Hey! I'm contributing to the DNC on the 12th! Join me!

It seems clear now that Howard Dean will be the new Chair of the DNC.  This is great news.  I couldn't ask for a more dedicated, positive leader of our party at this critical time in American history.  

It's a damned shame that we have lost the White House, the Senate, the House, and are in danger of a fundie Judiciary, but we have to face facts, and it's time to focus on getting a verifiable vote (with a real paper trail) in place before the 2006 elections, and on retaking the Senate.

Many of us have never given a dime to the DNC, preferring instead to give our money where we thought it would do the most good.  I know that this will be my first contribution.

I'd like to make a real splash, get all of the blogs together and contribute on the 12th, the day of the official DNC election. I've called DFA and asked for their help with some mechanism like the DFA Bat that would channel directly into the DNC.  

As a failsafe, I've gone ahead and set up my own donation page on the DNC site, which you can do too, (http://www.democrats.org/epatriots/index.html) but ideally I'd like to see this as a coordinated effort, and find some way to make it clear that all of our donations are in recognition of the election of Howard Dean.

Update: Kos posted on the main page, saying that he will put up a DNC EPatriots link on Monday following the election. A Kos link suits me just fine. I'm going to try to get him to put it up earlier than that, so that we can all effectively link to it in advance, and set up a huge wave.

•  Wife alerted

  I've already agreed with my wife that we're dropping $250 Dean dollars on the DNC once the election to chairman is official.

  by nightsweat on Tue Feb 08, 2005 at 10:43:17 AM PDT

  •  It's a great idea...

    but I think we need the $X.01 notation... or $X.06 (for hope in '06!!)...
    just so everyone there knows this is from 'us' for Dean... :)
    

    by L0kI on Tue Feb 08, 2005 at 11:20:03 AM PDT

    •  PS

      Recommended...
      

      by L0kI on Tue Feb 08, 2005 at 11:20:21 AM PDT

    •  that could work, sure

      but ideally I'd like something a little more formal, so we ourselves know the total.  Act Blue is a fine choice, or a widely promoted page on the DNC site (I mentioned that I set up my own page just in case, but really, it would be best to have, say, Howard Dean set up a page).

      I'm mostly fishing to see if anything already exists.

      by kate mckinnon on Tue Feb 08, 2005 at 11:24:09 AM PDT

    •  absolutely!

      with every donation, make sure you mention that you are supporting dean's chairmanship!

      by Cedwyn on Tue Feb 08, 2005 at 12:03:04 PM PDT

•  You go girl

  Fabulous idea.

  (And terrific looking jewelry on your site by the way.  I intend to browse more and hopefully support your Dean habit as soon as I get a chance.)

  by payingattentionandappalled on Tue Feb 08, 2005 at 10:49:26 AM PDT

  •  thanks!

    If this diary gets swept off the edge of the sea in five minutes I'll repost it tomorrow.  But maybe recommend?  It would be a powerful statement from our demographic to welcome Dean in with a couple hundred grand.  Or more!

    by kate mckinnon on Tue Feb 08, 2005 at 10:52:52 AM PDT

•  2,665,522 is the benchmark;

  I contributed to the DNC last year, and in a letter dated December 2004 (to renew said membership), that's the number cited as  contributing members.

  If you want to contribute online, it's [https://www.democrats.org/support/renew.html link]

  by PhillyGal on Tue Feb 08, 2005 at 10:53:54 AM PDT

  •  Hmmm...

    maybe b/c it's a secure page, that link didn't work?  

    DNC home page

    by PhillyGal on Tue Feb 08, 2005 at 10:56:33 AM PDT

•  Already diaried.

  see Dean is the DNC Chair.

  by Alna Dem on Tue Feb 08, 2005 at 10:54:52 AM PDT

  •  Thanks for pointing that out, I missed it.

    I think I'm going to go ahead and leave this one up, though, cause the other one didn't have any kind of coherent plan for us to all get together, and it fell off the edge without getting recommended.

    Actblue.com was mentioned as "handling this" for DFA, but I don't see anything on their site that mentions the DNC, or the DNC in relation to Dean's election.  

    But that's the kind of thing that I'm looking for.

    Look:  this is a time to pull our shit together and get a noticable mechanism in place by the 12th, so that we can channel as many internet donations as possible into one powerful POP for the DNC.

    It's important to me to keep poking at this until we have a plan.

    by kate mckinnon on Tue Feb 08, 2005 at 11:13:33 AM PDT

•  There was a post about tagging our contibutions

  with some cents to make it clear who is giving. Of course I've forgotten what that was.  Anyone remember , and I think that is the way we should do it.
    But not one dime until Dean really has got it and the BFA makes the announcement.

  by Lunch Lady on Tue Feb 08, 2005 at 10:57:04 AM PDT

  •  Wasn't it $20.06?

    If you want to give more, hopefully the $.06 should be enough to clue people in.

    I was hoping to respond directly to a solicitation from Dr. Dean himself.  Does anyone know if he will issue this right away on Feb. 12?  I might want to wait until I get my first email from the DNC signed "Gov. Howard Dean"....

    by Jim in Chicago on Tue Feb 08, 2005 at 11:47:10 AM PDT

•  Way ahead of ya'

  From Jan 24th:

  http://www.dailykos.com/comments/2005/1/24/102713/705/9#9

  by mole333 on Tue Feb 08, 2005 at 11:27:05 AM PDT

  •  we've all been planning on contributing.

    what I'm trying to do is coordinate it.

    I want to see a massive wave of blog donations.  It's all well and good for individuals to donate, and tag on some random amount of cents, but if we can all funnel into one DNC page, or something, it will be vastly more powerful.

    It's time to think more clearly about marketing our potential.  We are a HUGE force, with lotsa green, and if we contribute in bloc, we will continue to be recognized as an important constituency.

    don't you think?

    by kate mckinnon on Tue Feb 08, 2005 at 11:31:29 AM PDT

    •  coordination is key

      to having a impact that will be noticed, inside the party and probably some media impact as well.

      So, Kate, unless DFA does a request, are you going to be "It"?.

      by NMRed on Tue Feb 08, 2005 at 11:44:02 AM PDT

•  Give ONLY to the DNC

  I was considering starting a separate diary on this point, but guess I'll post it here instead.

  Once Dean becomes Chairman, I suggest making your "Democratic" contributions (as opposed to those for groups like DFA, MoveOn etc.) only to the DNC (or directly to local candidates you support).  NOTHING for the DSCC, DCCC, House leader Pelosi, etc.

  I am sick of reading articles about how Dean is promising to leave all the decisions about policy, message, etc. to Reid, Pelosi, et al. If Dean is not part of the decision making process, then WE are not part of that process.  If Reid, Emmanuel, Pelosi, et al. see all the money going to Dean's DNC, they will be more respectful of him and will give him a seat at the table and more freedom to communicate the Party message as he sees fit. This is the ONLY THING people like Emmanuel et. al understand; they follow the money.  If the money goes to Dean they will follow his lead rather than try to restrain him.  Let's make it happen!

  by Jim in Chicago on Tue Feb 08, 2005 at 11:55:44 AM PDT

•  I want to see action first

  I sent in a modest amount to Kerry.

  Never got a single reply to any email, on any subject, from the Dem Party, Kerry, or anybody.

  I want answers to emails and responsiveness, before I give more money.

  Dean needs to think of how to be responsive before asking me for money again and again.

  by dataguy on Tue Feb 08, 2005 at 12:12:27 PM PDT

•  Great!

  $869.87 over here.

  by EricInTexas on Tue Feb 08, 2005 at 02:04:47 PM PDT