From Buffalo to Albany to Westchester to Long Island, New York Obama supporters have been doing their part to get out the vote in the Empire State this weekend and throughout the morning and afternoon.
A weekend rally in Albany.
Be a part of the movement! There's still time!
Polls are open until 9 pm tonight. Look up your polling location and vote for Barack!
500 at a New York Women for Obama rally this weekend.
There's one last chance to help! We have had a great morning of talking to voters outside poll sites across the state. If you're in New York City, please join us after work at one of our staging locations.
Volunteers on the Upper West Side this morning.
Obama volunteers work steadfastly in the NY State Headquarters...
...in spite of the din from the parade celebrating the New York Giants Super Bowl win outside. (Yes, we had people holding signs in the crowd.)
What's the only thing better than the Giants winning the Superbowl?
Barack Obama becoming the next President of the United States!
The day before the primary is a crucial time for us to call supporters and remind them to vote. Help elect Barack Obama by attending a phone banking party Monday any time during the day and especially from 6pm to 9pm. All you need is a phone and a computer to help us identify voters who believe in real change.
Super Tuesday and the New York Primary are only two days away. One thing is for certain -- in two days' time, New Yorkers are ready to stand for change. This video submitted by Jacob, a grassroots volunteer, captures the mood in the Big Apple.
You can still volunteer on Primary Day. If you can't give us the whole day, we need you first thing in the morning and again after work. We need volunteers in key areas to show their support for Barack and talk to New York voters one last time before they hit the polls. RSVP with to primary@newyorkobama.com with (1) your neighborhood/city, (2) your contact information, and (3) the hours that you can help us on Tuesday. By Monday morning, we will contact you with a meeting place and time. Let's make some history. Yes We Can!
The momentum is building in the Empire State as we run up to our primary on Super Tuesday. Yesterday, our grassroots supporters in Western New York staged a simultaneous rally in Buffalo, Rochester and Syracuse which drew hundreds of attendees, netted some local endorsements and capitalized on the energy of the room by handing out literature and encouraging them to take to the streets of their neighborhood.
Approximately 500 people rallied in the Rochester headquarters yesterday, easily dwarfing meetings for other candidates in The Flower City. As we have seen across the country, the crowd was a mixture of young and old, rich and poor, Democratic stalwarts to people inspired by Barack's message of change to get involved in the first campaign of their lives.
Fired up and ready to go!
Between the mobs of tourists and New Yorkers who normally populate the theater district and the youthful horde that stands outside MTV Studios to cheer celebrities during shows like "TRL," Times Square is used to seeing crowds.
But the cheering throng of supporters of Barack Obama tonight was still breath-taking.
They had less than 24 hours notice. They were told it would be cold. They were told that they'd be sharing space with other campaigns. They were told that Barack wouldn't be there in person, and would only be participating in MTV's "Choose or Lose" Presidential Forum via satellite. And they were told that we'd need them in the early evening, smack in the middle of a Saturday night in one of the best nightlife cities in the world.
But they were fired up and ready to go!
The chants of "Si Se Puede! Yes We Can!" could be heard across the street. The NYPD provided one bike-rack designated area for Obama supporters... and one for the supporters of other campaigns. And they gave us the larger one.
One thing is abundantly clear as we head towards Primary Day on February 5th: New Yorkers are ready for change and filled with hope.
Read all about Daisy (and her owner) at NYTimes.com.
Obama edges Hillary in Merrick straw poll BY NIA-MALIKA HENDERSON 11:39 PM EST, January 30, 2008 Democratic candidate Sen. Barack Obama edged out Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton at a straw poll and candidates forum in Merrick Wednesday night. ... "There was excitement and fervor -- more than I have ever seen before," said Sherry Boucarut, a Uniondale social worker and Obama supporter. "People want real change and the numbers here showed that. Obama is the real deal." Clinton and Obama "are pretty close on the issues," said Jason Andria, 28, of Sound Beach. "I just don't think Hillary can get anything done. Obama is a voice for the lower class and the middle class. He is the first candidate I actually believe in."
POST ENDORSES BARACK OBAMA January 30, 2008 -- Democrats in 22 states across America go to the polls next Tuesday to pick between two presidential prospects: Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. We urge them to choose Obama...
Read the full endorsement at NYPost.com.
With more New York State voters looking for information in the wake of Barack's stunning victories in the early states of Iowa and South Carolina, we've been getting a lot of questions. One of the questions we get the most in the general email box, as well as during outdoor visibility events, phone calls and "Get to Know Barack" sessions across the state, is "Who does Barack have advising him?"
In November, Sen. Obama was joined by the members of his foreign policy team in Portsmouth, NH to discuss his vision for turning the page on the failed policies of the past seven years. Panelists included:
You can watch the highlight below:
Panel one: Renewing American Leadership
Panel two: Strengthening America's Military for the 21st Century
Panel three: A Clear Choice for America: The Obama Foreign Policy
New York Democrats from all races, all ages and all walks of life rallied together on the steps of City Hall this Sunday. Despite the freezing temperatures, they proudly chanted their support for Senator Obama and pledged to stand together in the days leading up to Primary Day on Feb. 5.
Watch the highlights below.
Fired up! Ready to go!
It has been an amazing couple of days for our grassroots movement for change in New York City. On Saturday, more than 500 New Yorkers rallied in Columbus Circle. Last night in Harlem, over 150 cheered their hearts out at Barack’s commanding win in the South Carolina primary and his inspirational victory speech.
While in line outside City Hall, volunteers found the time to phone bank with their cell phones.
Today, supporters from every borough and all walks of life gathered on the steps of City Hall. They came to cheer on the day’s speakers – elected officials, union officials and grassroots volunteers who, in the face of cynicism and conventional thinking, had enthusiastically embraced Barack’s clarion call of “Yes we can.” But even more importantly, they came to demonstrate their own hopes and dreams for their country and their world.
An excited crowd on the steps of City Hall
Looking out at the crowd it was hard not to think of Barack’s words from his victory speech in South Carolina:
"They are young and old; rich and poor. They are black and white; Latino and Asian. They are Democrats from Des Moines and Independents from Concord; Republicans from rural Nevada and young people across this country who've never had a reason to participate until now. And in nine days, nearly half the nation will have the chance to join us in saying that we are tired of business-as-usual in Washington, we are hungry for change, and we are ready to believe again."
Norman Seabrook of the Correction Officers Benevolent Association.
As the first of many speakers, Norman Seabrook, the President of the Correction Officers Benevolent Association, clearly shared the sentiment when he described our movement and Barack’s message as “inclusive of all walks of life, all ages, all races.” Former City Councilmember and Chair of the Committee on Women’s issues, Ronnie Eldridge likened Barack’s appeal to that of RFK in his ability “to relate to people and to inspire people in a very personal way, and to call them to redefine patriotism in this country.
Ashley Craig of Westchester.
On display for all New York to see was an inspiring coalition of young and old. Ashley Craig of Westchester was bemused to be introduced as “young,” admitting that she’s a 42 year old mother of three. As a former Republican, she had to switch her party affiliation in order to vote for Barack on February 5.
City Councilmember Al Vann
Perhaps no one fired up the crowd as much as City Councilmember Al Vann, who praised the grassroots volunteers behind him for their possession of, “the audacity to hope, the courage to believe, the commitment to come together!” Roars of “New York State, Obama ‘08” and “Yes We Can” greeted every speaker and echoed into the frigid afternoon air.
They say that you can tell the quality of a candidate by the quality of the people who join him or her campaign. Looking out at the broad coalition of support Barack has found in the City That Never Sleeps, one can’t but feel hopeful that the change we need will soon become a reality.
Yes we can!
Our presidential endorsement - Barack Obama By Mary Anna Towler on Jan. 22nd, 2008 ... Read in-depth articles about him, and study his issues papers, and you find plenty of substance. You may not agree with his proposals (and many of them differ little from Clinton's and Edwards'), but the charge of "no substance" is simply wrong. He wants to reduce Americans' dependence on foreign oil and address climate change. He supports raising fuel-efficiency standards. He supports a cap-and-trade system in which polluters will have to pay for emissions, "rather than giving these emission rights away to coal and oil companies." He would use some of the revenue to invest in clean energy, in research and development, and in helping workers affected by the transition to a new kind of economy. He wants the US to rejoin international efforts to combat climate change and wants to create an international global energy forum of the world's largest energy-consuming nations. ... The nation needs fresh ideas, fresh approaches, fresh blood: change. Barack Obama best represents it, and he offers the best hope for it.
DOWNTOWN NOTEBOOK Hearing the Passion in Obama's Downtown Supporters By Wickham Boyle ... The meeting took off when Jeffrey Shafer, under secretary of international affairs in the Clinton administration's Treasury Dept., told why he was supporting Obama. The distillate of Shafer's path to Obama involved reading Obama's books and simultaneously writing to the Hillary Clinton campaign with ideas, and getting no response from her advisors. In a 20-minute presentation involving great quotes, and personal stories, the essence emerged. Shafer came to the conclusion that, "Obama understands how other people see the world. He understands that unity is the great need of the hour." David Carden followed; a thin man, brimming over with facts, experience and information all strung together with an intelligence that heated the room. Carden unfolded his path toward supporting Obama and recounted how strongly he feels that we must have inspiration and real intelligence in out next president if we are to in any way redeem our country in the eyes of the world. Carden said, "If you had asked me 22 years ago, when my wife was working at the MacArthur Foundation in Chicago and Obama was organizing on the South Side of Chicago, if this man could be president, I would have said, yes. Let me tell you why. He is the best listener I have ever seen. He emits empathy and intelligence. This is what led Obama to stay in the business of other people's business, which is what politics is."...There was a sense from some attendees that the evening had turned from fact finding to a rally for Obama. And it certainly was difficult not to be caught up in the passion evinced by Shafer, Carden and some other guests who had been in Iowa canvassing for Obama. Carden's retelling of the Iowa trip was moving as he recounted the personal stories of those he met. He concluded with this: "We need a shared mythology. We are the stories we tell and we are also the stories others tell us."
We’re created an informational page about absentee voting at http://NewYork.BarackObama.com/NYVote
If you are going to be unavoidably unable to vote in personon Primary Day due to duties, occupation, business, studies or vacation, or if you are unable to appear at the polls because of illness or disability, you can still vote in the New York Primary via absentee ballot -- it's your right.
These deadlines are coming up soon, so take action today:
- Your written request for an absentee ballot must be postmarked no later than Tuesday, January 29, 2008.
- Your absentee ballot application form may be hand-deliverted to your county Board of Elections, but must be received no later than Monday, February 4, 2008.
- The absentee ballot itself must be postmarked no later than Monday, February 4, 2008
Long Island supporters of all backgrounds will head to the Rally for Obama at the Wyandanch VFW Post tonight at 7:30 to show their support for Barack’s vision of change and to plan what they can do to help get out the vote on February 5. But it’s doubtful that few will be arriving in style quite the way Charmaine from Greenlawn will.
Charmaine has decided to take her hope on the road by wrapping the sides of her CRV. That’s certainly one way to be vocal and noticeable in your community, but there are many others. You can find a visibility event in your area.
State Senator Bill Perkins fires up the crowd at our new Harlem office.
Over Martin Luther King Jr. weekend, the Obama campaign was the first presidential campaign this cycle to open an office in the historic Harlem neighborhood in Upper Manhattan. On hand to fire up the crowd was State Senator Bill Perkins, who became the first New York official to endorse Barack in May.
The storefront office on Malcolm X Avenue and 130th Street is in the heart of an area long-considered central to African-American culture and identity. In the 1920s, the “Harlem Renaissance” in the arts gave us such luminaries as Duke Ellington, Langston Hughes and Zora Neale Hurston. The Apollo Theater on 125th street, where Barack brought down the house in November, has launched the careers of artists from Billie Holliday to Lauryn Hill since it opened in 1934.
But throughout its history, Harlem has sometimes served as a reminder of how much farther we still have to come as a nation in regards to race relations, economic disparity and living up to what Barack has cited as “that fundamental belief – I am my brother’s keeper; I am my sister’s keeper”.
Amy, a volunteer for the campaign since May, says the office will help keep our momentum going in New York City. “The best thing is no other presidential candidate has an actual campaign office in Harlem,” Amy says. “There’s an enthusiasm in Upper Manhattan and Harlem for Obama that’s really inspiring.”
Stop by our Harlem Office at 401 Malcolm X Blvd or call 212-316-9434. To get involved in our campaign in New York City, find an event near you at http://NY.BarackObama.com/NYCEvents
Rally held for Obama CAPITAL REGION, N.Y. -- In the Capital Region, advocates for Barack Obama are trying to drum up support for the Illinois Senator in Hillary Clinton's home state. A rally was held in downtown Saratoga Springs Saturday. The event was put on by the Saratogians for Obama. Volunteers say they are proud to be part of the grassroots campaign and believe he is the candidate who can bring real change to Washington. "Barack Obama represents a whole change, a whole different way of thinking about politics and getting things done," said Brian Finneran....
Despite the bitter cold, Barack supporters throughout New York State braved the elements to show their support, passion and organization. Keeping an eye on the incoming results from the Nevada Causes, where Barack walked away with the most delegates for the nomination, our New York hope mongers made phone calls, answered questions and signed up new volunteers throughout the day.
For more information on how to get involved in New York state, check out NY.BarackObama.com.
Tabling in Washington Heights in NYC
Barack volunteers march to Union Square in Manhattan
We’re drawing supporters of all ages
Upper West Side for Obama prepares for an “Obama Train” visibility march down Broadway.
ObamaNYC hosts a Nevada Caucus-watching party and phonebank at the 40/40 club in Manhattan. While cheering on Barack, they made over 1,500 phone calls to New York City voters.
Syracuse for Obama on the steps of Hendrick’s Chapel at Syracuse University
Souther Tier for Obama held their organizational meeting in Olean to plan the two and a half weeks before the NY Primary
Rochester holds a rally with over 175 new volunteer sign-ups
A packed crowd in Rochester.
To show support for Barack on the day of the Nevada Caucus, over 200 volunteers from the area crowded Venu-Restro Lounge & Nightclub on St. Paul’s Street in Rochester, NY.
Margaret, who only began working with RochesterDems for Obama in the past week, enthusiastically reported, “In forty-four years of working in campaigns from local to national, I have never seen this kind of passion mixed with focus and organization… The closest I can remember was in 1968, when I worked as a volunteer coordinator for Bobby Kennedy -- that's the closest thing I can remember.”
Rochester natives cheer Barack’s biographical video.
These supporters from the Metropolitan area came from all walks of life, young and old, filled with hope and ready to work for our grassroots movement for change. They watched Barack’s biographical video, cheered him on as the results came in from Nevada, and signed up for commitments for the days leading up to the New York State Primary on Feb. 5. The organizers of RochesterDems for Obama fired up the crowd by reviewing how far we’d come and what is still possible if we stand up for Barack throughout the Empire State.
The event received heavy press coverage on local stations and the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle.
Margaret summed up the feeling of hope and possibility emanating from the rally: “What I have experienced in one short week of working with RochDems for Obama is that there is such unity of purpose because there is unity of pride in our candidate that if ANYONE can do it -- we can!”
In 1788, Poughkeepsie, NY helped usher in a new kind of politics. It was here that Alexander Hamilton, John Jay and others gathered to debate and ratify the U.S. Constitution on behalf of New York State.
Last night, over 150 residents of Dutchess County gathered to express their own hopes for the dream we call America. A ribbon cutting ceremony at our new Poughkeepsie office brought together volunteers who had been with the campaign since the Spring, Summer and petition drive of the Fall with new faces who are joining our grassroots movement for change every day.
Over 150 Dutchess County residents attended the office opening.
Joyce Stanley Johnson, a native daughter of Poughkeepsie and the campaign's New York State Field Director, was on hand to fire up the crowd. "I want to tell America that it's not only you waiting for Obama," Joyce said. "The world is waiting for him."
A Dutchess County hope monger is interviewed by local news.
Over the next few days until the February 5th primary, the Poughkeepsie office will be the launching points for door-to-door canvasses of Dutchess County, with more organizational meetings to follow. If you live in Dutchess county, stop by 12 Raymond Avenue in the Town of Poughkeepsie.
