Thin Air

09/20/2006

Dear Editor,

Millions of dollars will be spent this campaign season.

No, I don’t mean the bribes that Republican Congressmen have been jailed for taking (Rep. Duke Cunningham of California), or the pork barrel spending they’re going to be jailed for pushing in exchange for lobbyists’ gifts (Rep. Bob Ney of Ohio).

I mean the tens of millions of dollars that candidates and organizations have to spend on TV ads. For most campaigns, going on the air is their single biggest expense.

That’s why we’re focusing our 50-State Turnout resources on the ground. We’re funding professional organizers to get out the vote, the materials they need to communicate with voters, and the technology they need to do it effectively.

When you make a donation to the 50-State Turnout operation, you can be sure that your dollars will be immediately put to work driving votes and have a long term and permanent impact. Will you make a donation now?

http://www.democrats.org/50days50states

Let’s face it, candidates have to spend huge amounts of money on TV ads—they make a big impression, and are a crucial part of raising candidates’ profiles and getting their message out in the run-up to an election.

But our party has a bigger responsibility—to make investments that will help us win this election, but which will last beyond Election Day.

As important as it is to be on the air, neighbor-to-neighbor organizing wins elections, and everything we do is designed with that in mind. The ground operations we’re funding will deliver votes on Election Day. But we’re also creating something that will last.

We’re building a new model of participation politics: Through investment in talent and technology and a bottom-up approach, we’re creating a permanent Democratic Party infrastructure of ordinary people wielding extraordinary power.

You can make history right now:
http://www.democrats.org/50days50states

Make no mistake—we’ll be on the air, telling people why they should vote for Democrats in November, but the 50-State Turnout is shaping up to be the broadest ground operation our party has had in decades, and the Democratic Party will reap the rewards for a generation.

Democrats are doing things differently this time, and I hope you’ll be part of it.

Thank you,
Tom

Tom McMahon
Executive Director
Democratic National Committee