History of the Madison Chapter of Democracy for Wisconsin
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A Historical Timeline – Selected Events & Milestones
By Robert Toomey
Updated by Russell Wallace
March 5, 2003 – The very first Meetup drew three – count ‘em 3 – people: Liz Schmidt, Kim Grittner, and Scott Lein. This volunteer gathering is the earliest known existence of Madison For Dean, supporters of Howard Dean’s longshot run for the Democratic presidential nomination.
March 2003 – Governor Howard Dean gives his electrifying “What I wanna know” speech to California Democrats, sounding a clarion call for Democrats to stand up and fight – in the same month that Bush launches the Iraq war. Governor Dean’s “What I wanna know” speech was a lightning bolt that woke up many people and drew them to the Dean campaign in droves.
April 2, 2003 – Second monthly Meetup.
April 4, 2003 – “Madison4Dean” Yahoo e-mail group created.
April 26, 2003 – “Stand Up with Howard Dean” get-together draws overflow crowd to Cardinal Bar in downtown Madison.
May 7, 2003 – Third monthly Meetup held at Memorial Union. About 50 people attend.
May 8, 2003 – Cover story in The Capital Times headlined “Meetup for Dean is a Hit.”
May 29, 2003 – Another story in The Capital Times about Madison-area Dean volunteer events.
June 4, 2003 – Dean For Madison is featured in a Capital Times article including an interview with early Dean supporter Liz Schmidt.
June 4, 2003 – Fourth monthly Meetup held at Memorial Union.
June 13-14, 2003 – Governor Dean speaks to the Wisconsin Democratic Party annual convention in Milwaukee, and wins the straw vote in no small part due to great supporter turnout, including many Madison-area Dean supporters who make the trip on I-94.
June 23, 2003 – Governor Dean formally announces his candidacy for the Democratic presidential nomination in Burlington, Vermont, with 15,000 in attendance, and thousands more around the nation watching by TV – and webcast.
July 2, 2003 – More than 100 attend fifth monthly Meetup at Memorial Union to hear State Sen. Jon Erpenbach endorse Dean, and listen to Dean campaign national pollster Paul Maslin who’s based in Madison. Supporters also write the first of many letters to citizens in other states, telling them about Dean and why they should vote for him in primaries.
August 6, 2003 – Another large gathering, at least 80 people, attends the 6th monthly Meetup at the Memorial Union. New state campaign director Mike Tate speaks to the group.
August 23, 2003 – Howard Dean visits Milwaukee at 10:00 p.m. on a Saturday night – during a Packers preseason game. Despite that, 800 Dean supporters are there to greet him at an airplane terminal. Many Madisonians make the trip on I-94 to attend, including Melita Schuessler who introduces Governor Dean.
September 3, 2003 – Approximately 250 supporters gather at the 7th monthly Meetup at Union South – the largest crowd to date. State field director Brooke Lierman introduces herself. John Nichols, writer for The Capital Times and The Nation, speaks to the group.
September 20, 2003 – Several Dean supporters flyer at Camp Randall Stadium, distributing more than 1,000 volunteer-designed Dean biographical leaflets (backed with season football schedules) to arriving Badger football fans.
September 28, 2003 – On an unseasonably cold, wet, and windy day, about 60 Dean supporters gather at a picnic fundraiser, fortunately held at the Burrows Park stone shelter which has a fireplace.
October 1, 2003 – 8th monthly Meetup is held at more than one location. Fitchburg and Middleton are additions, with about 20 people attending each of those locations.
October 5, 2003 – Howard Dean speaks to an enormous crowd of 5,000 people of all ages at the Kohl Center’s outdoor plaza on a bright sunny Sunday.
October 31, 2003 – Dean supporter Russell Wallace hosts a Halloween Party fundraiser at his home.
November 5, 2003 – 9th monthly Meetup is held at multiple Madison-area locations.
November 15, 2003 – A busload of Madison-area Dean supporters makes the 10-hour round trip to Des Moines, Iowa, for the Jefferson-Jackson Day dinner. Thousands of people attend the event at the civic auditorium. Senator Hillary Clinton is the evening’s MC, and speakers include most (but not all) of the Democratic primary candidates including Senator Kerry and Governor Dean, who makes a unique entrance…from the Dean supporter section in the balcony!
November 19, 2003 – Dean volunteers spend the evening helping out at the Community Action Coalition, which provides food for the needy.
November 20, 2003 – MadBands4Dean, a musical fundraiser, is held at the Café Montmartre. Erica Mather, Tin Ceiling, and the Hometown Sweethearts are the musical entertainment, with Buzz Kemper doing the MC honors. More than $1,000 is raised.
December 3, 2003 – The 10th monthly Meetup is held, again in multiple area locations: Central Library in downtown Madison, Great Dane Pub in Fitchburg, Hody Bar & Grill in Middleton, and Wil-Mar Center on Madison’s near east side.
December 7, 2003 – More than 100 Dean supporters pile into Senator Jon Erpenbach’s living room to watch a half-hour infomercial about Governor Dean which has its national premiere on Madison television stations. Senator Erpenbach blogs from his home PC and graciously allows other visitors to do the same.
December 13, 2003 – Volunteers hand out several hundred flyers (backed with season basketball schedules) outside the Kohl Center before the Wisconsin/UW-Milwaukee basketball game.
December 21, 2003 – Phone banking starts at AFSCME headquarters.
December 30, 2003 – About 25 Dean supporters gather at the home of Anne Spurgeon and David Woods for an end-of-year house party fundraiser and participate in a live conference call with Governor Dean and several thousand of his closest friends across America.
January 7, 2003 – The 11th monthly Meetup is held at multiple locations like last month; with the addition of the first Sun Prairie Meetup at McGovern’s with about a dozen people in attendance there.
January 10-11, 2004 & January 17-19, 2004 – Madison-area Dean supporters travel en masse to Iowa (most go to Dubuque) to help canvass for Dean in advance of the critically important January 19 Iowa caucus. Senator Tom Harkin and 2000 presidential popular vote-winner Al Gore endorse Dean and make visits to Dubuque. Many Madisonians are glad to discover The Busted Lift, a great Irish pub in historic downtown Dubuque. We definitely needed the liquid refreshments after a frigid weekend canvassing in blustery winter weather. Governor Dean comes in third in the caucus, and we head back to Madison, disappointed in the caucus results but richer for the learning experience.
January 25, 2004 – Coffee magnate and Dean volunteer Lindsey Lee hosts a “Lunar New Year” house party fundraiser at his home.
January 26, 2004 – Last-minute phone banking to New Hampshire voters is done in a state-of-the-art communications trailer in a parking lot outside SEIU headquarters.
January 27, 2004 – Nearly 100 Dean supporters, including County Executive Kathleen Falk, gather at a watch party to view New Hampshire primary results at the Argus bar in downtown Madison. Governor Dean comes in a close second despite the now-infamous media smear over the exaggerated “Iowa scream.”
February 4, 2004 – The 12th monthly Meetup was no ordinary event: an overflow crowd of 1,200 – more than 500 in the Majestic Theatre, site of the event, plus 700 more in overflow sites at Madison’s and the Great Dane. Several volunteers gather on stage, including MC Robert Toomey, as Governor Dean, introduced by Co. Exec. Falk, speaks on the stage of the Majestic. It has to be one of the largest Meetups in the nation.
February 12, 2004 – A volunteer-produced and paid-for print advertisement – entitled “Stand With Gov. Howard Dean” – appears on page 3 of Isthmus, read by more than 100,000 people in the Madison area.
February 16, 2004 – Howard Dean appears in Madison again, before 1,200 supporters at the Orpheum Theatre on State Street, on the eve of the Wisconsin primary.
February 17, 2004 – Dean finishes third in the Wisconsin primary, behind Kerry and Edwards. (He does win almost all of the near east side, downtown, and campus wards in Madison.) The Governor speaks to supporters in a crowded ballroom in the Concourse Hotel, with hundreds of media present to record his speech in which he announces he will suspend his campaign.
March 3, 2004 – 60 Dean supporters gather at the Central Library for the 13th monthly Meetup and the organization’s one-year anniversary. John Nichols, Capital Times and Nation writer, speaks to our group and expresses amazement at the large turnout despite our candidate no longer being in the race.
March 18, 2004 – Governor Dean announces his new organization, Democracy For America.
April 4, 2004 – 45 area Dean delegates attend the Dane County Democratic Caucus at Monona Grove High School.
April 7, 2004 – The 14th monthly Meetup is held at the Central Library in downtown Madison. The group votes to change our name to Democracy For Wisconsin-Madison.
May 2, 2004 – 45 Dean delegates attend the 2nd Congressional District Democratic Caucus at the Concourse Hotel, and elect Ann Batiza and Russell Wallace as our 2 delegates for Dean to the Democratic National Convention in July in Boston, Mass.
May 5, 2004 – The 15th monthly Meetup at the Central Library features speaker, Rep. Mark Pocan. The Yahoo e-mail group name is changed to DemocracyForWisconsin, and Kim Grittner leads the development of a new DFW website which offers space for other state affiliates, not just Madison.
June 2, 2004 – The 16th monthly Meetup is held at the Central Library. Sen. Jon Erpenbach is guest speaker. Kerry campaign director Casey Slaughter also speaks to the group. A new logo is introduced.
June 19, 2004 – DFW-Madison members participate in the National Health Care Bridge Walk. The local event, one of many nationwide, is held at Penn Park on Madison’s South Side as one of many events at the Juneteenth Festival.
June 25-26-27, 2004 – Several DFW-Madison members attend the Camp Wellstone candidate and activist training program at the Pyle Center on the UW-Madison campus.
June 26, 2004 – About 100 people, a combination of Camp Wellstone participants attending the Madison training event and local DFW-Madison members, attend the premiere of Fahrenheit 9/11 at the Westgate Mall theatre.
July 7, 2004 – The 17th monthly Meetup is held again at the Central Library with guest speaker Mike McCabe of the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign.
July 13, 2004 – DFW-Madison’s own Cynthia Laitman organizes and leads a rally for verified voting on the steps of the State Capitol. Citizens and media attend the rally.
July 26-29, 2004 – The Democratic National Convention formally nominates Senator John Kerry as its candidate for president at the Fleet Center in Boston, Mass. Our own Ann Batiza and Russell Wallace are delegates for Dean to the convention who vote Kerry after Dean releases his delegates early in the convention.
August 4, 2004 – The 18th monthly Meetup at the Central Library features a rousing speech from Ed Garvey. Dean delegates Ann Batiza and Russell Wallace report about their experiences at the Democratic National Convention in Boston.
August 12, 2004 – DFW-Madison premieres the Reel Democracy Film Series. The first film is the documentary, “Outfoxed,” about the media bias at Fox “News.” More than 100 people view the film at Rocky Rococo’s on the West Side.
August 29, 2004 – Cynthia Laitman hosts a potluck at her home, in association with the U.S. Senate Campaign Committee national teleconference call.
September 1, 2004 – Howard Dean visits Madison for a Progressive Majority breakfast at the Concourse Hotel. Several state legislature candidates are there, along with Progressive Majority leader Gloria Totten and Governor Doyle. About 15 DFW-Madison members attend the event and get to pose for a photo with Howard Dean.
September 1, 2004 – The 19th monthly Meetup is held. Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk is guest speaker.
September 2, 2004 – Several DFW-Madison members attend a fundraiser at Jeanne Behrend’s home for State Assembly candidate Gary Hebl (he later wins the November election).
September 18, 2004 – DFW-Madison members attend Fighting Bob Fest in Baraboo. DFW-Madison has a table in the exhibit area which draws much interest.
October 6, 2004 – The 20th monthly Meetup is held at Rocky Rococo’s on Madison’s west side in conjunction with the Reel Democracy screening of the film “Unprecedented” about the disputed 2000 election.
November 3, 2004 – A surprisingly large post-election turnout of about 60-70 people gathers at Madison’s bar downtown for the 21st monthly Meetup and vows to continue to stay involved. Rep. Tammy Baldwin attends in person and excites the crowd.
December 1, 2004 – The 22nd monthly Meetup is held at the Central Library; the group engages in strategic planning to help focus activities on areas of highest interest. Attendance is about 70.
December 9, 2004 – Reel Democracy Film Series shows the film, “Unconstitutional,” about the controversial Patriot Act.
December 18, 2004 – Democracy Exchange reading group holds first meeting.
January 5, 2005 – The 23rd monthly Meetup is held at Fyfe’s with about 50 people in attendance. Results of strategic planning are announced, with a new mission statement and a strategic focus on the issues of health care and campaign reform/election integrity. Guest speaker is Mike McCabe of Wisconsin Democracy Campaign. DFW-Madison, in a unanimous vote, endorses Howard Dean for DNC Chair. (Surprise!) The group views a video by Dr. George Lakoff on framing and participates in an exercise.
January 13, 2005 – Reel Democracy Film Series: “The Handmaid’s Tale.”
February 2, 2005 – The 24th monthly Meetup is held at Fyfe’s with guest speaker Joe Wineke, candidate for State Democratic Party Chair. Attendance is about 60.
March 2, 2005 – DFW-Madison members Marika Fischer Hoyt and Justin Martin attended a public hearing at the State Capitol on Senate Bill 46, campaign finance reform legislation. Marika testified strongly in favor of sending the bill out of committee, to the Senate floor for debate. The committee voted unanimously to do that. (Later, the bill failed in a full Senate vote.)
March 2, 2005 – The 25th monthly Meetup is held at Fyfe’s and features guest speaker Jeff Rammelt, candidate for State Democratic Party Chair. This is also the two-year anniversary of DFW-Madison. Attendance is about 50.
April 6, 2005 – The 26th monthly Meetup at the Central Library attracts more than 120, nearly three times the normal turnout, because of a resolution on the agenda to endorse Jeff Rammelt for State Democratic Party Chair as recommended by the DFW-Madison Planning Group. Jeff’s opponent, Joe Wineke, and about 80 of his supporters show up to thwart the resolution.
April 7, 2005 – Page 3 news article in The Capital Times describes the event of April 6.
April 8, 2005 – Ed Garvey weighs in on the April 6 event with a sympathetic article on his blog at FightingBob.com.
April 12, 2005 – John Nichols, The Capital Times’ editorial page editor, writes about the state of the State Democratic Party and about the April 6 event, sympathetic to DFW-Madison.
April 13, 2005 – Lindsey Lee’s op-ed column is published in The Capital Times.
April 14, 2005 – Lindsey Lee hosts a meet-and-greet fundraiser for Jeff Rammelt.
April 19, 2005 – Reel Democracy Film Series: “Control Room.”
April 21, 2005 – DFW-Madison’s Planning Group approves revised Governing Document to be presented to the general membership at the May 4 Meetup.
All content © 2005 Democracy for Wisconsin.
Democracy for Wisconsin is not affiliated with or
endorsed by Howard Dean or Democracy for America.