There is a legend that the Emperor of Japan spoke words similar to those of the title of this blog when he was told that the attack on Pearl Harbor did not result in the destruction of the US fleet. That, in fact, none of the aircraft carriers were destroyed.
I think that a similar event could take place in Virginia and perhaps even specifically in Southwest Virginia with this election. It's obvious that the Obama campaign is taking us VERY seriously. Far more seriously than I've ever seen a national campaign in any Southern state I've lived in (and I've lived in NC, VA, TN and TX through several Presidential elections).
Everyone in SW Virginia needs to know that we have a paid campaign staffer mobilizing and organizing the campaign in every county. For Lee and Wise County, we look to Adam Malle. He's a remarkable guy, gregarious, smart and funny... and plenty savvy. He's working hard to get everyone on board and active in whatever capacity they are most inclined and able.
I encourage everyone to look him up on MBO or email him at awm16@hotmail.com.
He's already organized DNC Convention House Parties all over the two counties, so be sure to check with him and come to the one most convenient for you. We are also - nearly - ready to open the campaign headquarters in Big Stone Gap (just need to get the phone lines installed).
At UVA Wise, Adam organized a voter registration drive and there are plenty of other activities planned from manning the HQ to having tables/booths at other events as well as door to door canvassing, phone banking and a letter to the editor campaign starting asap and leading up to the election.
Get excited, make room on your calendar and contact Adam to get in on the action!
Wow, it's been over a month since I've been active on the site. But that doesn't mean I've not been active for the campaign.
We've been phonebanking locally, and had a voter registration booth at the local University Convocation this week. We're also - almost - ready to open the local campaign office (having trouble getting the phone company to hook up the phone lines correctly).
Still some stuff I've learned.
1) First thing to do is to seek out Obama supporters and get them involved as volunteers.
2) When you find them, find out what they are willing to do. Door to Door canvassing is what the campaign is emphasizing but if you have someone who adamantly won't do it - don't overlook giving them options like organizing a letter writing campaign to the local papers, phonebanking, manning the campaign headquarters, or helping at events (like a table at local festivals, fairs and voter registration).
3) If you live in a very "red" area, like I do... be sure to keep your voter registration efforts targeted to locations that likely Obama supporters would frequent, like Colleges/Universities (for us the local community college isn't a very good destination for all that it should be since most of the students there are benefitting from programs instituted by Democrats.. oh well).
4) In the process of identifying interested volunteers, be sure to create a network via email or phone tree so that they can all be notified of upcoming events, news, etc. as it's breaking.
5) Don't depend on the campaign to provide merchandise. A strong supporter will often purchase an order of buttons, yard signs, bumper stickers, etc. that you can either sell, give away or give in exchange for a donation to help with exposure and still keep generating new merchandise to offer.
6) Check with your local library about their inventory of Obama's books. Our local library had a long waiting list so we purchased several copies from half.com and donated them. Getting your friends and family to pass around their copies to other folks is highly effective too.
7) Wear Obama gear everywhere you can... it is a great facilitator (more so than a bumper sticker or yard sign) to get people to talk to you.
8) Be innovative... we have a local business who has given us permission to pain an Obama sign on the blank wall of their location! Everyone driving by will see it... and it will demonstrate a much greater level of enthusiasm than simply yard signs because of the time and effort involved.
9) Host events like yard sales, spaghetti suppers or a booth at a flea or farmer's market with all proceeds or profits going to the campaign effort.
10) Have phone bankers ask if the people they are calling are registered voters and if the person isn't, they can offer to stop by with a voter registration application. Obviously this works with local callers and is a great way to develop a relationship with the local voters as well as helping build the confidence of a phone banker to do door to door canvasing.
11) For those who can't or won't do phone banking or door to door canvasing - they can write letters to the editor as well as postcards to their neighbors. For $.28 the post office will sell postcards including the postage. Handrwriting a personal, specific to your area, message of support and encouragement can be another consideration for those who are still undecided. And it's another point of the personal aspect of his campaign that people will talk about.
Mostly we want to try to reach enough people so that at work one person might comment that they had someone visit their home over the weekend and others comment that they too heard from the local campaign by phone, mail, in person, etc. It helps people realize how important they are and how important this election is that such effort is being made to reach out to them particularly in areas that have not been considered 'battlegrounds' before.
Great article from NYT (posted here on MSNBC) analyzing the stance of both candidates on TAXES.
Certainly content that will help with those voters MOST concerned about the economy!
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25133125/#storyContinued
In the months and years that follow, with all that President Obama will go through, I doubt he will remember much at all about the Town Hall meeting at Bristol Tennessee. As many times as he's given that stump speech standing next to locally praised congressmen and senators, I wonder that he will remember it was the event he did with Congressman Boucher and Senatorial-hopeful (former governor) Mark Warner. Perhaps he will, it came on the heels among the very first of events after his capturing the nomination. For me, that's ok. It doesn't matter.
I'm not someone who scrapbooks or even has photo albums. A little over a year ago I had a housefire that destroyed what memorabilia I had of friends, family and my beloved dogs. Every trophy, ribbon and win photo from a pretty successful 15 years in dog shows was destroyed in a matter of hours. I don't grieve for that stuff - then again, had I not lost loved ones in the fire maybe I would.
In any case, I share all this because I have an Obama button collection. I took an old frame and covered it and began.. thus far, it is buttons I've come across in far and sundry places online - campaign stores, eBay.. so no memory associated except for the satisfaction of seeing it grow.
This past Thursday I was a Volunteer at the Town Hall Meeting in Bristol. The staff organizer - with my volunteering - placed me in the group that seated VIP guests. Why? Well I would guess but my bet is cause I have the look of a Hillary supporter. Middle aged, white and without my girlish figure.
It was a great day. I was gratified to see everyone that came to see him. I was thrilled at how supportive everyone was. I wish the day had not been so hot or tickets so desired however because I am pretty sure that he only spoke to the 'choir' live. The people in there were a determined bunch. Many waited FAR too long in the heat to get in because they got there early to help insure their seats.
At the beginning of that day, I was given a small card stock weight square maybe 5x5 inches. I pinned it on, it identified me as a Volunteer and above it showed the characteristic "CHANGE WE CAN BELIEVE IN". I know many people would see that and think - ah, the Obama motto. He's change we can believe in. Well no, I put that on and realized that it identified ME as that change. We are the change we have been waiting for. That is WHY we can believe in it. How can we doubt ourselves? If we did would we have any reason to expect better of anyone else.
I'm glad that McCain wants to be a Leader We Can Believe In. Anyone who runs for President should uphold some ideals of a country. But I think it's clear - even in that motto - that McCain missed the point. The pundits want to believe it's about 'change', 'hope' and similar buzzwords. That we are inspired by sound bites.
I am sure that is the case for some people who watch this race on the periphery, only catching the occasional editorialized new commentary. But for those who hang on the words of Obama himself or McCain or even previously, Clinton - we know the difference is NOT rhetoric. It's empowerment.
I think Clinton may have figured out what Obama was offering but too late to effectively jump on that bandwagon. Early on however, she would use the collective "What we have to do" at the beginning of a sentence and then finish with how hard "I will work for you" or how "I will get it done". McCain - the tough Military guy - still wants to run this country like a General. Well I didn't enlist. I'm not much for blindly following orders. I appreciate the value it gives our military when people can, and I won't even debate that it is the best way to do it (not cause I think it is but because I probably don't know enough about it to really do the topic justice) - but our country is NOT an army. In fact, aggression has become too much our first and only tool in addressing our concerns internationally - at least as a FIRST response.
In any event, my 'badge' from the Town Hall meeting is now in my button collection. It's the poorest example of them being just a flimsy piece of something little more than paper. I know that there are likely 100,000 of them printed so it may also be the most common. But it is my proudest, it is associated with a first for me.. the first time I saw a President of the United States in the flesh. The fact that he came to my backyard is equally incredible to me.
Like I said, I'm not a scrapbooker or someone much for pictures...but I'd certainly encourage all of us to keep a bit of memorabilia regarding the campaign... yea, yea it might be worth something someday. Or, someday, you might get to sit down with Barack Obama and use it to remind him of the details of a campaign stop he made that has slipped him memory among all the other stops that preceded and succeeded it.
Terry McAuliffe has gone on record saying that AP report is flat dead wrong.
Please people... it's time to let this go. Obama has won and we need to focus on the General Election. Our distraction with the Clinton campaign does two things..
1) distracts us from what we can be doing NOW (namely preparing for our campaign activities to help with the election in November) - Obama hasn't WON anything yet!
2) Enrages the Clinton supporters... and everytime we do that they dig in their heels deeper (don't think so? go to the HillaryClinton.com site and check out the comments on the blogs).
Clinton supporters are at least as passionate as we are. They've given their time, their spirit, money and energy. They've lost their voices at rallies. They've supported an exceptional candidate for President and NOW they are certain that the one winning the nomination has been treated as a 'favorite' and that not only is he not worthy but that he won't win the General Election.
Are they right?
Every moment we spend in distraction and taking pot shots at Hillary makes it far more likely that they are.
Do not mistake... we know the 'weaknesses' of our candidate. We also know his strengths and both sides of this campaign (the Obama supporters and the Clinton supporters) have a tendency to see and post only their one view.
Yes, Obama has proven capabilities and intelligence. He does not have foreign policy or military experience. He has an African heritage. He's had problems with his church. His patriotism has been questioned. The merit of these issues varies. Clinton, no one on the planet knows politics as usual better than Clinton and she's more than capable of fighting the Republicans on their terms. A dirty campaign will put Obama at a disadvantage since he's promised a new brand of politics. Hillary of course, has a remarkable history - good and bad- that hasn't come out during the campaign for the Democratic nomination because Obama won't exploit it - but the Republicans would. We'd hear all about the fraud suit against her, her lying to the public during her husband's Monica and Paula issues, her 'misstatements' overstating her foreign experience regarding Ireland and Bosnia, etc.
This should be an easy slide into the White House for the Democrats this year. It simply won't be because of this battle.
The more we feel the need to 'gloat' or glory in the success of Obama the more we insure he will not be President. Consider carefully if it is a price you wish to pay.
I know I don't.
Do not allow yourself to underestimate the reasons people have for supporting her. Don't underestimate the reasons people have for questioning Obama's credibility or suitability as a candidate. Please.
Right now it seems many people are taking a big break. We've earned it, of course. At the same time, while we strive to get our head's around focusing on McCain rather than Clinton we also need to keep up the pressure.
Obama is focusing on the fall election with appearances in important states but we still want to give him that push into the nomination that will only come through significant wins in the remaining primary states.
Please, continue with the calls and offsite blogging. Write to SuperDelegates and newspapers and other locations that can have an impact. Continue to donate and get involved with your local group to find out about their plans for organizing for the Fall Election campaign.
It may be time for a break, let's not make it into a stall.
I have to admit... I feel sorry for the Clinton Supporters. Having Hillary totally slammed like this..
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/05/11/saturday-night-lives-mess_n_101177.html
Granted as an Obama supporter I was laughing and thinking "Good grief, I cannot believe they did that..." but there is ALOT of truth to it!
