Jim Webb's State of the Union Response

From Governor Howard Dean, M.D.

My friend, Senator Jim Webb, has the honor of giving the nationally televised response to the president's State of the Union speech tomorrow night.

He'll be preparing his remarks tonight and tomorrow, and I want you to make your hopes, your dreams, and your thoughts about the state of our union part of our Democratic message.
Please take a moment to make your input part of the process by sending a note to Senator Webb as he prepares his remarks -- we'll deliver your message:

http://www.democrats.org/stateoftheunion

Last January, I watched President Bush deliver the State of the Union address.

He used the opportunity to denounce the creation of human-animal hybrids, to insist we were winning the war in Iraq, and to not once say "Hurricane Katrina" even though, just five months after the hurricane hit, there was much to be said (there still is).

Tomorrow night he'll have another chance to get it right.

But despite the unmistakable message from voters this past November, it looks unlikely that he'll be more in tune with the true state of our union. We'll hear more about escalation in Iraq, more about tax cuts for the already well-off, and more about everything under the sun except the real, serious concerns of ordinary Americans.

History with this president teaches us that we can expect fiction like the famous sixteen words about Saddam Hussein's pursuit of uranium in the State of the Union address.

But you can help ensure that the truth has a voice on Tuesday night by providing your own input into the Democratic response:

http://www.democrats.org/stateoftheunion

When the president spoke last year, Jim Webb was a private citizen concerned about the future of our country.

Now, thanks to people like you, he's just one of the dozens of new Democratic Senators, Representatives and Governors taking office this January.

The Democrats you elected up and down the ballot in all 50 states believe in a different kind of governing than has been the norm here in Washington lately. These Democrats will never forget that the people are the ultimate source of all power in our democracy.

So please consider sending your thoughts, however lengthy or brief:

http://www.democrats.org/stateoftheunion

Senator Webb and I look forward to hearing from you -- and so does the rest of the country.

Thank you.

Governor Howard Dean, M.D.

Message From Governor Howard Dean, M.D.

"Elections have consequences."

Remember that saying? It was a favorite of George Bush and the pundits after his narrow victory in 2004.

In 2006 Americans sent a crystal clear message. As the war in Iraq continued and ordinary people struggled to make ends meet, scores of Republicans at every level of government were removed from office by the voters, every single Democrat running for reelection as a Senator, Governor, or Representative was reelected -- every single one.

It didn't happen by accident. It happened by building a strong opposition party with a clear message of change. Most importantly, it happened by building the Democratic Party organization in places it had never been before.

One group of unsung heroes made it happen. They are the nearly 35,000 members of the Democracy Bonds community.

A Democracy Bond is a commitment to give a small amount every month to build the Democratic Party for the long term. This core group of people provides unprecedented financial stability for our party that allows us to make the historic investments in a national organizing and communications infrastructure - investments that will continue as we work to take back the White House in 2008.

As you watched the ceremonies on the news yesterday, you saw the historic change that a whole lot of ordinary people can make when they band together. This community is changing our party and changing America, and they're doing it at an average of about $22 a month.

Will you join the community at this historic time?
https://www.democrats.org/democracy_bond

Want a clear example of the difference that your Democracy Bond can make?

Take Kansas, for example. In a state that had become an emblem in the media for the rise of the radical right, we put field organizers on the ground more than a year before the 2006 elections. By organizing locally and building a network of volunteers for the long-term, we re-elected Democratic Governor Kathleen Sebelius, took a U.S. House seat from the Republicans, and soundly defeated an extremist Republican Attorney General.

Thanks to a revived and strong Democratic Party, we've seen a trickle and then a flood of moderate Republicans changing their registration to Democrat.

And that U.S. House seat we won in Kansas? Freshman Representative Nancy Boyda says that she decided to run for the seat specifically because our 50-state strategy was in place to support her.

There's no better time to become a member of the Democracy Bonds community -- will you join today?

https://www.democrats.org/democracy_bond

The Democracy Bond community is the necessary foundation for the 50-state strategy. Without that core of support, everything we've done for the past two years would not have been possible.

The Democratic Party made historic gains because of this unprecedented commitment from ordinary people.

I am deeply proud to be a Democracy Bond holder myself, and as I see new Democrats sworn in at every level of office this week I can't think of a community of which I'm more honored to be a member.

Thank you.

Governor Howard Dean, M.D.