Ruby's Crush on PRESIDENT Obama

I Pledge

2009-03-17T12:42:00.001-07:00

What is Your Pledge?

MySpace Celebrity and Katalyst present The Presidential Pledge

Service for Change

2009-01-08T08:57:00.000-08:00

Today, we’re pleased to announce the launch of USAservice.org, a new website dedicated to President-elect Obama’s national call to service. We encourage you to visit the site today and sign up to host or attend a service event on January 19th, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. You can also sign up for events over the weekend of January 17-18th.

YES WE DID!!!!!!!!!

2008-11-06T09:06:00.000-08:00

Barack Needs YOU NOW!!

2008-10-28T21:33:00.001-07:00

To Any Soldier

2008-10-06T01:09:00.000-07:00

anysoldier.com

NorCal Obama Headquarters Grand Opening!!

2008-09-04T21:50:00.001-07:00

I drove home from the DNC to Berkeley (from Reno today) because I had a feeling that I should be at the Grand Opening for the Northern Cali HQ of the Obama campaign, and I thought it would be fun to surprise people at the event.

The East Bay Field Office is also home to the NorCal Headquarters, and tonight was the GRAND OPENING!!

When I drove up to the office tonight, I was astonished.

Before I could see any of the crowd, I could hear them chanting, "Yes We Can!"

There were hundreds of people lining the streets and clamoring to volunteer and express their support for Obama.
I got goosebumps and (finally) a parking spot...

The office was absolutely overun with people all fired up about Obama--we had over 500 people at the event!!!

Hundreds of people signed up to volunteer for phone-banking, traveling, and other help for the Obama campaign!!

I hadn't realized when I left Nevada this morning what a big event this was--I could hardly get into the office through the flood of people trying to get in to sign up to help.

We had an amazing set of speakers, who addressed the crowd from the upper balcony. Included in the program were San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, Congresswoman Barbara Lee (CD-9), and Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates. Assemblymember Loni Hancock (CD-14), Alameda Central Labor Council Executive Director Sharon Cornu, Alameda County Supervisor Keith Carson, and Executive Secretary-Treasurer of the California Labor Foundation Art Pulaski, and a representative from Ron Dellums office were also featured speakers.

The speeches engaged the crowd, which responded with cheers, emphatic chants of "Yes We CAN," and winning smiles!!

Mayor Gavin Newson mentioned that it is was better to be here at this grand opening event than to be watching Fox News; he continued by expressing that the Republicans are out of touch with the priorities of this country. He reminded us that the future is not in front of us: the future is within us!

Mayor Tom Bates spoke about taking our country back, and now is the time to do that together. These past years have been very hard on Americans and we have a chance right now to turn that around and take our country back.

Congresswoman Barbara Lee was stirring, eloquent, and as wonderful as a speaker can possibly be. The crowd loved her--they went wild when she spoke, when she raised her arms up, they cheered. When she finished speaking, the crowd began chanting, "Barbara Lee speaks for me." I couldn't agree more--as a fellow social worker and Obama supporter, Barbara Lee definitely speaks for me!! This was my first time meeting her, and she was as lovely and genuine in person as I imagined she would be.

Our Deputy Field Director for California, the dynamic and phenomenal Peggy Moore introduced the speakers and fired up the crowd! Her comments were inspiring and it was truly impressive to see how she was able to engage with the hundreds of people gathered below in a way that felt direct and personal, as if she were speaking to each person individually.

Peggy introduced Pam Coukos, our Regional Field Director for Northern California, and Pam gave a rousing speech highlighting the work that needs to be done in the next 60 days.

Check it out:

Peggy Moore, Barbara Lee, and Pam Coukos

Iraq Veterans Against the War

2008-09-04T08:44:00.000-07:00

Around the Day in I-80 States

2008-09-01T22:41:00.000-07:00

Here's a recap of Ruby's DRIVE for change:

On Wednesday (8/19) I left Berkeley for Reno.

On Friday I left Reno for Elko.

On Saturday morning I woke up in Elko, Nevada, and drove to Salt Lake City.

After having a little snack and visiting a natural grocery store, I drove to Rawlins Wyoming. The whole way I drove on East I-80.

As a girl from Boston, I always feel a little funny driving East. It just seems like a bad idea...

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

On the way home from Denver (I left Colorado on 8/31), I mixed it up a little--I spent a night in Laramie, Wyoming and then drove to Salt Lake City for a night.

I explored the Great Salt Lake a bit more, and shot this video for you:

I drove happily WEST on I-80 through the Great Salt Flats:

Then I finally crossed over the border of Nevada and landed in Elko--which feels like home now.

Sunset out my window introduced me to shades of pink unknown to my eyes until tonight... wonderful!

America's Dream is My Dream

2008-08-30T16:03:00.000-07:00

The first night I arrived in Denver, I had a powerful dream.

I was sitting in a cafe with the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, and

I was saying to him that the most profoundly important thing he had ever said was

"The time is always right to do right."

I told him that I have adopted this as my motto in life.

Upon waking, I felt a sense of peace and righteousness that calmed any worries or petty anxieties I might have about the path laid out before me.

This was the second epiphany dream I have had featuring MLK--the first one was about 10 years ago, when I dreamed that I saw MLK in the middle of a riot, and walked over to him, prostrating myself before him and kneeling down.

He was giant-sized and seemed God-like to me. I had my hands clasped in prayer position, and he bent down and took my hands.

He lifted me up with his hands until I stood with him, our eyes met and he communicated to me without words a sense that I am worthy and my work is important--I am not just a small girl at the foot of a mythic superhero.

I am an active participant in this world,

able to enact change and work for social justice.

Today Toshi and I visited the Martin Luther King Monument in Denver's City Park.

The powerful memorial was erected in 2002.

It features statues of Dr. King, Rosa Parks, Frederick Douglass, Sojourner Truth, and Mahatma Gandhi.

Surrounding the statues in the four cardinal directions were stone carvings with a timeline of civil rights in America paired with Dr. King's words.

Within the stone carvings were these detailed depictions of the Black civil rights struggle in America. it was incredibly powerful, and neither of us were expecting to be affected as deeply as we were by this monument to Dr. King and others who have given their lives to the struggle for civil rights and social justice for all people.

Toshi and I both had strong emotional reactions to the monument and reflected on the moment, having just heard Barack Obama accept the Democratic Party's nomination for president on the anniversary of Dr. King's "I have a dream" speech and the March on Washington. When we got to the part of the monument which was inscribed with the quote about Dr. King's "four little children" living in a world where they are "judged not by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character," Toshi allowed me to interview him about his thoughts and feelings about this monument and this moment in our history:

Yesterday, we arrived at Invesco Field yesterday just as the tribute to Dr. King began. We watched the video below and I cried:

Dr. King's children spoke eloquently in support of Barack Obama. His daughter began her speech: "Tonight, freedom rings from the snow-capped mountains of Colorado..."

Martin Luther King III asserted that his father would have been so proud of Barack Obama:

America's Hope, America's Promise

2008-08-28T17:58:00.000-07:00

Tonight I was at Invesco Stadium where Barack Obama accepted the Democratic party's nomination for President of the United States!

It was amazing to be there in person to be part of history, and it was unbelievable to be one of a sea of people (84,000+ in the stadium and millions of viewers at home) supporting this phenomenal team for President and Vice-President!!

Here is a short video of the crowd going wild when Obama took the stage, so you can get a sense of what it was like to be there tonight!

Here is Barack's powerful speech, in which he outlined his platform and addressed the criticisms that the Republicans have used against him and other Democrats in the past. He did not invoke people's emotions--he spoke to our intellect and respectfully outlined the problems that Americans are facing and called for the Republicans to "own their failures" so that we can move forward together, united by a vision for an American future based on the American dream and the values this country was founded on:

I was awed and honored to be part of history tonight--it was definitely one of the highlights of my life so far. It is something I will tell my children and grandchildren about, and I feel so incredibly blessed to have been there to witness this moment in American history along with 84,000 of my closest friends!

I hope you all had the chance to watch Barack's speech live, and here's a whole new way to see it, courtesy of "Wordle" which creates these awesome collages of words (you can enter in any words and it will create a unique constellation with the biggest words being the most frequent):

It was very interesting to be there in person and then watch it on TV later--actually we watched it twice on CNN after we got home from Invesco (Toshi kept pointing to the screen during crowd shots--exclaiming, "There we are, those two little dots up there!). Some things looked better in person (the backdrop looked boring on TV but very beautiful in person; the exploding streamers looked kind of funny in person--they fell on the backdrop, the camera rigging, and obscured the view from the crowd cam--but they looked amazing on TV in the close-up shots). It was truly mind-boggling to watch the speech from our hotel room that night. We just kept looking at each other with eyes wide and mouths hanging open, "We were THERE!"

We are all part of this American moment and we all own a piece of our democracy for which we must take responsibility. As Barack Obama so eloquently stated:

"This has never been about me.
This is about YOU!"

Virtual DNC: Interviews with CD-9 Delegates

2008-08-28T02:52:00.000-07:00

Denver 2008: Democratic National Convention

CA CD-9 Delegate Fred Feller

CA CD-9 Delegate Mark Friedman

CA CD-9 Delegate Jennifer Pae

Free Speech: An American Value

2008-08-27T18:15:00.000-07:00

I have always loved a good protest (what native Cantabridgean doesn't?), and it has been sort of jarring for me to participate in this convention as a supporter rather than as a protester.

I was surprised to find myself being unhappy about protests by groups I belong/belonged to and I had to question my sense of self. I have always felt that it is righteous to oppose "the man" but now I see these people with signs and plans and bandanas, prepared for pepper spray and nightsticks, and I wonder if they will accomplish their ultimate goals by doing what they're doing. I don't know the answer but I have a lot of deep questions to ponder.

Toshi said maybe he was just feeling nostalgic for the protests of our rebellious "youth" (haha I know we're still babies in this world in the grand scheme of things), but he felt that we were standing for something important and our protests might have succeeded in accomplishing our goals (for example letting third party candidates debate with the major party candidates). I pointed out that our protests (and even our votes) did not accomplish that goal 8 years ago, and our possibly misguided efforts may have unintentionally contributed to the travesty of justice that was the 2000 Presidential election. Toshi encouraged me to consider the larger and more nuanced picture. and he's probably right. perhaps I blame myself too much. Still, I am questioning... what is the most effective strategy to create real change?

I am wondering if I am getting old or what is happening to me...

but I fully support the right of protesters to make their opinions heard.

There are many different groups here, bringing visibility to their issues and helping our democratic process by participating in the way that is natural to them.

Lots of people traveled from far away to protest the war in Iraq, especially Iraq Veterans Against the War and also Code Pink (women for peace). They will also be protesting at the RNC in the Twin Cities.

The Iraq Vets led a march of 10,000 people and delivered a statement calling on the Democratic nominee to endorse the three main goals of IVAW: Immediate withdrawal, full veterans benefits, and reparations for the Iraqi people.

Following a packed show at the Denver Coliseum where Rage Against the Machine and the Flobots encouraged the crowd to join IVAW's march, two squads of 25 IVAW members each formed up outside the venue and began marching to the Pepsi center. The squads were led by members in dress uniforms and combat uniforms, with thousands of supporters marching behind them.... Former Texas Lt Governor Ben Barnes came out of the convention to accept a letter from the IVAW members.

Smaller groups and individuals also added their voices to the outcry against this criminal and immoral war of aggression.

I cried when I saw these women with their handmade masks and signs, silently marking the memory of people lost in the Iraq war.

Some of the protests/protesters made me uncomfortable or unhappy, like these people protesting the very idea of homosexuality.

Luckily there was an awesome counter-demonstration alongside them with hundreds of pink & yellow balloons inscribed "gay." Remember, gay also means "happy" and that's how this made me feel. It was very upsetting though to look to the left and see these happy gay balloons and then to look to the right and see angry religious people. Can't we all just get along? Whatever happened to "live and let live"?

Some of the protesters had elaborate costumes and props...

Some of the protesters were just plain silly...

Some were painfully misguided...

Here's an example of some "fair and balanced" coverage (commentary by my fabulous friend Steve):

Apparently, when you refuse to speak to the obnoxious and condescending reporter from Faux News – or when you speak out against corporate media manipulation – that means you “don’t believe in freedom of speech.” At least, that’s according to Fox News’s Griff Jenkins. The protesters outside the Democratic convention in Denver give him a piece of their agitated minds; hilarity ensues:

Something else surprised me and caused me to be quite challenged personally. There were lots of anti-abortion people here with bloody pictures of fetuses, chanting about the value of life. Many of them were young women: my age, educated and otherwise just like me (there but for the grace of God go I).

I guess I had a preconceived notion that anti-abortion crusaders were mostly crusty old men with a not-so-secret agenda of controlling women's bodies and women's lives.

I was shocked and (I must admit--saddened) to see young, smart, liberated women advocating for a reduction in women's rights to regulate and control their own bodies, their reproductive rights, and to decide for themselves when is the right time to have a child. (this video shows the entrance to the Pepsi Center where the delegates were listening to the keynote speakers Weds night--the lady you can hear on the megaphone as you approach the gate was one of the leaders of this anti-abortion protest).

I can't argue whether human life is or isn't valuable--obviously it is. But I found myself sick to my stomach when I saw the blown up color photos on banners blaming Obama for abortions or labeling him a "baby-killer." I know that there is an important moral aspect to the abortion issue--it isn't just any old medical procedure, but is also isn't as simple as "bad/immoral people killing babies." Sometimes a woman's own life is at risk, sometimes she has been the victim of rape or incest, and sometimes she simply knows she is not ready or capable of being a good mother at this time. How can we value life when we are relegating those "innocent babies" we've "saved" to a lifetime of poverty, maternal resentment, and poor parenting? I am reminded of the line from a Michael Franti song, "You can make a life longer, but you can't save it."

We have to learn to live together in the middle ground and discuss the material in the grey zones, rather than just sticking to our own narrow perspectives and the scripts that come with the "pro-choice" and "pro-life" labels. Divorced from the salience of the abortion debate, I don't think any American can truly pick either life or choice--we value both!

So I have been fundamentally challenged and changed by what I've seen here, and by my own reactions to these protests. It is OK, because this is America and we are allowed to disagree with one another and still remain a country united by a commitment to free speech.

And in this new America, we are allowed to reconsider deeply held opinions in the face of new information without being called a "flip-flopper." At least I hope so.

Please join me in the new America, where it is safe to reassess preconceptions and build common ground.

Cop Watch: F*ck the police??

2008-08-27T12:27:00.000-07:00

Denver and the Twin Cities each received $50 million from the federal government for security improvements for the Democratic and Republican Conventions respectively.

Denver was literally swarming with police officers, and it was actually kind of scary for the first couple of days. Toshi and I talked to some of the cops, dressed to the nines in snazzy new riot gear, and Toshi asked what they were doing.

Lady Cop: We're here for the DNC.

Toshi: But why are you all suited up in riot gear? What are you anticipating?

Lady Cop: We're prepared for anything--most of the protesters plan to be peaceful, but some of them are not.

Toshi: It's kind of scary to see you all dressed like this, with the big clubs & extrame riot gear...

Lady Cop: That's probably a good thing!

As we walked away, I felt uneasy--people who are not breaking the law and don't plan to break the law shouldn't have to feel afraid of the police.

Only people who are doing something violent or wrong should fear the consequences.

People whom the police are supposedly protecting (participants in the DNC) should feel reassured by their presence, but the "police state" feel in the air was disquieting when we arrived on Sunday and certainly it intensified on Monday.

The rest of the week, things seemed to quiet down, and there wasn't as much intense police presence. The protesters also seemed to tone it down, and there was less of a sense that direct confrontation (rather than simply free speech) was the main goal.

Of course the police were still out and about patrolling the streets, but it didn't feel like there were hundreds of riot cops within view at all times. And the constant wailing of sirens had waned to random moments punctuated by flashing lights on police vehicles.

These bicycle cops happily posed for pictures with several convention-goers, including yours truly. They were funny, relaxed, and friendly (this was Wednesday, after things seemed to have generally cooled down).

Ultimately, all of the interactions Toshi and I had with the police were positive, with them giving me information about where to eat, where to go, and general safety tips ("Don't have your convention credentials hanging around your neck where people can snatch them" or "Get out of the street, ma'am--you're about to get run over!").

One moment when I was particularly glad to have the strong police presence was when Toshi and I encountered these 2 protests: pro-gay and anti-gay demonstrations were underway right next to one another on the 16th street mall (pedestrian street lined with shops in Downtown Denver near the convention center). Things were tense to say the least. I was getting increasingly worried as the insults flew and the F-word was liberally applied by both sides.

I suggested we get out of there--and as we left, I was so relieved to see a big squad of police officers put themselves in between the two groups of angry protesters. They put their bodies in between the two groups, so that each one could express their points without hurting someone or getting hurt. I have great respect for these officers who used their own bodies as a shield for free speech.

It makes me reconsider the lyrics of this song by one of my favorite musical artists (Michael Franti/Spearhead).

"F*ck the police! We can keep the peace.
We can make love and conquer that disease.

Because nothing in the world is impossible to me--
I can swim on dry land or roll up on the sea.

Nothing in the world is impossible to me--
you can chop off my legs and I'll land upon my feet!"

But can we keep the peace? Or do we need some help? Maybe we get by with a little help from our friends?? can the police be our friends? can "they" be part of "we"?

Our hostess Brit (a street medic) told me she was impressed with the police and the worst injuries they treated were sunscreen in the eyes and a bandaid for a cut in a Food Not Bombs kitchen. Brit said she was walking home w/2 other medics, decked out in red crosses, at 3am on night. Public transportation had shut down for the night. A police car pulled up and offered them a ride, saying "We're both neutral observers here."

When I was a kid, I used to love tagging the following graffiti:

BUT

I wrote this all over the place without considering the practical implications and without truly considering he meaning of either anarchy or peace.

Now I wonder if "anarchy but peace" is even possible?

or even desirable? (sorry black blockers!)

Or if it just something that people scrawl on bathroom walls to make ourselves feel better, to feel like we're doing something, to get a surge of powerful feelings like we are "sticking it to the man." but who is "the man" anyway? and is there a better way to change our world?

I guess I have become more critical and more of a realist since I was 13 (I sure hope so!). As I grow older, I realize how important it is for people to have limits and the necessity to have individuals and groups within society (and families) who enforce the limits for the sake of basic safety, sanitation, and respect.

People feel safer and behave better with limits: social science and lived experience bear out this conclusion. We need to know what the limits are, or we will constantly be testing them, and this constant testing without discovery of any boundaries leads people to a state of angst, anxiety, and even anger. Children and adults alike yearn to know what is OK and not OK, and we look to someone who is stronger, smarter, and safer than ourselves to show us the way.

but are the police the right people for the job? Should they be the boundary-enforcers of first resort or only used as our last resort when all else fails?

social workers are often considered a kind of social police, and I have often felt uncomfortable wih the social control aspect of my field, preferring the social justice angle.

Especially as a new and young social worker, I often find myself wondering, "Who am I to be enforcing these social norms anyway?"

Martin Luther King was often challenged by supporters and skeptics alike about his commitment to legal reforms to protect and ensure civil rights for all people. Critics said that education, not laws, were needed to truly reform people's hearts and minds. MLK agreed to a certain extent, stating that laws and education were both necessary components of the recipe to heal the racial divides in our nation. Then he stated that "the law can't make a man love me- but it can keep a man from lynching me! and I think that's pretty important too." So laws and law enforcement have an important role to play in social justice, social harmony, and the regulation of social behavior.

I don't have the answer to all this, but again I have a lot of important questions to ponder about how we can create the society we want with carefully chosen and humanely enforced limits to maintain basic safety and security for community members.

It seems to me that we do need help keeping the peace, and it is a generally good thing to have people trained to prevent problems and injuries when people are exercising their right to free speech. but of course power can breed corruption and abuse, so it is essential that police forces (especially those outfitted with powerful automatic weapons, lethal and non-lethal strategies for stopping protesters in their tracks, tear gas, and massive nightsticks) be held accountable for their actions.

This guy might disagree:

It was interesting to me to see the reaction of some of the protesters to the police presence--having personally talked to people in Bosnia, the USSR, and Nazi Germay, I don't think Denver during the DNC is anything close to what a "police state looks like" ...

The police were generally helpful and friendly unless you were doing something dangerous or pushing against the boundaries that were set up to preserve the safety of the delegates and convention attendees. With plans such as the one that DASW (Direct Action to Stop War) explained to me--trapping the delegates in wire cages as they tried to enter the convention floor for example--I think it would have been worse if these protesters were allowed to exercise their so-called "right to free speech" by usurping others' rights to move about freely. If a "police state" means stopping people from committing the crimes of assault, battery, and kidnapping against participants in the democratic process, sign me up.

Free speech is a right that does have some limits, like the way my father describes the right to smoke cigarettes:

"You're right to smoke a cigarette ends where my nose begins!"

Today I was having coffee and blogging at an internet cafe and I saw someone who looked very familiar, so I asked if he was from Berkeley--he WAS! And he came here to assist Denver's CopWatch program, which holds the police accountable for their actions by documenting what is happening, and attempts to prevent police brutality and abuses of power by being present and letting the police know that someone is watching their activities and reporting on what they are doing.

I had a great conversation with the CopWatch rep from Berkeley, as well as a local CopWatcher from Denver (video coming soon--it's a long one so it takes a while to upload; check back soon!).

They graded the cops' behavior this week as follows:

Sunday: B

Monday: F
(Rage Against the Machine Concert)

Tuesday: C

Wednesday: B+
(Iraq War Veterans March)

Thursday: B

Arriving in Denver

2008-08-24T22:53:00.000-07:00

Woke up this morning in Rawlins Wyoming and realized that I had crossed into a new timezone--go Rocky Mountain Time!!

I drove through Cheyenne (more of my favorite highway: I-80, baby!!) almost all the way to Denver!!!!

In Denver, the center of "Obama-Nation," I met up with Toshi (he flew in from Berkeley this morning). It was wonderful to see him again, and I was so glad that he was willing to trust this crazy idea and come out to Denver. I know he wont regret it!

We went to the orientation for our volunteer job with the campaign, where we discovered that they don't need our help nearly as much as we thought, so that was disappointing--I came here to help, not to sit around being a tourist. Toshi had a better attitude--he said we would use this time to explore Denver, talk with supporters and protesters, and we would paticipate in the activities of the Convention to the extent that we can. Smart guy!

Then we went over to the place we're couchsurfing with our new friends Brit and Chris. They're street medics who tend to the ailments of protesters such as pepper spray injuries, head injuries, panic attacks etc. Chris is on the left, Jamie (another friend and street medic from Olympia, Washington) is in the middle and our fantastic hostess Brit is on the right.

Really great people, definitely kindred spirits--and they have wonderful cats named Baxter and Sunflower (Sunny) who cuddle me while I sleep.

Monday night, we thought we would be watching Michelle's speech from the convention floor, but they didn't need us volunteering there and of course we didn't have the credentials to get in ourselves (someone outside had a sign that said: "Got HOPE, but no CREDENTIALS")...

so Toshi found another amazing thing to do...

We drove out to Red Rocks (natural ampitheater near Denver) for a film festival called "Cinemocracy."

One of my favorite CDs was recorded by Dave Matthews Band "Live at Red Rocks" and I had always imagined coming here someday to see and experience it for myself. This was one of the little blessings of being "not needed" to volunteer at the convention.

We took a great hike around the very red rocks and amazing formations that create this unique landscape, and we stopped for a snack and a chat in this cozy little rock formation.

Surrounded by this incredible natural beauty, we had what I can only describe as a "conversation of our lives," which ranged from our dreams to our hopes to our fears and how to overcome them.

I feel so blessed to have had the chance to experience this incredible environment and to have shared it with someone I love and care about so deeply.

The "Cinemocracy" film festival was sponsored by the DNC and featured short (5 minute) films by average Americans which were submitted a few months ago--the top 10 films and several "honorable mentions" were played at the film fest at Red Rocks.

The film fest opened with an awesome film called "Downtown Denver 2008" which was created by the Denver Host Committee of the DNC. In addition to being a beautiful and invigorating view of Denver and its people, we recognized someone we know!!

Watch the film and notice the dude in a cap (with the bill flipped up) sitting on a bench at about 2 minutes and 8 seconds into the film: That is CHRIS, whom we just met (If you forget what Chris loos like, just scroll up to check out the photo--he's wearing the same awesome hat in both the pic above and the video below)!!

So we were jumping out of our seats and pointing and squealing when we saw him on the big screen. It was so exciting--we only know 2 people in all of Denver, and here was one of them right in the video only 2 minutes into the film festy!! It was definitely a sign that we're in the right place, doing the right things, with the right people.

These two were my favorites; they weren't the #1 winners and I don't know why:

IF YOU REALLY KNEW ME

Directed by Betsy Leighton, Denver, CO

WHAT IS DEMOCRACY?

Directed by 5th graders: Skelly Aggett-Carosella, Ivar Cloudshadow, Trevor Green, Gabe Greenberg, Noah Greenwald, Jade Hunter, Aidan McGinnis, Izaiah Read, Sienna Richert & Emma Wilson, Boulder, CO

These were the other films, which ranged from the silly to the sublime:

CINEMA+(DEM)OCRACY=CINEMOCRACY – Alan Dominquez, Denver, CO
DEMOCRACY: A MARRIAGE – Isha Aran, Lakewood, CO
DEMOCRACY: A STEADY LOVING CONFRONTATION – Jen Saffron, Pittsburgh, PA
DEMOCRACY IS A SPECTACLE – Joseph Le Sac, Tacoma, WA
DEMOKRATIA – Josh Massaro, Isaac Ramos, Melissa Lane & John Knauf, Highlands Ranch, CO
SUNRISE – Robert Florescu & Sylvia Florescu, Denver, CO
THE RIGHT TO HAVE A VOICE – Jessica Rosenberger & Austin Tally, Chicago, IL
YOU CAN’T EAT FREEDOM – Martin Higgins, Lonetree, CO

The Nevada State fair

2008-08-22T21:59:00.000-07:00

I had an amazing time at the Nevada State Fair these past few days!!

It was in Reno and it had tons of great activities which I'll describe in as much detail as I can below:

There was a whole area where baked goods were displayed. I was quite inspired by the castle cake.

There was an Indiana Jones cake which was beautiful and quite realistic (the cake was shaped like Indiana Jones--with the hat & everything, just like a doll made out of cake), but someone had touched it or something and Indy's torso began falling over. I offered to help the man who was propping Indy up, but he said he was all set. I was impressed by the creativity of the home arts that were displayed at the fair.

There were the most exquisite quilts!!

My pictures will never be able to do them justice.

This one is a fabulous quilted map of Reno.

I believe it won one of the awards.

When I was walking through the quilt exhibit, I thought of my Auntie Rita and my mom and so I took a lot of pictures, but none of them measure up to the intricacy of detail and the care that was taken in the creation of these handmade quilts.

It was inspiring and tears came to my eyes when I looked up close at the tiny stitches in delicate patterns, the essence of quilting made clear by the elegant simplicity of a woman with a needle and thread and time and work.

I saw tons of beautiful animals and funny animals and oh so many bunnies!!

The animals were raised by children and young people and families. it was awesome to see how well the animals were cared for and how much their caretakers loved them.

They raise and breed the bunnies for pets and treat them kindly. the bunnies were relaxed and tame, letting tons of strangers pet them.

I could tell they were healthy bunnies and happy bunnies, even the ones who were slated for the dinner plate eventually.

Although I do have to admit that it took quite a bit of self-control not to buy these trios of bunnies that were for sale in the "meat pen."

I dearly love my parents and I am so grateful that they let me have bunnies when I was growing up; it was such an important part of my childhood. But being at the fair, I did feel jealous of these girls who were allowed to breed and keep and show their rabbits--maybe I'm really a Nevada girl at heart?

There were stupendous sheep and goats. The sheep were shorn very close and they looked quite sophisticated.

These goats on the other hand, were not going for the "sophisticated" look.

I even got to pet a baby alligator--it was very scary, and it felt cool and kind of smooth and hard. It was just walking around on the floor of the events center, with some little boys who were the caretakers (supervised by adults of course).

The boys were the ones actually handling the alligator and helping other kids and scared people like me interact safely with the alligator. This boy carefully instructed me on how to pet the alligator on its body, not its head, tail, or legs.

I volunteered at the Washoe County Democrats booth at the fair, with Michelle (left) and Cheryl (right). The two volunteers in the middle were awesome, and they walked around the fair registering voters while the rest of us worked the booth.

We distributed information about the local Democratic candidates and about Barack Obama's Campaign for Change. We gave out Obama stickers, buttons, and signs (which I donated thanks to Toshi!!) and registered voters. We also had fabulous merchandise, including this adorable donkey. I got 2 wine glasses and a corkscrew inscribed "Turn Nevada Blue!" since we'll need something to celebrate with in Denver!

Cheryl also took me all around the fair and taught me lots of interesting things abut Nevada and the local area, as well as the wildlife and earthquakes. She was so kind and took her time telling me all of the things I wanted to know about all kinds of things from voter registration to snakes' skin.

Michelle was also wonderful and she gave me great advice about the drive I was about to embark upon--she warned me about the last places to get gas and food and to go pee. and now that I'm on the other side of the long drive, I so deeply appreciate her advice. She also spent a good deal of time helping me learn about voter registration processes in Nevada and answered all my questions.

The Republicans also had a booth, but they weren't staffing it a lot of the time. So we registered a lot of Republican voters too. One couple came to our booth and the women marched right up t us, smiling. She said, "I'm the Democrat; he's the Republican," pointing to her husband who was hanging back sceptically. Beaming, she continued, "We visited the other booth, so now we're coming over to see you!"

There was something about that moment that felt so moving and profound to me. I can't exactly explain it, but it made me fall more deeply in love with this country and its people.

Right across from their booth was this army recruitment booth . there was no one at the booth; or I would have given them a piece of my mind.

they did have a hummer though. it made me mad.

They displayed this vehicle for people to romanticize what my friend veteran (of the 1st Iraq War) Dave described as hellish living for months with other men in a HumV just like this one in scorching heat.

I can't see a hummer without thinking of Dave.

as I was standing there thinking about Dave and what I would say to whomever was supposed to be staffing this booth, I noticed that the hummer said "YES YOU CAN!" in big letters on the side. and then i got really mad and had to walk away.

NO we can't--we can't continue this expansion of military service as the only choice for rural and poor people to try to build a life for themselves. we have to offer the youth or America other choces to build their skills without risking their lives. and America must change our attitude towards war, militarism, violence, and we must reexamine the ease with which we have authorized wars in which thousands of America's children have been slain, mutilated, and traumatized.

we can't continue to treat the youth of America like a commodity easily sacrificed for profit or domination.

Luckily chickens also make me think about Dave, in a happier way--because Dave loves CHICKENS. he would have been in chicken heaven at the fair! Here's chix pix for my friend Chicken Dave.

After the fair, I drove to Elko in Northeastern Nevada. Before I left, I saw this mural with the heading:

Dedicated in all humility to those who blazed the trail

Along the way, I stopped in Puckerbrush, Nevada for gas. check it out!
I arrived in Elko at my Motel 6 and it was wonderful. The woman staffing the place was so helpful and I really did feel at home in my room.

I was comfortable and happy, and I was able to use the internet which is always fun and which is how you're getting all these great pictures!

After a night in Elko, it's on to Utah and Wyoming.

A big driving day tomorrow!

Safe Arrival: The World's Biggest Little City

2008-08-20T23:18:00.000-07:00

I left Berkeley, CA this afternoon (from the East Bay Headquarters) and picked up my fabulous carpooler Ella.

Ella and I both grew up in cities on the East Coast, and so nether of us had experienced many State Fairs and we were both so excited to check it out!

Before I left on this trip, I had lunch with my dear friend Sarah and she was laughing at me because I was gushing about how exotic and amazing the state fair sounds to me ("They have championship wiener dog races, Sarah--actual statewide CHAMPIONSHIPS!!!" I exclaimed). She was amazed at how little I had been exposed to this culture which was quite "boring" and familiar to her and how truly fascinated I was by the very things she thought were totally lame....

Me: "What exactly is a tractor pull, anyway?"

Sarah (whipping out her trusty blackberry): "You know, that's something I've always avoided since it sounded so boring; but you're excited and now I'm curious-- Let's look it up"
(this is one reason I love Sarah--one reason among many)

Sarah (quoting wikipedia): "A competition using tractors and large trucks to pull a heavy drag along a 'track': tractor pulling is very popular in rural areas. Usually the drag offers progressively greater resistance as it is pulled. It can be a great spectacle, and although the vehicle produces a great deal of noise and smoke and throws dirt everywhere, it doesn't actually travel very far."

Then Sarah and I cracked up laughing and I nearly had corn chowder come out of my nose--not pretty!

So now I am seriously fired up and ready for tractors!

We made it to Reno after about 4 hours of driving and went straight to the Obama office. It was a nice space, with lots of little offices and a larger meeting area. They were running a training which looked very interesting and was quite well-attended, but we rushed off excitedly to the Nevada State Fair.

So Ella and I arrived at the fair and we didn't see any tractors, but we did see a bunch of horses and cows and sheep and snakes and cool rides and guys in cowboy hats and Republicans and corn dogs and even some vegetables! We took a short stroll around to get oriented and had a snack (OK, truth be told: Ella had the veggies and I had a hot dog--a guilty pleasure but perfect at the fair).

We registered voters at the booth shared by the Obama folks and the Washoe County Democrats. The women staffing the booth were so kind to us and spent time talking us through the Nevada voter reg process and pointed out some important things that are different from California. For example, in CA when a felon finishes his parole, s/he is automatically eligible to register to vote, but in Nevada people have to request something allowing them to reregister to vote after a felony conviction and it takes several months to be approved. Another example of a difference is that in Nevada there is "Early Voting" which starts October 18th, which we don't have in California. And they have slightly different forms here...

Anyway, tons of fun!! and more to come. Just wanted to let you all know I'm safe and sound, sleeping in a family home in Sparks (outside Reno, kind of a suburb I guess--very nice neighborhood with beautiful houses and yards). My host family is so nice and gracious--they are Obama supporters and they actually volunteered at a recent event that Obama had for invited guests (250 people I think) from the labor/union community). One of my favorite things about the Obama campaign is the opportunity to meet such amazing and excellent human beings--no one joins this movement for the glory or to feed their ego--we do it because we are moved to do so. We are all just doing our part of the work that we all know needs to be done. Tonight I will fall asleep feeling profoundly grateful and proud to be part of this positive change.

Denver or BUST!

2008-08-19T19:24:00.000-07:00

I'm volunteering at the DNC Convention in Denver this year!!

I'm super-excited, and I decided to spend time before and after the convention campaigning for Obama in some fabulous "red" (purple!) states.

I'll be driving from Berkeley, CA through Nevada and Utah and Wyoming, door-knocking and registering voters along the way. Here's my itinerary (click on the points to see the details):

View Larger Map

If this looks like fun to you... there's good news! I have room in my car for a couple solid Obama fans. I can pick you up if you live near my route, and we can rock the northwest US for Obama together. Click here to learn more about how to sign up to travel with me.

I'm hoping that local Obama supporters will help me to make this campaign trip a great success. I've asked for help with housing and local orientation. If you think you might be able to help, please click here to learn more about how we can help each other to get Obama into the White House!

My first stop will be the Nevada State Fair in Reno!!! Voter registration, wiener-dog races, and Republicans for Obama, oh my!

Obama Cart: From Divide to Unity

2008-08-09T11:44:00.000-07:00

From Divide to Unity for Obama is raising money for the campaign and raising awareness by pulling an Obama Cart through small towns in battleground states. The journey started in Divide, Montana and the destination is Unity, New Hampshire!

The Cart has already attracted a lot of attention and has been featured by local media. Click here for local coverage in Butte Montana.

‘Pullers’ wanted By Erin Nicholes - 08/01/2008

ANACONDA — Bill Johnson was trolling a Barack Obama campaign Web site when he spotted a trade opportunity.

Obama fan Cheryl Souza, of Boston, was selling bookmarks to raise money for the presumed Democratic nominee’s presidential campaign. And Johnson, of Anaconda, was selling Obama signs from the ends of old cable spools.

“I agreed to trade her,” he said Friday.

But when the costs of shipping the sign to the East proved steep, the two brainstormed for a creative solution.

“I said, ‘You should really just wheel it cross-country,’” Souza said Friday in a phone interview. “He said, ‘OK.’ He just took it and ran with it.” On Friday, a cart Johnson made of three Obama signs will begin a long journey towards Souza from Montana to New Hampshire. Specifically, it will head from Divide to Unity, N.H., a route chosen to illustrate Obama supporters’ hopes for the country’s political future.

“This is such an ‘Obamanation’ thing going on,” Souza laughed. “We just get in over our heads.” The journey starts Friday at 5 p.m. at Divide — also Johnson’s hometown. From there, it will head to Butte, traveling down Iron and Montana to Interstate 90 at about 6:30 p.m. It will then journey on to Bozeman, Billings, North Dakota and ultimately New Hampshire.

“He found a way to connect Divide with New Hampshire, going through swing states,” Souza said.

Obama supporters along the route are sought to pull the cart, even for short legs. It has a hitch, and can travel about 20 miles an hour.

“We’re getting people slowly,” Johnson said, adding Obama campaign staff is helping find pullers. “Montana and North Dakota are the biggest problems because we have 100 miles between towns. Once we get it to Minnesota, then there are towns along the way.” Johnson, a local school board member, said he became an Obama supporter after hearing the candidate speak at the Democratic Convention four years ago.

“When Obama made his speech to the Democratic Convention I thought, ‘Oh boy, there’s a guy who’s saying what I’m saying,’” he said. “We need a rational and intelligent person; someone who’s familiar with the Constitution.” Souza, an ichthyology faculty assistant at Harvard University, is a longtime Obama fan as well. She frequents the candidate’s official campaign site and comes up with projects, such as bookmarks, to raise money for his presidential bid.

The Obama cart, she said, will be prominently displayed in her area.

“It might end up in the garden at my home,” she said. “But if I can find a taker in Unity, N.H., it would be really nice if I could find a permanent resting spot there.” Meanwhile, anyone interested in volunteering to pull the cart along the route can e-mail Bill Johnson at dividemt@aol.com.

“Even short 10-mile pulls” are welcome, he said.

Here is what Obama Cart recipient Cheryl Souza posted about the event:

We need folks from: Montana, North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire. Mostly battleground states.

For You to bring Obama Cart from Divide, Montana to Unity, NH! With Publicity

Bill Johnson is regularly updating his blog with the progress of the cart as it makes its way from his home in Divide, Montana to its new home in Unity, New Hampshire.

We started in Butte and ran the cart down Montana Street past the TV station (KXLF) and had what I thought was a great interview. Discussed why I am supporting Senator Obama and also some school board issues (I serve on the school board in Anaconda). I did not get to see any newscasts, so I am unsure of how the editing went. If anyone wants to go to the station and look, they usually post all of their video on the web site. They may not have used the interview last night, so check back tonight if it isn't there yet.
While my daughter and I were pulling the cart down Montana street, a middle aged man in a pickup yelled at us. He then pulled into a parking lot across the street and continued yelling. After a few seconds of that he gave us the finger and, while he continued his rage, drove away. It is the first time in my life of almost 58 years that I had that kind of hate directed against me. "Kind of stupid," was my first thought. That a simple sign could set off such a rage is pretty sad. What is sadder is the fact that some Americans have to put up with that kind of nonsense every day. I got a chuckle out of it, but later realized that he could have posed a danger to my daughter and myself. TV cameras came out just seconds after he left, so that may have encouraged him to leave. I have to say, though, I am proud to be on the side I am when it comes to such people. Now, let me add, McCain and his campaign do not support such bigotry either.
Then my wife and I took the cart to Bozeman...
Now, I believe this is the finest idea I have ever had. This cart attracts attention from everyone who passes and the media love it. Small town news-people love to have some contact with the national campaigns, just as us folks do. The press response is unbelievable. The cart provides a good positive visual image for the campaign (except of course for the above gentleman) and it is a real hoot to pull and talk to all the curious people.

Straight Talk Indeed

2008-08-09T11:38:00.000-07:00

Apparently John McCain has a crush on Obama too! (see more)

The "Straight Talk Express" was seen sporting an Obama endorsement

To order your own Barack Obama '08 Bumper Sticker so your vehicle can look as good as John McCain's bus, click here.

10 Posts in 10 Weeks

2008-07-30T10:19:00.000-07:00

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!"

View Larger Map

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?

2008-07-28T17:19:00.000-07:00

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

Service: The Core of Change

2008-07-27T15:30:00.000-07:00

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!!

2008-07-27T12:28:00.000-07:00

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!!!

2008-07-26T23:11:00.000-07:00

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

2008-07-24T23:50:00.000-07:00

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!

2008-07-24T10:04:00.000-07:00

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

2008-07-24T09:10:00.000-07:00

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

2008-07-23T22:04:00.000-07:00

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

2008-07-23T14:49:00.000-07:00

Picnic/Rally in Montclair (Aug 17th)

2008-07-23T12:04:00.000-07:00

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

2008-07-23T11:24:00.000-07:00

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

2008-07-22T18:56:00.000-07:00

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

2008-07-22T16:32:00.000-07:00

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

2008-07-21T18:08:00.000-07:00

Let's Take Our Country Back RIGHT NOW!

2008-07-19T20:26:00.000-07:00

Obama on 60 Minutes

2008-07-19T18:22:00.001-07:00

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!

2008-07-19T18:12:00.000-07:00

Democratic Primaries Victory Speech

2008-07-18T14:54:00.001-07:00

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!

2008-07-16T10:49:00.000-07:00

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

2008-07-15T14:01:00.000-07:00

Obama "Theme Song"

Obama Bloggers North, East, South & West

2008-07-15T11:07:00.000-07:00

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

2008-07-14T16:45:00.000-07:00

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!

2008-07-14T13:28:00.000-07:00

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

2008-07-13T22:58:00.000-07:00

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!

2008-07-13T15:38:00.000-07:00

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:

Anyone can register voters (you don't have to be a citizen or 18+, and you can be a parolee)
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)
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?

"I'm F*cking Obama"

2008-07-13T14:13:00.000-07:00

When I stumbled upon this on YouTube, I laughed so hard. So begging your pardon for the profanity and obvious ridiculous and inappropriate content, I'll post this video so you can share in my totally immature amusement.

In case you haven't seen the videos this is spoofing ("I'm F*ucking Matt Damon" by Sarah Silverman and "I'm F*cking Ben Affleck" by Jimmy Kimmel)--this video won't be as funny without the context.

Won't Back Down

2008-07-13T13:55:00.000-07:00

OK I'm not a huge Tom Petty fan, but this particular song has had a prominent place in this election so far... with Hillary Clinton blasting it at her rallies at the tail end of the primary season...

So I happened to find these two videos. The first one focuses on Barack Obama's campaign with some really fantastic photos (apparently they are all from google image searching and barackobama.com). Anyway, very powerful:

And the second one focuses on the American story, how we as a people won't back down. It culminates with an excerpt from MLK's speech "I've been to the mountaintop."

"You can stand me up at the gates of hell, but I WON'T BACK DOWN!
No, I'll stand my ground, won't be turned around.
and I'll keep this world from dragging me down
Gonna stand my ground

and I WON'T BACK DOWN!"

CHAOS is no match for HOPE

2008-07-10T14:18:00.000-07:00

Some of you may remember "Operation CHAOS" as the secret CIA operation to spy on Americans in order to "unmask possible foreign influences on the student antiwar movement." It targetted groups like Students for a Democratic Society with surveillance and moles, and Operation CHAOS was disbanded after the Watergate scandal. I wish it had ended there, but a new revival of the term "Operation Chaos" invokes a related mockery of the Constitution and the democratic process.

I had hoped that this unfortunately named and misguided practice would have faded by now, but is doesn't seem to be going away... so I'd like to take a few minutes to introduce you to the contemporary "Operation Chaos."

As some of you may know, Rush Limbaugh has encouraged his "followers" to subscribe to "Operation Chaos," which intends to sabotage Barack Obama's candidacy for the US Presidency.

During the first phase, Rush encouraged Republicans to vote for Hillary Clinton in the Democratic primaries (to drag out the races and stick it to Obama). It seems as though this may have had an impact in some states:

For a party that loves to hate the Clintons, Republican voters have cast an awful lot of ballots lately for Senator Hillary Clinton: About 100,000 GOP loyalists voted for her in Ohio, 119,000 in Texas, and about 38,000 in Mississippi, exit polls show. (quote from Talking Points Memo).

Rush sent this via email to the SF Chronicle:

''I'm extremely proud of the Operation Chaos volunteers. I never doubted they would triumph in Indiana and I think it is a hoot the Obama campaign is crediting Op Chaos for giving Hillary a 7-point bump. It sounds like they are jealous I out-organized them.''

''I think it was a couple days after the PA primary, I said on air that if the Obama campaign wanted to end Operation Chaos, all they had to do was acknowledge it and say that the Hillary vote was tainted by voters who have no intention of voting for her in November.''
''Tonight, they followed my advice.''

Then why didn't "Operation Chaos" stop??

On his show, Rush gloated about the "success" of Operation Chaos:

And I would also say that McCain would have never have done this and the Republican National Committee, Republican Party would have never done this, which is why we did it.

We needed Obama bloodied up politically.

A "proud liberal blogger" posted this content originally from Democratic Underground.com about the underlying attitude of "Operation Chaos":

'Operation Chaos' seems to have been the Republican approach to dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

'Operation Chaos' seems to have been the Republican approach to the occupation of Iraq.

And 'Operation Chaos' seems to have been the Republican approach to the economy.

In fact, 'Operation Chaos' seems to have been the Republican approach to governing in general."

One blogger responded to Hillary Clinton's extremely close win in Indiana (where Operation Chaos has been identified by some as a pivotal factor) with this:

Rush Limbaugh and Operation Chaos have almost extinguished my candle of faith in America. However, Obama has said that there is no false hope in America.

And that is what I keep my mind set on.

Apparently there was some talk about indicting Rush for his role in messing with the democratic process in Ohio, but as far as I know, nothing has come of it except Rush joking about it on his show, even calling for the indictment of Obama and Clinton if Limbaugh himself were indicted.

The grounds for indictment: Hillary and Barack were courting Republican voters to vote for them in the Democratic primaries, so Rush felt they were really doing the same thing... Of course the difference is that Hillary and Barack are courting voters who might actually want to vote for them; Rush is tampering with the electoral process by encouraging voters to vote for a candidate they don't want in order to wrangle the outcome of the Presidential election.

Limbaugh's meddling is the epitome of "voter fraud", according to Michael Slater of Project Vote, a nonpartisan group that designs voter registration drives for low-income people:

"GOP meddling in the Ohio Democratic Primary was a clear-cut example of fraudulent voting.... Here we have a real instance of spurring people on to engage in illegal election activities with a real intent to affect the outcome...

"That is voter fraud. People were encouraged to break the law. They had to declare allegiance to a political party and sign a document under penalty of perjury.

Intent is what matters in voter fraud."

Seriously, Rush Limbaugh should be prosecuted for election fraud. In case you're interested, here is some more info about what is not legal about what Rush is doing ("Electoral Fraud"):

Coercing votes from persons who would normally vote for another candidate or would not vote at all, but who are nevertheless eligible to vote.

And what was illegal about the Republican voters who took part in this travesty of democracy:

Changing parties: Voters (in elections for party leader) who change membership of parties in order to elect a weaker candidate to run against the leader of their original party.

Since clearly there was no response to hold Rush and his croonies responsible for this travesty of justice and hijacking of democracy, Rush is charging on ahead with further plans for more chaos.

He just announced the second phase of "Operation Chaos" which continues this unconscionable attack on the democratic process.

"Limbaugh, who is now referring to the presumptive Democratic nominee as "the Most Merciful Messiah, Lord Obama," urged his audience to attend open meetings at which the Democratic platform will be discussed."

Rush wants his supporters to infiltrate the meetings in which Obama supporters will collaborate to define the issues in the Democratic platform and create chaos. This to me is despicable!

"Trolls" have also been all over Barack Obama's official campaign website, posting nasty comments and even posing as disheartened former Obama supporters in order to drag down the energy of the movement. This is all very sad and pathetic. When I look at John McCaint's campaign website, 90% of the content is negative crap about Obama and cheap (often untrue or falsely based) attacks with lots of ridiculous photoshopped pics. But Barack Obama's campaign website features the positive message of the Senator from Illinois and hardly even mentions his opponent.

One Republican for Obama expressed frustration with the Operation Chaos activity on barackobama.com:

I am so sick of the FAKE Obama supporters posting their negativity on the site.... I am sick of hearing the news that even Obama supporters are against him. The fact is the true Obama supporters are not against him.

We have a bunch of FAKE supporters on this site, logging on just so they can say ... "I used to like Obama, but he didn't wear a white shirt today ... so I don't like him anymore."
This is absolutely ridiculous ... face it people ... you have two choices for President ... Obama or McCain ... so get over your petty nonsense. Obama has to appeal to more people than just you.

Here is one (very smart) supporter's post on Republicans for Obama blog:

I've noticed a trend lately. McCain supporters have been hopping onto the [mybarackobama.com] lists, posing as Obama supporters, and posting something along the lines of, "I was an Obama supporter until Obama xxxxxx."
Usually it's emotional and divisive issues, like the FISA Bill, abortion, separation of church and state, etc. Unfortunately, Obama supporters respond to these trolls with defensive and emotional responses. The troll wins and the group members lose. This success emboldens the trolls, creating a downward spiral. Then, when a true Obama supporter expresses an opinion that someone else disagrees with, people respond negatively due to the highly charged emotions caused by the conflicts.

I have developed a mantra to repeat when you see this happening:

I do not have to respond to every post I disagree with.
I am not personally responsible for defending Barack Obama against every attack.
The campaign will be fine even with people disagreeing in this or any group.
I will not let someone else's emotional post force me into an emotional response.
I like the Delete key.
I am one with the Delete key.
What Would Obama Do?
Try it, it works! Get the "What Would Obama Do?" wrist band if you need help - you can even snap it as a physical reminder when you mess up, as we all do from time to time. It's a few bucks, net proceeds go to the campaign, and your heart will thank you for it!

I say we take our message from our leader:
Meet Chaos with HOPE!

Let's launch "OPERATION HOPE" in living rooms, streets, schools, and all over America!

Let's put our positive message out there, and let's accept any "trolls" or "Operation Chaos infiltrators" with open arms. They aren't really "trolls" after all--they're people just like us who are doing what they feel is right.

Dear Operation Chaos:

There is a place for you at our table.
There is enough HOPE and CHANGE for you.

Everyone is valued here,
and disagreements are natural.

We can still work together.

Obama's campaign put out a set of simple guidelines for supporters who encounter "Operation Chaos" folks in their platform meetings, events, or online (I found this on a blog post, which you can access here).

Discussion and Decisions: Everyone's Voice Counts

Make sure that everyone's voice is heard.
Respect everyone's point of view.
You can disagree agreeably.
Do NOT get into heated arguments with people, even if you think they are outrageous or out of bounds.
Debate can be cordial and respectful.

Don't Get Mad -- Stay Focused

We're not here to get goaded or baited.
Always take the high road.
Disagreeable people will be asked to leave, politely.
You can be passionate about a policy. We want you to care.
Just respect the rights of others to be equally passionate in their viewpoints, however different.

*** Remember every Republican or Independent may NOT be part of "Operation Chaos."

Don't alienate.

Why Republicans Want to Vote for Obama

2008-07-10T09:46:00.000-07:00

With disappointment in the Bush Administration increasing steadily over the past 8 years, many Republicans have grown skeptical of their party and have expressed an interest in the practical and bipartisan policies espoused by Barack Obama. Several organized groups have formed to support Obama's election to the US Presidency. There are groups on mybarackobama.com as well as myspace and elsewhere.

Republicans for Obama is a group of Republican supporters of Obama, with about 600 members. Their group description is here:

As registered members of the Republican Party, many of us have felt consistently disheartened by our party's reluctance to work with opposition parties to foster workable solutions to issues in America today. We believe wholeheartedly in the founding principles of the GOP - we simply do not believe the GOP does anymore. We am now, and likely always will be, proud conservatives.

Despite these differing political views, We believe that Barack Obama has the capability to unite this country and find capable solutions to the problems America faces in the world today. Barack Obama has restored our faith in the possibilities of American politics, and American politicians.

We respect Barack Obama, and his will to fight without compromise against idleness in American politics. We believe in Barack Obama, and his ability to help the hard-working American citizens in our cities. We have faith in Barack Obama, and his desire to save this country from its governmental failings.

Republicans and Conservatives for Obama states their purpose simply:

We haven't had a non-divisive candidate with integrity who can communicate with all of us since Ronald Reagan. This is our chance to find out if we can vote in the Democratic primary in our states, since the Democratic nominee will become the next president. We all know it.

Conservatives and moderates alike are flocking to Obama because of his effective coalition-building and practical collaborative strategies.

One member of Reformed Republicans for Obama (which has about 300 members) put it this way:

Many moderates are disheartened by the extreme positions taken by the vocal elements of the parties. This is why moderates so often go unheard--and think that they cannot have an impact on the process. But the truth is, there are a lot of us who consider ourselves moderate, and want a political system that seeks consensus through rational thought and discussion.

I am struck by the number of times the word "disheartened" enters the discussions of Republican support for Obama. Many Republicans feel that their party did not serve their interests or the greater interests of the country at large during the Bush Administration. Government has been expanded to unprecedented levels, security and America's position in the world are threatened, taxes and gas prices are climbing, and middle class Americans are reeling from the housing crisis.

Many Republicans for Obama are furious about the way that patriotism and fear were distorted to lead this country into war with Iraq. The egregious spending of American tax dollars combined with the overall futility of the WMD search and the young servicemen and women coming home everyday in bodybags has soured the Republican position on the war and the Administration's "foreign policy" with Iraq.

They are legitimately afraid of what will happen next if their own party retains the White House. Many Republicans and conservatives echo the sentiments of this Republicans for Obama Member:

One of the reasons I am supporting Obama is his promise to change our World strategy. Right now, the Bush Administration is shamelessly unleashing Isreal to incite Iran into making a false step. No doubt, the Bush Administration is positioning itself to make its own move on Iran in the right circumstance.
This is straight from a conservative's mouths to your ears. I have had enough of Bush's bull****. We need to petition our Congressmen and women to either revoke the wartime powers act, or impeach him. What we are doing over there is absolutely wrong, and what he is preparing to do to Iran on the eve of a pivotal US election is more than shameful, its tyrannical.

Republicans, independents, and democrats alike agree that we are not better off now than 8 years ago. We are individually and collectively much worse, and it will take some serious work to climb out of this hole the Bush Administration has dug for us.

A member of another Republicans for OBAMA group said this:

Look, I'm a WASP who has traditionally voted Republican or for Perot so that is where I'm coming from. Rev. Jesse Jackson's comments about wanting to cut off Obama's nuts today make Obama a stronger candidate in my opinion.
Why?
Because Jackson's comments were because he doesn't like Obama [challenging] African-American men to take responsibility. It is obvious that the government needs to recognize and take initiatives to help African-Americans and others who are trapped in poverty. But! and this is an important BUT. All Americans regardless of race, religion or income need to stand up and take responsibility for making this country great again. Too many of us are concerned with what the government will do for us in terms of tax cuts, lowering the price of energy, saving the environment, improving the country's education system, etc. But our government can't fix these problems unless all of us get engaged and do our part.
Obama recognizes this and he is asking all of us to get engaged. He asks parents to get involved and make sure our children get educated, our younger generation to perform service for the greater good, for all of us to be more tolerant of each other and on and on. Oh and yes, he asks African-American dads to step up and be real dads. In my opinion this is the natural extension of Obama's message to all Americans to stand up and make a difference in both our own lives but our neighbors lives as well. Excusing any sector of our population whether it be based on race, religion, age or income level only erodes his message.
Respectfully, Rev Jackson doesn't get this because his whole life has been working toward improving the lives a portion of all Americans while Obama message is improving all Americans' lives. Obama's message crosses over to all Americans which is why he has such tremendous support amongst all Americans not just among African-Americans.

Obama is seen by many in this country as a force who can unite the seemingly disparate elements of society and bring forth a new breed of American politics based on values like honesty, respect, and collaboration.

In Obama's speech in Kansas on "Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream," he began by telling his "only in America" story. It is the story of a Kenyan immigrant and a Kansas farmgirl who fell in love and married despite the fact that miscegenation was still a felony in many states, about how Barack was raised, how he came to be a community organizer on Chicago's South Side:

Our family's story is one that spans miles and generations; races and realities. It's the story of farmers and soldiers; city workers and single moms. It takes place in small towns and good schools; in Kansas and Kenya; on the shores of Hawaii and the streets of Chicago. It's a varied and unlikely journey, but one that's held together by the same simple dream.

And that is why it's American.

That's why I can stand here and talk about how this country is more than a collection of Red States and Blue States - because my story could only happen in the United States.

That's why I believe that we are not as divided as our politics suggests; that the dream we share is more powerful than the differences we have - because I am living proof of that ideal....

We are not as divided as our politics suggest. Yes, we disagree. Yes, we have interests and ideologies that don't always align. Yes, we have real differences.

But the biggest divide in America today is not between its people, it is between its people and their leaders in Washington, DC.... That is where the real division lies - in a politics that echoes through the media and seeps into our culture - the kind that seeks to drive us apart and put up walls where none exist.

It's the politics that tells us that those who differ from us on a few things are different from us on all things; that our problems are the fault of those who don't think like us or look like us or come from where we do. The welfare queen is taking our tax money. The immigrant is taking our jobs. The gay person must be immoral, and the believer must be intolerant.

Well we are here to say that
this is not the America we believe in
and this is not the politics we have to accept anymore.

Not this time. Not now.

This content below was taken from Ben Smith's Blog...Courtesy of Andrew Sullivan--but I actually got it from American Politics-so you can chase the links if you wanna:

Boo! Im a Republican. Yes, you have found yourself in the company of a man who wears button down Oxfords, who flies his flag every holiday and prides himself in a neatly mowed lawn.

But something happened in the last few years that has brought me here to this campaign... my party changed.

Where once was a belief in the power of the individual, came a heavy, overbearing government that dared to challenge how people should live their lives.

And then came the war. Where once I viewed the party as one who ended wars and focused on balanced budgets and living the American dream, there was now one that started one and leveraged our dreams with debt.

And then came the loss of privacy. Where once there was the belief in live and let live, there was now a strange curiosity on the part of the government, to peer into the most private parts of our lives. Where once was a party with a rather sunny disposition came one that was dark, glowering and saw the future as a threat ... a place to be fortified ... where dreams had to be put aside to allow in, the harsh realities of our times.

I wanted to dream again. I wanted to crawl out of the cave that that day in September drove us to. I want to fly my flag not for our fallen soldiers but for our ideals again, I want to befriend my neighbors, be they black or white, gay or straight, Catholic, Muslim, Christian, or Jew.

I want to think that tomorrow can be better than today. I want to live free. I want to walk down a street anywhere in the world knowing that I come from a country that is admired and is a force for good.

I heard the words of Barack Obama on one cold day in January, broadcast from the frozen fields of Iowa. And it was like the wind - a chinook wind that seemed to melt away the dark and cold that was offered up by candidates from both parties. And it was like the sun - with warming words that spoke of not taking it to the Republicans with anger or revenge, but getting them to join up in something bigger than a political party ... a political force.

It dared to look at things differently like having the audacity to talk to everyone... even those we do not like be they Republicans or Iranians.

It came with an easy smile and words that made you believe it was all possible. It made me feel proud to be American again.

So here I am. Boo! And there are other Republicans in the room too.

Yes, we are a bit out of our sorts. But like you and the millions of other Democrats and Independents, we too want to believe in something again that is not weighted down by special interests and questionable ethics and certainly not a step back to any past. For we have only achieved the great things when our mind has been on the future.

I look forward to marching with you.

Berkeley for an Oil-Free President

2008-07-09T21:24:00.000-07:00

Today I participated in a local event in Berkeley at a gas station at the corner of University & Sixth, where a group of citizens affiliated with MoveOn demonstrated the importance of electing an "Oil-Free" President.

This event was part of MoveOn's national campaign for better oil and energy policies starting with the President of the United States being independent from big oil interests. The literature that the group disseminated focused on the differences between Barack Obama's and John McCain't's oil policies and highlighted McCain't's longstanding ties to big oil.

Here is some more information about Barack Obama's overall energy policy, more info on Obama's plan to end America's dependency on oil, and Obama's ideas about next generation biofuels.

At the event today, there was a gigantic banner ("How Much More?"), which was held up on the corner for 12 hours (the longest local demonstration).

Folks made fantastic hand-painted signs. When I asked to take this awesome lady's picture, she wanted to pose in front of her incredibly fuel-efficient little 1984 Toyota.

People put their hearts into this demonstration and I could tell that they had pulled together a great event in a "stone soup" fashion: each person bringing their special ingredients so the "soup" that comes out of the combination of contributions is much greater than simply the "sum of its parts."

There were probably about 20 folks there, and it was great because they were stationed on all four corners of the intersection, making a greater impact.

Lots of cars honked in solidarity with the demonstrators' message. People slowed down to read the signs, then smiled and waved.

I lost track of the number of "thumbs up" gestures I received from drivers.

Even several of the public buses honked, smiled, and waved as they went along their route!

Apparently a couple of SUV drivers flipped the bird, but I didn't see that...

After the demonstration, the group circled around organizers Ethan (pictured here) and Alan (no photo), and we had a short discussion about future actions, including more demonstrations. In the future we would like to have more participants and incorporate the media to get more attention for the issue of oil and energy policy for a new century.

To those people who were there today, holding signs and passing out flyers, smiling and talking with passersby, this sign says it all:

Letter from a Birmingham Jail

2008-07-09T09:00:00.000-07:00

Today there is a unique event by supporters of Barack Obama. One blogger, Jake B. suggested that we take some time today to read Martin Luther King's Letter from a Birmingham Jail. He posted the full letter to his blog.

I hope you'll take a few minutes to read the letter: it is a bit lengthy, but fully worth the time it takes to read it (ok, ok the blog post is kind of long too but it's packed with lots of interesting stuff for you!).

In Dr. King's words:

Never before have I written so long a letter. I'm afraid it is much too long to take your precious time. I can assure you that it would have been much shorter if I had been writing from a comfortable desk, but what else can one do when he is alone in a narrow jail cell, other than write long letters, think long thoughts and pray long prayers?

Dr King wrote about the importance of unity and the common fate the binds us all together:

I am cognizant of the interrelatedness of all communities and states. I cannot sit idly by in Atlanta and not be concerned about what happens in Birmingham. Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. Never again can we afford to live with the narrow, provincial "outside agitator" idea. Anyone who lives inside the United States can never be considered an outsider anywhere within its bounds.

For more on Martin Luther King, check out Wikipedia, the Official MLK Center Website, and the Nobel Peace Prize Website.

The Letter from a Birmingham Jail is addressed to southern Christian religious leaders who had criticized his methods.

Seldom do I pause to answer criticism of my work and ideas. If I sought to answer all the criticisms that cross my desk, my secretaries would have little time for anything other than such correspondence in the course of the day, and I would have no time for constructive work. But since I feel that you are men of genuine good will and that your criticisms are sincerely set forth, I want to try to answer your statement in what I hope will be patient and reasonable terms.

Here is some background on how MLK was arrested in Birmingham and ended up in jail, where he composed the letter.

One of the most important messages that Dr. King brought to the American people is the "Urgency of Now"

For years now I have heard the word "Wait!" It rings in the ear of every Negro with piercing familiarity. This "Wait" has almost always meant "Never."

We must come to see, with one of our distinguished jurists, that "justice too long delayed is justice denied."
We have waited for more than 340 years for our constitutional and God given rights. The nations of Asia and Africa are moving with jetlike speed toward gaining political independence, but we still creep at horse and buggy pace toward gaining a cup of coffee at a lunch counter.

Perhaps it is easy for those who have never felt the stinging darts of segregation to say, "Wait."

But when you have seen vicious mobs lynch your mothers and fathers at will and drown your sisters and brothers at whim; when you have seen hate filled policemen curse, kick and even kill your black brothers and sisters;

when you see the vast majority of your twenty million Negro brothers smothering in an airtight cage of poverty in the midst of an affluent society;

when you suddenly find your tongue twisted and your speech stammering as you seek to explain to your six year old daughter why she can't go to the public amusement park that has just been advertised on television, and see tears welling up in her eyes when she is told that Funtown is closed to colored children, and see ominous clouds of inferiority beginning to form in her little mental sky, and see her beginning to distort her personality by developing an unconscious bitterness toward white people;

when you have to concoct an answer for a five year old son who is asking: "Daddy, why do white people treat colored people so mean?"; ...

when your first name becomes "nigger," your middle name becomes "boy" (however old you are) and your last name becomes "John," and your wife and mother are never given the respected title "Mrs.";

when you are harried by day and haunted by night by the fact that you are a Negro, living constantly at tiptoe stance, never quite knowing what to expect next, and are plagued with inner fears and outer resentments;

when you are forever fighting a degenerating sense of "nobodiness"--then you will understand why we find it difficult to wait.

There comes a time when the cup of endurance runs over, and men are no longer willing to be plunged into the abyss of despair.

Barack Obama has recently spoken about the Urgency of Now, invoking Dr. King's message of action, hope, faith, unity, and the need to act now to reverse the deterioration of our country (our "moral deficit" and our "empathy deficit").

Of course, everyone knows Obama talks a lot about hope, as Dr. King did.

"I couldn't have gotten here without some hope!

My daddy left me when I was 2 years old

I needed some hope to get here!

I was raised by a single mother

I needed some hope to get here!

I got in trouble when I was a teenager;
did some things folks don't like to talk about

I needed some hope to get here!

I wasn't born into money or great wealth or great privilege or status

I was given love, an education and some hope
That's what I got!
that's my birthright!

so I talk about hope
I put "hope" on my campaign signs
doesn't even have my name on them sometimes: just says "HOPE"! ...

Some ... say I'm peddling false hopes, 'get a reality check' they tell me...
the implication is that if you are hopeful
that you somehow must be engaging in wishful thinking,
your head must be in the clouds,
that you must be passive and just sit back and wait for things to happen to you...

and so I have to explain to people: That's not what hope is
Hope is not blind optimism:
Hope is not ignorance of the barriers, and hurdles, and hazards that stand in your way
Hope is just the opposite!...

Nothing in this country worthwhile has ever happened

except someone somewhere decided to hope

That's how this country was founded because a group of patriots decided they were going to take on the British Empire:
no one was putting their money on them.

That's how slaves and abolitionists resisted that evil system
That's how a new President was able to chart a course to ensure that this nation would no longer remain half slave and half free.

That's how the greatest generation defeated fascism
and overcame a great depression

That's how women won the right to vote
That's how workers won the right to organize

That's how young people and old people and middle-aged folks were willing to walk instead of riding the buses and
folks came down on freedom rides
They marched, and they sat in, and they were beaten,
and firehoses were set on them
and dogs were set on them
and some went to jail
and some died for freedom's cause

That is what hope is:
imagining and fighting for and struggling for
and sometimes dying for
what didn't seem possible before

there's nothing naive about that

There's no false hopes in that

I don't believe in false hopes

If John F. Kennedy
had looked up at the moon

and said,

"That's too far!
False Hopes:
We CAN'T go there!"

If Dr. King had stood
on the Lincoln Memorial

and said,

"Y'all Go home!
We CAN'T overcome!"

There's no such thing as false hopes, but what I know deep in my heart is that we cannot bring about change unless we are united."

"Unity is the great need of the hour.
That is what Dr. King said. It is the great need of this hour as well.
Not because it sounds pleasant, not because it makes us feel good
but it is because it is the only way we can overcome
the essential deficit that exists in this country...

Unity is the great need of the hour.
Unity is how we shall overcome!"

Obama spoke at Dr. King's church in Georgia on MLK's birthday this year. His remarks are thoughtful, reverent, and contemporary (it is a long speech--about 30 minutes, but it is worth watching until the end for an amazing story about "Ashley"):

Barack Obama: January 20th, 2008
Atlanta, Georgia: Ebenezer Baptist Church

"In the words of Dr. King:
'We are all tied together in a single garment of destiny'...

If we are honest with ourselves,
we must admit that none of our hands are entirely clean...

Let us say that on this day of all days, each of us carries with us the task
of changing our hearts and minds:
the divisions, the stereotypes, the scape-goating,
the ease with which we we blame the plight of ourselves on others;
All of that distracts us from the common challenges that we face:
war and poverty, inequality and injustice!

We can no longer afford to build ourselves up by tearing each other down!
We can no longer afford to traffick in lies or fear or hate:
it is the poison that we must purge from our politics,
the wall that we must tear down before the hour grows too late.

Because if Dr. King could love his jailer,
if he could call upon the faithful
who once sat where you do to forgive those
who had set dogs and firehoses upon them,

then surely we could look past what divides us in our time
and bind up our wounds and
erase the sympathy deficit that exists in our hearts.
But if changing our hearts and minds is the first critical step:
we cannot stop there!"

During one of the million Democratic primary debates, the candidates were asked whom they thought Dr. King would support for President if he were alive during this election season. Each candidate had a perfect little answer about why MLK would have supported them, but Barack Obama's answer surprised me (in a way that I am now accustomed to--Barack has a way of stepping outside the box and giving a thoughtful honest answer, rather than spitting out a perfectly rehearsed soundbite).

Obama said King would not endorse any of them:
"He would call on the American people to hold us accountable." King, said Obama, believed as he does that "change does not happen from the top down ... it happens from the bottom up."

Dr. King: "1963 is not an end, but a beginning!"

Dr. King outlined the strategy behind the nonviolent protests and acts of civil disobedience that he had been organizing in his letter from a Birmingham Jail:

You may well ask: "Why direct action? Why sit ins, marches and so forth? Isn't negotiation a better path?" ...

Nonviolent direct action seeks to create such a crisis and foster such a tension that a community which has constantly refused to negotiate is forced to confront the issue. It seeks so to dramatize the issue that it can no longer be ignored.

My citing the creation of tension as part of the work of the nonviolent resister may sound rather shocking. But I must confess that I am not afraid of the word "tension." I have earnestly opposed violent tension, but there is a type of constructive, nonviolent tension which is necessary for growth....

The purpose of our direct action program is to create a situation so crisis packed that it will inevitably open the door to negotiation.

Dr. King also addressed the ethical confound of breaking the law:

You express a great deal of anxiety over our willingness to break laws. This is certainly a legitimate concern. Since we so diligently urge people to obey the Supreme Court's decision of 1954 outlawing segregation in the public schools, at first glance it may seem rather paradoxical for us consciously to break laws.

One may well ask: "How can you advocate breaking some laws and obeying others?"

The answer lies in the fact that there are two types of laws: just and unjust. I would be the first to advocate obeying just laws. One has not only a legal but a moral responsibility to obey just laws. Conversely, one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws. I would agree with St. Augustine that "an unjust law is no law at all."

And specifically discussed civil disobedience as obedience to a higher law:

I submit that an individual who breaks a law that conscience tells him is unjust, and who willingly accepts the penalty of imprisonment in order to arouse the conscience of the community over its injustice, is in reality expressing the highest respect for law.

Of course, there is nothing new about this kind of civil disobedience.... In our own nation, the Boston Tea Party represented a massive act of civil disobedience.

We should never forget that everything Adolf Hitler did in Germany was "legal" and everything the Hungarian freedom fighters did in Hungary was "illegal." It was "illegal" to aid and comfort a Jew in Hitler's Germany. Even so, I am sure that, had I lived in Germany at the time, I would have aided and comforted my Jewish brothers.

Here is video footage of MLK talking about the strategy of the Civil Rights Movement in America:

"But there is something I must say to my people,
who stand on the warm threshold
which leads into the palace of justice:

In the process of gaining our rightful place,
we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds.
Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom
by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred!

We must forever conduct our struggle
on the high plane of dignity and discipline.
We must not allow our creative protests
to degenerate into physical violence

Again and again

We must rise to the majestic heights
of meeting physical force with soul force!"

OK I love this song: and the references to MLK and Jesus are thinly veiled (if they are veiled at all). This video has paired up some powerful historic photographs with U2's song "Pride (In the Name of Love)" and Dr. King's speeches; since I saw the video the song doesn't sound right without Dr. King's words mixed in there. Enjoy:

"Early morning, April 4th:
a shot rings out in the Memphis sky
'Free at last'; they took your life
They could not take your pride.
In the name of love
One more in the name of love"

On April 3, 1968, the day before Martin Luther King was assassinated in Memphis, he spoke these words:

Like anybody I would like to live a long life:
longevity has its place;
but I'm not concerned about that now.
I just want to do God's will
and He has allowed me to go up to the mountain

and I have looked over and I've seen the promised land
I may not get there with you,
but I want you to know tonight that we as a people will get to the promised land
so I'm happy tonight.
I'm not worried about anything!
I'm not fearing any man!

Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord!

Five years earlier, in 1963, Martin Luther King closed his letter from a Birmingham jail with this. I invite you to hope with me:

Let us all hope that the dark clouds of racial prejudice will soon pass away and the deep fog of misunderstanding will be lifted from our fear drenched communities, and in some not too distant tomorrow the radiant stars of love and brotherhood will shine over our great nation with all their scintillating beauty.

Democratic National Convention (Denver)

2008-07-08T19:25:00.000-07:00

The Democratic National Convention will be held in Denver this August. And guess who will be there??

I'll be volunteering and live-blogging from the convention, and I'll be driving from Berkeley CA through Nevada and Utah to Colorado, campaigning all the way! Ooh, I'm so excited!

But the best part is that Obama just announced today that he will give his acceptance speech not just for the fancy important delegates, but he will give his speech to the American people. On August 28th, Barack Obama will accept the Democratic Party's Nomination for Presidential Candidate in a stadium that seats over 75,000 people. It will be free and open to the public. Here's some great media coverage compiled by Obama Blogger Amanda Scott. And some more media coverage.

He's also offering 10 supporters (who donate $5 or more before July 31st) a special opportunity to meet him backstage (and be flown to and from Denver with a guest!). Click here to donate to the campaign and enter to win this exciting opportunity to be part of the change!

Platform of and by the People

2008-07-08T12:22:00.000-07:00

Listening to America:
The Democratic Party's New Platform for a New Century

Barack Obama sent out an email to supporters today:

Every four years, the Democratic Party assembles a platform that outlines the party's position on a number of issues.

Traditionally, the drafting of the platform is not open to ordinary people.

This year, that's going to change.

For two weeks in July, people all across America will hold Platform Meetings in their own communities to discuss the issues and share their input. The outcome of these meetings will be reviewed by the Drafting Committee as it creates the final Platform.

No political experience is required. Your thoughts and experiences are all that matter, and they will shape a platform that -- like this campaign -- is owned by the people.

Sign up to host or attend a local Platform Meeting

This year, ordinary people like you will gather in their homes, community centers, places of worship, and even coffee shops to discuss the issues that matter to them and help decide what should be at the heart of the Democratic platform for change.

The input we get from these meetings will help shape the platform at the Democratic Convention in August.

Platform Meetings are a great way to connect with fellow supporters and help write the next chapter in the history of the Democratic Party.

We'll make sure you have all the resources and support you need to succeed. All you need to provide are your ideas for America and your hunger for change.

I hope you'll take advantage of this opportunity to make your voice heard in the political process.

Thank you for all that you do,

Barack

Support Our Troops

2008-07-07T14:41:00.000-07:00

Founded in June 2004, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America is the nation's first and largest group dedicated to the Troops and Veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. They "graded" Congress members on their record on veterans affairs.

Barack Obama got a B+.

Fellow veteran John McCain't got a D.

As a candidate for the United States Senate in 2002, Obama warned of “an occupation of undetermined length, with undetermined costs, and undetermined consequences.”

Obama has been a consistent, principled and vocal opponent of the war in Iraq.

In 2003 and 2004, he spoke out against the war;
In 2005, he called for a phased withdrawal of our troops;
In 2006, he called for a timetable to remove our troops, a political solution within Iraq, and aggressive diplomacy with all of Iraq’s neighbors;
In January 2007, he introduced legislation in the Senate to remove all of our combat troops from Iraq by March 2008.
In September 2007, he laid out a detailed plan for how he will end the war as president.

Inspired by Obama's record of advocating against the war and supporting veterans in practical ways, Obama Girl joined up with the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) to make this video, "I Like A Boy." If features charming lyrics and cute choreography--but the best part is that it includes the real wives and girlfriends of the troops lip-syncing their hearts out!

"I said I need a man defending the USA
Land of the free, home of the brave...
So you got a nice crib: I don't care what you spend
'cause my kind of man goes to sleep in a tent
Not many men can combat insurgency
so come home and be my Sugar-Baghdaddy!

I like a boy who rocks a doggie tag
Holding it down for the US flag!
You know the kind I like to please,
doing us proud when they're overseas!"

"Honey I'm in search for my GI Jane
I need a woman that can work that truck or that chopper
a real life trooper
rucksack or Prada bags
stunners or gas masks
it don't matter whether you're eating from a bowl or off a silver platter...
Peace to my female troops: SALUTE!"

Instead of the love admiration and gratitude our troops deserve, the Bush Administration has thrown them into heinous situations of violence and chaos that they are not supported in facing.

Additionally, many of our troops face their own mortality and mourn the loss of their brothers and sisters in combat with the knowledge that this war was unjust, that it was started for the wrong reasons, and that they must fight for their lives and do the best they can despite the fact that they have been sent on an impossible and immoral mission. Imagine trying to come to terms with that while you lay awake in your tent at night--in between worrying about your next encounter with an IED and what your girlfriend might be doing back at home!

Their bravery and dedication to America has been tested at the highest level because not only are our troops engaged in dangerous combat scenarios in a harsh land far from home, they risk their lives with the knowledge that their equipment, training, and support are insufficient for the operations they are ordered to enact.

"A man who is good enough to shed his blood for his country
is good enough to be given a square deal afterwards."

-Theodore Roosevelt

The scope of traumatic brain injuries, limb-loss, and post-traumatic stress among veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan is overwhelming. With increasing calls to bring the troops home and an impending change of administration, there will be an increasing need for various services to support our veterans when they return from abroad. They will need thorough and thoughtful medical treatment, they may need counseling or psychosocial support, and they may need additional education, job training or help finding employment outside the military sector. They will probably need a lot of help adjusting to a life that is so different from the one they led in the deserts of Iraq or the mountains of Afghanistan.

Barack Obama has proposed a set of plans to support the troops who will be returning home, and he has developed a plan to withdraw the US combat troops from Iraq swiftly yet incrementally.
Click here to learn more about Obama's policies on supporting veterans.
Click here for more of Obama's plan to bring our troops home.

Obama Outlines Several Major Problems that Impact Veterans:

Wounded Troops Suffer: The Walter Reed scandal showed that we don't always provide returning service members with the care they deserve.

Veterans Budget Shortfalls: In 2005, a multi-billion dollar VA funding shortfall required Congress to step in and bail out the system.

Benefits Bureaucracy is Broken: There are currently more than 400,000 claims pending with the Veterans Benefits Administration. VA error rates have grown to more than 100,000 cases a year.

There is Shortage of Care for PTSD: Veterans are coming home with record levels of combat stress, but we are not adequately providing for them.

Obama's plan to address these problems is based on a "Sacred Trust" that the American government and people make with our men and women of the armed forces: a commitment to supporting them and expressing useful and appropriate gratitude for the risks that they take for all of our collective benefit. He plans to create a a 21st Century Department of Veterans' Affairs that provides the care and benefits our nation's veterans deserve.

A Sacred Trust

Allow All Veterans Back into the VA: Reverse the 2003 ban on enrolling modest-income veterans, which has denied care to a million veterans.
Strengthen VA Care: Make the VA a leader of national health care reform; improve care for polytrauma vision impairment, prosthetics, spinal cord injury, aging, and women's health.
Combat Homelessness among Our Nation's Veterans: National "zero tolerance" policy for veterans falling into homelessness by expanding proven programs and launching innovative services.
Fight Veterans Employment Discrimination: Crack down on employers who commit job discrimination against guardsmen and reservists.

Help for Returning Service Members

Ensure a Seamless Transition: Obama will demand that the military and the VA coordinate to provide a seamless transition from active duty to civilian life.
Fully Fund VA Medical Care: Fully fund the VA; establish a world-class VA Planning Division to avoid future budget shortfalls.
Fix the Benefits Bureaucracy: Hire additional claims workers, and improve training and accountability so that VA benefit decisions are rated fairly and consistently. Transform from paper to electronic claims system to reduce errors and improve timeliness.

Improved Mental Health Treatment

Improve Mental Health Treatment: Improve mental health care at every stage of military service; recruit more health professionals, improve screening, offer more support to families and make PTSD benefits claims fairer.
Improve Care for Traumatic Brain Injury: Establish standards of care for Traumatic Brain Injury, the signature injury of the Iraq war.
Expand Vet Centers: Expand and strengthen Vet Centers to provide more counseling for vets and their families.

Let's do right by the men and women who are doing their best in a horrible situation, who are noble and selfless beyond words, and who above all else are someone's child, some mother's son or father's baby girl.

What does it say about us as Americans and about our government that we send our young people overseas to fight and die, but we don't send them with protective equipment or the tools they need to get the job done--or come home alive?

What does it mean that when they do get home, we despise them and spit on them, as if they have done something wrong to us?

How many of America's children must come home in body bags--or return from combat so destroyed by what they have seen that they hardly feel alive --before we stand up and claim our country's children, its noblest citizens, as our own?

How many more will be lost before we fulfill our sacred trust with veterans?

Ready to Believe

2008-07-06T23:17:00.000-07:00

This video and song was going to be called "Yes We Can!" but the will.i.am song by the same name came out just before this one did. Anyway, it is powerful and beautiful!

"Ready to Believe" is composed and sung by Cherish Alexander, lyrics by Jackie Zabel and Bryce Zabel, and produced by Damian Valentine and Cherish Alexander. At the time they wrote the lyrics, just days before the California primary, Bryce & Jackie were striking screenwriters.

Click here to download a crystal-clear pure MP3 of "Ready to Believe". You can also download a clean PDF of the lyrics.

"Give us one good man
Who says Yes

Yes we can!"

Fundraising For Barack Obama!

2008-07-04T22:58:00.000-07:00

I created a special page on BarackObama.com to encourage my friends, family, and readers to donate to the campaign. As you know, Obama is not taking money from the government or from political action committees. He is building a campaign based on the support of individual Americans like you and me.

Please help me meet my fundraising goal of $1000 to get Barack Obama into the White House. Click here to view my progress and to make a donation to take back our country!

Yes We Can (International)

2008-07-04T15:10:00.000-07:00

Independence Day

2008-07-04T07:21:00.001-07:00

“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.

If you do, your life will be richer,
and our country will be stronger.”

This speech in Colorado Springs was part of a week-long effort to highlight Obama’s values and biography. A campaign aide said the speeches underscore what makes up Obama’s “moral compass.”

Obama also spoke about September 11th: He was deeply critical of the Bush’s policies after 9/11, criticizing the Administration for not using the attacks to inspire American’s to serve.

“Instead of a call to service, we were asked to go shopping. Instead of a call for shared sacrifice, we gave tax cuts to the wealthiest Americans in a time of war for the very first time in our history."

“Instead of leadership that called us to come together, we got patriotism defined as the property of one party, and used as a political wedge to take us into a war that should have never been authorized and never been waged.

Barack Obama and his family are spending July 4th this year in Butte, Montana. Today is his daughter Malia's 10th birthday, so the "family picnic" (watch it live) is part campaign rally, part birthday party. You can read more about the local reaction from The Montana Standard.

Barack spoke at the family picnic. Watch this three-minute video:

A'Cuppa Obama

2008-07-02T22:50:00.000-07:00

Tonight I had the privilege of attending a great community organizing meeting for our local Rockridge/Temescal (CA) Neighborhood Group! We met at this fantastic tea shoppe called "A'Cuppa Tea" on College Ave.

There were probably about 20 people there, including a couple folks whom I'd met at the last house meeting I attended. So it felt like a familiar and comfortable group... even though I walked in a little late (after mini-adventures in parkingland!).

The meeting was really well-moderated by Paul Delehanty and the other organizers. They followed the agenda and gave people room to speak and be heard. They focused on the most important values of the campaign: respect, empower, include. They inspired us to do the same through their words and through modeling these attitudes with their own actions.

Barack Obama's campaign provides the ideal venue for a coalition of groups and individuals to work together, because we have one common goal: electing Barack Obama as US President.

We have a lot of overlap (such as taking care of the economy, the environment, housing, healthcare, Iraq, local politics, etc) in our topical priorities, but the most important goal (the prize to keep our eyes on) is the White House.

One of the most exciting parts of this meeting was the discussion about the voter registration part of the campaign: Vote for Change! Obama's campaign is working to get hundreds of thousands of new voters registered, especially among people eho have been disenfranchised by the existing system.

People who have traditionally been excluded from the political process (such as persons with felony convictions--who CAN vote in California!) or who have been marginalized (women, African-Americans, people living in poverty, speakers of other languages-especially Spanish) are registering to vote in record numbers for this election. This is exciting, and there were lots of plans for upcoming voter registration events. I'm going to go to one on July 12th that involves "tailgating" the Oakland A's (which I've never done before). It's always good to try something new!

We ended the meeting by putting our hands in the middle of our circle and affirming together: "Yes We Can!"

One of the reasons I believe in Barack Obama's campaign for Presidency is that he has given us a reason to get together. His campaign has created opportunities for neighbors to meet one another and organize for meaningful changes in our own lives and communities.

Obama Nation: Obama's "Centrist Swing"

2008-07-02T15:26:00.000-07:00

"If you've been sprouting Chicken Little feathers in recent days, gnashing teeth over the nominee's reported "move to the center" (or "to the right")..." Please read on and hopefully we can help you see that they sky is not falling and Obama isn't a flip-flopper.

First, I'd like to mention the fact that Barack Obama is the presumptive Democratic nominee, and he needs to win not only in the liberal states of MA and CA: he needs to win in the deep South and the Midwest!

So it is not a huge shocker that he is focusing on issues that matter to them, such as patriotism, service, crime, guns, and faith-based organizations.

Here is an article from The Independent, which outlines some of the core principles of Obama's Values Tour of the Midwest and highlights what Barack is up against in terms of the smear/rumor mill:

Along with Internet claims that he is a secret Muslim, some evangelical Christians have put it about that Mr Obama may be the anti-Christ. Glenda Kinzer, a 41-year-old office manager from rural Ohio believes the end of the world is about to occur and with it the second coming of Christ.

"A lot of people are talking about how Obama fits the description" of the anti-Christ, she said referring to Biblical prophesies about a figure who will oppose Christ.

Here is an article on Obama courting Middle America by countering the "Anti-Christ" image that has been thrust upon him.

The point is, people, we are not used to a candidate who campaigns in all 50 states. Usually Democrats try to win by leaning as far to the left as they can and dismissing the opinions and votes of anyone who might disagree (or even question the party line). Maybe that is why we've only won a handful of elections in the last 40 years?

"Council for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships"

Some liberals seem to have the idea that faith or faith-based organizations are inherently "bad" or "dangerous" and they point to the ever-important separation between church and state. Here is what I think: many people do amazing work for humanity within the auspices of faith-based groups; faith provides meaning and a call to service for many Americans; and faith does not have to be "code" for Christian.

A true "separation" between church and state is not what we have in America today: there is preferential treatment for Christian (especially Evangelical) groups, outright discrimination against Muslims, and a general marginalization of Jews, nonbelievers, and others. The fact that the word "God" appears in the "Pledge of Allegiance" and people swear on the Bible in court proceedings and when taking public office shows the relationship between church and state that permeates the American political machine. America does not have a true separation between church and state; Barack Obama wants to make these implicit relationships explicit and ensure that resources fairly distributed among the diverse people of this great nation.

Barack Obama: The fact is the challenges we face today, from saving our planet to ending poverty, are simply too big for government to solve alone. We need an “all hands on deck” approach. I’m not saying that faith-based groups are an alternative to government or secular nonprofits, and I’m not saying that they’re somehow better at lifting people up. What I am saying is that we all have to work together—Christian and Jew, Hindu and Muslim, believer and nonbeliever alike—to meet the challenges of the twenty-first century.

Barack Obama's plan to fund faith-based organizations is different from George W. Bush's thinly veiled mechanism to funnel money to the religious right, because Obama will not use the type of faith as a barometer of funding eligibility. According to the McClatchy News Service, Obama would prohibit religious bias in hiring to guard church-state separation:

Obama's plan for a "Council for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships" departed from the Bush administration's stance on one fundamental issue: whether religious organizations that get federal funds for social services can take faith into account in their hiring. Bush has said yes. Obama said no.

Barack Obama: Well, I still believe that it’s a good idea to have a partnership between the White House and grassroots groups, both faith-based and secular, but it has to be a real partnership, not a photo op.

And that’s what it will be when I’m president. I’ll establish a new council for faith-based and neighborhood partnerships. The new name will reflect a new commitment. This council will not just be another name on the White House organizational chart; it will be a critical part of my administration.

Obama estimated the program would cost about $500 million per year. He said he would keep Bush's 11 faith-based offices and expand participation by smaller religious groups, as well as secular and neighborhood groups. Click here for more information.

Democracy Now! (listen, read, or watch):
Barack Obama has pledged to expand a controversial White House program that funnels federal money to religious charities. Many Democrats are reportedly saying it's the most aggressive outreach to religious voters ever by the party's presidential nominee. We speak with the Reverend Jim Wallis, founder and president of Sojourners, the largest network of progressive Christians in the United States.

"Although other Democratic presidential candidates, such as Bill Clinton and Al Gore, also have embraced federal funding for faith-based initiatives," Obama has been risking protests in his own party with his aggressive reach for voters who usually vote Republicans.

Obama's choice of religious center Colorado Springs for his visit Wednesday showed the degree to which he is courting Republican religious voters and trying to make McCain compete for their affections. A religious political action committee supporting Obama has a new pro-Obama radio aid to highlight his faith — and is airing it on Christian radio in Colorado Springs, among other places.

FISA

There has been a lot of controversy over the FISA bill, which has been "snuck" into a number of other pieces of legislation and so far had not passed the house/senate *until this week). The short story is that basically after 9/11 the federal gov't asked the phone companies to illegally give them information about American civilians and the phone companies complied (what else were they gonna do?).

The FISA bill effectively prohibits any civil penalties being retroactively invoked against the phone companies (so you can't sue the phone company for spying on you). It doesn't exclude the possibility of criminal charges though (which to me is more important anyway--our society is too litigious for our own good: winning money doesn't make everything better).

Obama had made a big statement about how he was going to fight the FISA bill, and many media outlets are reporting that he said he would filibuster it. I did some research and found that his campaign reported that he would support a filibuster, not that he would actually perform it:

“Senator Obama has serious concerns about many provisions in this bill, especially the provision on giving retroactive immunity to the telephone companies. He is hopeful that this bill can be improved by the Senate Judiciary Committee. But if the bill comes to the Senate floor in its current form, he would support a filibuster of it.”

You can read more about FISA and Obama here.

So the bill came to the Senate floor last week, and Obama did not participate in the vote.

He didn't vote for the FISA bill. He didn't vote against the FISA bill. He simply didn't vote at all. You can see his voting record (and other Senators votes) here.

Of course, I wish that Barack had been in a position to fight harder against this bill giving immunity to the telephone companies that illegally provided information about Americans to the government. Here is some criticism from the far left. And apparently the most popular group on mybarackobama.com is calling for him to take stronger action against FISA.

But let's pause here for a reality check: FISA passed 80 to 15.

The Democrats overwhelmingly supported the FISA bill (only 14 voted against it).

Barack was one of four Democrats who abstained from voting: The other three Dems who didn't vote were Hillary Clinton, Edward Kennedy, and Robert Byrd!

Every Republican voted for the FISA bill!

--except John McCain't didn't vote

(I don't hear anyone complaining about that).

The unfortunate fact of the matter is that Barack would not have been able to stop anything with his vote. People who are angry that Obama didn't vote should first knock on the doors of their own Senators, like Feinstein (who actually voted FOR it!). Or maybe we could email the 31 Democratic Senators who supported the bill: "What the f**k? The whole party is voting for FISA?"

Seriously, why is it all up to Barack? We've all got to do our part: Obama's part right now is to win the election. The rest of the party has to tow the line: why are we pointing fingers at him when practically the whole party displayed cowardice through their votes on FISA?

and about that FILIBUSTER: Senators Feingold and Dodd were the ones who promised to filibuster, and as far as I could tell, no one is blowing up their email or calling for them to account for their lack of filibustering. They did vote against the FISA bill (along with Kerry, Boxer, Biden, etc). Amy Goodman spoke with Feingold before the vote:

Amy Goodman: Senator Feingold, will you filibuster this bill?

Sen. Russ Feingold: We are going to resist this bill. We are going to make sure that the procedural votes are gone through....We will also - Senator Dodd and I and others will be taking some time to talk about this on the floor....

Amy Goodman: Would you filibuster, though?

Sen. Russ Feingold: That's what I just described.

As far as I could tell, there wasn't a filibuster. If there was one, I couldn't find any evidence or media coverage. So this makes me even more confused about why people are mad at Obama: he said he would support a filibuster if there was one and no one even tried. As for a filibuster by Obama (even though he never said he would do this), it would have been a ridiculous waste of time that would have been "spun" by the GOP machine as Obama holding hostage a captive audience of Senators for his own political purposes.

Barack Obama responded to the criticism from within his party about abstaining from voting on FISA on his website, and three of his top advisors were available online to respond to people's comments and questions. Read Barack's remarks and the full commentary here.

Barack Obama: Now, I understand why some of you feel differently about the current bill, and I'm happy to take my lumps on this side and elsewhere. For the truth is that your organizing, your activism and your passion is an important reason why this bill is better than previous versions. No tool has been more important in focusing peoples' attention on the abuses of executive power in this Administration than the active and sustained engagement of American citizens. That holds true -- not just on wiretapping, but on a range of issues where Washington has let the American people down.

I know that Barack said he would fight FISA, but there are some battles you know you're going to lose. In that case, you have to sit out in order to focus on larger goals.

When Obama wins the White House, he can repeal many of these unconstitutional laws that have been passed by the Bush Administration to the detriment of the American people. I'm sure Obama has a running list of unconstitutional legislation to strike from the books on his first day in office.

Barack Obama: The ability to monitor and track individuals who want to attack the United States is a vital counter-terrorism tool, and I'm persuaded that it is necessary to keep the American people safe -- particularly since certain electronic surveillance orders will begin to expire later this summer. Given the choice between voting for an improved yet imperfect bill, and losing important surveillance tools, I've chosen to support the current compromise. I do so with the firm intention -- once I’m sworn in as President -- to have my Attorney General conduct a comprehensive review of all our surveillance programs, and to make further recommendations on any steps needed to preserve civil liberties and to prevent executive branch abuse in the future.

Even Russ Feingold commented that "When President Obama is president, he will, I'm sure, work to fix some of this...".

Barack Obama listens to Americans, he cares about America, and he wants to build a movement and a government that can sustain the diverse people of this nation:

I learned long ago, when working as an organizer on the South Side of Chicago, that when citizens join their voices together, they can hold their leaders accountable.

I'm not exempt from that. I'm certainly not perfect, and expect to be held accountable too.

I cannot promise to agree with you on every issue. But I do promise to listen to your concerns, take them seriously, and seek to earn your ongoing support to change the country.

That is why we have built the largest grassroots campaign in the history of presidential politics, and that is the kind of White House that I intend to run as President of the United States -- a White House that takes the Constitution seriously, conducts the peoples' business out in the open, welcomes and listens to dissenting views, and asks you to play your part in shaping our country’s destiny.

Barack Obama has called us to employ an "all hands on deck" approach to rebuilding this country's economy and shared destiny.

A True Patriot

2008-07-01T12:32:00.000-07:00

The values of honesty and integrity have defined Barack Obama's campaign for President of the United States.

Today, Obama spoke in Independence, Missouri about his deep patriotism and love for this great country. You can watch the speech, read the speech, or check out The CNN story.

"I have always taken my deep and abiding love for this country as a given.

It was how I was raised: It was what propelled me into public service.

It is why I am running for President!"

"And yet, at certain times over the last 16 months, I have found for the first time my own patriotism challenged-- at times as a result of my own carelessness, more often as a result of the desire by some to score political points and raise fears and doubts about who I am and what I stand for."Obama vowed to never question the patriotism of others in the campaign, adding "I will not stand idly by when I hear others question mine."

Obama said that "patriotism starts as a gut instinct, a loyalty and love for country that's rooted in some of my earliest memories." As he grew up, Obama's patriotism matured to something that "would survive my growing awareness of our nation's imperfections: its ongoing racial strife; the perversion of our political system that were laid bare during the Watergate hearings; the wrenching poverty of the Mississippi Delta and the hills of Appalachia."

Barack Obama commented:

"Given the enormous challenges that lie before us, we can no longer afford these sorts of divisions," he said. "None of us expect that arguments about patriotism will, or should, vanish entirely; after all, when we argue about patriotism, we are arguing about who we are as a country, and more importantly, who we should be....

"But surely, we can agree that no party or political philosophy has a monopoly on patriotism. And surely, we can arrive at a definition of patriotism that, however rough and imperfect, captures the best of America's common spirit."

Obama said he learned that "what makes America great has never been its perfection, but the belief that it can be made better."

Obama exemplifies the best kind of patriotism: love for one's country based on a realistic appraisal of its strengths and challenges. The kind of love that Obama has for America is the kind of love a father has for a child who has behaved badly: he loves the child so he helps the child learn to be better. Obama's vision for America is like the dreams that a father has for his infant as he holds the baby in his arms: he sees the potential in the new life while at the same time seeing the baby who exists today. He nurtures the baby to manifest its true potential, which is what Barack Obama promises for America. Let's not focus on petty and superficial displays of patriotism like flag pins and hand positions: Let's look deeper and embrace the powerful love of country that Barack Obama espouses.

Get Economically Stimulated!

2008-07-01T00:46:00.000-07:00

As you probably know by now, the Bush Administration is buying the complacency of the American public by sending out a round of checks intended to stimulate the economy. If you didn't already receive your "Stimulus Package" or information about when it is coming (even if you didn't file taxes-you can still get the $$), contact the IRS. Anyway, the Bush folks are hoping we'll go out and spend money on commodities like these:

"I'll buy myself a battleship just to go fishing...
I'll get myself matching monster trucks,
and when I get a burger, it'll be deluxe...
Then I'll buy myself a Caddy; it'll be humungus
(and finally get a doctor to look at this fungus)...
Gonna buy myself one of those big machines
that Sigorney Weaver used to kill the alien queens!"

Instead of this cool stuff, I used 20% of my "Economic Stimulus Package" to support Barack Obama. That is the most "stimulating" thing I can do for the economy, and it stimulated my own hopes too!

Click this link to donate to Barack Obama's Campaign!

Maybe they should send their $600 stimulus package to Barack instead of all these crazy shenanigans?

"I used to think Bush was the worst we ever had,
but with all this cash it's hard to stay mad!
There was Katrina and G'itmo and Abu Grahib,
but with $600 I could probably get laid!"
. . .

"The idea is for the ECONOMY to be stimulated!"

How will Barack Obama Stimulate the Economy?

Click here to learn more about Barack Obama's plan to strengthen the economy when he is elected President (and you can download "Keeping America's Promise: Strengthening the Middle Class). Click here for Obama's speech on "Our Common Stake in America's Prosperity".

Obama's plan for the economy rests upon reversing the attack on the middle class: He plans to offer tax relief to working families and seniors through innovative and modern methods. Click here to download "Keeping America's Promise: Strengthening the Middle Class."

Obama will cut income taxes by $1,000 for working families to offset the payroll tax they pay.

Provide a Tax Cut for Working Families: Obama will restore fairness to the tax code and through a "Making Work Pay" tax credit of up to $500 per person, or $1,000 per working family. The "Making Work Pay" tax credit will completely eliminate income taxes for 10 million Americans.
Eliminate Income Taxes for Seniors Making Less than $50,000: This proposal will eliminate income taxes for 7 million seniors and provide these seniors with an average savings of $1,400 each year. Under the Obama plan, 27 million American seniors will also not need to file an income tax return.
Simplify Tax Filings for Middle Class Americans: Obama will dramatically simplify tax filings so that millions of Americans will be able to do their taxes in less than five minutes. Experts estimate that the Obama proposal will save Americans up to 200 million total hours of work and aggravation and up to $2 billion in tax preparer fees.

Here is an article about Obama's tax plan vs. John McCain't's and an analysis of each candidate's plan by the Tax Policy Center (Urban Institute & Brookings Institution).

Some highlights from Obama's plan to Jumpstart the Economy:

Provide Additional Tax Rebates to American Workers: We need to enact another round of immediate tax relief, $300 per family, to help maintain consumer spending, strengthen the economy and ease the squeeze so many Americans are currently experiencing. Stimulus: $20 billion.

Establish Foreclosure Prevention Fund: Given the downturn in the economy, Obama is calling for immediate creation of his Foreclosure Prevention Fund that will dramatically increase emergency pre-foreclosure counseling, and will help families facing foreclosure to responsibly refinance their mortgages or sell their homes.... It is meant to help responsible homeowners through this difficult period. Stimulus: $10 billion.

Provide Relief for State and Local Governments Hardest-Hit by the Housing Crisis to Prevent Cuts in Vital Services: Because of the housing crisis and the weakening economy, many state and local governments are facing significant revenue shortfalls... In the areas hardest-hit by the housing crisis we should provide immediate, temporary funding ... so that the decline in property values does not cause them to slash critical public services and cut vital infrastructure spending. Stimulus: $10 billion.

Extend and Expand Unemployment Insurance: Barack Obama believes we must extend and strengthen the Unemployment Insurance program to address the needs of the long-term unemployed, who currently make up nearly one-fifth of the unemployed .... Every dollar invested in Unemployment Insurance benefits results in $1.73 in economic output. Stimulus: $10 billion.

"Ooh I'm so stimulated!"

Donate to Obama's Campaign
(even $10 or $20 makes a difference)!

Land of Lincoln

2008-06-30T23:04:00.000-07:00

Barack Obama has been compared to Abraham Lincoln by many historians, pundits, personalities, and ordinary citizens. One website encourages the reader who compares Barack Obama to Abraham Lincoln to "tread lightly... but tread" nonetheless. I invite you to tread with me upon these fertile grounds (especially since every Republican baselessly compares himself to Reagan and every Democrat--plus Dan Quayle (haha)--wants to be the next JFK). In most cases, the appropriate response to these silly comparisons of mediocre politicians to great historical figures is some variation of: "Senator, you are no Jack Kennedy."

But this comparison of Barack Obama and Abraham Lincoln is different than these baseless ones, and here's why:

Lincoln and Obama herald from the great state of Illinois; both were lawyers, criticized for their lack of "experience" to be President (Abe: 8 yrs in IL House of Reps + 2yrs in US House of Reps; Barack: 8 yrs in IL Senate + 2 yrs in US Senate). Each was seeking his party's nomination, running against a Senator from New York (Obama vs. Clinton; Lincoln vs. Seward). Neither had a strong early relationship with his father, and both were self-made men, viewed with skepticism by the Washington elite. According to historian, critic, and columnist Gary Wills (read the full article):

Neither man fit the conventions of a statesman in his era. Lincoln, thin, gangling, and unkempt, was considered a backwoods rube, born in the frontier conditions of Kentucky, estranged from his father, limited to a catch-as-catch-can education. He was better known as a prairie raconteur than as a legal theorist or prose stylist. Obama, of mixed race and foreign upbringing, had barely known his father, and looked suspiciously "different."

Both Barack Obama and Abraham Lincoln each gave important speeches that focused on the similarities of the American people, which vastly outweigh any differences that might on the surface appear to be deeply divisive. "We are not as divided as our politics suggest" says Barack in reference to "red" and "blue" states: "There are no red states and blue states; There is the UNITED States!" (Obama: Democratic Convention 2004; Natl Constitution Center 2008). During Lincoln's time, the divisions were not red and blue, but north and south. In his speeches, Lincoln focused on people's common interests and ideals , rather than their differences (Cooper Union 1860).

Barack Obama's gave a speech titled, "A More Perfect Union" at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia in March of 2008.

We cannot solve the challenges of our time unless we solve them together, unless we perfect our union.

We may have different stories, but we have common hopes.

Gary Wills concluded:

But what is of lasting interest is their similar strategy for meeting the charge of extremism. Both argued against the politics of fear. Neither denied the darker aspects of our history, yet they held out hope for what Lincoln called here the better "lights of current experience"—what he would later call the "better angels of our nature." Each looked for larger patterns under the surface bitternesses of their day. Each forged a moral position that rose above the occasions for their speaking.

In Lincoln's most famous speech, he invoked a biblical passage:

"A house divided against itself cannot stand." I believe this government cannot endure permanently half slave and half free. I do not expect the Union to be dissolved; I do not expect the house to fall; but I do expect it will cease to be divided.

Barack Obama announced his candidacy for President at the Old State Capitol building where Abraham Lincoln delivered his famous "House Divided" speech in 1858

It was here, in Springfield, where North, South, East and West come together that I was reminded of the essential decency of the American people -- where I came to believe that through this decency, we can build a more hopeful America.

And that is why, in the shadow of the Old State Capitol, where Lincoln once called on a divided house to stand together, where common hopes and common dreams still, I stand before you today to announce my candidacy for President of the United States....

Each and every time, a new generation has risen up and done what's needed to be done. Today we are called once more -- and it is time for our generation to answer that call.

For that is our unyielding faith -- that in the face of impossible odds, people who love their country can change it.

That's what Abraham Lincoln understood. He had his doubts. He had his defeats. He had his setbacks. But through his will and his words, he moved a nation and helped free a people. It is because of the millions who rallied to his cause that we are no longer divided, North and South, slave and free. It is because men and women of every race, from every walk of life, continued to march for freedom long after Lincoln was laid to rest, that today we have the chance to face the challenges of this millennium together, as one people -- as Americans.

Obama concluded his speech:

By ourselves, this change will not happen. Divided, we are bound to fail.

But the life of a tall, gangly, self-made Springfield lawyer tells us that a different future is possible.

He tells us that there is power in words.

He tells us that there is power in conviction.

That beneath all the differences of race and region, faith and station, we are one people.

He tells us that there is power in hope.

As Lincoln organized the forces arrayed against slavery, he was heard to say: "Of strange, discordant, and even hostile elements, we gathered from the four winds, and formed and fought to battle through."

The most important character element and ideology that Obama and Lincoln share is an understanding that we are one nation, one people, and that what seperates us is not nearly as profound as our common hopes, dreams, and values. Lincoln and Obama display the committment to bringing their "enemies" to the table. Lincoln famously filled his cabinet with his most vocal critics, and obviously he took an unpopular stand against the secession of the South.

Barack Obama actively seeks the opinions, council, and collaboration of those whom at first glance would appear to be "enemies" or "critics." He has demonstrated time and time again how important it is to create bipartisan coalitions, and he has effectively created opportunities for collaboration among disperate elements by highlighting the benefits for each participating member to help everyone "buy in" to the process.

Obviously, America was more explicitly divided during Lincoln's times (states are not threatening to secede in 2008). However, these modern times bring new kinds of divisions that are more nuanced and less clear. The intricacies of the global economy, the unspoken but powerful class system in America, the pervasive and underlying nature of racism, sexism, homophobia, xenophobia and classism, and the problems with the economy and social services compound one another and create a hornet's nest of issues that CANNOT be solved by one man or one party alone.

Barack Obama knows, just like Lincoln did: the problems of this complex world require the collaboration of many diverse minds, hearts, and hands.