Arry's Blog

Change is Coming meeting

! Arry Murphey-Frank-Foothills Area Manager CA CD4 — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 19:03:52 EST

WoW! I am hosting an event and we have reached capacity with over 50 people!

This tells me that people are HUNGRY for change and they are HUNGRY to help President Obama move forward with his agenda. I am really excited to see this and I most of these people are new voices who were not involved before.

WE DID IT!

! Arry Murphey-Frank-Foothills Area Manager CA CD4 — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 19:35:42 EST

Congratulations to all of us grassroots workers! We did it, we changed the nation and we now have the most wonderful president! President Obama! Thank you to all that helped out and thank you to all of the wonderfull Obama volunteers here in the foothills. You are fantastic! Thank you BARACK OBAMA for teaching us all to be community organizers and to care about our country again.

PEACE AND LOVE TO ALL,

Arry

I'm back and ready to phone bank

! Arry Murphey-Frank-Foothills Area Manager CA CD4 — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 20:03:35 EDT

So, Iv'e been in India and Nepal for 3 weeks and I am now home. Time to phone bank and GOTV! We are almost there folks so let's all get cracking and don't let just one vote get away!

Back from Denver, let's get to work!!

! Arry Murphey-Frank-Foothills Area Manager CA CD4 — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 21:23:18 EDT

I am back from Denver, WOW! What an experience. I tried to blog but, I took the wrong cord and my computer died. It is so exciting to have been a part of history and it was great to share it with my foothills friends that went. It was awesome! Now the work has to start in earnest. let's all get out there and make the calls, walk the precincts and talk to your neighbors. What an exciting time we are living in. LET'S MAKE IT HAPPEN FOLKS!

Is anyone else feeling disturbed about the recent poll numbers?

! Arry Murphey-Frank-Foothills Area Manager CA CD4 — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 14:16:56 EDT

I don't know about all of you but I have this uuneasy feeling that something is afoot. It doesn't make sense to me that the poll numbers have gotten so close in the last few days before the convention. I saw a CNN poll today that had McCain WAY up over Obama on who people trusted with the economy. Is it just me or does anyone else think that this is odd? Where are all of the Democrats?

I got my volunteer duties for Denver

! Arry Murphey-Frank-Foothills Area Manager CA CD4 — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 17:40:38 EDT

I got assigned to work the "Presidential Experience" for 4 nights of the convention. I will be working in a tent OUTSIDE of Invesco field when the historic speech takes place......so close.....yet so far...tried to get the community credentials but nothing so far...guess the chances are pretty slim.

:^(

Well, at least i will be in Denver and hopefully there will be some good parties afterward!

Success!

! Arry Murphey-Frank-Foothills Area Manager CA CD4 — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 13:34:39 EDT

Thanks to everyone who showed up last night for the opening of our new office! We estimate that about 200 people came through to see the new Obama/Democratic headquarters! Considereing that Placer is the most Republican County in CA, that is just amazing! Woo HOO!

Together we will elect Obama! YES WE CAN!

Don't forget to come by the Grand Opening!-Auburn

! Arry Murphey-Frank-Foothills Area Manager CA CD4 — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 12:13:30 EDT

Don't forget to come by the GRAND OPENING of our new Democratic Headquarters/Obama Headquarters at 1015 Lincoln Way in Auburn. The office will be open on August 7 so come by and say hi! The event is from 4-7 on Monday, August 11th...Let's kick it off with a bang!

How refreshing to see the Euro reaction to Obama!!

! Arry Murphey-Frank-Foothills Area Manager CA CD4 — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 19:31:03 EDT

I travel a lot and over the years I have seen the foreign reaction to American abroad. It was so heartwarming to see all of the Germans waving American flags and to see 200,000 + people come to see Barack. I thought way back how someone like Obama might repair our place in the world and I can now see proof of that. I really was happy to see how friendly the President of France was with Obama, it was almost like they were old drinking buddies rather than the head of state of France and an American Senator. Kudos to Obama for his work on this trip.

I did enjoy seeing McCain get all snarky this week and I especially enjoyed seeing him in front of the CHEESE at the grocery store! LOL!

A Call to Artists!

! Arry Murphey-Frank-Foothills Area Manager CA CD4 — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 15:50:57 EDT

Hey all of our local and not so local artists. On September 28th, the Democratic Club of Auburn and the Sierra Foothills for Obama will be holding a fundraiser at Latitudes restaurant in Auburn, CA to help pay for our new campaign headquarters. We will be hosting a WINE AND ART event with all proceeds going to the Democratic Club to help promote the campaign through our headquarters and through buying other items needed to support canvassing, phone banking, swag acquisition etc. WE NEED ANY ARTISTS who would like to donate artwork, crafts or other themeatic items for an ART AUCTION at the event. Please contact me via E-mail arry@neteze.com or by phone 916-508-6888

I know there are a TON of us artists who are in the OBAMA camp, this is a great way to have your artwork seen by the cream of the crop local Democrats...ie: OBAMA SUPPORTERS!

New Democratic/Obama/Brown Campaign Headquarters to open!

! Arry Murphey-Frank-Foothills Area Manager CA CD4 — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 17:13:59 EDT

I am happy to annouce that the Placer Central Committee and the Auburn Area Democrats have just signed a deal on some wonderful office space in Auburn for a Placer county campaign headquarters. The headquarters will syupport the Obama Campaign, the CD4 Charlie Brown Campaign and some other local dems. The space is at 1015 Lincoln Way, has its own parking and a great street presence. Watch my blog for more information on the opening dates and ceremony. YES WE CAN! We are looking at a date some time around the 5th of August to open but I will keep everyone informed.

Placerville mayor has anti-Obama sign-let's take action!

! Arry Murphey-Frank-Foothills Area Manager CA CD4 — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 17:20:55 EDT

From KVOR 13, Look what the ex-mayor of Placerville has done!

http://www.cbs13.com/video/?id=36386@kovr.dayport.com

http://cbs13.com/local/placerville.obama.sign.2.773084.html

http://pod08.prospero.com/n/blogs/blog.aspx?nav=main&webtag=KOVR_MikeD&entry=20

Let's all let him know that there is no room in California for fear mongering and ignorance !

i suggest that we NICELY Blog 13 and the local news stations! let them know that there are people who know the truth and this doesn't even pass as satire, this is just mean.

Negative Posts

! Arry Murphey-Frank-Foothills Area Manager CA CD4 — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 20:34:18 EDT

I have noticed several negative posts lately to many of the groups to which I belong. I also started noticing a pattern, that they were usually from the same people. I then looked at the profiles of these people and evey single one had no picture, had no friends, and had only made negative posts, never positive ones.

I think that these people are what are called "TROLLS" in the internet world. I think that they are a type of interloper who comes in and tries to stir up people's emotions to get them to feel badly towards Barack. I think that we need to ignore these people and if we see repeated posts, we should report them to the campaign. Legitimate discourse and dissagreements are fine but I get the feeling that there are a lot of these people who have come to do nothing but stir up trouble.

I am asking people to read these posts and look at who is saying it, is it someone with a long history of the campaign or is it someone with a sketchy profile? If it is the latter, lets take it with a big boulder of salt and not take the bait.

Peace.ARRY

Obama not flip-flopping

! Arry Murphey-Frank-Foothills Area Manager CA CD4 — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 17:51:08 EDT

I was asked to pass this along:
OBAMA NOT FLIP-FLOPPINGby Lynette McGrathIn all of the right-wing and left-wing chatter about Obama having shifted his position on a number of issues since he began his campaign for the presidency, I think we've lost sight of who Obama is, what his history tells us, and what he himself has told us.
What was clear from the moment of Obama's speech to the Democratic Convention in Boston in 2004, was that he was ready to lead a new movement that would unite Americans, speak to them all, lessen paralyzing partisan divisions, negotiate across the aisle-Democrats and Republicans together, and forge a new way of making decisions that would be inclusive. His legislative history and his comments throughout the primary campaign tell us that he favors a pragmatic compromise system of doing politics. He also sees himself as an appropriate embodiment of this message, emphasizing the way he himself unifies the diversity of black and white, Ghanian and American, humble origins and personal success.
I believe that progressives downplayed this message of unity and compromise and made Obama into something he never was. They thought the message of change was about a far-left progressivism that would ride over the right because that's what they themselves wanted and needed, after years of being battered by the right-wing agenda. But change is not necessarily about revolution. Obama has always been about inclusion, which isn't possible if only the progressive agenda is pushed. Now progressives are disappointed that their image is not being acted out. I remember being with friends during the primary who were talking Obama up as a left-wing progressive and thinking that wasn't quite what I heard him offering. Yet I felt happy with his candidacy because he seemed to me to be talking about the sensible compromise politics I understand from British ways of doing political business. It's a method that, when it works, gets things done to benefit the greatest possible number, but not all, and usually not those on either end of the spectrum.
Obama's commitment to the idea of unity, of valuing all and including all, is fundamental to his message and goal. He is not a liberal ideologue. He is a liberal open to compromise. He is also a sensible, rational, responsible leader who takes care to work out pragmatic solutions to difficult problems. Unlike George Bush and even Bill Clinton, who packaged his speeches as simply as possible and whose vocabulary count in his public speeches was even less than Reagan's or either Bush's, Obama acknowledges and takes account of nuance and the subtleties embedded in complicated issues. "What I don't do when I'm campaigning is to try to press a lot of hot buttons and use a lot of cheap applause buttons, because I want people to get a sense of how I think about this process," said Obama. "I think that one of the problems with political speeches is that we all know what folks want to hear. We know who the conventional, stereotypical enemies are on any given issue, and we have a tendency, I think, to play up to that. And I actually think that we're in this moment in history right now where honesty, admitting complexity is a good thing."
Psychologists tell us that when people first fall in love they go through a process called cathexis, in which the lover makes the beloved into something he or she wants and needs the other to be. After a period of time, both lover and beloved begin to see each other as they really are. This is what is happening with liberal progressives and Obama now. A relationship reality check is going on. It is not that Obama is "flip-flopping," but that liberal progressives are coming to see him for who he is-a grownup, thoughtful, non ideological politician who offers Americans a balanced, inclusive, and cooperative political future.

In his speech to the 2004 convention, Obama said,"Yet even as we speak, there are those who are preparing to divide us, the spin masters and negative ad peddlers who embrace the politics of anything goes. Well, I say to them tonight, there's not a liberal America and a conservative America, there's the United States of America. . . . We are one people, all of us pledging allegiance to the stars and stripes, all of us defending the United States of America." And "[W]e are connected as one people. If there's a child on the south side of Chicago who can't read, that matters to me, even if it's not my child. If there's a senior citizen somewhere who can't pay for her prescription and has to choose between medicine and the rent, that makes my life poorer, even if it's not my grandmother. If there's an Arab American family being rounded up without benefit of an attorney or due process, that threatens my civil liberties. It's that fundamental belief, "I am my brother's keeper, I am my sister's' keeper," that makes this country work. It's what allows us to pursue our individual dreams, yet still come together as a single American family. "E pluribus unum. Out of many, one."
Christopher Wills, 6/25/2008 6:00:10 PMBookmark and Share, looking back on Obama's history in the Illinois legislature, writes that, "As an Illinois legislator, Barack Obama fought to expand aid to the poor-and backed legislation to withhold welfare from parents abusing drugs. He opposed making it easier to impose the death penalty on gang members, and supported it for people who kill volunteers in community policing programs. He consistently supported gun control. He also voted to let retired police and military personnel carry concealed weapons.
Just how liberal was he?
In all, Obama's record from nearly eight years in the Illinois Senate suggests someone who believes strongly that government can make life better for people, whether by offering financial help, banning dangerous guns or providing health care.
But Obama, now the Democratic candidate for president, was no ideologue. He often cooperated with Republican lawmakers, co-sponsoring their legislation and working with them on compromises. "People on both sides of the aisle would find him to be someone who would reach across to find out why people think the way they do," said William Mahar, a former Republican state senator. "He wouldn't talk just to people who agreed with him."

On Iraq, from the beginning, Obama has said that we need to be "as careful getting out as we were careless getting in." He told George Stephanopolous in a "This Week" interview in May, 2007 that he could support a war-funding bill that includes benchmarks but lacks a timetable for withdrawal.
Obama has emphasized his support for withdrawing American troops from Iraq, but also says his policy would need to accommodate to the ongoing situation in Iraq.
"I think we have some moral and humanitarian responsibilities to the Iraqi people," says Obama. "And that has to be factored in. I can't anticipate what Iraq will look like a year from now, because so much depends on how we carry out this phased redeployment and how effective we are when it comes to diplomacy."

In his health care program, Obama also hews to a workable middle ground. Rather than mandating universal health coverage and trying probably futilely to mandate coverage for all, he will set up a new, subsidized, government-operated insurance plan for people who aren't covered by their employers or Medicare. He acknowledges the difficulty and expense in potentially criminalizing young healthy people who refuse to sign up for health insurance.

His economic policy is also a compromise between the classical economic theories of Keynes and Friedman. On the whole, he seems to accept a theory that allows the free market system to operate freely as long as it continues to correct itself, but the government will intervene when it fails to do so. All credit card and mortgage issuers, and other financial services firms, will be forced to disclose all their charges clearly, fully, and in plain language. Firms that don't issue 401 K plans for their employees would be required to open a direct deposit retirement account for their workers, with an opt-out clause. For the first $1000 in savings that an employee contributed, the government would provide a $500 tax credit.
Further reading from Karen McCool:
he has had a long history of working across the aisle (compromise) ... here's a rundown of his bipartisan legislation (oct 06)
<http://obsidianwings.blogs.com/obsidian_wings/2006/10/barack_obama.html>http://obsidianwings.blogs.com/obsidian_wings/2006/10/barack_obama.html

Obama takes bipartisan approach (Jan 08)
<http://dailybruin.ucla.edu/news/2008/jan/17/obama-takes-bipartisan-approach-people/>http://dailybruin.ucla.edu/news/2008/jan/17/obama-takes-bipartisan-approach-people/

Obama calls for bipartisan approachto health care (Nov 07)
<http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/459705/barack_obama_calls_for_bipartisan_approach.html?cat=5>http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/459705/barack_obama_calls_for_bipartisan_approach.html?cat=5

Here's a good article on his history in chicago politics... and his "collaborative" approach<http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0417/p01s07-uspo.html?page=2>http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0417/p01s07-uspo.html?page=2

and you have to read this one...from Fox news no less:
Obama's state senate years show bipartisan record
<http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/06/25/obamas-state-senate-years-show-bipartisan-record/>http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/06/25/obamas-state-senate-years-show-bipartisan-record/

<http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0707/5171.html>http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0707/5171.html
excerpt (Jul 2007)

Here's an interesting one from Feb 06

<http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1158975,00.html>http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1158975,00.html

The truth about the AP report on Obama and Evangelicals

! Arry Murphey-Frank-Foothills Area Manager CA CD4 — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 18:03:38 EDT

Thanks to an E-mail from Lisa Owens who clarified what really happened:

Many of you may have read or heard of the AP story this morning stating the following: “Reaching out to evangelical voters, Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama is announcing plans that would expand President Bush's program steering federal social service dollars to religious groups and — in a move sure to cause controversy — support their ability to hire and fire based on faith.” This is false. Totally false. He said the exact opposite. See below. The AP has repeatedly done HIT JOBS on Obama and this is another one. Here is the story and Republicans are digging it up and trying to scare Obama voters. Please click on the white space next to BURY and either BURY the story or click on Inaccurate.http://digg.com/2008_us_elections/Obama_to_expand_Bush_s_faith_based_programs Here is a more accurate story on how Obama slams Bush’s program and wants to dismantle it and create a Faith & Neighborhood based initiative. Please Digg this story.http://digg.com/2008_us_elections/Obama_to_rename_Bush_s_faith_office_Mike_Allen_PoliticoPlease remember to Digg or Bury the comments too! Just click on Thumbs UP or DOWN! Thanks!UPDATE: An Obama campaign official told the Huffington Post that the AP's claims about Obama allowing hiring or firing based on faith are false. From a portion of Obama's speech today:"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."The Politico, meanwhile, describes Obama's new plan not as an expansion of Bush's Faith-Based Initiative, but as an effort to tear down what Bush created and establish a new program with a new set of goals:Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) slammed President Bush's faith-based program as "a photo-op" and a failure on Tuesday, and said he will scrap the office and create a new Council for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships that would be a "critical" part of his administration. Obama, unveiling a plan to overhaul and expand Bush's faith-based program during remarks at a community ministry in Zanesville, Ohio, said the White House Office of Community and Faith-Based Initiatives - which Bush founded during his second week in office - "never fulfilled its promise." [...]Reaching out to evangelicals who are non-plussed by Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), Obama declared: "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," he continued. "This Council will not just be another name on the White House organization chart - it will be a critical part of my administration."

Recruiting a Sacramento volunteer Nation for Change Rally

! Arry Murphey-Frank-Foothills Area Manager CA CD4 — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 20:25:15 EDT

Anyone who would like to contact me regarding a position of setting up the August 23rd Sacramento Rally for Nation for Change, please contact me ASAP. Thanks! Arry

CALLING ALL AUBURN AREA ARTISTS AND OBAMA SUPPORTERS!

! Arry Murphey-Frank-Foothills Area Manager CA CD4 — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 20:16:39 EDT

I would like to invite any local people to come help with the Auburn float and parade on the fourth of July. Please look at your local events and sign up for the parade and to help with the float.

Thanks! Arry Murphey-Frank

Lets reach out to the Hillary supporters!

! Arry Murphey-Frank-Foothills Area Manager CA CD4 — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 18:11:18 EDT

I was thinking that I have a lot of friends who are Hillary supporters and I think that it would be a good thing to reach out to them in the next couple of weeks. Let's all promise to make a point to answer questions, show how simular policy-wise Barack and Hillary are and see if you can get them enthused about Barack. Let's not let people think that voting for McCain is even an option! Let's welcome them and try to show them that our candidate is as good as thiers and let's UNITE our party!

Obama Campaign DOESN'T Want Supporters To Protest RBC Meeting!

! Arry Murphey-Frank-Foothills Area Manager CA CD4 — Wed, 28 May 2008 18:07:49 EDT

Obama Campaign DOESN'T Want Supporters To Protest RBC Meeting!

Wed May 28, 2008 at 03:34:08 AM PDT

The newspaper for Capitol Hill, The Hill, reports that they obtained
an internal e-mail from the Obama campaign regarding the protest at
the RBC meeting:

Sen. Barack Obama's (D-Ill.) campaign is urging its supporters not to
demonstrate at Saturday's highly anticipated Democratic National
Committee (DNC) meeting on how to handle the delegates of Florida and
Michigan.

In an internal campaign e-mail obtained by The Hill, the Obama
campaign states, "We look forward to the meeting proceeding smoothly
-- and we're asking our supporters not to show up to demonstrate,
passionately as they feel about this campaign."

...

But the Obama campaign wants to avoid heated intraparty confrontations
that would attract national headlines and be replayed on the cable
news networks. Saturday's potential public relations nightmare comes
as the Obama campaign is taking steps to unify the party as the
Democratic primary process appears to be winding down.

Let's not make this a public relations nightmare for the Obama
campaign, so please circulate this diary on your Obama groups,
Facebook, Friendster, MySpace, and your e-mail circles within the
DC/MD/VA area. The more the word gets out there, that way Obama
supporters will know it's not in the best interest of the campaign to
protest the Clinton supporters at the RBC meeting.

It's what the Clinton campaign wants:

A public relations nightmare with photos of angry Obama supporters
yelling at angry Clinton supporters, thus setting up the meme about a
divided Democratic party, which prompts reporters to opine, "After the
way the two groups clashed together, will it ever be possible for
Obama to unite the groups when he's the nominee?" We really don't need
the hand-wringing from the media on this point. This is about the need
for Democratic unity now.

The Clinton campaign would love nothing more than to have our presence
there as angry Obama supporters to further antagonize their
supporters, which gives Hillary that rationale she needs to talk about
being oppressed by the Obama campaign in taking it to the convention.

Have media chattering about the fight between Clinton and Obama
supporters instead of the delegate allocation from the RBC meeting
which will be the real story here.

So, let's NOT give them what they want in terms of public relations.

And instead, let's do what we should do as supporters for the Obama campaign:

Voter registration drives. You can contact Jason with the Maryland For
Obama campaign at jason@marylandforobama.com to find out what events
are being held for the voter registration drives in Maryland. He also
may have information about voter registration drives in Virginia, as
that's a swing state that we might win in November.

Phone bank so we can work on reaching more people who may be receptive
to the message of change from Barack Obama, and find out which
supporters are likely to vote or not in November. Every voter matters.

Check your Barack Obama event page for events available in your community.

For more information about voter registration efforts in Northern
Virginia, please contact Chrisi, who helps run the Northern Virginia
effort for Barack Obama, at chrisimwest at gmail dot com.

And for those who have already pre-registered to attend the meeting,
please e-mail me at pleasehelpfreebarneythedog at gmail dot com, and
I've got about 30 people who've pre-registered to attend the RBC
meeting. It would be helpful to know who else is out there that has
pre-registered for the meeting, so we can all gather together as a
group to attend the RBC meeting.

For those who have pre-registered for the RBC meeting

Bring any recorders, cameras, and laptops since the Marriot Wardman
hotel has wireless access. As of now, it's not clear if the meeting
room, Salon 1, has wireless access and I've checked with the DNC and
am waiting to hear back from them.

Be peaceful, you can wear your Obama shirts but it would be far
preferable to wear normal clothing.

NO SIGNS. NO NOISEMAKERS. NO BANNERS, NO HANDOUTS are allowed
according to the organizers of the Rules and Bylaws Committee.

Be respectful.

Don't engage the Clinton supporters in a back-and-forth. Let them show
their support for Hillary Clinton.

Hey, does anyone think that we could convince Edwards to campaign in the rest of the states with Barack?

! Arry Murphey-Frank-Foothills Area Manager CA CD4 — Thu, 15 May 2008 10:39:52 EDT

I was thinking that it would be great if John Edwards would campaign in the remaining states with Barack, especially in Kentucky. Edwards' presence could go a long way to solidifying Obama's inevitable nomination.

Does anyone think that it would be good to E-mail his campaign asking him to do so? I know that Kentucky may be too soon but hey, everything is worth a try!

Should Barack campaign hard in Kentucky?

! Arry Murphey-Frank-Foothills Area Manager CA CD4 — Wed, 14 May 2008 11:07:13 EDT

I was just wondering what other people's impressions were after the large margins last night in WV. Do others feel like I do that Barack should at least try to keep the margins closer in Kentucky so that he does not lose the impression of being the nominee? I just feel that these last few contests are crucial abd that maybe we need to work a little harder and not skate to the end.

Anyone else?

W Virginia tonight, watch the spin begin but let's stay positive!

! Arry Murphey-Frank-Foothills Area Manager CA CD4 — Tue, 13 May 2008 12:36:01 EDT

We all know that Senator Clinton will win West Virginia today but we should not be disheartened. We all know that the pundits will spin it and make it a much bigger deal than it really is; we all just have to stay positive. This primary reminds me of the parable of the tortoise and the hare, we just need to keep going along at our steady pace and it will all be over soon.

I think that it is good for Mrs. Clinton to end the race in a blaze of glory and be able to leave knowing that she gave it her all, it would be nice for it to end on a positive note for both campaigns. We need to welcome all of the new Clinton people who might be coming to this site for the first time as the Clinton campaign winds down.

Stay positive! Let's keep the good energy flowing, keep the good mojo afloat!

WOW! We have superdelegate lead YAY!

! Arry Murphey-Frank-Foothills Area Manager CA CD4 — Sun, 11 May 2008 00:31:13 EDT

Obama takes lead in superdelegates, AP reports Additions erase Clinton's imposing lead among party, elected officials Sen. Barack Obama talks to reporters after he toured the PV Powered plant in Bend, Ore., Saturday. The plant manufactures parts of solar energy systems. View related photosJae C. Hong / AP NBC News and news servicesupdated 32 minutes ago

WASHINGTON - Barack Obama erased Hillary Rodham Clinton's once-imposing lead among superdelegates Saturday when he added more endorsements from the group of Democrats who will decide the party's nomination for president.

Obama added superdelegates from Utah, Ohio and Arizona, as well as two from the Virgin Islands who had previously backed Clinton. The additions enabled Obama to surpass Clinton's total for the first time in the campaign. He had picked up nine endorsements Friday.

NBC still gives Clinton a slight edge in superdelegates. NBC’s estimated count stands at 276.5 for Clinton and 274 for Obama. NBC's national delegate count currently stands at 1,426 for Clinton and 1,590 for Obama.

[There are differences in how news organization count delegates, how they award superdelegates, how they account for states that have held caucuses but have not yet chosen their delegates, and how they project the apportionment of delegates within Congressional districts where the vote was close. The Associated Press and NBC news conduct separate delegate counts.]

A tarnished brand?
The milestone is important because Clinton would need to win over the superdelegates by a wide margin to claim the nomination. They are a group that Clinton owned before the first caucus, when she was able to cash in on the popularity of the Clinton brand among the party faithful.

Those party insiders, however, have been steadily streaming to Obama since he started posting wins in early voting states.

"I always felt that if anybody establishes himself as the clear leader, the superdelegates would fall in line," said Don Fowler, a former chairman of the Democratic National Committee.

"It is perceived that he is the leader," said Fowler, a superdelegate from South Carolina who supports Clinton. "The trickle is going to become an avalanche."

Superdelegates are the party and elected officials who will automatically attend the Democratic national convention this August in Denver. They can support whomever they choose, regardless of what happens in the primaries.

They are key because neither Obama nor Clinton can win the nomination without them.

Nearly 800 superdelegates will attend the convention. Obama has endorsements from 276, according to the latest tally by The Associated Press. Clinton has 271.5.

Picks up 21 superdelegates
Many of the superdelegates who endorsed Obama in the past week said it is time for the party to unite behind him. Obama is coming off a big win in North Carolina's Democratic primary Tuesday. Clinton narrowly won Indiana's primary the same day, but Obama did better than many expected.

Obama has added 21 superdelegates since and Clinton has had a net increase of two.

Kevin Rodriquez of the Virgin Islands said in a statement that he switched from Clinton to Obama because he thinks Obama has brought energy and excitement to the party.

"He has shown he can connect with Democrats, Republicans and independents across this country, whether we live on the mainland or an island," Rodriquez said.

In all, Obama added five superdelegates late Friday and Saturday. Clinton added one in Massachusetts, but lost the two in the Virgin Islands.

Tabling in Loomis Today-our experience

! Arry Murphey-Frank-Foothills Area Manager CA CD4 — Sat, 10 May 2008 20:58:31 EDT

For those of you who are not familiar with Loomis, it is a reasonably Republican town. We were actually pretty well recieved for the most part (of course there were a few cranky and rude people) but we got a TON of positive feedback! We even sold over $100.00 of buttons and bumper stickers at $1.00 each. I was thrilled at the response and it made me feel like we have a really good chance. If you haven't gotten involved in any of these local activities yet, I encourage you to do it as it is quite rewarding and helpful to the campaign!

FIRED UP AND READY TO GO!

Obama got 9 new Supers and is now even with H!!!

! Arry Murphey-Frank-Foothills Area Manager CA CD4 — Fri, 09 May 2008 17:21:59 EDT

What great news, just one more super delegate and our man will have more supers than Clinton!

EXCELLENT!

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/Vote2008/story?id=4818637&page=1

WOO HOO FIRED UP AND READY TO GO!

Placer County People, Let's turn Placer Blue!

! Arry Murphey-Frank-Foothills Area Manager CA CD4 — Thu, 08 May 2008 18:19:29 EDT

If you haven't already signed up to help with voter registration, please contact Christa Darlington at Sierra Foothills for Obama and sign up. There are also events not only this Saturday but in downtoen Roseville on Tuesday nights during the summer. We are really close to turning Placer county from a Republican stronghold to BLUE!

Obama got his Mojo back! Yes we can!

! Arry Murphey-Frank-Foothills Area Manager CA CD4 — Wed, 07 May 2008 11:59:23 EDT

Obama got is mojo back! Last night's contests have changed everything. All of the news stations this morning are all saying how Clinton cannot win under any circumstances..even Fox (Faux) News! Wow, what a difference a day makes. I am so proud of Obama and how well the volunteers and campaign workers did in NC and Indiana.Thank you all for your hard work! It has been a rough few weeks but the times they are a changin' !

Now is a good time to donate to the campaign and my offer of sending you a beautiful button to donate on my page still stands. Clinton isn't backing down and she is out of money. We need to not only beat her in pledged delegates, number of states won, popular vote but also in money!

YES WE CAN! YES WE WILL!

NY Times article on gas tax

! Arry Murphey-Frank-Foothills Area Manager CA CD4 — Fri, 02 May 2008 16:37:36 EDT

I found this interesting, showing how our man is right on. I wonder why stuff like this isn't played 24/7 on a loop like RW?

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/30/opinion/30friedman.html?ex=1210305600&en=25404088c7749062&ei=5070&emc=eta1

Rep. Hill who introduced Clinton, now endorses OBAMA!

! Arry Murphey-Frank-Foothills Area Manager CA CD4 — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 19:02:15 EDT

Rep. Hill backing ObamaPosted: 12:00 PM ET Hill, who introduced Clinton at a rally last Friday, said Wednesday he is backing Obama.

(CNN) - Barack Obama's campaign announced Wednesday Indiana Rep. Baron Hill has endorsed the Illinois senator -- the fourth new superdelegate the campaign has announced in the last 24 hours.

"If we are going to develop real solutions for Hoosier families, for America's families, we have to move past the partisan gridlock," Hill said in a statement released by the Obama campaign. "I believe both Senator Clinton and Senator Obama want to do that and I believe both are formidable candidates. But, I also believe that only one of them truly can."

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/04/30/rep-hill-backing-obama/#comment-985131

I will send you a beautiful Obama button for a donation!

! Arry Murphey-Frank-Foothills Area Manager CA CD4 — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 03:13:54 EDT

My offer is: If you donate $10.00 or more to my fundraising and help me reach my goal, I will send you a beautiful Obama 2008 button that features Obama's smiling face with the Capitol building behind him. When you donate, please E-mail your address to me at arrydesign@sbcglobal.net so that I can send your button! Together, we can make this push for the last states shine for Obama! This has been a tough week for the campaign so let's all pitch in! Arry

OK, Now what do people think after the Press Club Incident?

! Arry Murphey-Frank-Foothills Area Manager CA CD4 — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 18:56:28 EDT

OK, So now what do people think after the press club incident? I am really taken aback by this, it is like he wants Barack to lose. Is he so self centered that he can't see what he is doing to the campaign?

I am Curious, What do people think of the Rev Wright NAACP speech?

! Arry Murphey-Frank-Foothills Area Manager CA CD4 — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 11:11:09 EDT

I am just curious and wondering what other people's thoughts are on the NAACP speech yesterday? Personally, I rather enjoyed it but I am sure that everything that he says will be taken out of context and twisted around by the "spunnedits" (my new word that I made up just for CNN !) Anyways, I would like to hear other people's comments.

Arry

Now is the time to bolster Obama's momentum!

! Arry Murphey-Frank-Foothills Area Manager CA CD4 — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 11:36:58 EDT

Now is the time to make donations and bolster Obama's momentum. Clinton got a boost from Pennsylvania and we do not want her to get momentum. She is low on cash and owes lots of money so let's keep Barack holding the upper hand!

My offer, If anyone donates $10.00 or more to my Obama fundraising, I will send them a beautiful metal Obama button that shows a smiling Obama with the capitol building behind him! These are really nice buttons and it is my way of trying to help our candidate.

Best to all,

Arry

Today is the BIG Day!

! Arry Murphey-Frank-Foothills Area Manager CA CD4 — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 02:16:39 EDT

Here's to the Pittsburgh field office and all of the great work that has gone on there, to Philly and Scranton and Johnstown and all of the towns in PA, Here is to all of the volunteers who have been working so hard to bring Obama closer to the people of Pennsylvania. It was an honor to help out the little bit that I did in PGH and I want to thank all of you for your hard work.

LET'S ALL KEEP OUR FINGERS CROSSED THAT THE MARGINS ARE SMALL OR BETTER YET THAT THERE IS AN UPSET! Sending you all the good vibes and Juju from California!

Arry

Now Clinton is blaming MoveOn,org for losing caucuses

! Arry Murphey-Frank-Foothills Area Manager CA CD4 — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 22:06:34 EDT

This is from today's Washington Post...UNBELIEVABLE! First it is the right wing conspiracy and now it is the left wing conspiracy!

Clinton Blames MoveOn for Caucus Losses

By Perry Bacon Jr.
Hillary Clinton blamed her defeats by Barack Obama in caucuses around the country in part on MoveOn.org, the liberal activist group that was founded in 1998 to tell Congress to "move on" from its push to impeach Clinton's husband.

Clinton's comments were posted last night in audio form on the liberal political site Huffington Post, which would not say how, where or when it obtained the recording, beyond saying that it was after Super Tuesday.

"We have been less successful in caucuses because it brings out the activist base of the Democratic Party," Clinton told donors in the audio clip. "MoveOn didn't even want us to go into Afghanistan. I mean, that's what we're dealing with. And you know they turn out in great numbers. And they are very driven by their view of our positions, and it's primarily national security and foreign policy that drives them. I don't agree with them. They know I don't agree with them. So they flood into these caucuses and dominate them and really intimidate people who actually show up to support me."

Barack Obama's controversial comments about small-town voters appeared on the Huffington Post last week, and the disclosure of Clinton's remarks seemed an attempt at payback, as users of the generally pro-Obama site throughout the week had posted quotes showing Hillary or Bill Clinton discussing the challenge of winning over white working-class voters.

MoveOn, which claims 3 million members, endorsed Obama in early February. It was one of the most prominent of the Democratic groups opposed to the war in Iraq, and the current executive director of its political action committee, Eli Pariser, had recommended in 2001 that the U.S. response to the Sept. 11 attacks be "moderate and restrained." Pariser was not running MoveOn at the time, but an online group called 9-11Peace.org, which called for "a nonmilitaristic response to the terrorist attacks." Pariser now says he supported the invasion of Afghanistan.

Clinton's campaign has long suggested Obama backers intimidate people at caucuses, a charge that has not been proven, but the former first lady had not previously laid the blame at the feet of MoveOn.

"Senator Clinton's remarks attacking them are unfounded and categorically false," Pariser said.

But Clinton's focus on MoveOn illustrates a larger tension between the senator from New York and liberal internet activists in the party who are members of MoveOn or frequent visitors to sites like Huffington Post or Daily Kos. Many of the activists were opposed from the beginning to the Iraq War, which Clinton voted to authorize, and were skeptical of the centrist approach of her husband.

Such divisions have deepened during the primaries, even though Obama and Clinton have very similar plans to pull out troops from Iraq

Watch YouTube "Obama's response to debate"

! Arry Murphey-Frank-Foothills Area Manager CA CD4 — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 18:12:06 EDT

Here is the Youtube link to Obama's response to last night's lABC lynchi.....er debate ..

http://youtube.com/watch?v=FlR9DNfqGD4

Baracky film

! Arry Murphey-Frank-Foothills Area Manager CA CD4 — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 21:21:14 EDT

I received this E-mail from the Pittsburgh for Obama so I am copying it here. the film is really a lot of fun so I hope that we Californians can enjoy it too:

Hey guys… I’m a filmmaker and a major Obama supporter. I just released a very cool digital short called Baracky that I think you’ll love. As you may have heard, Hillary Clinton recently likened herself to Rocky Balboa in connection with the upcoming Pennsylvania primary on April 22. Well, many of us beg to differ… and I believe the following is a far better comparison: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RyhIBXNfqMA This presidential election is way too important to get caught up in a fight over sexism, racism or any other “ism.” What is absolutely critical for our future is that we choose the right person to lead our country forward. This video has the chance to spread like the “Yes We Can” song and the Obama Girl videos… but we need your help, so please pass it along to all your friends and any potential Obama supporters! Spread the word… and keep up the good work! --Michael

District 4-Delegate selection

! Arry Murphey-Frank-Foothills Area Manager CA CD4 — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 10:47:04 EDT

I dropped out of the delegate selection race a few weeks ago and backed my friend Christa Darlington. I am happy to say that Christa won the slot of delegate to go to the Denver convention. The other winner was Curtis Walker, another organizer from the Grass Valley area.

I will be running for delegate at large but in any event I did sign up to volunteer at the convention.

I am looking forward to having Barack Obama confirmed as our nominee for president!

Pre-Caucus Luncheon "Caucus '4' Christa"

! Arry Murphey-Frank-Foothills Area Manager CA CD4 — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 19:46:14 EDT

Please come and enjoy a little pre-caucus luncheon to support Christa. She has been working really hard to earn your vote by organizing, phone banking, canvassing and travelling to Nevada, Texas and Oregon for the campaign. We invite you to join us, to see information, please look at my events page.
Arry Murphey-Frank
former pledged delegate-withdrawn and endorsing Christa Darlington

Back from Pittsburgh PA, Looking Good!

! Arry Murphey-Frank-Foothills Area Manager CA CD4 — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 16:43:17 EDT

I just got back from Pittsburgh and I was pleasantly surprised that there was a whole lot of interest in Obama. There were hundreds of people a day going in to the headquarters and asking for yard signs, buttons an other swag. PA was a lot more active and positive feeling than El Paso and I was excited to be there. BTW, they have no swag so if anyone has left over yard signs, buttons or other things they can call Adam Delehanty 914-413-4429, he is in charge of the volunteers and the Pittsburgh office. Please send it on to the states that need it now!

Off to Pennsylvania tommorrow 4/2!

! Arry Murphey-Frank-Foothills Area Manager CA CD4 — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 21:35:34 EDT

So, I have weathered the sand storms and free micro-dermabrasion of canvassing in the El Paso area, slogged Senator Obama's & the press core's luggage on to his plane in Medford, Oregon and I am off to Pittsburgh, PA. tommorrow. Having spoken with the Pittsburgh people, it sounds MUCH more promising in PA than in Texas, PLUS + Obama has closed the gap nicely in PA in the last week. The polls had him within 5 points today in PA with Clinton. That is a considerable jump from the double digit lead she had just a few weeks ago. It would be so cool if he beat her there! SO...LET'S ROOT FOR PA!

Clintons' former pastor comments on Rev. Jeremiah Wright

! Arry Murphey-Frank-Foothills Area Manager CA CD4 — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 20:14:28 EDT

Clintons' former pastor comments on Rev. Jeremiah Wrighthttp://www.foundryumc.org/pdfs/Statement%20concerning%20Rev.%20Jeremiah%20Wright.pdf http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x5228400During the Clinton presidency, Bill and Hillary Clinton attended Foundry United Methodist Church. The senior minister at that church released the following comment on Rev. Jeremiah Wright.

The Reverend Jeremiah Wright is an outstanding church leader
whom I have heard speak a number of times. He has served for
decades as a profound voice for justice and inclusion in our society.
He has been a vocal critic of the racism, sexism and homophobia
which still tarnish the American dream. To evaluate his dynamic
ministry on the basis of two or three sound bites does a grave
injustice to Dr. Wright, the members of his congregation, and the
African-American church which has been the spiritual refuge of a
people that has suffered from discrimination, disadvantage, and
violence. Dr. Wright, a member of an integrated denomination, has
been an agent of racial reconciliation while proclaiming perceptions
and truths uncomfortable for some white people to hear. Those of us
who are white Americans would do well to listen carefully to Dr.
Wright rather than to use a few of his quotes to polarize. This is a
critical time in America's history as we seek to repent of our racism.
No matter which candidates prevail, let us use this time to listen again
to one another and not to distort one another's truth.

Dean J. Snyder, Senior Minister
Foundry United Methodist Church
March 19, 2008

An Interesting story on class divides

! Arry Murphey-Frank-Foothills Area Manager CA CD4 — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 01:59:18 EDT

This is an interesting take on the "divides" in this country. I have to say that all of the Obama volunteers that I personally have met are intelligent and creative people, so we are in good company!

Obama and the class question

RICHARD FLORIDA

From Saturday's Globe and Mail

March 29, 2008 at 3:25 PM EDT

For the past two weeks, all eyes have focused on Barack Obama and race. A couple of weeks ago, it was Hillary Clinton's gender. A month before that, it was all about the Obama surge among young voters.

Pundits on all sides have framed this election - and especially the Democratic primary - as turning on the traditional fault lines of race, gender and generation.

The talk shows go on and on about how Mr. Obama is attracting black and young voters and how Ms. Clinton finds her voice among women and baby boomers.

But what is seldom discussed and yet most interesting about this election is not any young-vs.-old, black-vs.-white, or male-vs.-female dynamic.

At bottom, both the Democratic primary and the upcoming general election turn on an even deeper economic and social force: class.

In 2002, I defined a new creative class of inventors, entrepreneurs, engineers, artists, musicians, designers and professionals in idea-driven industries.

Today, nearly 40 million American workers fit into that group, 35 per cent of the total working population and a good deal more than the 23 per cent who make up the working class.

That the creative class drives economic success in cities and nations is undeniable; the "spiky" regions that drive our economic success today - from the Boston-Washington corridor to San Francisco and the Pacific Northwest - are doing so because they are magnets for the entrepreneurial and talented members of this class.

Up to this point, creative-class people have predominantly cast themselves as politically independent or "post-partisan," and their political sympathies have been up for grabs.

The traditional Republican platform of individualism, economic opportunity and fiscal responsibility appeals to them; but so, too, do the Democratic values of social liberalism, environmentalism and a progressive track record on gay and women's rights.

Democratic candidates such as Bill Bradley and Howard Dean attracted the creative class in the 2000 and 2004 elections. But no one has caught fire with this class like Barack Obama.

I knew it was time for a closer look when MTV called me to comment on the Obama-and-the-creative-class phenomenon.

After poring over detailed exit-poll data on race, income and ideological orientation, Chris Bowers, the Netroots blogger, concluded: "When all is said and done, it looks like Obama will ultimately owe his victory to African Americans and his huge, creative-class activist army."

To get a better sense of how this deep this support runs, I asked opinion pollster John Zogby to look into how creative-class people were voting in this primary season.

The result: On issue after issue, they preferred Mr. Obama to either Ms. Clinton or Republican John McCain by wide margins.

Asked which presidential candidate would "provide meaningful leadership for the country," 64 per cent of creative-class respondents said Mr. Obama, compared with roughly 21 per cent for Ms. Clinton and 9 per cent for Mr. McCain. On the question of who was best positioned to unify the country, Mr. Obama was chosen by 74 per cent of creative-class voters.

The same basic pattern holds across the board: The creative class prefers Mr. Obama on issue after issue, from illegal immigration to the economy and health care.

Mr. Obama even bests Ms. Clinton and Mr. McCain substantially on the issue where he is allegedly weakest - "combatting terrorism" - registering 50 per cent of creative-class support compared with 24 per cent for Ms. Clinton and 18 per cent for Mr. McCain.

What we're seeing is not a red-state, blue-state divide, but something much bigger, if more calibrated.

Mr. Obama consistently polls strongest in cities and regions with significant creative-class concentrations. Ms. Clinton, on the other hand, has scored better in industrial states with dominant blue-collar towns, where voters are anxious about the economy and job prospects.

Ms. Clinton is more popular among voters without college degrees. Meanwhile, Duke University political scientist Brendan Nyhan has crunched numbers that show a college education to be a big predictor for Obama support.

This divergence in the electorate raises an interesting dilemma for campaign strategists.

Is a coalition between the creative class and working class even viable? Appealing to them both will prove difficult. The creative class anticipates the future while the working class is, in many senses, seeking protection from it. The creative class does not want someone to fight for it; the us-against-them meme doesn't resonate with them in politics any more than it does in a conference room, film studio or the skunk works of a high-tech start-up.

It will be difficult for Ms. Clinton to win wholehearted endorsement of the creative class, as committed as she is to specific programs.

It will also be hard for Mr. Obama's rhetoric of hope and change to resonate with those who are falling farther and farther behind economically. In coming years, it will be vitally important for progressive political leaders to reach out to the working and service classes, and in ways that enable them to connect to the new creative economy.

But in the short months remaining until the general election, deep-seated working-class anxiety about economic and social change is not likely to be overcome.

Clearly, neither race, gender, nor age can provide the core support necessary for a sustainable political majority. Just as Franklin Delano Roosevelt forged a new majority on the swelling ranks of blue-collar workers, so must the candidate and party that hope to win this election, and shape the political landscape for years to come, gain the support of today's ascending economic and political force - the creative class.

Richard Florida is the author of Who's Your City? (published this month by Random House Canada) and director of the Martin Prosperity Institute at the University of Toronto's Rotman School of Management.

El Paso, Texas primary/caucus

! Arry Murphey-Frank-Foothills Area Manager CA CD4 — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 19:48:17 EDT

A group of us went to work the primary and caucus and we were deployed to El Paso, Texas. El paso was sheer drudgery, a lot of hard work and sand storms. Ihope that our little group of 6 people made a little difference in H-word country! It is a great experience to volunteer and I advise all of you to get out and work on the campaign.

I met Barack last Saturday!

! Arry Murphey-Frank-Foothills Area Manager CA CD4 — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 19:38:34 EDT

I Drove up to Medford, Oregon last Friday with three other members of the Sierra Foothills for Obama, Christa Darlington, Gary Maggionetti and Victoria Whistler. We went to help set up a town hall meeting and were pleasantly surprized when we learned that our job would be to be Obama's baggage handlers! Sen. Obama was great at the hotel, going out of his way to greet gawkers and he was equally eloquent with all of us baggage handlers. He spoke with us, mugged for photos and I was really taken by how sincere he is in real life. It made me realize that I am doing the right thing by working on his campaign.