Have you read Howard Dean's book,
You Have The Power? It's a manifesto on the changes he'd implement if he were in charge. Of course he was talking about the presidency, but you can see how it would easily translate to his steering of the Democratic party if he was DNC chair. I think the book shows what a competent, resourceful, and moderate leader he has been, and will continue to be.
Let's send a copy of the book to those responsible for appointing a new DNC chair! How awesome would it look if we could get a copy of the book on the desks of every DNC member? Or at least every Executive Committee member and Chairperson.
The book costs $17.67 after shipping, so if just over 225 people donate $5 or $10 each, we could send 100 books out!
FAQ and donation link below the cut.
Update [2004-11-24 15:1:22 by joe]: I removed the donation link, until we can come up with a donation scheme that doesn't involve people giving money directly to a stranger, which understandably makes some people uncomfortable. Until then, think of this diary as a Request for Comments.
Think they're all going to actually read the entire book?
No, probably not. If we're lucky they'll skim it, or have an assistant skim it. But the point is to send a message that we're serious about making a concerted effort to get Howard Dean appointed as DNC chair. And if they do read the book (or even just one paragraph), all the better!
Isn't it better to send the DNC members a concise argument for why Dean deserves to be DNC chair?
Arguably so, but this campaign should be in addition to any letter writing campaigns we plan on doing, not instead of.
How do I know you're not just going to pocket the money?
Every time the donation jar reaches $17.67, I'll buy another book and post the UPS tracking number as an update to this diary entry. When a DNC chair is appointed (or if sending books out becomes moot for any other reason), funds left over will be donated to the DNC (or elsewhere if we can agree on another cause).
How and when are you going to dole out the books?
First, to members of the Executive Committee; then to Chairpersons; then to DNC members who hold other office (e.g. Democratic Governors' Association members); finally to state members and members at large.
I'll start sending them out in a few weeks, when the selection process starts ramping up.
Comment with suggestions on improving this campaign (I'm sure I didn't think of everything)