I thought other might be interested in getting a sense for what Deaniacs are deciding to do now that Dean is out and Kerry is the nominee.
About 25 people showed up to our (Princeton, NJ) Meetup tonight including two party officials, one of whom this was their first Dean meetup. For reference, we had about 15 show up last month and 50-60 the month before that. Below is a report of what was decided/discussed. It'd be interested to hear what was decided by other groups as well.
We first gave everyone 1 minute to talk about the issues they cared about and the direction they'd like the group to go in. We listed all the suggestions mentioned. Later we went through the list and for each item asked people to raise their hand if they thought that particular item was a top priority for them. People were allowed to vote for as many issues as they wanted. Here is the summary (note that at this point, only 16 people were still at the meetup):
Top Issues/Goals
- - Infiltrate the party
- - Voter registration
- - Low income outreach/ getting new blood in the Dem party
- - Letters to the editor
- - Reaching out to like-minded grassroots groups
- - Supporting local like-minded candidates
- - Educating the public on issues, public awareness
- - Creative fundraising ideas (house parties, etc)
- - Verifiable paper trail on voting machines
- - Healthcare
- - Environment
- - War/foreign policy
- - Helping out in swing states (like PA)
- - Social Security
- - International trade/Jobs
- - Two Americas
- - Gay marriage
- - Election law reform
- - The draft
- - Minimum wage
- - March for Women
- - Capital punishment
- - Foreign Lobbyists
We decide to wait until March 18th to pick a name for our group.
We chose a meeting leader (we combined two local groups), meeting and events coordinator, press contact person, and a 6-person steering committee. Still looking for a treasurer.
We decided to continue within the Dean meetup structure to maintain our individuality and goals (rather than just join the Dem Party meetups). We will hold monthly steering committee meetings in addition to meetups. All members are allowed to attend steerting committee meetings.
As to whether to actively support Kerry or wait to decide later:
- - Later
- - Now