Can we get postings for 24 hours that ONLY talk about how we've been changed by this campaign; or how our view of politics has changed FOR THE BETTER; or how we've connected with new people, expecially those we'd never otherwise come in contact with (through posting, calling, rallies, etc.); or how we have had our hopes for our country and the world raised by this movement.
Can we get postings for 24 hours that mention NO piece of negativity? No depression, no critcisms (justified or not) of the MSM, or individual coverage, or of Senator Clinton, or her campaign, even of Senator McCain.
If you agree with this then, sometime during today, copy this message and post it under your name. And, separately, start the ball rolling at 8 a.m. EDT on Wednesday with a message of hope for the rest of us.
We can do this! And, remember -
Barack Obama is going to be the next President of the United States!"
A lovely idea if ever I've seen one. I'm in.
We're officially opening the Richmond office today, which is kind of funny because we've been working out of it for two weeks already and have been working out of other places for weeks before that. But today's the day we cut the ribbon and invite the press in and declare ourselves officially open for business. There will be punch and cookies all around, then shuttles to the local bowling alley, where we're all going to try to bowl a 37.
Richmond is about forty minutes west of Dayton (just hop on I-70 West and keep going till you hit the border--we're about five minutes down the road from there) and ninety east of Indianapolis (grab I-70 East and don't cross the boarder). If you're anywhere in the area, come on down and join us! Our offices are in the Teamster's Union Hall on West Main.
The ride here in Richmond, IN has been cool and crazy. We've had a group meeting regularly for several weeks, and informal organizing for weeks before that. Now we've got a staffer and an intern, and we're officially opening the office Friday (there will be bowling! Come try to bowl a 37!).
Cyrus, our staffer, is super-cool. I met him at our weekly meeting yesterday. We've got a lot of great energy on the ground here in Richmond, and he just fits right in. We're blessed to have not only his experience, but his perspective and sense of fun.
We're gearing up for a really great primary here in Richmond. Our Obama team is a real grassroots community group with supporters from all walks of life. Working for real change here has turned into a wonderful opportunity to get to know some of my neighbors and get out into the community I've been living in for three years. I'm really excited about this primary.
We've finally gotten a real volunteer meeting space set up here in Richmond, Indiana. We're working out of the local teamster's office--a part of town I've never been to before, oddly enough. When the campaign officially arrives, it's going to become the Richmond for Obama Headquarters. We mostly did paperwork and volunteer signups today (poll watching, canvassing, that sort of thing). Tomorrow, we're having a debate-watching, phone-banking party. If you're in the area (40 minutes due west of Dayton, just over the border), come on out!
The weather was nice enough today to ride my motorcycle over there, but the poor girl didn't want to start (she's been sitting for a while). She behaved herself quite nicely once I jumped her, though.
Does anybody know if there are Obama sew-on or iron-on patches? I want one for my motorcycle jacket.
I'm going to a reception this afternoon being held for a nationally-broadcast radio anchor who's in town to cover the upcoming primaries. After that, I'm headed down to our new local campaign volunteer center to do phonebanking. It's nice to finally have some time on my hands to pitch in.
I just hope no one asks me about that 'bitter' comment on the phone, because I'll be really tempted to say "dude, he just said what we're all thinking," which I know is totally Not The Correct Answer.
Up till now, I've mostly been flying solo with trying to convince people to vote Obama. Today was my first meeting with other area volunteers and organizers. We met in the campus coffee shop and spent an hour talking voter registration and canvassing.
I was heartened by the diversity at the meeting. At a college coffee shop, you expect to see, you know, a bunch of college students. But we had people from all walks of life, ranging in age from seven to retired. We're working on voter registration at grocery stores and planning a big door-to-door push for Saturday.
If you're anywhere near Richmond, Indiana, come on out and join us!
I have to say, I expected more April Foolery around here than I've seen. Jeeze, what's with you guys acting like this election is, like, serious or something? Maybe I'm just too used to livejournal, where everyone uses April the First as an excuse to post ridiculous and amusing falsehoods to their blogs.
For the record, I think it would be hilarious if the Obama campaign did some kind of April Fool's gag. They're probably too busy doing, you know, real work, but a fake press release about how Obama's secretly a time lord or something would rule the school.
From The District Morning News, April 1st Edition:
PHILADELPHIA, PA: At a shocking press conference this morning, the Obama campaign let slip the real secret to Senator Obama's wild success:
Superpowers.
"Now that the cat's out of the bag," Obama said, speaking to supporters outside a popular downtown coffee shop, "I might as well come out and admit it: when my wife and I aren't busy on the campaign trail, we use superman-like abilities to fight crime and clean up the streets of Chicago." A few moments later, he paused in the middle of answering questions to rescue a toddler from a burning building. "It's a heavy burden," he admitted, handing the wayward tyke over to its overjoyed mother, "but one I am proud to shoulder in the service of this amazing country."
"I know that many of my supporters are concerned about this race ending in an ugly floor fight at the Democratic National Convention. Now that my secret's out, I want to take a moment to asuage their fears. Senator Clinton may think she can somehow seize the nomination over the head of the candidate that's won more delegates and twice as many states, but this incredible movement for change has a secret weapon she can't match: eye lasers."
He spent roughly fifteen more minutes at the coffee shop, discussing with voters the challenges of balancing family and politics with the demands of crime fighting, but had to cut the visit short to go assist a group of schoolchildren trapped on a collapsing bridge. According to a release from his campaign office, all of the children were returned safely to their parents.
I visited a predominantly African-American church today. I'd never been to one before, but I have to say, I can't remember the last time I had the much fun in church. The pastor spent the first half of the service behind a keyboard, mixing sermon in with music and music in with sermon until they were pretty much the same thing. And everyone was just so welcoming. It was really lovely.
At the end of the service, someone stood up and announced that they had voter registration and absentee ballot request forms. She never mentioned a candidate--just said this was an important primary season for Indiana and for the US--but I got the distinct feeling that I wasn't the only one in that room who was fired up and ready for change.
Some people say politics and religion shouldn't mix, and that no one's got any business bringing political stuff to church. As a Quaker, I'm generally inclined to agree. Nothing ruins Quaker worship faster for me than someone turning it into their chance to grandstand about their favorite candidate for president or school board or dog catcher or whatever, and it happens more than it should.
But then I think of Martin Luther King, and the diverse coalition of religious leaders he rallied under the banner of freedom and justice for all. I think of Daniel O'Connell, who organized the first grassroots movement in the modern world on the front steps of every Catholic church in Ireland.
Though I firmly believe that worship itself is a spiritual thing that should be kept apart from politics, I also understand that churches are places of learning and centers of community. And I understand that when my faith calls on me to work for a more just and peaceful world, the distinction between politics and religion is blurred to the point of insignificance. It's not my place to tell others what to believe or even that they should believe, but as long as there are people in this world suffering poverty, disease, and injustice, my faith tells me I have work to do. And if that means meeting people where they are--in churches and classrooms and places of business--to get them to participate in this vital election, then there's nothing the least bit disrespectful about that.
Not to sound negative and critical, but the community blogs feed is starting to look like a broken record. Everyone knows Hillary lied about Bosnia. And Northern Ireland. And Kosovo. It's what we call Old News. Posting it here is just preachin' to the choir.
We have a smart, capable candidate who's already shown his capacity to unite people from all different backgrounds. We've got the guy who can beat McCain, ensure a fair health care deal for every American, limit big money's influence in Washington, and advocate for the needs of hard-working families. If the best thing you can think to say about him at this point is that he's not Hillary, you're probably not paying attention.
I wandered across a political discussion in the comments of a motorcycle blog a while ago where someone was saying they'd never support Obama because they "just can't see voting for someone who comes right out and says he'll raise taxes to pay for social services."
I wanted to scream. First off, letting a tax break that only applies to the wealthiest 1% of Americans expire is so far from being the same thing as 'raising taxes' that you have to squint to see a similarity.
Second off, anyone who's ineligible for health insurance because of a pre-existing condition (which, by the way, doesn't just mean big stuff like cancer, but also covers those of us who--horror of horrors--get headaches) will tell you that even if it did mean higher taxes, it would still be worth it. I spent a semester studying in the UK. I can't even begin to describe what it was like to know that I didn't have to worry about getting sick or injured because I was totally and completely covered. I tried to explain to someone there why I couldn't get insurance, and she was absolutely aghast. She stammered for a minute and said "That's.... that's barbaric." And she's right. 'Barbaric' is precisely the right word for a first-world country where one out of every seven people goes without medical coverage. It's also precisely the right word for people who oppose universal coverage because it would 'slow down the system' for the rich, healthy people who've already been let into the clubhouse.
And anyone who honestly believes that people like me would need to be forced to get coverage needs to get their head out of their rear end. Blaming our broken system's victims by insinuating that we'd be too stupid or lazy to get health care coverage even if we had access to it is patronizing, father-knows-best bull****, and it indicates a complete and total inability to empathize with the needs of the average American. Garnish my wages? Are they kidding? I don't need some rich dilettante to show me how foolish I am for getting migraines. I'd give up my right kidney for a health insurance plan that couldn't kick me to the curb the first time I got sick.
Well the vatican moved the real day off because of some kind of schedule conflict, but I think we all know today is when people are going to celebrate it.
So happy St. Patrick's Day, one and all.
Everytime someone tells me they support Hillary because Obama has no experience in the executive, I ask "...and Hillary does?"
Well, now a commenter at DailyKos has said it far better: "Saying that Hillary has experience in the executive is like saying Yoko Ono was a Beatle."
Zing!
Two years ago today, a body was discovered on a refuse pile in Baghdad.
That body belonged to one Tom Fox: a loving father, patient teacher, good friend, and brave champion for those injustice had silenced. He had gone into Iraq with the Christian Peacemaker Teams to document human rights abuses. He and three of his colleagues were kidnapped and held for more than a hundred days before he was killed and the other three released.
The word of his death was so shocking that two years on, I still don't completely believe it. It is incomprehensible to me that anyone could spend more than a hundred days with Tom without coming to know him as a peaceful servant of God. But he was in a place America had no business being, doing work that shouldn't have needed doing. Situations like that create desperate people, and desperate people do ugly things.
I no longer have the chance to thank Tom for the profound impact his witness had on my life. But even though he's gone, the bright light he shined in a dark world lives on after him. The young people he did so much for before his conscience summoned him to other work have taken up his torch. We have become or are becoming more candles in the dark, trying to shine our light on injustice and moral evil and convince others that they shouldn't be afraid to do the same.
I explain all this so that when I say I take human rights violations very seriously and very personally, you will understand that I'm not just anothe bleeding-heart college liberal trying to "like, bring down the man so we can all have, like, world peace and save the rainforest, dudes." Bush just vetoed a bill banning drowning torture. Members of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) strive to see that of God in everyone, but with Bush it seems to get a little harder every day. If the human race is, as Terry Pratchett once said, the place where the falling angel meets the rising ape, then it seems that someone's angel took a wrong turn and got lost someplace in Texas.
But the funny thing is that it doesn't matter. Drowning torture is already illegal, and not just under the bill of rights. Article six of the US constitution says that "all treaties made" shall be "the supreme law of the land," on equal footing with the constitution itself. The Convention Against Torture, which bans torture and other forms of cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment, was ratified in the United States in 1994. This thing that we are doing is a crime; unequivicably, indisputably, and unconscionably illegal under both our domestic law and our international obligations.
I'm voting for Barack Obama because that's one of the ways I can shine the light on injustice. I'm supporting this movement for real change in Washington because I believe in the rule of law, and I cannot in good conscience support any country or government that does not make a good faith effort to uphold it.
MSNBC is calling Ohio for Hillary. Can't say I blame 'em-- she's got an eighteen-point lead with 56% of districts reporting. I expect those numbers will probably narrow as the evening wears on, but brace yourselves for self-congratulatory nonsense about how she's made some kind of a 'comeback' and is clearly more electable.
Here's hoping Texas comes through for us.
I'm 'watching' the results come in by reloading a browser page every few minutes. I realize that makes me a homebody, but I just finished my thesis, so I feel I'm entitled.
The current numbers from Ohio aren't encouraging, but if they were indicative of overall exit polls, they'd have called the state already. Wait and see, right?
A special thank you to all the callers and canvassers for doing what you could to get the word out.
(I'm imagining that title in a Dori from Finding Nemo voice).
The thesis drafting continues, which means I can't make any calls. I was hoping to get the thing done early, but no dice. I was down and out with the hellflu all week, and it's due Tuesday.
To the callers, canvassers, writers, staffers, and everyone else: good luck and good work.
