I've been thinking about canvassing for the first time ever because this election is just way too important to not do EVERYTHING in my power to get Obama/Biden in the White House. I just had an interesting encounter with some people in my building.
I walked downstairs to head out for some errands and my doorman had the newspaper out on the desk. On the front page was a picture of McPalin. My doorman is also an Obama supporer, and we talk politics frequently. We started talking about our unfavorable opinion of the McPalin ticket. One of the other residents walked by and joined in the conversation.
She said that, while she doesn't favor McPalin and won't vote for it, she thinks it will win. I was having none of this! I proceeded to launch into a lecture about personal responsibility and the importance of voting. I told her that if she didn't want McPalin to win, that she needed to vote and do something about it. She then told me that she thought someone would do the unthinkable to our candidate because of his race, and that was another reason he couldn't win. To this, I told her that I was sick and tired of being afraid. I am sick and tired of the right wing making people vote on the lowest common denominators. Then she told me that McPalin was winning 62% of the vote- I instantly pounced and asked where she heard that. She said she heard it on the news somewhere. I told her that was absolutely incorrect- Obama is LEADING in the polls- and that maybe the only poll that would show results like that was a poll of Evangelical Christians.
I then made the statement that McPalin is just more of the same. Not voting for Obama means more of the same old Bush policies. I added a personal touch to this with my story. I moved into this apartment building six years ago into a one-bedroom apartment. In the past six years, i have earned two college degrees and doubled my income. I have also gotten married and moved into a bigger apartment in the same building. Now that my marriage isn't working out, I need to find my own place again. As it turned out, the same one-bedroom apartment I lived in six years ago was available, but now I can't afford it. I have to move out of the building. After busting my butt in school and getting a much better job, my lifestyle as a middle-class American is taking a major hit. She agreed that there was something seriously wrong with this picture.
She noticed my Obama button, and then understood more clearly why I was so fired up. I ended by saying that, on no uncertain terms, she damn well needed to vote for Obama! Now I'm almost certain that my neighbor thinks I'm a "crazy Obama chick" or something.
Given this encounter, it has occurred to me that I might actually be TOO fired up for cavassing! I think my approach came off as WAY too confrontational. I want to be a good ambassador for Barack, but I fear that this approach will not work very well. Any advice to help someone REALLY fired up to get out there and convince people to support Barack? Any advice for helping me learn to "agree without being disagreeable?" I REALLY want to help, but I think this approach is all wrong and I think it would do more harm than good. The problem is that I don't know how NOT to be so forceful when I'm fighting here for my very life and the very future of our country and our world!
Help, please!
Me, just two- English and Spanish... but I did learn another yesterday!
Yesterday I went to the city (NYC) for the day to visit a friend and walk around. We started out in Chelsea and made our way down to the West Village. On the way, he insisted in stopping in a store to get socks for his husband. Gotta love shopping with gay men ;-) As he very carefully sifted through the socks to select the right ones, I tried to entertain myself by looking at sunglasses in a case. One of the clerks walked up to me to ask if I needed help and he noticed my "YES WE CAN" button. (It's a really cool button- has a picture of Barack and Michelle's fist bump of hope ;-)
He told me that he really hoped Barack would win. We talked for a few minutes, and I found out that he was from Israel, not yet a U.S. citizen, so he's unable to vote in November. He said that the people in his home country were incredibly disappointed in the Bush administration and that Barack had a LOT of support in Israel. I told him that I thought he would be a great advocate for Israel because he understands the complexities of the issues in the Middle East. He thought it was great that Obama had visited his country and that the world was receiving him so well.
As my friend paid for the socks, I knew I'd be leaving soon- so I asked the Israeli clerk to tell me how to say, "YES WE CAN!" in Hebrew! He told me and I repeated it- it was so cool to learn this! (Although I admit I don't remember now...)
Just thought I'd share some more of what we've already seen from Barack- the WORLD cannot wait for him to be elected.
This is nowhere near as cool as Barack's speech in Berlin, but it was still a cool experience that I wanted to share.
I work at a large global corporation in a conservative industry. Today was the day for our town hall meeting. During the Q&A session, the CEO received a question about which candidate he thought would be better for our business. Although this was a touchy topic, he gave an excellent and humorously-delivered response, declining to make any sort of endorsement. However, he closed by saying that one thing he was sure of was that either candidate would be better than the current president. The whole audience erupted in cheers and applause- it was great! Imagine this, in a conservative crowd?!?! NOBODY LIKES BUSH!!!
There once was a crap magazine That tried hard to derail our dreams We stood up for HOPE To the smears we said, “NOPE!” NOT THIS TIME, slimy media machine!
Donate! Link Write! Boycott! If you enjoyed this and would like to make a donation to this grassroots, people-powered campaign for change, please click here: Link And write to the magazine and its sponsors to tell them that this smearing of the Obamas is unacceptable. Thanks!
This is the first campaign to which I've ever donated. I was very reluctant to "put my money where my mouth is," so I started out last year giving a bit here and there. Apparently, I've developed quite a habit!
I was just looking at my bank account a few minutes ago for a totally unrelated reason, and I noticed a lot of transactions for "Obama for America." I decided to count them, and there have been 30 in the past 30 days! Wow, this averages out to one a day- I just can't help myself.
None of these donations has been huge. I'm not rich. I am not even close to maxing out. But these small donations over time really do add up. I can take the hit on my bank account, but our country can't take any more of the dishonesty and chicanery that have been the norm for the past eight years. I am proud to do what I can, when I can, to support change. If you are also ready for change and want to support Obama, please do what you can.
If you are able to contribute financially, please consider my page: http://my.barackobama.com/page/outreach/view/main/TripleYourImpact Or drop it in someone else's- it all goes to the same worthy place!
If you're interested in a cool memento of this exciting Summer, and Pride Month in particular, please consider this fundraiser- you get an Obama Pride T-Shirt with a minimum donation of $30! https://donate.barackobama.com/page/contribute/pridetshirt?source=20080705_pride_shirt
OK, I may have gone back on my word to boycott the MSM recently. It all started when I was on vacation a couple of weeks ago. It turns out that this was the week when Barack clinched the nomination. So there I was, in a far-away place, knowing no one... and being obsessed with the point at which Barack would finally go over the top, I succumbed to the instant gratification and brain mush of the news.
It wasn't so bad then. Barack had won. They couldn't say any more about how he wasn't going to win. Then Hillary conceded the day I flew home, and I caught part of her speech in the airport.
I tried to wean myself off of it after I finally got home, and did a pretty good job last week. Then poor Tim Russert passed away. God rest his soul. I HAD to see the coverage of that and mourn with the rest of America!
I've been going to MSNBC's site recently because I've found their coverage to be the best so far this season. Well, today was a huge disappointment. My fling with the MSM is now over.
Every article on there that had to do with Obama was something negative. One talked about how he is supposedly misleading us into thinking that McSame is Bush's third term. Another talked about how his economic policies would raise taxes and how this was a bad thing for America. Another bemoaned his former VP searcher. Yet another talked about how he found his identity in basketball- I don't know that this is negative, but it certainly has no relevance to anything of any importance. What's the significance of the fact that he likes to play basketball?
So, my questions for the MSM are: where are your hard-hitting, "GOTCHA" questions for McSame? Why aren't you talking about the Keating Five? Why aren't you asking him why he's changed his position on fundamental issues over and over again to suit whatever ends he's had in mind at any given time? Why aren't you talking about why he didn't bother to show up to vote on the GI bill, and even publicly opposes it, while he claims to support the troops? Why aren't you asking him about his notoriously-short temper? Don't you think we deserve to know that people on his staff are some of the most deeply-entrenched Washington lobbyists, responsible for our outrageous fuel prices?
Why must you report about people's hobbies as if they're news when there's all sorts of important information out there that people really need to know?
In a nutshell, I am sick and tired of this media manipulation and the lies put forth by the corporate powers that be. Barack is such a threat to them because he can't be bought by their big bucks. Barack is OUR nominee, and he will be OUR president if we can keep putting the truth out there. This is only the beginning. So, I am going to kick the MSM habit again until election night in November when I'll be at Barack's NJ victory party with other volunteers, just like I was on Super Tuesday.
It's going to get a lot worse. So I'll just get my information from sources that aren't owned by defense contractors and other mega-empires. I hope others will do the same.
Originally posted on Sunday, June 15...
Every vote DOES count. To that end, I’m starting to do my part with those near and dear to me. All of my friends and family are already aboard the “O Train,” except my dad. He’s a tough nut to crack. Since it’s Fathers’ Day, I called him to wish him a happy one, and our conversation – as it always does – turned to politics. I’m hoping to win him over. It won’t be easy, but my dad has a huge heart and I hope I can open his mind and his eyes to the truth about our amazing candidate.
My dad’s a white, Southern, 75-year-old Korea and Vietnam vet. He’s been a Republican for many years, but since he hates Bush because of the Iraq war, he switched to Independent. He watches Lou Dobbs and Sean Hannity exclusively, and therefore thinks that Obama is a radical Muslim terrorist who has no substance and wants to take all of his money and give it to “lazy” people. I countered the first part of that immediately with the logic of “Well, if he’s a radical Muslim, how come he had Rev. Wright as his pastor? He can’t be both a radical Muslim AND Christian.” He had nothing to say about this when confronted with facts and logic.
Then I countered him on his misunderstanding of Barack’s economic policy. My dad doesn’t like the idea of the government taking his money to give to people who don’t work to support themselves. I quickly corrected him on this by explaining how no one’s asking for a free ride, and that only people who make more than $250,000/year would see their taxes increase. I told him that this was about people like us who are in the middle, who always get screwed. I explained that this was about middle-class relief, and that people like us would see our taxes go down, and he would not have to worry about his taxes going up since he doesn’t make $250,000/year. He was really impressed that I knew all of this.
I must mention that he interjected all sorts of offensive comments and right-wing talking points throughout our conversation about Michelle, and many other things that I won’t even mention here. I respectfully put him in his place at every turn.
But what really got him was when I pointed out the fact that Barack wants to eliminate income taxes for seniors earning less than $50,000/year. To that he - very quietly - said, “I hadn’t heard that before.” The light bulb above his head began to shine. I told him that, of course he hadn’t heard that before because he only watches Fox. I then talked at great length about how much it would mean to seniors who earn less than $50,000 to not have to worry about income taxes, and he agreed with me! This is something that older Americans REALLY need to know about!
I told him Barack’s life story- about how his mother and maternal grandparents were from Kansas and his father was from Kenya. I told him about how his mother gave birth to him as a teenager and raised him on food stamps for part of his childhood… and somehow, this brilliant boy turned into a brilliant scholar and wound up at Harvard.
I guess this was all he could handle for this session- he changed the subject quickly because he realized that his baby daughter, 43 years younger, was forcing him to shift his perspective on reality! Next time I’ll tell him about how Barack gave up a lucrative Wall Street career for community organizing in Chicago.
At the end of this conversation, my conservative dad said, “Wow, you’re telling me a whole different story about this guy from what I’ve heard.” A light was clearly on for him. I told him that he was buying into media hype and that I was just telling him the truth. I asked him if he’d read some links to the truth about Obama if I sent them to him and he said he probably wouldn’t, but I’m his baby, and I know he’ll do it for me! J I will be sending him some links- if anyone has any suggestions, please let me know!
I think I made headway with my dad. If we can get HIM on our side, there’s no stopping us!
Happy Fathers’ Day to all the fathers, grandfathers, uncles, and other male role models out there!
I was thrilled to see Hillary's speech today so forcefully calling for unity. She made some very good points, and I'm glad she took that time to speak openly with her supporters and the rest of America. This is not just about unifying the Democratic Party- this is about taking back our country from a cynical, fear-mongering administration and four more years of that, courtesy of John McCain and the Republican Party.
Those of us who have been supporting either Democratic candidate have all become very polarized in recent months. I am certainly part of this. I've seen things coming from the other side that have made me very, very angry- - - but that's my perspective. I'm sure people from Hillary's side have seen things coming from us that have made them angry. I've uttered unkind words; and, for that, I am sorry. That's not OK- my mother (a 75-year-old white Obama supporter from McCain's state of AZ!) taught me better than that. The last few weeks of the primary got the best of me, and I'm glad they're over so we can focus on the most important task at hand - defeating John McCain.
If our candidates can speak of unity, as they have done so eloquently, surely we can live by their example. So, in the spirit of unity, and in the names of Barack and Hillary, I reaffirm my pledge to keep my posts positive. Positive about the future of our country under the leadership of Barack Obama, our (finally!) Democratic nominee. (When it comes to the proposed policies of John McCain and his apparatus, well..) Nevertheless, the time for internecine bickering amongst Democrats and those who intend to vote Democratic is now officially behind us. If we're going to end this war and hold on to our values of privacy and expand equality under the law, we must work together to elect Barack Obama!
I've always kept my posts upbeat, but I've ranted and been very vocal off the blogs for months. Now I can't hold it in anymore... so (deep breath) here goes:
This primary must end NOW! Senator Clinton's repugnant and indefensible remarks today demonstrate a cynical, self-serving mindset that is incompatible with the values Americans hold dear.
I wrote on a thread earlier today when this news broke that this was absolutely unforgivable. Like many of us devoted Obama supporters, I thought she'd crossed the line before- but just when I thought she couldn't go any lower... she did. Keith Olbermann shares these views and expresses himself much more eloquently and forcefully than I ever could- view here: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/24798368#24798368. And check out Keith's post and the 1,200+ comments he's received on Dkos: http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/5/23/195538/275/126/521613. Sorry if the links don't work - you might need to copy and paste. Trust me, they're worth it.
We must put an end to this insanity and this incredibly destructive woman's insatiable lust for power. Supers, please step up and endorse our legitimate Democratic nominee, Senator Barack Obama. This is not "good for the party" or "letting all the states vote" - this is setting us up for "wrestling defeat from the jaws of victory" - or even worse! You've been nice and respectful to Senator Clinton by holding out or endorsing her out of loyalty, but her behavior today is frightening and should encourage you to force her from the race immediately. Enough tip-toeing around her. She is not a queen. The nomination is not her birthright. She did not earn it and Obama did. Plain and simple. Please get her out of the campaign NOW unless you want to watch in horror as John McCain is sworn in on January 20.
BONUS MSNBC RANT:
A reminder of why I don't watch the MSM (except for Keith)- I went their web site out of curiosity after viewing the video and was shocked to see that the front page story on MSNBC.com is "Newsweek Poll: Obama Struggles with Whites." What human - of any race - can, in good conscience, support this insensitive and crude excuse of a candidate (Clinton) now? It's obvious that the media are hoping that this story will be buried in the Memorial Day abyss, when almost no one is paying attention to the news. This is so obviously slanted in the hopes that someone will go online to catch up quickly on the news, and believe that this racially-divisive and anti-Obama poll is really the most significant thing going on in the campaign right now. How about the fact that one candidate just made a major mistake that included offending and striking fear into the hearts of countless people? How about the fact that this spells the inevitable (and probably sooner than she'd expected) end of her campaign? Isn't that front-page, biggest-headline newsworthy? Instead they choose to showcase some stupid poll. The very idea that they'd choose to put up this poll shows that someone's still trying to get us white folks to buy into the idea that we can't vote for Obama because of his race. Who could that be?? Hmmmm...
Hey, MSM - you are FULL OF IT and I call b$%^s&^t on you! Keith went off on Clinton, so this is your payback. Your way of proving you're fair. Regardless of who makes the worst political mistake imaginable on video, you still find a way to disparage Obama rather than highlighting the real issue here. Cute. (Note sarcasm.)
This has been a crappy day in my personal world. I just found out TODAY that I'm losing my job and it scares the living sH^t outta me. Our economy sucks right now, and I am terrified about my prospects of finding "a" job, let alone the "right" job. I've done lots of work in the corporate world in administrative roles, but in the past two years I've gotten my bachelor's degree and I'm almost done with my MBA in Management and Strategy. I truly believe that it's time for me to move on to bigger and better if I'm to have the positive impact I know I can have.
I had a really decent job offer a couple of weeks ago for a similar job, with a huge pay increase, but I turned it down- knowing that my future was not certain as a result of this decision. I was certain that I was saying "no" to what I knew I could have... more of the same: benefits, bigger salary, more vacations, etc. However, in no way do I regret this decision, even standing where I am now, on the brink of something I haven't done before. I am certain that where I'm going is better than those few, simple, quantifiable things. This is because I've got HOPE! Yes, HOPE! This word and concept may have been thrown around a lot these past few months, but damn it, it really means something!
I turned down a dead-end job where my opportunities to bring about change in the organization would have been limited by what I've done in the past and where my chances to excel and become my best would have been hampered by people who would rather keep me where I was because it would suit their needs better. I can hear them now, as I, their assistant, tried to bring about strong organizational change. "How dare this young whipper-snapper come in here and shake things up! We've been here for years! We know what we're doing. We know what's best! Who does this person think they are?"
Sound familiar???
I chose to say, "Yes, I Can!"
This is the year of not settling! We have the HOPE of our future and our posterity's future at hand. Please, let's not settle. Let's keep fighting for what we know we all deserve. A true leader. A true, progressive, sensible, pragmatic- yet idealistic- chance for change and positive movement. This is the year of not settling for dead-end jobs or dead-end candidates. This is the year to reach for something bold and new, something uncorrupted and still waiting to come into full bloom. This is the year to seize our potential, America! The world is watching!
This is the year for new jobs for all of us who are out of work, a more secure future for those of us who are retired or unable to work, and new opportunities for every one of us who aspires to more- especially our next president, Barack Obama!
This isn't about me, and my unfortunate economic situation. Or any one of us. This is about possibility and going after what we KNOW we can achieve. Barack Obama is our best example of HOPE. Let's continue fighting for him, and for what we know is right.
Yes, WE can!
Yes, BARACK can!
I just watched Barack's rally in Indiana after losing in Pennsylvania, and I am once again comforted by Barack's strength and grace under pressure. He's overcome serious obstacles- his opponent's name recognition and political establishment machine, media-manufactured distractions- to come this far. And it's NOT OVER! There are still 9 more contests to go, and he's going to continue to do well. I've vented before about demographics and how meaningless they are, so let's prove everyone wrong again. Everyone who knows who's the right person to bring progress to our country and our world, step up and do your part to make sure that Barack is our next president! On to NC and Indiana by way of Guam!
Yes WE Can! Remember, we are STILL WINNING!!! She may have won the battle, but the war's still on- and we're not going to give up fighting for real CHANGE!
This may not be a huge deal, but after watching last night's hatchet job on our next president, I needed some Obama family bonding.
I found it today on my way home from work on a major highway. From about 1/4 mile back, I spotted what I thought was the Obama logo and the blue sticker on a silver Volvo. I know it's cliche, but this is what this person was driving. I'm tired, so I could misspeak and tell you it was a different kind of car, and you'd never know, but like our candidate, I have integrity and won't do that ;-) As I got closer, I was able to verify that it was an Obama sticker, and I noticed that the car had Pennsylvania plates. When I eventually passed the car, I got a look at the driver- a middle-aged white man. He looked like he might have been a little bitter- understandably so, as 287 is no fun to drive on and gas from PA to NJ on a daily basis must cost him dearly- but he was obviously hopeful enough to place this sticker on his nice car. Yay for Pennsylvanians for Obama who brave 287!
A little Obama happiness to share from some of my recent outings...
This past Saturday was gorgeous, springy and in the 60s. A lovely day for a drive! A friend and I headed out to New Hope, Bucks County, PA to walk around and check out some of the shops. I made sure to put on my Obama button so I could help spread the word and get some informal polling in. Before we even crossed the bridge from NJ into PA, I saw a car with TWO Obama stickers! This was in Lambertville, NJ, which Barack won on Super Tuesday. (On a side note, I am proud to note that my city went for Barack 59%-39%... YES WE CAN, New Brunswick!)
On my hours-long walk around New Hope, I found 100% Obama support! In addition to the many smiles from people I passed, three different shop owners shared with me their enthusiasm for Barack. One shop owner, a lady who was just naturalized as a U.S. citizen a few years ago, told me that she was excited to be casting her first vote EVER for Barack! She said that her daughter, a college student, had an Obama henna tattoo- wow- I want one of those!
My friend and I met up with some of her friends at a bar, and two of them were gay men. One of them was a Hillary supporter, and the other complimented my button! So the whole stupid thing about gay people not supporting Barack is once again proven false. (I should mention that I am also a gay American and prove that wrong constantly.)
A couple of other nice things to note- a few weeks ago when I was driving on the highway, a tractor-trailer pulled up behind me and started honking. I was scared and thought the driver wanted me to move out of his way, but when I looked in my rear view mirror, he was gesturing at my Obama sticker and giving me a thumbs-up and waving! He then got onto the PA-bound highway at the next exit. Woohoo! And on this same highway, and elsewhere in this area, I've started to see more and more cars with Obama stickers recently. At LEAST one a day- and they were very rare just a few weeks ago. I'd also like to add that I have seen NONE- ZERO- EVER- for Hillary. I have seen ONE for McCain.
All in all, I think the message is getting out. We really CAN do this, and we ARE doing it! The visibility is there, and we are so much more numerous than I knew. Thanks to all of you fellow Obama supporters for wearing your buttons and stickering up your cars- I know I'm not alone, but it's very, very nice to see you :-)
"Voters, Schmoters. We've Got Big Bucks." So say several wealthy Democratic Party donors as they attempt to bully Nancy Pelosi for saying that the winner of the pledged delegates should be the nominee.
Shame on you, Democratic bullies! They don't seem to understand the democratic part of the Democratic Party- the votes of the people matter in this party. If these people weren't so mean and belligerent, like a two-year-old having a temper tantrum, just because they're not getting their way, I might feel halfway sorry for them for being so far behind the times. Alas, they're mean, belligerent bullies who are upset that the coronation is not going to happen as they had planned. So I will not feel sorry for them in the slightest.
These people just don't know what to do with themselves because there are so many more of us than there are of them, and they fail to recognize that some of our pockets also run deep. Many, many more of us, though, are just average Americans who are sick and tired of the direction in which our country has been heading. We've seen in Barack Obama the once-in-a-lifetime chance to CHANGE this country and our world for the better. We're motivated to act and give in ways that have never been seen before. "We are the change that we seek."
Know what, though? If the shoe were on the other foot, and Clinton were the pledged delegate leader, I'd still be saying that the pledged delegate leader should win the nomination- meaning, I'd feel obligated as a Democrat to support her in her legitimate nomination. This is why our movement is different. We have integrity here in Obamaland. We don't seek to change the rules when we don't like the outcome we get when we follow them. We don't try to spin victories out of losses. We don't tell the voters in the 14 states that voted for Clinton over Obama that their votes don't matter. (We all know that if she had won the 30 contests Barack has won, of course those votes would matter!)
And FL and MI? Barack knew the votes wouldn't count and took his name off the ballots in both states. He said he would go along with any sort of remedy the DNC prescribed. Clinton said herself that the votes weren't going to count. NOW she's "outraged" that those voters' voices aren't being heard? Where was this outrage when the decision was made to move those primaries up? Of course! She didn't think she was going to NEED FL and MI because she was going to have this whole thing "wrapped up" on February 5. We know how that turned out ;-)
And what about me? I'm in one of those BIG (population-wise), delegate-rich blue states that matter to her because she won (by only 10 points). But I voted for Barack. What about my vote? Does it matter to her because I'm in New Jersey or does it not because I voted for Barack? I'd be willing to bet that it doesn't matter because I didn't vote for her. (And with the tactics she's employed recently, I'd be extremely hesitant to vote for her for ANYTHING. EVER.)
The whole thing is so disingenuous that it makes me dizzy. Let's hope Hillary will realize that the will of the voters in Nebraska should count as much as the will of the voters in New York and end her outdated and unethical campaign. I've seen Hillary merchandise for 50% off, in a sign that her moment has already (not) happened. But OUR moment is NOW.
