A note to my fellow democrats, and how you can help

By posting here I hope to convince dems to get behind Kerry. Instead of claiming to support the ticket and then bitching and moaning about what he's doing "wrong", for once let's co-opt republican strategy. We could be an impressive monolith if we tried.

Kerry is the professional. He is surrounded by professionals. Let's leave the strategy to them and get out and do the work we can do well.

I do understand how desperately people want to see Kerry defeat Bush, and that they are so freaked out by memories of the 2000 election that they can't stop themselves. But whining and offering unsolicited advice to the campaign are not merely useless; they are actually counterproductive. They give credence to a baseless idea with which the media needs no assistance from the online community - that the campaign is in trouble. It is not. We need to suck it up and get brave. We need to trust our candidate. If we can't trust our candidate, then I humbly suggest we ought to shut the hell up until the election is safely behind us.

Here are my humble suggestions for desperate dems who want to work away their anxieties:

1. Do GOTV (Get Out the Vote) work. You can sign up for this through ACT ACT is the largest voter contact program in history. ACT needs you to help beat George W. Bush and elect Democrats up and down the ticket in 2004 – in federal, state, and local elections.

2. Volunteer for the Kerry campaign here. Your local campaign needs volunteers to do "viz" (hold signs at events, etc.), help with mailings, and make phone calls, among other jobs. You can put in as much time as you like - from a few hours to the-sky's-the-limit.

3. The Kerry campaign has a citizen MediaCorps.
What is John Kerry's Media Corps?
John Kerry's Media Corps is John Kerry's rapid response network. Media Corps is a group of committed supporters who want to bring John Kerry's message home to local media markets. If you can contribute five to ten minutes of your time a week -- and your creativity and energy -- we'll supply you with all the information you need to become one of our Online Advocates.

How does it work? Every week we'll email you an assignment. We'll also provide you with everything you need to complete the task, like research, talking & writing points, press releases, and more. Report back to us when you complete your assignment. Reporting back insures your success will be shared with other Media Corps members AND tells us how helpful research materials were to you.
3. Sign up for action updates at MoveOn.

4. Write letters to the editor of your local paper in response to anything you see written about the campaign that you feel is
unjust or inaccurate.

5. Email MSNBC, CNN, Fox to call them on journalistic laziness and inaccuracy.

6. Volunteer for the Democratic Party, where you can

a. Contribute
b. Plan/Attend Events
c. Volunteer
d. Raise Money
e. Build Your Team
f. Register to Vote
g. Alert the Media
7. Wear a Kerry/Edwards button. Put a bumper sticker on your car. You may be surprised how many people will talk to you about the campaign, any place you happen to be. Educate yourself about Kerry's positions on the issues. Be polite and enthusiastic. Listen. Think of yourself as a roving Kerry ambassador.

I would be delighted to add to this list any suggestions you may have. Please feel free to leave your ideas in the comments.