by email &
http://www.tedkennedy.com/journal/362/delivering-a-message-to-the-white-houseOur team on the ground in Washington just called with news about today's delivery. The White House refused to take the petition -- but that didn't stop them. They fanned out and flyered Lafayette Park, across from the White House, the local subway station (it's called a METRO there) and took Senator Kennedy's message straight to our fellow citizens. A few even said they would take some extra flyers home and mail them to friends.
That's activism for you: pounding the pavement, adapting to obstacles and getting the truth out to Americans who need to hear it. This type of work takes resources, though. As we plan for the next year ahead, it's important to have a strong budget for more advocacy. Contribute now so that our community will continue to bring Senator Kennedy's message of truth to this country:
http://www.tedkennedy.com/momentum2006 is shaping up to be one of the most important years in our political history. Senator Kennedy's campaign in Massachusetts is part of a much larger effort: to take back Congress and return our government to the people it represents.
Every American who begins to ask questions about our nation's current leadership is another set of ears for the Democratic message. That's where you and I can make a difference: Every time we raise awareness about the issues affecting this country, it supports not only Senator Kennedy, but candidates nationwide.
November's elections are a chance to drastically improve this country. Along the way, our campaign must be creative and committed -- and we have to back up our passion with the resources to win. Make a contribution now and put our campaign on the fast track to victory in 2006.
http://www.tedkennedy.com/momentumThe White House may have refused our petition today, but they can't ignore reality. This 422-page document represents the unified demand of more than 60,000 Americans for this Administration's cooperation with the Senate by releasing key documents to its current investigation of pre-war intelligence. And that call is only going to get louder.
A copy of the petition will be mailed to the White House, but I think today's lesson is more important: One way or another, this Administration -- and our fellow citizens -- will hear our message.
Activism is alive in America. You're living proof. Together, we will wake up the country and restore our democracy in 2006. Thank you.
Sincerely,
Marty Walsh
Campaign Manager
Kennedy for Senate
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We went to deliver our petition on the Iraq documents to the White House this morning – a group of supporters joined staff to show the White House that more than 60,000 Americans demand answers on how we ended up in this war. In addition to delivering the petition, our group handed out flyers in the area around the White House and at the nearby subway stations.
This was a tough morning to come out – it was 19 degrees out when we started walking to the White House. We were resilient, and knew it was worth it to try and get this message to the President. We approached the gates as a group, and one of our volunteers stepped right up to the buzzer for the guard station. The guards were very polite and professional, and explained that they would not accept any packages at the gates. They said we could make arrangements with someone in the White House to receive the package, or send it through the mail – both options that sounded like dead ends to us. We decided we would mail in the petition, while we continue to collect signatures and come up with other ways to get our message to the White House. We also continued to hand out information to the people passing by us outside the White House. We will not stop pursuing this until the truth is told – Senator Kennedy is working on legislation to get the President to hand over the relevant Presidential Daily Briefs to the Senate Intelligence Committee so that they can give a full report of how the Administration made the decision to go to war and how the war is being managed.
While we did not get the outcome we wanted in the delivery of the petition, we did take another step to raise awareness of the duplicity of this White House. We will continue to fight for the truth – and with your help, we will get it! More and more Americans are realizing that the President’s strategy has everything to do with “spin” and avoiding the truth on the ground and nothing to do with reality. The President owes the American people more than empty assurances and canned speeches that avoid the facts Americans would like to know. More than 60,000 of you came together to support the truth, and together we can continue to spread our message around the country – on this and so many other important issues. To those of you who signed the petition – thank you! We may have hit a speed bump today, but it will not stop us! And to those of you who braved the cold to join us at the White House – thank you for your hard work and willingness to stand up in the face of intimidation. Standing up to this Administration is no small feat, and to do it on the front lawn of the White House is even more intimidating. We will continue to raise our voices on issues that matter and make a difference!