For the next three months, I'm concentrating on winning these damn elections to the exclusion of most other writing. We don't have time anymore to ignore the mundane tasks that we need to do to win this election. We have to be focused and moving forward.
I'm concentrating on Jerry Brown's race against Meg Whitman. One of my reasons is that working to elect Brown is working to elect a broad list of Democrats statewide -- statewide officers like Debra Bowen and John Chiang and Kamala Harris and Dave Jones; even Barbara Boxer and local candidates. Brown heads the ticket, after all.
Two things this week slapped me into waking up. I hope that, if you live in California (and especially Orange County), they'll do the same for you.
I was at a fundraising breakfast for Loretta Sanchez Monday morning. (On someone else's ticket, I should add.) She said that Meg Whitman had just announced that she would be donating millions specifically to help Republicans defeat Rep. Sanchez in November. This is how Queen Meg buys friends. It's a canny donation, of course, because that money will also be used to elect Whitman. I still expect Sanchez to win, but that much money makes it a harder race.
Second, I saw an article that said that Whitman has now probably spent $110 million this year, including *$4.3 million dollars on paid campaign staff*. (I saw one figure that she'll have 1200 field workers.) Brown, by contrast, is running a grassroots campaign, powered by volunteers. Last I saw, he had six paid staff.
Yes, Brown is ahead in the polls and has a better message to sell -- but he will only stay ahead if he can put together a muscular volunteer field operation to compete with her gold-plated version. That plan only works if we volunteer.
So -- I am asking you to volunteer.
I'm a Brown supporter from Orange County, CA. I am looking for help here. If you're from Orange County too, I'd like to hear from you. I'd like to see people writing a little less and doing a lot more. People on DKos are prime volunteer material -- the sorts of people who can round up and manage other volunteers in their home towns to canvass and to make calls. We need to know who you are, where you are, and that you're willing to help, so that your efforts can be put to best use.
It's time to be political actors rather than just political observers. If you can help bring out the vote for Brown and the Democratic team -- starting now -- please write me at mail2greg4-jerrybrown. It's a Yahoo address. Let me know that you're responding to this DKos diary. Plans are being made right now, so write today!