We can change Kentucky.
We start this new enterprise with the words of Governor Howard Dean from his statement of candidacy, Common Sense for a New Century:
We must renew our commitment to better inform ourselves and others; to question our elected leaders; to conduct a dialogue with our neighbors; and to vote in each election.
For many of us who came to support and work for the Dean campaign, our participation was an act of renewal, a homecoming to grassroots politicking. For others it was a first call to political action. For all of us, the Dean candidacy was a campaign of hope and change; a wake-up call to remind us that the issues and concerns we face as a country come down to the bare rock of people trying, as we all must do, to make change for the better.
We believe that although Howard Dean’s campaign for the presidency has ended, our efforts to change Kentucky (and Kentucky politics) must continue. We hope that you will join us in this movement.
The goals of Change for Kentucky are: Voice, Votes & Victory
What Change for Kentucky will accomplish:
Howard Dean and the people who supported him have started something bigger than a campaign. We hope you feel the same way and are interested in continuing.
Our hope is that those of you who have been active volunteers for Howard Dean—hosting Meet-Ups, making phone calls, coordinating visibility events, and writing all those letters—will continue to take a leadership roll in this movement for change.
And like the Dean For America campaign, this movement depends upon grassroots support and energy. Do not wait for permission to get involved!
TELL US WHAT YOU THINK! What does Change for Kentucky mean to you? How can we make change, and where should we start? Can we change politics in Kentucky? The comments section is open…
Posted by Jeremy Horton & Jane Jensen at April 28, 2004 02:04 PMI'm glad that this group will continue to make change in Kentucky. I've been wishing I had jumped on the Dean bandwagon earlier, just so that I could have had more time in this grassroots effort. Now I'll have a chance to work with some amazing people to transform Kentucky politics!
Posted by: Anna at March 2, 2004 03:05 PMOK, Deaniacs: In our early MeetUps, attendees were invited to speak about why they were there. We knew just enough about Howard Dean's message to entice us to MeetUp so most of the comments reflected an intense desire for ANYBODY BUT BUSH! We tabled at fairs & conferences, expressed our enthusiasm at the Christmas parade and at JoBeth, donated money to local expenses and to the hot bat at headquarters, distributed the message to acquaintances by e-mail, wrote thousands of letters to primary states, fundraised at houseparties and found longlasting friendships. These activities in hundreds of towns across the USA boosted Howard Dean to the top of the polls. WE had founded a movement that breathed life into a previously intimidated and comatose Democratic Party. But alas, our enthusiasm was then dashed as the messiah of our ABB passion fell to Earth, the victim of mid-air media-rape abetted by his Democratic opponents. Many of us are still grieving, but we must not forget that our initial motivation was unconditional ABB! OK, John Kerry cannot and will not evoke in us the spirit of Howard Dean. Then time for ABB Plan B. We have proved to the Nation that we have the Power. All that is required for a repeat is the Commitment! First step: Show up for the MeetUp at the Central Library tomorrow night March 3, 7:00PM. We can do it again!
Posted by: Phil McBrayer at March 2, 2004 04:04 PMThankyou to all those who chose to get involved. I was unable to get involved because of a personal commitment. It was difficult to watch the e-mails fly and not be able to participate. You all inspired me. Deans campaign was definitely a refreshing change that left many in the establishment just a little less secure with their smugness.
Posted by: Mary West at March 2, 2004 05:54 PMI'm excited! Don't forget precinct conventions next month/be a part of forming the state Democratic Party for the next four years! We need new people, new ideas, new energy! Donna.
Posted by: Donna Hecker at March 3, 2004 07:42 AMOur last MeetUp tonight, here in Northern KY, and although, it will be a moment of transition...it is so encouraging to see this site so well structured "up and at it"! I look forward to action ahead and will be checking in to ChangeforKentucky.com often! Thank you for the continuity of the DEAN SPIRIT! Gerry/Ft.Thomas
Posted by: Gerry Lykins at March 3, 2004 08:05 AMNice work, y'all! If it weren't for people like you I'd seriously be considering moving to Vermont. See you tonight.
Posted by: Allison W at March 3, 2004 08:07 AMFrom the ashes rises the Phoenix.....and tonight is LIFTOFF!!!
Posted by: Ron Bontsema at March 3, 2004 03:56 PMI attended the meeting tonite and unfortunately, had to leave early. Jeremy, can you email me, I have some questions for you. Thanks. cgilgor@aol.com
Posted by: Christina Gilgor at March 3, 2004 08:33 PMI attended the Lexington meeting tonight and was kind of expecting a soft landing from a fun ride- I've met a lot of great people in the Dean meetups- but wait, I was pulled back into it and now fully plan on showing up at my polling station...a quanset hut volunteer fire house in the middle of a cow pasture in Bourbon county...to run for a spot on my precinct committee on April 17th. I'm heartened that there are only two rooms in the firehouse-not many places to hide and hold a secret election.
When Bush took office almost four years ago, I knew that I had to get more involved in the politics in this state but I didn't know how that would be possible. My involvement with the Deaniacs has certainly helped me feel more involved and empowered as well as giving me resources for involvement. I think the guest speakers have been wonderful and I hope we continue to have people coming in. I also agree with one of the ideas tonight about inviting other groups to join us, especially when we have a speaker like Ernesto.
Thanks also to Jeremy and Jane for keeping it real.
Heather
What a great site! It's inspiring to see the commitment and excitement generated by Howard Dean runs far deeper than just the candidate.
It's a commitment taking personal responsibility for changing the course of the nation and restoring the vision established by our founders. A dedication to the ideas embodied in our Constitution; born from repression and when a person has decided they will endure it no more.
Howard Dean is no longer a 'voice in the widerness', but a guide to reclaiming what is best about our nation.
Let's get to work!
Given the shakey future of Kentucky's agricultural base (tobacco), the change for Kentucky that I envision includes the raising of industrial hemp and clothe businesses resulting from hemp as a major crop. The past week alone found KY losing hundreds of jobs in domestic products and apparel. What better in-state industry could we ask for? It's renewable, biodegradable, non-polluting, and will provide something that's in continual demand. This seems like a no-brainer to me, but then--it's all wrapped up in the legal issue of marijuana, which is NOT the same thing as industrial hemp.
Posted by: Lorayne Burns at March 4, 2004 02:01 PMGood job. The internet cannot replace grass roots interest in local party politics, in my opinion. We are going to win this fall. Find a local candidate to support as well. Tap that energy and let them see the national debate applies to them. You will affect them successfully and favorably this year.
Posted by: Tom Spalding at March 4, 2004 05:58 PMOK Deaniacs; the rumble is ON! John Kerry was not our first choice but he's what we've got and with that, George Bush's $100 million in corporate bribes have been let loose with the TV ad blitz in the contended states, which you can view here. The families of 9/11 victims and NY firefighters are mad as Hell, which you can see here.
Time for those of us who can write to bombard the Herald Leader Letters to the Editor with your own anger. Scroll to the page bottom for the e-mail window. I suggest that you make the impression that your Bush-anger is new-found, a result of this particular outrage. Impress readers with the facts that the incoming Bush administration ignored Clinton's and the FBI's warnings and has stonewalled (and is still stonewalling) the 9/11 commission's efforts to understand what happened. Those of you who have followed the background know what to say.
MoveOn.org has just initiated an e-mail campaign encouraging letters to local print outlets regarding the sleazy, exploitive ads. Their e-mail also links to the Center for American Justice's list of Bush outrages. So, write and polish your Letter to the Editor but do it NOW! while the bat is HOT!
Sorry to clog the bandwidth with another comment but my just previous link to the Herald Leader Letters URL didn't work either. The paste-in address is
http://www.kentucky.com/mld/heraldleader/news/editorial/letters/
Now GO!
One of your stated goals is to give the people a voice in politics. I think one thing that needs to be done in Kentucky is to move the primary to an earlier date, perhaps February. The decision of a candidate has already been made, two months before our primary. We have no say in selecting a candidate. Maybe this is something we can work at after the election.
Also, the electoral college needs to go. Because Kentucky is behind Bush, at least at this time, many Democrats feel they need not bother going to the polls because their vote won't count. This also is something to work on after the election.
Those of us who want change must get involved at the local level. I've lived in KY for almost 20 years and my observation of KY politics is that the same people or their relatives run for election year after year. They are all pretty much the same, no real choice and lots of corruption.
I am so happy to see this happening. Frankfort is abuzz about all of the issues that concern us, and the momentum is on the other side. There are no efforts to expand health care. To the contrary, it looks as if health care for state employees, teachers and their families is apt to become more unaffordable. There are no efforts to control health coverage costs, much less expand dental, pharmacautical, vision/hearing or any other coverage. There are efforts to CONSTITUTIONALIZE discrimination against gay, lesbian, bi and trans people. And where they aren't messing with the constitution, bills have been introduces to repeal local Fairness ordinances, make adoption by GLBT people in the state difficult, if not impossible, and anti-bullying bills are left without teeth to allow teachers to stop anti-gay hatred/violence in the public schools.
The environment, jobs that pay a living wage and don't risk life and limb, and basic government by and for the people are an after-thought in Frankfort. The tyranny of the majority of those who are actually the monied-few is the rule of law.
For those of you who have never been to our legislature as citizen lobbyists, let me encourage you to come see how ugly people can be before the session ends towards the end of March. I volunteer with the KY Fairness Alliance, among other groups. We lobby on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursday starting in the early AMs until mid-afternoon. Anyone, especially folks not from Lexington and Louisville would be greatly appreciated. The legislators from across the state need to understand from as many constituents as possible that Louisville, Lexington and Covington are not the only places where Gay folks live, work and have our families.
Hope I'm not out of line offering this, but I think the experiences gained in these the waning days of Babylon, and the 2004 KY Legislature would help give additional focus to the work of the political action committe beyond just raising money and making contribution.
I believe KY is an extremely progressive state that has yet to awaken to the fact. It's like the bumper sticker, "When the People Lead, The Leaders Wil Follow."
For the works,
Brett
Good job, Jeremy & Jane. I like your new website and thank you for keeping us involved in the electoral process. Last evening, I happened upon a repeat of a “NOW with Bill Moyers” segment about “Rolling Thunder.” Jim Hightower (former Texas Agriculture Commissioner and rabble rouser) had the idea, which is based on Chautauqua. “Rolling Thunder” has inspired community involvement and grassroots activity in several U.S. cities over the past two years. It would seem a perfect vehicle for Change for Kentucky. Visit: www.jimhightower.com; or info@rollingthunder.org for more information. Good luck. Liz P
Posted by: Liz P at March 6, 2004 11:19 AMThanks for all your comments...Liz P. and Phil McB. I've got your links and will follow up. As an educator, I admire and approve of the Chautauqua premise, a coming together of citizens to learn from one another. We have too little real dialogue and community based education today, but we don't have to reinvent the wheel...we just have to reach out to one another. I'm looking forward to this dialogue. What a great start! -Jane
Posted by: Jane Jensen at March 7, 2004 09:52 AMI have read in the Washington Post that Bush's team plans to attack Kerry on his voting record. Through Lexis/Nexis, I was able to research bills introduced by Kerry and although it's clumsy, I can look at how he voted on things. I fear that the general public will rely on what's said in adds-which will inevitably get dirty, rather than looking at the bigger picture. With that in mind, I would like to see a think tank come together to research the ads and attacksand rebut them when necessary. Skip, are you with me?
Heather Prichard
Posted by: Heather Prichard at March 7, 2004 06:33 PMAbsolutely Heather!
Posted by: Skip Van Hook at March 8, 2004 12:19 PMhttp://vote-smart.org/ is a great place to look up voting records and just about everything else about your elected officials and ones who haven't even been elected yet, in some cases. Just punch in your zip code and go.
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