Thank You Governor Dean

Over the next week we will set up a table on campus to collect notes from people thanking Governor Dean for what he has done. For now, please post your thanks to the Governor in the comments section below. Today's speech video is here. To read the text go here.

A New Call To Action

Howard Dean has called us to cotinue our campaign to change America. He has placed the future in our hands and if we give up now we have not failed Dean, we have failed ourselves. I call on everbody in Dean's Devils to meet and discuss how we can do this. I know we will be working with the YDs and other progressive organizations. I still think we need to keep our group together to use the grass roots organization we have to keep our momentum. It showed great results in Arizona in our area. Howard Dean is still the man who represents our views and our desire for a new America. I don't think that any of us feel differently about why we support Howard Dean. Let's take our country back. I'm watching Dean in Vermont and I'm still inspired, even more than ever. Ian

A Message From Governor Dean

Today my candidacy may come to an end--but our campaign for change is not over. I want to thank each and every person who has supported this campaign. Over the last year, you have reached out to neighbors, friends, family and colleagues--building one American at a time the greatest grassroots campaign presidential politics has ever seen. I will never forget the work and the heart that you put into our campaign. In the coming weeks, we will be launching a new initiative to continue the campaign you helped begin. Please continue to come to www.deanforamerica.com for updates and news as our new initiative develops. There is much work still to be done, and today is not an end--it is just the beginning. This Party and this country needs change, and you have already begun that process. I want you to think about how far we have come. The truth is: change is tough. There is enormous institutional pressure in our country against change. There is enormous institutional pressure in Washington against change, in the Democratic Party against change. Yet, you have already started to change the Party and together we have transformed this race. Along the way, we've engaged hundreds of thousands of new Americans in the political process, as witnessed by this year's record participation in the primaries and caucuses. The fight that we began can and must continue. Although my candidacy for president may end today, the most important goal remains defeating George W. Bush in November, and I hope that you will join me in doing everything we can to support the Democrats this fall. From the earliest days of our campaign, I have said that the power to change Washington rests not in my hands, but in yours. Always remember, you have the power to take our country back. Gov. Howard Dean M.D. Governor Dean also spoke gave a great speech today announcing his intention to stop campaigning for the presidency. To watch it on CSPAN go here. To read the text go here.

Facing Facts, Preparing for Tomorrow

There is a great article in the NY Times (great as in thorough, but not great as in good news) about Dean's campaign and what is next. Here is an excerpt from the article:

"I have no doubt that at some point in the relatively near future both the Dean organization and most people will want to support the nominee," a top Dean official said. "I suspect that Howard himself will also find a way to do that. But inevitably you have to go through a transition, you have to go through a psychological journey to get to that point. "It's a journey that has had immensely conflicting elements to it. There are very few people who have been as high and as low."

I do not feel like I am abandoning ship by saying - we need to start TALKING about what the next step is for ASU 4 Dean. There are many options, we really can do anything. Of course there are some rules that I'm imposing on "the next step". 1) We can plan and talk and do stuff - but no official change happens until the day Dean drops out. 2) Okay I meant A RULE, I don't have a number 2. So - what do we do after Dean is no longer a candidate? Some options:

• We endorse the nominee and work purely for his candidacy. This should be easy since neither Edwards or Kerry have any sort of group on campus worth anything.
• We become an Anybody But Bush (ABB) group.
• We turn into a group that focuses on local elections for Democrats.
• We become a progressive youth vote organization that is sort of like Rock the Vote, only we wouldn't suck, we wouldn't be non-partisan, and we would also focus on getting young people to run for office (campus, local etc).

I am leaning pretty strongly toward the final one - in fact many of us on the national GenDean team feel that way. Of course I'm not wedded to any one idea. So what do you think we should do??

Congratulations! Thank you! And why ASU 4 Dean rocks.

Things didn't turn out for us as well as we would have liked. Everyone has their reasons for Dean's current standings and in good time I think this blog will be an excellent place for us to discuss all that. Let's take a minute though to look back on what we have accomplished. In the comments section of the previous post Tom Reade of ASU YD and the Kerry campaign posted a very gracious note to all of us. I want to repost it here for everyone to see, and then I have a short list of things we should be proud of:

Hey guys, I wanted to congratulate you guys. Seriously , you did an amazing job organizing ASU, better than I ever could. Don't let a loss get you down, gawd knows I lose races at like 8-1 ratios and my first ever race i was on was a loss! I looked at the returns. You guys whopped Kerry in the Tempe Precincts that actually have ASU kids in them, though I won the Mitchell districts down south. A lot of what happened had nothing to do with you, thats something I recently learned on this campaign. You do your best, you do your job, but some things just happen (Iowa). You guys kicked a lot of ass and I hope you don't take this sitting down and get involved in YDAz and don't let the Dean message died because it wasn't the message that didn't catch on, that's for sure. =Tom= Kerry Campaign In Las Vegas right now =) God I love whoever moved this primary up!

Excuse the man's typos - he probably hasn't slept since Iowa. We won the youth vote here in Tempe like we set out to do. Most exits show us winning the 18-24 vote statewide in AZ as well. This is an AMAZING FEAT that we need to take some time and celebrate. Despite the fact that our guy got beat VERY BADLY in every other demographic, we managed to identify our voters early, educate them, make them feel a part of something, and then turn them out to the polls on election day. We reinvented campus politics at ASU. There were plenty of doubters when I first started out with ASU 4 Dean in August. It was just me, my computer, and a plan to find 5 dedicated people to help me start things. It was a battle at first to even get enough members to start the group up officially with the university. People like Raj, Ian, and Hayley found me and together we started to make things happen. With a little table that I set up on my own on by the SRC during frosh orientation - ASU 4 Dean finally started. Things were slow at first, the first meeting drew only 1 person ... but as you know subsequent meetings became larger and larger. Look at tabling on campus. The CR's would go out occasionally, the YD's would go out occasionally, other groups would get some sun sometimes. But we were out there nearly every day, and we weren't just handing out stickers and signing up new members. We did our best to have strong visibility and make sure people GOT SOMETHING OF VALUE when they came to our table - and not just rhetoric. We were there doing the hardcore, grassroots, one-on-one campaigning that converts voters. I can not tell you how many people I was able to bring to Dean with a simple conversation under our green tent in front of the MU. I was there less often than most of you - Cole especially. Just think how many people we sought out and brought into not only this campaign - but politics for the first time. But the "campus political organizing revolution" does not end there. Our ability to mix responsibility, action, dedication, education, and social elements into a campus political group that accomplished tangible results to the extent which we did has not been done before - and without our help WILL NOT be duplicated. I don't mean just at ASU. Let's not forget that our group is the LARGEST nationally and was BEFORE the ASU rally! What we have done on campus at ASU is nothing short of amazing. If you still doubt - think about this. The State Press and the AZ Republic did front page stories on political activism at ASU. We all know who started that. We all know that without our dedication other Dem groups would never have felt the need to respond. Without our consistent works the Republicans (both groups) would not be sitting out there every day as dedicated as they are now working to get their message out. In other word's Dean's Devils - you helped steal the apathy away from ASU ... Best Student Rally Dean Had Ever Seen Our October 9th rally was called by Governor Dean to his staff the "best run student event" he had ever been to. And we earned it. The EV Tribune predicted the crowd at the end of the speech at being over 2,400 people. At the time it was the most heavily attended political speech in Arizona for Democrats in ages (a recent Tucson Dean event was 3.5k strong passing us). The most stunning fact regarding our event is how little support we got from the campaign. We had a walk through with 1 staffer a week before - and that is it. Staff realized very quickly how in control we were. Yup, we did very very well friends. The value of Dean's visit will not fade for some time. Now there is a precedent - big speakers who are liberal can get crowds at ASU. This helps open the door for other speakers to come to campus, a lasting effect which you earned through hard work. Amazing Friendships and Community In the week since the primary I have done a great deal of reflecting. One thing is very clear to me and I hope it is to you too: The friendships that ASU 4 Dean has created should be the lasting legacy of our organization. Whether it was wiffle ball, flag football, late-night quarters in my apartment, the rally, leading national press around AZ on a bus, creating a national rumor about a ninja movie, our Wed meetings, Big-Ass Beer Night, slumber parties, phone-banking, meetups at Ziggy's, or putting up flyers late at night ... we always had fun. But just "hanging out" isn't the extent of the community we have created. How often the "Hard Core" Dean's Devils on campus go to each other for support, advice, and friendship is something I am very proud of. I don't want to be too cheesy, but we have proven that working for something that is worth fighting for is the greatest way to pull people together from different backgrounds and with different personalities. It is weird to think that without Howard Dean you all would just be people sitting in class with me, or waiting in line near me - and not my friends. I better stop This could go on forever so I need to stop. Trust me when Dean drops out (I should say if he does - there is still a slim shot in hell he can pull this off) I will really put a long blog together on this topic. But for now ---- LET'S COMMENT FUN STORIES, FAVORITE MEMORIES, IDEAS ABOUT WHAT IS NEXT ETC below!

VOTE TODAY

Did you vote yet today?? If you need to find your polling location go to http://recorder.maricopa.gov/pollingplace/. If you need a ride to the polls or have any concerns call Dean HQ at 602-954-5215. GET YOUR FRIENDS TO GO VOTE TOO! GO DEAN! When you are done voting .... Come to the Dean Party tonight! 7pm in the Union Hall next door to Dean for Arizona campaign headquarters. There will be pizza and we will watch the results as they come in. Join us regardless of the income to celebrate what we have done for politics on Arizona campuses and what Howard Dean has done to change the Democratic Party. Plumbers & Pipefitters Union 3105 North 24th Street Phoenix, AZ 85016 (just north of Thomas) From campus take the 202 East to 24th Street then go North. Post a comment if you need a ride.

This is it!

This is the time when everything we do really counts. On Monday and Tuesday we need to pool our resources and make sure that we get everyone to vote, and vote for Dean. On Thursday a group of us went down to the County Recorder's Office and voted for Howard Dean. That's right, 4 out of 400 ASU4Dean members have voted. I imagine some others of you have early ballots and have already sent them in. This is a great beginning. I can tell you it feels really good to have voted for Howard Dean. Our votes are the most important to Governor Dean, and his election. We've supported him steadfastly and look how far we've come, from half a dozen in August to being one of the largest student groups in the country. Let's follow through by working to redeem that support by Tuesday, February 3rd. Please post in response to this BLOG to tell us if you're able to help on Monday or Tuesday and what time. You can also email me at asu4dean@asu.edu We're going to need people to table and hand out literature with help on finding polling places and Dean's message. We also need people to help calling other supporters to make sure they've voted and see if they need help getting to the polls. Finally we need people to help put up flyers and signs before election day. This is a lot of fun and really makes a big difference to the turnout on the big day. Thanks for your support and we all hope to see everyone in the next couple of days. Ian

Stand with us.

Governor Dean just finished speaking in East Lansing, Michigan. Here is some of the text of his prepared remarks: Democrats in Iowa and New Hampshire have cast their ballots. The 2004 election is underway. The election won’t be decided by pundits or polls. That’s not the way our Constitution works. Democracy leaves the last word to the people, and the people are going to decide – in primaries and caucuses across this country in coming months. I began this campaign over two years ago, hoping to talk about issues: health care, investing in children, balancing budgets. I was outraged at the direction of the country – but what struck me quickly was how deeply my outrage was shared by the people. Outrage not just at the President but at the Democrats in Washington for failing to stand up to George Bush and for what we believe. Our economy is at risk. Our international reputation is in tatters. The fabric of our society is being ripped apart. These aren’t petty political differences to be papered over. This is a fundamental disagreement over the very nature of what it means to be an American. Eleven months ago, when few people knew our campaign existed, I spoke before the Democratic Party leadership in Washington. I asked some fundamental questions. I wanted to know what the Democrats, including many of my opponents, were doing give George Bush a blank check for his war in Iraq. I wanted to know about the deficit, health care, and No Child Left Behind. I am still waiting for the answers. The American people deserve the answers. The Democratic Party deserves the answers. This campaign is about who has the courage to ask these questions, the judgment to find solutions, and the toughness to fight for real change. In my book, leadership means having the courage to stand up for what you believe, no matter what the polls say. And to deliver results, not just rhetoric. Today, all my opponents are talking the talk. Even those who voted for the war speak like they opposed it. Those who voted for No Child Left Behind, now criticize it. Those who shrank from confrontation in the face of polls and pundits, now compete to outdo each other in their condemnation of George W. Bush. But in 2004, Democrats must decide: Who will stand up for you against George W. Bush? I say, only someone who has consistently and firmly stood for change – even when it wasn’t politically popular – can truly lead this great struggle. I ask Democrats to imagine 2005. Radical Republicans of the Bush–DeLay school will press their divisive agenda: o more tax give-aways, driving national debt higher; o phony health care plans that transfer your money to HMOs and drug companies; o efforts to slice away further at the Bill of Rights, threatening a woman’s right to choose, and giving government greater power to search our homes, read our mail, monitor our Internet use; o maybe even another dangerous, preemptive unilateral war that puts our brave men and women in uniform at risk and further damages moral leadership. When that happens, who will stand up for you? A Washington insider who shifts with every poll? Who cuts deals that sell out the interests of ordinary Americans? Who has spent decades collaborating with the special interests that fuel his campaigns? Or someone from outside Washington, truly independent, and ready to do what’s right? As President, I will stand up for you – I won’t just say it. You know I will do it – because I have done it. For eleven years in Vermont, we balanced budgets. We created 20 percent more jobs and raised the minimum wage. We invested in Vermont’s children. We lowered child abuse rates and raised graduation rates. Teen pregnancy went way down; childhood immunization way up. We provided health care for nearly every child in Vermont. We expanded prescription coverage for seniors. And we can do it for all Americans if we stand together. If you want to stand up to George Bush and the special interests who own his White House, stand with us. If you want to address the real concerns of American families, from the challenges of making ends meet, to the Iraqi war that continues to take young lives, stand with us. If you want to bring Americans together to reclaim our government and our democracy, then I say: Stand with us.

New Hampshire to Arizona

Only one week to go. Today Howard dean is campaigning in New Hampshire. Tomorrow begins the next stage in the race for the Democratic nomination. Many of us have already spent a lot of time going door to door, calling fellow Democrats, tabling and more to bring us this far in Arizona. Right now Arizona is ours and Dean's to win. However, to keep this up we need the continued support of everyone. We also need to get everyone who has not yet taken part in this campaign to help out this weekend and in the events of the next few days. We will be tabling every day, as we have been, outside the MU from about 10am to 4pm. Please come by and sit with us for an hour or two and spread the word to fellow students. You can also go to http://www.asu.edu/clubs/asu4dean/action.htm to sign up to table ahead of time. I hope to see many familiar faces and a lot of ones that are less familiar too. I know that we all want Dean to win, Arizona is the key state that we are ready to fight for.

The Californians are Here!!!!

I'm in campaign HQ right now, and the Californians are already arriving. Will you be coming to meet them tomorrow? Join us here in Phoenix at 10am for canvassing, phone banking, and fun. Dean HQ 3103 North 24th Street Phoenix, AZ 85016 (just north of Thomas) Let's get to work, it is DEAN TIME!

The bounce is coming .... get ready.

Yesterday was a tremendous day for Governor Dean. His performance in the final debate before NH was good and his media coverage was strong. There are two GREAT videos that you should watch if you have any doubt that our man should be the next President of the United States. First is a joint interview with Governor Dean and Diane Sawyer which was very good. The are so in love and Judy is fantastic. Last night while watching it three or four of my friends kept saying, "wow, I want their marriage!" After that watch Dean on Letterman! Very funny top ten that shows that our guy can really make fun of himself and the "yeeeeeaaaahrrrr!".
The Diane Sawyer Interview
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Gov. Dean on Letterman
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Low / Med / High : QuickTime We need you this weekend! Please join us as we canvass and do door to door with dozens of CA volunteers, celebrities, and politicians. For more information go here for Saturday and here for Sunday.

Almost Number One Again!!!

At the rate we are climbing, we will be back on top as the largest GenDean group in the country! Think about that guys, we came from nowhere, we supported a "nobody" and there were only a few of us. By the end of the week not only will we be the biggest GenDean group nationally - I bet we are the biggest campus group for any political candidate in the entire country. Of course -- I have no data to back that up. Being number 1 means nothing if we don't get out there and do stuff -- and we have quite a bit happening this week. A summary: EVERYDAY - TABLING Everyday until the primary, we will be tabling on campus. To see where we are tabling or to sign up to help go to our webpage. TOMORROW THUR 1/22 - COME TO HEADQUARTERS We want a handful of our volunteers to come to Phoenix headquarters from 3pm - 6pm tomorrow to call undecided young democrats in Arizona. We expect media to be here. For more info or to RSVP email Ian at asu4dean@asu.edu or post in the comments section below. We can provide a ride if you need one, just tell Ian when you write him or when you post. AND MOST IMPORTANTLY .... SATURDAY AND SUNDAY AT 10AM Hundreds of CA Dean supporters will be in town to knock on doors for Dean. We expect a decent number of celebrities to be coming in as well - but it isn't confirmed. What is confirmed though is that Congressmen Grijalva and Menendez will be joining us on Sunday. They are great, don't miss out. To RSVP or to get more information for Saturday's events go here & for Sunday's go here. You can also email Ian at asu4dean@asu.edu, or just post in the comments section below. Remember we can get you a ride, just ask. This is it guys --- now is the time. We need at least 40 of you on Saturday and Sunday so please sign up. I promise it will be fun. See you soon and GO DEAN!

We are energized!!

I will admit, as I approached the Dean table on campus today - I was nervous. Don't get me wrong, I am confident that we are in a good place nationally right now. In 1992 Bill Clinton walked out of Iowa with a fourth place finish, losing to a candidate who seems to have been named "undecided". He then walked out of New Hampshire with a nice second place finish. Then, just about 1 year later he was being sworn in as the 42nd President of the United States. And Dean is leading in NH, CA, NY, TX and other states. He is within the MOE (margin of error) in SC, AZ, OK, DE, MI and so on ... plus with Gephardt out delegate rich Missouri is a very winnable state for him. But despite all this, I was nervous. I was worried that undecideds would be in love with Dean but ready to support someone else. I was worried that our strong base of supporters would be demoralized and unwilling to help. I was worried that all of us who are doing this for the first time wouldn't know that our result is a good result, and that we are still STRONGLY in this. Just as I was pulling into a parking space on ASU's campus, my cell phone rang and it was Dean's brother Jimmy! Apparently, when we met last night at a Phoenix event which he hosted, my concerns were apparent. He called to thank me and all of Generation Dean Arizona for our hard work. He told me that we can't forget about history when we look at yesterday's results. We have to remember that these things normally last for a few months and that we can not get discouraged due to one below expectations finish. He told me that our efforts in Arizona are giving us strong results and that we should take a cue from his brother that he spoke to early that morning - and just forge ahead, confident in the movement we had built. He was right. Dozens of people came to the table today, wanting buttons, absentee ballot requests, volunteering to help ... all of them energized! New people who saw Governor Dean speak on ASU's campus back in October but remained undecided told me they were interested in the Governor now and realized it was time for them to start helping out. Just as I should have known, yesterday made us stronger. People who were supporters kept swinging by our table, exchanging hugs, welcoming each other back, and confirming that together we can win this election. And take note, in just a few hours - 18 new people from ASU joined the campaign. That is right American University GenDean, ASU's break is over and we are coming after our old number one national membership spot that you "snuck" away from us during finals. Everyone - this is our big chance to prove that our movement is more than just a bunch of kids hanging out playing "political". This is our chance to deliver the youth vote in Arizona to Governor Dean and in turn to help him win this nomination. Take action today for Dean. Volunteer to table on campus by clicking here, join us for nightly phone calls or door to door walks this weekend by posting in the comments section of this blog below. Let's win Arizona, and let's do it together!!

You coming tommorrow?

Join us on MLKjr day and Iowa Caucus Day to help Dean win Arizona! CLICK HERE TO RSVP AND FOR MORE INFO Join us for precinct walking, phone calling and a BBQ! Bring your cell phone and a laptop with WiFi wireless capabilities or an ethernet card if you have it and want to do calls. Also, feel free to bring some food and drinks for the BBQ (remember, this is a GenDean event meaning VERY LITTLE MONEY!) We are going to have two shifts going out, most people will be coming to both, but feel free to come to just one. First walking shift is 10:30am - 12:45pm. The second walking shift is 1:45pm - 4:00pm. The quick but fun BBQ is from 12:45 - 1:45. CLICK HERE TO RSVP AND FOR MORE INFO The event is held at my apt: 1205 East. Apache Blvd. #138 Tempe, AZ 85281 My apartment (#138 look for Dean signs) is a Sonoran Ridge apartment located east of the corner of Terrace and Apache and North of Spence and Kenneth - in Tempe very close to ASU. Look here for a map or call us at 480-966-9036

The People Powered Express

Boy do I have something great for you to watch! Yesterday Dean kicked off his final push in Iowa with an amazing rally. Martin Sheen, Rob Reiner, and Senator Tom Harkin introduced the Governor, and then Dean rolled in on his Iowa campaign tour bus, "The People Powered Express!" The introductory speeches were fantastic, especially Tom Harkin's. Watching I was worried that Dean would be overshadowed by how amazing Sheen, Reiner, and Harkin were ... but I was wrong. If you were looking for something to show your friends and family to help sway them to supporting Dean THIS IS IT. If you were looking for something to help motivate you to take action for Dean, JUST GO HERE. You may want to skip the first 13 minutes of the video - it is just people waiting for things to get started. It must have been well worth the wait, because here is now Dean kicked his talk off:

"We're going to have some fun in the last five days," Dean said. "But the fun has to end in victory. And the victory is not for the Dean campaign. The victory is for us because it's time to take our country back.... "The folks in Washington have been there a long, long time and they aren't going to give up without a fight.... I can't do it without your help."

You can help us this weekend! Join us at campaign HQ on Saturday as we walk precincts for Dean in Phoenix. Then join other Generation Deaners on Monday the 19th here in Tempe for a phone banking / canvassing / bbq / social event. Follow the links for directions, more info, and to RSVP. We can't wait any longer. Now is the time to get involved.

Do you remember ...

ASU, Student Services Lawn - 10/9/03 Remember the energy and enthusiasm we created at our rally for Dean back in October? Remember all the people we managed to bring into the campaign in the week leading up to his visit? Remember the way it felt to stop for a second, look at the crowd, and realize what a huge difference we were making in this race? Remember when Dean uttered, for the first time to anyone, the now famous line - "A lot of politicians like to stand up in front of young people and talk about how you are the 'foot soldiers' of their campaigns. You're not the footsoldiers of my campaign. You're driving my campaign,"? ...... well now is the time for us to live up to the expectations we created that morning. Now is the time for us to prove that we have made a difference in Arizona and will continue to do so up to and BEYOND our February 3rd primary. Now is the time to focus and take action for Dean. Two important events this weekend:

• Sat Jan 16th - Phoenix Precinct Walking 9:45am: Meet at Campaign HQ in Phoenix to get walking lists and canvassing tips for your destination. It is important that as many volunteers as possible participate in this walk as it is essential that we are trained and have door to door experience by the time the Southwest Victory Express and its several hundred California volunteers arrive. For more information, directions, and to register go here.
• Mon Jan 19th - Phoenix GenDean Welcome Back / MLK Day "Working BBQ"! 10:30amHeld here in Tempe and based out of the new apartment of Chris and Tony. Celebrate MLKjr. day by helping Dean win Arizona! Join us for precinct walking, phone calling and a BBQ! Bring your cell phone and a laptop with WiFi wireless capabilities or an ethernet card if you have it and want to do calls. Also, feel free to bring some food and drinks for the BBQ (remember, this is a GenDean event meaning VERY LITTLE MONEY!) The quick but fun BBQ is from 12:45 - 1:45. For more information, a quick note on "walking shifts", directions, and to register go here.

We need to get as many volunteers as possible to these two events. Please go register here and here and be sure to bring friends. Post in the comments below urging people to come, telling everyone if you can make it or not, or anything else you want to talk about.

Poor Club for Growth

You've heard about the Club for Growth Ad that makes fun of Dean supporters right? Well Deaniacs have been shooting back.. I went ahead and made mine, hope you like it. Go check out other postcards here. You can also make your own here.

New Poll in AZ -- this thing is going to be about TURNOUT!

For the first time since they started polling the state, Dean is not leading in Arizona. Survey USA aka SUSA just released their newest numbers:

Conducted 1/9 - 1/11(last month's SUSA #s in parenthesis) Clark 39 (29) Dean 32 (31) Lieberman 8 (10) Kerry 5 (7) Gephardt 4 (9) Other 7 Undecided 4 full report in pdf with raw numbers and demographics

While there are some significant problems with this poll (that I will discuss momentarily) the message is clear: CLARK HAS MOMENTUM. I have said it a few times before, but I will say it again - now is the time to take action for Dean in Arizona. There is too much urgency to wait. There is good news in the poll. Dean is doing very well here with younger voters (18-34 according to SUSA). Looks like Generation Dean has made some impact!

SUPPORT AMONG 18 - 34 YEAR OLDS Dean 33 Clark 27 Lieberman 17 Other 10 Kerry 5 Gephardt 3 Undecided 4

Do not forget, these numbers reflect CERTAIN primary voters, and not LIKELY ones, or even NEW ones. This means that people like you (not me I've voted in two pres primaries before - I'm old I know) who have never voted in a primary will not be included. Also since it is a SUSA poll, it is automated and conducted by pushing the buttons on your phone, some say this whole thing is bogus. SUSA polls are automated and not by human callers. This is a practice largely criticized by other polling firms as very suspect and likely to hugely underrepresented the number of undecideds (only 4%! is this for real!) and to lean more heavily toward those with name recognition (Lieberman with 17% of young democrats!!!). Me? I say either way this is a huge wake up call for us. We need to work our butts off to win this thing in Arizona. This election is close and therefore is going to be won on TURNOUT. With such strong youth support and so many new voters - WE CAN WIN THIS THING IF WE GET OUR PEOPLE TO THE POLLS. What are you willing to do to help?

New Semester Open Thread & THE NINJA!

Today was awesome - we did some great canvassing right here in Tempe, including a stop at Democratic Mayoral Candidate Dennis Cahill's house. He wasn't home - but he lives just two blocks from me and Chris - so we will be back. Okay - so we are just over 1 week away from the start of the Spring semester, we have a TON to do. Use this blog post for all of the following things:

1. Tell us when you get home!!
2. Tell us any ideas you have for our final month before the primary!!
3. Any ideas on how we can manage communicating with our members - ALL while not upsetting people with too many emails?
4. Tell us if you want to volunteer to table, do phone calls, or anything!
5. And of course, any funny stories from break would be nice too!

I have had an amazing time at ASU this year ... all due to this organization and the people involved with it. Whether it was tabling, wiffle ball, the rally, watching Ninja III, or playing flag football - we've always managed to have a great time. We had fun, but we have been busy for Dean too. Together, we have built a large network of supporters and really made a difference in this race. When I started all this back in August, everyone told me there was no way I would be successful. I heard things like "ASU STUDENTS DON'T CARE AND THOSE THAT DO ARE REPUBLICAN ANYWAY". Well we have proved them wrong. Now people are telling me that our supporters won't vote, that Dean can't win, and that everyone will soon realize that they were "wrong" in supporting the good Doctor. Well, time is running out - but I can't wait to prove them wrong again ... but there is no way I can do this alone. Now is the time for us to realize - EVERY VOTE COUNTS, EVERY PHONE CALL WE MAKE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE, EVERY DOOR KNOCKED ON CAN HELP US WIN, AND ALL THOSE UNDECIDEDS NEED TO COME TO OUR SIDE. I am confident that we will win, I have been since the start. But we CAN NOT become complacent as a result of our confidence, and we CAN NOT forget the consequences of losing. (What would you do with your Wednesday nights!) All a little food for thought. NOW POST A COMMENT ... fill up this open thread! Before you do -- go read this article on salon.com about Dean in Ninja III that prominently features me and our holiday party. Also included is this VIDEO CLIP of the character in question.

We are still flattered ...

Remember when the youth campaign for Clark (interestingly called Generation Clark) ripped us off? The Washington Post has finally noticed and wrote an article about it. Go read more on the GenDean blog. Update: I moved this down so attention would stay on the open thread - T

Canvass for Dean - TOMORROW (Saturday)

Things are tightening up here in Arizona and around the country as more and more opponents of the good Doctor start piling on the attacks. There is one way to counter all of this, face to face interaction with voters, letting them now that Howard Dean is the man who can beat Bush and regain the White House, all while restoring America's greatness domestically and abroad. Of course, we need your help to make this work. Join us by 9:45am at campaign HQ in Phoenix. We are going to be walking a few neighborhoods and expect to be done by 2pm. If you have to leave early be ready - I will try to guilt you into staying - but it is no big deal, just make sure you have a way to leave on your own so you don't pull another canvasser away to get you a ride. This should be a ton of fun! We might be venturing back into the Sun City area, but most likely any ASU students who come out will be doing door to door in Tempe. So if you can come - please comment below so we know to expect you!

Are you registered to vote?

JANUARY 5TH IS THE VOTER REGISTRATION DEADLINE FOR AZ If You Haven't Already, Register Today!!! The only way to win this election is to get votes. The only way to get votes, is to make sure supporters can vote. The only way to make sure supporters can vote is to get them registered. GenDean AZ's own Hunter Weeks put together this cool little flash piece urging Dean people to register to vote and telling them where to do it! Go watch it and then pass it on to 2 friends ... this is our final push and we need your help to make it work. There is less than one month before the primary and now less than 24 hours before the voter registration deadline. The time to act is NOW. Go to www.generationdean.com/voteAZ to watch the flash video and pass it on to your friends and family. Go Dean -- and remember ONLY REGISTERED DEMOCRATS IN THE STATE OF ARIZONA CAN VOTE ON FEBURARY 3RD!

IMPORTANT ARIZONA DATES!!

HAPPY DEAN YEAR VERY IMPORTANT HOWARD DEAN INFORMATION JANUARY 5, 2004 - LAST DAY TO REGISTER AS A DEMOCRAT TO BE ELIGIBLE TO VOTE IN THE FEBRUARY 3, 2004 PRESIDENTIAL PREFERENCE PRIMARY JANUARY 7, 2004 - LAST MEETUP BEFORE THE FEBRUARY 3, 2004 PRESIDENTIAL PREFERENCE PRIMARY - PLEASE PLAN ON ATTENDING ONE - REGISTER AT http://dean2004.meetup.com/ JANUARY 20, 2004 - FIRST DAY FOR VOTING IN PERSON OR BY MAIL BALLOT IN THE ARIZONA PRESIDENTIAL PREFERENCE PRIMARY - YOU MUST HAVE SUBMITTED A VOTE BY MAIL BALLOT REQUEST FORM TO YOUR COUNTY BEFORE YOU CAN VOTE. JANUARY 25, 2004 - LAST DAY TO RETURN VOTE BY MAIL REQUEST FORMS TO DEAN FOR AMERICA OFFICE IN PHOENIX TO INSURE THE PROCESSING IS COMPLETED BY THE COUNTY RECORDERS. JANUARY 30, 2004 - LAST DAY TO SUBMIT TO COUNTY RECORDERS YOUR VOTE BY MAIL REQUEST FORM. FEBRUARY 3, 2004 - PRESIDENTIAL PREFERENCE PRIMARY IN ARIZONA. LOOK FOR POLLING PLACE INFORMATION: WWW.DEANFORAZ.COM LOOK FOR DETAILS ON THE POST VOTING PARTY. MUCH MORE TO COME! FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION OR TO VOLUNTEER TO HELP HOWARD DEAN, PLEASE CONTACT US: Dean For America AZ, Phoenix Headquarters 602-954-5215 3105 N 24th Street Phoenix, AZ 85016

ACTION ALERT!: Phoenix phone banking days for Generation Dean!

We need your help. Join other young supporters of Howard Dean at Phoenix Headquarters to get some work done for the next President of the United States! Our goal is to make 1000 calls during each of the shifts listed below - so we need your help. There will be food, drinks, and PRIZES for the team and the individuals who make the most calls. PLEASE SEND ME AN EMAIL AT TCANI@DEANFORAMERICA.COM OR POST ON THIS BLOG TO RSVP!!! The dates and times are: Sunday, December 21st, 2pm - 4pm *TOMORROW!!!* Monday, December 22nd, 6pm - 8pm Saturday, December 27th 1pm - 3pm & 3pm - 5pm HQ is located just North of Thomas and 24th @ 3105 N 24th Street Phoenix, AZ 85016 602-954-5215 Feel free to call me if you have a question or need a ride @ 602-463-7047 DO YOUR BEST TO BRING FRIENDS!! COME IN A GROUP!!

WINTER BREAK PLANS...Iowa & New Hampshire, anyone?

As the semester is coming to a close, we want to know your plans for Winter Break! Going home for the holidays? Braving the Arizona cold?

IOWA AND NEW HAMPSHIRE!

If you're at a loss for fun holiday events, the folks in Iowa and New Hampshire can really use the help of dedicated ASU 4 Dean members. These next few months are guaranteed to be an exciting time and IA and NH are pulling out all the stops. Our GenDean and DeanforAmerica volunteers will work to find housing for you (probably with other GenDean members) if you need it. Click here for more info on helping in Iowa and click here for info on New Hampshire. June Simon, with DeanforAZ is coordinating rides to Iowa as well~ ROADTRIP FOR DEAN!

ARIZONA!

If you're sticking around AZ (for those of us whose homes are here!), keep up with the blog as we post upcoming events and more opportunities to energize voters. To kick-off the holiday campaign push, click here to become a DeanTeamLeader. It's easy and fun! Post your plans!

BRING ON THE WIFFLE, BRING ON THE BALL ...

... holiday ball that is! Well not really a BALL as in nice room with fancy clothing and beautiful music ... more like a party in a small room with not a lot of stuff, but plenty of cool people! Anyhow, enough random rambling by me -- here is tomorrows itenerary: ASU WIFFLE BALL TOURNAMENT Hudson Park (here for map) 3pm until it is over. Please post below if you are planning on playing!! ASU DEAN'S DEVILS HOLIDAY PARTY 1205 East Apache Blvd, #233 The complex is called "Sonoran Ridge" and it is right by the park, but just north of Kenneth and Spence. Map to my apt is here. We need you to bring food, drinks, EVERYTHING. This is an ABSOLUTE pot luck - MEANING Tony is bringing NOTHING except for Hot Dogs and buns. Jessie Becker is the SNACK COORDINATOR so please post in the comments below what you are planning on bringing! Okay folks .. love ya -- AND GO DEAN. I leave you with a photo of SANTA at the VT campaign HQ in Burlington. He asked for only 1 thing for Christmas for us, a win in Iowa! NOTE: We were having massive email problems at Dean for America. As a result you probably received the email describing these parties SEVERAL times. I am VERY VERY SORRY. Feel free to totally complain on the blog about this NOTE #2: Tomorrow night after my holiday party, feel free to join us at Timberwolf for BABN!

VERY BIG NEWS - GORE TO ENDORSE DEAN

Only days after we learn that Dean is in the "lead" (within the margin of error) in South Carolina we get even bigger campaign news ... AL GORE TO ENDORSE HOWARD DEAN Here is a the AP link. Here is the story on CNN.com (excerpt below).

Events are being planned for Tuesday in New York and Iowa -- and the dramatic endorsement is likely to cement Dean's status as the leading Democratic candidate heading into the kickoff contests now just weeks away in Iowa and New Hampshire. (...) Paul Begala, a political adviser for President Clinton and now a host of CNN's "Crossfire," called the endorsement an "enormous boost" that would clearly give Dean momentum going into Iowa and New Hampshire. "It's very good for him," Begala said, adding, "I wouldn't go so far as to say it locks anything up though, because people want to make up their own minds."

As per Dacey's request ... in case you want to write Al Gore thanking him for his endorsement: Office of the Honorable Al Gore 2100 West End Avenue Nashville, TN 37203 Phone: 615-327-2227 Fax : 625-327-1323 Updated 5pm - The official response from the campaign on this is NO COMMENT. This will not be confirmed until it comes out of Gore's mouth, so let's wait and see.

Deans Devils Blog - 2.0

Taking a page from the GenDeanBlog, which was recently changed a little, I decided I should update our page so that it would include more info. Sure it is based on the template I made for FearItself but it has different colors, links and logos! So do you like it?? Tell me what you think. What links should we add to this? What links should we remove? Should I go back to the old design? Also -- see that thing on the left where it says, "Welcome to Dean's Devils" what should it say? Vote in the poll below! (yes I figured out how to do polls!)

Like the New Blog?

Yes it rocks! No go back to the old way. No this is terrible AND the old one was awful too. Where is the section for dissent?

Vote View Results

Holiday Party and Wiffle Ball Tourney

OK y'all, It appears that Dean's Devils haven't had enough partying or athletic endeavors yet. As a result, we are invading Hudson Park (SE corner of Cedar and Spence, one block south of Apache) in Tempe for a Wiffle Ball Tourney Wednesday December 10. After a champion has been crowned, we will head over to Tony and Joe's studios for a party. The Tourney is tentatively scheduled for 3:30pm with the party starting sometime around sunset (6-ish). This is all very much in the planning stages so give the think tank here (Tony's place) some ideas and suggestions. By the way, Tony, being ever so humble, has touted Dean's Devils (and got a chip shot in there for him) on the GenDean blog. Check it out.

GenDean Meetup this Wednesday @ Ziggy's!

Ready for meetup?? Join us Wednesday evening (@ 7pm) for our second Generation Dean Meetup. Follow this link to sign up and register for the ZIGGY'S UPSTAIRS SPORTS GRILL meetup. Are you coming? How many friends can you bring? Remember the meetup has drink specials, pool, darts -- and of course DEAN!

HERE IT IS: Our Homecoming Float!

It took us awhile to get this photo, but it is well worth the wait. Above is our "float" from homecoming! We made it in 45 minutes. On the back there (Chris is holding it up) is our big ASU 4 Dean banner from the rally. See kids, Dean signs, some twine and a staple gun can make ANYTHING!

What are You Thankful For??

I hope you all had a wonderful turkey day, I know I did! As we prepare to return to school after the long weekend, I thought I would put up a quick list of the things that I am thankful for today. I apologize for the obvious partisan and pro-Dean twist that this will have ... but hey, everyone knows where I stand on the issue of politics and Dean! I am thankful ...

• That in the three months I have been back here living in Arizona I have made wonderful friends! I will be honest, I , had sort of written off this year (socially). I worried that being a new kid (as a senior) at a huge school, while dedicating hours of each day to the Dean campaign would prevent me from any opportunity to meet people. Oh how wrong I was! The Dean campaign has been so wonderful - not only did I get to meet all of you (and you guys know how tight we are), but the people who work at HQ and are active in the grassroots are great too. Let's not forget my friends that are on the National GenDean team with me ... and all the great student leaders around the country (and world) that I talk to on a daily basis. So - go Dean - supplier of Tony's friends!
• That all of our hard work for the Dean campaign is really paying off. Not only is Dean leading in AZ and 9 other states, but recent polls out from SC show that he is solidly in third and gaining (he is actually within the margin of error from the lead).
• That the weather is so great out here and I don't have to deal with Washington DC winters! (or IA, or NH)
• That living out here again has allowed me to spend my first Thanksgiving with family if over 4 years!
• That there are great ASU Dean member (non affiliated) blogs to waste my time with every day! The blogs of Andrew, Chris, and (yup) me ROCK.
• That Dean has found a way to involve the masses in politics again!
• That I have beaten Chris in PS2 college football five times in a row. He has only beaten me once.

What are you thankful for?? Post it below! It can be serious, political, fun, totally random - WHATEVER. Just tell us what you are thankful for!

Abandoning America's Seniors: Why the Medicare Bill Heals Less than it Hurts

I know there is a bit of confusion out there regarding the Medicare Bill that just made its way through both houses. Governor Dean released this statement today explaining his opposition.

"In its unseemly rush to go home for Thanksgiving, the Senate abandoned America's seniors to the tender mercies of the drug industry and HMOs. Congress claims they’ve passed a prescription drug benefit -- but for America’s seniors, this bill is a turkey and it represents everything wrong with Washington today. "This bill will pay for less than a quarter of our seniors' prescription drug costs. It actually prohibits the government from negotiating lower drug prices from the drug industry. It takes billions away from middle-class seniors and gives them away as HMO subsidies. It keeps seniors from importing safe, affordable medicines from Canada. It guarantees drug prices stay high, eliminates employer-based coverage for millions of Americans, and drives millions more out of traditional Medicare into untested, unreliable private plans. We can fix this terrible mess. We can leverage lower drug prices out of drug companies, encourage generic drug use and secure generous, guaranteed and affordable drug coverage -- all in traditional Medicare. In Vermont we actually provided a prescription drug benefit and we went after the drug industry and drug prices, and we can do it again for America because the people not the special interests run this campaign. This bill had a near-death experience in the House. It should have died there. Instead of delivering a real Medicare drug benefit, Congress found a way to protect the drug industry’s prices and HMO industry's profit margins.We can't afford to play this kind of cynical politics with our country's health any longer. Until we change Washington and challenge its entrenched special interests, America's seniors will continue to get the short end of the stick."

Dean Officially on AZ Ballot!

This morning, before 8am, a handful of Dean's Devils stood with the top AZ campaign officials of Dean for America as AZ Secretary of State Jan Brewer officially accepted Governor Howard Dean's candidacy for President of the United States. It was a really cool experience. I'm sorry that all of you couldn't join us - I didn't learn that it was going on until late evening yesterday. Again the campaign showed its commitment to Generation Dean Arizona. This wasn't a public event, it really was just we GenDeaners, the State Director Frank Costanzo, State Coordinator Judy Lavendar, State Field Director Erica Henri, Media Coordinator Jodi Patterson, our favorite Dean Team Coordinator Ellen Terry and other super volunteers. I'm so happy to be working for the Dean campaing here in AZ - they truly care about young people, and their work with us proves it!

My favorite part of today's debate.

Here is how Dean addressed the need of Democrats to reach out to Southern whites in a way that would get them voting Democratic again.

BROKAW: What was your response to what Zell Miller had to say to the Democratic candidates [Tony's Note, Zell called those running, "The naive nine, pulling the party further and further to the left, taking a 32 percent base and shrinking it by appealing to the shallow and the most active and the shrill out there." ], Governor Dean? Because you did introduce the idea of the white Southern male into this race. DEAN: Sure. Don Payne, who's a congressman from -- a member of the Congressional Black Caucus from New Jersey, told me once that he thought Southern white males were the most under-represented people in Congress, because they vote for conservative right-wing Republicans and then here's what happens: There are 102,000 kids with no health insurance in South Carolina, most of those kids are white. The legislature, because of George Bush's horrendous economic policies, cut $70 million out of the South Carolina public school system. Most of the kids that go to the South Carolina public school system are white. Dennis is right. We have to make people understand that what we have in common is the economic problems of this country that face both African-American, white and Latino working people. And they're all the same issues. They need health insurance and decent health care, and they need jobs, and they're not going to get them from a Republican Congress or a Republican president.

See guys, I told you that is what he meant. Read the complete transcript here.

New Polls Out! Dean regains lead in IA, takes lead in NJ, lead grows in MA.

As if yesterday's poll rundown wasn't exciting enough! I have to redo it all less than 24 hours later because Dean now leads in 10 states, not 8. Instead of making a totally new post, I just updated the lead counts etc in the previous post, but below I have the new numbers.

Iowa Survey USA Poll Dean 32% Gephardt 22% Kerry 19% Edwards 11% Clark 3% Kucinich 3% Sharpton 2% Lieberman 1% CMB 1% Undecided 5% NJ Research 2000 Poll (free registration required) Dean 19% Lieberman 15% Kerry 14% Clark 13% Gephardt 8% Sharpton 7% Moseley Braun 6% Edwards 3% Kucinich 1% The MA number are updated in the previous post.

We are not done yet. We must keep working. The lead in Iowa could change very easily. The best way to make sure we stay on top is to write letters to undecided voters in IA. And here in AZ we need everyone to be a Dean Team Leader! Get to work -- and GO DEAN!

Dean Leading in 10 States, Tops Kerry in MA

A quick report for you all on how Dean is doing in the polls around the country. As you know the most important poll is the one conducted on election day as people vote, but it is always good to see where a candidate stands before that time (even if polls are a bit deceptive) I'm actually going to lead off with more bad news for the Kerry campaign. FOUR seperate polls now show that Governor Dean is leading John Kerry is his home state of MA.

Boston Herald Dean 33% Kerry 24% Clark 7% Lieberman 4% Gephardt 3%

This is a real blow to Kerry's main claim that he should be the nominee because he, in fact, is electable. His own consitutents seem to not agree. While Dean's Lead isn't huge in any of the polls (another poll by UMass has Dean winning by a tad more - 29% - 23%) one statistic from the Globe poll is especially telling. "[R]egardless of preference, 33 percent said Dean is the Democrats' best hope, compared to 19.1 percent for Kerry". That means that now Kerry is the only top-tier candidate to not own a lead in a single state (he is tied in MI and RI) ... but enough on MA and Kerry. Dean is now leading in the following 10 states:

Arizona Maryland Massachusetts Michigan New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York Vermont

Dean is now tied for the lead in the following 2 states:

Maine Rhode Island

Dean is in second place in 9 states:

Iowa (to Gephardt 27% - 20%) Oklahoma (to Clark 16.5% to 12.7%) Missouri (to Gephardt 36% to 22%) Delaware (to Lieberman 19% to 15%) Wisconsin (to Lieberman 16% to 14%) Connecticut (to Leiberman 28% to 23%) California (to Clark 17% to 14%) Pennslyvannia (to Liberman 12% to 11%) NOTE: Sharpton is in third ... only 1 point behind Dean and 2 from the lead) North Carolina (to Edwards 43% to 25%)

A great place for current polling info is here So what do you think? Some really interesting stuff when it comes to trends and stuff is above. I'd love to hear your opinion! Note Updated 11/24

Massachusetts Ruling Response

FYI...

On Tuesday, the Massachusetts Supreme Court ruled that same-sex couples have the "protections, benefits, and obligations of civil marriage." Governor Dean issued the following statement in response to the decision: "As Governor of Vermont, I was proud to sign the nation's first law establishing civil unions for same-sex couples. Today, the Massachusetts Court appears to have taken a similar approach to the Vermont Supreme Court and its decision that led to our civil unions law. One way or another, the state should afford same-sex couples equal treatment under law in areas such as health insurance, hospital visitation and inheritance rights. "There will be those who try to use the decision today to divide Americans. Instead, this decision should be viewed as an opportunity to affirm what binds us together--a fundamental belief in the equality of human beings, regardless of race, gender or sexual orientation." (For more info, visit BlogForAmerica.com) What do you all think about the decision? Any thoughts?

Wednesday's Meeting w/ Free Pizza!!

WHAT: LAST WEDNESDAY MEETING OF THE SEMESTER WHERE: ARMSTRONG HALL (Law School) 105 and enter in the back west door. WHEN: WEDNESDAY @ 6:30PM GUEST: ELLEN TERRY OF DEAN FOR ARIZONA GIMMICK: FREE PIZZA! please post a comment below if you are planning on coming so we know how much pizza to order Yup. We have resorted to free food to get all you supporters to our meetings :)! Actually the pizza is a treat from our guest, Ellen Terry who helps run the field operations for Dean for America here in Arizona. This is a SUPER important meeting. During it not only will we enjoy free food, but Ellen is going to teach us how to become Dean Team Leaders here in AZ. This is a super innovative way for grassroots supporters like ourselves to identify who are Dean supporters here in the state and help the campaign plan who they are going to go after for votes. The meeting begins at 6:30pm and will be held in the law school's Armstrong Hall click here for links to a map and a photo of the building in case you have no idea where this building is. See you Wednesday, and remember POST BELOW IF YOU ARE COMING!

Tabling

Hi, We are also starting a new system for tabling. We ask each member of our group to sign up for one hour slots at a table once or twice a week. If everyone gave just one hour to table we could easily fill our schedule. Of course we love to have people sign up for more, if you can give more time we'd like you to try to sign up for several one hour slots where there is a gap in our schedule, rather than one 2 or 3 hour slot. The aim is to make this as painless as possible. At the moment we have one or two people who spend all day tabling on their own. This is not fair, I'm guilty of making people do this by not tabling as much as anyone. Tabling is fun. It doesn't require you to commit massive amounts of time. If we all signed up for 1 hour a week we could table every day from 10am to 3pm. If you can table please post your availability on this blog and we will arrange a schedule. If you can table and haven't signed up please feel free to turn up spontaneously too. We rally appreciate all your help. Nevertheless, the ideal situation is that we know that we have people to cover the schedule so that people like Cole can get to class. This week we have a table on Wednesday and Friday. Next week we are tabling on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. All days are from 10 to 3. If you can help setup at 10am please indicate so. We hope to have some regulars to do this, in the form of Ian, Haley and Cole. Thanks for your time. Hayley and Ian.

The Thanksgiving Voter Registration Drive

Hi everyone, This week and next week until Wednesday the 26th we are going to try something new. It's really simple. Everyone picks up a big pile of voter reg. forms, from your dorm front desk for example, and takes them to your classes. Before the class starts, announce that if anyone who wants to register fills out a form you will deliver it personally to the county elections office. Explain that this is part of the contest between ASU and UA. Say that you will collect the forms at the end of the class. Then pass them out. Tell them to keep the back sheet and that to vote in the primary they need to register for a party. That's it. If we all do this one thing between now and Wednesday we could collect hundreds of forms and thus register everyone we know, pretty much. It's really easy and takes very little time. This is the ASU4DEAN Thanksgiving Voter Registration Drive. We ask each person on our list to do this. It's all we are asking until Wednesday, apart from the meetings that are posted elsewhere. Hayley and Ian, ASU4DEAN Co-Chairs.

Meeting Results - Ian and Hayley New ASU 4 Dean Coordinators

The meeting today went really well. For those of you that weren't able to come, here are some minutes.

NEW CLUB LEADERSHIP Co-Chair - Hayley Ivins Co-Chair - Ian Storrar Volunteer Coordinator - Dacey Craig Dean Team Coordinator - Kelly Barnes Tabling / Campus Facilities - Cole Hickman Victory Days Coordinator - Katy Chapman GOTV - Ian Storrar Voter Registration - Haley Ivins Blog / Webmaster- Tony Cani Issue Meeting Head Researcher - Andrew Socha Social Coordinator - Becky Justman Publicity - Katie Wishowski UPCOMING EVENTS Meeting this Wednesday w/ free pizza! 11/19 @ 6:30pm - This Wed we are having a meeting on the 2nd floor of the MU. A representative from Dean for AZ will be coming to teach us how to become "Dean Team Leaders". This is the campaign's program to identify voters and to do calling - ALL FROM HOME! This is a huge way for people to help with the campaign. Do get ready for this we need to:

• Arrange for a room, a computer, and a projector - Cole
• Advertising Email to Membership List - Ian or Hayley
• Newspaper announcement - Jesse
• Blog Post - Tony
• Make phone calls to membership - ??

November 21st, University of Utah students coming to help the AZ campaign. - This should be fun. We need to think of things to do that will make our friends visit worth the trip.

• Find housing - Becky
• Plan a party for Friday night
• Saturday the campaign will find work for these volunteers to do - also hopefully they will throw a BBQ for these guys.

December Meetup 12/3 @ 7:00pm - Again at Ziggy's - our Generation Dean Meetup. ASU for Dean wants to focus on the issue of Civil Rights and Social Justice - but we have to clear this with the YPs first. WE ARE GOING TO ADVERTISE THE HECK OUT OF THIS MEETUP. ASU for Dean Holiday Party! Wed 12/10 7pm-9pm - We need a place. This would be a really chill event. Food, drinks and fun. Details are not worked out at all. TIME NOT SET - CONCERT OF HAYDEN LAWN - Some of our members have expressed an interest in having their bands play at a Dean event. So before the semester ends we are interested in reserving Hayden lawn and having a little concert. If you know a band that might want to play etc - post it in the comments section or send me an email at tonycani@asu.edu OTHER RANDOM THINGS

• In order to get more people involved we are going to publicize more AND with more notice. Also we are developing a phone tree to get our members calls leading up to big events. Also when people join, they will be contacted and welcomed by someone from our group to see what they are interested in learning about etc.
• After our Wednesday meetings Tony and Ian will be going to BIG ASS BEER NIGHT at the Timberwolf. We would love to make this a weekly post-Dean meeting event.
• Over winter break we are going to remain active for those of us that will be in town still.
• When we come back for next Semester we want to have an event for MLK Day.

I think that is about it -- if there is anything I missed please post it in the comments section. Also if you have an idea for a club coordinator position that isn't listed (especially one you want to fill) post that too!

POSSIBLE PLANNING MEETING SUNDAY

What: ASU FOR DEAN PLANNING BBQ When: Sunday 1pm - 3pm Where: Don't know yet --- maybe the park near my apartment - or if Cole is willing at his complex ... Want to come?? Can you make this?? POST IN THE COMMENTS YOUR ANSWER!!

Youth Meetup, Wednesday @ 7pm

Drink specials, 2 for 1 appetizers, good music, some cool door prizes ... ... AND DEAN? It really isn't that weird of a combination! Join us Wednesday night at 7pm as we kick off our FIRST Youth Meetup for Dean at Ziggy's Bar and Grill in Tempe. This is REALLY close to campus - on Mill Avenue and Fourth Street - so there is NO EXCUSE for you not coming. Even if you aren't 21, you can get in (you just can't buy drinks). Young people from all over Phoenix will be coming, it should be fun! This meetup will be really social in nature, but you will have a chance to jump in on some discussions to learn about Dean and his stances, to sit down and plan events in Tempe, and to watch some video of the good doctor giving speeches here in AZ (the ASU rally DVD should be there) So ... look for this place and come hang with us Wednesday night! BRING A FRIEND OR TWO!!:

ROCK THE VOTE FORUM TONIGHT!

At 4:45pm in the MU Union Plaza join other ASU students as they watch eight of the nine presidential candidates (don't worry only Gephardt will be absent) talk about youth issues. Come cheer Governor Dean on! Rock the Vote - CNN Forum

Tony Cani at CNN.com and NYTIMES.com

An article at CNN.com discussing voter apathy in the past decades cited Howard Dean as an example of a politician reaching out to young voters. The article includes the following quotes from ASU Students for Dean's very own Tony Cani! "Tony Cani, a leader of Generation Dean and a 25-year-old student at Arizona State University, said candidates need to understand that young adults' failure to vote is not a sign they don't want to be involved. 'We go to soup kitchens, we volunteer with kids because we want to see the change we're creating,' Cani said. 'In the past when we've been courted, it's almost a ploy to show that a candidate is enthusiastic and young; we're props.' The Dean campaign has made the American youth an integral part of politics by listening to their opinions and telling them that they have the power to change America. With Generation Dean and Dean Corps, Howard Dean is bringing young Americans back into the political process where THEY can take back the White House for the American people!

Making the Blog MORE FUN!

We haven't been using the blog as much lately -- so we are looking to find a way to make it MORE FUN and to keep you guys reading more! In the past few days I have authorized other members of our group to post on this blog, in hope of making new posts more frequent, varied, and interesting. What do you think we should do? What would you like us to blog about?? So far we have me doing the usual stuff and ...

Dacey will blog about community service. Chris will blog "on a rating from 1-10" quizzes, and occasional quotes of the moment. Ian, Andrew & Hayley have access but we haven't figured out what they will blog yet. Some topics that we will end up covering: AZ & Youth News roundup, Humor news roundup, Upcoming events, Polling Data & Numbers, Dean's Devils Intramural Updates.

WHAT ELSE???

Dean's Devils Flag Football

INTRAMURAL FLAG FOOTBALL PLAYOFFS 2003 This evening at 7:00 pm the 6th ranked Dean's Devils (0-3) will be making their first post-season appearance in club history. Do not let their winless record fool you. This came from being mercy ruled in Week 2 to coming within 2 minutes of a victory in Week 4. The Dean's Devils explosive offense is led by HB Hayley Ivins and WR Aaron McKerry, both of whom came up huge in Week 4. The staunch defense that has been shutting down opposing teams all season is held together by the crushing pass rush provided by DE's Katy Chapman and Katie Wishowski, as well as a shut down secondary led by SS Tony Cani and LB Cole Hickman. Dean's Devils is holding an open to the public practice at Hudson Park (Intersection of Cedar and Spence in Tempe) at 3:00 pm. Coach/Captain Chris Moysset warns you: Early is on time, on time is late, and late is unacceptable. There will be a brief autograph and photo section following the practice, as time permits. Root for the Green and Grey this evening at the SRC Fields, the fireworks are sure to be on display tonight.

DEAN LEADING IN ARIZONA!

A new poll just came out that shows Dean with a pretty solid lead here in AZ! The poll, conducted by the Behavior Research Center the week after Dean visited ASU, reveals that Dean is ahead of his nearest competitor by 8 points. Those polled were likely and eligible voters.

Dean - 32% Clark - 24% Lieberman - 15% Kerry - 15% Gephardt - 8% Sharpton - 4% Edwards - 1% Braun - 1% Kucininch - 0%

This is a great improvement, the last poll conducted this July had Dean in fourth place with Lieberman leading. We need to keep up our great work and make sure our young supporters vote! Remember none of these polls EVER include first time voters ... so if we all vote in large numbers the lead will grow even more! Read the article here!

Great Article on our Rally

Here is the article from the EV Tribune that mentions our rally and our t-shirts. They take a little jab at the Kerry rally which was advertised on campus as "MASSIVE".

Dean and Kerry sponsored the only political rallies Thursday, as most candidates kept a lower profile while preparing for the 90-minute debate broadcast around the world by CNN. The Dean rally was the largest event of the day, attractive more than 2500 fans at Arizona State University’s Main campus in Tempe. The crowd included hundreds of ASU students wearing T-shirts promoting “Dean’s Devils,” the ASU grass-roots group. But supporters came from colleges and universities across Arizona. “For most people like Bush who say young people are not a part of this country, I say there is an active interest among our generation wand we will make a difference in 2004,” Kyle Gershmin, a first-year student at Gilbert-Chandler Community College, told the crowd. “From California to NAU (Northern Arizona University) to the East Valley, we will say Howard Dean for president and we will make it happen.” A warm, muggy day combined with an hour long wait sapped the energy of most of the 300 people who came to see Massachusetts’ Kerry in downtown Phoenix a couple of hours later. Exerpt from "Crowd cheers Napolitano" by Le Templar East Valley Tribune 10/10/03

The Rally Was Amazing

I want to thank everyone for all of your hard work to prepare for yesterday's rally. The State Press is saying we had 2000 people!! There are grumblings out there from people who attended that the crowd was up beyond 3,000 people, we are going to analyze the overhead pictures from the rally to see what we can figure out. One thing is certain though, the President of the College Republicans Christina Corieri's statement in The State Press that our rally had RELATIVELY SMALL TURNOUT is .... hmmm politely put, not true. I got a call from Governor Dean's entourage after our rally (I had my phone OFF THOUGH so I missed it!) and they told me the Governor called our rally the MOST ORGANIZED AND BEST RUN YOUTH RALLY HE HAS EVER BEEN TO! Go us!! Please post your comments, stories and crowd estimates from the rally on this thread! Also if you have any photos, or links to photos be sure to include them. YOU GUYS ARE AMAZING, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR EVERYTHING!!! Let's take this momentum and help Dean win AZ on February 3rd. For some more photos go here.

Any last minute rally thoughts?

I'm totally, completely psyched up for this! So I felt like blogging SOMETHING... anyone have any last minute rally thoughts? Info on Kerry or other opposition activities? Random words to amuse me? It's sad, I know. But I'm as excited as I've ever been, about ANYTHING....

THE REMAINING WAYS!

Sorry for not keeping you all updated on the WAYS ... they needed me to help over at our big brother blog, not to mention all the other Dean stuff I have been slammed with this week (including t-shirt orders going in today!). All good though, I love every minute of working on this stuff. A new strategy for the ways --- I am just going to list ALL OF THE WAYS left on this one post. You have until Wednesday night at midnight to get them all done. Use the comments below to get credit for everything, and from this point forward there are only two alternatives. 1) Giving us an hour either tonight, Tuesday night, or Wednesday night to do publicity on campus. or 2) Handing out quarter sheets on campus during the school day. My email is pretty much dead, so post on the comments below if you need this type of make up. Missed a bunch of the ways? Still want a shot at a spot to meet Dean? Then say so in the comments below - we will find work for you! First though the next three ways

Monday - Post in the comments or respond to the email you get today to sign up for at least ONE of the remaining flyering / publicity nights. We will go out tonight, tomorrow, and Wednesday. Tuesday - Make an announcement in one or more of your classes that Dean is coming to campus Thursday @ 11:30 am, Student Services Lawn. Post which class in the comments below when you are done. Wednesday - Come to our 6:45 final planning / publicity meeting, 2nd floor of the MU. Follow the Dean signs (or look at the monitors)

HALFWAY THERE!, Day 7 - Host a CA Kid -- Day 8 - Wear a Sticker to Class

To limit the number of emails I send- I've posted the next two days. On Friday you will get Friday's Saturday's and Sundays. Scroll down for Day 8's way. HOST A CALIFORNIAN! Just one week from TODAY we will be putting our finishing touches on the rally preparations and advertisements. In just 8 days Dean will be on OUR campus talking to US!! Up until now all of our steps have been about helping ASU people learn about the rally and get out to it. This step is about helping our lovely CA friends! Anywhere from 35 - 100 Southern California Generation Deaners will pile into buses and come out to ASU for the rally. We need to find them all a place to sleep! Today's step is helping them find a bed, sofa, or clean floor to crash on! Host out of state GenDeaners at your place for the night of the Dean Rally! To sign up to host go here for an online form! This should be FUN!! Signing up is all you have to do for credit. For an alternative you either have to find a friend to host since you can't OR YOU HAVE TO POST FLYERS ON CAMPUS. If you do the alternative you have to post where you put the flyers up in the comments section below. HELP US FIND A PLACE FOR THESE POOR SOULS! BY THE TIME THEY ARE OUT HERE, THEIR GOVERNOR COULD BE ARNOLD!!!! WEAR A STICKER TO CLASS!! This one is really simple. Come to our table on campus outside the MU, pick up a sticker and wear it to class. When you are done, post on the blog where you wore it and what people said. If anyone asks you about your sticker say, "HE IS COMING 10/9 @ 11:30AM -- and if you want more info there is a table on campus." Easy .. really really easy.

The Dean MOVEMENT ... The Psychology of Why Dean ROCKS (great article)

When tabling, I always have a difficult time answering the question, "What is Dean's platform?." This isn't a tough question because Dean has a weak platform, or because he hasn't really articulated it (remember the big three 1) fiscal responsibility w/ balanced budgets 2) foreign policy that clearly articulates American Values 3) universal healthcare ) ... it is a tough question to answer because I know telling people what programs Dean is for misses a MAJOR part of why he is such an appealing candidate. There is always that MOMENT where I want to explain the MOVEMENT behind Dean ... the POWER of those who support him, the TREMENDOUS hope and confidence Dean inspires in his supporters, and the HUGE number of people he is bringing into the process. I always am worried people won't GET IT though and I'll put them off .... This article REALLY hits the nail right on the head though (minus the brat at the end of it). Give it a read --- an excerpt:

Dean has raised the most money and leads the polls in New Hampshire and Iowa. Conventional wisdom credits Dean's Bush-bashing and his stoking of Democratic anger. But to follow Dean on the stump is to see something more subtle at work. While the other candidates focus on their humble roots or heroic feats, Dean inverts the telescope: He talks about the voters. He tells them they're okay. Instead of trying to get them to love him, he tells them to love themselves. A doctor by training, he injects psychology into politics. "I liked it when he said the election wasn't about him, it was about us," said Pierce. "He's empowering me."

Read the rest here Empower Play: The Pitch That Works for Dean (washingtonpost.com)

Day 6 - Sign up and go to MEETUP!

Sign up for and go to Wednesday's Meetup! Meetups are local meetings of Dean supporters to talk about ways to help Dean's candidacy. Nearly 120,000 people around the country will be going to meetups tomorrow and every first Wed. of every month - the most amazing groundswell of grassroots support ever for a presidential candidate. The location we are all going to is Casey Moore's Oyster House. Casey Moore's is located at 850 S. Ash Ave 85281 map This is within walking distance of campus but we will still be carpooling. If you need a ride send us an email. To get credit, sign up for the meetup by going to dean2004.meetup.com, to get credit post on the blog when you are done and then be sure to find Tony when you arrive. If you don't sign up in time -- NO WORRIES just show up (they'll let you in I promoise.) FOR DOUBLE CREDIT BRING A FRIEND THAT ISN'T ALREADY INVOLVED IN OUR GROUP! Can't make the meetup?? For an alternative you can either go to our flag football team game the same night, 8pm on the SRC field, OR you can download and post on campus 2 flyers then tell us where you put them on the blog.

Talkin' to Dean - Playin' 4 Square

The conference call was GREAT fun! Not only did we all get to be in on the World Record setting call, we got to hear Dean answer questions about several stances he hadn't publically spoken about yet ( ie. AIDS policy, gays in the military ). Some pictures are below: And yes, while it is DARK, that is a picture of us playing 4 square at our house party. :) Yeah, we are dorks.

THE CONFERENCE CALL TONIGHT IS ON!!!

We are hosting two different parties - both in Irish Hall both right next door to each other. Try to arrive at least 10 minutes before 5pm, but if you need to swing by late NO BIG DEAL! What: CONFERENCE CALL PARTY WITH DR. DEAN When: TONIGHT, MONDAY 9/29, 4:45PM Where: Katy and Andrew's "Dorm" Rooms - Ground Floor of Irish Hall Gather in the Irish Hall Courtyard and we will direct you to the correct location! Don't know where Irish Hall is?? This link should be very helpful. In case you are still confused, it is the res hall DIRECTLY SOUTH of the Student Services Building. There is no fee to attend, but donations to the campaign are greatly appreciated. We suggest a 10 dollar donation at the door, we will have the forms and everything. Our goal is to raise 100 dollars for the campaign!

Tasks for Day 4 & 5! Table on Campus & Send an Email

I decided not to email you all with a task Sunday so you could get the day off. But to make up for this we now have TWO TASKS to complete by the end of the day. Both are pretty simple, yet both will REALLY help us get the word out. Sunday's Task - SIGN UP TO TABLE Monday's Task - SEND EMAILS ABOUT THE DEAN RALLY TO FRIENDS, FAMILY, LISTSERVES ETC There are no alternatives to either of these ways. To complete the first way (the Sunday one) go here and register online to table. You need to table for at least ONE HOUR between now and 10/8 in order to get credit - but PLEASE if you want to table MORE! To complete the second way go here and follow the instructions. In order to get credit for this task you just have to make sure that you copy tonycani@asu.edu on any email you send. We have until midnight tonight to get this done!!!!

Morning News Roundup

Some interesting news articles for you to read today. The Arizona Republic reports on the importance of our great state in presidential politics.

"Move over, Iowa and New Hampshire. Arizona has come of age in presidential politics. After 91 years of statehood, Arizona no longer is the gawky kid of little consequence in choosing who might occupy the White House. One by one, Democratic candidates have been visiting the state for months, their political futures hinging in part on the Feb. 3 presidential primary. It will be the earliest primary ever for Arizona, coming just a week after the vaunted New Hampshire primary and 15 days after the less meaningful but closely watched Iowa caucuses. "There's no way that it won't be pivotal," said Tony Welch, a Democratic National Committee spokesman. "It doesn't take a lot to paint a scenario that the focus (on Arizona) could be more intense than anyone ever could have imagined."" continue reading

As we approach Dean's next meetup the Washington Post teaches us how important it is to keep the meetup momentum going. In an article that surely is embarassing to the Kerry folks, the Post reports that while Dean's meetup number keep growing - Kerry's are starting to dwindle.

Trying to emulate Howard Dean's vast success on the Internet, Kerry's campaign in June entered into a partnership with Meetup.com, the Web site Dean has used to assemble and organize thousands of people around the country. But it has not gone well in cyberspace. "Not enough Kerry Supporters near Manchester-Nashua-Concord, N.H., can make it, so this month's Meetup is cancelled," Meetup announced on its Web site before Thursday's Kerry meeting in the first primary state. According to Meetup statistics, this has been part of a troubling pattern for Kerry. In July, about 3,000 Kerry fans attended 125 Meetup events across the country, while 352 were canceled. In August, about 2,100 fans attended 114 events, while 300 were canceled. And in September, only about 1,500 attended 89 events, while a whopping 481 were canceled because fewer than five people had confirmed their attendance. continue reading

Let's not allow the Dean meetup numbers to fade, plan on attending the next meetup - this coming Wednesday - here in Tempe. If you need a ride either post on this blog or send me an email. Our final news stop today is the transcript of last weeks DNC debate. One of my favorite parts came when all the candidates were asked what they would do as President that was right but wouldn't be popular. Just about everyone gave answers about things that really weren't unpopular. Kerry said he wanted to make sure social security was around when people our age are old enough to get it ... not too controversial of an issue. He also said he wanted to rebuild our relationships in the world ... another thing that I wouldn't exactly call "unpopular". Edwards would work on the "unpopular" issue of keeping American's safe and protecting their freedoms at the same time. Clark's most right thing to do that would be unpopular was building a new American patriotism based on helping each other. Dean on the other hand actually ANSWERED the question and told the American people he would work hard to balance the budget, and to fight for the rights of homosexual couples.

As governor, I'm an expert in doing things that sometimes people don't like. I actually had the pleasure of serving through both Bush recessions, not one of them. And I had to balance the budget during very difficult conditions. We have to balance the budget. That means we have to make unpopular choices. That's why we think we ought to repeal the entire Bush tax cut so we can, in fact, have health care programs. I also signed a civil unions bill which gave equal rights to gay and lesbian people when only 35 percent of the people in my state supported it. That's what American people want. They do not want people who are going to promise them everything. What they want is somebody who's going to tell them where they stand.

Man, he rocks.

Day 3, Host or Attend the 9/29 Conference Call!

How would you like to be a WORLD RECORD HOLDER? Well you can! For today's "way" sign up to host or attend the 9/29 conference call with Governor Dean! If you sign up to HOST a conference call party you get double credit (meaning you can skip a future step or you can make up for a step you missed). On Monday 9/29 the conference call will start 5pm - the "parties" begin at 4:30pm, all of our parties will be on or near campus. To get credit, send an email to me by 11:59pm 9/27 to tell me if you want to attend. Include your phone number if you want to host. If you can't do either of the above, email me, let me know, and I"ll give you an alternative

Day 2, Change your Buddy Icon!

A series of reminders before we get to your daily task. 1) Remember - you have until the end of today to do yesterday's "way". Aaron had a great idea, he posted his flyer in his apartment complex's laundry room! 2) THIS IS IMPORTANT. If on 10/9 you plan on heading to downtown Phoenix with us to paricipate in the big DEBATE WATCHING PARTY you need to REGISTER ONLINE NOW! The place is filling up FAST -- they are going to have to start saying no to people soon or to look for a bigger venue. EITHER WAY GET YOUR NAME ON THAT LIST NOW ... register at http://www.deanforAZ.com 3) Scroll down and read the AZ Republic article that shows Bush is in REAL TROUBLE in AZ (see I told you a dem could win this state!) NOW FOR THE DAILY WAY, Change your AIM buddy icon! Start up your AOL Instant Messenger and click on the "Howard Dean @ ASU" buddy icon above, it will set it automatically for you. If you have any problems, you can alway right click th icon above, choose to "save picture", and then set your icon manually. ONCE YOUR ICON IS SET - SEND AN IM MESSAGE TO ME --> my im name for this is GenDeanTony. Be sure to tell me who you are when you IM me so I can give you credit. If you can't get to me - then just click comment below and write that you did it. I will then find a way to verify. NOTE: You don't get credit until 10/8. On that day you have to IM me again so I can see you left your icon up the entire time. I know I know you can CHEAT and I wouldn't find out -- but really that is a LOT of effort over a buddy icon! If you don't have aim - you could either get it or do the ALTERNATIVE WAY for today. The alternative way is to download, print, and post 2 of yesterday's flyers (see below). Again, TELL ME IN THIS COMMENTS SECTION BELOW (not the old flyer posting one) WHERE YOU PUT YOUR FLYERS. You must finish today's task by midnight!