Dean for DNC Chair

[This was manually converted to an HTML format with the help of wvWare. The original Word documents were available from the DFA Meetup Hosts website.]

This kit includes

• General Tips
• Suggested points that your group might consider including in their letters.
• Background materials including:
  • Governor Dean's DNC Plan
  • DFA's Successes
  • Governor Dean's biography

General Tips:

• Be Clear and Concise: Keep your letters brief, concise, and to the point. Check the letter guidelines in your local paper - most newspapers will not run letters that are longer than 200-250 words.
• Get Local: Any local connection will increase the impact of your letter and increase its chances for publication.
• Include Your Contact Information. Most newspapers will only print a letter to the editor after calling the author to verify his or her identity and address.

Suggested Points to Make in Your Letter to the Editor:

• Emphasize your personal connection to Democracy for America and Howard Dean. How has Governor Dean affected your life? Why are you attending this month's Meetup?
• This is a critical time for Democrats and I am supporting Howard Dean for Chair of the Democratic Party because I believe that his vision and his unique set of skills make him the best choice to lead our party.
• Describe Governor Dean's 50 state strategy for the Democratic Party.
  • He believes that to be a truly national party, Democrats must become competitive in every race, in every district, in every state and territory. We should never concede a single voter to the Republicans.
  • Through Democracy for America (DFA), he has already begun to put his plan into action. Talk about your successes in 2004 and your group's plans for 2005 and beyond. See below for information on DFA's national success stories that you can use in your letter.
• Governor Dean understands that we need to stand up for the core principles that define the Democratic Party. As DNC Chair, he will fight for the values that Democrats and all Americans believe in -- fiscal responsibility, a moral foreign policy, great public education, access to health care, fair elections, and ethical business practices.

Governor Howard Dean's DNC Plan

1. Show up! Democrats should never concede a single state, a single district, or a single voter to the Republicans. We must be active and compete in all 50 states and work with the state parties to build a true national party.
2. The success of the national party depends directly on the success of the state parties - we must better integrate our operations by:
   • Having the DNC pay the salary of each state party executive director to help ensure that the state parties have adequate funds.
   • Collectively building and sharing supporter lists between the national and state parties.
   • Recruiting, training, and encouraging candidates to run for office at every level -- building tomorrow's farm team from the ground up.
   • Actively grow local Democratic committees and communities by working with neighborhood activists who can reach out in their communities and enable the grassroots to support state and local candidates.
   • Maintaining a permanent campaign in every state. We need to establish an ongoing, active presence, which does not have to be recreated every four years for four months.
3. Set core principles that define the Democratic Party and what we stand for and take a bottom-up approach to the development of the Party's message;
4. Use cutting-edge Internet technology to fundraise, organize, and communicate with our supporters;
5. Strengthen our political institutions and leadership institutes to promote our leaders and our ideas -- these organizations must work together in a coordinated and integrated fashion to elect Democrats at every level, so that we can take this country back.

Howard Dean: He's Done It Before and He Can Do It Again

Democrats Can Take Our Country Back

Democracy for America (DFA), Gov. Howard Dean's political action committee, endorsed ("Dean Dozen") and supported candidates in 2004. These candidates won elections at all levels of government, throughout the country:

Dean Helped Win Senate Seats

• One of the two new Democratic United States senators was a "Dean Dozen" candidate - Barack Obama (D-Ill.). Obama and the other new Democratic senator, Ken Salazar (D-Colo.), also received contributions from DFA.

Dean Endorsed Candidates Also Won in the House

• One candidate won her race for Congress, Allyson Schwartz (D-PA) and DFA contributed to five of the fourteen incoming freshman Democratic Members of Congress.

Candidates at all Levels of Municipal and State Government Achieved Success

• Two new Democratic governors are "Dean Dozen" candidates: John Lynch (D-NH) and Brian Schweitzer (D-Mont.).
• Two "Dean Dozen" candidates won their mayoral race: Peter Corroon was elected mayor of Salt Lake County, Utah and Tom Potter was elected mayor of Portland, Oregon.
• 15 of the Dean Dozen candidates that won had never ran for office before.
• Democracy for America contributed more than $600,000 to 634 candidates for non-federal office. 319 of those candidates won -- a 50% win-loss record.
• "Dean Dozen" candidates were elected to state legislatures in 16 states. Candidates for legislature who received Democracy for America contributions, but were not part of the "Dean Dozen," were elected in an additional 12 states.
• Democracy for America played a large role in regaining several legislative chambers for the Democrats, including: the Colorado House and Senate, the North Carolina House, the Oregon Senate, the Vermont House and the Washington Senate. DFA also helped secure a tie in the Iowa Senate.
• "Dean Dozen" candidates were elected to the bench in Alabama and Georgia.
• "Dean Dozen" candidates also won races for soil & water commission, supervisor of elections, township clerk, county commission, and constable.

Dean's Support Didn't Stop After He Endorsed

• Dean attended press conferences, fundraisers and campaign rallies, which gained publicity and helped established name recognition.
• Dean and DFA raised campaign funds for 50 candidates in 26 states. Many of DFA's enthusiastic supporters volunteered and financially supported these candidates as well.
• DFA raised over $5 million since its inception in March 2004 and donated money to 748 candidates throughout the country - in 46 states and at every level of government.
• DFA will continue to endorse and support candidates and train campaign workers and volunteers in 2005 and beyond.
• More recently, DFA asked supporters to donate to the Washington State gubernatorial recount. DFA supporters donated over $250,000 to the Washington State Democratic Party.

Biography of Gov. Howard Dean, M.D.

Through tireless effort and positive energy, Governor Howard Dean is shaping the future of the Democratic Party in his role as founder and honorary chair of Democracy for America (DFA). After achieving national prominence in his bid for the Democratic nomination for president, Governor Dean created DFA to build on the groundswell of support and the wave of new energy sweeping across the party. As the chairman of DFA, the Governor is dedicated to building upon the success of the grassroots organization that is successfully electing fiscally responsible and socially progressive candidates to all levels of government.

Governor Dean has a unique perspective on building the grassroots from his multiple roles working within the Democratic Party. Dean began his political career in 1983 as a member of the Vermont House of Representatives. He was elected lieutenant governor in 1986 and was re-elected in 1988 and 1990. He became governor upon the death of Governor Richard A. Snelling on August 14, 1991.

Elected to a full term in November 1992, he was re-elected four more times and created a record based on fiscally conservative principles while promoting equality and opportunity for all the citizens of Vermont. Under Governor Dean's leadership, Vermont paid down its debt and by 2001 enjoyed a $100 million surplus. And, Gov. Dean established the "Rainy Day Fund" to carry the state through tough financial times and because of this past year, Vermont was one of only three states that did not have to raise taxes or cut programs.

Through his innovative health care plan, 96 percent of Vermont's children have health care coverage and more than a third of Vermont's Medicare recipients receive state help in paying for their prescription drugs. His Success by Six program ensures that more resources like day-care and home nurses are available to parents if they need them.

With strong support from Governor Dean, Vermont officials instituted an Interactive Learning Network that wired almost all the state's high schools, even in the most rural areas.

Governor Dean's successes even prompted Governing magazine to proclaim him "Public Official of the Year" in 2002. As well as being Governor, Dean's leadership roles also include turns as past chairman of the National Governors' Association, the Democratic Governors' Association, and the New England Governors' Conference.

Before entering politics, Dean received a medical degree from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City in 1978. Upon completing his residency at the Medical Center Hospital of Vermont, he went on to practice internal medicine in Shelburne, Vermont.

Born in New York City, he currently lives in Burlington. He and his wife Judy have two children, Anne and Paul.

Paid for by Democracy for America (www.DemocracyForAmerica.com)

[This was manually converted to an HTML format with the help of wvWare. The original Word documents were available from the DFA Meetup Hosts website.]