trust you when you take the time to knock on their door and they respect the effort involved. The vast majority of campaign mailers get thrown away but they will remember you and your candidate if you go knock on their door.

All the TV ads, mailers, and robo-dial calls in the world will not make up for the personal connection and the trust relationship you establish by knocking on a voter's door and talking to them for a few minutes.

3) Creating a grassroots organization that listens to the grassroots volunteers and allows information and ideas to flow up the chain of command as well as down. So many campaigns are run in the old fashioned hierarchical "command and control" model of 19th century military organizations and they fail to respond, innovate, or take initiative. Therefore - they lose.

I would like to recommend that anyone getting involved in politics read the following books on how people think and how grassroots phoenomena happen and how to run a group in a grassroots style

"The Tipping Point" by Malcolm Gladwell

"Blink" also by Malcolm Gladwell

"It's Your Ship, Management Techniques from the Best Damned Ship in the Navy" by Captain D. Michael Abrashoff

3) Another difference between winning and losing is being "fast on the draw" or to use another metaphor "not letting the pitch go by". So many campaigns seem to lack initiative and fail to innovate. Often times, innovation involves technology, but not always. Taking the initiative means having the ability to identify a problem and act on it intelligently and quickly without allowing a great deal of bureaucracy or analysis paralysis to set in.

In campaigns, I've worked on, this has often meant that I've applied my computer skills in a matter of a few hours to research the voter database and identify a highly specialized voter audience for a special message rather than paying someone to do this in a matter of weeks.

On this note, it is very important that a good campaign has skilled computer people who know how to separate the data from the noise or as the Gladwell book "Blink" calls it : "thin slicing" the information.

4) Be prepared in advance - You don't have time to learn everything AFTER the campaign starts so use your "down time" between campaign seasons to get ready - Train yourselves, crosstrain with others, recruit new people, learn new skills useful to campaigning - Spanish language or other foreign languages, computer skills, learn the issues, learn about the art of canvassing and campaigning from Emily's List, Wellstone, or any of a number of other sources - and then teach what you've learned to others.

Find an "old hand" with experience to teach you and then apply that knowledge and gain experience of your own in the field so you can teach others.

5) Finally, the difference between winning and losing is hard work. You must not assume that because you think you are winning, that you will win. Work every race like you are 5 points behind right up until 7PM Tuesday night on election night.

Here in Florida I am currently working on the State House 49 race which suddenly opened up when the incumbent Republican suddenly resigned to run for a different office. Being prepared, having a good candidate, and working hard, we believe we can win this race - but we aren't going to let ourselves coast until 705PM April 24th.

Doug De Clue
Orlando, FL

BOINC Democrats are individuals that are participating in, or are interested in participating in, the volunteer computing program BOINC. BOINC is a screensaver that uses that idle time on your computer to contribute your computer's resources to a worthwhile cause. The cause you want to participate in is entirely up to you.

Currently, you can help advance knowledge in Earth Sciences, Biology and Medicine, Astronomy/Physics/Chemistry, and/or Mathematics and strategy games, without lifting a finger!

Idealism happens when a particular set of values achieves over riding priority. For a certain kind of person, life experience combines with these values and the result is a "true believer."   Read More »

Remember 2004? I, along with millions of others, thought that the evidence against Bush was so clear, so obvious, that there was NO WAY he could be re-elected. But he was. Whether you believe there were voting "irregularities" or not, the bottom line is this: not only can you not complain if you do not vote, you cannot sit back and assume that someone else will do the work necessary to bring about real change from the grassroots up.

I urge any and all who read this to step up and contribute an hour or two a week, at least, to their local Democratic Headquarters. Be it a city council race or a Congressional race, that hour or two may bring in the vote or two needed to bring a Democratic victory home.

Here in South Bend, we are in constant need of volunteer help. As you can see on the event page, there is a daily door to door and phone call campaign to identify and reach out to prospective voters. This is how we win. Not by constantly going to the well of Democratic voters, but by reaching out to independent and swing voters who very well may vote Democrat this year if someone asks them to. Going door to door is a great equalizer for the Republican smear tactic. Instead of hoping for a Democratic victory in November, put some muscle behind a candidate and do your part to make it a reality!

WWW.DONNELLYFORUSCONGRESS.COM