Dean rallies Democrats on campaigning

WILMINGTON -- Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean brought a message familiar to every Delaware candidate in a Tuesday visit to rally the local party forces he is helping finance.
Person-to-person politics beats big media campaigns when it comes to winning over voters.
"You can't win a campaign with just expensive TV ads," Dean said. "You've got to go out and make yourself known. ... You have to go to people who didn't vote the way you voted and convince them of your position.".......

"We only have seven of nine offices," said Dean, former governor of Vermont. "We're not 100 percent Democratic here yet. We still have work to do right here."

Steve Biener, a former Democratic congressional candidate, said he thought the message was right for a state like Delaware that has always relied on door-to-door politics....

University of Delaware political science professor Joe Pika says the 50-state approach is long overdue for Democrats. Besides saving the state party money, getting the direct aid from the national party also gives the DNC a bigger voice in areas such as candidate recruitment, Pika said.

"The Democrats are playing catch-up," he said. "This is something Republicans have been doing since the Watergate debacle in the 1970s, when they realized they needed to rebuild the infrastructure of their party. ... It may not be paying for staff, but the Republicans have a number of ways they provide support to state and local parties."

http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2006608020352

which has been usurped in a lot of ways by Republicans. Big ticket advertising gets all the national media attention on both sides, of course, but in Congressional races, those coffee klatch/activist caucus/local party meeting votes matter. The Democratic base isn't necessarily a TV event.

USCS dems played ball at "Softball Saturday for Hardball November", Laguna Beach dems had an ice cream social, Lehigh Valley, PA had a luau/shelter donation event, and in Savannah, GA-

snip>
...Upon arriving at the intersection of Abercorn and Victory, I saw the meeting place, The CaledonIan, a true Savannah-style pub. The parking areas and the curbs were filled with vehicles emblazoned proudly with Democratic stickers. I had arrived.

When I walked inside, I was almost taken aback by the sight of dozens of Democrats -young and old, black and white, in a truly integrated show of support for the Party.....

After the speeches, I roamed the room for interview opportunities, meeting fellow District 1 Democrats, and enjoying the fellowship. These people are the reason I became a Democrat in the first place; just regular folks who want America to be a better place than we found it. Regular folks who care enough to get involved and help decide the direction of their communities, their state and their nation.

Saturday, I got to talk to fellow Democrats about issues important to Glynn County (education, home ownership) and the nation (Iraq, the Middle East). I got to talk to fellow Democrats about new media (email, internet, blogs). I got to talk to fellow Democrats about college football (which is never, ever wasted time). And, in the end, I get to broadcast this out onto the internet for everyone to see.

All in all, this trip was well worth the drive up through uncooperative weather and traffic on Abercorn. I walked out of this Democratic Unification Rally quite pleased with the future of the Democratic Party, and prouder than ever to call myself a Democrat (Party Wing).

http://coastalempiredfa.blogspot.com/2006/07/chatham-artillery.html
http://www.democrats.org/a/2006/08/thosands_of_wor.php