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.
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!
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.
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
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.
''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.
'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.
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.
"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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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:
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
To print or email Obama's Blueprint for Change, use the "iPaper" button below. To read it online, "maximize" the size using the farthest right button, which looks like a small rectangle inside a larger one.
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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!!
California Secretary of State
There were other volunteers registering voters, and the group of us got about 25 people registered today.
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.
