Quote of the Day: “First they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you, then you win.” M.K. Gandhi
UPDATE JULY 11, 2008 at 1:19pm: Interesting mail today. First, I received this pointer to a MoveOn mailing that went out today begging for help to get Obama elected:
Dear MoveOn member, You’ve probably seen the polls—in the key battleground states, the presidential race is within the margin of error. We’ve heard a lot of confident talk from Democratic pundits, but the simple fact is, we could still lose this thing if we don’t get every last voter out to the polls.That’s why today we’re launching Change for America—the biggest program in MoveOn’s history. With $10 million and an army of 100,000 of us working together, we’ll reach out to specific, targeted voters who wouldn’t already vote, and make sure they get to the polls. We tested this program in 2004, and we know it makes a big impact—the biggest boost in turnout, in fact, that our researchers have seen.We need to know if we can count on your help. Will you join the Change for America corps this fall, and help elect Obama? You can sign up here: http://pol.moveon.org/pledge/changeforamericapledge.html?id=13202-9268499-zZTgE2x&t=2
Sounds kind of desperate, huh? Next I was copied a response from Donna Brazile to one of our Puma PAC members who DARED question why Obama and his minions in the DNC are planning to bypass democracy this year and ANOINT rather than ELECT our nominee for President:
—– Original Message —– From: Donna Brazile To: Sent: Friday, July 11, 2008 11:19 AM Subject: Re: OBAMA PLOT: KICK OUT HILLARY @ CONVENTION Excuse me? Why the hatred or worse the lies? I do not work for the party or Obama. What is your goal to just lie to help the GOP? You are a hater and worse delusional.
Oops! Stay civil and classy there, Donna. Now I know, this is TAME compared to most of Donna’s Diatribes to Fellow Democrats, but I was VERY HAPPY to read the third sentence. So, you don’t work for the Democratic Party or Obama, Donna? GREAT NEWS! Let’s have a party! Enjoy your retirement from relevancy Donna!
Morning Folks! Yes we ARE being heard. I recently learned that our 40,000 letters aren’t making everyone happy. It appears that many Very Important People often access their email through their handheld wireless devices (that’s “cellphones” for you and me) and, I gotta tell ya, it is HELL to have to open, ignore, delete, and move on through hundreds of “spam” emails from individual voters around the country so that you can get to the Very Important Emails from Very Important Other People about where and when you’ll be meeting for drinks tonight.
It’s enough to piss a person off! I mean Geez, go back to your silly little lives voters. You don’t actually expect them to treat your letters to them with any interest do you? BWAHAHAHAAA!!!!
Way to go Puma PAC! On Wednesday, July 10th we sent more than 35,000 letters to Undecided and pledged Clinton delegates in the Great State of Texas, thanking them for their support of the most capable and vote-winning candidate in United States primary history, and URGING them to INSIST that Hillary Clinton be nominated in the first roll call vote. We also reminded them that she will be the first woman in U.S. history to be nominated for president by a national party, but ONLY with their help.
35,000 letters in less than 8 hours. Let that sink in for a moment. Then enjoy a sip of champagne.
Now, listen to this. ADDITIONALLY, From 3:00 to 3:30pm today, eastern time, the members of Puma PAC made so many phone calls to the DNC Headquarters that we shut down their switchboard repeatedly for half an hour!
I say it’s time to bring a chilled bottle of champagne and a couple of fluted glasses out to the deck or the porch this evening and KICK BACK. Way to go Puma PAC!
New visitors and newcomers. Please join us! We welcome anyone who wants to be part of our movement in the Democratic Party to be the VOICE OF THE VOTERS, the people who make sure our party respects the interests and COUNTS the votes of ALL Democrats in ALL 50 States. JOIN HERE!
Please consider making a $25, $50, or $100 contribution to Puma PAC, People United Means Action! We are an unconnected political action committee, unaffiliated with any candidate or candidate’s committee. All contributions are used to fund our political activities and come from individual donors like you. They are not tax deductible.
UPDATE! JULY 10, 2008 AT 2:46PM: Puma PAC Roars! We have sent more than 20,000 letters in the last 4 hours to delegates in Texas, urging them to stand with Hillary and INSIST that she be nominated in the first roll call vote. We are about to execute a PROWL that will be heard in DC and around the nation. Puma PAC, we are the VOICE OF THE VOTERS, and we are being HEARD!!
Wow! What a day Puma PAC. Over 10,000 letters sent in less than twelve hours! Get your rest tonight because tomorrow is another day and we have LOTS planned. Tomorrow, we will be lobbying a targeted list of Hillary delegates, thanking them for their bravery and URGING them to maintain their support all the way to Denver so they can VOTE FOR HER IN THE FIRST ROLL CALL VOTE! I participated in a conference call tonight with 18millionvoices and Seneca160, and they remind us all that Hillary will be speaking in Denver on August 26th on the 88th Anniversary of Women’s Suffrage (numerologists get your charts out! 88th on 8/2+6=8/08? hmmm). She will be addressing the nation on this most historic day as the FIRST WOMAN TO BE IN NOMINATION FOR PRESIDENT IN US HISTORY! We must do all we can to ensure that this profound event is treated with the honor and ceremony it deserves.
Here’s a few updates on fundraising and Denver.
Puma PAC ROAR!
As you know, our main fundraiser is the ROAR! that we kicked off on June 21st. Our goal is to raise $100,000 by July 20th to fund advertising and outreach in important media markets BEFORE the Convention. We are not halfway there yet, but I am CONFIDENT we will reach our goal. In the meantime, we are moving forward and reaching milestones.
We have contracted with a Los Angeles film company to produce a short video to use as an advertisement and outreach fundraising tool. Filming of this ad/promo begins Tuesday. The director will be interviewing and filming several leaders of the Puma movement as well as activists and volunteers in Texas who were eye-witnesses to the fraud and intimidation at the caucuses. This will be a powerful and “knock-your-socks-off” invitation to voters to join us in Protesting the Election and fighting back against the Obama Movement’s “March to a Coronation” in Denver.
As we reach out to more donors, we will set up a special fund to produce a full-length documentary titled “Start a Small War: The Hillary Flashpoint and the Battle for the Soul of the Democratic Party,” about this primary season and the Puma PAC movement. Plans include putting video cameras on all the buses to Denver; traveling to caucus states to expose the voter fraud; and highlighting the disenfranchisement and blatant sexism by the Obama campaign and the DNC. We believe this film will be a POWERFUL historical document. More to come on that.
We have also contracted with US-Sky-Ads to fly “Puma PAC/Nominate Hillary” banners over the beaches of the Jersey Shore and Miami this weekend and next! We are in discussions with them regarding flying HUGE “Puma PAC Says: Nominate Hillary!” banners over the skies of Denver for six hours EVERY DAY of the Convention! Hint — cost: about $25,000.
UPDATE 8/10/08 AT 12:52pm: Go to Denver! Join us in Denver — you can do it! We will help. If you want to join us in Denver, send an email to gotodenver@pumapac.org. Please include your real name, the closest major city to you and your state. Also tell us where you’re at — do you need help getting there? do you already have your first class flights booked and rooms at the Denver Hyatt? Let us know today!
In addition to the ROAR! we are also raising funds to pay for buses to take Puma PAC members to Denver to bear witness and help Protest the Selection. We have teamed up with 18millionvoices to spread the word and organize our presence there. They are doing an amazing job of planning for every possible eventuality, and we will rely on them for ground action organization. Our job is to keep the Bus Fund growing. Each bus ticket costs around $200, so PLEASE consider helping sponsor a Puma by donating $10 or $20 to the Bus Fund.
MOVING FORWARD
We have a lot of work to do! Right now, our strength is not in the number of big donors on our rolls (don’t have any yet! So if you know any rich people who believe in the message of Puma PAC, the Voice of the Voters, tell them to call me! 978-505-3933) but in the number of small donors we have. To all the Pumas who have contributed already, many of you several times, THANK YOU. It is crucially important that we invite as many people as possible to join our PAC and make a small (or medium-sized!) donation. If we all do our best to distribute flyers, invite our friends, and blog our message on the internet, we CAN attract 10,000 more members to our cause in the next few weeks. Time is our friend today and tomorrow, but she may not be next month. Let’s do this NOW!
To that end, I am asking everyone to consider becoming part of the Puma PAC PRIDE. This is a group of Pumas who generously support our political action committee and movement by donating a set amount every month, whether it’s $25, $10, or $100 — whatever they feel they would like and are able to afford.
The base of support provided by the Puma PAC PRIDE is what makes it possible for Puma PAC to be here every SINGLE day, motivating, organizing, and supporting the individual acts of political participation by thousands of members for which we are becoming famous.
Become a Puma PAC PRIDE MEMBER by clicking on one of the buttons, and THANK YOU!
$20 per month:
$10 per month:
$50 per month:
This is an Overnight Fundraising Cat thread. The image above is a reproduction of a Native American puma petroglyph. Very beautiful and apropos of our movement.
Be wonderful to each other — tomorrow is another day!
P.U.M.A. PAC, People United Means Action, is the Voice of the Voters (http://blog.pumapac.org). We are an unconnected political action committee, unaffiliated with any candidate or candidate’s committee. All contributions are not tax-deductible.
PUMA PAC ANNOUNCES 5 DAYS OF INTENSE POLITICAL ACTION
Puma PAC, People United Means Action, is the Voice of the Voters in the Democratic Party. We are Protesting the Election of 2008, and WILL NOT SUPPORT the DNC’s selected nominee. We have thousands of members in all 50 states, Puerto Rico, and Washington D.C. Our website is visited tens of thousands of times a day, and nearly three-quarters of a million visits have been logged since we began on June 3, 2008.
In the last 5 DAYS alone, 4 of which were a long holiday weekend, Puma PAC has accomplished tens of thousands of political actions.
THOUSANDS OF PUMA PAC MEMBERS FROM ALL ACROSS THE USA HAVE:
Sent over 20,000 emails and letters to elected and public officials
Sent over 1,000 faxes and made hundreds of phone calls
Produced and distributed over 10,000 flyers all across the country in 24 hours
Raised thousands of dollars from individual contributors around the country
Organized and executed several local actions in Miami, Manhattan, and Minneapolis
Ordered sky banner ads to fly over beaches all around the nation
Intensified our planning for Denver
Begun work on a documentary with a Los Angeles film company about this primary campaign and our Puma PAC movement.
This week is not yet half over. We have more and bigger plans for the NEXT 5 days. The Puma PAC movement is spreading like wildfire across the internet and the country. We are the Voice of the Voters in the Democratic Party. We are the ones who win elections for those politicians who represent the interests of ALL Democrats in ALL 50 states, and who uphold the foundational values of Representational Democracy upon which our government of the people, by the people, and for the people is built.
If you have not yet completed today’s ACTION, please do so by following the instructions in the post below (The Tale of the Mile High Ego) and then come back and brag!
Also, spread the word about Puma PAC — invite everyone you can to JOIN US in this mission to take back the Democratic Party so that it once again respects the Voice of the Voters. Joining is simple, fun, and free. Blogging here is open and encouraged for members. Simply register with WordPress by clicking on the Register link in the right sidebar. If you have any questions about blogging, simply click on the link “Problems Registering to Blog?” under our Site Pages in the right sidebar. Then join us in comments for the best political forum on the internet!
UPDATE: Watch this new Youtube. It’s a good one to share with your friends who lean toward Obama — not that you have any, but, if you did . . .
EARLY MORNING PROWL! FAX THE FOLLOWING TO THE DNC AND THE OBAMA CAMPAIGN. JUST COPY, PASTE, PRINT AND FAX TO:
DNC, Chairman Dean: 202-863-8174
Senator Obama: (202) 228-4260
Dear Chairman Dean and Senator Obama,
As a loyal democrat I am writing to let you know that I am appalled by your decision to move Senator Obama’s acceptance speech to a football stadium in Denver. During this primary campaign season you have made a spectacle of the Democratic values of our country, and now you intend to make a spectacle of the Democratic Party itself, further demeaning yourselves and, by extension, the many millions of Americans who have been proud to call themselves Democrats, until now.
DEMOCRACY IS NOT A SPECTATOR SPORT! IT IS THE UNITED EFFORT OF MILLIONS OF PARTICIPATORY CITIZENS.
Your decision to move this event to a forum that undemocratically aggrandizes and feeds the unwarranted hero-worship of one man is a grave error. Tens of millions of Americans are watching this ridiculous drama unfold with skepticism and dismay.
As you continue down your path of eventual irrelevancy, please remember that the millions of Americans you need to vote for your candidate in November are COMMITTED to rejecting your Selection.
As a member of Puma PAC, I will NOT vote for Senator Obama in November.
I want a Democratic President in the White House, not an American Idol contender.
Sincerely,
D. Murphy
Middlesex County, Massachusetts
Puma PAC Member and Democrat
p.s. Since it seems the only reason you ever contact voters like me is to ask me for money, I’d also like to add that as a member of Puma PAC, I will NOT donate any money to the DNC or any DNC-related group between now and November.
FAX this letter as soon as you can to both numbers above, then come back and tell us in comments that you did.
This is an Early Morning Prowl. Make sure your printers have ink, your faxes have paper, and your phone-dialing fingers are nimble this week Pumas — we have a BIG week ahead!
Good Morning Pumas PAC — today is a new day and a new week! We have a BIG Action Week planned, so let’s get going. Thanks to the generosity and talent of Puma PAC member Fred, we have an amazing new Puma PAC poster/flyer for members to distribute. We have 5,000 of these intense and persuasive full color flyers ready to go. We are challenging you to distribute 100 of them in public places in your communities this week.
Today’s Action Item is to send an email to flyers@pumapac.org with your mailing address so we can send you 100 flyers. As soon as you receive them, start spreading them all over town!
Oh, and over the weekend, Obama pedaled then back-pedaled his views on abortion. So, that was a flip, and then a flop — watch today for another flip. What a flop this guy is. Link here.
P.U.M.A. PAC, People United Means Action, is the Voice of the Voters (http//blog.pumapac.org). We are an unconnected political action committee, unaffiliated with any candidate or candidate’s committee. All monies raised are used to fund our political activities and come in small contributions from individual donors. Contributions are not tax-deductible.
Chillax, Puma PAC and head out to the deck for some ribs and cold beer. We have a BIG week ahead. Be ready to send letters, faxes, and phone calls; to make plans for Denver; and to learn about an AMAZING opportunity we are planning for Puma PAC. This is a friendly and chatty open thread, but feel free to continue discussions from downstairs. Still looking for NYC/NJ Pumas to email me at murphy@pumapac.org. Drop me a line with NYC in the subject line — this is NOT about Denver, but something else.
The good vibes are flowing, folks. Things are pulling together, we’ve stayed united and focused for more than 30 long, consecutive days! This is only the beginning, and it feels like the BEST is ahead of us!
The beer and ribs are free, but don’t forget to drop a few bucks in the Buses to Denver Fund to help defray the cost for Puma PAC members to get there!
DENVER! We are coordinating our efforts with 18Millionvoices, the group that has been working on Denver for weeks now. We want to reach out and share whatever we can so that efforts are not duplicated and we get the biggest number of Puma PAC members to Denver as is humanly possible. Events will be starting on August 24th, including protest rallies and marches. 18Millionvoices has already been on the ground there and is far along in the process of permitting and planning. They also have EXCELLENT housing and logistical teams working on the nuts and bolts.
We are ALL in this TOGETHER Pumas, so let’s stay connected. Check out the 18Millionvoices site. As always, detailed plans will often be coordinated in less public forums, so do not fret if our website or theirs does not answer every question you may have. Here’s the link to 18Million, and they are now in the blogroll as well.
REMEMBER: If you want to go to Denver or ARE going to Denver, PLEASE send us an email at gotodenver@pumapac.org and give us the details of your plans — how many, when, and FROM where. Also let us know if you NEED, WANT, or DON’T NEED help in getting to Denver. Send specific questions to denverquestions@pumapac.org.
ALSO: PLEASE consider contributing to our EXCLUSIVE Buses to Denver Fund. It costs at least $200 per person on a bus, so please consider sponsoring part or all of a Puma PAC bus ride for yourself or someone else. We can’t guarantee that we’ll have enough to send buses from every major city, but we will do our ABSOLUTE BEST to get as many buses rolling to Colorado as we can!
“I see a great nation, upon a great continent, blessed with a great wealth of natural resources. Its hundred and thirty million people are at peace among themselves; they are making their country a good neighbor among the nations. I see a United States which can demonstrate that, under democratic methods of government, national wealth can be translated into a spreading volume of human comforts hitherto unknown, and the lowest standard of living can be raised far above the level of mere subsistence.
But here is the challenge to our democracy: In this nation I see tens of millions of its citizens–a substantial part of its whole population–who at this very moment are denied the greater part of what the very lowest standards of today call the necessities of life.
I see millions of families trying to live on incomes so meager that the pall of family disaster hangs over them day by day.
I see millions whose daily lives in city and on farm continue under conditions labeled indecent by a so-called polite society half a century ago.
I see millions denied education, recreation, and the opportunity to better their lot and the lot of their children.
I see millions lacking the means to buy the products of farm and factory and by their poverty denying work and productiveness to many other millions.
I see one-third of a nation ill-housed, ill-clad, ill-nourished.
It is not in despair that I paint you that picture. I paint it for you in hope–because the Nation, seeing and understanding the injustice in it, proposes to paint it out. We are determined to make every American citizen the subject of his country’s interest and concern; and we will never regard any faithful law-abiding group within our borders as superfluous. The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little.
If I know aught of the spirit and purpose of our Nation, we will not listen to Comfort, Opportunism, and Timidity. We will carry on.
Overwhelmingly, we of the Republic are men and women of good will; men and women who have more than warm hearts of dedication; men and women who have cool heads and willing hands of practical purpose as well. They will insist that every agency of popular government use effective instruments to carry out their will.
Government is competent when all who compose it work as trustees for the whole people. It can make constant progress when it keeps abreast of all the facts. It can obtain justified support and legitimate criticism when the people receive true information of all that government does.
If I know aught of the will of our people, they will demand that these conditions of effective government shall be created and maintained. They will demand a nation uncorrupted by cancers of injustice and, therefore, strong among the nations in its example of the will to peace.
Today we reconsecrate our country to long-cherished ideals in a suddenly changed civilization. In every land there are always at work forces that drive men apart and forces that draw men together. In our personal ambitions we are individualists. But in our seeking for economic and political progress as a nation, we all go up, or else we all go down, as one people.
To maintain a democracy of effort requires a vast amount of patience in dealing with differing methods, a vast amount of humility. But out of the confusion of many voices rises an understanding of dominant public need. Then political leadership can voice common ideals, and aid in their realization.”
– Franklin D. Roosevelt, Second Inaugural Address, January 20, 1937
Denver Reminder:Step One of Puma PAC’s planning for Denver is now underway. We will be posting updates and details OFTEN over the next week, so don’t fret. First, if you are interested in joining us in Denver, please send an email today to gotodenver@pumapac.org. Please include the following info: Your real name; your blog user name if you have one; the closest major city and your state; how many in your party; and very important: whether you are DEFINITELY going, might be going, want to go but have problems. ALSO, PLEASE PLEASE include your cell phone number. Obviously we will only call you if absolutely necessary and would NEVER give the number away; this is a safety precaution. IMPORTANT: Puma PAC cannot provide housing. We will be providing links and tips for accommodations, but housing all the Pumas is beyond our scope. We WILL help people get there. Please let us know in your email HOW you plan to get to Denver: car, plane, train, bus, or Puma PAC bus. We will do our VERY BEST to help everyone get there. Friends and family members WELCOME!
Remember to Join Puma PAC if you haven’t already. JOIN HERE
Contribute to the BUSES TO DENVER FUND (suggested donation is $10 or $20)
New CNN Poll says 46% of Clinton supporters won’t vote for Obama. And, “In another sign the wounds of the heated primary race have yet to heal, 43 percent of registered Democrats polled still say they would prefer Clinton to be the party’s presidential nominee. That number is significantly higher than it was in early June, when 35 percent of Democrats polled said they preferred Clinton to lead the party’s presidential ticket.” Click here.
