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.mike (Rockville, MD)

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i shall chronicle.

Let's "shake off our slumber, and slough off our fear...."

By .mike - Oct 3rd, 2007 at 7:11 pm EDT

Also listed in: 6 groups

I know the past couple of days had been rough. I took it hard when I heard the news that the HRC machine stole our fundraising thunder. I felt like giving up. I felt like it was over.

I was desperately looking for an inspiration. I tried to track back why I chose Barack. I tried to look back what sustained me thus far. It was simple. What Barack gave me a chance to HOPE again. It was a chance to look forward again!

We did not stand in sub-zero weather to listen Barack's announcement for nothing! We did not canvass our neighborhoods at 100 degree weather for nothing! We did not do all the things we feared to do for nothing! It is to win and win decisively...

So, good people, it is time to look up again. This is a mere bump on the road. We will win. We will win. We will win....

Watch this video. It will lift you up. I promise!

http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid900718856/bclid900554575/bctid494649996

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My Barack Obama as an Ethiopian-American

By .mike - Oct 1st, 2007 at 8:09 pm EDT

Also listed in: 6 groups

I wrote this Op-Ed piece for one of the Ethiopian-American Newsletter based in Washington, DC. I thought I'd share it with you all...

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I get chills whenever I hear a story of an underdog; a story that is born against all odds. For me, Senator Barack Obama's (D-Ill.) candidacy is one of those stories. His story and message resonates with me and that of my generation.

I first found about Senator Obama's humble and inspiring story during the 2004 Democratic National Convention where he delivered the now famous keynote address, "The Audacity of Hope". During the speech, I remember getting goose-bumps when he talked about his personal story. He was the son of a goat-herder from Kenya and a kind-souled woman from Kansas. It is a story of an African-American who grew up in Indonesia and Hawaii before graduating from Columbia University and Harvard Law School with distinct honor. It is a story of a man who, after graduating from an Ivy-League school with a law degree, chose to work as a community organizer for a mere $13,000 annually in the economically depressed neighborhood of Chicago. It is a story about a man who stood firm on his principles and bridged gaps between political isles. It's a story of a leader who defied the odds.

What makes Senator Obama's story especially attractive to the Ethiopian American community is not just his African heritage but also his sensible and deep understanding of the problems that are faced by poor African nations such as Ethiopia. He has taken more than one trip to Ethiopia and Kenya before and after he joined the US Senate. When he is elected president, he will need no introduction to Africa or a crash course about Africa's needs and challenges. After all, he is African. He is Africa.

But, what makes Senator Obama's story even more compelling is his ability to inspire new cadre of people to get involved in the political system. When he launched his presidential candidacy in early 2007, many pundits questioned his capability to run a successful campaign. Many have already written him off as an "unsafe" candidate because he has not been in the national scene for long. On top of all that, there was already a safe candidate - Hillary Clinton. To the doubter's disbelief, however, it was apparent from early on, his message of hope and change resonated with the common people and Senator Obama was a real force to be reckoned with. He outshone ALL of his rivals -- both Democrat and Republicans -- by raising more money from many more people. The latest numbers suggest that his donor base has grown to 350,000 people, making over 500,000 donations. In comparison, his closest rival, Hillary Clinton, was able to get only a little over 100,000 donors in the past nine months.

Senator Obama often says, "the world as it is not the world as it SHOULD be." His clear, optimistic and realistic view of the world is an asset in dealing with the complicated issues of our time. From globalization to foreign policy to the economy, US will require a candidate that can look at the problems from a different vantage point. Senator Obama's track record showed his ability to bring people together and work on problems. When he was an Illinois state legislator, Senator Obama worked with both political parties to pass legislation that touched many million people in the state. As a state senator, he authored and passed the most sweeping ethics reform legislation. Further, he is one of two presidential candidates that had the right judgment to oppose the war in Iraq from the start.

Whenever I get a chance to talk about Senator Obama with people, I am usually confronted with the question whether America is ready for a "black president" or not. The short answer is that there is a problem with the question. Unfortunately, some people's idea of a "black" leader is that of the traditional black civil rights leader in the mold of Jessie Jackson and the Rev. Al Sharpton. Even though, I am forever grateful for the contributions of leaders of the civil rights movement for my freedom as a black person living in the United States, I believe Senator Obama is the one candidate who can and has articulated a unifying message of hope and redemption beyond the cache of stereotypical black politicians. There has never been an African-American candidate in the US political history that has transcended race and the pressing issues of our time to earn the respect and backing of large segments of the American people irrespective of race. Here is an opportunity, for the first time since the birth of the nation to elect a black man as president. Now, let's face it, there will be people in America who will not vote for Senator Obama just because he is black. However, I believe there are more than enough people who look beyond the color of the skin and judge him by the content of his character.

I cannot say enough about Senator Obama in one short article, but I leave you with a quote the great Dr. Martin Luther King said about not giving up. He said, "the arc of the moral universe is long but it bends toward justice."

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Our Happy Hour while we "countdown to change"

By .mike - Sep 16th, 2007 at 8:04 pm EDT

Also listed in: 6 groups

Yesterday was one of those days there were simply inspiring!

For many, it was the first function to attend for Barack Obama. For some, it was the second time. For me, however, it was doing what I believed is was the right thing to do! Yesterday's event reaffirmed why I support Barack.

I hosted an event last night for Barack as part of the nationwide "Countdown to Change" and it gave me a great pride to take ownership of this amazing campaign. I met White people, Black people, Brown people and many in between who share the same ideals as I do. They were extremely personable and real. What strike me most about it was the strong belief we shared that Barack represents the best in us.

I have also met and surpassed my goal of raising $129 for NH primaries. I raised $269. Thanks to those who have generously donated! It makes me proud to know that I am capable of affecting the future and bring change.

Barack, if you ever read this, I'd like to say thank you for inspring me to do the right thing.

As I promised when I first wrote about me when the start of this campaign, I have applied for my citizenship papers and waiting to vote for you.

Obama '08!

-Mike

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In preparation to BBQ for Barack event: August 25th

By .mike - Aug 16th, 2007 at 2:37 pm EDT

Also listed in: 4 groups

I am organizing a BBQ for Barack Event on August 25th (http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/4vcrw)

The funny thing is I dont even own a grill. But I'm willing to go the extra mile and buy one for Barack.

So I'm asking y'all to give me some advice :) which grill should i get... this should make the process more fun (click the pics to see the specs, i'm thinking of getting it from Home Depot, you can suggest other ones)

I hope this will inspire other people. I will post my recipet and stuff once you tell me which one to get :)

thanks for the help, family.

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Out we go

By .mike - Jun 9th, 2007 at 10:00 am EDT

Also listed in: DC for Obama

*puts marching shoe*

Canvassing shall begin. The troops are ready, the orders have been made. Time to share the enlightenment.

Will update later on.

Gidday,

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Barack took DC by storm

By .mike - May 23rd, 2007 at 10:53 pm EDT

Also listed in: DC for Obama

I was at the H2O gathering in DC and Obama was simply amazing. He took everyone by storm.

Thank you Senator! You are inspiring

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Our campaign is due for some changes

By .mike - May 17th, 2007 at 1:30 pm EDT

Also listed in: 5 groups

Since the campaign began on February 10th, I check our site at least five times a day. I try to keep up with comments/questions from the mailing list, joined several groups, actively participated in the HQ blog and so forth.

I and others are feeling a little disconnected with the machinery of this campaign. I feel that the campaign is not engaging us as much as it should so that we can actually be helpful.

I think our campaign is due for some changes.

I would love to help! I am sold for the idea. The message of hope resonates with me. However, I do not know what I should do besides raising funds and spreading the word. I have other professional skills that I want to offer, but there is no avenue that to be addressed.

I feel like we're building unnecessary walls between the campaign and us. Whenever we try to contact the core team, we do not get any response. The answer center does not have adequate answers or enough questions to choose from. When there is a technical issue, there is no direct way to talk to people. There is no forum for people to discuss ideas instead creating blog post, which in turn decentralizes the idea of discussion. So on...

Now, this is not to criticize our campaign! I will take a bullet for this campaign. It is to give feedback in a hope that it will be more efficient. For instance, I have created profile in the different candidates' website to see how well they communicate with their members, and I was surprised to find that everyone, with the exception of Hillary Clinton's camp, are engaging people than we do here.

If the issue is not having enough people to return emails, let us know. We can help. If the issue is there is no way to answer each question, use the Wikipedia concept and open it to us. We will fill the void and you guys can verify it! We understand the pressure you can be under, that's why I am asking you all to start deligating work. I have worked in non-profit organization before, I can understand how hard it can be to deligate work, but you should. Run this campaign a business; just business with a soul!

Our campaign ought to remain a grass root campaign. Please, no more red-tape!

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Eloquence-in-chief!

By .mike - Feb 16th, 2007 at 1:08 pm EST

One of the best interviews with Charile Rose

Link

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a milestone in the cyberspace for obama!

By .mike - Feb 12th, 2007 at 11:46 am EST

no wonder why whenever i try to login to my.barackobama it seems too slow. i had to click 10 times to write this post over the last 2 hours and 27 minutes. i waited patiently.

this seems to be the reason why it's slow. following Dan's post about Alexa's Web Stat about www.barackobama.com, i went ahead and checked the stat for today (click">Link here to see). it's fair to say that we're smokin' the other candidates' web traffic -- and by WIDEEEE margin.

now, we need to work long and hard to translate these clicks to a meaningful votes. mobilize people, mobilize!

this is not to take a stab at other democratic candidates, but to point out the difference.. i beleive it's very un-obamian to take a cheap shot on others. let's stick with our message of hope and we shall ride this wave like a pro sailor.

------

to the web team of barackobama.com: please start putting videos about the town hall meetings so that we can pass around the word. if you guys need help doing those things, you should ask the bloggers to help out.

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first time voter, first time voting!

By .mike - Feb 10th, 2007 at 10:50 pm EST

hi everyone. i am mike. originally from ethiopia and currently residing in the state of maryland.

i went to the DNC winter meeting last friday to see obama. woke up earlier than i use to, hop in the metro, and got there on time. the room was fairly packed and as a first timer to any political gather, i was somewhat bored with the regular 'chit-chat' of the 'politicians'... then comes gov. dean to the podium after senator dood finished his speech and invited someone to introduce obama. the introduction was brief, yet effective, i thought.

but nothing prepared me what was to follow.

senator obama walked in to the room with his gleeful smile. we all felt his presence. we knew, at least i was for sure, that someone important was in the room. yes! he was real. and i saw him in person. never in my life have i seen a politician in my life. i always thought politicians are almost out of reach; bounded by their own self-appreciative attitude.

obama was a human being!

i was mesmerized and why shouldn't i, after all, he is the definition of our best intention!

------------

so, back to me a little and what i intend to do with my blog

as i mentioned above i am from ethiopia, eastern africa. i have never voted. the political system was not in place to participate. but saidly, i still can not vote because of my immigration status (only green card holder).... so i promised myself to be a naturalized citizen and vote for obama for the very first time.

i will document my ups and downs throughout this process... i would like to inspire someone to do the same or find a creative way to help the cause...

so join me in my journey... your comments are welcome.

go barack!

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