We have reached a new point in our campaign for the U.S. House of Representatives in Congressional District 8. Up until this point we have been building a vast network of grassroots support. I am overwhelmed by this support and consider this collaboration to be part of a bigger movement of which we are now a part, a movement sparked by the energies of earlier campaigns of Howard Dean and Wes Clark as well as organizations like the Progressive Democrats of America and Democracy For America. This is the progressive movement, and we are making changes.
Last week, I met with nearly 40 other veterans now running as Democrats for Congress. It was the largest gathering of veterans running for public office since 1946.
The majority of these men and women are running for the same reasons I am. With little support from the party, and great conviction in message, we are making great strides in fighting for the future of this country.
We are being heard. Senators Max Cleland, John Kerry, Russ Feingold, and John Reed have heard our message and understand our reasons to now take on this new calling to service. We fifty-two members of the Veterans for a Secure America have all taken on this new mission because our country needs us once again.
Washington took notice last Wednesday. It is now time to break out and show southern Arizona that change is in the making.
This campaign had not been concentrating on seeking out large contributions from a small and influential group. That's the way most campaigns get their financing. I believe that in order to represent the vast majority of the voters in Congressional District 8, I must seek out funding from people who feel as though they don't have a voice in the United States Congress. This is my mission and the mission of my brothers and sisters whom I had the great privilege to meet in Washington last week.
As many of you know, I have another reason for needing a cash infusion in my campaign. My son, Jesse, was medically evacuated out of Iraq in October, and faces a bone marrow transplant this month. Obviously, the campaign may need to move out of our home and into a rented facility. And we may need to hire staff to take care of some of the duties that family members have been handling.
We are now starting a new fundraising campaign called 50/2000. We are going to reach 2000 citizens to contribute $50 to our campaign. If you are a progressive thinker, if you believe some change is needed to bring our country back to the land of real opportunity, and if you want real progressives in the House, this is your chance to make a difference. Fifty dollars is a small investment that will change the fabric of this campaign.
Our campaign has been compared unfavorably with the big money campaign. But it is our campaign that has the message. Two of our primary opponents have now changed their positions on Iraq, because of our strong and credible message. We have not flip-flopped, nor have we waffled. We have a message that others cannot buy, but will try to copy.
The media has been obsessed with money and celebrity status. Very few of the articles in our papers have addressed the issues. None of the newspapers reported on the issues discussed at any of the forums. A fifty-dollar donation by two thousand people will put traditional politics on call and get the attention of a money-obsessed media.
We have been able to gain a incredible amount of ground with the $10,000 or so that we've raised so far. We have volunteers who have added immeasurable value to our mission. I am very proud to let you know that we have twenty researchers working overtime on every issue we could imagine. We have seven team members who have designed, engineered, and refined technology solutions that could have cost us tens of thousands of dollars. We have a professional media team that has broken new ground in earned media. We have the use of a motor home and a private airplane. These items have immeasurable value, and were provided at no cost to us. We will continue to be able to do more with less, and to spend your dollars on direct voter contact. We are a grassroots organization, and I want to keep it that way. A fifty-dollar donation by two thousand individuals will give the country notice that Southern Arizona has a progressive movement in the works.
The manager for another campaign told me that three things are important in winning a seat like CD-8. One is name recognition. This is the basis of one campaign, and it's something that can be earned over time. The second is money, and another campaign is getting all their media mileage out of that. The third and the most important, according to this campaign manager, it is the message. He admitted this is the strongest suit, and we own it. The other campaigns are trying to follow. I have professional and personal experience working on the toughest issues that face our country, and so do our researchers. There are solutions to these issues, and we have the ability to find them, and not just baffle the public by telling them how complex the issues are. That's what gives this campaign its message and power.
We have the message, and with your help, we will earn name recognition. Now we must make money. Our message is strong enough that we are the only campaign that has received national recognition on C-SPAN and Fox News.
Name recognition will naturally follow, but contributions in kind don't get the public's attention.
Help us accomplish this new objective. I ask you personally to contribute fifty dollars today. If this is too much, consider breaking it up over several months. You can donate online from our Web site.
Your contribution will be greatly appreciated and will help to take our message to those who need to hear about our campaign and progressive democracy.
Please help spread the word by forwarding this message to everyone you know who believes that the future is worth fighting for.
Thank you for all you do,
Jeff Latas