Hey folks! Last night I finished my video diary of the last year and all of the work that we have put into the campaign. It's a tribute/thank you to every Michigander out there as well as a reminder of why I continue to work for change.
Look at the last picture in the video. It's all about my Justice.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGWWSCdiaVs
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To: All Michigan SENATOR BARACK OBAMA SupportersFrom: The Michiganders for Obama LeadershipTeamRe: Update and Plan for ActionFeb. 10, 2008
The purpose of this letter is both to inform the staunch supporters of Senator Obama in Michigan of the issues discussed during a recent conference call between the Michiganders for Obama leadership team and the Obama for America campaign. The goal being to lay the groundwork for a multi-pronged grass root action plan to assist Senator Obama in securing the Democratic nomination for President. In the context of a rapidly changing environment, at both the state and the national level, it is crucial for all of us to be prepared and ready to spring into action to help support Senator Obama in the best ways possible.The Obama for America campaign is highly focused on the current races, especially in the BIG March 4th contests in Texas and Ohio where large numbers of delegates will be rewarded. The Obama for America campaign will continually reevaluate strategy based upon the results of the remaining primary contests and will keep Michiganders updated in as timely a manner as possible. Although the current status of Michigan’s role in the nominating process is frustrating to many of us, the situation with the Michigan delegation to the Democratic National Convention in Denver remains fluid and is NOT controlled by either the national Obama for America campaign or the Michiganders for Obama team; but rather, the DNC. The National Obama for America position is that they will stand on the principle of ethics by honoring their pledge to abide by the rules of the DNC. They will honor the pledge made by all of the candidates that they would not campaign or participate in any election process in states that moved their primaries in violation of the DNC rules.At this point in time, The Obama for America campaign continues to call for the DNC to enforce the rules that the MI and FL delegates NOT be counted since they violated the DNC rules. While potentially and understandably distressing to all those who may feel disenfranchised by the position in which our state officials and state democratic party have left us, the Michiganders for Obama leadership team strongly supports the Obama for America position that, in the spirit of fairness, justice, ethics, and morality, the DNC must enforce their own internal rules and NOT count the delegates, awarded in the unfair and unjust primaries held in January, from Michigan and Florida. We also strongly concur with the current position of the Obama for America that a “do over” caucus is not the path to take to the nomination.Given that we find ourselves in a position of not knowing whether or not our delegates will be allowed to vote at the DNC, we need to be prepared for any and all possible outcomes. We need to follow parallel paths and encourage the DNC NOT to allow Michigan and FL delegates to count AND we should be prepared in the event that those delegates DO end up being counted. 40% of Michigan residents voted and voiced their position that they DID NOT support Senator Clinton in the January 15 primary. We want to be sure that that portion of the delegates DOES NOT end up being awarded to Senator Clinton by default or inaction on our part. Therefore, we urge individuals and local groups of Obama supporters to conduct Michigan Democratic Party membership registration drives by Feb. 28 and to have all those newly registered individuals in the MDP attend the March 29 District Conventions and vote to elect the "uncommitted" Obama delegate candidates.Our call for action is as follows: - Make calls and send emails to the MDP officials, the DNC, Michigan superdelegates and respectfully but very firmly tell them that we are not stupid and the Jan. 15 Primary in Michigan was not fair, equal or acceptable and the votes should not count at the national convention. The individuals who voted to hold the Jan. 15 Primary knew the rules and the ramifications of breaking the National Democratic Party rules. Call attention to our demand for fairness with Michigan democratic leadership and that will hold them accountable. We are serious in calling for the democratic leadership of this State end this blantant disrespet of Obama supporters in trying to push the results of the Jan. 15 Primary down our throats as if we had a fair and free election.- Encourage Obama supporters from all over the state to attend the MDP State Central meeting on Feb. 23rd in Flint to draw attention to our issues and positions. Advocate for the 40% uncommitted vote go to Sen. Obama uncommitted delegate candidates. - We will put the dates, email, telephone and addresses on the michigandersforobama.com website and we encourage you to take a proactive and dignified offense in contacting the DNC, MDP and our state leaders who voted to schedule the Jan. 15 Primary. Our official position is that the Michigan and Florida delegates should not count. The DNC telephone numbers are 202-863-8000 and 877-336-7200 and email http:/www.democracts.org/page/petitions/chairman - We must carry out a backup plan, in case the DNC doesn’t follow their own rules, and be prepared to make sure the uncommitted delegate slots in each congressional district are filled with Obama supporters. To make this happen, we need two actions: First, we need to recruit delegates candidates before 2/28/08 to run in each congressional district and secondly, we need a massive membership drive to enroll people in the Michigan Democratic Party by 2/28/08.- On March 29 we need all of the MDP members who support Sen. Obama to attend the district conventions all over the state and vote for the uncommited Obama delegate candidates.In addition, contact your congressional district chair and express your desire to make sure that the uncommitted delegates elected are Obama supporters. We all know what the uncommitted vote meant and we want to make sure our votes are respected. Congressional district chairs and their contact numbers are listed at www.michigandems.com under "get local". Most of these districts have web sites, ask that all caucus information be posted on their web site in order to keep their voters informed.Lastly, stay positive and stay informed. Visit www.michigandersforobama.com often for Michgan updates and tips to help the Obama campaign. Look for events in your area and consider volunteering in Ohio or another nearby state. Every bit helps and not only can we do our best in Michigan, we can do our best in other states. Check the michigandersforobama.com or coreyam2004@yahoo.com if you want to organize a bus or car trip for volunteers to go another state.Thank you all so much support and assistance and good luck. If you have questions please call 734-277-1883 or email christinamontague@hotmail.com.
Barack Obama was not on the ballot, but Michigan still showed its support for him. Just imagine what would have happened if he were on the ballot.
So where does that leave us? Since we reached the 15% minimum "uncommitted" vote we can now be assigned delegates through congressional district meetings that will be held on March 29th. Think of it this way. 40% of the vote went "uncommitted" and 40% of the delegates from MI can potentially go to Barack.
Do the math: not on the ballot + Michiganders for Obama = 40% of the delegates. Congrats Michiganders, but we've much work left to be done. Currently with Edwards still in the race we will be challenged to offer them several delegates. However, by March 29th Edwards will be out of the race and all of the "uncommitted delegates could fold over to Barack.
The larger issue for me is that with a confusing primary that was rushed to be put in place, that was ruled unconstitutional and then ruled constitutional then candidates pulled off then state legislators tried to make changes then clerks were required to do a two month job in a two week period. With all of that and with all of the confusion 45% of Democrats showed up to vote against Hillary. Voter turnout was low without all candidates on the ballot and yet they turned out to vote against Her.
Take note Nevada. Be ready South Carolina. Fire it up Super Tuesday states. If we can get delegates without Barack being on the ballot then we should clean house in those places where people can actually cast a vote for him.
As we all know by now the Michigan Primary has been one confusing report after another. Here's what we can do.
STEP 1 Share the NEW Vote Uncommitted Commercial
STEP 3
STEP 4
Go out and support our candidate Sen. Barack Obama by voting “Uncommitted” on the Jan. 15 Primary ballot.
NEW: Sample Ballot
So here we are in Michigan with Barack not on the ballot and we still believe that we can win. That's what I call hope. Yes, I was down after seeing Barack withdraw his name from the Michigan ballot, but we still have a choice to make. By voting "Uncommitted" on the January 15th ballot we can send a powerful message and set Barack up for a victory.
Here's how it works.
STEP 1: Make sure you are registered to vote by the December 17th deadline.
STEP 2: On January 15, 2008 go to your local voting location and proudly cast your vote for Senator Barack Obama by voting "UNCOMMITTED" on the ballot.
STEP 3: Remeber not to write-in Senator Obama. If you do the vote will not be counted. By Michigan election law, Barack would have until the 2nd Friday prior to election day to officially declare himself a valid write-in. If that does not happen then writing his name on the ballot will not count.
STEP 4: After we send a powerful message through our "UNCOMMITTED" campaign we will all need to be registered with the Michigan Democratic Party so that we will be able to vote in the District Conventions. If we have enough Uncommitted votes in the primary then District Conventions will be required in order to select which candidates recieve the delegates from Michigan. District Conventions will be held on March 29th and only MDP members can vote.
Bottom line is that Barack can still win Michigan even though he is not on the ballot.
This is a recent letter to the editor from Christina Montague.
I'm posting this on behalf of Christina Montague, coordinator of Michiganders for Obama. She sent this a short while ago.
Today, you may have seen the many news reports regarding the presidential primary here in Michigan. Our phones have not stopped ringing since it was announced that Senator Obama and several other candidates officially withdrew their names from the January 15 Michigan Primary. I've asked that the National Campaign officially release a statement explaining this decision and what it means for the many supporters here in Michigan.
I'd like to assure you that regardless of the explanation, and regardless of whether we have a Primary or Caucus, Michiganders will be ready to help Barack Obama win Michigan.
One important note is that although there may not be a primary we will still have a caucus. The differences between the two are many but the bottom line is that we will still be electing our next nominee here in Michigan.
The Primary was set for January 15 and the original caucus date was set for February 9. A change in the election date and a change from Primary to Caucus does not change our commitment, organization, and will to win.
As more information is made available to me I will pass it along. If you have questions you can contact me directly.
Sincerely,Christina MontagueMichiganders for ObamaStatewide Coordinator(734) 277-1883 or (734) 662-9908
Although I won't personally be able to attend I wanted to make sure to put it out there that Alice Corey has organized a group of Michiganders that will be headed to Iowa on October 13. WAY TO GO ALICE!!!!
If you're interested you can see the event details at http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/organizing/4vmbx
What else is going on in Michigan in October? This Saturday the 6th, Michiganders will be hosting another statewide organizing meeting. See the details here http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/4v9kp. For a complete list of events check out www.MichigandersForObama.com and click events or search for events in Michigan right here at www.BarackObama.com.
I just arrived home from Detroit where Barack was speaking at the NAACP National Convention. First, let me say that the experience was amazing! I've been involved in other campaigns and all of the Obama events in this area, but today we took it to another level. Folks from as far away as Cleveland traveled to join forces with the hundreds of Michiganders that were out in full support.
It's been said before, but the diversity of those in attendance was impressive and the willingness of Obama supporters to come out on a beautiful summer day was unmatched. Edwards came out with a band and about 10 supporters. (As a side note, a high school band and 10 supporters is no match for a group of Michiganders Barockin'). Hillary had a table and even fewer supporters. Then there was us...hundreds of us. You can see some of the pictures at www.michigandersforobama.com.
Second, Barack shined today. Yes, I know we have seen him at the other debates and yes he has been good at each of them, but today he took it to another level. MSNBC says that "Obama stood out today at the NAACP forum -- for the first time outshining Clinton." (read the full article).
Third, the national staff was great! Chris, Rudy and Prianka, hats of to you. Alex and SFBO, wonderful! Christina and Michiganders, incredible!
Finally, to the hundreds of volunteers that showed up and showed out, AMAZING! You really set the tone here in Michigan and for the thousands of NAACP members from across the country that will go back home knowing that "Obama folks are everywhere" and that "Obama ran this convention".
First off, if you missed it here is the link to watch it after the fact. Link, I'm curious to hear how your event went. I attended the event at EMU and we started off well but the lag time on the live feed was difficult to deal with. For a while it worked well and then it went back to the stop...buffering...start mode.
Before Barack started we had a chance to sign up a few folks to the site and give a quick overview of how it and www.michigandersforobama.com works. We then took some questions and had everyone introduce themselves. After Barack we gathered in a circle and discussed what we thought of what we had just seen and what next steps we can take.
What I find so appealing is that Barack is great during his time on stage but the conversations that I have been involved in at every meeting with the others in attendance has been so inspiring and educational. I'd say that this campaign has really started to change the way we look at politics and each other.
What do you think and how was your experiance today?
Today the Michiganders for Obama official web site went live. This site will not take the place of the great organizing and information sharing that barackobama.com offers us put it will allow us to share additional information as it is made available. Currently you can access and download fliers, mailers, pictures, videos, find contact to the state wide volunteer campaign and many more resources.
If there are things that are needed on the site just respond to this post or send an email through www.michigandersforobama.com.
At 6:00pm this evening a conference call was held with group administrators from around the country. Although I personally could not attend the call here is one persons very good overview of what the HQ is saying. I thought it was important because it was the first of many contacts from the HQ.
I JUST HAD A CONFERENCE CALL WITH THE MAIN OFFICE THE MAIN POINTS I / DANIELLE CLARKE NEED TO EXPRESS ARE
1. BARACK OBAMA WANTS A BOTTOM UP CAMPAIGN
2. THEY ARE WORKING ON FIXING THE SITE AND MANY THINGS WILL COME OUT IN A FEW DAYS
3. THEY WILL BE OFFERING AN ONLINE GROUP ADMINISTRATOR GUIDE SOON
4. SOON WE WILL BE ABLE TO MERGE GROUPS
5. THE PERFORMANCE OF THE SITE WILL GREATLY IMPROVE SOON TOO
6. THEY WILL ALSO BE OFFERING AN ONLINE STEP BY STEP GUIDE TO ORGANIZING
7. WE SHOULD COVER OUR OWN FINANCES RIGHT NOW FOR ANY EVENTS ETC WE HAVE BUT IN THE FUTURE THERE WILL BE FUNDS FROM THE CAMPAIGN FOR LARGE EVENTS
8. THEY ARE GOING TO HAVE BULK PURCHASING OF BUMPER STICKERS AND BUTTONS ETC ETC ETC SOON
9. YOU CAN USE CAFEPRESS BUT ITS EXPENSIVE AND THE COMPANY THAT CREATES BARACKOBAMA.COM STUFF IS TIGEREYE
==>
10. LARGE PARTIES BREAK CAMPAIGN RULES SO IF YOU WANT
11. BE CAREFUL ABOUT USING BARACK OBAMA SIGNS ETC IN SITUATIONS THAT MIGHT MAKE THE CAMPAIGN APPEAR NEGATIVE
12. HOPEFULLY SOON THEY WILL HAVE A GROUP BAROMETER FUNDRAISER
13. THEY WILL HAVE A DIRECT NUMBER FOR US TO BE ABLE TO CONTACT OUR LOCAL BARACK OBAMA REPRESENTATIVE BUT RIGHT NOW THEY ARE WORKING ON THE EARLY STATE PRIMARIES TO POST OFFICIALS OF THE CAMPAIGN
14. THEY ARE OPEN TO DESIGNS AND MAY BE ABLE TO MAKE THEM IN BULK AND SELL THEM THROUGH THE OFFICE SO IF YOU HAVE DESIGNS GET READY TO SEND THEM IN TO THE SOON TO BE EMAIL OFFICE ADDRESS
15. SAVE MARCH 31ST FOR A SPECIAL EVENT FOR EVERYONE INVOLVED IN THIS CAMPAIGN ALL AROUND THE USA
16. IF YOU STILL HAVE PROBLEMS WITH YOUR FUNDRAISER PLEASE EMAIL THE NEW CONTACT EMAIL THAT WILL BE LISTED ON THE SITE SOON
Hello all, I wanted to give a brief overview of the meeting that took place in Ypsi two nights ago. It was a small planning session with some great ideas. To keep it short here are some bullet points of what was discussed.
1. We want to have a clear message and be organized as we move through these beginning stages. So we are hoping that we can add to this list and that each group and event in our area operate under similar messages.
2. Each of our local meetings will have a portion of the meeting dedicated to meeting each other and discussing why this campaign. It seems that this is a major function of the overall campaign, to bring us together and to build a large base to facilitate real change.
3. We want to make sure that everyone understands that we are in the organizing phase. Meaning that laying out a long term campaign plan and building our base is the task at hand. So coming up we’d like to have people sign up 20 people to this site. Washtenaw should be the center of the Michigan campaign financially and through people power and by adding to our base now we can make that happen.
4. We are in the process of acquiring paraphernalia for distribution and this of course requires fundraising so one thing we’d like to do is start a fundraising campaign locally.
Feel free to respond to me and I will add to this list so that as we move forward we keep a comprehensive list.
This was posted in a few other groups by Jim Robbins. It's a wonderful glimpse at Barack.
Forward this one to everyone you know!
Barack on the Daily Show with Jon Stewart
Credit and kudos to Barbara Anastasia and Aaron C for this incredible find.
So here it is 1:32am and I find myself once again putting in my time for the campaign. I've developed...scratch that! I've stolen some good ideas from others on this site and each night I get to work. It's early on but 08 is too close for me.
I remember 04 and waking up the day after our last presidential (last two for that matter) to find myself disappointed. Here in Michigan I remember waking up the day after this past November to find that Prop 2 had passed and I was once again disappointed. Each time the disappointment prompted me to become more involved. So tomorrow I'll be right back here going through the same routine.
Anything I'm missing? Any ideas out there that I should be working on?
With so many groups being formed I've had several friends ask where do they go from here. They signed up, created a profile and then felt a little overwhelmed with the group process. Do they choose one group over the other? Do they join all groups and then get innondated with communications from all sides?
One suggestion I've heard is to better organize the groups in our area. So in about a week the local administrators within Washtenaw County will get together to form a structure that makes things a little easier and more organized. But what are other areas doing? What makes for the most effective strategy? What do you think we should be doing?
For those looking for the group where they fit in. I say try them all. Ok! maybe not all 1900+ local groups but you get my drift.
