When i began bloggin about my feelings/opining concerning the Obama campaign, I would have never foreseen the economic collapse being such a catalyst in the election. The Palin announcement I thought had stole the mojo from the long primary with Hillary.
Then Saturday Night Live, Jon Stewart, and Katie Couric all conspired to effectively deflate Palin, while simultaneously the collapse of the credit system worldwide would skewer any chances McCain had of even "Pretending to be Relevant". Of course we, as Americans, are in shock, we are all uncertain about what the future will bring. The notion of a Depression is real, and it's not good to shout "fire" in a crowded theater, but if the whole system collapsed, then shout anything you want.
The upshot of all the recent activity makes the SNARKY side of McPain and Failin just resonate with a pathetic twang. While we reel with the news of the day, they ostrich themselves into an unwinnable corner and play politics as usual. Don't they see this is different! Have some self-respect Mr. McCain! Don't lower yourself as a senator with a distinguished career by statement like "That One". Don't you see that we know what you mean when you do that? The thinly veiled racist side of you has just come out. Give him the respect he deserves. I don't care if you lose an lose badly, the country is in a great need of togetherness coming out of this election, and you need to lift up Barack as the great leader he will be, because--- "BELIEVE ME, YOU WILL BE THANKFUL YOU DON'T HAVE THE JOB".
We are at an uneasy juncture in our History. Timing is indeed everything. You would have been better than Bush after 9/11 but your own party sabotaged your momentum in that primary against John Kerry. We have memories. I will give you credit for the type of politician you were then, but for the challenges that call today, you are not up to the task. That doesn't mean you should not portend to hold yourself to have dignity and self-respect. Allow the fact that you will lose to set in, and just chill. Unite ahead of your losing for the betterment of the country. After all, you are the one constantly reminding us slogan-like, "Country First".
Please lead by example.
And Barack, even people that aren't used to it, will learn to pray for your ability to remain strong and true while leading our nation back to a place where we don't all worry day-to-day. You have keep your composure all the way through this trial, and one day, History will look extremely favorably upon you and both your intelligence, faith in yourself, and your ability to lead our nation. But that doesn't mean we envy the job you have in front of you.
Peace
Drew
Sorry I took so much time off from writing, and even though i have health insurance this time around, the care i received from the Urgent Care Clinic didn't seem to cure my illness very fast. I still feel weak, but manage to have strong converstions with those who seem to believe people that aren't covered by health insurance these days just don't work hard enough.
Please.
That's about as desperate as More McPain picking Sarah Failin as his mate. I'm sure the Pensacola Playboy in him would love to have her mate with him, but as a Presidential Persona, she is more PTA than Presidential Material.
I viewed it as a Hail Mary pass, ala Doug Flutie in that famous last second catch. Now, granted she can read off a teleprompter, but so can I. Maybe this is a morsel left over from No Child Left Behind, Sarah as VP would be truly leaving nobody behind.
I'm proud to say that the banner I hung in the Destin Headquarters, of Obama against the backdrop of American Flag and Skyline, is looking regally over an office that hasn't been staffed since the campaign of JFK very long ago. I take that as a good omen, as a fellow senator that was eventually elected to the highest office in the land.
My friend who attended the Democratic Convention in Denver, and was invited to a small intimate gathering with Michelle Obama and Hillary Clinton, did not have the time to approach Michelle about the portrait my friend and I painted of Obama on the beaches of a very Republican Coast, but she tried. If anyone else reading this knows either Hillary or Michelle please tell them of our portrait, as it was painted by a survivor of Katrina and a denizen of our nation's funkiest city--- New Orleans. Well, he and i had to battle those who said they would destroy our painting, threats to attack us, and all we did was continue to paint in silence for four days. The pen/brush can be mightier, it just has to be USED.
So I further my call to action. Register those you know and don't know to vote. We don't have that much more time to get them registered, so work quickly and diligently, all Americans should be personally invited into the importance of the voting process. It is a symbol of our connectiveness, something really lacking in the American way of life. Whether you vote for my team or your team, it unites us all, and inspires us to a vigorous debate about the future we could and SHOULD take. I just prefer to believe my position to be enlightened. So be it.
I'd like to give everyone the link to viewing the portrait that I did that is at the Headquarters in Destin. Primarily just to share something that is very important to me, and allow you to witness the beginning of our westward journey, as we move the banner from headquarters to headquarters, seeking press along the journey to promote Obama as our truly blessed and talented candidate.
Here's the link to the photos as the portrait was created, up to and including its hanging in the Destin Headquarters.
http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=48808&l=d670b&id=705089738
Hope you can enjoy them, and anyone that knows anyone in a Democratic Headquarters along the route to Portland, OR from Destin, FL feel free to contact me and we'll arrange for the banner to visit you within the next few weeks.
Much love and encouragement to all committed to a better society and a more united world!
I guess even if the Obama's needed a vacation, and the Olympics seem like the perfect time, Russian invading Georgia during this historic "truce" period has really upset the apple cart. Death, destruction and instability. To see Bush so cozy with Putin at the Olympics is almost a sick slap in the face.
Barack, Mr. McCain is trying to upstage you. The more visibility he gets during these time, especially with the President AWOL, the more presidential McCain appears. With the stock market in rally mode, commodities and oil in decline, the ECONOMY could quickly be off the table and then we are playing on unsteady ground.
McCain will position himself as the only person who knows how to navigate these waters. If you stay out of the fray, stay on vacation, unfortuanately, the only presidential qualities that you exhibit are the negative ones that Bush projected during the Katrina crisis, and other times he has hid out at the Crawford Ranch. Just letting you know. I love you, but you gotta face facts.
That is the WAY THE WORLD REALLY IS,
(no more days off for the next, well--let's be optimistic, eight years)
They are doing their best to reverse the rules of the game.
These thoughts are ones i wish Dearly i did not have to entertain.
Why would I have an argument with someone about something so inane? Because that's the level of desperation these folks have gotten to. It brings back some really horrible memories I had as a child growing up in this backwater of the Panhandle of Florida. Don't get me wrong, I love the surrounding environment here, but the ideas people profess and put forth, honestly, still blow my mind after 30 plus years.
Let me be more specific. A co-worker of my wife had this to say, "I don't really care about politics (beware when you hear those cautionary words . . .), and I really don't care if Obama becomes President even, but i think if he is, then someone will take him out. She didn't say it that way, but I can't bear to say outloud or on paper what she said. Instantly, i said, "That's a horrible thing to say outloud, even if you believe it to be true, you shouldn't say that." Why, says she. Lots of people, AND HERE IS WHERE I JUST LOST IT, "believe that he is the antichrist". This is an educated, well-traveled, monied woman and I'm hearing this.
Flashback: My mom and dad both worked. I'm the eldest of four. Our babysitter, an extreme fundamentalist used to take care of us and do cool things, like blueberry picking, pecan picking, and trips to the beach. But she also indoctrinated us, into beliefs that the world was ending, the apocalypse was just around the corner, conspiracy talkings about the signs-- most of which was just a fear of the rise of technology-- Ok fair-- up to and until Y2K. I thought we all got that out of our system. But some of the things she did went way,way too far. My mom would reel her in once in a while, but she was cheap and she was otherwise pretty good to us. So when we would tell stories of her later on, taking us to the grocery store and making us hand out pamphelts of the end of the world, and the number of the beast, and the anti-christ this and that-- well that was WAY TOO FAR.
Even if we had belived that stuff, you shouldn't do it to KIDS. And our family was Catholic. What place of hers was it to do all this. Like we didn't have enough guilt about sex and masturbation already to deal with, don't pile on another religions scare tactics. I say all this as a person who still attends Mass, but one whom also believes his mind is from his creator, and I would be a fool not t use it. So when I say i don't personally believe abortion is a good thing, I follow that position quickly with, "but I don't believe that my morality needs to be LEGISLATED BY THE GOVERNMENT". If that doesn't work, I say the usual, "you wouldn't want someone who was raped to be forced to carry that baby to term?" Sometimes the nut jobs say, "why not, the baby wasn't the rapist." I walk away if the logic, heart, and soul of my conversation has just left the building.
Well, needless to say, these memories of childhood were brought up by this person. She, of course, followed it up quickly with this thought--- "i don't believe that rumor, but lots of people do". I told her in plain English that someone who repeats a rumor like it is a widely held belief, is herself perpetuating the RUMOR ITSELF. She thought i was just being mean. I said that type of thinking was brainwashing, that it was like spreading mental illness, and that it was RIDICULOUS to say OUT LOUD. I don't want to get the the point where people can't have stupid thoughts, i just want them to exercise discipline over when those thoughts get BROADCAST.
I told her if that's what so many people believe, why do none of the mainstream media outlets report it? She didn't really know what to say. She was upset, and I attempted to make nice, mostly because my wife works with her, but also, to some degree I have compassion for people who have ingested this mental illness and somehow believe that they don't believe it, but they continue to spread it.
So, the upshot is I'm not angry and frustrated about this. Like a good friend of mine said who works for the Innocence Project--- this is a corner that a frustrated campaign is working out of. Maybe I shouldn't even dignify with a response, but if this belief is even a tad out of control, I believe that it is OUR responsibility to confront it with reason, to point out to folks that this is poison they are spreading. Lies are one thing, when based on positions. But Obama has endured an extreme amount of POISON. When she initially said he was the antichrist I said, "what makes you believe that". She says, well "he's the first ONE". And I'm not a genius, but i figured I had backed her into a RACIST corner. I said over and over, "what do you mean by ONE". She eventually said, "the first One of color". I think that is their biggest fear, and yet in this day an age they are sophisticated enough to KNOW NOT TO SAY THAT outloud. But I say, and Man, I mean it, they must be educated to not speak the poisonous thoughts outloud. My sense of balance is too affected when they use the word antichrist as a substitute for their fear of a black man as President of the United States. And that's all that is going on. They substituted "muslim" rumors earlier in the cycle.
One thing i Know is that when a raccoon is in a corner and must fight its way out, things get ugly. Obama should be further ahead in the polls. I don't want us to rest as a unit, and sit on our laurels while these mentally ill thoughts linger out in the ether of the internet, but I really don't want us to get over confident when people are brazen enough to speak this trash out loud. Confront but don't do it in a cocky way. Have compassion for those you correct. One Principle I learned and ingested while studying Aikido was that it is not necessary for me to use my energy when "SHOWING YOU THE ERRORS OF YOUR OWN WAYS". This women brought this up. She clothed it initially in innocuous language, that in reality was racism and rumor mongering. She thought I was going to be polite and not confront because my wife and her work together. I'm sorry, this is all TOO IMPORTANT for me to just allow. But I will show you compassion, mostly on the back side of the argument, and I will also use your mentally broken thoughts to SHOW YOU THE ERROR OF YOUR OWN WAYS, because basically this is a conversation I didn't want to have, and DON'T WANT TO HAVE AGAIN. IF i'm a bit brutally honest in demonstrating that to you at first, i hope you will be wise enough to not bring it up again. And then I apologize and give a hug. I'm not an animal, I just think that sometimes when the fish tank needs a thorough cleaning, you must first stir some of the shit up that has amassed upon the bottom. Then a water change will flush out a lot of that old TRASH. But we can all use our intelligence and our strength of heart.
Nevertheless the warrior in each of us must also remain vigilent.
Wow, that was something else!
MUCH LOVE,
DrewdruDrew
Recently I did a blogging STAYCATION. It was getting obvious to me that I was going Negative with myself, despite my better inclined positive nature. That is one of the risks of what has been going on around us. It can suck you in like so many dollars drilling at home.
So i hit the pause button. That is something very adult for me, and so here, I pat myself on my back. You should too, especially if you've resisted becoming overly negative in the political/economic climate we are in. Before I dozed off last night i was watching a PBS program on the climate, and that was depressing, but enlightening.
Back in college i did my Presidential Scholarship thesis on "Alternative Lifestyles". This was before it became a moniker for the gay and lesbian movement. What i was getting at, in my very naive way---was that it was time to change. Before the Franklin quote came true: "Only when the well is dry will we recognize the worth of water." My point back then was that we needed a shift, not merely for the planet, but in truth for the very health of our souls and psyches. We needed a return to community, a way of being together, a way of caring and working toward difficult goals that should not be put off onto the next generation.
Well, in the context of this PBS story, which spoke of the offsetting of global warming due to the high amount of particulate matter that is reflecting solar heat back prior to it reaching earth. The study measured temperature differences in the Maldives, where the "fresh" arctic air makes its way to the southern Maldives and so clears away the "dirty" air and thus more sunlight (10% the study said) reaches the earth on the southern part of the chain. It made me think back to keeping a saltwater aquarium-- i tricky endeavor if anyone has atttempted this, and one that is super dependent on the stability of minute changes in a small system. Got me wondering if the coral bleaching we have seen worldwide isn't as much due to changes in temperature of the seas, but in the actual QUALITY of the light reaching these ancient pueblos of life in the sea. This last century is responsible for so much change.
I guess it shifted my perspective off of the political, me remembering my thesis and what i wanted people to do back then. The less important things, suddenly seeming less important again. Turned out I wasn't very good at TELLING other people what to do. What i ended up with in my thesis was a demonstration of myself turned INSIDE OUT in the form of an art installation. This replaced my thesis of words, and showed what path I was walking, and intended on continuing walking. Always my challenge has been to shut up and not tell other people what to do, just do my thing, let them observe and see how it affects them. Well, back then, in the early 90's, it caused my teachers to sit on the couch in "my Room" and reflect on all the things they had never done that they wanted to do. I still hope my life has that effect on people. I was scared in doing that room, for one part I hadn't gotten approval to do an "art version of my thesis", and for another I was exposing very inner parts of myself to get a point across, one i feared would be turned back on me. The truth was that me allowing that part of myself to be externalized simply gave others permission to do the same. That is the ineffable part working between us all.
So I embrace the challenges that have been set before us. This election is bigger than the players at the top, it is as much about the links we are forging between one another now in order to do the work that will be difficult that is coming soon. The change is shocking, and can manifest negative elements in us all at times. It is part of the FUTURE SHOCK that Toffler talked about so long ago. But when those moments come, hit the pause buttton, and realize in your heart what my Zen teacher used to say all the time, "Sipping Tea We Stopped the War".
Have peace today, and progress will follow tommorrow.
Boy is it easy to become cynical. The conversation i just had with a diehard Republican, whom I'm friends with, makes me just cringe. She has no idea of the double standards she allows in her points of view. Close to homelessness once, she has no compassion for those with multiple levels of hurdles in their lives---she views it strictly as a choice. Maybe a bad series of choices at best. And when asked, "Even if it costs more, you would prefer for people that fall on hard times like that (even those with mental illness/addiction problems-- you would prefer for them to be locked up and stored like so much HUMAN BEEF." All the while she doesn't see the problem with an administration which turned a blind eye to most of the lending practices that led to the current bailout/SOCIALIZATION endorsed by the Bush Administration to fix a major screw up.
Well don't tell me they weren't aware of the problem, anyone with a mailbox could tell you that lending had gotten way, way too easy. Just gauge it by the sheer volume of offers to do this, or do that, and so much "FREE" money from the ATM known as your house would flood in. No worries, rising prices would more than compensate. So those people lending with practices like that, HOW DIFFERENT THAN drug dealers are they really. And now we're supposed to just go along. That seems like a severe case of bad choices, but really, for the sake of the ECONOMY, let's turn a blind eye to their decisions (and i'm raging from the lenders to the overseers to the people sending in the pieces of paper), and the decisions of the homeless or addicted---those people are somehow morally bankrupt. Ok, if you say so . . .
So now we just accept this is the way it is. No such thing as a free market. Let's look ahead. People speculating the death out of oil, which if it spurs us to innovation and turning away from overseas wars--then i'm all for, but that is nonsense on the highest level. Don't even bother me with your breath about supply and demand. It is not rational. And it is related to massive shorting and making money hand over fist at the expense of the consumer. Don't buy the pack of lies you are being sold. But call your friends on their nonsense.
Then there's the issue of Republican corruption. From gay politicians who hide behind their families while they ignore basic issues of equality. Look, if the guy is good enough for your cock, then I think his lover should be able to make some decisions on his behalf and get some of your benefits. Then there's the favors. The nepotism. The behind the doors dealing. The sweetheart contracts, and the whole massive amount of unknown cronyism that pervades our system. We can't go after employers who hire illegals, we can't protect our own citizens, and we are putting up barriers that are impossible if you fly, but feel free to walk in, walk over us, and take plenty of benefits if you live in California. I'm all for immigration, but let's be fair to a modest extent.
Employers should not be able to hire without consequences. I've been there, telling dishwashers to get "real" ID. Don't come to me with this nonsense. The wages are simply going under someone else's identity, and the copying even looks phony. It gets tiring. Exhausting to just do the right thing. And it's all for the sake of easy money.
Who thinks credit cards are next? That money is way too easy, and people can't afford to live, so charge on and charge it up. Where is the end to this madness that began in earnest with the Tech Bubble, are we to simply sit back, live through a series of seemingly drug induced highs, that only the BIG DOGS profit under, and then wait for the shoe to drop each time. I'm tired of the Republican Highjack Machine. I recognize them for what they are. Highwaymen who rob, who lie, and steal with their buddies, then hide behind overly moralisic patriotic high fives mixed with a dose of homophobia and xenophobia. I just don't have the time to entertain it as reality. Too much of that on T.V. I feel like in real life i'm just watching more of the same. Challenge these people into CHANGE. Only when they can admit their problem can it begin to get better.
Take it light,
Well, This is a great annoucement.
My friend, who is also an artist---- Eric Buchanan-- selling around Jackson Square in the French Quarter for the last 15 years plus, and myself have been working on a very large portrait of Barack Obama.
I will update you with links to pictures soon, as we will be creating events for its viewing, along with sales for fundraising as I will create a series of Limited Edition Prints in order to raise money for his campaign.
Wish us luck,
And any other artists out there who you know, that may wish to get involved, We would like to have them contact us, as we are also going to organize a traveling exhibit of "Obama-Mania" in its early days.
Much love,
They are incredible. here's my thoughts on seeing them.
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I'll get better at the technial apect as i go along.
Hey Yall,
What's the best way to remember we need a shift from the old paradigm to the new? Remember stuff. Like New Orleans.
So with that in mind I am including just a simple video from one of my friend's in New Orleans-----Eric Buchanan. Although the video is more about Art than politics, I do believe that just seeing this gallery develop represents the transition that both the city of New Orleans has had to undergo at the prompting of circumstance and nature. The political response also plays a part. It never dominates, and usually operates in a very reactionary manner.
The upshot of all this, is that the world is in flux. I'm shocked at how many foreigners are in favor of a President Obama. Not shocked in a hardcore way, just surprised at the level of involvement, particularly on sites like Facebook, MySpace, and Friendster----all the more popular social networking sites. The movement that is beginning is something I don't yet know the true nature of. It is part entertainment, part social networking for business purposes, and I believe, and this may be the hopemonger in me--- that it is partly a democratization of what the internet can be if we both allow it, and encourage it actively. We, as participants, in exercising what we HOPE to come true, can influence the course of events to become more democratic and inclusive. Less centralized might be the operative word. Of course, these are notions that all too frequently come up and then quickly come to pass and either get diluted or co-opted. That is the responsibility of those who participate, not a foregone conclusion.
So with that little tidbit for the day in mind, i levee you to participate.
In your own way of course-- i'm no dictator. Just a tator of diction.
Drew McAuliffe
Ok, no video today, but you get the point. Sorry, Here's the link if you want to see it.
http://videos.nola.com/times-picayune/2008/06/xo_studios.html
These are not my thoughts, but I thought they did bear republishing, because they seem to succinctly explain the disconnect I was experiencing through news in the general media, and the SHELL GAME that seems to operate in the shadows. I must thank my compatriot for enlightening me as to how this all occurs. It also makes it no surprise that the McCain's won't disclose all their own personal money dealings. Their unpaid credit card debt, and that massive amount of "new wealth"---even if it's only on paper at this point, from the 1 million shares of Budweiser that Cindy McCain owns.
Well here's the reprint explaining why the general media talks about how much Team Obama is raising matches up with what McCain is likely to have in his coffers. Thanks to mikeystyle for this one.
He’s using public funds AND private contributions, thereby cutting our fundraising lead. How long can he get away with this? As long as Republicans in Congress hold up the nominations to the FEC—right now they don’t have a quorum (so they can’t do anything) and Republicans intend to keep it that way.
We need to raise a big stink on this with the media.
From JedReport:
According to FEC reports filed on July 15, through June 30, John McCain had raised at $62.5 million in private funds that can be used for his general election campaign -- even though he's already committed to accepting public funding for the general.
Moreover, based on my own analysis, of that $62.5 million, three-quarters -- $46.3 million -- comes from a total of 1,803 wealthy individuals who made five figure contributions averaging $25,664 each.
So not only is John McCain blatantly violating his public financing pledge, but he's doing it in grand style, raising money in increments of up to $70,000 per donor -- more than thirty times the amount a donor can give to Barack Obama's general election campaign.
How is this all possible? How has most of the media missed the story? Allow me to explain.
As you recall, on June 19th, Barack Obama announced that he would forgo the public finance system, electing to raise money directly from his 1.7 million supporters. In explaining his decision, Barack cited two key arguments: one, that John McCain and the RNC were jointly raising millions for the general election from private sources including from PACs and lobbyists and two, 527s would spend millions attacking him during the closing weeks of the campaign.
Now that the July 15 FEC reports have been filed, Barack's first argument has been validated. The jury is still out on the second argument; it cannot be evaluated until the campaign is over or until a major 527 or independent ad effort has materialized, whichever comes first.
Still, even though Barack has already been proven correct on one of his key points, he was subject to a ruthless browbeating by the mass media, which pilloried him as a cynical opportunist for days on end. Not surprisingly, the McCain campaign aggressively pushed that storyline with a daily barrage of sanctimonious and hypocritical personal attacks from McCain on Obama.
Now, however, it is clear that even as the McCain campaign was on the warpath against Barack Obama, they knew that his argument about the McCain campaign's coordination with the RNC was absolutely true.
First, ten days before Barack Obama announced his decision to forgo the public finance system, McCain campaign manager Rick Davis told McCain supporters that the campaign had discovered a way around the campaign finance system that would allow McCain to raise at least as much money as Obama -- if not more.
Second, of the $62.5 million in private funds that McCain can use in the general election, $54.1 million -- 86% -- was raised before Barack Obama's decision.
So it is absolutely clear that even as the McCain campaign was telling reporters one thing about their intention to stick by the public financing pledge, they were actually raising tens of millions of dollars from private sources for the general election campaign.
In short, the McCain campaign brazenly lied to the media.
The issue isn't that John McCain will withdraw from the public finance system -- he won't -- but rather that he's devised a way to spend tens if not hundreds of millions in privates funds even as he takes $85 million in taxpayer funds. (Talk about a bridge to nowhere.)
McCain, whose campaign is predicting a campaign budget of $400 million through the November 4, is skillfully exploiting loopholes in a campaign finance law that he wrote.Here's the nuts-and-bolts of the loophole: the money McCain is currently raising through the campaign committees which reported their quarterly results on July 15 is actually being funneled to the Republican National Committee, even though each campaign committee bears McCain's name.
There are two reasons why the money is transferred to the RNC. First, if it were not transferred to the RNC, the money could not be used in the general. Second, by raising the money for the RNC, McCain is able to take advantage of a much higher contribution limits, allowing each donor to contribute $70,000 to his campaign instead of the $2,300 limit that Barack Obama's general election campaign has.
(Although Barack Obama could exploit the same loopholes as McCain, he doesn't have access to the sheer number of wealthy donors that McCain does, so the loopholes are of far less value to him.)
Once transferred to the RNC, the money can be used on a number of McCain campaign activities such as get out the vote operations, advertising, or producing literature and signs -- without any spending limitations whatsoever.
The only restriction is that any advertising in excess of $19 million must be orchestrated by what's called an independent expenditure committee. Legally, there can be no coordination between the McCain campaign and this independent expenditure committee, but practically speaking there's no way to enforce that restriction. In fact, the McCain campaign offices and the expenditure vendor offices are just 3 miles apart -- on the same road.
The McCain campaign and the RNC are already running ads through this independent expenditure loophole.
Ultimately, what we've got here is a press corps that got completely bamboozled by a dishonest McCain campaign because the McCain campaign was able to deftly take advantage of the fact that most journalists don't know very much about the campaign finance system.
Given John McCain's personal familiarity with that system -- he helped create it, after all -- it's pretty clear that McCain himself knew that he was misleading the press corps.
Now, the question is how the media will respond to having been lied to.
I myself don't really see this as a detriment to our efforts, I just see it as a validation that we should not become self-satisfied in our efforts to FUNDRAISE for Team Obama. Money speaks volumes at the end of the day. So my efforts in this Blog have been to consistently and constantly encourage you to forward news of our efforts to friends in your INBOXES, and to make the effort to set up a Fundraising effort on each one of your personal profiles.
As an artist, I encourage other artists to make political art this year. Bring it to your local Democratic Headquarters, auction it off for whatever it will bring and just amp up the visibility. There's all kinds of ways to have FREE advertising. Link stories from your MySpace and Facebook accounts, and generally keep the information and VISIBILITY flowing.
And just SHOW up. At whatever local events you can. Create your own events. Above all: DO not be SHY. Democrats biggest flaws are always about thinking we are not strong enough, that we will are self-defeating, that we can sabotage our own efforts. Get over it. Go on the offensive. Be strong. That's what leadership is all about. Projecting an image, and thereby protecting causes dear to your heart. But wishful and artful thinking is not enough. Money is the name of the game these days, and while i encourage, I do not agree to self-satisfed non-action and self-congratualatory high fives. All this takes a sustained effort.
Thanks again,
Call me a neophyte, a newbie, a non-understander of the economy---who knows, maybe I should be on McCain's staff.
But I just don't really get it. I thought Barack and the TEAM---with that I'll include even the newbie neophytes such as you (can Ipresume) and ME---had a pile of money raised compared to McCain.
Where is all his dough coming from, and apparently fast. I just read this in another Blog, and wanted to report and see if anyone is smarter than us newbie, neophyte, non-understanders. Here it is:
Greg Sargent at Talking Points Memo noted that the June haul puts Obama on track to achieve his goal of raising $300 million during the entirety of the general election - a total needed to match the likely loot of McCain and the RNC. And yet, Obama and his allies at the DNC still lag behind their counterparts. The Democrats have $72 million on hand, compared to the roughly $100 million brought in by the GOP.
"We remain at a massive disadvantage to our opponents," Plouffe wrote in an email before asking for additional $25 donations. "As I mentioned in my video message earlier in the week, the McCain Campaign and the Republican National Committee finished June with nearly $100 million in the bank.
So the above is what i read, but i swear i've heard not much of this type of talk until recently. How can Team Obama be raising so much money that it constantly gets the attention of the media, and yet it will only come close to what McCain will have. Maybe part of it is that we are currently spending much, much more. Tell me, educate me. Bring out the light, so that i can see.
Please enlighten me, shine a light onto the side of the CAVE were i am looking for signals of flickering light. Help me out of my chained confusion.
Thanks,
Oh, and P.S., obviously donate while you are shining your light!
Tell me a positive story.
I need some positive news. Let us lift one another in the times we find ourselves. Let's take those stories we share with one another and forward them to others. We have this online community of support, but not all people do. So let's open up our inboxes and invite the people in our lives in.
Go forth and be POSITIVE!
Much exuberance,
Hello Friends and Neighbors,
Today i felt a bit blue. My wife came home from her lunch break and we discussed some things that made me feel fearful as I am unemployed at the moment. This campaign has given me so much hope over the past few months, that i decided to pour my negative emotions into a positive, and I composed my message to my friends to take part in what is going on.
From there I decided to CHALLENGE a wider audience. Since I know from watching even five minutes of news that FEAR is creeping around, I want to encourage each of you to turn the energy you may be feeling or worrying about into a positive.
I believe in the POWER of words and togetherness in our DIVERSITY is our strength. That and our tolerance in allowing more than one point of view. Therefore, I am seeking for my message I composed for my friends to find a wider audience. With that in mind, please send these thoughts to your friends, foward them to people in your normal email inboxes, and Blog a reprint of them in your Blog so others can do the same.
Thank you for your time.
Dear Friends,
I do indeed hope this message finds you in good shape. Don't get suckered by the fear-mongering that is going around. This is certainly a time of CHANGE an a time for CHANGE. I feel from the bottom of my heart and the top of my head that we must all stick together to make it through this window in time. Old habits must change. We must stay united and learn to shift together, for the better in the long run, but perhaps with a bit of pain.
The challenges and factors that lead up to this point are many. The U.S. could not hope to maintain what we all felt to be an advantage forever. We must BECOME a part of the fabric. We cannot lead as hypocrites, and unfortunately, this "war" which we cannot even truly declare---that says miles about how confused we are---well it must simply end. We were never meant to be the police of the world. We got suckered into it for a purpose, but the Second World War was so long ago. Then Korea, Then Vietnam, then Panama with some time for Nicaragua thrown in for good measure. A war on drugs at home, when we pump kids full of candy--which, admit it----is a drug for them. The war on our culture that has dragged on with the Conservative Moral Majority was a calculated effort to divide the American Public, and the Apathy that has prevailed for too long---All this can Change.
Look, at the end of the day, we were not born yesterday. Our creator endowed us with some gifts. We must simply use those gifts, along with Common Sense, which i contest we still have, and Adapt to the current state of affairs. Barack Obama as our President is a vital part of that. Not for just him at the helm, but for what it represents and for what he encourages. He encourages us to play a part again. To care, to hope, not for his aggrandizement, but for our own participation in challenges that will take us all to face. Remember, this did not happen overnight and will not be undone, but if we can overcome FEAR with HOPE and to embrace the Diversity that is our collective strength, we will together form a BRIDGE that can take us to the other side.
That is why i am humbly reminding you to donate now. Not money if you don't have it to spare. Your time, your heart, your voice to your friends. Feel free to forward this message from me to your friends. We must do this together, and i feel strongly that there are plenty of people out there who still care, they are simply waiting to be asked to help.
This note is me extending my hand. IT is my part, because frankly, I have the time, and in my gut I realize the importance of this time. Please pay attention. Don't freak out. And join in your way, even if it is talking to someone today about something IMPORTANT to YOU!
This is my reminder to you. May You allow our creator to work within your spirit and personalize it to the people you know. I have faith in you and us together!
Thanks for both your time and attention,
Well, I tried, and the wind blew. It was the flash of lightning that got us in the end. But for setting up a BLUE tent along the Panhandle, emblazoned with all the Obama stuff we could collect, I am proud.
We protected the American flags we had up from the rain, and we protected ourselves from the Republican mayor and former County Commissioner from Ohio, a former Vietnam veteran, who somehow just wanted to heckle us. He was not very pleasant, even though i talked to him about his children. I am polite--- i don't even want children with my wife. Until we are able to sway the public. Until the huge seachange occurs. We can't bear to have any more years of this 20 plus years of the brand of Conservativism that the Moral Majority has gifted us.
I just want to have a vibrant democracy. No one need agree with my point of view. My friends often don't. But allow it to exist and be heard. Allow for a society that tolerates diversity. In my eyes, it should be celebrated for it's ability to RENEW and to BRIDGE. The lacunae between individuals.
But hey, despite the storm. Despite the lightning. We have weathered the storm. Now is a time to be strong. Not to be big-headed, but to be UNITED. To enlist the help of those who may have become weary over the years. To invite back those who just totally gave up on the process. The one thing I can respect about my heckler at this weekend's event is that at the very least, he is passionate about the process. I will still take that over apathy. Any day.
Much love and peace to all those we come into contact with. Don't forget that our tolerance is indeed our strength.
While I am certainly no expert, and have never participated in politics on this level until this year, I will share with you some of my inner thoughts on beginning down a road toward helping a movement that is so much bigger than each of the parts.
Yeah, it makes me nervous.
Making a phone call. Showing up somewhere where I don't know anyone or how this whole thing works. But the truth is, most everyone is in the same boat. For one thing, big elections like this don't happen that often, so you can dip your toes into unfamiliar water with others that may be doing the same thing. Also, you feel good about yourself. Almost wonder, "why have i never done this before?"
So my challenge to you today is this. Create an event. Let it be from your own imagination. Failure with like minded people in the very least brings us together to talk. To converse. To exchange ideas that are the very lifeblood of CHANGE in the flesh. It solves America's biggest problem---- Loneliness. I stole that from Kurt Vonnegut who said, "the biggest problem in American is loneliness. The solution is to join as many groups as possible". Funny thing was when i met him in person i really wasn't going to keep him on that pedestal anymore. He just wasn't as positive as i'd prefer for the people I hang around. Not that it's too rosy in here. . .
But the point for today is this. Having something challenge your own boundaries is good. Conversation with people who are already on your side is better, and a community that meets and has a vibrant marketplace of ideas and actions is healthier. And less lonely . . .
Keep on keeping,
This is just to say "thank you".
I set up a fundraising page, and I put a ACYRLIC PAINTING as my money mantra on the page. Truely, as a goal i set $300 and didn't really expect any contributions. Within a day, two people donated and now i'm $50 closer to that goal.
Basically, I wanted to share my excitement with anyone who may read this, and encourage them to set up a personal fundraising page, to help win this year. The genius behind it, is you can personalize the message to YOUR friends, and enlist them in a very grassroots kind of way. I had no idea there were people out there who are just waiting to be asked personally, and they will respond both generously and quickly.
Now is the time. Let not my doubts hinder me. Much love and respect to all.
