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Dean supporters group holds meeting at student center
As voters in Iowa and New Hampshire prepare for upcoming caucuses in late January, Citizens for America are campaigning for Howard Dean across the nation, including in Carbodale.
Fighting the SIUC basketball game, nine Dean supporters met Wednesday at the Student Center as part of Dean's national meet-up the first Wednesday of each month. Despite the minimal turnout, their concern was strong ˜ how to continue to gain widespread support for Dean.
"I got interested in Dean back in the single digits," said Jonathan Koren, president of Dean's Carbondale constituenc.
While their efforts on campus have only begun, Koren said attempts at getting students involved will continue through Election Day. He is working on his first campaign and said he got involved because he could relate to what Dean said.
The group made it clear it had intentions on not only getting student involvement but community involvement as well. As the empty seats were enough evidence, they discussed the possibility of not having an informative table during SIU basketball games and high-profile community events.
There was also discussion of leaving Dean literature at coffeehouses throughout Carbondale, Marion and Murphysboro.
But the Carbondale members also spoke about traveling to Iowa, as a way to extend their campaigning to persuade voters to vote for Dean March 16 in the Illinois primary election. They will knock on doors and spread the pledged support the man they believe is the best candidate to battle current President George W. Bush. But before they leave, they are scribbling handwritten letters to registered voters in Iowa to promote Dean.
Lara Hughes, Carbondale meet-up chairwoman and local resident, sat wearing her navy blue Howard Dean hat. She said she got involved in campaigning during her college years in the 1980s when John Anders was running.
"I strongly believe in Howard Dean because he's honest and direct; he's very different than most politicians," Hughes said. "He does not answer by using political rhetoric."
She has been a Dean supporter since July, when she first heard he was running for president.
"The conservative movement in this country is trying to pigeonhole him as a radical left-wing Liberal, and he's not," Hughes said. "He's critical of Bush where Bush is most vulnerable, which is his unilateral view of decision-making and unilateral view of the world."
Carbondale's meet-up group will have its next meeting Jan. 7 and is planning to travel to Iowa during that month.
"Let's go up for a long weekend and do some work," Hughes said.
