An Inspiring Message

Greetings!

I'm “the fellow from Illinois” who suggested to Dr. Price that she grab the domain name. After months of knowing her through emails, etc., on the Dean campaign, I finally found an excuse to meet her in person – in town for business – and she’s every bit as much a gem in person as I expected. One of the great things I've taken away from my experiences with the Dean campaign has been some of the amazing people I've met over the year of my involvement.

And now it's time for the next chapter! While I have registered www.democracyforillinois.org (and .com, just for protection), I'm not with-it enough to set up a site there yet. Project #4 or so on my list. And it CERTAINLY will be awhile until I/we can come up with a site as attractive as this one! Nice icon image, good colors. A very friendly, welcoming visual style. My congratulations.

For those other than Linda and Alta, with whom I've had contact previously – welcome, from a once-and-future member of Dean Nation (Illinois chapter). I've had the great pleasure to visit your state a few times, Dubuque, the Field of Dreams, spent a weekend in Cedar Rapids in January, went to the Linn County Democratic banquet (saw Dean with Kerry, Edwards and Kucinich). Stayed at a Girl Scout camp about 20 minutes outside C/R with some terrific Dean people. Happy memories tinged with regret.  Here's hoping it's NOT a once-in-a-lifetime experience!

Anyway, under another Dean hat I am/was the statewide Meet Up coordinator in Illinois. We are still having Dean (now DFA2.0) Meet Ups this month, really the kickoff for the next phase. I want to encourage all of you, across Iowa, to set up or continue with Meet Ups. DFA2 has the potential to take the ground-up, citizen-initiated, true grassroots movement and make it into a true force in American politics.

What we need to do, what Gov. Dean is too polite to say (and yes, such things exist) is that we need to become the progressive/left version of the people who follow the likes of Pat Robertson or Jerry Falwell – not anywhere like the sheepish, herd-like aspects of such folks – we are too independent for that – but in their devotion to a cause whose success is dependent upon unified action among like-minded Americans.

We DO have work to do, a long struggle to take back America. What the Dean campaign showed us – and I believe it was only a glimpse, a hint, of the potential – is that, well, Dean was right. We DO indeed have the power, but it must be taken; such things are never given. Further, the polls show that America is actually on our side – they just don't know it yet. When you break down the kinds of things that Gov. Dean campaigned about – that our movement is still about – most Americans agree.

Most Americans think that providing affordable healthcare for all is both possible and necessary – and most support the grow-the-existing-systems approach Gov. Dean did in Vermont over a totally government-run, single payer system. People think it's doable and necessary – and they'd rather pay for that than another Presidential chest-thumping adventure in the Middle East.

Most Americans distrust the big-money Republicans and favor real campaign finance reform. The Dean campaign WAS campaign finance reform – in ways no one thought possible.

Most Americans are upset about the exodus of jobs from this country. Most Americans also equate the Republicans with the kind of pro-business-uber-alles attitude that has been the enabler for this. Most Americans feel that if big business is going to get support from government – i.e. the citizens – then they should be held to account for their corporate actions that affect those citizens.

Most Americans have decided that NAFTA wasn't necessarily the greatest idea and that at the very least we need to re-do that so-called deal.

Most Americans also feel that power has been shifted even further toward the wealthy, toward corporate interests. And they feel it at the local level every bit as much as what they see on TV or read in their 1040 instructions.

These are the kinds of things that Democracy For America (and for Iowa and Illinois) is intended to address. To provide a forum, a vehicle, a conduit, a magnifying lens, for that energy that comes from you.

Because Dean was right. We DO have the power.

We just have to get better organized and start using it.

So a big Illinois “hey!” from a neighbor to the east. And for those Matrix fans out there, I want to borrow a quote from Morpheus, that after all our best efforts, the battle recently lost and the next one joined, and a long struggle ahead, while some thought we would fade after Feb.18th when Dean dropped out, that

WE ARE STILL HERE!!! 🙂

Eric Davis
Democracy For Illinois
former State Meetup Co-ordinator, Illinois For Dean