On election day, my wife Brigtte Davila and I were volunteering as a Voter Protection Team in a remote polling station near Reno, Nevada. It was a frigid snowy day but hopes were very high.
After a 12 hour day/evening at the polling station....we trudged with friends/volunteers back to the hotel to shower, rest and watch the elections results. By then....the die was cast. Barack was projected the winner and we watched Barack on tv giving his victory speech in Grant Park. We both watched the screen intently, held hands, hugged and cried more than a few tears.
After 2 years of volunteering and hoping....the impossible dream became the possible...which will become reality on Nov. 4th.
It is still hard to believe. I've supported many causes in my 58 years of life......many were lost causes but had to be fought. Now I was part of a winning cause and I didn't know how to react other than shed a tear.....maybe for all those lost causes.
Barack will be inaugurated in a few more weeks and he is putting together his team as I write this blog. I will watch his inauguration from afar. I won't be in DC but I will be there in spirit as he becomes our President on that day. I'm looking forward to it.
He will continue to need our support and I hope all of us will continue to support him as we settle back into out lives.
Since we all made the impossible possible....I guess we can never go back to the way it was before.
That may be our greatest gift to ourselves, our families and our country.
Something to be thankful for.....as we prepare for the Thanksgiving holiday.
May you be with loved ones this coming Thanksgiving and the upcoming holidays.
Take care and so long,
Jose & Brigitte
After a journey that began for me in March 2007, I can see the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel.
Obama is leading MCain with 2 weeks to go.
But lots of campaigning left to do in these remaining weeks and not much time to reflect.
It has been a wild and wonderful journey for me and thousands of volunteers
Many of my fellow Obama supporters and I will be in Reno Nevada campaigning to the last hour on Nov. 4th doing our best to win this swing state.
I think we will win it.
When the polls close at 8:00 p.m. on Nov. 4th....I will make a toast to Senator Obama and my fellow volunteers for a job well done.
Salud!
Dear Obama Supporters:
As we all organize for Senator Obama in our respective communities, there may be questions about how we better access and reach out to various communities.
One community that is 40 million strong is the Latino community that I've lived in all my life Since I'm 57 years old and "politically" active in my community for about 40 years...I've got a few thoughts I'd like to share.
First...there are no dumb questions.
Second, there are online resources available to learn more about the Latino voter and the latino community. I urge you to use them as a first step BEFORE doing outreach to that community. Learning about what 'matters' to Latinos is useful as you develop campaign materials and decide what materials should be made available in Spanish. It also gves you a better feel for the kind of questions you may get as you go door to door in a latino neighborhood or encounter Latino voters. Of course , Latinos don't all think alike....but some background on Latino's general political views will be useful to you.
As for those online resources:
There is a interesting video online that features Sergio Bendixen, a respected pollster on the Latino voter. Go to Google's search engine. Write in....Sergio Bendixen and NDN. Hit search button. Then click onto Immigration/Latino Vote Forum With Sergio Bendixen.
There are also excellent factsheets on the Latino Voter and their views on the Iraq War, Education, Economy, Immigration etc. Go to:Link
Thanks,
JOSE TORRES/Latinos 4 Obama
In recent days, the campaign took a monumental step when the official Obama website posted Senator Obama's views on IMMIGRATION AND THE BORDER.
That simple but profound step made clear to all Americans that Senator Barack Obama believes in fundamental fairness and justice for all people, including the millions of undocumented immigrants who live in the shadows and toil for meager wages to feed their families back home.
A fair and just immigation system is what we all want and most Americans will find that Senator Obama's comprehensive plan makes sense and reflects a balanced approach to this vexing national problem.
As one of 40 million Latinos in this country, I applaud Senator Obama for his conviction to fairness for all and his political courage to give our 'newest' Americans a chance to be part of the American Dream.
All I can say is......God Bless you Senator Obama.
Jose Torres
In today's NY Times Op-Ed page, there is an excellent discussion on Election Day Registration (EDR) and why it is important to ensure that every citizen should be able to register (and vote) on election day. Both of the writers of the article are secretaries of states who believe there is sound evidence that it can work effectively and safely.
The article briefly mentions young voters who often forget to register in time and are prevented from voting on election day. I would also mention that many minority voters are often in the same category. And as we know, these are two large voting consituencies that represent a significant portion of Senator Obama's potential supporters.
For that reason alone (as well as others), we should consider lobbying our state legislators to pass the necessary laws to require local authorities to permit EDR.
Our advantage? We have the grassroots organizations in every state to do it.
The more young and minority voters we can get to the poll in our states....the greater the likelihood Senator Obama will be our next President.
What are we waiting for?
Jose Torres, Latinos 4 Obama
In my last post, I mention the need for the Obama campaign to address Immigration Reform and stated why it was particularly important to the Latino Community. I also mentioned the need to do outreach to the Latino community including a townhall meeting in the Latino community. I even mentioned East Los Angeles as a logical location. I have also addressed the need to communicate with the Latino community in Spanish and thru Spanish language media. I have strongly suggested using voter registration in the Latino community as a way to introduce Senator Obama views to the Latino community.
All with the purpose of showing that Senator's Obama message of inclusion and prosperity applies to America's Latino communities.
So far...I've seen little or no progress on these matters by Obama's national campaign. It seems that all these suggestions are being ignored.
Now....Hillary Clinton has appointed three major Latino leaders to her national campaign.
The former head of the National Council of La Raza(NCLR) , Raul Izaguirre, has become one of her national co-chairs and is traveling the country and speaking to Hispanic voters. The NCLR is one of the largest Hispanic organizations in the country.
Today, Hillary appointed Fabian Nunez, the speaker of the California State Assembly, to become another national co-chair. Next to California's governor, Mr. Nunez is one of the most recognized politicians in the state and one of the most prominent latino leaders . He is also a very close friend of Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villargroisa, the latino mayor.
Lastly, Dolores Huerta, one of the founders of the United Farmworkers Union and a legend in the Latino community, nationally and California-wide, has decided to endorse Hillary Clinton and is heavily engaged in Latino voter registration.
These are all Latino leaders that are deeply admired in the Latino community in California. I'm one of those admirers as well. But I differ with these three Hillary supporters because I believe strongly in Senator Obama's abilities to become the kind of President that comes only once in a generation. A great one.
BUT....where in the heck is the national campaign office and its strategy with the Latino community? How do you ignore 40 million latinos and expect to taken seriously in that community?
If the pundits all say that the Latino vote is the critical 'swing vote' in the last several presidential elections....how can we afford to be so flat-footed when it comes to the latino community and latino voter?
Are we serious about winning this nomination and general election?
Am I backing the wrong horse in this race?
Frustrated and Pissed.
Jose Torres/Latinos 4 Obama
For many Americans, including the 40 million Latinos in the U.S., there was a huge amount of disappointment and anger about how the Republican Congress and the President Bush dealt with immigration the past year. Criminalizing immigrants and buildling a wall at the border is what many people heard from the Republicans and a few Democrats.
Despite that shrill chorus, key Democrats proposed a comprehensive immigration reform package that attempts to address both the enforcement concerns as well as a create a process to bring 12 milliion immigrants out of the shadows and provide a safe way for them to work in the U.S. and seek eventual permanent residency status and citizenship.
That solution is now possible with the bipartisan support developing for the reform measure.
But it will need strong and uneqivocal support from the current and NEXT President of the United States. And I'm now talking about my candidate Senator Barack Obama.
Unfortunately...there has been little attention paid to this issue by Barack Obama's campaign. (If I'm wrong...then the campaign needs a better way to communicate to the Latino community because I'm not hearing ANYTHING on this issue.)
A townhall meeting in East Los Angeles might be the appropriate mechanism so that the latino community can hear directly from Senator Obama on this issue....as well as on the war, the economy and education. Latinos are not a one issue consituency but the immigration hysteria has angered the Latino community and needs to be addressed, particularly on what candidate Obama can do now and will do as President.
Senator Obama has a golden opportunity to reach out to 40 million Latinos (via Spanish language media) and capture their spirits as well as their votes. I've heard Senator Obama many times and I know he is more than capable of reaching this community. He has already inspired one very old and cynical latino community activist which wasn't easy to do. So I KNOW he has the 'ganas' and "cojones" to do it.
As supporters of Senator Obama....we need to make it loud and clear that we need him to address this matter as soon as possible. And if Barack doesn't do it soon, Hillary will.
Considering that Latinos have proven to be the 'swing vote' in election after election, it would be incredibly foolish to wait for Hillary to make her move to this community. There are many Latino activists and ordinary voters just waiting to swarm to Barack to volunteer to GOTV in the Latino community if he reaches out to them.
Barack Obama's candidacy reminds many of Bobby Kennedy's presidential run. In California, Bobby reached out to latinos, including farmworkers and the Latino community has NEVER forgotten him. That was back in 1964. I was 12 years old. I never thought it would ever happen again in my lifetime. But I'm now confident that it can happen again.
The Latino community is waiting to embrace Barack as one if its own. It's time for Barack to make his move now. And I will be there to help.
Jose Torres Latinos 4 Obama/San Francisco
For more on the immigration issue, there is an excellent article called Immigration Nation by Tamara Jacoby in the current Foreign Affairs magazine. Also check out the Hispanic Strategy Center's (part of New Democratic Network) online videos on their immigration forum.
Having seen Senators Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton on television, video and in-person,I'm absolutely convinced that Obama would win in virtually any kind of any debate with Ms. Clinton.
I think that Obama has both the substance and superior speaking skills to win over undecided Democrats, independents, disaffected Republicans and a few Clinton loyalists.
Plus he has loads of charisma on top of it. In a way.....Obama is in the same league as Bill Clinton. Fortunately for Obama supporters, Hillary Clinton comes across as plodding, dull and uninspiring. Heck...I think Obama should challenge Hillary to a series of debates. It would be a great opportunity to show off Barack's strength and Hillary's weaknesses to all voters.
In fact, she has recently resorted to trotting out Bill Clinton at every opportunity and saying what a "great" husband/partner he is......and mentions he will be her ambassador to the world.
In other words......if you don't like my style .....Bill Clinton will be there to run things in my administration. Is that suppose to be a winning strategy or a act of desperation?
Or Both.
SF Chron politicial reporters Matier & Ross reported that Obama's Oakland rally was a major success and consisted of 12,000 'real' people....making an obvious reference to the staged events staffed by his opponents.
One of my favorite quotes is from FDR that is appropriate now: We have nothing to Fear but Fear itself. Obama can win the nomination and the presidency if we believe it and we are willing to do our very best to help him achieve it. Nothing less than our best efforts can make it happen. America is the land of possibilities and we can make it possible by working together.
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