George,

The selection of a new national party chairman will, like it or not, define the identity and the direction of the Democratic party for years to come. As a party and as a nation we are at a very dark crossroads.

With the Republican party controlling all branches of government -- a party that supports torture, prison camps outside the rule of law and the dismantling of the Bill of Rights -- America is perilously close to descending into a kind of government which I would have thought the second World War might have warned us away from. Traditional American freedom and morality are disappearing and we are the only organized force willing to fight for it.

With this in mind, it should be obvious that we need a chairperson at the helm who will in fact fight rather than ingratiate themselves with the enemy. Yet I find that Martin Frost is considered one of the front runners to chair the party. Martin Frost who ran campaign advertisements trumpeting his support for George W. Bush. Martin Frost who parades his ties to prominent Republicans and ran ads showing his face side by side with Dennis Hastert. This Judas would dare to seek the top position in the Democratic party?

I backed John Kerry in the Presidential primary. He was my first choice before he even announced and he will be my first choice in 2008. But I want Howard Dean to be our National Chairman. Right now we need someone who will fight like hell, refuse to be silenced and cede no ground to our opposition. Howard Dean is the man for the job.

If someone like Martin Frost is elected Chair then I will not donate a penny of my money or a minute of my time to the Democratic National Committee. This is a litmus test for the future of our party. I'm not going to be a part of any organization that kisses up to George W. Bush.
I feel certain that most of the millions of Americans who got involved in the Democratic party for the first time in 2004 would be equally disgusted by the selection of a Martin Frost. I beg that our top-level party representatives will bear this in mind and support Howard Dean as our new leader.

Jackson Landers (electronic mail, January 19, 2005)