Please check out our new song and website at
http://nocache.homestead.com/hstrial-TALEXANDER630/mission.html
Alabama Barack Team Bessemer is proud to have designed our new website. Please visit our site at http://alabamateambessemer.com/index.html. A special thank you to Tyrone Alexander for taking the time to set it up.
Renewing America’s Promisehttp://www.thewashingtonnote.com/2008%20Democratic%20Platform%208-10.pdf
Please Mark your calendars when planning local events so that we will not be conflicting with Debate dates.
All debates will be 90 minutes in length and start at 9:00 PM Eastern time.
Each debate will be administered by a single moderator, who will be chosen in the summer of 2008.
FIRST DEBATE Presidential debateDebate focus: Domestic policies
Friday, September 26, 2008University of MississippiOxford, Mississippi
SECOND DEBATE Vice presidential debateDebate focus: Domestic and foreign policies
Thursday, October 2, 2008 Washington University St. Louis, Missouri
THIRD DEBATE Presidential debateDebate focus: Issues raised by audience members in a Town Hall format
Tuesday, October 7, 2008Belmont UniversityNashville, Tennessee
FOURTH DEBATE Presidential debateDebate focus: Foreign policies
Wednesday, October 15, 2008Hofstra UniversityHempstead, New York
The two backup sites are Centre College in Danville, Kentucky and Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
DEBATES FORMAT
In all but the Town Hall format debate on October 7, 2007, the candidates will be seated at a table with the moderator. The Commission specifies:
"Each of those debates will be divided into 8 ten-minute issue segments; the moderator will introduce each segment with an issue on which each candidate will comment, after which the moderator will facilitate further discussion of the issue, including direct exchange between the candidates, for the balance of that segment. Time will be reserved for closing statements by each of the candidates in each debate."
The Alabama Barack Team Bessemer Group met on July 24, 2008 for 2 hours. We provided the participants with a copy of Blueprint for Change and a copy of Senator Obama's Issue Flyers on the selected issues to use as a resource. We also had copies of the 1992 and 2004 Democratic Platforms available. Very few participants referred back to the 92 and 04 Platforms, but every one of them utilized the Blueprint For Change brochure and Senator Obama's Issue Flyers. They were furnished paper and pencils for note taking. Our team leader provided us with a worksheet to present our final recommendations on.
We had a very diverse group of 46 people to attend this event. The ages ranged from 11 years old to age 82. Our participants, consisting of former Clinton supporters, black, white, Christians, Jews and Muslims, professionals, sanitation workers, and citizens who on any other day and time would be on opposite sides of a political issue or candidate, were discussing issues such as the war, treatment of our veterans, healthcare and medicine costs, treatment of individuals with disabilities, helping prisoners become productive members of society, as well as many other issues.
Everyone was genuinely excited to be a part of this history making event and pariticipated in each stage with enthusiasm. We were fortunate to have a moderator from Senator Obama's headquarters attend and participate in our event.
A correction will be added later today for the Education Platform Proposal regarding Individual Education Plans for our disabled students. One of the members noted an omission on this topic in our report. For the final report, please go to the following link:
http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/debbiedudley/gGxytY
The Alabama Barack Team Bessemer are looking for volunteers for several organizing committees. If you are interested in participating, please join our group at http://my.barackobama.com/page/group/AlabamaBarackTeamBessemer
We currently have the following committees:
Delegate for Obama, Louise Alexander
Chairs Gwen Alexander and Maxine Bowe-Jones
Public Affairs Chair : Autherine Law
Asst Chair: Tyrone Alexander
Treasurer and Asst. Treasurer: Charles Grier and Leslie Little
Secretary and Asst. Sec.....
Spiritual Advisors.....
Voter Registration Chairs: Debbie R. Dudley and Ethel Borden
Sales Chair: Leslie Little
Fundraiser Chairs: Albert Grant and Earnestine Williams
Activities Chairs: Charles Diggins and Rene Taylor
GOTV Chair: Frederica King
Youth Chair: Tamara Williams
Phone Calling Committee Chair....
email us and let us know if you wish to join any of the committees.
Our Headquarters, located at 2301 9th Ave, Ste 105, Bessemer, AL 35020
will be opened
Monday through Friday, 11:00 am - 3:00 pm
Saturday, 9:00am - 4:00pm
Volunteers are needed to sign up to man the office from now until Election Day, November 4.
Our Group will be meeting every Thursday, from 6-8 at the headquarters. Join us and bring your friends and ideas.
Our email address is abtbessemer@yahoo.com
Check out our products at: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=679&l=fc92b&id=1346010940
How McCain Is Skirting His Own Spending Caps
Here's a link http://www.blog.newsweek.com/blogs/stumper/archive/2008/07/07/for-mccain-money-talks.aspx
or read the following:
Republicans, it seems, are finally showing McCain the money.
Last week, we wrote that despite the vast disparity between John McCain's and Barack Obama's overall fundraising total this cycle--$120 million to $287 million at last count--the Republican stands a surprisingly good chance of keeping up with his rival in the general election. One reason was the RNC. When you combine McCain's individual war chest with his party's bankroll, it turns out the Republican nominee has about $90 million currently burning a hole in his pocket, while Obama and the DNC weigh in at a relatively paltry $47 million, or half as much. And even though McCain has agreed to an $84.1 spending limit by accepting public funds--a decision he likes to portray as a principled stand against the corrupting influence of money on politics--at least double that sum will be dropped on his behalf before Election Day thanks to loopholes in the law that allow outside groups to effectively skirt such limits with largely unregulated "soft money" contributions.
We submitted pictures to the Obama Headquarters for our June 28 Unite for Change Rally and our July 3 Voter Registration Drive. Our picture was displayed in the July 6 Open thread blog. It was the 10th picture on the photo slides.
Click here to see:
http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/amandascott/gGxlhh
Way to go Team!While we are organizing to help Obama get elected, looks like McCain's starting all over again. Check out the link below.
http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/07/02/mccain.shakeup/index.html?iref=mpstoryview
Update:
Looks like McCain's not the only one worried on the GOP's side. Check it out. For Republicans, the Senate Outlook looks bad:
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-senate6-2008jul06,0,7335615.story
and GOP doesn't want Bush at the convention:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/07/04/gop-rep-bush-should-stay_n_110949.html
Some of you have sent us pictures from our Rally held on Saturday, June 28. If anyone else would like to share theirs, please email us at ddudleyr@hotmail.com.
To view the pictures, please click on the link below.
<http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=679&l=fc92b&id=1346010940>
Thank you.
The answer to this question for many of us indepenent voters is what made us support Senator Barack Obama for president. Although when Ronald Reagan uttered these words in 1980, he was referrring to the economy, today, we can look at national security, the war in IRAQ, gas prices, mortgage foreclosures, imploding health care costs, wiretapping laws,... and ask the same question.
Our Choice is Simple. If you are better off vote McCain. If worse, Vote Obama. Obama, at the minimum, invites dialogue on each of these issues. Nothing will be done in the Capitol if issues affecting most Americans are not brought to the negotiating table. Ralph Nader implied that Obama is not addressing African American issues. Believe me, every issue mentioned above is an African American issue and affects every one of us on a day-to-day basis.
Please join the Alabama Barack Team Bessemer in its Unite for Change Rally, Saturday, June 28
