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Dean Movement Advances, Establishes "Unity" Principles
Prince George's County for Dean has joined national grassroots effort to promote the agenda of Howard Dean
Cheverly, MD (PRWEB) February 29, 2004 --One week after Howard Dean suspended his race for the Democratic presidential nomination, a massive body of the grassroots organizations that grew out of his candidacy has moved to unite and remain relevant to the body politic. By adopting a set of core principles, the Dean grassroots is now firmly positioned to extend its mobilization and fundraising strength to other candidates and causes. It is the largest citizen movement since the Vietnam era.
Today, more than 70 Dean-inspired grassroots organizations across the nation representing over 55,000 voters announced that their memberships ratified three "Unity Principles" under which they will continue to operate in their communities and nationally. The unity statements will help the grassroots implement the call-to-arms Dean issued in his exit speech last Wednesday.
(1) We are UNITED in working to send as many delegates pledged to Dean as possible to the Democratic Convention.
(2) We are UNITED in the need to create a movement to advocate for the principles articulated by Howard Dean.
(3) We are UNITED to work together in coalition with a broad range of groups to oust George Bush in 2004.
While each grassroots organization will maintain autonomy of purpose, the joint statement establishes a baseline agreement on how the organizations will move forward to
impact American politics through the Democratic Convention in July, the fall presidential election and beyond.
"Dean told us we have the power and that our voices matter," said Vicki Trojnor of Auburn, New York, a Dean campaign volunteer. "Now we are believing it, and we are self-organizing to work for the progressive principles he espoused."
Grassroots organizers and leaders across the country initiated the "Unity" movement last week immediately after Howard Dean bowed out of the race. "Since we no longer had a candidate to focus on, we faced the possibility of this massive grassroots effort falling apart," said Randy Foote of Los Angeles, California who attended high school with Howard Dean at St. Georges School in Newport, Rhode Island. "While each group has its own charter and focus, were still more powerful working together, and we needed a statement of unity to rally around."
Communicating via Yahoo!® listservs and Blogs, the unity statements were widely circulated and discussed. The document continues to be reviewed and ratified by Dean grassroots organizations across the nation.
Prince George's County for Dean has endorsed the "Unity" statement.
About Prince Georges County for Dean
Prince Georges County for Dean is a grassroots organization organized by individuals in suburban Maryland. Prince George's for Dean is not officially connected to the Dean for America campaign. The Dean for America campaign, however, has actively encouraged these grassroots meetings by providing links and reminders on www.deanforamerica.com. Extensive use of the Internet for grassroots organizing is unprecedented in presidential politics and is demonstrating the importance of the web in political campaigns.
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