Today at the Legacy Conference we are discussing our vision moving forward. We have broken into groups both by area type (urban, suburban, rural) and by state to discuss what we would like to see happen to the campaign's grassroots movement. Volunteers and staff have been discussing:
* what the structure of the organization should look like at the local, state and national levels
* what the new organization should be called
* what the role of volunteers should be
Do you have ideas or suggestions? Please share in the comments below!
Staff and volunteer team leaders from across the country gathered early this morning for the kick off of the Organizing for Change Legacy Conference. This morning's discussions are focused around how we got here - what worked, what didn't work and the lessons we learned. Jon Carson, National Field Director, started the conference off with his story of how we changed the national map through our field operations.
After hearing the national field story, volunteers and staff broke into smaller groups by state to tell their own stories of how we won. Field Directors of battleground states started the conversation by talking about how they ended up on the campaign and how they saw their states grow during the general election.
Yohannes Abraham, the Field Director of Virginia, took the group of VA staff and volunteers for a trip down memory lane - back to the days in July when the press didn't think we could win Virginia, field offices didn't have phones or internet, and folks had to brave the Virginia heat on a daily basis to register new voters. The hard work paid off though and by the time the convention rolled around a strong grassroots organization had been built. On August 28, the night Barack Obama accepted the democratic nomination for president, there were over 1,000 house parties across the commonwealth of Virginia. The energy and organizing from those house parties created the back bone of the final push to victory in Virginia.
Stay tuned for more stories from the field about how we won and what our vision is moving forward.
We have just 26 hours before the polls close here in Virginia, and these next 26 hours are critical to winning Virginia for Barack Obama. We have come so far, we can't let it slip through our fingers now. If you have any free time at all in the next 26 hours, be sure to come into your local office to help out. Everyone is welcome.
Take a moment to watch this video of some of the best moments from the road in Virginia to elect Barack Obama then sign up to join our GOTV efforts.
Some of you may have recently seen some of the false ads from the NRA, attacking Barack's record on gun ownership. Help us fight the smears and get the real facts on Barack's position.
Check out this video where Barack states plainly and clearly, to a crowd right here in Virginia, that he strongly supports the 2nd Amendment and pledges to protect gun owners and gun owners' rights. Send the video to your gun owning friends and family members.
Two days until the polls open!
Barack is in Harrisonburg, Virginia tonight. He'll be speaking any minute - tune in here to catch a live stream of the event:
7 days to go. Sign up to help us Get-Out-The-Vote.
Ten days left. That's just under 250 hours before the polls open. If you want to see history made on November 4th, if you want change in Washington, sign up now to help us win Virginia for Barack and other democrats.
Remember how Barack was 9 points up in New Hampshire the night before the primary? He lost by just a couple points. Let's be sure that doesn't happen in Virginia - recruit your friends and family to volunteer. Elections are won and lost on just a couple hundred votes. Your volunteer shift could be the key to those couple votes that put us over the top!
From the Richmond Times-Dispatch:
Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr. carried the Democrats' economic message into Southside Virginia yesterday, telling a crowd in Martinsville that Barack Obama will restore the middle class and the nation's standing in the world. ...Biden also derided McCain for portraying himself as an agent of change. "I know Halloween's coming, but that's one costume that will not fit John McCain," Biden told a boisterous crowd of about 700 at Patrick Henry Community College. ...[Biden] promised that Obama will cut taxes for working people, invest in alternative energy and work to lower health-care costs. Biden, a U.S. senator from Delaware, made campaign stops yesterday in Danville and Martinsville. It was his fifth trip to the state as the vice presidential nominee. Biden plans to campaign today in Surry County. Earlier yesterday afternoon, Biden rallied about 600 people at the Community Market in Danville. He noted that even Bush is catching onto Obama's plan of a timetable for withdrawal of troops from Iraq. "Only John McCain and Sarah Palin are the odd people out," Biden said.
This was just released from our press shop. Be sure to sign up to join Sen. Webb at rallies across Southwest Virginia tomorrow:
Sen. Jim Webb to Headline Change We Need Rallies for Obama in Southwest Virginia RICHMOND, Va. – On Thursday, U.S. Senator Jim Webb will headline several campaign events in Southwest Virginia on behalf of U.S. Senator Barack Obama. Webb, who will hold rallies in Bristol, Marion, Pulaski, and Blacksburg, will discuss Sen. Obama’s plan to cut taxes for middle class families, create jobs and end tax breaks for corporations that ship jobs overseas and bring a responsible end to the Iraq war. He will lay out the contrast between Obama and John McCain, who promises to continue the failed policies of the last eight years of the Bush administration. Like Obama, Webb has worked across the aisle to deliver real solutions for middle class families and America’s servicemen and women. Details for Thursday’s events, which will be open to the public, can be found below.
Sen. Jim Webb to Headline Change We Need Rallies for Obama in Southwest Virginia
RICHMOND, Va. – On Thursday, U.S. Senator Jim Webb will headline several campaign events in Southwest Virginia on behalf of U.S. Senator Barack Obama. Webb, who will hold rallies in Bristol, Marion, Pulaski, and Blacksburg, will discuss Sen. Obama’s plan to cut taxes for middle class families, create jobs and end tax breaks for corporations that ship jobs overseas and bring a responsible end to the Iraq war. He will lay out the contrast between Obama and John McCain, who promises to continue the failed policies of the last eight years of the Bush administration. Like Obama, Webb has worked across the aisle to deliver real solutions for middle class families and America’s servicemen and women. Details for Thursday’s events, which will be open to the public, can be found below.
Read More »
Go to VoteforChange.com now!
From WAVY TV-10:
Obama to make another stop in Hampton Roads on Saturday NEWPORT NEWS, VA. (WAVY.com) -- Inside the Newport News Obama campaign office, volunteers are busy answering phones and questions about Saturday's rally. The stop at Victory Landing Park will mark Senator Obama's 4th visit to Hampton Roads this year."I think he wants to show that he really appreciates the Peninsula and he's looking for voter turnout here," said Hampton Mayor Molly Ward.Ward says she was contacted a couple of weeks ago to help brainstorm a location for the event."He's interested in presenting his plan for jump starting the economy and providing tax relief to middle Americans and I think the shipyard provides a good background for that.""I think it's great cause I actually get a chance to see him, talk to him," said Airman First Class Marcus Flowers.
Obama to make another stop in Hampton Roads on Saturday
NEWPORT NEWS, VA. (WAVY.com) -- Inside the Newport News Obama campaign office, volunteers are busy answering phones and questions about Saturday's rally. The stop at Victory Landing Park will mark Senator Obama's 4th visit to Hampton Roads this year.
"I think he wants to show that he really appreciates the Peninsula and he's looking for voter turnout here," said Hampton Mayor Molly Ward.
Ward says she was contacted a couple of weeks ago to help brainstorm a location for the event.
"He's interested in presenting his plan for jump starting the economy and providing tax relief to middle Americans and I think the shipyard provides a good background for that."
"I think it's great cause I actually get a chance to see him, talk to him," said Airman First Class Marcus Flowers.
Tomorrow is the start of October, and as the days get a little cooler sportsmen across the commonwealth are heading out to enjoy the outdoors of Virginia. If you are a Virginia sportsmen consider joining Virginia Sportsmen for Obama and helping us reach out to other hunters and fishermen across the commonwealth: http://www.va.barackobama.com/vasportsmen.
Barack Obama respects the rich tradition of Virginia’s hunters and fishermen and is dedicated to protecting their rights. As president, he will protect our gun rights, expand access to public lands, reward those who open their lands to sportsmen, and protect the natural habitats that make our state so rich in wildlife.
From the Fairfax Connection. A great letter to the editor from a local Iraq veteran:
Letter: Veterans, Country Deserve Better Monday, September 29, 2008 To the Editor:This upcoming election is the most important election in a generation. Our country is at a crossroads. Looking back we see seven years of war, increasing unemployment, mortgage crisis, corruption and a viral politics of fear. We can continue down this path with the politicians who offer up more of the same. We can continue to listen to politicians who tell us we have to compromise our values and sacrifice our fundamental liberties for a chance of security. Or we can head in a new direction with new ideas, and shatter the partisan gridlock in Washington. The most important issue for me is the War in Iraq. I am enlisted in the Army Reserves and returned home from deployment to Baghdad, Iraq this May. Even if we forget that the rationale for invading Iraq was a terrible mistake, or worse a politically calculated fabrication, it is time for our troops to come home. The Iraqis no longer want us there, and their political leadership failed to take advantage of the stability our troops fought so hard for. In the face of these facts John McCain speculates about staying in Iraq for another 100 years. We need to refocus and redouble our efforts on those who actually attacked us and reset our military. I am severely disappointed by this administration's treatment of veterans, evident in the recent scandals at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, the pocket veto of a military pay raise and attempts to block increasing veteran's education benefits. We need more leadership like Jim Webb in Washington, who fought since day one for the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act in Congress. That is what Country First means to me. The Republicans had their chance and their performance shows their inability to lead effectively. Our country and our veterans deserve better than hollow County First rhetoric, we deserve real change. That is why I am supporting Gerry Connolly, Mark Warner and Barack Obama. They are all proven leaders and they will all put people before politics.DanielFairfax
Sign up to join Virginia Veterans and Military Families for Obama today!
I was there last night. I've never seen anything like it. I urge everyone who attended to please get the word out and vote! There are pundits from the other side who insist that Obama's supporters are all talk, and no action. They think that we'll show up for these rallies, but when it comes down to it, we won't show up at the booth come November. Their logic is flawed. We stood in line for hours, we braved torrential downpours, we even braved potential lightning strikes just to hear the man speak. Do they really think we won't find time to VOTE? Spread the word, fellow Fredericksburg residents... fellow Virginians. Let's turn this state blue for the first time since 1964. Let's make it happen.
Alex's comment serves as a good reminder to make sure all your friends, family, co-workers, fellow church members, tennis partners, waiters, kids' teachers etc (you get the point) are registered to vote. Everything you need to register or get an absentee ballot is at VOTEFORCHANGE.COM. Seven days left to register to vote!
If you can't make it to Fredericksburg to see Senator Obama and Senator Biden, be sure to tune in around 5:15pm to catch a live stream of the event.
Just visit http://www.barackobama.com/live!
Voting for Obama with equality in mindSince 1920, women have had the right to vote; the suffrage movement in the United States marked 144 years of oppression by our founding fathers, which disenfranchised women, simply because of their gender. Although the 20th century marked numerous reforms allowing the extension of rights to all people, today women continue to suffer when it comes to wages and earnings. In 2005, women in the U.S. made 79 percent of what their male counterparts (who did the exact same work they did) made. Unfair? Heck yes! Well, there is hope. Recently Lilly Ledbetter, a retired worker for Goodyear Tires, spoke to a crowd of hundreds about her fight that climbed all the way to the Supreme Court to achieve recompense for her company paying her less than male coworkers. Her moving speech was followed by another moving speech by Michelle Obama, (the wife of Barak Obama) who discussed women's rights, particularly the right to deserve equal pay. Folks, the time is now for change, but change cannot occur if you do not vote.Voter registration for Virginia ends on Oct. 6.So if you care about equal rights, equal pay and want your government to serve you and not the wealthy minority of this nation, vote. Make your voice heard. If you wonder who will bring about this change, just read the headlines, and you'll find the word Obama synonymous with the word "change."TIM CUNNINGHAM Waynesboro
Voting for Obama with equality in mind
Since 1920, women have had the right to vote; the suffrage movement in the United States marked 144 years of oppression by our founding fathers, which disenfranchised women, simply because of their gender. Although the 20th century marked numerous reforms allowing the extension of rights to all people, today women continue to suffer when it comes to wages and earnings. In 2005, women in the U.S. made 79 percent of what their male counterparts (who did the exact same work they did) made.
Unfair? Heck yes! Well, there is hope. Recently Lilly Ledbetter, a retired worker for Goodyear Tires, spoke to a crowd of hundreds about her fight that climbed all the way to the Supreme Court to achieve recompense for her company paying her less than male coworkers. Her moving speech was followed by another moving speech by Michelle Obama, (the wife of Barak Obama) who discussed women's rights, particularly the right to deserve equal pay. Folks, the time is now for change, but change cannot occur if you do not vote.
Voter registration for Virginia ends on Oct. 6.
So if you care about equal rights, equal pay and want your government to serve you and not the wealthy minority of this nation, vote. Make your voice heard. If you wonder who will bring about this change, just read the headlines, and you'll find the word Obama synonymous with the word "change."
TIM CUNNINGHAM Waynesboro
We need you today to join us knocking for change. Shifts start at 12pm and 2pm (but if you can't make it on the dot, feel free to swing by whenever you can). Click here to find your local campaign office or call 1-877-850-2008.
See you soon!
Some photos from our canvasses yesterday. Check out the pictures of students in Amherst canvassing by horseback!
If you live in Virginia, come out and knock just 40 doors this weekend for the campaign and receive your free Obama-Biden sign! Bring friends and you'll not only get a yard sign* but you'll also be entered for a chance to meet Barack the next time he's in the commonwealth. Sign up now!
From the start this campaign has been about people who want real change reaching out to their family, neighbors, and friends and getting them involved and out to vote. As a community organizer Barack worked to empower local residents to work for change. This weekend we need YOU to bring as many friends as possible and join us in going door-to-door. For every friend you bring you will be entered for a chance to meet Barack on his next visit to Virginia. And, again, if you knock on just 40 doors you'll be given a free Obama-Biden yard sign!
Personal contact, talking face-to-face with someone, is the best we can reach out to undecided voters. If you are frustrated with the smears, if you don't like what you are seeing on TV, come out this weekend and help us spread Barack's message.
As a Field Organizer for the New Hampshire primary, I watched again and again as undecided voters chose to vote for Senator Obama because of a conversation with a canvasser. One of my favorite stories from my days as a Field Organizer comes from a young volunteer, Katie, who braved the New Hampshire cold to canvass for Barack:
Elaine, a voter in New Hampshire, was supporting another candidate until Katie knocked on her door one snowy afternoon. Katie talked about why she was excited to be voting for the first time and why she was supporting Barack. As she listened, Elaine realized that the excitement and energy our campaign runs on is not just a media story, or a short-lived fad that would disappear, but is something more tangible. Katie proved to Elaine that the change Barack speaks of is not just change in Washington, but is also the change represented by a young volunteer getting involved for the first time.
Sign up now to join us this weekend and invite your friends!
*We need everyone to help us spread Barack's message this weekend, but due to limited supplies we can only offer yard signs to Virginia residents who knock on 40 doors.
Former Mississippi Governor Ray Mabus to Hold “Real Change For Rural America” Community ForumsFormer Governor to visit Danville, Martinsville, Bedford, Lexington, Waynesboro and Farmville RICHMOND, Va. – Former Mississippi Gov. Ray Mabus will hold “Real Change For Rural America” community forums Wednesday and Thursday to discuss U.S. Sen. Barack Obama’s plans to deliver solutions on the problems impacting Virginians living in rural communities. As president, Obama will work to increase access to quality healthcare in rural communities, create good paying jobs and fight for trade agreements that let American workers compete on a level playing field. Mabus will campaign in Danville, Martinsville and Bedford Wednesday, and Lexington, Waynesboro and Farmville Thursday.During his tenure as governor, Mabus passed one of the most comprehensive education reform programs in America, gave teachers the largest pay raise in the nation, and was named one of the top 10 education governors in the country by Fortune magazine. In a 1999 poll commissioned by the Jackson Clarion-Ledger, Mississippians selected Mabus as the best governor of the millennium.
Former Mississippi Governor Ray Mabus to Hold “Real Change For Rural America” Community ForumsFormer Governor to visit Danville, Martinsville, Bedford, Lexington, Waynesboro and Farmville
RICHMOND, Va. – Former Mississippi Gov. Ray Mabus will hold “Real Change For Rural America” community forums Wednesday and Thursday to discuss U.S. Sen. Barack Obama’s plans to deliver solutions on the problems impacting Virginians living in rural communities. As president, Obama will work to increase access to quality healthcare in rural communities, create good paying jobs and fight for trade agreements that let American workers compete on a level playing field. Mabus will campaign in Danville, Martinsville and Bedford Wednesday, and Lexington, Waynesboro and Farmville Thursday.During his tenure as governor, Mabus passed one of the most comprehensive education reform programs in America, gave teachers the largest pay raise in the nation, and was named one of the top 10 education governors in the country by Fortune magazine. In a 1999 poll commissioned by the Jackson Clarion-Ledger, Mississippians selected Mabus as the best governor of the millennium.
More information on the events with Gov. Ray Mabus below the fold.
Today, the Obama campaign released two new 30-second TV ads, Real Change, which details what "change" is to Senator Obama and Still which details why John McCain would just be another out of touch president offering more of the same.
Watch Real Change...
Watch Still...
53 days until the polls open. Please sign up now to volunteer and help share these ads with voters around the country.
We should be getting photos and stories from the Lebanon event up soon, but in the meantime I wanted to share this exciting news just released from the press shop:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Sept. 9, 2008Bluegrass Legend Ralph Stanley Endorses Barack Obama for PresidentRICHMOND, Va. – Bluegrass legend Dr. Ralph Stanley took the stage before Barack Obama’s appearance in Lebanon Tuesday evening to endorse the Illinois Senator for president. Stanley, 81, of Coeburn, cited Obama’s commitment to fighting for working families in his endorsement. The Obama tax plan includes a $1,000 cut for middle class families, and he will end tax breaks for American companies that ship jobs overseas.“After the last eight years, Virginia families need someone on their side, someone looking out for their interests, and I know Barack Obama will be that leader,” Stanley said. “He’ll make it easier for parents to send their kids to college and make sure they have more money left in their pockets at the end of the month.” Among the many awards and honors he’s received, Stanley was given the National Medal of Arts in 2006, the nation's highest honor for artistic excellence. In 2008, the Virginia General Assembly designated him the Outstanding Virginian.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sept. 9, 2008
Bluegrass Legend Ralph Stanley Endorses Barack Obama for President
RICHMOND, Va. – Bluegrass legend Dr. Ralph Stanley took the stage before Barack Obama’s appearance in Lebanon Tuesday evening to endorse the Illinois Senator for president. Stanley, 81, of Coeburn, cited Obama’s commitment to fighting for working families in his endorsement. The Obama tax plan includes a $1,000 cut for middle class families, and he will end tax breaks for American companies that ship jobs overseas.
“After the last eight years, Virginia families need someone on their side, someone looking out for their interests, and I know Barack Obama will be that leader,” Stanley said. “He’ll make it easier for parents to send their kids to college and make sure they have more money left in their pockets at the end of the month.”
Among the many awards and honors he’s received, Stanley was given the National Medal of Arts in 2006, the nation's highest honor for artistic excellence. In 2008, the Virginia General Assembly designated him the Outstanding Virginian.
