Regime change
Ten things you can do to defeat Bush-Cheney and save the country

LET US BE clear on what this guide is about: defeating George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, and the rest of this dangerous cabal. And, distasteful as it may sometimes be to many Greens, independents, and others who share our progressive worldview, that means helping the John Kerry-John Edwards ticket win.

During the fall campaign, and certainly after this election, it's important to demand that Democrats address the antiwar, economic, and social justice issues that animate us.

But the simple fact remains that the election of John Kerry is the best hope we have right now. For Californians, voting Nov. 2 is absolutely crucial – but since Kerry will probably win this state, it's nowhere near enough. The race will be won and lost in a handful of swing states – and as Al Gore so aptly noted in his speech at the convention, every vote (every single vote) counts. Change the mind of one friend in Ohio, help register a few more Democrats in New Mexico, donate a few bucks to help a congressional challenger in Washington ... if we all do a little, we can help swing the states, and the nation, in the right direction.

1. Register and vote

The most basic power we have is simply to register and vote in what is almost certainly the most important election of our lifetimes.

The deadline to register is 15 days before the election, or Oct. 18, but your deadline should be the end of this week. And while you're at it, sign up for an absentee ballot to make voting as easy as possible on yourself. Or if you like to vote in person and don't want to wait until Nov. 2, early voting in City Hall begins Oct. 4. To register, go to the Department of Elections in the basement of City Hall, 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Pl., S.F., call (415) 554-4411, or go to www.ss.ca.gov/elections/votereg1.html.

2. Give money

We hate it as much as most progressives do, but the truth is that money will play a key role in this election – and the Republicans have lots and lots of it.

Maybe we all need our beer budgets more than ever just to deal with the madness of living under Bush, but if the Democrats can't mount an effective campaign, we're in for four more years – and it'll just get worse. So try to set aside some cash to give to the cause. If you really want to get the biggest bang for your buck now that Kerry's on public financing and not accepting direct donations, here are some recommendations:

• Write a check to a liberal organizing group Each one is a little different, but the overall intent is to educate citizens about Bush's failed policies at home and abroad and to spur them to register voters, campaign, or just talk to their friends about what's at stake.

Our Future (www.ourfuture.org) was formed by activists and political experts who want to engage people on the issues and help "take back America." Common Dreams (www.commondreams.org) has been promoting a progressive vision for the future since 1997 by providing a space to share news and ideas. Then there's Women's Action for New Directions (www.wand.org), which was formed as Women's Action for Nuclear Disarmament in 1982 but now does broader work around protecting the environment and challenging militarism.

• Give money to an issue-advocacy group Pick one that works for progressive domestic policy and backs the Kerry-Edwards ticket. Groups with extensive voter education programs include the NAACP National Voter Fund (www.naacpnvf.org), the Human Rights Campaign (www.hrc.org), NARAL Pro-Choice America (www.naral.org), the Sierra Club (www.sierraclub.org), and the AFL-CIO (www.aflcio.org).

• Help out in a swing congressional race See below for more information.

• Donate to the Democratic Party You can't give to the Kerry campaign anymore, but you can still give to local or state Democratic organizations, which will be working to register and turn out Democratic votes. That includes San Francisco's Democratic County Central Committee (www.sfdemocrats.org), the California Democrats (www.cadem.org), and the party organization in any other state.

• Support a shadow campaign group We'll admit up front that this network of so-called 527s, named after the legal code that allows their existence, has raised the hackles of campaign-finance watchdogs. Unlike official campaigns or political parties, these groups can accept the large, unregulated contributions known as soft money and are not subject to the same disclosure regulations. The Republican Party has complained to the Federal Elections Commission that integrated 527s working on Kerry's behalf are manipulating the law, and the truth is, these groups are at least contrary to the law's spirit. But the campaign-financing system is overwhelmingly skewed toward conservative interests, who have their own 527s anyway; a lot of progressives are supporting these groups in the spirit of a level playing field.

The best-known 527s, the MoveOn.org Voter Fund (www.moveonvoterfund.org) and the Media Fund (www.mediafund04.com), are running anti-Bush ads throughout the country. America Coming Together (www.actforvictory.org) concentrates on get-out-the-vote efforts, while America Votes (www.americavotes.org) coordinates various grassroots groups. The Joint Victory Campaign 2004 (www.victorycampaign2004.org) is a financial conduit for ACT and the Media Fund, which has already spent more than $35 million. There are several smaller 527s associated with unions, parties, and issue groups.

• Design your own personal campaign You could take a hint from one of these other groups and make it your own or come up with something wholly original – like using $30 to mail personal letters entreating other environmentalists to vote or buying your own ad in a neighborhood paper explaining why it's important to vote against Bush. Host an election night party for friends with ballot stubs or simply blanket your block in sidewalk chalk exhortations to register to vote. Just make sure the money you're able to spend counts for Kerry-Edwards.

3. Educate yourself – and others

The information age is paradoxical when it comes to politics. The truth is available to anyone who seeks it – but first you have to fight through the lies and distortions that are continuously cranked out by the most powerful and pervasive propaganda machine in U.S. history. Repeated often enough, Republican talking points and corporate advertising get transformed into accepted truths in the minds of many people, so that even the San Francisco Chronicle ran a front-page headline previewing John Kerry's convention speech that read, "Analysis: Kerry Must Prove He's a War President."

Bush's extremism has spawned a glut of critical books, movies, Web sites, and journalism. Obvious Bush-bashers like Michael Moore and Al Franken have done fine work, but even more interesting and telling are the works by Republicans like former Nixon counsel John Dean, terrorism expert Richard Clarke, and other establishment figures turned truth-tellers. The following list includes works that are impossible to refute on their merits, written by people whom only the most scurrilous GOP spinmeister would dare accuse of having partisan motives. Read them – then pass them on to people on your right. Send copies to anyone you know in a swing state (see below for a good list) who might be tempted to vote for Bush.

Books Worse Than Watergate, by John Dean; American Dynasty, by Kevin Phillips; Enemy Aliens, by David Cole; The Great Unraveling, by Paul Krugman; Plan of Attack, by Bob Woodward; Against All Enemies, by Richard A. Clarke; and The Best Democracy Money Can Buy, by Greg Palast.

4. Apply peer pressure

Your mom misses you; give her a call. And while you're at it, drop a line to your old college roommate, your cousin, an ex or two, crazy Uncle Harold, and your eighth-grade gym teacher. In fact, now's the time to call everyone you've ever known, particularly if they live in a swing state, catch up a bit – then steer the conversation to politics and make sure they know how important it is to help defeat Bush. If they're enlightened souls, it'll be just a gentle reminder, but don't be afraid to engage with your conservative acquaintances and let them know what a disaster Bush has been.

5. Visit a swing state

When we spoke with California Democratic Party spokesperson Bob Mulholland about the advice we were giving to readers, he got upset about this item. "California needs all the help we can get," Mulholland told us.

Sure, we understand his perspective, and yes, do what you can here in California. But then go visit a swing state. The reality is, Californian will almost certainly go to Kerry, and Sen. Barbara Boxer will almost certainly be reelected. So if you want to make a difference in this election, help out in a battleground state.

The following lists include all 21 states that might reasonably be considered in contention.

States up for grabs (with number of electoral votes) Arkansas (6), Florida (27), Iowa (7), Maine (4), Michigan (17), Missouri (11), New Hampshire (4), New Mexico (5), Ohio (20)

Leaning GOP but still in play Arizona (10), Colorado (9), Louisiana (9), Missouri (11), Nevada (5), Tennessee (11), Virginia (13), West Virginia (5)

Leaning Democrat but still close Minnesota (10), Oregon (7), Pennsylvania (21), Washington (11), Wisconsin (10)

6. Help take back Congress

Six months ago, almost everyone – including most of the Democratic Party's political operatives – put the Democrats' chances of taking back control of Congress at a whopping slim to none. But things have changed: Bush's popularity is slipping, the war isn't going well, the economy isn't improving much, and the Democratic Party is (relatively) united. As of press time, the pessimists were telling us that "it's not as bad as it was." The optimists were saying – very cautiously – that taking back the House or Senate is no longer a hopeless dream, with control resting on a small number of swing voters in a handful of states. Only a few House races are close, and the Democrats will have to win more than their share. Several Senate races are still too close to call, and if the Democrats win most of them, the narrow GOP majority could vanish.

So after talking with Democratic strategists and political observers, we've listed some key races where the outcome is in doubt and a little money, or some volunteer work, could actually make a difference. One important caveat: we've chosen these contests not because we love the Democratic candidates – many are far too conservative for our taste; some are pretty scary. But San Francisco-style liberal Democrats don't tend to win in places like Oklahoma and South Carolina. And if the goal is to end the GOP control in Congress, some moderate-to-right-wing Democrats are going to be part of the mix.

In other words, we're not endorsing the candidates below, or saying that all of them would be great progressives. We're suggesting that a strategy to defeat Bushism might include helping the Democrats win these swing states and districts. (Our focus in the House is on Western states.)

HOUSE RACES

Arizona District One Paul Babbitt, the brother of former Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt, is challenging one-term GOP incumbent Paul Renzi. Paul Babbitt for Congress, P.O. Box 23541, Flagstaff, AZ 86002. (928) 213-9969, www.paulbabbitt.com.

California District 20 Democratic state senator Jim Costa is running for the open congressional seat in Fresno's District 20 against fellow senator Roy Ashburn, a conservative Republican. The seat was held by retiring Democrat Cal Dooley, but in the conservative Central Valley, Costa needs all the help he can get. www.costaforcongress.com, (559) 252-2004.

Colorado District Three Democratic state senator John Salazar is running in an open seat and is being challenged in the Aug. 10 primary by an underfunded candidate named Mike Miles, who is running mostly on his opposition to the war and the USA PATRIOT Act. John Salazar for Congress, 307 N. Santa Fe Ave., Pueblo, CO 81003. (719) 584-2004, www.salazar2004.com; Mike Miles, www.mikemiles4senate.com/test.

Nevada District Three Lawyer and former casino executive Tom Gallagher is challenging first-term incumbent Republican Jon Porter. 4300 E. Sunset Road, Ste. E-1, Henderson, NV 89014. (702) 932-0901, www.gallagher2004.com.

New Mexico District One Democratic state senator Richard Romero is challenging three-term GOP incumbent Heather Wilson. 407 Rio Grand Blvd., Ste. 8, Albuquerque, NM 87104. (505) 244-0827, romeroforcongress.com.

New Mexico District Two Democrat Gary King, a former state legislator and son of the former governor, is challenging one-term incumbent Republican Steve Pearce. P.O. Box 1209, Carlsbad, NM 88221-1209. (505) 523 5653, www.garyking.org.

Washington District Five Don Barbieri, a hotel mogul, is running in an open seat in former speaker Tom Foley's old district, which the Democrats lost 10 years ago. 719 W. Main Ave., Spokane, WA 99201. (509) 326-VOTE, www.barbieriforcongress.com.

SENATE RACES

California The Republican Party always claims Sen. Barbara Boxer is "too liberal" and thus vulnerable, but she was handily reelected in 1998, and it's highly unlikely Republican Bill Jones, the uncharismatic father of the unpopular Three Strikes law, will unseat her. Still, Boxer's always a target and can always use help. 5757 Wilshire Blvd., Ste. 395, Los Angeles, CA 90036. (323) 904-4949, boxer2004.org.

Colorado Attorney General Ken Salazar is the almost-certain Democratic nominee for the open seat of retiring Republican Ben Nighthorse Campbell. His likely GOP opponent is Pete Coors (of the well-known right-wing brewery family). 1100 Bannock St., Denver, CO 80204. (303) 300-2004, salazarforcolorado.com.

Illinois Barack Obama is a rising star in the Democratic Party and was the convention's keynote speaker. His GOP opponent dropped out over a sex scandal, but the Republicans aren't likely to just let this seat go uncontested, so watch this one. P.O. Box 802799, Chicago, IL 60680-2799. (312) 427-6300, obamaforillinois.com.

Louisiana Rep. Chris John is the likely Democratic candidate in a closely contested fight to fill the open seat of retiring senator John Breaux. 2105 N. Parkerson Ave., Ste. B, Crowley, LA 70526. (337) 783-4417, chrisjohn.com.

Oklahoma This is one of the real toss-up states, and Rep. Brad Carson has a chance to become its first Democratic senator in 10 years. 1404 South Utica Ave., Tulsa, OK. (918) 283-8000, bradcarson.com.

Pennsylvania Democratic representative Joe Hoeffel has a long-shot (but not impossible) race against four-term incumbent Arlen Specter, who's still reeling from a tough primary. 1528 Walnut St., Ste. 950, Philadelphia, PA 19102. (215) 789-3700, hoeffelforsenate.com.

South Carolina With Strom Thurmond finally gone, this open seat presents a chance for the Democrats, who have a candidate with proven statewide voter appeal, Superintendent of Education Inez Tennenbaum. 1529 Hampton St., Ste. 205, Columbia, SC 29201. (803) 806-8401, inez2004.com.

South Dakota Tom Daschle, the senate minority leader, faces a strong challenge from former Republican representative John Thune in a state where Republicans have made significant inroads of late. 2701 S. Minnesota Ave., Ste. 7 , Sioux Falls, SD 57105. (605) 334-9895 or 1-866-213-5200 (toll-free), tomdaschle.com.

Missouri and Florida will also have tightly contested races, but both have primaries coming up, and it's not clear which Democrats will win. In Missouri, Republican incumbent Kit Bond has never won more than 53 percent of the vote, and Democrats see him as potentially vulnerable.

In Florida three strong Democrats are competing to replace retiring Bob Graham. They are Miami-Dade mayor Alex Penelas (alexpenelas2004.com), Rep. Peter Deutsch (deutsch2004.com) and former education commissioner Betty Castor (www.bettynet.com).

If you want more information, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee offers an overview (democraticaction.org). University of Virginia political scientist Larry Sabato's Web site is also a great resource for information on contested races (centerforpolitics.org/crystalball).

7. Get connected and stay engaged

There's strength in numbers, both real and media-perceived. MoveOn.org has become a political powerhouse because of its ability to mobilize voters and because it boasts an astounding 2.2 million members. America Coming Together has also quickly become a political force for the same reason. Both are conduits for action, and they also serve to keep us engaged and motivated.

Remember, as the Republicans open their media floodgates this year, and as Democrats get mired in the mud of modern electoral politics, it'll be easy to get disillusioned and frustrated. But through it all, you've got to stay plugged in. So get on some lists, join some groups, and visit some of the creative Bush-bashing Web sites, because humor is great medicine for dour times.

Here are a few spots to visit:

Codepink (www.codepink4peace.org) This women-initiated group runs activist training camps and more.

ElectionMatch (www.electionmatch.org) This Web site provides a database of get-out-the-vote volunteering opportunities.

Fuck the Vote (www.fthevote.com) Not to be confused with a libertarian site by a similar name, Fuck the Vote is significantly more literal, even if it's in jest. Proclaiming that "sex can be the capital" in "getting the vote for our side and having fun while doing it," backers make the hard-to-contest point that "no matter what you look like there will always be a conservative who is less attractive than you."

JibJab (www.jibjab.com) This site has an animated video called "This Land" that isn't particularly pro-Kerry – but Bush is scarier, as usual.

Mainstreet Moms Oppose Bush (www.themmob.com) This group is reaching out with personal letters to other moms living in swing states and publicity of the top six reasons Bush is bad for kids.

Music for America (www.musicforamerica.org) Aimed at "getting 1 million new voters to participate in the 2004 elections," this group also runs Voter X, which is basically Friendster-goes-to-Washington, as it allows groups of friends to form networks to encourage voting and other political activities.

Redefeat Bush (www.redefeatbush.com) Crews of people in various cities – including Oakland and Berkeley – are calling nonregistered citizens in highly Democratic areas.

True Majority (www.truemajority.com) A nonprofit, nonpartisan group founded by Ben and Jerry's cofounder Ben Cohen to help the public get involved politically, this group sends issue faxes to members of Congress for free and is also working on the election. The Web site also has a great animated comparison of defense and education budgets.

TruthOut (www.truthout.org) This independent group is dedicated to removing the government filter on the news flow, focusing on the events that normally get whittled down to toothpicks by the time Bush-controlled media censors get through with them.

WeCount.org (www.wecount.org/CoalitionforAmerica.cfm) This independent group is pushing to make progressive values a part of the Democratic Party's platform.

8. Throw a party

Host a gathering where attendees contribute money to the cause, give of their time by conducting a phone-bank or letter-writing campaign to undecided voters, or just have fun and maintain solidarity during an important year. Hold a showing of Outfoxed or Fahrenheit 9/11. Bring your techie friends over to create a Web site that will keep others engaged or laughing. Use whatever creativity or talent or space you have to help us come together and move forward.

To make your phone banking effective, connect with a group like MoveOn.org, which has a phone bank-party network (action.moveonpac.org/phone) where you can sign up to host a party in your area. MoveOn.org will provide phone lists and support.

9. Be an election monitor

"Let's make sure this time that every vote is counted," Gore told the Democratic National Convention July 26. And this guy ought to know, having lost in 2000 only because of election shenanigans. There are ample chances for it to happen again, and that's where you come in. Groups including Common Cause (www.commoncause.org), Global Exchange (www.globalexchange.org), and Fair Election (www.fairelection.us) offer ways for you to get involved. If you want to work specifically with the Democratic Party, it's looking for lawyers, law students, and experienced monitors to train in the fall (call 916-442-5707).

10. Prepare for the worst

It happened once, and it can happen again. But this time, let's be ready.

If you don't remember how the election theft of 2000 unfolded, go watch the beginning of Fahrenheit 9/11 again. Republicans mobilized mobs in Florida to shut down the vote recount even before the U.S. Supreme Court handed the election to Bush. And even after all that, the only thing it would have taken to formally contest the election was the support of just one U.S. senator, but none stepped forward. Why? Because most people were stunned and complacent, and the Democrats wanted to appear orderly and magnanimous, so they just let Bush steal it. And the only thing to stop them from doing it again is a show of people power.

"People should be ready to rise up without waiting for people to tell them what to do," Global Exchange founder and civil disobedience veteran Medea Benjamin told us. "If Kerry wins and it gets stolen again, we have to fight for him because he won't fight for himself." So before Election Day, charge up a portable radio (and in this case, your camcorder) and make a plan for how you'll find loved ones (or your affinity groups). And if we wake up Nov. 3 to find history repeating itself, hit the streets!