(no subject)
Dear MoveOn member,
As George Bush's poll numbers drop, John Kerry is facing an important choice -- perhaps the most important choice he'll make in his campaign. He has to decide whether, as some consultants will urge, he should be cautious, or whether he should present a bold agenda for change and rally all Americans around a common vision for our future.
Throughout his life, John Kerry has made a practice of standing up for bold initiatives to provide health care, protect the environment, and guarantee truth-telling in government. Together, we need to let him know that we want him to be his best, boldest self -- to go big, ask more from us, and power his campaign on the politics of hope and progress.
We're joining forces in this effort with commentator Arianna Huffington and former Howard Dean campaign manager Joe Trippi. Together, we'll let him know in an unforgettable way that we support him in running a visionary campaign. To sign on to the petition, go to:
http://www.moveonpac.org/gobig/?id=2845-3551724-MHYtXOFZKdHFRrNT__1Lhg
Here's the full text of the letter we'll send on with your signature:
Dear Senator Kerry,
We all want to send George Bush home to Crawford, Texas, in November. He seems convinced that the way to win is by playing on our fears. You can prove that the answer lies in appealing to the "better angels of our nature."
Let Bush own September 11th and the politics of fear. You should own September 12th -- the spirit of generosity and community that poured forth in the aftermath of the attacks -- and the politics of hope.
Offer voters a bold moral vision of what America can be. A vision that is bigger than the things that divide us. A vision that brings hope and soul back to our politics and appeals to more than voters' narrow self-interests. A vision that makes America once again a respected force for good in the world.
Don't be tempted to adopt the familiar -- and failed -- Republican-lite swing voter strategy. You can reach out to and inspire the fifty percent of eligible voters who have given up on voting. If you do, you will win not in a toss-up but a landslide.
Senator Kerry, I'm ready to vote my hopes and not my fears. So please: Go Big, Ask More!
It's clear that Kerry has it in him to be a visionary candidate. In a speech to the California Democratic State Convention, he referred to Robert Kennedy's famous quotation: "Some men dream things that are and ask why. I dream things that never were and ask why not?" Then Kerry said:
That is the question at the heart of our campaign. That is our cause.
Why not have an economy where equal opportunity is a fact? Where people who work hard and do the right thing can not only make ends meet but can actually reach higher and hope for more?
Why not give every working American access to high-quality, affordable health care?
Why not have public schools where children set out on a lifetime of learning and possibility? Where "no child left behind" is a promise kept, not broken and forgotten.
Why not preserve our environment so our great grandchildren can breathe clean air, drink clean water, and know that they too live in a land that can be called "America the beautiful." (http://www.johnkerry.com/pressroom/speeches/spc_2003_0314.html)
John Kerry needs to hear from us -- that we want him to offer a bold vision for our country's future and play to our hopes rather than our fears. You can join the "Go Big" petition by going to:
http://www.moveonpac.org/gobig/?id=2845-3551724-MHYtXOFZKdHFRrNT__1Lhg
Sincerely,
--Eli Pariser
MoveOn PAC
May 17th, 2004
PAID FOR BY MOVEON PAC, WWW.MOVEONPAC.ORG
This communication is not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.
Under the cover of the war on terrorism, President Bush wants to spend $10 billion on Star Wars this year. That's enough to provide health insurance to all uninsured kids in our country.
Could it ever work? Nobody knows. The President is in such a rush that the first phase of the Star Wars program can't even be operationally tested. We have to take it on faith.
If you'd like to send a fax (text below) to your Senators urging an end to funding for Star Wars, just click here:
http://action.truemajority.com/index.asp?action=10171&ms=stw4
Yours for Sanity,
Ben Cohen
Background on Star Wars: The Bush administration plans to deploy a national missile defense system in California and Alaska by September 2004. America's taxpayers have already sunk $130 billion into this program, with nothing to show for it. This year's budget request by the administration for Star Wars is another $10.2 billion. Thomas Christie, director of the Pentagon's testing office, has admitted to Congress that there is no way to determine whether the system will work.
To learn more about Star Wars, go to http://64.177.207.201/pages/16_571.html.
To see how the money spent on Star Wars could be invested in human needs programs in your community, go to http://database.nationalpriorities.org/cgi-
bin/WebObjects/NPP.woa/wa/tradeoff.
Here's the letter we'll fax to your Senators:
Dear Senator:
The budget deficit is growing, the war in Iraq is worsening, and critical humanitarian programs at home and abroad are being cut.
Nonetheless, President Bush wants to spend over $10 billion this year alone on Star Wars-a program that has yet to be tested and would contribute nothing to our battle against terrorists.
Our country, including our military, has many more pressing needs than Star Wars, even if it were sure to work.
Please, take a realistic look at our country's priorities and cut all funding for Star Wars.
Sincerely,
(We'll add your name and address here)