Small Donors Become Big Political Force (MSNBC\WaPo)

[WillyT]

Thank you Howard!!!

<snip>

The most common explanation for the increasing number of contributors is heightened partisan feelings -- the cleaving of the electorate into "red" and "blue" camps. Howard Dean turned rhetorical assaults on the Bush administration into record-setting campaign contributions, mostly small. The often vitriolic exchanges from the Bush and Kerry campaigns have generated a flood of checks.

A sense of frustration with the Bush administration persuaded Fernando A. Amandi to change his political loyalties and make his first campaign donations. A lifelong Republican, Amandi, 55, said he has become so "disgruntled and disenchanted" with Bush's policies toward Latin America, particularly Cuba, that he is backing Kerry.

In addition to his own contributions, Amandi has held two Kerry fundraisers at his home, raising more than $100,000.

Technology has made it easier and less costly to extract money from constituents and others. During the 2004 campaign, the Internet has matured as a fundraising tool: Kerry has raised a third of his money online; Bush has received only about 3 percent of his this way.

<snip>

Link: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4886167/

Looks like Campaign Finance can work, no???

:bounce::shrug::bounce:

[Supormom]

1. Kick

:kick:

[fearnobush]

2. Because John Kerry Rocks!!!!!!!

Bush knows he can get 40% of the idiot vote no matter how bad his policies fail. And he knows his Whore Media will back him all the way because with out their chimp, the whore media is dead. It's actually amazing that Chimpys numbers are not higher with the whore media factor pushing the lies for him.

[progressivebydesign]

3. I'd say Mr. Amandi rocks, too! Oh, and Howard Dean who started it! N/T

[WillyT]

4. Right On Cali !!!

:bounce::hi::bounce:

[Skittles]

5. not many of us can give $2000

but 200 of us can give 10 bucks.

[msanger]

14. and all of us can shop

at for food, music, movies, books, clothes, gifts....

[Borgnine]

6. It just shows where the loyalities lie.

Bush has only gotten 3% of his money from online contributions? Yeah, it figures, considering the majority of his support comes from the rich and powerful. It looks like Dean's grassroots strategy has carried over to the Kerry campaign, and I couldn't be happier.

[Melodybe]

7. This is one of the best things about Kerry's campaign

In November, Kerry can say that we (all of us) made this possible, he needs only make a few commercials about where he gets a large chunk of his money. He can thank the millions that are donating and working to get him elected.

What can shrub say?

:kick: for Kerry and ourselves!

[mobuto]

17. George Bush has raised $200 million

2/3 of which has come from contributors giving $2000, the legal limit.

Last week, in Minnesota, one of Bush's pals threw a house party that had the President and 112 guests, every one of whom contributed $25,000 to the Republican National Committee.

We can't compete with that.

But its not just the Kerry campaign but also the DNC (www.democrats.org) that's deciding that we can actually beat the Republicans on fundraising if we mount a concerted, grassroots fundraising effort. The effect of this isn't just that we're going to be able to raise the money necessary to send Bush back to Crawford, but that through these small contributions, we're shifting the balance of power back to the people. If Kerry can get elected with small contributions, never again will a serious Democratic candidate have to pander to large contributors.

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

21. Yes, yes! Read my old essay, link posted below. Many small

contributions = democratizing force back towards people, away from big biz. Although it would be better still if we could make the money less of a factor entirely... The internet has that potential too when you think about what the $$ are paying for--TV ads. When everyone has broadband and commercials/websites are run cheaply with massive bandwith of dissemination, it will require less money to run for Pres. But that day is a way off, and the Repubs will try to buy out and own all the broadband companies and control the content just like with broadcast media now.

[Piperay]

8. Thank you Howard Dean

for showing the way! :thumbsup:

[symbolman]

9. Take Back the Media offering FREE Web attack ads

to the Kerry Camp..

While I talked to the Kerry family during the New Hampshire Primaries I gave them one of my Take Back the Media business cards and told them that ARMY OF ONE was running on cable TV during the Primaries 3000 times and that it was just the ticket for Mr Kerry to kick Bush's ass a few of the major military issues.

I offered the ad FREE OF CHARGE to the Kerry team - told Teresa and "Marvelous Marvin" that it was THEIRS if they wanted it.

NOW I'm seeing commercials run by Bush that use nearly the same messages to Trash Kerry. The right wing smear machine is all over Kerry's illustrious and noble military career and it's sickening to watch. The Bush people have no message but FEAR and have to denigrate an actual HERO to try and re-steal the White House.

SO, I'm livid and I want to throw my full support behind Mr John Kerry, but I've been out of the political loop for a few months (moving, trying to make ends meet, etc) so I have no Contact information for the Kerry crew, and I want to get some facetime with Teresa, or someone near to the top. I met their campaign manager, or one of them and was blown off and that soured me a bit, so I need to get to someone that's is willing to take an honest look at what I do and what I'm good and and potentially USE some of my material.

HERE are 15 of what I consider my Best flash movies. They've been seen willie-nillie on the web (some have been slayed in the LATIMES, National Review, etc) - linked on Michaelmoore.com, Howardstern.com and many more Great sites. One of them has been downloaded nearly a million times - I'll let you guess which one, but one clue would be to say that the GERMANS Loved it. :)

"Bush Knew - An American Requiem"
http://www.takebackthemedia.com/true911.html
Music: Beethoven's Requiem in D major - "LaCrimosa"

WARNING: GRAPHIC

I created this exactly one year after the actual horror took place on 911. I found it absolutely impossible to believe that Bush would sit on his butt in a schoolroom KNOWING that one of the World Trade Center towers had been taken out by an airliner - and STILL sit there (even AFTER Andrew told him personall that the SECOND tower had been hit) and READ A BOOK ABOUT A GOAT FOR OVER A HALF AN HOUR.

Think about that. I've included all the information by the media that shows that he had FULL KNOWLEDGE of our country being under attack when he walked INTO that school (placing all those kids in danger - his whereabouts were well known - this was a planned photo op.

This flash may be disturbing to some people. It involves a split screen that shows Bush reading on the left while the buildings burn and poor souls are leaping to their death. The death that in my opinion was allowed to happen at a minimum and at a maximum shows utter incompetence by Bush, who as we have learned recently had MANY warnings in presidential briefs right up to the cataclysm. BUSH KNEW - AND DID NOTHING.

This flash was made possible by the use of actual footage made at the Booker Elementary school by local media that morning that shows CONCLUSIVELY that Bush SAT on a chair, looking mighty guilty to many of us.

"Bush is Not a Nazi - So Stop Saying That.."
http://www.takebackthemedia.com/bushnonazi.html

"ARMY OF ONE"
http://www.takebackthemedia.com/onearmy.html
or VIEW the 30 second TV ad
here: http://www.bushin30seconds.org/view/11_small.shtml

"Murder By Numbers"
http://www.takebackthemedia.com/murderby.html

"CondoLIESa"
http://www.takebackthemedia.com/condosleeza.html

"ChickenHawk - Hall of Shame"
http://www.takebackthemedia.com/chickenhawks.html

"Triumph of the Wimp"
http://www.takebackthemedia.com/triwimp.html

"Pentagoon"
http://www.takebackthemedia.com/pentagoon2.html

"VoteREvolution"
http://www.takebackthemedia.com/voterevolution.html

"Duct Tape Theater"
http://www.takebackthemedia.com/dtape1.html

"Hate Radio Called.."
http://www.takebackthemedia.com/hateradio1.html

"Baghdad Snapshot Action"
http://www.takebackthemedia.com/iraqkids.html

"Warnography"
http://www.takebackthemedia.com/warnography.html

"The Protest that Never Was"
http://www.takebackthemedia.com/noprotest.html

"One Hundred Lies In 30 Seconds"
http://www.takebackthemedia.com/100lies.html

I'm not beating my drum here, these are available for everyone to view (if you haven't seen some of them, then here is your chance)

But mainly this is a plea to anyone that views this page to CONTACT the Kerry Team and help them make use of some of my work and style - I'm offering these works for FREE use by them - we need to get the Beasts out of OUR Precious White House.

The ARMY OF ONE ad comes in 30 and 60 seconds flavors and is already Vetted by the cable companies.

John, Teresa, Marvelous Marvin? Give me a call - we love you and we want to help, and it's time to hit them back HARD with facts, wit, and truth.

Anyone else viewing this page, Please pass it along - THIS is another way to fight these creatures, blanket the WEB with these Flash Attack Ads!

As you can see, WE DELIVER :)

Symbolman co founder of Take Back The Media.com
http://www.takebackthemedia.com

[Misunderestimator]

10. Watched your first link.... Powerful

I don't think that that level of graphic reality will "play" on TV. For those of us who need no convincing, it is extremely powerful. Seeing the expressions on Bush's face in front of the children, laughing, smiling, joking and looking udderly inane, next to the images of the WTC is poignant and maddening.

Keep up the great work!

Going back to see your others now.

On note: You say Beethoven on your message here, but it is Mozart (which is what you have on your site).

[Triana]

11. I just sent Kerry some $....

He just launched a bunch of ads to help counteract some of bu$hit's smear campaign against him and his service record...if a lot of folks like me send in a little here and there when they can afford it, I'm sure it adds up...and don't forget TBTM, jimhightower.org, Democrats.com, and MoveOn.org, etc. too - anyone who can help get the 'alternative' (ie: other than mainstream media bu$hit buttkissing) word out.

---------

Kerry to Begin Wave of New Ads to Counter Steady Bush Attack | NYT

BOSTON, May 2 — Senator John Kerry is set to introduce a major television advertising push on Monday that will highlight his biography and service in Vietnam, which his advisers have always viewed as his strong suits, campaign aides said on Sunday.

The new effort comes as many Democrats have expressed concern that Mr. Kerry is not moving quickly enough to answer President Bush's sustained advertising attack and has not done enough to convey an overarching message.

Republicans and Democrats who monitor advertising purchases said the Kerry campaign had committed to spend up to $27 million for more than three weeks. Mr. Kerry's aides would not comment on the exact size of the buy, except to say it would most likely set records.

The new campaign will not only run in the 17 or 18 battleground states where both candidates' ads have primarily been focused this year, but also in two states where Mr. Bush won comfortably in 2000: Louisiana and Colorado, people who monitor advertising purchases said.

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/03/politics/campaign/03KERR.html

[catmandu57]

12. My income is fixed, but.

I find a way to send ten dollars every month, it's that important to me.

[LizW]

13. Hmmm. I disagree with the title

So far, we small, individual donors and Internet donors are a funding source. It remains to be seen whether we're a political force.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

15. That's a big 10-4.

[mobuto]

16. One follows the other

In politics, the piper follows the tune. If John Kerry or any candidate is beholden to small, individual contributions, he will do whatever he can not to alienate his base. That's very different from what was the status quo until now, which had candidates doing whatever they could to avoid alienating their much smaller base of large contributors.

The DNC and the Kerry Campaign are both experimenting with soliciting small contributions. There are a number of forces in both that oppose the idea - they argue that since you need 200 $10 contributions to equal one $2000 contribution, its just a waste of time to focus on the former. Prove them wrong. If we raise enough in small contributions to put Kerry over the top, we'll have changed politics forever. Because future election cycles won't have that debate - Democratic politicians will understand that small contributions from individual donors are the way to go. If, on the other hand, we lose, then the big money people will probably be succesful in blaming that loss on the reliance on small contributions, and then its a return to business as usual.

So you hold the key.

Contribute, and you become a political force.

http://www.johnkerry.com
http://www.democrats.org

[proud patriot]

18. Waaaaaaaaaaaa Hoooooooooooooo !

Team Up give what we can , and we will
over throw the few Billionaires that
benefit from bush policies .

[llmart]

19. I gave some already

but time to write another check.

Repugs don't give via the internet because most of them aren't smart enough to know how to use a computer.

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

20. The internet, politically, is ours... for now... I began to realize this,

ironically, looking at all these online polls at CNN, MSNBC, Time etc. If you pay attention, you will notice that the voting almost always swings toward Dem position unless the newspaper or station is totally RW/small market. In Newsweek it is particularly notable that the internet votes are always WAY more Dem/Liberal leaning than the corresponding actual magazine poll results. Of course there's a lot of overseas votes etc. too but the suggestion is that the internet is a much more Dem/Liberal favoring medium at this point.

The Dean candidacy also began to show this power, particularly in fundraising, and Kerry looks like he's learned that lesson. Since OUR voters are the angry disenfranchised ones in this election, it stands to reason that we are going to collect the small online contributors like me, while the Repubs are still going to skew primarily towards fatcat goldplated $2K a head dinners.

Where this is going no one knows. There is no doubt that, especially if shrub manages to cling to power, that Rove and company will try everything they can think of to neutralize the fundraising power of the internet for us and its information diseminating ability. Luckily, because of its international nature, it will be difficult for them to do this with simple legislation. No doubt they will try to "buy" the infrastructure of the internet and "own" it for their own purposes somehow.

We need to take advantage of this brief shining period in American political history, when pretty much everything else sucks, but the internet is Democratic Country.

Posted a long topic on this a while ago:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=1073156