Misty Fowler's Blog

Don't Wait Until After Work to Vote in SLC!

Misty F — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 00:26:06 EST

Make sure that everyone you know who will be voting tomorrow does it early! There is a winter storm on the way, and we don't want people to give up on their right to vote, and be a part of this historic election! http://www.sltrib.com/ci_10889273 If you have any extra time tomorrow, please volunteer either at the Obama HQ, or at the Utah Democratic HQ (across from the library) or even stay home and use your phone and computer at http://my.barackobama.com to call voters. It's the last chance for Change, and we're down to the wire! Once the polls close, please join us, along with other Utah Democratic campaigns, at the Radisson Hotel, 215 W. South Temple, or check my.BarackObama.com for other celebrations and watch parties close to you. GOBAMA! Yes, We Can!

Make Some Phone Calls. I Did!

Misty F — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 00:24:32 EST

I made 40 phone calls tonight to Washington State voters through my.BarackObama.com. I've done it more than a few times before, even though I really hate being on the phone, especially with strangers. If you're nervous, that goes away after the first time you reach a person at home. I really wonder if they put in a faux number to someone sitting there with a smile, who tells you that they're voting Obama, just to make you less nervous. Ok, I'm kidding. But every time I've called, the first person home is friendly.

Many were not home, or were the wrong number. Even those that are not voting for Barack either quickly end the call, or just hang up. I've not been yelled at, or had any real negative experiences.

Tomorrow, the effort will be GOTV, where you are calling committed voters, asking if they voted yet, and letting them know where to vote. All the info is right there on your computer screen.

If you can, make some calls. Or head to your local Democratic Party to help with local campaigns. Just don't let yourself wake up on November 5th, wondering what you could have done...

It. Really. Matters.

Misty F — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 00:47:55 EDT

Like Ezra Klein, I just can't describe this, so I'm going to give you a quote, and ask you to read it.

“In a lot of these communities in big industrial states like Ohio and Pennsylvania, people have been beaten down so long,” he said. “They feel so betrayed by government that when they hear a pitch that is premised on not being cynical about government, then a part of them just doesn’t buy it. And when it’s delivered by—it’s true that when it’s delivered by a forty-six-year-old black man named Barack Obama, then that adds another layer of skepticism.”

Seriously. Go. Read. It. Then come make calls. Please?

Notes from my Utah Call Team Special Conference Call

Misty F — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 23:10:40 EDT

Tonight was a special "Utah Call Team Conference Call", where Emily Murphy and Amy (didn't catch her last name) gave a quick training of the neighbor to neighbor calling tool available for supporters of Senator Obama to help the campaign. Because Utah is helping drive the effort in Colorado, there were a few special guests on before that training began.

Ray Rivera, the campaign's Colorado Director, introduced Roy Romer, former Colorado Governor. Roy talked about how we can win Colorado, but we have to reach everyone we can. Every call is critical. Sincere calls from out of state will be effective. He said: "We need you. It will be effective. There's nothing more important you can do for the campaign."

Ken Salazar came on and talked about how we can move the votes from 250 to 271 by winning in Colorado, and that win the election.

Amy Klobuchar, Senator from Minnesota, talked about being in Wisconsin with Barack, and is now in Colorado. She told a story about how she got stopped by State Trooper, thinking she'd be given a ticket, and have to "take one for the team", and found out that it was just because the tags on her license plate were reversed, which was quite a relief to her. She said "You can make a difference, you taking the time out to make these calls WILL make the difference."

Ray came on again, and said that to win, we need to get 2.5 million Colorado voters to the polls, and we need to reach them at least 2 times to make that happen.

Amy came back on and stressed that nothing is more important right now than reaching out to neighbors, and personalizing Barack's message.

Emily then led the training, and the first thing she had to say is that if you can make it to Colorado for Get Out The Vote (GOTV), it will be fun.

Emily then walked us through Neighbor to Neighbor tool to show how it's used. If you come to the Phone Banking set up for this Saturday or Sunday, we'll be showing you how to use the web tool then, if you bring your laptop with you, or we can give you lists if you don't have one.

Each state's call script looks different, so if you switch states, make sure to read the script before you make the call. The web page is simple, and easy to use. You can even do it from home. Peak times are 6 to 9 PM, so if you can make calls during this time, please consider it. Even half an hour is great.

When looking at the script, you don't need to read it word for word, if it doesn't feel comfortable. However, each of the questions need to be answered, if possible, so try to make sure to fit them in when talking to the person you're calling.

You don't have to call every number you're given. If you don't get to the calls, they will go back into the queue.

It gets easier and easier as you use N2N. You'll probably even start to love making the calls, and it definitely becomes more comfortable after you've started.

Amy came back on and asked us to invite friends, family and neighbors to our own house, and pointed out that there's even a Host Guide available online.

Don't let November 4 pass you by. Your involvement does matter. Just ask Al Gore.

John McCain Gets Chinese to Share Time Traveling Machine

Misty F — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 15:20:19 EDT

Really, how else would you explain this coincidence?

Yesterday, the Chinese were able to not only predict the outcome of their shuttle launch (success!) but were able to quote the astronauts before it even happened!

BEIJING (AP) - A news story describing a successful launch of China's long-awaited space mission and including detailed dialogue between astronauts launched on the Internet Thursday, hours before the rocket had even left the ground.

And just one day later, John McCain is able to announce that he's won tonight's debate, which won't occur for another 6 hours, as of this writing.

Although I try not to allow myself to become wrapped up in conspiracy theories, I really believe that what just happened is that the Chinese have invented a time travel machine, and somehow McCain convinced them to share it with him! Anyone have a better explanation?

Upcoming Walk for Brian King, District 28

Misty F — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 00:05:54 EDT

I live in Rep. Roz McGee's district, 28, and since she's retiring, the seat is open. Brian King is the Democratic candidate for the district, and I really can't say enough good things about him. I had lunch with Brian before the primary, and I learned a lot about him. In the months since, I've had several opportunities to meet with him, and his campaign manager, Chris Fleming. They've been very supportive of Obama for Utah, and the grassroots movement. Brian King will continue to represent District 28's interests, and will be a very accessible Representative.

Here are the issues Brian is running on, as stolen directly from his web site:

Representative Politics: I’m running to ensure that the interests of the people in District 28 are represented by an experienced, knowledgeable, and established advocate.
Education: I was gratified to see the voucher issue so decisively defeated at the polls last year. We must build a strong educational infrastructure to effectively fund public education at all levels in the state while at the same time put in place mechanisms to attract and retain excellent teachers.
Ethics Reform: We must continue to press for basic, common-sense legislation in this area. For example, it is absurd that legislators have the ability to take unused campaign funds and use them for personal benefit at the end of their service.
Economy: We must ensure that our economy stays strong. Thousands of people are losing houses due to the mortgage crisis and as a state we must provide avenues for residents of District 28 and across the state to manage their money so that they don’t lose their home while at the same time ensuring that new homeowners can buy a home.
Environment: Too often the environment takes a back seat to development or other economic interests. Our representative in the legislature must work to bring greater balance to all environmental issues we in District 28 are concerned about.
Health Care: We must work as a state to ensure that every Utahn has health insurance, and is allowed access to quality health care while at the same time encouraging the best and safest possible medical practices in our community.

You can get a good sense of who Brian is by reading his blog, or if you enjoy reading lawyer-speak, check out his law blog.

I got this email, titled 56 Days Till Election day, from Chris Fleming earlier:

Fellow Brian King Supporters:

We need to take every ounce of frustration we've felt during eight years of George W. Bush and channel it into a wave of grassroots energy dedicated to electing Brian King to the House of Representatives.

If we want our open spaces to be protected, quality education for our children and a affordable healthcare we need volunteers like you to get out and help Brian Keep 28 Blue.

Brian, his family, and volunteers are walking four days out of every week, twice on Saturdays and this coming Saturday we have an aggressive walk scheduled for two very large Precincts.

COME JOIN US! HELP US KEEP 28 BLUE!

Brian King Canvass
Precincts 2632 and 2634
9:30 AM-12:30 PM
1:30 PM-4:30 PM
Meet at Dan's Parking Lot in Foothill Village!

Please email me at Chris@KingForRep.com if you can attend.

Democratically Yours,

Chris Fleming
Campaign Manager
Brian King for Representative
“Together We Can...For All of Us”

If you're free this Saturday, please consider helping the Brian King campaign out, and walking with them.

Or, if you're in House District 47 (West Jordan and Midvale), I got this email for Jennifer Burley Wolfe, who also needs help:

Hi folks!

So we're in the home stretch with UNDER 2 months! And it's getting heated over here. For instance, I saw my first "Obama / Mascaro" lawn sign combination this morning - how can that happen?!! Let's turn it around by going door-to-door together and getting the word out about the REAL Democrat running in this area. I need ALL the help I can get to pull this off!

Email me and let me know which 2-3 walking shifts you can make:

TOMORROW Thurs. 9/11 6pm

Fri 9/12 6pm

Sat 9/13 10am or 3pm

Wed 9/17 6pm

Thur 9/18 6pm

Fri 9/19 6pm

Sat 9/20 10am or 3pm

Wed 9/24 6pm

Thur 9/25 6pm

Fri 9/26 6pm

Sat 9/27 10am

Reminder - all month there are VOLUNTEER PERKS! Everyone gets a free campaign shirt while supplies last (I'll replenish, but there may be a few days delay.) Each time you canvass in September, your name goes into a hat and you may be randomly selected to win a $50 gift card. Then whoever walks the most shifts gets a $25 card, just for being there for us. And each Friday night we have pizza!

THANKS for everything!

--Jayla

Jennifer (Jayla) Burley Wolfe
Candidate for House, District 47
www.burleywolfeforhouse.com

If you're not in either district, but you want to help candidates, you can use the Neighborhood Volunteer Program or call the Utah Democratic Headquarters at 801.328.1212 to find out which candidates in your neighborhood need your help the most!

Free Trip to Colorado This Weekend!

Misty F — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 17:59:30 EDT

If you are sitting around, saying to yourself that you wish you had plans this weekend, you're in luck! How about heading to Grand Junction, Colorado, as part of Drive for Change?

Can't afford it?

Well, you have to eat, anyway! And all you'll have to pay for is your food.

Colorado is swinging back and forth, and we can't afford to let McCain win there!

From the Campaign:

Utah for Obama will be departing from our Salt Lake City headquarters this Friday, September 12th at 5:30 p.m. to talk to voters in Grand Junction, CO about the Obama-Biden plan for the change we need.

We will be returning on Sunday evening, though there will be an option to return Saturday as well. All costs will be covered except for food. Please let us know in the sign-up form whether you can drive or will need housing.Help us do our part in ensuring that Barack and Joe win this most crucial of battleground states.

No prior experience is needed.

Still haven't convinced you? Do you really want to help, but just can't make the trip? Consider purchasing a gas card, and giving it as an in-kind donation, to help others get there. You can drop it off at the new Utah Campaign HQ: 780 E., South Temple, Salt Lake City, UT 84102 or call the office at (801) 983-7372 to make arrangements.

Can't Wait to See How November Turns Out? Be a Part of How It Turns Out!

Misty F — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 16:26:58 EDT

November is less than 10 weeks away, as Justin of the Young Democrats of Utah reminded me via the email below. We can't just wait around and see how this turns out, we have to be a part of changing how it turns out!

Misty,

With the election closing in on us fast, it is time for us to get in gear and start working to get Democrats elected.

The Young Democrats will be knocking on doors every Saturday from 10:00 AM to 1 PM

Please come out and join us.

This Saturday we will be meeting at Dimple Dell Rec Center 10600 So. 1000 E. in the 10600 So. parking lot.

Come out knock a few doors, meet some new friends, and get a free t-shirt.

To RSVP:

Email justin@youngdemsofutah.org

Phone 801-824-4073

We will also be making phone calls every Thursday from now until the election.

Our Headquarters are located at 1063 E. 3300 So. (in the Corroon campaign headquarters)

If you have any questions about these events or how you can get involved please let me know.

Justin

You can also sign up to volunteer through Utah for Obama by calling 801.983.7372. Don't let yourself wake up in November and realize that the wrong person got elected at any level of politics. Do something today!

Campaign Highlight: Theo from Utah

Misty F — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 15:17:54 EDT

Theodore Cowan has been one of the most active members of Utah for Obama since the beginning. He's the Secretary of the grassroots group, Utah for Obama, and he was also elected as a delegate to the convention. As if we don't already have enough to be proud of Theo for, he's now been highlighted by the official Obama campaign blog.

I think that the "party official" he mentions in that blog is Rob Miller, the owner of UtahAmicus. We were thrilled when Rob began his involvement with our grassroots group last fall, and has maintained that relationship ever since. Thanks, Rob!

Keep up with the UtahAmicus group's blog postings for continuous Democratic National Convention coverage. You can also find mini-updates from me by watching Twitter. All of my blog posts will be on the UtahAmicus, with some of them duplicated at my personal blog, Saintless, and possibly a few here, as well.

This Blogger's Goin' to Denver

Misty F — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 00:54:54 EDT

Yes, it's last-minute. But it's decided. I'm going to Denver with the rest of the Utah Amicus crew! I'll be blogging live from the Democratic National Convention, so that you, too, can experience history as it happens!

Don't forget to check in often at the Utah Amicus for all the greatest coverage! (And maybe a special post or two from my personal blog, Saintless)

Utah Getting A Campaign Office Again

Misty F — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 00:36:14 EDT

(Cross-posted to Saintless.com)

Barack Obama has announced that he's taking the 50-State Strategy all the way, and there will be campaign offices in every state, including Utah. Monday morning I was able to confirm that it will likely be late July before we see them on the ground here, but that's far earlier than I had even hoped for. So far, they're not telling us much more than that, but I'm sure that when it gets closer, they'll be looking for housing for staffers again. If you have the ability and willingness, please keep an eye out here for the announcement.

Here's the email from David Plouffe about it:

Dear Misty,

I have some news that I wanted you to hear.

People like you have been the heart of Chairman Howard Dean's 50-state strategy to rebuild our party and empower Democrats to compete everywhere. We've all seen the energy and enthusiasm at the grassroots level impact races up and down the ballot over the last three years.

I am proud to announce that our presidential campaign will be the first in a generation to deploy and maintain staff in every single state.

The network of volunteers and the infrastructure built up during the historic primary season -- on behalf of all the Democratic campaigns -- have given us an enormous and unprecedented opportunity in the general election.

Now it's time to expand our network and push our organizing resources even further. No matter where you live, our success this November will depend on your involvement. Sign up to join our campaign now, and we'll make sure you're aware of all the latest news and opportunities to make a difference:

http://my.barackobama.com/getinvolved

Of course, some states will be more competitive than others, and we will scale our resources accordingly.

But your work building our party means that the list of competitive states will be longer than ever before -- and it will include states like Virginia and Montana where your work has helped a Democratic resurgence at the state level.

And in every single state, no matter what the likelihood that we carry it in the fall, our staff will build volunteer capacity that will provide help where we need it and impact races up and down the ballot this November.

Every day counts -- voters head to the polls in less than five months. This is your opportunity to shape this election and our unprecedented 50-state campaign now:

http://my.barackobama.com/getinvolved

Thanks to your support, we are on our way to building an unprecedented organization for the November elections.

As the presumptive Democratic nominee, Barack Obama will fight to unite our party and win contests up and down the ballot.

But he cannot determine the outcome of this election on his own.

It will all come down to what you are willing to do.

It's time to answer the call.

Thank you,
David

David Plouffe
Campaign Manager
Obama for America

Blogging is likely to be a bit sparse again for a while. I just started a new contract through the company I work for, and I'll be doing some overtime in order to be able to take off in August to go with Rob and the rest of the Amicus gang to the DNC in Denver. And I have to admit, I'm loving the new job. It's so odd to work for a company that has written decent, organized code, and gives good requirements. In fact, I was able to write code on my first day there, and finish it by the second. I'll be there around 90 days, and I have a feeling I'll be happy there right up until the end of the contract.

Nikki Norton is being drafted as my Co-Chair for Utah for Obama tomorrow night. She's been a lifesaver as of late, and I'm glad she's finally agreed to it. She was highlighted in this TIME.com article:

Utah is hardly the place that jumps into most Democrats' minds when brainstorming about red states where they have a chance to make headway this November. The Beehive State was one of just three states in which President George W. Bush swept every county in 2004 -- all of them except for two with more than 55% of the vote. In the state's 2008 primaries on Super Tuesday, Republican voters outnumbered Democrats by a margin of 2.5 to 1.

None of that, however, has discouraged Nikki Norton and her band of 40 volunteers from organizing for Obama ahead of the General Election. And surprisingly, it hasn't deterred the Obama campaign from formally helping Norton by investing in the state; Norton, co-chair of Utah for Obama's grassroots campaign, got a call a couple of days ago telling her to expect paid staffers to arrive within the next month. "Even if we don't win Utah we definitely want to create a downstream effect for local candidates," Norton said. "It could also force [Republican presumptive nominee John] McCain to defend Utah; he might have to split his resources for a state like ours where he probably wouldn't have needed to before. And our volunteers had a big effect on border swing states, particularly in rural areas in Nevada, and that was a big benefit for Obama [who won Nevada's delegate count over Hillary Clinton by dint of his rural victories]."

From the earliest days of his upstart campaign, Obama pledged to run a 50-state effort, vowing to move past the traditional partisan divide and expand the electoral map by appealing to independents and even Republicans. But few people, even in his own staff, thought he'd actually invest in every single state. As it turns out, Obama's phenomenal fundraising has allowed him to deliver on his bold promise and place campaign staff in every one of the 50 states, as his campaign announced it would Monday. The strategy could force McCain to defend Republican strongholds, may help those lonely Democratic candidates in so-called Red States and could further expand Obama's already massive volunteer and donor bases (indeed, the move was announced in a fundraising e-mail plea to donors).

Obama is able to do this, in part, because of the grueling, drawn-out delegate fight with Clinton that only just ended. The long primary season forced the campaign to build bases of support for the Illinois senator in every single state. The dividends of the high-profile Democratic presence are already being felt. Earlier this year, Democrats picked up three long-held GOP congressional seats in special elections in Mississippi, Louisiana and Illinois. The party is also mounting House challengers in 14 states that Bush won in 2004, including Wyoming, Alabama and Arizona. And Democratic candidates are contesting at least five GOP stronghold seats in the Senate: Alaska, Kentucky (Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's seat), Nebraska, Kansas and New Mexico. "Senator Barack Obama's plan to compete in all 50 states is a reflection of the overwhelming desire for change that is transcending state boundaries and has energized voters in every corner of the country,&q uot; said Maryland Representative Chris Van Hollen, who runs the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, which works to elect Democratic candidates.

No one contends that the 50-state strategy is Obama's brainchild; it actually comes from Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean, who not so long ago took a lot of heat from Democrats angry that he was squandering their limited resources on perceived long shots in the south and west. But after his gamble paid off in 2006, when Dems won both chambers of Congress, his expansive notion suddenly seemed a lot more viable. "The 50-state strategy has been historic -- just the enthusiasm that our volunteers have, that our candidates have, that our party is visible and active even before the campaign, it pays off on so many levels for a state like Kansas," said Mike Gaughan, executive director of the Kansas Democratic Party. In a state where only two out of 105 counties voted for John Kerry in 2004, Democrats took a House seat, six seats in the Kansas Legislature and the attorney general's office from the GOP in 2006. "We saw Obama's staff at w ork here during the primary season. They had organized on the ground back from October for the February 5 caucuses," Gaughan said. "The way that they activated their supporters is going to pay dividends" for all Kansas Democratic candidates as the party seeks to expand its presence there.

I've been telling people for a while, that we're in this to win, and that Utah for Obama is going to put effort into getting Utah to go blue this November. It's very, very, very gratifying to find out for sure that the Obama campaign believes in us. Then again, that's kind of why we believe in the Obama campaign, huh?

Jeep in the LGBT Pride Parade

Misty F — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 15:34:10 EDT

We've decided to use my Jeep for Utah for Obama in the Pride Parade this Sunday, along with the 10' Obama puppet. Here are a couple of photos of the Jeep:

I'm hoping to find someone that has one of the following to decorate the Jeep with:

Spare tire-cover for 31" tire:
Patriotic theme
OR
LGBT Pride
OR
Old one that can be redecorated
American Flag
Metal Poles appropriate for attaching to the roll bars to display the flag

If you have any of the above that you can help us with, please let me know ASAP. I'll be decorating the Jeep tomorrow (Saturday). Any suggestions for other decorating ideas are also welcome.

And if you want to be in the parade with us, it's not too late to sign up!
http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/4d3m

Attention Obama Supporters: Respect is the Word of the Day

Misty F — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 12:11:56 EDT

According to Dictionary.com, "respect" has 16 definitions. Here are the ones I find relevant to the subject of Hillary Clinton's withdrawal from the Presidential race:

3. esteem for or a sense of the worth or excellence of a person, a personal quality or ability, or something considered as a manifestation of a personal quality or ability: I have great respect for her judgment. 4. deference to a right, privilege, privileged position, or someone or something considered to have certain rights or privileges; proper acceptance or courtesy; acknowledgment: respect for a suspect's right to counsel; to show respect for the flag; respect for the elderly. 5. the condition of being esteemed or honored: to be held in respect. 6. respects, a formal expression or gesture of greeting, esteem, or friendship: Give my respects to your parents. 7. favor or partiality. 8. Archaic. a consideration.
–verb (used with object)
9. to hold in esteem or honor: I cannot respect a cheat. 10. to show regard or consideration for: to respect someone's rights. 12. to relate or have reference to.
—Idioms
13. in respect of, in reference to; in regard to; concerning. 14. in respect that, Archaic. because of; since. 15. pay one's respects, a. to visit in order to welcome, greet, etc.: We paid our respects to the new neighbors. b. to express one's sympathy, esp. to survivors following a death: We paid our respects to the family. 16. with respect to, referring to; concerning: with respect to your latest request.

Listen to what Senator Obama had to say about Hillary Clinton on Tuesday.

We've spent the last year and a half looking at her as the competition. Many have other reasons for disliking or not wanting Senator Clinton to become our first woman president. But, today, that is irrelevant to our goal of having Senator Obama as the 44th President.

Do we want Senator Clinton's supporters to now support Senator Obama as the Democratic nominee? Well, I do. In order for that to happen, we need to redirect ourselves at this point in time.

We need to understand that the bitter voters that the media told us about don't represent all of Senator Clinton's supporters, and I'd venture to say they are a small minority. I've spoken to many of her supporters, and I have yet to meet one face to face that holds that sort of resentment. Many of them are grateful to have been part of her campaign, but are ready to move on with Senator Obama as the nominee. Some of them will join us in campaigning for Barack. Some of them will watch quietly from a distance, and cast their vote for him in November. Some of them will have discussion with us, trying to decide whether they can support Barack.

As we engage in discussion with the Hillary supporters, we need to respect what she accomplished, without bringing any of our negative feelings into it. We don't need to debate the reasons we didn't support her. We don't need to question her supporter's motives. We don't need to be negative. Period. Dot. The end.

We need to do as Senator Obama did, and recognize the positive aspects of her presidential run. We need to be gracious about Senator Obama's win, and the role that Hillary played. If anything, her constant testing of him helped set the tone of the General election - he's been tried and tested, and come out on top. We wouldn't be going into the General knowing he'll succeed against the GOP attacks, if it weren't for that.

When we do run across Hillary supporters that have not accepted Obama as their candidate, we don't have to convince them of anything. We do have to respect their opinions, and avoid debates. We don't need to give the media or the Republicans any fodder for their cannons. Only when those supporters of Hillary feel that we respect them and their goals will we stand any chance of uniting with them behind Senator Obama.

August gives everyone time to gain perspective, and watch as Hillary stands behind Barack's candidacy. August is the next big date on our timeline leading to January 20, 2009. These are exciting times for us, but we have to focus on the November election, and realize that our hard work during the primary needs to continue into the General election. That is our focus, and we no longer need to work against Senator Clinton.

I think that these two statement summarize my thoughts well:

If we want Hillary's supporters to respect us and our candidate, we must do so first.

If we want Barack to be our leader, we must follow his lead.

When we see the media publishing crap articles like the op-ed from Maureen Dowd in such an untimely manner, we need to realize that it's an attempt to create drama that the media thrives on. Ignore it, or deny it, but don't be sucked into it, and don't let it affect your ability to have respect.

"Yes We Did" - Success

Misty F — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 18:08:08 EDT

Hillary Clinton has yet to admit that the Democratic Presidential Primary is a done deal, but the tone of media chatter that I've heard is that she's going to - on a night of her own choosing, when she can have the spotlight on her for a moment. My personal feelings about that very, but at the moment, I feel like that's an OK thing. Granted, her 'offer to be Obama's VP, in order to unify the party' seemed rather out of line, to me. But, hey, I'd be happy to follow he lead and offer myself as Obama's Technology Czar. Ezra Klein put it best, I think:

If you were Clinton and, on the one hand, you had your hated adversaries in the media clamoring for you to drop out, and on the other, you were mobbed, every day, by devoted supporters who had invested their hopes in you and begged you to keep up the fight, and you yourself wanted to continue prosecuting your case, well, what would you do?

I don't think there's a chance in hell that she'll be Obama's VP. In fact, I think McCain would be more likely to offer her the job than Obama, but we all know that's not very likely, either. Obama will likely choose someone to round out his skills, maybe someone strong on foreign policy, to satisfy those who believe he needs more experience. I do believe he'll make a wise choice, no matter who it is.

If Hillary gets a job in the Obama administration, I could see it having to do with healthcare, since that is one of her strong points, and the one she seems to be the most passionate about, at least if you narrow it down to things Obama and Clinton can agree on. And that would satisfy a lot of people.

Last night, about 5 hours after I scheduled the "Yes We Did" party, people began to show up at the SkyBox Grille. Kurt Bestor beat us all in the door, and was just beginning a snack as I walked in with Dimitrios and his girlfriend (sorry, I suck at names) to the back room where the big screen awaited us. Not long after, people began arriving, eager to own another little piece of this campaign. Many were people I'd never met before. Others were the people who I've known since this all started, like Theodore, Strider, Brandon, Janet Lee, Laurie Noda, and so many more. Rob Miller brought Utah Attorney General candidate, Jean Welch Hill, and Pete Ashdown and Robin Ballard brought their two youngest children. I would guess attendance at about 40 people. Which really isn't bad, considering the short notice everyone had about the event.

Chris Vanocur, of ABC 4, sent down a camera to check out the activities. Halfway through Senator Obama's speech, I was asked to do an interview, and so I missed much of the speech. I love technology, though. It's all on YouTube, and if you else would like to (re-)watch it, just head over to the official Obama Blog. Kurt Bestor and Theodore Cowan were also interviewed, presumably because of their status as elected National Delegates for Senator Obama. ABC 4's video feed isn't allowed on this blog's setup, so I can't post it here. But, you can view it on ABC4.com.

KSL also had some interesting coverage yesterday regarding the Democratic Primary, including Donald Dunn's take.

There were two other reporters there last night. Unfortunately, I didn't realize that they were reporters until it was too late, and they were gone. Apparently, one was from the Salt Lake Tribune.

The Deseret News had some other interesting news coverage yesterday. They quoted Wayne Holland as confirming rumors that I keep hearing, about Helen Langdon and Karen Hale switching from Hillary to Barack, as well as saying that Jim Matheson would be coming out for Barack. I've been hearing about the first two for a long while now, and from many different people. I had almost begun to think it was wishful thinking, but regardless, this is good news!

Now we can get on to the serious business of facing John ~~McSame~~ McCain. You know, Mr. 4-More-Years-Of-Bush, who thinks that spying on Americans is patriotic and on registering new voters across Utah. Watch for a summary very soon about the successes we've already had!

"Yes We Did" Celebration Tonight!

Misty F — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 16:29:47 EDT

Utah for Obama is hosting a "Yes We Did" Celebration party to watch Barack Obama's Victory Speech tonight (Tuesday) at SkyBox Grille at the Gateway Mall at 7:30 PM.

After Saturday's decision to finalize the Michigan and Florida delegates, 2,118 is the magic number of delegates to reach the Democratic Nomination. As of this writing, Barack Obama needs 31.5 delegates to get there. Tonight, after the votes are counted in Montana and South Dakota, the last few names of Super Delegates who will vote for Senator Obama at the DNC in August will be announced, and Senator Obama will make his victory speech.

According to my sources, his speech will happen at 8:15 MDT, just after the polls close, so make sure that you arrive by 8!.

This campaign is a movement of the people, and I cannot think of a more appropriate title for tonight's event than "Yes we did". Barack won this nomination because of you, and me, and literally millions of other people's efforts. It's not just Barack who won, it's all of us. We have more work to do, but tonight it's time to celebrate what we've accomplished.

And tomorrow, we can get on to the work of showing John McCain for what he really is - 4 more years of Bush.

Details:
SkyBox Sports Grill, 7:30 PM
4 South Rio Grande Street
Family-friendly event
Bring your friends, too!
Use Winter Parking entrance on north side of 100 South.
SkyBox is on the west side of Rio Grande Street, on the Promenade level

Hillary Concedes; Utah for Obama Celebrates

Misty F — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 11:50:18 EDT

Hillary Rodham Clinton will concede Tuesday night that Barack Obama has the delegates to secure the Democratic nomination, campaign officials said, effectively ending her bid to be the nation's first female president.

While Hillary is conceding that Barack has the delegates needed, she's not dropping out just yet. I'm not quite sure why, but regardless, we're going to celebrate the fact that Barack Obama has won the Democratic nomination tonight!

We don't have a venue yet, because this is just breaking. But, I'll announce it here after we have it confirmed. And if you have a place you'd like to offer that has a tv and plenty of room, let me know!

It's rather amusing to me how right on the spot that The Spoof was about this.

Vote for Change - Photos and Updates

Misty F — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 13:09:34 EDT

Last Wednesday, hundreds, thousands or some large number of people showed up at Washington Square for the Peace and Human Rights Rally. So, we decided that would be the perfect place to register new voters, and update others' registrations. I had at least 6 people join me, including Cheryl, Theo, Brandon, Susan, Sherri, and Claire and her son. I swear there were a couple more but I didn't do a sign-in, so I'm stuck with the ones my short memory will recall. Anyway, we were able to register 43 voters. Not bad for an hour's work, right?

Here are some of the photos from the rally, much thanks to Theo for getting some of the better shots for me.

It took me 3 tries, but I finally got a full shot of this "Prez Lie Dispenser" sign.

These guys with the foil signs walked in front of and through the crowd several times.

Here's a shot from near the back of the crowd.

One from the side.

Another from the side.

Here's Rocky at the beginning of his speech.

I liked the signs put up from High Road for Human Rights. They said:

Our America Does Not Torture

America: Where Everyone Including The President Is Bound By Rule Of Law

Torture Is A Subversion Of American Values

Anyway, we've had a lot of positive stories about Vote for Change across Utah. Josh Der sent this email about the Logan Vote for Change event:

On Saturday, May 24, 2008, Utah State University for Obama, Cache Valley for Obama and the Cache County Democratic Party jointly organized a voter registration drive in Logan.

We had four volunteers and we collected 16 new voter registration applications, 6 of which were Democrats, 6 were unaffiliated and only one of which was Republican. This was a test-run and was a great success, considering it was nice weather on a holiday weekend without any big events happening in Logan.

One of our volunteers scouted the community for potential drive locations, one registered voters downtown and two volunteers worked outside of a locally owned, progressive coffee shop/deli counter.

We wore our Obama flair, but focused on registering people to vote. If they asked why we were doing it, we told them about the Vote for Change campaign. We were well received and connected with some potential volunteers.

By the end of the day, we came away feeling excited and energized. We also gave out free Obama bumper stickers to supporters who expressed interest. We didn't really push the stickers, but still gave out close to 30 of them.

This registration drive represents something tangible, easy and proactive we can all do to promote Obama. The more we promote Obama in Utah, the stronger the democratic party will be on Election Day, regardless of how Utah's electoral votes are cast. This means the possibility for REAL change on a local level, where we are most directly affected.

Here are a couple pieces of advice for organizers based on our experiences:

1) Identify locations before you start. Corporate-owned grocery store chains (e.g. Walmart or Albertsons, etc.) don't want anything to do with politics, so don't bother sending volunteers to these places, they'll just get turned away. I've found locally owned businesses are much more receptive to this voter registration drive. Consider the management's perspective; try not to bother patrons inside of the business, but rather catch them on their way in or out. Don't block the entrance and don't be too pushy. Look for places where you'll get a lot of foot traffic. Consider your target demographic and go to where you are likely to find them (e.g. for youth, find the local hangouts or work on campuses; for Latinos or Asian Americans, go to an ethnic market or restaurant). If you can (and they will allow), get a booth or a table at a local festival or farmer's market, otherwise get a lot of volunteers to work the crowd. In any case, its best to work in a location where people are not in a rush and can spend a few minutes to fill out the form or to chat with you.

2) Visit your County Clerk's office. They are required to provide voter registration application books to organizations who are registering voters. They will give you 4-5 books of 50 applications. Each volunteer will need a book, so this may limit how many volunteers you can use, but if a few different people request them independently or you make a plea that you are working a large event, you may be able to get more. The books have carbon copies so you can give each voter a receipt that is proof of registration and will get them a ballot in case they don't get their voter registration card or their application gets lost somehow. The books fit on a clipboard well and you don't have to make any photocopies or carry stacks of loose paper or bulky state-printed mail in forms (however, its good to have a few mail in forms to give out to people who don't have time, want their voter information kept private, or want to give it to a friend). Be sure to check that all the required information is completed and legible. When you finish a book, bring it back to the County Clerk and they will replace it.

Set up your own vote for change event: http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/create

Lots of people are organizing small drives, and local businesses seem to be supportive, and often let people run the drive from there. In fact, Golden Braid Books contacted us, to offer a location. It's easy, and even if you don't want to run one yourself, you can join us at larger gatherings, like next weekend when we get going at Utah Pride. Check out events statewide.

Countdown to the Nomination

Misty F — Thu, 08 May 2008 08:17:25 EDT

I just got this email from Vanessa Wasserman, Delegate Coordinator for the Barack Obama campaign:

Hello,

Just wanted to send you an update of where we stand after yesterday’s exciting primary results.

We project that Senator Obama netted a total of approximately 13 delegates out of primaries in Indiana and North Carolina yesterday. Today, Senator Obama moved closer to becoming the Democratic nominee by winning the support of four superdelegates (North Carolina Democratic Party Chairman Jerry Meek, North Carolina DNC member Jeanette Council, California DNC member Inola Henry and Virginia Assembly member Jennifer McClellan who switched from Clinton). That total of 4 delegates means that Obama is now only 169 delegates away from securing the Democratic nomination.

The Math

Contests won – Obama 32, Clinton 16

Total Delegates – Obama 1856, Clinton 1698.5

Pledged delegates Obama needs for a majority of pledged delegates – 33

Total delegates Obama needs for the nomination – 169

Link to full state-by-state results: http://www.barackobama.com/resultscenter/index.php

We are definitely on the road to change!

Hope all is well.

Vanessa

Voter Registration Kickoff

Misty F — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 11:51:51 EDT

I should have blogged this one earlier, but well...I've been too busy planning the thing to tell anyone about it.

So, Utah for Obama is taking part in the 50-state Voter Registration Drive on May 10. Since the date happens to correspond with Utah's Democratic State Convention, Wayne Holland has been nice enough to let us mix it up with the convention. Of course, that is because Democratic voter registration benefits the party, and not just the Obama campaign. Hell, if Obama were to disappear into a black hole, leaving Hillary to get her hands on the Democratic nomination, that would mean voter registration would benefit her, too.

Anyway, the really great thing about this is that on one of the planning conference calls for this event, I got to hear the Deputy Campaign Manager talk about why the Obama campaign is doing this. They still have the last few straggler states to get votes in, so why worry about the General Election this early? Well, it's because Obama isn't trying to win the office of President. He's got much grander plans than that, and it involves you and me, and every level of the Democratic Party across the country. He's very serious about making sure that Democrats win every seat and office available to them in the nation, because that will help us to accomplish our goals. Registering voters is just a first step in that.

And registering voters on May 10 is just the first time, we'll continue registering voters through the fall.

So, if you want to volunteer for this event, please let us know. I'll be posting more information about this soon, but since it's already making news, I thought I'd at least blog the basics. We're still setting up the committee that will handle this event, and the ones in the future, so all the details aren't available quite yet.

Barack Needs Your Help Today!

Misty F — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 14:22:09 EST

I just got this email from Anne Filipic, the Obama Utah Director:

Today is Utah's chance to help make Barack Obama the next President. Please help us get as many people to the polls today as possible!

Three easy ways to do this:

1) GO VOTE
2) Tell all your friends, neighbors and co-workers to go vote. Send out an email to your whole list, call through all the numbers in your cell phone, etc. There are a lot of people in Utah who still don't realize that today is the presidential primary and the best person to tell them why they need to go vote for Barack is YOU!
3) Help us make calls and knock on doors to Obama supporters. Call 801-886-2262 or come down to our office at 1747 South 900 West in SLC if you can help out. (We also have locations in Park City, Ogden, and St. George if you are closer to any of those locations and want to help out there.)

There is a lot of support for Barack in Utah but it won't mean anything if we don't get our supporters to go VOTE! We'll be on the phones and the doors all the way through 8pm, when doors close. Please help us help Barack!!

All But Republicans and Green Party Can Vote in Democratic Primary?

Misty F — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 01:38:30 EST

According to the Salt Lake Tribune:

Democrats and unaffiliated voters can cast ballots in that primary. (Members of other parties, such as the Green Party, will technically be considered unaffiliated voters, except for those registered in the Constitutional Party.)

And while we're at it:

Utah by the numbers
* 1,709,629 registered voters
* 1,043,905 independent (not affiliated with any party), 61 percent
* 538,305 Republicans, 31 percent
* 125,992 Democrats,
7 percent
* 1,427 Constitution Party, 1 percent

Rules of the game
* Independent (small i) voters have a choice. They can vote in the Democratic primary just by asking for a ballot. If they are willing to sign up as a Republican at the polls, they can vote in the GOP primary.
* Registered Republicans can vote only in the GOP primary; registered Democrats only in the Democratic primary.

Michelle was Amazing!

Misty F — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 15:46:30 EST

Michelle was Amazing! I just got back from the Salt Palace, and it was amazing! I believe I'll be able to find video later, and will blog that as soon as I can. I'm on cloud 9, I know beyond a shadow of a doubt, Michelle Obama will be our next First Lady, and she will make America proud. She is beautiful and eloquent, and means every word she says.

Here are the photos I took. I hope to have other photos later.

Yes, we can, Utah! And we will!

This is what a movement looks like!

Misty F — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 00:47:42 EST

Idaho isn't too much different from Utah, really. They are about as red as us, and they have a high LDS population. And when Barack's visit to Utah was canceled, it was to Idaho that he headed.

Ladies and gentlemen, this is what a movement looks like:

Click on it, and let it load - talk about amazing! BoiseNoise took this panoramic photo of the 15,000 people there to see Barack.

Yep, I said 15,000. Say it with me, slowly. Fif-teen thou-sand people. In Idaho. Did you get the shivers, too?

Here's what the photographer had to say:

I volunteered to help with Obama's visit to Boise. When we breifed we expected to fill up maybe four sections of the Taca Bell Arena at BSU. There was a curtain placed behind the stage as they often do with small crowds. Well we had more than a small crowd. Between 14000 and 15000 people attended the event. This was a great surprise to everyone. Idaho is traditionally a strict Republican state.

At this point I'd have to say get on the train. Don't stand in front of it. There's too much momentum.

In 2004, Idaho had 642,000 registered voters. 172,000 of them voted. If you look just at Boise, there were 159,000 registered voters, and 25,000 of them voted. And on Saturday, 15,000 people showed up to see Barack? Simply amazing!!

Yes, we can!

Senator Obama's Visit Cancelled

Misty F — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 14:01:08 EST

Senator Obama has canceled his visit to Utah that was scheduled for this Saturday. Here is the press release:

Obama Statement on the Passing of President Hinckley

Campaign Cancels Event in Utah

SALT LAKE CITY, UT-- Due to President Gordon B. Hinckley’s funeral, the Obama campaign has cancelled Senator Obama's visit to Utah on Saturday.

“Last night I spoke with President Thomas Monson and expressed my deepest sympathies to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on the passing of President Gordon B. Hinckley,” said Senator Barack Obama.

###

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Contact:

Erin Fitzgerald: 312-505-4893 (c)

Shannon Gilson: 702-539-0796 (c)

Fierce Urgency of Now!

Misty F — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 13:00:47 EST

Utahns,

This Saturday, neighborhood canvasses will take place throughout our state. I hope that you'll join us at the Salt Lake HQ at 9:30 AM to help walk neighborhoods and find new supporters of Senator Obama. If you can't join us in Salt Lake, check to see if there's already one being held in your area, or create your own!

Why are we canvassing? Well, there are a lot of reasons. Utah is chock full of undecided voters, for one thing. Our presence at people's doors will remind them of how important this campaign is. It will remind people to go vote on February 5. It will give them a chance to ask questions and find out about our new headquarters.

Is this really that important? YES! We only have a little time left before February 5, and if we don't get out the vote, February 6 will be too late. Utah is ready and waiting for Barack Obama, and only with the effort of people like you and I will Utah's delegates go to Barack. Perhaps the effort you make this Saturday will push it over the edge, so that we get one more delegate than we would have. I'm not exaggerating with this statement. The reason Barack Obama's campaign has been successful is that it's not "Barack Obama's campaign". It is "the people's movement" and our efforts to have Barack Obama for our next president are truly vital to the future of our country.

Will it be difficult? Probably not. We'll identify houses of potential supporters, so you won't just be knocking on random doors. You'll have a partner with you, for backup. If someone asks you a question that you don't know how to answer, you'll have a little blue book to refer to - just tell the person that you want to make sure that you don't misrepresent Barack's stance on the issue, and refer to the book right there to answer the person.

Will it be cold? Yep! But, not as cold as it was in Nevada last week when lots of Utahns went and did this there. Besides, we have hand and foot warmers, for those who want them - and you'll be driving from door to door, not walking up and down blocks aimlessly.

How will I know what to do? Because you'll get training from the amazing campaign staffers! As long as you show up Fired Up! and Ready to Go! they'll give you the tools you need to pass that fire on at the door.

I cannot express to you how vitally important this weekend is. Having been in Elko last week, I saw the difference that a knock on the door and personal interaction had. And from what I hear, Utahns are 10 times friendlier than anywhere else in the nation. So, it won't even be all that difficult. But, this is one of your last chances to make this campaign your own. No matter how much you've done before, I hope you'll join us again for this effort. We have to translate Utah's enthusiasm over Barack Obama into votes for Barack Obama, and votes for Change. Don't let this pass you by.

Remember Barack's quote from MLK? "The fierce urgency of now"!

See you Saturday! And if the only thing holding you back from coming is kids - we will have a babysitter available.

Obama Supporters in the Local News

Misty F — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 13:13:30 EST

After the Volunteer Meeting and Nevada Debate Watching Party last night, a few Obama supporters decided to head downtown, and they were able to wave Obama signs around during the local news. I can't post flash here, so I've posted it at my other blog, Saintless.

Thanks, Willow (& your husband, I'm sorry I didn't get his name!) & Eric! You guys did a great job! We'll definitely do more of this!

We have some other great ideas like this, so if you want to be a part of them, please let HQ know. We'll probably post most of them on the local events, too. And if you have ideas, pass them on!

I Get To See Barack Speak Friday!

Misty F — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 15:21:19 EST

Mark Rothacher, the Co-Chair of Utah for Obama, volunteered in Las Vegas, and sent the email and photos below. He apparently had a fantastic time volunteering there!

Next Saturday, the 19th, is Nevada's Caucus. This is the first time that Nevada has used the caucus method instead of the primary method, like Utah uses. They need a lot of help for things like knocking on doors and making phone calls to make sure that Obama supporters get out and caucus! We've seen how close the vote has been, and we have to put every effort we have into this campaign.

Do you believe in Barack as much as I do? I've heard over and over from Utahns in the last 11 months how much you believe in him, and the change he will bring. Now or never!

My sister, Jenée, went to volunteer in Elko today, and just found out that Barack will be speaking in Elko on Friday at 2:30 (PST). There are quite a few of us who are going to Elko on Friday to help with their efforts, and we'd love to have you go with us! It looks like if you volunteer in Elko this weekend you'll be able to help with the event and see Barack speak.

Everyone I've talked to has had a blast in Nevada, and told me how incredibly friendly the locals are. The one thing I can promise, if you come to Elko with me, is that you'll have a blast! And, more importantly, you'll be able to make a difference in this campaign.

Utah has done so much to help, making phone calls here in Utah, as well as across the nation, as well as all of the grassroots efforts in the past 11 months. And I know that I'm asking you to do a lot and give a lot, but being here in Utah, you probably feel (like I do) that getting Barack the Democratic nomination will be the most important thing you can do.

We've only got 3 weeks left until Super Tuesday! 3 weeks! This is kind of like that space between Thanksgiving and Christmas, where you find that you're not quite ready, and you wish you had more time, then find out that "The Time Is Now"! So, if it is in your ability, please come to Nevada with us.

For those of you who can't go to Nevada, please consider volunteering or making a donation . Everything that you are able to do will help.

Tonight, Tuesday, at 6 PM we will have a volunteer meeting, where we will connect you with various ways of volunteering locally. You will also be able to meet the 5 staffers from Iowa that got here last week. They helped run the effort in Iowa, and they understand how important every effort is, so they can help you find the best way for you to help. We are also looking for Precinct and Neighborhood Captains.

After the volunteer meeting will be the Nevada Debate Watch Party. We'll be watching in both the main gathering area, as well as on the projector in the conference room. You can also purchase supplies (I was told they are hoping for the next shipment tomorrow, so there might even be new items!) or make a donation or just connect to other supporters.

It looks like we have 150 people signed up to come to the Volunteer Meeting and Debate Watch Party tonight! This is awesome, because we haven't had nearly that many sign up for this before, and we seem to get far more showing up than sign up.

But, this also means that the handful of us that have brought drinks and food won't be able to cover everything tonight. So, if you want to and are able, please bring a couple bottles of soda or some kind of snack. Of course, the party will be a success with or without these things, and we will have the large containers of water, so don't feel like you have to bring anything.

I'm guessing that the local media may show up again, as they have been at our big events. So, if you want to bring home made signs, with you tonight, that would be fun. You can also download and print posters. We will probably pass some of the rally signs out as we have in the past. Remember that these signs cost $3 (or is it $2?) each, so if you don't want to purchase them, please return them before you leave.

When you arrive, please remember to sign in by the front door. That will make it easier on volunteers who go around to make sure everyone is signed in.

If you bring a camera, and take photos of tonight's event - or other events we've hosted - please send them to me.

If you decide you want to go to Elko, please call Aaron at 801-886-2262 (801.88.Obama) or sign up tomorrow night.

Hope to see you there!

Here is Mark's email, with his photos below:

Dear Utah Obama Supporters, 1/12/08 I came down to Las Vegas yesterday to help canvas and support preparations for the caucuses here that take place next Saturday. It has been great and really exciting! Yesterday I walked a neighborhood with a young volunteer named Andrew from Oberland College in Ohio. We talked to a lot of people about the upcoming caucuses and there is a lot of interest and support for Senator Obama. The Obama offices here are also alive with eager volunteers. People are manning the phones and directing other volunteers out for canvassing. Also Obama was last night here and I got to see him! I got to help out as an usher. It was the best show in Vegas! He came to a local high school for a town hall meeting and the crowd was pumped! There were about 2,000 people inside and another 2,000 people listening outside. It was all races and ages. His responses to questions about health care, immigration, etc. were well received and a lot of people have signed up to caucus for him. Today we head out for some more canvassing. I can't wait! I have attached some photos of the Obama rally here yesterday. They probably won't come through the listserve so maybe, Misty, you could post them on Flickr for those that want to see them. Hope all is going well in Salt Lake. I am more fired up than ever to make more phone calls when I get back. Mark

This is Mark!

Richardson Out - What Does It Mean For Utah? [Update 3]

Misty F — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 09:36:11 EST

Many elected officials and others on the "Who's Who of Utah Democrats" have previously signed on to support Bill Richardson. Which is understandable, considering he's from the West, and knows many Utahns personally. Now that he appears to have dropped out, or will be dropping out today, where will those supporting him go?

At least one elected official has come over into the Obama camp. Yesterday the following emails were sent through the Utah for Obama ListServ:

It appears that Richardson is poised to announce that he will pull out of the presidential race tomorrow. Conflicting reports in the media, but overall it looks true.

This opens up the possibility that many Utah political leaders could switch their support to Obama. We need to start working them! -JANET

And a reply:

Janet,

I was a Richardson guy but I am now supporting Obama.

Sen. Scott McCoy

I've heard rumors of some others who will also be turning to Senator Obama, and I can't wait until they are publicly confirmed.

[Update] On a related note, the AP is reporting that John Kerry will be announcing his endorsement of Senator Obama today.

[Update 2] Gregg wrote to me about getting our officials to endores Barack. Here's a good place to start if you're in Utah. Thanks, Gregg!

Let us know if you hear anything back from writing or calling your officials. We need to make sure that Ann, our new Utah State Director is made aware of all endorsements.

[Update 3] John Kerry's endorsement has arrived. And Edwards seems to be taking it in stride.

Our country and our Party are stronger because of John's service, and I respect his decision. When we were running against each other and on the same ticket, John and I agreed on many issues. I continue to believe that this election is about the future, not the past, and that the country needs a President who will fight aggressively to end the status quo and change the Washington system and to give voice to all of those whose voices are ignored in the corridors of power.

Kerry's statement is here.

South Dakota Senator Tim Johnson and Congressman George Miller (D-CA) have also announced their endorsements of Senator Obama. First Read has some interesting commentary on Miller's endorsement.

New Hampshire Primary

Misty F — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 00:26:49 EST

I need to make this brief, because it's time for bed, but here's a quick post about how tonight's New Hampshire watch party went. I think turnout was about 150, but I didn't get a count. It was definitely more packed than last time. We had Fox 13, KSL 5, and the Deseret News there. I don't know if I missed any other news organizations. I haven't had time to watch it, but here's KSL's coverage. We saw part of Fox while I was still there. They showed an interview with Theo, one of the Steering Committee Members. I think they also interviewed my sister, Jenee, but I'm not sure if it aired. I'm pretty sure there'll be a good article from the Deseret News tomorrow.

Obama apparently placed 2nd, with 80% of the votes in last I heard. Did we wish he had come in first? Hell yeah. Does it mean anything bad? Hell, no. If anything, it means we need to get more fired up. And we will!

Our 5 Iowa staffers got here tonight, including the new Utah State Director.

I'll have photos and more detail tomorrow.

One question - what was with Edwards giving the same downer of a speech??

Here's a teaser photo:

If you were there and took photos, please send them to me!

Did You Miss the Deadline for Voter Registration? No Problem.

Misty F — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 10:01:10 EST

If you missed the deadline to mail in your voter registration, it's ok. You can still cast your vote for Senator Obama on February 5. You'll just have to put a little extra effort into it, that's all. You can register in person at your local County Clerk's office until January 29.

If you're already registered, you will need to re-register under the following circumstances:

You've moved since your previous registration
Your name has changed since your previous registration
You are registered as anything besides a Democrat or unaffiliated, and wish to vote in the Democratic primary

If you are unsure of your information, some County Clerk's offices allow you to check online, as Salt Lake County does. Otherwise, you'll need to contact the County Clerk's office directly. You can get the web sites and the contact information on the State Elections web site.

When you register late, you will be more likely to need proof of residency and a photo ID in order to vote on election day. Check with your County Clerk's office for that information.

Early voting varies, depending on the County Clerk. Salt Lake County's early voting begins January 22, and I believe most others begin the same day. If you are registering late, you will not be eligible for early voting, so you'll need to cast your ballot on February 5. According to the sample ballot I looked at today, the names on the Democratic Ballot are:

Joe Biden
Hillary Clinton
Christopher J. Dodd
John Edwards
Mike Gravel
Dennis Kucinich
Frank Lynch
Barack Obama
Bill Richardson

If you're eligible for early voting, please consider doing so, and volunteer to help with the campaign on February 5.

Deadline is Today!

Misty F — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 14:28:27 EST

Utahns,

Today is the day. If you don't mail in your voter registration forms, you won't be able to after today. They must be postmarked by today to be valid.

You need to register if:
* You have never registered before
* You wish to change party affiliation (if you're not listed as Democrat or unaffiliated and want to vote in the Democratic primary)
* You have moved since your last registration
* Your name has changed since your last registration

It's not too late to print the form out and mail it in, just make sure it's postmarked by today.

To verify your registration, contact your County Clerk. If you live in Salt Lake County, you can check online.

Also, if you're planning to come to tomorrow's N.H. Watch Party, feel free to bring a snack or drink for the potluck. (The office needs plates and cups, if anyone wants to help with that). All of the polls are reflecting a giant surge in Barack's poll numbers. Tuesday is going to be a victory, I just know it!

10 - 12 Point Lead In New Hampshire

Misty F — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 18:53:40 EST

Last Thursday over 100 of us gathered to watch as Senator Obama took Iowa. This Tuesday, it looks like we're going to watch him take a similar (if not greater!) victory in New Hampshire. Here's an article from Editor and Publisher with the latest polls:

NEW YORK The first two poll results based on survey taken in New Hampshire after the Iowa caucuses both show Barack Obama opening up a double digit lead over previous leader Hillary Clinton.

The new American Research Group poll gives Obama a 12-point lead over Hillary Clinton in New Hampshire, 38% to 26%, a 16% swing since the previous poll. John Edwards moved up on Clinton, at 20%, gaining 5% from his previous percentage.

Most interesting detail deep in the ARG numbers: Hillary actually leads Obama 34% to 32% among confirmed Democrats, while he tops her 49% to 12% among independents, which may make up one-third of the tally.

Earlier today the new Rasmussen survey emerged showing a surprising, but now possibly confirmed, 10% Obama lead. Edwards trailed badly in that one.

I hope you'll join us on Tuesday, as we watch the results. If you can't, please consider hosting your own watch party.

Below is an email I received from Mark Gilbert. He's from Utah, and helped put together the Senator's visit to Park City last August. Mark is a member of Obama's Finance Team. Since August, he often sends us updates, and I thought you might be interested in seeing this email.

Hi - and Happy New Year!

Thursday night we beat the odds. We beat the cynics. We disproved the pundits who said we couldn't run a different kind of campaign.

As Senator Obama said:

"Sometimes, just sometimes, there are nights like this. A night that years from now when we've made the changes we believe in, when more families can afford to see a doctor, when children, when Malia and Sasha and your children inherit a planet that's a little cleaner and safer, when the world sees America differently, and American sees itself as a nation more united and less divided, you'll be able to look back and say that this was the moment when it all began."

When we began, we were 20 points behind. But as a result of hard work, we closed that gap and we proved the American people are ready for hope, ready for change.

If there was ever any doubt about the senator's experience or ability to put together a world class organization, our ground effort in Iowa, our historic fundraising success, and our development of a national field team put that to rest.

While Thursday night was wondrous, while we made history; it was the beginning, not the end of our journey. We have put together the best organizations in the primary states through February 5:

*       New Hampshire: January 8th -- The largest field operation in the state has made nearly 1.6 million phone calls and knocked on 330,000 doors. Our campaign has been endorsed by both Democratic US Representatives, Paul Hodes and Carol Shea-Porter, and the latest Boston Globe/University of New Hampshire poll puts us in the lead.
*       Nevada: January 19th -- We have the biggest organization with 11 field offices and more than 50 staff; we're gaining strength every day.
*       South Carolina: January 26th -- Former Democratic chairman Donald Fowler praised our 55 staff members in 11 offices for running "the most methodical voter-canvassing project I have ever seen in South Carolina."
*       The 22 February 5 states -- We have 32 offices open in 17 states, including states like Alaska, Alabama, and Utah where we're the only campaign up and running.

But even though we have the best organizations in those states, we need your help to meet our financial challenges.   But we need your help now. Please consider making a contribution to the campaign now. You can contribute online at: https://donate.barackobama.com/page/contribute/give_again (please excuse the wording on the form - we have not had time to update it since Iowa), or you can call me at 561-350-5030.

Senator Obama and Michelle are in New Hampshire where polls show us slightly ahead. But, like they did in Iowa, Washington insiders are pouring huge amounts of unregulated money into the state. In Iowa, they spent millions on baseless negative attacks against the senator. We cannot let these tactics go unanswered. We need your help in New Hampshire and beyond.

We are close - but an enormous task lies before us. As Senator Obama said Thursday night:

Years from now, you'll look back and you'll say that this was the moment, this was the place where America remembered what it means to hope. For many months we've been teased, even derided, for talking about hope. But we always knew hope is not blind optimism. It's not ignoring the enormity of the task ahead or the roadblocks that stand in our path. It's not sitting on the sidelines or shirking from a fight. Hope is that thing inside us that insists, despite all the evidence to the contrary, that something better awaits us if we have the courage to reach for it, and to work for it, and to fight for it.

We have that courage. The American people have the courage.

We need your support and your friendship now more than ever.

Thank you - thank you for your support - and please forward this to your friends and family.

Mark Gilbert

561-350-5030

Iowa Watch Party at Obama Utah HQ

Misty F — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 16:46:10 EST

I'll update this with other photos as they come in, but here are the ones I have so far, from Kasi.

Mark Rothacher

Aaron, our local director, and his daughter who is apparently helping him drink.

All told, we had over 100 people there last night. We're doing it again Tuesday for New Hampshire. Won't you join us?

The Speeches

Misty F — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 15:46:00 EST

As I mentioned last night, I really saw a difference in the speeches between the candidates.

Over at Third Avenue, he says of Obama and Huckabee:

And listening to Barack Obama's speech later in the evening, I was struck by how similar the two were.

Both talked about working with the other side, about the little guy, about DC powerbrokers, and the establishment, and how "they" were wrong and underestimated them. Both spoke in positive hopeful, and unifying terms. Obama talked about health care, education, and the war. Both spoke like ministers. Huckabee is actually an ordained Baptist minister, Obama just sounds like one. It was very effective.

Having spent the first 8 years of my life as a Southern Baptist, I don't think Huckabee sounds anything like a Southern Baptist minister. I'm not just saying that because he didn't promise hellfire and damnation if he isn't the next POTUS, but I didn't think he was very impassioned.

I know I'm biased here, but when Huckabee mentioned God in his speech, I had flashbacks to his "Phone Call to God", which, as I've said before, offends my faith greatly. When Obama spoke of God and faith, it was soothing, and didn't feel like he was wearing his faith on his sleeve, but rather that it was a natural statement from him.

I was struck by the difference in tone between the Democrats. Hillary and Edwards gave speeches about themselves, while Obama gave a speech about "us". On top of which, Edwards made me feel like I needed anti-depressants when he spoke of the problems in America. Which was a nice setup for Obama speaking of the same problems, but in a tone of fixing them. Edwards wound up getting to the point of fixing the problems, but he was pulling the fear mongering trick to make us afraid, while Obama gave us hope.

Hillary nauseated me when she began her speech and seemed to be pretending that she'd won Iowa. I left the room, so I really don't know what she had to say.

I watched Edwards' speech first, then Hillary (which as I said - didn't watch), then Huckabee, then Obama. I didn't see any of the others.

One other thing that I found interesting was that Oprah didn't appear onstage with Obama. I think that was a smart choice. While he did use her star power to reach more voters, he's not running a campaign around it. I think I paid more attention to Chuck Norris behind Huckabee than I did to Huckabee himself. (Side note: is Norris going to the same plastic surgeon as Hillary? That frozen smile on his face was kind of horrifying)

Since I can't post video to this site, here's a link to my other blog, where I posted the speeches, all in one place, for your viewing pleasure (or displeasure, as the case may be).

Obama Won! (And some thoughts on the rest of it, too)

Misty F — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 15:41:32 EST

So, I'm guessing that it's no news to you, gentle reader, that Obama won the Iowa caucus. (Yay!)

But, there's a slight possibility that you might not know that Dodd dropped out. Or that Biden dropped out. I hope to see Dodd for...well, something, because he rocks. And when Kucinich drops out then...Kucinich for Constitution Czar. I'm sure Biden is worthy of something, but I think I'll leave that to JM Bell (who I hope someday might see reason and come back over to the Obama camp). [See update below]

Anyway, I'm putting on a pundit hat, and telling you that I figured out why Huckabee won the Iowa Republican vote! I bet you're still scratching your head over that one. Or, well...I was, till I figured it out.

See, as I predicted earlier, there was a record number of Democrats that turned out.

So, here's a bit of punditry. I think that Huckabee won the Republican vote for one reason. Republicans and independents deserted, to have a choice in the Democratic nomination, because the Republican party has disgusted them, as of late. That meant that the "evangelical candidate" (Huckabee) still got the hardcore votes, while the rest of the votes went over to the Democratic side.

My next prediction is that McCain takes New Hampshire.

Now, it's really late and time for me to head to bed. But, I have to point out one thing to any of you who watched the speeches that were made after the results came in. There was a distinct difference between the speeches of Edwards and Clinton versus Obama's speech. Clinton got cheesy and tried to pretend she won, which made me want to throw up, so I ran for another room. I like Edwards a lot, but his speech disappointed me more than anything else he's done. He went for the Democratic version of fear mongering, telling us how bad the healthcare system is. How hopeless it is, since a young girl who needs surgery dies just as protesters convince the insurance company to pay for the surgery, and about 15 or 20 other stories just as depressing.

The other thing about both of their speeches was the number of times "I" was used. Their speeches were about themselves.

Obama's speech was so completely opposite! He talked about "we", "us" and "you" a lot, and rarely used "I". In addition, he talked about fixing the system, and said it could be done, and offered ways of fixing it. Edwards made must of us feel like it was time to check into the suicide ward, because things are just too broken and too horrid.

Ok, one other thing, and then I'm off. We had about 40 people sign up for the Watch Party, and had over 100 show up. WOW! There was a huge amount of energy in the room the entire time. Tuesday's New Hampshire Watch Party is going to be amazing! (We're having parties for all 4 early elections, as well as Super Tuesday)

If anyone has photos, please send them to me. Let me know if you need an email address.

Fired up! Ready to go!

[Update] Boy, late night blogging doesn't become me. My reference to Biden and JM Bell above should be read more as I don't know what cabinet position Biden would be best suited for, but since Bell likes him so much, he probably would have better advice on that number.

327 Days and Much Hard Work

Misty F — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 14:34:16 EST

327 days ago, on February 10, many people, like myself, awaited the official announcement from Barack Obama that he would run for President of the United States.

We've done a lot in those 327 days to support Senator Obama's run, as have many other people in supporting their candidate. I've written over a hundred blogs on my.BarackObama.com about things like when Utah for Obama had it's first meeting, walked in a parade, Walked for Change, got organized, made front page news for bringing Obama to Utah, launched one of the nation's first chapters of Generation Obama, helped open the first 2008 Presidential campaign office in Utah, and so much more! (I haven't had a chance to blog about how we're making 500 to 1,000 calls a day or more)

And so, tonight, in mere hours, every ounce of work that Utah for Obama has done will show the very first fruits. We will watch from Utah Headquarters as the results of Iowa's Caucus begin to come in. I'm getting goose bumps just thinking about it!

The Iowa Watch Party begins at 6 PM, with results likely starting between 6:30 and 7, and continuing throughout the evening. Please join us at 1747 South 900 West. (You can optionally bring snack food or drinks, if you like)

Come watch history happen with us!

Happy New Year! (Iowa Watch Party, Nevada Caucus Trip and much more!)

Misty F — Mon, 31 Dec 2007 12:33:33 EST

Utahns,

I have lots of things to talk about today. But, first - Happy New Year to each of you! May the new year bring you much happiness, and many blessings.

Iowa Watch Party at HQ
The first primary of the 2008 presidential election is kicking off this Thursday, January 3 in Iowa. Bring your family and friends, and join other Barack Obama staff and supporters at the Utah Headquarters and watch history happen live!

We will be gathering starting at 6 PM, and we expect news of the election results to begin coming in at 7 PM and continue throughout the evening while we cheer Senator Obama on from here in Utah. We'e working on getting a staffer or two to call and tell us on speakerphone what is going on, and how much energy they are seeing.

Feel free to bring a snack or drinks to share, but please join us either way.

We'll be watching on the tv in the gathering area, as well as on the projector in the meeting room.

You can sign up here.

Elko, Nevada trip for Caucus
I'm coordinating trips for people who want to go to Elko, NV to volunteer the weekend of their caucus (January 19). Details can be found here. Make sure you give me your contact information, so I can help you find a carpool (or help carpoolers find you if you're driving), as well as work on housing.

Photo Shoot
We're planning on taking photos of Obama supporters here in Utah to send in to the campaign on the afternoon of January 1. We'll be using the "Utah for Obama" flag that Janet Lee made, and trying to make sure we give the photo a distinctive "Utah" theme, to show the support that we have here. If you'd like to be a part of this, please let me know, and I'll get you the details as soon as they are finalized. Also, if you have photos of any event that we've done and haven't sent them to me in the past, please email them directly to me. I'm including it in the collection of photos from the past year, and passing some of them on to Chicago, as well.

Cartoon
Here is the cartoon from Mark Rothacher from earlier this week:

Iowa Staffers Coming to Utah
You've probably heard the Iowa Staffers are coming here to Utah after this Thursday, to stay until our primary on February 5. We still don't have housing, though! If you've got an extra room that you'd be willing to let one of them use, please let Aaron know. I have a bed that I can let them use, if someone has a room with no bed. We will also have Nevada Staffers coming here after January 19. Every little bit helps, so if you've got something available for part of that time, but not all, please talk to Aaron at (801) 803-0647.

Register to Vote By Mail
January 7 is the deadline to visit Utah's Election web site, and download either the regular registration form or the vote by mail form and get it mailed in. You can also pick up copies at HQ.

Help at the Office
If you can come down to the office to help with phone calls or anything else that needs done, call Aaron at (801) 803-0647. He needs to make sure someone is there from 9 am to 9 pm daily through the primary.

Fired Up!

Ready to Go!

Take The New Year's Challenge

Misty F — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 18:43:32 EST

Are you ready for the New Year? By that, I mean - are you registered to vote, either as a Democrat or unaffiliated, with your current address?

February 5 might seem like an eternity away, but if your registration form isn't postmarked by January 7, you don't get to help elect Barack Obama.

So, if you haven't already registered, visit Utah's Election web site, and download either the regular registration form or the vote by mail form. (In Utah, anyone can vote by mail, you don't need an excuse) Then you can just mail it in, or drop it by your local office.

There are lots of volunteers around our state, so if you need any help whatsoever with getting yourself registered, please let one of us know.

So, here's my challenge to you:
Before New Year's make sure you're registered, double check your information online to make sure it's accurate, and then find at least one other person who needs to be registered and help them get it done!

Grand Opening - SLC HQ

Misty F — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 15:53:00 EST

I'm sorry I'm so late in writing this, but better late than never, right? Between the hustle and bustle of the season, having a sick child and then getting sick myself, this is my first chance.

These photos were from the Official Grand Opening of Obama HQ in Salt Lake City, Utah on December 8. We had over 200 people attend the event, even though we had a really bad snowstorm that morning. We signed up over 50 new volunteers. It was an amazing way to kick off the opening of the new office!

Janet Lee made this wheel for people to spin to win prizes, such as bumper stickers.

Theo and Dianna spent 7 hours decorating these cookies!

Lots of us wrote why we support Senator Obama on this white board. It reads:
Why I Support Obama
An Optimistic Vision for America - Derek
Judgement / World View - Theo
Change for the better! - (Moni?)
Fresh Ideas -> Leadership, So Much More - (?) Nikki
Hope - Misty, Bill, Moni(?), Jenée
It's time for Barack Obama, and I believe in the Senator. Go Obama!
Integrity - Janet
No Health Mandate - J
Victory - Brett
New Direction
They say his lack of experience in Washington is a negative. I see it as a refreshing, positive sign. - Heloise (?)
Understanding of the people of the world. - Strider
Because he's cute and has funny ears. - Anonymous
Diplomacy - Kim
All of the above - Bill

Everyone that could crowded into the main reception hall while I spoke to them about why it is so important to volunteer time, and what kinds of ways they could help, and then Aaron elaborated on volunteering.

Aaron Wiley, Utah's Field Director, with Ivonna, our "Mamma for Obama" leader and her new baby.

One of three cakes we had for the reception. - Ready to Go!

One of three cakes we had for the reception. - Oops it should say Fired Up!

One of three cakes we had for the reception. - Obama '08

Much thanks to Nikki Norton for these photos! The rest of them are on Flickr. If you have more pictures, please let me know, or add them to the Flickr group!

KSL covered the story, as did Channel 2.

If you haven't been down yet, stop by 1747 South 900 West, or call 801-88-Obama (801-886-2262) to let Aaron know you'd like to come down. And don't forget to volunteer to make phone calls!

Obama's UT HQ Open House!

Misty F — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 21:29:15 EST

At long last, we can finally announce our Open House! It will be Saturday, December 8. Doors open at 11 am, and the presentations begin promptly at noon. Volunteers will be asked to arrive at 9 am, if possible. If you would like to volunteer or donate items, you can either contact me by phone or email, or contact Aaron Wiley at 803-0647, and please sign up at the links that are at the bottom of this email.

Below is all the information about how you can help!

Bill Campaigning for Barack?

Misty F — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 12:12:51 EST

If I didn't know any better, I'd say Bill was preparing America for Barack in this video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMlrSG1xb5k

"I believe experience counts, but it's not everything. Values, judgment, and the record I have amassed in my state..." "We have got to have the courage to change. Experience is important, yes. I've got a lot of good experience dealing with ordinary people." "We need a new approach. The same old experience is not relevant. And you can have the right kind of experience and the wrong kind of experience. Mine is rooted int he real lives of real people, and it will bring real results if we have the courage to change."

iceburgslim at DailyKos argues that the job of the President is always one of on the job training, unless you've already served as POTUS. So, while certain kinds of experience are relevant, you have to look at their values and judgment, what new ideas they bring, the strength of their character.

Senator Obama has shown that his judgment is sound, by speaking out against the Iraq War from the beginning, when it could have hurt his political career, and by organizing inner city neighborhoods and leading the people there to bring themselves a higher standard of living.

He brings a message of hope, and it is not an empty one. Hope that we can have a president who is the leader of our entire nation, not just those who are willing to agree with him. Hope that our nation can find solutions to the energy crisis, and stop being dependent on foreign oil. Hope that we can bring a diplomatic solution to the horrible events in Iraq, not only so that our soldiers can come home, but so that the people in Iraq can share in this idea of hope for themselves, and their sons and daughters and mothers and fathers will not continue to die senseless deaths. Hope for a balanced budget that does not leave our children facing national bankruptcy due to irresponsible spending. Hope that our Constitution will be restored. Hope that we will have a President who is worthy of our trust.

If I am to vote for a president based on his or her ability to negotiate peace in Iraq and prevent war with Iran, I want someone who understood the difference between Sunni and Shia, and could explain it, way back in 2002.

If I am to vote based on how they'll do at taking care of America, I want someone who has been more than a casual tourist of low income neighborhoods, someone who has helped these people help themselves. I want someone who has lived the life of an average American, and who knows life outside of politics. Someone not indebted to special interests.

All of these things describe Barack Obama and are parts of the reason my hope is that he is our next President.

I love the fact that 6 months ago, he stood in Detroit and told auto manufacturers that they have a responsibility to produce cleaner cars, and that they had to straighten up. And 6 months later the United Auto Workers of America endorsed him. He is able to tell people truths they might not want to hear, but he can still get his message across to them. Part of today's culture is to avoid offending people, in this era of political correctness. You don't stare at cripples, you aren't supposed to notice when someone's skin is a different color, you don't tell jokes that poke fun at minorities or people less well off than yourself, and you don't tell people that their breath smells. You just don't say or do anything to directly offend others, especially when you're campaigning for their votes. So, for Senator Obama to stand in front of them and say what he meant, and criticize them, and for them to turn around and endorse him speaks volumes about his ability to be President and how much experience he truly has.

Senator Obama becoming President Obama will be the difference between being ashamed of our country, as I am now, and once more being proud to be an American.

The Scoop On Aaron Wiley and New Offices

Misty F — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 23:49:49 EST

This evening I had the privilege of meeting Aaron Wiley, the new Utah Field Director. Aaron is a recent graduate from the University of Utah, where he obtained his degree in Political Science, and was also the President of the Black Student Union. Aaron and his wife have two beautiful children, ages 15 months and 5 years. He comes to us from the campaign of Senator Gene Davis, where he started as the Deputy Director for the campaign, and is now the Director.

I met him at the new field office for Senator Obama here in Salt Lake City. We are still setting up, but we'll have two offices, along with a phone banking area, a central gathering area, a large conference room with a projector that can hold nearly 150 people, and an executive conference room available.

We hope to be able to have the Open House sometime next week, and that information will be posted as soon as it's available.

We will need your help, and as much of it as you can offer. We have a list of over 3,000 Utahns to call who have volunteered to help with this campaign, and our very first goal will be to reach them. As soon as the offices are stocked, we'll be sending out the call for you to come in and help us to call them.

Aaron is in direct contact with the Chicago field office, so he'll always have the latest information about what direction we should be going.

Aaron will not be "taking over" any of the existing groups, such as Utah for Obama, University of Utah for Obama, Dixie 4 Obama, etc. His wants us all to continue with the things that we have been doing, because we've been doing them right. In fact, Raul told me that Utah was the most active group of all of them nationwide. But, we'll be able to get our guidance directly from Aaron, and most importantly, help him out with the phone banking.

There will be other office duties that will be required, as well. So, any time that you'll have to spend at the office will be much appreciated. We have had a lot of different activities in the past, and the office will give us a unique opportunity to get to know each other a little better, and organize our efforts more.

Below are some photos I took earlier this evening. Unfortunately, I was not prepared with my "real" camera, so these are just from my phone. I'll post better ones as soon as I get them.

Here is our conference room, which has a projector and can hold around 150 people. That's Aaron off to the right.

Here is the phone banking area.

Here is our second office, just across from the one Aaron is set up in.

Here is the gathering space.

Don't forget to keep an eye on the "local events" or watch the Utah for Obama ListServ - we'll be posting information about our Open House very soon.

Email/ListServ on Utah For Obama

Misty F — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 12:07:15 EST

There are over 350 members of Utah for Obama, and we continue to grow every day. This is absolutely amazing!

Most of our members subscribe to the ListServ - that's what the emails that are sent to the entire group are called. Because our group is so large, sometimes we end up with emails that are not of general interest to all 350+ people. It probably wouldn't be that big of a deal if we weren't such a big group, but consider this. If it takes you 30 seconds to open and read and then delete an email, that means that collectively, almost 3 hours of time might be spent on a given email.
350 (people) * 30 seconds = 10,500 seconds = 175 minutes = 2 hours 55 minutes

I want to encourage everyone to use their blogs to communicate with each other for most things. Our main blog can be found here:
http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/group/UtahforObama/
And if you use an RSS reader, you can pick that up here:
http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/group_rss/UtahforObama

If you read someone's blog and have anything to say - post a reply! People really like to get their blogs noticed, and it's a great way to have interesting discussions.

This doesn't mean you can't ever send an email to the group. It does mean that the ListServ will now be moderated, and sometimes your email might not be sent on to the whole group. When this happens, I will drop you a short note telling you why and referring you back to this information. If in doubt, it won't hurt to send it - the worst that will happen is you'll get a note back and the email won't go to the whole group.

Here are the basic guidelines that we'll go by:
Is the topic of the email relevant to most people in Utah?
Is it on the topic of Barack Obama?
Does it contribute to the discussion?

Examples of things that won't be sent through are: invitations to events outside of Utah, anything promoting other candidates, and "thank you" or "you are right" types replies that are for a specific person.

Most things that are meant for discussion should be done via blogs. There will be rare exceptions where we will send an email that points to a blog to initiate discussion, but that will most be for organizing activities, and not just to discuss the last debate or other things like that.

Feel free to ask if you have any questions about this information.

Excitement in Utah!

Misty F — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 12:58:15 EST

We have lots of exciting news today. First up is that, as many of you may have already heard, Utah is getting a field office and a staff person to direct the volunteers. Thomas Burr wrote an article for the Salt Lake Tribune. Mary Richards from KSL Newsradio 1160 called this morning to get some sound clips, so we will probably have coverage there, as well. Currently there is a short article without sound on KSL's web site, though. If you've got a moment, you might want to read through the comments at either place and add your own thoughts.

Barack on Education

Misty F — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 16:53:03 EST

This is a perfect example of why I believe in Barack Obama's ability to lead our nation. Here is his new television ad in New Hampshire.
(Sorry I can't post the video here, click the link to watch - it's short)

He's got a plan to provide a better education for our children. Great. Most candidates do, most candidates talk about making it better. But, he says right there that the government can't make it happen all on it's own. Parents have to be involved, and their participation is what will make the difference for the children.

So many of his ideas have this same foundation. This idea that we as a society have a responsibility to those around us, but that is balanced out by the fact that each of those people also have to do their part. The government can't give you a better life, but they can provide tools so that you can give yourself a better life.

Individual responsibility is a refreshing idea that I think our country has moved away from. I don't think all of it has been completely unhealthy, but take look at the subject of auto insurance.

Auto insurance is rather necessary. If I have an accident in my $12,000 Jeep, I'm not likely to be able to fix my own vehicle, much less pay for the bumper of the Mercedes I just hit, right? But, if I take that as a license to drive like an idiot, because I won't be held accountable, that insurance isn't doing me or society any favors.

On the other hand, if I didn't have insurance, should the other guy have to pay for his own repairs because I don't have the money or the insurance? No. So, we have deductibles and fines and other ways of requiring a person to be responsible for their actions.

I believe that many of the government services we have, and some we don't have yet, are necessary. I understand the conservative view that big government is bad. But, I think that by taking the initiative to tell a parent that they have to be a part of their child's education in order for that child to succeed, Barack Obama will help to change America's sometimes lazy viewpoint about what is required in life. To stimulate Americans to achieve greatness is far better than patting them on the back and telling them "it's ok, you don't have to do anything you don't want to, we'll take care of it for you".

Just to bring this back home to Utah - this was part of my point about vouchers. If the parents and other people that were for vouchers would put their hearts and souls into public schools, we could achieve everything voucher supporters dreamed of, and more.

Barack Obama will be one of our great presidents, not just someone to fill the office for a few years. I'm excited about the possibility of seeing our country thrive.

Dinner with Raul

Misty F — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 13:57:36 EST

The Utah for Obama Steering Committee got to go to dinner Tuesday evening with Raul Alvillar. Raul works for the Obama campaign, and is over Utah and Arizona. He's in town looking to set up a Salt Lake City office. How exciting will that be?!

DFA Won't Settle For Hillary?

Misty F — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 12:59:22 EST

I just got this email from Democracy For America.

Dear Misty,
Fight for a Progressive President. Support DFA with $15 Right Now.

The mainstream media and Beltway pundits have made up their minds. The Presidential Primary is already over.

Not so fast. The media isn't going to vote on caucus day -- but we are.

That's why Dennis Kucinich fought hard for your support in the DFA Pulse Poll.

Why John Edwards was first to respond to DFA members with his positions on Iraq and Global Warming.

Why Barack Obama is using DFA Training Academy materials to give his supporters the skills to win.

You know that primaries matter -- and this primary is the biggest of them all. Democracy for America is not going to let the pre-ordained front runner walk away without a fight.

Chip in $15 right now and support DFA's fight for a Progressive President.

http://www.DemocracyforAmerica.com/PrimariesMatter

Last week over 150,000 DFA members voted in our Presidential Primary pulse poll. No candidate was able to walk away with a majority, but one thing was clear. DFA members will not settle for the pundit's top choice.

DFA members are the boots on the ground fighting for progressive change. We are the caucus-goers, the early primary voters, the ones whose votes actually count.

DFA members support bold candidates with big ideas. Progessive candidates like Dennis Kucinich, John Edwards and Barack Obama. DFA members support candidates who are going to take our country in a new direction, stand for principles and make change happen.

We will not triangulate a third way. This race is not a foregone conclusion. Support DFA with a $15 contribution right now.

http://www.DemocracyforAmerica.com/PrimariesMatter

Together, we will show the pundits that primaries matter.

Thank you for putting your contribution into action.

-Rachel

Rachel Moss
Finance Director

There are a few things I picked up in reading this. The very first point was that the Chosen One of the media (Hillary) hasn't already won the Primary. Then they mention Kucinich, Edwards and Obama in a rather positive light. Just in case a person didn't already see what they were getting at, that was followed up with saying they weren't going to "let the pre-ordained front runner walk away without a fight".

They all but say that Hillary isn't progressive, and they don't think she should be in office.

The bold type was DFA's, and not mine, so I think the impressions I got were the ones they wanted me to have. I wonder how big of a ripple this will make in the end, but I have to say I'm highly impressed that they would do this, and I hope that other Democratic organizations will take their lead and not be afraid of pissing Hillary off. Because they're right - this race is not a foregone conclusion. We should be voting for who we think is the right person, and not who the media tells us has already won.

Now if we could just get Gore to tell us who he's endorsing.

Obama and Ron Paul

Misty F — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 15:08:10 EST

The latest buzz seems to be that Barack Obama and Ron Paul ought to be running mates, in one fashion or another. Let's do a comparison and see how that might work out.

Lobbyists
Paul voted NO to H.R. 437, to require lobbyist disclosure of bundled donations, May 2007.
Barack Obama has spoken out against such bundling.

Green Gathering for Obama & Saturday's Meeting [Updated]

Misty F — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 12:53:59 EST

This Saturday, Utah for Obama will be joining Tree Utah to plant trees along the Jordan River Parkway. Our Events Coordinator, Janet Hurley, came up with the idea for us to help a few weeks back, and oddly enough, the Obama Campaign came out with a request for us to do a "Green Gathering" that same day, with suggested activity ideas including tree planting. Yeah, that's because we rock!

Anyway, if you'd like to join us, sign up here. Utah for Obama will also be resuming our bi-weekly meetings at the SLC Main Library that afternoon. Come find out more about Obama or volunteer to help with other upcoming events.

[Update] I forgot to include other events that are going on in the state. There's a River Trail Cleanup, also part of the Green Gathering effort, and then that evening's USU for Obama meeting, both in Logan. If you can't make it in person, or create your own, you can always check out the Virtual Green Gathering that another grassroots member has created.

Did Barack Hurt His Standing in the LGBT Community?

Misty F — Tue, 30 Oct 2007 23:44:01 EDT

I have to admit, when I read about Pastor McClurkin going on tour with Barack, and the scandal that has followed, I was not very happy. My first instinct was that they're Americans, too. And Bush excludes anyone who doesn't agree with him, so maybe this isn't so bad. It's obvious that McClurkin's views are the polar opposite of Barack's. But, I was not looking forward to being asked about this, because it just wasn't a good thing, no matter how you look at it.

I am very sick, and have been for a couple of days. So, I am not totally up on all the details on this one, but I did run across one thing that really changed how I'm looking at this. Young Montana Voter wrote a diary on Daily Kos entitled "The Obama campaign's response to my nasty email".

Romney Hoping for Faux News Backing?

Misty F — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 15:01:56 EDT

In a supposed "slip of the tongue" that would do Faux News proud, Mitt Romney accused Barack Obama (and the rest of the Democrats) of encouraging terror.

In the midst of criticizing Obama and other Democrats on foreign and economic policy Tuesday, the GOP presidential hopeful said: 'Actually, just look at what Osam -- Barack Obama -- said just yesterday. Barack Obama, calling on radicals, jihadists of all different types, to come together in Iraq. That is the battlefield... It's almost as if the Democratic contenders for president are living in fantasyland. Their idea for jihad is to retreat, and their idea for the economy is to also retreat. And in my view, both efforts are wrongheaded.'"

DFA Pulse Poll

Misty F — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 12:37:51 EDT

Democracy For America is holding a pulse poll, to help determine which candidate they will back. Obama is currently #1, and you can help keep him there. This isn't just another media poll. Let's get the DFA to back Barack!

Cheney and Obama Related?

Misty F — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 11:30:50 EDT

Think Progress has video of Lynne Cheney telling Norah O'Donnell that Dick and Barack are 8th cousins.

A spokeswoman Lynne Cheney explained to the AP that Obama “is a descendent of Mareen Duvall. This French Huguenot’s son married the granddaughter of a Richard Cheney, who arrived in Maryland in the late 1650’s from England, said Ginny Justice, a spokeswoman for Lynne Cheney.” The Obama campaign’s response? “Every family has a black sheep.”

Lobbyists and PACs Represent Americans?

Misty F — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 14:12:11 EDT

I think that lobbyists and PACs represent corporate interests and a few people who have a lot of money. So, it really pisses me off that in order for me to pay for Utah for Obama to have a booth, or advertise an event in City Weekly like our Bowling for Barack fundraiser this Friday, that we have to jump through hoops to make sure we are within FEC guidelines. We, as a small group of citizens cannot hold a BBQ without worrying that we save every receipt that might be slightly related and turn it in as an in-kind donation to the campaign. And, if we wanted to form a Political Action Committee, so that we can pay our own way for events and BBQs, we couldn't because a PAC can't have the sole purpose of helping a presidential campaign. Besides which, Obama isn't taking PAC or lobbyist money in this election.

Obama in Florida

Misty F — Tue, 09 Oct 2007 15:38:16 EDT

There's a great diary on DailyKos about Obama's visit to Florida. It's a really enjoyable read, and has some great photos. My favorite line from it is the last line of this:

As much as I hate to give this guy any credit, I am quoting Republican pollster and Market Researcher, Frank Luntz: "80 percent of our life is emotion, and only 20 percent is intellect. I am much more interested in how you feel than how you think. I can change how you think, but how you feel is something deeper and stronger, and it's something that's inside you. How you think is on the outside, how you feel is on the inside, so that's what I need to understand." http://www.pbs.org/...
My thoughts on that: In 2004, approximately 1/2 of Americans voted with/for the emotion of fear. In 2008, a majority of Americans will vote with/for the emotion of hope.

Utah Polls Give Obama 42%

Misty F — Sat, 06 Oct 2007 10:26:58 EDT

Salt Lake City's conservative paper, the Deseret Morning News published this:

The state's Democrats, meanwhile, strongly favored Barack Obama. The Illinois senator had the support of 42 percent of Utah Democrats who said they planned to vote, compared to 18 percent who said they would vote for former Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina and 16 percent for Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York.

Follow me in for more details.

Let Kennedy know it's Obama who inspires

Misty F — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 12:24:42 EDT

CNN has an article about Senator Kennedy's endorsement. In it, Kennedy says:
"Inspiration," Kennedy said. "I'm looking for a candidate able to galvanize the country to get things done. I want to find the candidate who can inspire people. That's what we need. That's what our party needs."

Read the article, then write Kennedy and let him know how and why Senator Obama inspires you, and ask him to endorse Obama.

Follow me in for my email to Senator Kennedy.

Fire it up!

Misty F — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 14:54:32 EDT

I just saw this video posted on Nick Kimball's blog, and it's my favorite video as of late.

Check it out here.

An Obama Christmas!

Misty F — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 12:52:14 EDT

I was looking at the new "Student Rewind" blog, and saw this photo:

I got to thinking, and I bet I could attach a similarly painted foam "wreath" with a Christmas theme to the spare tire on the back of my Jeep. And I'd be all set for Christmas!

Meeting and Fundraiser Update

Misty F — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 18:35:22 EDT

Yesterday was our bi-monthly meeting, as well as the fundraiser at The Woodshed. Here is an update on both events.

We had 14 attendees, including 5 who had not previously attended one of our organizing meetings. One of them was Adam Goldstein, who is launching the Utah chapter of Lawyers for Obama. If you are a lawyer, or you know of one who is interested in Senator Obama, you can contact Adam through the web site.

American Cancer Society Ads

Misty F — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 16:58:39 EDT

From CNN:

The American Cancer Society is devoting its entire $15 million advertising budget for 2007 to highlight the problems faced by Americans who don't have any or enough health insurance.
The society says that, because they lack insurance, people may not be getting the checkups they need to catch cancer early, when treatments are more successful.

When words aren't enough

Misty F — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 15:48:03 EDT

Only Barack

Misty F — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 15:11:32 EDT

(Crossposted to Saintless)

Only Barack Obama could go in front of 150 Wall Street execs and tell them they've been greedy bastards, and that they should step up and take mutual responsibility. And then have them agree with him.

Armed Forces Members Contribute Most to Obama

Misty F — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 14:10:22 EDT

According to ABC News, Senator Obama receives more donations from members of the Armed Forces than any other presidential candidate.

Now that's just COOL!

Misty F — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 11:33:37 EDT

I got the following email today, which I'm sure most everyone also received. I just thought it was extremely cool!

Gun Control

Misty F — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 14:30:14 EDT

My boyfriend has asked me a lot about Obama's position on gun control. I've told him how Obama's voted, and what little is available to read on the topic. My boyfriend and I both enjoy target shooting, and very much believe in the Second Amendment, and that the right to bear arms is vital to our country. But, that's another discussion.

Alexander Morgan posted a blog linking to Obama's GQ cover story. I'm very much enjoying reading the article, and I ran across this:

What is the Health Care solution?

Misty F — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 10:00:55 EDT

(Cross posted to Saintless)

I've heard a lot of arguments on both sides, about what America should do about the health care crisis. I think there are a lot of misunderstandings about what some of the proposed solutions are, though. But, when I read a story like Suzanne's, I know something has to be done.

Suzanne from Manchester shared her story about falling into Medicare Part D’s “doughnut hole” – the gulf between the low cap of prescription medication costs covered by Medicare and the high threshold for coverage for catastrophic insurance. She said
I was paying maybe $6 to $28 for my prescriptions and I thought, ‘well great, what is everybody complaining about?’ And one day my husband came home from the pharmacy with two of my prescriptions, and he said, ‘you know this cost over $200.’ I had fallen into the doughnut hole.

Although covered by Medicare Part D from January to August, Suzanne has to pay the full costs for her prescribed medicine from September to December. Ballooning costs have forced Suzanne to make a last resort decision. She takes her most expensive drugs, prescribed for her coronary disease condition, every other day.

Countdown for Change Party

Misty F — Tue, 04 Sep 2007 15:06:41 EDT

I so badly want to host a Countdown for Change party on September 15. This will be the first major campaign event which I'm not participating in. I am in the process of moving, and that will be the next to last weekend I have to get my stuff moved.

I haven't yet seen any Countdown parties planned for Utah, but hopefully we'll see a few planned here. They don't have to be elaborate productions - host a small party for 5 - 10 people, your friends and neighbors. Even the fundraising goal isn't hard:

Depending on which early state you choose, set a fundraising goal for your house party that’s related to the number of days between the date of your event and the caucus or primary.

If you choose Iowa, your goal will be $121.
If you choose Nevada, your goal will be $126.
If you choose New Hampshire, your goal will be $129.
If you choose South Carolina, your goal will be $136.

Fun Event Ideas

Misty F — Fri, 31 Aug 2007 12:58:38 EDT

Utah for Obama has a booth at this weekend's Avenues Street Fair. I'm brainstorming some ideas, and thought I'd put them out there, and see if anyone else has some to add.

The first idea is to have some kind of large poster, with the Obama log at the top, and get passerby to sign the poster to show support for Barack. That then breaks the ice, and the people will talk to us, and possibly sign an official endorsement.

In the future, maybe we could get balloons printed, because children love to carry them around.

Perhaps some sort of wheel to spin, where adults and children can win anything from a piece of candy to a bottle of water to a copy of one of Barack's books.

Does anyone else have ideas like this? I'm sure many groups across the nation have come up with ideas, and are also looking for new ones. Please comment, if you have any to add!

Things are so much better in Iraq!

Misty F — Thu, 30 Aug 2007 23:53:11 EDT

The proof is in the pudding....

A military cargo plane carrying three senators and a House member was forced to take evasive maneuvers and dispatch flares to avoid ground fire after taking off from Baghdad on Thursday night.
The lawmakers said their plane, a C-130, was under fire from three rocket-propelled grenades over the course of several minutes as they left for Amman, Jordan.

"It was a scary moment," said Sen. Mel Martinez, R-Fla., who said he had just taken off his body armor when he saw a bright flash outside the window. "Our pilots were terrific. ... They banked in one direction and then banked the other direction, and they set off the flares."
Sens. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., and James Inhofe, R-Okla., as well as Rep. Bud Cramer, D-Ala., were also on the plane.

Senator Barack Obama is the only choice if we want what's best for us, and best for Iraq - a diplomatic solution.

OT: John the Revelator

Misty F — Thu, 30 Aug 2007 11:45:13 EDT

I normally try to keep this blog related somehow to Obama, but I couldn't resist sharing this.

Bush stars in Depeche Mode's John the Revelator video

Whoever did this was brilliant!

Camp Obama Preview

Misty F — Thu, 30 Aug 2007 11:14:35 EDT

I've been watching the blogs to find someone who would write about what it was really like to attend Camp Obama. I was very disappointed when it was postponed in Salt Lake City, but Buffy promises that it will be rescheduled, so I'm very much looking forward to that. I ran across a blog today that linked to an article from Huffington Post, and it was exactly what I was looking for!

[more after the fold]

How I keep up with all the blogs

Misty F — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 14:53:54 EDT

I like to keep up with all of the Obama blogs, but visiting all of the web pages would be impossible for me. So, I use RSS to do it. I thought I'd share how I do it, for those who may want to do the same, but don't know how.

There are many ways of using RSS, but I'm only going to explain the RSS Reader that I use and how I use it.

What Can You Do?

Misty F — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 12:24:43 EDT

In Utah, we seem to feel like we're a special case. Which is true. We live in one of the reddest states in the Union. However, that doesn't mean there's no hope of going blue. In fact, this is the prime time for that to happen. The morals of the average Utahn differ from our current administration greatly. The problem is, Utahns don't have the information they need to make a more responsible choice in our next president.

What Utah hears on the tv, or reads in the paper, shouldn't be the only source of information they have. Utah for Obama is one of the most active groups in the country. Which means, if our activities are steered correctly, our group can make a huge difference in this election.

More information about what you can do, below the fold.

Generation Obama Launch

Misty F — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 10:13:46 EDT

Generation Obama Salt Lake City launched last Saturday, with about 25 people in attendance at the BBQ. Most of the faces were familiar, though we did meet a couple of new people. We all signed public supporter cards, so the campaign can use our names as endorsers. Here are most of the children who were in attendance:

Overcoming the Threat with Hope

Misty F — Sun, 19 Aug 2007 12:06:52 EDT

This morning as I was cooking bacon, and had time to myself without the hustle and bustle of life, I wondered how I'd gotten to this point in my life. The point where I'm the Chair of this group, Utah for Obama, as well as Field Director for an area of Salt Lake for our county Democratic Party. Barely more than a year ago, my life seemed plenty full, between children, my boyfriend and work. How have I found the ability to add in the responsibility of helping out the county Democratic Party, as well as the one of leading a group dedicated to getting Barack Obama the Democratic Nomination this coming February?

More importantly, why am I doing this? It would be so much easier to throw myself into work, make some more money on the side to support my family and pursue my own interests, of reading, computers and living the good life. And it occurred to me that I felt threatened by our government. My children, and the life I'm living, are at risk because America chose poorly in the last two presidential elections.

G.O. BBQ for Barack and Committee Meeting

Misty F — Sun, 19 Aug 2007 11:10:52 EDT

Yesterday, we had 12 attendees at the Utah for Obama Committee Meeting, including two new members, Carol and Barbara. The following are the topics for discussion:

AFL-CIO Debate

Misty F — Wed, 08 Aug 2007 00:43:12 EDT

I have to admit, I haven't gotten to watch the debate yet, but if the rest of it went as well as the Pakistan discussion did, it is clear that Senator Obama won. Crooks and Liars has video that truly is "must see".

The most heated moments from tonight's AFL-CIO forum came when the topic turned to Senator Barack Obama and his claim for the last debate that he would invade Pakistan to fight terrorism, even without permission from President Pervez Musharraf. Senator Chris Dodd was asked about his critical response to Obama's statements and reiterates his criticism and things get going from there. Obama stands his ground and jabs Dodd and Clinton for voting for the invasion of Iraq, then turning around and attacking him "for making sure we are on the right battlefield, and not the wrong battlefield in the war against terrorism," which drew huge applause from the audience.

Download

Senator Clinton once again attacked Obama on this issue which didn't go over well with the crowd…

Park City Roadside Rally (Update 1 with video)

Misty F — Mon, 06 Aug 2007 16:22:52 EDT

Sunday's "Roadside Rally" that Utah for Obama put together was amazing! I only helped a little with the planning, since I had out of state relatives visiting. Nikki Norton headed up the effort, and it really paid off!

We found out Friday that the Senator was going to stop and give a speech (which I'll blog about separately soon), and we couldn't tell anyone until the press was notified on Saturday evening. It was very hard to keep my mouth shut and not tell the whole world! We had expected around 50 - 100 people to show up, and it turns out that we had over 1,000, according to Secret Service estimates.

The next three pictures (taken by climbing some stairs attached to the Visitor's Center) will give you an idea of how many people attended. They were taken about 30 minutes before the Senator arrived, according to the timestamp.

Front Page News

Misty F — Thu, 02 Aug 2007 11:20:13 EDT

The Trib just did an article on this weekend's events, after speaking with Nikki. It's probably the best coverage we've had so far, and they even listed our meeting on Saturday!

http://www.sltrib.com/ci_6522948

Utah's Talking About Obama 7.26.7

Misty F — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 14:25:18 EDT

Here's the only Utah blog I caught talking about Obama today:

OneUtah says Obama is right, Clinton is wrong.

Utah's Talking About Obama 7.25.7

Misty F — Wed, 25 Jul 2007 12:09:15 EDT

Here are some recent blogs and articles about Barack from around Utah.

Steve Urquhart has a post titled "Darn that Barack Obama", which has some really great responses.

Dan Harrie posted an "Out of Context" blog on the SL Trib's site titled "A Provoan of a different stripe", which talks about Monday's YouTube/CNN debate.

Utah Conservitive Democrat asks Obama where he stands on Nuclear Energy.

Tom Grover of For the People, KVNU's blog, asks if Utah Ccnservatives are developing a 'man crush' on Obama?

There have been plenty of Obama sightings on the Utah Blogosphere as of late, so I'll try to post them as I come across them.

[UPDATE] Oops! I changed the title to get the publish date correct.

7-21-7 Meeting

Misty F — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 11:17:34 EDT

Saturday was our Open Committee Meeting, and we had 11 people in attendance. We made it official that Paul Sticca will be our Treasurer, which means that the only position that is still unfilled is the Writer's Group Coordinator.

Upcoming Events
Camp Obama will be here August 25 and 26. Krishnan Subrahmanian (Krish), who is the Border State Director in Nevada, will be hosting the event. This event is modeled after Camp Obama in Illinois, and will be a vital tool in our efforts. If there is any way that you are able to attend, I hope that you will.
http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/4v897

The Sister City program between Salt Lake City and Elko, NV will kick off on September 8 and 9, and then again on October 6 and 7. If you're able to, I hope you'll spend one or both of those weekends in Elko, helping canvass the area. After January 19, and before our February 5 primary, Elko will return the favor, and help us canvass our neighborhoods.

Utah State Democratic Convention

Misty F — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 17:45:19 EDT

Saturday morning, at least 10 of us (I hope I'm not forgetting anyone!) ran a Utah for Obama booth at the Utah State Convention. As all of our events have been, this one was a blast. We got a few special treats this time, though! Janet Lee made this incredible banner: I'm truly amazed at her talent!

We have a steering committee!

Misty F — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 02:24:48 EDT

Last Saturday, we officially formed the Steering Committee for Utah for Obama. Here are the committee assignments:

Chair - Misty Fowler
Co-chair - Mark Rothacher
Treasurer - Unfilled
Community Relations Director - Satya Kallepalli
Community Relations Assistant - Jacque Roberts
Media Relations Director - Nathan Garcia
Secretary - Theo Cowan
Events Coordinator - Janet Hurley
Voter Registration Coordinator - Gail Turpin
Scheduling Coordinator - Matt Ledingham
Materials Coordinator - Duchess Schuman
Writer's Group Coordinator - Unfilled

Utah for Obama Steering Committee

Misty F — Tue, 12 Jun 2007 01:26:16 EDT

Below is the general plan for the Utah for Obama Steering Committee that we will set up on June 23, at our next meeting. (RSVP here)

Salt Lake City Walked for Change

Misty F — Mon, 11 Jun 2007 16:14:27 EDT

Our Walk for Change didn't just make the news here, here, here and here. We also got shown a little love from Campaign Headquarters. Check out the latest official blog.

Thanks so much to each of you for the support that has been given. Even those of you that didn't make it Saturday have still helped in other ways that made this possible. Helping with previous events, coming to meetings, even blog posting. All of your efforts led to the incredible success that we had.

Conference Call with Barack

Misty F — Thu, 07 Jun 2007 17:41:57 EDT

I just got off the phone from a conference call with Senator Obama. I was invited, along with several other members of Utah for Obama, and leaders of groups from other States, to participate in a conference call with the Senator. It was a very uplifting experience, and I'm glad I was able to be a part of it.

At the beginning of the call, campaign staff let us know that this weekend's Walk for Change is being held in all 50 states. There are over 150 canvasses taking place, and over 10,000 people have signed up to walk.

Barack came on the line and spoke about how this is the largest event of it's kind this early in a campaign in history. We have an incredible opportunity this weekend to be part of that history.

We also got an honorable mention from Barack. He was speaking of how many people were signed up, and he said that even in unexpected areas like Salt Lake City, we have over 50 people signed up, and then said he wanted to give a shout out to us. I was very pleased by this, because the Senator gave us a big honor with this mention. He did not mention other areas in this way during the call. Personally, this gives me just a little more hope that he will be visiting Utah before the primaries!

Below are the notes I took from the rest of what he said. This isn't a transcript, it's just the best notes I could take while listening.

Barack the Kitchen Cookbook Organization

Misty F — Thu, 24 May 2007 12:58:43 EDT

So, I think that we need to establish leadership roles before we do anything else. Here are my suggestions for the roles:

Meeting Notes and SL Democratic Convention - April 29

Misty F — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 01:06:04 EDT

April 29 was a big day for Utah for Obama. We had a booth at both the Salt Lake and Davis County Democratic Conventions, as well as our regular meeting.

Jedi Cats?

Misty F — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 00:47:37 EDT

Kevin wrote a post listing some of his favorite groups, out of the 2,261 national groups on this site. That's how I came upon Cats for Obama and Jedi for Obama, which I joined immediately.

Highlights - April 18, 2007

Misty F — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 00:29:47 EDT

Today's edition of "Highlights" covers blog posts since Sunday afternoon.

David G. Mathiasen DGM gives us his personal experience of Obama in person at DC fundraiser.
Amy tells us why she thinks The alternative is unacceptable.
Kevin browsed all 2,261 national groups on this site, and lists his favorites. (I joined Cats for Obama and Jedi for Obama because of this!)
Lynn transcribed Michelle's speech at the Women for Obama luncheon.
Tel tells us what he'd like to change, and sees Senator Obama as a shining example of the positives, and an antidote to the negatives.
Michael's daily Barack Top Ten news articles is always worth a glance.

Utahns Dig Deep for Campaigns

Misty F — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 11:09:37 EDT

Today's edition of the Salt Lake Trib has an article by Thomas Burr titled "Utahns dig deep for campaigns". The subheading says "Romney hauls in the most, but Democrats Obama and Clinton collect tidy sums", and the article mentions Obama and our group:

Republican Pete McCloskey

Misty F — Mon, 16 Apr 2007 18:03:49 EDT

Republican Senator and 1972 presidential candidate Pete McCloskey has not only registered as a Democrat, but in his email announcement he says "My favorite spokesmen have become Senators Jim Webb and Barack Obama".

That's the shocking part, but the most interesting parts are the reasons why.

Utah for Obama Group Update

Misty F — Sun, 15 Apr 2007 15:24:30 EDT

Saturday's meeting was a great success! We had around 20 people attend, and there was some very good feedback. Below is a summary of the topics discussed. If you are unable to attend meetings, but would like to help out with anything, please let us know. We are happy to coordinate with you outside of the meetings. It looks like we're growing quite a bit, and getting a lot of interest from the general public. There are a lot of things we could use help with that aren't mentioned here, so if you want to help and don't know how please contact Mark Rothacher and myself, and we'll let you know what our pressing needs are, or you can let us know what you're interested in doing.

Highlights

Misty F — Sun, 15 Apr 2007 14:08:59 EDT

I would like to start a feature highlighting recent blogs. I would really appreciate help from others in the community to find the blogs that you think people should make note of.

I plan to highlight around 5 - 10 blogs every couple of days. If this turns out well, I will change it to a daily post.

Don Imus Firing

Misty F — Fri, 13 Apr 2007 01:20:32 EDT

I sent this email out to America 4 Obama, regarding the firing of Don Imus:

The Post Chronicle has an article talking about how Obama should be credited for Don Imus' firing, and that none of the other candidates stepped up to the plate. If you'd like to read it, here's the link:
Link
This is just one more talking point about how Obama isn't all talk. This could be seen as a little thing, but even Hillary blew it when asked about Don Imus - all she did was say she wouldn't go on his show. Obama spoke up.

Go Obama!

Misty Fowler
Utah For Obama
America 4 Obama

Salt Lake County Democratic Convention

Misty F — Fri, 13 Apr 2007 01:13:02 EDT

Utah for Obama is going to have a booth at the Salt Lake County Democratic Convention, being held at the Highland Highschool on April 28. Maria Cranor and Gail Turpin are paying for the booth, and we have several volunteers to staff the booth. If you'd like to join us, you can sign up here.

Countdown tonight - GW, Nancy and an appearance from Feingold!

Misty F — Tue, 03 Apr 2007 13:38:45 EDT

I just figured out what I'm doing tonight at 8! I received this as the preview of tonight's Countdown:

President Bush expressed frustration on Tuesday with the congressional debate on Iraq war spending and accused majority-party Democrats of being "more interested in fighting political battles in Washington than providing our troops what they need." He also chided the Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi for visiting Syria, saying it sent mixed signals to the government of President Bashar Assad. Link
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi arrived in Syria on Tuesday, leading a congressional delegation. Pelosi, who was met at Damascus airport by Syria's foreign minister, is the highest-ranking American politician to visit Syria since relations began to deteriorate in 2003. Link
Senator Russ Feingold joins Keith.

Change Weekly Meet and Greet at Rumours?

Misty F — Tue, 03 Apr 2007 01:49:32 EDT

The turnout at the weekly Meet and Greet at Rumours Coffee has declined significantly. I think that the evenings were enjoyable when we did have decent attendance, but perhaps the reason for the decline is that people don't feel that they are contributing anything to Obama's campaign.

I'd really like to continue to host them, if people are interested, especially so that people who just want to find out more about Obama can come.

So, I have a few ideas, and I'd like some feedback from all of you.