(Jamie sent this letter out a few days ago. I respect her a lot for all the work that she has done with the Rural Caucus, so I thought this letter might be of general interest. – promoted by Brian Leubitz)

Dear Rural Caucus Members and Friends,

John Burton was gracious enough to invite me to join him, and several other people to a meeting with local grassroots leaders followed by a fundraiser in San Luis Obispo last Saturday.

The purpose of bringing me along was so I could meet the people who had been instrumental in electing a wonderful Democratic candidate to the SLO Board of Supervisors, thus turning the Board of Supervisor composition to a Democratic majority. This is quite an accomplishment in a Red County with a roughly 6% Republican advantage in voter registration. They did it with the assistance of their fellow AD counties and it is an effort that can be duplicated in other red counties and ADs.  It shows what can be done when we all work together for the same goal. Following the more formal meeting, we joined a high energy, well attended chili cook-off celebrating Obama’s first 100 days, which was hosted by the San Luis Obispo DCC.  The whole trip was very inspiring.

(EDITED by Brian for space, see the flip)

Since the convention, I have been struck by John’s sincerity and level of commitment to helping red counties win local races, build farm teams, and get grassroots the tools needed to succeed.  From my observations, most of the red counties have achieved a level of organization that has not been seen for at least 10 years.  The red counties as a whole are more organized, more enthusiastic and more hopeful than I have ever seen them. I have no doubt that this level of energy will only grow stronger.

In the past, I have shared your feelings of frustration with the California Democratic Party, and with good reason, but I wanted to share with you my experience, thus far, with  John Burton and his staff, who have shown me that there is reason for more than cautious optimism.  

Whatever you may have felt about the California Democratic Party in the past, I have the personal experience to say to you, that today is a whole new day. I believe we now have a true partner in the California Democratic Party.  

Keep Fighting!

In Solidarity,

Jamie Beutler

Chair, CDP Rural Caucus