truthandhope
On TV in Vermont!
We have raised $4,650 for Vermont television, which means we will get on the air tomorrow! I will be on the phone as soon as the stations open to buy as much as I can. If we keep bringing money in, I'll add some prime time spots as well. Tomorrow I will let you all know where & when we will be airing the spots.
Here is the link to the spot:
http://homepage.mac.com/stevehernandez/iMovieTheater5.html
Thank you all for taking part in real action & making this happen,
Eugene Hedlund
Founder
TruthandHope.Org
Vermont TV Ads
Eugene writes:
We have raised $1,695 for Vermont TV so far. Just to clarify - $5,000 gets us on the 3 stations morning, midday & early evening. $10,000 buys us some prime time - more than that is more prime time (those spots are $950 - $2,400 each).
The www.aspenwilde.com/dfa.htm is working perfectly for taking donations (as is the blog), and a Vermont TV choice is now on the pulldown menu, but having technical issues in regards to updating the text, thus the totals (I had such an issue here last week as well). Anything that came in last night for VT and the General Fund after we make up the deficit has been allocated to VT-TV. I will be away & unable to send mass emails until Sunday night, but will be checking the individual emails & totals as they come in. I will try to keep the donation portal & blog updated as we raise funds & will let you know where we stand late Sunday night.
Let's get on the primetime airwaves, let's send a real message to Vermont, the voters, the media & the other Dean groups. I encourage you to reach out to other Dean group leaders and members, let them know that we are doing something, not just talking about it & we could use their help!
Thank you for all that you do!
Eugene Hedlund
Founder
TruthandHope.Org
PS - On Monday we will post options to give to the upcoming states, but let's focus on Vermont TV, and maybe a little General Fund to cover the shortage in the other states too!
Purchases and Updates, 2/27
Here's what Eugene bought today – as always based on suggestions, price, demo, and availability:
New York:
WDST 2/28 - 3/1
WHAM 2/28 - 3/1
WSYR 2/28 - 3/1
Massachusetts:
WBOS 2/28 - 3/1
WRCA 2/27 - 3/1
Maryland:
WBAL 3/1
Connecticut:
WCAT & WNEZ 2/28 - 3/1
Rhode Island:
WPRO 3/1
Ohio:
WKRC & WSAI 3/1
Totals| Northern California | $7,695 | Spent $7,630 |
| Central California | $475 |
| Southern California | $9,698 | Spent $9,350 |
| New York | $2,882 | Spent $3,916 |
| Vermont | $5,824 | Spent $5,117 |
| Connecticut | $1,283 | Spent $1,500 |
| Ohio | $770 | Spent $1,400 |
| Georgia | $250 |
| Minnesota | $1,960 | Spent $1,850 |
| Massachusetts | $1,360 | Spent $2,124 |
| Rhode Island | $475 | Spent $685 |
| Maryland | $1,660 | Spent $1,700 |
|
| AA Media Outreach | $1,075 |
| WFD Print Ads | $5,271 | Spent $5,283 |
|
| General Fund | $2,664 |
View the California Women for Dean Print Ad
here
Listen to the Super Tuesday radio ad
here, and the Spanish version
here
Eugene writes:
"I really wanted to be able to say that we were in all 10 states, as a symbol - so I took some general fund money, along with the carry over to pad some states that needed it or to increase the buys in funded states a little to give us some more coverage. This is our big day, so may as well go all out! I will make a buy Monday for Georgia & Central California, so that we have coverage in each state or region.
Beyond hoping that the funds come in to cover what was spent...we have a television ad for Vermont. Steve Hernandez put this together for us & getting the beta tapes made! (He also put together the Mamma Cass ad, which we tried but could not gain copyright clearance to air) Thanks also to Julie Omohundro for keeping the fire for TV alive, when we thought there was not the time, Richard Hoefer (DeanLeaders, RR team & Gnetwork) for allowing us to use his sites pictures (www.deanphotos.com) as well as Stephanie and Hal Woods for their generous contributions of grassroots photos as well.
Here is the link to the TV spot: http://homepage.mac.com/stevehernandez/iMovieTheater5.html
I have had the tapes overnighted to WCAX, WNNE & WPTZ in Vermont. We could be up on the air all Monday through mid-Tuesday. It will take at least $5,000 to do this. Less could buy us some early spots, more & we could buy some primetime. Let's do all we can to thank Governor Dean & win Vermont for him! We will be the first & ultimately only non-DFA group to run pro-Dean ads in this election cycle & completely grass-roots as well - another first.
Thank you so much for your help & support!
Eugene Hedlund
Founder
TruthandHope.Org"
Here's what we purchased
Vermont:
WVMT, WDEV, WCVT, WVAA, WEZF, WCDV, WZRT - All running from 2/27 - 3/1. These ads are not very expensive & we will have a lot of coverage daily - an average of 8 spots per day per station.
Minnesota:
WCCO - we're running from 2/27 - 3/1. I am told this is absolutely the place to be on the air, which is reflected in the cost. We're on twice a day.
Northern California:
KFOG - We added 2 more spots for 3/1.
Southern California:
XTRA 1150/690 - This is simulcast in Los Angles & San Diego. Highest rated Sportstalk station, good value for the price. We're on 2/27 - 3/1, including a laker game.
KNX 1070 - Major news radio, we're on 3/1 during the afternoon drive time.
KOST 103.5 - Adult Contemporary - Morning Drive & Midday Office listening 2/28 - 3/1.
For those in the Southern California market, you will feel the same as I do that there are so many stations you would have liked to get on. Stations like KFI are running $2,100 per spot. I got the best coverage versus price possible, with the funds available.
I will buy New York tomorrow - was hoping to see more come in. It's an expensive market & $2-3,000 will not go far at all. As for CT, OH, GA, MA, RI & MD - None of these are at $1,500 right now. I feel that it will be necessary to cut a couple out to fund the others. Most polls do not include Dean now so I can gauge how likely 15% is, but if there are any new numbers out that someone could forward me that & how close a state is to $1,500 will make the decision. I would like to finish that up tomorrow, sometimes I can buy same day ads, but not always & to hold on over the weekend to see if a state funds itself may not be the best choice when we can just focus the energy on others.
Beyond that I would love to buy more in Southern California, mix in some San Diego & Spanish stations, but it does take quite a lot.
We have made all the Women for Dean buys, 2 papers in Northern & Southern California respectively. I'll post a link to the final copy when I next update the site.
We could buy a little more in Vermont, I would like to cover Battleboro, but we are also trying to develop something for Vermont television. It's a longshot with time so short, but so is everything we are doing together.
The most important thing I can see is to spread the word about our organization, what we are doing. Please send out the 'open letter' I sent last night as widely as possible. If we could only reach out to the multitude of motivated Dean supporters who are lacking direction right now, we could fund all of these goals easily!
The technical issues have been sorted out - thank you for your patience.
Not too much cheerleading right now, I am exhausted!
Thank you all for your amazing help!
Eugene Hedlund
Founder
TruthandHope.Org
Overnight Open Thread
Updates are to the right -- we are more than 3/4 the way to our goal of reaching $50,000 in the state ad and other campaigns before Super Tuesday.
Overnight open thread
What do you all think of 11% in Idaho? Of our upcoming ad campaigns?
See our latest updates on the right!
Tell us what's on your mind!
Listen to our new radio spot
Click
here
There is also a Spanish version which is being retouched, but is otherwise ready for airing.
We are going on the air in the Northern California market with KFOG beginning on Wednesday through the Primary. Also we will be running on the Latin station KBRG in the same market, during the same time period. A lot more to follow in the upcoming days!
We are on the air now in Idaho & Utah. A small run like this will hopefully have some effect, as we have hit the largest markets & stations. However, even if the returns tomorrow do not reflect the numbers we would like to see, keep in mind the length of the run was small, but the symbology is great - that we have not gone away, given up hope or been silenced.
Tremendous Thanks to:
The AMAZING Northern California Emergency Radio Ad Crew:
Sarah - audio engineering & editing the ads, on her birthday, while 6 months pregnant
Deidre, Brian, Jesus, Shirley, and Joel - awesome radio voice talent
David Fox- co-producing, hand-holding, positive nit-picking, mixing, and MP3 burning
Annie - English script smoothing
Michelle, Froylan, & Jesus - Spanish script translation
Emily Duffy- co-producing, hand-wringing, and doughnuts
I will be away for the greater part of the day tomorrow, from the afternoon on, so if I do not respond to emails you know why. There will be an update to the fundraising totals before I go (there's only a nominal difference now).
Thank you all again!
Eugene Hedlund
Founder
TruthandHope.Org
On the Air!
We are on the air now and through tomorrow in Idaho on KIDO, KLTB and KXLT in Boise. Also we are on the air on KSL in Salt Lake City now through tomorrow. The Boise buy gives us a good coverage of news, talk and music, while KSL is the highest rated station in SLC and happens to be a news/talk format. I was able to get a discount to run a couple during the big BYU - Air Force game tonight on that station, normally $585 per spot, we got 2 for $510. Thank you to Bill Schultz for creating the ad and funding the balance to get us on the air. Here is the ad which is running:
http://www.infidels.org/~bill/ID-UT-3.mp3
We are cutting the new nationwide spot today and hopefully I will be able to email it out and post it to the website this afternoon or early evening. There will be English and Spanish versions and we will be running in Northern California perhaps tomorrow, but most likely on Wednesday, due to production time constraints. Also, we will be up in Southern California by the end of the week, hoping for Thursday and I will begin to look into Vermont radio straight away as well. We will run other states immediately as the funds come in!
I changed the hosting server for the site yesterday so it was down for a while. There should not be a problem going forward, but please let me know if it is down. I am not on the homepage except to update things, so I will not generally be aware if there is an issue. The donation portal at www.aspenwilde.com/dfa.htm is hosted separately and should not be affected by our server transition.
If all goes well by the end of business tomorrow we will have a new merchant account to collect funds, rather than paypal. Either way we are looking in to some sort of counter that will graphically represent the donations and goals. I am not going to use a bat, as that is practically or perhaps literally a DFA trademark.
Keep in mind, please, that we are updating the totals manually, so they may not always be as up to date as you would like, but everything is accounted for and we update as much as possible. Typically it is once or twice a day at this point, the overall level of activity is taken into account. If we've raised $800 in 12 hours, it is a lot of work to update the whole page when there is no noticeable difference.
For future reference: A full page USA Today ad is approximately $100,000. That is why we are not running a full page USA Today ad, and are not planning to. I get this request constantly. Although a newspaper may cost little, print ads are not at all inexpensive. Also, they have little effect for what we are doing, people will not read a speech. Voters make decisions based on soundbytes. You are all educated on the issues and the campaign and following things closely, but the average person responds to these 30 and 60 second moments, which is why TV and radio are so effective. Proof of this is the airing of attack ads and Iowa by Gephardt's PAC and the scream speech. All the print ads in the world are not as powerful as those few seconds to the general public - they just cost a whole lot more.
Please visit our blog @ http://truthandhope.blogspot.com [you're there!] - It would be great to have some more positive discussion on the comment boards!
Beyond that we are working very diligently to get on the air with good spots, keeping our minds open for television and overall keeping our hope that we will still change things.
Thank you for the same - anything can still happen if we try!
Eugene Hedlund
Founder
TruthandHope.Org
Today’s Updates
| Hawaii | $ 640 (no media run; total will carry forward) | N. California | $6,820 |
| Utah | $1,500 (spent $1,560) | C. California | $ 325 |
| Idaho | $1,500 (spent $1,620) | S. California | $2,298 |
|
Independent Groups/Efforts
| New York | $2,552 |
| African American
Media Outreach | $1,055 | Vermont | $2,765 |
| Connecticut | $ 360 |
| Ohio | $ 650 |
| California Women
For Dean | $3,537
($20k Goal) | Georgia | $ 200 |
| Minnesota | $ 210 |
| Massachusetts | $ 750 |
| Vermont Print Ads | $1,964 | Rhode Island | $ 200 |
| Maryland | $ 650 |
| General Fund | $1,515 |
Overnight updates
[Apologies for not getting these up earlier. It's been a very busy weekend for me, thank you for your understanding. Stuart (sdf)]
Fundraising totals:
N.CA $6,715 HI $ 605 AA $1,000 - African American Outreach Radio Ads
C.CA $ 300 UT $ 382 WFD $2,410 - Women for Dean in California Print Ads
S.CA $2,238 ID $ 315 VPA $ 454 - Vermont Print Ads
NY $2,482
VT $2,395
CT $ 300
OH $ 400
GA $ 200
MN $ 190
MA $ 600
RI $ 200
Primary Website:
www.truthandhope.org
Donation Portal:
www.aspenwilde.com/dfa.htm
We are now TruthandHope.Org PAC - FEC ID# C00396499
Our electronic filings are or will be available at
www.fec.gov. These will detail the list of donors & expenditures, so you can verify the information I have already sent regarding where & how we have spent your money, or you can direct those who would have such questions to this site. I say 'will' be available only because I just tried to look them up & it does show us now as registered, but reports the contributions & disbursements as $0. Our attorney sent the electronic filing on Friday, so hopefully the FEC updates their website within 1-2 business days. Going forward our filings must & will be sent within 24 hours of media purchase to the FEC, which will all be public record. I am going to update the website this evening with a page reflecting our past campaigns as well, which are also public record with the radio stations. This will allow you to verify (or others who wish to) the information I have already sent as to where the money is being spent & when.
Here is another grassroots ad submitted by Renee Lester:
http://dean2004.bmgbiz.net/delegates.wav. It will need some work, and a disclaimer should we use it. Let me know what you think.
The greatest obstacle I see to TruthandHope's efforts & specifically the efforts to get the word out to voters that they can still vote for Dean and why they should is reaching out to those who are or would be inclined to do so, but do not actively participate on the blog, or other groups. There are many who go so far as the meetups, but do not participate in the web communities. Others who do not even do that due to time constraints, but would be receptive to our message. From here we have had some press recently, and will support the effort with media to the degree that we can afford. Reaching out to new membership is critical - and time short - to both increase our member & potential donor base which will increase our ability to run far reaching media campaigns, and to get the word out regarding the value of their Dean vote. Most of the electorate only knows that Dean has "dropped out" as the media has spun it and thus assume his delegates are released & it is over, rather than "suspended" his campaign & the fight for delegates continues.
A member here in Southern California has sent me an outline of a concept for supporters in their local area to organize & spread the word. I have attached the email & doc outlines for your review. It is not exactly the structure & verbiage I would use, but if nothing else perhaps a starting point for discussion of how we can get the word out. Also, Miles Kurland of www.northbaydean.org has put together an invaluable tool in the form of a customizable flyer. You can view it at
http://www.northbaydean.org/delegates/flyer.html. It allows you to input the state name as well as caucus/primary and date for your state. The flyer includes Howard Dean's message to continue to send delegates, as well as a concise statement of why this is important.
I would appreciate your feedback on these matters. Your help in spreading the word is critical to our success, as each day average voters grow more accustomed to the idea that Howard Dean has left the race for good & our voices, their voices silenced. We know better, it is up to us to make sure they do too.
Thank you for all that you do,
Eugene Hedlund
Founder
TruthandHope.Org
Updates (pt. 4): Overnight Open Thread
Eugene says,
Eileen Burke from Burlington has created a new logo for the new cause of 'Delegates for Dean' which is available in t-shirts etc. at
http://www.cafeshops.com/vermonters4dean. We are looking into doing the same for TruthandHope, which is coinciding with a rebuilding of the website, both in look and content, as the anti-Kerry messages, while still true, are not our current focus. I am looking to create pages of text and links addressing all of the various issues from healthcare to foreign policy to immigration, trade, etc. from the aspect of 'Myth, Truth and Hope' Myth being directly related to the right wings distortion of various issues to keep their base in line as believers, truth being the realities of said issue, and hope being our platform for progressive change that Governor Dean has fought for in regard to that particular issue. These will be backed with links to support such statements. Anyone who has the will or drive to write about any particular issues please let me know. This has been my pet project that I cannot find the time to undertake, with all that has been happening, but it is important to establish our broader appeal based on the cause which Gov. Dean has and does fight for. The media and opposition candidates have taken the focus off the message and put it on the messenger in a negative light, which has brought us to this place. Once America fully embraces the message however, the true messenger will surely follow.
You have probably received a message from the campaign chairs for DFA in your state. The California message has this important note:
We are all asking "what now?" Governor Dean has been explicit. Although his campaign is in suspension, he encourages you to support his candidacy by sending Dean delegates to the convention.
We are going to answer that call!
Thank you for all that you do!
Eugene Hedlund
Founder
TruthandHope.Org
Updates (pt.3): Vermont
Eugene writes,
"There is a groundswell of activity in Vermont. TruthandHope is planning to sponsor radio, print and is looking into television for a campaign to win that state. This will be a 'Thank You to Governor Dean' drive from the people who know him best and he has served so well for so long. John Edwards is not on the ballot in Vermont. There are only 22 delegates up for grabs, so this will not change the outcome of the election. Howard Dean was re-elected 5 times as Vermont Governor, so I believe that these aspects combined make Vermont a winnable state, or at least the opportunity for a strong showing of support for his message. The key is to get the message out there and elsewhere that it is a safe vote, a vote for a platform of progressive change, and that Governor Dean will take these delegates to Boston to fight for us, and then throw his support behind the nominee of the Democratic Party to defeat George W. Bush!
This is perhaps a longshot, but there are opportunities to run reasonably priced television ads in certain markets, Vermont being one. If anyone would like to submit 30 second spots for potential airing on TV in Vermont and other areas please contact me for the guidelines in regards to format, copyright, disclaimer, etc. They will need to be along the lines of our current methodology, in other words no anti-Bush, Kerry or Edwards, just positive messages - perhaps from the voters who intend to do so - of why a vote for Dean still matters, and how it represents a voice for progressive change, and Howard Dean is who will carry those voices to Boston where they will be heard by the nominee of the Democratic Party. There is little time, so I am not seeking funding for television yet, as this may not occur - but we have pulled of some near miracles with fundraising, production and getting on the air these last few weeks, so why not try?"
Updates and Plans (pt.2)
[Eugene has sent out a lengthy update, which I will post in several parts]
It was appearing to me that we may not go into ID, UT and HI - however Bill Schultz has generously created some media targeted for Idaho and Utah in particular here:
http://www.infidels.org/~bill/ID-UT-1.mp3
http://www.infidels.org/~bill/ID-UT-2.mp3
Let me know what you think. I have finished copy and am with your help developing more to be used as our main ads pieces around the country. There have been offers in LA, Boston, San Francisco, South Lake Tahoe and even Oslo, Norway to produce media with volunteers. The first priority is to get some ads produced, as the logistics in one, some or all of these places allows - English and Spanish versions, so we can get on the air straight away! I encourage ideas and input for this, as well as the scripts themselves. The concept we are selling is unique, in 60 seconds we need to explain why a voter who had heard only that Gov. Dean is out of the race should vote for him anyway. There have been movements to send a message before, but we have a limited time to get that word out. I would like to get on the air in the states next Tuesday, as it is our first opportunity since Governor Dean chose to become inactive in this campaign to make known that we have not gone away and the issues are still what count.
I need some help for these 3 states, with stations and contact numbers.
Updates and Plans (pt. 1)
[Eugene has sent out a lengthy update, which I will divide into several posts]
Totals| Hawaii | | | $505 |
| Utah | | | $235 |
| Idaho | | | $265 |
| Northern California | | | $6,490 |
| Central California | | | $100 |
| Southern California | | | $2,138 |
| New York | | | $2,332 |
| Maryland | | | $600 |
| Massachusetts | | | $525 |
| Vermont | | | $2140 |
| Ohio | | | $400 |
| Rhode Island | | | $200 |
| Connecticut | | | $225 |
| Minnesota | | | $190 |
| Georgia | | | $200 |
| WFD Print Ads | | | $1,840 |
| AA Outreach | | | $970 |
THANK YOU!
Evening Updates
Hawaii, Utah, and Idaho are coming up next Tuesday!
If we want to get ads on we will have to reach the $1,500 minimum soon!
| Hawaii | | | $395 |
| Utah | | | $175 |
| Idaho | | | $80 |
| Northern California | | | $6,340 |
| Southern California | | | $2,138 |
| New York | | | $2,122 |
| Maryland | | | $280 |
| Massachusetts | | | $525 |
| Vermont | | | $855 |
| Ohio | | | $365 |
| Rhode Island | | | $125 |
| WFD Print Ads | | | $1445 |
| General Fund | | | $1030 |
THANK YOU!
Morning Updates
| Hawaii | | | $360 |
| Utah | | | $125 |
| Idaho | | | $35 |
| Northern California | | | $6,290 |
| Southern California | | | $2,088 |
| Central California | | | $100 |
| New York | | | $2,070 |
| Maryland | | | $250 |
| Massachusetts | | | $525 |
| Connecticut | | | $225 |
| Vermont | | | $185 |
| Ohio | | | $240 |
| Georgia | | | $200 |
| Rhode Island | | | $100 |
| Minnesota | | | $190 |
| AA Outreach | | | $970 |
| WFD Print Ads | | | $1,205 |
| General Fund | | | $820 |
We have added buttons for Idaho, Hawaii, and Utah, with the caveat that should we fail to have the ads ready in time, the money will be carried forward to the Super Tuesday states. Also, we need to raise at least $1,500 for any state in order to place a buy in that state.
We have also added a button for "Women for Dean in California – Print Ads" at the request of this group's organizer, Jan Cadoret. As soon as copy is available, Eugene will post it for review.
Thanks!
Stuart
(sdf)
Eugene's latest message
Thank you all for the tremendous outpourings of support. It is literally near unanimous in favor of our carrying on this fight to secure delegates for the convention. I will reiterate that NONE of the money raised will now or ever go to support Kerry or Edwards. If we ever for any reason considered a change in that stance, because of a Dean endorsement or the end of the primary season we will notify all of you and raise those funds separately, but in the foreseeable future this will definitely not occur, and I personally am not keen on the idea.
When I imagine a Kerry VS Edwards debate, I am inspired to do little more than grab a pillow and a blanket.
We have taken in about $3,000 in the last couple hours, much from first time contributors for a dead candidate. As this grows and we take to the airwaves, it will send a powerful message that Dean's campaign did not go away quietly, and cringe all you like DNC, you will have to listen when the people speak.
As of tomorrow we will be registered with the FEC as a PAC. This will allow us to continue to expressly advocate on behalf of a candidate in a federal election.
TO DO's:
We will need to retool our message on the ads, quickly. The message needs to reflect the new strategy of supporting Dean to support a message. A vote for Dean sends delegates to fight for this message in Boston, and since the party has insisted on supporting candidates who stand for what the polls tell them to stand for the way to make certain that all these Dean inspired promises being made by Kerry and Edwards actually happen is to send a clear message that the party whose nomination they seek supports this platform. Considering how close the last election was, they cannot risk alienating such a large voting block, but without the delegates the voice will be a whisper. This reminds me of Buchanan in 92 running as a protest vote against Bush, because he wanted Republicans to be Republicans and quite raising taxes, etc. He pulled 20-35% across the country. Voters could safely support his protest, while knowing that they could still support the nominee the electable candidate in the general election. It was not long after that the far right took over the party and eight years later they took over the Presidency. We can do the same in the Democratic Party. A vote for Howard Dean is a protest against Democrats who have stopped governing as Democrats and are acting like Republicans. A years worth of stump speeches does not erase the voting record for the last 3 years of Kerry and Edwards. If the voters want to be duped into supporting who the media tells them is electable, but still in their heart support Howard Dean and his movement, this is the opportunity to do both! They can still vote for the nominee, but send a clear message in the interim that they expect a Democrat President to govern like a Democrat.
I am going to work on new ads to this end, and will accept any submissions for potential ads that you wish to send. Admittedly I am a little bitter at having to write a $3,650 check for the ads we just produced - then have to do it all over again. If anyone can conjure up some volunteer or donated efforts to record the new spots that would be a big help, otherwise we will have to pay for the service, as time is of the essence.
I will place a button for Idaho, Hawaii and Utah - with the caveat being that should we fail to have the ads ready in time, the money will be carried forward to the Super Tuesday states. We accomplished this is a couple of days before, but I want to cover all bases. Also, we need to still raise at least $1,500 for any state in order to place a buy in that state.
I have added a button for 'Women for Dean in California - Print Ads' at the request of this groups organizer, Jan Cadoret. As soon as copy is available I will post it for review.
I am considering signing up with meetup, would there be any enthusiasm for this? If anyone is a meetup leader, or can get a hold of the member list or just the host list that would be a wonderful. We need to grow this group quickly before too many people lose hope and splinter off.
Thank you for all of the postings on the blog. Please keep this up. Post on the blog, webgroups, yahoo groups, KOS, changeforamerica (trippi's site) anywhere. Contact the press let them know that we are not going away, that this is an issue driven campaign and the issues are still valid. We do not believe that the leading candidates believe in what they are saying. Let them know that we are not going to line up behind the nominee like good followers. We are not going to form a 3rd party, which can be easily dismissed as a fringe element, denied the opportunity for press or debate. We are taking the Democratic Party back for Democrats and installing a progressive agenda for the good of the country. Howard Dean was and is about changing the country not just Presidents, and that is what we are going to do!
I do not want to suffer through electing a Democrat to the White House and 4 years later having them run for re-election on the platform that we need Healthcare for every American, we need to fix the education system, we need to provide middle class tax relief, we need to support equality of rights, we need to repair our relationships around the world, we need to provide funding for renewable energies, we need to fix our trade agreements, and on and on because they failed to do so in the first term, as has happened for so long! We need to send a clear message that if this is the case they will be a 1 term President, for the party that put them there will not nominate them again. If the platform and the current leadership remains unchecked, all of the Dean inspired rhetoric and promises will once again be unfulfilled and Americans will have more reason to return to cynicism which leads to an administration as the one we have currently taking power.
Because I do not want to suffer through that reality, nor another 4 years of the current administration, I am voting for Howard Dean as President of the United States.
Thank you for all you do and for still believing,
Eugene Hedlund
Founder
TruthandHope.Org
Evening Updates
| Northern California | | | $5,375 |
| Southern California | | | $1,738 |
| New York | | | $1,990 |
| Maryland | | | $250 |
| Massachusetts | | | $480 |
| Connecticut | | | $225 |
| Vermont | | | $100 |
| Ohio | | | $65 |
| Georgia | | | $100 |
| Rhode Island | | | $100 |
| Minnesota | | | $90 |
We have added buttons for Idaho, Hawaii, and Utah, with the caveat that should we fail to have the ads ready in time, the money will be carried forward to the Super Tuesday states. Also, we need to raise at least $1,500 for any state in order to place a buy in that state.
We have also added a button for "Women for Dean in California – Print Ads" at the request of this group's organizer, Jan Cadoret. As soon as copy is available, Eugene will post it for review.
Thanks!
Stuart
(sdf)
Eugene Hedlund's response to Gov. Dean's Speech Today
Here are some things that I took from his message (what I heard of it, as the networks decided to interrupt for fascinating commentary!): The fight for his message and agenda will continue, and he will form an organization to most likely advertise and campaign for said message in the hope of moving the platform of the Democratic party to a more progressive stance, which supports the needs of average Americans, rather than the maintaining of power for the current establishment. He asked that we not support a 3rd party candidate, adding that he will not seek nor accept the nomination of any 3rd party or as an independent. Most importantly, he noted that he is still on the ballot in every state, and that we should continue to support him in the upcoming primaries and caucuses.
As always, I would like the input of the group as to our direction. Here are my thoughts: First, let me make very clear that we will not give, raise or spend ANY of our money to support Senators Kerry or Edwards. I submit that we consider strongly continuing our efforts to spread the word both one on one and in the media that a vote for Dean helps this cause, this message by sending delegates to Boston who will support our agenda, Governor Dean's agenda. The greater the number, the greater the influence, and the greater the chance of effecting real change in the Democratic Party. I support the above considering forming a 3rd party, as we have a party which is already established, we need only change it's heart and soul ... and leadership. This is a tall order, but the alternative is to go quietly into the night. I would consider making a swift effort to get on the air in Idaho, Utah and Hawaii – if the will and money is there, as well as the logistics. Beyond that, we have begun to raise funds for the Super Tuesday states, which can still be allocated to that effort.
This is my suggestion going forward, that we continue to grow and support this movement, lest it fade and the establishment win. We know full well that the message that has been trumped by the leading Democratic candidates is not truly in their hearts, but if it can become the leading message of the party, if we can send enough delegates to show that Dean's movement is the swing vote which could win the Presidency (remember how close 2000 was) they will have to listen, have to support our platform. I believe this should be our continuing effort, which we can revisit when one of the following happens: Governor Dean officially endorses a candidate for the office of President; Governor Dean or a representative of his organization officially asks us to change our efforts or focus; or the Primary and caucus season ends July 29 in Boston with an official nominee (my birthday, not going to be much of a present it seems!). If one of these events occurs, I affirm that we will not suddenly begin to support the Democratic nominee, as our funds are raised to support Governor Dean's message and carry on his movement only. At the time of such an occurrence, we will as a group decide which direction to take. Beyond that, there are candidates and potential candidates to support in races around the country in the ongoing effort to change the Democratic Party and change America.
My personal intention is that on March 2, I will vote for Howard Dean in the California Primary as my choice for President. After that, I will change my party affiliation, until such time as the Democratic Party supports a platform which I believe in.
Please share your thoughts and feelings regarding TruthandHope's future, so we can build a consensus and move forward.
Thank you for all you have done and still do,
Eugene Hedlund
Founder
TruthandHope.Org
Eugene: "We will continue to fight"
We will continue to fight for the issues that moved this campaign. We will continue to demand that the DNC adopts our agenda for real and progressive change, not just the rhetoric of change. This organization was inspired by Howard Dean's candidacy and the movement it started. The issues are of paramount importance. Kerry's group would love for us to either line up behind the anointed royal candidate or simply scatter and leave them alone. We must unite to continue to fight on. The website and the gameplan will be retooled over the next couple days to reflect this change. Please visit our site, lend your voice and your support, we must stick together to leverage our voices and support against the establishment.
We are an IRS 527 group, and a PAC. We can continue to endorse candidates and fund media to support the ongoing movement, which was inspired by Governor Howard Dean and to that end lives on!
Visit
www.truthandhope.org.
Eugene Hedlund
Founder
TruthandHope.Org
Petition to DNC
Click
here to sign Charlie Grapski's very well worded petition demanding that the DNC refrain from interfering in the primary process by encouraging one or another candidate. It reads, in part,
It is the right of each and every member of the Democratic Party to have their voice heard through their vote in the primary/caucus process and to have a fully representative National Convention convened, being composed of representatives of the diversity of views in the Party through a process of full, fair, timely and equal participation of every member in every state.
It is the responsibility of officials and staff of the Party and the DNC to remain impartial and evenhanded during this process of delegate selection and choosing the nominee. Public and private statements and activities of numerous officials and staff, including in particular Terry McAuliffe and Bill Richardson, have been designed to undermine the process, violate the Charter, and deny the rights of every member of the Party to full, fair, and equal participation and representation in the National Convention, the highest authority of the Democratic Party.
We do hereby call upon the DNC to take this petition and resolution as a formal complaint to the Democratic Party and the DNC and demand that it be immediately taken up under the rules of the Party as required under the Charter for the fair adjudication of disputes.
Go tell the DNC that we will not be silenced!
Updates and the Future
From: "Eugene Hedlund"
Subject: Updates and the Future
Date: Tue, 17 Feb 2004 02:57:57 -0800
We closed out Wisconsin with $14,254 raised.
For the ongoing media campaign we stand at:
| Northern California | | | $4,150 |
| Southern California | | | $1,503 |
| New York | | | $1,850 |
| Maryland | | | $250 |
| Massachusetts | | | $180 |
| Connecticut | | | $125 |
| Vermont | | | $100 |
| Ohio | | | $50 |
| Georgia | | | $50 |
| Minnesota | | | $25 |
The African American Outreach stands at $420, as we spend $1,200 for ads in Wisconsin. The ads that were cut in this effort are here:
African American Outreach Radio Spot – Jeff
African American Outreach Radio Spot – Mattie
Thank you to Quintus and Sabrina for bringing this project to my attention and making it a reality!
We did accomplish getting on the air in Nevada, Reno specifically as suggested by people on the ground. We ran on KRNO, KODS and KBZZ leading up to the caucus.
I just returned from London (was supposed to be a 2 week trip...) for the weekend, and anyone who heard from me may have noticed that I was a bit tense. A few reasons for this were that in UK papers full page write-ups about Kerry's intern situation could be found, while I had not noticed much if any US media attention to this issue. Also on Saturday a helpful salesperson told me that NBC had reported that Dean had dropped out of the race. On Sunday I heard this again, that it was reported in Australia. Due to this I found myself interrupting my trip searching out internet cafes to check the news! Also the receipt of funds has slowed dramatically, but I understand that there is a reasonable "wait and see" in regards to the Wisconsin results and more importantly how the Dean campaign reacts.
I hesitate to dwell too much on the issue of what if Gov. Dean drops out on Wednesday, as I need to focus completely on the best case future with all we are doing. However I will state that our intention has always been long term, specifically to create an agenda or platform and assist candidates in state and local elections who support that platform, as well as to lobby the DNC to abandon their status quo power hold and adopt a real platform for progressive change, so the electorate can once again see the difference between democrats and republicans. As to whether we would support the Democratic ticket if Howard Dean is not on it, and to what degree, I will leave to the group in open discussion. Personally I cannot think about such an eventuality until I must, for it is impossible for me to consider a "lesser of two evils" notion while there is a clear choice for good. To that end, I am considering various channels, including meetups, teleconferencing, or a meeting of interested individuals, probably in Southern California (but that is open) to discuss the specific platform or agenda and various methods of pushing for it. It is a pervasive theme in the communications I receive that most everyone wants to continue on this fight, so I felt it prudent to at least express that such is our complete intention. For now however, I will be watching and hoping that the Wisconsin result, if not a surprising victory, is at least another log on the fire to keep Gov. Dean's campaign going, because anything can still happen. Only just over a month ago Kerry could hardly muster 10% support in any state which was polling, so while the Governor's campaign continues, we will have the singular focus of assisting however we may in the efforts to secure his nomination and will continue to allocate the funds raised to air media in the states chosen by the contributors.
I have heard reports that the Kerry and Edwards camps have run media against us on some (perhaps all?) of the radio stations which we have targeted. This proves that we are making a difference, that it has an effect, otherwise they would ignore us.
Thank you for keeping hope alive,
Eugene Hedlund
Founder
TruthandHope.Org
On Wisconsin! (open thread)
Big day tomorrow: what's on your mind?
Late Night/Early Morning Open Thread
Say what you will -- about last night's debate; about Wisconsin; about what comes next; or about what you think of TruthandHope.org
| Here we are as of Sunday morning: | | Wisconsin | | | $14,129 |
| Northern California | | | $3,990 |
| Southern California | | | $1,063 |
| New York | | | $1,750 |
| Massachusetts | | | $180 |
| Ohio | | | $50 |
| A.A. outreach | | | $1,620 |
| General Fund | | | $300 |
Updates
WI $12,478 [spent $14,500 and can spend more if in by Monday]
DC $1,665 [spent - account closed out]
NV $1,175 [spent - we're on the air in Reno; let's hope it helps!]
N CA $3,990
S CA $463
NY $1,700
VT $100
MD $200
CT $25
MN $25
AA media outreach $1350 [spent $1,200, and we are continuing funding for future states]
General fund $100
On in Wisconsin
We are on in Wisconsin!
WKTI : - Milwaukee
2/13 6a - 7p 3 spots
2/14 6a - 7p 3 spots
2/15 6a - 7p 3 spots
2/16 6a - 7p 4 spots
2/17 6a - 3p 4 spots $5,950 total
WKLH: - Milwaukee
2/15 10a - 7p 9 spots
2/16 6a - 7p 11 spots
2/17 6a - 3p 4 spots $5,150 total
WIBA - Madison
2/13 - 2/16 6a - 7p 11 spots per day
2/17 6a - 3p 9 spots $2,910 total
WNOV - For AA Outreach
2/13 - 2/17 60 spots $1,200 total
Also, Eugene is closing out the Nevada account as of now and will be making buys with what we have. We can still use more money for DC and Wisconsin; if the Wisconsin goes over, he can use it for more buys on Monday and Tuesday.
DVDs
There is a group burning DVDs & VHS tapes & distributing them on the ground to undecided Wisconsin voters. They are not DFA, totally grassroots, but are lacking funds to get their media out. I agreed to post a button to help them, it is "DVD/VHS duplication." The 18 minute video they are handing out can be viewed
here
(that's http://www.gryphonsystems.com/temp-media/Wisconsinstreaming.mov)
It takes a long while to open, so the synopsis is that it is various parts of Dean's 'Women's issues' speech in NH, the Diane Sawyer interview, the ABC's mea culpa, and some other stump footage.
They need $1,000 - so if it overfunds I will put the rest into Wisconsin. We are not otherwise affiliated with this group, so I cannot speak from any direct knowledge of their actions.
Contact corbley@comcast.net or jsm33@cornell.edu for more information on their project.
Eugene
UPDATE: The $1,000 goal to fund this effort has already been met!
Updates, pt. 3: Wisconsin, DC, and Nevada
Eugene writes,
"Another issue is Wisconsin in general. The vast majority of people in the group and in Wisconsin have asked us to run ads in that state. I know there is an idea that we should supplement the DFA ads by running in states they are not, but the overriding feeling is that although Dean has said he will not quit the campaign, he has also stated that it would be essentially done, so the imaginary line in the sand still exists, and we must pull out all the stops.
I have heard that DC is winnable, so we have gone ahead and purchased media on WOL, a highly recommended station. It will run beginning Friday from 6am through Saturday at 3pm, once per hour. Hopefully we can find the funds to fulfill that buy. I feel that a win, any win will be a good boost going into Wisconsin. If the funds are there and the slots open up, we would like to buy time tomorrow on that station as well.
Please forward me any other recommendations for Wisconsin stations, I need to make buys tomorrow morning. I will be on a flight from tomorrow afternoon, and will probably have another update Friday morning. We will contract with the stations tomorrow for our buys and send them more money to increase the buys, as it comes in from there.
I highly suggest focusing on Wisconsin and DC tonight to prepare for the prelimary buys tomorrow. Does anyone have polling data or feedback for Nevada? Is there a strong will to go into Nevada? I would love to hear from those who have contributed to it's fund, because as of now I am intending to run spots there.
I sure do appreciate everyone's efforts and good will. Today someone noticed my Dean sticker and asked why I don't drop it and support the party so we can beat Bush. I told him that I refuse to choose between the lesser of two evils when there is still a choice for good.
Thank you for all that you do,
Eugene Hedlund
Founder
TruthandHope.Org"
Update from Eugene (pt. 2), On the New Radio Ads
Eugene writes,
"In response to some concerns regarding our current ads. I spent the last 2 days weighing the concerns about “negativity” in the ads, which I personally do not feel is much, and have tried to discern if this is a widespread belief or a vocal few. I have spoken at length with members around the country, but in particular members of this group and others on the ground in Wisconsin, which were the deciding factor. Overwhelmingly the people I spoke to on the ground in Wisconsin supported our new spots, and questioned why I thought they were negative at all - which I do not. However, I was ready to run only the old spots, had that been the consensus. I receive submissions all day of various radio ideas, many or most extremely negative, but others focused on a particular issue. The majority of the feedback I have had is that the voters are familiar with Governor Dean's record, so reiterating that will not help. Dean is their first choice already, but fear drives them to support Kerry. When the analogy of Senator Dole was brought up to us, it made heads turn and brought up a specific recent memory in everyone's mind. This is the kind of thing someone can grasp in 60 seconds, an “oh yeah, I hadn't thought of that” moment. The analogy is very strong. I do not feel it does, nor would I intend in any way to make a negative commentary on Senator Dole. The commentary refers to the electability issue, and how a candidate with such a profile fares, during a long general election. I have heard on television that voters are not enthusiastic or passionate about their support of Kerry, but feel it is a safe haven. As a Republican at the time, I can clearly state that this was the exact same feeling that permeated our party in 1996. Pat Buchanan was the maverick, the candidate with energy, the one who would really change things if elected (not a commentary on his politics, just a statement of the facts as they were at the time), but after his New Hampshire win, the media and party quickly mobilized to bring his campaign down. Obviously Gov. Dean is no Pat Buchanan, but Sen. Kerry is a Bob Dole, in that the fear of real change, for good or ill, has once again mobilized a party and the media to tear down a campaign and throw its support behind an old loyal “party guy” with what seemed like a good resume at the time. Once the nomination had been won and the realization set in as to who the candidate was, the energy began to wane. There is a reason that he had not won the nomination before, and a reason that Kerry has failed in previous bids. That reason will become clear, but too late, and this simple analogy may unlock some memories and begin to create the fear that Kerry is unelectable. I hope. Anyhow, those are my thoughts."
Updates (pt. 1)
Eugene sent out a long email update, which I have divided into several posts – Stuart (sdf)
WI $10,503
N.CA $2,325
S.CA $388
NY $500
NV $925
DC $660 (Spent $1,475)
MA $105
AA Outreach $1,155
Eugene writes,
"I apologize for the delay in getting any updates out today. This has been an especially hectic day. I appreciate that everyone understands that I cannot reply to each email anymore, but I do read all of them and appreciate the input. Often a suggestion is implemented after some consideration with others, so please continue. We hired an attorney full time today, so that the structural issues of the organization are proper moving forward and all FEC papers filed promptly. Also, we are developing concepts for television, as well as considering future radio spots. If things are as 'full steam ahead' as expected, after a big showing in Wisconsin we will look into possibly hiring some support staff to aid in timely updates and responses, as well as media purchase follow-up and coordination. I hesitate to incur fixed expenses, as the desire is clearly to pour as much of the monies as possible into our media buys. That said, I have set up a 'general fund' button, the funds from which will go to cover these expenses, as well as merchant account fees (2.9% at this point, 2.45% with our new relationship). There is no particular goal with this fund, and any overages will go to covering states where some additional funds would make a difference in the buy, for example Virginia was about $500 short of it's goal, so I used some of my initial funding to cover it, rather than try and squeeze the extra out when we had already made the buy.
A couple valid questions have arisen: One being if I would go ahead and list all of the states on Super Tuesday, which I have. I am concerned with diluting the funds too much, but am always willing to conduct buys wherever the will of the group lies. The second being what happens if the campaign ends abruptly before those states have their primaries. Our intention is to run media in accordance with our vast desire to see Governor Dean elected President, but this is a possible reality, therefore I have created this disclaimer to be placed at the donation portal:
'Any contribution to TruthandHope.Org's fundraising campaign to deliver media in support of Governor Howard Dean's Presidential nomination will be allocated to run such media in the state(s) directed by the contributor, as can be reasonably accomplished. The caveat to this being if 1) The state fails to achieve a minimum $1,500 contribution threshold, in such a case the funds will be allocated to media buys in other states as needed. 2) If Governor Dean ends his Presidential candidacy, the funds will revert to the general account to fund future projects and/or media buys intended to support other candidates and/or issues as deemed proper by the membership in TruthandHope.Org.'
Any feedback on these issues is welcome. The organization was founded with the long term goal of furthering the effort which Governor Dean's campaign has inspired us to, that being to fundamentally change the political landscape of America. Our central focus right now is the Presidential campaign itself, as Governor Dean is no longer the frontrunner. However, after that no matter the outcome the principles on which he has run will remain true and valid, thus the fight to find and support candidates and issues akin to this platform will continue."
Morning Updates (9:30am PST)
Wisconsin $8,088
Nevada $710
Washington DC $610
N. California $1,275
S. California $248
Massachusetts $105
New York $60
AA Media Outreach $1,155
Nevada and DC particularly need your help; both have caucuses coming up already on Saturday!
And Eugene asks that those on the ground in Nevada and Wisconsin send a list of local radio stations and contacts, as he is compiling information he needs for a buy with what we have.
Thanks!
New Radio Spots
Eugene and crew have produced two new radio spots for our upcoming campaigns.
You can listen to
Paper Trail here, and
Dole Redux here.
Nevada and DC caucuses are coming right up, please don't leave those folks hanging!
-- Stuart (sdf)
P.S. Eugene adds, "Please, if you are posting to the DFA blog, feel free to post messages about our site, our cause, links to what we are doing or testimonials -- but please
do not specifically request donations within that forum, as we are not directly affiliated with the DFA campaign in any sense."
Help Needed
Eugene writes,
"Here are some areas that I could use help immediately:
1) Now that we are growing, the Dean campaign is continuing and we are exploring television, I would like to speak with an attorney who is hopefully sympathetic to our cause and an expert in FEC regulations and structures of organizations such as this. This is due to these facts: I am considering forming a PAC in addition to the 527 for increased flexibility in some areas of advertising and fundraising. The advice and opinions of my corporate attorneys while being valuable, are in dissent with each other. Also, the people at the FEC who have stated that we are in compliance cannot give advice as to our structural changes as we grow. My corporate counsel does not specialize in groups such as this, and I feel it is prudent to work with one person who is going forward.
2) I need an accountant, now that this is clearly going to be a larger and longer term operation.
The closer to Southern California the better or perhaps necessity for these two. Certainly I can find such help here straight away, but it made sense to me to place the inquiry to the group, so as to try and locate someone who understands and supports our cause.
3) I need station names and contact persons for the radio stations in the markets we are moving into next. Once again, I will rely on the opinions of the people on the ground in those areas for initial direction, then make decisions based on price, availability and coverage, after speaking with those agents. This formula has worked quite will so far.
4) We will be incurring a significant cost for the website before long, especially as the group grows, the site's pages grow (a significant revision and improvement is in the works) and the multimedia aspects are increased. If anyone can lend advice and/or support in finding either a preferable host, or ultimately our own server and support that would be a huge help.
5)In the future, I may need logistical help here in the office. I would much rather work with people directly associated with our group and its mission than hire outside help.
6) On a strictly personal note, if anyone is working in the travel industry & could help me with a couple of things, please let me know.
I think that covers everything right now. As always, I appreciate and am humbled by your incredible support and enthusiasm. I have taken a couple media calls, nothing major, but the word is getting out. Now I am trying to find ways to delegate some things, or acquire greater aid, so that I can focus on our advertising buys and developments.
I deeply appreciate all of your thoughts, ideas, words and notes of encouragement and support. They keep me going on this end more than you know. You should all take tremendous pride in taking a stand for what is right, fighting for your country and doing something, rather than just saying something.
Thank you for all that you do,
Eugene Hedlund
Founder
TruthandHope.Org"
Totals and Moving On
Eugene sent out a long update earlier this afternoon, which I am dividing into two posts
First the totals (as of 1pm PST):
WI - $6,855.11
NV - $354
DC - $170
We are only a few hundred dollars off from VA, so I am taking it down & using general fund money to make up the difference.
I am adding Northern California, Southern California, New York, Massachusetts and 'AA Media Outreach' for now, based on specific requests from fundraisers with contributors available in those specific areas. BTW, 'AA Media Outreach' is a fund for ads specifically target to the African American community, beginning in Wisconsin & going on from there. The group coordinating the media is developing a series of print & radio ads for that purpose.
We are currently developing 2 new radio spots. Once the finished product is available, I will post it on the website. Also, there are a couple television spots that are being explored right now, I will keep you up to date with that as it progresses.
Listeners Report: On WTOP in Virginia
Many of you have been hearing our ads on WTOP in Virginia. I have culled the following responses from Blog for America this morning:
I voted for Howard Dean this morning. I've never been so happy or so proud to vote for any candidate in my life.
I worked at my polling place for a little while this morning (no other campaign had signs or a presence - woo hoo!) and now that I'm done with teaching for the day I'm headed back there.
Thank you all for supporting us here in Virginia!
GO DEAN! Hope is stronger than fear.
PS. I heard our TruthandHope.org ad on WTOP at 7:27 this morning!!! It was awesome. I'm so proud of our grassroots. Thank you to everyone who generously donated to the Virginia ad fund. I know it will help us in DC, too!! :-)
Posted by Maura in VA at February 10, 2004 10:40 AM
Hey You all,
I heard the commercial on WTOP for VA - it was great! Money well spent and I love the creative and dedicated people in this campaign!
Go Dean!
Posted by alexei606 at February 10, 2004 10:40 AM
Also, I heard the radio ads on WTOP three times this morning! They were fantastic!
Posted by Doug in Northern VA at February 10, 2004 12:26 PM
Anyone else who has heard the ads, we would love to hear your thoughts as well!
UPDATE: Maura ads:
I've had two friends call me on my cell phone and say they heard the TruthandHope.org ads on WTOP today -- neither of them had heard of the group and wanted to know the whole story about how the ads got on the air. They both said they thought they were really good because they differentiated Dean from Kerry without being overly negative and focusing on Dean's strengths rather than Kerry's weaknesses.
GO DEAN! Hope is stronger than fear.
Posted by Maura in VA at February 10, 2004 02:59 PM
Late Night/Early Morning Open Thread
We need your input! Thoughts, suggestions, opinions, gripes concerning the grassroots radio ads or other matters ...
RADIO MANIFEST
Tennessee:
2/9/04 -
Memphis:
WREC - 9 spots 5p - 12m
WHAL - 8 spots 5p - 12m
WDIA - 9 spots 5p - 12m
2/10/04 -
Nashville:
WQQK - 3 spots 5a - 10a
WQQK - 3 spots 10a - 3p
WNPL - 3 spots 6a - 10a
WNPL - 3 spots 10a - 5p
Virginia:
2/10/04 -
WTOP - 5 spots 5a - 10a - 1 per hour rotation
WTOP - 6 spots 10a - 3p - 1 per hour rotation
WWWV - 4 spots 6a -10a
WWWV - 5 spots 10a - 3p
WINA - 1 spot 6a -10a
WINA - 2 spots 10a - 3p
WINA - 3 spots 3p - 7p
There is never a perfect buy, but I think WTOP is a great purchase. This was quite an accomplishment to get on the air the same or next day, without any prior contact or relationship with the stations. I had to overnight checks or even wire transfer the money to some, because we are a new advertiser trying to get on last second. Also, when placing time like this, often we have to pay a 'bump rate' because the time is already sold. It was challenging to get on the air at all, many places were booked & would not budge, but I feel this is a good coverage for our money, using a system like I used in Washington.
We know for absolute certain that nearly 30 - 50% of voters in the various states are making up their minds on the last day or two. With these ads we can help to dismiss some of the fear tactics of the Kerry campaign & the media establishment. These ads help to remind people why they supported Howard Dean first, why he is still their first choice & that if everyone will vote how they want, rather than what they have been told, than we can & will win!
On another note briefly, there have been many great suggestions about posting notices about our movement in various circles, yahoo, kos, etc. I would implore you to do so at will yourselves. Unfortunately with success, comes a great deal less time for me to advertise myself. I need you to help spread the word. We will continue to grow & make a difference.
Thank you all so much for your efforts to make this happen. This is only the beginning!
Eugene Hedlund
Founder
TruthandHope.Org
[We are, indeed, beginning to spread the word -- I have mentioned TruthandHope on Kos several times, and one of the posters has said he will mention it on the Yahoo groups. If anyone else has other ideas take the initiatitive! -- Stuart (sdf)]
If you haven't heard
Dean is not dropping out after Wisconsin!
Democrat Howard Dean said on Monday even if he loses Wisconsin's Feb. 17 primary he will remain in the race for his party's 2004 presidential nomination.
"It's critical," Dean said when asked about the importance of the contest. But, he added, "It's not going to be the end of the line."
Asked if he would drop out if he lost Wisconsin as he had said he would just last week, Dean said, "No." Asked if he was in it for the long haul, he said, "Yup."
Oh, and lest we forget... Virginia $15,055.74 - Only $1,595.26 till we fill Virginia & close it out. After that I will send a manifest of where we are running ads!
We ARE going to California, New York, Texas, Massachusetts...
Tennessee is full!
Eugene says:
"Tennessee is full for this buy - anything else that comes in for them will be allocated to Virginia, while the button is removed.
What you are all doing is amazing!!"
Almost There
Here are our totals (as of 11:45am PST):
Virginia $13,470.74
Tennessee $5,720.33
Wisconsin $5,046.55
We need Virginia to hit $16,651 to fulfill the media buy which will include WTOP every hour from 5am - 3pm tomorrow. Support from those in the area for WTOP was overwhelming. We will also be on a couple central/southern stations for coverage.
For Tennessee we need $6,100 to fill the order, which covers 5 stations based in Nashville & Memphis.
I will detail the orders more specifically later, but wanted to rush this update out. When Tennessee is full, I am going to close it off & have us concentrate on Virginia.
Before anyone asks, no the Maine money is not included, we had a generous donor contribute $5,000 to Virginia's cause!
Thanks for making this happen,
Eugene Hedlund
Founder
TruthandHope.Org
Listen to the Radio Ads
The first one
The second one
You can use the buttons on the right to donate to the state of your choice. The campaigns for Tennessee and Virginia are open until noon PST today, and Nevada and Washington, DC, are now open!
WTOP: Virginia and DC. Plus: Totals Update
Totals (as of 6am PST)
Virginia $6,148.74
Tennessee $4,885.33
Wisconsin $3,246.14
To listen to the ads we are currently running and to contribute please visit :
http://www.aspenwilde.com/dfa.htm
I will be purchasing media today with these figures. Any additional monies that come in for Tennessee & Virginia up through noon PST will be included in the buy.
At that point we will cut off TN & VA, and add DC & NV to the mix. Most people indicated they would like to run ads in those states, so I will post a link and let the money make the decision.
I have had a lot of positive feedback for WTOP in Virginia. Let me lay out what is possible with that station: We can run from 5a - 10a tomorrow, the ads are $2,200 per. From 10a - 3p ads are $1,000 per. We cannot get on the air today with WTOP.
Their coverage is 590,900 18+ in VA, 65,830 in DC. Most emails seem to point out that this is the station to listen to, even the most popular in cabs, the next being NPR. NPR does not accept election ads.
I prefer to have the group's thoughts drive the purchases, but here are some of my thoughts:
This sounds like a great station to buy on, the only down side being the expenditure. You do often get what you pay for in radio as most things. In Seattle we ran ads as high as $700 - $1000 per, and had a great deal of positiv feedback. That said, I have some calls in to stations that cover central VA as well. I think it is good to have some voice in most of the state if possible. We could do a less expensive run in central/southern VA and dump the rest into WTOP. That rest may not go far with the funds we have, however. From what I understand WTOP is a big station to listen to in DC. We have had plenty of calls to run ads in DC, so this is an opportunity to get some coverage there as well.
Most all the feedback regarding Maine's carryover is to put it into Wisconsin, as that is our most important battleground state. In particular the people on the ground in Maine wished this, so I have said I would do so.
Please send me your thoughts on these matters, and if WTOP is the target let's get the word out & drive the Virginia funds up - which will help DC too!
This is all I do...thank you for all that you do,
Eugene Hedlund
Founder
TruthandHope.Org
Totals Update
Virginia $5,334.30
Tennessee $4,205.33
Wisconsin $2,276.16
Is there much interest in gathering funds for Nevada and DC?
Upcoming Ad Campaigns
Virginia $4,354.30 GOAL $15,000 by Monday @ 12:00PM PST
Tennessee $3,720.00 GOAL $15,000 by Monday @ 12:00PM PST
Wisconsin $1,858.16 GOAL $100,000 by February 17 @ 12:00PM PST
To listen to the ads we are currently running and to contribute please visit :
http://www.aspenwilde.com/dfa.htm
Then, to join our movement please visit:
http://www.truthandhope.org and click 'join us'
We will need a big push today & through tomorrow to hit our goals in Tennessee & Virginia. Thereafter we will need the momentum to continue for our efforts in Wisconsin.
You have all been incredibly generous. I have noticed that the contirutibutions from new people are slowing down dramatically, the lions share are coming from those who have contributed already.
I am wondering if anyone has some ideas on how we can get the word spread out more to bring more people in?
Thank you,
Eugene Hedlund
Founder
TruthandHope.Org
Truth and Hope
Welcome to the unofficial blog of TruthandHope.org. Inspired by Dr. Howard Dean's presidential campaign, Eugene Hedlund founded TruthandHope.org as a 527 group to challenge the Democratic Party establishment's resistance to change. Our mission is to form a cohesive voting block in order to influence not only the Presidential election, but also local and state elections throughout the country. We seek to develop and run advertising campaigns promoting Democratic candidates with backbone and tenacity, and to propagate the message of hope that Governor Dean brings with his plans to rebuild our party and our country.
This is an opportunity for those who wish to give more to and for the cause, but who have already allocated their maximum $2000 contribution to the Dean campaign. At the same time, our efforts and our visibility will send a clear message to the political establishment that not only are we intent on changing the White House, but also America itself, and that we will not be dismayed by the media or by the polls. We can demonstrate that we are determined to fight on until we have opened up and won the hearts and minds of those that fear real change. Fear and the status quo must not be allowed to prevail. For once we lose our hope we lose our country … and therein lies the truth.
