(Let’s welcome the first of what I hope will be many reports from the CDP’s new online organizers! – promoted by David Dayen)

Tonight approximately 75 Stockton area Democrats joined together to watch George W. Bush’s last State of the Union Speech… ever. Sponsored by the Stockton branch of Drinking Liberally, our group met at the local Valley Brew, where we had a banquet room all to ourselves. We booed; we hissed; we snickered; we rolled our eyes; occasionally, one or two of us even yelled back at the big screen TV. And we played Bush Bingo. Sadly, we have all become so inured to Bush’s clichéd approach to governance that almost everyone was a winner — and usually in three, four or five different rows.

Spirits were high as we contemplated the 2008 elections and our opportunity to finally be rid of Bush and Republicans across the country.

Martha Gamez, Deputy Political and Outreach Director for the California Democratic Party (she’s one of the field organizers provided by the DNC under Howard Dean’s 50-State Strategy), was there, and she urged the participants to get involved in the DNC’s Neighborhood Leader program. The Neighborhood Leader program has been set up to encourage Democrats throughout California and the nation to make the commitment to talk to 25 of their neighbors three different times between now and November 2008.

Jerry McNerney’s campaign staff was also there, passing out in-lieu-of filing petitions for circulation.

The response at the gathering was enthusiastic. Folks were thrilled to see so many other like-minded Democrats who are fed up with Republicans and energized to take action on behalf of our Democratic candidates and causes throughout the coming year. If you’re in the Stockton area, you can find out more about the monthly Drinking Liberally meetings, as well as all the local Democratic clubs that meet in the area. And if you’d like to find out more about the Neighborhood Leader program, you can contact Martha at [email protected], or you can join the Facebook group or the Yahoo group.

Penny

Online Organizing Director

California Democratic Party