Write a letter to the Democratic Party of Illinois ...

At the Governor's Day Rally, we will be submitting letters from DFAers all over the state with suggestions to the Dem Party of Illinois about what we would like to see our party accomplish between now and November 2006. You can write a letter and bring it with you to our Gov's Day event. Go here to rsvp and get more details:

http://dfa.meetup.com...

But if you CAN'T come to the rally, write a letter anyway!
And encourage your friends to write, too.

1. Letters should answer the question, "What would you like to see the
Illinois Democratic Party accomplish between now and 2006?" We would
like to focus on a positive vision of what the Democratic Party of
Illinois could be.

2. All letters should be addressed to the "Democratic Party of Illinois."

3. Send your letters to any of the following addresses:
IMPORTANT: THEY MUST BE RECEIVED BY AUGUST 16 TO BE INCLUDED.

- DFI Letters, C/O Sandra Verthein, 5455 N. Sheridan Road, Chicago, IL 60640
- DFI Letters, C/O Matt Lowry, P.O. Box 6661, Vernon Hills, IL 60061
- Or Online at: http://www.ipetitions...
- Or Email them to: DFI.Letters at gmail dot com

4. Or bring them to Governor's Day yourself! This is a fabulous event
and great chance to interact with your Illinois Dem Leaders and meet
DFAers from all over the state. Go to http://dfa.meetup.com... to RSVP and for more details.

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What can state Dem parties do?

Below are some things other state parties are doing that may give you some ideas for your letter. You can visit the IL dem party webstite at http://www.ildems.com....

COLORADO DEMOCRATIC PARTY (CDP):
http://www.coloradode...

On the CDP website you can vote on which issue you want the CDP to
have as its number one priority (health care is the top choice, BTW).
They have a newsletter you can sign up for, you can download the 2004
CDP Party Platform, and under "Get Involved" you can sign up for
volunteer activities. According to their press release page, the CDP
recently held a "Stop Tancredo" Rally -- he is one of their
Republican congressmen. At this rally the CDP Second Vice Chair
Margaret Atencio, on behalf of the CDP, stated: "Congressman Tom
Tancredo has shown that he is not a true leader. And he does not
deserve to be elected to any office in this country." (Perhaps the
Illinois Dems would like to hold a "Stop Hastert" rally???) They also
have two initiatives designed to help develop message, a "Listening
Campaign," which is designed to facilitate neighborly discussion about
the important issues facing individual communities, and a "Messaging
Project" which consists of asking for feedback on things like "How
would you describe the mission of the Democratic Party locally?" And
they have a calendar you can submit events to, which has activities on
it for almost every day of the week. Wish I could have gone to the
"Clear Creek's Bands, Beers, Brats and Democrats" event! :-)

MARYLAND DEMOCRATIC PARTY (MDP)
http://www.mddems.org...

To step away from the web sites for a moment, here is what the newly
elected MDP Chair, Terry Lierman, said recently:

"Since my election as State Party Chair last December I have sought to
revitalize the Maryland Democratic at every level all the way from the
precinct level to the state headquarters."

"We've made amazing progress over the past sixth months. At the
grassroots level, I have put over 15,000 miles on my car visiting
Democratic clubs, Meetups, Young Democrats groups, DFA groups, and
county central committees in all 23 counties and Baltimore City.
Right now, our staff is working with local groups to establish goals
and strategic plans for all 24 jurisdictions in the state. This is
something that has not been done in this state in a very long time and
its implementation is a critical part of our strategy to leave no
county behind."

"We have also sought to reach out and reconnect to important community
groups in order to strengthen our relationships. I have overseen the
establishment of the Maryland African-American Outreach Network, the
Women's Leadership Network, the Maryland Latino Democratic Caucus, and
the Maryland Democratic Business Council. These networks have been
focused on the fact that communication is a two-way street. We can
only win the support of these communities if we spend time listening
to their concerns."

http://terry-lierman....

On their website you can purchase a Maryland Democrats Oval
Sticker -- a great way to show state Dem pride. And they have
something you can sign up for called the "Talk Radio Truth Squad."
Fascinating!

OHIO DEMOCRATIC PARTY:
http://www.ohiodems.o...

Worth a click just to watch their "Coingate" ad! And they have a page
on the site called, "Run for Office!" On it, their State Party
Chairman says, "If you decide to run, I want you to know that the
state party is here to help, with strategic planning, fundraising and
organizing. I hope you will contact one of our regional field
coordinators to discuss the candidate opportunities in your area. I
have included a list of field staff contact information broken down
regionally for your convenience. Please contact them."

ARKANSAS DEMOCRATIC PARTY:
http://www.arkdems.or...

The first item on the page is "Chairman Willett defends Governor Dean
on Fox News Channel. (Watch short quicktime video (1.5M)."

'Nuff said!

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So start writing those letters!