Martha's Blog

Grand Opening-Tulsans for Obama HQs

m2violin — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 18:06:54 EDT

Tulsans for Obama, a group of Tulsa-area grassroots activists dedicated to electing Barack Obama the next President of the United States, will celebrate the grand opening of their headquarters at 4302-A South Peoria Avenue on Friday, August 8. An open house to showcase the headquarters will be held from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Refreshments will be served.

The Tulsa Obama headquarters, conveniently located in the heart of Tulsa’s Brookside district, will serve as a focal point for information on Barack Obama. Position papers outlining Barack Obama’s stands on major campaign issues will be available. Items for sale will include T-shirts, bumper stickers, campaign buttons and yard signs (all proceeds benefiting the Barack Obama campaign). Information on volunteer opportunities and campaign events will also be available.

“We’ve had an overwhelming response to the candidacy of Barack Obama here in Tulsa” said Amie Nguyen, Tulsans for Obama coordinator. “Every day I’m fielding phone calls from persons who want to get involved in Barack Obama’s campaign. Inevitably the next question I get is: ‘Where are your headquarters?’ Our new Headquarters is in response to popular demand. Our grand opening is a tribute to the hard work and dedication of some 200 Tulsa-area Obama volunteers. All of us are very excited that this has become reality.”

“We’ve had an incredible cross section of people from throughout Northeast Oklahoma volunteer for the campaign,” continued Nguyen. “We want to emphasize that anyone supporting Obama – young or old, Democrat or Republican or Independent, political junkie or first-time voter – is welcome at Tulsans for Obama.”

Tulsans for Obama headquarters will be open Monday-Friday, 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. For further information, contact amie@tulsansforobama.com or visit the Tulsans for Obama website, http://tulsansforobama.com . For a map to the headquarters, go to http://tinyurl.com/5rqae8 .

Vote for Change Kickoff-May 10

m2violin — Fri, 09 May 2008 00:33:22 EDT

We're moving into general election mode now. We need to focus on registering as many voters as possible to assure a Democratic victory in November-not just the White House, but the House, Senate, and state races as well! Tulsa is one of the sites chosen by the Barack Obama campaign for the national Vote for Change Kickoff. Here are the details:

What:                 Vote for Change Kickoff
When:                 Saturday, May 10, 2008
                             10:30 a.m.
Where:               Tulsa County Courthouse Plaza
                            500 South Denver Avenue in downtown Tulsa
        (the plaza between the Tulsa County Courthouse & Central Library)
        http://maps.google.com/maps?q=500+South+Denver+Tulsa+OK+US+74103

Keynote Speaker: State Senator Tom Adelson, D-TulsaAlso speaking will be Rep. Jabar Shumate, D-Tulsa and Tulsa City Councilor Jack Henderson, D-1st District. Special entertainment provided by vocalist Ernestine Dillard, Tulsa-based recording artist. Take it from me (a musician), you're in for a treat!If you haven't done so already, visit http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/43fj to sign up.

See you Saturday morning!

Yes We Can!

Martha Mattes
www.barackobama.com

Vote for Change Kickoff-May 10

m2violin — Thu, 01 May 2008 01:46:37 EDT

We need people making phone calls to encourage attendance on May 10. If you can help in this effort please visit http://my.barackobama.com/page/contact/splash/callvolunteers . Also, please pass along information about May 10 to your networks and anyone who's supporting Barack Obama.

Vote for Change Kickoff-May 10

m2violin — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 01:39:59 EDT

Save the date! Here's your invitation to attend the Tulsa Vote for Change Kickoff. Go to http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/43fj#rsvp to RSVP. National Vote for Change Kickoff events are planned in cities across the US for May 10, 2008. The Tulsa event is being held at 10:30 a.m. at the Downtown Courthouse Plaza (Tulsa, OK) - 500 South Denver, Downtown Courthouse Plaza (Tulsa, OK) Tulsa, OK 74103. Mayor Kathy Taylor will address the crowd, and a nationally known Obama supporter is also expected to speak to us at this event. Volunteers will be organizing to register voters during this event from 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. Training regarding voter registration laws and rules, voter registration forms and refreshments will be provided for volunteers. Wear comfortable shoes, clothes and your Obama gear! Please pass this on to anyone you know who would be interested. If you want to help with this event, please contact me at m2violin@hotmail.com

Yes We Can! Watch Party

m2violin — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 00:13:14 EST

We're doing it, folks!!!

Yes We Can! Watch Party

Hosts: Martha Mattes and Joy Whitman

Time: Tuesday, March 4 at 6:30 PM - 3 hours

Location:   Brook Restaurant (Peoria)
                3401 South Peoria Avenue
                Tulsa, OK 74105

Directions:

Located in Tulsa's Brookside district - southeast corner of 34th & Peoria. (This was formerly the Brook Theater for us Tulsa old-timers!)

You can view this event at any time by going to:

http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/4rypq

Thank You! Now what???

m2violin — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 22:34:44 EST

First off, I wanted to thank each and every one of you receiving this message for your hard work on the campaign. Thanks to your efforts, the Obama movement now has the "Big Mo" going into tomorrow's Beltway primary. Please remember that here in Oklahoma we have 14 Obama delegates in our state delegation. (Democratic delegates are awarded through proportional representation, not "winner take all" as is the case with the Republicans.) So-you made a difference!

I have been asked if there's any way we can still help Barack Obama win the Democratic nomination. The answer is yes! Here are some things you can do:

Phone bank from home-The Obama campaign still has their online phone banking tool set up at http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/phonebankmap . They are especially looking for women to call voters in Wisconsin. Also, if you speak Spanish, you're needed to call voters in Virginia.
E-mail or talk to your friends and relatives. I e-mailed friends in the Super Tuesday states last week and got a very positive reception. I just sent a message outlining a few of my reasons for supporting Barack Obama and urging they give him serious consideration to be the next President of the United States. I also spoke to my mother, who lives in Illinois (a Super Tuesday state). She was very much undecided, but wound up voting for Obama. I believe what I told her influenced her decision to vote for Obama. If you have friends/relatives in Texas, Maryland, Virginia, District of Columbia, Wisconsin, Hawaii, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Mississippi, Rhode Island, Vermont of Wyoming contact them, tell them why you support Obama, and ask them to vote for him.
If you are able to do so, consider making a trip to Texas. Texas is a state with a lot of delegates. If we win enough delegates there we could very well seal the nomination! Amie Nguyen is organizing a trip to Wichita Falls. She's been in contact with Obama supporters there, and they would very much welcome more help. Contact Amie at amie.c.nguyen@gmail.com if you can help. Another Tulsa Obama supporter, Robert Lawrence, is looking into a trip into the DFW metroplex, or possibly Denton. If you're interested in that trip. contact Robert at robert@debatelinks.com . If you want to organize your own trip you might consider Austin, College Station or Houston. If you're really ambitous (especially if you speak Spanish) consider a trip to Brownsville, Harlingen or McAllen. For those who would prefer to stay closer to home Paris or Sherman are both within a 3 1/2 hour drive from Tulsa. If you're organizing a trip let me know and I'll spread the word.
Got extra Obama stuff? (Flyers, door hangers, yard signs, etc.) Contact Amie or Robert so they can ferry them down to Texas (they really want Obama stuff). Or, if you're organizing your own trip, take them with you!
OK, this is off topic, but we need to be thinking "down ticket." President Obama will need more Democrats in the House and Senate to help him achieve his agenda for Change We Can Believe In. Here in Oklahoma, we have an opportunity to elect a Democrat who will do just that-and remove them embarrassment that we have in Jim Inhofe. Please give serious consideration to actively supporting Andrew Rice in his bid for the U.S. Senate. His website is http://andrewforoklahoma.com/ . I'm ready for a senator we can truly be proud of-not a constant embarrassment. And-Andrew is an Obama supporter to boot!

Again, thank you for your help with the Obama campaign! I'm confident we'll be in touch to GOTV in November. We all have the Audacity to Hope things can change for the better in our country!

Best regards,

Martha Matteswww.barackobama.com PS: Would you like a celebration get-together? E-mail me back if you're interested!

Episcopal Presidential Poll

m2violin — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 00:46:04 EST

Vote in this poll on the Beliefnet's Episcopal board (you will probably have to register first):

http://community.beliefnet.com/forums/showthread.php?t=10522

What you can do between now and polls closing

m2violin — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 01:31:54 EST

We have just a few hours before polls close...lets make the most of it!

If you can't get away from your home/office, you can send out emails make phone calls, or just talk to the people you intereact wiht throughout your day.

A group of us will be meeting tomorrow (SUPER TUESDAY) somewhere around downtown (around Denver - but not within 300 ft of the election board) early in the morning and then at 41st & Yale at 11AM. We will likely move locations throughout the day....but we plan to be visible for most of the day (until 6). If you can't get to 41st & Yale between 11 - 12 please call Amie at(918) 277-6299, and she will let you know where we are at the time you want to meet up with us.

As for watch parties...there are two:

The Brook Restaurant
Time:Tuesday, February 5 at 5:00 PM
Duration:5 hours
Host:Mary Morgan
Contact Phone:918 361 965
1Location:The Brook Restaurant (Tulsa, OK)
3401 S Peoria
Tulsa, OK 74105

The Tulsa County Democratic Party Watch
(this one is for ALL democrats & it is VERY important that Obama supports are there to show their support for Obama and speak with the media about their reactions to the polls)

Time: 7PM
CWA Union Hall
4174 S. 118 E. Ave.
near 43rd & Garnett

If you need signs or stickers or flyers or have questions about voting etc please call or go by the Democratic Party Headquarters

3930 E 31st St
Tulsa, OK 74135
(918) 742-2457

Change We Can Believe In

m2violin — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 01:28:27 EST

I sent this e-mail to friends. I encourage you to e-mail your friends to let them know why you're supporting Barack Obama.

Tomorrow is the Super Duper Tuesday Primary Election here in Oklahoma (as well as in Illinois, Texas, Missouri, Arkansas, Kansas, and the caucuses in Colorado and New Mexico, among others).

As some of you already know, I have been actively engaged in the Barack Obama campaign. I feel compelled to ask you to seriously consider Barack Obama as you cast your vote or caucus.

Simply put, Barack Obama is the best person for the job at this time. He has the ability to inspire and to heal our nation from the partisan bickering that has been going on for the past 7 years.

Barack Obama opposed the Iraq War from the beginning. When everyone was going along with the drumbeat towards war and granting Bush a blank check to rush pall mall into an invasion of Iraq, Barack Obama was addressing a rally in downtown Chicago opposing the war. He had the courage of his convictions, and the judgement to recognize this foreign policy diasater.

We need Barack Obama's judgement in the White House now.

I invite you to visit www.barackobama.com to learn more about this extraordinary person and where he stands on the issues. And I hope when you go into the voting booth, or into your caucus, you will stand for change in this country and vote for Barack Obama.

Martha MattesPS: As a musician, I have to share conductor William Eddins' endorsement of Barack Obama on his blog, Sticks and Drones. Read it at http://www.adaptistration.com/sticksanddrones/2008/02/super-music-tue.html .

Election Protection-YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO VOTE

m2violin — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 14:42:45 EST

This Tuesday, dubbed "Super Tuesday" by political junkies and the media, is the biggest day of the 2008 presidential primary races for both parties.

Voters in your state and 23 others are expected to turn out in record numbers. We're doing our part to make sure voting rights are protected and the election is administered fairly. Please join us.

If you experience, see or hear about voting problems in your state, please call the toll-free, nonpartisan Election Protection Hotline at 1-866-OUR-VOTE.

That's the number. Easy to say, easy to remember. Please tell your friends and acquaintances about it. If you can, print out our flyer and post or distribute it. Fair elections depend on the vigilance of citizens like you.

http://media.pfaw.org/PDF/voteflyer.pdf

Every American citizen has the right to register, vote, and have that vote count. People For the American Way Foundation's nonpartisan Election Protection program is designed to help safeguard that right.

Help us ensure that everyone's right to vote is protected -- be our eyes and ears on the ground. If you feel your rights have been violated, or see something that you feel might be a violation of someone else's rights, please call Election Protection toll-free: 1-866-OUR-VOTE (1-866-687-8683).

The Election Protection Hotline will be staffed by attorneys at several regional call centers around the country. We are working arduously to prevent problems in 2008 before they happen, meeting with county election officials around the country to assess how things are working in their jurisdictions, and to identify and try to correct the weak spots. Finding out about problems on Tuesday will be critical in determining what work needs to done to protect voters' rights in November.

Thank you for your help in spreading the word about 1-866-OUR-VOTE.

-- People For the American Way Foundation & The Democracy Campaign

Conductor William Eddins Endorses Obama!

m2violin — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 14:24:14 EST

Super Music Tuesday

It's primary season. I realize that this column is not about politics but for those of us living in the USA this is important, and I have a personal story to tell about one of the candidates.

About three years ago I received a call from the Chicago Symphony. They were interested in doing a concert on 11 September, 2005, in memory of that fateful day four years prior. The concert was to be held in Millennium Park on the lakeside and the centerpoint would be a performance of Mr. Copland's Lincoln Portrait. But the real clincher - "we're trying to get Barack Obama to narrate."

Needless to say my ears perked up on that one. I am what people call a politics junkie. I have met Governors, Senators, Representatives, Ambassadors, Ministers, etc., from around the world. One of my fondest memories was meeting Walter Mondale at a party here in Minnesota. I promptly cornered him and we talked politics for about two hours. HUGE fun, for both of us I think. I follow national and international politics very closely. I cut my teeth on Watergate, and the political comedian Mark Russell was an important part of my childhood. So given the opportunity to meet an "up and comer" I was naturally interested. A few months after that first phone call the second one comes - "we got him." Hooray!!! "And he doesn't read music....." OH $^*(%$ !!!!!!

How to Raise a Conductor's Blood Pressure, 101: Tell him/her/it that you're doing a piece with narrator. Hire some big name to narrate the piece. Make sure said big name doesn't read music. Guaranteed this is going to be a freaking nightmare schlepping some hack through the most basic idea of what those funny dots on the page mean. I'm not saying there aren't exceptions to this but believe me, those are exceptions to the RULE. I start to mentally prepare myself for disaster.

Comes the big day. I'm to have a "rehearsal" with the Senator a couple of hours before the orchestra rehearsal. I find our rehearsal room and there's this tall, handsome, and well dressed guy with a big wide smile going over the Copland with our pianist. I had heard rumor that the Senator is a very nice guy and the rumor turns out to be truth. Being the politics junkie that I am I jump in with both feet and he's right there with me talking about policy, his fellow Senators, strategy. The expression "pig in slop" does come to mind. But now comes the moment of truth - let's start working on the Copland.

20 minutes later I'm looking around thinking to myself "well, that was easy." Despite the fact that the Senator doesn't read music he's not about to show up anywhere unprepared. He has taken the time to work up the narration, listen to several recordings, and go over it a couple of times with a pianist, all to get a serious handle on what he's about to do. I have to admit I'm impressed. The guy knows the gig. A short while later we're in front of the CSO. I've seen a lot of people walk onstage for a CSO rehearsal - frankly, some of the biggest names in the business - but I've never seen that most jaded of bands react like they did when Obama came onstage. You would have thought that the Beatles had gotten back together. Rehearsal is as smooth as can be. I discover that the Senator is very quick on his feet. If he's a little ahead of me with his narration all I had to do was one very subtle gesture and he gently taps the brakes. If he was a little behind - another small gesture - and suddenly, but with great panache, he has moved ahead. After the rehearsal he's mobbed by folks wanting a picture with him. No problem, he's happy to oblige. The concert later that evening is the same thing - a rock star comes on stage, he pulls off something he's never done before with aplomb, and we are left dazzled.

So what does this mean? I had the opportunity to work directly with someone who might end up being the next President of the United States. This guy had a lot of hype surrounding him, most of which I didn't buy, so I wanted to see for myself. I came away from my encounter with him deeply impressed. He's smart, he's likable, he applies himself to problems that he has never faced with a vengeance. I must admit I'm sure I don't agree with everything he thinks. Hell, I don't agree with everything that I think. But from my short encounter with him I would trust him to approach any problem in a thoughtful and intelligent way, and he would make the best, most informed decision he possibly could. This would be such a pleasant change from the last seven years...............

So, no, this blog is not about politics. Having said that: I hereby endorse Barack Obama to be the next President of the United States. Not quite the Oprah effect but hey, she's got nicer hair than I do.

PS from Martha: Be sure to read the Sticks and Drones blog, http://www.adaptistration.com/sticksanddrones/ written by Maestro Eddins and Maestro Ron Spigelman (Music Director of the Springfield, MO Symphony Orchestra). This blog is a must read for everyone in the symphonic music business-or who just loves symphonic music.

Our Moment Is Now!

m2violin — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 13:51:14 EST

Super Tuesday is less than 24 hours away! It is essential for each and every one of us to do what we can to get out the vote tomorrow.
Here are some things you can do to help make Barack Obama the next President of the United States:

Leafleting-Pass out leaflets to remind people to vote. I have a PDF file I can send you if you need one-just e-mail me. We also have a supply of door hangers available
at Tulsa County Democratic Party Headquarters (they're open until 3 this afternoon). Here are places to leaflet:
1. Targeted precincts-North Tulsa, neighborhoods around TU and Drillers Stadium, West Tulsa, other Democratic strongholds
2. TU, ORU, TCC
3. Leave a stack in laundromats
4. Hand them out in areas such as Blue Dome District, Brookside, Cherry Street, 18th & Boston area, etc.
5. Anyplace else where people are gathering. We had a very successful visibility event at yesterday's Chinese New Year celebration.
Yard Signs-We need to get yard signs out in our target neighborhoods. Drop by TCDP HQs and pick up a few. Hurry-there are fewer than 100 left!
Other visibility-TCDP HQs has plenty of bumper stickers and campaign buttons available-make sure you have a bumper sticker on your car, and wear your button in public! Also, consider standing on a busy street corner at rush hour to wave your Obama sign. 41st & Yale, the pedestrian bridge over Riverside Drive, on Denver Avenue in front of the Civic Center complex, Pine & Cincinnati are some places you might want to target.
Phone banking-Thanks to today's technology you can phone bank from home and not have to spend precious gas! Go to http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/feb5calling/ to get started. (Unfortunately, I was not able to get any Oklahoma phone numbers just now. If it doesn't work for you either shoot me an e-mail & I'll give you some local phone numbers if you don't want to incur long distance charges on your phone bill.) Hopefully they'll get the Oklahoma phone numbers back up.
Endorse-A-Thon-MoveOn.org is conducting an Endorse-A-Thon (the organization has endorsed Barack Obama for President).
Go to http://pol.moveon.org/endorse-o-thon/?id=12024-1758342-vDGLGV&t=787 to get started, and let your undecided friends know you're supporting Barack obama.
Remind your friends to VOTE! The last is so obvious, yet so very important. Offer to give a ride to a voter if necessary. We just need to make certain that we GOTV tomorrow!

Finally, two videos for your inspiration and viewing pleasure:

"Yes We Can" - everyone's talking about this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2fZHou18Cdk

Caroline Kennedy's ad for Barack Obama: http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid353515028?bctid=1396506113

Let's have the Audacity to Hope that things will be better in America with President Barack Obama!

Martha Mattes

One More Time-FIRED UP AND WALKING FOR CHANGE!

m2violin — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 01:09:30 EST

Join the Movement

Please join Oklahomans for Obama for

Fired Up and Walking for Change!

Go door to door with local Obama supporters and spread the good word about Barack Obama to local Democrats! Change can’t happen without you!

We will meet at:

Tulsa County Democratic Party Headquarters
3930 East 31st Street
Tulsa, OK 74135

on Saturday, February 2, 2008 at 10 a.m.

For more information, email m2violin@hotmail.com or visit http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/4rzsg

Welcome Carrie and Ryan to Tulsa

m2violin — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 00:56:52 EST

You're invited to welcome Carrie Glenn and Ryan Harper to Oklahoma! Carrie and Ryan are staffers for the national Barack Obama campaign assigned to Oklahoma

Come to the Open House at Tulsa County Democratic Party Headquarters, 3930 East 31st Street in Tulsa on Thursday, January 24, 6-8 pm. Hear what's in store for the next couple of weeks as we Get Out The Vote for Barack Obama!

Be sure to bring a friend-the more the merrier!

Martha MattesPS: If you haven't already done so, please sign up for Saturday morning's canvassing at http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/4rm39 . We need to know how many flyers and walking lists we'll need.

Early Voting in Oklahoma

m2violin — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 00:54:32 EST

Here's a convenient way to have your say. Oklahoma offers early voting -- so you can head to the polls before Election Day. It's a great option if you're planning to volunteer on Election Day, prefer to bypass long lines, or have a busy schedule and need the flexibility. The best part is, you don't need a special reason to vote early. You can just go vote.

In Oklahoma, you can vote early, starting February 1.* Early voting sites vary by county, so check with your local election officials to find out where you can vote early.

Share this with all the people you know in Oklahoma -- friends, family, and colleagues -- who are interested in exercising their fundamental right to vote before the February 5 election.

Vote early at your County Election Board office
Friday, February 1, 8 AM - 6 PM
Saturday, February 2, 8 AM - 1 PM
Monday, February 4, 8 AM - 6 PM

Early Voting in Oklahoma

m2violin — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 00:49:25 EST

Friday, February 1, 8 AM - 6 PM
Saturday, February 2, 8 AM - 1 PM
Monday, February 4, 8 AM - 6 PM

The Tulsa County Election Board is located at 555 North Denver Avenue (just north of the north leg of the Inner Dispersal Loop), and the phone number is (918) 596-1111. If you live outside Tulsa County you can locate your county's election board at http://www.ok.gov/~elections/ceb_phys.pdf .

Vote early!!!

Share this with all the people you know in Oklahoma -- friends, family, and colleagues -- who are interested in exercising their fundamental right to vote before the February 5 election.

Thank you for working to build a better world.

We'll Beat the Cold Because WE ARE FIRED UP FOR CHANGE!

m2violin — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 21:08:01 EST

It will be cold tomorrow-but we'll beat the cold because we are FIRED UP AND WALKING FOR CHANGE!!! Dress warm (you may want to bring a thermos of coffee). Don't forget a hat and gloves-a hat will help a lot! Of course, comfortable shoes are a must. We had lots of fun last weekend, and we'll have more fun this weekend! It was wonderful to see a family canvass together-so bring the kids. Teens are welcome, too! Let's get other Tulsans FIRED UP FOR CHANGE tomorrow!

Remember-tomorrow (Saturday, January 19, 10am) at Tulsa County Democratic Party Headquarters, 3930 East 31st Street (across from the Tulsa Public Schools Education Service Center).

Be there or be square!

Get FIRED UP and WALK FOR CHANGE!

m2violin — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 11:27:51 EST

Here's a testimonial from Jennifer, who was my canvassing partner last Saturday. It was her first time canvassing. As you can see below, it won't be her last!

"It's gonna be cold, but I'll be there. Some things I'm bringing with me: Comfortable shoes, warm coat, hat and mittens, snacks, thermos with hot coffee, lots of copies of Issues sheets I downloaded from the action center-resource library section of barackobamadotcom website, and some copies of the newsweek article refuting the cruddy viral email going around about Barack. And a huge smile for all of you! Can't wait to meet you! If this is your first time, you will find it is much more enjoyable than I imagined last week, which was my first time. We are going to voters who are Democrats who have voted recently, so it's a pretty friendly crowd. And don't worry about HQ. They are good eggs. They are on the same team as us. We are selecting the guy or gal to QB our team then we'll play the big game this Fall."

Come join us tomorrow!

FIRED UP AND WALKING FOR CHANGE
Saturday, January 19
10 am
Tulsa County Democratic Party HQs
3930 East 31st Street

Be there or be square!

Presidential Primary & Absentee Voting in Oklahoma

m2violin — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 00:27:42 EST

BY MAIL

The deadline to apply for an absentee ballot to be mailed to you is always 5 p.m. on Wednesday preceding the election. [For the Okla. Presidential Primary, this would be Wednesday, January 30th.]

If your absentee ballot is mailed to you, you must return it to the county election board by mail. An absentee ballot must be received by the county election board before 7 p.m. on election day to be counted.

IN-PERSON ABSENTEE VOTING

Voters may cast an absentee ballot in person at the county election board office from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Friday and Monday before all elections. For state and federal elections only, in-person absentee voting also is available from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday. In-person absentee voters must fill out and sign an application form when they arrive to vote.

For more information, contact:

Oklahoma State Election Board

Room B-6, State Capitol Building

PO Box 53156

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73152

(405) 521-2391

Tulsa County Election Board

555 North Denver Avenue

Tulsa, Oklahoma 74103

(918) 596-5780

http://www.tulsacounty.org/electionboard.asp

http://www.ok.gov/~elections/absentee.html

We're Doing It Again!

m2violin — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 00:38:38 EST

Please join Oklahomans for Obama for Fired Up and Walking for Change! Go door to door with local Obama supporters and spread the good word about Barack Obama to local Democrats! Change can’t happen without you!

We will meet at:

Tulsa County Democratic Party Headquarters
3930 East 31st Street
Tulsa, OK 74135
on Saturday, January 19, 2008 at 10 a.m.

For more information, email m2violin@hotmail.com or visit http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/4vqfj

Voter Reigstration Deadline is TODAY!!!

m2violin — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 00:51:00 EST

This e-mail I received from MoveOn.Org has a link to a nifthy webite, VotePoke (www.votepoke.org ).

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Believe it or not, you probably have dozens of friends and family members who aren't on the voter rolls. They might have moved and didn't register again, or maybe never got around to registering in the first place.

Super Tuesday is coming up, the day when 24 states—including yours—will go to the polls to vote in the Democratic and Republican primaries. The next Presidential nominee may well be decided that day—but many people who could vote are not registered yet, and time is running out.

That's why we built VotePoke, a new website that lets you quickly and easily check to see whether you are registered to vote—and then invite your friends to do the same. Click here to make sure you—and your family and friends—will be able to vote on Super Tuesday, February 5:

http://votepoke.org

Voter registration is public information, but states don't make it easy to access. So until now, this data has mostly been available to the political consultants, but not to real people. Now, with VotePoke, that's all changing—anyone can make sure their friends are signed up and registered.

You would be surprised at how many of your friends aren't registered—or used to be registered—or really just aren't sure. We'll be in great shape for the election next November the more new and young voters we can turn out—and you can help by taking responsibility for your own group of friends.

Research shows that a reminder from someone you know is the single best way to get someone to the polls. Click here to start the "votepoking" and make sure every vote counts on Super Tuesday and beyond.

http://votepoke.org

Thank you for all you do.

PS: Forward this to your friends in Oklahoma, as well as the other February 5 states.

Remember, in Oklahoma you must be registered as a Democrat in order to vote for Barack Obama on February 5. If you are registered as an Independent voter, or with any other party, you will not be able to vote for Barack Obama on February 5. Do the smart thing and register as a Democrat.

Voter Registration Deadline is Upon Us! January 11!

m2violin — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 01:39:53 EST

Here's the linke to a story run on KOTV-Channel 6 here in Tulsa on the 10pm newscast:

http://www.kotv.com/news/local/story/?id=142769

You can watch the video segement by scrolling to the bottom and clicking on the link.

Remember, you MUST be registered AS A DEMOCRAT in order to vote for Barack Obama on February 5. If you are a Republican or Independent voter (or another party) and wish to help Barack Obama on February 5 you must change your registration.

This involves simply filling out another voter registration form. Forms are available at any public library, post offfice, tag agency, county election board (Tulsa County Election Board is located at 555 North Denver Avenue in Tulsa), or online at http://www.registrationbyworkingassets.com/register/ .

If you need information about voter eligibility/registration in Oklahoma, visit the Okalhoma State Electrion Board website at http://www.ok.gov/~elections/voterreg.html .

Don't be left out-the deadline is this Friday, January 11.

I Believe in the Audacity of Hope – For Barack Obama

m2violin — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 01:20:43 EST

On the evening of January 3, 2008 I joined with other Tulsa County Democrats in watching the Iowa Caucus returns come in. I was one of those cheering when Senator Barack Obama of Illinois started pulling ahead of the other Democratic candidates. It was thrilling for me to see Iowans embrace Senator Obama’s message of hope for a better America.Barack Obama believes in the politics of hope, of unity – not the fear and polarization brought to us by 8 years of the Bush regime. With his message that “we are not a collection of red states and blue states. We are the United States of America. And in this moment, in this election, we are ready to believe again,” Barack Obama is inspiring Americans to believe in a government that is truly “of the people, by the people and for the people.”

Barack Obama opposed the Iraq War from the beginning. Back in 2002, when many others were going along with the drumbeat towards war, Barack Obama, then a Senator in the Illinois Senate, was speaking at rallies opposing the war. Senator Obama supports a woman’s right to make her own decisions regarding reproduction. He believes in protecting Social Security and strengthening private retirement plans so all hard-working Americans know they will live their final years in security and comfort. Barack Obama believes workers should have the freedom to join unions without harassment or coercion from their employers, and is a co-sponsor of the Employee Free Choice Act. He has created a plan to provide comprehensive, affordable and portable health care coverage for all Americans. To find out the details of Barack Obama’s stance on these and other issues, visit http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/resourceflyers/ .

More important, Barack Obama has established a record of accomplishment in both the Illinois and the United States Senate. In Illinois he created the state Earned Income Tax Credit, which in three years provided over $100 million in tax cuts to Illinois families. He was also instrumental in expanding early childhood education programs, and in passing a state law requiring videotaping of all police interrogations. In the U.S. Senate he has pushed for greater accountability and transparency in government, for better treatment of our veterans and active duty military personnel, and the promotion of alternative fuels and higher fuel efficiency in our vehicles.

Barack Obama has accomplished all the above through cooperation and collaboration with others – often, persons who hold widely divergent opinions. In the Illinois Senate Obama was known not only for reaching across party lines, but for reaching out to senators from rural, downstate districts whose priorities often differed from a senator from Chicago’s South Side. In the U.S. Senate he collaborated with none other the Senator Tom Coburn in writing legislation requiring greater accountability and transparency in our government.

After we have been forced to endure the regime of the Worst President Ever, we need a president who will look forward, not backwards. A president who will step forward confidently into a new, brighter future for all Americans, not just a favored few. A president who will reach out to all Americans, and find the common ground that all Americans share.

Americans hunger for someone who can unite our country, not divide it. As Senator Obama said so eloquently on January 3: “You said the time has come to move beyond the bitterness and pettiness and anger that's consumed Washington. To end the political strategy that's been all about division, and instead make it about addition. To build a coalition for change that stretches through red states and blue states. Because that's how we'll win in November, and that's how we'll finally meet the challenges that we face as a nation. We are choosing hope over fear. We're choosing unity over division, and sending a powerful message that change is coming to America.”

I invite you to join me in helping to bring this change to America, and to elect Barack Obama President of the United States.

We are FIRED UP AND WALKING FOR CHANGE!

m2violin — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 20:05:02 EST

Come join us this Saturday, January 11 at TCDP Headquarters and get FIRED UP to WALK FOR CHANGE!!!

Fired Up and Walking For Change! (Organizing)We'll be going door-to-door, visiting Democrats in Tulsa and spreading the good word about Barack Obama.Time:Saturday, January 12 at 10:00 AM Location:Tulsa County Democratic Party Headquaters (Tulsa, OK) 3930 East 31st Street
Tulsa, OK 74135 View Map:

Visit http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/4vy94 to sign up-and bring a friend!

Come to the BYO Watch Party!

m2violin — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 01:47:53 EST

Time:Tuesday, January 8 at 5:00 PMDuration:3 hours Location:Tulsa County Democratic Party Headquaters (Tulsa, OK) 3930 East 31st Street
Tulsa, OK 74135 View Map:

Directions:Located on the south side of 31st street, just east of New Haven Avenue (across the street from Tulsa Public Schools Education Service Center).

Our Work Has Begun!

m2violin — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 01:55:25 EST

As I'm typing this, I'm watching Senator Obama's thrilling victory speech in Des Moines. What an evening! I hope you're as thrilled as I am about the results of the Iowa caucus. In reality, the United States won tonight!

Now, thre rubber meets the road. Oklahoma's primary takes place on Super Tuesday, February 5. We will be planning some GOTV (Get Out The Vote) events in the next few weeks. We need to make personal contact with voters to encourage them to get out and vote-and prove the pundits wrong, like they did tonight in Iowa.

One thing that you can do right now is to encourage people to register to vote as Democrats. The best way for Obama supporters to support Obama is to vote for Obama on February 5. To do that, you must be a registered Democrat. Unlike some other states, Oklahoma has closed primaries. What this means is Republican and Independent Obama supporters will be unable to vote for Obama on February 5 unless they register as Democrats.

Persons who wish to register to vote, or change the registration to Democrat, have very little time to do this. The deadline for voter registration for the February 5 primary is January 11.

The Obama campaign has made it easy to register, or change your registration. Just go to http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/OKVote# , click on "Register Now," and you can register online. Voter registration forms are also available at Tulsa County Democratic Party Headquarters, any tag agency, any branch of the Tulsa City-County Library system, or the Tulsa County Election Board, 555 North Denver Avenue

Please pass this message along to your friends who need to hear this message. Together, we can bring about change in our country!

Martha Mattes

PS: Be watching for information on things you can do to GOTV for Barack in Oklahoma!

Another Chance to Vote!

m2violin — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 18:31:07 EDT

A progressive radio station in Portland, OR, AM 620 KPOJ, is having a presidential straw poll. The station has listeners all over America (Air America).

It's very important that Barack wins this poll. You can help by voting for him one or many times. The poll allows you to vote, and vote again.

Here's the link: http://www.620kpoj.com/pages/pages/straw_poll.php

The polling ends in November. It would be a great victory!

Vote For Obama!

m2violin — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 12:24:12 EDT

Hey Friends,

I wanted to drop you a short note to ask for your help. DFA is holding a Presidential Primary Pulse Poll to decide which candidate deserves their support. I voted for Senator Barack Obama and I want to keep them in first place.

Could you take just a minute to vote for Barack Obama right now? Here's the link:

http://DemocracyforAmerica.com/VoteObama

Thanks for your help.

Vote For Obama!

m2violin — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 12:23:25 EDT

Hey Friends,

Could you take just a minute to vote for Barack Obama right now? Here's the link:

http://DemocracyforAmerica.com/VoteObama

Thanks for your help.

Congratulations to Al Gore!

m2violin — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 16:27:54 EDT

As you know, Al Gore just won the Nobel Peace Prize. Please click on the link below to send him a congratulatory card. In the card, ask that he endorse Barack Obama!

http://www.democratsenators.org/o/4/t/90/petition.jsp?petition_KEY=79&BOOL18=1

Thanks,

Martha Mattes

PS: Don't forget to TURN THE PAGE ON IRAQ. Join us for canvassing tomorrow, starting at 11 a.m. from David Phillips' home, 206 South Olympia Avenue.

http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/4vhrh

Tomorrow's the day to TURN THE PAGE ON IRAQ!

m2violin — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 14:09:29 EDT

IN CASE YOU DON'T KNOW . . . TULSANS FOR OBAMA ARE SPONSORING

"CANVASSING FOR A CHANGE!!!"

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2007 (TOMORROW!)

11:00 AM TO 3:00 PM.

COOK OUT AFTERWARDS - POT LUCK!!!

STARTING PLACE:

206 SOUTH OLYMPIA

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=109052026068689477109.00043a6de0e53a3269f26&ll=36.151288,-96.004671&spn=0.005952,0.009978&z=17&om=1

WE HAVE BUTTONS AND STICKERS!!!

918-230-5979

INVITE YOUR FRIENDS

Visit http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/4vhrh to RSVPS

ee you tomorrow to TURN THE PAGE on Iraq!

Be there or be square!

And now, a word from David:

m2violin — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 19:28:57 EDT

IN CASE YOU DO NOT KNOW!!!! TULSAN'S FOR OBAMA ARE SPONSORING

"CANVASSING FOR A CHANGE!!!"

THIS SATURDAY 11:00 AM TO 3:00 PM. COOK OUT AFTERWARDS

POT LUCK!!!

STARTING PLACE 206 SOUTH OLYMPIA

WE HAVE BUTTONS AND STICKERS!!!

918-230-5979

INVITE YOUR FRIENDS
RSVP: http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/4vhrh

Turn the Page in Iraq -- Canvassing for Barack Obama

m2violin — Tue, 09 Oct 2007 19:11:10 EDT

When: Saturday, October 13, 2007 at 11:00 a.m.

Where: David Phillips' Home
206 South Olympia Avenue
Tulsa, OK 74127
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&time=&date=&ttype=&q=206+S.+Olympia+Ave.+74127&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=0.005882,0.009978&ie=UTF8&z=16&iwloc=addr&om=1

Description:

We'll be canvassing selected precints in Tulsa, spreading the good news about Barack Obama! Let's TURN THE PAGE on Iraq!

RSVP and further details:

http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/4vhrh

Come help TURN THE PAGE IN IRAQ!

Obama Day at Tulsa State Fair is Saturday, October 6!

m2violin — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 19:07:34 EDT

Thanks to you, we are completely booked for the 10-2 and 6-11 shifts at Obama Day at the Tulsa State Fair!

However, we have a need for more Obama supporters for the 2-6 shift. We've had a last minute cancellation and have only one person staffing the booth. We really need one more person to step up and volunteer for that shift. Please let me know if you can help out. Volunteers will receive a free pass for the fair! If you know of any other Obama supporter who can help out send them my way.

Thank you for your support of Barack Obama!

6-1/2 hours to go -- and Remember Mike Synar! (Do this for Mike.)

m2violin — Sun, 30 Sep 2007 18:26:08 EDT

I know you're busy, but I just wanted to check in with a quick reminder about a note I sent you earlier.

We have less than 7 hours to meet the September 30 quarterly deadline. Each and every Obama supporter needs to put their money where their mouth is and contribute. Every little bit helps. Even if you can only give $5, that $5 will send a powerful message.

Many of you may remember the late Mike Synar, who was the wonderful representative from Oklahoma's 2nd district. Throughout his career, Mike never accepted contributions from political action committees or other special groups. He was accountable only to the people of Oklahoma's 2nd district. It must have been very tempting to take the easy way out and accept PAC money. The gun lobby, the tobacco lobby and other special interest groups poured huge dollars into the campaigns of Mike's opponents. But Mike held his ground. For the courage of his convictions, Mike was recognized in Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg's book, "Profiles in Courage," the follow-up book to her father's original.

My friends, BARACK OBAMA IS CUT FROM THE SAME CLOTH AS MIKE SYNAR. He will NOT accept PAC money or contributions from other special intesrest groups. HE WILL TAKE BACK AMERICA FROM THE WEALTHY SPECIAL INTERESTS. That's why this campaign is truly grassroots -- and why it is so vitally important that EACH AND EVERY ONE OF US, WITHOUT EXCEPTION, make a contribution.

Will you take a moment to check out our group page and consider making a donation?

http://my.barackobama.com/page/outreach/view/maingroup/Tulsans4Obama

Thank you for your support!

One more day to go!

m2violin — Sat, 29 Sep 2007 23:27:09 EDT

Have you received Michelle Obama's e-mail message? She's stressing the importance of everyone contributing prior to the deadline. Every little bit counts-no amount is too small. Michelle's 200% behind her husband's campaign. She's going to be an awesome First Lady. Now, let's help her become First Lady -- and help her husband become the next President of the United States.

One more day to go in our challenge -- come on, folks! Everyone can contribute! You don't need to contribute a lot -- even $5 will do! We all need to help out so Barack Obama can run ads -- and open a headquarters here in Oklahoma! You want, that, don't you??

Tomorrow's the deadline -- so all of us (that means you, too,) need to step up to the plate and contribute.

http://my.barackobama.com/page/outreach/view/maingroup/Tulsans4Obama

Thank you to Brad and Tammy who have contributed!

I'm typing this in a hotel lobby in Oklahoma City. I've just played a 2-1/2 hour ballet performance. I could have gone straight up to my room and grabbed some rest (Romeo & Juliet is a difficult ballet to play). But I'm typing this because it's important. We all want Barack Obama to become the next President of the United States. Let's all do our part to make it so!

Good night, folks -- and I'll be checking in tomorrow between opera rehearsals!

Help us reach our goal-DEADLINE IS 9/30/07!

m2violin — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 19:59:05 EDT

This is where the rubber meets the road. We need each and every Obama supporter to contribute to the campaign. The deadline is 9/30/07. The three groups with the most contributors will be able to participate in a conference call with our next President-BARACK OBAMA! Even if you can only give $5, every bit counts -- so make your contribution today!

Just click on the link below:

http://my.barackobama.com/page/outreach/view/maingroup/Tulsans4Obama

After you've contributed, forward this to all your friends and encourage them to donate, too!

Thank you for your support of Barack Obama!

Obama Day at Tulsa State Fair -- WE NEED YOU!

m2violin — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 19:49:05 EDT

We still need volunteers for Obama Day at the Tulsa State Fair! We have four persons staffing the booth from 10-2, but we need at least two persons (preferably three) for the 2-6 and 6-11 shifts.

If you can't work an entire shift you can find someome to split the shift with. You'll be responsible for staffing the booth and answering questions. Keep in mind that there will be materials on hand for other presidential candidates, other Democratic candidates (such as Andrew Rice for Senate), and party-affiliated groups (Heart of the Party, Just Progress, Democracy For America, etc.)

Please sign up to work a either the 2-6 or 6-11 shift. Just reply to this message & let me know which shift you'll be able to work. You will get a free pass to the fair!

Also, we need contributions of money to print out brochures. Joy Whitman and Brad Byers have put together a terrific brochure-but we need money to get copies printed. We'll also need lots of brochures for when we start our neighbhoord canvassing next month. If you can make a monetary contribution, let me know, and I'll give you the contact information.

Also, if you'd like a copy of the brochure to print out and hand out yourself, let me know.

Thank you in advance for whatever help you can provide!

Once again, we need people to work the 2-6 and 6-11 shifts on Saturday, October 6. Volunteers get a free pass to the Tulsa State Fair! Please let me know ASAP which shift you will work;

2-6 p.m.
6-11 p.m.

Thank you for all you do on behalf of Barack Obama!

Martha Mattes

Planning Meeting Reminder

m2violin — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 13:15:53 EDT

Just a reminder -- our next meeting is tomorrow, Saturday, September 22, 3 p.m. at the home of David Philips, 206 South Olympia Avenue.

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=109052026068689477109.00043a6de0e53a3269f26&z=19&om=1

We have a lot to discuss -- the October 13 barbecue and canvassing kick-off and other events to GOTV (Get OUt The Vote) for Barack Obama. Please plan to be there!

Martha Mattes

Obama's tax plan would help middle class, pinch the rich

m2violin — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 17:39:51 EDT

From today's Chicago Tribune:

Obama's tax plan would help middle class, pinch the richBy Mike Dorning | Washington Bureau
8:12 PM CDT, September 18, 2007 WASHINGTON - Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama on Tuesday proposed a tax cut of more than $80 billion for low- and middle-income workers and retirees funded by higher taxes on investors and some businesses.

Like other major Democratic candidates, the Illinois senator already has said he would eliminate the portion of the Bush administration tax cuts that benefits families earning more than $250,000 per year, so his tax plan would amount to a significant shift of the tax burden away from low- and middle-income Americans toward the more affluent.

Obama presented the tax plan in a speech to the Tax Policy Center, a non-partisan research institute, a day after going to the NASDAQ stock exchange in New York to criticize the values of Wall Street. The tax proposals continue a populist economic approach."We need a tax code that's fair—a tax code that rewards work and advances opportunity," Obama said.

The centerpiece of the tax proposal is a direct "Making Work Pay" credit that would cut $500 from the tax bills of most low- and middle-income wage earners. Obama also would exempt senior citizens making less than $50,000 from income taxes and create a mortgage interest credit to lower the tax bills of less affluent homeowners by an average of $500, according to the campaign.

The new work tax credit would give workers a dollar-for-dollar tax credit up to $500 for Social Security taxes deducted from their wages, a level that workers rapidly reach. The tax credit would phase out for people earning "about $150,000 to $200,000" per year, according to a campaign adviser who briefed reporters on the tax plan on condition of anonymity.

The new mortgage tax credit is designed to expand the tax benefits from home ownership to include lower-income people who do not itemize their taxes. About two-thirds of Americans currently do not itemize their taxes, the campaign said.

Homeowners would be allowed a tax credit of 10 percent of interest paid even if they did not itemize their taxes. Homeowners who itemized their tax returns could still deduct all of their mortgage interest.

In a bid to simplify the process of filing taxes, Obama said he would give 40 million Americans with uncomplicated finances the option of simply verifying and sending back a pre-prepared tax return filled out by the Internal Revenue Service. Because employers and banks must report wages and interest income to the IRS, the tax agency can compute the tax bills for many Americans without additional input.

The senator said that would reduce time spent on tax returns to five minutes and save more than $2 billion in tax preparation fees and more than 200 million hours of work, as well as "an incalculable amount of headache and heartburn."

Obama said he would pay for the tax cuts by "shutting down corporate loopholes and tax havens," eliminating a tax break for hedge fund managers and raising the tax rate charged on capital gains and corporate dividends.

Investment income from capital gains and corporate dividends is currently taxed at a lower rate than workers' income from wages. The maximum tax rate for capital gains and dividends, currently set at 15 percent, could rise to "as high as" 28 percent, although the campaign has not yet determined the exact rate they would propose, according to the campaign adviser who briefed reporters.

Obama said he would "penalize companies and individuals" who do business in such "tax haven" countries as Andorra and Liechtenstein that do not follow international standards for sharing financial information.

The campaign adviser said Obama had not yet determined all of the loopholes he would eliminate but said they would include virtually all tax breaks for the oil and gas industry. Obama also would change the law to make it easier for the IRS to challenge tax shelters that have no substantial economic purpose, the adviser said.
Visit the Chicago Tribune website at www.chicagotribune.com

Obama's policy team loaded with all-stars

m2violin — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 15:05:14 EDT

From the Chicago Tribune, http://www.chicagotribune.com/ :

Obama's policy team loaded with all-stars

Criticized by some as lean on experience, the Democrat has drawn a huge circle of advisers with expertise honed in the circles of powerBy Mike Dorning | Washington Bureau September 17, 2007

WASHINGTON - Barack Obama's presidential bid may have a well-cultivated insurgent feel, as the candidate both benefits and suffers politically from a relatively thin record of experience in Washington.

But the swelling team of policy advisers who have joined his campaign shows a politician grounded in his party's intellectual mainstream and well-connected within the capital's Democratic establishment.

As Obama rapidly transitioned from a senator with less than three years in office to a presidential candidate who has delivered detailed policy speeches, he has assembled a personal think tank that easily outsizes any of the established Washington policy institutes that provide intellectual fodder for the political war of ideas.

On foreign policy alone, some 200 experts are providing the Obama campaign with assistance of some sort, arranged into 20 subgroups. On the domestic front, more than 500 policy experts are contributing ideas, campaign aides said. Veterans of previous election campaigns say the scale of the policy operation resembles the full-blown effort candidates typically undertake for a general election campaign rather than the more stripped-down versions common for the primary season.

Senior advisers include heavy hitters from the administration of President Bill Clinton, husband of Obama's primary rival.

Anthony Lake, Clinton's original national security adviser, is helping coordinate foreign policy. So is Susan Rice, a Clinton assistant secretary of state and protege of former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. Eric Holder, a former deputy attorney general, is among those providing expertise on legal policy.

"These are not outsiders trying to tear down the temple," said Philip Zelikow, a former senior Bush administration foreign policy official and executive director of the Sept. 11 commission.

"If you guess that he's surrounded himself with people who are highly ideological, left-wing or dovish, you would guess wrong," added Zelikow, now a history professor at the University of Virginia. "These folks cannot easily be typecast by ideology."

Free-market economic team

Key economic advisers include a few Washington veterans such as Michael Froman, a Citigroup executive and former chief of staff to then-Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin, the Cabinet member most closely identified with the Clinton administration's pro-free trade, business-friendly policies.

There are also several scholars from prestigious universities whose approaches are anchored in dominant market-oriented economic thought. One is Austan Goolsbee, a 38-year-old star University of Chicago Business School professor and New York Times columnist with centrist Democratic views who has argued for eliminating tax returns for many Americans with simple finances.

Alan Blinder, former vice chairman of the Federal Reserve, described Obama's top economic advisers as "mainstream with a dash of creativity."

"These are people who think new thoughts -- within the mainstream, new without a capital N," said Blinder, now a professor at Princeton University.

The campaign policy team gathered around Obama is hardly a shadow Cabinet. If he wins the nomination, other Democratic policy experts who now are neutral or allied with a different candidate will gravitate toward him. If he's elected, still more will join his circle.

But the makeup of the group, and the way in which Obama deliberates with its members, offers a window onto how he might operate as president. Many of them surely would graduate to influential roles in an Obama administration. Their discussions of the broad range of issues a presidential candidate must address provide an early if imperfect drill for decision-making in the Oval Office.

The worldviews of the advisers candidate George W. Bush gathered around him turned out to predict his foreign policies better than his campaign rhetoric that America should be "humble" in the world and avoid commitments to nation-building.

Such architects of the Iraq war as Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, Paul Wolfowitz, Condoleezza Rice and Richard Perle all were influential policy advisers to Bush's presidential campaign. Colin Powell made important public appearances on behalf of candidate Bush but remained distant from the campaign's foreign policy deliberations, foreshadowing the role he would play in the run-up to the Iraq war.

Obama built relationships with high-powered policy experts even before he was elected to the Senate.

Goolsbee first met Obama, then a lecturer at the University of Chicago Law School, in the faculty social world. University of Chicago law professor Cass Sunstein and Harvard law professor Laurence Tribe, two of the nation's leading liberal legal scholars, have relationships with Obama respectively dating back to the University of Chicago faculty lounges and Obama's days at Harvard Law School. Lake began giving Obama informal foreign policy advice even before Obama won the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate.

Once elected to the U.S. Senate, Obama set up an ambitious policy operation for a newcomer. Froman, a former fellow editor of the Harvard Law Review, helped make connections in Washington's policy establishment. So did Cassandra Butts, another law school classmate and former senior policy adviser to then-House Democratic Leader Richard Gephardt. She continues to assist with Obama's policy operation.

Big-picture operation

Unusual for freshman senators, who typically concentrate on the daily demands of legislative activity, Obama created a small operation devoted to broad themes under policy director Karen Kornbluh, another former Rubin aide. Kornbluh has written of the need to update government benefits such as Social Security and private employee benefits to take account of the country's shift toward two-income families. It is a theme Obama included in his book "The Audacity of Hope" and frequently sounds on the campaign trail.

His staff quickly began bringing in outside experts for wide-ranging discussions on policy: trade over Thai takeout in his Senate office, energy over dinner at a trendy Capitol Hill restaurant. Obama brings the Socratic style of a law professor to policy discussions and enjoys the give-and-take of opposing views, advisers said.

"It's very spirited," said one longtime aide. "He tests out ideas and challenges people. Nobody is allowed to be quiet."

Among the early additions to his circle was Samantha Power, a Harvard professor who wrote a Pulitzer Prize-winning book criticizing U.S. historical failures to act against genocides. She took a leave from her faculty position to help the new senator with foreign policy and remains an influential adviser.

Other top campaign advisers on national security include Gregory Craig, a Clinton impeachment defense attorney and former director of policy planning in the Clinton State Department, and Clinton Navy Secretary Richard Danzig, who has written on the potential dangers of terrorist strikes using biological weapons.

Sarah Sewall, a Harvard Kennedy School professor and former Clinton Defense Department official who wrote the introduction to the University of Chicago edition of the new counterinsurgency manual Gen. David Petraeus revised for the military, is advising on counterinsurgency strategy.

Since Obama announced his presidential campaign, he has been deluged with offers from experts to assist with policy advice, said campaign aides and outside advisers. Though they attribute that to enthusiasm for Obama's candidacy, his campaign also provides greater opportunity for the ambitious, because front-runner Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) relies on an established circle of advisers.

The senior members of the national security team resemble their Clinton administration colleagues now gathered around the former first lady in favoring an active U.S. engagement in the world.

But they tend to be people who, like Obama, were early critics of the Iraq invasion. Many also share a conviction that the foreign policy mistakes of the Bush administration are so serious that the next president must give a clear signal of a new direction.

They are not necessarily foes of military action. Lake was an advocate within the Clinton administration of military intervention in Haiti and Bosnia.

Several advisers said they saw the tough-mindedness and freshness that attracted them to Obama during two incidents that the Clinton campaign tried to portray as gaffes showing foreign policy naivete.

Obama said during a candidate debate that he would be willing to meet with international pariahs such as North Korean dictator Kim Jong Il and Cuban leader Fidel Castro. Shortly afterward, he declared he would be willing to order a military strike if he had "actionable intelligence" on the location of top Al Qaeda leaders in northwestern Pakistan and authorities there refused to act.

Rather than back away, Obama embraced the conflict with Clinton.

"Some voters on the Democratic side have complained they don't know where the real differences are," Power said. "It added clarity to what his campaign is about, and it gave a coherence to a number of policies he is pursuing."

To see the full line-up of Obama's policy team go to http://www.chicagotribune.com/services/newspaper/printedition/monday/chi-obama_teamsep17,0,169434.story .

Tulsa State Fair

m2violin — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 10:56:13 EDT

As is the case every year, the Tulsa County Democratic Party will be hosting a booth at the Tulsa State Fair. This will be a great opportunity to get out the word that Barack Obama will bring much-needed change to 'business as usual' in Washington, DC!

Saturday, October 6 is Barack Obama Day! We have been asked to staff the TCDP booth that day. The following shifts are available:

10 a.m. to 2 p.m. (1 person)
2 p.m. to 6 p.m. (1 person)
6 p.m. to 10 p.m. (2 persons)

Please sign up to work a shift. Just reply to this message & let me know which shift you'll be able to work. If you can't work a shift on October 6 there are plenty of other shifts to work -- just send me an e-mail letting me know you're available to work on another day, and I'll let you know what's available.

Also, if you'd like a copy of the brochure to print out and hand out yourself, let me know.

Tonight's the Night!!!!

m2violin — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 11:50:14 EDT

We're going to have some fun-join us for Happy Hour, food and information about the Obama08 campaign! The fun will take place at Mexicali Border Cafe in the Historic Brady District, 14 West Brady Street. Plenty of free parking, and they have great food!

We'll have information available about upcoming events. There are plenty of opportunities to support the candidacy of Barack Obama -- and help him becom the next President of the United States!

Obama08OK is promoting the candidacy of Senator Barack Obama. As such, we are actively working to secure the Democratic nomination for him. If you are supporting another candidate we ask you join that candidate's Meetup. There are also more generic meetups such as Tulsa County Democratic Party and Democracy For America that welcome all Democrats.

Let's all have the Audacity to Hope that things can change-for the better-in our country!

TIME: Monday, September 17, 5:30 p.m.

PLACE:               Mexicalli Border Cafe
                            14 West Brady Street
                           (southwest corner of Main and Brady in Tulsa's Historic Brady District)

Click here for map: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=14+W.+Brady+St.,+74103&sll=36.158225,-95.99382&sspn=0.047608,0.079823&ie=UTF8&ll=36.160261,-95.991583&spn=0.047607,0.079823&z=14&om=1

Click here to RSVP: http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/4vdfh

See you there tonight!!!

Obama08OK! is less than a week away!

m2violin — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 14:00:47 EDT

TIME: Monday, September 17, 5:30 p.m.

Click here for map: http://maps.google.com/maps?q=14+W.+Brady+St.+Tulsa+OK+US+74103

Click here to RSVP: http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/4vdfh

Be Not Afraid

m2violin — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 19:27:45 EDT

This was written by Father Lowell Grisham, rector of St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Fayetteville, Arkansas. This is what Senator Obama is saying!

Be Not Afraid
What if we chose faith and hope over fear?
by Lowell Grisham
printed in the Northwest Arkansas Times,
Fayetteville, Arkansas
August 20, 2007

I'm told that the messages "Fear not," "Do not be afraid," "Be not afraid," appear 365 times in the Bible -- a reminder for every day of the year. When the resurrected Jesus appeared to his disciples, his customary greeting was "Do not be afraid." It is what the angels said when they visited in the stories of the Hebrew and Christian scriptures: Gabriel to Mary; the angel appearing to Hagar and to Elijah. It is the message of the prophets like Isaiah and Jeremiah. It is what God says to Abraham and Moses and Jacob. "Do not be afraid."

There are few commands as central and repeated in the Biblical tradition as "Fear not." In fact, every enduring religious tradition offers to its followers an invitation to faith rather than fear. Religious language is characteristically the language of faith and hope, not fear. A foundation of the Christian testament is that "God is love" and "perfect love casts out fear."

I've wondered how different this decade might have turned out had our leaders been grounded in a fearless faith which could stand up in love and hope rather than succumbing to the temptation of fear that raises an anxious desperation which sets the stage to the compromise of freedom and the promotion of violence. How different might our response to the attack of September 11 have been if we had been led with words of faith and hope rather than words of fear and violence.

Fear exaggerated the threat of a small cult of organized crime into a worldwide army that must be met by a war. Terror is a tactic. It is the resort of the powerless and small when they don't have the power to come out into the open to challenge an enemy. Terror's only weapon is fear. If we become fearful, the terrorists succeed. Terrorists want to increase violence. If we become violent, the terrorists succeed.

We know how to deal with groups of organized crime who use terror as a tactic because they don't have any other strengths. We've dealt successfully with the Ku Klux Klan and the Mafia. What is called for is police action, not war. Skilled intelligence officers can convert disillusioned members by appealing to a higher good or offering them something better, a way out of the darkness. They infiltrate the group and uncover it to the light of day. It is the light that casts out darkness. Ultimately the KKK eventually lost most of its energy when acceptance of people of other races replaced fear of them, when love overcame fear.

That's not the strategy our leaders used when faced with an isolated terrorist event from a small, little-known organized crime cult. Our leaders dignified their attack as though they were an army, declaring war on them as though they had the standing of a recognized nation. They credited Al Qadea with a presence and power in Iraq that it didn't have. Our leaders made us more fearful, as if these fugitives could attack everyone-everywhere-anytime.

Our leaders made us more and more afraid. They used that manufactured fear to justify an unjustified war, to compromise our traditions of freedom from unwarranted search, to create a culture that invited torture, and to violate our treasured tradition of habeas corpus.

There was a more faithful way available. What if we had responded with hope instead of fear? What if we had used the world's sympathy after September 11 to create a generous and hopeful global response to the ills and conflicts that create the hopelessness which breeds terrorists: What if we had become the leader of a world-wide effort to overcome poverty, disease, and human degradation? What if we had used our influence to broker a just settlement to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict which inflames extremist passions? What if we had joined in common effort with the moderate expressions of Islam, Christianity and Judaism to challenge the legitimacy of the radical and violent forms of those good faiths?

How different might our present be had our leaders acted out of faith and hope rather than fear and violence. As it is, our violence has simply escalated the violence. There is more hatred and mistrust directed toward our nation and people than ever in our history. The number and depth of our enemies has grown. Our own army and economy has been drained. That's the product of decisions motivated by fear.

"Fear not. Do not be afraid. Be not afraid." There are voices of hope and faith out there. Maybe it's time we listened to them.

Barack Obama on September 11th

m2violin — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 19:24:29 EDT

Just in case you haven't received this, here is our Next President's September 11 message:

Six years ago, on a bright and beautiful Tuesday morning, a new kind of enemy came to America's shores.

We will never forget the images of that terrible day -- the planes vanishing into buildings, the thick black clouds of smoke, and the haunting pictures of the missing.

On this anniversary, we pause to remember each and every victim of those attacks.

We celebrate the lives that were tragically cut short. We grieve with the families and friends who lost loved ones. We honor the service and sacrifice of the emergency responders who set an example to the whole world that in America we are our brother's keeper and our sister's keeper.

And we pause to honor the brave men and women of the United States military -- and their families -- who have borne such a heavy burden for the last six years.

We also remember how Americans were stirred to a common purpose. On the lines to donate blood or the candlelight vigils that stretched across our country, there was no red America and there was no blue America. We were united in our grief for our fellow citizens. We were united in our resolve to stand with one another and to stand up to terror. We were united as Americans.

Six years later, the threat to America has only grown. Al Qaeda has reconstituted a new safe-haven where it trains recruits and plots attacks. Al Qaeda's top two leaders, Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri, continue to disseminate their hate-filled propaganda and inspire legions of followers. Like-minded extremists have struck in scores of countries. The war in Iraq continues to fuel terror and extremism. A Taliban insurgency rages on in Afghanistan. In too many disconnected corners of the world, hate is casting a shadow over hope.

Our calling today remains the same as it was on 9/11. We must write a new chapter in American history. We must bring justice to the terrorists who killed on our shores. We must devise new strategies, develop new capabilities, and build new alliances to defeat the threats of the 21st century. We must extend hope to the hopeless corners of the world and reaffirm our core values to counter the hateful message of the extremists. And we must secure a more resilient homeland.

To write that new American story, we must recapture that sense of common purpose that we had on September 11, 2001.

America is bigger than the challenge that came to our shores. Let us honor the legacy of those we lost by coming together anew. Let us always mark this day by affirming that hope will triumph over fear, and that a new generation of Americans will seek a safer, freer, and more perfect union.

Barack Obama

Obama'08 September Meeting

m2violin — Fri, 31 Aug 2007 20:06:51 EDT

Time: Monday, September 17 at 5:30 PM

Duration: 2 hours

Host: Martha Mattes

Location:                     Mexicalli Border Cafe (Tulsa, OK)
                                      http://www.mexicalibordercafe.com/
                                      14 W. Brady St.
                                      Tulsa, OK 74103

View Map:

Directions:Located in the Historic Brady District, at the corner of Brady and Cheyenne. Plenty of free parking!

Obama08OK August Meeting

m2violin — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 10:44:26 EDT

Hope everyone has had a good summer! Labor Day is the traditional beginning of the campaign season, and we need to kick into high gear. We'll be discussing things each and every one of us can do to help elect BARACK OBAMA the next President of the United States.

BRING A FRIEND, OR TWO, OR THREE!

REFRESHMENTS WILL BE SERVED!

Time: Monday, August 20 at 5:30 PM

Duration: 1 hour

Host: Martha Mattes

Location:

Tulsa County Democratic Party Headquarters (Tulsa, OK)
3930 East 31st Street
Tulsa, OK 74135

Obama08OK-No July Meeting

m2violin — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 14:23:25 EDT

Due to the large number of people being out of town, we will not have a July meeting. Our next scheduled meeting is Monday, August 20, 5:30 p.m. Please e-mail me any suggestions for this meeting. Thanks, and have a great summer!

Brad's Journey with Obama

m2violin — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 18:48:49 EDT

Brad sent the following to me:

Last week I drove with a friend across Missouri to Moline, Illinois, then back across Illinois and Missouri and a third of Kansas before returning to Tulsa. I wore my Obama button.Here were some of my experiences.At breakfast in Nevada, MO, the waitress told me she plans to vote for Hilary. I told her that is a good choice but Obama is a better one partly because he is free of the obligations to powerful people that will encumber Hilary.At lunch in Macomb, Illinois, a middle-aged man at the next table said he plans to vote for Barack. I asked if he knew about the Walk for Change. He did not, so I encouraged him to go to Obama's web site and locate a group or form his own. The man's mother, visiting from Madison, WI, expressed interest.At the John Deere location in Moline, I found little interest. One man said he does not vote for the party but votes for the person with the best morals. He sounded Republican, and I just silently wished him luck in finding anyone in the Republican field with moral values (think Guiliani and Gingrich with their third wives under scandalous circumstances, McCain with his endorsements of Cheney and Rumsfeld, Romney with his call for doubling the size of Guantanamo).On the farm in Kansas, the elderly (even older than I) gentleman who hosted us said he did not know much about Obama. When I told him, he quickly became a supporter.There were others, but my memory fades quickly. But at about two-thirds of our stops, I found wearing the Obama button initiated pleasant conversations with strangers.

Ba-Rack Tulsa! (Walk for Change)

m2violin — Mon, 04 Jun 2007 20:26:47 EDT

We'll be fanning out all over Tulsa to spread the good word about Barack Obama! Wear your walking shoes -- or you can help organize things at TCDP Headquarters!

We'll meet at 9:30 a.m. at TCDP Headquarters, get nourished by a light breakfast, get trained and psyched for our precinct walking, get our materials -- and be on our way!

We will only be knocking on doors of Democrats, so you'll be talking to friendly people. Believe me, you will meet a lot of neat people who, like you, want to take our country back from the Republicans.

We'll serve lunch at Headquarters to feed your hungry tummy after all the walking. For those very motivated souls with sturdy feet who want to walk in the afternoon -- you can, if you wish. Just make certain you conclude your walking by dusk.

We will have a prize for the person who reaches the most households for Barack Obama!

If you're unable to walk, or just very uncomfortable, we still need people to stay behind at Headquarters to answer phones, troubleshoot problems, hand out packets to people who come later in the day (or who manage to finish their first packet), enter data online -- and help serve lunch to hungry walkers!

Bottom line -- WE HAVE A PLACE -- AND A NEED -- FOR YOU ON JUNE 9!

Invite your friends -- let's hit as much of Tulsa as we can!Time:Saturday, June 9 at 9:30 AMDuration:Host:Martha MattesLocation:Tulsa County Democratic Party Headquarters (Tulsa, OK) 3930 East 31st Street
Tulsa, OK 74135 View Map:

Associated Groups:Obama08OK!Directions:Located on the south side of 31st Street between Harvard & Yale -- across the street from Tulsa Public Schools Education Service Center, and next door to Tulsa Classroom Teachers Association.

We Found a Location!

m2violin — Sat, 21 Apr 2007 13:04:08 EDT

We found it -- a location for our April 30 meeting! We'll be meeting at:

Tulsa County Democratic Party Headquarters
3930 East 31st Street
Tulsa, OK 74135
April 30, 5:30 p.m.

We'll be discussing upcoming visibility events and the best way to reach out to voters at these events. We'll also be talking about the "how tos" of voter registration so we can sign up new voters! (Voter registration isn't hard at all.)

See you April 30 at TCDP Headquarters, and keep hope alive!

Obama08OK April 30 Meeting-HELP, WE NEED A LOCATION!

m2violin — Fri, 20 Apr 2007 18:23:28 EDT

As we decicded at our last meeting, we are going to have a meeting on April 30. There are a number of opportunities coming up very quickly for visibility and/or voter registration, and we need to strategize on making sure each event is covered. The more visibility Senator Obama gets, the higher his poll numbers go!

Also -- we need to find a meeting space! The library will not permit us to use their facilities since we are advocating for one particular candidate. Please e-mail me ASAP if you are aware of a place that will let us meet there -- ideally for free, but we can certainly pony up $1-$2/person if need be.

There are bumper stickers and buttons available at TCDP Headquarters! Yeah! I am also told yard signs are being made and may be availble. Go pick yours up. Thank you, Elaine!

Here are the upcoming events we brainstormed last Monday. If you have information on these events, i.e., can we set up a table, how much for a booth, etc., please bring it with you to the meeting.

Blues Festival (early May)
Mayfest/Blue Dome Festival (May 17-20)
TU-Young Democrats
Tulsa State Fair
Pride Fest
TU Home Football Gaames
Juneteenth (mid June)
Oktoberfest
Freshman orientation -- TU, TCC, OSU
Labor Day Parade in Henryetta
Rooster Days, Broken Arrow
Green Corn Festival, Bixby (mid-late June, I think)
Woody Guthrie Festival, Okemah
East Tulsa 4th of July Celebration (21st & Garnett area)
Boom River Celebration - 4th of July

Also, there was mention of a fundraiser (somebody thought of doing an Old Fashioned Labor Day fundraiser) to get more $$ in Obama campaign coffers.

See you April 30 -- and please e-mail me on possible meeting locations.

Vote For Obama!

m2violin — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 17:19:24 EDT

Elaine Dodd, the WONDERFUL Chair of the Tulsa County Democratic Party, has passed along the following:

You might want to encourage folks to go to www.tulsademocrats.org and vote in the Tulsa County Democratic Party straw poll for President! Edwards is way ahead!

Please pass this along to all the Obama supporters you know!

Agenda-Obama08OK April 16 Meeting

m2violin — Sun, 15 Apr 2007 15:59:30 EDT

The agenda for the April 16 Meeting of Obama08OK is as follows:

Welcome and Introductions
The 2008 Presidential Campaign: What's happening, what might we expect, how can we help Senator Obama make the transition to President Obama? Presenter: Elaine Dodd, Chair, Tulsa County Democratic Party
Over 40 Bike Ride -- Saturday, May 5, 10 a.m., starting from Rudisill North Library. Presenter: Michael Coffey
Visibility/Upcoming Events -- Please bring a list of events at which we can distribute materials and spread the word about Senator Barack Obama and the Audacity of Hope!
Other business/announcements

Please let me know if you have additional agenda items -- thank you, and see you Monday!

Keep hope alive,

Senator Obama on David Letterman TONIGHT!

m2violin — Mon, 09 Apr 2007 14:14:00 EDT

Senator Barack Obama will be on Late Night With David Letterman tonight! That's Monday, April 9, 11:30 EST (10:30 P.M. CST).

Here in Tulsa the show airs on KOTV-Channel 6. If you're outside Tulsa you can see the show on your local CBS affiliate.

Come watch the next President of the United States engage in repartee with David Letterman!

Obama08OK April Meeting!

m2violin — Thu, 05 Apr 2007 19:01:21 EDT

The next meeting of Obama08OK will be held on Monday, April 16, 2007, 5:30 p.m. at the Schusterman-Benson Library in Tulsa.

Elaine Dodd, newly-elected Chair of the Tulsa County Democratic Party, will be our special guest. She'll offer her analysis of what has been happening so far in the 2008 Presidential Campaign, and offer suggestions on what we can do at the grassroots level to help make Senator Obama PRESIDENT Obama!

We will also be discussing ways to create visibility and get the word out about Senator Obama. Please come with ideas on events where we can show our support and distribute information. If you have additional agenda items to suggest please let me know.

We'll be gathering in the meeting room of the Schusterman-Benson Library, 3333 East 32nd Place (across 32nd Street from the Homeland at 31st & Harvard). Here's a link to a map:

Link

I encourage everyone to bring snacks, drinks (non-alcoholic), paper cups/napkins and such if you care to nosh. We'll all pitch in to clean up after the meeting.

Keep hope alive!

Martha

Barack Obama's Pastor Strikes Back at the NY Times!

m2violin — Fri, 23 Mar 2007 14:31:49 EDT

This letter was printed in the Sunday bulletin of Trinity United Church of Christ (Congregation) in Chicago on March 11, 2007. Barack and Michelle Obama have been members of Trinity UCC for 20+ years.

March 11, 2007
Jodi Kantor
The New York Times
9 West 43rd Street
New York,
New York 10036-3959

Dear Jodi:

Thank you for engaging in one of the biggest misrepresentations of the truth I have ever seen in sixty-five years.You sat and shared with me for two hours. You told me you were doing a “Spiritual Biography” of Senator Barack Obama. For two hours, I shared with you how I thought he was the most principled individual in public service that I have ever met.

For two hours, I talked with you about how idealistic he was. For two hours I shared with you what a genuine human being he was. I told you how incredible he was as a man who was an African American in public service, and as a man who refused to announce his candidacy for President until Carol Moseley Braun indicated one way or the other whether or not she was going to run.

I told you what a dreamer he was. I told you how idealistic he was. We talked about how refreshing it would be for someone who knew about Islam to be in the Oval Office. Your own question to me was, Didn’t I think it would be incredible to have somebody in the Oval Office who not only knew about Muslims, but had living and breathing Muslims in his own family? I told you how important it would be to have a man who not only knew the difference between Shiites and Sunnis prior to 9/11/01 in the Oval Office, but also how important it would be to have a man who knew what Sufism was; a man who understood that there were different branches of Judaism; a man who knew the difference between Hasidic Jews, Orthodox Jews, Conservative Jews and Reformed Jews; and a man who was a devout Christian, but who did not prejudge others because they believed something other than what he believed.

I talked about how rare it was to meet a man whose Christianity was not just “in word only.” I talked about Barack being a person who lived his faith and did not argue his faith. I talked about Barack as a person who did not draw doctrinal lines in the sand nor consign other people to hell if they did not believe what he believed.

Out of a two-hour conversation with you about Barack’s spiritual journey and my protesting to you that I had not shaped him nor formed him, that I had not mentored him or made him the man he was, even though I would love to take that credit, you did not print any of that. When I told you, using one of your own Jewish stories from the Hebrew Bible as to how God asked Moses, “What is that in your hand?,” that Barack was like that when I met him. Barack had it “in his hand.” Barack had in his grasp a uniqueness in terms of his spiritual development that one is hard put to find in the 21st century, and you did not print that.

As I was just starting to say a moment ago, Jodi, out of two hours of conversation I spent approximately five to seven minutes on Barack’s taking advice from one of his trusted campaign people and deeming it unwise to make me the media spotlight on the day of his announcing his candidacy for the Presidency and what do you print? You and your editor proceeded to present to the general public a snippet, a printed “sound byte” and a titillating and tantalizing article about his disinviting me to the Invocation on the day of his announcing his candidacy.

I have never been exposed to that kind of duplicitous behavior before, and I want to write you publicly to let you know that I do not approve of it and will not be party to any further smearing of the name, the reputation, the integrity or the character of perhaps this nation’s first (and maybe even only) honest candidate offering himself for public service as the person to occupy the Oval Office.

Your editor is a sensationalist. For you to even mention that makes me doubt your credibility, and I am looking forward to see how you are going to butcher what else I had to say concerning Senator Obama’s “Spiritual Biography.” Our Conference Minister, the Reverend Jane Fisler Hoffman, a white woman who belongs to a Black church that Hannity of “Hannity and Colmes” is trying to trash, set the record straight for you in terms of who I am and in terms of who we are as the church to which Barack has belonged for over twenty years.

The president of our denomination, the Reverend John Thomas, has offered to try to help you clarify in your confused head what Trinity Church is even though you spent the entire weekend with us setting me up to interview me for what turned out to be a smear of the Senator; and yet The New York Times continues to roll on making the truth what it wants to be the truth. I do not remember reading in your article that Barack had apologized for listening to that bad information and bad advice. Did I miss it? Or did your editor cut it out? Either way, you do not have to worry about hearing anything else from me for you to edit or “spin” because you are more interested in journalism than in truth.

Forgive me for having a momentary lapse. I forgot that The New York Times was leading the bandwagon in trumpeting why it is we should have gone into an illegal war. The New York Times became George Bush and the Republican Party’s national “blog.” The New York Times played a role in the outing of Valerie Plame. I do not know why I thought The New York Times had actually repented and was going to exhibit a different kind of behavior.

Maybe it was my faith in the Jewish Holy Day of Roshashana. Maybe it was my being caught up in the euphoria of the Season of Lent; but whatever it is or was, I was sadly mistaken. There is no repentance on the part of The New York Times. There is no integrity when it comes to The Times. You should do well with that paper, Jodi. You looked me straight in my face and told me a lie!

Sincerely and respectfully yours,
Reverend Jeremiah A. Wright, Jr. ,
Senior Pastor
Trinity United Church of Christ

Fight Smears With Truth

m2violin — Wed, 21 Mar 2007 12:45:05 EDT

Matters for America

is a Web-based, not-for-profit, 501(c)(3) progressive research and information center dedicated to comprehensively monitoring, analyzing, and correcting conservative misinformation in the U.S. media. I subscribe to their daily e-mail updates to get the truth that's not being reported by the corporate media. It was founded by David Brock, a former conservative (he's the one who once reported that Anita Hill was "a little nutty and a little slutty") who has seen the light. Since David Brock is onto all the tricks the Right will use to smear their opponents, David has taken on the task of exposing these smear tactics.

Media Matters has devoted a page of their website to countering smears against Senator Obama:

Myths and Falsehoods About Barack Obama: Link

This is good reading, and a good way to encounter smears with the truth.

Obama08OK is off and running!

m2violin — Tue, 13 Mar 2007 12:41:35 EDT

Last night was the initial meeting of Obama08OK here in Tulsa. We had 25 people in attendance! I was very happy at the number of people who showed up for our very first meeting (I had been told by someone who had been involved in the Dean campaign in 2004 their first meeting attracted 6 people).

The restaurant setting (we were in a party room) proved less than ideal. The accoustics of the room made it difficult to hear speakers, and the set-up (one long table) did not facilitate good interaction among group members. For our next meeting I'll be seeking out a meeting room at a library (fortunately, almost all Tulsa City-County libraries have meeting rooms which can be booked for free), or possibly a union hall.

There was some concern expressed over Senator Obama's 3/19 visit to Oklahoma. He'll be attending a $2,300/plate lunch fundraiser hosted by Tulsan George Kaiser (very wealthy/very influential), then onto Oklahoma City for a rally. Some folks felt that non-wealthy Tulsans were being left out. I tried to explain how important getting the $$ in is at this early stage of the campaign. Hopefully we were able to mollify folks. We can always hope Senator Obama returns to Tulsa later on for an "affordable fundraiser," as it were.

One thing I discovered: The majority of the people at last night's meeting had supported either Howard Dean or Wesley Clark back in '04. So - make a point of reaching out to those who supported Dean or Clark. There's fertile ground there!