Organizing for America | Deborah Koppelman's Blog

By Debbie - Aug 3rd, 2008 at 11:32 pm EDT

This campaign is getting hung up on issues that aren't to the point. Putting down the other candidate is a great big waste of time. It might work for voters who don't follow the issues, and that is a real shame. Everyone has a huge stake in this election. If we get stuck with a continuation of the Iraq war for an unknown period of time, we will bankrupt this country and all go down with it. The he said she said is boring. I'd like to see the conventions over and the real honest televised debates go on. Then we can see who can lead and who should follow.

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Thoughts

By Debbie - Jul 29th, 2008 at 10:21 pm EDT

I haven't posted a blog in a while. It seems to me there is nothing much for me to contribute right now. As I read the blogs, I feel disappointed in the complaining. We have to allow our candidate the room to find his way to this election. I'm in this for the long haul. It is not necessary to agree with every nuance that's put into the media or every single position he takes at this point. We really don't have a choice if we want to see any change in our country. It is my hope that we can do the work that is needed to get Senator Obama elected president and continue working with and for him after that to make the important differences that need to be made. This may just be a bumbling stream of conscious writing, but it's how I feel right now.

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The War In Iraq

By Debbie - Jul 5th, 2008 at 7:00 pm EDT

I shared this piece on this blog before. It's so important to me that I thought I would post it again.

This piece is from a soldier with 4 tours in Iraq. Nothing else needs to be said.

As of last week, my homecoming date changed...
I fulfilled a voluntary year long
commitment to the President as part of the surge.

Undoubtedly, many of you have questions about the situation in Iraq.
I'm probably one of the few people you know who has been here and I
have no doubt you want a progress report. Despite what you may hear
from countless politicians who have never been in combat or never
lived on the ground in Iraq, the situation has not improved. (I feel
like clearing this information out of my mind now will allow me to
move on with my life. It will allow me to have conversations with you
about normal life when we see each other. A lot of veterans are tired
of being the canary in the coal mine that no one listens to. We just
have to share this stuff to move ahead though). While there have
been tremendous security gains made under the surge, the surge never
fixed several long standing problems. My work for...
has let me see Iraq and these problems from the highest levels to the
lowest levels. I participated in the many small scale missions as
well as huge operations in Diwaniyah, Basra, and recently Sadr City.
The healthiness of Iraq should never be evaluated by how low the
violence is. As Americans, we only see half of the violence in a
nation where people embrace violence routinely. If numbers look "low"
now don't expect them to stay like that. As soon as it gets quiet,
grunts often say, get ready for a shit storm.

All you have to do now is scratch beneath the surface and you find
infections that will tear the country apart in the next few years.

1) Religion. Perhaps this is prejudice but until you watch the
actions of the various religious leaders and cults you don't see
reality in Iraq. In the vacuum of power created by the disbandment of
the government and the military in 2003, the religious leaders both
Shiite and Sunni stepped in to fill the void. They came to the people
and attempted to solve their grievances while we hid inside patrol
bases and ignored the population. We never put limits on religious
leaders or cults and how they could work in politics, education,
economics, and the security forces. They have so entrenched
themselves, especially Shiite groups funded by Iran, that now they
own the government. Superstition still reigns in every day life.
People are hesitant to take on responsibility without consulting
their mouqtars and imams. The religious people know this and they
work on the people's fears, ignorance, and pocket books. Islam, once
controlled under the Baath party, took on a whole new life after the
invasion. It preaches and justifies sectarianism while pulling in
money, equipment, and personnel to fight its enemies on the streets
or in the ministries. Unless we close down the mosques and separate
governance and security from religion this will continue to destroy
the country.

2) The culture of Iraq. Without changing Islam and Tribalism,
democracy will never work here. I worked with tribes from Baghdad
down to Basra and everywhere in between this year. My team and I
helped stand up over 5,000 tribal fighters to counteract the
insurgents. (Most of our guys were former insurgents we just paid
them more than Al Qaeda or Mr. Sadr or anyone else). The tribes still
run law off of outdated rules or concepts that don't mesh with a
liberal democracy. No one taught any of these men political science
101. They don't understand people's rights such as the right to
petition or the responsibilities of the government. They understand
that the tribe comes before the state and that progress only happens
if god wills it, not if men and women take action. I have also
watched the consistent abuse and enslavement of women. Women have
lost more freedom in the last five years than what they obtained
under the Baath Party. Religious extremism has been the chief culprit
in this change but once again we never controlled it. All in all the
idea of coming here to stand up a democracy only makes sense if you
re-till the soil and uproot any cultural toxins. If this sounds
arrogant, then it should come as no surprise. Being sent here 4 times
and making a half-ass attempt at democracy is painful, then absurd,
and eventually tragic.

3) The influence of Iran. All the weapons, personnel, and training
for the enemy comes across the border. While Syria has always aided
AQI, most of the real stuff has always come from the east. You
probably do not know that the border has been unsealed since 2003.
You probably don't know that Iran funds every group Shiite or Sunni
in order to create as much chaos as possible. It has also led to a
glut of foreign goods into Iraq that has crushed local business
owners and farmers. Progress in Iraq can't happen unless we choose to
confront the government of Iran. The current policy has been one of
saber rattling and zero constructive action, be it economic,
diplomatic, or military. Iran has worked itself into every day life
as well as the ministries, mosques, schools, and businesses. They
have run circles around us since the beginning and now they are
really in charge.

4) Economics. While some insurgents are religiously and politically
driven, most are just trying to put food on that table. As a part our
government's brilliant planning for the war, we never focused on how
broken Iraq was economically. The sanctions put on the country after
1991 broke most people's backs. By not solving these problems in the
summer of 2003 we opened the door for insurgent recruiters. Sadly the
Government of Iraq has plenty of money stashed away but their goal
all along has been to make America pay for as much reconstruction and
security as possible. The State Department Provincial Reconstruction
Teams (PRTs) have not attacked widespread unemployment or stagnation.
We have tried as military people, not trained for business or
reconstruction, to hire a few thousand people here or there but this
has not put a dent in the financial woes of the country. As long as
people can't get real jobs they will keep fighting each other or the
Coalition.

I've watched the same things every year (except for my hospital year
in 2005) one since 2003. I am very tired, perhaps Amero-centric, but
I am very observant. All my time here confirms that the future of
Iraq is no future at all. It's bleakness is heartbreaking. I've given
up any notion of things turning around because the facts tell the
truth. The facts come from the Iraqis I live with not the foreign
eyed soldiers or the state department folks in nice pants. The facts
say the insurgents have already won by becoming legitimate religious-
political parties and by our refusal to force other countries in the
region to play ball.

Semper Fi,

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In Case You Missed This Earlier Post

By Debbie - Jun 25th, 2008 at 7:55 pm EDT

Also listed in: 6 groups

This piece is from a soldier with 4 tours in Iraq. Nothing else needs to be said.

As of last week, my homecoming date changed...
I fulfilled a voluntary year long
commitment to the President as part of the surge.

Undoubtedly, many of you have questions about the situation in Iraq.
I'm probably one of the few people you know who has been here and I
have no doubt you want a progress report. Despite what you may hear
from countless politicians who have never been in combat or never
lived on the ground in Iraq, the situation has not improved. (I feel
like clearing this information out of my mind now will allow me to
move on with my life. It will allow me to have conversations with you
about normal life when we see each other. A lot of veterans are tired
of being the canary in the coal mine that no one listens to. We just
have to share this stuff to move ahead though). While there have
been tremendous security gains made under the surge, the surge never
fixed several long standing problems. My work for...
has let me see Iraq and these problems from the highest levels to the
lowest levels. I participated in the many small scale missions as
well as huge operations in Diwaniyah, Basra, and recently Sadr City.
The healthiness of Iraq should never be evaluated by how low the
violence is. As Americans, we only see half of the violence in a
nation where people embrace violence routinely. If numbers look "low"
now don't expect them to stay like that. As soon as it gets quiet,
grunts often say, get ready for a shit storm.

All you have to do now is scratch beneath the surface and you find
infections that will tear the country apart in the next few years.

1) Religion. Perhaps this is prejudice but until you watch the
actions of the various religious leaders and cults you don't see
reality in Iraq. In the vacuum of power created by the disbandment of
the government and the military in 2003, the religious leaders both
Shiite and Sunni stepped in to fill the void. They came to the people
and attempted to solve their grievances while we hid inside patrol
bases and ignored the population. We never put limits on religious
leaders or cults and how they could work in politics, education,
economics, and the security forces. They have so entrenched
themselves, especially Shiite groups funded by Iran, that now they
own the government. Superstition still reigns in every day life.
People are hesitant to take on responsibility without consulting
their mouqtars and imams. The religious people know this and they
work on the people's fears, ignorance, and pocket books. Islam, once
controlled under the Baath party, took on a whole new life after the
invasion. It preaches and justifies sectarianism while pulling in
money, equipment, and personnel to fight its enemies on the streets
or in the ministries. Unless we close down the mosques and separate
governance and security from religion this will continue to destroy
the country.

2) The culture of Iraq. Without changing Islam and Tribalism,
democracy will never work here. I worked with tribes from Baghdad
down to Basra and everywhere in between this year. My team and I
helped stand up over 5,000 tribal fighters to counteract the
insurgents. (Most of our guys were former insurgents we just paid
them more than Al Qaeda or Mr. Sadr or anyone else). The tribes still
run law off of outdated rules or concepts that don't mesh with a
liberal democracy. No one taught any of these men political science
101. They don't understand people's rights such as the right to
petition or the responsibilities of the government. They understand
that the tribe comes before the state and that progress only happens
if god wills it, not if men and women take action. I have also
watched the consistent abuse and enslavement of women. Women have
lost more freedom in the last five years than what they obtained
under the Baath Party. Religious extremism has been the chief culprit
in this change but once again we never controlled it. All in all the
idea of coming here to stand up a democracy only makes sense if you
re-till the soil and uproot any cultural toxins. If this sounds
arrogant, then it should come as no surprise. Being sent here 4 times
and making a half-ass attempt at democracy is painful, then absurd,
and eventually tragic.

3) The influence of Iran. All the weapons, personnel, and training
for the enemy comes across the border. While Syria has always aided
AQI, most of the real stuff has always come from the east. You
probably do not know that the border has been unsealed since 2003.
You probably don't know that Iran funds every group Shiite or Sunni
in order to create as much chaos as possible. It has also led to a
glut of foreign goods into Iraq that has crushed local business
owners and farmers. Progress in Iraq can't happen unless we choose to
confront the government of Iran. The current policy has been one of
saber rattling and zero constructive action, be it economic,
diplomatic, or military. Iran has worked itself into every day life
as well as the ministries, mosques, schools, and businesses. They
have run circles around us since the beginning and now they are
really in charge.

4) Economics. While some insurgents are religiously and politically
driven, most are just trying to put food on that table. As a part our
government's brilliant planning for the war, we never focused on how
broken Iraq was economically. The sanctions put on the country after
1991 broke most people's backs. By not solving these problems in the
summer of 2003 we opened the door for insurgent recruiters. Sadly the
Government of Iraq has plenty of money stashed away but their goal
all along has been to make America pay for as much reconstruction and
security as possible. The State Department Provincial Reconstruction
Teams (PRTs) have not attacked widespread unemployment or stagnation.
We have tried as military people, not trained for business or
reconstruction, to hire a few thousand people here or there but this
has not put a dent in the financial woes of the country. As long as
people can't get real jobs they will keep fighting each other or the
Coalition.

I've watched the same things every year (except for my hospital year
in 2005) one since 2003. I am very tired, perhaps Amero-centric, but
I am very observant. All my time here confirms that the future of
Iraq is no future at all. It's bleakness is heartbreaking. I've given
up any notion of things turning around because the facts tell the
truth. The facts come from the Iraqis I live with not the foreign
eyed soldiers or the state department folks in nice pants. The facts
say the insurgents have already won by becoming legitimate religious-
political parties and by our refusal to force other countries in the
region to play ball.

Semper Fi,

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Straight from a Soldier on the Ground in Iraq

By Debbie - Jun 25th, 2008 at 5:28 pm EDT

This piece is from a soldier with 4 tours in Iraq. Nothing else needs to be said.

As of last week, my homecoming date changed...
I fulfilled a voluntary year long
commitment to the President as part of the surge.

Undoubtedly, many of you have questions about the situation in Iraq.
I'm probably one of the few people you know who has been here and I
have no doubt you want a progress report. Despite what you may hear
from countless politicians who have never been in combat or never
lived on the ground in Iraq, the situation has not improved. (I feel
like clearing this information out of my mind now will allow me to
move on with my life. It will allow me to have conversations with you
about normal life when we see each other. A lot of veterans are tired
of being the canary in the coal mine that no one listens to. We just
have to share this stuff to move ahead though). While there have
been tremendous security gains made under the surge, the surge never
fixed several long standing problems. My work for...
has let me see Iraq and these problems from the highest levels to the
lowest levels. I participated in the many small scale missions as
well as huge operations in Diwaniyah, Basra, and recently Sadr City.
The healthiness of Iraq should never be evaluated by how low the
violence is. As Americans, we only see half of the violence in a
nation where people embrace violence routinely. If numbers look "low"
now don't expect them to stay like that. As soon as it gets quiet,
grunts often say, get ready for a shit storm.

All you have to do now is scratch beneath the surface and you find
infections that will tear the country apart in the next few years.

1) Religion. Perhaps this is prejudice but until you watch the
actions of the various religious leaders and cults you don't see
reality in Iraq. In the vacuum of power created by the disbandment of
the government and the military in 2003, the religious leaders both
Shiite and Sunni stepped in to fill the void. They came to the people
and attempted to solve their grievances while we hid inside patrol
bases and ignored the population. We never put limits on religious
leaders or cults and how they could work in politics, education,
economics, and the security forces. They have so entrenched
themselves, especially Shiite groups funded by Iran, that now they
own the government. Superstition still reigns in every day life.
People are hesitant to take on responsibility without consulting
their mouqtars and imams. The religious people know this and they
work on the people's fears, ignorance, and pocket books. Islam, once
controlled under the Baath party, took on a whole new life after the
invasion. It preaches and justifies sectarianism while pulling in
money, equipment, and personnel to fight its enemies on the streets
or in the ministries. Unless we close down the mosques and separate
governance and security from religion this will continue to destroy
the country.

2) The culture of Iraq. Without changing Islam and Tribalism,
democracy will never work here. I worked with tribes from Baghdad
down to Basra and everywhere in between this year. My team and I
helped stand up over 5,000 tribal fighters to counteract the
insurgents. (Most of our guys were former insurgents we just paid
them more than Al Qaeda or Mr. Sadr or anyone else). The tribes still
run law off of outdated rules or concepts that don't mesh with a
liberal democracy. No one taught any of these men political science
101. They don't understand people's rights such as the right to
petition or the responsibilities of the government. They understand
that the tribe comes before the state and that progress only happens
if god wills it, not if men and women take action. I have also
watched the consistent abuse and enslavement of women. Women have
lost more freedom in the last five years than what they obtained
under the Baath Party. Religious extremism has been the chief culprit
in this change but once again we never controlled it. All in all the
idea of coming here to stand up a democracy only makes sense if you
re-till the soil and uproot any cultural toxins. If this sounds
arrogant, then it should come as no surprise. Being sent here 4 times
and making a half-ass attempt at democracy is painful, then absurd,
and eventually tragic.

3) The influence of Iran. All the weapons, personnel, and training
for the enemy comes across the border. While Syria has always aided
AQI, most of the real stuff has always come from the east. You
probably do not know that the border has been unsealed since 2003.
You probably don't know that Iran funds every group Shiite or Sunni
in order to create as much chaos as possible. It has also led to a
glut of foreign goods into Iraq that has crushed local business
owners and farmers. Progress in Iraq can't happen unless we choose to
confront the government of Iran. The current policy has been one of
saber rattling and zero constructive action, be it economic,
diplomatic, or military. Iran has worked itself into every day life
as well as the ministries, mosques, schools, and businesses. They
have run circles around us since the beginning and now they are
really in charge.

4) Economics. While some insurgents are religiously and politically
driven, most are just trying to put food on that table. As a part our
government's brilliant planning for the war, we never focused on how
broken Iraq was economically. The sanctions put on the country after
1991 broke most people's backs. By not solving these problems in the
summer of 2003 we opened the door for insurgent recruiters. Sadly the
Government of Iraq has plenty of money stashed away but their goal
all along has been to make America pay for as much reconstruction and
security as possible. The State Department Provincial Reconstruction
Teams (PRTs) have not attacked widespread unemployment or stagnation.
We have tried as military people, not trained for business or
reconstruction, to hire a few thousand people here or there but this
has not put a dent in the financial woes of the country. As long as
people can't get real jobs they will keep fighting each other or the
Coalition.

I've watched the same things every year (except for my hospital year
in 2005) one since 2003. I am very tired, perhaps Amero-centric, but
I am very observant. All my time here confirms that the future of
Iraq is no future at all. It's bleakness is heartbreaking. I've given
up any notion of things turning around because the facts tell the
truth. The facts come from the Iraqis I live with not the foreign
eyed soldiers or the state department folks in nice pants. The facts
say the insurgents have already won by becoming legitimate religious-
political parties and by our refusal to force other countries in the
region to play ball.

Semper Fi,

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Tomorrow is Father's Day

By Debbie - Jun 14th, 2008 at 2:44 pm EDT

I watched MSNBC all afternoon and evening on June 13, and literally felt as though I were mourning a relative. Tim Russert was such a huge person in America. His family's grief is only added to by the grieving media and all of us watchers. He will be so missed.

Tomorrow will be hard for me too. My Dad died last year at 92. He was also a larger than life person, but he had a smaller audience than Tim Russert. He worked his way through dental school by working nights at the post office. How he did that I'll never know. He fought in WWII, and his unit helped liberate Buchenwald Concentration Camp. I don't think he ever got over that, but we didn't realize it until we were older. War is a tragedy.

The single most important thing I learned from my Dad, and my Mom too but she died 33 years ago, was love. There has never been a day in my life that I haven't felt loved. Now that he's gone, I feel his love so strongly inside me that is feels as if he is here even though he isn't physically present.

He would have loved Barack Obama. His youth and energy and dignity would have excited my Dad.

So happy Father's Day to all the fathers who are here and to the families of all the fathers who are not. And to you too, Senator Obama...your girls are so lucky and so are we.

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Finally

By Debbie - Jun 5th, 2008 at 9:59 pm EDT

After all the discussion on all sides, the 2 dems are talking tonight. It's a good thing. Whatever has gone before is now rolled into what will be from now on. It is time to look toward the future and keep the Obama dignity at its usual high level. I feel so proud to be part of his campaign. I am confident that the Clinton campaign will find the way to do the dignified thing and bring the Democratic Party to unity. It's so exciting to see the process unfolding before our eyes and know that history is being made on so many levels.

I am grateful and proud and look forward to the weeks and months ahead as we heal our country and bring the world back into a force for peace.
Amen.

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RBC Decision

By Debbie - Jun 1st, 2008 at 12:21 pm EDT

I find the RBC decision interesting. Mrs. Clinton's supporters are unhappy because delegates weren't seated 100%. In December, she stated that Michigan wouldn't count but did not take her name off the ballot. She keeps all her options open. Unfortunately for her, the Feb. Super Tuesday was the end of her game plan. She didn't keep the caucus option open because she was so sure she wouldn't need those votes. Her campaign has made many strategic errors and are now left to complain that the nomination should go to her. I really wish that the RBC had stuck to its original decision and not seated any delegates for either state. That would have finally sent the message that you can't do as you wish and fight your way back in later. As it is now, the same thing will happen next time. No state believes that it will be left out. It is a shame to have such hard feelings and dissatisfaction. It is clear that some reforms are needed. Hope it happens before the next election.

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Calls to Montana

By Debbie - May 28th, 2008 at 5:05 pm EDT

Well, I just made my first calls to Montana. I was hung up on by all but 2 people who answered the phone. I left lots of upbeat messages. One person said she was leaning towards Barack Obama because she didn't want HRC. A really weird response won't be repeated. I expected a really positive response from these calls. Maybe I got an area that hasn't gotten a chance to meet our wonderful candidate. I won't let this discourage me. If any of you have some good stories from your calls to Montana, please share them with me. It always helps.

Regards

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The Time Has Come

By Debbie - May 23rd, 2008 at 10:55 pm EDT

Also listed in: 8 groups

We've been waiting to give Mrs. Clinton space and time to get that she is not going to win the Democratic Nomination. We've been waiting for the wrong thing. We've been hoping that she would step out gracefully and for the good of the Party. Wrong. Instead she has gone into an altered universe where she is the center and noone else counts, nothing else matters. Her comments today have changed the course of this election at last. She has been hoisted on the petard of her own greed, her own sense of entitlement, her own self-righteousness.

We have been tiptoeing around on the subject of her being the VP? She's finished. If the superdelegates don't step up to end this now, I think she will have a nervous breakdown. She needs to be put out of her misery by having the delegates take responsibility to end this debacle. Finishing the primaries was fine. I had no problem with her going through the whole contest. But her rhetoric has only gotten more heated instead of concilliatory. She is not doing anything to draw the party together, rather she is doing whatever occurs to her mind to get what she wants.

I say enough. IS ANYBODY LISTENING???? ENOUGH!!!!!

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I'm Confused

By Debbie - May 20th, 2008 at 9:54 am EDT

Also listed in: 4 groups

I keep hearing that HRC campaign staffers are ready to help Barack Obama. Why would he want any of them? Her campaign has been a diseaster from the beginning. Our campaign has worked liked a well oiled machine. Everyone gets along and all are on the same page. I am confused about injecting these divisive staffers into such a well run campaign.

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Yeah Oregon

By Debbie - May 19th, 2008 at 1:03 pm EDT

Also listed in: 4 groups

I just finished my first set of phone calls to Oregon. This is the most enthusiastic response I've had since NC. It feels so great to have people discuss issues and not hang up as soon as I say who I am. The 75,000 supporters who came out to see Senator Obama on Sunday must be the tip of the iceberg in Oregon. Yeah!! What a good feeling. Keep on calling....

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Just When We Need IT

By Debbie - May 19th, 2008 at 12:21 am EDT

Also listed in: 5 groups

It seems to me that just when we were getting tired we got a shot in the arm. John Edwards' endorsement, George Bush being George Bush in public, and John McCain agreeing with him. And then today, 75,000 people came to hear and see Barack Obama in Oregon. This man has had a good week. Enough said. Let's enjoy a beautiful moment and get ready for the battle soon to follow. Nothing is static in our beloved country. Change is the only thing we can count on. Let's just remember TOGETHER WE CAN...YES WE CAN!!!

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Whew! Kentucky is Tough

By Debbie - May 17th, 2008 at 1:27 pm EDT

Also listed in: 6 groups

I just spent the last hour making calls to Kentucky voters. I got one person at home who told me she was an Obama supporter. Mostly I had to leave messages. One woman told me she thought HRC was the best candidate. Unfortunately the rest of the people I did reach hung up as soon as I said who I was supporting. Well, I guess that's the way it goes. One man told me he wasn't voting for a Muslim and hung up before I could talk to him about his misunderstanding.

Senator Obama really needs to get his story out more and let people begin to know the real person. If you don't watch the news and just hear 527 comments, there isn't much good to get out of this election. So...keep on calling and don't be discouraged. We're going to win them all over before this is over...

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Jews and Obama

By Debbie - May 15th, 2008 at 6:52 pm EDT

Also listed in: 5 groups

I'm really tired about the news commentary and Republican position about Senator Obama and his foreign policy. No one thought Richard Nixon would build any bridges with communist countries and yet during his presidency he opened China to the world. We don't know what an Obama foreign policy will look like yet, but it is certain that he will not do anything to put the United States in danger. He loves this country, and unlike our current president, will have a well thought out strategy for engaging our friends as well as our adversaries. The thing is, it might not look like what we are used to. It may have a different feel to it. Reaching across divides in our country as well as in the world HAS to look different. What we're doing now has not only not worked, but has reduced our standing in the world as well as the worth of our dollar. We need to encourage people coming together. This could entail negotiating in unusual ways, but never to hurt our country.

We have seen the effect of the power of our weapons. We need to employ ALL our skills to bring the nations of the world to a place of willingness to talk. Everyone deserves to be heard. There are levels of this and I feel confident that a President Barack Obama will find the way to draw us together. Let's go forward with confidence and hope, not fear and threats.

I am a Jew and I believe that Barack Obama loves this country, is completely committed to Israel and I am not alone in this thinking. The talking heads need a day off to come up with some new talking points. This is not a valid one.

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John Edwards

By Debbie - May 14th, 2008 at 10:07 pm EDT

Also listed in: 5 groups

Thank you, John Edwards. Your support has come at a very important time. Barack Obama can win white working class voters, and your endorsement will help him. Your decision to set down the cynicism and fear and support this campaign has a very positive effect on this fight for the nomination. I appreciate your difficult decision. It must be hard to see someone you feel sure will win start losing. Analysing these results and deciding to make your support public for Senator Obama is very important to bringing the Democratic Party together.

Yes we can. All of us have a hard fight. We all have strength and character. We can make a difference and we will.

Sincerely,

Debbie in Evanston,IL

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To Repeat....

By Debbie - May 14th, 2008 at 4:57 pm EDT

Also listed in: 4 groups

I have said this before and will say it again. This nomination is ours to win. Breathing deeply and remaining calm, not being overly reactive to statements of other candidates, and making thoughtful and human steps forward are the strategies that will carry us forward through the next three weeks. We will let the primaries play out and the pundits talk and the candidates speak. We will all watch and listen and wait until May 31 and June 4. Then the election season will begin. This is not an election for the faint of heart. We must gird ourselves to get through the waiting period. That's the fact.... Let's stop complaining and whining about others' comments. Three weeks is a short time.

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Talking to West Virginia

By Debbie - May 12th, 2008 at 2:33 pm EDT

I feel really good about the calls I made to West Virginia today. I had an especially great conversation with a staunch HRC supporter. He told me from the beginning that he was voting for her and I asked him if I could talk about Barack Obama anyway. He said sure. After our discussion, he told me not to worry. He was voting for HRC tomorrow, but if Barack Obama wins the nomination he and his whole family and everyone they know are going to vote for Obama in November. They all refuse to have another "Bush" presidency.

He was such a kind and thoughtful man. I felt so inspired telling him my story and listening to his. It felt like the healing is already beginning.

SO FOR ALL OF YOU WHO HAVE THOUGHT ABOUT MAKING CALLS AND HAVEN'T, START PHONING NOW!!! FOR EVERY PERSON WHO HANGS UP ON YOU, THERE WILL BE A HUMAN BEING LIKE THIS ONE!! IT'S SO WORTH MAKING THE CONNECTION WITH PEOPLE IN THIS COUNTRY.... DO IT, PLEASE:):)

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PHONE CALLS

By Debbie - May 12th, 2008 at 9:39 am EDT

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We know that phoning other states really works. We have 24+ hours to make calls to West Va. Let's do it. Even if we each get one voter to cast a ballot for Barack Obama, it will help. So CALLCALLCALLCALL......

Debbie in Evanston,IL

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Let's Pause and Reflect

By Debbie - May 9th, 2008 at 2:09 pm EDT

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Okay Obama supporters. Let's all stop a moment and take a deep breath. Just because there is a negative vibration from our democratic opponents, does not mean we have to join in. The reason I support Barack Obama is because he stands for the issues and telling the truth. He is dignified and decent. I believe that if he had his way there would never have been a negative statement from this campaign. He responded when he was attacked, but I don't think he instigated the negative force.

In this same vein, I believe we should follow his lead now. He is okay with HRC running out the primaries. There's no real reason not to. Let's not get into the angry response when a candidate who has put her all into this fight is trying to take in that she is not going to come out on top. She's in denial and refuses to accept the obvious. Let's let her take her time, and let's be generous. I've lived my life by a wise saying once given to me in a low moment. THE BEST REVENGE IS TO LIVE A GOOD LIVE. Let's not say or do anything that our campaign will regret. We don't have any regrets now. Let's keep it that way. When we take the high road, we get to observe some gorgeous scenery....

YES WE CAN....

Debbie in Evanston,IL

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