 Dear Phillip, This president's approval ratings have sunk to levels unseen since Richard Nixon. That's right -- going into his State of the Union speech, George Bush's popularity matches the Republican who became so deeply and universally disliked that he resigned from office. Americans have had it with this president. So today, I want to talk to you about the next President. You may not know everything about all the Democratic candidates yet. But let me assure you of one thing: building on our success in 2006 and continuing to grow the Democratic operation everywhere this year is absolutely critical to ensuring that a Democrat wins in 2008. We took back both houses of Congress, but there's one important house left -- and it sits at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Putting a Democrat back in the White House will require a long-term investment by our party. It's time to take the investments of the last two years and go even further: http://www.democrats.org/1600penn You see, while Democratic presidential candidates build operations in the states they need to win the nomination, it's up to the national party to grow capacity everywhere so our candidate is ready for the general election. The fight for the Democratic nomination will be tough and expensive, and the winner must emerge with viable operations in the states that will decide the general election. That's where you come in. Besides supporting your favorite candidate, each of us has a responsibility to ensure that our nominee inherits a truly national organizing operation. That's the DNC's mandate, and it's one we must fulfill together. We're already on our way. Our 50-state strategy powered victories up and down the ballot, in every part of the country in 2006. We shocked the experts who simply didn't know how to explain three new Democratic Congressmen from supposedly "red" Indiana, Democratic sweeps in "swing" states like Iowa and Ohio, or unexpected wins in places like Kansas and Kentucky. The Republicans never knew what hit them. If we continue to build our program of grassroots organizing everywhere, they will be even more surprised when the Democratic nominee for president seems poised for an upset in some supposedly "safe Republican" states. Will you make your down payment on a Democratic victory in 2008 right now? You can make your donation right here: http://www.democrats.org/1600penn You may have to watch George Bush give the State of the Union this year, but if you look closely you'll see the impact small donations can make. Over his left shoulder will be Speaker Nancy Pelosi -- the first woman ever to lead the House, and the first Democrat in over a decade. It took a 50-state strategy to make that happen. Democrats picked up seats in "red" states, "blue" states and everywhere in between because we made a deliberate choice to fight everywhere. As you see the images of George Bush standing at that podium, I want you to imagine a new Democratic president standing there in his place. If you want that day to come, it's time to act -- please make a donation of whatever you can afford now to kick off the 2008 campaign: http://www.democrats.org/1600penn Below you'll find a selection of the advice and suggestions that tens of thousands of you passed along to Senator Jim Webb as he prepares to give the nationally televised Democratic response. Your notes convey feelings of both hope and concern -- optimism about the possibilities that come with more Democrats in charge, but frustration with the direction this president still seems intent on dragging the country. The good news is that the rest of the country agrees with you. The bad news is that if we don't rev up the operation now, we could miss the opportunity to elect a Democratic president to replace this one at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Make your commitment to the 2008 election now by making a donation to build the infrastructure we'll need to win: http://www.democrats.org/1600penn Now I'll leave the task of addressing the substance of the State of the Union in capable hands ... Yours. Thank you, Governor Howard Dean, M.D.
The comments below were sent by ordinary Americans across the country to Senator Jim Webb as he prepared to deliver the official Democratic response to the president's State of the Union. Paul S.:
I served in the U. S. Navy (enlisting 3 days prior to my 18th birthday) during World War II. That was a great honor for me. This Iraq war was wrong from the first being based on false information. We have continued to be involved in what is truly a civil war between people who have been fighting each other for years and will continue to do so. It's time we got out of there and stopped the useless loss of lives and crippling injuries of our young men and women. The Congress needs to do whatever is necessary to stop it and stop it soon! James S.:
We must bring our troops home! Sunday was the deadliest day in two years and one of the deadliest ever in this war for our troops. We went there without a cause; we went there without a plan; we went there without a focus. We have stayed without the support of the Iraqi people; we have stayed without the support of the world community; now we are staying without the support of the American people. We must come home, now! Margaret P.:
Health care for all is a critical issue even for those who already have health insurance. The cost of drugs, medical procedures, and doctors' appointments is rising every year. We have many insurance plans for those working and over a hundred plans for Medicare D, which makes the drug and insurance companies very wealthy. The amount of paper work is out of sight. I'd like to see a universal health care plan where everyone is covered. It could be pay as you go (our pay checks taxed, as social security is) and we should be able to cover the poor by seeing that they have a health exam each year, thereby avoiding all those emergency room visits. The saddest thing is that the money wasted on this Iraq fiasco, could have covered every citizen's health needs and we still would have money left over for all the public schools in the nation. Christopher B.:
Lobbying and Ethics reform. Take away the power of corporate interests and restore power to the people-- by amendment if necessary. Money should not pollute our Democracy. Grant C.:
I believe we need to look inside ourselves, as a country, to find a common ground... the place where our differences are respected as a part of a living, changing vision. We cannot be divisive about the need for better healthcare, education and emergency management. In a civilized society, these are basic rights that all people must be allowed to enjoy. We must be world leaders in these areas, demonstrating the power of democracy to thrive on a higher level, before we can expect others to embrace our ideals. Evangeline F.:
I would like for the state of Hurricane Katrina homes in New Orleans to be mentioned. It's still a national disgrace because the 9th ward is still untouched. It looks like the hurricane just left. No clean up whatsoever has taken place. You can view more comments here: http://www.democrats.org/a/2007/01/state_of_the_un_5.php
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