For all of the Obama supporters who met after the election and decided to help homeless veterans, we had a great day on Friday as the Standown event hosted by Barb Sesate kicked off. We have Obama volunteers working today and tomorrow, too.
I participated for the first time and would highly recommend this as a volunteer experience. The event organizers provided excellent training for first-time volunteers. The event logistics were great in that Veterans Memorial Coliseum was set up to welcome and process hundreds of veterans.
If you are not yet involved with our group's community service projects, please join us. If you have another project in mind that our group could do, please post of this blog or create the event and invite our group to participate.
I got a phone call very early this morning from my nephew in Delaware. He called to tell me that his wife was in the delivery room about to give birth to their daughter. He put his wife on the phone so she could tell me that she had already voted for Barack because she did not want the arrival of their second child to keep her from being able to vote. She was as excited about the possibility of an Obama presidency as she was about the pending arrival of her second child.
This is a exciting time for all of us as we push to deliver an Obama victory. We are hours away from giving America a new direction that will change the world. The Get Out the Vote efforts are very important so I am glad that we will be working together for victory on election day.
This week marked a turning point in the McCain Camp's tactics--swift boat, baby swift boat. I decided that I need to know more about our Arizona Senator so that I could easily compare the both candidates. In conversations with my Republican neighbors, I wanted to make sure that I stuck to the facts. Here is one article that I found enlightening.
http://www.rollingstone.com/news/coverstory/make_believe_maverick_the_real_john_mccain/page/2
The Sun Lakes-Chandler Democratic Club members got fired up and ready to go this month. This group of retirees wanted to do something to support Barack. They decided to join the National Woman to Woman Post Card project that Lynn Branco started in Ohio during the primary election. Lynn is now hosting this nationwide project for the Obama campaign for the General Election and has more than 300 people signed up to write post cards for Obama.
The club sent members an email explaining the project and the response was great. Jan Bobbett is leading the project with Sun Lakes by collecting all of the finished post cards.
What makes this campaign great is all of the people to step up and do something every day to elect Barack Obama. Phone calls from home, volunteering at a local office, knocking on doors, writing post cards all add up to a huge voter outreach effort.
The crowds gathered on Wednesday afternoon to enjoy some jazz, mingle with old friends and meet new supporters at Governor Janet Napolitano officially opened the Phoenix Office for Barack Obama. The little house on the corner of 6th and Roosevelt overflowed with enthusiastic Arizonans lining up to volunteer to get Barack elected in November.
For Chandler-Sun Lakes volunteers, this is a quick ride because the office at 922 6th Avenue is just a few block from 1-10. I took the 7th Street exit, turned left on 7th St, then right on Roosevelt and the house was easy to spot on the left side of the street. The front of the building has some unusual iron work but the staff is hanging banners and posters to dress it up.
One of the most frequently asked questions in this group is about the availability of yard signs. They are not available yet. The Office will begin stocking them soon.
Let's support the team at the Phoenix Office by volunteering to phone bank and canvass as the opportunities come up.
The positive wave of change is building in these last days of voter registration and voter persuasion. For those of us who are ready to push Barack over the top in Arizona. our voter registration efforts are important. We must register new voters prior to October 4 in order for them to be able to vote for Barack.
We can write to the editors of Arizona newspapers about the reasons why we know that Barack Obama is good for America. The more letters we write, the better the chance that a few will end up in print. No need to slam to opposition in our letters.
I am also asking this group to join the Postcards project. We did this during the primary to help Barack in Ohio. It was fun to get together and write postcards for Obama.
Now as the Republicans prepare for their convention, we have a storm that may be as strong as Katrina, heading for our Gulf Coast again. It may hit as George Bush and Dick Cheney prepare to pat themselves on the back just like the did "Brownie". For the sake of the residents of the Gulf Coast, we hope that this administration has reformed FEMA and that state and local emergency responders have been properly equipped and trained to save lives.
If there is a bigger example of why we can not have four more years of Bush domestic policies, Katrina is our poster child. I never want to see the images of the Katrina aftermath again. I never want to show the rest of the world pictures of poor Americans starving and dying on a city street.
The Obama/Biden Presidency is part of the solution. President Obama and Joe Biden will surround themselves with competent cabinet leaders who will get results for the ordinary person.
We are watching a perfect storm sweep the Republican Party from the White House, the Congress and from the State Legislatures.
For the first time in many years, Democrats in Maricopa County are aggressively working for change at all levels of government.
On Wednesday morning, Congressman Harry Mitchell spoke at the Dems & Donuts meeting in LD20 and expressed his appreciation for the enthusiasm of grass roots volunteers. Harry gave us an overview of how difficult it is to get good legislation passed without it getting either killed by the Senate or vetoed by Bush. He asked us to step up our efforts to get Barack in the White House as well as to send as many Democrats to the House in 2008 as possible. He told the grass roots group that Arizona is ready to vote for change and that the nation understands that change must come in 2008.
Harry told us that he will be attending his first Democratic Convention when he goes to Denver next week. Congressman Mitchell is an awesome reason why Arizona will vote for change in 2008.
Yesterday I downloaded and printed "Unfit for Publication" so I could be prepared to respond to those who might have read the Jerome Corsi book.
First, the Obama campaign team did a great job of getting the rebuttal out to the press before Corsi could claim legitimacy. His book is pure fiction, unresearched and poorly constructed. The forty-one page document was easy to read and understand.
Second, the MSM have been unable to push the errors as truth because "Unfit for Publication" calls the smears outright lies. I am glad that there is no polite tiptoeing around--a lie is called a lie.
Finally, the fact that Jerome Corsi can make millions from this kind of trash presents a sad commentary on the state of our elections. Swift boating had become so common that it has been accepted by the media as part of the game of politics.
Let's keep debunking the smears, writing letters to the editors of our local news papers and making sure that truth gets heard.
God puts angels in our path so that we might have an abundant life. Bernie Mac gave us laughter in great abundance. My heart was gladdened by the talent of this one man who gave us reason to enjoy the lighter side of life.
May his family be blessed with comforting words today as Bernie Mac rests in peace.
Most of the members of the Chandler-Sun Lakes for Obama group live in Legislative District 21. We do have some members in LD20 and LD22.
Phil Hettmansperger is the Democratic candidate running for the Arizona State House of Representatives. Phil has been to a number of our Meet and Greets and has been an active supporter of Barack Obama.
Phil needs our help to knock on doors in LD21. I hope that the Obama volunteers will be able to make a difference in our local neighborhoods by supporting Phil.
Please grab some friends and come out to canvass for Phil on Sunday. Also, be sure to invite Phil to your house parties and other events so that he can meet you and other Obama volunteers. Phil needs the same Independent voters that Barack will need on November 4 so let's work together.
Every morning I turn to Morning Joe, before I even get out of bed. There is no better motivator to ensure that I do at least one thing each day to help elect Barack Obama.
Today it was the insane discussion of the Gallup poll numbers. The talking heads were spewing forth nonsense about what the polls means in terms of Barack's "inability to close the deal"
We kept hearing that term all through the primaries. Barack was unable to close the deal with women voters, then he was unable to close the deal with White voters, then he was unable to close the deal with Hispanic voters. After the primary victory, these same talking heads opined that Barack was unable to close the deal with Hillary supporters.
The cable media guys need to sing a new song. While they are repeating those tired old phrases, the Obama ground game is getting up and running I am so glad to know that we have so many office in Florida and Michigan, now. The Georgia and North Carolina Offices are reporting great results.
Here is Arizona, we have held dozens of platform meetings and we are going to host dozens of Birthday Parties for Barack next week.
Arizona, home to Senator John McCain, is a swing state thanks to the groundswell of support Barack has in our state.
So every morning, I listen to the nonsense on MSNBC and log onto MYBO to have a morning coffee chat with the grassroots supporters who will close the deal in November.
If you have not signed up for a Barack Birthday Party near you, please do so today. If the nearest one is not within 10 miles, you can host your own.
This week has been one of the best in the long march to the White House. Watching more than 200,000 people come to hear Barack in Berlin, affirmed by belief in the kind of change the world wants. The world wants to end the Bush era that put America's weaker side on display.
Nations driven by fear are weak. Nations that stand on principle are strong.
Leaders who summon up our deepest fears, leave us angry while those who call on our better instincts empower us to act.
The world needs leaders who empower change and nations strong enough to act together to preserve the principles of liberty.
The world wants America to stand with Barack to inspire the next generation of world leaders.
What strikes me about this broad outline of why America needs a rational policy, based on the principles that drove the Marshall Plan, is that the rest of the world can understand it.
The Marshall Plan was understood all over the world when it was proposed after World War II. The people of Japan, Germany and Italy who had fought against America got a different view of who the American people were and why our democracy had grown to be a beacon to the rest of the world.
The governments promoting communism understood that the Marshall Plan would spread democracy would compete against communism for ideological dominance. The world understood that the Marshall Plan was more than just a series of tactics, it was a broad statement of what the world could be under the leadership of the United States.
Now the world listened to Barack Obama today, even if Americans were distracted by the ups and downs of a political race for the White House. While the myopic news pundits parse each statement and put it into a left, right, center bucket, the international community will simply digest it and come to understand what Barack Obama's administration would do that is different from what America has done for the past seven years.
So turn off your TV if you must. Imagine that you are a fly on the wall in a distant world capital like Baghdad, Tehran, Moscow, Berlin or Paris. The world leaders across the globe are not talking about political buckets and electoral votes. They are not concerned about red states and blue states. They do not care what Fox News commentators or talking heads on Hardball have to say today. They are digesting the words spoken by Senator Barack Obama.
I can imagine that the people all over the world--those who have wondered why America elected a president who lacked the intellectual curiosity to learn more about them--have heard a refreshing new voice.
They may not agree with every word, just as Americans will not agree with every idea put forth today, but they understand America as it can be in the 21st Century. They see the hope that drives the Obama candidacy through a clear lens.
If only half of this country has yet to be convinced, Senator Barack Obama has come a long way in the past year. The world is ahead of the US in its understanding of Barack so American voters will have to catch up before November.
I have been tuning in to the Scott McClellan coverage on MSNBC and could not help but write a few thoughts about the Bush White House.
The so called "permanent campaign" is what makes Washington so ineffective. When George Bush's staff and the heads of the government agencies focused on giving him a second term, America lost its direction. Public servants became hostages to the political process and the work of the people took a back seat. That's why 2008 is about change.
This began, in my opinion, during the Clinton White House battles with the "vast right-wing conspiracy". Battle lines were drawn and politics trumped the needs of the country. The President was forced to fight along hyper-partisan lines just to remain in power.
In November, we can cast aside all of the old battles that have consumed Washington for two decades by electing Senator Obama. Those Republicans who are disgusted with the Bush administration's politicalization of the DOJ, FDA, FEMA and other agencies will join in the outcry for change.
That's why so many Obama supporters are working in all 50-states to reach out to Independents and Republicans who are ready for change.
This bodes well for Democrats running in red and purple states. Senator Obama will need change agents in both houses of Congress on both sides of the aisle, to move the American agenda ahead. We have proven, to this point, that ordinary people can spread a message of hope and change to those who have grown cynical.
We started in Feb. 2007 to share our stories, express our beliefs and form a movement for change. I remember when our numbers were small but our energy was great. Along the way, one person added another person and we grew into a unified voice for change.
This had been a long journey and it is not over. We have to tell our stories to those who currently support Hillary Clinton. We have to respect them in the same way that we have come to respect each other. I look forward to having a unified campaign to change politics in Washington.
We can not wait through four more years of Republican party politics. Our nation deserves better. Scott McClellan found his soul. Now we need to ask other Republicans to find theirs.
There is not greater calling than that of a soldier. I know, I had a special hero in my life for almost 60 years. He was my Dad.
Today, he and the countless veterans of foreign wars are honored in Arlington National Cemetery. They were ordinary men and women who fought America's conflicts and prayed for peace, democracy around the world.
When we began this campaign, my Dad was excited about Senator Barack Obama and we talked about him often. My Dad admired the character of his new-found hero. An honest man, full of love for his country, compassion for all people and a calling to serve those who had no voice in the world. My Dad saw in Barack Obama a new hope for America and a new vision for the world.
A veteran of WWII, Korea and Vietnam, sleeps on hallowed ground. He spent his memorial days saluting all those who had served and all of the men and women who remained on the battlefields.
Here's a salute to the men and women of America who are serving this great nation. We love each and every one of you. May God be with you and your family on this special day.
More than 100 volunteers gathered on Saturday at Desert Breeze Park in Chandler to begin our six-month push to change the electorate in Arizona. Many came from more than 20 miles away to canvass local precincts in west Chandler, part of Congressional District 5 represented by Freshman Congressman Harry Mitchell. Mitchell gave his super delegate vote to Barack this weekend.
Our big push, to get voters to sign up for permanent early voting is aimed at improving voter participation in November. We were reminded that those who vote by mail in Arizona avoid long lines at the polls. Because there are often a long list of ballot initiatives on the general election ballot and several important state-wide and country races, the vote by mail option is popular with voters.
The Chandler volunteers heard from a number of Maricopa County candidates and a Democrat who is running to represent Legislative District 20 in the Arizona House.
Organizers of the event will be announcing other voter registration events in Arizona for the next six months.
Please check this web site often and sign up for events in Arizona so that we can get a high turn out of voters in November. This will not only help Barack but it will help Democrats who are running for state-wide offices, the AZ Senate and House and country offices.
We are fired up and ready to canvass as part of the national voter registration drive.
If you have not yet been contacted, please sign up now.
RSVP to Donna Gratehouse at 602 770-4754 or send her an email at donnagratehouse@yahoo.com.
We will meet at 9:15 a.m. at desert Breeze Park, 251 N. Desert Breeze Blvd W. in Chandler. This is just north of the Desert Breeze Police Substation just off Chandler Blvd.
Hope to see you there in your Obama gear.
After after 10 minutes, I turned off the ABC debate. Now from what I am reading today, I spared myself the spectacle of ABC's shameful excuse for a newsworthy political dialogue on the most pressing issues of the century.
I called ABC, sent a comment through the network's website and let my opinion on a couple of blogs about this fiasco. What a lost opportunity for voters in the upcoming primary states, to learn about how each candidate stands on the issues.
So I made another contribution to this campaign this morning as a matching pledge for a new donor who may have seen the debate and been driven to help us defeat such negative discussions about Barack Obama. Truth is, he was beaten up with vague associations to people who most people do not even know. Sorry, but I did not even know who William Ayers was and I am old enough to recall the anti-war demonstrations of the 70s. Most Americans don't hold onto information that is that irrelevant.
I do know that more than 4,000 brave young men and women have lost their lives in Iraq and many more will die in the violence ahead, if we do not find a way to end the Bush-era concept of pre-emptive war. We seem to have learned none of the lessons of the 70's.
I am not concerned about a moment of frustration voiced by Rev. Wright but I do care that our nation is on the wrong track as 81 percent of America believes. I do not question what being patriotic means because I don't wear a flag pin in fear of what might be thought. Symbols and labels are easy to display, but the courage to speak for millions of hard-working, frustrated and sometimes bitter citizens is a measure of true love for this nation.
The old politics were on display last night before I turned off the TV. That's why I made a contribution and hope that a new contributor will be inspired to do the same. Hope shines brightly today after last nights dark episode. It seems to mind me of one of my favorite Bible verses that talks about how joy will come in the morning.
Senator Barack Obama has continued to show why there are more than one million grass roots supporters donating to this campaign, thousands making phone calls and volunteering to help him win the Presidency. Every day, my faith in him as a leader grows.
If the tone of this campaign was meant to test his strength, the opposition has done a good job. If Barack Obama needed to sharpen his counter punch, he has done so in the last week. And, he does so with the dexterity of a seasoned leader who holds his vision high and never loses sight of the purpose that drives him.
My prayers are with Barack and Michelle because they do appeal to the greater angels in us. America is ready for the kind of change that is now sweeping Pennsylvania.
