Monthly Message
August
2008
Fellow Democrats:
A mere 97 days remain before the election. I think all of us struggle to understand what might motivate a voter to choose a Republican candidate on November 4: the pattern of failure, the moral emptiness, the corruption? It appears however that some voters will still respond to the tired cliches. Senator Obama, at the head of our ticket, has made it quite clear that business as usual will not do. If the United States is not to become morally and financially bankrupt, we will need to adopt a vision for real change. We'll need to remove the rot in Washington and make sure it doesn't return. The new generation of robber barons with the collusion of Republicans have made this a society with deep inequities and we'll need to undo that. We need to regain the respect of the five and half billion people who don't live in the United States and learn about the struggles that they face.
And we need to start acting constructively to turn over a society and a world to our grandchildren that will allow them to thrive. We should expect that this will involve sacrifices and a willingness to work together. And we need to convince our fellow citizens not to worry about the taxes they will pay should they win the Lottery (odds: one in forty million) and think a lot harder about paying for medical care in the event they're struck by lightning (odds: one in five hundred.) Our strength as Democrats is that we want to work on solving actual problems, that we work in a way that respects the views and needs of others and that we hold a vision that reflects the world as it is. I have noted before that this election is probably the most important in the last two generations; it is my view that the Republic may never recover its fundamental vision should the Republicans win. In Columbia County we are blessed with candidates that have the vision, intelligence and temperament to restore that vision. We all need to make every possible contribution in time, money and persuasive force to take the Presidency and the Wisconsin legislature and to make sure the Senate is filibuster proof.
As a local party we will do everything we can do to support the Democratic ticket from top to bottom. Look for us to coordinate with every campaign. Don Jones from the Combined Campaign from the state party and Jim Smith from the Assembly Campaign will both be at our August meeting, ready to talk about how we can work together. We've already been working closely with the Clark campaign for the 42nd Assembly seat and we're following the primary race in the 47th closely.
Our campaign headquarters will be opening early this month--negotiations are in the final stages. We'll need you to help staff the headquarters, volunteer for the individual campaigns, and get the message out. The busy times are here.
Thanks to everyone who staffed our booth at the county fair--lots of good contacts and exposure. The results of the vice-presidential straw poll are at the website: columbiacodems.com
Things You Should Know
Ray Frey
Chair
Fellow Democrats:
A mere 97 days remain before the election. I think all of us struggle to understand what might motivate a voter to choose a Republican candidate on November 4: the pattern of failure, the moral emptiness, the corruption? It appears however that some voters will still respond to the tired cliches. Senator Obama, at the head of our ticket, has made it quite clear that business as usual will not do. If the United States is not to become morally and financially bankrupt, we will need to adopt a vision for real change. We'll need to remove the rot in Washington and make sure it doesn't return. The new generation of robber barons with the collusion of Republicans have made this a society with deep inequities and we'll need to undo that. We need to regain the respect of the five and half billion people who don't live in the United States and learn about the struggles that they face.
And we need to start acting constructively to turn over a society and a world to our grandchildren that will allow them to thrive. We should expect that this will involve sacrifices and a willingness to work together. And we need to convince our fellow citizens not to worry about the taxes they will pay should they win the Lottery (odds: one in forty million) and think a lot harder about paying for medical care in the event they're struck by lightning (odds: one in five hundred.) Our strength as Democrats is that we want to work on solving actual problems, that we work in a way that respects the views and needs of others and that we hold a vision that reflects the world as it is. I have noted before that this election is probably the most important in the last two generations; it is my view that the Republic may never recover its fundamental vision should the Republicans win. In Columbia County we are blessed with candidates that have the vision, intelligence and temperament to restore that vision. We all need to make every possible contribution in time, money and persuasive force to take the Presidency and the Wisconsin legislature and to make sure the Senate is filibuster proof.
As a local party we will do everything we can do to support the Democratic ticket from top to bottom. Look for us to coordinate with every campaign. Don Jones from the Combined Campaign from the state party and Jim Smith from the Assembly Campaign will both be at our August meeting, ready to talk about how we can work together. We've already been working closely with the Clark campaign for the 42nd Assembly seat and we're following the primary race in the 47th closely.
Our campaign headquarters will be opening early this month--negotiations are in the final stages. We'll need you to help staff the headquarters, volunteer for the individual campaigns, and get the message out. The busy times are here.
Thanks to everyone who staffed our booth at the county fair--lots of good contacts and exposure. The results of the vice-presidential straw poll are at the website: columbiacodems.com
Things You Should Know
- The Columbia County Democrats donated $1000 to the Sauk County Democratic Party to help them set up a campaign headquarters in Baraboo. This is the first time they've had one, so we were pleased to be able to help them get off the ground. Our focus continues to be on our two Assembly contests and the party will be contributing to both campaigns. All that fundraising we did this year is really starting to pay off.
- August membership meeting will be held August 13th 6:30 PM at the Poynette Village Hall, 1st Floor Meeting Room, 106 S. Main. This is an important meeting as we gear up for the election campaign and as noted above we will hear from Messrs. Jones and Smith on how much our efforts in Columbia County make a difference well beyond our boundaries.
- Annual Picnic will be held Saturday August 30, 1:30 PM at Pauquette Park in Portage. Please bring a dish to pass. We've arranged perfect weather. This is a fun event, and a great kickoff for the home stretch of the election.
Ray Frey
Chair