For what it's worth, here is the text of an e-mail i got from Harold Ickes today.

Dear annika;

By now you've probably received at least five or six emails urging you help protect the Supreme Court. I know my inbox is still overflowing.

It's a difficult time for those of us who have spent our lives working to promote causes of social justice. It hurts to see so much of what we've accomplished over the last 50 years -- choice, equality, privacy -- threatened by an extremist Republican agenda orchestrated directly from the White House.

And while I'm heartened by the energy, dedication and passion of progressives everywhere -- with instant petitions, calls to action and urgent pleas for support -- I can't help but wonder what impact we're having on the real fight ahead.

Today, as Americans return to work after the long holiday weekend, are they hearing us?

The single mother of two in Columbus, Ohio who voted for George Bush last year because she thought he was best able to protect her family -- is she hearing us today?

Is the middleclass Latino family in Jacksonville, Florida who voted Republican last year because of their perceived "moral values" listening?

Or are we speaking to ourselves?

The reality of 2004 is clear. Non-stop Republican organizing -- their messages echoed in churches, on talk radio and Fox News -- led to the defeat of John Kerry in 97 of the 100 fastest growing counties in America. And while ACT's unprecedented field campaign across the battleground states kept Democrats close, it wasn't enough.

So ACT is still at work. We're on the ground in the battleground states refining methods of voter contact in traditional Democratic areas and launching an aggressive series of tests into moderate and conservative-leaning areas -- the so-called "exurbs".

We now know that voters who were part of ACT's program in 2004 turned out for Democrats in remarkably high numbers. In Clark County (Las Vegas) the difference was 13%, in Cleveland it was 11%. These are real results that will lead to real victories.

With over $1 billion dollars having been spent by both sides in 2004, with more to come, ACT's ongoing work is critically important and is not being done anywhere else. But it can't be done without your support.

So, as you're signing petitions and getting your friends and family involved in the upcoming fight over the Supreme Court, I urge you to keep a few dates in mind:

November 8, 2005

November 7, 2006

November 6, 2007

November 4, 2008

As always, our future will be determined on Election Day. Will we be ready?

* Invite 5 friends to join and support ACT's work today.
* Make a one-time pledge of $100 to support ACT's voter contact tests.
* Become an ACT Sustainer by pledging $25 per month.

Thanks for all you do, and will do.

Harold Ickes
President

P.S.� On behalf of everyone at ACT, I applaud the efforts of our progressive partners and encourage you to get involved in their upcoming activities.� Here are just a few that hit my inbox this weekend:

People For the American Way

Democracy For America

MoveOn PAC

Posted by: annika at 07:16 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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