Dean Supporters - Just say No!

Hey all you Dean supporters out there, we know how good it feels to be part of the process. The empowerment is amazing and we all know Dean's campaign is brilliant. We will make history.

So in the spirit of our empowerment, we are going to be asked (isn't that nice...actually having a voice) whether we think Howard Dean should say no to matching funds. I urge all Dean supporters to tell Howard Dean that you think he should say no to matching funds.

We have the power!

edit: typo

Any way you slice it, taking the public money would be a mistake.

I wish that major race elections were run off of public taxpayer money entirely off of the FEC giving the exact same amount out to each candidate to spend and setting spending limits on the candidates like a Football Salary Cap. Then Bush couldn't milk $200 million from his Rich buddies and we'd have a completely even playing field.

Also on edit, this would end all that fundraising and allowing corporate partners to put their hands in politician pockets.

Rp

there's no way we're taking the federal funds.

http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-na-dean5nov05234431,1,4596710.story?coll=la-headlines-politics

He invited nearly 500,000 e-mail recipients across the country to express their views over a 48-hour period beginning Thursday and ending Friday at midnight. He said the results would be announced Saturday.

Last week, while campaigning in California, Dean told potential supporters he had already decided to forgo public financing, according to people who attended the closed-door sessions.

A strategist at Dean headquarters insisted, however, that the candidate's mind was not made up.

"This is a binding vote," the strategist said Tuesday night. "Whatever our supporters decide is what this campaign is going to do."

the following will happily comply with his wishes.

why wouldn't you want Dean to take matching funds...why is that bad? An honest, non-baited question!:hi:

When you accept matching funds you agree to certain limits on advertising and such.....I believe that Bush, once again, will not seek those funds either, something that ,apparently, Dean and Bush will have in common.

So by taking the money, Dean would have his advertising restricted? Like the amount of total airtime commercials?
Thanks for answering! :hi:

and his mob never dreamed that a Democrat could match him and not accept matching funds. I think we have no choice if we want our country back.

Basically, if you read this, the answer is clear: taking matching funds would be political suicide with Bush having $200 million for the primary, and running unopposed.



http://www.deanforamerica.com/site/PageServer?pagename=votetimeline

How We Got to This Decision

Your success has led to this decision. By the end of September, you and more than 200,000 Americans had raised a total of $25.1 million for our campaign, with an average contribution of $77.

Your continued fundraising success in the past six weeks has put us on course to collect approximately $18.6 million in matching funds, beginning the first week in January. By combining the money you have raised with the $18.6 million in matching funds, you have essentially reached the $44.6 million cap that can be raised for the primaries. Therefore, this campaign will have to stop fundraising almost immediately if we accept the matching funds.

Most likely we will spend the $45 million primary funds by March and we will then be vulnerable to the $200 million collected by George Bush. Your campaign will not be able to spend any more election money until the convention at the end of July.

More information here: http://www.deanforamerica.com/site/PageServer?pagename=votesummary&JServSessionIdr002=45iu5x7401.app196a


Eloriel

Dean is considering dropping out of the limits in the PRIMARY, a time that Dean is NOT going against Bush* and his $200million

undefined time in the future! Dean is a winner and he thinks like one!

about Bush*'s $200million

are "mislead"ing are the gepkerwards!

or he can't later. He would be removed from the NC ballot if he did and he would have taken money under false pretenses. What I think he should do is opt out but make it clear he will abide by the limits during the contested primary season as long as the other candidates do too.

You are limited to $45 million in spending through July, 2004 (the party convention).

And you must decide to opt-in or opt-out by this December 1st.

That's how the system works.

From probably March to July, when there's a known Democratic nominee, Bush's $200 million can utterly destroy the Democrat.

That's the choice. And we're facing it -- and voting on it -- right now.

the $45 million would be used up by the time the primaries are over (March)… no other money could be used on advertising between that time & the convention (end of July)… during this time Bush can spend $170 million and Dean wouldn't be able defend himself… DNC & other groups can't run ads that name Dean during this time either.

Bush has already opted out and raised $200 million. In order to compete with that, we can't be limited to less than a quarter of what he already has.

Goes something like this.

Due to the crowded feild of candidates in this race the spending will be higher in the first place to remain competative throughout the primaries. The spending cap of 45 million that comes with matching funds will be reached sometime in march by the dean campaign.

That would leave Dean unable to spend any money between march and the demnocratic convention sometime in july? That would leave Dean defensless against bush attacks for four months. Assuming he is in the lead to get the nod at that point all of bushes energy and $$$ will be directed at him for that whole time with no way to respond.

As it stands now they will reach the limit of funds they can accept from supporterws within the next week or so. Wich would leave them from now until july before they could start taking contributions again. that almost 8 full months of sitting idle when they could be amasing a war chest to compete with bush. To give up 8 months of contributions alone would be foolhardy in my opinion.

Add those to together and I cant think of one reason to accept financing other than the free cash.

highly original (or not) it only gets you so far. good luck.

n/t

And I will "just say no"! Can't wait for the historical decision on Full Moon Saturday! :)

Fundraising is Dean's strength, and he should take it to the bank. :P

and think it is important that the four months after the democratic primaries that Bush not be allowed to rule the air-waves without any response. Not taking federal funds will allow Dean to compete should he be the nominee.

Opting out is the only answer to beating *Bushco's Big Bucks Boys.

which is how I will be voting, will also make this a history making campaign.

It will be the voice of We, the People guiding and supporting our Democratic candidate to the White House!

On edit: spellin

It seems to be two paths... Idealism and Pragmatism.

VERY tough call.

There's your answer.

I'll probably vote for him to refuse the matching funds, but it isn't b/c that's how I think our elections should be run. But until Shrub is hampered by these same limits, any candidate commits suicide by agreeing to them.

I actually hope Kerry, Clark and anyone else who has a shot at raising substantial sums will opt out too. The more money aimed at beating Shrub, the better. And I hope that all who do say that they are doing so with regret and that this is a perfect example of why our elections should be publically financed.

It would be worth it just for that....

But on topic, yes, I agree that he should ditch matching funds. Judging by his outrageous success in private fundraising so far, not only can he do better this way but he sends the message to the electorate that he really is tapping into what so many individual citizens think, and want in their next president.

On the one hand, I strongly support public financing, and if neither party's candidate uses it in the primaries, then it could kill the system. On the other hand, if Dean can raise enough money on his own, why should he handicap himself by accepting a limit and letting Bush clobber him with a barrage of ads from March to July which he won't be able to respond to? I am really torn between my belief in public financing and the part of me that says do what it takes to win...this election is too important to throw.

I'm voting no!

Kerry-Wellstone. Senators John Kerry and Paul Wellstone are proposing legislation for public financing of campaigns and free TV time to candidates abiding by voluntary spending limits. This more or less parallels Maine Clean Election Act (described below) at federal level.

The Maine Clean Election Act

The Maine Clean Election Act (CEA) provides for public funding of state election campaigns. It provides a useful model for other states to follow in that in conforms to the first amendment protections of free speech while discouraging enormous campaign expenditures.

Features:

Beginning in year 2000 candidates for Maine House and Senate who agree to reject private funding may apply for certification under the CEA. Gubernatorial candidates qualify in 2002.

Certified candidates receive funds 25% less than average spent on the 96 and 98 campaigns.

If a certified candidate is outspent by a non-certified candidate, the certified receives one-to-one matching funds (up to 2 times the limit for a certified candidate).

To obtain certification a candidate:

Must demonstrate public support by collecting $5 qualifying contributions from Nov. 1 to March 16: at least 2,500 for governor, 150 for senator, 50 for representative. (Note that the population of Maine is about 1.3 million, less than Santa Clara County, slightly more than San Diego.)

May raise "seed money" from individuals limited to $100 per contributor with limits of $50,000 for governor, $1,500 for the Senate, and $500 for the House.

$2,000,000 is set aside from general revenues to the Clean Election Fund. This is supplemented by unspent seed money and qualifying contributions. ˜ Certified candidates agree to reject all private contributions.

Contributions to noncertified candidates are limited to $250 for the legislature and $500 for governor.

Dean '04...The New Democratic Leader of The NEW Democratic Party!!!

it was posted here.

of federal funding, even though I am a strong supporter of CFR, because to beat idiot boy, we need to throw out any rules he isn't follwing.

and I hope very much for a Dean/Clark ticket. Unbeatable.

It is the only way to compete with Bush. I hope that there is some sort of spending cap informally agreed by all of the candidates during the primary. But the simple fact is that, come March, our candidate needs to have enough in the bank to fight Bush. We cannot afford to let Bush and his $200mil define and distort until after the convention.