Follows is an email typical of many young organizers I've heard from around the country who are not currently getting the appropriate support from the Democratic Party:

Mr. Goldberg,

First, I'd like to thank you for taking the time to call me back, and listening to me prattle on. I'll try not to take up much of your time. Here's a quick list of things that the Young Democrats of St. Louis would do with contributions.

Our first concern is operating costs. We would not want to eat up a lot of capital on items like office space, phones and net technology, but it's something we will need in the coming months. We also want to purchase personalized business cards for our officers. If we don't buy union made, it's bad for our reputation. The Young Democrats are also active in recruiting candidates, and helping all Democrats to be elected to office. We will use a portion of the funding to go directly to campaigns, but our help usually comes in the form of people power. We make phone calls for candidates, and distribute literature as well.

Our second need is to have funding for advertising. This is my main goal at this point. The Young Democrats, and the Democratic party in general, does not do enough to market itself to the general public. If this were done on a regular basis, we would not have many of the problems that we are experiencing in today's political climate. I would use the bulk of funding to put together a campaign to raise our membership. I would buy airtime on radio stations who market primarily to the 18 to 34 demographic, and our main message would be for young people to lend their voice to ours, and to be the advocate for our generations. We are also interested in organizing events that would not be necessarily "Democratic" in nature, but would be to get the Young Democrat name out there. I would like to be able to book concerts for bands sympathetic to the cause, and have forums that focus on the issues of young people in Missouri. We also have to conquer the racial divide in St. Louis, and this won't be easy, but is possible with the right support. I believe that we can accomplish all of this with a marketing campaign that is done correctly, and we will be able to appeal directly to the self interests of the 18 to 34 demographic by opening the process up to them. We will use this to apply pressure to the hierarchy of the State Party to address the concerns of those who will inherit this country next, and to set up the young Democrat organization to be a force for the next generation of leaders as well. This should result in Democrats no longer being pigeonholed by the Republican Party's definition of issues in this state.

Here's an example of the ineffectiveness of the State Party, and what I would do differently if I had the resources to do so: President Bush is coming here today for a fundraiser for our Senior Senator, Kit Bond. He has been receiving free advertising from the local news at every news update they air. He has come to St. Louis 12 times since he was selected, and each time the news agencies give him half the coverage of the entire newscast each for each visit, and at the same time, they largely ignore the protesters outside these events. The state party has done nothing in the way of getting the word out, showing a presence at these events, or offering a counter argument to the media in any way. I feel they are making a huge mistake. I would fight fire with fire, and I would use part of the monies raised by you to mobilize Democrats with advertising on the radio.

Unfortunately, this will take a lot of capital, and since all of the State Party's resources are going to the Gephardt Campaign, (much to my chagrin) and our party's growth is being curtailed by this. It is exactly as you describe, that the Democratic Party is only focused on persuading the Lipitor vote to go Democratic. This is a short sighted strategy, and it's why I was motivated to call you.

I know I'm asking a lot, but we need the help. 11 electoral votes that will potentially swing this election, as well as the life and health of the Democratic party for the next generation, is counting on possible contributors like you. There are no limits on what the Young Democrats can receive, and the more money we can raise, the more effective we can be in taking the party from the entrenched, Good Old boy system, and reviving the Missouri Democratic Party.

Thank you once again. I hope to hear from you very soon.

Sincerely,
Joe Bruemmer
Press Secretary,
Young Democrats of St. Louis
(YDSTL)
(314) 565-6127