While the right wing operates a well-greased media machine spitting out propaganda faster than you can say, "Karl Rove is an evil genius", the DNC has been limping along, seeming to be relying on a part-time intern using a Uniroyal typewriter and a mimeograph machine. Until Dean can get in there and get the place up to speed, here's 7 things everybody should do to help the poor guy.
7 Things You Can Do Now to Help Dean:
- If you haven't done so already, sign up on "Democrats.org", the official DNC website - Dean's public statements and any DNC requests for help will come through there.
- If you can financially afford to do so, make a donation when Dean sends out his first official e-mail as DNC chair and asks for money -- even if it's just $5 or $10. The number of donations he gets in response will be just as important as the dollar amount that is raised - it will demonstrate to the media that he has widespread, grassroots support.
- Contact the media and ask them to cover Dean. For example, e-mail Russert, Matthews and other pundits and ask them to have Dean on their shows.
- Bomb the media with e-mails when they try to minimize/marginalize/smear Dean. On the other hand, if he's on one of the shows and they let him talk, give him a relatively fair shake, etc., e-mail them and thank them (sometimes the carrot works as good as the stick).
- Write a Letter to the Editor of your local newspaper this Sunday when they print articles about Dean getting voted in as Chair Saturday-- Democrats.org has a feature that allows you to do this easily.
- The post office sells pre-stamped blank postcards for 25 cents each -- everybody should send him a message of support on one of these cards on Feb 12th. Letters would be good, too, but I was thinking it would be pretty nifty if he could wave a stack of postcards around. (These can also be used to send messages to the media, politicians, etc - letters/postcards are taken even more seriously than e-mails since there's more effort/expense involved on the part of the sender. The Post Office sells them in stacks of 25.)
- Spread these ideas so more people help Dean and the DNC: Through e-mail buddy lists, through other web-sites you visit, and through word-of-mouth to your friends.
Bonus step:
Get involved locally: Go to Town and County Democratic meetings, become a Precinct Captain. Hey, someday you could wind up in Congress...