I just signed up on Change.gov to let the Obama-Biden Transition Team know I'm interested in service and volunteer opportunities.
I thought you might be interested, too: http://change.gov/service
Happy Holidays in advance!
Matt
In the short run, I want Barack to get on YouTube and make a request of his supporters:
"Find someone you know that chose to vote for another candidate and meet with them to understand their hopes and fears; try to see this country, our world and this election from their perspective. I'm not asking you to agree with each other, just to try to understand. We can't afford to surround ourselves with people who agree with us - not now, when the stakes are so high and the opportunities so great. So please join me in reaching out to everyone in America - do your bit as I try to do mine. We'll all be the better for it."
After he makes this kind of statement, direct people to a page on Change.gov where people can share their stories about this assignment. Offer up a video-blog space as well.
I've seen too many people make unsupported negative assumptions about people who voted for John McCain. I proudly voted for Barack, and feel like we have an opportunity to refresh our national culture with a spirit of openness, curiosity and collaboration. Now's the time - especially before the policy decisions fly on the 20th.
A republican-party official referred me to this website today:
http://www.conservativesforchange.com/
Forward it liberally along - he said he could hear himself amongst these voices.
I couldn't quite believe it - I had half suspected the infrastructure would fail me, and I'd have to march down to my board of elections to demand my ballot.
Yet here it came, today, into our mailbox.
I literally let out a whoop.
I have NEVER been so excited to vote for anyone in my life. I spread out the ballot on our dining room table for everyone to see, and quickly put an "X" in the one box I've been dead sure of for many, many months now. Barack Obama and Joe Biden.
What a thrill. I dream of how I can contribute to our country and my community after this is over, and I will continue to take daily action today to ensure we elect Barack Obama our president.
Have any of you decided to vote early? If so, what was it like to get your ballot early? Where were you?
Matt Beane
ps: I just caught this video from the campaign; I highly recommend it: http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/4days
Hi Everyone - I hope this finds you all very well.
I'm writing to ask you to step up your involvement in the campaign - just for these last four weeks.
My wife and I have made a commitment to each other that we're going to double our efforts for the next four weeks.
For us this means double the donations, double the calling, signing up to drive people to the polls and voting by mail. We've never volunteered for ANY political campaign before; perhaps you have. Regardless, I think our country needs a landslide.
I think we can deliver one for Barack, but only if we each set aside some time - say 15-30 minutes - each day to do SOMETHING MORE to help get Barack elected.
You may already be doing more than I am. No matter what you've done, thank you; I'd like you to ask yourself what else you can do. What one more thing could you fit in your schedule?
If you want ideas about how to do this, please write me; I've gotten pretty familiar with the options, and I bet we can figure something out.
We are on the verge of taking back our country, and the future of the world; can you stand it? Let's make this happen.
Best regards, Matt Beane
In six or seven minutes, Barack reminded me yet again of his capacities as a leader. John McCain is right - we DO need a cool hand at the tiller; that hand is Barack Obama's.
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video_log/2008/10/obama_interview_with_gibson.html
Hi Everyone - I hope this finds you well.
I think we can build more trust more quickly, get more people registered and swing more undecided voters our way with a few minor modifications to our phonebanking script. I'm specifically referring to the one where we're asking people in battleground states which way they're leaning in the election.
I'm suggesting these things based on my experience selling intangible, complex services over the phone to strangers and based on feedback from volunteers at a phonebanking party my wife and I just hosted.
1 - I mention right up front that I'm not calling to solicit donations. I say something like "Hello, is _______ there? Hi, my name is _______, and I'm a volunteer with the Obama Biden Campaign. How are you? Great! I'm not calling to ask for donations - I'm calling to see if you've made a decision about who you'll vote for on Tuesday. Nov. 4th Do you know which presidential candidate do you plan to support?" People seem to assume that I'm calling to ask for money, which injects an unnecessary amount of anxiety into the conversation. This cuts that off right away.
2 - If someone says they are undecided, I say "Wow. That must be tough. How are you going to make your decision?" This is a very powerful question - it gets them to think about their decision-making criteria, and can often help them get clearer about the information they'd need, when they'd need it, how they want to receive it, and so on. They are generally grateful for that opportunity, and I'm betting that gratitude will translate into votes for Obama.
3 - I follow number 2 up with something like "Would it be useful to you to hear why I'm supporting Obama and Biden? I'd like to share, if you're interested." The key here is I'm asking for their consent to hear my views.
I recognize that this last point might be somewhat controversial, even with the campaign - after all, I could take the opportunity to share my views about Barack's candidacy without their explicit consent. This might sway some voters to our cause.
I doubt it, though. My experience tells me that if I rattle off my views, even politely, I may sway someone our way temporarily, but that this kind of "convincing" generally wears off in the face of other "convincing" from the other side, and leaves a bad taste in the recipient's mouth about our side. In my experience, people are much more likely to change their views for the long haul if they are given a choice about whether to hear differing views at the start.
What do you all think?
Hi Everyone - It's an honor to have been invited to this group of activists.
I think we can build more trust more quickly, get more people registered and swing more undecided voters our way with a few minor modifications to our script. I'm suggesting these things based on my experience selling intangible, complex services over the phone to strangers and based on feedback from volunteers at a phonebanking party my wife and I just hosted.
1 - I mention right up front that I'm not calling to solicit donations. I say something like "Hello, is _______ there? Hi, my name is _______, and I'm a volunteer with the Obama Biden Campaign. How are you? Great! I'm not calling to ask for donations - I'm calling to see if you've made a decision about who you'll vote for on Tuesday. Nov. 4th Do you know which presidential candidate do you plan to support?"
I saw this today.
It reminded me of a Law and Order or Perry Mason moment - this would have been the moment that the judge levied a perjury charge. It would at least win the case for the other side.
I'm so grateful that people with such writing skills and comedic heart are paying this much attention to our political process:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/04/jon-stewart-hits-karl-rov_n_123852.html
Only 4 minutes of your time to watch. It got me very energized today - and I had a great laugh!
Now's our time! Join us for an evening in Ballston Spa to support the Obama campaign (Phone Bank)
Come join us at a wonderful Ballston Spa tea house for an evening to support the Obama campaign. We will primarily be phonebanking for the campaign, so please bring a cell phone. We'll take care of the rest. If you want to support the campaign but don't like the idea of getting on the phone, please join us anyway to get involved and energized about our country's future.
Now is our time - our time to do what we can to ensure Barack Obama is the next president of the United States, and, more importantly, it's our time to create the future we all want for this country.
Together, yes we can!
Click here to RSVP: http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/gs7rxc
I've been waiting for two weeks now. I'm not stunned yet, but I'm getting close.
Ever been to www.sciencedebate2008.com? I'll share the story in a moment, but here's the punchline: Barack Obama responded some time ago to 14 well-reasoned questions that are central to humanity's future - questions about our government's role in fostering scientific discovery.
For that same time period, all I've seen on the site is that John McCain "has said he will respond" to the same questions.
I think scientific research and technological progress have the single biggest positive influence on the human condition of any human endeavor. Social and political progress are also necessary, of course, but as I look to the future, even a 5% increase in government support of basic science research will likely mean untold millions (ultimately billions) of lives extended, saved and empowered. I also believe that technologies and scientific discovery are progressing faster by far as time goes on - we'll have more technological progress in the next ten years than we had in the last fifty, for example.
But apparently not if John McCain can help it.
It's one thing to disagree about the direction or intensity of governmental support for scientific and technological research. It's another thing not to care enough about those issues to even issue a public statement. Barack Obama quickly offered detailed responses to sciencedebate2008's questions. John McCain hasn't responded at all.
We must elect Barack - even if only for this reason. And I know, I know - there are lots of other GREAT reasons to elect him.
We need a President who treats scientific research as a top national priority - with implications for national security, improving the human condition, and the strength of our economy.
I think the United States is strong because we innovate. We're creative. We invent. We discover. We attract the best minds in the world because we offer opportunity to do this kind of work in the kind of free and open society that makes it easy.
If we fail to push (and push hard) to maintain that leadership in science and technology, China and India may surpass us, and we will lose our competitive edge, then lose money, then lose jobs, then lose our standard of living. We can't let that happen.
Let's make a lot of noise about this. If John McCain saw science as a priority, he would have made it a priority to respond to sciencedebate2008's questions. We can't afford to elect a President who thinks that way. We can't even afford to elect a President who is lukewarm on science. We need a President like Barack - someone who will be aggressive about science, remind us of our obligation to it and push our country to the forefront of scientific discovery.
What action can you take today to get Barack elected? To show everyone John McCain's troubling attitude towards science?
Here's a quick synopsis of sciencedebate2008's history:
In November, 2007, a small group of six citizens - two screenwriters, a physicist, a marine biologist, a philosopher and a science journalist - began working to restore science and innovation to America’s political dialogue. They called themselves Science Debate 2008, and they called for a presidential debate on science. The call tapped a wellspring of concern over the state of American science.
Within weeks, more than 38,000 scientists, engineers, and other concerned Americans signed on, including nearly every major American science organization, dozens of Nobel laureates, elected officials and business leaders, and the presidents of over 100 major American universities. See who here. Among other things, these signers submitted over 3,400 questions they want the candidates for President to answer about science and the future of America.
The Process
Beginning with these 3,400 questions, Science Debate 2008 worked with the leading organizations listed to craft the top 14 questions the candidates should answer. These questions are broad enough to allow for wide variations in response, but they are specific enough to help guide the discussion toward many of the largest and most important unresolved challenges currently facing the United States.
I started phonebanking for Obama last night (the technical infrastructure is very impressive!), and came across the suggested script for the calls. Given my experience and training as a salesperson, my view is it’s unacceptably ineffective. I’m convinced it will reduce the number of volunteers, and reduce the enthusiasm of the phonebankers.
We have a significant opportunity to boost the image and strength of the campaign with just a few changes.
I’ve made these changes, and I want to get them directly to someone who can make change on this. Would you be willing to forward it along (ideally with your endorsement)? I have a feeling you’d be able to cut through the noise much better than I would.
Here's my version (changes in brackets):
Hi, [__________,] my name is _______ and I am calling on behalf of Obama for America. [Is now a bad time? (If yes, ask when you should call back)]
[If no:] I am contacting you because you have been identified as someone who wants to get involved in the campaign. [Is that true?]
[If no: Thank you for your time. I'll let the campaign know you're not interested in being involved.]
[If yes: Glad to hear it.] The great news is that there are many ways to get involved in this campaign to elect Barack Obama as the next president of the United States. Before you start, we want to know what you are interested in doing with the campaign. [I’d like to ask you five questions to help the campaign understand how you’d like to get involved. Ready to start?]
Would you be willing to travel to a battleground state for the last month or last few weeks of the campaign?
Yes
No
Maybe
Are you interested in taking weekend trips to volunteer in a battleground state?
Would you be willing to call voters in a battleground state?
Would you be willing to call voters in New York?
Would you be interested in being a part of the national Data Team?
Thank you very much for your support of the campaign and taking the time to speak with me. Someone will be in contact with you soon to schedule you for an activity. [Would you prefer to be contacted via phone, email or both? Please confirm your [number, email] for me.]
Ever since Barack's speech at the Democratic National Convention, I've made a pledge to myself:
Spend half an hour a day taking action to get Barack and Joe Biden elected.
Some days this means phone banking.
Some days this means writing a letter to the editor.
Some days this means forwarding emails around, like the straightforward, powerful statement about Sarah Palin by Cecile Richards, President of Planned Parenthood (see below).
If you haven't already made some sort of commitment to a daily practice, I think you can. Willing to give it a shot? And even if you're far more active than I am, I'm certain you know people who would be willing to donate half an hour of their time every day to get Barack and Joe elected. It's a managable amount of time, even if you have a more-than-full-time job, even if you have kids.
The way I see it, we have to treat this race like we're going to lose, and believe the whole way through that we're going to win. That means unprecedented millions of us making daily commitments to take action. Know anyone who isn't? Invite them in.
==================
From Cecile Richards, National Planned Parenthood Action Fund:
"Yesterday morning, on my way back from the high of the Democratic National Convention, I learned that Sen. John McCain chose Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his vice-presidential pick. What might have been encouraging news for women was just the opposite — somehow McCain had managed to find a woman running mate even more conservative than he is on women's rights. It was heartbreaking news, especially on the heels of such an inspiring week. Right now there is so much shameless rhetoric from the Republicans about breaking the glass ceiling, especially from McCain and his running mate. What good does it do to break a glass ceiling with a woman who wants government to control women's reproductive health? That isn't the world I want for my two daughters. A day later, and I'm still having trouble expressing the depth of my anger about McCain's choice of a running mate. This shameless pandering to women — with a woman who doesn't trust other women to make their own decisions about childbearing — has really got me going. If you can only do one thing, it should be to tell every woman you meet that McCain and Palin are the most anti-choice, anti-women pair imaginable. Don't stop at just telling your friends. You can bet that I'll be telling strangers in the checkout line at the grocery store, the women I see at the gym, parents at my kids' schools. Women trust other women to tell them the straight truth — and the straight truth is that McCain and Palin would take us back to a time when women had absolutely no right to decide whether or not to have a child ... zero.
I think America's performance, promise and pride have faltered in the last 8 years because we have forgotten something. As a 30-something child of privilege and television, I know I never quite learned it: Our country will be great if we regularly take individual action to make it that way. Our country will be great if we take time to think and talk with each other about how to make it great. Our country will be great if we speak out publicly against racial prejudice, gender inequality, corruption, and anything else that's unfair or unethical. Our country will be great if we volunteer our time, energy and creativity in government.
Barack Obama has reminded me of my obligation to freedom, innovation, tolerance, peace and prosperity for all people. I think he's awakening this in millions of us.
I am grateful for this reminder. It's given me a new sense of purpose and meaning as I take regular action to get Barack elected and to ask elected officials, friends, family and colleagues to get involved.
I have great hope for our country and the world if Barack is elected President, because I think it will mean millions and millions of additional people who are willing to take daily responsibility for our country's destiny and values – after the election is over. That would be enough reason alone for me to vote for him.
Today I'm thinking hard about energy.
No matter how I slice it, no matter who I talk to, no matter what I read, it seems clear that investing heavily in renewable energy will bring pride, knowledge, creativity and prosperity to the whole world - with the united states middle-class being a key beneficiary.
As I watch the research in solar alone, I really can see a short-term future (10 years being a stretch, but doable) where we can create scientific breakthroughs that will drive economic growth, create skilled jobs, boost american pride, and take away the destabilizing geopolitical power of petrochemicals out of our global equation. I want this future. I think we'll all be richer, happier, safer and better able to maximize our potential as individuals and the human race. I'll bet my postings will be focused in this area - I follow it more closely than I do most.
Who's with me? More to the point: whatever your reasons, whatever your motivations: will you take some action today to help get Barack elected? Make some calls? Post something on a blog? Donate some money?
