All Americans for Obama

Of the People, By the People, For the People

Karen Who Loves the Way Obama Loves All Americans — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 09:12:48 EST

"Our challenges may be new. The instruments with which we meet them may be new. But those values upon which our success depends - hard work and honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism - these things are old. These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history. What is demanded then is a return to these truths. What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility - a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task."

--From Inaugural Address, President Barack Obama, January 20, 2009

A Time to Serve

Karen Who Loves the Way Obama Loves All Americans — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 08:58:37 EST

"All this we can do. And all this we will do." --President Barack Obama, January 20, 2009

Glory Hallejuah

Karen Who Loves the Way Obama Loves All Americans — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 10:17:48 EST

Today is the day. Glory Hallejuah. I am thankful we are alive to see this day of hope and change. May the Obama presidency and administration hold fast to its promise to a return to government for the people, by the people and of the people. May we all keep our promise to serve and support one another, our nation, the United States of America. Amen. Which in the words of an old Beatle's song simply means "Let it be." May we be steadfast and faithful to God, the source, Great Creator and Spirit of Life Itself and neighbor. Let it be so.

Congratulations President Elect Obama and Vice President Elect Biden

Karen Who Loves the Way Obama Loves All Americans — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 19:29:28 EST

Dear President Elect Obama, Congratulations on your Inauguration. My whole family is so proud of ou! Congratulations also to Vice President Elect Biden. I am glad you and your fmaily are on the Obama team! My heart is very full to see the Obamaa family and the Biden family in Washington, D.C. I can't wait until tomorro, when my family and I can all say: President Obama and Vice President Biden. My cup is overlowing with joy for this moment in our nation's history. I live in Texas and pray for change to touch us ever more deeply in Texas, where many of us worked so very hard for you and almost changed Texas enough to win it over for you. We are continuing to work hard in Texas--those of us who love you. May you gain the love and respect of many more Americans over the next 4 years! Finally, may we continue to grow as a United States of America. May we continue to grow in service with one another!--The Baker-Fletcher Family

Are Prime Time Women for Obama Being Spammed?

Karen Who Loves the Way Obama Loves All Americans — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 18:49:09 EDT

Can someone tell me why we are getting a higher volume of email from PrimeTime Women for Obama than usual? It looks awfully suspicious to me, so I cancelled my subscription to the email today, because it was taking up so much space it obscuring email from my kids' schools and from work. Can someone post a message on our PrimeTime Women for Obama blog when this spate of email is over, please? I like getting email from the group, but it looks like someone is playing around with our email. When my mailbox is clogged with something I assume it is spam from a hacker and don't read it. Can headquarters fix this problem for us? Or are that many of us really that active right now? Regardless, I can not handle that volume of email and will resubscribe to email from our group when things either get fixed or calmed down. In contrast I love the posts on our blog. I can be happy with that for awhile.

Obama for POTUS

Karen Who Loves the Way Obama Loves All Americans — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 10:29:02 EDT

McBain/McBush are horrible for our economy. I think they are intentionally trying to crimp grassroots fundraising efforts through their corporate ties. Just think how much harder it is for us grassroots folk to make donations with all this gas hike and inflation on everything, the cost of health care, just plain old supplies for kids' back to school and food on the table, let alone a family member getting sick. We are sacrificing what we can for Obama and we need to get him in office to end this economic nightmare that McSame/McBush/McBain/McDonalds multinational corporate oppressive politically oppressive greedmongers could care less about.

Obama for President of the United States, the candidate who cares about Ordinary, Working Americns and Our Families.

Karen

Donations for Obama

Karen Who Loves the Way Obama Loves All Americans — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 10:22:02 EDT

Anyone who is willing and able, please donate to my women for Barack Obama FR page. I am back at work teaching and wanted to take just a moment to put up my link to my women for Barack Obama FR page this morning. Here it is:

http://my.barackobama.com/page/outreach/view/main/kbakerfl

I am for Obama, because I have been waiting for a candidate with his bottom up, grassroots approach for many years. Obama cares about ordinary Americans. He cares about working women and mothers. He cares about our economy and how it is unfair for the rich to get richer off our backs, while the rest of us get poorer. He cares about our childrens' education and the opportunity for more Americans to get a college education, too. I know we are all pretty broke with the price of gas and inflation. It's going to get even worse though if McCain gets the office of POTUS. Let's get Obama in office as POTUS. We need Barack Obama to be the next President of the United States. He is the candidate who cares about us and our families. I want to put Obama in office, because he respects my vote and won't take advantage of it just to get cozy with multinational corporations. He respects people who work for a living. Obama respects the People of the United States. Whatever you can contribute to the Obama campaign makes a difference. Thank you and have a great day!

Karen

McCain & Repugs are Afraid of Unions

Karen Who Loves the Way Obama Loves All Americans — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 16:49:40 EDT

McCain and the Repugs ( who should not be confused with the Republicans who have left to support Obama) are afraid of Unions. The audience participants at the Repug Convention last week did not clap or cheer much about that. Anybody notice it? I think working Americans across the board want our unions. We want people power. More power for U.S. citizens. Less power for multinational corporations. We the people are the U.S.A. Not the multinational corporations.

Let's take our country back. Let's put it back in the hands of We the People of the United States. We have a right to liberty and the pursuit of happiness. We have a right to organize and maintain unions to keep jobs here at home in the U.S. and to demand fair wages. Inflation has gone up in the last 8 years and wages have not gone up with the rate of inflation. That is unethical business practices. We the People of the United States of America will not be ruled by the Multinational Corporations with their Swiss and off-shore accounts. We the People of the United States will not be ruled by the Multinational Corporations of the United States who get tax breaks and spend the hard earned tax money of We the People of the United States. No more golden parachutes. No more tax breaks for the wealthy. No more of our tax dollars wasted on hair-brained multinational deals to support their losses. For more money in the hands of ordinary Americans vote Obama for President of the United States in 2008. We want less taxes on us, because We the People of the United States are sorely taxed. We the People of the United States want more of our tax dollars spent on We the People of the United States. That is what Obama stands for. Obama is Our Union Leader, Leader of the Union of the 50 states and its people. McCain and his cronies are the puppets of multinational corporations. McCain and his cronies are afraid of the largest, greatest, most powerful Union in this country: U.S. Citizens for Obama. Yes We Can. Yes We Can. We Are the Change. We the People of the United States are Taking Back Our Country Now.

My Political Olympians

Karen Who Loves the Way Obama Loves All Americans — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 12:05:26 EDT

Between the Olympics, the Democratic Convention and the Republican Convention I've watched more television than I can remember. The Democratic Convention was inspiring. Thanks to all of you who participated--our delegates and ordinary U.S. citizens. You are awesome Olympians in your own right. I was far more excited about our Democratic Convention political Olympians this year than the Olympics in China. You are champions, gold medal winners in my book. You inspire the rest of us to keep in shape, workout our political and community service muscles to slam dunk Barack Obama into the White House in November. Let's go for that final Gold Medal, Champions.

Congratulations

Karen Who Loves the Way Obama Loves All Americans — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 17:25:46 EDT

Congratulations to the Obama Team and the Democratic Convention. What a great week in Denver. All kinds of ordinary Americans speaking, mixed in with seasoned and new elected officials. It was the convention of the century. It was more than great speeches. It was real commitment, real hard work along with real vision. What a beautiful living portrait of Americans the delegates, politicians and ordinary Americans who participated all made. Many thanks to all of our delegates and ordinary Americans who participated. Many thanks to all elected officials and politicians who listened to America and co-led with volunteer leaders. God Bless America!

Congrats to Obama/Biden

Karen Who Loves the Way Obama Loves All Americans — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 10:27:45 EDT

Congratulations to Obama and Biden, our Presidential and VP candidates for 2008. What a great team. I look forward to winning this election race for Obama as POTUS and Biden as VP in 2008! Let's celebrate even as we get back to work. Yes we can!

Americans With Disabilities

Karen Who Loves the Way Obama Loves All Americans — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 13:40:53 EDT

I've posted Obama's speech on Americans with Disabilities before and I want to keep it at the forefront. Why? Because many Americans think that Americans with Disabilities goes under health care, which is only one slice of a large pie when it comes to equal rights for Americans with Disabilities. I once taught a student who was an amputee who was healthier than many of her classmates. Her legs were amputated because of a major house fire. She could climb stairs with her arms if she had to. None of her classmates could do that. None of the faculty could do that. None of the staff could either. She was not sick. She was healthier than most of her "able-bodied" peers. She had and has a disability. What she needed was equal access and opportunity, a life free from prejudice and discrimination. What she needed was more elevators in the older academic institution where she was a student so that she could save her arms for more important things like writing her papers, cooking, brushing her teeth, washing her airplaying an instrument, etc. all the things many Americans take for granted. Why wear out your arm joints and rotator cuffs in your 20s climbing stairs.

Obama will fight for Americans With Disabilities and Our Families. One in 6 Americans has a disability and faces discrimination in employment, education, a host of opportunities and access to public buildings. This is about all of us Americans and Obama gets it. As one who has worked with students with disabilities for nearly 20 years, let me assure you that it is a serious issue. In my experience these students are among my hardest working students in the general population that I teach. These students include Americans with dyslexia, temporary brain injuries from automobile accidents,Americans with bipolar or depression, amputees, those with cerebral palsy, blind students and the severely arthritic. They have taken classes from me and other faculty right along with their "able-bodied peers." I admire them. I have plenty of students who turn in late work from a cold, headache or stomach virus. In nearly 20 years of teaching I have had only 1 student take an incomplete because of physical disability and only one from emotional/psychological disability. 99 percent of students with disabilities are among the very best students I have taught. First, it takes spunk and fortitude for them to go to college and graduate school. I teach graduate students--adults. The few who make it to graduate school get there through persistence and have common stories of those who never get to college, let alone graduate school, because of difficulties finding educational institutions near them that are accessible or can/will make themselves more accessible for their needs. Even then institutions are not always as accessible as they claim, missing ramps, elevators, accessible restrooms, accessible classrooms, accessible sidewalks and pathways to several of their buildings. Second, there are common stories around employment discrimination and accessibility in the work place. Obama considers all of this in his speech below:

OBAMA'S SPEECH ON THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT AND HIS POSITION

On this anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, I'm reminded of my father-in-law, Fraser Robinson, who contracted multiple sclerosis at a young age. My wife Michelle watched him go from a vibrant and athletic young man to a man who used two canes to get himself to his job as a shift worker. He never missed a day of work; he just woke up a little earlier and worked a little harder to overcome the barriers he faced each day. He never wanted special treatment – he just wanted to be treated like everyone else.

That's the very promise of the ADA. For decades, people with disabilities fought to eliminate everyday discrimination by seeking equal access to jobs, public places, and the voting booth. And eighteen years ago this weekend, Democrats, Republicans, and citizens of all kinds came together around that common purpose to provide all Americans with disabilities a full, fair and equal opportunity to achieve the American Dream.

Because of the ADA, a woman with a disability can take public transportation to a workplace with the accommodations she needs. Because of the ADA, a wounded veteran can navigate his wheelchair more easily in public places. Because of the ADA, a student with a disability can study with accessible materials and learn in accessible classrooms.

These are impressive achievements. But as with our other shared struggles for equal rights, our work is not done. Until every child with a disability can learn in their local public school in the manner best for them; until every worker with a disability can apply for a job without fear of discrimination; until every American with a disability can live an independent life in their community, we have more work to do.

As President, I will build on the ADA's promise so that we make at least as much progress over the next eighteen years as we have over the last eighteen. That begins with restoring the original legislation. Recent decisions by the Supreme Court have severely restricted its scope by creating a far too narrow definition of "disability." As a result, people with multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, diabetes, cancer, and other conditions can be fired from their jobs because of those conditions. That's unacceptable, and not what Congress intended. When I am President, I will urge Congress to pass the ADA Amendments Act, if it doesn't this year.

Remarkable progress has been made in education for people with disabilities. But while students with disabilities are attending college in record numbers, their graduation rates still lag behind other students. That's why I'll fight to increase funding for vocational rehabilitation programs that provide the training and job support necessary for success in college and beyond. And because it's long past time Congress kept its part of the bargain to help all our children fulfill their potential, I will demand full funding for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.

Because too many persons with disabilities still face barriers to employment due to discrimination, I'll strengthen anti-discrimination enforcement by increasing funding for our nation's civil rights and compliance agencies. And I will make the government a model employer, beginning with an Executive Order to hire 100,000 employees with disabilities into the federal workforce within five years.

Because too many still face barriers to living fully independent lives, I strongly support Senator Harkin's Community Choice Act, which eliminates institutional bias in Medicaid and empowers people with disabilities to choose where and how they live. Unfortunately, my opponent opposes this important legislation and the independent, community-based living it allows. I also strongly support Senator Kennedy's CLASS Act, a budget-neutral means of financing long-term services and supports for individuals with significant disabilities so they don't impoverish themselves just to qualify for Medicaid.

Because too many still face barriers to the care they need, I'll fight for mental health parity like the bill I helped pass in Illinois, so that coverage for serious mental illnesses is equal to coverage for other illnesses and diseases. And I will finally guarantee quality health care for anyone who wants it, make it affordable and portable for everyone, and stop insurance companies from discriminating and denying coverage to those who need it most – and I will sign it into law by the end of my first term as President of the United States.

Today, more than one in six Americans lives with a disability. Most of the rest of us love somebody with one. So we all have an obligation to ensure that they have the opportunity to achieve the American Dream. As we celebrate the anniversary of this extraordinary legislation, let us recommit ourselves to building a world free of unnecessary barriers, stereotypes, and discrimination on the path to creating the more perfect union that we seek.

- Senator Barack Obama

Obama's 7/26 Speech on Americans With Disabilities

Karen Who Loves the Way Obama Loves All Americans — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 11:28:33 EDT

Obama will fight for Americans With Disabilities and Our Families. One in 6 Americans has a disability and faces discrimination in employment, education, a host of opportunities and access to public buildings. This is about all of us Americans and Obama gets it. As one who has worked with students with disabilities for nearly 20 years, let me assure you that is a serious issue. In my experience these students are among my hardest working students in the general population that I teach. I admire them. First, it takes spunk and fortitude for them to go to college and graduate school. I teach graduate students--adults. The few who make it to graduate school get there through persistence and have common stories of those who never get to college, let alone graduate school, because of difficulties finding educational institutions near them that are accessible or can/will make themselves more accessible for their needs. Even then institutions are not always as accessible as they claim. I had a student who was an amputee from a fire and burn injuries who had to urinate in the bushes at a school where I taught, because the building for one of her courses had no accessible restrooms. Her only recourse was to threaten a law suit. Only at that point did the administration renovate for accessibility in all its buildings. Second, as the wife of a husband with physical disabilities with numerous friends with disabilities there are common stories around employment discrimination. Obama considers all of this in his speech below:
OBAMA'S SPEECH ON THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT AND HIS POSITION
On this anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, I'm reminded of my father-in-law, Fraser Robinson, who contracted multiple sclerosis at a young age. My wife Michelle watched him go from a vibrant and athletic young man to a man who used two canes to get himself to his job as a shift worker. He never missed a day of work; he just woke up a little earlier and worked a little harder to overcome the barriers he faced each day. He never wanted special treatment – he just wanted to be treated like everyone else.

That's the very promise of the ADA. For decades, people with disabilities fought to eliminate everyday discrimination by seeking equal access to jobs, public places, and the voting booth. And eighteen years ago this weekend, Democrats, Republicans, and citizens of all kinds came together around that common purpose to provide all Americans with disabilities a full, fair and equal opportunity to achieve the American Dream.

Because of the ADA, a woman with a disability can take public transportation to a workplace with the accommodations she needs. Because of the ADA, a wounded veteran can navigate his wheelchair more easily in public places. Because of the ADA, a student with a disability can study with accessible materials and learn in accessible classrooms.

These are impressive achievements. But as with our other shared struggles for equal rights, our work is not done. Until every child with a disability can learn in their local public school in the manner best for them; until every worker with a disability can apply for a job without fear of discrimination; until every American with a disability can live an independent life in their community, we have more work to do.

As President, I will build on the ADA's promise so that we make at least as much progress over the next eighteen years as we have over the last eighteen. That begins with restoring the original legislation. Recent decisions by the Supreme Court have severely restricted its scope by creating a far too narrow definition of "disability." As a result, people with multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, diabetes, cancer, and other conditions can be fired from their jobs because of those conditions. That's unacceptable, and not what Congress intended. When I am President, I will urge Congress to pass the ADA Amendments Act, if it doesn't this year.

Remarkable progress has been made in education for people with disabilities. But while students with disabilities are attending college in record numbers, their graduation rates still lag behind other students. That's why I'll fight to increase funding for vocational rehabilitation programs that provide the training and job support necessary for success in college and beyond. And because it's long past time Congress kept its part of the bargain to help all our children fulfill their potential, I will demand full funding for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.

Because too many persons with disabilities still face barriers to employment due to discrimination, I'll strengthen anti-discrimination enforcement by increasing funding for our nation's civil rights and compliance agencies. And I will make the government a model employer, beginning with an Executive Order to hire 100,000 employees with disabilities into the federal workforce within five years.

Because too many still face barriers to living fully independent lives, I strongly support Senator Harkin's Community Choice Act, which eliminates institutional bias in Medicaid and empowers people with disabilities to choose where and how they live. Unfortunately, my opponent opposes this important legislation and the independent, community-based living it allows. I also strongly support Senator Kennedy's CLASS Act, a budget-neutral means of financing long-term services and supports for individuals with significant disabilities so they don't impoverish themselves just to qualify for Medicaid.

Because too many still face barriers to the care they need, I'll fight for mental health parity like the bill I helped pass in Illinois, so that coverage for serious mental illnesses is equal to coverage for other illnesses and diseases. And I will finally guarantee quality health care for anyone who wants it, make it affordable and portable for everyone, and stop insurance companies from discriminating and denying coverage to those who need it most – and I will sign it into law by the end of my first term as President of the United States.

Today, more than one in six Americans lives with a disability. Most of the rest of us love somebody with one. So we all have an obligation to ensure that they have the opportunity to achieve the American Dream. As we celebrate the anniversary of this extraordinary legislation, let us recommit ourselves to building a world free of unnecessary barriers, stereotypes, and discrimination on the path to creating the more perfect union that we seek.
- Senator Barack Obama

Americans With Disabilities

Karen Who Loves the Way Obama Loves All Americans — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 11:41:50 EDT

Steve Sampson is an Obama supporter who was undecided in January and went to an Obama event. He questioned Obama on his position for Americans With Disabilities. Obama responded that he will fight for Americans with Disabilities. Obama and I love Steve Sampson. Yay, Steve! The two platform writing meetings my husband and I participated in were hosted by Americans with disabilities. My husband is also an American with disabilities. We (meeting participants, not jus us) talked about Americans with disabilities in our platform meetings intensively in addition to the many other issues (environment, healthcare, constitutional rights, equal rights, education) that concern Americans for Obama. Much education and consciousness raising still needs to be done. Some want to collapse Disabilities into Universal Health Care. There is overlap, but disabilities can not simply be collapsed into health care. It is also an equal rights issue that includes accessibility in all manner of public buildings and paths (as well as private for that matter in terms of schools and educational facilities), equal treatment in hiring and employment, social security and medicare/medicaid--these are just a few areas. The majority of Americans will have some form of disability mostly temporary and including permanent, during their lifetime. This is an issue for all of us, not just a minority. Moreover, homes and products made accessible for those with disabilities are helpful and healthier for all of us. We all benefit in the end. Some think that good nutrition will prevent disabilities. Area of consciousness raising here. That's as silly as Christians, and I am Christian, who tell people that if they pray harder, have more faith or confessed a secret sin that their arms and legs will grow back, develop suddenly when a person was born with cerebral palsy, etc. It is a form of denial--"It won't/can't happen to me." Let's all choose to learn more about disabilities and how vulnerable we all are. All Americans should have a right not only to universal health care but to disability insurance that will sustain our children and ourselves who from birth or through injury later in life are disabled. It can be any of us any time. It is more than what we eat. Many disabilities are from birth with cause unknown or genetic. Many others are from accidents at work or on the road. Some are caused by strokes. Most disabilities have absolutely nothing to do with what we eat. It is universal healthcare, yes, but also much, much more. Let's all listen to the members of our Obama family with disabilities.They are us. We are them. We mirror one another. We Are the Ones We Have Been Waiting For. Let's all help Obama strengthen his plank on Americans With Disabilities in our Platform Writing Meetings. He needs and appreciates our input.

Get Out the Vote

Karen Who Loves the Way Obama Loves All Americans — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 21:29:42 EDT

In addition to attending Platform Writing Meetings by the end of July, let;s remember to get out the vote everyone. There are wonderful Voter Registration Events taking place this month and through October. Check your local Obama Campaign headquarters and the Obama Events page for events near you. There are many trainings taking place across the nation to get you deputized and teach you how to register voters. Believe it or not, when I have registered new voters a few of them thought they had to pay to register. You'd be surprised by what people don't know. Let's support a fully democratic campaign for Barack Obama by registering as many first time voters as we can. Also, people lose their cards and need replacements. America needs our help, so let's help. Yes We Can!

Democratic Platform Writing Meetings

Karen Who Loves the Way Obama Loves All Americans — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 18:17:01 EDT

Dear Obama Family: My husband and I attended a Democratic Platform Writing Meeting today in North Texas. I encourage all of us to participate in these platform writing committees. This is the best way to get our ideas on the Democratic Party Platform. It is also the best way to make sure Obama hears our ideas. If you have not signed up for a Democratic Platform Writing Meeting yet, then I encourage you to sign up and attend one near you. You also might consider hosting one. The meeting my family and I attended today was well-organized with a clear agenda for how to proceed. A Democratic Party Platform Committee Member was present. We shared ideas and hammered them out. This is the first time in more than 40 years we have done this, so we took two hours and went a little over that. Remember that for platform writing we want broad planks and consider how to write them so they are difficult for Republicans to use against us. The wording needs to appeal to a broad base of people. At the meeting(s) you attend they will go over this with you. You will also learn about your state Democratic Party's Platfom and Planks so as not to completely reinvent wheels already present, but to improve and enhance where you think it's needed. (For example the Environment and Health Care are areas where we have some language you may already agree with. You may want to simply improve a specific area of that or move to propose a new plank, improve one that needs more attention. It's all up to you and your group meeting.) New concerns and planks are welcome, of course. Tomorrow I am attending a Democratic Activist Training meeting and possibly another platform writing meeting. I've just shared my little experience here to encourage you to attend a Democratic Platform Writing Meeting. Each meeting will be unique. The Point Is: Have your voice heard. Now is the Time for Change. We Are the Change.

I Believe We Can Win

Karen Who Loves the Way Obama Loves All Americans — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 18:12:11 EDT

I believe we can win. I believe our campaign is strong enough to put Senator Barack Obama into the White House as President Barack Obama. I am so thankful for all of the Obama family. I know we've had our ups and downs sometimes this summer over various issues. Still we united to raise $52 mil for Obama in June. I think that is amazing. I am so glad to be part of a campaign where we can work across our differences of opinion on some issues and focus on winning Obama the presidency in November. I know Obama is not perfect. Obama knows that he is not perfect. We all know Obama is no more perfect than any other presidential candidate in U.S. history. God knows I am not perfect. None of us are. Yet all of us are doing our very best to make this country better and our world healthier. Moreover, we know our candidate is a much better candidate than John McCain. Yesterday, someone I was disagreeing with on a blog invited me to be a friend. That made me focus and set aside my quibble. That friendship made me look at what we are accomplishing as volunteer leaders for Obama. It made me remember that it absolutely does not matter if we disagree with one another sometimes or certain points. It does not matter that we always understand one another. The miracle is that we are all here and staying at the table. This campaign would not be as strong without every single one of us. Thanks to my new Obama friend. Thank you everybody. We Are the Change.

The Feminist Majority Petition to the New Yorker

Karen Who Loves the Way Obama Loves All Americans — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 14:31:04 EDT

From Another Blog. I along with many other Obama supporters have signed this petition. Any one can sign, male or female, feminist or not:

Post from Edie's Blog: Take Action with the FEMINIST MAJORITY Re: the New Yorker CoverBy Edie "Hussein" M. Ph.D. - Jul 17th, 2008 at 1:14 pm EDT Also listed in: 10 groups Comments | Mail to a Friend | Report Objectionable Content

Sign the message here:

http://salsa.wiredforchange.com/o/1269/t/3076/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=2243

Show 1 Reader Comment

Content on blogs in My.BarackObama represents the opinions of community members and in no way should be interpreted as endorsed or approved by the campaign.

An Humble Invitation

Karen Who Loves the Way Obama Loves All Americans — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 11:48:14 EDT

My Women for Obama Fundraising Goal
A New Day for All Americans

Barack Obama and I are committed to changing the political process by building a campaign built on a broad base of support from ordinary Americans.

Women across America are showing their support for Barack Obama and helping to build one of a grassroots organization of unprecedented strength.

I've set my own personal fundraising goal for my Women for Obama campaign, which you can see on the thermometer to the right. If you are like me, perhaps you are making small donations to several Obama fundraising pages for $5.00 or less. However much you donate makes a difference and Obama appreciates it. Let's join Michelle Obama in making this a winning campaign for Barack.

Will you make a donation to help me reach my goal?

Contribute Now

Graphic updated every 5 minutes
Create your own page now!

Report Objectionable Content

Let's Run A Smart Campaign

Karen Who Loves the Way Obama Loves All Americans — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 13:09:43 EDT

Several Obama supporters/bloggers who are smarter than I am have asked me to share the following on other blogs: Let's Run A Smart Campaign By Perseverance Wins the Race: Formerly Karen Who Loves the Way Obama Loves All Americans 34 minutes ago Some people think those of us who don’t want to rant about FISA are anti-intellectual.I hang out with intellectuals and the best are not just intellectuals--they are smart, college degree or not. I am not proud to say I am an intellectual with a sad past of hubris and arrogance, which I am recovering from. So pray for me. I have several degrees. I write for a living. I teach in higher education. I am weary of those who like to tout how intellectual they are all over the place during a political campaign. I am also weary of those who confuse "intellectual" with "smart." It especially wearies me because I’ve been there, done that and prefer friends who help me not go there. It's more important to learn life lessons from smart people with no degrees or who have gotten over their degrees. They know a hell of a lot more than those of us afflicted with hubris. Hubris is deadly. The taxi drivers, the bus drivers, the grocery clerks, the barbershops, the beauty shops—all kinds of truly SMART people. A young Obama supporter named Kristen shared a quote: “Sure there is a field of critics, but I don’t remember seeing them in the hall of fame.” It's about the campaign. Let's win this thing and beat McCain. McCain is our opponent. He would be a horrible extension of Bush administration policies. As far as the war in Iraq is concerned things would get worse under McCain--sending troops into Iran to begin with. Obama is the best candidate for POTUS. He has the best vision for a healthier USA. Obama has a strong record on women's issues. Obama has been consistent in opposing the war on Iraq. Obama is clear that GLBTs are human beings like all Americans. He supports equal rights and civil rights for all Americans regardless of race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, age or ability. Obama has a strong voting record on environmental issues and continues to learn about the strengths and weaknesses of sustainable options, as do we all. Obama works from the bottom up and continues to listen (those who write to him are listened to). Obama is a grassroots worker who challenges the monopoly control of multinational corporations in government along with the rest of us. Obama understands that life is grey, complex and lovely.

American Pragmatism: Typos Corrected

Karen Who Loves the Way Obama Loves All Americans — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 16:47:18 EDT

It is my impression that more of us Obama supporters than not are pragmatists. Most Americans are, because political life is too hard to be idealists and optimists. Many of us were pessimists before this campaign, disillusioned with American politics and the Bush administration. Many of us old enough to remember Vietnam and Water Gate were pessimists of 35+ years. Many of us old enough to remember JFK, RFK and MLK had been pessimists for forty years or more. Those of us who discourage a critical mode that rants against Obama's positions do so not out of optimism, idealism, blindness, naievete or because we agree with Obama on every single issue and down to the dots on his 'i's". We do so out of prior campaign experience, a desire for our candidate to win this time and pragmatism. We know that we will criticize this president, like we've criticized all the rest, when we have him safely in office. We know Obama is not perfect. Pragmatic is what we are.

We are pragmatic. At least those of us with whom I indentify with most strongly in this campaign to make Obama the next POTUS. Moreover, this is more than a campaign. This is an Obama movement inspired not just by Obama but by all of us. We do not simply or simplistically believe in Obama. We believe in the change that we are. We have been to hell and we're coming back to claim our country come hell or high water. We are here. We know it's not just him. It is us. That's pragmatic. We Are the Change and Therefore We Are Changed. We are campaigning for Obama to work hard as POTUS--for all of us. It is a gift to be nearly 50 years old--older than some and younger than others. Too old to be a pessimist. Too young to sit and watch. Too old to be an idealist. Too wise to let go of hope. Too old to be an optimist. Too young not to campaign hard. Too old to live in the present only. Too young not to take this moment seriously. Old enough to join a shared vision and care for it with pragmatism. That's good at any age. Obama has my strong support. He is the best candidate for POTUS in 2008. We are the change and we are here. Happy Indepedence Day from a Broken System.

I've Changed My Name for General Elections

Karen Who Loves the Way Obama Loves All Americans — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 12:47:02 EDT

I've changed my name, using my old name after the colon. I've been a blogger for awhile now. I still like the way Obama loves all Americans. It's a tremendous gift and one I higly value and strive to embody in my own life. I've changed my name a bit, because not everyone knows what love is. Love is tough, patient, perseverant, strong, in kinship with hope and faith, committed, loyal, thoughtful, wise--far more than a warm, fuzzy feeling. Anyway I'm a tough-loving Obama Mama with two teenagers and a grown kid.Will be 50 in a few months--not very young and not very old. In half a century I've been to hell and back, know what it is to love Martin Luther King's way. Know that the arc of the universe is long and bends toward justice from experience. Love is certainly perseverant, focussed on its goal while aware of its surroundings and perseverance wins the race. Obama for POTUS in 2008!

Happy 4th Of July

Karen Who Loves the Way Obama Loves All Americans — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 11:55:14 EDT

My good news is: Yesterday my husband and I went to get deputized to register voters in Dallas County, Texas today. We went to the Dallas Democratic Headquarters and they were very nice. They deputized us, they gave us directions to the Obama Dallas HQ (the one that is open on Wednesdays), and we gave a donation to them. They are trying to raise 500.00 for local Dallas HQ. The other good news is: A man named Dave who is an Obama supporter was selling Dallas Morning News Subscriptions at the grocery store. I usually don't do newspaper subsriptions, because I make an absolute commit to recycling all that paper and that's alot of paper, but I bought a 3 month subscription from him. Needless to say, if he had not been an Obama supporter I would not have bought anything from him. So, he did his sales pitch and I did my Obama thing and he asked how to get involved fundraising. He'd be really good--he's an old hand at this stuff and I'm a newbie who's doing pretty well. Anyway, I gave him the information and he says he's going to sign up on line and help out tonight. I hope he really does. Even if he doesn't and it was all a sales pitch, I bet he tells someone about this ObamaMama he talked to and someone he knows or someone they know will visit Obama's campaign site and get involved. Pray, pray, pray that it's so. Thanks again to everyone who has shared good news tonight. Love y'all. That's about it from me today, except thanks to everyone who has donated to Obama's campaign this week or today--on any of the donation sites. As for my own Obama Fundraising Page I've raised $733.00 of my $1,000.00 goal since March. Between all us fundraisers we've met our 150,000 donors declaring Independence from a Broken System by July 4th and have exceeded it. Not only that but the fundraising continues. Thanks to all y'all for all your hard work for Obama whatever you're doing for the campaign. Each activity makes a difference. We Are the Change. I love being part of that change with all of you. I invite you to make donations today on my Obama FR page

http://my.barackobama.com/page/dashboard/public/gGJtTX

OR: http://my.barackobama.com/page/outreach/view/main/kbakerfl

or to any of the Obama FR Donation sites. Happy 4th of July!–Love, Karen

Obama and People of Faith

Karen Who Loves the Way Obama Loves All Americans — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 11:59:20 EDT

See and hear Obama with Americans of faith. Barack Obama loves all Americans, including Americans of faith engaged in community service. He will be a president who supports all Americans committed to working with one another for change across the many lines of faith among American people. Moreover, as a president steeped in constitutional law he will do this without endangering separation of church and state, a sharp contrast to the last administration. See below:

Barack Speaks About Faith In Zanesville, Ohio

By Amanda Scott - Jul 1st, 2008 at 2:42 pm EDT

Comments | Mail to a Friend | Report Objectionable Content

Barack was recently at the East Side Community Ministry in Zanesville, Ohio, to talk about the future of Faith Based Outreach programs. Here's a little bit about what Barack said...

You know, faith based groups like East Side Community Ministry carry a particular meaning for me. Because in a way, they're what led me into public service. It was a Catholic group called The Campaign for Human Development that helped fund the work I did many years ago in Chicago to help lift up neighborhoods that were devastated by the closure of a local steel plant.

Now, I didn't grow up in a particularly religious household. But my experience in Chicago showed me how faith and values could be an anchor in my life. And in time, I came to see my faith as being both a personal commitment to Christ and a commitment to my community; that while I could sit in church and pray all I want, I wouldn't be fulfilling God's will unless I went out and did the Lord's work.

There are millions of Americans who share a similar view of their faith, who feel they have an obligation to help others. And they're making a difference in communities all across this country – through initiatives like Ready4Work, which is helping ensure that ex-offenders don't return to a life of crime; or Catholic Charities, which is feeding the hungry and making sure we don't have homeless veterans sleeping on the streets of Chicago; or the good work that's being done by a coalition of religious groups to rebuild New Orleans.

You see, while these groups are often made up of folks who've come together around a common faith, they're usually working to help people of all faiths or of no faith at all. And they're particularly well-placed to offer help. As I've said many times, I believe that change comes not from the top-down, but from the bottom-up, and few are closer to the people than our churches, synagogues, temples, and mosques.

That's why Washington needs to draw on them. The fact is, the challenges we face today – from saving our planet to ending poverty – are simply too big for government to solve alone. We need all hands on deck.

Here are some pictures from his time in Zanesville...

Read the full remarks, as prepared for delivery...

Remarks of Senator Barack Obama
as prepared for delivery
Tuesday, July 1st, 2008

Zanesville, Ohio

You know, faith based groups like East Side Community Ministry carry a particular meaning for me. Because in a way, they're what led me into public service. It was a Catholic group called The Campaign for Human Development that helped fund the work I did many years ago in Chicago to help lift up neighborhoods that were devastated by the closure of a local steel plant.

Now, I didn't grow up in a particularly religious household. But my experience in Chicago showed me how faith and values could be an anchor in my life. And in time, I came to see my faith as being both a personal commitment to Christ and a commitment to my community; that while I could sit in church and pray all I want, I wouldn't be fulfilling God's will unless I went out and did the Lord's work.

There are millions of Americans who share a similar view of their faith, who feel they have an obligation to help others. And they're making a difference in communities all across this country – through initiatives like Ready4Work, which is helping ensure that ex-offenders don't return to a life of crime; or Catholic Charities, which is feeding the hungry and making sure we don't have homeless veterans sleeping on the streets of Chicago; or the good work that's being done by a coalition of religious groups to rebuild New Orleans.

You see, while these groups are often made up of folks who've come together around a common faith, they're usually working to help people of all faiths or of no faith at all. And they're particularly well-placed to offer help. As I've said many times, I believe that change comes not from the top-down, but from the bottom-up, and few are closer to the people than our churches, synagogues, temples, and mosques.

That's why Washington needs to draw on them. The fact is, the challenges we face today – from saving our planet to ending poverty – are simply too big for government to solve alone. We need all hands on deck.

I'm not saying that faith-based groups are an alternative to government or secular nonprofits. And I'm not saying that they're somehow better at lifting people up. What I'm saying is that we all have to work together – Christian and Jew, Hindu and Muslim; believer and non-believer alike – to meet the challenges of the 21st century.

Now, I know there are some who bristle at the notion that faith has a place in the public square. But the fact is, leaders in both parties have recognized the value of a partnership between the White House and faith-based groups. President Clinton signed legislation that opened the door for faith-based groups to play a role in a number of areas, including helping people move from welfare to work. Al Gore proposed a partnership between Washington and faith-based groups to provide more support for the least of these. And President Bush came into office with a promise to "rally the armies of compassion," establishing a new Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives.

But what we saw instead was that the Office never fulfilled its promise. Support for social services to the poor and the needy have been consistently underfunded. Rather than promoting the cause of all faith-based organizations, former officials in the Office have described how it was used to promote partisan interests. As a result, the smaller congregations and community groups that were supposed to be empowered ended up getting short-changed.

Well, I still believe it's a good idea to have a partnership between the White House and grassroots groups, both faith-based and secular. But it has to be a real partnership – not a photo-op. That's what it will be when I'm President. I'll establish a new Council for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships. The new name will reflect a new commitment. This Council will not just be another name on the White House organization chart – it will be a critical part of my administration.

Now, make no mistake, as someone who used to teach constitutional law, I believe deeply in the separation of church and state, but I don't believe this partnership will endanger that idea – so long as we follow a few basic principles. First, if you get a federal grant, you can't use that grant money to proselytize to the people you help and you can't discriminate against them – or against the people you hire – on the basis of their religion. Second, federal dollars that go directly to churches, temples, and mosques can only be used on secular programs. And we'll also ensure that taxpayer dollars only go to those programs that actually work.

With these principles as a guide, my Council for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships will strengthen faith-based groups by making sure they know the opportunities open to them to build on their good works. Too often, faith-based groups – especially smaller congregations and those that aren't well connected – don't know how to apply for federal dollars, or how to navigate a government website to see what grants are available, or how to comply with federal laws and regulations. We rely too much on conferences in Washington, instead of getting technical assistance to the people who need it on the ground. What this means is that what's stopping many faith-based groups from helping struggling families is simply a lack of knowledge about how the system works.

Well, that will change when I'm President. I will empower the nonprofit religious and community groups that do understand how this process works to train the thousands of groups that don't. We'll "train the trainers" by giving larger faith-based partners like Catholic Charities and Lutheran Services and secular nonprofits like Public/Private Ventures the support they need to help other groups build and run effective programs. Every house of worship that wants to run an effective program and that's willing to abide by our constitution – from the largest mega-churches and synagogues to the smallest store-front churches and mosques – can and will have access to the information and support they need to run that program.

This Council will also help target our efforts to meet key challenges like education. All across America, too many children simply can't read or perform math at their grade-level, a problem that grows worse for low-income students during the summer months and afterschool hours. Nonprofits like Children's Defense Fund are working to solve this problem. They hold summer and afterschool Freedom Schools in communities across this country, and many of their classes are held in churches.

There's a lot of evidence that these kinds of partnerships work. Take Youth Education for Tomorrow, an innovative program that's being run by churches, faith-based schools, and others in Philadelphia. To help narrow the summer learning gap, the YET program hires qualified teachers who help students with reading using proven learning techniques. They hold classes four days a week after school and during the summer. And they monitor progress closely. The results have been outstanding. Children who attended a YET center for at least six months improved nearly 2 years in reading ability. And the average high school student gained a full grade in reading level after just three months.

That's the kind of real progress that can be made when we empower faith-based organizations. And that's why as President, I'll expand summer programs like this to serve one million students. This won't just help our children learn, it will help keep them off the streets during the summer so they don't turn to crime.

And my Council for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships will also have a broader role – it will help set our national agenda. Because if we are going to do something about the injustice of millions of children living in extreme poverty, we need interfaith coalitions like the Let Justice Roll campaign standing up for the powerless. If we're going to end genocide and stop the scourge of HIV/AIDS, we need people of faith on Capitol Hill talking about how these challenges don't just represent a security crisis or a humanitarian crisis, but a moral crisis as well.

We know that faith and values can be a source of strength in our own lives. That's what it's been to me. And that's what it is to so many Americans. But it can also be something more. It can be the foundation of a new project of American renewal. And that's the kind of effort I intend to lead as President of the United States.

Voices from Iowa

Karen Who Loves the Way Obama Loves All Americans — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 17:22:54 EDT

Our candidate for POTUS, Senator Barack Obama, cares about all Americans including the people of Iowa. Hear their voices in this video distributed by Obama Headquarters:
VIDEO: Voices from the Iowa Convention
By Zachary Scott Edwards - Jul 1st, 2008 at 4:15 pm EDT

Comments | Mail to a Friend | Report Objectionable Content
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tags: barack obama, democrats, Iowa, Voices from the Iowa Convention
This Saturday, while thousands of Unite for Change events were held across the country, Iowa Democrats met in Des Moines to hold their state convention. The party business of electing national delegates and voting on our state platform were the scheduled items on the agenda, but from the general atmosphere of the delegates, uniting our party around Barack Obama and down-ballot Democrats, was a top priority.

Watch the video below called "Voices from the Iowa Democratic Convention."

As we work together over these next weeks and months, without the support of millions of people all across the country, we won't be able to take back our government from the special interests and lobbyists who have written our public policies for far too long. Help us deliver Barack's message and grow our campaign for change by inviting you friends, family, neighbors, and co-workers to join us. Use the link below to invite someone to our campaign and start making a difference right now!

Use the link below to invite someone to our campaign and start making a difference right now!

My Dashboard
My Neighborhood
My Friends

View Friends and Invites
Invite People
Find People
Events

Find Events
Create an Event
Manage Your Events
My Messages

View Messages
Compose Messages
Settings
My Groups

Create a Group
Recently Updated
Recently Created
My Fundraising

Manage Your Page
My Blog

Write a Blog Post
Manage Blog
Blog Settings
Search All Blogs
View All Blogs

Action Center
Resources

Unite for Change Iowa Video

Karen Who Loves the Way Obama Loves All Americans — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 17:17:20 EDT

I would like to share the following video from Obama Headquarters with you:VIDEO: Voices from the Iowa Convention

By Zachary Scott Edwards - Jul 1st, 2008 at 4:15 pm EDT

Comments | Mail to a Friend | Report Objectionable Content Tags: barack obama, democrats, Iowa, Voices from the Iowa Convention

This Saturday, while thousands of Unite for Change events were held across the country, Iowa Democrats met in Des Moines to hold their state convention. The party business of electing national delegates and voting on our state platform were the scheduled items on the agenda, but from the general atmosphere of the delegates, uniting our party around Barack Obama and down-ballot Democrats, was a top priority.

Watch the video below called “Voices from the Iowa Democratic Convention."

As we work together over these next weeks and months, without the support of millions of people all across the country, we won’t be able to take back our government from the special interests and lobbyists who have written our public policies for far too long. Help us deliver Barack’s message and grow our campaign for change by inviting you friends, family, neighbors, and co-workers to join us. Use the link below to invite someone to our campaign and start making a difference right now!

Unite, Donate, Change

Karen Who Loves the Way Obama Loves All Americans — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 15:23:48 EDT

Happy Unite for Change, everybody! This weekend I'm busy fundraising this weekend in the spirit of uniting for change with Senator Barack Obama. Let's donate to the Obama presidential campaign and unite for change. This weekend I am being proactive by fundraising.Please make a donation to my.barackobama.com website. I have now received two donations from my Obama family this weekend--the first two since April. Many thanks to the Obama friends and neighbors who have donated so far. You make a difference. You each make a difference. Please check out my website. Also, if you are not already a friend you're welcome to join my friends network. Here is the link to my full profile page:

http://my.barackobama.com/page/dashboard/public/gGJtTX

OR to go directly my.barackobama.com donation page:

http://my.barackobama.com/page/outreach/view/main/kbakerfl

Or, simply click on my name at the top of this post and go to "full profile" to see my page. Whether you become a friend, donate or both I'd love to hear from you. I appreciate your hard work for making Obama POTUS in 2008.--Karen Who Loves the Way Obama Loves All Americans

Obama in Flint Michigan

Karen Who Loves the Way Obama Loves All Americans — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 18:54:33 EDT

Here is a great video of Senator Obama addressing economic concerns in Flint, Michigan:

Post from Obama HQ Blogger: Video: Barack in Flint, MI: "The next American century"By Christopher Hass - Jun 16th, 2008 at 5:44 pm EDT Comments | Mail to a Friend | Report Objectionable Content

Here's the full video of Barack's address this morning to a crowd at Kettering University in Flint, Michigan, on renewing American competitiveness and meeting the challenges of a changing economy:

You can follow the progress of the entire Change That Works for You tour here.

Show 203 Reader Comments

Al Gore and Barack Obama Tonight

Karen Who Loves the Way Obama Loves All Americans — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 18:50:56 EDT

Important good news tonight. Watch Al Gore and Barack Obama together:

Post from Sam Graham-Felsen's Blog: Message from Al Gore: "My Endorsement"; Watch the Live Stream Tonight at 8:30 pm EDTBy Sam Graham-Felsen - Jun 16th, 2008 at 2:54 pm EDT Comments | Mail to a Friend | Report Objectionable Content

Former Vice President and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Al Gore just sent out this email...

Dear Friend,

A few hours from now I will step on stage in Detroit, Michigan to announce my support for Senator Barack Obama. From now through Election Day, I intend to do whatever I can to make sure he is elected President of the United States.

Over the next four years, we are going to face many difficult challenges -- including bringing our troops home from Iraq, fixing our economy, and solving the climate crisis. Barack Obama is clearly the candidate best able to solve these problems and bring change to America.

This moment and this election are too important to let pass without taking action.

That's why I am asking you to join me in showing your support by making a contribution to this campaign today:

https://donate.barackobama.com/gore

Over the past 18 months, Barack Obama has united a movement. He knows change does not come from 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue or Capitol Hill. It begins when people stand up and take action.

With the help of millions of supporters like you, Barack Obama will bring the change we so desperately need in order to solve our country's most pressing problems.

If you've already contributed to this campaign, I ask that you consider making another contribution right now. If you haven't, please take the next step and own a piece of this campaign today:

https://donate.barackobama.com/gore

On the issues that matter most, Barack Obama is clearly the right choice to lead our nation.

We have a lot of work to do in the next few months to elect Barack Obama president, and it begins by making a contribution to this campaign today.

Thank you for joining me,

Al Gore

LIVE TONIGHT -- 8:30 p.m. EDT: Watch streaming video of Al Gore and Barack Obama at a rally in Detroit, Michigan:

http://www.BarackObama.com

Show 387 Reader Comments

Thank You Senator Clinton

Karen Who Loves the Way Obama Loves All Americans — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 23:15:31 EDT

Dear Senator Clinton, Thank you for your support of Senator Obama. You ran a strong campaign and I'm glad my daughters know a woman can become U.S. President. Your speech today is one I will share with my daughters and they will share with their daughters for generations. I have always been proud of you even when I disagreed with you. I could never get too mad at you, because to tell the truth I've never quit a race before it was over either. I am a strong woman who admires strong women, even those I have disagreements with. I've used the kitchen sink strategy myself in office politics at work, although I pitched a quiet fit when you threw it at Senator Obama. That's politics. Now we move forward. You did something I really believe in today. You are loyal to the Democratic Party. You're committed to getting a Democrat into the White House. Party loyalty is of utmost importance to me. With you and Obama on one side now, we can make our party and our country better. I look forward to Clinton and Obama supporters working together in the General Elections. I am ready to register some voters!

Request from Obama Head Quarters

Karen Who Loves the Way Obama Loves All Americans — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 14:50:40 EDT

See the following request from Obama headquarters asking us to thank Senator Clinton for supporting Senator Obama for POTUS. Time to come together as Democrats. I've written my thanks, because I am ready. Well, I'm a Harvard alum (graduate) and a Wellesley alum (undergraduate), AA, racially mixed and a woman. From the beginning I chose Obama strictly on the issues with the understanding I'd support whichever Democratic candidate won the primaries in November. So, it was not difficult for me to extend my thanks to Senator Clinton today after she publicly came out to support Obama. Anyway, I'm just a messenger sharing the request from Head Quarters. You can also find the post on the main Obama '08 Campaign website. Contact Obama Head Quarters with any questions.

Post from Obama HQ Blogger: Thank You, Senator ClintonBy Christopher Hass - Jun 7th, 2008 at 1:27 pm EDT Comments | Mail to a Friend | Report Objectionable Content

Moments ago, Senator Clinton officially announced her support for Barack Obama. Hillary Clinton made history over the past 16 months -- not just because she has broken barriers, but because she has inspired millions of Americans with her strength, her courage, and her commitment to causes like universal health care that make a difference in the lives of all Americans.

Please take a minute to thank her for her hard work and for supporting this campaign.

Show 680 Reader Comments

Starry Nights

Karen Who Loves the Way Obama Loves All Americans — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 01:38:39 EDT

It was a starry night here in Texas. A beautiful night as clear as the night of the Democratic primaries and caucus here in March. Rather than sit in front of the television or computer, we all went to the community pool, ate there, swam, floated on our backs and looked at the stars. It reminds me of another starry night. I remember caucusingfor Obama in Texas for a long night in March this Spring. It was a longer night for some than others depending on the precinct. So many people came out. More people came out to caucus than State officials expected. It was a clear night. I will always remember standing and waiting with my family and neighbors, people caucusing for Obama. My oldest daughter voted for the first time and caucused with me and her Dad. It wasn't too cold, just a bit chilly, but not bad. We worked well together, most of us perfect strangers but neighbors. We voted for our delegates from our precinct, like so many others were doing during that long night. I am glad you are a delegate and caucused with your precinct. I am glad for that long night and will never forget it. How clear it was and we could even see the stars. We were Americans with one purpose, doing our part. Those stars reminded me of the stars in our flag against the deep, dark blue. Those stars remind me of all of us tonigt. That nigt in March, caucusing for as long as it took was great night! It was worth it! This night and that night are the greatest nights of my life as an American citizen.

This Is Our Moment! This Is Our Time!

Karen Who Loves the Way Obama Loves All Americans — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 00:18:41 EDT

Here is Obama's victory speech from tonight! This is our moment! This is our time!

Remarks of Senator Barack Obama

Final Primary Night

Tuesday, June 3rd, 2008

St. Paul, Minnesota

As Prepared for Delivery

Tonight, after fifty-four hard-fought contests, our primary season has finally come to an end.

Sixteen months have passed since we first stood together on the steps of the Old State Capitol in Springfield, Illinois. Thousands of miles have been traveled. Millions of voices have been heard. And because of what you said – because you decided that change must come to Washington; because you believed that this year must be different than all the rest; because you chose to listen not to your doubts or your fears but to your greatest hopes and highest aspirations, tonight we mark the end of one historic journey with the beginning of another – a journey that will bring a new and better day to America. Tonight, I can stand before you and say that I will be the Democratic nominee for President of the United States.

I want to thank every American who stood with us over the course of this campaign – through the good days and the bad; from the snows of Cedar Rapids to the sunshine of Sioux Falls. And tonight I also want to thank the men and woman who took this journey with me as fellow candidates for President.

At this defining moment for our nation, we should be proud that our party put forth one of the most talented, qualified field of individuals ever to run for this office. I have not just competed with them as rivals, I have learned from them as friends, as public servants, and as patriots who love America and are willing to work tirelessly to make this country better. They are leaders of this party, and leaders that America will turn to for years to come.

That is particularly true for the candidate who has traveled further on this journey than anyone else. Senator Hillary Clinton has made history in this campaign not just because she’s a woman who has done what no woman has done before, but because she’s a leader who inspires millions of Americans with her strength, her courage, and her commitment to the causes that brought us here tonight.

We’ve certainly had our differences over the last sixteen months. But as someone who’s shared a stage with her many times, I can tell you that what gets Hillary Clinton up in the morning – even in the face of tough odds – is exactly what sent her and Bill Clinton to sign up for their first campaign in Texas all those years ago; what sent her to work at the Children’s Defense Fund and made her fight for health care as First Lady; what led her to the United States Senate and fueled her barrier-breaking campaign for the presidency – an unyielding desire to improve the lives of ordinary Americans, no matter how difficult the fight may be. And you can rest assured that when we finally win the battle for universal health care in this country, she will be central to that victory. When we transform our energy policy and lift our children out of poverty, it will be because she worked to help make it happen. Our party and our country are better off because of her, and I am a better candidate for having had the honor to compete with Hillary Rodham Clinton.

There are those who say that this primary has somehow left us weaker and more divided. Well I say that because of this primary, there are millions of Americans who have cast their ballot for the very first time. There are Independents and Republicans who understand that this election isn’t just about the party in charge of Washington, it’s about the need to change Washington. There are young people, and African-Americans, and Latinos, and women of all ages who have voted in numbers that have broken records and inspired a nation.

All of you chose to support a candidate you believe in deeply. But at the end of the day, we aren’t the reason you came out and waited in lines that stretched block after block to make your voice heard. You didn’t do that because of me or Senator Clinton or anyone else. You did it because you know in your hearts that at this moment – a moment that will define a generation – we cannot afford to keep doing what we’ve been doing. We owe our children a better future. We owe our country a better future. And for all those who dream of that future tonight, I say – let us begin the work together. Let us unite in common effort to chart a new course for America.

In just a few short months, the Republican Party will arrive in St. Paul with a very different agenda. They will come here to nominate John McCain, a man who has served this country heroically. I honor that service, and I respect his many accomplishments, even if he chooses to deny mine. My differences with him are not personal; they are with the policies he has proposed in this campaign.

Because while John McCain can legitimately tout moments of independence from his party in the past, such independence has not been the hallmark of his presidential campaign.

It’s not change when John McCain decided to stand with George Bush ninety-five percent of the time, as he did in the Senate last year.

It’s not change when he offers four more years of Bush economic policies that have failed to create well-paying jobs, or insure our workers, or help Americans afford the skyrocketing cost of college – policies that have lowered the real incomes of the average American family, widened the gap between Wall Street and Main Street, and left our children with a mountain of debt.

And it’s not change when he promises to continue a policy in Iraq that asks everything of our brave men and women in uniform and nothing of Iraqi politicians – a policy where all we look for are reasons to stay in Iraq, while we spend billions of dollars a month on a war that isn’t making the American people any safer.

So I’ll say this – there are many words to describe John McCain’s attempt to pass off his embrace of George Bush’s policies as bipartisan and new. But change is not one of them.

Change is a foreign policy that doesn’t begin and end with a war that should’ve never been authorized and never been waged. I won’t stand here and pretend that there are many good options left in Iraq, but what’s not an option is leaving our troops in that country for the next hundred years – especially at a time when our military is overstretched, our nation is isolated, and nearly every other threat to America is being ignored.

We must be as careful getting out of Iraq as we were careless getting in - but start leaving we must. It’s time for Iraqis to take responsibility for their future. It’s time to rebuild our military and give our veterans the care they need and the benefits they deserve when they come home. It’s time to refocus our efforts on al Qaeda’s leadership and Afghanistan, and rally the world against the common threats of the 21st century – terrorism and nuclear weapons; climate change and poverty; genocide and disease. That’s what change is.

Change is realizing that meeting today’s threats requires not just our firepower, but the power of our diplomacy – tough, direct diplomacy where the President of the United States isn’t afraid to let any petty dictator know where America stands and what we stand for. We must once again have the courage and conviction to lead the free world. That is the legacy of Roosevelt, and Truman, and Kennedy. That’s what the American people want. That’s what change is.

Change is building an economy that rewards not just wealth, but the work and workers who created it. It’s understanding that the struggles facing working families can’t be solved by spending billions of dollars on more tax breaks for big corporations and wealthy CEOs, but by giving a the middle-class a tax break, and investing in our crumbling infrastructure, and transforming how we use energy, and improving our schools, and renewing our commitment to science and innovation. It’s understanding that fiscal responsibility and shared prosperity can go hand-in-hand, as they did when Bill Clinton was President.

John McCain has spent a lot of time talking about trips to Iraq in the last few weeks, but maybe if he spent some time taking trips to the cities and towns that have been hardest hit by this economy – cities in Michigan, and Ohio, and right here in Minnesota – he’d understand the kind of change that people are looking for.

Maybe if he went to Iowa and met the student who works the night shift after a full day of class and still can’t pay the medical bills for a sister who’s ill, he’d understand that she can’t afford four more years of a health care plan that only takes care of the healthy and wealthy. She needs us to pass health care plan that guarantees insurance to every American who wants it and brings down premiums for every family who needs it. That’s the change we need.

Maybe if he went to Pennsylvania and met the man who lost his job but can’t even afford the gas to drive around and look for a new one, he’d understand that we can’t afford four more years of our addiction to oil from dictators. That man needs us to pass an energy policy that works with automakers to raise fuel standards, and makes corporations pay for their pollution, and oil companies invest their record profits in a clean energy future – an energy policy that will create millions of new jobs that pay well and can’t be outsourced. That’s the change we need.

And maybe if he spent some time in the schools of South Carolina or St. Paul or where he spoke tonight in New Orleans, he’d understand that we can’t afford to leave the money behind for No Child Left Behind; that we owe it to our children to invest in early childhood education; to recruit an army of new teachers and give them better pay and more support; to finally decide that in this global economy, the chance to get a college education should not be a privilege for the wealthy few, but the birthright of every American. That’s the change we need in America. That’s why I’m running for President.

The other side will come here in September and offer a very different set of policies and positions, and that is a debate I look forward to. It is a debate the American people deserve. But what you don’t deserve is another election that’s governed by fear, and innuendo, and division. What you won’t hear from this campaign or this party is the kind of politics that uses religion as a wedge, and patriotism as a bludgeon – that sees our opponents not as competitors to challenge, but enemies to demonize. Because we may call ourselves Democrats and Republicans, but we are Americans first. We are always Americans first.

Despite what the good Senator from Arizona said tonight, I have seen people of differing views and opinions find common cause many times during my two decades in public life, and I have brought many together myself. I’ve walked arm-in-arm with community leaders on the South Side of Chicago and watched tensions fade as black, white, and Latino fought together for good jobs and good schools. I’ve sat across the table from law enforcement and civil rights advocates to reform a criminal justice system that sent thirteen innocent people to death row. And I’ve worked with friends in the other party to provide more children with health insurance and more working families with a tax break; to curb the spread of nuclear weapons and ensure that the American people know where their tax dollars are being spent; and to reduce the influence of lobbyists who have all too often set the agenda in Washington.

In our country, I have found that this cooperation happens not because we agree on everything, but because behind all the labels and false divisions and categories that define us; beyond all the petty bickering and point-scoring in Washington, Americans are a decent, generous, compassionate people, united by common challenges and common hopes. And every so often, there are moments which call on that fundamental goodness to make this country great again.

So it was for that band of patriots who declared in a Philadelphia hall the formation of a more perfect union; and for all those who gave on the fields of Gettysburg and Antietam their last full measure of devotion to save that same union.

So it was for the Greatest Generation that conquered fear itself, and liberated a continent from tyranny, and made this country home to untold opportunity and prosperity.

So it was for the workers who stood out on the picket lines; the women who shattered glass ceilings; the children who braved a Selma bridge for freedom’s cause.

So it has been for every generation that faced down the greatest challenges and the most improbable odds to leave their children a world that’s better, and kinder, and more just.

And so it must be for us.

America, this is our moment. This is our time. Our time to turn the page on the policies of the past. Our time to bring new energy and new ideas to the challenges we face. Our time to offer a new direction for the country we love.

The journey will be difficult. The road will be long. I face this challenge with profound humility, and knowledge of my own limitations. But I also face it with limitless faith in the capacity of the American people. Because if we are willing to work for it, and fight for it, and believe in it, then I am absolutely certain that generations from now, we will be able to look back and tell our children that this was the moment when we began to provide care for the sick and good jobs to the jobless; this was the moment when the rise of the oceans began to slow and our planet began to heal; this was the moment when we ended a war and secured our nation and restored our image as the last, best hope on Earth. This was the moment – this was the time – when we came together to remake this great nation so that it may always reflect our very best selves, and our highest ideals. Thank you, God Bless you, and may God Bless the United States of America.

We Did It!

Karen Who Loves the Way Obama Loves All Americans — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 23:23:21 EDT

We did it! Senator Barack Obama is the Democratic nominee for the President of the United States. My husband and I don't drink. Our kids have been through all the D.A.R.E. programs at school. We had a bottle of champagne someone gave us and with our kids went outside under the stars and poured the champagne made from the fruit of the earth, a gift from God onto the earth with thanks to God for this wonderful, beautiful night. That is our love offering of thanks tonight. We are so thankful and so blessed to see this day. May God continue to bless and use Senator Barack Obama for positive change to heal and unite our country. May God continue to bless each one of us and all of our families. God bless each and everyone of you!

Only 16.5 To Go!

Karen Who Loves the Way Obama Loves All Americans — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 17:50:12 EDT

We only have 16.5 delegates to go to make this officially, official--that and tonight's victory speech fry wom Obama. Yes We Can! Yes We Can! Yes We Can! Let's keep encouraging one another, finding those supers, making those phone calls until the last voter votes and get ready for celebration. Every encouraging word, phone call, vote, donation, T-Shirt, sticker, button and smile for Obama counts. We are the one's we have been waiting for. We are here. We are here to win!

Celebration's Coming1

Karen Who Loves the Way Obama Loves All Americans — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 16:54:55 EDT

A celebration is coming. Looking forward to tonight and tomorrow. Only 29 delegates to go depending on where one gets the statistics. We are inching closer and closer to victory every moment as some private supers for Obama go public. More delegates coming from Montana and South Dakota tonight, too. Let's continue to make this a great day. Our phone bill was so high last month I've been making donations and blogging this week instead. Anything to encourage those who can make calls to keep making them all the way up until the last possible moment. Let's each keep doing all we can. Donate to keep the phone lines buzzing for Obama. Post a positive comment to encourage Obama supporters. Spread the good news about Obama. Welcome former Hillary supporters wo decide to join us. Thank every supporter you know for teir hard work. Every little thing we do grows this movement for Obama to be the next POTUS. Thanks to all of you for being Obama Supporters. I am looking forward to a night of celebration! Yes we can!

A Beautiful Post by Marianne Hermann

Karen Who Loves the Way Obama Loves All Americans — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 23:10:31 EDT

This is a beautiful post by Marianne Hermann that I would like to share with anyone who has not seen it. If this is a double post for some of you, please forgive me. Her words are so beautiful and as I, at least, retire for the evening until tomorrow's primaries I want to share with you this lovely vision of Obama and our prayers for him:

Post from Marianne Herrmann's Blog: Thoughts and Prayers...By Marianne from Ridgewood, NJ - Jun 2nd, 2008 at 10:50 pm EDT Also listed in: Ridgewood, NJ and friends for Barack | Bergen County for Barack Obama | 1,000,000 Americans for Obama Comments | Mail to a Friend | Report Objectionable Content

Our thoughts and prayers are with Senator Ted Kennedy...those simple words can mean so much as I read them on the lead page of Barack's webpage today. The prayers are for strength, health, and to uplift the spirit of the senator.

When Barack was at the Corn Palace this past weekend, a rather remarkable event occurred. As I watched the speech, I noticed that Barack's keen eyesight picked out someone in the crowd who had fainted. He immediately stopped speaking and called attention over to the area and asked medics to come forward to help this person overcome by the heat and sun and possibly fatigue from standing so long waiting. Barack was very considerate to make sure this individual was cared for and reminded everyone to please hydrate and seek shade if they needed to.

Then, just afterwards, as he was speaking, the sun went in and Barack looked up thankfully saying how he appreciated that shade. I was struck by the coincidence. Now, say what you may but it almost seems as if not only was the crowd listening, but all of nature was in accordance because God was listening too.

I know, I know, people will say , oh brother, you have got to be kidding! I am not. I read in Newsweek just today that every day at a certain time around 100 pastors get together by cellphone and pray for Barack and Michelle and their two daughters. The prayers vary but they pray for strength, and help, and keen eyesight on the part of Barack's security, and they pray for guidance and wisdom for the Democrats, and such.

I hope and pray that we can all unite together, through the Holy Spirit of God in Christ Jesus and support Barack and keep praying!

Reader Comments

No comments have been written yet.

Matching Donations

Karen Who Loves the Way Obama Loves All Americans — Sat, 31 May 2008 23:02:31 EDT

See Headquarters Blog on Matching Donations:

Post from HQ Blog Update: Match Donations: "It's been an exciting journey"By HQ Blog Update - May 31st, 2008 at 10:15 pm EDT Comments | Mail to a Friend | Report Objectionable Content

Obama for America attracts supporters from every walk of life, and we are proud that individuals from California to Maine have donated to the campaign not once but repeatedly. Time and again we hear stories of supporters who have never been engaged in the political process but are now committing themselves to this movement in ways they never thought possible.

Here are a few more comments from supporters who had their donations matched:

Marylyn from Indiana wrote:

Mari Lou, Hope is the key word here! I am 76 years young, and I worry about my kids and my grandkids. I lived in such a different time. I am a Obama grandmomma all the way!

Helen and Tim from North Carolina said:

Tim and I appreciate your willingness to match our donation. We are avid supporters and volunteers for this wonderful and exciting man of "HOPE." We have housed volunteers, set up GOTV events and knocked on many doors in the last year. It is an exciting time, and we're hoping for victory in November. Let's keep the FAITH and HOPE for a better America with OBAMA!

Sandra from Wisconsin wrote this to her Obama match:

Erika,
Welcome to the campaign! My husband and I have been involved for well over a year (sometimes it seems like three!) We have never before been engaged in politics... (and we are old!), but Barack has changed my cynicism to hope. Hope that things can be different, hope that things can change, hope that we the people can have input, and be a part of that change, and make things better in the U.S.!

It has been an exciting journey. We have worked in the offices, phonebanked from home, and were deputized last night at a training to register new voters for the upcoming election! So, thank you for contributing...please consider becoming involved!

The May fundraising deadline is tonight, at 11:59 EDT; if you act now you can double your donation:

Obama Slide Show: Mount Rushmore, South Dakota

Karen Who Loves the Way Obama Loves All Americans — Sat, 31 May 2008 13:22:16 EDT

Here is a beautiful slide show of Obama at Mount Rushmore. Obama headquarters also highlights support for and from South Dakota in the blog from the main Obama Campaign website below. Moreover, they continue to ask us to contribute to their matching donations site this weekend:

Post from Sam Graham-Felsen's Blog: Slideshow: Barack at Mt. RushmoreBy Sam Graham-Felsen - May 31st, 2008 at 11:53 am EDT Comments | Mail to a Friend | Report Objectionable Content

Late last night, when a group of reporters from the traveling press went to visit Mount Rushmore, Barack decided to come along too. Check out the slideshow...

MSNBC First Read has details...

When asked if he would like to see himself on the monument someday with Presidents George Washington, Teddy Roosevelt, Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln, he joked: "I don't think my ears would fit. There's only so much rock up there."

Let's build the movement in South Dakota -- Make a matching donation today and double your impact...

Make Calls Today

Karen Who Loves the Way Obama Loves All Americans — Sat, 31 May 2008 13:16:30 EDT

Obama Head Quarters Asks That We Make Calls Today. I am reposting their blog inviting us to make phone calls below:

Post from Obama HQ Blogger: Last Call: Final GOTV WeekendBy Christopher Hass - May 31st, 2008 at 11:11 am EDT Comments | Mail to a Friend | Report Objectionable Content

The sun came up this morning on the very last Get Out The Vote weekend of the 2008 presidential primary. Tomorrow is the Puerto Rico primary, and on Tuesday Montana and South Dakota will draw to a close an historic race that has lasted over a year and spanned the entire country, as well as places like the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, and Guam.

Over the past fifteen months, countless supporters have organized, knocked doors, and made phone calls not just in their communities, but across the country. Using our online tools, individual grassroots phonebankers have made calls to voters in dozens of states to share their stories, to answer questions, and to build support for Barack.

Earlier in the week, in the Phonebanking for Barack group blog, Stephanie wrote:

I just wanted to write and share what a positive experience I've had making calls for the campaign. I'm a mom with two small kids so it can be hard to get out to many events, but the on-line phonebanking has allowed me an outlet to get involved and make me feel like I'm making a real difference. While I've encountered a few grumpy folks, the many people who have been so happy to talk to me has more than made up for it.
I find that the vast majority are at least polite and willing to listen, and many have warmly thanked me for my efforts. It has been interesting and rewarding to connect with people from all over the country and share a renewed enthusiasm and hope. I've also enjoyed the concrete results of being able to sway peoples votes, get them to volunteer themselves, or help them get a ride or needed info to vote.
I wanted to encourage everyone to keep up the calls, or to give it a try if you haven't already. You can try making just a few calls, but you might find that it's hard to stop.

This weekend is our last chance to make phone calls to voters in the three final primaries.

If you speak Spanish fluently, you can make calls to Puerto Rico and encourage them to vote for Barack in tomorrow's primary.

In addition, this is our last weekend to:

Encourage supporters in South Dakota to early vote in advance of Tuesday's primary
Encourage supporters in Montana to vote for Barack on Tuesday, and help them find their election day polling location

There is no doubt now that the millions of calls that have been made by thousands of supporters have made a difference in every contest, and have resulted in dozens and dozens of delegates that we would otherwise not have won. Today, we are just four days and 41 delegates away from securing the Democratic nomination for President. This weekend is our chance to finish the job.

Obama Headquarters Doing Matching Donations

Karen Who Loves the Way Obama Loves All Americans — Fri, 30 May 2008 20:53:50 EDT

To make you donation dollars work double during this last stretch of the Democratic Primaries go to the main Obama Campaign website and click their "Matches Across America" blog on that main website. I'll post their blog and info on the matching donations here. Go to the main Obama Campaign website if you want to check on it. Here is the blog I found for your information and just go to the main Obama Campaign website to see the same blog there and make your official donation. I donated earlier today and it feels good to see my dollars work twice as hard for Obama. I am so grateful to the matching donors for doubling our dollars.

Post from Sam Graham-Felsen's Blog: Matches Across AmericaBy Sam Graham-Felsen - May 30th, 2008 at 5:14 pm EDT Comments | Mail to a Friend | Report Objectionable Content

Right now, thousands of ordinary Americans are working together to bring about change and end the era of big money dominating our politics. While McCain is teaming up with Bush to raise millions from a handful of donors behind closed doors, our grassroots supporters are stepping up and making commitments to one another to contribute to this campaign.

People all across America have pledged to match your donations and double your impact on the campaign. Here's what some of you are saying to those who matched your contributions.

Michelle in Indiana...

This is the first ever political donation I have ever made. I really believe in Barack Obama and I thank you for matching my donation. We can do it and put our country on track. I actually feel for the first time that my small amount of money actually means something!

Geoff in Texas...

Penny, thank you so much for matching my contribution. I would have liked to contribute more, but I can't. It makes me so happy to know that there are people like you who will match my donation... God bless you. Thank you.

Roseann from Pennsylvania...

I agree with all of your thoughts on Obama... I remember JFK and I can tell you too I remember how it felt to be proud of our leader... I want the next generation to feel that as well. [I'm a] 52 year old white female from PA, high school education, voting, and supporting Obama.

Lynn in Florida...

Jason! Thanks for matching my measly contribution. I NEVER make political contributions, but this country is in such bad shape I now feel compelled to get involved beyond my vote. Your promise to match made it an even easier decision. Sorry I couldn't have given more. Thanks again! Let's show McCain that the Big Money can't match the power of the people. Ba-rock on!

Join Michelle, Geoff, Roseann, and Lynn and build this movement. With a little over five months till the election in November, we need as much grassroots support as possible to overcome the McCain-Bush big money fundraising machine. We can do this together - make a match today...

Show 657 Reader Comments

Walking the Talk

Karen Who Loves the Way Obama Loves All Americans — Fri, 30 May 2008 13:39:11 EDT

I found the following post, "Obama and Congress Can Not Do It Alone" on another blog, Women for Obama. It reminds me of all that "Yes We Can" means. It means we walk our talk and llive out the vision that we share with our presidential candidate, Senator Barack Obama. In this last stretch of the primary race where many of us are itching to do something, not only can we make phone calls and donations, but we can also walk our talk and demonstrate why we support Obama in our lifestyles. The following post is about leaving a smaller carbon footprint. Doing that impacts national and global economics, which impacts funds for education, jobs and fair trade. It also promotes our health and Obama's. It also lifts our spirits and boosts our ability to campaign positively. If this is your first time looking at a list of steps to take in making a smaller carbon footprint, remember that one small step at a time helps and gets you on the path. Here is the post by another Obama supporter that I'd like to share:

Post from Help Us Obama Wan Kenobi, You're our only Hope!!: Obama and Congress can't do it aloneBy Inspired in Florida - May 30th, 2008 at 1:12 pm EDT Also listed in: 8 groups Comments | Mail to a Friend | Report Objectionable Content Tags: carbon footprint, energy Reduce Your Carbon Footprint—Use Electricity Wisely

Attic

Door or Hatch
Weather-strip or insulate your attic door or hatch to prevent air from escaping from the top of your house.
Insulation
Check current insulation levels, and properly insulate a new or existing home. Insulate ceilings, walls, and floors over unconditioned crawl spaces.
Vents
Attics must be ventilated to relieve heat buildup caused by the sun. If necessary, improve attic airflow by adding or enlarging vents.

Basement

Heating Unit
As much as half of your household energy use goes to heating and cooling. Replacing older equipment with more efficient equipment will help reduce your carbon footprint and your energy costs.

Tune up your heating system in the fall to make sure that it will operate at maximum efficiency during the cold winter.
Air Conditioning Unit
Check and clean or replace air filters every month. Clean the outside condenser coil once a year.

Schedule periodic maintenance of cooling equipment by a licensed service representative. A "tune up" in the spring will help the air conditioner run at maximum efficiency during the hot weather.
Water Heater
Decrease your carbon footprint and reduce your water heating bill by 10 percent by lowering the water heater temperature from 140°F to 120F°. (Keep the temperature at 140°F if you use an older dishwasher without a temperature booster.)

Once a year, drain a bucket of water from the bottom of the water heater tank. This gets rid of sediment, which can waste energy by "blocking" the water in the tank from the heating element.

Locate water heaters as close to the points of hot water usage as possible. The longer the supply pipe, the more heat thatis lost.

Insulate your hot water supply pipes to reduce heat loss. (Hardware stores sell pipe insulation kits.)

For older water heaters, consider buying a water heater insulation kit, which reduces the amount of heat lost through the walls of the tank.

Bathroom

Sink
To conserve water, use sink stoppers instead of letting water run while shaving.
Vanity Lights
Bathroom vanity lights are one of the most used fixtures in the average home. Use energy-efficient lighting, which can provide bright, warm light while using less energy and generating less heat than standard bulbs.
Shower
Taking an 8-minute shower every day can indirectly create as much as 1,368 pounds of CO2 each year. By reducing your shower time to 6 minutes, you can eliminate 342 pounds of CO2 from your annual total.

Install a new low-flow shower head to help you conserve water and save energy—and save more than $75 each year on energy costs.
Toilet
A leaky toilet can waste 200 gallons of water per day. Be sure to repair all toilet and faucet leaks promptly.
Vent Fan
An ENERGY STAR® qualified ventilation fan will control moisture in the air while saving energy. These fans are much quieter than standard models. Fans with efficient lighting and fan motors use 65 percent less energy on average than standard models, saving $120 in electricity costs over the life of the fan.

Bedroom

Humidifier
In the winter, the air is normally dry inside your house, which is a disadvantage because people typically require a higher temperature to be comfortable than they would in a humid environment. Therefore, efficient humidifiers are a good investment for energy conservation.
Lighting
Provide task lighting over desks, tool benches, etc., so that activities can be carried on without illuminating entire rooms. Replace incandescent bulbs with energy-efficient lighting.
Outlets
Unplug any battery chargers or power adapters when electronics are fully charged or disconnected from the charger.
Cordless Phone
ENERGY STAR® qualified cordless phones that feature switch-mode power supplies and "smart" chargers will reduce your carbon footprint and add to your energy savings.

Dining Room

Light Switch
Remember to always turn off the lights when leaving a room. Turning off just one 60-watt incandescent bulb that would otherwise be on for eight hours a day can save about $15 per year.
Thermostat
Install a programmable thermostat to automatically adjust your home's temperature when you're away or sleeping.
Heating
Locate the heating thermostat on an inside wall and away from windows and doors. Cold drafts will cause the thermostat to keep the system running even when the rest of the house is warm enough. Set the thermostat as low as comfort permits. Each degree over 68° F can add 2-3 percent to the amount of energy needed for heating.
Air conditioner
Set your thermostat to 78° F, or as high as comfort permits. When the weather is mild, turn off the AC and open the windows.
Vents
Close heating vents and radiator valves in unused rooms. Make sure that drapes, plants, or furniture do not block registers for supply or return air.

Exterior

Front Door
Install storm doors at all entrances of the house.

Weather-strip and caulk around all entrance doors and windows to limit air leaks that could account for 15-30 percent of heating and cooling energy requirements.
Garage
Keep the overhead door of an attached garage closed to block cold winds from infiltrating the connecting door between the house and garage.
Outdoor Lights
Install photoelectric controls or timers to make sure that outdoor lighting is turned off during the day. If using energy-efficient light bulbs, make sure that they are compatible with the controls.
Porch Light
Install energy-efficient lighting in the front porch light—one of the most-used lighting fixtures in a home. If your porch light is connected to a timer or photocell, make sure the new light bulbs are compatible with the controls.
Car
A vehicle emits 12,100 pounds of CO2per year on average. You can reduce your carbon footprint by combining trips and using mass transit, walking or biking when possible. Also keep your car well-maintained to maximize its fuel efficiency, safety, and reliability.

To have a big impact, consider purchasing a hybrid car. A 4-cylinder hybrid with automatic transmission and 2-wheel drive emits nearly 40 percent less CO2 per mile than a sports utility vehicle with automatic transmission, an 8-cylinder gasoline engine, and 2-wheel drive.

Vehicles in the United States average 231 miles per week. There are many ways to reduce your weekly mileage and shrink your carbon footprint. Try carpooling, using public transportation, and combining errands.

Keep your vehicle in good condition to maximize its efficiency. Schedule regular tune-ups, change the oil and filter every 3,000 to 5,000 miles, and make sure the tires are properly inflated.
Windows
Double-glazed windows (two panes of glass separated by a sealed air space) cut heat transfer by 40-50 percent. In extremely cold regions, triple glazing could be economically justified.

Single-glazed windows should have storm windows. A wood or metal frame storm window provides a second thickness of glass and a layer of still air that reduces heat transmission markedly.

Kitchen

Dishwasher
Appliances account for as much as 20 percent of your energy bill. Newer, more efficient models save energy and water. If replacing your dishwasher, an ENERGY STAR® model can reduce your carbon footprint and save more than $25 a year in energy costs.
Sink
To conserve water, repair any leaky faucets promptly. Hot water leaking at a rate of one drip per second can waste up to 1,661 gallons of water in one year—and wastes up to $35 in electricity or natural gas.
Refrigerator/Freezer
If your current refrigerator was made before 1993, it uses twice as much energy as an ENERGY STAR® model. A 1992 top-freezer model with 19-21 cubic feet indirectly emits as much as 754 pounds of CO2per year. A 2002 side-by-side model with 19-21 cubic feet indirectly emits as much as 442 pounds of CO2per year.

Replacing an older model with a new ENERGY STAR® model can eliminate hundreds of pounds of CO2each year and save $45-$65 per year on your electric bills.

Other tips:
Keep your refrigerator at 37°- 40° F and your freezer at 5° F.

Vacuum the condenser coils (underneath or behind the unit) every three months.

Check the condition of door gaskets by placing a dollar bill against the frame and closing the door. If the bill can be pulled out with a very gentle tug, the door should be adjusted or the gasket replaced.

Do not put uncovered liquids in the refrigerator. The liquids give off vapors that add to the compressor workload.
Microwave
Use your microwave oven whenever possible. It draws less than half the power of its conventional oven counterpart and cooks for a much shorter amount of time.
Range/Oven
Only use pots and pans with flat bottoms on the stove. Use the right-sized pot on stove burners. A six-inch pot on an eight-inch burner wastes more than 40 percent of the burner's heat.

Develop the habit of "lids-on" cooking to permit lower temperature settings. Keep reflector pans beneath stovetop heating elements bright and clean.

Begin cooking on highest heat until liquid begins to boil. Then lower the heat control settings and allow food to simmer until fully cooked.

Cook as much of the meal in the oven at one time as possible. Variations of 25°F still produce good results and save energy.

Rearrange oven shelves before turning your oven on-and don't peek at food in the oven! Every time you open the oven door, 25° to 50°F is lost.
Trash
Recycle your newspapers, plastic and glass containers, and paper products. By cutting the amount of waste you produce in half, and doubling the amount of recycling in your household, you can save about 1,200 pounds of CO2per year.

Laundry Room

Clothes Dryer
Using your dryer 10 times a week indirectly creates more than 800 pounds of CO2. Use the moisture sensor option so that the dryer turns off automatically when clothes are dry. This can help you reduce indirect dryer CO2 emissions by 15 percent. Or, dry your clothes on a clothesline outside.
Clothes Washer
Follow detergent instructions carefully. Adding too much detergent actually hampers effective washing action and may require more energy in the form of extra rinses.

Wash only full loads of laundry. Wash clothes in cold water. Sort laundry and schedule washes so that a complete job can be done with a few cycles of the machine carrying its full capacity, rather than a greater number of cycles with light loads.

If you're looking to buy a new washing machine, consider using a front-loading or horizontal axis machine. These new units use 30 percent less water and 50 percent less energy to make hot water and wash clothes than regular washing machines.

Living Room

Ceiling Fan
In the winter: If your ceiling fan has a switch that allows you to reverse the motor, you can operate the fan at a low speed in the opposite direction. This produces a gentle updraft, forcing warm air near the ceiling down into the living space.

In the summer: Run the blades counter-clockwise (downward) to cool more efficiently. Turning up the thermostat by just two degrees and using your ceiling fan can lower AC costs by up to 4-6 percent over the course of the cooling season. Don't forget to turn the ceiling fan off when you leave the room.
Fireplace
Make sure your fireplace has tightly fitting dampers that can be closed when the fireplace is not in use. Seal hidden air leaks in your chimney. If you have a gas fireplace, turn off the pilot light when not in use.
Lamps
Put lamps in corners of rooms where they can reflect light from two wall surfaces instead of one. Use compact fluorescent bulbs in fixtures that are on for more than two hours a day. Compact fluorescent bulbs use up to 75 percent less electricity. They also last about 10 times longer.
Entertainment Center
The average home uses 25 electronic products, accounting for up to 15 percent of household electricity use. TVs, DVD players, video games, and cable boxes can create more than 1,600 pounds of CO2each year. Turning these products off when they're not being used can save 240 pounds of CO2.

Better still, switching to electronic equipment with the ENERGY STAR® label will help save additional energy even when the device is turned off.
Windows
In warm weather, close your blinds and curtains during the hottest part of the day. During cold weather, keep curtains open during the daylight hours to take advantage of the sun's warmth.

Office

Computer and Monitor
Computers indirectly create nearly 500 pounds of CO2 per year. Turning them off when not in use will save 43 pounds.

Do not use a screen saver when your computer monitor is active. Instead, let it switch to sleep mode or turn the monitor off.
Printer, Fax, Copier
Save energy and space with a multi-function device that combines several capabilities-such as print, fax, copy, and scan. Enable power management features for additional savings. Turn off machines when not in use.

Set office equipment to automatically switch to sleep mode. This will help equipment to save energy, to run cooler, and to last longer.

When purchasing new home office products, look for the ENERGY STAR® label to save energy.
Power Strip
Use a power strip as a central "turn off" point when you are finished using equipment. This will help eliminate the standby power consumption used by office equipment even when it is turned off.

Obama in Great Health

Karen Who Loves the Way Obama Loves All Americans — Thu, 29 May 2008 19:34:36 EDT

Doctors say Obama is in great health. We kind of knew that, but it's such great news to hear it officially that I wanted to share it. As we come ever closer to the general presidential campaign and elections we can be officially confident that our candidate, Senator Barack Obama, has the strength and stamina to lead this country as the next President of the United States. This gives him an important edge over John McCain in addition to Obama's wisdom, experience and strength as a unifying leader. A healthy body literally means a healthy brain, which means a healthy presidential attitude and clear thinking for making difficult decisions. That's what we've been seeing throughout the Primaries. I need not say more. Here is the article on Obama's excellent health:

Obama's doctor: Democrat is in 'excellent health'

By LAURAN NEERGAARD, AP Medical Writer 1 hour, 19 minutes ago

WASHINGTON - Barack Obama's doctor said Thursday the presidential candidate was in excellent health at the time of his last checkup 16 months ago, but he has a family history of cancer and a big, obvious risk — a smoking habit that he's trying, again, to break.

In a one-page letter released by the campaign, Obama's longtime physician, Chicago internist Dr. David L. Scheiner, said he was summarizing 21 years of medical records, during which the Democrat suffered only minor problems such as upper respiratory infections.

But hanging over that positive assessment: Obama is a smoker who has quit but relapsed several times. Obama, 46, announced in February that he was quitting again with the aid of Nicorette gum. His doctor said only that Obama is using Nicorette "with success."

Smoking causes a list of dangerous effects, including heart disease, strokes and lung cancer — and it takes the body a long time to heal after someone quits for good. Government statistics show that 15 years after quitting, the risk of heart disease drops almost to that of a never-smoker; 10 years later, the risk of lung cancer drops by as much as half.

It wasn't clear when Scheiner had last seen Obama to verify the Nicorette use. But he said the senator's last official checkup in January 2007 found:

_Obama exercised regularly, often jogging three miles and had "no excess body fat." Actual weight wasn't disclosed.

_Excellent blood pressure, at 90 over 60. Optimal blood pressure is considered to be below 120 over 80.

_Very healthy cholesterol, with a total cholesterol of 173 (desirable is under 200); the so-called bad or LDL kind 96 (less than 100 is optimal); and the so-called good or HDL kind at 68 (desirable is over 60).

_No signs of problems on standard blood tests or a heart EKG.

Scheiner noted that Obama's mother died of ovarian cancer and his maternal grandfather died of prostate cancer.

Dr. Otis Brawley of the American Cancer Society said that family history isn't strong enough to be of concern; doctors worry if a father or uncle had prostate cancer.

But black men are at increased risk of prostate cancer overall, enough that doctors often begin prostate screening, called a PSA exam, in the 40s — even though, Brawley stressed, PSA screening hasn't actually been proven to save lives. Still, Obama's PSA last year registered a very low 0.6, meaning no sign of abnormalities.

Without worrisome symptoms today and if he's stopped smoking, "it would be very hard for medical science to predict he's going to have any disease even over the next 30 years," much less the next eight, Brawley said.

The sparse information stands in contrast to Republican candidate John McCain, 71, who last week released 1,173 pages of full medical records documenting eight years of his health — including successful treatment for melanoma — and his own doctors' conclusion that he was fit for the presidency. McCain, too, was a smoker until quitting in 1980.

44 More Delegates to Go

Karen Who Loves the Way Obama Loves All Americans — Thu, 29 May 2008 18:25:09 EDT

We are at 44 more delegates to go, which is good news. Where are all our Wellesley alum. We need other people to post blogs. I've never blogged in my life until this campaign and am just getting the hang of it. We need others to post information. It's a community blog and anyone with good news should share it so we can stay informed as Wellesley alum. Where is the blog manager?

46 Delegates to Go

Karen Who Loves the Way Obama Loves All Americans — Wed, 28 May 2008 11:33:05 EDT

The good news this morning is we now have only 46 delegates to go for Senator Barack Obaman's nomination as the official Democratic candidate for U.S. President. Let's keep up this trend by winning in Montana, South Dakota and Puerto Rico. Let's close the gap in the polls in Puerto Rico today. Take care everyone and thanks for all the hard work.

Chairman of Essence and Latina magazines Endorses Obama

Karen Who Loves the Way Obama Loves All Americans — Tue, 27 May 2008 19:15:50 EDT

Here is some good news regarding an endorsement from the chairman of ESSENCE and LATINA magazines, Edward Lewis. I hope it means much to readers of both magazines. We need 48 extra delegates for Obama's nomination. Let's keep working hard and spreading this good news. Thanks to all Obama Supporters! "Si Se Puede!" "Si Podemos!" "Yes we can!" Buenos noches! Soy muy encantada trabajar con todos los amigos de Barack Obama. Muchas gracias a todos que trabajan por Barack Obama! I know my Spanish needs some work. Yo se que necesito practicar el Espanol. No lo hablo muy bien y no lo escribo muy bien, pero yo creo que es muy importante tratar. Hasta la manana! Feel free to correct my Spanish, please. Love to all! Until tomorrow!

Here is the article from the main Obama website in case some of you have not seen it.

Post from Sam Graham-Felsen's Blog: Edward Lewis, Chairman of Essence and Latina magazines, Endorses Barack ObamaBy Sam Graham-Felsen - May 27th, 2008 at 12:41 pm EDT Comments | Mail to a Friend | Report Objectionable Content

Chicago, IL – Edward Lewis, chairman and founder of Essence Magazine and chairman of Latina Magazine, today endorsed Barack Obama for President. He switched his endorsement from Clinton to Obama, citing Obama's vision for a better America.

Lewis said, "As the founder of a woman's magazine, I acknowledge that Senator Clinton has served as a role model for many women across America and I have great admiration for her."

"However, as the campaign has unfolded, I have witnessed the strength of Senator Obama and both his passion and commitment for new possibilities for a better America. His conviction has led to my conviction that he is the hope for our country. I urge all Americans to support his candidacy for President of the United States."

Mr. Lewis is the chairman and founder of Essence Communications Inc., which he built into one of the country’s largest African-American multi-media organizations. Essence Communications is the publisher of Essence Magazine, the leading lifestyle magazine for African-American women. Lewis is also chairman of the Board for Latina Media Ventures LLC (LMV), which publishes Latina Magazine and is the leading integrated media company for bicultural U.S. Latin women.

48 More Delegates to Go

Karen Who Loves the Way Obama Loves All Americans — Tue, 27 May 2008 18:58:47 EDT

We now have only 48 delegates to go thanks to hard work. Let's keep working hard until the last possible moment. May this article on the delegate count inspire us all to to keep campaigning for Obama using all of our gifts and talents:

Post from Sam Graham-Felsen's Blog: Wyoming Superdelegate for Obama; Delegate Countdown - 48 To GoBy Sam Graham-Felsen - May 27th, 2008 at 12:23 pm EDT Comments | Mail to a Friend | Report Objectionable Content

Chicago, IL -- Today, superdelegate and Wyoming Democratic Party Vice Chair Nancy Drummond endorsed Barack Obama for President, citing his advocacy for veterans.

Drummond is the 318.5th superdelegate to endorse Obama, who is now 48 delegates away from capturing the Democratic nomination.

Drummond said...

After much thought and prayer, I feel the time has come for me to endorse a presidential candidate. This isn't a decision I have taken lightly but after listening, watching and reading about both candidates, I feel that Senator Obama is the candidate that can lead this Country in the direction I would like to see us go.
His position on education, his work with senior citizens and his advocacy for union members and veterans make me proud to support Senator Obama.
My husband was a Marine during Vietnam -- he was one of many vets that has VA Benefits. The men and women in the military and their families are giving the ultimate sacrifice now and I support Senator Obama's plan to honor their service by improving their healthcare, taking care of issues related to combat duty and caring for our homeless vets.
We have two incredible candidates and I will support which ever one is our candidate but as I said back in March I wanted to be sure to represent Wyoming well as the Vice Chair of the Wyoming Democratic Party. At both our caucuses and our State Convention, the majority said they want Senator Obama to be our Candidate to run for President. So with that being said, while I certainly respect and admire Senator Clinton's tenacity, I have proudly decided to endorse Senator Barack Obama.

Show 407 Reader Comments

Obama Honors Memorial Day

Karen Who Loves the Way Obama Loves All Americans — Mon, 26 May 2008 13:34:52 EDT

See Obama's Memoridal Day Speech. It is short, sweet and presidential:

Post from Sam Graham-Felsen's Blog: Obama Statement Honoring Memorial DayBy Sam Graham-Felsen - May 26th, 2008 at 1:02 pm EDT Comments | Mail to a Friend | Report Objectionable Content

Barack Obama on Memorial Day...

On this Memorial Day, our nation honors the generations of patriots who were willing to give their lives to defend this country. While we may come from different places, cherish different traditions, and have different political beliefs, all Americans hold in reverence those who’ve given this country the full measure of their devotion. They are a shining example of what’s best about America.
Today is also a reminder of our obligation as Americans to serve our fallen heroes as well as they served us; as well as the wounded warriors I’ve had the honor of meeting at Walter Reed have served us; as well as the troops in Iraq, Afghanistan, and around the world are serving us. That means giving the same priority to building a 21st century VA as to building a 21st century military. It means having zero tolerance for veterans sleeping on our streets. It means bringing home our POWs and MIAs. And it means treating the graves of veterans like the hallowed ground it is and banning protests near funerals.
So on this day, of all days, let’s memorialize our fallen heroes by honoring all who wear our country’s uniform; and by completing their work to make America more secure and our world more free.

Show 20 Reader Comments

Write to Democratic Rules Committee

Karen Who Loves the Way Obama Loves All Americans — Mon, 26 May 2008 11:32:56 EDT

REmember to write to the Democratic Rules Committee regarding their upcoming decision as to whether or not Michigan and Florida should be seated at the Democratic National Convention. As we honor our veterans who support Obama, let's make sure the campaign rules are honored and handled fairly. Here are details and link for writing to the Democratic rules Committee from an Obama Event Website:

The Details Contact the Democratic National Committee's Rules Committee (Organizing)The Rules Committee of the Democratic National Committee will be meeting at the end of this month to determine what to do about seating Florida and Michigan. It's important that they hear your opinion!

Contact the Rules Committee to let them know that they should not do anything that results in the candidate who otherwise has the most elected delegates (from those states who followed the Party's rules) being denied the nomination.

You can email the Committee at:

http://www.democrats.org/page/s/contactissues

or telephone them at:

(202) 863-8000

Caminata en Puerto Rico

Karen Who Loves the Way Obama Loves All Americans — Mon, 26 May 2008 10:24:00 EDT

Post from Obama HQ Blogger: Open Thread: Caminata in Puerto RicoBy Christopher Hass - May 26th, 2008 at 12:52 am EDT Comments | Mail to a Friend | Report Objectionable Content

From the Associated Press:

After Obama's speech [on veterans issues], he led a "caminata," or political parade, through the streets of Old San Juan. With an oceanfront park on one side and colorful colonial buildings on the other, Obama shook hands with cheering fans as scores of supporters marched behind.

This is your Sunday night Open Thread . . .

Show 869 Reader Comments

We're On Our Way!

Karen Who Loves the Way Obama Loves All Americans — Mon, 26 May 2008 09:13:58 EDT

We are heading on toward the finish line with only 49 delegates to go. Let's keep moving forward! Here is an article on delegate counts:

Three Hawaii Superdelegates for Obama; Delegate Countdown - 49 To GoBy Sam Graham-Felsen - May 25th, 2008 at 11:05 pm EDT Comments | Mail to a Friend | Report Objectionable Content

The AP reports that Obama has picked up three superdelegates from Hawaii...

Barack Obama has picked up three superdelegate votes from Hawai’i.
Hawai’i Democrats selected three Obama supporters to fill its remaining superdelegate slots at their state convention Sunday, including the new chair and vice chair of the party.
Chairman Brian Schatz and vice chairwoman Kari Luna say they will support Obama at the national convention. State Democrats chose retired Judge James Burns, also an Obama supporter, as the final superdelegate.
The three Obama supporters are among the state’s nine superdelegates, only two of whom support Obama’s rival Hillary Rodham Clinton.
Among Hawai’i’s pledged delegates, Obama leads Clinton 14-6.

Obama now needs only 49 delegates for a majority! Let's keep growing the movement... Make calls tomorrow and make a difference in this campaign.

Obama encanta a Puerto Rico

Karen Who Loves the Way Obama Loves All Americans — Mon, 26 May 2008 09:03:11 EDT

Post from Obama HQ Blogger: "Obama encanta a Puerto Rico"By Christopher Hass - May 25th, 2008 at 10:39 pm EDT Comments | Mail to a Friend | Report Objectionable Content

The front page of this morning's edition of the Puerto Rican newspaper El Nuevo Dia:

Show 326 Reader Comments

Full Text of Obama's Wesleyan Commencement Address

Karen Who Loves the Way Obama Loves All Americans — Sun, 25 May 2008 20:45:59 EDT

Here is the full text of Obama's Wesleyan Commencement Addressed for posterity's sake. Read it, print it, keep it, pass it on:

Remarks of Senator Barack Obama

Wesleyan University Commencement

Sunday, May 25th, 2008

Middletown, CT

As Prepared for Delivery

Thank you, President Roth, for that generous introduction, and congratulations on your first year at the helm of Wesleyan. Congratulations also to the class of 2008, and thank you for allowing me to be a part of your graduation.

I have the distinct honor today of pinch-hitting for one of my personal heroes and a hero to this country, Senator Edward Kennedy. Teddy wanted to be here very much, but as you know, he’s had a very long week and is taking some much-needed rest. He called me up a few days ago and I said that I’d be happy to be his stand-in, even if there was no way I could fill his shoes.

I did, however, get the chance to glance at the speech he planned on delivering today, and I’d like to start by passing along a message from him: “To all those praying for my return to good health, I offer my heartfelt thanks. And to any who’d rather have a different result, I say, don’t get your hopes up just yet!”

So we know that Ted Kennedy’s legendary sense of humor is as strong as ever, and I have no doubt that his equally legendary fighting spirit will carry him through this latest challenge. He is our friend, he is our champion, and we hope and pray for his return to good health.

The topic of his speech today was common for a commencement, but one that nobody could discuss with more authority or inspiration than Ted Kennedy. And that is the topic of service to one’s country – a cause that is synonymous with his family’s name and their legacy.

I was born the year that his brother John called a generation of Americans to ask their country what they could do. And I came of age at a time when they did it. They were the Peace Corps volunteers who won a generation of goodwill toward America at a time when America’s ideals were challenged. They were the teenagers and college students, not much older than you, who watched the Civil Rights Movement unfold on their television sets; who saw the dogs and the fire hoses and the footage of marchers beaten within an inch or their lives; who knew it was probably smarter and safer to stay at home, but still decided to take those Freedom Rides down south – who still decided to march. And because they did, they changed the world.

I bring this up because today, you are about to enter a world that makes it easy to get caught up in the notion that there are actually two different stories at work in our lives.

The first is the story of our everyday cares and concerns – the responsibilities we have to our jobs and our families – the bustle and busyness of what happens in our own life. And the second is the story of what happens in the life of our country – of what happens in the wider world. It’s the story you see when you catch a glimpse of the day’s headlines or turn on the news at night – a story of big challenges like war and recession; hunger and climate change; injustice and inequality. It’s a story that can sometimes seem distant and separate from our own – a destiny to be shaped by forces beyond our control.

And yet, the history of this nation tells us this isn’t so. It tells us that we are a people whose destiny has never been written for us, but by us – by generations of men and women, young and old, who have always believed that their story and the American story are not separate, but shared. And for more than two centuries, they have served this country in ways that have forever enriched both.

I say this to you as someone who couldn’t be standing here today if not for the service of others, and wouldn’t be standing here today if not for the purpose that service gave my own life.

You see, I spent much of my childhood adrift. My father left my mother and I when I was two. When my mother remarried, I lived in Indonesia for a time, but was mostly raised in Hawaii by her and my grandparents from Kansas. My teenage years were filled with more than the usual dose of adolescent rebellion, and I’ll admit that I didn’t always take myself or my studies very seriously. I realize that none of you can probably relate to this, but there were many times when I wasn’t sure where I was going, or what I would do.

But during my first two years of college, perhaps because the values my mother had taught me –hard work, honesty, empathy – had resurfaced after a long hibernation; or perhaps because of the example of wonderful teachers and lasting friends, I began to notice a world beyond myself. I became active in the movement to oppose the apartheid regime of South Africa. I began following the debates in this country about poverty and health care. So that by the time I graduated from college, I was possessed with a crazy idea – that I would work at a grassroots level to bring about change.

I wrote letters to every organization in the country I could think of. And one day, a small group of churches on the South Side of Chicago offered me a job to come work as a community organizer in neighborhoods that had been devastated by steel plant closings. My mother and grandparents wanted me to go to law school. My friends were applying to jobs on Wall Street. Meanwhile, this organization offered me $12,000 a year plus $2,000 for an old, beat-up car.

And I said yes.

Now, I didn’t know a soul in Chicago, and I wasn’t sure what this community organizing business was all about. I had always been inspired by stories of the Civil Rights Movement and JFK’s call to service, but when I got to the South Side, there were no marches, and no soaring speeches. In the shadow of an empty steel plant, there were just a lot of folks who were struggling. And we didn’t get very far at first.

I still remember one of the very first meetings we put together to discuss gang violence with a group of community leaders. We waited and waited for people to show up, and finally, a group of older people walked into the hall. And they sat down. And a little old lady raised her hand and asked, “Is this where the bingo game is?”

It wasn’t easy, but eventually, we made progress. Day by day, block by block, we brought the community together, and registered new voters, and set up after school programs, and fought for new jobs, and helped people live lives with some measure of dignity.

But I also began to realize that I wasn’t just helping other people. Through service, I found a community that embraced me; citizenship that was meaningful; the direction I’d been seeking. Through service, I discovered how my own improbable story fit into the larger story of America.

Each of you will have the chance to make your own discovery in the years to come. And I say “chance” because you won’t have to take it. There’s no community service requirement in the real world; no one forcing you to care. You can take your diploma, walk off this stage, and chase only after the big house and the nice suits and all the other things that our money culture says you should by. You can choose to narrow your concerns and live your life in a way that tries to keep your story separate from America’s.

But I hope you don’t. Not because you have an obligation to those who are less fortunate, though you do have that obligation. Not because you have a debt to all those who helped you get here, though you do have that debt.

It’s because you have an obligation to yourself. Because our individual salvation depends on collective salvation. Because thinking only about yourself, fulfilling your immediate wants and needs, betrays a poverty of ambition. Because it’s only when you hitch your wagon to something larger than yourself that you realize your true potential and discover the role you’ll play in writing the next great chapter in America’s story

There are so many ways to serve and so much need at this defining moment in our history. You don’t have to be a community organizer or do something crazy like run for President. Right here at Wesleyan, many of you have already volunteered at local schools, contributed to United Way, and even started a program that brings fresh produce to needy families in the area. One hundred and sixty-four graduates of this school have joined the Peace Corps since 2001, and I’m especially proud that two of you are about to leave for my father’s homeland of Kenya to bring alternative sources of energy to impoverished areas.

I ask you to seek these opportunities when you leave here, because the future of this country – your future – depends on it. At a time when our security and moral standing depend on winning hearts and minds in the forgotten corners of this world, we need more of you to serve abroad. As President, I intend to grow the Foreign Service, double the Peace Corps over the next few years, and engage the young people of other nations in similar programs, so that we work side by side to take on the common challenges that confront all humanity.

At a time when our ice caps are melting and our oceans are rising, we need you to help lead a green revolution. We still have time to avoid the catastrophic consequences of climate change if we get serious about investing in renewable sources of energy, and if we get a generation of volunteers to work on renewable energy projects, and teach folks about conservation, and help clean up polluted areas; if we send talented engineers and scientists abroad to help developing countries promote clean energy.

At a time when a child in Boston must compete with children in Beijing and Bangalore, we need an army of you to become teachers and principals in schools that this nation cannot afford to give up on. I will pay our educators what they deserve, and give them more support, but I will also ask more of them to be mentors to other teachers, and serve in high-need schools and high-need subject areas like math and science.

At a time when there are children in the city of New Orleans who still spend each night in a lonely trailer, we need more of you to take a weekend or a week off from work, and head down South, and help rebuild. If you can’t get the time, volunteer at the local homeless shelter or soup kitchen in your own community. Find an organization that’s fighting poverty, or a candidate who promotes policies you believe in, and find a way to help them.

At a time of war, we need you to work for peace. At a time of inequality, we need you to work for opportunity. At a time of so much cynicism and so much doubt, we need you to make us believe again.

Now understand this - believing that change is possible is not the same as being naïve. Go into service with your eyes wide open, for change will not come easily. On the big issues that our nation faces, difficult choices await. We’ll have to face some hard truths, and some sacrifice will be required – not only from you individually, but from the nation as a whole.

There is no magic bullet to our energy problems, for example; no perfect energy source - so all of us will have to use the energy sources we have more wisely. Deep-rooted poverty will not be reversed overnight, and will require both money and reform at a time when our federal and state budgets are strapped and Washington is skeptical that reform is possible. Transforming our education system will require not only bold government action, but a change in attitudes among parents and students. Bringing an end to the slaughter in Darfur will involve navigating extremely difficult realities on the ground, even for those with the best of intentions.

And so, should you take the path of service, should you choose to take up one of these causes as your own, know that you’ll experience frustrations and failures. Even your successes will be marked by imperfections and unintended consequences. I guarantee you, there will certainly be times when friends or family urge you to pursue more sensible endeavors with more tangible rewards. And there will be times when you are tempted to take their advice.

But I hope you’ll remember, during those times of doubt and frustration, that there is nothing naïve about your impulse to change this world. Because all it takes is one act of service – one blow against injustice – to send forth that tiny ripple of hope that Robert Kennedy spoke of.

You know, Ted Kennedy often tells a story about the fifth anniversary celebration of the Peace Corps. He was there, and he asked one of the young Americans why he had chosen to volunteer. And the man replied, “Because it was the first time someone asked me to do something for my country.”

I don’t know how many of you have been asked that question, but after today, you have no excuses. I am asking you, and if I should have the honor of serving this nation as President, I will be asking again in the coming years. We may disagree on certain issues and positions, but I believe we can be unified in service to a greater good. I intend to make it a cause of my presidency, and I believe with all my heart that this generation is ready, and eager, and up to the challenge.

We will face our share of cynics and doubters. But we always have. I can still remember a conversation I had with an older man all those years ago just before I left for Chicago. He said, “Barack, I’ll give you a bit of advice. Forget this community organizing business and do something that’s gonna make you some money. You can’t change the world, and people won’t appreciate you trying. But you’ve got a nice voice, so you should think about going into television broadcasting. I’m telling you, you’ve got a future.”

Now, he may have been right about the TV thing, but he was wrong about everything else. For that old man has not seen what I have seen. He has not seen the faces of ordinary people the first time they clear a vacant lot or build a new playground or force an unresponsive leader to provide services to their community. He has not seen the face of a child brighten because of an inspiring teacher or mentor. He has not seen scores of young people educate their parents on issues like Darfur, or mobilize the conscience of a nation around the challenge of climate change. He has not seen lines of men and women that wrap around schools and churches, that stretch block after block just so they could make their voices heard, many for the very first time.

And that old man who didn’t believe the world could change – who didn’t think one person could make a difference – well he certainly didn’t know much about the life of Joseph Kennedy’s youngest son.

It is rare in this country of ours that a person exists who has touched the lives of nearly every single American without many of us even realizing it. And yet, because of Ted Kennedy, millions of children can see a doctor when they get sick. Mothers and fathers can leave work to spend time with their newborns. Working Americans are paid higher wages, and compensated for overtime, and can keep their health insurance when they change jobs. They are protected from discrimination in the workplace, and those who are born with disabilities can still get an education, and health care, and fair treatment on the job. Our schools are stronger and our colleges are filled with more Americans who can afford it. And I have a feeling that Ted Kennedy is not done just yet.

But surely, if one man can achieve so much and make such a difference in the lives of so many, then each of us can do our part. Surely, if his service and his story can forever shape America’s story, then our collective service can shape the destiny of this generation. At the very least, his living example calls each of us to try. That is all I ask of you on this joyous day of new beginnings; that is what Senator Kennedy asks of you as well, and that is how we will keep so much needed work going, and the cause of justice everlasting, and the dream alive for generations to come. Thank you so much to the class of 2008, and congratulations on your graduation.

Video: Obama's Address at Wesleyan College

Karen Who Loves the Way Obama Loves All Americans — Sun, 25 May 2008 16:11:58 EDT

Here is the video of Obama's address to Wesleyan college earlier today. My husband and I watched it with our kids. It is very moving. Senator Obama, who gave the address in is supporter Senator Edward Kennedy's absence due to Senator Kennedy's illness, emphasizes following in the Kennedy tradition of public service. Senator Obama also speaks of what he has learned from the Kennedy tradition of public service in his own community work. It is a very moving speech and I was moved to tears watching my kids listen and learn with admiration for Senator Barack Obama, our candidate for U.S. President. Here is the video, contibuted by Sam Graham-Felsen:

Post from Sam Graham-Felsen's BlogVideo: Senator Obama's Wesleyan Commencement AddressBy Sam Graham-Felsen - May 25th, 2008 at 2:26 pm EDT Also listed in: SFBO Blog Comments | Mail to a Friend | Report Objectionable Content

Here is the video from Senator Obama's address at Wesleyan University commencement...

Please sign up to volunteer and become a part of this movement for change.

Thanks to All Montanans

Karen Who Loves the Way Obama Loves All Americans — Sun, 25 May 2008 13:13:21 EDT

Thanks to all Montana Supporters of Obama! A recent poll shows Obama leading in Montana 2ith 52% for Obama in contrast to 35% for Clinton. Yeah Montana! We are the one's we've been waiting for! Yes We Can!

Here is an article on the Montana poll showing that Obama has the expected lead:

Poll: Obama leads Clinton in Montana

By The Associated Press 1 hour, 2 minutes ago

THE RACE: The presidential race for Democrats in Montana

___

THE NUMBERS

Barack Obama, 52 percent

Hillary Rodham Clinton, 35 percent

Undecided, 13 percent

___

OF INTEREST:

Forty-one percent of respondents had a favorable view of Obama and 38 percent had an unfavorable view, compared with 29 percent with a favorable view of Clinton and 50 percent with unfavorable views.

___

The Mason-Dixon Polling & Research, Inc. poll was conducted May 19-21 for Lee Newspapers. It included interviews with 400 likely Democratic voters, for whom the margin of sampling error was plus or minus 5 percentage points.

Obama's Commencement Address

Karen Who Loves the Way Obama Loves All Americans — Sun, 25 May 2008 13:09:21 EDT

Here is a Bloomberg article on Obama's commencement address to the students at Wesleyan College. I will post the full address when it is released. Here is a summary, however, on his emphasis on service and the Kennedy tradition of service. Obama gave the address at the request of Senator Edward (Ted) Kennedy who was originally scheduled to give the commencement address at Wesleyan College. As reported earlier in the past week, Ted Kennedy has been diagnosed with a malignant brain tumour and is taking some time off for health. The Kennedy Family was present at the Commencement address and Obama represented Ted Kennedy and the Kennedy tradition of service with respect and eloquence. Here is the article:

Obama Leading in Montana Polls

Karen Who Loves the Way Obama Loves All Americans — Sun, 25 May 2008 12:51:54 EDT

Obama at 52% in Montana poll to Clinton's 35% there. See the article below regarding poll saying Obama's is leading Clinton in Montana:

Poll: Obama leads Clinton in Montana

By The Associated Press 40 minutes ago

THE RACE: The presidential race for Democrats in Montana

___

THE NUMBERS

Barack Obama, 52 percent

Hillary Rodham Clinton, 35 percent

Undecided, 13 percent

___

OF INTEREST:

Forty-one percent of respondents had a favorable view of Obama and 38 percent had an unfavorable view, compared with 29 percent with a favorable view of Clinton and 50 percent with unfavorable views.

___

Obama and Diplomacy

Karen Who Loves the Way Obama Loves All Americans — Sun, 25 May 2008 10:13:20 EDT

Here is an excellent Washington Post article on Obama and diplomacy posted yesterday on the main Obama website. The author, a Democratic Senator discusses Obama's response to attacks by Bush and McCain regarding Obama's commitment to diplomacy and the importance to talking to Iran in light of the fact that, Obama emphasizes, the Bush/McCain strategies have failed with Iran increasing nuclear weaponry. Here is the article:

The Wisdom In Talking

By John F. Kerry
Saturday, May 24, 2008; A21

As President Bush commemorated Israel's 60th anniversary by attacking Barack Obama from overseas, here at home he found an all-too-frequent ally: John McCain.

When Bush accused "some" -- including Obama, Bush aides explained -- of "the false comfort of appeasement," McCain echoed this slander.

"What does he want to talk about with [Mahmoud] Ahmadinejad?" McCain asked, fumbling to link Obama to the Iranian president's hateful words. Soon, a GOP talking point was born.

Lost in the rhetoric was the question America deserves to have answered: Why should we engage with Iran?

In short, not talking to Iran has failed. Miserably.

Bush engages in self-deception arguing that not engaging Iran has worked. In fact, Iran has grown stronger: continuing to master the nuclear fuel cycle; arming militias in Iraq and Lebanon; bolstering extremist anti-Israeli proxies. It has embraced Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and spends lavishly to rebuild Afghanistan, gaining influence across the region.

Instead of backing Bush's toxic rhetoric, McCain should have called George H.W. Bush's secretary of state, James Baker. After years of stonewalling, the administration grudgingly tested the Baker-Hamilton report's recommendation and opened talks with Iran -- albeit low-level dialogue restricted to the subject of Iraq. Is James Baker an appeaser, too?

While the president attacks political opponents from the Knesset, responsible members of his own administration meet face to face with Iranians. Yes, Ahmadinejad's words often are abhorrent, and often Iran has played a poisonous role in Middle East politics. But when our ambassador to Iraq meets with his Iranian counterpart, he isn't courting "the false comfort of appeasement" -- he is facing the reality that Iran exerts influence in Iraq. That's why Defense Secretary Bob Gates and Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, have called for engaging Iran. Appeasers all? Nonsense.

Direct negotiations may be the only means short of war that can persuade Iran to forgo its nuclear capability. Given that a nuclear Iran would menace Israel, drive oil prices up past today's record highs and possibly spark a regional arms race, shouldn't we be doing all we can to avoid that conflagration?

Opponents of dialogue often quip that talking isn't a strategy. Walking away isn't a strategy, either. McCain says that "there's only one thing worse than the United States exercising the military option, that is, a nuclear-armed Iran." But for all his professed reluctance, when McCain disavows diplomacy, he is stacking the deck in favor of war.

What might we achieve by talking with Iran? Some say our engagement to date has not been productive -- but a less half-hearted and less conditional approach might well break the stalemate. We won't know until we try.

Dialogue helps us isolate Ahmadinejad rather than empowering him to isolate us. More important, even if we fail to reach an agreement, engaging Iran will spark three conversations likely to strengthen our position.

The first is between our leaders and Iran's. From nonproliferation to counterterrorism, frankly, Iran won't care for much of what we have to say -- but at the right moment, it is not unreasonable to think Tehran would cut a deal in exchange for economic incentives, energy assistance, diplomatic normalization or a noninvasion guarantee.

Second is the conversation America's president should be having with the Iranian people. We should seize the chance to tell some of the region's most pro-American people how their own president has isolated them, denying their great culture its place in the world and the region a constructive dialogue.

There's a reason the late Tom Lantos, Congress's only Holocaust survivor and a formidable diplomat, applied for a visa to enter Iran every year for the last decade of his life. What better way to puncture the petty lies of a demagogue than to force him to confront a man who has lived the very history he denies and trivializes?

Some have asserted that meeting with Iran's leaders would legitimize Ahmadinejad, who is neither Iran's supreme leader nor someone whom Obama specifically promised to meet. Curiously, many critics then hype Ahmadinejad as a threat of historic proportions, thereby granting the stature they seek to deny. Iranian elections in mid-2009 could yield a less objectionable president; engaging Iran makes that more likely.

The third conversation is with the world. By engaging Iran, we reclaim the moral high ground -- no small feat. If Iran refuses to budge, we have new leverage to expose it as a threat whose bad intentions cannot be explained away.

Those who say they take no option off the table should not put America in a straitjacket by denouncing diplomacy.

As Iran's centrifuges churn out enriched uranium, we're asking the wrong question. Instead of wondering why Barack Obama wants to talk with Iran, we should ask: "What are George Bush and John McCain waiting for?"

The writer is a Democratic senator from Massachusetts.

Obama Head Quarters: Vote For Change

Karen Who Loves the Way Obama Loves All Americans — Sat, 24 May 2008 14:35:13 EDT

Obama Head Quarters says, "Find a Vote for Change Event Near You!":

Post from HQ Blog Update: Vote for Change: "This is no time for apathy"By HQ Blog Update - May 24th, 2008 at 1:42 pm EDT Comments | Mail to a Friend | Report Objectionable Content

From big cities to small towns and everywhere in between people are coming together to create a direct impact by registering new voters.

In Mt. Vernon, Ohio, Meg and Knox County Citizens for Obama, a grassroots group of Obama supporters, are planning to register voters on June 6th during Mount Vernon’s street fair known as “First Friday.”

Feeling the fierce urgency of now, Knox County Citizens for Obama plans to go out the very next day to register even more voters at the farmers market in the town square.

“First Friday” and the Farmer’s Market are just two of many events "Knox County Citizens for Obama" has organized on my.barackobama.com, which has been an integral part to the group's growth. As Meg recalled:

I went to the my.barackobama.com web site. Another colleague had already started a group so we merged our efforts and created Knox County Citizens for Obama. Through a combination of the web site, emails to like-minded friends, and word of mouth, we now have a group of 70+ volunteers.

The group was very active during the Ohio primary and plans to continue playing a critical role in helping Senator Obama become the next President of the United States.

Meg describes why she is involved in bringing change to America:

This is no time for slouchers, for apathy, for politics as usual or the status quo. If we thought much was at stake in 2004, imagine how much more is at stake in 2008: our standing in the world, the strength of our armies, the prosperity of our neighbors, the food on our table, the very air that we breathe.

If you live near Knox County Ohio, you can join Meg and Knox County Citizens for Obama on June 6th and 7th. And nor matter where you are, you can find Vote for Change events in your community or even create your own.

2 California Super Delegates

Karen Who Loves the Way Obama Loves All Americans — Sat, 24 May 2008 11:47:52 EDT

2 California Super Delegates:

May 23, 2008Obama adds two superdelegates, one's a former Clinton backerPosted: 11:49 AM ET
From CNN Associate Producer Martina Stewart
Sen. Obama campaigned in Florida Thursday.

(CNN) – Sen. Barack Obama pocketed two more of his party’s superdelegates Friday.

California congressmen Jim Costa and Dennis Cardoza are endorsing the Illinois senator, according to a statement released by his campaign.

“While I continue to greatly respect and admire Senator Clinton and feel she has made history with her campaign, I believe that Senator Obama will inevitably be our party’s nominee for President,” Cardoza, who had previously supported Sen. Hillary Clinton, said in the statement.

Cardoza also waded into the controversy over seating the Florida and Michigan delegations at the Democratic convention. “I will not support changing the rules in the fourth quarter of this contest through some convoluted DNC rules committee process. Yet, we must find a resolution” to the situation with Florida and Michigan, Cardoza said. “I believe we need to avoid this potentially divisive situation by uniting behind one nominee and bringing the party together immediately,” he added.

Costa said electability had helped drive his decision. “In my opinion, it is clear that Senator Obama will be the strongest presidential nominee for the Democratic Party,” Costa said in the statement released by the campaign.

Obama leads the delegate race with a total of 1,967 total delegates including 309 superdelegates, according to CNN’s latest tally. Clinton has 1,779 total delegates, including 279 superdelegates. The number of delegates necessary to claim the Democratic nomination is currently 2,026 but that number may change once the Democratic National Committee decides how to resolve the situation regarding the Florida and Michigan delegations.

The DNC’s Rules and Bylaws Committee is set to meet on May 31 and hear appeals from both states that were stripped of all their delegates to the convention because they held their primaries in violation of party rules.

Filed under: Barack Obama • Democratic National Convention • Hillary Clinton • superdelegates

Obama Substitutes for Ted Kennedy: Commencement Speaker

Karen Who Loves the Way Obama Loves All Americans — Sat, 24 May 2008 11:42:55 EDT

Obama Substitutes for Ted Kennedy as Commencement Speaker at Wesleyan College:

Obama Provides Wesleyan Recognition Beyond Belichick

Janet Frankston Lorin and Oliver Staley 2 hours, 6 minutes ago

May 24 (Bloomberg) -- Barack Obama, standing in for Senator Ted Kennedy as commencement speaker at Wesleyan University tomorrow, will find a school whose liberal arts heritage and successful alumni mesh well with the presidential candidate's national supporters.

Wesleyan, situated in a northeast-U.S. corridor crowded with elite colleges such as Yale University and Amherst College, often struggles for name recognition. Students say it is confused with Wellesley College and Ohio Wesleyan University.

By substituting for the 76 year-old Kennedy, the Democratic party lion diagnosed with brain cancer this week, Illinois Senator Obama will give Wesleyan, in Middletown, Connecticut, an historic moment. In return, the appearance may give Obama more ties to a network of wealthy, high-profile graduates, including Sun Microsystems Inc. Chief Executive Officer Jonathan Schwartz, former Southwest Airlines Co. Chairman Herb Kelleher and ``The West Wing'' actor Bradley Whitford.

``He'll have a hard time being heard through all the applause,'' Schwartz, 46, whose Santa Clara, California-based company makes computers, said in an e-mail yesterday. ``He should bring a bullhorn.''

Students and alumni are equally enthusiastic about the school itself, they say.

``I made some life-long friends here,'' said alumnus Bill Belichick, 56, head coach of the New England Patriots, the American football team, in an interview on the campus. ``It was a great four years.''

Football Rivals

Belichick, whose team has won four National Football League Super Bowl titles, was inducted yesterday, along with marathon runner Bill Rodgers, into the Wesleyan Athletic Hall of Fame. Belichick said nobody should be surprised that Wesleyan, with 2,700 students, turned out a top coach. ``This school produces a lot of great people,'' he said.

Wesleyan even produced a rival for Belichick: Coach Eric Mangini of NFL's New York Jets. Mangini said he would travel today to Wesleyan for his 15th reunion and stay for Obama's speech. Mangini, 37, described the student body as diverse racially, and socio-economically, and filled with students who challenged his beliefs.

``It doesn't necessarily teach you one craft, it teaches you how to think,'' he said. ``I never thought that I would be a football coach when I went to Wesleyan.''

Unlike Kennedy, whose has a stepdaughter in the graduating class and a son among the alumni, and who received an honorary degree from the school, Obama has no ties to Wesleyan. Kennedy, a Massachusetts Democrat who has served in the U.S. Senate since 1962, endorsed Obama for president in January over New York Senator Hillary Clinton.

`Fill His Shoes'

``Ted and I talked about me filling in for him at Wesleyan University earlier this week,'' Obama said in a statement May 22. ``Considering what he's done for me and for our country, there's nothing I wouldn't do for him. So I'm looking forward to standing in his place on Sunday even though I know I won't be able to fill his shoes.''

The Illinois senator, who graduated from Columbia University in New York and obtained a law degree from Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, would have felt at home as a Wesleyan student, according to Rodgers, who won the New York and Boston marathons four times each.

``Obama would have been a Wesleyan guy,'' said Rodgers, from the class of 1970. ``The way he thinks, he has a very open mind. He's a very thoughtful guy.''

Confusing Names

The school, whose name is derived from that of the 18th century English theologian John Wesley, began as a Methodist institution for men. Now secular and coeducational, it is tied for 11th place on U.S. News & World Report's ranking of top American liberal arts colleges.

``We're always joking here about being confused with Wellesley or Ohio Wesleyan,'' said Dylan Marron, 19, a sociology and theater double major from New York City. ``If this is going to bring national recognition, it can't hurt.''

Last year's 175th anniversary celebration attracted 8,000 people to Wesleyan. School officials are now trying to plan for several times that number because of Obama.

``Wesleyan students are very much into what Obama's into,'' said alumna Betsy Ware, 27, who lives in Los Angeles and works for Time Warner Inc.'s Home Box Office cable-TV unit. ``We're into hope and activism and let's-go-change-the-world.''

Wesleyan has stood out for its aim to take students from rage of different backgrounds, said Stephen Singer, the director of college counseling at the private Horace Mann School, in New York.

Commitment to Diversity

``One of the things that makes them special is a longstanding commitment to the best kinds of diversity, before a lot of other schools caught on to its importance,'' he said.

Prep for Prep, a 30-year-old nonprofit group that recruits bright New York City public-school children from minority backgrounds and sends them to independent schools and top colleges, has sent more of its students to Wesleyan University than to any other. Since 1978, it has sent 161 to Wesleyan, followed by Harvard at 158.

``The more diverse a school or college is, the more diversity it draws,'' said Peter Bordonaro, Prep for Prep's deputy executive director. ``That's really been true at Wesleyan.''

For incoming first-year students, it will cost $49,570 to attend Wesleyan in September. About 7 percent of the students are black, 11 percent Asian, 8 percent Hispanic and 1 percent Native American, according to the school.

`Very Affirming'

Michael Roth, Wesleyan's president, said that given the school's history, commitment to affirmative action and need-blind admissions, Obama will receive a sympathetic hearing. The senator is striving to become the first black presidential nominee from a major U.S. political party.

``Senator Obama's experience will speak to many people at Wesleyan in a very affirming way,'' Roth said.

Wesleyan had an endowment of $710 million as of June 30, 2007, ranking it as the 101st in the U.S., according to the National Association of College and University Business Officers, based in Washington. Harvard was first, with $34.9 billion.

Two days ago, when Wesleyan announced that Kennedy was withdrawing as commencement speaker, sophomore Julia Pearlman was delighted to learn that Obama would stand in.

``Kennedy doesn't speak to us in the same way that Obama does,'' said Pearlman, 19, from Havertown, Pennsylvania. ``He represents a new type of politics.''

To contact the reporter on this story: Janet Frankston Lorin in New York jlorin@bloomberg.net ; Oliver Staley in New York at ostaley@bloomberg.net .

Obama & Cuba, Latin America...

Karen Who Loves the Way Obama Loves All Americans — Sat, 24 May 2008 11:35:42 EDT

Obama's speech on Cuba, Latin America, U.S. Leadersi in the Americas:

Renewing U.S. Leadership in the Americas

Remarks of Senator Barack Obama

Cuban American National Foundation

May 23, 2008

As prepared for delivery

It is my privilege to join in this week’s Independence Day celebration, and in honoring those who have stood up with courage and conviction for Cuban liberty. I’m going to take this opportunity to speak about Cuba, and also U.S. policy toward the Americas more broadly.

We meet here united in our unshakeable commitment to freedom. And it is fitting that we reaffirm that commitment here in Miami.

In many ways, Miami stands as a symbol of hope for what’s possible in the Americas. Miami’s promise of liberty and opportunity has drawn generations of immigrants to these shores, sometimes with nothing more than the clothes on their back. It was a similar hope that drew my own father across an ocean, in search of the same promise that our dreams need not be deferred because of who we are, what we look like, or where we come from.

Here, in Miami, that promise can join people together. We take common pride in a vibrant and diverse democracy, and a hard-earned prosperity. We find common pleasure in the crack of the bat, in the rhythms of our music, and the ease of voices shifting from Spanish or Creole or Portuguese to English.

These bonds are built on a foundation of shared history in our hemisphere. Colonized by empires, we share stories of liberation. Confronted by our own imperfections, we are joined in a desire to build a more perfect union. Rich in resources, we have yet to vanquish poverty.

What all of us strive for is freedom as FDR described it. Political freedom. Religious freedom. But also freedom from want, and freedom from fear. At our best, the United States has been a force for these four freedoms in the Americas. But if we’re honest with ourselves, we’ll acknowledge that at times we’ve failed to engage the people of the region with the respect owed to a partner.

When George Bush was elected, he held out the promise that this would change. He raised the hopes of the region that our engagement would be sustained instead of piecemeal. He called Mexico our most important bilateral relationship, and pledged to make Latin America a “fundamental commitment” of his presidency. It seemed that a new 21st century era had dawned.

Almost eight years later, those high hopes have been dashed.

Since the Bush Administration launched a misguided war in Iraq, its policy in the Americas has been negligent toward our friends, ineffective with our adversaries, disinterested in the challenges that matter in peoples’ lives, and incapable of advancing our interests in the region.

No wonder, then, that demagogues like Hugo Chavez have stepped into this vacuum. His predictable yet perilous mix of anti-American rhetoric, authoritarian government, and checkbook diplomacy offers the same false promise as the tried and failed ideologies of the past. But the United States is so alienated from the rest of the Americas that this stale vision has gone unchallenged, and has even made inroads from Bolivia to Nicaragua. And Chavez and his allies are not the only ones filling the vacuum. While the United States fails to address the changing realities in the Americas, others from Europe and Asia – notably China – have stepped up their own engagement. Iran has drawn closer to Venezuela, and just the other day Tehran and Caracas launched a joint bank with their windfall oil profits.

That is the record – the Bush record in Latin America – that John McCain has chosen to embrace. Senator McCain doesn’t talk about these trends in our hemisphere because he knows that it’s part of the broader Bush-McCain failure to address priorities beyond Iraq. The situation has changed in the Americas, but we’ve failed to change with it. Instead of engaging the people of the region, we’ve acted as if we can still dictate terms unilaterally. We have not offered a clear and comprehensive vision, backed up with strong diplomacy. We are failing to join the battle for hearts and minds. For far too long, Washington has engaged in outdated debates and stuck to tired blueprints on drugs and trade, on democracy and development -- even though they won’t meet the tests of the future.

The stakes could not be higher. It is time for us to recognize that the future security and prosperity of the United States is fundamentally tied to the future of the Americas. If we don’t turn away from the policies of the past, then we won’t be able to shape the future. The Bush Administration has offered no clear vision for this future, and neither has John McCain.

So we face a clear choice in this election. We can continue as a bystander, or we can lead the hemisphere into the 21st century. And when I am President of the United States, we will choose to lead.

It’s time for a new alliance of the Americas. After eight years of the failed policies of the past, we need new leadership for the future. After decades pressing for top-down reform, we need an agenda that advances democracy, security, and opportunity from the bottom up. So my policy towards the Americas will be guided by the simple principle that what’s good for the people of the Americas is good for the United States. That means measuring success not just through agreements among governments, but also through the hopes of the child in the favelas of Rio, the security for the policeman in Mexico City, and the answered cries of political prisoners heard from jails in Havana.

The first and most fundamental freedom that we must work for is political freedom. The United States must be a relentless advocate for democracy.

I grew up for a time in Indonesia. It was a society struggling to achieve meaningful democracy. Power could be undisguised and indiscriminate. Too often, power wore a uniform, and was unaccountable to the people. Some still had good reason to fear a knock on the door.

There is no place for this kind of tyranny in this hemisphere. There is no place for any darkness that would shut out the light of liberty. Here we must heed the words of Dr. King, written from his own jail cell: “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”

Throughout my entire life, there has been injustice in Cuba. Never, in my lifetime, have the people of Cuba known freedom. Never, in the lives of two generations of Cubans, have the people of Cuba known democracy. This is the terrible and tragic status quo that we have known for half a century – of elections that are anything but free or fair; of dissidents locked away in dark prison cells for the crime of speaking the truth. I won’t stand for this injustice, you won’t stand for this injustice, and together we will stand up for freedom in Cuba.

Now I know what the easy thing is to do for American politicians. Every four years, they come down to Miami, they talk tough, they go back to Washington, and nothing changes in Cuba. That’s what John McCain did the other day. He joined the parade of politicians who make the same empty promises year after year, decade after decade. Instead of offering a strategy for change, he chose to distort my position, embrace George Bush’s, and continue a policy that’s done nothing to advance freedom for the Cuban people. That’s the political posture that John McCain has chosen, and all it shows is that you can’t take his so-called straight talk seriously.

My policy toward Cuba will be guided by one word: Libertad. And the road to freedom for all Cubans must begin with justice for Cuba’s political prisoners, the rights of free speech, a free press and freedom of assembly; and it must lead to elections that are free and fair.

Now let me be clear. John McCain’s been going around the country talking about how much I want to meet with Raul Castro, as if I’m looking for a social gathering. That’s never what I’ve said, and John McCain knows it. After eight years of the disastrous policies of George Bush, it is time to pursue direct diplomacy, with friend and foe alike, without preconditions. There will be careful preparation. We will set a clear agenda. And as President, I would be willing to lead that diplomacy at a time and place of my choosing, but only when we have an opportunity to advance the interests of the United States, and to advance the cause of freedom for the Cuban people.

I will never, ever, compromise the cause of liberty. And unlike John McCain, I would never, ever, rule out a course of action that could advance the cause of liberty. We’ve heard enough empty promises from politicians like George Bush and John McCain. I will turn the page.

It’s time for more than tough talk that never yields results. It’s time for a new strategy. There are no better ambassadors for freedom than Cuban Americans. That’s why I will immediately allow unlimited family travel and remittances to the island. It’s time to let Cuban Americans see their mothers and fathers, their sisters and brothers. It’s time to let Cuban American money make their families less dependent upon the Castro regime.

I will maintain the embargo. It provides us with the leverage to present the regime with a clear choice: if you take significant steps toward democracy, beginning with the freeing of all political prisoners, we will take steps to begin normalizing relations. That’s the way to bring about real change in Cuba – through strong, smart and principled diplomacy.

And we know that freedom across our hemisphere must go beyond elections. In Venezuela, Hugo Chavez is a democratically elected leader. But we also know that he does not govern democratically. He talks of the people, but his actions just serve his own power. Yet the Bush Administration's blustery condemnations and clumsy attempts to undermine Chavez have only strengthened his hand.

We’ve heard plenty of talk about democracy from George Bush, but we need steady action. We must put forward a vision of democracy that goes beyond the ballot box. We should increase our support for strong legislatures, independent judiciaries, free press, vibrant civil society, honest police forces, religious freedom, and the rule of law. That is how we can support democracy that is strong and sustainable not just on an election day, but in the day to day lives of the people of the Americas.

That is what is so badly needed – not just in Cuba and Venezuela – but just to our southeast in Haiti as well. The Haitian people have suffered too long under governments that cared more about their own power than their peoples’ progress and prosperity. It’s time to press Haiti’s leaders to bridge the divides between them. And it’s time to invest in the economic development that must underpin the security that the Haitian people lack. And that is why the second part of my agenda will be advancing freedom from fear in the Americas.

For too many people in our hemisphere, security is absent from their daily lives. And for far too long, Washington has been trapped in a conventional thinking about Latin America and the Caribbean. From the right, we hear about violent insurgents. From the left, we hear about paramilitaries. This is the predictable debate that seems frozen in time from the 1980s. You’re either soft on Communism or soft on death squads. And it has more to do with the politics of Washington than beating back the perils that so many people face in the Americas.

The person living in fear of violence doesn’t care if they’re threatened by a right-wing paramilitary or a left-wing terrorist; they don’t care if they’re being threatened by a drug cartel or a corrupt police force. They just care that they’re being threatened, and that their families can’t live and work in peace. That is why there will never be true security unless we focus our efforts on targeting every source of fear in the Americas. That’s what I’ll do as President of the United States.

For the people of Colombia – who have suffered at the hands of killers of every sort – that means battling all sources of violence. When I am President, we will continue the Andean Counter-Drug Program, and update it to meet evolving challenges. We will fully support Colombia’s fight against the FARC. We’ll work with the government to end the reign of terror from right wing paramilitaries. We will support Colombia’s right to strike terrorists who seek safe-haven across its borders. And we will shine a light on any support for the FARC that comes from neighboring governments. This behavior must be exposed to international condemnation, regional isolation, and – if need be – strong sanctions. It must not stand.

We must also make clear our support for labor rights, and human rights, and that means meaningful support for Colombia’s democratic institutions. We’ve neglected this support – especially for the rule of law – for far too long. In every country in our hemisphere – including our own – governments must develop the tools to protect their people.

Because if we’ve learned anything in our history in the Americas, it’s that true security cannot come from force alone. Not as long as there are towns in Mexico where drug kingpins are more powerful than judges. Not as long as there are children who grow up afraid of the police. Not as long as drugs and gangs move north across our border, while guns and cash move south in return.

This nexus is a danger to every country in the region – including our own. Thousands of Central American gang members have been arrested across the United States, including here in south Florida. There are national emergencies facing Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras. Mexican drug cartels are terrorizing cities and towns. President Calderon was right to say that enough is enough. We must support Mexico’s effort to crack down. But we must stand for more than force – we must support the rule of law from the bottom up. That means more investments in prevention and prosecutors; in community policing and an independent judiciary.

I agree with my friend, Senator Dick Lugar – the Merida Initiative does not invest enough in Central America, where much of the trafficking and gang activity begins. And we must press further south as well. It’s time to work together to find the best practices that work across the hemisphere, and to tailor approaches to fit each country. That’s why I will direct my Attorney General and Secretary of Homeland Security to sit down with all their counterparts in the Americas during my first year in office. We’ll strive for unity of effort. We’ll provide the resources, and ask that every country do the same. And we’ll tie our support to clear benchmarks for drug seizures, corruption prosecutions, crime reduction, and kingpins busted.

We have to do our part. And that is why a core part of this effort will be a northbound-southbound strategy. We need tougher border security, and a renewed focus on busting up gangs and traffickers crossing our border. But we must address the material heading south as well. As President, I’ll make it clear that we’re coming after the guns, we’re coming after the money laundering, and we’re coming after the vehicles that enable this crime. And we’ll crack down on the demand for drugs in our own communities, and restore funding for drug task forces and the COPS program. We must win the fights on our own streets if we’re going to secure the region.

The third part of my agenda is advancing freedom from want, because there is much that we can do to advance opportunity for the people of the Americas.

That begins with understanding what’s changed in Latin America, and what hasn’t. Enormous wealth has been created, and financial markets are far stronger than a decade ago. Brazil’s economy has grown by leaps and bounds, and perhaps the second richest person in the world is a Mexican. Yet while there has been great economic progress, there is still back-breaking inequality. Despite a growing middle class, 100 million people live on less than two dollars a day, and 40 percent of Latin Americans live in poverty. This feeds everything from drugs, to migration, to support for leaders that appeal to the poor without delivering on their promises.

That is why the United States must stand for growth in the Americas from the bottom up. That begins at home, with comprehensive immigration reform. That means securing our border and passing tough employer enforcement laws. It means bringing 12 million unauthorized immigrants out of the shadows. But it also means working with Mexico, Central America and others to support bottom up development to our south.

For two hundred years, the United States has made it clear that we won’t stand for foreign intervention in our hemisphere. But every day, all across the Americas, there is a different kind of struggle – not against foreign armies, but against the deadly threat of hunger and thirst, disease and despair. That is not a future that we have to accept – not for the child in Port au Prince or the family in the highlands of Peru. We can do better. We must do better.

We cannot ignore suffering to our south, nor stand for the globalization of the empty stomach. Responsibility rests with governments in the region, but we must do our part. I will substantially increase our aid to the Americas, and embrace the Millennium Development Goals of halving global poverty by 2015. We’ll target support to bottom-up growth through micro financing, vocational training, and small enterprise development. It’s time for the United States to once again be a beacon of hope and a helping hand.

Trade must be part of this solution. But I strongly reject the Bush-McCain view that any trade deal is a good deal. We cannot accept trade that enriches those at the top of the ladder while cutting out the rungs at the bottom. It’s time to understand that the goal of our trade policy must be trade that works for all people in all countries. Like Central America’s bishops, I opposed CAFTA because the needs of workers were not adequately addressed. I supported the Peru Free Trade Agreement because there were binding labor and environmental provisions. That’s the kind of trade we need – trade that lifts up workers, not just a corporate bottom line.

There’s nothing protectionist about demanding that trade spreads the benefits of globalization, instead of steering them to special interests while we short-change workers at home and abroad. If John McCain believes – as he said the other day – that 80 percent of Americans think we’re on the wrong track because we haven’t passed free trade with Colombia, then he’s totally out of touch with the American people. And if John McCain thinks that we can paper over our failure of leadership in the region by occasionally passing trade deals with friendly governments, then he’s out of touch with the people of the Americas.

And we have to look for ways to grow our economies and deepen integration beyond trade deals. That’s what China is doing right now, as they build bridges from Beijing to Brazil, and expand their investments across the region. If the United States does not step forward, we risk being left behind. And that is why we must seize a unique opportunity to lead the region toward a more secure and sustainable energy future.

All of us feel the impact of the global energy crisis. In the short-term, it means an ever-more expensive addiction to oil, which bankrolls petro-powered authoritarianism around the globe, and drives up the cost of everything from a tank of gas to dinner on the table. And in the long-term, few regions are more imperiled by the stronger storms, higher floodwaters, and devastating droughts that could come with global warming. Whole crops could disappear, putting the food supply at risk for hundreds of millions.

While we share this risk, we also share the resources to do something about it. That’s why I’ll bring together the countries of the region in a new Energy Partnership for the Americas. We need to go beyond bilateral agreements. We need a regional approach. Together, we can forge a path toward sustainable growth and clean energy.

Leadership must begin at home. That’s why I’ve proposed a cap and trade system to limit our carbon emissions and to invest in alternative sources of energy. We’ll allow industrial emitters to offset a portion of this cost by investing in low carbon energy projects in Latin America and the Caribbean. And we’ll increase research and development across the Americas in clean coal technology, in the next generation of sustainable biofuels not taken from food crops, and in wind and solar energy.

We’ll enlist the World Bank, the Organization of American States, and the Inter-American Development Bank to support these investments, and ensure that these projects enhance natural resources like land, wildlife, and rain forests. We’ll finally enforce environmental standards in our trade deals. We’ll establish a program for the Department of Energy and our laboratories to share technology with countries across the region. We’ll assess the opportunities and risks of nuclear power in the hemisphere by sitting down with Mexico, Brazil, Argentina and Chile. And we’ll call on the American people to join this effort through an Energy Corps of engineers and scientists who will go abroad to help develop clean energy solutions.

This is the unique role that the United States can play. We can offer more than the tyranny of oil. We can learn from the progress made in a country like Brazil, while making the Americas a model for the world. We can offer leadership that serves the common prosperity and common security of the entire region.

This is the promise of FDR’s Four Freedoms that we must realize. But only if we recognize that in the 21st century, we cannot treat Latin America and the Caribbean as a junior partner, just as our neighbors to the south should reject the bombast of authoritarian bullies. An alliance of the Americas will only succeed if it is founded on a bedrock of mutual respect. It’s time to turn the page on the arrogance in Washington and the anti-Americanism across the region that stands in the way of progress. It’s time to listen to one another and to learn from one another.

To fulfill this promise, my Administration won’t wait six years to proclaim a “year of engagement.” We will pursue aggressive, principled, and sustained diplomacy in the Americas from Day One. I will reinstate a Special Envoy for the Americas in my White House who will work with my full support. But we’ll also expand the Foreign Service, and open more consulates in the neglected regions of the Americas. We’ll expand the Peace Corps, and ask more young Americans to go abroad to deepen the trust and the ties among our people.

And we must tap the vast resource of our own immigrant population to advance each part of our agenda. One of the troubling aspects of our recent politics has been the anti-immigrant sentiment that has flared up, and been exploited by politicians come election time. We need to understand that immigration – when done legally – is a source of strength for this country. Our diversity is a source of strength for this country. When we join together – black, white, Hispanic, Asian, and native American – there is nothing that we can’t accomplish. Todos somos Americanos!

Together, we can choose the future over the past.

At a time when our leadership has suffered, I have no doubts about whether we can succeed. If the United States makes its case; if we meet those who doubt us or deride us head-on; if we draw on our best tradition of standing up for those Four Freedoms – then we can shape our future instead of being shaped by it. We can renew our leadership in the hemisphere. We can win the support not just of governments, but of the people of the Americas. But only if we leave the bluster behind. Only if we are strong and steadfast; confident and consistent.

Jose Marti once wrote. “It is not enough to come to the defense of freedom with epic and intermittent efforts when it is threatened at moments that appear critical. Every moment is critical for the defense of freedom.”

Every moment is critical. And this must be our moment. Freedom. Opportunity. Dignity. These are not just the values of the United States – they are the values of the Americas. They were the cause of Washington’s infantry and Bolivar’s cavalry; of Marti’s pen and Hidalgo’s church bells.

That legacy is our inheritance. That must be our cause. And now must be the time that we turn the page to a new chapter in the story of the Americas.

On Obama's Success

Karen Who Loves the Way Obama Loves All Americans — Sat, 24 May 2008 11:26:59 EDT

Here is an interesting article on Obama's success:

Obama's political team out-organized Clinton

By NEDRA PICKLER, Associated Press Writer 1 hour, 1 minute ago

WASHINGTON - Call them Kool-Aid drinkers. Political romantics. Starry-eyed dreamers. But as the marathon Democratic primary campaign nears an end, Barack Obama's staff is on the verge of vindicating its belief that the eloquent black freshman senator from Illinois was a unique candidate who could win the Democratic nomination in one of the biggest upsets in presidential politics.

The band of Obama loyalists who imagined that could happen have stunned even themselves with their success against Hillary Rodham Clinton, who appeared to have wrapped up the nomination last year, before any votes were cast. Now, they face a new challenge with the impending nomination and campaign against Republican John McCain.

If they succeed, many team members could be helping run the country eight months from now. Presidents often appoint campaign advisers to top administration jobs.

The team was led by calm and focused campaign manager David Plouffe; their strategy was inspired by the candidate's experience as a community organizer. They built a campaign designed to accomplish what other political sensations like Gary Hart and Howard Dean failed to do — turn the energy and excitement of the Obama phenomenon into long-term results.

"I think everyone knew realistically that he was starting as an underdog," said longtime friend and adviser Valerie Jarrett. "But I don't think he would have started down this path with a team that didn't think he would win. It was going to be an uphill battle, but in the end I think we were all confident that it could be done and that he could do it."

Matching Obama's organizing background, the team has roots in conducting on-the-ground congressional campaigns across the country. Many top aides were groomed by former House Democratic leader Dick Gephardt and former Senate Democratic Leader Tom Daschle instead of by the Clinton wing of the party. Clinton's team was built with Washington and New York operatives.

From its experience in congressional races, the Obama team understood firsthand the extent of Clinton fatigue in the heartland and the lesson of the 2006 midterm elections: America wants change.

Obama's chief directive for hiring the more than 700 staff members who eventually came to work for him was: No Drama Allowed. Obama's even demeanor is reflected in the advisers closest to him. While Clinton's campaign divided into conflicting power centers whose emotional disputes leaked publicly, any fights in the Obama campaign were kept in the family.

Plouffe embodies Obama's vision — a steady and unemotional number cruncher averse to the limelight, able to tune out noise and focus on the moves needed to reach the end game. Plouffe was the mastermind of Obama's long-range campaign plan that looked beyond the Feb. 5 Super Tuesday primaries that Clinton had predicted would deliver the nomination to her. He dispatched staff to states that Clinton's campaign overlooked, particularly small caucus states where intensive organization produced wins that swelled Obama's delegate lead.

A Gephardt guy, Plouffe had worked on campaigns that went broke, so he was notoriously cheap. Obama attracted a talented staff willing to work for much less than they could have made with Clinton. Plouffe carefully minded the bank account to preserve enough money to keep running after the wildly expensive Super Tuesday contests while Clinton's campaign went broke. She had to lend it $11.4 million to stay afloat.

In the month after Super Tuesday, Obama won 11 straight contests and took a delegate lead that Clinton has not been able to erase.

That's not to say Obama's campaign plan worked flawlessly. The initial plan was to turn a win in Iowa into a win in New Hampshire that would make his nomination unstoppable, but Clinton defeated him in New Hampshire and the campaign dragged on for months.

Now the team must reunite the fractured party and introduce Obama to a whole new swath of voters as he takes on a well-known war hero with bipartisan appeal. The campaign is rapidly adding new people, like experienced communications strategist Anita Dunn, who is married to campaign general counsel Bob Bauer and recently joined Obama's inner circle.

Obama's other closest advisers:

• David Axelrod, a former newspaper columnist who shares Obama's talent with words, is the most experienced and visible political strategist. An idealist who exudes enthusiasm for his candidate, Axelrod helps buck Obama up on the road. Also from Chicago, he can play down-and-dirty politics with a Midwestern smile.

• Jarrett, who has helped guide Obama's entire political career, brings blunt assessments only a longtime friend can provide. Jarrett has known the Obamas since before they were married, when she hired Michelle to work for Chicago Mayor Richard Daley. Known to be cool under pressure, she stepped up her campaign role last fall when Obama was a distant second to Clinton. Bringing a fresh outsider perspective, she held staff accountable.

• Pete Rouse, who has run Obama's Senate office, is known for loyalty and a self-effacing manner. Rouse brings expert knowledge of Washington to a team based in Chicago. He protects Obama's standing in the capital city and has brought in other D.C. operatives, particularly from the Daschle fold where he used to run things.

• Robert Gibbs, who has been at Obama's side since his Senate campaign, is communications director. A Southerner and tough fighter, Gibbs is a passionate defender and can channel the candidate's thoughts. He's also among a few who can frankly tell Obama what needs to improve.

• Michelle Obama, the candidate's wife, is his closest confidant. She often says, "I'm not his senior adviser, I'm his wife." But she also talks about how dinner conversations about their family are what's in his mind when he's crafting policy. She's the ultimate truth teller to the candidate; he calls her for feedback after debates. She has led the campaign's outreach to female voters: As a lawyer and hospital executive, she provides evidence that Obama respects strong women even as he's campaigning against one.

Another crucial adviser is Steve Hildebrand, who oversaw state-by-state efforts to run up Obama wins. Other key team members are finance chairwoman Penny Pritzker, finance director Julianna Smoot, policy director Heather Higginbottom, scheduling director Alyssa Mastromonaco, deputy communications director Dan Pfeiffer, economics adviser Austan Goolsbee and foreign policy aides Anthony Lake and Susan Rice.

___

Good News From Oregon

Karen Who Loves the Way Obama Loves All Americans — Fri, 23 May 2008 15:39:57 EDT

Good News From Main Obama Website:

Post from Sam Graham-Felsen's Blog: Oregon Superdelegate for Obama; Delegate Countdown - 56 To GoBy Sam Graham-Felsen - May 23rd, 2008 at 1:40 pm EDT Comments | Mail to a Friend | Report Objectionable Content

Breaking from Blue Oregon, Oregon's DNC Committeewoman and superdelegate Jenny Greenleaf announces her support for Obama..

The netroots is my political home and where I got started, so I have chosen to announce my endorsement here on BlueOregon.
The voters of Oregon have spoken, and I have listened.
I will be supporting Senator Barack Obama at the Democratic National Convention in August. Senator Obama has the vision and leadership ability to move this country forward and to undo the damage done by the Bush administration. I am proud to support him in this endeavor and will do whatever I can to make sure Oregon's electoral votes are Democratic this fall.
Our Democratic Party of Oregon will be the hub for the presidential campaign in Oregon. I hope you will join me in volunteering with the DPO to turn Senator Obama into President Obama.
I have the utmost respect and admiration for Senator Hillary Clinton. She has run a great campaign and has contributed much to our national debate. She deserves our thanks for her service, her leadership and her candidacy.

Obama now needs just 56 more delegates... We can make this happen. Let's do our part by making calls to Montana and South Dakota...

2 New Super Delegates

Karen Who Loves the Way Obama Loves All Americans — Fri, 23 May 2008 10:46:08 EDT

See this good news:

Two New Hampshire Edwards delegates back Obama

By HOLLY RAMER, Associated Press Writer 43 minutes ago

CONCORD, N.H. - Two of John Edwards' New Hampshire delegates said Friday they will back Sen. Barack Obama for the Democratic presidential nomination.

State Sen. Peter Burling and high school teacher Deborah Nelson announced their decision at a news conference Friday morning. In a phone interview before the announcement, Burling told The Associated Press that he and Nelson believe either Obama or Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton would make a superb president, but it came down to "who can win and who could make a better president."

"We chose Obama because he so clearly understands the American yearning for change," Burling said. "He understands it, he embraces it, and I think he has the leadership to deliver it."

That Obama is on the verge of clinching the nomination also influenced the decision.

"If it were Senator Clinton who in my mind had the edge at this moment, she would be getting exactly this kind of endorsement," Burling said.

Nelson said she has been impressed with Obama's hardworking field staff and the huge numbers of ordinary people who are supporting him, although she doesn't feel his health care plan goes far enough.

Edwards, a former senator from North Carolina, won four delegates in the Jan. 8 New Hampshire primary before dropping out of the race a few weeks later. One of them had previously endorsed Obama, while the other remains undecided.

Obama began Friday with 1,965 delegates to Clinton's 1,780 before picking up the two Edwards delegates; 2,026 delegates are needed to secure the nomination.

Obama As Second Lincoln

Karen Who Loves the Way Obama Loves All Americans — Sat, 10 May 2008 09:47:50 EDT

From a May 8th post on the main Obama website. This brief article inspires me:

'We may have a second Lincoln': McGovern explains endorsement switchThe Mitchell Daily Republic | May 08, 2008

By Seth Tupper

George McGovern has a history of associations with transformative political figures.

He campaigned at the sides of John F. and Robert Kennedy during their respective runs for the White House, and he’s currently writing a book about Abraham Lincoln.

McGovern thinks Barack Obama may be cut from the same historic mold as those men, and that’s one reason McGovern said Wednesday that after eight months of supporting Hillary Clinton for president, he is switching sides.

McGovern even compared Obama to Lincoln, saying he discovered similarities between the two men while doing research for the Lincoln book.

“As I have researched this book and followed the current presidential nomination contest, I have slowly come to believe that, in Barack Obama, we may have a second Lincoln,” McGovern, a Mitchell native and resident, said in an Obama campaign news release.

“With passion and eloquence, he is calling America home to its founding ideals, both at home and abroad.”

Read the full article from The Mitchell Daily Republic

Super Delegates

Karen Who Loves the Way Obama Loves All Americans — Wed, 07 May 2008 14:57:53 EDT

David Plouffe invites Super Delegates to back Obama. From the main Obama Blog:

Campaign manager David Plouffe sent out this memo to superdelegates...

There are only six contests remaining in the Democratic primary calendar and only 217 pledged delegates left to be awarded. Only 7 percent of the pledged delegates remain on the table. There are 260 remaining undeclared superdelegates, for a total of 477 delegates left to be awarded.

With North Carolina and Indiana complete, Barack Obama only needs 172 total delegates to capture the Democratic nomination. This is only 36% of the total remaining delegates.

Conversely, Senator Clinton needs 326 delegates to reach the Democratic nomination, which represents a startling 68% of the remaining delegates.

With the Clinton path to the nomination getting even narrower, we expect new and wildly creative scenarios to emerge in the coming days. While those scenarios may be entertaining, they are not legitimate and will not be considered legitimate by this campaign or its millions of supporters, volunteers, and donors.

We believe it is exceedingly unlikely Senator Clinton will overtake our lead in the popular vote and in fact lost ground on that measure last night. However, the popular vote is a deeply flawed and illegitimate metric for deciding the nominee – since each campaign based their strategy on the acquisition of delegates. More importantly, the rules of the nomination are predicated on delegates, not popular vote.

Just as the Presidential election in November will be decided by the electoral college, not popular vote, the Democratic nomination is decided by delegates.

If we believed the popular vote was somehow the key measurement, we would have campaigned much more intensively in our home state of Illinois and in all the other populous states, in the pursuit of larger raw vote totals. But it is not the key measurement. We played by the rules, set by you, the DNC members, and campaigned as hard as we could, in as many places as we could, to acquire delegates. Essentially, the popular vote is not much better as a metric than basing the nominee on which candidate raised more money, has more volunteers, contacted more voters, or is taller.

The Clinton campaign was very clear about their own strategy until the numbers become too ominous for them. They were like a broken record , repeating ad nauseum that this nomination race is about delegates. Now, the word delegate has disappeared from their vocabulary, in an attempt to change the rules and create an alternative reality.

We want to be clear – we believe that the winner of a majority of pledged delegates will and should be the nominee of our party. And we estimate that after the Oregon and Kentucky primaries on May 20, we will have won a majority of the overall pledged delegates According to a recent news report, by even their most optimistic estimates the Clinton Campaign expects to trail by more than 100 pledged delegates and will then ask the superdelegates to overturn the will of the voters.

But of course superdelegates are free to and have been utilizing their own criteria for deciding who our nominee should be. Many are deciding on the basis of electability, a favorite Clinton refrain. And if you look at the numbers, during a period where the Clinton campaign has been making an increasingly strident pitch on electability, it is clear their argument is failing miserably with superdelegates.

Since February 5, the Obama campaign has netted 107 superdelegates, and the Clinton campaign only 21. Since the Pennsylvania primary, much of it during the challenging Rev. Wright period, we have netted 24 and the Clinton campaign 17.

At some point – we would argue that time is now – this ceases to be a theoretical exercise about how superdelegates view electability. The reality of the preferences in the last several weeks offer a clear guide of how strongly superdelegates feel Senator Obama will perform in November, both in building a winning campaign for the presidency as well as providing the best electoral climate across the country for all Democratic candidates.

It is important to note that Senator Obama leads Senator Clinton in superdelegate endorsements among Governors, United States Senators and members of the House of Representatives. These elected officials all have a keen sense for who our strongest nominee will be in November.

It is only among DNC members where Senator Clinton holds a lead, which has been rapidly dwindling.

As we head into the final days of the campaign, we just wanted to be clear with you as a party leader, who will be instrumental in making the final decision of who our nominee will be, how we view the race at this point.

Senator Obama, our campaign and our supporters believe pledged delegates is the most legitimate metric for determining how this race has unfolded. It is simply the ratification of the DNC rules – your rules – which we built this campaign and our strategy around.

Obama's Victory Speech

Karen Who Loves the Way Obama Loves All Americans — Tue, 06 May 2008 23:36:45 EDT

HEre is transcript of Barack Obama's Victory Speech in North Carolina earlier tonight:

Barack Obama delivered the following remarks (as prepared) in Raleigh, North Carolina, tonight...

You know, some were saying that North Carolina would be a game-changer in this election. But today, what North Carolina decided is that the only game that needs changing is the one in Washington, DC.

I want to start by congratulating Senator Clinton on her victory in the state of Indiana. And I want to thank the people of North Carolina for giving us a victory in a big state, a swing state, and a state where we will compete to win if I am the Democratic nominee for President of the United States.

When this campaign began, Washington didn’t give us much of a chance. But because you came out in the bitter cold, and knocked on doors, and enlisted your friends and neighbors in this cause; because you stood up to the cynics, and the doubters, and the nay-sayers when we were up and when we were down; because you still believe that this is our moment, and our time, for change – tonight we stand less than two hundred delegates away from securing the Democratic nomination for President of the United States.

More importantly, because of you, we have seen that it’s possible to overcome the politics of division and distraction; that it’s possible to overcome the same old negative attacks that are always about scoring points and never about solving our problems. We’ve seen that the American people aren’t looking for more spin or more gimmicks, but honest answers about the challenges we face. That’s what you’ve accomplished in this campaign, and that’s how we’ll change this country together.

This has been one of the longest, most closely fought contests in history. And that’s partly because we have such a formidable opponent in Senator Hillary Clinton. Tonight, many of the pundits have suggested that this party is inalterably divided – that Senator Clinton’s supporters will not support me, and that my supporters will not support her.

Well I’m here tonight to tell you that I don’t believe it. Yes, there have been bruised feelings on both sides. Yes, each side desperately wants their candidate to win. But ultimately, this race is not about Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama or John McCain. This election is about you – the American people – and whether we will have a president and a party that can lead us toward a brighter future.

This primary season may not be over, but when it is, we will have to remember who we are as Democrats – that we are the party of Jefferson and Jackson; of Roosevelt and Kennedy; and that we are at our best when we lead with principle; when we lead with conviction; when we summon an entire nation around a common purpose – a higher purpose. This fall, we intend to march forward as one Democratic Party, united by a common vision for this country. Because we all agree that at this defining moment in history – a moment when we’re facing two wars, an economy in turmoil, a planet in peril – we can’t afford to give John McCain the chance to serve out George Bush’s third term. We need change in America.

The woman I met in Indiana who just lost her job, and her pension, and her insurance when the plant where she worked at her entire life closed down – she can’t afford four more years of tax breaks for corporations like the one that shipped her job overseas. She needs us to give tax breaks to companies that create good jobs here in America. She can’t afford four more years of tax breaks for CEOs like the one who walked away from her company with a multi-million dollar bonus. She needs middle-class tax relief that will help her pay the skyrocketing price of groceries, and gas, and college tuition. That’s why I’m running for President.

The college student I met in Iowa who works the night shift after a full day of class and still can’t pay the medical bills for a sister who’s ill – she can’t afford four more years of a health care plan that only takes care of the healthy and the wealthy; that allows insurance companies to discriminate and deny coverage to those Americans who need it most. She needs us to stand up to those insurance companies and pass a plan that lowers every family’s premiums and gives every uninsured American the same kind of coverage that Members of Congress give themselves. That’s why I’m running for President.

The mother in Wisconsin who gave me a bracelet inscribed with the name of the son she lost in Iraq; the families who pray for their loved ones to come home; the heroes on their third and fourth and fifth tour of duty – they can’t afford four more years of a war that should’ve never been authorized and never been waged. They can’t afford four more years of our veterans returning to broken-down barracks and substandard care. They need us to end a war that isn’t making us safer. They need us to treat them with the care and respect they deserve. That’s why I’m running for President.

The man I met in Pennsylvania who lost his job but can’t even afford the gas to drive around and look for a new one – he can’t afford four more years of an energy policy written by the oil companies and for the oil companies; a policy that’s not only keeping gas at record prices, but funding both sides of the war on terror and destroying our planet in the process. He doesn’t need four more years of Washington policies that sound good, but don’t solve the problem. He needs us to take a permanent holiday from our oil addiction by making the automakers raise their fuel standards, corporations pay for their pollution, and oil companies invest their record profits in a clean energy future. That’s the change we need. And that’s why I’m running for President.

The people I’ve met in small towns and big cities across this country understand that government can’t solve all our problems – and we don’t expect it to. We believe in hard work. We believe in personal responsibility and self-reliance.

But we also believe that we have a larger responsibility to one another as Americans – that America is a place – that America is the place – where you can make it if you try. That no matter how much money you start with or where you come from or who your parents are, opportunity is yours if you’re willing to reach for it and work for it. It’s the idea that while there are few guarantees in life, you should be able to count on a job that pays the bills; health care for when you need it; a pension for when you retire; an education for your children that will allow them to fulfill their God-given potential. That’s the America we believe in. That’s the America I know.

This is the country that gave my grandfather a chance to go to college on the GI Bill when he came home from World War II; a country that gave him and my grandmother the chance to buy their first home with a loan from the government.

This is the country that made it possible for my mother – a single parent who had to go on food stamps at one point – to send my sister and me to the best schools in the country on scholarships.

This is the country that allowed my father-in-law – a city worker at a South Side water filtration plant – to provide for his wife and two children on a single salary. This is a man who was diagnosed at age thirty with multiple sclerosis – who relied on a walker to get himself to work. And yet, every day he went, and he labored, and he sent my wife and her brother to one of the best colleges in the nation. It was a job that didn’t just give him a paycheck, but a sense of dignity and self-worth. It was an America that didn’t just reward wealth, but the work and the workers who created it.

Somewhere along the way, between all the bickering and the influence-peddling and the game-playing of the last few decades, Washington and Wall Street have lost touch with these values. And while I honor John McCain’s service to his country, his ideas for America are out of touch with these values. His plans for the future are nothing more than the failed policies of the past. And his plan to win in November appears to come from the very same playbook that his side has used time after time in election after election.

Yes, we know what’s coming. We’ve seen it already. The same names and labels they always pin on everyone who doesn’t agree with all their ideas. The same efforts to distract us from the issues that affect our lives by pouncing on every gaffe and association and fake controversy in the hope that the media will play along. The attempts to play on our fears and exploit our differences to turn us against each other for pure political gain – to slice and dice this country into Red States and Blue States; blue-collar and white-collar; white and black, and brown.

This is what they will do – no matter which one of us is the nominee. The question, then, is not what kind of campaign they’ll run, it’s what kind of campaign we will run. It’s what we will do to make this year different. I didn’t get into race thinking that I could avoid this kind of politics, but I am running for President because this is the time to end it.

We will end it this time not because I’m perfect – I think by now this campaign has reminded all of us of that. We will end it not by duplicating the same tactics and the same strategies as the other side, because that will just lead us down the same path of polarization and gridlock.

We will end it by telling the truth – forcefully, repeatedly, confidently – and by trusting that the American people will embrace the need for change.

Because that’s how we’ve always changed this country – not from the top-down, but from the bottom-up; when you – the American people – decide that the stakes are too high and the challenges are too great.

The other side can label and name-call all they want, but I trust the American people to recognize that it’s not surrender to end the war in Iraq so that we can rebuild our military and go after al Qaeda’s leaders. I trust the American people to understand that it’s not weakness, but wisdom to talk not just to our friends, but our enemies – like Roosevelt did, and Kennedy did, and Truman did.

I trust the American people to realize that while we don’t need big government, we do need a government that stands up for families who are being tricked out of their homes by Wall Street predators; a government that stands up for the middle-class by giving them a tax break; a government that ensures that no American will ever lose their life savings just because their child gets sick. Security and opportunity; compassion and prosperity aren’t liberal values or conservative values – they’re American values.

Most of all, I trust the American people’s desire to no longer be defined by our differences. Because no matter where I’ve been in this country – whether it was the corn fields of Iowa or the textile mills of the Carolinas; the streets of San Antonio or the foothills of Georgia – I’ve found that while we may have different stories, we hold common hopes. We may not look the same or come from the same place, but we want to move in the same direction – towards a better future for our children and our grandchildren.

That’s why I’m in this race. I love this country too much to see it divided and distracted at this moment in history. I believe in our ability to perfect this union because it’s the only reason I’m standing here today. And I know the promise of America because I have lived it.

It is the light of opportunity that led my father across an ocean.

It is the founding ideals that the flag draped over my grandfather’s coffin stands for – it is life, and liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

It’s the simple truth I learned all those years ago when I worked in the shadows of a shuttered steel mill on the South Side of Chicago – that in this country, justice can be won against the greatest of odds; hope can find its way back to the darkest of corners; and when we are told that we cannot bring about the change that we seek, we answer with one voice – yes we can.

So don’t ever forget that this election is not about me, or any candidate. Don’t ever forget that this campaign is about you – about your hopes, about your dreams, about your struggles, about securing your portion of the American Dream.

Don’t ever forget that we have a choice in this country – that we can choose not to be divided; that we can choose not to be afraid; that we can still choose this moment to finally come together and solve the problems we’ve talked about all those other years in all those other elections.

This time can be different than all the rest. This time we can face down those who say our road is too long; that our climb is too steep; that we can no longer achieve the change that we seek. This is our time to answer the call that so many generations of Americans have answered before – by insisting that by hard work, and by sacrifice, the American Dream will endure. Thank you, and may God Bless the United States of America.

- - -

You can help grow this movement, help make this moment different, and help spread the message that it is time for us to come together. Make a donation tonight:

More Good News

Karen Who Loves the Way Obama Loves All Americans — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 12:41:11 EDT

Here is a new post on 29 NC state legislators who announced they endorse Obama today. So, not only have we won the most states, the most votes of any Democratic candidate and the most delegates, but we just keep getting more endorsements for Obama. Well, this is my last blog post for this morning. I have to get back to my day job (smile). In the mean time let's continue to lift one another up in our thoughts and prayers. See the article below on the 29 state legislators who endorse Obama:

29 state legislators endorse ObamaThe News and Observer | April 23, 2008

By Barbara Barrett

U.S. Sen. Barack Obama won the endorsement of 29 state legislators today.

Led by Senate Majority Leader Tony Rand and former Speaker of the House Dan Blue of Raleigh, the lawmakers repeated the same lines as others who have endorsed Obama - that the Illinois senator can bring people together and ignite change across the country.

...Blue and Rand said their support comes in part because they think Obama will help Democrats win other offices in the state and because he has committed to win in North Carolina in November's general election.

Rand praised Obama for speaking directly. "He won't just tell everyone what they want to hear," Rand said. "He'll tell people what they need to hear."

Read the full article from The News and Observer

Governor Henry Endorses Obama

Karen Who Loves the Way Obama Loves All Americans — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 12:18:12 EDT

See Obama HQ post regarding Oklahoma Governor Henry's endorsement of Obama below. Now that's encouraging!

Post from Sam Graham-Felsen's Blog: Oklahoma Governor Brad Henry Endorses ObamaBy Sam Graham-Felsen - Apr 23rd, 2008 at 9:12 am EDT Comments | Mail to a Friend | Report Objectionable Content The AP reports...

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Governor Brad Henry is endorsing Illinois Senator Barack Obama for the Democratic presidential nomination.
In a statement released by the Obama press office in Chicago, Henry called Obama an inspirational leader who can unite the country. He says the senator will be able to move beyond the divisiveness and partisanship that has characterized Washington politics.
The endorsement gives Obama the official support of 3 of Oklahoma's 10 superdelegates, while Hillary Rodham Clinton has the backing of 1 superdelegate. The rest are uncommitted.
Henry -- a moderate Democrat in a Republican-trending state -- says his own efforts to build a consensus across party lines is why he's so enthusiastic about Obama's candidacy.
Democrats still have a majority of registered voters in Oklahoma, but the state has voted Republican in every presidential election since 1964.

Show 730 Reader Comments

Obama's 4/22 Speech

Karen Who Loves the Way Obama Loves All Americans — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 11:44:27 EDT

Here is Obama's speech from last nigt for those who did not hear it or would like to see a copy:

Barack in Evansville, IN: "You have the power to change this country"By Christopher Hass - Apr 22nd, 2008 at 11:08 pm EDT Comments | Mail to a Friend | Report Objectionable Content

Barack spoke in Evansville, Indiana tonight in front of a crowd of 7,400 people:

After fourteen long months, it's easy to forget this from time to time – to lose sight of the fierce urgency of this moment. It's easy to get caught up in the distractions and the silliness and the tit-for-tat that consumes our politics; the bickering that none of us are immune to, and that trivializes the profound issues – two wars, an economy in recession, a planet in peril.
But that kind of politics is not why we're here. It's not why I'm here and it's not why you're here.
... We're not here to talk about change for change's sake, but because our families, our communities, and our country desperately need it. We're here because we can't afford to keep doing what we've been doing for another four years. We can't afford to play the same Washington games with the same Washington players and expect a different result. Not this time. Not now.
… We can be a party that says there's no problem with taking money from Washington lobbyists – from oil lobbyists and drug lobbyists and insurance lobbyists. We can pretend that they represent real Americans and look the other way when they use their money and influence to stop us from reforming health care or investing in renewable energy for yet another four years.
Or this time, we can recognize that you can't be the champion of working Americans if you're funded by the lobbyists who drown out their voices. We can do what we've done in this campaign, and say that we won't take a dime of their money. We can do what I did in Illinois, and in Washington, and bring both parties together to rein in their power so we can take our government back. It's our choice.
… In the end, this election is still our best chance to solve the problems we've been talking about for decades – as one nation; as one people. Fourteen months later, that is still what this election is about.

Real change had never been easy. But don’t ever forget that you have the power to change this country:

Reader Comments

Perseverance

Karen Who Loves the Way Obama Loves All Americans — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 08:33:02 EDT

We persevere, having met our goal by narrowing the gap, which is nothing short of miraculous. The entire Obama campaign is nothing short of miraculous. Change is already happening, because change is us. We are the change and we are the spirit of 21st century America. I've never been part of such a large, significant national and even international community like our Obama nation. I'm in this for all the people who make Obama who he is. He is a reflection of us. It is about us. Because of the people for Obama I remain in this campaign. It's not just about Obama for me. It is about us and who we are. We are the miracle and I will continue to support the people whose vision Obama reflects. In short, I am in this national movement for change because you all mean so much much to me. Yes We Can? Yes we are changing America even now.

Info on Delegate Count in Pennsylvania

Karen Who Loves the Way Obama Loves All Americans — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 21:58:53 EDT

Here is some information on how the Delegate Count Works in Pennysylvania. Remember we are still ahead no matter what happens once the final popular vote is in Pennsylvania. In the mean time let's focus on the delegate count:

Tuesday, April 22, 2008 Pennsylvania Primary Results

Polls have closed in Pennsylvania.. Check here early and often to get the latest news and results.

The 158 delegates are divided as follows: 55 delegates will be determined by the state-wide vote, broken up into two separate groups of 35 and 20 delegates. The other 103 are determined by vote totals in each congressional district, from a low of 3 delegates in PA-9 to a high of 9 delegates in PA-2.

Update: 9:45 PM. Clinton wins. Lead at 6%, right at the polling average. Spread up to 20,000 votes.

We've assigned 47 of 55 state-wide delegates, Clinton 25, Obama 22.

Delegates
Left% Vote In
% Clinton%Obama
Delegates Clinton
Delegates Obama
Pennsylvania53
35%
54%
46%
54
51
Previously Pledged Delegates (GP)

12531416Total Pledged Delegates

1307
1467
Superdelegate Endorsements

255
231
Total
Delegates

1562
1698
Delegates Still Needed to Win Nomination

462
326

Popular Vote (rounded to nearest 1000)
Clinton - 386,000
Obama - 326,000
Lead - 60,000

Delegate Projections By Media Source
Media Source
ClintonObama
DCW
54
51
Green Papers

AP
28

NBC

CBS
61
38
CNN
28
19

Note on DCW Projections:

For the CDs, those with 5 or less delegates we've given each candidate 1 delegate each, and those with 6 or more we've given each candidate 2 delegates each. Except as follows: CD-1 (7 total delegates available): 3-2 for Obama. CD-2 (9 dels available): 4-2 for Obama. CD-11, 12 and 16 (5 dels available each): 2-1 for Clinton. Giving a total CD delegate count of 29-29. Which gives a complete delegate initial baseline estimate of 51-48 for Clinton. So 63% of the total delegates are essentially spoken for already. Which leaves 59 delegates left.

Once the votes start coming in, we'll continue to update the delegate projections

Update: We almost forgot about the Special Election in Mississippi that also takes place today. Normally the Republicans would win the 1st District easily but this year may be different. Democratic candidate Travis Childers appears to be in a dead heat with Republican Greg Davis. You can head over to CottonMouthBlog for more info. We'll be posting the numbers tonight as they come in. A Childers win would put us back at 795 superdelegates.

Update: Childers up 53%-43%, with 40% in.

Next up is Guam on May 3rd followed by North Carolina and Indiana on May 6th.

Finding Your Polling Site

Karen Who Loves the Way Obama Loves All Americans — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 14:12:07 EDT

Here is important information from Obama Headquarters regarding how to find your Polling Site in Pennsylvania today to make your vote for Barack Obama easier. If you live in an area where there are not many Obama voters at your polling site, you might want keep an Obama sign in your car and greet Obama supporters after you've cast your vote. You can't take it inside the polling site with you, but can get it after you've cast your vote. Then you can greet other voters coming in. All people with signs for any candidate, I believe, are required to stand a certain distance from the polling site. Anyway, first here is information on how to find your polling site from the Obama '08 main webpage:

Post from Obama HQ Blogger: Pennsylvania: Find Your Polling LocationBy Christopher Hass - Apr 22nd, 2008 at 7:05 am EDT Comments | Mail to a Friend | Report Objectionable Content

Polls in Pennsylvania are open now until 8:00 PM EST tonight, and anyone in line by 8:00 PM will be allowed to vote. You can find your polling location now using our online look-up tool.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

All Pennsylvania Democrats who registered by March 24th, 2008 and who will be 18 years of age by the date of the primary are eligible to vote.
Polls are open from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Anyone in line at 8:00 p.m. will be allowed to vote.
Only first-time voters must show proof of identification. Approved forms of identification include a valid photo ID or voter identification card, or a current utility bill, bank statement, paycheck, or government check. For more information, click here.

And no matter where you are, you can help by making calls to voters to make sure that all our supporters know how and where to vote for Barack today:

Show 28 Reader Comments

Know Your Voting Rights

Karen Who Loves the Way Obama Loves All Americans — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 13:18:41 EDT

Dear Obamacans, Obamacats, Obamacrats and all who want Barack Obama to be the Democratic candidate for the next President of the United States. I want to make sure everyone in Pennsylvania knows their voting rights today. Therefore I am sharing this blog from Obama Headquarters, also posted on the main Obama 08 Webpage about voting rights at the polls:

Post from Obama HQ Blogger: Pennsylvania Voters: Know Your RightsBy Christopher Hass - Apr 22nd, 2008 at 11:48 am EDT Comments | Mail to a Friend | Report Objectionable Content

Voters across the state of Pennsylvania are heading to the polls right now, and we've already heard reports of high turnout in many areas. If you're in Pennsylvania, be sure that you know your rights:

Poll hours: The polls shall remain open from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. on primary day, April 22nd. Voters who are in line to vote at 8:00 p.m. shall be permitted to vote.

Type of ID Required: Only voters voting in an election district for the first time must show ID. Returning voters do not need to show any ID at all. ANY of the following is acceptable: A Photo ID (does not need to have an address): Pennsylvania driver's license; ID issued by any PA agency; ID issued by the U.S. Government; U.S. passport; U.S. Armed Forces ID; Student ID; Employee ID; OR a Non-Photo ID (needs an address that matches registration): Any non-photo ID issued by Pennsylvania (such as a voter ID); Non-photo ID issued by the U.S. government; firearm permit; current utility bill; current bank statement; current paycheck; government check.

Voters who have moved but who have not updated their registration can vote a regular ballot in their old precinct – i.e. the precinct where they are registered - after updating their registration with their new address.

Election Court: Every county holds Election Court on Election Day. Voters can go to this court to ask for relief if they have difficulty voting in their polling places.

If you encounter any problems at the polls, call 866-675-2008 and press 4 to speak with someone from our voter hotline, or you can report them via our online Voter Protection form.

And if you've already cast your ballot today, let us know what it looks like on the ground in the comments below . . .

Show 86 Reader Comments

Obama's Earth Day Speech from Main Obama Blog

Karen Who Loves the Way Obama Loves All Americans — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 13:11:17 EDT

Dear Obama Bloggers: Here is Obama's Earth Day Speech from the main Obama Blog, posted by Sam Graham-Felsen of Obama Headquarters:Post from Sam Graham-Felsen's Blog: Obama Statement on Earth DayBy Sam Graham-Felsen - Apr 22nd, 2008 at 9:19 am EDT Comments | Mail to a Friend | Report Objectionable Content Chicago, IL — Today, Senator Obama issued the following statement to mark Earth Day.

“As America and the world observe Earth Day, the call to save our planet has never been more urgent. In recent years, we’ve seen the harm that more severe weather events can do. We’ve seen it in the droughts that have swept the South, the hurricanes that threaten our shores with increasing ferocity, and the rising sea levels that could one day submerge our cities. This is a challenge unlike any the world has ever faced, and America must lead the world to meet it.

“But Earth Day is not just an urgent call to action; it is a reminder that what is now a global effort began as a grassroots movement for change. Nearly forty years ago, our nation was at war, recession loomed on the horizon, and Americans were losing faith in their own government. But in the face of division and despair, young Americans came together around a common purpose. In high schools, and on college campuses, in small towns and big cities, they rose up to demand that Washington help solve our growing environmental crisis and establish Earth Day.

“While our planet is in greater peril now than it was forty years ago, we are now better prepared to protect it. From solar panels to windmills to biofuels, innovators in America and around the world are inventing our way to a clean energy future. But solving our climate crisis requires more than technological breakthroughs. Our leaders in Washington have to put what’s right for our planet ahead of what’s good for their friends in the energy industry. Executives in the energy industry have to understand that there’s nothing inconsistent about acting in a way that’s both responsible and profitable. And each of us has to do more in our own lives to use energy more efficiently.

“We have a choice in this country. We can continue with an energy policy that makes no sense, and serves the interests of the big oil and gas companies at great cost to our planet. Or we can choose a different future – a future where America is energy independent, and no longer funding both sides in the war on terror; a future where we’re leading rather than undermining the global effort to combat climate change; and investing in green energy technology, and creating the jobs of the future. That is the future I believe in, and that is the America I’m running for President to lead.

“On this Earth Day, let’s recapture in Washington, on Wall Street, and all across this country the spirit of unity and urgency that led those students to found Earth Day all those years ago. And if we can do that, then I truly believe we won’t just be freeing ourselves from the tyranny of oil, or saving this planet for our children, we’ll be fulfilling our obligation to be good stewards of God’s creation.”

Obama Wins Again

Karen Who Loves the Way Obama Loves All Americans — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 13:06:10 EDT

Obama wins today. He has already won. He has the most delegates. Today he will gain more. Thanks to all who have cast votes today in Pennsylvania. Thanks to all who are casting votes for Obama in Pennysylvania throughout the day. Yes You Can! Because You Can: Yes We Can! Indiana and North Carolina, here we come!

*****Five Stars for Obama

Karen Who Loves the Way Obama Loves All Americans — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 21:02:25 EDT

Obama is the only 5 star candidate. He is like a Honda. Some candidates use dirty tricks because they are 3 star candidates at best. Notice how Honda dealers don't need to use dirty tricks and hard sales tactics. A honda makes people feel good and do you notice how Honda owners have only good, positive things to say about their Honda? Notice how Honda people rarely want anything else but a Honda--even if they have to write: Nothing is as good as a Honda in Bold Writing and Shout it out loud at the Preo0wned Cars Dealership? With Obama, we don't need dirty tricks and the like, because his reliability, safety, the design his creator has provided him,acceleration,engine, brakes, responsiveness, precision, sharp and cool steering are immediately apparent to anyone who seriously tests him to see what he is really like.

The Tortoise and The Hare Updated

Karen Who Loves the Way Obama Loves All Americans — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 13:35:32 EDT

In this race Obama's dignity and decency is like the shell of the tortoise in the old story about the tortoise and the hare. The meanness of the hare can not, does not change or damage the strength of his candidacy and leadership. The hare was not only fast, but annoying, prideful, feisty and had an any means necesssary attitude. The hare just knew he was entitled to win the race, because hares always won races and he was from a line of winning hares. I think of Hillary as the hare, not because she is ahead but because she has the attitude of the hare who was so sure he could and would win. The tortoise was slow, not only in speed, but based on all of his experience and the experience of hares before him the hare just knew he was smarter than the tortoise. The hare treated the tortoise like he wasn't qualified for the race. Even though the tortoise did not have a reputation for winning races the tortoise and did not come from a well-known line of race winners, the tortoise had faith and confidence. Moreover, the tortoise was patient and wise. The tortoise was smarter about life and the world in general than the hare. So, the tortoise was steady and consistent in moving from one leg of the race to the next with dignity and patience. Obama reminds me of the tortoise, not because he is behind, but because he is consistent, steady, patient and smart. The hare was smart too, but the hare lacked wisdom. The tortoise knew that a bad attitude and abuse of power result in loss of dignity, decency and the respect of others. The tortoise knew that he certainly would not win the race if he acted like a hare and the line of hares that the hare came from. The tortoise won the race. In the end the tortoise won the confidence of everyone. Like the tortoise they wanted to be a winners at life as an entire and diverse community, not just as one individual from one little group in one little race. They respected the tortoise for inspiring all of them to believe the impossible is possible when we have a wise attitude. They liked the tortoise because the tortoise was one of them, folk who had been dominated by the hare and his particular little hare family long enough. Like the tortoise, Obama is the real leader. Have you noticed that tortoises have a much longer life-span, which is how they acquire all that wisdom? Hillary may be older than Obama, but she is not wiser. Nor is she mature. Obama is seemingly young but Obama is mature. Like the tortoise, Obama will look younger than he is for years to come because he hears the wisdom of the young and the old alike. He responds to the needs of each generation. He the wisdom of the past but not discards the follies of the past. He also learns from the wisdom of present generations. This is the true youth serum of life--renewal from the inside out. Obama is the most mature candidate and the most open candidate. He is America's true leader, because he comes from folk who are like most of us--folk who are not supposed to win presidential races. YES HE CAN! YES WE CAN! GO OBAMA! GO OBAMA PEOPLE!

Thanks to Phone Callers

Karen Who Loves the Way Obama Loves All Americans — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 11:18:22 EDT

Thanks to all who have been calling Pennysylvania and continue to call today. I made some calls to Pennysylvania in late March, but have been traveling for my job all April. Therefore, deep thanks to all who have been able to keep up with phone calling for the Pennysylvania primaries.

Let's Have A Great Obama Month

Karen Who Loves the Way Obama Loves All Americans — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 11:51:55 EDT

It is hard to believe April is already here. At the same time I am glad that March is over. A new month is time for new energy, new hope and new work for the Obama campaign. I woke up happy and enthusiastic this morning. Yesterday I received a $100.00 donation to the Obama campaign from one person! My email invitation said that even $5.00 would help the campaign. So it really blew my socks off to reveive a $100.00 donation from one person! That one person is creating such a change for this presidential campaign as are the many people who can give only a few dollars or who give with their time in making phone calls or participating in rallies. I am amazed by what one person can do to help Obama's campaign for the Presidential Nomination to become the Next President of the United States. If you've ever been shy about fundraising, campaigning and phonebanking (I know I've been shy until Senator Barack Obama's presidential campaign) this candidate is someone many people believe in and want in the presidential office as much as we do. I've learned I don't have to worry about being shy, because when it's someone you believe in and that others believe in people want to help out the best they can. So, let's keep the faith this month in all our work for the Obama campaign.

Looking Good

Karen Who Loves the Way Obama Loves All Americans — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 09:17:33 EDT

Things are looking good for us today. Obama has picked up 7 more superdelegates. We are leading the race by 10 points in a Gallup poll. Much work to do in Pennsylvania still. Yes We Can!

Fundraising for Pennsylvania

Karen Who Loves the Way Obama Loves All Americans — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 12:55:33 EDT

Let's raise more money for the Obama campaign in Pennyslvania. I have set a personal fundraising goal of $1,000.00. Will you make a donation to help me reach my goal? Here is the link to my personal barackobama.com fundraising page: http://my.barackobama.com/page/outreach/view/main/kbakerfl

Thank you for your time and whatever you can donate, even if it is only a few dollars. Every dollar makes a difference.

Karen

Why I Support Obama

Karen Who Loves the Way Obama Loves All Americans — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 12:16:39 EDT

I am Karen. I am also African American, mixed--African, Scottish, Creek, Choctaw. I am a woman. I am a human being. I am Karen. I support Barack Obama's candidacy for President of the United States, because I believe he has the ability to truly unite us as women and men, older and younger, from all backgrounds. He speaks pretty much the way I already think and I've been waiting for decades for a cadidate who makes sense to ordinary Americans. Obama in many ways reaches out in a more natural way to women voters than one of his opponents, the woman who is running for the presidential nomination. He does not use the tacticts of the old boys club of Washington, DC, which, strangely, the woman DNC candidate employs. Obama works with women. Obama does not talk at us or speak in a top down matter. He is not threatened by strong women, nor does he dismiss those who question him. He does not engage in politics as usual and is less patriarchal than all the other candidates. As a feminist, Obama has the quality of sharing power with Americans that attracted me to feminism in the first place. As a woman who is concerned about health care, equality and the environment, Obama makes good, sound practical sense. It is clear that he is a good listener. The Kennedy brothers, JFK and RFK, were excellent listeners. Bobby in particular had a keen ear and thought seriously about the needs of ordinary Americans. I see and hear a similar quality in Senator Barack Obama. These are just a few of the reasons why I support Barack Obama's candidacy to be the next President of the United States.

Fundraising for Obama

Karen Who Loves the Way Obama Loves All Americans — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 20:09:40 EDT

Dear Friends of Obama: I know we are all active in supporting Senator Barack Obama and many of us have our own fundraising pages. If not or if it is time for you to make another donation to the campaign in your thinking, will you help by making a donation to my fundraising page? Here is the link to my Barak Obama fund raising page:

http://my.barackobama.com/page/outreach/view/main/kbakerfl

Thank you for considering making a donation to my fundraising page.

Karen

Link to Bill Richardson's Announcement Re: Obama

Karen Who Loves the Way Obama Loves All Americans — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 14:48:36 EDT

I am attaching the link to the video and text of Governor Bill Richardson's announcement of his support for Senator Barack Obama earlier today. It is wonderful to see them standing together, supporting one another in the video and to hear the whole of Governor Richardson's inspiring campaign speech for Obama. Wouldn't they make great running mates in the general elections and a great team for the White House? Wouldn't it be a gift to this country to have Obama as president and Bill Richardson as Vice President for the next 8 years? Here is the link to video and text of Richardson's speech: http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/samgrahamfelsen/gGBFVm

Bill Richardson Supports Obama

Karen Who Loves the Way Obama Loves All Americans — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 13:57:59 EDT

Governor Bill Richardson is giving his superdelegate vote to Senator Barack Obama, he announced today. Isn't that good news? This is especially good news for the state of New Mexico where others may follow Governor Richardson's lead, including Hispanics the report says. See the full story on the Obama '08 website.

A Man Who Does What He Believes

Karen Who Loves the Way Obama Loves All Americans — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 16:14:00 EDT

I have changed my blog name. I was very moved by the church service at Trinity UCC this morning. They streamed it live on the Trinitu UCC website. Just look for Trinity UCC, Chicago and you should be able to find their website. The live service and the streaming of the service is over, but people can order copies of that service from the Trinity UCC website. Well, my new name is long and I will probably shorten it later. For now it is just how I feel. I like to see peoplle practice what they believe. It is not easy for any of us to do. Obama is committed to practicing what he believes. He makes authentic efforts to hear and love all people, understanding contexts, generations, history, suffering, joy, the whole nine yards. I am praying for his continued strength to do so. Trinity UCC is praying and fasting. I have joined them in praying and fasting.

Media and Controversy

Karen Who Loves the Way Obama Loves All Americans — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 19:57:30 EDT

Dear Friends--I am proud of our candidate, Senator Barack Obama, for stepping up to address recent and old questions about his former pastor. Our candidate is stepping up to set the record straight on the troubling tenor of Jeremiah Wright's politics in contrast to Obama's own faith perspective. I believe that Obama means what he says. I am an African American woman, I am mixed. People in this country call someone who looks like me those words, but to me I am just Karen. That is my name. All manner of what I do or do not look like says very little about who I am. I am an American. I am a human being. My aunts, uncles and cousins are from many ethniticities, backgrounds and religions. They are Christian, Jewish, agnostic, atheist, and we even have one Muslim relative. We are "African American," Americans of European descent, Hispanic, Japanese and who knows what the next wedding and future baby cousins, nieces, grand children, and great children will be like. We don't care. I pray for a day when we move beyond categorizing people. I believe Obama will help our country do that. I believe he has challenged Jeremiah Wright and will continue to challenge Jeremiah Wright if necessary. That is what interracial families have to do sometimes until everybody grows up and comes on board. Actually, Obama has already separated himself from Jeremiah Wright. Obama's church has a new paastor. Thank God! I will be glad when this negative talk is over. In the mean time I trust OBama to do what he needs to do. I hope you will join me in trusting Obama.

Youth, Environment, Defense

Karen Who Loves the Way Obama Loves All Americans — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 15:03:53 EDT

Obama has requested funds to support young people and programs for youth. He has also earmarked signficant funding for a healthy environment, conservation, natural resources and healthy food production. He is not weak on homeland security or defense either, it is clear, when one reads the earmarks in full. One also sees clearly his support of women and children, housing, addiction prevention and recovery programs for youth, housing and a host of other societal programs that make us all love Obama. Read all the way through the document to be fully informed, so we can inform others.

Proud of Obama's Earmarks

Karen Who Loves the Way Obama Loves All Americans — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 14:50:44 EDT

Please read Obama's Earmarks, released today. They are available on the Obama website today. In reading it, one remembers why we are supporting Obama. He earmarks funds for what we Obama supporters and other ordinary Americans value highly. Among them: funds for research on sustainable agriculture, women's sports, women and children victims of domestic violence, shelters for the latter and numerous other social needs that we all care about. The document clearly reveals that the candidate we support is real and puts his money where his mouth is. Many of his earmarks are for colleges/universities, because that is where much of the research for sustainable agriculture takes place. Obama gives us further reason to support him in releasing his earmarks. Let's share that good news with others today.

Young Americans Are Our Present

Karen Who Loves the Way Obama Loves All Americans — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 20:42:43 EDT

We are living in a new era. I look at Generation X and Younger and I am Proud of All of You! I am so sorry that not all of us who are middle aged and older have caught up with your wisdom. Too many people in my generation and older are caught up in old racial,gender categories. As a late boomer,Generation X makes more sense to me than some boomers and some in Ferraro's generation.Just remember, though, many of us who are older are on your side! We support Obama because we want you to live in the world we should have made for you a long time ago.So, keep the faith and be of good courage. YES WE CAN! YES WE ARE A TRULY UNITED STATES OF AMERICA! OBAMA FOR PRESIDENT! YOUNG AMERICANS ARE OUR PRESENT! (NOT SOME FAR OFF FUTURE!)

Wellesley Alumnae for Obama

Karen Who Loves the Way Obama Loves All Americans — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 15:21:35 EST

I am a Wellesley College alumna, 1981 for Obama. I am wondering how many of us are out there. I found one Wellesley Alumnae for Barack Obama on the Obama website. There are not very many on it. Also, I am not sure who the administrator is or if there is one. I hope there are more Wellesley supporters for Obama than I saw there and am hoping we are just dispersed among many other blogs.

This Is Not A Game

Karen Who Loves the Way Obama Loves All Americans — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 10:30:16 EST

Let's stay ahead of Hillary's game today in Wyoming. Let's stay ahead of the game now and Tuesday in Mississippi. Let's continue making phone calls and fundraising for Obama. I am a woman for Obama. I am a lifelong feminist for Obama. He is not old Washington with its old boy's club ways. He cares about us, ordinary Americans. I have a husband who uses a wheelchair and he is for Obama. I am an environmentalist for Obama. I am a middle-aged woman for Obama. I am a mother with kids who are for Obama. I am a Christian for Obama. Obama supports women, men, children, environmentalists, people of faith and Americans with disabilities. Obama has a clear program for education reform. Obama cares about seniors and social security. Obama has integrity. Obama has a heart for ordinary people. For all these reasons I campaign for Obama. God bless Obama. Let's share with others why we support Obama. Why are you for Obama? Spread the word.

VICTORY FOR OBAMA IN DELEGATES, FOCUS ON WYOMING AND MISSISSIPPI

Karen Who Loves the Way Obama Loves All Americans — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 10:56:39 EST

We have a victory in the math for Obama delegates. Thanks everyone for your hard work and support. In Texas we had unprecedented Caucus turnouts. I wish you could have seen us at the Texas caucuses, We could not have won the caucuses without you. THANK YOU OBAMA SUPPORTERS! PEOPLE BELIEVE IN YOU! HILLARY WON THE PRIMARIES? SO WHAT? BASED ON WHAT? SUPPORT OF THE IRAQ WAR, PERHAPS? LET'S KEEP MOVING FORWARD! WYOMING AND MISSIPPI ARE ON SATURDAY. DON"T FORGET UPCOMING VOTES IN PENNSYLVAIA! LET"S KEEP WORKING HARD. OBAMA SUPPORTERS ARE GREAT! OBAMA SUPPORTERS ARE CAN DO PEOPLE! GOD BLESS OBAMA SUPPORTERS! LOVE TO ALL OBAMA SUPPORTERS! WE CAN GET OBAMA IN THE WHITEHOUSE!

Ready, Set, Go! Keep Explaining Primary/Caucus Process

Karen Who Loves the Way Obama Loves All Americans — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 09:01:28 EST

Today's the day to vote twice in Texas. It is also the day for primaries in Ohio, Vermont and Rhode Island. Keep calling, because not everyone understands why we vote twice in Texas--once in the primaries and once at the caucus in our precincts. Every state has its own process. People move so much these days that not everyone knows where their precinct is either.Without the Obama website I would not have understood the Texas "two step" voting process. The Obama website taught me, so I could explain it to others in making phone calls. Thank you, Obama supporters for helping! I believe Senator Barack Obama is a consensus builder and will be an innovative president. Just look at how helpful this website and his supporters are. Obama and all you supporters are amazing! Thank you so much for explaining the Primary/Caucus Process in the states that have both. Thank you so much for explaining how it works. We can win the primaries and presidency for Obama because of you. I'm going out to make my primary vote now. Then will go to the caucus in my precinct this evening. You all are blessed to be a blessing!--Karen

Great Work! Keep Calling for the March 4th Primaries!

Karen Who Loves the Way Obama Loves All Americans — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 18:23:17 EST

Dear Friends,

Supporters of Senator Barack Obama have been doing great work this weekend. We've reached the 1,000,000 mark in phone calls and the next goal is to make 1.5 million phone calls. Please keep making phone calls into Texas, my home state. I am very excited about the Obama campaign here. Also, remember to phone in to Ohio, Missouri, and Rhode Island. Phone banking on the Obama website is easy and you can make phone calls from home. That's what I love about it. To call in to Texas, go to Texas.BarackObama. com. To call in to one of the other states, go to the official Obama website, then to the activity center and select the state you'd like to call. You will be provided with a list of 20 names from the Obama campaign center for that state. After that, you can ask for another set of 20 names and so on. The instructions on the website are very easy to follow. Thank you, everyone for your support of Senator Barack Obama. "We are the one's we've been waiting for!" "Yes We can!"--Karen

Fundraising for Texas and Phone Calls

Karen Who Loves the Way Obama Loves All Americans — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 20:20:43 EST

This weekend let's keep raising money for Barack Obama's campaign in Texas. Not only does Texas hold primary elections at the polls, but we begin the work of the caucuses on Tuesday, March 4th at 7:00 PM. So, we will have a long day in Texas and need everyone to come out. Please vote on Tuesday, March 4 at the polls and then join your precinct for caucusing at 7:00 PM. I live in Texas. Please make phone calls into Texas so that we have a huge turn-out for Obama at the polls and the caucuses. Let's make sure Obama wins Texas!

The Candidate We've Been Waiting For

Karen Who Loves the Way Obama Loves All Americans — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 09:36:16 EST

I believe that Barack Obama is the candidate to bring us fully into the 21st century, a century for change and a century for Washington to share power with the people of the United States. That is why I am voting for Barack Obama on Tuesday, March 4, 2008 in Texas. That is why I am supporting Barack Obama's campaign to win the Democratic Party's Primary Elections for the Democratic Candidate for the next President of the United States. I am asking my friends and those I've worked with on various projects over the years to support Barack Obama. Obama is the candidate who reminds us that "We are the one's we've been waiting for," which is also the title of a wonderful collection of essays by Alice Walker, published in 2006. When one hears the words of such a wise woman as Walker echoed in the voice, tone, commitments and actions of a presidential candidate like Barack Obama, that says to me that this is the candidate we have been waiting for. He is the candidate we have been waiting for, because he is about "us" rather than about "I." In listening to Obama's speeches, his words in debates and in his writings, notice that he uses the word "we" more than any other candidate. This is the candidate who knows what it means to "share power with." Let's return this country to a nation that is truly "for the people, with the people, by the people." I invite my friends and all those with whom I have worked with on various projects over the years to support Obama and to support his campaign for becoming the next president of the United States.--Karen