Kerry-Edwards vs. Bush-Cheney: 3-0!
John Kerry followed up on last week's knock-out, and John Edwards' great effort in staring down the arrogant Dick Cheney, with another great performance. Bush was better this week. But that's as good as it gets—and at his best, we saw that Bush is no match for John Kerry. Both on style and presidential stature, Kerry came out well ahead.
John & John are getting the truth out about—well, where do we start—the false reasons for the Iraq War, the lack of homeland security, the frightening reality on the ground in Iraq, the real state of our economy (including Friday's dismal job numbers), the lack of health care and education and all the programs that build a solid middle class—and help those trying to rise into it. And the media and the voters ( see polls below) are starting to listen.
George Bush and Dick Cheney are trying to disprove Lincoln’s axiom that "You can’t fool all the people all the time." They think they can—but John & John aren’t letting them get away with it. While it is possible to fool half the people for a while, which is the only reason this election is close, we will keep chipping away at it, until November 2.
Our job is to get the truth out to the other half, and get our supporters out to the polls. Once again, our candidates have fought hard for us; and once again, it’s our turn to go back to work...
Action Center
"We either pull out all the stops over the next few weeks or we will live to regret it,"
—Democratic strategist James Carville
To-Do List: #1, Plan Your Swing State Travel
Bay Area Kerry-Edwards groups have already coordinated travel for hundreds of volunteers to various Swing States, most notably to Nevada. Every weekend, some 70 to 100 Bay Area volunteers knock on 3500 doors in Reno and help local staffers canvass. By the time November 2 rolls around, well over a 1000 travelers will have participated in this program. Some 70 will go to Ohio and 50 to NM for trips of one to three weeks. Between 500 and 700 volunteers will travel to Nevada for the last week!
Nevada has more registered Democrats than Republicans for the first time in years. CA phone banks have made nearly half the campaign calls to rural NV!
Travelers sent or to be sent: MI, 20; FL, 20; MO, 10; WI, 20; NV, 500-700; OH, 70; NM, 50; AZ, 10; CO, 3. Join them! Visit our website for more info on swing state travel and on swing state outreach.
To-Do List: #2, Plan Your Election Day Get-Out-the-Vote Effort
No kidding: election day is almost upon us. It'll be critical to get out the vote on November 2. Make sure all those newly registered Democrats cast their votes. We're setting up a web page dedicated to November 2 and the weekend preceding it. This'll be your one-stop location for what you can do to ensure our victory!
Don't Let Up on Calling the Swing States: We're On a Roll
Bay Area Kerry-Edwards volunteers have made in excess of 40,000 calls per week to Swing States. By the time we are done, we'll easily break 500,000. The Stanford phone banks ( listed on the right) have recently been launched and are already going at full swing.
Thanks to all of you who are helping. And please go on calling!
Check the list of locations (on the right) where phoning will take place this week. Let's help the staffers in the Swing States identify likely voters and volunteers. If you haven't made these phone calls before, please give it a try.
Donate: Let the Kerry Campaign Build the Momentum, Not Worry About Money
It's time to build on the momentum generated by three debates where Kerry and Edwards were the clear winners. We knew it all the time; now the rest of America is beginning to tell the difference between real plans and fantasy (of the "We're doing very well in Iraq and the economy is doing great!" type).
The Kerry-Edwards campaign needs to profit from the growing enthusiasm of the electorate—not worry about the cost of what needs to be done. Let's not force them to curtail plans because of financial concerns. If you can, donate. Donate early and often. Donate now more than ever. Whatever you can afford is very welcome—$10, $25, $500, or whatever works for you. If you can donate more, see our article below. You can do it right now: donate online.
And think about it: if you get a friend to donate the same amount, that's as if you doubled your own contribution!
Walk Your Precinct: Ensure a Wide Margin of Victory!
We all hope that California will go for Kerry with a large margin of victory. But you probably noticed that we have a Republican governor. Let's not let anyone think that California can be turned, that it would make a great launching pad for a Republican contender in 2008. And Senate and House victories are as important as always. Prevent gridlock in Washington: make sure Santa Clara Valley votes!
The Santa Clara County Democratic Party is organizing a great precinct-walking campaign. Be a part of it! It's easy and fun. If you've never done it, go with a friend. You'll be glad you did. Get more information here.
News from the Campaign
Donate: Now More Than Ever
Hillary Clinton, Ted Kennedy and John Edwards Coming to the Bay Area
We have it all: the team that can win, unity of resolve, polls breaking in our favor, and record voter registration. We have raised more funds than ever, and, until now, we held the George Bush juggernaut even in fundraising. But, in early September, the Republican National Committee (RNC) had almost double the cash in hand that the Democratic National Committee (DNC) had ($94M compared with only $56M).
If we raise the money, John Kerry will win back the White House. "We either pull out all the stops over the next few weeks or we will live to regret it," Democratic strategist James Carville told prospective donors in a DNC fund-raising letter sent last week.
All amounts are welcome, and you can donate online here. But, if you can afford seriously large sums, three Bay Area events will be of interest to you. John Kerry, Ted Kennedy, and Hillary Clinton are all visiting the Bay Area. For more information, see our Fundraising Events listings (on the right).
Swing States: We're On a Roll
Our Swing State phone banking effort is a wonderful success story—let's keep it that way. Bay Area Kerry-Edwards volunteers have made more than 150K calls to Swing States on behalf of local campaign offices in some 12 Swing States (FL, OH, PA, MI, NV, MO, WI, OR, CO, IA, NM, and AZ). We are making in excess of 40K calls per week. By the time we are done, we'll easily break 500K.
The Stanford phone banks ( listed on the right) have recently been launched and are already going at full swing. Forty volunteers came to the first Sunday phone bank (news of which spread by word of mouth—or perhaps by click of mouse; no ads were put out). In that one first session, 1500 possible voters were called! The organizers are now advertising all over campus. The best people to contact about the phone banks are Kai Stinchcombe, the president of the Stanford Dems ( kstinch@stanford.edu), Jenny Tolan ( jtolan@stanford.edu), and Kara Bischoff ( kbischof@stanford.edu).
We're still in time to add Democrats to electoral lists, identify Kerry supporters, do persuasion phoning, and get the ground forces ready for November 2's final Get Out The Vote in Swing States. Reporters describe new voter registration cards arriving by the bucketfuls at Registrar of Voters offices, and the Kerry forces on the ground send many thanks for all the voter ID work. Let's keep this going all the way to November 2.
Thanks to all of you who are helping. And please go on calling! Check the list of locations (on the right) where phoning will take place this week. Let's help the staffers in the Swing State identify likely voters and volunteers. If you haven't made these phone calls before, please give it a try.
Factchecking: Cheney's Credibility Gap
Did you hear about Dick Cheney's recommended facts resource? During the debate,
he recommended everyone go to www.factcheck.com to get "the truth." As it turns
out, the owner of factcheck.com a) isn't the Center (as Cheney had said) and
b) isn't a fan of the Bush administration. In fact, the domain owner redirected traffic to www.georgesoros.com, where the first thing you see is "Why We Must Not Re-elect President Bush."
But wait, there's more! On the web site, GeorgeSoros.com also mentioned that the viewer
might actually want www.FactCheck.org. If you go there, you'll get all the
corrections to the debate, such as the fact that the debate was not the first
time Cheney and Edwards had met and other Cheney jewels. Sure, it points out that
Edwards rounded 88% to 90% and gave Cheney a bit more credit for the
moral bankruptcy of Halliburton than he deserved. But, on the whole, Cheney comes
off with a huge "credibility gap."
F2F Needs You: Why Your Active Participation Is Critical
The word is out: television ads won't be enough to win this election (especially not in the Swing States, inundated as they are by advertising). We're in the middle of a labor-intensive campaign that focuses on F2F (face-to-face). In a recent Newsweek article, Howard Fineman calls it "the ground war of Campaign 2004." The advertising, speeches, and debates roll on. But a huge emphasis is on person-to-person contact: talking to neighbors, registering new voters, identifying likely voters, signing up volunteers, preparing lists for get-out-the-vote drives, and helping get out the vote on election day.
Republicans are good at doing this. They've proven it before. And they have planned a special 72-hour get-out-the-vote drive just before and during Election Day.
We need you to join the growing Kerry-Edwards Bay Area volunteers and help wage a successful F2F campaign. This newsletter abounds in volunteer opportunities. Pick your favorite and join us today!
POLL CORNER: Still a Dead Heat
Source / (Sample Size, Method) / Dates / Bush / Kerry / Margin
Rasmussen / (3,000 LV) / 10/4-6 / 48% / 47% / Bush +1
Zogby / (1066 LV) / 10/1-3 / 46% /45% / Bush +1
IBD/TIPP / (650 LV) / 9/24-28 45% / 46% / Kerry +1
American Res Grp / (30,000, LV) / 10/2-4 / 44%%/47% / Kerry +3
Economist/YouGov / (1660 LV) / 10/4-5 / 46% / 47% / Kerry+1
AP/Ipsos / (944 LV) / 10/4-6 / 46% / 50% / Kerry +4
ARG / (962 LV) / 10/4-6 / 46% / 47% / Kerry +1
CBS/NYT (561 LV) / 10/1-3 / 48% / 47% / Bush +1
Zogby (1036 LV) 10/1-3 46% / 45% /Bush +1
CNN/USAT/Gallup (772 LV) / 10/1-3 / 49% / 49% / TIE
Newsweek (1013 RV) 9/30-10/2 46% / 49% / Kerry +3
Fox News (1000 LV) / 10/3-4 / 48% / 45% / Bush +3
The polls are starting to coalesce. Some have Kerry up a couple points, others have Bush up a couple points. On average, Kerry is up 0.5%—still a statistical tie, but becoming more solid.
What does that mean? The polls may be missing some of the dynamics on the ground that are different in this unusual, heated election year. For example, they may be missing a surge in Democratic registrations. We should be cautious however, and take the polls on face value. We think it means what we thought all along—this election will be won on the ground. The message is the same—it's up to us.
Let's keep working like there is no tomorrow—or there might not be.
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Upcoming Events
C O U N T D O W N
9 days to register California voters
2 weeks to walk precincts
24 days until November 2nd
Silicon Valley for Kerry phone bank and letter-writing events:
Please bring your cell phone and charger to these phone bank events.
EVERY SATURDAY
Oct. 9 – Oct. 30, 1:00-5:00pm
At the home of Geoff Bough
356 Covington Road, Los Altos, CA
EVERY SUNDAY
Oct. 10 – Oct. 31, 1:00-4:00pm
At the home of Lilija Tushinski
2564 Diericx Drive, Mt. View, CA
Coming soon: Extended phone bank hours at both locations, every day from Oct 30 to Nov 2.
Los Altos: 9:00am to 6:00pm; Mt. View: 12noon to 6:00pm. Please check our election day page for updates.
Monday, Oct. 11, 6:00-8:00pm
The office of Otto Lee
Intellectual Property Law Group LLP
12 S. First Street, 12th Floor, San Jose
EVERY WEDNESDAY
Oct. 13 – Oct. 27, 6:00-8:00pm
At the home of Geoff Bough
356 Covington Road, Los Altos, CA
Other phone bank & letter-writing events:
Please bring your cell phone and charger to these phone bank events.
Oct. 10, 17, and 24th, 4:00pm-7:00pm
Letter-writing to undervoting and unregistered women in the swing states. Please bring stationery, stamps and envelopes.
551 Serra Mall, Rm 125, Stanford University, Palo Alto
RSVP / more info here
Debate parties:
The following debate-watching parties take place on Wednesday, October 13 at 5:30pm, except where noted.
Los Gatos - RSVP / more info here
Watch John Kerry Win the Second Debate at Peg's House, 212 Johnson Ave.
Fundraising events:
There are three major personal appearances occurring in the Bay Area:
John Edwards
Ted Kennedy
Full course 100-person dinner with Ted Kennedy. Olivetos Restaurant, Oakland—donation required; contact us for more information.
Thursday, Oct. 14, 6:00-8:00pm
RSVP / more info houseparty@SiliconValleyForKerry.com
Hillary Clinton
Discussion, photo line (for $2000 guests), and strategy session about Election 2004 with Hillary Clinton and special guest Ann Lewis—donation required; contact us for more information.
Friday, Oct. 15, 12:30pm-4:00pm
RSVP / more info houseparty@SiliconValleyForKerry.com
Kerry-Edwards Wisconsin Victory House Party
State Assembly Democratic candidate Ira Ruskin will be one of the speakers. Donations to the Wisconsin Victory 2004 Federal Account requested.
Carol Vesecky's House Garden, Palo Alto, CA
Sunday, Oct. 10 at 2:00pm
RSVP / more info here
Artists For Kerry, Art For Change Auction Event
As impassioned members of the arts community, we are outraged by the level of destruction that has resulted from four years of the Bush Administration. This special evening of art, wine and musical entertainment is our way of raising funds to make the change this country desperately needs.
We invite you to participate by donating a piece of art work to this important event. Congreswoman Zoe Lofgren will serve as guest speaker along with over 50 local and national artists, all showing support for this important cause.
Tickets are $25 per person / $40 per couple. Silent auction 7:00-8:30 p.m. Live auction begins at 8:30 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 15, 6:30-10:00pm
Anno Domini Gallery
San Jose, CA 95125
Click here to request an invitation
More Kerry/Democratic events:
Democratic Party Meetup
MEETUPS are fast moving (one hour only) meetings of like-minded individuals wanting to affect the 2004 elections. The agenda will cover Final Voter Registration Push, Swing State Activities, Precinct Activities, Local and National Races and Get Out the Vote.
Tuesday, Oct. 12 at 5:00pm
Willow Glen Coffee Roasting Company
1383 Lincoln Ave, San Jose
Also at Democratic Party HQ
3898 El Camino Real, Palo Alto
RSVP / more info here
Your Voice, Your Vote, Your Future: Rally to Get Out the Vote
Music, political leaders and students speak out, comedy, art and information. A rally for young people and adults to speak out and to mobilize enthusiasm and volunteers to Get Out the Vote for Kerry and the Democrats.
Friday, Oct. 15 at 5:30pm
Palo Alto City Hall Plaza
250 Hamilton Ave, Palo Alto
RSVP / more info here
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Still a Dead Heat