Yesterday we asked you to leave a note for Supreme Court Nominee Judge Sotomayor who fractured her ankle on Monday. We've taken your notes and begun displaying them on a virtual cast for Judge Sotomayor ( the virtual cast is, in fact, a word cloud, which highlights the most commonly used words in your notes).If you haven't already, please sign her virtual cast.
Here's a few notes in their entirety:
Sue from Camby, IN:
Even a fracture can't keep a good judge down! You go Judge Sotomayor....Show 'em what you're made of! Blessings to you!
Jeanny from Eau Claire, WI:
Wishing you all the best as you recover from your injury. You need to heal so you can bring your wisdom, courage, discernment, and compassion to the Supreme Court. Count me as in your corner all the way.
Rowan from Austin, TX:
Your Honor: Best wishes for a speedy recovery, and I look forward to celebrating your confirmation.
Penny from Mishawaka, IN:
I admire your character. You kept your schedule in spite of the fracture in your ankle. That showed character and should have given the people with which you met an insight into your dedication to commitments and obligations.
Meta from San Francisco:
I'm so sorry to hear of your injury, but seeing you today as you continue with your grueling schedule makes me smile to know of your incredible strength and determination. Your nomination serves as constant inspiration to all of us. Please know that there is a whole nation behind you. I look forward to your tenure at the Supreme Court! Saludos!
They'll be meeting to talk health care reform at Pasquale's Cafe in Los Angeles -- a pro-Obama restaurant that will be dishing out free slices of a special pizza dubbed, "The Michelle," to attendees. The pizza is named in honor of the First Lady for its use of organic ingredients and vegetables grown in a local community garden.
As Jack and his other guests scarf down pizza and craft a health care reform outreach plan, tens of thousands of other people will be gathering in living rooms, community centers and coffee shops across the country. At these kickoffs, people will watch a special message from the President, meet other local supporters, craft a local outreach plan and start to put those plans into action. If you haven’t already, sign up to attend a kickoff in your area.
For Jack, the goal for his kickoff is simple – “to give every attendee the tools with which to go back to their neighborhoods, communities and social networks and rally support for the President's plan to reform health care.”
Jack feels the urgency. Last week, he was on a conference call with other top volunteers when President Obama told them that health care reform wouldn’t happen if it didn’t happen this year.
The President's "now or never" call to reform health care this year was truly inspiring... talk about the fierce urgency of now! I was particularly struck with how the President skillfully connected our nation's economic future with a reformation of health care. I had not considered this part of the health care issue and it will definitely be something I stress to my event guests - a safer, stronger, healthier, more prosperous America will -- in part -- be built on a pillar of health care reform.
Join Jack and thousands of other volunteers this weekend as we begin the fight to reform health care. Sign up to attend a kickoff in your area.
Earlier today, President Obama took time to speak by phone with thousands of Organizing for America volunteers about the urgent need to organize for health care reform.
“If we don’t get it done this year, we’re not going to get it done,” the President said.
He stressed that health care reform will only become a reality if grassroots supporters mobilize support for it in every community in America. The fight over health care reform, he noted, offers a "big chance to prove that the movement that started during the campaign isn’t over.”
We need you to stay involved. The election in November, that didn’t bring about change, that just gave us an opportunity for change...Some of you are in states and districts where politicians are resistant to bringing about change, so we need you to get involved.
If you missed the call, you can listen to the rest of what the President had to say here:
Also speaking on the call was David Plouffe, OFA Director Mitch Stewart, OFA Deputy Director Jeremy Bird, OFA New Media Director Natalie Foster and OFA volunteer Diane Robertson, who offered her advice on how to organize support in your community.
The fight over health care reform begins in your neighborhood June 6th. Sign up to host or attend a kickoff event in your area.
Our staff on the ground have been making more Listening Tour stops around the country. Check out some photos from Listening Tour meetings in Kansas City, Missouri and Dover-Foxcroft, Maine:
From the LA Daily News:
When political activist Mary Jane Stevenson shared her fears with her husband last fall that Barack Obama might not win the presidency, her husband's poignant reply made her shudder. "What if he wins - and he doesn't succeed?" she recalls him asking. Stevenson recounted the story to a group of San Fernando Valley-based Obama campaign volunteers last week at a local senior center. "That's not going to happen," she told them. "Because we're here tonight and there are thousands of people across the country who are coming to meetings just like this." A Topanga resident, Stevenson, 42, is the California director of Obama's Organizing for America, and is now engaged in a whirlwind organizing tour of California to help keep alive the grass-roots spirit that helped elect Obama. Those meetings are the latest manifestation of the massive grass-roots political army built by Obama during the presidential campaign. That army is now mobilizing for a new campaign to enact his agenda. Leaders of Organizing for America, the new face of the Obama campaign, say they are as fired up as ever and ready to help the president as he prepares to sell the country on such legislation as the biggest health care reform since Medicare was enacted in 1965.
When political activist Mary Jane Stevenson shared her fears with her husband last fall that Barack Obama might not win the presidency, her husband's poignant reply made her shudder.
"What if he wins - and he doesn't succeed?" she recalls him asking. Stevenson recounted the story to a group of San Fernando Valley-based Obama campaign volunteers last week at a local senior center.
"That's not going to happen," she told them. "Because we're here tonight and there are thousands of people across the country who are coming to meetings just like this."
A Topanga resident, Stevenson, 42, is the California director of Obama's Organizing for America, and is now engaged in a whirlwind organizing tour of California to help keep alive the grass-roots spirit that helped elect Obama.
Those meetings are the latest manifestation of the massive grass-roots political army built by Obama during the presidential campaign. That army is now mobilizing for a new campaign to enact his agenda.
Leaders of Organizing for America, the new face of the Obama campaign, say they are as fired up as ever and ready to help the president as he prepares to sell the country on such legislation as the biggest health care reform since Medicare was enacted in 1965.
From NBC WTAP in West Virginia:
The Obama White House wants to know what you think of the way the country is going. Wednesday night, a representative form the Obama's "Organizing for America" met with more than four dozen residents of Washington and Noble counties. The public meeting was the 31st of 35 meetings in Southeastern Ohio to gather grass roots feedback.
The Obama White House wants to know what you think of the way the country is going.
Wednesday night, a representative form the Obama's "Organizing for America" met with more than four dozen residents of Washington and Noble counties. The public meeting was the 31st of 35 meetings in Southeastern Ohio to gather grass roots feedback.
From The Post in Ohio:
Organizing for America, an extension of Barack Obama's presidential campaign, hosted a listening campaign in Grover Center last night. The listening campaign provided a chance for citizens to speak about the issues that Obama brought up during his campaign, said Greg Schultz, the state director for Organizing for America. The campaign is one of the first actions of Organizing for America. "We kind of have the way Obama's campaign was structured early on very much focused on local expertise, local knowledge and local connections," Schultz said, explaining that the organization is using the structure from Obama's campaign to help fulfill the goals of his administration.
Organizing for America, an extension of Barack Obama's presidential campaign, hosted a listening campaign in Grover Center last night.
The listening campaign provided a chance for citizens to speak about the issues that Obama brought up during his campaign, said Greg Schultz, the state director for Organizing for America. The campaign is one of the first actions of Organizing for America.
"We kind of have the way Obama's campaign was structured early on very much focused on local expertise, local knowledge and local connections," Schultz said, explaining that the organization is using the structure from Obama's campaign to help fulfill the goals of his administration.
From the Middletown Journal in Ohio:
Millions of ordinary people, just like me, are working to help President Barack Obama change America. Before the 100th day of his administration, hundreds of thousands of signatures on support cards were gathered, and hundreds of thousands of phone calls to Congress were made in support of President Obama’s budget. Ordinary people understand the importance of investing in health care, energy and education. We understand that these are the issues that will determine our future. We also understand that the budget is just the first step in rebuilding our economy. And we are very aware that it is going to take us - the ordinary people - to work to get these changes made a reality. A group of more than 80 ordinary people recently met in Warren County to discuss how to continue this grass-roots movement. We had people from Lebanon, Franklin, Waynesville, Pleasant Plain, Maineville, Mason, Middletown, Hamilton and many other villages and townships. We came together to meet the Ohio field director for Organizing for America, the organization that is an outgrowth of the Obama Campaign for Change. We understand that we finally have a voice in our government. And we know that ordinary people can do extraordinary things.
Millions of ordinary people, just like me, are working to help President Barack Obama change America. Before the 100th day of his administration, hundreds of thousands of signatures on support cards were gathered, and hundreds of thousands of phone calls to Congress were made in support of President Obama’s budget.
Ordinary people understand the importance of investing in health care, energy and education. We understand that these are the issues that will determine our future.
We also understand that the budget is just the first step in rebuilding our economy. And we are very aware that it is going to take us - the ordinary people - to work to get these changes made a reality.
A group of more than 80 ordinary people recently met in Warren County to discuss how to continue this grass-roots movement. We had people from Lebanon, Franklin, Waynesville, Pleasant Plain, Maineville, Mason, Middletown, Hamilton and many other villages and townships. We came together to meet the Ohio field director for Organizing for America, the organization that is an outgrowth of the Obama Campaign for Change. We understand that we finally have a voice in our government. And we know that ordinary people can do extraordinary things.
(Photo via The News Herald)
There already have been close to 20 Listening Tour stops in Michigan alone, with two more upcoming events in Grand Rapids and Plymouth. Nationwide, Organizing for America has held more than 200 events as a way to let volunteers help shape the organization on the ground as it moves forward.
From The News Herald in Michigan:
The Barack Obama bandwagon isn’t slowing down.Just because the man now resides at the famous 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. in the nation’s capital doesn’t mean it’s time to forget the surge of grass-roots support that came out during the presidential campaign, according to top-ranking Democrats. Because of that, the Democratic National Committee is in the midst of hosting listening tours in every state in the nation. The casual meetings are being held so that staffers can meet with Obama supporters to gain input into what his constituents are thinking. “This is our chance to reengage and remobilize those who have shown that they’re really interested in supporting President Obama’s agenda,” said Aletheia Henry, the Michigan director of the Organizing for America campaign.
The Barack Obama bandwagon isn’t slowing down.
Just because the man now resides at the famous 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. in the nation’s capital doesn’t mean it’s time to forget the surge of grass-roots support that came out during the presidential campaign, according to top-ranking Democrats.
Because of that, the Democratic National Committee is in the midst of hosting listening tours in every state in the nation. The casual meetings are being held so that staffers can meet with Obama supporters to gain input into what his constituents are thinking.
“This is our chance to reengage and remobilize those who have shown that they’re really interested in supporting President Obama’s agenda,” said Aletheia Henry, the Michigan director of the Organizing for America campaign.
Earlier today, President Obama announced his proposal to crack down on the individuals and the corporations who dodge their duty to pay taxes by hiding money in off-shore accounts, as well as the financial institutions who abet in such tax scams. Closing this loophole and making other long overdue tax reforms, President Obama estimated, will save taxpayers roughly $210 billion over the next 10 years.
In his own words...
Now, for years, we've talked about stopping Americans from illegally hiding their money overseas, and getting tough with the financial institutions that let them get away with it. The Treasury Department and the IRS, under Secretary Geithner's leadership and Commissioner Shulman's, are already taking far-reaching steps to catch overseas tax cheats -- but they need more support.And that's why I'm asking Congress to pass some commonsense measures. One of these measures would let the IRS know how much income Americans are generating in overseas accounts by requiring overseas banks to provide 1099s for their American clients, just like Americans have to do for their bank accounts here in this country. If financial institutions won't cooperate with us, we will assume that they are sheltering money in tax havens, and act accordingly. And to ensure that the IRS has the tools it needs to enforce our laws, we're seeking to hire nearly 800 more IRS agents to detect and pursue American tax evaders abroad.
Listening Tours are happening in communities across the country right now -- from Charleston, WV to Joplin, MO to Sacramento, CA. These meetings offer supporters a unqiue opportunity to meet state staff, hear about lessons learned from the election and provide input on how to organize in their community. From these meetings, we'll be putting together state-specific plans for Organizing for America.
People in Helena, MT packed a room to participate in their local Listening Tour:
Here's Deanie's story:
I am a Marine mom whose son and two nephews have deployed to Iraq in combat missions five times, with another nephew having deployed to Afghanistan. We have several generations of combat vets in our family, so that makes us pro-military, but from the beginning -- way back in 2002 -- I opposed the Iraq war, and at the time, Barack Obama was the only politician who had the guts to speak out against it.As the war dragged on and my son fought in the Battle of Fallujah in November 2004 with insufficient body armor, poorly-protected Humvees, and aged rifles, I fought just as hard to end the war so that he would not have to return, but alas, he did, along with my nephews.When the Democrats took control of Congress and still the war did not end, I threw all my energies into supporting Obama for president, with my son's full support. After he was injured in an IED explosion and lost a buddy a few days later to a sniper, he seriously began to question why we were there in the first place, and said, "If Barack Obama is elected president, maybe I won't have to go back."I worked as precinct chairman in a very red county in west Texas, and I blogged for Huffington Post and Talking Points Memo, sent what money I could, made phone calls, lived and breathed the campaign for almost two years.On election night, when Obama was declared a winner, the full impact of what that meant hit me, and I broke down sobbing and cried most of the night. The first person to call me was my son.Politics is personal to military families, and the wrong person in the White House can get a loved one killed. Obama's election was, to me, a matter of life and death. Our whole family voted for him, and we couldn't be happier. When he spoke out against the war at a time when it was political suicide to do so, he proved that there are many kinds of courage in this world.The road out of Iraq will be difficult, and won't take place all at once -- military families understand this -- but you would be surprised how many of us are grateful for the new commander-in-chief.
Do you have a story to tell? We want to hear from you about how you've been affected by the President's actions.
The White House launched official pages on Facebook, MySpace and Twitter today. Become a fan, friend or follow them for updates on the H1N1 flu and other top issues:
You also can find the White House on these other sites:
TO THE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVESApril 30, 2009Dear Madam Speaker:This week, as reports of the 2009 H1N1 flu outbreak around the world were made public, my Administration has been carefully monitoring the situation, coordinating State and local responses, assessing the risks here in the United States, and cooperating with international organizations and health officials around the globe.Out of an abundance of caution, I asked the Congress earlier this week to consider a proposal to provide $1.5 billion to enhance our Nation's capability to respond to the potential spread of this outbreak. As the attached detailed request reflects, these funds should be provided with maximum flexibility to allow us to address this emerging situation. Among the uses of these funds could be: supplementing anti-viral stockpiles; developing a vaccine; supporting monitoring, diagnostic, and public health response capabilities; assisting international efforts to stem this outbreak and to address related international needs.Already, Federal, State, and local public health officials are working day and night to respond quickly and effectively wherever cases of this flu may be found and to prepare the entire country for any potential progression of this outbreak.I urge the Congress to act expeditiously in considering this important request, the details of which are set forth in the enclosed letter from the Director of the Office of Management and Budget.Sincerely,BARACK OBAMA
TO THE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVESApril 30, 2009
Dear Madam Speaker:This week, as reports of the 2009 H1N1 flu outbreak around the world were made public, my Administration has been carefully monitoring the situation, coordinating State and local responses, assessing the risks here in the United States, and cooperating with international organizations and health officials around the globe.Out of an abundance of caution, I asked the Congress earlier this week to consider a proposal to provide $1.5 billion to enhance our Nation's capability to respond to the potential spread of this outbreak. As the attached detailed request reflects, these funds should be provided with maximum flexibility to allow us to address this emerging situation. Among the uses of these funds could be: supplementing anti-viral stockpiles; developing a vaccine; supporting monitoring, diagnostic, and public health response capabilities; assisting international efforts to stem this outbreak and to address related international needs.Already, Federal, State, and local public health officials are working day and night to respond quickly and effectively wherever cases of this flu may be found and to prepare the entire country for any potential progression of this outbreak.I urge the Congress to act expeditiously in considering this important request, the details of which are set forth in the enclosed letter from the Director of the Office of Management and Budget.Sincerely,BARACK OBAMA
Today, under the leadership of Representatives Barney Frank, Carolyn Maloney, and Luis Gutierrez, members of both parties in the House of Representatives came together to protect American consumers, paving the way toward real, meaningful credit card reform. While Americans have a responsibility to live within their means and pay what they owe, credit card companies have a responsibility to set rules that are fair and transparent. The principles I have long supported would help ensure that these responsibilities are met: strong and reliable consumer protections; credit card forms and statements that have plain language in plain sight; tools that can help people make an informed choice about what credit card to use; and beefed up monitoring, enforcement, and penalties. And building on what we have achieved today, I will work with Congress in the weeks to come so that I can sign a credit card reform bill into law that upholds these principles and upholds the interests of the American people.
After consulting with my Auto Task Force, I can report that the necessary steps have been taken to give one of America's most storied automakers, Chrysler, a new lease on life.This is a company that has a particular claim on our American identity. It's a company founded in the early years of the American automobile industry; a company that helped make the 20th century an American Century; and that came to embody, along with the two other members of the Big Three, the ingenuity, the industriousness, and the indomitable spirit of the American people.
Read his full remarks...
