...you should check in. We're at Architects for Obama.
Our group is hot. We have well over 100 members; we score a 10 (of 10) on the MyBO Activity Tracker, meaning we have tons of calls, events, and blogs .
And we have been givers...bigger givers than some of those fancy Doctor- and Lawyer- "4Obama" groups! (Just kidding, but architects are notoriously pretty sedate, so its hard to believe that as a group we've raised $100,000)
So stop by the site, read the blog posts, join up, and send an e-mail to the group.
And, oh, yeah...make a donation!
Thank you, David
I have one house with a mortgage.
I'm an architect and I sometimes design houses, big ones, for wealthy people. They often have two or three houses. Or even four. And maybe a timeshare condo.
I also design buidings for developers and landlords. They have lots of houses and condos and apartment buildings and often house their family members and firends and business associates in them. These are often held in ownership by various corporate entities and agents, for tax purposes. These are people who live around the tax laws, all very legal, but not quite ethical either. Especially compared to those of us with a house and a mortgage.
John McCain isn't like me. He's not like "normal" wealthy people. He's a business. His wife is a business. They seem to think like abusiness, as in: "I have my staff count the houses." When you are a business, it's not really clear anymore. I'm not so clear about John McCain.
More from Greg at the group Architects for Obama on Energy Independence:
"I have a plan to bring about energy independence in the United States. The first nation on Earth with the opportunity to become fully independent of fossil fuels is the tiny island nation of Iceland. By exploiting the vast renewable energy resources found on the island, Icelanders have been able to grow their economy and cut dependence on foreign energy. Renewable energy resources currently tend to be more expensive than traditional sources, although with gas at over $4.00 across the United States, things are starting to balance out. Still, the most cost effective use of renewable energy tends to be in remote locations far from electric grids and fossil fuel resources.I believe that if Iceland can become energy independent then certainly the small island territories of the United States can be. Many of them have resources that Iceland does not such as solar, sugarcane ethanol, and ocean thermal energy conversion. If one island territory can be made independent of fossil fuels, then why not another? If each island territory eliminates the need for fossil fuels then why not Hawaii, the state most dependent on foreign fossil fuels? And if Hawaii can succeed, why not the rest of the nation?I believe that Barack Obama, commited to renewable energy and having been born and raised on an island, is uniquely well suited to implementing this plan.The United States is planning to spend over $15 billion dollars in the next six years to relocate our troops from Okinawa to Guam as we pull our troops out of Japan. It is the largest expansion and construction effort in the history of Guam. Our military owns about one-third of this island, and much of the remaining jungle will be bulldozed to build military headquarters, housing, hospitals, schools and commissaries to support about 8,000 additional marines. The construction effort will require 25,000 temporary workers. To put this project in perspective, Guam's current population is about 173,000 people and the total annual GDP for the island is $3.2 billion.
http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/05/30/asia/30guam-gates.php
"As long as we are going to spend $15 billion building in Guam, why don’t we take the opportunity to do so in an environmentally sustainable manner? Let us build the military bases, hospitals, schools, and housing on Guam using green building design methods. Let us expand power plants to meet the energy needs with local renewable resources. Let us require environmentally friendly cars and trucks on the island - a miliary truck running on diesel can just as easily run on biodiesel. Lets not wipe out the native habitat and eco-system found on Guam in the process.
Will Barack Obama help to make his native state the first 100% free of fossil fuels?
Hawaii, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands and the US Virgin Islands collectively use over 183 million barrels of oil per year. At the current rate, this one state and five territories will have consumed over 5 billion barrels of oil by the year 2028. Why is that significant? If we choose to drill for oil in ANWR (the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge) today, it is expected that the peak production from this source will occur in the year 2028. Government estimates indicate that there may be no more than 5 billion barrels of oil total in ANWR but perhaps as many as 15 billion barrels. Converting the one state of Hawaii and territory islands of the United States to a 100% renewable energy economy could over the next generation more than offset all of the oil that could be produced in ANWR. The oil currently being shipped to these islands could be diverted to other locations. About 40% of Hawaii’s oil (21 million barrels) is shipped from Alaska annually. If Hawaii converted to renewable energy, this oil could instead be shipped to Washington, Oregon, California, and the other lower 48 states without a drop coming from ANWR. By converting these remote islands to renewable energy the technologies will become more mature and economically attractive on the mainland.
These islands share a number of similar energy challenges. Hawaii is the most oil dependant state in the nation. 95% of Hawaii’s electricity comes from burning fossil fuels – none of which can be found on the island. As islands, they all lack interconnection to larger electrical grids that would provide emergency backup power or economies of scale. Lacking indigenous sources of fossil fuels, they are almost entirely dependent on imported oil or refined petroleum products for electricity generation. This dependence causes electricity prices to track with petroleum prices, contributing to electricity rates that are higher than anywhere else in the United States. Yet each of these islands has enormous renewable energy resources which are not being used to the fullest extent.
The fact that these islands are so distant from fossil fuel resources makes them some of the most attractive places to build renewable energy infrastructure in the United States. Is it possible for a small island to become energy independent? Iceland already has. Iceland, with about as many people as American Samoa and Guam combined, was once almost entirely dependent upon imported fossil fuels for its economy just like the major islands of the United States. Icelanders took it upon themselves to exploit the vast natural energy of their island to produce heat and electricity from geothermal and hydroelectric sources. Today as it converts all of its vehicles over to electric and hydrogen fuel cells, it will soon become the first nation on Earth completely free of dependence on fossil fuels.
These islands have resources which surpass those available in Iceland. Not unlike Iceland, the islands of Hawaii, Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands have enormous geothermal production potential. Hawaii has had a proof-of-concept geothermal power station with a capacity of 30 MW in use for many years. But these islands have many renewable energy resources which Iceland does not. These tropical islands also have solar energy potential Iceland does not have. They have the potential for biofuels such as ethanol from sugarcane and biodiesel from coconut trees which Iceland will never have. Puerto Rico's prime agricultural product through the middle of the 20th century was sugarcane - a far more efficient source of ethanol. Puerto Rico could produce nearly 200 million gallons more of ethanol per year from its trash and reduce its landfills.
These islands can produce electricity from ocean thermal energy conversion which is only possible in tropical climates where a large temperature differential exists. They have the potential to create floating wind farms in the open ocean away from the sight of beaches. They can produce electricity from tidal currents. Conversion of the fleets of cars and trucks to local renewable resources such as electric cars, biofuel vehicles, and hydrogen fuel cells especially make sense on small remote islands.
Because of their remoteness, geography, and tropical climates, these islands offer ideal locations to build renewable energy economies. The high costs of shipping fossil fuels make local renewable resources more attractive economically. Energy independence will benefit the local economies of the islands by producing jobs and cutting foreign imports. The rest of the United States would benefit by conserving more oil than could be pumped out of ANWR even while the renewable technologies mature and become more economically attractive on the mainland.
The group Architects for Obama just welcomed our 99th member, "William." We're looking for our 100th, and the next hundred after that. If you know anyone who is an architect and interested in Obama send them to my.barackobama.com/page/group/ArchitectsforObama.
Architects are an elusive group of Obama supporters: A4O is often the FIRST group our members join, its usually the ONLY group they join, and they tend to actually donate as a group to the campaign. It seems to be a good place for these creative, all-nighter types.
So, send your designer friends along and get them involved!
I support the Second Amendment, of course. I support the military. I support sportsmen and the agricultural tradesmen requiring firearms in their work. Obama supports these positions, too, but this is not the point. It seems appropriate to use the occasion of today’s ruling to highlight the ever encroaching militaristic intrusion in the character of our communities, of the countryside and in our daily life .
I do personally disagree with the interpretation by the Supreme Court mostly on the grounds that it edges us further toward a personal property right vs. a civil right of the People (capital P) to bear arms for the purpose of establishing and maintaining a Militia, solely because it expands this uncivil architectural trend.
That is (for one example only), the guard rails, highway signs and type faces, turning radii, fences, scrub landscape and overpasses of the Eisenhower roadway system (and now much of our secondary road system) is far different aesthetically than, say, Britain’s. There is a reason for this seemingly stylistic difference. It has to do, first, with the role of arms in America, and NOT the turning radius of the Bentley. As this role has evolved, it has advanced, and it has, in fact, changed our built environment, whether you see it in your personal commute or not.
Why else is the national park service at liberty to have a completely different, more civil roadway designs? And the Parkway system in America, which for a time elevated automobile travel to a civil, aesthetic experience, was halted primarily on the grounds that our highways must facilitate military maneuvers.
Andres Duany and other planner have spent their careers fighting the DOT and other agencies, which had become in effect, through their militaristic designs standards, an effectively an arm of the military. As a result they paradoxically act AGAINST the very second amendment rights of the People to be protected to live their life without intervention of the government. Instead we see its influence everywhere.
We could look at the militaristic design of many aspects of America, and yes, WalMart is at the top of my list, and not just because they sell guns. They have physically removed civility, fulfillment, and joy from the marketplace. Also on the list would be public transportation infrastructure, public housing, post offices, airports, college campuses, and much else that the Federal government has built since WWII. These all veer toward utility with no delight.
For the record, if we are to understand it, here it is: “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the People to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” This confirmed the People’s right to be protected, and to form militias to protect themselves, not to collect guns. The Bill of Rights nowhere gave us STUFF. The Bill of Rights was confirming God-given rights of action and control, NOT that we should all have rifles, or a chicken in our pot, or even health care (although these ideas may have merits, they are not civil rights). But arms are NOT a property right.
If we are to design our world as if the enemy has won, well, then, he has already won. And if this is the case, the right of the People to a protective Militia - strong enough that they can freely live in a civilized, non-militaristic society - has been infringed. This is NOT the Platonic or Aristotelian City I understand our best thinkers to be directing us toward.
David
From Peter from Santa Fe, NM:
CRACKING THE CODE
A Much-Awaited Approach for Dramatically Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions
SANTA FE, NM - In a major announcement today, Architecture 2030 released an unprecedented and much-anticipated guide for every city, county and state in the nation to swiftly meet their greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction targets through existing building codes. Architecture 2030 is the non-profit research organization that issued the 2030 Challenge, the widely adopted plan for dramatically reducing GHG emissions in the Building Sector. Published in a new white paper, titled "Meeting the 2030 Challenge Through Building Codes", a single chart provides the key to deciphering various building energy codes and standards as they relate to the immediate 50% reduction target called for in the 2030 Challenge.
According to Edward Mazria, executive director of Architecture 2030, "meeting reduction targets through existing codes is the critical 'missing piece' to getting major reductions underway immediately." Michelle Wyman, executive director of the US branch of ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability, an international membership association of over 700 local governments, agrees. "Mayors have unanimously adopted the 2030 Challenge and have been eager to implement it. Being able to do so through existing building energy codes will allow them to move much more quickly with strong, measurable reductions in building emissions," she said.
More and more governments and professionals across the US are looking to the 2030 Challenge as an effective way to tame the excessive CO2 emissions of the Building Sector. Buildings are the major contributor to climate change, being responsible for almost half of all US energy consumption and GHG emissions. The 2030 Challenge calls for a 50% reduction in energy consumption, including fossil fuel, GHG-emitting energy, of all new buildings and major renovations by 2010, and for incrementally increasing the reduction every five years, so that all new buildings are carbon neutral by 2030.
The urgent need for a code-based approach prompted Architecture 2030 to develop 'code equivalents', which are the additional reductions needed beyond the requirements of a particular code, standard or rating system to meet or exceed the initial 50% target of the 2030 Challenge. These code equivalents can be easily incorporated into existing codes by ordinance.
Ken Colburn is Senior Consultant for the Center for Climate Strategies, a non-profit organization that has worked with more than 20 states to design, launch, and successfully manage the creation of comprehensive state climate action plans that significantly reduce GHG emissions. According to Colburn, "By comparing current building codes to the level of greenhouse gas reductions called for by the global scientific community to stem global warming, Architecture 2030 has taken a giant step toward delivering those very reductions."
R.K. Stewart, 2007 president of the American Institute of Architects, the first organization to adopt the 2030 Challenge, also expressed the importance of Architecture 2030's white paper. "Using the recommendations offered in this white paper to improve energy performance beyond current regulations and standards will enable us to act both decisively and immediately to bring energy use in the Building Sector under control."
Architecture 2030 believes that states, local governments and professional organizations are the real heroes on climate change. "They have taken the lead on addressing this crisis. We are excited to be able to provide them with such a useful and powerful tool for making the 2030 Challenge a reality in their communities," said Mazria.
The success of the 2030 Challenge is attributed to the fact that it can be implemented immediately, it spawns the creation of many new, local, permanent jobs and it is much more cost effective than other approaches, such as nuclear and coal with carbon capture and storage. Architecture 2030 released its own study, 'The 2030 Blueprint', last month, providing a side-by-side analysis of various approaches to emissions reductions, showing unequivocally that building energy efficiency via the 2030 Challenge is the clear winner.
Architecture 2030 is not the only group coming to this conclusion. According to Coburn, "In state after state, analyses by the Center for Climate Strategies, the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy, McKinsey & Company, and others demonstrate that steps to achieve substantial greenhouse gas reductions from residential, commercial, and industrial buildings are not only possible, they are available today and can provide significant net cost savings, more jobs, and other economic benefits where implemented."
Architecture 2030
kershner@architecture2030.org
*Architecture 2030 is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and does not endorse, support or oppose any candidate, campaign or political party.
Bush Pardons HIMSELF of all war crimes. The bill (which was signed into law as the Military Commissions Act of 2006) gives Bush and his staff retroactive immunity for possible war crimes that date back to September 11, 2001...go figure.
This information was issued by Charles "Chip" Roberson - Sonoma, CA. chip.roberson@mac.com CA CD1 Team Lead and Delegate for Senator Obama http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/blog/chiproberson
For more details see:
http://belowgroundsurface.org/belowgroundsurface/framespage.htm?loc=http://belowgroundsurface.org/belowgroundsurface/Comments.aspx
Here's a link on this issue (including Jack Cafferty's comments) on the DailyKos.http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/1/21/14169/4685/793/440595If there is ever a time that Americans woke and up and took notice of what is happening to their government and their country, it would certainly seem now is the time. In recent history, the Democrats have done a good job of protecting our rights (e.g. Chris Dodd's filabuster of the FISA amendment and telecom immunity earlier this year) but I personally believe fear of not wanting to seem tough on terrorism is causing collateral damage to our Bill of Rights.http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036677/#25274098Living in a free society doesn't mean we get to live in a society free of all risk. Americans seem so preoccupied with the threat of terrorism that we don't see what we're doing to ourselves. Allow me to quote Former Sec. of State Colin Powell:"What is the greatest threat facing us now? People will say it's terrorism. But are there any terrorists in the world who can change the American way of life or our political system? No. Can they knock down a building? Yes. Can they kill somebody? Yes. But can they change us? No. Only we can change ourselves. So what is the great threat we are facing?"http://blogs.usatoday.com/onpolitics/2007/09/colin-powell-te.html
My friend Glen Besa sends this message:
Dear Friends,
As a Sierra Club staffer and a long time Obama supporter, I am excited to share with you the news that today at 10 AM in Ohio the Sierra Club will announce its endorsement of Barack Obama.While federal election laws and spending limits significantly regulate what we can do on Obama's behalf, we'll be doing all we can to support a November victory! This is an exciting day!
Glen
"While supporters of Obama appreciate his commitment to fighting climate change many may still be a bit unsure of what climate change/man-made global warming - a.k.a. anthropogenic global warming or AGW - is really all about. Like the tobacco battles disinformation is everywhere.
We have only a few years to understand the enormity of the crisis and successfully act, so that our children might avoid the worst effects in the following decades. Therefore ignorance of the subject should not be excused.
This post (slightly modified from a post I put on DailyKos a few days ago) attempts to provide a short list of resources that clearly and succinctly explain global warming. Please read what you can. Pass a link to this post on to those you suspect have questions or doubts about it - express your concerns and ask them to read too.
(The fun starts after the jump.)
GLOBAL WARMING 101 - A READING LIST:
The Basic Scientific Understanding:
Basic Fossil Fuel Facts - an indispensable condensed explanation, at the end of a letter addressed to Governor Gibbons of Nevada by Jim Hansen. (It starts on page 5, but the letter is very good too.)
Climate Code Red: The case for a sustainability emergency - a great summary of the science up to the start of this year, giving the crisis the urgency it deserves.
Understanding and Attributing Climate Change - IPCC makes the case.
Detecting and Attributing External Influences on the Climate System: A Review of Recent Advances - Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.
Assessing key vulnerabilities and the risk from climate change - the IPCC's take on what's at stake.
The Effects of Climate Change on Agriculture, Land Resources, Water Resources, and Biodiversity, Executive Summary - U.S. Dept of Agriculture
Global Warming Fact & Our Future - National Academy of Sciences covers almost every angle in a great interactive website.
Special Report: Climate Change - covers the crisis from many angles.
The Science Behind the Science and Why it can be trusted:
Scientists Explain How They Attribute Climate-Change Data - A Wall Street Journal article shows why the science can be trusted.
Models 'key to climate forecasts' - BBC's examination of our most powerful tool in understanding global warming.
Addressing Doubt:
Climate change: A guide for the perplexed - has great links covering many of the questions people naturally have when first confronted by the enormity of global warming.
Skeptical Science: Examining the science of global warming skepticism
MORE READING Best Global Warming Blogs:
Climate Progress
Real Climate
Climate Feedback
Gristmill
Related Websites:
Climatic Research Unit
Hadley Center for Climate Prediction
Jim Hansen
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
National Snow and Ice Data Center
Climate Ark
NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
Books:
With Speed and Violence: Why Scientists Fear Tipping Points in Climate Change by Fred Pearce - The best A to Z treatment I've read.
Hell and High Water: Global Warming--the Solution and the Politics--and What We Should Do by Joseph Romm
The Discovery of Global Warming by Spencer R. Weart
Censoring Science: Inside the Political Attack on Dr. James Hansen and the Surprising Truth About Global Warming by Mark Bowen
Heat: How to Stop the Planet from Burning by George Monbiot, Matthew Prescott
The Atlas of Climate Change: Mapping the World's Greatest Challenge by Kristin Dow, Thomas E. Downing
The Revenge of Gaia: Earth's Climate Crisis and the Fate of Humanity by James Lovelock, Crispin Tickell
And Now Action: Okay, enough reading! Armed with the facts, go out and fight for our children's future - change our personal, political and public lives. While supporting and insuring that Obama is the single biggest thing we can do to save ourselves, a comprehensive place to start is at (my blog): Checklist Toward Zero Carbon. Download it, edit it, make it your own, and pass it on."
Obama Issues Statement on Climate Change Bill
Originally Posted By kenlevenson - Jun 9th, 2008 at 1:45 pm EDT
"I wished Obama had made a statement on the Senate floor during the debate of the Lieberman-Warner climate bill. But with his statement over the weekend, I now understand why he probably chose not to speak - because like many of us, he was conflicted on the legislation.
"I'll clip it up here with some brief comments."First, Obama sets it in a global context:
'As this week’s debate on climate change has unfolded, the American people and those watching us around the world had every reason to hope that we would act. Every credible scientist and expert believes action is necessary. This is critical and long overdue legislation that represents a good first step in addressing one of the most serious problems facing our generation.'
"Then, states his mixed feelings:
'Like many of my Senate colleagues, I believe the legislation could have been made even better. Had there been a substantive Senate debate about some of the concerns with this bill, I believe the outcome could have generated broad support. It certainly would have received my support.'
"Then he pivots and goes for McCain's throat:
'Unfortunately, the Republican leadership in the Senate has chosen to block progress, rather than work in a good faith manner to address this challenge. This is a failure of our politics and a failure of leadership — a President who for years denied the problem, and a Republican nominee, John McCain, who claims leadership on the issue but opposes this bipartisan bill.'
"And pivots again! Why the politics matter - and he states the consequences plainly:
'We can’t afford more of the same timid politics when the future of our planet is at stake. We are already breaking records with the intensity of our storms, the number of forest fires, and the periods of drought. By 2050, famine could force more than 250 million from their homes. And if we do nothing, sea levels will rise high enough to swallow large portions of every coastal city and town.'
"After rattling off some positives of Lieberman-Warner he ups the ante:
'Let me clear, this bill is not perfect. Emissions reductions must reflect the scientific consensus, which are reductions of at least 80 percent 2050. We must ensure that more middle-class families reap more of the financial benefits created by this bill. And we must direct greater resources to the regions of the country that will bear the brunt of this critical transition to a clean energy economy.'
"Sounds to me like Obama is headed in the direction of Representative Markey's climate bill: 'Investing in Climate Action and Protection Act,' - of which dkos' own Adam Siegel did an initial run down on, here. If so, this is another right note, in a just wonderfully terrific first four days. Makes me hopeful."
The following message was posted at "Architects for Hillary" at the Hillary Clinton campaign website and was also sent individually to members of that group. I hope you'll take a moment and reflect on ways to invite Hillary's supporters to join our ranks. Please feel free to cut and paste this message to send to any Hillary fans in your life. They may be feeling frustrated or uncommitted or simply wondering where to find like-mined friends, so this message is intended purely as a greeting and a way to welcome anyone into the fold that may share our commitment to a better designed world.
Hello,
This is a message from "Architects for Obama", a group page on the main Obama campaign social networking website (http://my.barackobama.com). We want to reach out and greet our fellow design professionals who may have been supporters of Hillary for President. You can also find us via the main campaign website at http://www.barackobama.com/index.php under the "Action" tab.
We share common goals of improved housing, sustainable construction practices, improved transportation, and many other issues. Both Hillary and Obama have frequently used building metaphors in there campaigns. Many of the issues they agree on relate directy to caring for the environment, strengthening communities and rebuilding and improving the public infrastructure. Surely we all stand ready to work together to improve the lives of our fellow Americans through design of the built environment.
We invite you to visit our group page at http://my.barackobama.com/page/group/Architectsfor.... Hopefully, you'll find a lot in common with us and with Obama. We would love to have you join our ranks and participate by posting to the group blog, sending messages, making friends or simply finding out more about what we've been doing to support Obama.
Thank you for your hard work for Hillary,David (Administrator of Architects for Obama (http://my.barackobama.com/page/dashboard/public/gG...)
If any of you are development professionals - architects, urban designers, transportation experts, city planners, civil engineers - please contactc John Chamberlain on the www.barackobama.com site letting him know your background and profession. He's looking to build on the group Architects for Obama, as well as groups for the groups New Urbanists for Obama and Obama for Smart Growth and Urbanism.
Fellow Architects for Obama:
Please ignore our only listed event which unfortunately does not lead to an informational link, and which, according to the Obama campaign HQ, cannot be removed! In fact, we have no events, and have had none! This seems to be a pervasive problem on barackobama.com, so much so that it has an official technical name: "Phantom Event."
Sorry for this confounding problem of etiquette and decorum (would Emily Post send regrets?); we'll keep you notified on any actual (vs. virtual) events.
From the Group Profile:
"The group is for those wishing to improve our built environment through good Urbanism, Sustainable Design, Zero Emissions building, the use of LEED and LEED-ND in the construction of villages, towns and cities, the promotion of mass transit, cycling, pedestrian access in developments, the inclusion of green spaces, horticulture and other civic needs within our communities, and a move away from the unsustainable cookie-cutter sprawl you see everywhere in modern America. This group will attract members of existing large-scale national Urbanist movements and many others interested in good urbanism and who support Barack Obama and his policies..."
Cheers to the blog Architecture MNP (http://architecture.myninjaplease.com/?p=2982) which tracked down this clip and posted it on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNOp2VaUoQ4
Sure, EVERYBODY'S an architect these days (Bill Gates?, Karl Rove?...c'mon, why don't ya? Try 6 years of school and a 3-year internship and a liscensing exam, guys!), but where Obama's invloved, we'll make a special exception. He is the Honorary Architect of Change.
That makes him the legitimate leader of our group Architects for Obama. For all of you architects out there fighting for better communities, improved infrastructure, quality housing and greener buildings, please join your fellow professionals at: http://my.barackobama.com/page/group/ArchitectsforObama.
And if you're not an architect, but know one, please encourage them to join us. Architects are notoriously introverted (we actually like those all-nighters) so this is a simple way to get begin to get involved.
DEMOCRATS SEE A POSSIBLE BLUE VIRGINIA
Party leaders hope last week's elections will elevate Virginia to a battlefield state in 2008.
By Michael Sluss, The Roanoke Times
RICHMOND -- By taking control of the state Senate in Tuesday's General Assembly elections, Virginia Democrats continued a long rebuilding process that has seen them win consecutive elections for governor in 2001 and 2005 and unseat an incumbent U.S. senator in 2006.
Now, some party leaders insist those results should get the attention of national Democrats and elevate Virginia to a battleground state in next year's presidential election, even though no Democratic presidential nominee has carried the state since 1964.
But state Democrats also caution that a national candidate must appeal to middle-of-the-road voters to break that trend.
"I think that you can make a strong case that kind of moderate, centrist, get-things-done candidates fared pretty well," said Gov. Tim Kaine on Wednesday, one day after Democrats picked up four Senate seats to gain a 21-19 majority.
Republicans won 54 of 100 seats in the House of Delegates, but Democrats picked up four seats to reduce the GOP's majority.
"Virginians are slowly warming up to Democrats," said state Sen. Creigh Deeds, D-Bath County.
The gains made by Virginia Democrats are not lost on party officials at the national level, Democratic National Committee spokesman Damien LaVera said.
"This is a state that is trending toward Democrats," LaVera said. "It really does show that Virginia will be in play" in 2008.
The Virginia legislative elections added "icing on the cake" for national Democrats who already were eyeing the Old Dominion, said Larry Sabato, director of the University of Virginia's Center for Politics.
"They were already excited about Virginia because of the election in 2005 and especially [U.S. Sen.] Jim Webb's in 2006," Sabato said.
A major statewide race also will draw national attention to Virginia in 2008, as voters choose a successor to retiring U.S. Sen. John Warner, a Republican who has served five terms. Former Gov. Mark Warner, a Democrat who is unrelated to the senator, already has announced his candidacy. Former Gov. Jim Gilmore has expressed interest in the Republican nomination and may announce his candidacy soon.
Warner's 2001 election as governor marked a pivot point for Virginia Democrats. The former governor, who strongly considered a presidential bid, has criticized national Democrats in the past for ignoring the South in presidential campaigns and concentrating on a limited number of states that can deliver the 270 electoral votes needed for victory.
But Gilmore questioned whether Virginia voters will buy what national Democrats are selling after more than four decades of backing Republican presidential candidates.
"They're not going to think that a continuing pattern of wanting more spending and taxing and a growth of government at the national level is the right answer," Gilmore said Friday.
Republican leaders acknowledge that Tuesday's legislative elections underscore some weaknesses for the party, particularly in the fast-growing suburbs of Northern Virginia.
"Where we had a strong, consistent message, we did well," said former Lt. Gov. John Hager, the chairman of the state Republican Party. "Where the message got diluted and we tried to be Democrat-light, we didn't do well."
Gilmore said Tuesday's legislative elections "don't point yet to a particular direction" for 2008.
"As long as Republicans address issues of regular Virginians, stand by their principles and don't shift their positions once they're in office, they're all right," said Gilmore, who was elected governor in 1997 by vowing to eliminate the personal property tax on automobiles.
GOP leaders also questioned whether any of the Democrats' top-tier presidential candidates, particularly Sen. Hillary Clinton, could have broad appeal in the state.
"The current candidates for the presidential nomination are far more liberal than Virginia," Hager said.
Top contenders in both parties have made campaign visits to Virginia, even though the state will have little impact on choosing the Democratic and Republicans nominees. More than half of the states will hold primaries and caucuses before Virginia's Feb. 12 primary, beginning with the Jan. 3 Iowa precinct caucuses.
It's too soon to tell how seriously Democrats will compete for Virginia's 13 electoral votes next year. In 2004, John Kerry and running mate John Edwards made a handful of appearances in the state. But the campaign moved its top Virginia staffers to more competitive states in early October, and President Bush ultimately won the state by 8 percentage points.
Kaine's election in 2005 and Webb's upset of incumbent Sen. George Allen last year seemed to defy the conventional wisdom that Virginia is a solid red state.
But the party's recent gains don't automatically make the state more competitive for a presidential contender, Deeds said.
"Virginia is still a right-of-center state," said Deeds, who lost the 2005 race for attorney general by a mere 360 votes. "It's still going to be tough to win here."
Sabato said a Democrat with centrist or regional appeal could put Virginia on the electoral battlefield next year. But, he said, "if it's Hillary Clinton, I don't think a major investment will be made."
Kaine, who has endorsed Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois in the presidential race, said Tuesday's election results suggest that candidates will succeed in Virginia by winning the race for the political center.
"The outcome speaks for pragmatism and moderation -- of either party," Kaine said.
This is an update from the group Architects for Obama where we have just welcomed our 70th member!
Architects for Obama work everyday for better communities, greener buildings, social justice and quality of life. That's why we're behind Obama. We're here to support his vision to build a better future. We're ready to help him get elected and then we're ready to rebuild this country: it's infrastructure, it's educational facilities, it's neighborhoods and it's public lands. There's a lot to be done, and we feel like WE CAN DO IT!
Most architects have not felt this way since school studio days...that's the great, inspiring, energizing thing about Obama.
If you know an architect or designer that's not heard about us, please send them our way. Architects are notoriously apolitical. Invite them to get involved, at Architects for Obama they can participate by sending a message, requesting friends, posting on the blog, and...oh yeah,,,making donations. (By the way, we're a fairly giving group, I'm proud to report.)
Check us out at http://my.barackobama.com/page/group/America4Obama!
And why does no one in the media ask her about it?
Friends,Please read this phenomenal, inspiring blog post from a young member over at the group Architects for Obama. It's determined, passionate people like this, who are willing to go out and fight for Obama while at the same time facing life's unfair struggles, that have humbled me time and time again in this campaign! I'm proud to count Dominic among my new "Obamacan Friends," although I've never met him and may never will... "Yesterday I went out and voted for Sen. Obama, with my good friend chris here down from Connecticut. It is kinda bittersweet for me because even despite his loss to Hillary, I felt very good about myself for the first time in a long time. I say this cause I am a recent college graduate who lost his job here in Philadelphia back in January.
Friends,
Please read this phenomenal, inspiring blog post from a young member over at the group Architects for Obama.
It's determined, passionate people like this, who are willing to go out and fight for Obama while at the same time facing life's unfair struggles, that have humbled me time and time again in this campaign!
I'm proud to count Dominic among my new "Obamacan Friends," although I've never met him and may never will...
"Yesterday I went out and voted for Sen. Obama, with my good friend chris here down from Connecticut. It is kinda bittersweet for me because even despite his loss to Hillary, I felt very good about myself for the first time in a long time. I say this cause I am a recent college graduate who lost his job here in Philadelphia back in January.
While vigoriously searching for another entry level architecture position, it seems like the only thing that has really gave me comfort were Barack's speeches. A few weeks ago I even went out and cleaned a park in a visibility effort and it was great. I did not do as much volunteering as the countless others since I really needed to find a job in my field. It has been three months and everything has fell through here. I have had four interviews and gone nowhere because of my lack of experience. Those who do not believe we are in a recession better wake up fast. Between the competition and the number of people looking for jobs in this city, I never really had a chance. My vote for Barack Obama is my last giant triumph in Philly as I will be moving back home to West Haven, Ct in a few weeks after nearly five years living in the city of brotherly love. I am very saddened and disappointed by this, but I think it is the best thing to do. I did not stay here to have a regular job; I stayed to work in an interesting architecture firm in a city full of many. I can get a regular job back home if I have to, but I will continue my search there. What I leave here is a great city with great people and great food. People who came from out of state and from London and Japan to volunteer for Barack (as I saw last night at a watching party I went to in Chinatown). I'm also going to leave the architecture and the life that is soo vivrant in this historical place. My friends who will graduate from Temple's Architecture Program next month will also be greatly missed. They will have to head out into the real world and face the same struggles as myself and many other young adults are facing now. The one thing I can take from all of this is that sometimes hope is all we have in times of despair. If we believe and have faith in what we want in life, it will happen. You can just ask me - I was told by a studio professor in my sophomore year to leave architecture, but I am still here fighting for what I want to do with my life. So, don't let anyone deter your dreams either. I thank Philly for all the great memories I have had here over the past five years. Yes we can, Yes we can!!'-Dominic Cacioppo
While vigoriously searching for another entry level architecture position, it seems like the only thing that has really gave me comfort were Barack's speeches. A few weeks ago I even went out and cleaned a park in a visibility effort and it was great. I did not do as much volunteering as the countless others since I really needed to find a job in my field. It has been three months and everything has fell through here. I have had four interviews and gone nowhere because of my lack of experience. Those who do not believe we are in a recession better wake up fast. Between the competition and the number of people looking for jobs in this city, I never really had a chance.
My vote for Barack Obama is my last giant triumph in Philly as I will be moving back home to West Haven, Ct in a few weeks after nearly five years living in the city of brotherly love. I am very saddened and disappointed by this, but I think it is the best thing to do. I did not stay here to have a regular job; I stayed to work in an interesting architecture firm in a city full of many. I can get a regular job back home if I have to, but I will continue my search there.
What I leave here is a great city with great people and great food. People who came from out of state and from London and Japan to volunteer for Barack (as I saw last night at a watching party I went to in Chinatown). I'm also going to leave the architecture and the life that is soo vivrant in this historical place. My friends who will graduate from Temple's Architecture Program next month will also be greatly missed. They will have to head out into the real world and face the same struggles as myself and many other young adults are facing now. The one thing I can take from all of this is that sometimes hope is all we have in times of despair. If we believe and have faith in what we want in life, it will happen. You can just ask me - I was told by a studio professor in my sophomore year to leave architecture, but I am still here fighting for what I want to do with my life. So, don't let anyone deter your dreams either. I thank Philly for all the great memories I have had here over the past five years. Yes we can, Yes we can!!'
-Dominic Cacioppo
