Hey, Dear DUer Ladles and Jellyspoons! An appeal on behalf of one of OUR OWN!

[calimary]

The administrators of Democratic Underground have given permission for one discussion thread on this topic. The administrators of Democratic Underground make no claims regarding the legitimacy or illegitimacy of this fundraising effort. Permission was granted by Skinner on 10/5/09, and the moderators have been notified.


Hey DU brothers and sisters! Your help is needed (please)!

One of our own, DUer Class Warrior, has been invited to participate in Camp Wellstone’s Advanced Campaign Management School in December. But he’s only got about half the 500-dollar tuition scraped together. Can you join me and help him? CW’s the one who’s exhorted us through good times AND bad (like the last eight UTTERLY MISERABLE bush/cheney years) to “NGU” as in “Never Give Up.” He’s already mighty savvy on activism and meme-scheming issues as many of us certainly know, but this would empower him even more and expand his skills set going into the 2010 election season exactly when we need new infusions of energy, ideas, and balls. CW is the Alan Grayson who ISN’T a professional politician and we need more like him. And we need him beefed up and full of political spinach and calcium supplement!

It's one of the best investments you can make in next year's election success! Send money to some flimsy Blue Dog or spineless so-called Dem, hoping that maybe THIS time he/she will heed your on-going begging? No need to worry if you're just flushing money down the toilet in this case here, however. This is one way in which your donation can actually count for something. And as I said up top, it's one of our own!

If you’re interested in helping him, PLEEEEZE PM me!

Only thing is - gotta do it before October 9th!

Love, calimary

[calimary]

1. Kick for Class Warrior!!!

:kick: :patriot: :headbang: :toast: :hug: :thumbsup:

[FirstLight]

2. Kickety...

I can;t send more than good vibes at this point...but you have them for sure! Good Luck! :grouphug:

[calimary]

5. Hey, the good vibes are MUCH appreciated too!

:toast:

And thanks!

[barbtries]

3. damn,

i am broke until oct 15th - but i am willing to send a few bucks at that time. sorry.

[calimary]

7. Aw... you're sweet!

Thanks barbtries!

:hug:

[EFerrari]

4. K&R

:hi:

[calimary]

8. Cheers!

And :hi: back atcha!

[maddezmom]

6. K&R

:kick:

[calimary]

11. Thank you, maddezmom!

:yourock:

[pleah]

9. K&R

I'd give if I could.

[calimary]

12. Completely understand.

These aren't easy times for any of us.

But the kick is MOST appreciated!

:toast:

[pleah]

14. Hope it helps.

:hug:

[calimary]

15. Are you kidding?

Your kick helps keep it up on this fastest-of-fast-moving-forums. That alone is a HUGE help!

:hi: :toast:

[calimary]

10. Shit! So many recommendations already! How'd that happen? THANK YOU!!!

Hey, truly! Thanks everybody!

EVERY little bit...

No matter how ALLEGEDLY "small"...

NGU...

:patriot:

[Hell Hath No Fury]

13. I am soo fucking broke right now --

:(

I usually support anything to do with Camp Wellstone -- an amazing org!

All I can do right now is K&R.

Good luck Class Warrior! :hi:

[calimary]

16. He's the best - a Meme Schemer of the First Order.

We need folks like him well-equipped and ready for battle!

Thank you for the kick - that helps a LOT, too!


:yourock:

[calimary]

17. Hey - to everybody who's kicking and recommending this -

THANK YOU!!!

ALL of this is good!

Another kick for Class Warrior. Wonder if we should call him DU Warrior?

[calimary]

18. Keepin' this baby kicked!

:toast:

[EFerrari]

19. I'm not working but will see what I can find under the couch.

There may be a fivver or a ten under there.

:kick:

[calimary]

22. You are a Mahvelous Human Being!

Thank you SO MUCH!

Hey, I know things are awfully tough out there. I appreciate EVERY kick and every post on this, whether someone thinks he or she can donate or not.

You're sweet to kick this, too!

:pals:

[pinto]

20. Kick.

:kick:

[calimary]

23. Cheers!

Thanks so much!

Kick for Class Warrior - who will be an even more effective warrior after this session Camp Wellstone!

[Fearless]

21. Kick.

[calimary]

24. This is great!

Thank you much-much-much!!!

For CW and certainly also for me. We started just posting about stuff and finding lots of common ground on the framing/meming front. Now we're good friends! Thank you DU!

:headbang:

[calimary]

25. Another Class Warrior kick! Besides, this is kinda time-sensitive.

NGU, as CW would say!

[calimary]

26. .

[calimary]

28. ..

[calimary]

30. ...

[Javaman]

27. kick. nt

[calimary]

29. Yes! Thanks!

Keep this one up near the top!

[merh]

31. K&R

check your pmail

NGU :patriot:

[calimary]

35. THANK YOU!!!

NGU!!!

And thank you EVERYBODY who either kicked this thread, tried to help, wished CW well, or added a rec.

:hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug:

[shadowknows69]

32. This fundraiser has been approved by Skinner et al I assume?

Because, not for nothing, but If you're planning on going to a class of some sort you usually plan on how to be able to pay for it before 3 days before the deadline. That said. If we can just openly beg for money now, why don't y'all send me some so my wife can afford to be tested for the ovarian cancer that runs in her family and she's been having symptoms of for months now. Not to belittle Classwarriors aspirations of education or anything, but there are people out here whose lives are in jeopardy.

[Fearless]

33. I don't think this is a game of who's problem is bigger.

:banghead:

[shadowknows69]

37. If it was your wife whose problem would you think was bigger?

Yes, it was an emotional post, but try to see my point of view here.

[Fearless]

49. And like I said it's not about whose problem is bigger.

It's about helping someone and EVERYONE in need. Your point of view is an emotional response misdirected to hurt someone else who is in need. That is unnecessary.

[calimary]

34. Yes. It was approved. Just check the OP. I got their blessing first.

COMPLETELY understand your view here!

Because of DU, I've struck up some very treasured friendships among others in liberal/progressive activism - including CW.

Granted a campaign like this doesn't address your individual immediate needs - which I am in NO way discounting or diminishing. But many of us, as you know, have spent lots of time here on DU discussing the whole business of framing, how wording, sloganeering, "that line you can put on a bumper sticker", the so-called "elevator pitch" - how you can talk or pitch something in the time it takes for the average elevator ride, in other words, salesmanship, PR, how to shape public opinion through strategic wording, phrasing, re-framing of issues (so they're on OUR terms, not the bad guys') so we can influence public opinion and eventually the agenda and public policy. It's us against the likes of newt gingrich and his GOPAC and his vicious little guidebook that taught regressives and GOPers everywhere how to talk our side down and diminish us and demonize our side and our views and our policy issues - so we keep losing. Just one glance at the whole tea-bagger/tea party/town hall mess will demonstrate how much catching up we have to do. Look how THAT bunch of assholes hijacked the press, the public discourse, and all the coverage, and how the way THEIR side sees it and talks about it has now become the way many politicians and influence-peddlers and talking heads and media people do. Since we don't have a lot of savvy politicians and influence-peddlers and talking heads and media people on OUR side, framing things OUR way, WE OURSELVES have to sharpen up, and even suit up, and start doing it ourselves. If we're relentless and smart and shrewd and repetitive, others will catch on and start to come around.

Which brings me to Class Warrior's campaign. We need all of us pushing in that direction so some of us can really carry the ball for us! I WANT someone like him out there on the front lines, well-equipped and well-trained and beefed-up, pushing back - on issues EXACTLY LIKE YOURS. MAN do we need the help on the health insurance issue! Especially considering how utterly anemic the Dems and even President Obama have been on that matter! Holy Cannoli! SHAMEFUL!!!!!

I respect your post and your view on this. This is really the only way that I myself know to try to make a difference and get some real reforms. Our pathetic Dems (except for the rare jewel like Alan Grayson) have no backbone unless something is forcibly transplanted. So what I'm gonna try to do is help build us more transplanters!!! 'Cause left to their own devices, all we've got are flabby invertebrate Harry Reid-style approaches - which get people in predicaments like yours (and the rest of us, too, for that matter) - NOWHERE.

[shadowknows69]

36. Ok, sorry about questioning the validity of it.

But I don't recall the disclaimer being there when I first read it this morning.

[EFerrari]

40. It was there and these are some stressful times.

I'm playing Phone Bingo right now trying to find anyone in the country who can even pretend he's a doctor to prescribe for me. For nothing or close to nothing. I can even best Ladyhawk -- they told me my problem isn't big enough to bother with.

I'd :rofl: if I didn't want to :banghead:

Hang in, my friend.

:grouphug:

[calimary]

41. No, no, no. No worries!

What happened was - I posted it during the wee hours this morning. One of the moderators locked the thread and messaged me saying such a post had to be approved by Skinner et al first. So I sent it to Skinner and got the approval very quickly (THANK YOU SKINNER!) and then reposted it. The disclaimer is at the top of the OP.

I've never created this kind of post before and didn't know the protocol.

No worries! Frankly, I have too many friends and others I know who are in the same sort of boat you're in - ESPECIALLY with health care related issues! I wish I could do a post like this for each of them every day! But then again, we'd have a pretty big number of people just here on DU who could use such a thing, too.

So I decided to go for the over-arching idea - of building up some of the individuals in the army we need to get the big jobs done, finally. Or else... I guess we could always just rely on Pelosi/Reid and the other invertebrates to maybe beg the republi-CONS to be nice or something. Maybe if they say "pretty PLEEEEEEZE" or something? Get down on their knees and give the store away? Maybe that'll work?

Yeah. Sure. Well SCREW that!!! I've had it UP TO HERE with "nice." I want more Alan Graysons. Both in AND outside political office! I want activists with teeth and brass knuckles. For all we know, the activists we grow and nurture today might turn into the representatives of tomorrow - who'll have a lot more balls than the wussies we have in there now!

[EFerrari]

38. Kick!

[calimary]

43. Thanks so much, EFerrari!

I hope someday you drive one!

:yourock:

[EFerrari]

46. Are you kidding? Helping CW go to Camp Wellstone is an act

of the purest self-interest possible.

:rofl:

You GO, Class Warrior!

:yourock:

And you, too, calimary!

:yourock:

[Ignis]

39. Punted, with a side of Rec.

:kick:

[calimary]

44. Nicely done!

Cheers and many hugs!

:thumbsup:

[annabanana]

42. kickers

[calimary]

45. Thankers!

(Is that even a word?)

:hi: annabanana! Thank you!!!

[akbacchus_BC]

47. Hi Calimary, Thanks for your heartwarming efforts to assist a

fellow DUer to attend a worthy cause.

I would like to contribute financially, but I live in Canada. Your advice is needed.

Thanks

[calimary]

48. You're one of the good guys! And we wish we had YOUR country's attitude toward

health insurance for all!

THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!!!!!

:hug:

[akbacchus_BC]

51. Hi Calimary, CW contacted me and he has reached his goal, I'm so

proud of him and you for all you do to make your country a better place.

I too wish you all have our system of medicare, nobody should die in an emergency room, that is horrible. Let's keep hope alive that the Public Option will come through, am keeping my fingers and toes crossed.

Thanks again and best regards

[Cha]

50. Of course, I remember him and wondered

where he's been. Good to hear what all he's up to, calimary..thank you!

I see no reason why a bunch of us can't contribute a little and have that in no time at all!