The Denver Group

A THANK YOU TO OUR SUPPORTERS

2008-11-29T07:34:00.000-08:00

To everyone who supported the Denver Group and our efforts to force the Democratic National Committee to adhere to their own rules and democratic procedures, and to those who contributed and supported Democrats For Principle Before Party, not just a thank you but we know we made a difference and we are sure we made a difference for the future.

Given the stock market crash in October and the deterioration of the economy, all the result of Republican ideology and incompetence from the top down, people obviously and justifiably would not give any Republican a chance at another four years. It was conventional wisdom that this was the Democrats year and that any Democrat would beat any Republican. All the more reason it became important for the DNC to follow their procedures and insure that the process for choosing a candidate was not only fair but honest. We all know it was neither, but given people's justifiable fears over the economy, it was not a time when character or principle could surmount those fears. At least not at the moment.

It remains to be seen what kind of President Obama will be. All we can hope for is that he staffs his administration with the best people he can find and then get out of the way and be what he campaigned as -- a symbol for those who want or need symbols -- though now everyone can see that when there are things to be done, how useless symbols can be. What's needed is action, ideas, and accomplishment and the way to achieve that is for Obama to recognize it, get out of the way, be the front man but let the people he appoints do their jobs to formulate and carry out policy, and there are signs so far he will do just that.

And to that end we feel our efforts made a difference, letting Obama and millions of others be aware of another Lincoln moment that he will remember and put to use -- you can't fool all of the people all of the time.

The Denver Group/Democrats for Principle Before Party: Printable fliers of general election print ads

2008-10-19T23:35:00.000-07:00

Although in the final weeks and days of the run-up to November 4, we believe our resources are most effectively deployed in purchasing television time for our commercials, at the suggestion of a supporter we wanted to make available the two general election print ads we ran. If you care to download and distribute these, please do so. Or if you want to preserve your supply of ink, you might consider a 5 dollar donation for the TV buys. Either way, we are grateful for your efforts.

To donate online:

THE LATEST COMMERCIAL FROM THE DENVER GROUP

2008-10-11T19:07:00.000-07:00

We are going to start running this commercial, which pointedly calls into question Senator Obama's economic judgment, next week in the battleground state of Pennsylvania. It will air in Pittsburgh. We also want to run it in Ohio (Cleveland and Cincinnati), Florida, and Missouri, states where the economy and Obama's lack of economic judgment will be issues that can turn the election.

How often we can run it, how much exposure it gets,and how many places we can run it will, as always, depend on contributions from our supporters. To help:

STAY CURRENT WITH THE DENNVER GROUP

2008-10-03T19:21:00.000-07:00

Bookmark or subscribe to our general election site.

WE MAY BE TAKING YOU OUT TO THE BALLGAME

2008-10-03T19:20:00.000-07:00

Thanks to the contributions and efforts of our supporters, friends, and allies, Democrats For Principle Before Party will be airing its first commercial, "Would You Buy A Used Car From This Man?", several times next week in Missouri, home of the Obama Truth Squads. We will let you know precise air dates and times once the commercials have run.

Looking ahead:

Many people, millions in fact will soon be turning their attention to
the World Series. And so will we. If we can get enough in contributions
we are planning on running a new commercial (attacking Senator Obama on matters of fiscal responsibility) currently in production during the World Series. We have already
discussed a media plan with a network affiliate, and if we can get the
contributions, we'll be looking to make spot buys in certain
battleground states during the World Series. Even if we run only once
during one game, we feel the commercial is very strong and repetition
is not needed to have an impact. But the more we get in contributions
towards this effort, the more we will consider running more than once
during the Series and possibly running more than one commercial. So if you donate now you
can root for the home team with your contributions and help run a
crackerjack commercial.

Due to the demand for airtime during the World Series, time is of the essence for raising money for this ad buy. If you've got it, please give it.

With 500 ten-dollar donations, we can run this ad ten times

2008-09-30T19:46:00.000-07:00

Times are tough. People are belt tightening everywhere. But if 500 people give dollars, this ad will air in the swing states, and will, we believe help convince the Democratic Party that it cannot not use deceitful and trickery to nominate and untrustworthy Presidential candidate and then use fear to push us into voting that candidate into office.

Watch. And then, if you can, be one of the 500 people to help get the message off the web and onto television.

Or you can donate by mail. Instructions here.

See the latest ads from The Denver Group's new initiatiive Democrats For Principle Before Party

2008-09-24T22:11:00.000-07:00

To do so, go to the general election home of The Denver Group, here.

Rapid fire 2 for 1 match opportunity-good through September 24

2008-09-24T07:45:00.000-07:00

Learn more here.

Fundraising update - Monday September 22

2008-09-22T11:32:00.001-07:00

For those awaiting the newest ads, go here to see where matters financial stand.

A reminder about donation rules: please check that you are eligible to donate (information on the Democrats For Principle Before Party website); if you are in the fortunate position of being able to, a single individual may donate up to $5000; corporate contributions are not allowed.

Important update from The Denver Group's general election initiative, Democrats For Principle Before Party

2008-09-20T06:29:00.000-07:00

To see the update, click the title or go here.

GETTING TOUGH WITH SENATOR OBAMA

2008-09-14T04:44:00.000-07:00

We know many Democrats are in a quandary this year about who they want to see elected President. Though many Democrats are not. In that category are the Democrats supporting Obama and those who are not and will not. We are in the category of those who are not and will not. Not only do we think he is completely unqualified to be President and has demonstrated only the worst of all possible traits for a politician -- deceit, dishonesty,untrustworthiness, incompetence, lack of character or any moral center, he is also the product of a corrupt and dishonest primary process conducted by the Democratic National Committee in collusion with the Obama campaign which included a rigged roll call vote in violation of all of the Democratic Party's official rules and procedures.

We believe what is necessary is to oppose Senator Obama and his candidacy in our ads as forcefully as possible and that is our intention. First because we think he is completely unqualified both from the perspective of character and the perspective o any ability to do this job. We also believe that his defeat will be the beginning of a returning of the Democratic Party from those responsible for the corruption we saw this year, people like Howard Dean, Nancy Pelosi and Donna Brazile and the Obama wing of the party, to those who will respect those principles and traditions as well as simple democracy. That is the way to win the Presidency not by rigging a roll call vote and not with a candidate who has reneged on every pledge and promise he has made, has lied consistently and continues to be a weak, dishonest, unqualified and untrustworthy candidate.

For those who agree with our stance as being what is best for both the country and the Democratic Party we urge you to contribute to that effort. To those Democrats who are still ambivalent about what to do, we respect that position as well. But we will continue to act on and represent those who believe as we do, that what is best for the country and best for the Democratic Party is the defeat of what is probably the worst and most unqualified Democratic candidate for President we have ever seen.

A truly progressive match

2008-09-13T22:25:00.000-07:00

Various people who support The Denver Group's new initiative Democrats For Principle Before Party have teamed up to help contributors to The Denver Group double the bang for their buck. This group has pledged to donate $550 to organizations providing relief aid to victims of Hurricane Ike. Together they will donate that sum as soon as that amount comes into The Denver Group.

So, if you would like to help Democrats For Principle Before Party AND at the same time help those hardest struck by this hurricane season, now is the time to donate. For instructions on how to do so see the side bar. We will be including both online and snail mail donations for purposes of the match and when we hit the target we will let the group of matchers know - and of course we will announce the success here on our site.

The Denver Group's support for downticket Democrats

2008-09-13T07:25:00.000-07:00

Ed O'Reilly is a Massachusettes Democrat challenging John Kerry for the Democratic nomination for US Senate in a primary on Sept 16. We feel that Ed O'Reilly fits the kind of Democrat we support, much more so than John Kerry who we see as having become more a part of the problem than the solution for the Democratic Party and all that has gone wrong with it this year.

We support many Democratic candidates for office this year who live up to the traditions and principles of the Democratic Party and feel that Ed O'Reilly represents what our new mission stands for -- Democrats For Principle Before Party. Through Heidi's contacts and fundraising efforts with the O'Reilly campaign, Marc created and produced this commercial for Ed O'Reilly which will be running this weekend in advance of the Sept 16th primary.

Additional information about The Denver Group's general election efforts is available at our sister website Democrats for Principle Before Party.

Fundraising progress report from The Denver Group

2008-09-11T04:51:00.000-07:00

[See this post on The Denver Group's general election website, and update your bookmarks.]

Working with Act Blue's staff counsel, we successfully managed to have Act Blue release funds owed us the day after they "delisted" The Denver Group without notice, despite being told originally that it would be impossible for expedited delivery.

Donations via Paypal have been coming in steadily: approximately $300 since the beginning of this week.
Donations by snail mail have been coming in as well: $200 dollars in the past two days.
And we have over $500 dollars in pledged donations.

A new feature on this webpage: a separate page for people to pledge contributions to The Denver Group's general election efforts. Our goal continues to be raise money to make sure that all Democrats understand the legitimacy of fighting for their Party even if that means they are not supporting the Party's presidential nominee. We will be running ads in states like Texas, reminding people to support downticket Democrats who are committed to democracy in the Democratic Party; and we will be running ads to remind people that corruption of democratic process cannot be the way to arrive at a Democratic nominee.

A NEW SITE, A NEW GROUP BUT A FAMILIAR SET OF PRINCIPLES AND GOALS

2008-09-07T07:27:00.000-07:00

Under the auspices of the Denver Group, we have created "Democrats For Principle Before Party" whose purpose is to achieve, with the help of your contributions our post convention goals which you can read under that heading on the right under our donation information and also on our new page. We will seek to do achieve those goals as we did before by creating awareness of our message through mass media with our ads and commercials ( contributions permitting).

You can access the new site by clicking this link DEMOCRATS FOR PRINCIPLE BEFORE PARTY.

There will be places to contribute on the new site as well as here and we will continue to maintain the Denver Group home page for the near future.but with the election season now in full swing, our activities will be focused primarily on our new site and our new goals,though we will continue to post any information here that we think relevant.

Update on the Act Blue situation

2008-09-04T23:33:00.000-07:00

We still have not been able to find out the identity of the decisionmaker that Nate Thames says he was not. We have made it clear that we will need not only the final remittal funds due us ASAP, as well as the names of the donors who gave those contributions so that we can thank them as is our custom.

A number of supporters have informed us that they have written to Mr. Thames, who at the moment is the de facto representative from Act Blue regarding that organization's precipitous move to delist The Denver Group. Others have let us know that they are seeking refunds of tips they made to Act Blue because of Act Blue's providing us an additonal fundraising channel.

One communication on which we were copied stands out, and we wanted to share it with all those who join with The Denver Group in getting out the message that principle comes before Party when the Party has become unprincipled.

Dear Nate,

I am a Democrat who believes in Democratic principles and fair play. It has come to my attention that you have refused to allow The Denver Group from using ACTBLUE to collect funds in order to promote democracy. If you have read any of the Denver Group ads, they have never promoted Republicans or any other non-democratic party.

You see, many of us Democrats are upset with our party. You know the reasons why. By disassociating and refusing The Denver Group, you are not promoting democracy, you are alienating it. This is no longer about Senator Obama or Senator Clinton. When this election is over, there will be no doubt that many of us will continue to support Democratic candidates elected by the people they will serve. Disagreeing with our party in the way they conduct business does not make us Republicans. Actions such as the one with The Denver group by ActBlue will no doubt further the resentment of many Democrats, but also further their resolve.

Sincerely,
[name redacted for privacy purposes]

We could not have said it better ourselves.

And what makes the email special is that this was written by one of regular "small dollar" donors, who contacted Heidi Li immediately yesterday afternoon to assure her he would be donating, as he has for months, small amounts on a regular basis. Marc noted here and on his blog that for practical purposes we do not need Act Blue; so we are not going to spend any more of our scarce time on that relationsip. With supporters like this letter writer, who needs Act Blue?

To contribute to The Denver Group, please feel free to use the links in the sidebar to paypal or

to mail us a check. We have other ads well along in the pipeline. We are not going to let anybody who suports our work not be abe to. As always, we thank those who are contributing and those who will now make contributions via other channels.

ACT BLUE'S PRO OBAMA STANCE DE-LISTS THE DENVER GROUP.

2008-09-04T10:42:00.000-07:00

We have been notified by Act Blue that because we are raising money to run ads that oppose Senator Obama's candidacy for President and no doubt that we are also quite obviously leveling criticism at the DNC for their dishonest handling of the nominating process, and, according to their letter, that we are encouraging the withholding of support for Obama in the election, we are being de-listed by Act Blue and will no longer be accepting contributions through them.

We found this censorship so outrageous, and so obviously part of everything that has infected parts of the Democratic Party this year and made those elements worth opposing, that we decided not even to bother to make our case and argue our point. We are just as happy to accept our contributions through Pay Pal and in check form by mail as we have been doing, and we will continue to do so. But we wanted to explain to our contributors why they will no longer be seeing the Act Blue button on our site and so from now on all contributions to the Denver Group should be made through Pay Pal and by check.

To any of you who would like to express your displeasure to the person at Act Blue who made the decision to de-list us because we will not tow the official Democratic Party line and because we had the audacity to reject the corrupt actions of the Democratic Party this year, you can write to Nate Thames at: nate@actblue.com

THE DENVER GROUP'S FIRST POST-CONVENTION AD

2008-09-03T14:37:00.000-07:00

Click on image for larger view.

This ad is scheduled to appear in print in the Lansing State Journal, Michigan's capital city newspaper on September 4, 2008.

We jumped at a good opportunity to kick off our post-convention ad campaign in Michigan, because Michigan voters suffered every sort of indignity at the hands of Democratic Party leaders who now seem only too willing to take them for granted.

But we still want to reach the Washington "insider crowd" and for that we need to hit the fundraising goals we have specified previously - $4000-5000 in additional contributions as soon as possible, $9000 at least total by the end of this week or the beginning of next . We are thankful to those who have contributed to our goals so far and we hope that this ad gives you a pleasing idea of what's to come, when our resources permit.

If you wish to donate you can learn how at the sidebar to the right.

The Denver Group: Post Convention Goals

2008-09-02T16:06:00.000-07:00

OUR POST CONVENTION GOALS

The goals of The Denver Group in the coming general election are simple and straightforward. After witnessing the most corrupt nominating process we have ever seen, something reminiscent of the bad old days of Boss Tweed, when a rigged nominating process and roll call vote were substituted for the voices and votes of 18 million Democratic primary voters, and in the process seeing every rule, procedure and democratic principle violated, we think what is most important now is that principle prevails before party. That means restoring the values of the Democratic Party and the principles for which it has stood and returning it to those who respect and value those traditions.

To that end our goals are:

1. The withholding of support for the Democratic candidate for President on the grounds that the party leadership subverted Democratic Party rules, procedures and principles in order to select a predetermined candidate without regard to the Democratic Party's voters, principles, rules or procedures. We do not believe anything justifies supporting a candidate who is there because of a corruption of democratic principles in the name of winning.

2. If the Democrats lose, holding accountable Howard Dean, Nancy Pelosi and others in the DNC who are responsible for subverting the principles which alienated 18 million voters, leading to the defeat, by demanding their resignations. And getting them.

3. The return of the Democratic Party to those who will respect its traditions, its values and it's democratic procedures so that the Democratic Party can return to the values and principles for which it has always stood.

Labor Day update from The Denver Group

2008-09-01T18:44:00.001-07:00

Fundraising [updated!]
We have just passed the $38000 mark on Act Blue, having had an astonishing show of support over this holiday weekend. Donations via paypal have been arriving and we look forward to the resumption of mail delivery tomorrow because we know folks do donate by mail.

Ad development
Marc is laying out the first post-convention ad we plan to run because the minute we can afford it we will place it. We know where we want it to go so the creative and strategic thinking is done.

Fun fact
Marc and Heidi Li have a friendly wager over whether Marc will have the ad totally ready for submission the moment we top $40000 on Act Blue or whether Heidi Li will be able to rally donors to that mark before Marc is done with the mechanics of laying out the ad. Stay tuned to find out which of us wins this bet.

A straightforward request for contributions to Principle Before Party

2008-08-31T07:12:00.000-07:00

Many knowledgeable sources, including delegates, have told us that they know that our earlier ads forced the hand the DNC with regard to putting Senator Clinton's in nomination and holding any sort of roll call vote. We don't think the one held qualified as a free and fair so we are striking up a campaign to make sure that fact is not forgotten or ignored.

But time is short in terms of getting the mainstream media to realize that many Democrats' Democrats object to how the Party arrived at its nominee and know that internal corruption, which we must start cleaning up immediately, is the most likely cause should the Democrats lose the presidency this year. The Denver Group's particular purpose is to make sure that this message gets into the mainstream media ASAP.

Therefore, we need your financial support and we need it fast. Savvy print ads, especially when strategically placed, can have enormous effect. We have the ability to create the ads and some ideas already in the works. But since we rely primarily on small dollar donations we need as many of those to arrive as quickly as each person who wants to fight for the heart and soul of the Democratic Party can afford to contribute even a small amount. See the side bar for how to donate; Act Blue and Paypal are best for us but we happily accept donations by mail. We are grateful, now more than ever, for those who have been contributing and we appreciate any future supporters who can spare even five dollars at this crucial moment.

For more about the specifics of the ad campaign see the previous post.

THE DENVER GROUP'S NEW MESSAGE: "PRINCIPLE BEFORE PARTY" AND WHAT IT MEANS.

2008-08-30T09:48:00.000-07:00

The Denver Group, with your help and with your contributions, intends on bringing the message of "Principle Before Party" both to the general electorate and to Democrats in Congress and the Democratic Leadership itself.

To the Democratic Party leadership, we will let them know that if the Democratic Party loses the Presidential election, it will be, to a large extent, the result of their own corrupting of Democratic Party principles and the disrespecting, devaluing, and discarding of 18 million votes in order to bring about their chosen result.

We will also make it clear to everyone, that we are Democrats who support the traditional values, principles and procedures of the Democratic Party but will not support the abandoning and corrupting of those values and principles and go blindly along when those values and principles and the very democratic process itself is corrupted and abandoned as they were this year.

We will take our message of "Democrats For Principle Before Party" in the form of print ads and TV commercials to swing states and any other state we think matters.

But this does not mean we will be advocating for John McCain. We won't be. There are many ways that a Democrat can express their protest against the corruption of party procedures, principles and values and what it has brought about. Not the least of which would include leaving the Presidential line blank when in the voting booth. Arthur Schlesinger Jr., a prominent and lifelong Democrat, did just that according to his journals when, in 1980, his conscience and principles would not allow him to vote for Jimmy Carter.

Our goal and the goal of our message will be that on November 5, the day after election day, there will be a result in the Presidential and Congressional elections that will begin the process of returning the Democratic Party back into the hands of those who will respect Democratic Party rules and procedures as well as the democratic process itself, and most of all who will respect the votes of all Democrats so that those votes will never be disrespected and devalued as they were this year, and the corruption we witnessed will never happen again.

Heidi Li on My Two Cents radio (second hour)

2008-08-29T06:52:00.000-07:00

Heidi Li appeared on My Two Cents radio immediately following the event held at Invesco Field yesterday. To listen click here or on the widget in the sidebar. If you do not have time to listen to the entire show, Heidi Li comes on at the top of the second hour.

WHAT'S NEXT

2008-08-28T16:41:00.000-07:00

Now that the Democratic party has "installed" a nominee using a sham roll call vote in a rigged nominating procedure that had more in common with the government of Iran or China than anything American the question is what to do next.

The leadership of the Democratic Party, along with those who have chosen to go along with it, has subverted and undermined every democratic and Democratic principle to an extent most people would not have thought possible and they did it under the noses of an inept and biased news media who did not seem to notice.

What matters now is that the Democratic Party not be rewarded for their efforts. And that its time for Democrats in November to put principle before party.

Using ads and commercials as your contributions enable us, we want to take that message into the general election. We are Democrats and we believe in the things the Democratic Party has stood for. But all those principles were corrupted this time. If it takes a Democratic Party defeat for President to rid the party of the elements that so corrupted the process and everything the Democratic Party has stood for, so be it.

Republicans saying it is one thing. Democrats saying it is another. And with your help we intend to say it. We intend to tell Democrats to put principle before party and to say it in swing states all over the country where our resources allow. And we intend on saying it in Democratic states that are usually taken for granted. We will provide a rallying point for the 18 million Democrats whose votes meant so little to the DNC that they did not think they were even worth counting, but who want them now when they need them.

With your help, we will do what we can to see to it that happened to the Democratic Party this year never happens again.

To learn how to contribute via mail, Act Blue, or Paypal please refer to the side bar.

The Denver Group reception - Part 2

2008-08-28T06:08:00.000-07:00

The next post on this site will lay out our next set of specific goals. But in the meantime, we wanted to share with you several pictures from the reception we held on Tuesday. At the reception, Heidi Li and guests discussed how to return the Democratic Party to democracy through concrete action. Serious discussion did not preclude having fun.

Hear Marc Rubin's remarks during a TV broadcast from the Washington DC area

2008-08-27T11:30:00.000-07:00

Click the title or here to listen to Marc on News Channel 8.

The Denver Group's reception - Part 1

2008-08-26T22:38:00.000-07:00

The Denver Group held its reception here in Denver tonight. Marc was too busy manning the fort back on the East Coast and laying ground for our next efforts to fly in, but Heidi Li had the honor and joy of meeting so many people who in so many ways have directly supported our efforts.

Soon we will post photographs one supporter has been kind enough to send us, but in the meantime you can read coverage about the event here (CQ Politics) and here (No Quarter).

THE CONVENTION WILL SOON BE FINISHED BUT WE WON'T BE.

2008-08-26T11:39:00.000-07:00

The Democratic National Convention is shaping up to be the most dishonest and corrupt in recent political history, without regard for the fact that every Democratic rule and democratic principle has been violated in the name of pushing a candidate who the majority of the primary and caucus goers voted against in order to fullfill some agenda.

Until it unfolds, we won't know the exact form of what we now know will definitely amount to a rigged, dishonest roll call vote. Another thing we do know is that it is going to rob 18 million voters of their franchise. And when it has come to this entire nominating process the Bush Administration will have shown more respect for the voting rights of Iraqis than the DNC has shown for the voting rights of registered Democrats and delegates to the Democratic Convention. And that cannot be ignored.

We are preparing and planning a public course of action, once again using mass media in response to what the DNC has done to the process itself. With the help of our contributors our ad campaign will begin immediately post convention and go right through to the general election itself up to Election Day. We have the ideas ready, and we will act as quickly as funds permit.

With the help of our donors, we will be able to do what we can to make sure that when Election Day is over and all the votes are counted, the corruption and dishonesty that has plagued this entire process, will, in the end, count for nothing.

Marc Rubin appears on "My Two Cents" radio show

2008-08-26T06:50:00.000-07:00

Listen here.

USA Today covers The Denver Group

2008-08-25T22:26:00.000-07:00

In a just published story that includes coverage of the delegates and groups working to support their efforts to act honorably and conscientiously, USA Today noted The Denver Group:

At issue at the convention, of course, is not only what Clinton says but what her delegates do.

Heidi Li Feldman, a Georgetown University law professor who helped organize the ad hoc The Denver Group, is among those who demanded that Clinton's name be placed in nomination and a roll-call vote taken.

A move to declare Obama the nominee by acclamation is not what they have in mind — even if that's what Clinton proposes in her speech after a few states have cast their ballots.

"When someone tries to ram a vote by acclamation, you can walk out of the convention," Feldman says. "If you stay in that hall, you can stand up and say, 'We will not be silenced.' I tell them to stand up and sing, 'We Shall Not Be Overcome.' "

The Denver Group's print ad in The Hill, Monday, August 25, 2008

2008-08-24T22:28:00.000-07:00

Click on the ad for a larger image.

This adverstisement will appear in print in the Monday edition of The Hill's special Democratic National Party Convention.

For those not familiar with The Hill, here is some information from them regarding their target audience and how The Hill is making sure to reach that audience.

The DNC editions will feature hard-hitting news from the convention site. Our full staff of editors and reporters will be in Denver working on late deadlines allowing for the most up-to-date features and articles on convention coverage. Monday we will distribute to our regular subscriber base –22, 795 plus 15,000 at each convention city. Tuesday-Thursday, The Hill will be printed locally at the Rocky Mountain News in Denver and distributed to the Denver hotel rooms, lobbies and convention center. Again, 15,000 plus for each Denver issue.

The Denver Group in the press - evening August 24, 2008

2008-08-24T19:04:00.000-07:00

From CQ Politics:

While the official call for the convention specifies that presidential candidates will be placed in nomination and a roll call taken, it doesn’t specify that the roll consist of the traditional calling out of state’s names from the podium to which state delegations respond by announcing their vote.

That troubles Heidi Li Feldman, a leader of the group who is a law professor at Georgetown University in Washington, “It’s clear they don’t want an on-air roll call. They’re extremely nervous about this,’’ she said.

At the very least, she added, she and her supporters want to ensure “that the tallying of the vote is reliable.’’

She said party officials haven’t responded to her requests for the roll call’s exact rules.

News from The Denver Group, Sunday, August 24, 2008

2008-08-24T07:48:00.000-07:00

Advertising campaign update:

Our TV commercial is scheduled to run again tomorrow night during the Denver ABC affiliate's broadcast of Nightline.
Tomorrow a new major ad will appear in print. As has been our practice, we will post the ad on this site tonight at midnight eastern time/10 pm mountain time for those who will not have an opportunity to see it in print.

Fundraising update:

The Denver Group supporter who offered to sponsor a fellow supporter's trip to Denver has, we have learned, made it possible for the traveler to make it to Denver.
A special thank you to those who are contributing in an effort to enable us to air the television commercial at least one more time after Monday night.

Miscellaneous:
Heidi Li happened to have dinner last night at the same restaurant as Governor Rendell. She did not have the opportunity to speak with Governor Rendell but she did have the opportunity to speak with several of his aides. Heidi was able to remind them to remind Governor Rendell about the state laws in ten states that require pledged delegates to vote as pledged. She inquired as to whether the Governor had received information about the precise mechanics of the roll call votes on Thursday, but since the aides looked at her blankly when she asked the question, it would appear not.

Update FROM Denver - From The Denver Group

2008-08-23T06:04:00.000-07:00

Heidi Li is now in Denver and Marc will arrive tomorrow. The airwaves are packed with commercials. Ours is scheduled to run at least two more times, but making more buys for the commercial or running our upcoming print ad more than once (it is already scheduled to run on Monday and we could run it on Wednesday morning, the morning of the roll call to remind superdelegates that they must vote their consciences, with an eye to winning the White House with the best possible candidate. Getting word out to delegates in these next few days is imperative. It will take courage and determination for delegates to exercise their judgment freely because it always takes that when the stakes are high and the outcome not a foregone conclusion. We believe our ads foster courage and confidence for the delegates.

We are not making a symbolic gestures. We are supporting the individuals who have the power to make the Democratic Party democratic on the day of the roll call vote. Delegates, pledged and unpledged, must know that whatever Dr. Dean or Speaker Pelosi do, the delegates truly do control this convention. Now they must exercise that control, using it for the good of the Democratic Party.

If you would like to donate to help The Denver Group let as many delegates know that millions of rank and file Democrats are rooting for the delegates to be brave and conscientious, it is truly now or never. Online donation - via Paypal or Act Blue - is best.

11:18 pm - Denver - The Denver Group's TV Commercial Airs

2008-08-22T22:18:00.000-07:00

The first run of the commercial just took place, right before this post. We know, because one of our members is already in Denver and told us.

Update from The Denver Group - August 21

2008-08-21T07:31:00.000-07:00

Thanks to the flow of contributions, we have scheduled another run of our TV commercial, to air on Monday night's broadcast of Nightline in Denver. Depending on whether we can raise at least $3000 in the next couple of days, we will air the commercial every day up until the roll call vote on August 27th.

We appreciate the support we have received, including those who have taken their own initiative to publicize our work and highlight our efforts to keep the Democratic Party democratic.

The Denver Group: Commercials placed as of 8/20

2008-08-20T05:53:00.000-07:00

After considering where delegates and superdelegates are most likely to be watching television this weekend, The Denver Group has purchased two time slots in which to run our Declaration of Independence commercial. The commercial will air on CBS in Denver this Friday night, during the Late Show with David Letterman, which is airing right after the Denver Broncos football game that will be broadcast on the same station. It will also run on Saturday during the local news program on CBS in Denver, which airs from 5 pm to 6 pm.

We will announce final TV commercial placements tomorrow - after tomorrow, submission deadlines make it impossible to run the commercial prior to the roll call vote. How often and where we can run the commercial in the days leading up to the roll call vote on Wednesday depends, as always, on continuing contributions from supporters of our cause.

Reception update

2008-08-19T09:11:00.001-07:00

We are fortunate to have received such a positive response regarding The Denver Group's reception for our supporters. Indeed, the response has been so positive that we have run out of space for accepting any more guests. Thank you to those who have rsvp'd. If you know that you won't be able to make it, please let us know right away so that we can give your space to somebody on the "overflow list" we are keeping. If you are interest in being on this list please send an email to TheDenverGroup@gmail.com with the words "overflow list request" in the subject line.

Also, we may arrange a more informal "meet-up" for Denver Group supporters - time and place will be announced on this blog as the events schedule for Denver becomes clearer.

It is wonderful to know that Denver will be full of people who want the Democratic Party kept democratic.

Help a fellow supporter get to Denver

2008-08-19T06:31:00.000-07:00

The couple who has been offering "tip challenges" - and leaving "tips" at Act Blue - learned that an independent blogger and friend of The Denver Group did not have the funds to make the trip. Accordingly, they have put forward this very special and one-time challenge:

Our Challenge.
We will help sponsor a trip to Denver for one of The Denver Group’s supporters who has a particular need and reason to go if the donation level at The Denver Group reaches $37,501.00.

So, one more reason to help us hit our target of $15000 for this week by donating via Act Blue.

CRUNCH TIME

2008-08-18T15:56:00.000-07:00

It is getting down to the wire. The Denver Group enthusiastically plans to continue insisting that the Democratic Party act democratically.

Our commercial is scheduled to air towards the end of the week on CNN and we will post further details about that as they become available (it is currently being reviewed by CNN clearance).
We also have a print ad in the works to run Monday, August 25th in a D.C. based newspaper, which will reach all their regular readers as well as being available at the convention hall itself and at hotels in Denver where delegates and super delegates will be staying. We believe this ad could influence what happens at the roll call vote.
If our contributions keep coming, we will be running our commercial in Denver starting this week (probably on CBS but possibly ABC as well) to get the message across. While it takes additional funds to do this, we believe that if we hit our fund raising goals for the week we can readily afford this step.

The DNC has successfully made a complete mess of their own procedures and is offering conflicting explanations about what exactly is going to happen at the roll call vote. So now it is important to keep in mind that delegates, no matter what they are told, are not only free to vote their consciences as to what their constituents' wishes are, but that they are supposed to vote based on their constituents' preferences - not Howard Dean's preferences or Nancy Pelosi's or anybody's other than the people who elected the delegates in the first place, rank and file voters across the country. Our ads will remind delegates and super delegates not only of their rights but also of their responsibilities to democratic process itself. And we are also going to make clear what the consequences may very well be for the Democratic Party if they do not.

Another tip challenge offered

2008-08-17T21:04:00.000-07:00

The supporters who supplied Act Blue with the tip when we hit our goal of 30,000 dollars on Act Blue not only sent us a copy of their receipt showing the tip was left, but they have gone one step further and left us the following message:

[We] would like to make another “tip challenge”.
If The Denver Group donation level reaches $ 33,000.00, we will make another $250.00 “tip” to ActBlue.

There you have it, folks. A pair of fellow supporters will pick up the tip if you will get us to that $33,000 benchmark. $33,000 on Act Blue would bring us to a good part part of the way toward our goal of raising $7500 via that channel this week, and the broader goal of raising $15,000 total.

Many thanks to the "tippers" and many thanks to those who have been and are contributing to our efforts.

The Denver Group's fundraising target for the coming week

2008-08-16T14:29:00.000-07:00

For the week of August 17, The Denver Group aims high. We hope to raise at least $15,000 total for the week, with at least half of that coming via Act Blue (we also accept donations by mail and by paypal - see sidebar for full information). The primary purpose for these funds is, as usual, to finance ad buys, including at least one more print ad. Where and when we run our ads depends entirely on our cash flow. Thank you to all those who are helping.

The Denver Group's 30 Second Commercial

2008-08-16T09:09:00.000-07:00

UPDATE SUNDAY AUGUST 17: WE UPLOADED A SLIGHTLY BETTER VERSION OF THE SPOT ON YOU TUBE. CLICK HERE FOR THIS VERSION, REMEMBER TO ADJUST YOUTUBE SETTING TO 'HIGH QUALITY'.

Many of you (including the news media) have been inquiring about our first 30 second commercial, wanting to know when it would be finished. Now we can say it is and a rough cut is viewable here or on YouTube (because the visual is the fine text of the Declaration of Independence which can create distortion at low resolution it should be viewed in the high quality setting. YouTube does not allow that setting to be a default setting so we recommend watching on the YouTube site where you can see it in a higher resolution; also the sound mix is not yet finalized).

We have a number of different venues in mind as to where and when it will run, including CNN, but as always, when, where and how often we can run it is going to depend on your contributions. The more, as they say, the merrier.

Time is short between now and the convention so the more contributions we get and the sooner we get them the sooner we will be able to make our media buys. And send the DNC a clear message about what we think of "symbolic" votes.

This just in: a tip challenge from a supporter of The Denver Group

2008-08-15T12:27:00.000-07:00

UPDATE: As of 7:15 a.m eastern, Saturday, August 16: It continues to be crunch time, as we work to make sure that The Democratic Party intends a fully democratic, non-symbolic vote at the convention on August 27, a vote where no delegate feels pressured to do anything other than vote his or her conscience within the guidelines of the The Democratic Party's own rules.

We will announce a goal for this coming week soon. Thank you to every person who helped us cross the $30,000 line.
**********************************************
The Denver Group is approaching its goal of the week on Act Blue: to reach $30,000 in total via that channel. We have just received the following message from a supporter:

Here is our challenge.
If the donation amount makes the $ 30,000.00 level, we will make a $ 250.00 tip to Act Blue.

The Denver Group will also recognize, in a private communication, the person whose contribution puts us over the top for this goal. We look forward to that and even more forward to seeing Act Blue receive a tip in honor of all those supporting The Denver Group.

NO GOING BACK

2008-08-14T12:26:00.000-07:00

The news that Senator Clinton's name is going to be placed in nomination is welcome news -- even if it took two months and a lot of effort to persuade the Democratic Party powers to do what they should have done in the first place. If, that is, they actually end up doing what they should have done in the first place.

Now that Senator Obama and the DNC acknowledge what we've been saying in our ads for two months, that Democratic Party rules and procedures and democratic principles demand an open convention with Senator Clinton's name in nomination, they have to follow through. There can be no caveats, no fine print. There has to be a legitimate, open convention with an acknowledgement that by their own rules the Democratic Party does not now have an official nominee. Senator Clinton's name in nomination has to mean a genuinely democratic opportunity for super delegates to exercise their judgment and to cast their votes for the nominee they are willing to take responsibility for sending out against the Republicans, based on who they think will be the better candidate and the better President.

There is no going back. The Democratic Party has passed the point of no return. And we are going to continue to be watchdogs to hold them accountable for what happens at the convention. This is a good step in the right direction but pardon us if we want to take a wait and see attitude. If they are honest and sincere, something the DNC had been anything but for the last seven months, it will be a step towards truly unifying the party so that everyone can feel there was an honest open convention, that both candidates had an equal chance to be the nominee. Supporters of whoever loses might be disappointed, but as long as the process is honest it will be a process everyone can live with.

But the situation must be handled with care. If anyone has anything up their sleeve, if they think they can turn this into some kind of "symbolic" event - as one New York Times reporter called it - so that putting Senator Clinton's name in nomination is no more than a dog and pony show, today's measures will not only fail to unify the party, the end result will leave the party even more divided, angry and rancorous than it was before. We hope it won't come to that. But we will continue to hold the DNC's feet to the fire to make sure it does not.

NOTE: Tonight both the BBC and ABC News in both reports, referred to the announcement that Senator Clinton's name will be in nomination as being a "symbolic" gesture. Since both news outlets used the same terminology, there is the possibility that this term was supplied to them by someone -- either at the DNC or from the Obama campaign. Or it could also be more media incompetence and analysis though the BBC isnt known for that.

With your continued contributions we are going to make sure the point will be made that "symbolic gestures" will not be good enough, and that if that's what they have in mind they will have compounded the problem by creating a situation of disunity even more divisive and rancorous than if they had done nothing.

THE GRUMPY JACK CAFFERTY CALLS THE DENVER GROUP "HUMORLESS"

2008-08-12T15:09:00.000-07:00

The factually challenged Jack Cafferty both on his CNN segment today and on his blog was his usual cranky self putting down the idea of an open, honest convention where people actually get to vote for who the nominee is, and calling The Denver Group a "humorless" organization who he seems to think are making unnecessary and unwanted trouble. And to make his point he cites our "Boston Tea Party" ad in roll call ( see below). It seems Jack is very upset that The Denver Group isn't getting the joke about the coronation he wants to take place. But we get it. We do think its a joke. Just not a very funny one.

Since every fact he cites on his blog to support his bizarre ideas are proveably wrong, we have an idea: if we can raise an additional $5,000, we can run our 30 second TV spot we now have in production and run it on Jack Cafferty's segment on CNN. Kind of like a "thinking of you" greeting card. Just so he and his viewers know we are thinking of him. And that we really do have a sense of humor after all. Just not when it comes to trashing democracy.

THE BOSTON TEA PARTY STRIKES AGAIN

2008-08-10T07:11:00.000-07:00

Click for larger version.

With the convention looming and talk of an open convention and Senator Clinton's name being placed in nomination as party procedures dictate now a topic in the mainstream media and the DNC (thanks to your contributions) we thought it best to remind Howard Dean and the DNC of what the consequences may be if they don't abide by those rules and try to turn the convention into a dishonest coronation that will be rejected by a majority of the Democratic Party.

It's clear in recent comments by Senator Obama that he doesn't want Senator Clinton's name in nomination or an open convention. The Boston Tea Party ad which first ran in the Chicago Tribune appears tomorrow (August 11, 2008) in an updated new version in Roll Call to remind everyone in the Democratic Party including their leadership, that this is not about what Senator Obama wants -- it is about the Democratic Party, its own rules and procedures and what they can expect if they in any way violate them and deprive the majority of having their candidate placed in nomination with an equal chance to win. (To see a larger version of the ad as posted here, please click on the image.)

This is how Roll Call describes itself:

Our Mission

Since 1955, Roll Call’s mission has been to deliver superior coverage of the people, politics, process and policy on Capitol Hill. With accurate, unbiased reporting, Roll Call has earned a level of credibility unparalleled in Washington and beyond.
Our Story

First Issue of Roll Call
June 16, 1955

Roll Call, the Group’s flagship publication, was founded in 1955 by Sid Yudain, a former Capitol Hill press secretary. Initially, Roll Call was published once a week and quickly became an integral part of the Capitol Hill community. Over time the need for Roll Call’s unique and special brand of Congressional reporting grew. Today, the newspaper is published Monday through Thursday while Congress is in session (once a week during a recess)

Who Reads Roll Call Group Publications?

If you need to know Congress, you need Roll Call. According to a recent survey* of Congressional opinion leaders, Roll Call ranks at the top of their list:

* #1 in Total Readership
* #1 in Regular Readership
* Most Current Publication
* Most Enjoyable Publication
*Source: 2006-2007 Erdos & Morgan Opinion Leaders Study

The Denver Group hopes that Senator Clinton, along with all the Congressional opinionmakers aims to reach, understands the importance of The Denver Group's message to The Democratic Party: a facade of unity is not unity. For the Democrats to have any chance at the White House this November the DNC should heed our message and its own rules and hold an authentic nominating convention with Senator Clinton agreeing to and having her name placed in nomination.

To restore credibility with millions of voters The Democratic Party and its leaders must provide a convention with a meaningful choice between Senator Obama and Senator Clinton to head the ticket in November. Without that credibility, no Democratic contender for the Presidency stands much of a chance in November. And if 30% or more of Clinton voters make good on their threat and stay home unless there is not an honest and open convention, the down ticket Democrats won't have much of a chance either.

The Denver Group nears next Act Blue milestone; a previous ad is featured in online publication

2008-08-09T10:19:00.000-07:00

Over on Act Blue, we are nearing $21,000. We know we will hit that mark, our goal for the weekend is to pass it by at least $500. Our overall fundraising target for the upcoming week is $10,000 via any channel - Act Blue, Paypal, or regular mail (our mailing address is in the sidebar to the right).

Meanwhile, courtesy of a supporter we learned that our first ad was featured on July 30 in digitaljournal.com. We like the tagline of this online line news site - "The Power of Citizen Journalism. You can see the portion of the ad digitaljournal reprinted here, and apparently, can vote for it. We thank digitaljournal for their high standards in attributing the ad to The Denver Group.

The Denver Post covers The Denver Group

2008-08-09T05:49:00.000-07:00

Clinton backers want vote

By Allison Sherry and Anne C. Mulkern
The Denver Post

Although the The Denver Group receives only a brief mention we are pleased to have been mentioned at all in a story that covers quite the thoroughly the position of Clinton delegates at this point in time.

Alert: Status report from The Denver Group

2008-08-08T11:50:00.000-07:00

Media campaign status report

Television commercial: one is now in post production; we plan to preview it on this site as soon as possible, probably by August 13. We hope the preview will inspire donors, new and old, to contribute what they can so we can run the commercial - and possibly others - in the most effective places at the most effective times.

Print ad campaign: because the events of the past few days have elicited a strong reaction from Democrats and others fed up with the DNC's failure to take steps to ensure that the Party ends up with an electable nominee for the general election, we are making every effort to run an additional print ad by Monday, August 11. To do this, we are reaching deep into our pocketbook. But we think the reach is worth it, given how high the stakes are.

If you wish to donate, you can do so here or via the methods identified in the sidebar to the right.

Convention Events involving The Denver Group

We are still accepting RSVP's for those interested in coming to our reception in Denver, to be held on August 26th from 5 to 7. We are delighted to report that we already have enough RSVP's such that we have had to make sure we can book an "overflow room" at the downtown Denver location where the event will be held. To RSVP with an expression of interest, please email us at TheDenverGroup@gmail.com. We will send specific details of location nearer to the time of the event to the list of RSVPs we are compiling.

Heidi has been invited to speak at at least two major events being planned in Denver during the Convention. Details still being arranged but Heidi intends to speak. More information as it becomes available.

The Denver Group's latest ad as it appears in print in the Tallahassee Democrat

2008-08-07T16:04:00.001-07:00

Special thanks to The Denver Group supporter from Florida who took the trouble to snap this photo and send it to us.

THE DENVER GROUP INVADES FLORIDA AND MICHIGAN

2008-08-06T17:36:00.000-07:00

Since Senator Obama announced this week his desire to seat the full delegations of Florida and Michigan, (2 months after the Rules Committee hearings) The Denver Group thought it fitting to run ads in Tallahassee, Florida and Lansing, Michigan, each state's capital, reminding voters as well as Howard Dean that the Democratic nomination is far from over.

Click on the image at right for a larger view.
Print ads running August 7, 2008 in The Lansing Journal and The Tallahassee Democrat.

RECEPTION PLANNED FOR DENVER - LET US KNOW IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN ATTENDING

2008-08-05T20:05:00.000-07:00

The Denver Group will be holding a reception in downtown Denver on August 26th from 5 to 7. We would like to get a sense of how many of our supporters would like to plan on stopping by. If you are going to be in Denver and think you'd like to connect with others who support The Denver Group, please send an email to TheDenverGroup@gmail.com. We will contact you with specifics of location, etc. within a week of the 26th. We look forward to matching faces to names of those who have been supporting us and who will be supporting us from now throughout the convention.

Update from the Denver Group: Spoof Site Gone

2008-08-05T12:55:00.000-07:00

As readers and supports of The Denver Group know, over the weekend we became aware of a spoof/scam site that had confused a few people and alarmed many more. We lodged a number of formal complaints with Blogger and Google, and we know many of you flagged the spoof site as an abuse of Blogger guidelines. Google sent automated replies requesting further information from us, and we thought we would have to spend precious resources on legal assistance to get the problem resolved.

After several days of working hard to learn how to contact the person responsible for the spoof site - while working hard on our central focus, creating new ads and raising funds to run them - today we reached somebody who knew the person involved. This intermediary acted swiftly, and the spoof site has been removed. Furthermore, the intermediary, who was not personally involved in the spoof, was incredibly gracious. Unlike the person who put up the site in the first place, the intermediary took responsibility for resolving the problem, and we are grateful.

Happy about this news? Ask a friend to donate whatever she or he can to celebrate your happiness as THE Denver Group swings into its highest gear as the Convention draws close.

Something incredible just happened to THE Denver Group

2008-08-03T19:10:00.000-07:00

As our supporters know, we were confronted today with the problem of a spoof site. That problem is still being addressed but we will get it resolved, in large part because of the incredible and rapidfire response of so many people who got the word out about the problem and some people, with very special knowledge and skills, who immediately offered to assist in protecting the integrity of THE DENVER GROUP name and web presence. We won't know until tomorrow whether we will relocate to another url but rest assured, we will make sure people know how to find the real thing. Marc and Heidi, on behalf of The Denver Group, thank every last person who sent an email, left a comment on a website, contacted us to help, and so on.

To top it all off, we are steadily headed toward $20,000 raised on Act Blue. For those who want to donate online, this link to Act Blue is genuinely secure; if you feel more comfortable donating by mail, The Denver Group address is in the sidebar. When we hit - and surpass - that $20,000 milestone, people everywhere will know that thanks to the support of every person who donates, The Denver Group will not be deterred by trickery or anything else in our efforts to keep the Democratic Party democratic.

WARNING OF A DENVER GROUP SPOOF SITE

2008-08-03T15:03:00.000-07:00

Imitation might be the sincerest form of flattery but spoofing isnt. Someone has set up a spoof site of the Denver Group, calling itself The Denver Group but dropping the "the" from the web address setting up a bogus site on Blogspot. Given that we are involved in the Presidential election and that our activities are governed by the FEC, as is our fundraising, this is not a harmless prank and we are going to take appropriate action. We have notified Blogspot and have also notified our attorneys.

In the meantime while the imitation isn't flattering knowing that thanks to your contributions we are making a lot of people nervous enough to want to spoof us, is in it's own way flattering. It tells us we are getting through, we are doing our job, we are having an important effect and maybe we have some people running scared. The more contributions we get the more nervous we're going to make them.

What The Denver Group told CQ Politics About Senator Clinton Being Placed in Nomination

2008-08-02T12:19:00.000-07:00

From CQ Politics in a story they published online August 1 at 6:13 pm. (The story is reprinted here as well.)

Heidi Li Feldman, a Georgetown University law professor, co-founded The Denver Group to push a roll call vote on Clinton’s nomination. She says Clinton is in a tenuous political situation, caught between her desire not to undermine Obama’s candidacy or Democratic efforts to win the White House, and giving voice to her supporters and delegates.

The Democratic National Committee and Democratic leadership “has chilled her speech,” Feldman claims. She charges that the Democratic Party leadership spent the entire primary season telling Clinton to get out of the race, “so she has every reason to believe that they’ll start beating that drum again” if she makes any sort of public statement.

Feldman added that she would continue raising money to help Clinton’s nomination “unless and until she says ‘I am releasing my delegates.’”

By today anybody who follows politics knows Senator Clinton most certainly has not said this and does not seem likely to.

The Denver Group plans to unroll a further series of ads between now through the Convention. How many, how often, and where depends upon how quickly our supporters fund us. If you are not in a position to donate - we know about budgets - then consider finding even one person to donate just five dollars. Five multiplied by 18 million would make a grand advertising budget.

Online donations can be made via Act Blue or PayPal. We also accept donations by mail, information in the sidebar to the right. Please review the FEC eligibility rules also in the sidebar so that all our donations conform to FEC requirements.

The Denver Group: Friday evening update

2008-08-01T17:12:00.000-07:00

The Denver Group has hit $18,000 on Act Blue. We reached this milestone thanks to the continuing support of those who realize that a meaningfully open convention, with both Senator Clinton and Senator Obama receiving equal opportunity to be chosen by the superdelegates to be the Democratic Party's presidential candidate in November, is good for the party, the country, and democracy. If you feel likewise and you are eligible and able, you can contribute here or look to the sidebar for information on donation by mail or paypal.

The Denver Group: Friday Morning Update, 1 August 2008

2008-08-01T05:54:00.000-07:00

A number of readers have asked whether Dr. Dean has responded to The Denver Group's open letter. As of Friday August 1, 2008 9:30 am eastern Dr. Dean has not replied to us. The open letter has close to 1100 signatures and many polite and respectful comments that we believe Dr. Dean might even enjoy reading. If you want to see the signatures or have yet to sign the open letter go here.

Thanks to the support of hundreds of people we are accumulating funds to run a 30 second TV spot. We are budgeting with care because in addition to TV we want to continue to use print media to get our message across and to force, if neccessary, those responsible at the DNC to adhere to their own rules, procedures and democratic principles for an open convention where Senator Clinton has the same opportunity to be voted on by super delegates as Senator Obama since, as the DNC should know, democratic principles are bigger and more important than any particular candidate's personal ambitions.

Leah D. Daughtry (pictured right) is the CEO of the Democratic National Convention Committee. According to the official DNCC website:

The Reverend Leah D. Daughtry is currently Chief of Staff of the Democratic National Committee and leads the DNC’s outreach to faith communities. Daughtry held various senior posts at the United States Department of Labor during the Clinton Administration, including Senior Advisor to the Secretary, Chief of Staff, and lastly, Acting Assistant Secretary for Administration and Management, with oversight for the development of the Department’s management programs and policies, including responsibility for the Department’s $35 billion budget. Daughtry also served on the Clinton-Gore 1992 Transition Team, as Managing Director of the 1992 Democratic National Convention, and as Legislative Assistant to U.S. Congressman Edolphus “Ed” Towns.

Perhaps Reverend Daughtry will address our concerns.

Morning updates from The Denver Group - 31 July 2008

2008-07-31T05:51:00.000-07:00

We have passed the $17,000 mark on Act Blue. (You can donate here or by using the other methods indicated in the side bar to your right.)
The signatures on our open letter to Dr. Dean are well past 1000. Sign the letter, if you have not done so already, here. When leaving comments, please treat Dr. Dean with the courtesy you would like to receive from him.
When we reach 1500 signatures we will deliver the letter for the third time to Dr. Dean; so far he has not responded to the previous two letters, but maybe this time we will at least receive a note of acknowledgment.

Who is helping The Denver Group on Act Blue

2008-07-30T06:01:00.000-07:00

One of the fun and intelligent features of Act Blue is that anybody can sponsor fundraising for any candidate or group registered with Act Blue. Go here to see who is fundraising on Act Blue and for easy to follow instructions about how to set up your own page - costs you nothing other than a bit of your time.

Note: The Denver Group, just like other groups or candidates who fundraise via Act Blue, has no control over who chooses to create a page on our behalf or who adds our group to a preexisting page.

The Denver Group publishes new ad in CQ Daily

2008-07-29T20:54:00.000-07:00

(Click image to enlarge.)

Today, July 30, the ad pictured here will be in the print edition of CQ Daily, occupying a full page. We thought it high time to remind Democratic party leaders about the nature of fair play. We will remind these leaders as often as we can, with continuing ad buys including TV and other newspapers, with the continued support of those who have so generously donated to The Denver Group. If you want to aid this cause, see information about how to donate in the sidebar to the right.

Another supporter of The Denver Group will get the tip if you choose to donate via Act Blue

2008-07-28T18:07:00.000-07:00

This just in. We have a supporter who will make sure Act Blue gets a $250 tip once we raise $17,000 via that channel. We are a few dollars from $16,000 and we know it won't be long before this gracious donor will support Act Blue in the name of all those who support The Denver Group. If you want to donate via Act Blue, head here.

The Denver Group Open Letter to Howard Dean gains more than 1000 signers; The Denver Group makes second attempt to notify Dr. Dean directly

2008-07-28T11:05:00.000-07:00

Click on image to enlarge

Today, July 28 2008, we sent the above letter to Dr. Dean alerting him to the more than one thousand signatures so far added to our open letter to him. This is the second time we have reached out to Dr. Dean directly to make it as easy as possible for him to communicate with The Denver Group. We will be pleasantly surprised should he contact us. In the meantime we will continue trying to convey our views to Dr. Dean and other top Democrats using ads in mass media.

Information from The Denver Group - Early morning July 28, 2008

2008-07-27T23:20:00.000-07:00

A number of folks have asked how much money The Denver Group needs to raise to run all the ads we would like to run between now and the Democratic National Party Convention in August. It is difficult to answer this question conclusively because our plans depend on what we can raise. But we thought it would be helpful to give people some idea of targets that, if met, can help us maximize our impact.

Going forward, we can run print and TV ads which we know will be significantly effective if we raise at least another $25,000 as quickly as possible. Double that amount and we think we can knock the socks off of all those who need to get the message that The Denver Group and its supporters want an authentically democratic convention where uncoerced super delegates have a real opportunity to choose among potential candidates for the Democratic Party's choice to run against John McCain this fall.

Information about who is eligible to donate and how appears in the sidebar. We accept contributions by mail, through Act Blue, and via PayPal. We know we can raise the money that would significantly enhance our effectiveness if enough people can find just five dollars to donate. If you share our goals and want to help, please consider making a contribution within your means.

Act Blue Tally and an Update on the Open Letter to Dr Dean

2008-07-26T05:32:00.000-07:00

The Denver Group appreciates and needs donations via whatever channel (Act Blue, paypal, mail) eligible contributors feeling comfortable using. We want to make media buys up until and possibly through the DNC convention. We hope folks will want to continue donating as regularly as they can, including just one time if that is all that makes sense for you. (We know that in today's economy most people, if not all, must budget carefully).

Act Blue makes it easy for us to post a running tally of the contributions that come in that way. So we have decided to regularly inform readers of this space informed of contributions received via that channel. We will do that over on the sidebar to the right.

Over here you can see that as of this post we are nearing 900 signatures on the Open Letter to Dr. Dean. When we hit 1000+ we will send Dr. Dean a copy. This time we will cc other Democratic Party leaders and prominent Democrats because some supporters have been leaving us comments on this blog saying that Dr. Dean no longer runs the DNC (according to them, aides to Senator Obama do). We have assumed that Dr. Dean would have too much pride to retain the title of DNC Chair if he is not actually running the show for the DNC. In case we are mistaken, it makes sense to get the message to others with power within the Party.

Please leave only courteous comments on the petition. Our signers have been doing this, for the large part, but especially if we want to send copies to prominent Democrats, civility is crucial. In any event, we prefer civility anyway.

Goal hit, tip left: final July 25 update from The Denver Group

2008-07-25T20:25:00.000-07:00

Thanks to some amazing generosity from several repeat contributors and some equally exciting generosity from newcomers to The Denver Group, we made our goal for this week: $15000 total raised on Act Blue, "the online clearing house for Democratic Action." Our supporter who promised to leave a tip has provided us with proof that she did.

Look for us in the mass media. Thanks to your efforts, we'll be there.

A supporter volunteers to pick up the "tip" for those who contribute to The Denver Group via Act Blue

2008-07-25T15:09:00.000-07:00

Friday - July 25 - early evening announcement

As readers of this space know, we are on a drive to hit $15000 through Act Blue by midnight tonight. We are headed toward $14,000, and expect to hit the mark. You can help us by donating just five dollars - or more if you've got it - right here.

Readers of this space may not know precisely why we have made this push on Act Blue. Simply put, it is because Act Blue is one smart organization. Unlike the DNC these days, Act Blue welcomes a diverse group of candidates and causes under the umbrella of "acting blue". You can learn more about Act Blue if you are interested.

Act Blue asks contributors to leave a "tip" to support their work as a "Democratic clearinghouse." We expect that many of our donors probably feel torn about leaving the tip: they want to be courteous but most of our donors are "small dollar" folks and think about where every one of their hard earned dollars goes.

In a really gracious gesture, one of our supporters has extended the following offer: she will make a significant contribution direct to Act Blue if we meet our goal. In other words, you can contribute to The Denver Group here, and not feel bad if you can't spare extra for a tip. Someone else has your back.

A few updates from The Denver Group

2008-07-25T08:40:00.000-07:00

Friday midday - July 25, 2008

Approximately 850 people have signed the ipetition Open Letter To Howard Dean. You can read and sign here. When we reach 1000 plus signatures, we will send Dr. Dean another copy (we sent the first one when we reached over 500 signatures). Let it not be said we are not trying every which way to make sure Dr. Dean hears from The Denver Group and those who share our goal of an authentically democratic Democratic Convention.

We are about 1500 dollars away from our Act Blue goal: 15,000 via Act Blue by midnight tonight. To go directly to The Denver Group contribution site at Act Blue go here.

Marc is hard at work on our next ads. We just hope we can fund them. We thank all those who have been contributing. Every single dollar that comes in via mail or online keeps us going.

THE DENVER GROUP MAKES THE NEW YORK TIMES

2008-07-23T17:51:00.000-07:00

On July 23, The New York Times released it's piece on the Denver Group which appears now online in The Caucus, on the Times political blog. The July 24 edition the print edition contains a a slightly shorter version at page A20, above (click on image for larger version). Your contributions and what we do with them continue to have an impact and the impact is growing.

AN INTERVIEW WITH ABC NEWS CHICAGO AND WHAT'S IN THE WORKS

2008-07-23T14:59:00.000-07:00

UPDATED WITH LINK TO COVERAGE.

The Denver Group's ad in today's Chicago Tribune attracted the attention of Andy Shaw who is the chief political reporter for WLS-ABC TV Chicago who did a taped interview with Heidi today by phone. To see coverage click here.

On other fronts we are planning 30 second TV spots. Like with everything else the more money we get the more we can do. Television is obviously a great way, not only to keep the heat on, but to turn it up and so the more contributions we get the more we can get the message out. We are also planning additional print ads which so far have been very effective and have gotten the attention of Howard Dean and the DNC and the news media as well. You've helped us do a lot in a short period of time and with your contributions coming we can and will do a lot more.

EXPANDED VERSION OF OUR FDR AD HITS CHICAGO

2008-07-23T05:12:00.000-07:00

This larger version of our FDR ad which ran in the Congressional Quarterly runs today on page B06 of the Chicago Tribune.

Thanks to your continuing contributions we were able to take this ad, which gained considerable notoriety in the Congressional Quarterly a week ago, and roll it out in this larger, expanded version which not only hit the Chicago Metro area, home of the Obama campaign and the temporary home of the DNC, but we were able to make a larger buy expanding the reach of the ad beyond the Chicago Metro area. (Click on the image to see a larger version.)

We made this buy last week before making a big push for the fundraising for the television spots we hope to run. Now we turn our focus to that.

Signatures and funds: update from The Denver Group

2008-07-22T15:56:00.000-07:00

We are headed steadily to the thousandth signature to our Open Letter to Dr. Dean. You can follow the signatures here.
Over the weekend we hit 10,000 raised via Act Blue and announced a new goal ($15,000 total) for donations via that channel. So far, so good. As of Tuesday, July 22 7:18 pm eastern we stand at $12,252. Please consider donating whatever you can to help us hit that $15,000 mark. This link takes you straight to the proper web page. We appreciate every donation we receive. Each one makes our ad buys possible.

Match met

2008-07-22T04:19:00.000-07:00

Announcement

Within 48 hours of being offered $2000 dollars in a match if The Denver Group raised $2000 by this Friday midnight (July 25), the match has already been met. Since the match was announced we have received over $2000 in donations. The donors who offered the match asked the Denver Group to relay their thanks to fellow supporters. The Denver Group thanks both those who matched and the donors who kicked everything off.

Please do contact us if you are willing to kick off another match. You will find plenty of support for your generosity.

PETITION AND SIGNATURES SENT TO HOWARD DEAN

2008-07-21T20:42:00.000-07:00

The Denver Group has sent Howard Dean its first notice of the iPetition. (You can view the signatures at: http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/TheDenverGroup/signatures-13.html).

These are first 600 signatures which we promised to send after we reached our first 500. We included this cover letter:

Dear Dr. Dean,

The founders of The Denver Group share the same goal you must have: to win the White House for a Democrat this November. We know this cannot be done without the votes of millions of rank and file Democrats across the country who would prefer a genuinely democratic nomination process at the Democratic Convention. As far as we can tell we have the attention of many potential Democratic voters who the DNC seems to have written off. The link to the petition in this message confirms our sense of the climate. Please feel free to contact us at your earliest convenience. In the meantime we have promised those who share the commitment to keeping the Democratic Party democratic that we will relay to you a copy of our open letter each time at least 500 new signatories attach their names to our Open Letter.
Sincerely,
Heidi Li Feldman
co-founder (with Marc Rubin)
The Denver Group

A NEW MATCH OFFER EXTENDED TO THE DENVER GROUP

2008-07-21T04:13:00.000-07:00

UPDATE: AS NOTED IN SIDEBAR: AS OF TUESDAY JULY 22, THIS MATCH HAS BEEN MET.

Announcement

Two supporters of The Denver Group have contacted us and told us that if we raise our next $2000 by midnight on July 25, they will match that accomplishment by donating $2000 as a match. No amount is too small to help us take advantage of this generous offer. Information on how to donate is located in the sidebar to the right.

The Denver Group: Open Letter Update/more

2008-07-20T16:40:00.000-07:00

As many readers of this space know, The Denver Group has put its Open Letter to Howard Dean here, where others may add their signatures. The Open Letter has been available for signing for 15 hours and already has close to 300 signatures. We plan to send a copy of the Open Letter directly to Dr. Dean every time we gather 500 new signatures, and it looks like he'll be receiving his first direct copy sooner than later. If you have not already signed - if you are a new signer - please add your name here, if you agree with the letter.

Meanwhile Marc Rubin is hard at work creating video and donors are steadily making it more likely that a video will make it to the airwaves. Time is of the essence. We need to air The Denver Group's message as widely and steadily as possible. So if you have five dollars please consider donating it to support our ongoing ad campaign. Even better, if you can find somebody else who can afford to contribute five dollars ask him or her to match your contribution.

The Denver Group remains committed to its objectives. We appreciate those who are helping us achieve them. Every 5 dollars, every signature is an act of peaceful democratic action. We hope that Senator Clinton's delegates will feel empowered by our success so far to do the paperwork necessary for a nomination from them at the convention should that be necessary. We hope that Dr. Dean will heed our message and simply announce that Senator Clinton's name will be put in nomination without conditions and that she may agree to that on her own timetable as events between now and the start of the Democratic National Convention on August 25th.

Essentially, we hope the Democratic National Party will provide Senator Clinton, the other Democratic candidate who comes into the Convention with a chance of winning the nomination under the Party's rules, with fully equal opportunity. After all, equality of opportunity is a bedrock democratic principle and this is the Democratic Party.

Marc Rubin and Heidi Li Feldman are scheduled to appear live on Morning Q radio on Monday, July 21 from 10:15 to 10:45 eastern.

Sign the open letter to Dr. Dean

2008-07-20T01:30:00.000-07:00

If you would like to join The Denver Group in asking Dr. Dean to contact us to discuss our ideas for keeping The Democratic Party democratic, you can go here. No cost other than a few minutes of your time.

An Open Letter To Howard Dean from The Denver Group

2008-07-17T19:45:00.000-07:00

Dear Dr. Dean,
Through the wonders of the internet The Denver Group has learned that you have reportedly discussed us in an interview today. Since the purpose of our ads has been to make our points partly to you as well as the rest of the DNC and Democrats as a whole, normally we'd be pleased to know they are getting through to you. But based on the interviewer's characterization of your comments, we don't think you actually know much about The Denver Group, its founders, and its goals. The interviewer writes:

When asked about the ads criticizing him and Speaker Pelosi for Clinton supposedly not being on the ballot at the convention, he [Howard Dean] scoffed. Clinton will be on the ballot at the convention, and will be speaking there. Dean indicated that the rules were so clear on this matter, that the groups running these ads and spreading these rumors must be associated with the other internet rumors going around, such as Obama being a Muslim. He also speculated that McCain supporters might be behind these rumors.

No need for you to speculate, Dr. Dean. We are happy to tell you exactly who we are, what we expect of you and the DNC, and why your comment that Senator Clinton's name will be on the ballot is not enough. Senator Clinton's name must be put in nomination, not just "on the ballot" and the roll call vote to be a real honest and open opportunity for superdelegates to do their job under DNC rules and select the nominee at the Convention. Just saying that Senator Clinton's name will be on the ballot is not going to fool anyone. Being on the ballot counts for nothing if a candidate's name is not placed in nomination. More than 18 million Democratic voters would be pleased to hear you say publicly that there will be an open convention with Senator Clinton's name placed in nominaton and an open roll call vote.

Since the interviewer in question does not quote you directly and certainly has never asked us about our views on any of the matters you supposedly raised in relation to our group, we are not speculating as to what you actually said or what you actually believe or know about The Denver Group and its founders, Heidi Li Feldman and Marc Rubin. If you want to actually know and so that you have your facts right feel free to contact us.

Sincerely,
Heidi Li Feldman and Marc Rubin
for The Denver Group

THE LATEST AD FROM THE DENVER GROUP

2008-07-16T21:06:00.001-07:00

The latest ad from the Denver Group is appearing today ( July 17th) in the Congressional Quarterly Daily targeting Hill Democrats and other major DC players. This is your message to them as much as it is ours. (Click image to see larger view.)

MAKING THE SQUEAKY WHEEL SQUEAK LOUDER

2008-07-14T09:08:00.000-07:00

The response to our first ad which ran on Friday in the Chicago Tribune was great. It not only got across our goals it created a lot of media attention. As many know the Huffington Post did an article about us featuring the ad and we are in the front section today (Monday) of Congressional Quarterly Weekly (see the article below).

We are now making preparations to do our first TV commercial. We have contributions steadily coming in but we need to keep the fundraising up to buy the TV time. The louder we can make the wheel squeak the more attention it will get.

And the wheel is going to squeak a little louder today because Heidi Li has been asked to do an interview today about the Denver Group and our goals on Fox News with Neil Cavuto on his show Your World today between 4pm and 5 pm eastern.

There is a sense that the tide is shifting and the atmosphere changing and the best thing we can do now is step up the pressure and television is a great way to do it. There will be more print ads but there is nothing like television to escalate the pressure.

As we said two weeks ago before we ran our first ad, while we love the large contributions, $5 from a thousand people buys as much media as $5,000 from a single person. There is no contribution too small and $5 helps just as much and makes someone just as much a part of what we are doing as $5,000.

The Denver Group Covered by CQ Weekly Magazine

2008-07-13T19:09:00.000-07:00

Note to readers: CQ Weekly is a publication of Congressional Quarterly, a media group that bills itself as "The Nation's Leader in Political Journalism Since 1945". You can learn more about Congressional Quarterly here.

CQ WEEKLY – VANTAGE POINT
July 14, 2008 – Page 1877

Clinton Diehards Want Convention Vote
By Shawn Zeller, CQ Staff
Photo caption and credit: WAVE ON: A few Clintonites think she has a chance. (BLOOMBERG NEWS / JON C. HANCOCK)

She may have given up, but a few of Hillary Rodham Clinton ’s people haven’t.

The senator from New York is said to be negotiating a respectful presence followed by a graceful exit from next month’s Democratic convention, and last week the party announced that Barack Obama would formally accept the party’s nomination in the stadium built for the Denver Broncos. But there are Clinton supporters clinging to the
hope that if her name is placed in nomination and the roll call of the states is conducted, she might — might — still win.

Heidi Li Feldman, a Georgetown University law professor, insists there’s still“no way of predicting” the outcome should there be a fair vote. That’s because Obama has not secured enough pledged delegates to ensure the magic number of 2,118 needed to claim victory; the Illinois senator has gone past that benchmark only with thepledges of about 390 superdelegates —and they can change their minds at any time up to the moment they cast their ballots.

“If they had a meaningful vote, I have no idea who would win,” Feldman says. “But I know that if Sen. Obama were sure he would win, there wouldn’t be a negotiation” about Clinton’s role at the convention.

So Feldman, who says she has raised about $100,000 for Clinton, has turned her prowess to raising money for advertising demanding a convention vote, and she has teamed with a fellow pro-Clinton blogger, Marc Rubin, to form the Denver Group to lobby the Democratic National Committee, much of the staff of which has already moved from Washington to Chicago to work for Obama.

Feldman says she won’t vote for Obama if Clinton doesn’t get a convention vote. Rubin says he might not. Both say they aren’t worried that their efforts will continue to divide Democrats at a time when they should be uniting to take on Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona. In fact, they argue, many Democrats might stay home if they feelClinton gets short shrift.

“What they have to do is make it possible for people to say to themselves that there was a fair and correct process,” Feldman says.

Source: CQ Weekly
The definitive source for news about Congress.
© 2008 Congressional Quarterly Inc. All Rights Reserved.

THE RESPONSE TO OUR FIRST AD AND THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN " ON THE BALLOT" AND "NAME IN NOMINATION".

2008-07-12T09:29:00.000-07:00

First a congratulations to all of those who supported this opening effort and contributed to the running of the ad that ran yesterday in the Chicago Tribune. We've had an extremely enthusiastic response from everyone who has seen it. Contributions continue to come in and many new donors have been motivated by the ad. But as everyone knows we are far from Mission Accomplished. More contributions mean more ads, more pressure and more impact. And the more they see the more they know that not only is our message right but that the resources supporting it wont settle for anything less than what is right.

Which brings us to the most important part of this -- the nomination process in Denver.

There is a crucial difference between Senator Clinton's name being "on the ballot" and having her name being placed in nomination. And the difference is between being a genuine candidate and something that is nothing more than a symbolic sham. Both the DNC and Senator Obama's campaign may be attempting to negotiate a settlement where Senator Clinton's name is on the ballot but not placed in nomination. They may think that is enough to assuage her voters. They may think that voters can be fooled. Our ads are going to make sure they know that no one is going to be fooled.

We're going to let them know Senator Clinton's name on the ballot is not good enough. Her name must be placed in nomination for it to have any meaning so that super delegates have a real choice in deciding the nomination by casting their votes for either candidate. Nothing less is acceptable. And they're going to know it.

The Denver Group's First Ad Hits Chicago

2008-07-11T03:24:00.000-07:00

The Denver Group's first ad appears today (July 11, 2008) in the Chicago Tribune. We thought Chicago was the perfect place to start. For those who want to see a hard copy, it appears on page B5 of the Metro Section. But if you click the ad image you should be able to see a larger version online right here.

Thank you to the folks from "Count the Votes Cast"

2008-07-10T08:33:00.000-07:00

The good people who organized that effort contact The Denver Group yesterday to say that they had decided to throw their support behind our cause. We are terrifically grateful.

We are still looking for that elusive person who will provide us with a pledge for another major match. If you are flush, and have $1000 or more to offer as a match, please contact us.

Action alert and update from The Denver Group: June 8, 2008, 4:30 eastern

2008-07-08T12:26:00.000-07:00

The Denver Group now has an Act Blue Page of its own. This puts The Denver Group of other Democratic causes and candidate: Act Blue bills itself as "The online clearinghouse for Democratic action" and a group like The Denver Group must qualify to be permitted to use Act Blue's fundraising reach.

For The Denver Group and its supporters our Act Blue page provides an easy way to contribute and keep us in compliance with all FEC rules and and regulations. It also provides another great opportunity:

If you support The Denver Group's mission, you can set up your own page on Act Blue and then add The Denver Group to that page. This costs you nothing other than a bit of time. But once you set up your Act Blue page you can easily email friends, family, and associates explaining why you support The Denver Group and why you would like them to consider contributing. You will be able to keep track of the contributions that come in through your page. To learn how to help The Denver Group this way, go here. Create a page, add The Denver Group, and take it from there.

Tuesday noontime update from The Denver Group

2008-07-08T08:27:00.000-07:00

Thanks to a steady stream of contributions over the last few days plus one extremely generous match, The Denver Group has been able to purchase its first ad, to appear at the end of this week in a particularly appropriate venue. That ad will be up on this site as soon the ad itself appears in print, along with further details about its placement. We do not want to steal our own thunder.

People have been asking whether our ability to run this ad means we think there is less need to raise money for ads for next. The answer: definitely not. We need to run as many ads as rapidly as possible in the most advantageous places - print and TV - and the ads must be booked and paid for 3 to 4 business days in advance in most cases. So we need and appreciate any contributions people care to make before the end of this week and over the weeks to come. We have worked hard to ensure that when you see the fruits of your support in print or reprinted here you will feel good about the help you have provided to make our first ad possible.

Stay tuned.

Monday morning update from The Denver Group, July 7, 2008

2008-07-07T02:47:00.000-07:00

Over the Fourth of July weekend we received a serious number of contributions, adding to all the contributions received since the third week in June (when The Denver Group became legally able to acccept contributions).

We need to build on this pace if we are to run a full-page ad in the newspaper we think will be most advantageous or to schedule two ads in rapid sequence. Marc's expertise in advertising will guide the decision about how best to use the funds available to us as of noon on Tuesday.
With enough new contributions we will show The Democratic Party that The Denver Group has been able to draw enough support from around the blogosphere to begin a major ad campaign in the mainstream media.
This is a campaign to make it clear that neither major contender for the nomination should be pressured to bow out. It is a campaign to make it clear that millions of Democrats believe that the Democratic National Convention should be a genuine moment of decision and not just an occasion to drop balloons.
Once again we must thank not only those who have contributed but also those who are beating the drum for our efforts by blogging and by reaching out to their networks.
We are honored by this show of support - but we also know we would not be getting such support if there were not so many citizens of this country who expect The Democratic Party to act democratically.

Stay tuned.

Interim Bulletin from The Denver Group: 7 pm eastern, July 6

2008-07-06T15:53:00.000-07:00

Consider this a news flash to tide followers of The Denver Group's activities over until later tonight when I will, I hope, be able to deliver a more complete update. I am providing this bulletin because so many terrific people have helped us spread the word about the need for rapid action and so many people from all over the country have already come forth with donations. Everybody deserves to know what is going on as quickly as we can tell them.

I - Heidi Li - am writing this post because Marc is busy preparing and honing for placement the first ad The Denver Group will run, and we will run some sort of ad this week.

As the media expert, Marc has told me that we will have to finalize details of placement and outlet by noon on Tuesday.
We have had a strong afternoon on the fundraising front, and we hope for an even stronger evening and a bigger tomorrow. I will try to give some details in my next update.
We know that some of Senator Clinton's delegates are aware of our efforts and we believe that more are being made aware every minute.
As we run our ads we will post them here, and we hope that if you like what you see, you will make the next ad possible.
We continue to seek another big dollar donor - someone who can pledge the full $5000 allowable per individual - to offer a match for the next $5000 we raise. If you are that donor please contact Us at TheDenverGroup at gmail dot com.

We want the first ad - and every ad - run by The Denver Group to be as effective as possible given the means available. So again many thanks to those who have contributed already. Please consider donating what you can as soon as you can. The best window for letting delegates, superdelegates, and the candidates themselves know what sort of convention we rank and file Democrats expect from The Democratic party is from now through the end of July. (In my own dreams, I picture The Denver Group crafting and place ads every other day from now through the Convention, if we can only pay for them.)

At whatever pace makes sense, The Denver Group will run ads, carefully developed and strategically placed, right through the Convention itself if we can. But the ads that will matter the most are the ones we get out this week and over the next two. Go here to learn why we need to raise funds and how we will be using them .

To be continued.

Action alert - funds for rapid media buy needed

2008-07-05T13:26:00.000-07:00

The Denver Group has had an amazingly successful 4th of July from a fundraising perspective. We've met our first "match". We are incredibly grateful to each and every person who has contributed so far.

Now, it has come to our attention that certain key decisions about the structure and conduct of the Democratic Party's convention are currently being negotiated by lawyers for Senator Obama and Senator Clinton, and we believe those decisions will be finalized on or about July 15.

To begin to ensure a convention that is not merely symbolic, we would like to to weigh in now. The best way The Denver Group can have an impact is by running its first advertisement by the beginning of next week. This means gathering the funds necessary ready to buy the most advantageous ad placement possible.

It follows that for purposes of fundraising, time is most definitely of the essence. The difference between having $10,000 and $25,000 for a media buy or the difference between $25,000 and $50,000 is the difference between half page ads and full page ads and being able to run ads in both the Chicago and the D.C. media markets.

The Denver Group is a start-up, only about 14 days old. We have been fortunate to gain the confidence of so many so quickly when it comes to contributing. We want to live up to that confidence by being able to run the most effective ad we can at this critical juncture when fundamental decisions - for example, whose names will be placed in nomination at the convention - are being negotiated.

Update: RAISING MONEY AND WHY IT'S NECESSARY

2008-07-05T06:28:00.000-07:00

Update: a few days ago a private donor offered to match our next $5,000 in contributions. As of yesterday ( 7/4/08) we have met that match and looking for more. Any large donor willing to make a new pledge to match donations can email us at TheDenvergroup@gmail,com with their pledge.

RAISING MONEY AND WHY IT'S NECESSARY

2008-07-03T05:12:00.000-07:00

Having to raise money for a cause is usually not one of the more enjoyable things in life to do. But accomplishing a collective goal, especially if its for a greater good and something one believes in, can be. And in modern politics having the money to accomplish a goal has become a necessity.

The wheels of democracy and the political parties run on contributions.. It's the same in the case of political activism.

There are many ways for voices to be heard. But one of the best is using mass media, especially when the news media isnt doing an honest job reporting the facts or standing up for basic principles.

Using mass media to accomplish a goal not only reaches a lot of people in one shot with a lot of impact, it also let's people know there are significant resources behind it and it's something to be reckoned with. One full page ad in the Washington Post could have the impact of 50,000 emails or letters sent by individuals.

Insuring that Senator Clinton's name is on the ballot requires sending a message to Howard Dean,the DNC and the country at large that the Democratic Party is playing with fire to even consider subverting democratic principles by removing her name and having anything less than an open honest convention.It also sends the message that the false sense of party unity that's being promoted by the Democratic Party and willingly repeated by the news media is just that -- false.

There are many factors conspiring to try and keep Senator Clinton's name off the ballot not the least of which is the fear by some that, given the events of the last few weeks, she could actually win.

At a dinner with Clinton donors two weeks ago, Senator Obama was asked if he supported Senator Clintons name on the ballot. His answer was that he wasn't there to negotiate the convention. We think its fair to say that if Senator Obama has his way her name wont be on the ballot and he will use all his influence with the DNC to accomplish that. A mass media approach is a very public way of pushing back and letting the DNC know there's another side watching and there will be dire consequences if that happens.

If everyone who would lke to see these goals accomplished takes a little responsibility to accomplish them then those goals have the best chance of being accomplished.The old adage is the squeaky wheel gets the grease and enough money, applied in the right way can cause the biggest squeak.

While we always welcome large contributions there is no such thing as a small one. Senator Clinton had 18 million voters. Most are angry at the entire conduct of the primary and the idea that her name could be removed from the ballot especially since she hasn't conceded nor has she released her delegates would probably be the last straw. If everyone of them gave $1 we'd have an enormous war chest. But as everyone knows it doesn't work that way.It's the people that care the most who make the difference. So its not only big donations that count but many small ones too.

As Ben Franklin walked out of the First Continental Congress a lady asked him what kind of government he had given them..Franklin told her " a republic madam, if you can keep it". It's taken a lot of sacrifice by a lot of people over 232 years to keep it. Sometimes it takes a little money too.

INTERVIEW TONIGHT ON POTUS '08

2008-06-30T12:29:00.000-07:00

There will be a Denver Group interview tonight on POTUS '08 on XM Radio hosted by Adrian Mitchell between 7:40 and 8 pm eastern time. Directions on how to listen via the web are here.

PRIVATE DONOR OFFERS DENVER GROUP MATCHING FUNDS

2008-06-29T12:05:00.000-07:00

A private donor has contacted Heidi Li and has made an offer to match dollar for dollar the next $5,000 the Denver Group receives in contributions so that the next $5,000 will become $10,000 (we're starting to feel a little like PBS).

We not only want our donors and others who support this effort to know it and to know that in a very short period of time ( only since last Wednesday) we are generating a lot of interest along with contributions, we want the DNC to know it too.

Update 6/30/08: We are within range of reaching the offered match!

New Update: As of yesterday ( 7/4/08) we have met that match and looking for more. Any large donor willing to make a new pledge to match donations can email us at TheDenvergroup@gmail,com with their pledge.

WHAT AN OPEN CONVENTION MEANS

2008-06-28T05:08:00.000-07:00

The Denver Groups' goals of insisting on an open convention is nothing more than insisting the Democratic Party respect democratic principles. It means that it's the role of the convention to choose the nominee and no one else's. The days of the smoke filled rooms are long gone. Or should be.

Senator Clinton is still a candidate. An open convention means respecting that candidacy which requires having her name on the ballot and a roll call vote so that the delegates Senator Clinton won during the primaries can cast their votes on behalf of the more than 18 million Democrats who voted for her. It is not symbolic. It is the democratic process.And its not a choice. Its an obligation.

An open convention means that Senator Clinton's supporters also be allowed to make speeches at the convention on behalf of her candidacy. The declarations of super delegates who will ultimately decide the nominee have no authority until they are officially cast at the convention. Declaring their intention June 5th to vote for Senator Obama August 27th does not mean you discard the process and deny delegates the right to vote or make a choice.

This primary season has been historic mostly because of the race and gender of the two major candidates. But it was historic for another reason. It was the most closesly contested primary in the history of the Democratic Party with one candidate winning the popular vote and the other a slim delegate lead.

To deny Senator Clinton a rightful place on the ballot in an attempt to foster a false image of party unity based on unofficial declarations by super delegates made June 5th will fool no one and only create more disunity. It is in everyone's best interest, especially the Democratic Party and its chances in November, to hold an open and honest convention.

WHERE THE MONEY IS GOING

2008-06-26T05:48:00.000-07:00

The primary means for accomplishing our goals will be mass media, both print and TV which will be aimed at Howard Dean and the DNC as well as rousing Democratic voters throughout the country.There will also be efforts in a variety of other appropriate avenues.

Marc Rubin who leads the media effort started his career in advertising where he was an award winning art director and writer,working for some of the top agencies in advertising in both New York and Los Angeles, devising both strategy and execution. He has won the AIGA Award for 50 Best Print Ads of the Year and AIGA 50 Best Commercials of the Year as well as numerous other awards for creativity and effectiveness. He has also been the head writer of an acclaimed prime time network dramatic series as well has having written for a number of other prime time network dramatic series. In May, he worked with the PAC, Count The Votes Cast and created a full page ad that was an open letter to Howard Dean, and a 30 second TV spot addressing the issues of Florida and Michigan. The ad and commercial received notice from the news media and the organizers of Count the Votes Cast were interviewed by the New York Times, ABC-TV Boston,NPR, BBC Radio and other news outlets.

Heidi Li Feldman is a lawyer and philosopher. She is Professor Law of Georgetown University Law Center and Associate Professor of Philosophy in the College. For more information about Dr. Feldman's academic activities see www.heidilifeldman.com. Dr. Feldman currently fundraises both for the Denver Group and to help retire Senator Clinton's primary campaign debt. She is also an active participant in the daily activities and decision making of the Denver Group.

THE DENVER GROUP IS NOW OPEN AND ACCEPTING CONTRIBUTIONS

2008-06-24T19:43:00.000-07:00

The Denver Group is pleased to announce that we are now prepared to accept contributions. We have installed a donate button on our site to make it as easy as possible for contributions through PayPal, credit card or check.

We will use all the means at our disposal, primarily mass media through newspapers and television and any other form or media we deem appropriate to accomplishing our goals which is to insure that Howard Dean and the DNC have a fair, democratic,and open convention which adheres to democratic principles which means clearly and without compromise that Senator Clinton's name must be on the ballot and that there is a roll call vote.

The only democratic process possible or acceptable is that Senator Clinton's delegates have the opportunity to cast their votes on behalf of the more than 18 million voters they represent and super delegates must be given the choice and the opportunity at the convention, to cast their votes for the candidate they believe is both the strongest and most qualified to win in November and to execute the office of President once elected.

We thank all the many many people and groups who have emailed in advance with their support and enthusiasm for the Denver Group's goals and thank them in advance for their contributions, and we will identify the groups participating as well as individuals if they wish. We will do everything we can to accomplish these goals and make it clear to the DNC that in the end, it will be in everyone's interest including the party itself that these goals of fairness and democracy be achieved.

DENVER GROUP UPDATE

2008-06-23T11:40:00.000-07:00

The Denver Group was formed less than one week ago in response to information that Howard Dean and the DNC wanted to keep Senator Clinton's name off the ballot in Denver in an attempt at fostering the appearance of party unity at the convention.

Through the use of mass media the Group intends to make it clear to Howard Dean and the DNC that the convention must be an open convention and must function that way, and to that end Senator Clinton's name must be on the ballot. Her name must be put in nomination and there must be a roll call vote allowing the delegates Senator Clinton has earned and who represent more than 18 million Democratic voters, to cast their votes. The representation of those 18 million Democratic voters is the only acceptable means for conducting the convention regardless of outcome, and the only acceptable means that is in accordance with the democratic process.

To achieve these goals we have organized ourselves as a non-connected committee. By doing this we may not accept contributions in excess of $5,000 and we may not accept contributions from corporations or unions but it will give us greater flexibility in the messages we can send.

It will also let Howard Dean and the DNC know through our use of mass media that the messages being sent through our full page ads and tv commercials are being sent by an extremely large number of Democrats concerned with keeping the Democratic Party democratic and who are insisting that Senator Clinton's s name is on the ballot and that there be a roll call vote. It will also indicate to Dr. Dean and the DNC that there will be an extremely large number of disaffected Democrats if its not.

UPDATE: June 23, 2008

The bylaws of the committee have been drafted and officers appointed and papers have readied for filing with the FEC.The IRS is currently processing the necessary paper work making it possible to accept contributions. We would like to thank all those who have already pledged contributions even before we are able to accept them and we expect we will be able to accept contributions this week, perhaps as early as Wednesday. Please check back for future updates.