I have lived in this state all of my 44 years and have NEVER seen this kind of frenzy. My students are nuts for BO and have been working for weeks for him. (One of them registered over 70 voters and was up for that basketball thing tonight in Marion. He got tix to be there along with a friend.)
Everyone seems to have an opinion, even ones I don't like. And the focus is definitely going to bear down on us next week.
From the other side of the IU-Purdue divide (GO BOILERS!), I'd say Obama did the same thing here and in Bloomington. In fact, I believe they have been that successful at most of the major college towns.
Lafayette/ West Lafayette has about 90,000 people total and the university has like 38,000 (but some of those are counted in the WL population.) We registered about 6,000 new voters as well since January 1 and most of them are students.
Tippecanoe County sets up 20 vote centers for the election day. But we've had early voting on campus three days and will open early vote centers in two Payless stores, a suburban conservative church and the West Lafayette City Hall starting on SATURDAY -- thru the 4th. That includes Sunday 10 AM-7Pm.
The Obama people combed through all the dorms to get people to register and were able to come up with like 2,000+ just through that. Some won't go on to vote-- since we are in dead week and then finals next week as well. But they are holding all kinds of events to get people out to canvass neighborhoods and vote.
I am not tied into the Hillary Campaign, so I have no idea what they are doing really. But one of my students usually spills the beans -- not the brightest chap. I think they are relying on the old machine of our VERY popular mayor-- which means lots of union folks and old folks homes. Sadly this may work as he and the local State Reps all endorsed Hillary.
But one anecdote: When the Hillary Office officially opened, she had former first lady O'Bannon and Ann Lewis -- and 50 people. When Obama's Office opened a week earlier, they had no one official, no furniture and 250 volunteers to go canvass and register voters THAT day.
When Obama came to town, the 2500 tix went in less than an hour. On that same day, Clinton sent Wesley Clark in to speak to veterans, and they had 40 people. Bill Clinton drew nearly the same numbers as Obama in an earlier event here.
The polls are close. Time to get back to work!
Check out this video-- the DNC's first out of the box...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TFDc4M_PMNk&eurl=http://www.dailykos.com/
While the final numbers are not in from the Lafayette Obama Campaign headquarters, it is clear already that the workers here have collected well over 3500 NEW or changed registrations! Awesome work BO supporters!!!
NOW our task is to make sure that those Purdue student voters are aware of how to vote this round and when. Pass this along..
STEPS:
1) To Vote in Indiana -- bring your state approved photo ID (Drivers License or ID) or a US Passport with an expiration date. Purdue ID does not work. (IF you need a photo ID -- got to the BMV and get one for $10.
2) If your IN Drivers License does not have your current address you must ALSO bring a copy of a bank statement, utility bill, government document, paycheck -- with your name and current address. Official insitutional documents are needed, not random mail.
3) VOTE -- in Stewart Center on April 17-18th -- even before PA!! (And then sit back and study for those finals!)
Registering Voters:
We had great success registering new voters and changed addresses at St Thomas
Aquinas Catholic Church today. Before and after the four masses we were able to
help 63 Tippecanoe County residents make the plunge into Voter status.
In addition to getting the forms filled out correctly, we did a lot of voter education.
Tippecanoe County voters are luckier than most, because we have a variety of
locations and times to vote prior to May 6th. But most people had questions about
the complicated rules of voter registration in Indiana.
For Purdue students, for instance, voting begins on April 17-18th at Stewart Center.
More information on times and places is available at the Tippecanoe County Elections
site. (http://www.tippecanoe.in.gov/egov/docs/120697897877.htm)
Voters need to bring a government issued photo ID with an expiration date -- an
Indiana drivers license or a US passport will do. If that address is different from the
one he/she is registered at, she'll need additional proof. State IDs are also available at
the BMV. If there are any problems at the polls, the voter should be sure to cast a
provisional ballot and follow up to make sure it counts.
The crew working the masses included Corasi Ortez, Jack and Mary Jane Gandour,
and Randy. Mary Jane even tracked down a kid who left off vital information by
calling his number in 7 different NEW JERSEY area codes!Studt.
We'd even let ya play the Purdue BBall team.. or even better the Butler Bulldogs in Indy.
Come'on Barack! Make us all happy!
Tonight, I dropped by the Lafayette Obama Office and talked to Bess about the efforts we've made locally to register voters. My student group has been working to register all seniors and eligible juniors at West Lafayette High School-- about 20 new ones. In addition, I got six new voters at the PQSU Homo Estas event last night. I'm getting to be known as "the guy with the registration forms". I even had a student drop by my room because the high school office directed him to me.
So, I was looking forward to seeing Jeremy Pivens at Purdue tonight. When I got there over an hour early, I was like person 180. Since the room held about 183 and there were easily 500 people in line, I passed on the event -- so that someone undecided could be charged up by Pivens. I already know why I support BO and can easily expound on those reasons.
This just shows me that we need to keep pushing. The youth on campus and in the high schools are fired up to vote. Now that we have them registered (and we're still working that angle).. we have to get them to the polls as well.
By the way, Tippecanoe County will have early voting On April 17 and 18th on campus. This will even allow students to vote early before dead week and finals. NO EXCUSES!!
One last question: Have you registered anyone to vote this week? Students for BO have registered over 600 in less than a week! I'll post the info for the weekend registration drives later. GO---BAMA!!!
My friends, having grown up in Southern IN, the name Lee Hamilton has a magical touch. He's a social moderate with fiscal conservatism, but a man who is still looked at as the foreign policy guru on the Dem side. He served many terms in the US House and along with Lugar, is one of the most respected Hoosier politicians ever. Even my Republican grandparents used to respect his opinion. (Even co-chaired the Iraq Study Commission.)
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/4/1/22642/52732/565/488614
He endorsed Obama for President, and this will play well to calm the nerves of Southern conservative Dems. Way to go!! I would not expect any other Dem Congressmen here to endorse before the primary.
But once again, Lee, thanks!
On Saturday, the Lafayette Obama Office opened to a raucus crowd of over 250 people of all ages. It was great seeing so many new faces, students and established local Dems there to help kick off the effort to bring real change to this country.
But a lesser known facet of this, is that many of the students in the room have been working for the campaign for months now. Laurent is a great example. He's been to IA, MO (twice), WI and OH working door-to-door for Barack. He even organized 50+ students to travel to St Louis to hear Barack speak. He's one of many who are excited and spreading that excitement to even those of us who've been around in local politics a while.
IN the last week, these students along with some of my own high school students (who are also Obamacrazy) have registered nearly 600 people in the Purdue dorms. This is a truly awesome number, especially considering that at Purdue (due to Tippecanoe County election standards) they will be able to vote early-- April 17-18th right on campus-- before their dead week and finals and leaving town! There's truly no excuse not to turn this campus Barack-Blue.
Last week, President Clinton arrived at my school -- West Lafayette High School to speak. How can you not go see a former President when he comes to your work place. But among the crowd there were many true Obamaniacs. One of the rumors was that they didn't use Purdue, because it could not be secured.
Well, I am sure we could fill Mackey Arena for Obama-- or at least Lafayette Jeff High School..even if we have to trek our students all the way over there. I even have bus company connections * wink* if ya hear what I mean.
GOOOO-BAMA!!!
My friends,
It's time to gather the troops and get ourselves organized for the Indiana primary. 72 votes are at stake and we can do it. I have contacts in the community and you have energy and contacts on campus. When you get back from break, let's get together and map a strategy for the local vote.
Keep me in mind. gnwmann@aol.com
(CNN) -- Ask any boxing trainer and they'll tell you that you can walk into the ring with a well-designed plan to beat your opponent, but as the fight progresses, you might have to alter your plans.
Roland S. Martin says it is hard for Obama to appear negative since he called for a different kind of politics.
After losing 11 straight races to Sen. Barack Obama, Sen. Hillary Clinton was faced with a tough scenario: Continue on the same path and keep losing, or shake up your fight plan to keep battling another day.
She accepted the "resignation" of her campaign manager, Patti Solis Doyle, brought in Maggie Williams; paid more attention to her campaign finances, especially online fundraising; focused intently on her economic message; and went after Obama with a different line of attack that some have described as negative.
Frankly, the "3 a.m." ad that questioned his qualifications as commander-in-chief -- without overtly saying it -- should only be seen as negative based on the tone and tenor of this campaign. But it will pale in comparison to the ads we will see in November.
That folks, is just smart politics.
So she wins three out of four states, staves off defeat, and now has a little pep in her step heading into the Wyoming caucus, Mississippi primary, and the big contest on April 22, the Pennsylvania primary.
More importantly, she has forced Obama to question his campaign plan, and put the onus on him to go to his corner to get instructions from his trainer in order to win the next round.
Obama faces a tougher task because of his denunciation of the politics of old, which have sort of tied his hands. He is expected to be Mr. Positive on the campaign trail, and not go negative against Clinton. Yet there are ways in which he can better define Clinton that will not only not be seen as negative, but also better reposition him leading into the final contests.
For one, the Clinton campaign has successfully sold the media on the idea that the next important contest is Pennsylvania. The day after her wins Tuesday, nearly every show was talking about what needs to happen April 22, as if the Wyoming and Mississippi races were afterthoughts.
Obama must hit Clinton hard on being a "Big D" Democrat who doesn't really care about the "Little D" Democrats. Remember how she essentially brushed aside Obama's wins in Utah, Idaho, Washington state and other places as nothing but red states they have no way of capturing in the fall?
Her argument is that Democrats must win the big states -- California, New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Michigan, Florida and Ohio. This plays to her advantage since she won them (Sorry, I don't include Michigan and Florida, and you already know why). This falls in line with her "50-plus-1" strategy: Just win the same states as Al Gore in 2000 and John Kerry in 2004, and then you flip Ohio or Florida to win the White House.
But Obama's thinking is more in line with Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean: Create a 50-state strategy to establish Democratic dominance on the federal level -- more of a supermajority -- but also on the state level. By changing the discourse by suggesting she will only care about Democrats in large states, Obama will be able to speak to the hearts and minds of those small states, and more importantly, rally those superdelegates who felt put off by Clinton's dismissive comments.
A key argument for Obama to make is that redistricting is two years away, and Democrats need control of governorships and state legislatures. Only through targeting those places will that become a reality.
Second, jump right in her face on the foreign policy front. She claims she was integrally involved in the release of Kosovo refugees and the Irish peace talks. Fine. So demand to know why if she was so involved in foreign policy, the Clinton administration failed in Rwanda and had a horrible plan on Somalia? There were clear international failures during the eight years of President Bill Clinton, and she needs to be forced to say what she did and didn't do. Obama has used the cherry picking argument, but has been weak in selling it. Nail it to try to nail her.
Finally, Professor Obama has to return. One of the reasons he did so well in the Los Angeles, California, debate is that he chose to go head-to-head with her on policy. Everyone said that's her strength, but he held his own. He needs to make a more convincing argument when it comes to the economy. The economic plans they have are not overwhelmingly different. What he has to do is come out of the podium and make it plain. Speak to voters in Mississippi about the tragedy of the Gulf Coast; tell voters there and in Wyoming why he will help their kids go to college; present his urban and rural economic renewal programs to the voters in Pennsylvania. Don't concede any ground to her on these points.
Is this fight over? Absolutely not. But Obama can't afford to look at his lead among pledged delegates and think he will maintain that and go to Denver and the superdelegates will fall behind him. In Las Vegas, Nevada, every boxer is told to win it in the ring, and not depend on the judges.
This is now a 15-round heavyweight match instead of 12 rounds. Clinton has no choice but to brawl. It worked Tuesday, so why stop doing it?
Obama? He is sort of the boxer who is technically proficient and wants to showcase those skills. But you can't dance all night. Sometimes you've got to slug it out in the middle of the ring. That doesn't mean being nasty or trashing your opponent. But it does mean fighting hard until the bell rings in the final round and never letting your guard down.
Obama, you let your guard down before Tuesday. Don't do it again or you might just get knocked out of the nomination.
Roland S. Martin is a nationally award-winning journalist and CNN contributor. Martin is studying to receive his master's degree in Christian communications at Louisiana Baptist University. You can read more of his columns at www.rolandsmartin.com.
