10 Posts in 10 Weeks

I've invited bloggers to commit to writing at least one positive and honest post per week about Obama for the next 10 weeks.

The blogging starts now, and it will continue through the Democratic National Convention in Denver.

We've already got 65+ bloggers in 30 states with more signing up every day!!

Our bloggers come from the North, East, South, West and MidWest. We even have one blogger from CANADA!!

In the US, we are writing from Idaho, Alaska, Utah, California, Louisiana, North Dakota, Ohio, Kansas, Michigan, Montana, Texas, Indiana, Arizona, Washington, Nevada, Virginia, Alabama, New Mexico and elsewhere. We are Republicans, Independents, Democrats, Greens, and every shade of purple (there are no red and blue states--WE ARE the United States).

Our readers live all over the United States, as well as Canada, Italy, Japan, Austria, Israel, India, the Phillipines, and all over the world!

We are united by a vision of the future that is better than our past, and our great faith in Barack Obama to be the leader who takes us there.

Our voices join with fellow Americans in all 50 states across this great nation, as these three words ring out from coast to coast, from sea to shining sea:

"YES WE CAN!"

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If you would like to join with us
in spreading Barack Obama's message of hope,
CLICK HERE

Check out the Bloggers who will be posting for the next 10 weeks!

Bob Aagard: "The World, According to Me" blog from Salt Lake City, Utah
Jacky Anderson: A positive and prolific Obama Blogger
Richard & Rebecca Anderson: Missouri Obama Organizers
Brenda Babjak: Chicago Blogger whose posts call for unity
David Bartlett: (link coming soon!)
Bren Hussein Bell: Southern California Blogger
Darlene Bimbai: Maryland blogger on Obama and life as she knows it
Cliff Bowlin: North Carolina Obama Blogger
Travis Brooks: (link coming soon!)
Christopher Carlson: Precinct Co-Captain from Fort Worth, Texas
Melissa Clymer: Colorado Momma supports Barack Obama
CorpusMama: "Barack Rocks Corpus" blog -- Corpus Christi, Texas
Allan Cronin: Personal observations and musings on the election.
Denise Cyr: Oregon Obama organizer
Christina Czuhajewski: CA/Michigan (link to profile)
Deb Daniels: Disheartened Educator blog
Battle Dew: (link coming soon!)
Charlene Dixon: Obama activist blogger from Virginia
Julie Fanselow: "Red State Rebel" Blog from Idaho
Marie Goodwin: United Democrats Blog
Danielle Guillou: (Link coming soon!)
Liba Hardkopf: Proud Albuquerque Obama fan from the Czech Republic
Robbie Henderson: (link coming soon!)
Suzan Holten: An Independent Obama supporter interested in policy
Pamela Hood: San Jose, CA Obama Blogger (link to profile)
Reverend Treneater-Nur Horton: Faithful Colorado Obama supporter
Blake Johnson: (link to profile, no blog posts yet)
Nathan Kosted: Active and hopeful Montana blogger
Chuck Lasker: "What Would Obama Do?" blog
Elstun Lauesen: "BarAK" blog features Alaskan and national issues
Robert Lynch: Inspired Obama fan: "We must keep saying, YES WE CAN!"
Mona Marlow: Washington State Progressive Blogger
Mikiboop: A hopeful and positive Californian Obama Blogger
Edie "Hussein" Moore PhD: Seattle blogger for Obama
Mary Nickum: Arizona Obama supporter
Anthony O'Con: South San Francisco Green Party Obama Supporter
Frederick Paine: A new blogger from New Jersey
Ashley Penney: Kansas (link to profile, no blog posts yet)
Dianne Perea: Committed Colorado Obama blogger
Ailene Randolph: Great posts on FISA, "Operation Chaos" & more
Rebecca Raskin: "Waving Watches" keep democracy ticking (also poll)
Kristin Reed: 17-yr-old Minnesota Twins + Obama fan, see also myspace
Marcia Riggan: "Friendly Blog" from Indiana
Mary Ritter: An active and thoughtful Illinois Obama supporter
Glenda Rhode-Pausina: Obama fan blogging from New Orleans
Brandy Sanders: A Central California Obama blogger
AnnMarie Satchell: New Jersey blogger on "The Audacity of Obama"
Beverly Scott: North Carolina Obama Blogger
Michael Shay: Progressive Wyoming "Hummingbirdminds" Blogger
Eulis Simien: Baton Rouge, Louisiana Obama supporter
Joseph Spencer: (link coming soon!)
Niki Staehle: "Push.to.Talk" Environmental blogger from North Carolina
Richard Sternegal: Honest and positive Ohio Obama blogger
Michael Stickings: Toronto, Ontario (Canada) founder of The Reaction
Kit Sturtevant-Stuart: "Kit Loves Nuance" from Berkeley, CA
Joshua Swanson: Common Sense no-bull Obama fan from North Dakota
Marla Turner: Thoughtful Las Vegas blogger
Martin Weinberg: "The Progressive Electorate" Blog from Alabama
Marie Zeller: Nebraska blogger has a "Liberal Take on a Conservative State"

Here is a link to all my posts for the "10 Post Pledge."

Our guidelines are to remain positive and honest, and to do what we can to spread Obama's message of hope and change.

Click here if you would like to join us!

Also, here are some great Obama groups with blogs you might like:
Barack's Bloggers
Bloggers for Obama
Bloggers for Darfur for Obama
Barack's Black Bloggers Brigade
Oregon Actors/Musicians/Artists blog
Party Builder Bloggers: Obama supporters on DNC Party Builder Blog
Americana Blog: Paramendra Dot Com

Got Hope?

This will be on MTV and elsewhere; it is the winner of MoveOn's "funniest Obama ad" contest.

Service: The Core of Change

One important branch of Obama's campaign is HOPE IN ACTION. This part of the movement (which will continue after he is elected in November and takes office in January) is all about community service. The idea is that we need more than political action to create the changes that this country desperately needs.

We need to roll up our sleeves and work for the change we need!

On Saturday, the local Hope in Action campaign kicked off with a clean-up of Lake Merritt. Over 30 Obama supporters picked up garbage, cleaned up goose poop, raked leaves, and generally beautified Lake Merritt.

We worked with Noel Gallo from Keep Oakland Beautiful (Oakland Public Works) & James Robinson from the Lake Merritt Institute, who organize weekly clean-up projects at Lake Merritt every Saturday & Tuesday (to get involved click here).

We also spoke with folks who were out enjoying the day at the lake about Obama, gave out Obama '08 stickers, told people about the grand opening of the East Bay office, and even registered several voters. People were really grateful for the work that we did to make their experience at Lake Merritt more enjoyable, and I think it is really important to demonstrate with actions (not only words in dramatic speeches) that change is something we can not only believe in, but change is something we will work hard to create.

The success of this event shows how important the HOPE IN ACTION and community service aspects of the campaign are. Barack Obama believes in service to one's community, local organizing for collective benefit, and working towards empowerment together within and among neighborhoods.

“Your own story and the American story are not separate — they are shared. And they will both be enriched if we stand up together, and answer a new call to service to meet the challenges of our new century … I won't just ask for your vote as a candidate; I will ask for your service and your active citizenship when I am president of the United States. This will not be a call issued in one speech or program; this will be a cause of my presidency.” --Barack Obama

A Call to Service: Colorado Springs, Colorado


Obama's policies focus on the role of service in the enactment of "change" that is echoed throughout his campaign speeches. You can read more about Obama's policies on service by clicking here. This is excerpted from an AP article after the Colorado speech above reflecting on Obama's service initiatives (more click here).

Other highlights include: increasing the all-volunteer military, expanding AmeriCorps, doubling the size of the Peace Corps, expanding YouthBuild, in which low-income young people build affordable housing; expanding service programs involving retired people and anyone over 55, and creating a tax credit making the first $4,000 of college tuition free for students who conduct 100 hours of public service a year.

When Barack Obama is president, he will enable all Americans to engage in service to our country. Here are some of his programs and policy initiatives that will build a strong service corps to keep this country functioning well:

• Expand Corporation for National and Community Service: Obama will expand AmeriCorps from 75,000 slots today to 250,000 and he will focus this expansion on addressing the great challenges facing the nation. He will establish a Classroom Corps to help teachers and students, with a priority placed on underserved schools; a Health Corps to improve public health outreach; a Clean Energy Corps to conduct weatherization and renewable energy projects; a Veterans Corps to assist veterans at hospitals, nursing homes and homeless shelters; and a Homeland Security Corps to help communities plan, prepare for and respond to emergencies.
• Engage Retiring Americans in Service on a Large Scale: Older Americans have a wide range of skills and knowledge to contribute. Obama will expand and improve programs that connect individuals over the age of 55 to quality volunteer opportunities.
• Expand the Peace Corps: Obama will double the Peace Corps to 16,000 by 2011. He will work with the leaders of other countries to build an international network of overseas volunteers so that Americans work side-by-side with volunteers from other countries.
• Show the World the Best Face of America: Obama will set up an America's Voice Initiative to send Americans who are fluent speakers of local languages to expand our public diplomacy. He also will extend opportunities for older individuals such as teachers, engineers, and doctors to serve overseas.
  

Obama will integrate service into education in America at all levels:

• Expand Service-Learning in Our Nation's Schools: Obama will set a goal that all middle and high school students do 50 hours of community service a year. He will develop national guidelines for service- learning and will give schools better tools both to develop programs and to document student experience.
  
• Expand YouthBuild Program: Obama will expand the YouthBuild program, which gives disadvantaged young people the chance to complete their high school education, learn valuable skills and build affordable housing in their communities. He will grow the program so that 50,000 low-income young people a year a chance to learn construction job skills and complete high school.
• Require 100 Hours of Service in College: Obama will establish a new American Opportunity Tax Credit that is worth $4,000 a year in exchange for 100 hours of public service a year.
• Promote College Serve-Study: Obama will ensure that at least 25 percent of College Work-Study funds are used to support public service opportunities instead of jobs in dining halls and libraries.

This video focuses on Obama's initiative to create a fund that would provide $4,000/year to every American who wishes to go to college in exchange for 100 hours of community service.



Obama gave this speech on a college campus in Iowa in December 2007 (full speech here):

When I was about your age, I decided to become a community organizer.... this small group of churches on the south side of Chicago ... offered me a job to come help neighborhoods devastated by steel-plant closings. My mother and grandparents wanted me to go to law school. My friends were applying to jobs on Wall Street. I didn't know a soul in Chicago, and the salary was about $12,000 a year, plus $2,000 to buy an old, beat-up car.

I still remember a conversation I had with an older man before I left. He looked and said, "Barack, I'll give you a bit of advice. Forget this community organizing business and do something that's gonna make you some money. You can't change the world, and people won't appreciate you trying. You've got a nice voice. What you should do is go into television broadcasting. I'm telling you, you've got a future."

Now, he may have had a point about the TV thing. And to tell you the truth, I didn't have a clear answer about what I was doing. I wanted to step into the currents of history and help people fight for their dreams, but didn't know what my role would be. I was inspired by what people like Harris did in the civil rights movement, but when I got to Chicago, there were no marches, no soaring speeches. In the shadow of an empty steel plant, there were just a lot of folks struggling. Day after day, I heard ‘no' a lot more than I heard ‘yes.' I saw plenty of empty chairs in those meetings we put together.

But even as I discovered that you can't bend history to your will, I found that you could do your part to see that - in the words of Dr. King - it "bends toward justice." In church basements and around kitchen tables, block by block, we brought the community together, registered new voters, fought for new jobs, and helped people live lives with some measure of dignity.

Eventually, I realized I wasn't just helping other people. Through service, I found a community that embraced me; a church to belong to; citizenship that was meaningful; the direction I'd been seeking. Through service, I found that my own improbable story fit into a larger American story.

In America, each of us seeks our own dreams, but the sum of those dreams must be greater than ourselves. Because the America we inherited is the legacy of those who struggled, and those who served in so many ways, before us....

It is time to recapture that sense of a common purpose: I am my brother's keeper, I am my sister's keeper. I'm tired of hearing about how America is on the wrong track - I want us to come together to put it on the right track. I'm tired of hearing about red America and blue America - I want to lead a United States of America. I'm tired of talking about what we can't do, or won't do, or won't even try - I want all of us to stand up and to start reaching for what is possible.

That's what history calls us to do. Because loving your country shouldn't just mean watching fireworks on the 4th of July; loving your country must mean accepting your responsibility to do your part to change it. And if you do stand up, I promise you that your life will be richer, and our country will be stronger.

We need your service, right now, in this moment - our moment - in history. I'm not going to tell you what your role should be; that's for you to discover. But I am going to ask you to play your part; ask you to stand up; ask you to put your foot firmly into the current of history. I am asking you to change history's course. And if I have the fortune to be your President, decades from now - when the memory of this or that policy has faded, and when the words that we will speak in the next few years are long forgotten - I hope you remember this as a moment when your own story and the American story came together, and history bent once more in the direction of justice.

East Bay Field Office OPEN!!

This Saturday--100 days before the Presidential Election--the East Bay Obama Field office officially opened! More than 350 people attended the opening!!

We had an incredible volunteer meeting this week with 125 people wanting to volunteer for the campaign!! People brought all kinds of amazing food to share, and signed up for different volunteer opportunities with the East Bay team. Random folks wandered in off the street and stayed for the meeting. Some people even asked to register to vote, since they were walking by and saw the door was open... It was amazing, and the office is now up and running!!

The Office is open 9-5 weekdays

3225 Adeline in Oakland
(2 blocks from Ashby BART)
click here for more info

ON SUNDAY from 2-8pm, the office will be open for phone-banking.

New Mexico is TOTALLY in play (even Karl Rove is predicting an Obama win in New Mexico by 6%), and the local organizers there need OUR help to identify the most important voters for them to court. We'll call New Mexico undecided voters (to get a sense of who is really on the fence and might be swayed, and who is already on board with Obama and who isn't worth calling again). Folks are invited to drop by and make some calls with us.

(we don't have phones yet so bring your cell phone).

Last Sunday, we made 1000 calls to New Mexico and it was really fun. We have a bell to ring when you reach an Obama supporter--and there are a lot more of them out there than you might expect! Come find out for yourself!!!!

FIRED UP, and READY TO GO!!!

With 100 DAYS UNTIL THE ELECTION...

The East Bay Field Office for Obama
is FIRED UP & READY TO GO!!!

We had 350+ people at the opening!!!!

People registered to vote, got to know their neighbors, and enjoyed a beautiful afternoon together while expressing support for Barack Obama!

Tons of folks signed up to volunteer for different jobs, such as phone-banking, voter registration, working in the office, and campaigning in other states. Others donated items on the wishlist.

Kids made origami for Obama, read books about Obama (from Rebecca's Books: she's donating 10% of profits from Obama book sales to the campaign!), and made art about Obama at a special kids area. They seemed to have a lot of fun. I wish they could vote--kids all over the place seem to love Obama.

We had amazing speakers:

The Mayor of Berkeley, Jason Varano, spoke to a large and very responsive crowd gathered outside the office.

He invoked Berkeley's spirit of activism and participation in the political process and expressed his great joy that the East Bay Headquarters is located in the heart of this community.

He emphasized the importance of this election and praised Obama as our next President!

Berkeley Council Member Max Anderson spoke eloquently about the local and national need for change.

Throughout the speeches, cars driving by honked in support!!

Other speakers talked about the urgency of NOW!

This moment is so important in our country's history.

We have the opportunity NOW to make a change.

The Richmond Council Member Harpreet Sandhu opened his speech by saying that as a person wearing a turban in America, this is the change we've been waiting for!

Sikhs and other minority groups have endured terrible discrimination and abuse since September 11th (although of course they have NOTHING to do with terrorism etc.).

Obama's Presidency would usher in a new time in America--a time of unity, or understanding and listening, a time when we respond reasonably to realistic threats and seek to replace prejudice with brotherhood.

Margot Reed, a long-time Obama volunteer, organizer, and member of Obama Pride (LGBT Constituent Group) gave a rousing speech that stirred the audience and inspired everyone.

Union leaders expressed their support for Obama's Presidency, and the crowd went wild. People were cheering and cars were honking like crazy during these speeches.


The final speaker was Nancy Skinner, who is running for State Assembly in the 14th District. She gave an inspiring speech about how we can do this together. She was so excited about Obama!!!

She mentioned that she turned 18 the year that 18-yr-olds got the right to vote (nobody do the math; she's only 23!). She voted for Shirley Chisholm--and now she is even more excited to vote for Barack Obama, who will be the first African-American President of the United States.

After the speakers, there were some amazing performances--pics coming soon!

Kid Beyond is a singer, songwriter, live looper, beatboxer and one-man-band. An amazing guy and spectacular performer, he is also a proud Obama supporter!

Hello fellow citizens! Kid B here.

If I haven't made it blissfully clear, I'm going to be working my patootie off to make sure Barack Obama gets elected this November. That's why I'm excited to be performing at the opening of Obama's East Bay HQ.

There were yummy refreshments generously donated by local establishments.

There was media coverage by KTVU and CBS, and we were covered on at least three local stations. Several folks came into the office this week to volunteer or get information after they saw the opening event on the news. It was so neat to see how much the first big event in the new space is already growing the movement and engaging more people in the political process.

If you would like to get involved, please stop by the office--we'll be open 10-5 every day--and soon we'll be open weeknights for phone-banking. Click here for more info.

We're located at 3225 Adeline St
2 blocks south of Ashby BART.

We'd love to see you soon!!

YES WE CAN!!!

We have an American Dream

Watch this beautiful music video, with clips from JFK & MLK & Oprah & Maria Shriver & Caroline Kennedy & Michelle Obama:

"Barack Obama: Believe the Dream!"

When I saw this incredible video, I knew that I wanted to share it with a lot of people... so I started an online event where people watch the video and then forward the link to 10 friends!

To email this video to friends, you can use this link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGs3Tw-kkKs&feature=related

Ich bin OBAMA!

More than 200,000 people watched Barack Obama's speech today at the Victory Column in Berlin's Tiergarten.

Click here for amazing photos of the historic event.

"People of the world – look at Berlin! Look at Berlin, where Germans and Americans learned to work together and trust each other less than three years after facing each other on the field of battle.

Look at Berlin, where the determination of a people met the generosity of the Marshall Plan and created a German miracle; where a victory over tyranny gave rise to NATO, the greatest alliance ever formed to defend our common security.

Look at Berlin, where the bullet holes in the buildings and the somber stones and pillars near the Brandenburg Gate insist that we never forget our common humanity.

People of the world – look at Berlin, where a wall came down, a continent came together, and history proved that there is no challenge too great for a world that stands as one.

Sixty years after the airlift, we are called upon again. History has led us to a new crossroad, with new promise and new peril. When you, the German people, tore down that wall – a wall that divided East and West; freedom and tyranny; fear and hope – walls came tumbling down around the world. From Kiev to Cape Town, prison camps were closed, and the doors of democracy were opened. Markets opened too, and the spread of information and technology reduced barriers to opportunity and prosperity. While the 20th century taught us that we share a common destiny, the 21st has revealed a world more intertwined than at any time in human history....

Poorly secured nuclear material in the former Soviet Union, or secrets from a scientist in Pakistan could help build a bomb that detonates in Paris. The poppies in Afghanistan become the heroin in Berlin. The poverty and violence in Somalia breeds the terror of tomorrow. The genocide in Darfur shames the conscience of us all.

In this new world, such dangerous currents have swept along faster than our efforts to contain them. That is why we cannot afford to be divided. No one nation, no matter how large or powerful, can defeat such challenges alone. None of us can deny these threats, or escape responsibility in meeting them. Yet, in the absence of Soviet tanks and a terrible wall, it has become easy to forget this truth. And if we’re honest with each other, we know that sometimes, on both sides of the Atlantic, we have drifted apart, and forgotten our shared destiny....

People of Berlin – people of the world – this is our moment. This is our time.

I know my country has not perfected itself. At times, we’ve struggled to keep the promise of liberty and equality for all of our people. We’ve made our share of mistakes, and there are times when our actions around the world have not lived up to our best intentions.

But I also know how much I love America. I know that for more than two centuries, we have strived – at great cost and great sacrifice – to form a more perfect union; to seek, with other nations, a more hopeful world....

People of Berlin – and people of the world – the scale of our challenge is great. The road ahead will be long. But I come before you to say that we are heirs to a struggle for freedom. We are a people of improbable hope. With an eye toward the future, with resolve in our hearts, let us remember this history, and answer our destiny, and remake the world once again."

Watch the amazing speech:

For the complete transcript, click here. For more details on Obama's trip to Germany click here, and here, and here.

Earlier today in Berlin, wellwishers cheered Obama's motorcade. As he got out of his car, one man yelled out in English, "Yes we can!" (more)

Here is a video about the background of this historic speech in Berlin today:

I couldn't resist posting this...

(I think Jesse Jackson is just jealous that someone else is going to be the first African-American President).

Free Obama Button

MoveOn is giving away new Obama buttons for free, as part of a massive national visibility campaign.

Want one?
Click here

After you've gotten yours, forward this link on to everyone you know so that they can get free Obama buttons too: http://pol.moveon.org/obamabuttons/index.html?id=13312-7947189-z0O.kdx&t=4.

These high-quality Obama buttons are union-made in America.

If hundreds of thousands of us wear these wherever we go, we'll send a strong message that Barack Obama is the candidate with the buzz, momentum, excitement—and sincere support of regular folks across the country.

Obama's International Debut

Obama is the world's candidate! Here is a link to a 5-minute video from ABC news about the world's reaction to Obama's presidential campaign. Here is an LA Times article about Obama's initial reception in Afghanistan and an overview of the destinations on this historic trip to Europe and the Middle East. Here's a Herald Tribune article about the trip.

Check out this great video of Obama on Meet the Press hosted by Tom Brokaw on Sunday (the last day of his trip) in London--or you can read the transcript.

Here's the Itinerary for Obama's busy trip to Europe and the Middle East:

Click here for an interactive version of this map showing Obama's foreign support in various countries (highlighting the countries that he visited). The blue color indicates a higher level of support for Obama in the given country, and the red outlines indicate countries where Obama is visiting this week.


Reuters reported that Germans are very excited about Obama's upcoming trip, but authorities are concerned about logistical problems when possibly hundreds of thousands of people show up to the main event at the Siegessäule in Berlin's Tiergarten. AFP reports that Obama's reception in the Middle East may be more tentative than the excitement that the candidate expects in Europe.

"While Barack Obama can expect to be feted as a hero as "Obamamania" strikes Europe, he faces a more uncertain welcome on the Middle East leg of his international campaign swing this week.

The presumptive Democratic White House nominee is less popular in Israel than his Republican rival John McCain, and his offer of direct talks with Iranian leaders has caused some consternation in the Jewish state.

Obama also crossed swords with the Palestinian leadership, after vowing in June that "Jerusalem will remain the capital of Israel and it must remain undivided," a comment which seemed to prejudge final status peace talks.... Obama has however hinted at a return to a fully engaged US role in Israeli-Palestinian peacemaking, which President George W. Bush avoided until late in his second term....

Obama... is expected to arrive in Jordan for talks with King Abdullah II on Monday, after making crucial war zone visits to Afghanistan Sunday, and an expected onward journey to Iraq. Jordanian sources said King Abdullah would take the opportunity to stress the importance of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.....

Obama will then move to Israel for talks with the full spectrum of top officials, including Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, President Shimon Peres, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, Defense Minister Ehud Barak and opposition Likud leader Benjamin Netanyahu. The Israeli government officials will be delighted to meet Obama and "exchange ideas" with him, Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev said.... In a poll by Israel's Mutagim survey institute in June, Israeli Jews favored McCain over Obama 36 to 27 percent."

Barack Obama attended a ceremony in the Hall of Remembrance at Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial in Jerusalem today (July 23, 2008).

There is more on Barack and Israel from AP. You may be interested to read how TIME covered Barack's trip to Israel:

Obama's last stop of the day was at the embattled Prime Minister's residence. "I'm very happy that you found the time to come and visit with us in the tradition of all the great friends of the state of Israel and I know how friendly you are and how much you care for us," Ehud Olmert told Obama in the courtyard.

As they say in diplomacy and politics, everyone was right on message.

Video of Obama in Sderot, Israel (July 23, 2008)--for more click here



Barack Obama has also been called upon to revisit his comment that he would meet with world leaders of nations such as Iran, Syria, and other nations with whom American Presidents have recently boycotted meeting (preferring to bully these nations without direct contact). He defended and expanded upon his original statement, and you can read more (CNN coverage) here.

John McCain has complained that the networks are sending their best news anchors and devoting a lot of airtime to Obama's trip, and McCain is arguing for fair time. He's also mad that the NY Times rejected his essay. I was thinking maybe he should do something (or write something) newsworthy rather than complaining, "it's not fair!" Then I heard rumors about a possible VP announcement from the Repubs this week. interesting...

McCain's friends Michelle Malkin (who organized an "Obama World Tour" t-shirt contest poking fun at the Senator's trip-where this Beatles-themed image comes from) and others aren't afraid to stick up for their candidate:

Rupert Murdoch’s New York Post published the article on Tuesday and carried an editorial accusing the New York Times of bias: “The New York Times is showing its true colour again (i.e. cobalt blue): just days after running an essay by Barack Obama slamming John McCain’s Iraq policy proposals, the paper summarily nixed the Arizona senator’s rejoinder.” — © Guardian Newspapers Limited, 2008

So that's all the "fair time" John McCain is going to get on my blog...

Back to Obama... the world loves him,
and they're singing about it:

One Nation, One Voice

Picnic/Rally in Montclair (Aug 17th)

FRIENDS AND FAMILIES FOR OBAMA

Sunday August 17th, 2008 ~ 1 to 4 p.m.
Montclair Park, 6300 Moraga Ave., Oakland

Meet local Obama supporters and learn how you can get involved.
Change can’t happen without you!

Featured Speaker: George Lakoff

(more on Lakoff click here, and here, and here)

*Musical performances (DJ)
*Kids’ Arts & Crafts Activities
*Baked Goodies
*Voter Registration
*Obama Gear--stickers, buttons, signs, etc
*Resources and Information on Obama's Policies
*Discussion Roundtable Area
*Obama and Lakoff Books for sale
*Opportunities to Get Involved

Bring a picnic lunch
and enjoy the afternoon
with friends and family for Obama!

Send Karl Rove to Jail

Please watch the video and click the link below to sign the petition to send Karl Rove to JAIL!

This sounds like a dream, doesn't it? Well, it's not. We have a unique opportunity right now to send Karl Rove to jail, but only if we take immediate action.

All we have to do is pressure the 40 members of the House Judiciary Committee, make them hold Rove in contempt and send him to jail. We've never had such a direct opportunity to hold Rove accountable. No, this is not enough punishment for his years and years of crimes, but it's a huge start, and will send a very clear message to the entire Bush administration.

• DOJ apparently doesn't know whether it told Fielding that Rove's "Official Duties" include witch hunts
  
• The significance of the "Official Duties" claim
  
• Why absolute immunity is so audacious
  
• Bush did NOT invoke executive privilege for Rove

Learn more about the House Judiciary Committee and the 40 Committee Members.

CLICK HERE to SIGN THE PETITION to SEND KARL ROVE TO JAIL!!!

Michelle Obama: "Let's Talk" Blog

Michelle Obama is a lawyer, a mom, and a blogger too!

This week, Michelle Obama published her first blog entry on BlogHer.com, introducing herself to the nation's number-one community blog by women. BlogHer's mission is to create opportunities for women who blog to pursue exposure, education, community and economic empowerment. More than 26,000 members have listed over 15,000 blogs by women on BlogHer.com--you can join too!

Click here for Michelle Obama's new blog "Let's Talk."

Below is Michelle's first blog post:

Hi everybody,

I’m excited to be posting on BlogHer. Not only because blogging is something I’ve actually been able to beat my daughters to; but because it gives me the opportunity to tell you a little bit about them, my husband, myself, and our experiences traveling all over this great country.

Over the course of this campaign, I’ve been hosting roundtable discussions with working women all across America. I’m there to talk about my husband, of course – but more importantly, I’m there to listen. We talk about what it’s like to play multiple roles at once and what it’s like to feel stretched thin between the demands of a career and family.

And of course, we talk about our children. How they’re the first thing we think about when we wake up in the morning, and the last thing we think about when we go to bed at night. I know that no matter where I am – work, the campaign trail, wherever – my girls are always on my mind.

What I find is that our stories are similar. But what I also hear at each roundtable is that women are struggling. They are working hard and playing by the rules, doing the most important job of raising the next generation, but somehow can never get ahead. They’re desperate for change.

I’ve heard from mothers struggling to make ends meet because their salaries aren’t keeping up with the cost of groceries. But if they take a second job, they can’t afford the additional cost of childcare. Or the moms who are nervous about taking time from their jobs to care for a sick child. Or the moms-to-be who are scared of getting fired if the boss finds out they’re pregnant.

Then there are women who work hard every day doing the same jobs as men, but earning less. And the military families, who struggle to make ends meet with one paycheck where there used to be two. They welcome their loved ones home with full hearts but little support from their government for their service.

I hear similar stories everywhere I go. These struggles – the struggles of working women and families across America – aren’t new to me or to any of us. And they’re certainly not new to Barack.

He was raised by two strong, working women – his mother and his grandmother. Growing up, he saw his single mother put herself through school while raising him and his sister alone. She was determined to show them that in America, there are no barriers to success if you’re willing to work for it. But he also saw her struggle to make ends meet, at times worrying about how she would pay the bills.

He saw his grandmother, the primary breadwinner for his family, work her way up at a bank. But he also saw how, once she got to a certain level, she hit a glass ceiling despite her hard work and abilities. He saw that she was passed over and underpaid, a problem that persists today for too many women.

And he sees me, his wife, trying to juggle jobs and raise kids; often feeling like when I’m with the kids, I’m shortchanging work, and when I’m at work or campaigning, I’m shortchanging the kids. I know you understand these struggles. Barack understands them too.

That’s why he’s worked to give families the tools they need to make a better life for their kids for over twenty years – from his years in Chicago working with a group of churches to help families devastated when local steel plants shut down; to the Illinois State Senate, where he worked to move families from welfare to work and expand early childhood education and child health care; to his fights in the U.S. Senate for equal pay and a fair economy.

As President, he’ll continue these fights. And he’ll build an economy that rewards work over wealth, ensures a world-class education, and creates quality, affordable health care for everyone who wants it.

He’ll do all this because he’s determined to change Washington so that instead of just talking about family values, we actually have policies that value families. Policies that actually make it easier for women to support, care for, and raise their families without having to choose between their kids and their careers.

I’ll be honest – when Barack first told me he was thinking about running for President, I had mixed feelings. I worried about my girls and what a campaign might do to their lives. I wanted the best life possible for them, and a presidential campaign wasn’t part of that equation.

But then I thought about it. And the world I want for them is a world where they’re paid fairly and equally for their work; where they don’t have to choose between kids and careers; where they can dream without limits without a glass ceiling standing in their way. And I realized that if that’s the world I want for them, then I had to do my part to elect someone like my husband.

We all need to do our part to keep women’s issues at the forefront of the national debate. That’s why communities like BlogHer are so important. It’s not just a forum or sounding board; it’s an energetic space that lets women know they’re not alone. It’s our own national virtual roundtable. But we need to take these online conversations offline as well. I’ll do my part, and so will Barack. But we need you all too.

Thanks for allowing me to post here. I plan to continue blogging – and listening.

Thanks Michelle.
We plan to continue reading and blogging along with you!

Yes I Can

This is a great music video with a sweet rhythm. It mixes Barack Obama's speeches with positive lyrics about Unity and Possibilties. and the photos are really nice too--lots of pics I haven't seen elsewhere, very good mix!!

Celebrity Endorsements for Obama

Let's Take Our Country Back RIGHT NOW!

Obama on 60 Minutes

This is a little old of course--from the week of Super Tuesday--but it is very interesting anyway. It is about 13 minutes long.

ObaMania is Sweeping the Nation! It's True!

Democratic Primaries Victory Speech

I realized I never posted this when it was happening. My mistake.

This is Obama giving his victory speech after his primary season wins:

Don't Let FOX Trash Michelle Obama!

Fox News is anything but "fair and balanced" and their treatment of Michelle Obama is "downright mean." Divisive, racist, untrue: so many unfortunate adjectives could be applied here... but more important than getting angry is getting ACTIVE!

FOX's long history of racism is nothing new, but it has been particularly egregious when it comes to their coverage of the Obamas. Racism and fearmongering have no place in our country or its politics, despite what FOX would have you believe. That's why we put together this video, FOX Attacks Michelle Obama.

We cannot allow FOX's heinous smears and scare tactics to continue. Sign our petition and stop FOX from injecting racism, prejudice, and fear into our political dialogue.

Click Here to Sign the Petition:
Reject FOX SMEARS of our next First Lady Michelle Obama!

Ready for Change

Obama "Theme Song"

Obama Bloggers North, East, South & West

This map shows the states where folks are writing their positive posts about Obama!! As you can see, Obama's positive bloggers are all over the place!


View Larger Map

We still need to get more folks in the South, Midwest, and Northwest, so please sign up to blog with us about Obama over the coming weeks!!

Here's a Partial List of Our Bloggers By Region!

Bloggers in the North:
Elstun Lauesen: "BarAK" blog features Alaskan and national issues
Kristen Reed: New York (link to profile, no blog posts yet)
AnnMarie Satchell: (ou)R Democracy blog from Philadelphia, PA

Bloggers in the South:
Christopher Carlson: Precinct Co-Captain from Fort Worth, Texas
Charlene Dixon: Obama activist blogger from Virginia
Suzan Holten: A Texas Independent Obama supporter interested in policy
Robert Lynch: Inspired Texas Obama fan
Brandy Sanders: A Georgia Obama blogger (link to profile)
Beverly Scott: North Carolina Obama Blogger

Bloggers in the MidWest:
Richard & Rebecca Anderson: Missouri Obama Organizers
Brenda Babjak: Indiana Blogger
Christina Czuhajewski: Michigan & California (link to profile)
Blake Johnson: Iowa (link to profile, no blog posts yet)
Chuck Lasker: "What Would Obama Do?" blog from Indiana
Ashley Penney: Kansas (link to profile, no blog posts yet)
Ailene Randolph: Posts on FISA, "Operation Chaos" & more from Indiana
Marcia Riggan: Indianan "friendly Blog"
Richard Sternegal: Honest and positive Ohio Obama blogger

Bloggers in the West:

Jacky Anderson: A positive and prolific California Obama Blogger
Bren Hussein Bell: Southern California Blogger
Allan Cronin: Musings on the election from California.
Denise Cyr: Oregon Obama organizer
Liba Hardkopf: Proud Albuquerque Obama fan from the Czech Republic
Mona Marlow: Washington State Progressive Blogger
Mary Nickum: Arizona Obama supporter
Mikiboop: A hopeful and positive Californian Obama Blogger
Anthony O'Con: South San Francisco Obama Blogger
Kit Sturtevant-Stuart: "Kit Loves Nuance" & the "Audacity of Complexity"

Work it Harder, Make it Better

Ok, so this doesn't have a lot to do with Barack Obama, except that I play this song (the original version by Daft Punk) when I'm getting PUMPED UP about the Obama Campaign! I listen while I'm blogging, while I'm emailing people in all 50 states, and while I'm highlighting voter reg forms or cutting up Barack Obama stickers in preparation for the day's actions.

I happen to like this "Daft Hands" video because I briefly studied ASL and I'm very impressed with the "deft hands" of the person in this video. I also like it that the middle fingers say "make it" "better"!

OK, after I posted the previous video, I found another amazing video totally randomly. Kanye West is another favorite of mine (best quote ever --after Katrina: "George Bush Doesn't Care about Black People") and his remix of this song is great too. Check out this guy's "deft hands"--with even more fantastic "make it better" middle finger action!

Work It Harder Make It Better
Do It Faster, Makes Us Stronger
More Than Ever Hour After
Our Work Is Never Over

around the world... around the world...
around the world... around the world...

Pimp Your Ride with OBAMA PRIDE!

After buying gas (and thinking to myself "this gas isn't too expensive..." before I caught myself--we can't allow ourselves to get used to this), I needed a pick-me-up to recover from the pain in my wallet...

so I decided to "Pimp My Ride" with Obama Pride! It is super-simple--I encourage you to put some Obama bling on your car! There's tons of great stuff to choose from: Bumper stickers, Obama car flags, Obama windshield shades, car magnets, more car magnets, etc...

I recently read an study that said that people who have bumper stickers on their cars (whether the stickers say "save the whales" or "from my cold dead hands") have a higher level of road rage than people without bumper stickers.

So we'll have to see if my Obama hope-mongering increases my road rage. Something tells me it's not going to have an impact... but I guess we'll find out when I'm driving through Nevada, Utah, & Wyoming on my way to the convention in Denver.

Making the statement that we support Obama is very important, and it provides a sense of connection and solidarity with other supporters.

So get yourself a bumper sticker and pimp your ride!

Offensive New Yorker Cover

I couldn't believe what is on the cover of The New Yorker. I usually look forward to the funny and often deeply satirical cover art, but this one shocked and outraged me.

The cover shows Obama in a turban and traditional Muslim garb and his wife Michelle dressed in fatigues--rocking an afro and combat boots--and packing an assault rifle. They are giving one another a congratulatory "fist-bump." There is a portrait of Osama Bin Laden above the fireplace where the American flag is burning. Oh, and by the way, the room they're standing in... it's the Oval Office!

Now I know that The New Yorker is known for cartoons that people either "get" or "don't get"...

But I have to say, "I don't get it!"

Could someone please explain the joke to me?

The New Yorker described Barry Blitt's work as lampooning of "scare tactics and misinformation in the Presidential election to derail Barack Obama's campaign."

"The New Yorker may think, as one of their staff explained to us, that their cover is a satirical lampoon of the caricature Senator Obama's right-wing critics have tried to create," Obama campaign spokesman Bill Burton said.

"But most readers will see it as tasteless and offensive. And we agree," Burton added.

Cartoonist Barry Blitt defended his work, saying this:

I think the idea that the Obamas are branded as unpatriotic [let alone as terrorists] in certain sectors is preposterous. It seemed to me that depicting the concept would show it as the fear-mongering ridiculousness that it is.

Although this may be the intention, the damaging impact of reinforcing rumors of the "Manchurian Candidate" variety by depicting imagery like this in the American popular media cannot be underestimated. Here is an article from the Financial Times about the role of comedy and satire in American politics.

Throughout America, it is still widely believed that Barack Obama is a Muslim--and many readers may not realize that the cover is meant to be satirical. In its attempt to point out the obvious--that Obama is NOT a terrorist or Muslim or Black Power/"kill whitey" candidate--it may unfortunately have the opposite effect.

I'm not including the cover image here because I don't want to proliferate it unnecessarily, but I would like to encourage you to write a letter to the editor of the New Yorker to express your outrage at this racist, divisive, offensive and generally unfunny cover art.

Here's what I wrote:

To the Editor,

I can't believe what is on the cover of The New Yorker. I usually look forward to the funny and often deeply satirical cover art, but this one shocked and outraged me.

The New Yorker is known for cartoons that people either "get" or "don't get"... But I have to say, "I don't get it!"

Although the intention behind the cover art featuring Barack and Michelle Obama as terrorists may have been to point out how ridiculous the rumors are, I don't think a lot of Americans are taking it that way.

In this crucial presidential election, the damaging impact of reinforcing rumors of the "Manchurian Candidate" variety by depicting imagery like this in the American popular media cannot be underestimated.

Throughout this country, it is still widely believed that Barack Obama is Muslim--some even believe him to be the anti-Christ! Many readers may not realize that the cover is meant to be satirical. In its attempt to point out the obvious--that Obama is NOT a terrorist or a Muslim extremist or an infiltrator seeking revenge on the white race--the New Yorker cover may unfortunately have the opposite effect.

While I respect and honor your First Amendment Rights to put whatever you want on the cover of your magazine, I plead with you as a loyal American patriot to think about the unintended consequences of these types of offensive cartoons doe the American people: your readers! In the future, please avoid using any imagery which invokes divisive, fear-mongering, bigoted, or hate-based ideologies.

And the Auto-reply I received by email moments later:

About this week’s issue: Our cover, “The Politics of Fear,” combines a number of fantastical images about the Obamas and shows them for the obvious distortions they are. The burning flag, the nationalist-radical and Islamic outfits, the fist-bump, the portrait on the wall— all of them echo one attack or another. Satire is part of what we do, and it is meant to bring things out into the open, to hold up a mirror to prejudice, the hateful, and the absurd. And that's the spirit of this cover.

In this same issue you will also see that there are two very serious articles on Barack Obama inside—Hendrik Hertzberg's Comment, and Ryan Lizza's 15,000-word reporting piece on the candidate's political education and rise in Chicago.

To this I would echo this great truth:

"Art is not a mirror held up to society,
but a hammer with which to shape it"

Write a letter to the Editor

Here is a fantastic response I received from my friend Joanna Doran, who is brilliant and always has something very intelligent and nuanced to say.

First, I want to say how much I enjoy your emails and admire what you are doing to promote Obama. I myself am Obama lover so it's especially great to see how the movement is developing.

At the same time, I could not disagree with you more about this cover. I've been subscribing for years to the New Yorker and have noticed the following things:

#1 Their covers are typically quite brilliant. Usually, their brilliance consists of making a visual representation of an undercurrent in the news. Here are a couple I picked at random from this site . In the first of these you see a somewhat baffled baby in a crib that has barbed wire around it -- the mother is looking on in apparent pride. This cover pokes fun at the lengths parents will go through to protect their children. The other is the nose-bleed perspective of a baseball game. I assume it is baseball season when the cover was aired. The comment is that for most actually watching the game live, the view is quite distant indeed. I don't have the time to look for an especially genius one, but I trust you get the point. The covers are not reflections of what should be or what they believe is literally the case, but a social satire.

The cover you mention is especially provocative, but I think that's why it is especially great. Namely, what would the collection of vague allegations made about Obama from various sources look like? I imagine that the cartoonist was annoyed that he could not get in a reference to "baby momma" but he probably figured people would get the point.

#2 The New Yorker has been super supportive of Obama all throughout. It does not make sense that it would suddenly make an about face and make smears about Obama on the cover. The more plausible explanation is that it is making fun of the smears about Obama.

In my opinion, I think that Obama should say something to state that he gets that this is social satire. He definitely looks like the type that reads this magazine, so I am sure that he gets what they are trying to do. One of the things that I so appreciate about him is his encouragement to not get so offended at what a person seems to be saying that the value of the point is missed. If he does not do something like this, it will be difficult for me to keep from thinking that he is figuring that staying silent will both get him more publicity and make his supporters feel more supportive toward him. I fear that if people do not express support for the New Yorker it will make this magazine less likely to continue the very positive coverage of Obama and the movement of transcending divisions that he seems to be trying to build.

Anyway, those are my two pennies. I am interested in what you think.

and I responded:

Your opinion is worth way more than 2 cents! You always have really interesting insights. I do think that it was meant to be a sophisticated satire exposing of the ugliness of the republican attack machine, but I don't think it really succeeded at that mission. But I also think it is good to stir up discussion and get people thinking concretely about these propagandic slurs etc against Obama.

I liked the covers you sent, and I usually love the biting satire on the covers, and I actually look forward to seeing mr Blitt's work in particular when he is the featured cover artist. I saw that Vanity Fair parodied the NY cover--but I also don't think this one is funny. maybe I'm just losing my sense of humor....

Anyway I think people can put up whatever they want on their magazines--I'm a big first amendment fan--but I think if the New Yorker really does support Obama (and I agree they have been very positive about him so far and have not been as nice to John McCain-although McCain has done less worth praising but anyway...), I think this cover may have undercut their ultimate agenda of supporting Obama, because not everyone who sees the NY cover is a sophisticated reader who is accustomed to interpreting satire.

I read one article that said the cover would have been hilarious if the New Yorker was still only read by its *subscribers* (liberal bookish mostly east coast satire fans), but because millions of people pass by it on newsstands and encounter the cover all over the internet etc, the audience is very different. when I am writing, I always try to consider the audience, and it must be difficult for a subscriber-based publication like the New Yorker to balance publishing things that appeal to the regular subscribed readership versus printing things that send a certain message to coincidental or casual readers. so I figured that sending letters to the editor saying that the fan base didn't appreciate this and pointing out the potential repercussions in terms of how a picture like this can be used to fuel damaging projects that were not the original intention. (for example, this cover is all over the republican blogs and tons of t-shirts have been made with the image to be worn by people who truly believe and propagate these these lies about Obama)

of course we can't control everything--once we put our artwork out there anyone can mangle it to suit their own purposes, and maybe the risk of damage to the subject of the art is outweighed by the value of opening up the discussion. for example, I am so glad that you took the time to respond to my thoughts, and that wouldn't have happened without the cover to instigate the conversation (although the repub attack tactics were there all along, just not being overtly talked about). so I don't know. there is only so much in this world that we can comprehend, and I guess we'll just cross our fingers and see what happens in November....

Vote for Change!

Voter Registration is the next important priority for the Obama campaign. You can register to vote without leaving this site if you scroll over on the left side to a red banner from "Rock the Vote." If you click on it, the voter reg form will pop up right now, and without even leaving this blog you will be registered to vote in about 2 minutes!!

All American-born and naturalized citizens who are 18 on or before November 4, 2008 and who are not currently imprisoned or on parole for a felony are eligible to register to vote.

People with a felony conviction ARE able to vote if they are not currently in prison or on parole (if they are on probation, they CAN vote). Many convicted felons don't know this: they may be surprised and elated to hear that they have NOT lost the right to take part in our democracy and vote for our leaders. People on parole can register others to vote, and that can be a great way for them to get engaged with the political process while they wait for their parole to end. Someone told me tonight that in some of the primaries the efforts of parolees to register their friends to vote had a powerful impact and record numbers of first-time voters were registered by parolees.

In California,

October 20
is the last day

to register to vote!!

You can't register
on election day!

I attended a voter registration training yesterday morning and learned a lot about registering voters. It is important to become familiar with the rules and regulations, but really it is pretty simple. You can learn more at the official California Secretary of State Voter Registration Website (and you can download the 50+ page guidelines: Secretary of State's Guide to Voter Registration).

Here are some of the main points:

1. Anyone can register voters (you don't have to be a citizen or 18+, and you can be a parolee)
2. Any person can get 50 voter registration forms from their local county election official. In my local county of Alameda, the Oakland Courthouse is the place to go (1225 Fallon St Room G-1; Hours 8:30am-5pm; Phone: 510-272-6973)
   
3. To get more than 50 forms: Complete and submit a Statement of Distribution Form and a plan of distribution to the Secretary of State, mailed or faxed to:
   

California Secretary of State
Elections Division
1500 11th Street, 5th Floor
Sacramento, CA 95814
Fax: (916) 653-3214
Phone: (916) 657-2166.

If you want to register voters in another state, you can contact that state for registration forms, but you can also click here to download the universal form that people in any state can use to register to vote in any other state (you just mail the form in and the gov't sends the registration to the correct state). This is great to have for voter registration on college campuses or tourist areas, since out-of-state voters cannot use the state-specific forms, and students may want to register to vote at their home address rather than their school address.

Tips & Tricks

• Highlight the voter reg forms so that the required items stand out
  
• Have some forms highlighted and folded up for people who want to fill it out later

• Have 2 clipboards so you can serve more than one person at a time
• Write a message like "REGISTER TO VOTE!" or "ROCK THE VOTE" on the backside of the clipboards, so people can see it as you are walking around
  
• Voter Reg Cards are too long to fit on even a legal sized clipboard, but if you just fold along the perforation between the registration part and the instructions part (which gets detached anyway when you mail the forms in), the forms will fit perfectly on a regular size (8x11) clipboard

• Bring Extra Pens--You must use Black or Blue INK only
• Attach your pen to your clipboard with ribbon, string, or elastics

• Give out stickers or buttons or some little trinket to people who register
• Go to places where people are waiting already (long bathroom lines, at the carwash or laundromat or pharmacy, lines at amusement parks or concerts, etc)
• Go to fun places such as sporting events, concerts, parks in summer, outdoor events, festivals, and conventions
  
• Before you start registering voters, check with the place to make sure it is OK for you to be there (and if it is OK to display your candidate's stuff or whether it must be nonpartisan)

I did a voter registration event in Oakland today where we went to the Oakland A's game and registered people who were "tailgating" in the parking lot! it was so great!! People had barbecues and chairs and they were hanging out together for hours before the game started.


When I got there, I was teamed up
with a new friend:

my awesome partner
Ruth
(Ruth + Ruby = perfect team).



We went around together, talking with folks, registering them to vote, and giving out Obama stickers. It was a lot of fun!

I even got to sign up one voter for the very first time. She is a naturalized citizen from Vietnam and she was grateful for the ease with which she was able to register to vote at a baseball game. I hadn't thought of the significance of it before, but baseball is the American national pastime and voting is a patriotic duty/right--so it kind of makes sense that you would register to vote at the baseball game.

There were other volunteers registering voters, and the group of us got about 25 people registered today.

I got 4 people registered myself (and handed out probably 5 more reg forms to people who wanted to do it later).

I registered some people waiting in line for the port-o-potty and one of them joked to the other that he would tell his grandchildren, "I registered to vote while I was waiting to take a piss at an A's game!"

We offered everyone in the potty-line Obama stickers and most people took them. Several asked sweetly, "Could I possibly just have 1 more?" I gave those people 4 or 5 stickers, and I gave extra to anyone who was super-excited (lots of people). I told them, "Stick it where someone will see it!" I ran out of stickers--I had more than 100 when I left home this morning.

Anyway people were generally jazzed about being able to register to vote while sitting out in the beautiful sun, eating burgers and drinking beer, with someone to help them if they were confused.

This was the last voter I registered, on my way back to BART. A proud Oakland A's fan, he was super-excited because he's going to Australia to study abroad but he wants to be able to vote in the November election. He's leaving on Wednesday, so we almost missed him!

What does that say about the urgency of now?