Howard Dean Returns to Democracy for America, Celebrating 5 Years of Grassroots Activism

I'm was very happy to learn that former DNC Chair Howard Dean is returning to the progressive grassroots organization that he formed as part of his presidential campaign -- DFA. Originally known as Dean for America when Dean was a candidate, the organization morphed into Democracy for America in 2004 and has been going strong ever since. There are DFA-affiliated groups in every state including New Mexico, where Albuquerque's DFA-Democracy for New Mexico Meetup is alive and well and still adding members (hint, hint).

Below is an email sent out by Dr. Dean celebrating five years of grassroots activism and small-donation fundraising. If you believe in the power of the people, consider donating to help make DFA even stronger and show your support for Howard's return to the group. Dean has pledged to work with us on the road again to support candidates and help pass meaningful health care reform. Also see this post on Daily Kos today, where you can leave a message for Howard.

From Howard Dean: It is hard to believe it's been five years since we started Democracy for America.

When my campaign for President ended in 2004, the political pundits and talking heads said our movement was over. They said you'd give up, you'd walk away, and politics would never hear from you again.

They got it wrong.

Five years later, DFA is stronger than ever. We started with a solid 300,000 members. Today, we boast over a million.

We started our support for progressive candidates with the original Dean Dozen. Today, you've elected over 575 DFA-endorsed candidates to all levels of office, including our first Dean Dozen candidate Barack Obama and his campaign for U.S. Senate.

We've done a lot in five years, and we're just getting started. Stand with me again and deliver DFA the resources to win for another 50.

CLICK HERE TO CONTRIBUTE NOW

Four years ago, thanks to your hard work, I was elected Chair of the Democratic National Committee. We continued to work together to reform the Democratic Party and fight for votes in all 50 States. Thanks to you I had the grassroots support needed to get the job done.

When we launched DFA, a core mission of mine was to train a new generation of citizen activists. Five years later, the DFA Campaign Academy and Night School have trained almost 20,000 activists and candidates nationwide in the skills to win and the results will pay off for years to come.

The DFA Community has held over 50,000 events from Juneau, Alaska to Wichita, Kansas, from Los Angeles to New York. Whether you participated in a candlelight vigil to end the war, delivered Social Security success stories to wavering members of Congress, or got together for a movie and phone banking night, your activism has changed the way Washington does business. They know we're watching. And they know we aren't going away.

That's why I'm returning to DFA and I have to admit, it'll be nice to work out of my old office in Burlington. I'll also be hitting the road with you, stumping for grassroots candidates and advocating for the issues that matter most to you and me. For one, I think you know that healthcare for all is an important issue to me. I look forward to working with you to pass meaningful reform that makes sure that every American has the health care they need.

To do all this and more, I need your help today. Let's come together and make sure DFA has all the resources we need to accomplish another 50 years of victories.

CELEBRATE 5 YEARS OF SUCCESS BY POWERING DFA FOR THE NEXT 50: CONTRIBUTE $50 TODAY (or whatever you can afford).

Thank you for everything you do.

-Howard
Governor Howard Dean, MD
Founder, Democracy for America