Letter to Howard Dean
I received a letter from Howard Dean, asking for money. Here is the letter I sent back to him.
Howard Dean, Chair
Democratic National Committee
430 South Capitol Street, SE
Washington, DC 20003
re: 2005 Grassroots Survey of Democratic Leaders
Dear Dr. Dean,
I am a 53 year old white woman from Western Massachusetts. I have voted in every local and federal election since I became eligible to vote. I have lived in big cities (New York), small towns (Chesterfield, MA), and middle sized cities (Santa Fe, NM, Springfield, MA, Northampton, MA). I follow the news closely, and take the time to look at various news sources from the U.S. and internationally. Last May I graduated from college, finally finishing my B.A., magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa. Despite my success in school, I am still looking for a job. I have been using my time to volunteer for an organization that is working to reform the mess that we call the media. I also have been involved with a non-profit that runs writing workshops for incarcerated women. I have changed my party affiliation over the years from Democrat to Independent and back again to Democrat. I have thought about changing to Green. I support election reform, a multiple-party system, and run-off elections.
I met you a few years ago at a GLBT fundraiser for Shannon O’Brien who was running for governor of Massachusetts. I didn't vote for her in the primaries--I voted for Robert Reich. But I would never vote for the man who eventually won the election, Mitt Romney, so I threw my support to O'Brien. You were just starting your own grassroots campaign for president. I was impressed by your honesty about why you allowed civil unions to be legalized in Vermont. “It was a civil rights issue,” you said. “Ten percent of the people in my state were not able to exercise their civil rights. It had to be done.” I supported you during your run for president and cheered for you as you took on thorny issues like the war in Iraq and health care.
I’m writing today to tell you I am not going to give one dime to the Democratic Party until the Democrats in office stop acting like Republicans. I will not support a party whose members vote to retain the Patriot Act, vote to continue the war in Iraq indefinitely, are against pro-choice, and vote to further cut taxes. I will not support a party that continues to bow down to huge corporations, giving them even more legal standing to do whatever they want whenever they want. I will not support a party that does not fight vigorously for media reform, breaking down the stranglehold of the six corporations that own most of the media infrastructure, outlets, and content providers. I will not support a party whose members vote for cuts in education, job training, food stamps, or health care. I will not support a party that does not fight hard for increases in both the minimum wage and taxes on the rich. I will not support a party that supports privatization of our basic institutions like schools, the military, and basic utilities.
When I met you, it seemed to me you were being very honest, and I am going to be very honest with you. Even as the Bush administration implodes, the Democrats are looking like ineffectual buffoons. Where is the strong leadership that is needed to finally stand up to this extreme neoconservative, neoliberal, dominionist, regime? If you want money and support from me and others in my area, here is a list of changes that we need to see:
1. Start supporting those in your party who oppose the war and are looking for a way out. Why are Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid distancing themselves from Rep. John Murtha for standing up and recognizing we need to get out of Iraq?
2. Don’t be whining about how the Democrats were duped into supporting the war. There were plenty of people reporting on what was really going on, several people speaking out in favor of keeping the weapons inspections going, and some with a greater understanding of Iraqi politics than any of the experts trotted out by the administration. The question is, why didn’t the Democrats who claimed they were misled know more than they did? There are two plausible answers: a) They were too busy grasping for poll numbers to really dig into the facts, or b) They thought it would be a good idea. What I need to hear from them before I would vote for any of them again is: a) I made a mistake in prioritizing. I have since hired more staff to do more thorough research into important issues, and I will not allow my re-election interests influence my decision-making on matters that have a direct negative impact on human life, national and international security, or the economic well being of our citizens and our future generations. b) I now see it is not such a good idea to occupy a country for what is essentially imperialist gain for the U.S. If we truly had the best interests of the average Iraqi in mind when we initiated the invasion, there would not have been a reason to militarize as heavily as we did, blow up infrastructure as we did, or kill close to 100,000 innocent people as we have done. We should have spent our appropriations more wisely, and invested in Iraqi businesses with Iraqi people, and insured for them a living wage and employment opportunities for them to rebuild their own country.
3. Come out strong for media reform. Freedom of information is crucial to the democratic process. Allowing a few corporations to own just about every wire, cable, newspaper, TV and radio station, and magazine is not healthy for democracy. Make noise about what this administration has done to cronyize public television, partisanize the FCC, and corporatize media outlets. Publicly owned airwaves are valued at $367 billion, but the public has never been paid a dime for their use by U.S. broadcasters. In fact, Big Media has spent about $100 million on lobbying the FCC and Congress in just the past four years. Currently, more than half of the US relies on only one newspaper for their news. Craft your own vision of a revitalized CBP, assured public access, net neutrality, and community internet. Strongly denounce cronyism and partisan appointees and come up with a list of your own choices for key positions. Promote your vision as what could be—quality, diverse information in newspapers and television for local, state, and national news, and faster, cheaper, and universal access that would get the US back in the top tier of broadband use per capita. Currently, we are 16th in the world and quickly falling even further behind. as other countries have instituted national broadband policy that actively encourages competition among providers. Squash any attempt to treat cable and telephone lines as proprietary and under sole ownership of any monopoly or duopoly.
4. Someone please tell Hillary Clinton to stop parading around like a Republican. Her changing attitudes are abhorrent and downright creepy. She is playing right into the Republican hand, and she will get whipped soundly come election time. Find someone who stands solidly behind a Democratic platform even when the polls are in flux.
5. Stand up for civil liberties for everyone, including women, the GLBT community, people of color, the poor and working poor, the middle class, students, Guantanamo detainees, and every political prisoner anywhere. This should be a no-brainer, but ah, well, some Democrats still aren’t getting how important civil liberties and little things like the Geneva Conventions really are for a safer and saner world. Take back the discourse about abortion, which for so many years has been a Republican cash and vote cow, and start talking about a women’s right to her own body. Make a big deal out of the fact that the democratic process in Iraq the administration is crowing about has actually diminished women’s rights as radical Muslims craft a constitution that denies any legality that does not conform to Shari’a law. Make comparisons between the teachings of radical fundamentalist and evangelical Christian dominionists and the radical Muslim mullahs who squash women’s rights. Leave libraries and bookstores alone. Reign in the CIA and FBI before they start coming after you.
6. Roar against the use of chemical weapons by the U.S. under any circumstances. The fact is, it’s a war crime, and to weasel a way to justify it just makes you look, well, like a weasel. White phosphorous is a chemical weapon. It burns skin to the bone on contact. There is no other way to view it, and its use, along with all the other chemicals, must be denounced. If we do not honor the Chemical Weapon Convention, how can we expect others to not use chemical weapons? This is a very dangerous game, and the Democrats can take a strong position here without looking like wimpy peaceniks.
7. Start crafting good policy to get more money for researching alternative energies.
Peak oil and oil cartels are only going to get worse. Stand up to Big Oil in all its forms and start creating research programs. Invite the public to participate. It’s amazing how many ideas are out there when they are not being squelched by corporate thugs.
8. Put energy and money into economic think tanks that simply don’t take global market capitalism as some natural state of being. It is, still and all, only one of many possible types of economic arrangements, and it’s a brutal one at that. There’s got to be a better way, and Democrats better start articulating how they are going to get us out from under the thumb of the multinational corporations. As it stands now, they are the real superpower of the world, and the U.S. is only a pawn in their game. A good way to start would be to fold into an new economic vision a wide net of social support, increased market regulation, and policies that can help citizens, not impoverish them. Touting unregulated Big Business as the economic salvation for ordinary working people flies in the face of the reality of stagnant wages and increased hardships by our working class.
9. Stop allowing Israel to occupy Palestinian territory and making life miserable for millions of ordinary Palestinians. It only breeds hate and death. In order for the Palestinian people to overcome their impoverished situation, they must have political freedom along with social and economic opportunities. Constructing a wall on their olive groves does not secure economic, social, or human survival.
10. Stand up for clean air and water and against slash and burn practices that ruin forever biodiverse habitats that are crucial for human existence. Stop corporations like Coca Cola from draining aquifers and McDonald’s from bulldozing rainforest to grow hamburgers.
11. Filibuster Alito. Anyone who writes "I believe very strongly in limited government, federalism, free enterprise, the supremacy of the elected branches of government, the need for a strong defense and effective law enforcement, and the legitimacy of a government role in protecting traditional values" should not have a seat on the highest court in the land. The fact that he told Senator Kennedy that he was just trying to get a job in a Republican office doesn’t bode well, either. The fact that he thinks its ok to say whatever just to get what he wants or to please others is not the type of character we need sitting on the Supreme Court.
12. Make a distinction between bureaucracy that’s bloated and departments that are needed. The GAO is a good case in point for necessary cadres of accountants. Show the American people you want the government to be accountable and applaud those departments that are still able to furnish that accountability despite the Republican war against them. Point out how this administration has not been accountable for billions of dollars spent on the Iraq war and how you would have handled the money going over there. Tell the American people that you would restore crucial departments like FEMA to their past levels of efficiency and accountability, and that, unlike Grover Norquist who wants to shrink government down and drown it in a bathtub, you believe that sometimes government can do it better and often does; that there are some things that cannot be reduced to a financial bottom line, like social security, education, and healthcare; that hurricane Katrina proved Norquist wrong—we actually need government agencies who’s sole interest is the American people and to rely on private industry to help is spotty, shoddy, inefficient, and very costly—in dollars and human lives; that the government should not be pitted against the people, strangled, and drowned, but that the government is for the people, by the people. Government is the people, and we need to keep our safety nets strong, our accountability accurate and trustworthy, and our executive branch in check.
Finally, stop playing into those Republican chestnuts that clog up the media like abortion, gun control, social security, GLBT rights, women’s rights, and idols of religion on state property. Change the discourse to economic strategy, wages, accountability, transparency, governmental balance in the three branches of government, the eroding environment, and healthcare. Develop strategies, papers, brochures, internet sites, and talking points that speak to your vision—people want to know how you plan on getting there. Hold town meetings now—before election time so it doesn’t look fake. Get every state representative who’s a democrat to hold a district meeting with their constituents, have them report back, and compile the results. Find young activists and begin grooming them as Democratic leaders. Have a mentoring program. Get new energy, new faces, new perspectives. Develop radio and television shows that can be distributed for free to PBS, public access, and college and low power radio stations. We need a vision and a way to achieve it.
Thank you for your attention, and I hope to see the Democrats continue to grow a backbone in the coming months, not only against this administration but to articulate very clearly what they would do differently. When I see evidence of real leadership and vision, I will respond with a financial donation and enthusiastic support.
Howard Dean, Chair
Democratic National Committee
430 South Capitol Street, SE
Washington, DC 20003
re: 2005 Grassroots Survey of Democratic Leaders
Dear Dr. Dean,
I am a 53 year old white woman from Western Massachusetts. I have voted in every local and federal election since I became eligible to vote. I have lived in big cities (New York), small towns (Chesterfield, MA), and middle sized cities (Santa Fe, NM, Springfield, MA, Northampton, MA). I follow the news closely, and take the time to look at various news sources from the U.S. and internationally. Last May I graduated from college, finally finishing my B.A., magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa. Despite my success in school, I am still looking for a job. I have been using my time to volunteer for an organization that is working to reform the mess that we call the media. I also have been involved with a non-profit that runs writing workshops for incarcerated women. I have changed my party affiliation over the years from Democrat to Independent and back again to Democrat. I have thought about changing to Green. I support election reform, a multiple-party system, and run-off elections.
I met you a few years ago at a GLBT fundraiser for Shannon O’Brien who was running for governor of Massachusetts. I didn't vote for her in the primaries--I voted for Robert Reich. But I would never vote for the man who eventually won the election, Mitt Romney, so I threw my support to O'Brien. You were just starting your own grassroots campaign for president. I was impressed by your honesty about why you allowed civil unions to be legalized in Vermont. “It was a civil rights issue,” you said. “Ten percent of the people in my state were not able to exercise their civil rights. It had to be done.” I supported you during your run for president and cheered for you as you took on thorny issues like the war in Iraq and health care.
I’m writing today to tell you I am not going to give one dime to the Democratic Party until the Democrats in office stop acting like Republicans. I will not support a party whose members vote to retain the Patriot Act, vote to continue the war in Iraq indefinitely, are against pro-choice, and vote to further cut taxes. I will not support a party that continues to bow down to huge corporations, giving them even more legal standing to do whatever they want whenever they want. I will not support a party that does not fight vigorously for media reform, breaking down the stranglehold of the six corporations that own most of the media infrastructure, outlets, and content providers. I will not support a party whose members vote for cuts in education, job training, food stamps, or health care. I will not support a party that does not fight hard for increases in both the minimum wage and taxes on the rich. I will not support a party that supports privatization of our basic institutions like schools, the military, and basic utilities.
When I met you, it seemed to me you were being very honest, and I am going to be very honest with you. Even as the Bush administration implodes, the Democrats are looking like ineffectual buffoons. Where is the strong leadership that is needed to finally stand up to this extreme neoconservative, neoliberal, dominionist, regime? If you want money and support from me and others in my area, here is a list of changes that we need to see:
1. Start supporting those in your party who oppose the war and are looking for a way out. Why are Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid distancing themselves from Rep. John Murtha for standing up and recognizing we need to get out of Iraq?
2. Don’t be whining about how the Democrats were duped into supporting the war. There were plenty of people reporting on what was really going on, several people speaking out in favor of keeping the weapons inspections going, and some with a greater understanding of Iraqi politics than any of the experts trotted out by the administration. The question is, why didn’t the Democrats who claimed they were misled know more than they did? There are two plausible answers: a) They were too busy grasping for poll numbers to really dig into the facts, or b) They thought it would be a good idea. What I need to hear from them before I would vote for any of them again is: a) I made a mistake in prioritizing. I have since hired more staff to do more thorough research into important issues, and I will not allow my re-election interests influence my decision-making on matters that have a direct negative impact on human life, national and international security, or the economic well being of our citizens and our future generations. b) I now see it is not such a good idea to occupy a country for what is essentially imperialist gain for the U.S. If we truly had the best interests of the average Iraqi in mind when we initiated the invasion, there would not have been a reason to militarize as heavily as we did, blow up infrastructure as we did, or kill close to 100,000 innocent people as we have done. We should have spent our appropriations more wisely, and invested in Iraqi businesses with Iraqi people, and insured for them a living wage and employment opportunities for them to rebuild their own country.
3. Come out strong for media reform. Freedom of information is crucial to the democratic process. Allowing a few corporations to own just about every wire, cable, newspaper, TV and radio station, and magazine is not healthy for democracy. Make noise about what this administration has done to cronyize public television, partisanize the FCC, and corporatize media outlets. Publicly owned airwaves are valued at $367 billion, but the public has never been paid a dime for their use by U.S. broadcasters. In fact, Big Media has spent about $100 million on lobbying the FCC and Congress in just the past four years. Currently, more than half of the US relies on only one newspaper for their news. Craft your own vision of a revitalized CBP, assured public access, net neutrality, and community internet. Strongly denounce cronyism and partisan appointees and come up with a list of your own choices for key positions. Promote your vision as what could be—quality, diverse information in newspapers and television for local, state, and national news, and faster, cheaper, and universal access that would get the US back in the top tier of broadband use per capita. Currently, we are 16th in the world and quickly falling even further behind. as other countries have instituted national broadband policy that actively encourages competition among providers. Squash any attempt to treat cable and telephone lines as proprietary and under sole ownership of any monopoly or duopoly.
4. Someone please tell Hillary Clinton to stop parading around like a Republican. Her changing attitudes are abhorrent and downright creepy. She is playing right into the Republican hand, and she will get whipped soundly come election time. Find someone who stands solidly behind a Democratic platform even when the polls are in flux.
5. Stand up for civil liberties for everyone, including women, the GLBT community, people of color, the poor and working poor, the middle class, students, Guantanamo detainees, and every political prisoner anywhere. This should be a no-brainer, but ah, well, some Democrats still aren’t getting how important civil liberties and little things like the Geneva Conventions really are for a safer and saner world. Take back the discourse about abortion, which for so many years has been a Republican cash and vote cow, and start talking about a women’s right to her own body. Make a big deal out of the fact that the democratic process in Iraq the administration is crowing about has actually diminished women’s rights as radical Muslims craft a constitution that denies any legality that does not conform to Shari’a law. Make comparisons between the teachings of radical fundamentalist and evangelical Christian dominionists and the radical Muslim mullahs who squash women’s rights. Leave libraries and bookstores alone. Reign in the CIA and FBI before they start coming after you.
6. Roar against the use of chemical weapons by the U.S. under any circumstances. The fact is, it’s a war crime, and to weasel a way to justify it just makes you look, well, like a weasel. White phosphorous is a chemical weapon. It burns skin to the bone on contact. There is no other way to view it, and its use, along with all the other chemicals, must be denounced. If we do not honor the Chemical Weapon Convention, how can we expect others to not use chemical weapons? This is a very dangerous game, and the Democrats can take a strong position here without looking like wimpy peaceniks.
7. Start crafting good policy to get more money for researching alternative energies.
Peak oil and oil cartels are only going to get worse. Stand up to Big Oil in all its forms and start creating research programs. Invite the public to participate. It’s amazing how many ideas are out there when they are not being squelched by corporate thugs.
8. Put energy and money into economic think tanks that simply don’t take global market capitalism as some natural state of being. It is, still and all, only one of many possible types of economic arrangements, and it’s a brutal one at that. There’s got to be a better way, and Democrats better start articulating how they are going to get us out from under the thumb of the multinational corporations. As it stands now, they are the real superpower of the world, and the U.S. is only a pawn in their game. A good way to start would be to fold into an new economic vision a wide net of social support, increased market regulation, and policies that can help citizens, not impoverish them. Touting unregulated Big Business as the economic salvation for ordinary working people flies in the face of the reality of stagnant wages and increased hardships by our working class.
9. Stop allowing Israel to occupy Palestinian territory and making life miserable for millions of ordinary Palestinians. It only breeds hate and death. In order for the Palestinian people to overcome their impoverished situation, they must have political freedom along with social and economic opportunities. Constructing a wall on their olive groves does not secure economic, social, or human survival.
10. Stand up for clean air and water and against slash and burn practices that ruin forever biodiverse habitats that are crucial for human existence. Stop corporations like Coca Cola from draining aquifers and McDonald’s from bulldozing rainforest to grow hamburgers.
11. Filibuster Alito. Anyone who writes "I believe very strongly in limited government, federalism, free enterprise, the supremacy of the elected branches of government, the need for a strong defense and effective law enforcement, and the legitimacy of a government role in protecting traditional values" should not have a seat on the highest court in the land. The fact that he told Senator Kennedy that he was just trying to get a job in a Republican office doesn’t bode well, either. The fact that he thinks its ok to say whatever just to get what he wants or to please others is not the type of character we need sitting on the Supreme Court.
12. Make a distinction between bureaucracy that’s bloated and departments that are needed. The GAO is a good case in point for necessary cadres of accountants. Show the American people you want the government to be accountable and applaud those departments that are still able to furnish that accountability despite the Republican war against them. Point out how this administration has not been accountable for billions of dollars spent on the Iraq war and how you would have handled the money going over there. Tell the American people that you would restore crucial departments like FEMA to their past levels of efficiency and accountability, and that, unlike Grover Norquist who wants to shrink government down and drown it in a bathtub, you believe that sometimes government can do it better and often does; that there are some things that cannot be reduced to a financial bottom line, like social security, education, and healthcare; that hurricane Katrina proved Norquist wrong—we actually need government agencies who’s sole interest is the American people and to rely on private industry to help is spotty, shoddy, inefficient, and very costly—in dollars and human lives; that the government should not be pitted against the people, strangled, and drowned, but that the government is for the people, by the people. Government is the people, and we need to keep our safety nets strong, our accountability accurate and trustworthy, and our executive branch in check.
Finally, stop playing into those Republican chestnuts that clog up the media like abortion, gun control, social security, GLBT rights, women’s rights, and idols of religion on state property. Change the discourse to economic strategy, wages, accountability, transparency, governmental balance in the three branches of government, the eroding environment, and healthcare. Develop strategies, papers, brochures, internet sites, and talking points that speak to your vision—people want to know how you plan on getting there. Hold town meetings now—before election time so it doesn’t look fake. Get every state representative who’s a democrat to hold a district meeting with their constituents, have them report back, and compile the results. Find young activists and begin grooming them as Democratic leaders. Have a mentoring program. Get new energy, new faces, new perspectives. Develop radio and television shows that can be distributed for free to PBS, public access, and college and low power radio stations. We need a vision and a way to achieve it.
Thank you for your attention, and I hope to see the Democrats continue to grow a backbone in the coming months, not only against this administration but to articulate very clearly what they would do differently. When I see evidence of real leadership and vision, I will respond with a financial donation and enthusiastic support.
posted by FranCroaker at 2:25 PM
1 Comments:
Ms. Croaker:
A very thoughtful and compelling letter. Here's to someone at DNC taking a hard honest look at it.
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