Please note: This is NOT a repeat of Zackpunk's current diary on Kerry's donation! Please read below the fold! Thank you!
I got an email from John Kerry today, asking me to "fund the grassroots" by making a donation to "build the party" supposedly from the ground up. It was a plea for funding that seems oriented toward funding progressive, grass-roots groups on the ground level-- until you hit the button where supposedly you can "help" the grassroots, and you get the following page:
https://www.democrats.org/support/index.html?dsc=NETA330
(more)
So this is more ATM fundraising from the DNC. Some of Kerry's efforts are tied to Dean's DFA efforts, and I support those because I truly believe that DFA has done true, real grassroots energizing and has really contributed to community development at the ground level among Democrats. Of course, Dean will most likely be the next DNC chair. When he is, then perhaps the way the DNC spends the money Kerry's donating, will be quite different from the way things are administered currently.
In any event, this particular message seems to be a little disingenuous, as it is making a plea to fund the grassroots, but the link you click on, takes you to general DNC donations.
FWIW, here is my reply to the message (sent to Johnkerry.com):
"Dear Mr. Kerry,
I have received your request that I contribute money to the DNC to "fund the grassroots." I agree with you that grassroots organizing is essential to the continued renewal of the Democratic Party. I am writing to you now, to urge you to take an even more important step toward funding the grassroots: I'm asking you to make a donation to the progressive grass-roots PAC called blogpac.
Blogpac was created by progressive, Democratic bloggers who wished to make a differenc in how progressive concerns get addressed during elections. Blogpac is intended to fund issue advertising on the web/internet and is oriented toward a progressive audience that gets their news more from the web and from blogs than from network news and newspapers.
A donation to blogpac would send a signal to the blogosphere and to the grassroots that Democratic leaders are serious about funding grassroots organizing and growing the influence of the web with regard to this constituency.
Can you donate $100,000 to blogpac? It is 1/10 of what you have promised to "fund the grassroots" in anticipation of a new DNC chair-- but it will make an impact a hundred times greater than your million dollar donation will.
Thank you very much for all your work, and for your consideration of this request."
So, my question for my fellow dKosers, is: how would YOU, a dKos reader and/or blogger and/or progressive activist, "fund the grassroots"? If you had 250 dollars, say, to donate to build the "grassroots," what would you do (that hasn't been done already, or that you haven't done already)?
Is there an idea you've been kicking around that you haven't seen aired yet here? One you want to push? Or do you think the money is better spent buying a share of Google stock? Whatever, please air it here.
And please take the poll: