When calling battleground states, please have information on early voting available. It is imperative to get people who can vote early to go now and avoid the lines on election day. And if they choose to wait, expect long lines and ask them to be patient. Also have information available as to what to take for ID to the polls. The informed voter is the best voter and they usually pass information to others so we need to arm them with the truth.
Please take an hour out of your day and call a state. Don't be afraid. Yes people will hang up on you but most are very respectful even if they disagree. We have 20 days left and its time to step up. Barack has called on us to help and I am urging you to do so.
Lets win this election and as always, pray or send up positive thoughts to the Obama's, Biden's and the campaign.
Here's to turning the electorial map blue.
For those who don't have the cool neighbor to neighbor tool bar in our dashboard, the campaign now has another feature to help reach voters in your area by canvassing. Here's the link: http://my.barackobama.com/page/votercontact
There are a few glitches in the system and if your neighborhood isn't listed, please email: n2nhelp@barackobama.com. This is a quick and easy tool to help out your own community.
I have done canvassing and if I can help, please O-mail me.
With colleges gearing up to come back, our young voters participation is going to be huge. If you have a college in your town, contact there student government association and see what you can do to help. Or ask permission to give out Obama related materials.
Visablity is going to be crucial from now on and change starts in your own communities.
1. Register voters - Please be aware of all the rules and regulations when registering voters.2. Canvass - Contact your local Obama office or your local democratic party office to see how you can volunteer to canvass neighborhoods.3. Make phone calls - You can call Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, New Mexico and Colorado. Be aware of their voting rules as well. Remember to stress Unity because Hillary supporters are now on our list. The campaign is need of those who speak fluent Spanish to make calls and register voters. If you know of anyone who can and are willing to help, have them sign up here and volunteer. Here's the link to the phonemap:Link If you are not comfortable making calls, find a blogger who will make them for you for a small donation to the FR pages.4. Host an event - These are great events for undecideds and republicans turned Obamacans. With the convention coming up, this is a great way to celebrate history and make new friends.5. Don't forget to fight the email smears with our site fightthesmears.com and factcheck.org. These are great debunking sites.6. Don't forget to email MSM. This email campaign has worked wonders.7. If you answered yes to most of the above suggestions, keep up the good work. If you answered no, I have laid out some of the things you can do to help in your own community. 8. Take November 4th off. Volunteer to be a precinct captain or poll watcher. If you are an attorney or know someone who is an Obama supporter, please have them sign up. Here's the link for the attorney's. http://my.barackobama.com/page/s/vpcintro
9. Last but not least. Don't forget to donate. Donate here and the DNC. You can buy gear as well and it counts as a donation.
If you have more suggestions please add them as suggestions to the post.
Of course I have encouraging watch night parties for the convention but I would also encourage you to purchase Obama gear to give away. This is a great time to invite undecideds and new supporters in. And another great way to make a monatary contribution to the campaign.
Gear for less still has shirts available and all orders should be delivered right around the time of the convention.
The phone lines are open to call: Iowa, Ohio, New Hampshire, New Mexico and Nevada. Its time to kick it up a notch. This campaign is now in full swing for the general elections and I challenge all of you to make 50 calls.
If you know of any family members or friends who are fluent in Spanish, please have them volunteer. The campaign is in need of their services.
Here's the link to the call map http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/phonebankmap/
Last night at a local pub we held a meet and greet event with local Obama supporters. It was nice to meet other locals who were as excited about Barack as I am.
We spoke about what we wanted to do during the acceptance speech at the convention (even though I am holding out hope that I am one of the 10 invitees) and how to get the community more involved and reach out to Hillary supporters as well. The dilemma we have is there isn't a democratic party office open in Richmond and materials are few and far between. The material from last night came from my personal stash.
I held a drawing for free Obama gear as a small incentive for coming. We are planning another meeting the second Saturday in August and I am actually hoping that we conduct an ice-cream social.
The atmosphere was great and the owner is an Obama supporter which made my night. I also collected $150.00 in donations as well for the campaign.
I am hoping in the next month that the Berea and Richmond groups meet up and have an event together.
Now is the time. As Barack says, "This is our moment, this is our time" to shine.
I urge all of you to plan or attend an event!
Change starts with you!
I do hope most of you are hosting or attending a voter drive. This is imperative to the campaign's success. Its easy and well worth the investment. The only requirement is knowledge of voter rules and regs and time. That's it. And as many of you blog daily, you could take four to eight hours a week and help a friend who has an event or create one of your own.
Time is of the essence now and we must be ready to dig our heals in. The campaign will need each and everyone of us to make this a great success.
If you have questions or concerns, please contact your local county clerk's office or the state board of elections in your state.
Together, anything is possible.
The Unite for Change event coming up on Saturday, is going to test my readiness about speaking. I am quite nervous yet excited too. I know why I support Senator Obama and I want my community to be just excited as I am. The primary was a blow-out and I am hoping to convince others that change can't happen with anyone other than Barack Obama. I am giving away Obama gear and books as door prizes. And I am registering as many voters as I can.
I have two children, Kennedy 13, and Gimel 5. Gimel has autism and in four years, Kennedy will be 17 and going to college. These next four years are critical to my children's well being. The economy being what it is, makes it scary. I want to afford college for her and be able to help my son as well and being a full-time working mom, is difficult enough without the added pressure of high gas and groceries. My 73 year old mother has Alzehimer's and my life somedays is turned upside down because respite care is so few and far between. Waiting lists are so long here and I am counting on Senator Obama, to make life easier for those who do have ailing parents or children with disabilites. Not just for us, but I want to see my son be the best he can be.
Wish me luck so I don't embarass myself :)
Carey
Jonathan Miller, who is the Kentucky State Democratic Party Chair, fired up the crowd with his message of seizing the opportunity to make change this year. And it was Kentucky’s moment to grab it. Then he introduced Michelle Obama. The crowd went crazy. Here stands this tall, elegant, African American woman, with no make-up on. Flashes popping off every two seconds, just to get a snapshot of history in the making. Then Michelle explains that when she was in Hopkinsville earlier that evening, she spoke to veteran spouses and how they cried together for about an hour. Spouses worried that their mates won’t come home or their homes being foreclosed on. Spouses doing three and four tours of duty. Spouses being single parents and children missing their parents. All of their issues, are American issues.
She also spoke about misconceptions or generalizations that people have. Michelle explained how most people have been warm and kind, even if they disagree. And also told of how we have more in common than what divides us. During her speech, I could see her looking directly at me. Wondering if she is thinking, this lady has a lot of red hair and yes, its natural. Anyway…….. I’m not sure if anyone can understand that connection. It was real. Not the I am trying to get my husband elected type of talk. But real talk. As the speech started to wind down and she said thank you Kentucky, I got all nervous. In my mind, I am thinking, I am going to be shaking the hand of the next first lady of the United States. She made her rounds and on the other side of me was an AA lady who was 88 years young. She reaches out to Michelle and says, “my mom and dad are looking down from heaven so proud. It is an honor to actually witness history”. Then she breaks down and starts crying. Michelle hugs her and tells her “it’s going to be okay.” And hugs her for quite sometime. Someone tells the elderly lady to sit down a minute and she puts her head in her lap and continues to cry. Well being the sap I am, I am now balling too. Michelle is rubbing her back as though to say I understand. And we are going to get there together…. Then it’s my turn. She reaches out and hugs me too and says thank you for working so hard. The lady on the other side of me, is praying with her and now here goes the cry fest. She notices more children and goes back to talk to them. They are smiling so big. And she takes pictures with them. Makes another round to shake hands of those who didn’t get to the first time. And then is whisked away by agents. I did get her signature on two Obama books before she left. I will have pictures before the end of the week.
And today, I went and cast my vote for the next POTUS. I kept going over it to make sure that I selected Barack’s name. I pushed the button, smiling and saying a tiny thank you Jesus prayer as I walked out the booth. I want to say thank you to all of my friends for their calls to Kentucky and to those who came to canvass and volunteer. It has been trying yet encouraging all in the same breath. It has been an event to remember for the rest of my life.
Peace and blessings,
Carey Parks
Tonight, I got an invite to meet Michelle Obama in Lexington. I am so excited. I didn't get much sleep last night antcipating the meeting today. I hope I don't get all tongue twisted meeting our next first lady of the US.
Wish me luck :)
Alright bloggers..........Its time to focus on KY. We need you to call or come to the state. Please make every effort to call. Unlike West Virginia, Kentucky is more diverse. If I may offer a few tips when calling:1. Vet issues are huge here. Barack is on the Vets committee in Washington and is committed to the issues that affect vets.2. Gas prices - Please explain the gas tax holiday. According to the exit polls in WV, 62%thought the holiday was a good idea. Please explain that HRC plan wouldn't pass Congress. Bush would NEVER sign it. Explain that Barack's remedy is a $1000 tax credit to alleviate that burden. This issue is big for farmers as diesel fuel is over $4.50 a gallon here and also for the trucking industry as well as for ordinary people who use gas.3. Coal - Kentucky is a coal producing state. Please explain Barack's policy on that. If you are unsure, go to the issues link and select energy.4. Education - Tuition hikes have been approved and is affecting parents who want to send their kids to college. Barack's plan is to offer a $4000 credit every year in exchange for service. He also wants to reward our teachers with PD (Professional Development) money to enhance their skills. He wants them to be paid more. Barack can identify with teachers as he taught constitutional law in Chicago. So he knows first hand what they need. Wants to improve headstart and K-12 programs.5. Faith - There are some and let me emphasize some that don't know that Barack is a Christian. This is mainly in Eastern Kentucky. Reiterate that point.6. If you call and get a chance to talk off subject, talk sports. I know that sounds crazy but Kentucky is basketball crazy. UK and UL are the prominent schools here and that goes over big here. In my opinion, I think this will make people think that he's more like them.
7. Healthcare - Explains Barack's mothers death of cancer. Here's a link to the flyer talking about healthcare. http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/harperlee/gGBdkJ
These a just a few ideas to engage in that will give the people of Kentucky something to chew on and not necessarily pick her. All anyone needs is clear direction. Just point them here and hopefully this helps. If you want anymore tips just O-mail me.
Kentucky has voted Republican in the last two elections. But this election is different on several fronts.
1. We have a democratic and uncommitted superdelegate in Steve Beshear.
2. Two of Kentucky congressman Yarmuth and Chandler have endorsed Sen. Obama.
3. The Senate seat of Mitch McConnell (R) is up for grabs. He is the Senate majority leader in Congress right now. He's up againist Bruce Lunsford who is a Republican turned Democrat who is backed by HRC which is not being made public but on air commericals for HRC and Lunsford are running back to back. Three weeks ago Huff Post mentioned that Shumer had his hand in it. The other dem running is Greg Fischer whom I hope Obama supporters back in the GE.
4. Tuition hikes among Kentucky colleges have gone up drastically due to budget cuts. This has taken a huge hit because parents can't afford to send their children to school.
5. Gas prices, gas prices, gas prices. Its hitting the trucking industy hard as well as groceries, utility, farmers, etc. Don't count KY out. That is why I am asking all of you to make calls. They do make a difference when you come down to the bread and butter issues. And Barack is the leader among those issues.
6. Obama on Vets issues - He is working tirelessly on behalf of Vets. He sits on the committee in Congress. That's huge here too.
Come and volunteer and see what Kentucky brings to the table.
To the cynics and doubters..................he can win Kentucky. Is it going to be hard fought? You bet but its worth fighting for and Senator Obama will be here, no doubt.
How do we do it? I would suggest a bus tour of the state with townhalls. The more intimate the setting the better. Secondly, be comfortable. Wear jeans or khakis but a polo shirt would be great. Visit Richmond (of course I would say that because I am here). We would love to see Michelle if we can't get you. Talk about how high groceries and gas are. Discuss your FMLA plan about that including time for parents to attend school funtions such as award cermonies or volunteering at school. Farmers are hurting here too.
Nothing is impossible. And I for one will not stand by and do nothing. I will not be one of those who talks a good game and then complains later. I am in this for all of our children.
