Not too long ago, many of us wanted to know what happened to our party. We were on the short end of the last two elections. We were in the minority in the House and Senate.

But we had hope. A plan: “Show up.” We knew if we knocked on doors and told people what we believe, they would respect us and vote for us. That’s exactly what you did. And because you did, today, our party competes in all 50 states. Today, we are a party that took back Congressional seats in Louisiana and Mississippi, and we’re gonna win in Virginia and Alaska. Today, ours is a party that had 35 million Americans vote in our primaries. Today, our party knows that power grows from the grassroots up.

If you’re a young American wanting change, if you’re looking for a government that’s on your side, we are your party. And Barack Obama will be your president.

If you’re a working American wanting change, we are your party. And Barack Obama will be your president.

If you’re an older American or a veteran wanting change, and deserve a government that honors you and your sacrifice, when you’re serving and when you come home, we are your party.

And Barack Obama will be your president.

Barack Obama and Joe Biden both know that this is not just about turning red states blue. It’s about turning our country around. We can’t afford four more years of the same. No matter how many times John McCain tries to hide from it, it’s a fact: John McCain has voted with George Bush and his policies 95 percent of the time over the past year.

John McCain is not a maverick. John McCain is a “yes man.” Like George Bush, John McCain would let companies that ship American jobs overseas keep their tax giveaways. Barack Obama would end those tax breaks and instead reward companies that create jobs in America.

Who do we want as our president?

Like George Bush, John McCain does not see that health care costs are sinking the fortunes of American families and small businesses. Barack Obama will reduce costs and make coverage available to every American.

Who do we want as our president?

Like George Bush, John McCain proposes spending $10 billion a month in Iraq and he’s fine being there for 100 more years. Barack Obama and Joe Biden believe we should bring the war in Iraq to a responsible end, bring our troops home, and invest at home.

Who do you want as our president?

We’ve been working hard to register voters. Recently, these efforts took me to Macon, Georgia. I met a young woman named Randa, whose husband, a staff sergeant in the United States Army, is serving his third tour in Iraq. She has three small children. Her hands, and her days, are pretty full. Yet somehow she has found time to register 450 new voters.

Like millions of Americans all over our country, Randa wants change. She wants her husband to come home safely. She wants better opportunities for her children. She wants to vote for a leader who can move us past the partisanship and bring our country together.

So who do we want as our president?

On behalf of all Democrats, let’s welcome Randa here tonight. Randa knows that Barack Obama and Joe Biden don’t just believe in change. They know how desperately Americans need change.

And with your help—block by block, neighborhood by neighborhood, vote by vote—we’ll elect Barack Obama as the next President of the United States.

Finally, after eight years of failed policies and misplaced priorities, we can turn the page. Rural America can’t afford more of the same. Rural America needs the change Barack Obama offers. Our communities have suffered a 10 percent drop in household income, three times the national average. As jobs continue to disappear, 8 million rural Americans now live in poverty.

Through it all, George Bush and Dick Cheney have sided with big business and big oil and left the rest of us to fend for ourselves. As much as John McCain would like us to believe he’s different, his economic plan offers not a single new idea, just more of the same.

Barack Obama will give us the change we need. He will lift our economy immediately by taking some of big oil’s windfall profits and returning $1,000 to the pockets of working families. He will invest in what rural America needs most of all, good new jobs, with a clean energy initiative that will move us away from oil and put 5 million Americans to work. And unlike John McCain, for whom the internet is a mystery, Barack Obama understands that rural communities can’t be competitive until we have high-speed internet access across the heartland.

Now, as a former prosecutor, I know rural Americans value safe homes and secure communities. That’s why the rural spike in violent crimes is so disturbing to us. George Bush wants to cut funding from local law enforcement. Joe Biden and I worked together on the COPS Program that put 100,000 officers on the beat. Now, Barack Obama and Joe Biden have a plan to hire even more.

No one in America escapes the burden of gas prices that have nearly tripled during the Bush administration, but no one feels it worse than rural communities, where we travel the furthest distances to commute to work, take our children to school and buy groceries. Instead of helping us, George Bush heaps billion-dollar tax breaks on top of big oil’s multi-billion-dollar profits and, now, the very same oil companies that have called the shots in the Bush White House are doubling down on McCain.

Big oil knows McCain’s a sure bet to look out for them. We know Barack Obama will look out for us. Unlike Senator McCain, Senator Obama has a comprehensive and balanced energy plan to lower prices. He will stop speculators from bidding up prices; responsibly produce more oil here at home; and, most importantly, he’ll move us away from oil and towards clean, renewable fuels.

So, for rural America, this choice could not be clearer. John McCain offers four more years of the same Bush-Cheney policies that have failed us. Barack Obama is on our side and he’ll deliver the change we desperately need. After eight long years, now is our chance to get our country back on the right track. When Barack Obama is president, we can once again look with hope to a prosperous new day for our rural communities, from the Rocky Mountains of Colorado to the Green Mountains of Vermont.

Another sign of the incredible energy expressed by Democrats are the record voter registration numbers.

The past seven states to hold primaries registered more than 1 million new Democratic voters; Republican numbers mainly ebbed or stagnated. North Carolina and Indiana, which will hold their presidential primaries on May 6, are reporting a swell of new Democrats that triples the surge in registrations before the 2004 primary.

Earlier this month, Jim Douglas quietly decided to use taxpayer dollars to enlist long time Republican [Craig] Pattee’s services to represent Vermont’s interests in D.C. The move came after several well-publicized Bush Administration policy decisions that cost Vermont millions in lost federal funds for critical programs such as health care and special education.

Patte is a major Republican fundraiser, and Douglas’s other lobbyist, Joe Jaso, has ties to Tom Delay and the Enron scandal. Vermont Democratic Party Chairman Ian Carleton explains why Vermonters deserve better:

"The problem is not that Jim Douglas wants to hire a D.C. lobbyist. Clearly we need one since Governor Douglas has utterly failed to leverage his close ties to the Bush Administration to support Vermont’s critical programs and initiatives...Jim Douglas talks a lot about being moderate and fair. This no-bid contract, however, is anything but moderate and fair. In fact, it is the opposite."

Carleton is calling on Douglas to open the $70,000 lobbying contract to all Vermont companies. "That is what Jim Douglas should do before signing this rich contract and sending our tax dollars to D.C," Carleton said.

(Chris Kellerman is an intern in the DNC Internet Department)

State parties will publish their delegate selection rules and clearly explain how to participate in the summer of 2007.

Vermont Democratic Party
29 Main Street, Suite 3
Montpelier, VT 0560
802-229-1783
802-229-1982 (fax)

District-Level Delegates: 10
At-Large Delegates: 3
Pledged Party Leader & Elected Official (PLEO) Delegates: 2
Unpledged Delegates: 8
TOTAL Number of Delegates: 23

Alternates: 4

TOTAL DELEGATION SIZE: 27

System type: Primary

State convention page: None available.
State plan: Plan Available (PDF)
State filing form: Not available online. Please contact the state party to receive a copy.

** This information is prepared by the DNC's Office of Party Affairs and Delegate Selection and may be subject to change. For more information, please call 202-863-8000.

"Today, I join Democrats across Vermont in congratulating Scudder Parker, Peter Welch, and Bernie Sanders for their primary victories last night. I've known Scudder, Bernie and Peter for more than twenty years, and I know the type of leadership they offer the people of Vermont. With Scudder Parker as their next governor, Vermonters will have a vision for a more affordable Vermont and a leader who shares the values and priorities of Vermont's working families. And, by sending Peter Welch to the U.S. House of Representatives and Bernie Sanders to the Senate, Vermont will help ensure a new direction for America by replacing the Bush Rubberstamp Congress with one that puts the American people first.

"As we head to this November's elections, Democrats are united in our commitment to helping Scudder Parker bring his vision of leadership for Vermont to the voters, to making sure that Bernie Sanders brings the same leadership he has exercised in the House of Representatives to the U.S. Senate, and to ensuring Peter Welch's victory over the out-of-touch Bush Republican Martha Rainville."

To listen to the audio, click here.

Good morning, this is State Senator Peter Welch from Vermont.

The men and women of our armed forces fighting in Iraq are the finest in the world. But with no clear strategy for success, President Bush and his Republican Congress have failed them for far too long.

I have traveled all over the state of Vermont and from farmers to university professors, people are frustrated with the loss of life in Iraq and the way things are going on the ground.

Nearly 2,500 families have lost loved ones in Iraq and more than 18,000 have had a loved one injured badly. The large majority of our causalities occurred after President Bush declared three years ago, "mission accomplished," aboard the U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln. It was one year ago that Dick Cheney said the insurgency was in "its last throes."

President Bush says repeatedly we must "stay the course," but the American people have had enough and it is long past time to change course.

We must ensure that 2006 is a year of significant transition to full Iraqi sovereignty. We must establish clear benchmarks for the Iraqis to take care of their own country and defend themselves, so that we can transition our troops out and move to fight a smarter war on terrorism -- including doing a better job of securing our ports and our borders.

In April, eight retired generals -- including two who commanded troops on the ground in Iraq -- called for Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to resign. I agree -- Rumsfeld must go.

But for all of the mistakes and misjudgments of Secretary Rumsfeld, the ultimate responsibility for our situation in Iraq rests with President Bush.

One of the eight generals who called for Rumsfeld's resignation, Marine Lt. Gen. Gregory Newbold, said, "...the commitment of our forces (to the Iraq war) was done with a casualness and swagger..." Well we have seen far too much swagger and not enough planning from President Bush and the Republican leadership in Washington.

The Republican Rubber Stamp Congress has failed to do its duty when it comes to the oversight of this Administration. Congress has a responsibility to ensure accountability for the hundreds of billions of dollars spent on the Iraq war. Instead of allowing our government to be over-billed by companies like Halliburton, Congress should practice genuine congressional oversight and investigate the way the Bush Administration doles out contracts.

But the Republican Congress refuses to ask the tough questions and demand honest answers about the Administration's conduct of the war. America deserves better -- we need a different Congress in Washington next year.

Our troops deserve to be treated like the heroes they are and should never face months of waiting for something as critical as health care. Yet, as recently as two weeks ago, the Republican Congress voted against saving veterans from paying $735 million in increased health care costs, and to maintain a tax on military families.

At a time when Congress votes for more tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans, votes like these against our veterans are a moral disgrace.

Families in Vermont and all over America are frustrated and rightly so. At a time when all the Bush Administration offers us is an open-ended commitment in Iraq, with no real strategy to meet America's goals, the last thing we need in Washington is another Bush Republican who simply rubber stamps this Administration's misguided policies on Iraq.

As a State Senator, I have worked hard to earn the trust of the families I represent; and as a candidate for Congress, I support a long overdue plan for returning responsibility of Iraq to the Iraqi people and I will always be direct with the people of Vermont.

It is time for accountability, credibility and competence when it comes to Iraq. When I get to Washington, I pledge to work for all three as part of a new Congress that offers a new direction for our country.

This is State Senator Peter Welch of Vermont. Thanks for listening.

“I had a great response form all of the contacts I made over the weekend. I canvassed my voting district by myself - knocking on 100 doors and making 30 contacts. I also registered two new voters both Dems. It was a very good weekend.”

MISSISSIPPI

“This weekend, over 70 Mississippi Democrats participated in what was dubbed as "VISION" Mississippi. This event was a huge success. Our vision canvassers took to the streets and distributed over 3000 door hangers and held just as many conversations about the Democratic Party and its vision for America as well as Mississippi. As we have told our vision canvassers, April 29th marked the beginning of one of the most comprehensive GOTV pushes that Mississippi Democrats have ever seen and it will all revolve around neighbors talking to neighbors.”

(This success story submitted by your Mississippi DNC Organizer, DeMiktric M. Biggs)

VERMONT

"Several people were genuinely pleased to see that the Democrats CARE and are GETTING ORGANIZED. I'm personally psyched to get out to other neighborhoods in the county between now and November. I believe we can make a real difference on voter education and turnout."

OHIO

“Although there were only 2 of us we dropped lit at 200 over houses and only stopped when we ran out.”

TEXAS

“I enjoyed meeting neighbors that I had never met. Those who revealed that they were Republicans almost told me apologetically that they voted Republican. Most of them expressed some dissatisfaction with the present situation. All it all it was s very nice experience.”

IDAHO

“We contacted 1000 homes. Coeur d' Alene covered 1300 homes. We were rewarded buy finding people at home and having them show "delight" that there are Democrats visible in this very red district, in this very red state.”

ARIZONA

“I called my walk "Getting to Know Your Neighbors". I listed a time to greet from 10 till noon. I got door hangers from the Arizona and Maricopa County Democratic Office. So I started out pushing my wheelchair around the small area which is our neighborhood. I found almost everyone at home. There were several people who were very interested persons who needed materials to register to vote (which I had and gave to them). There were quite a few who were glad for the door
hanger and its information. I felt that our neighbors have a real concern for our country and a desire to be more involved than they have ever been before. Noon came too soon, so I plan to continue each Saturday that I am able till I have been to each house in this little neighborhood. Along the way maybe I can find others to help me. This will be my beginnings of "Talking Neighbor to Neighbor."

FLORIDA

“I worked with my local DEC to organize this event. We met at the local headquarter office. The best part of the event was talking with the voters, asking them what is important to them really seemed to resonate with them. We were not surprised to hear that gas prices were at the top of their list of concerns.”

FL-5: Florida Congressional Candidate Rick Penberthy
We organized one of the door to door canvass efforts today. We had loads of fun and hit over 600 homes in two precincts here in Pasco Coutny, FL. I've attached a picture or two of our efforts. A candidate putting his party in the spotlight and using his volunteer base to strengthen the Democratic Party. Rick is a Fighting Dem and a high school teacher. For more information, visit www.RickForCongress.com.

Vermont
The VT Young Dems had a canvass day. The main purpose was to piggy back on the DNC canvass and get some names to recruit for the VT YD. We took census data, figured out the youngest areas in town, and canvassed them. I don't know the final tally, but it looks like we raked it in, in terms of new volunteer names. We'll be hitting the streets with a fresh cadre of new volunteers soon!

We used the DFA Night School to help us with our canvassing. It prepared us well for the canvass this afternoon.

Phoenix, Arizona
Canvassing in Phoenix in LD-10 wasn't bad today -- it wasn't too hot this morning and the event was reasonably well-organized (they're not always). We were canvassing Dems who voted in 2004 but not 2002, trying to encourage them to vote in the midterms. We also collected signatures on nominating petitions for some of the Dem candidates who still needed some. (Under AZ Clean Elections law, a candidate must obtain a certain number of signatures on a nominating petition before they can get on the ballot -- everybody from the governor on down to precinct captain.) I met some nice people and got quite a few signatures for three candidates (for state treasurer, corporation comminssioner and state representative). I'm also going to start attending the monthly Dem meeting in my legislative district to see what else I can do to help. A good day all around.

Rochester, NY
I knoced on doors for Monroe County Dems in suburban Rochester, NY for a couple hours. We gave each household a Dem doorhanger, Eric Massa flyer, and a volunteer flyer. The response was overwhelming positive (except for one Repubican who abruptly slammed the door). They were happy to see they were not forgotten and had alot to say. People were unhappy with mostly Iraq and cost of gas.

I talked to a former GOP who just chaned to non-affiliation. He left the GOP because they are no longer 'moderate' and will stop voting GOP for the immediate future. His major concern is energy independence - "I hate knowing when I refuel my tank, the money goes to the middle east and the terrorists...we must become self-reliant". I slowly nudged my head up/down and agreed. We talked how ANWR drilling is foolhardy and how Pataki sucks (he will vote for Spitzer for NY-Gov).

Overall, I great reaffirming day. We can make a difference if all of us put a little shoeleather on pavement!

San Diego, California
I hosted one at my home, and there were 9 of us who turned out. There was one local precinct leader, who did a short training for us. Other than that, we were pretty green! Everyone had a great time, though. Lots of positive experiences and interactions with fellow dems in our community.

Woo-hoo! Go Dems!

Colorado
The Young Dems organized our canvass and us old folks from the Statehouse District helped out. We had about 19 people talking to Dems, Independants and R women betweeen 25-55. Many of the YD's had their first canvass experience. It was a nice day and a nice result. We got a couple activist recruits, and pretty good responses. Of course, on a nice day less than half the people were home.

Very well organized by the Young Dems!
We also were using the State Party VAN database so will be able to load our results in for the Statehouse District campaign. We have a good Dem rep in the middle of CO CD7, both heavily targeted cuz the districts are 50/50. This is a great start for the campaign.

Republican gazillionaire Richard Tarrant asked Independent candidate Bernie Sanders to stand with him against third-party advertising in the upcoming U.S. Senate election. A cynic might believe that Tarrant's overture had something to do with the ridiculous amout of his own personal fortune he intends to spend in the race ...

But Sanders, to his credit, accepted anyway and basically says, since we are all about holding Vermont up as a national example, why don't we put spending caps on our campaigns? And I'll tell ya what, since my name ID is a bit higher than yours, and I already hold a statewide office, I'll even agree to let you spend 20% more than I will in the campaign. And oh yeah, no negative ads... and if you gotta go negative, we'll agree to talk directly into the camera, no hiding behind manipulated photos and digitally remastered audio tracks. And while we're at it, let's take our case directly to the people a bit more often; how about a debate in each and every one of Vermont's counties between now and election day?

Tarrant... wait for it ... hold on... refused. His campaign manager called the counter offer by Sanders an "incumbent protection plan." Never mind the Senate seat is open. Looks like the early cynics might have been correct.

As an aside, Sanders landed one of my personal favorite writers for his campaign blog ... making it a daily must-read.

In an effort to get the "dirty money out of politics," the Democratic National Committee will ask the U.S. Supreme Court this month to allow states to limit how much is spent on campaigns.

Howard Dean, the chairman of the Democratic Party, announced Monday that the party will file a friend of the court brief with the Supreme Court in support of Vermont's 1997 campaign finance law.

"I feel very, very strongly that the Democratic Party, in this era of this Republican culture of corruption, has to walk the walk and not just talk the talk," said Dean.

"The Democratic Party of the United States has an opportunity to actually do something," said Dean. "I thought it would be hypocritical to be pilloring the Republican Party for their corruption when this opportunity was coming before the Supreme Court."

In 1997, Governor Dean signed a bill into Vermont law that placed limits on individual and political action committee contribution totals, and implements spending caps on campaigns during an election cycle.

The law was contested and a federal appeals court upheld it, for the most part. Now the case is slated to come before the Supreme Court with oral arguments beginning on February 28, 2006.

January 26, 2006
For Immediate Release

Contact: Tuck Rainwater
(802) 999-5904
tuck@scudderparker.com

GET REAL: The Truth on Jim Douglas’s Record

Jim Douglas’s Assault on Middle- and Working-Class Vermonters.

Jim Douglas wants you to believe that Vermont families are doing better under his administration:

“Incomes are rising, thousands of new jobs have been created.” Governor’s Budget Address, January 17, 2006.

“Generally, Douglas had a positive outlook on the state's economy, citing the increases in per capita and family income.” “Douglas Hits Talking Points at Springfield Meeting,” The Rutland Herald, January 24, 2006.

”[O]ur incomes are rising; family income is up, per capita income is up, average wages are up.” Governor Douglas on Switchboard, Vermont Public Radio, January 17, 2006.

But the facts tell a different tale. Under the Douglas administration, only the wealthiest Vermonters are getting ahead.

For the vast majority of Vermonters, family income isn’t even keeping up with the rate of inflation. Simply put, middle- and working-class Vermonters are falling behind.

According to the January 2006 Vermont Economic Review & Revenue Forecast1:

· Vermonters making $1 million or more saw their income jump nearly 62% from 2003 to 2004.

· During the same period, those making $100,000 or more saw their income increase by 25%.

But the rest of us – more than 92% of Vermont families – are feeling the pinch of Gov. Douglas’s failed policies2:

· For those earning less than $100,000, income grew by only 2.6% from 2003 to 2004.

· Over that same period, inflation was approximately 3.5%-4.0%.

· And, for those earning under $30,000, incomes actually decreased.

Vermonters know what those numbers mean – things like gas, heating oil, food, and clothing are getting more expensive, and their hard-earned money doesn’t go as far.

And now Jim Douglas wants to raise taxes on the very Vermont families that aren’t keeping up with escalating costs.

Jim Douglas has proposed property tax increases on Vermonters making less than $75,000, in addition to eliminating tax prebates for another 10,000 Vermont families with household incomes under $100,000.

“It’s unbelievable that Jim Douglas has launched such a full-scale assault on the very Vermonters who can least afford it,” said Scudder Parker in response to the governor’s recent proposals. “Douglas’s budget is full of hidden fees, back-door taxes, and cuts in services. He talks about property tax relief, but he’s actually proposed a property tax increase. He talks about affordable housing, but he’s proposed cutting funding for the organization responsible for Vermont’s innovative affordable housing programs. He talks about sustainable education spending, but he’s raiding the education fund for non-education-related spending.

“This isn’t an agenda of affordability, it’s an agenda of avoidability – Jim Douglas has consistently tried to avoid his responsibility as governor for dealing with the real problems faced by Vermont families, ignoring the gathering storms which threaten the economic future of our state. Working Vermonters can’t afford that any longer.

“It’s time to focus on making our families more secure, on increasing the incomes of families that need it most, and on addressing the skyrocketing energy prices and health-care costs.”

Get Real, Governor Douglas.

[1] Prepared by Kavet, Rockler & Associates, LLC, for the State of Vermont Emergency Board and the Legislative Joint Fiscal Committee.

2 Source: Vermont Department of Taxes, 2004 Personal Income Tax Returns (92.2% of in-state personal income tax returns were below $100,000 Adjusted Gross Income in 2004).