In just a matter of days, the 2008 presidential election may actually be decided. In California. By progressives like you.

Because of your grassroots and netroots activism, the GOP's California ballot initiative campaign to steal the White House -- what the New York Times called an "elaborate dirty trick" designed by a "shadowy group" to "do serious damage to our democracy" -- is under significant pressure.

Time is running out on these dirty tricksters and we need your help to finish them off. With signature-gathering deadlines looming to place the so-called "Electoral College Reform Initiative" (ECRI) on the June ballot, we've caught Republican dirty tricksters red-handed on video.

Right before Thanksgiving -- in an action inspired by a Daily Kos blogger's diary -- we emailed Courage Campaign supporters a YouTube video exposing a potentially illegal "children with cancer" bait-and-switch tactic used by signature gatherers to get Californians to sign and support ECRI. After we provided documentation a few days later, Secretary of State Debra Bowen's office told us they were considering an investigation.

Now, the CBS Evening News is on the case. On Saturday night, CBS used portions of that Courage Campaign video to expose millions to the right-wing cabal behind "California Counts," the gang of Republican dirty tricksters -- linked to Rudy Giuliani  -- who are trying to steal the White House in 2008. 

Please watch the CBS Evening News report on YouTube by clicking here and then consider making a $55 contribution to support our work to kill this dirty trick. Without your financial support, we could not have produced the video exposing these sneaky signature-gatherers, Secretary Bowen would not be considering an investigation, and CBS would not be reporting this news to millions:

http://www.couragecampaign.org/55

If this Rovian dirty trick is successful, at least 20 of California's Electoral College votes -- the equivalent of Ohio -- will be allocated to the Republican presidential nominee.

The consequences could be catastrophic for our country and the world. Four more years of Iraq, Iran, torture, and warrantless wiretapping. Four more years of crisis, from the climate to health care and the economy. And, four more years to give right-wing extremists the opportunity to turn a conservative Supreme Court majority into concrete.

That's why these desperate right-wingers are hell-bent on using apparently illegal signature-gathering tactics to get this initiative on the ballot so they can lock down the White House for decades.

We need your financial support now to kill this dirty trick dead. How much would you donate to protect California's 55 Electoral College votes from the Republicans? Just $5.50? How about $55? Or even $550? To help us save California from becoming another Florida or Ohio, can you contribute $5.50, $55, or $550 on ActBlue today?

http://www.couragecampaign.org/55

At the heart of the Courage Campaign is a mission to leverage online organizing to empower bloggers and grassroots activists in California. We are a new kind of organization, waging a new kind of campaign, practicing a new kind of politics.

From a blogger writing a diary on Daily Kos to a national broadcast on the CBS Evening News, this is what people-powered progressive politics looks like:

First, Steven Attewell, an eagle-eyed blogger on Daily Kos, posted a community diary about the "children with cancer" bait-and-switch by California Counts signature gatherers at UC Santa Barbara. Courage Campaign staffer Erik Love immediately talked with Attewell and worked with me and Online Political Director Julia Rosen to deploy a grassroots film crew to capture the dirty tricksters in the act. Calitics blogger Dave Dayen quickly edited the raw video. Finally, the day before Thanksgiving, we emailed the video to Courage Campaign supporters asking for reports of any similar sneaky signature-gathering tactics witnessed over the holiday weekend.

Dozens of first-hand reports from the grassroots came pouring in to the Courage Campaign. Erik then contacted the chief of the Secretary of State's Fraud Investigations Unit, who indicated the tactics used were likely illegal. Finally, I sent an official request to Secretary Bowen asking her to open up a formal investigation.

With signature submission deadlines looming, time is running out on these right-wing dirty tricksters. To continue our campaign to expose these signature schemes, please watch the CBS report and then make a timely donation to Courage of $5.50, $55, or $550 on ActBlue so we can kill this dirty trick and protect California's 55 electoral votes:

http://www.couragecampaign.org/55

Whether or not an investigation is launched, Secretary Bowen and County Registrars will be examining hundreds of thousands of petitions submitted by California Counts in the coming weeks to determine if enough legal signatures have been collected. The more sunlight we all can continue to shine on these sneaky signature gatherers in the next few days, the less of a chance this shady scheme will qualify for the June ballot.

You are on the ground floor of a new movement led by the Courage Campaign to synergize the netroots with the grassroots to achieve a progressive vision for California. Now, as we battle these devious dirty tricksters from deadline to deadline, we need your support to make that vision a reality.

Thank you for everything you are doing to create progressive change in California and the country.

Rick Jacobs
Chair

P.S. As Bradley Whitford ("Josh Lyman" on The West Wing) said in a Courage Campaign YouTube video last month, if the dirty trick succeeds...

"That, my friends, would be the ballgame."

To help us fight these right-wing extremists down to the wire, please make a critical contribution of $5.50, $55, or $550 right now to protect California's 55 electoral votes via ActBlue, the online community tool that empowers anyone to fundraise online for progressive candidates and causes:

http://www.couragecampaign.org/55