Students, residents take part in conference call

Gov. Howard Dean set a world record Monday night by heading up the largest conference call in history.\nDean's National House Call connected 3,557 phones, according to his campaign Web site.\nDean, who is vying for the Democratic presidential nomination, conducted a conference call from California and invited supporters to call in and listen. Supporters were also encouraged to hold "house parties" by inviting other supporters to come listen to Dean speak.\nIU senior and Dean supporter Elizabeth Watkins took this opportunity to host her second house party in support of the Vermont governor. \nWatkins first became involved with Dean's house parties through www.meetup.com, a Web site that connects people who are interested in various things from Dungeons and Dragons, a role-playing game, to politics. \nShe held her first party over Labor Day weekend in the backyard of her permanent home in East Chicago, Ind. \n"That was quite a feat for me," Watkins said. She said by having a house party, she was trying to spread the word about Dean in area communities that do not have easy access to the Internet. \nWatkins said she believes Dean is currently the only candidate using conference calls and Web logs to raise awareness and donations for his campaign.\n"When you sign up, you get a house party packet," Watkins said. "It has a DVD with all his speeches on it, stickers, buttons and donation forms."\nAs an education major, Watkins says that she stands behind Dean's policies of providing health care to all children and to improving the national education system. She also likes his connection with the public.\n"He gives people a sense of importance," she said. "I feel like I know him, even though I'm just one person. It makes me feel close to the campaign."\nDuring the 40-minute call, Dean answered questions posed by parties in various states across the nation. Dean addressed issues such as foreign policy, affirmative action and the national deficit. He emphasized his goal of turning America back over to the people and getting people to vote again.\n"The way to beat Bush is not to be 'Bush Light,'" Dean said in the conference call. "We have to be proud to be Democrats and not be Washington insiders."\nBloomington resident Chris Fairchild, who attended Watkins' party, said Dean's personality and platform are what appeals to him.\n"I stand behind most of his points, and I am inspired by his presence and straight communicating," Fairchild said. "He's very human. What you see is what you get."\nFairchild and his wife, Kisha, who also attended Watkins' party, have been involved in Dean's campaign since June. The couple has attended a fund-raiser as well as held a house party for the cause.\n-- Contact staff writer Megan DeCamilla at mdecamil@indiana.edu.