I went to Camp Wellstone in Philadelphia.

[Renew Deal]

As I mentioned earlier in the week, I was going to Camp Wellstone in Philly. It was an amazing experience and I learned a lot.

They provide training to "progressives." They teach you how to organize, GOTV, plan campaigns and lots of other stuff. It lasted three days at about 8 hours a day. There were many former Wellstone campaign workers. They talked about organization and getting people excited to vote. Some of what they do is scientific, some is brute force hard work.

They work with a group called America Coming Together (ACT) http://www.americacomingtogether.com /. That group organized and worked the KY election last week. They worked hard and pumped volunteers in there and won. ACT works with Wellstone Action to get "progressives" elected. The training is for candidates, workers and volunteers.

They also showed a couple of old tapes of Paul Wellstone. There were a couple minutes of emotion. The interview on CNN when he talked about his vote against Iraq was hard hitting. He was so genuine. One thing he said was that the vote was to let Bush go to Iraq unilaterally. Wellstone knew this. I bet Kerry did also. Kerry spins it a different way now. Anyway, this isn't about Kerry. They also showed a video of Wellstone screaming about corporate influence. It was amazing and genuine.

Anyway, I learned a lot and am happy that I went. I would recommend it to anyone who wants to learn how to get more involved or wants to win elections. They have great information. These are the good guys. They are on our side. They only charge $35 for this. It costs far more. I am going to donate to both groups and I urge you to also. They need the money. BTW, they are hiring. Check them out if you need a job.

http://www.americacomingtogether.com /
http://www.wellstone.org/index.aspx

Ask me anything. I know I am missing a lot.

BTW, Philly is a great city. I stayed in the city center. I was sitting in my hotel room last night and I heard a thud. I looked out the window and I saw a guy laying on the ground. Some drunk guy got hit by a car. I think he was OK, but he was carted off in an ambulance.

Also, I was watching the news (ABC 6) while I was surfing the net in my hotel room. They start doing the weather and I look at the TV. I saw a guy that looked like me on the screen. I do a double take and it was me. It was me walking through Penn Square earlier in the night while talking to my girlfriend on my cell phone. They were talking about how nice the weather was. How odd is that? I wonder what the odds are that I would get on TV and see in on the same night.

[burrowowl]

1. Good for you!

Thanks for the info!

[Kanary]

2. You went and did it. I'm teary-eyed.

Thanks, thanks, and THANKS.

I really needed to know that there are such groups, working for US. It gets sooo discouraging, the day to day tediousness of living under this regime. Just to know about this helps sooo much.

It must have been a tremendous experience.

I'll pass this on to any I think could get involved... wish I could...

Thanks...

Kanary

[diamond14]

3. GOOD JOB ! now, could you share your TEN action items that you

WILL accomplish in the next 9 months, through November 3, 2004????


We're working HARD here in DC....and in Virginia...we swept the State for Kerry....hard working, enthusiastic, volunteers making it happen...wanting to change the direction of OUR country...and having the courage and commitment to do it....

share your ideas...we'd love to learn from YOU....

[Renew Deal]

4. Funny, they didn't talk about this.

So I haven't thought about it much. Some of the things I have been thinking about is attending all the like minded events I can find and registering voters.

I want to organize and run the poll watching and the lawyers for my county.

I am joining the local Dem committee.

I want to get the committee to try to register as many friends and family of theirs as possible.

I want to get the state volunteer list and get volunteers for local campaigns.

I also want to start building my self up for a house run in about 4 years.

That's what I have on my mind for now.

[diamond14]

5. that's a good list...hold onto it for a day or two and then add some

more, along with actual DATES that you will do certain things.....and YOU are on your way to becoming the change that you want to see in the world....

I am very proud of you for starting this journey....I started a long time ago....slacked off in the 1980's because I'm getting old and we were sailing along sort of in PEACE...but bush* has changed all that for me...and I STOOD UP again last January 18, 2003 and began again to fight bush* PERPETUAL WARS POLICY...in street protest....and now, very active in Kerry's campaign...

March 20, 2004 is the BIG protests in cities across America....the ONE year anniversary of bush* war on Iraq (which was supposed to last only 5 weeks and cost only $ 1.2 BILLION)..

lots of people are organizing BUSES to come to the bigger cities...if you organize a bus, you ride FREE....be a leader in the upcoming PRO-PEACE rallies...you'll meet a lot of community activists too, people who care about their communities and work in lots of community areas...nurses, doctors, Veterans, firefighters, counselors, social workers, churches.....come join us and help...all info on this link....

http://www.InternationalANSWER.org

[Renew Deal]

6. Thanks for the info.

I live in NY so no bus is necessary. I never went to these anti-war protests before because I felt that Bush* was driven to go to Iraq. It didn't matter that the largest one day protest ever happened. This time it does matter. It is for the American people to see. It is also for us to take advantage of. I will find a high traffic area and put up a table to do voter registrations. I will ask people for email addresses if I run out of forms and I will help them register. WE can drive our numbers up at this event.

Anyway, I am completely motivated. i don't have dates yet, but I am working toward it. Thanks

[AP]

7. Before you went to Camp Wellstone your persona on DU was purely as a

critic of Edwards (at least, that was my perception).

You posted yesterday (I believe) something that suggested you no longer hated Edwards.

Did something happen to you at Camp Wellstone? Were people talking about Kery and Edwards there? (I presume they were.)

Or do you just realize now that there's way more to politcal advocacy than just criticizing?

Something has changed with you. Care to try to put your finger on it?

[Renew Deal]

8. I was never anti-anyone

including Edwards. What happened was that some new Edwards supporters decided to target my guy (Clark). I figured I would help them get to know their guy better too. Anyway, I do worry about Edwards. I would be in his camp if he wasn't so pro-Iraq war. I also hate that he supported that Bankruptcy reform act. But I would take him over Bush any day.

People were talking about Kerry and Edwards. The feeling I got was that Kerry is the guy. There were a lot of ex-Deanies there. Some of us talked about the election. Many didn't care for Kerry, but would help him out for the GE.

I learned a lot there. One thing is that Kerry doesn't have a message and Edwards does (2 Americas). I know there is more than just criticizing, but DU is good for that. There's lots of good and bad about all the candidates. I wish I knew what I was going to do. Edwards could be better in the big picture (inexperience and all), but I am not comfortable with some of what he has done.

So I say that not much has changed when it comes to my focus on the candidates, but I am thinking about winning elections a lot more.

[AP]

9. ... and you're doing less criticizing and more thinking about what it

takes to win, right?

And you're starting to appreciate what Edwards has been trying to do for the last year, right?

[AP]

10. kick.