The Must-Reid

The Must-Reid - 10.19.07

Reid Cherlin — Sat, 20 Oct 2007 19:41:57 EDT

The Must-Reid – Friday, October 19

Barack returns to New Hampshire on Monday. He’ll continue to show voters the strength and character we need to bring about real change—by taking on the tough issues and offering straightforward, honest answers about how to tackle them.

During his visit, Barack will file with the Secretary of State to appear on the ballot in the first-in-the-nation primary. The Union Leader yesterday had this to say on the Granite State’s primary tradition.

Michelle Obama will return to New Hampshire on Saturday. Her day includes a stop at our Children’s Fair in Londonderry—accompanied by daughters Sasha and Malia—where she will discuss Barack’s commitment as a father and husband, and his track record of fighting for children and families.

Barack continued that fight yesterday, issuing an indictment of Congress’s failure to override President Bush’s veto of SCHIP:

Four million American children were denied basic health coverage today because Washington politicians failed to stand up to this President’s disgraceful veto. At a time when we’re spending billions of dollars on a war that never should’ve been authorized and giving billions in tax breaks to the wealthiest Americans, Washington’s failure shows a callousness of priorities that is offensive to the ideals we hold as Americans.

When I am President, I will sign a universal health care bill into law by the end of my first term that will cover every American and cut costs more dramatically than any other plan offered by a candidate in this race. And I’ll do it by bringing Republicans and Democrats together, like I did when I expanded health care for an additional 150,000 children and their parents as an Illinois state Senator.”

You can read Barack’s plan to cover every American here.

Wednesday night, Barack appeared on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno. He drew especially big applause when he said:

What this campaign has always been about is change…We can’t provide healthcare to everybody, we can’t solve global warming, we can’t solve these big problems unless we don’t just change political parties, we also change our politics. Because the special interests and the lobbyists are too dug in.

You can watch video clips from that appearance here, or watch the full video here.

We continue profiling members of our Child Advocacy Task Force today with Ellen Shemitz of Concord. Ellen was recently featured on NH.BarackObama.com:

Policy, not politics, has been the driving force of Ellen Shemitz’s career. Ellen has served as an advocate for children for two decades, building public support for strategic investments in the children of her state and ensuring that the needs of children and families are not ignored. Having recently completed her term as President of the Children’s Alliance of New Hampshire, Ellen is now putting her skills as leader to work for the Obama campaign as a member of our New Hampshire Child Advocacy Task Force.

“Barack Obama is a committed advocate for children. He embraces the essence of the American Dream—that every child should have the chance to reach his or her full potential,” she said…

After nine years, she left her firm to become president of the Children’s Alliance of New Hampshire. She founded and led the New Hampshire Child Advocacy Network, a partnership of over 200 child-serving organizations which has been held up as a model for advocacy across the country…

“Ensuring economic and educational opportunities for children and families today is an investment in the continued global leadership of the United States,” she said.

Rebuilding our social and educational infrastructure so that all children are prepared for the challenges and opportunities of tomorrow, Ellen believes, requires a president with vision, integrity and the ability to unite disparate voices.

Ellen believes that Barack possesses those traits, citing his early work as a community organizer and his ongoing commitment to civic engagement.

“I have confidence that Barack can engage citizens in a movement grounded in the American Dream, restoring hope and opportunity to our children and our nation.”

The Must-Reid - 10.18.07

Reid Cherlin — Sat, 20 Oct 2007 19:40:45 EDT

The Must-Reid – Thursday, October 18

Michelle Obama will return to New Hampshire on Saturday, and Barack will be back in the state early next week for a multi-day trip. Watch for an advisory shortly.

Grassroots supporters across the country continue to respond to Barack’s call to match the funds that PACs and federal lobbyists are funneling to other candidates. CNN reports:

Sen. Barack Obama raised nearly $1 million in just over one day, his campaign announced Wednesday.

The Illinois Democrat sent an e-mail to supporters Tuesday asking for contributions to "close the gap" between him and Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-New York. Third quarter fundraising numbers showed Obama to be $2.1 million behind Clinton in primary funds.

Obama’s campaign claims it had received $950,000 in donations between Tuesday morning and Wednesday afternoon.

Since that piece was filed, the total has increased to $1,405,000.

Reacting to news yesterday that members of the National Guard are being denied their full benefits, Barack reiterated his commitment to keep the sacred trust with our veterans. The Des Moines Register reports:

Presidential candidate Barack Obama and the entire Iowa congressional delegation are demanding answers from Defense Secretary Robert

Gates and President Bush as to why hundreds of Iowa National Guard members were shortchanged on their GI Bill benefits…

The Guard members "have done everything we have asked of them," Obama…wrote Gates in a letter sent today. "And at a minimum, we owe them educational benefits that are accessible and commensurate with their noble service."

Barack laid out his full plan to keep that sacred trust in a speech to the Veterans of Foreign Wars Convention. You can read the speech here, and you can find a New Hampshire-specific fact sheet on the plan here.

We continue profiling members of our Child Advocacy Task Force today with Chairman Jack Lightfoot of Portsmouth. Jack was recently featured on NH.BarackObama.com:

Barack’s call to be our brother’s keeper and sister’s keeper appeals to Jack and has inspired him to serve as the chair of our Child Advocacy Task Force here in New Hampshire.

Jack has worked for the non-profit organization Child and Family Services since leaving law school…

Jack has also worked as an entrepreneur for child advocacy entrepreneur, helping to found organizations like Early Learning, Plus Time, the Parent Information Center, and the Child Advocacy Network. His goal has been to create a web of supportive organizations capable of reaching out to even the most isolated families who need assistance. Jack hopes to put his strong connections in the child advocacy community in New Hampshire to work and to convince his colleagues that Barack’s life experience makes him the candidate best suited to work on behalf of children in the state and across the country.

“His work as a community organizer convinces me that he understands the importance of getting these services to the right people to create opportunities for their children,” Jack said…

“His campaign has diligently sought out the views of members of our community, which I believe reflects his own commitment to listening to people in order to understand social problems. This is the kind of president we need right now in order to narrow this widening gulf between rich and poor.”

The Must-Reid - 10.17.07

Reid Cherlin — Sat, 20 Oct 2007 19:39:42 EDT

The Must-Reid – Wednesday, September 17

Today we’ll be unveiling the latest list of key New Hampshire activists supporting Barack. Watch for a release shortly.

Barack’s grassroots fundraising approach is striking a chord with contributors eager to match the donations that other candidates are receiving from federal lobbyists and PACs. Marc Ambinder reports:

Obama Raises $431,000 In Hours

He asked his supporters to close the gap between himself and Sen. Clinton, and his 365,000-strong movement has responded.

You can read Barack’s appeal here or watch the video of it here.

And Campaigns & Elections notes that Barack’s movement has received by far the most support from contributors here in New Hampshire:

U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., may be in second place in most New Hampshire polls, but he was far and away the fundraising winner in New Hampshire. His campaign brought in $125,538, which is more than any other candidate on either side of the aisle. It is also four times more than the $28,170 U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., raised within the state.

Our National Women for Obama Chair Betsy Myers issued a memo this morning about the role that women are playing in the campaign:

Like all Americans, women desperately want change they can believe in. They want an end to the divisive politics in Washington. They want someone who had the judgment to say no to an unnecessary war and who can stand up to the special interests that have shut out the voices of average Americans for too long. These are all the reasons why women have been at the forefront of the grassroots movement that is the Obama campaign.

We continue profiling members of our Child Advocacy Task Force today with Dr. Bruce Mallory of Portsmouth. Dr. Mallory was recently featured on NH.BarackObama.com:

Bruce is a member of our New Hampshire Child Advocacy Task Force, and he is convinced that Barack will work harder for economic justice than any other candidate because of his experiences as a community organizer.

“As someone who has worked as a community organizer myself,” Bruce said, “I know how much that experience informs your values for the rest of your life.”

From his first job as a teacher at a public school in the inner city of Cleveland to the decades of community organizing and advocacy in New Hampshire that followed, Bruce was constantly exposed to the obstacles faced by so much of the population…

Bruce believes that a nationwide commitment to early education and intervention is an essential step towards bridging the growing gulf between rich and poor in this country. He believes that Barack has the life experience to lead this effort from the White House.

“Obama understands with his heart and in his head the sheer injustice of having children doomed to fail at birth in this country,” Bruce said. “As president, the people living in the slums blocks away from the heart of government would never be far from his mind.”

The Must-Reid - 10.16.07

Reid Cherlin — Sat, 20 Oct 2007 19:38:03 EDT

The Must-Reid – Tuesday, October 16

Today we begin airing our most recent television ad, “Quiet,” on Boston television stations. In the thirty-second ad, Barack stresses his record of telling the American people not just what they want to hear, but what they need to know. You can watch the ad here.

Yesterday, Barack reiterated his commitment to governing based on principle, not polling. The AP writes:

…Obama said that he had spoken out against going to war in Iraq in 2002, even as advisers told him it would be a mistake to challenge a popular president, George W. Bush.

Then an Illinois state lawmaker, Obama said he did so because he did not want to “enter the United States Senate already having compromised on core principles.”

“We've had enough of ... triangulation and poll-driven politics,'' he said. “That's not what we need right now.''

Also yesterday, Barack won the endorsement of the Illinois and Indiana SEIU. TIME reports:

Democratic hopeful Barack Obama picked up the endorsement Monday of the 170,000-member Illinois Service Employees International Union, a boost to the candidate's prospects in neighboring Iowa, whose caucuses kickoff the presidential nomination contest…

Tom Balanoff, president of the SEIU Illinois State Council, cited Obama's commitment to expanding access to affordable health care and to protecting workers' rights as among the biggest reasons for his union's early endorsement.

Balanoff also cited Obama's early opposition to the Iraq War.

And Barack’s commitment to children and families is resonating with top child advocates in New Hampshire, many of whom have signed on to our Child Advocacy Task Force. Paula Ferenc, a middle school Special Education Teacher and advocate from Rumney was featured yesterday on NH.BarackObama.com:

Nine years ago, Paula Ferenc was fed up with the services provided to her daughter by the local school system. Paula believed that her daughter, as a child with learning disabilities, was too low a priority for the school board. She decided to get off of the side lines and become a change agent. She ran for and won a seat on the Rumney school board, where she remains to this day.

Paula recognizes a fellow change agent in Barack, and this has drawn her into joining the campaign as a member of our New Hampshire Child Advocacy Task Force…

Fifteen years ago, she became the Program Director for the Circle Program, an initiative to help girls from low income families in the Plymouth, Laconia, Lebanon and Concord areas through a summer camp and a year-round mentoring program.

The Circle Program’s mission reflects the most important lesson that Paula has learned in her years as an educator and parent: kids perform at their best when surrounded by a strong support network. As Program Director, Paula works with school counselors to seek out girls struggling to fit in or stay motivated in their studies.

One major reason she supports Barack Obama is because she sees that he shares her belief in the importance of community. Paula was particularly compelled by Barack’s years as a community organizer, a civil rights attorney, and an elected official. She believes that he has the unique ability to inspire a new generation to play an active role in strengthening their communities and reclaiming their government.

“I can see from his life’s work that he cares about the weakest members of our society,” she said, “and knows that the way to ensure that everyone has an opportunity to make something of their lives is to make them feel part of a community that cares about them.”

The Must-Reid - 10.15.07

Reid Cherlin — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 08:48:56 EDT

The Must-Reid – Monday, October 15

Today we will announce the membership of our Child Advocacy Task Force. The group, which includes some of the state’s leading child advocates, will coordinate outreach and advise the campaign on issues affecting children and families. Watch for a full release later today. Watch for a full release later today.

Our new offices in Berlin, Dover, and Littleton will be fully operational today, bringing our total number of offices to fourteen. The campaign’s regional offices support the grassroots organization that Obama has built in every corner of New Hampshire. The new office locations and phone numbers are available here.

On Saturday, hundreds of Obama supporters went door-to-door in 47 New Hampshire towns to share Senator Obama’s plan to turn the page in Iraq as part of our nationwide Canvass for Change. NH.BarackObama.com reports:

Mike, a financial advisor from Manchester, was inspired to canvass for the first time. He believes that this is the most important election of his lifetime, and Barack is the most genuine candidate. “This is the time to get involved and really turn things around. I want to help out anyway I can.”…

[After the event] we also checked in again with Michael, our first-time canvasser. The Manchester resident and financial advisor said, “You may talk to ten people and if you get that one who is a supporter – it makes it all worthwhile. I really enjoyed hearing about what issues mattered most to people – looking forward to following up with them.”

After a day of knocking on doors and talking to voters, Michael was ready to take the next step, and volunteered to serve as a ward captain.

More coverage from the day is available here.

Today we finish profiling our New Hampshire Environmentalists for Barack Obama Steering Committee today with New Hampshire co-chair and state senator Harold Janeway. Senator Janeway was recently featured on NH.BarackObama.com:

Harold has served as chair of the Forest Society and the Nature Conservancy in New Hampshire, and also led the renowned New Hampshire Charitable Foundation for a decade. But his involvement doesn’t end there. He has sought to set an example in his own life as well. His Webster farm is eco-friendly, and its photovoltaic panels both power his home and help feed the public electrical grid…

Riding the electoral wave that swept away years of Republican dominance in New Hampshire state politics, Harold successfully claimed his senate seat and now serves as part of a movement of grassroots activists dedicated to a new brand of progressive politics. A member of four committees in the state senate, Harold believes that he is in a position to bring about progress on many important issues.

He believes his support for Barack will ensure progress on the causes he’s spent his whole life supporting.

“Among all of the candidates, Obama has the capacity to connect with individuals across the political spectrum,” Harold says. “This ability will enable him to move the nation towards real progress on the issues, including the environment, that have been deadlocked for decades.”

The Must-Reid - 10.12.07

Reid Cherlin — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 09:18:10 EDT

The Must-Reid – Friday, October 12

Yesterday marked the five year anniversary of Congress’s vote to go to war in Iraq—and the focus on Congress’s recent vote on Iran intensified.

Today’s top 5

Top five headlines on Iraq and Iran:

5. Clinton says she would negotiate with Iran's leaders without conditions (AP)

4. Iraq and Iran: Obama Stepping it Up? (MSNBC)

3. Obama marks fifth anniversary of war vote (Boston Globe)

2. Obama: Clinton vote on Iran shows 'flawed' judgment (CNN)

1. That Iraq war vote (Drew Cline’s blog)

Today is the 5th anniversary of the Senate vote authorizing the Iraq war. Here’s a recap of some of the arguments from five years ago, which are directly relevant to the Democratic presidential nomination this fall.

Here is a link to Obama’s Oct. 2, 2002 speech opposing the Iraq war, which he called a “dumb war.”

Here are the best lines:

“Now let me be clear - I suffer no illusions about Saddam Hussein. He is a brutal man. A ruthless man. A man who butchers his own people to secure his own power. He has repeatedly defied UN resolutions, thwarted UN inspection teams, developed chemical and biological weapons, and coveted nuclear capacity. He’s a bad guy. The world, and the Iraqi people, would be better off without him.

“But I also know that Saddam poses no imminent and direct threat to the United States, or to his neighbors, that the Iraqi economy is in shambles, that the Iraqi military a fraction of its former strength, and that in concert with the international community he can be contained until, in the way of all petty dictators, he falls away into the dustbin of history. I know that even a successful war against Iraq will require a US occupation of undetermined length, at undetermined cost, with undetermined consequences. I know that an invasion of Iraq without a clear rationale and without strong international support will only fan the flames of the Middle East, and encourage the worst, rather than best, impulses of the Arab world, and strengthen the recruitment arm of Al Qaeda. I am not opposed to all wars. I’m opposed to dumb wars.”

Now see if you can identify the senators making these statements the day before the vote:

“In the four years since the inspectors left, intelligence reports show that Saddam Hussein has worked to rebuild his chemical and biological weapons stock, his missile delivery capability, and his nuclear program. He has also given aid, comfort, and sanctuary to terrorists, including Al Qaeda members, though there is apparently no evidence of his involvement in the terrible events of September 11, 2001.

“It is clear, however, that if left unchecked, Saddam Hussein will continue to increase his capacity to wage biological and chemical warfare, and will keep trying to develop nuclear weapons. Should he succeed in that endeavor, he could alter the political and security landscape of the Middle East, which as we know all too well affects American security.”

And:

“Because bipartisan support for this resolution makes success in the United Nations more likely, and therefore, war less likely, and because a good faith effort by the United States, even if it fails, will bring more allies and legitimacy to our cause, I have concluded, after careful and serious consideration, that a vote for the resolution best serves the security of our nation. If we were to defeat this resolution or pass it with only a few Democrats, I am concerned that those who want to pretend this problem will go way with delay will oppose any UN resolution calling for unrestricted inspections.”

And:

“it is a vote that says clearly to Saddam Hussein - this is your last chance - disarm or be disarmed.”

If you guessed Sen. Hillary Clinton to all three, you’re right.

In her Oct 10, 2002 speech announcing her support of the resolution, she simultaneously claimed that she was voting to authorize war and was voting to avoid war.

But no one else, as far as I’ve seen, thought or indicated that voting for the resolution was anything other than a vote to authorize war against Iraq. Here is how The Washington Post reported Bush’s war resolution on Sept. 20, 2002:

“President Bush asked Congress yesterday for unlimited authority to take whatever action he sees fit against Iraq, including the use of military force, without any further congressional consultation or approval.”

There simply is no way she did not understand that approving the resolution made war more likely. No way.

The resolution stated very clearly: “The President is authorized to use the Armed Forces of the United States as he determines to be necessary and appropriate.”

And yet there she was on the floor of the Senate saying that she was both authorizing war and making it less likely to happen. Amazing. Even more amazing: few people have called her on it.

Tomorrow, hundreds of Obama supporters in New Hampshire will go door to door to talk to their neighbors about Barack’s opposition to the war as part of our nationwide Canvass for Change.

And as Granite Staters organize for real change, the New Hampshire primary continues to be challenged by certain candidates' activities in other states seeking to move their contests up. Today's Union Leader has more.

We continue profiling members of our New Hampshire Environmentalists for Barack Obama Steering Committee today with New Castle farmer and State Representative David Borden. Rep. Borden was recently featured on NH.BarackObama.com

“Barack doesn’t have decades of Washington baggage to impede him from making the tough decisions we’re going to need to really turn things around,” [Rep. Borden] said…

As a member of the Science, Technology and Energy committee, David introduced a bill which takes the first step in creating a statewide initiative to replace 20 percent of the state's fossil fuels used in diesel and home heating oils with biodiesel produced from vegetable oils and animal waste. He believes that action now is critical because New Hampshire will be more heavily affected by climate change than most states. As Barack cited in his speech Monday in Portsmouth, the effects of climate change are already negatively affecting New Hampshire’s tourist industry.

According to David, the primary obstacle to achieving energy independence and reversing climate change is not technical. The challenge we face is one of political will. He believes that Barack has the toughness and the heart to confront this challenge head-on.

“We’ve been talking about this problem for years now,” he said, “but Barack is the only candidate tough enough to really make the push for real reform.”

The Must-Reid - 10.11.07

Reid Cherlin — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 10:08:52 EDT

The Must-Reid – Thursday, October 11

Five years ago today, Congress voted to authorize the war in Iraq, a war that should never have been waged. Barack opposed the war from the start, and in today’s Union Leader he writes about the judgment and leadership he showed five years ago—and that he continues to show on foreign policy questions today.

I felt strongly that a war in Iraq would lead to an open-ended and destructive occupation of Iraq, and weaken us in the fight against al-Qaida in Afghanistan. And I felt a responsibility to say so.

Now, the Senate has once again voted for an amendment that goes out of its way to draw connections between distinct threats, and that replaces judicious policy-making with unnecessary saber-rattling. And once again, we hear that it is not really a vote for more war, it is a vote for more diplomacy.

Today’s Top 5

Five questions that voters should ask the Washington establishment about Iraq and Iran:

5. Why didn’t Congress examine the evidence and ask the tough questions before rushing to war in Iraq?

4. Why was Congress so quick to accept a phony link between Al-Qaeda and Saddam Hussein?

3. Knowing what they know now about the disastrous buildup to the war in Iraq, why did certain members of Congress recently vote for a troubling resolution staking our troop presence in Iraq to the actions of Iran?

2. Why is the Washington establishment now giving George Bush another blank check—this time for Iran?

1. Who better to end this disastrous war—and prevent another—than the only major candidate who showed judgment and leadership from the start?

Today we posted a new online ad discussing the choice Barack made to oppose the war at a time when others were lining up to give the President a blank check. Watch the video here.

In New Hampshire this morning, Obama supporters are holding visibility events around the state to mark the fifth anniversary of the war vote and remind voters that Barack offers the judgment, vision, and leadership we need to turn the page in Iraq.

And as New Hampshire voters take a hard look at which candidate had the right judgment on Iraq, the first-in-the-nation primary remains under threat from other states eager to move into the early weeks of the nominating process. The Union Leader has more.

Don’t miss the Concord Monitor’s editorial on Barack’s approach to politics and the substance he brings to the table.

The Must-Reid - 10.10.07

Reid Cherlin — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 10:35:15 EDT

The Must-Reid – Wednesday, October 10

Barack Obama had the judgment to oppose this war from the start and he’s been leading the fight to end it.

Today’s Top 5

Five statements Barack Obama has made opposing this war from the start:

5. “I know that even a successful war against Iraq will require a U.S. occupation of undetermined length, at undetermined cost, with undetermined consequences.” [10/2/02]

4. “Most of you know I opposed this war from the start. I thought it was a tragic mistake… It's time to admit that no amount of American lives can resolve the political disagreement that lies at the heart of someone else's civil war.” [2/10/07]

3. “Because of a war in Iraq that should never have been authorized and should never have been waged, we are now less safe than we were before 9/11… The first step must be getting off the wrong battlefield in Iraq, and taking the fight to the terrorists in Afghanistan and Pakistan.” [8/1/07]

2. “The American people have had enough of the shifting spin. We've had enough of extended deadlines for benchmarks that go unmet. We've had enough of mounting costs in Iraq and missed opportunities around the world. We've had enough of a war that should never have been authorized and should never have been waged. I opposed this war from the beginning. I opposed the war in 2002. I opposed it in 2003. I opposed it in 2004. I opposed it in 2005. I opposed it in 2006. I introduced a plan in January to remove all of our combat brigades by next March. And I am here to say that we have to begin to end this war now.” [9/12/07]

1. “The first thing we have to do is end this war. And the right person to end it is someone who had the judgment to oppose it from the beginning.” [10/2/07]

You can read Barack’s recent remarks on his plan to turn the page in Iraq here.

Yesterday Barack reiterated his commitment to the New Hampshire primary and withdrew his name from the Michigan ballot as part of his pledge to protect the traditional role of New Hampshire and the other early states.

Barack continued his dialogue with New Hampshire voters at town halls yesterday in Londonderry and Plymouth. Campaigns & Elections reports from the event at Mack’s Apples:

"While New Hampshire has been a model of innovation, Washington has failed to act," said Obama. He blamed this failure on not only President George W. Bush, but on the political culture in Washington that allows leaders to make promises but never doing anything about the problem…

His message of unity seemed to resonate with those in the crowd, a fair number of whom were seen signing up to volunteer for the campaign after the event.

And the Laconia Citizen reports from Plymouth State:

"Stand up for what you believe in," said Obama. "That's what America needs right now. We need to stop supporting the president's failed policies and begin sending troops home. This is the first thing I will do when I am sworn in as president."

In January, Obama introduced legislation to end the war in Iraq with a phased withdrawal of the troops engaged in combat operations. Obama said he has a plan to immediately begin withdrawing U.S. troops engaged in combat operations at a pace of one or two brigades every month, to be completed by the end of next year…

The rally ended with applause and students commenting on how they believed that Obama would be the best choice for the next president.

We continue profiling members of our New Hampshire Environmentalists for Barack Obama Steering Committee with Co-Chair Robin Read. Robin was recently featured on NH.BarackObama.com:

After a full career spent serving communities in need and advocating for a cleaner environment, Robin serves as Co-Chair of the New Hampshire Environmentalists for Obama Steering Committee. Barack’s years as a community organizer and the insight and judgment he demonstrated in his two books convince Robin that Barack possesses the listening and negotiation skills to overcome the polarized politics of the past two decades…

Robin’s interest in environmental issues was sparked by his time with the Clamshell Alliance, where he worked to prevent the construction of the Seabrook nuclear power plant. Drawn into the controversy through his concern about the impact on the energy bills of low-income Seacoast residents, Robin learned through this experience about the extent of the damage sustained by the environment over the course of the 20th century.

“How can a sensible politics allow, even abet, the destruction of fragile ecosystems across the planet?” Robin remembers asking himself at the time.

The environment remained Robin’s passion, even as he navigated his career through the Rockingham County Public Defender Program and on to the public arena of elected politics. He worked on local and presidential campaigns during the 80s and 90s. Two terms in the state legislature gave him a first-hand view of the life of public officials. These experiences encouraged him to become an organizer and researcher for Governor Jeanne Shaheen’s local and statewide races…

“The [Obama] campaign’s environmental forums around the state give people a stake in the success of the campaign,” he said, “and showed me that Barack has not strayed from the grassroots approach he learned as an organizer.”

As a former organizer, Robin believes that Barack’s approach can draw newcomers to politics and transform the system from the bottom up.

The Must-Reid - 10.09.07

Reid Cherlin — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 10:31:06 EDT

The Must-Reid – Tuesday, October 9

Barack continues his dialogue with New Hampshire voters today with town hall events at Mack’s Apples in Londonderry at 10:30 am and at Plymouth State University at 6:30 pm. Please email nh-media@barackobama.com for credentials.

Top 5 reasons Barack can bring about real change:

5. History of standing up to special interests and making government work for people. Barack has passed tough ethics reforms in both the Illinois State Senate and the United States Senate, and has pledged to sign the most sweeping ethics reform package in history on his first day as President.

4. Willingness to tell the tough truths we need to hear. Barack believes that being a strong president doesn’t mean doing what’s easy—it means doing what's hard. That’s why he went straight Wall Street to talk about economic fairness and to Detroit to talk about raising fuel standards.

3. New leadership to move past our old politics. Barack is determined to move beyond the partisan bickering and divisive battles that have dominated our politics over the last decades. Barack is a leader with a proven track record of bringing people together to make progress on tough issues.

2. The experience America needs. When conventional Washington talks about experience, they mean the number of years you’ve spent inside the Beltway. Barack’s experience as a community organizer, civil rights lawyer, and state senator taught him that change starts from the bottom up.

1. Judgment, vision, and courage. As other politicians made a calculated political decision to line up in support of the greatest foreign policy disaster of a generation, Barack got it right from the start. He had the judgment to oppose the war, the vision to predict its tragic consequences, and the courage to stand against the political winds and speak out.

Yesterday in Portsmouth, Barack laid out a bold energy policy that will allow America to lead the world in combating global warming. The Concord Monitor reports that local environmentalists embraced the plan—and that Washington lobbyists were less enthusiastic:

Portsmouth City Councilor Ned Raynolds, who works on climate advocacy for the Union of Concerned Scientists and successfully advocated for the Portsmouth Public Library's design as a “green building,” said Obama's speech persuaded him to support the candidate. “His plan is a long-overdue convergence of energy, economy, environmental and security policy that we've needed for a long time,” Raynolds said. “This is the speech I've been waiting to hear from a presidential candidate for 10 years.”

Raynolds said he was impressed with the way the plan would make using carbon energy more expensive while simultaneously investing in new technology.

University of New Hampshire Professor Burt Cohen, who teaches a course on sustainable living, said he too was swayed to support Obama by the overall vision set out in the new policy. “It's realistic and sets specific goals,” Cohen said.

Washington energy lobbyist Frank Maisano was less enthusiastic. Maisano criticized the idea of a cap-and-trade program.

And the popular environmental website Grist says:

Overall, I'm pleasantly surprised—even shocked—at its quality. It's a deft mix of good politics and strong, substantive policy.

The League of Conservation praises Barack’s plan:

Senator Barack Obama has put forward an aggressive plan that would point America in the right direction toward a clean, renewable energy future, reduce greenhouse gas pollution and reverse the disastrous policies of the current Administration…

With the Obama plan in place, America would boldly regain its footing as a world leader in environmental protection and clean, renewable energy production.

You can read the full plan here.

Yesterday, we announced the membership of the New Hampshire Environmentalists for Obama Steering Committee. Steering Committee member Dorn Cox, an organic farmer and biofuels researcher from Lee, was featured on NH.BarackObama.com:

Welcoming a new baby into the world filled Dorn Cox with a renewed sense of urgency in his life’s work: creating more efficient forms of biodiesel fuel. He develops and refines them on his family farm, doing his part to help wean the country off of fossil fuels. Dorn believes that the political system is failing the country when our economy is still vulnerable to turmoil in the petroleum-rich nations of Africa and the Middle East.

In a video interview, Dorn says:

There hasn’t been the guts in Washington to look deeper than the traditional agricultural lobbies and energy lobbies to look at our long-term strategic interests and our vulnerabilities. I believe Senator Obama has the leadership skills and has the ability to bring the nation together around a strategic objective and make our country energy independent. I think he would be the perfect candidate for inspiring the nation to this cause.

The Must-Reid - 10.08.07

Reid Cherlin — Mon, 08 Oct 2007 09:10:58 EDT

The Must-Reid – Monday, October 8

Barack returns to the Granite State today for two days of events. At the Portsmouth Library this afternoon, he’ll offer a bold energy plan that will allow America to lead the world in combating global climate change. Media access for Barack’s speech begins at 1:50 PM. For credentials, please email nh-media@barackobama.com.

Top 5 steps Barack Obama will take to lead on global warming:

5. Dramatically improve energy efficiency to reduce energy intensity of our

economy by 50 percent by 2030.

4. Invite the nations of the world back to Washington to let it be known that America is ready to lead on energy, and create a Global Energy Forum to lay the foundation for the next generation of climate protocols.

3. Set a hard cap on all carbon emissions at a level that scientists say is necessary to curb global warming: an 80-percent reduction by 2050 with interim targets toward this goal in 2020, 2030, and 2040.

2. Create a Next Generation Clean Energy Fund that will invest $150 billion over the next decade to develop and deploy clean energy supplies.

1. Stand up to the special interests and build a working consensus for real change in our energy policy. For decades, politicians in Washington have promised to tackle our energy problems—but they’ve always failed to deliver.

You can read Barack’s full plan here.

Later today, we’ll announce the membership of the New Hampshire Environmentalists for Obama Steering Committee, a group of experts will that advise the campaign on energy and environmental issues and lead outreach across the state. Several members of the Steering Committee will attend Barack’s energy speech in Portsmouth this afternoon.

The embargoed full text of the speech will be available later today. The campaign released the following excerpts this morning:

“We have heard promises about energy independence from every single U.S. President since Richard Nixon – Republicans and Democrats."

“The truth is, our energy problem has become an energy crisis because no matter how well-intentioned the promise – no matter how bold the proposal – they all fall victim to the same Washington politics that has only become more divided and dishonest; more timid and calculating; more beholden to the powerful interests that have the biggest stake in the status quo.”

“There are some in this race who actually make the argument that the more time you spend immersed in the broken politics of Washington, the more likely you are to change it. I always find this a little amusing. I know that change makes for good campaign rhetoric, but when these same people had the chance to actually make it happen, they didn’t lead. When they had the chance to stand up and require automakers to raise their fuel standards, they refused. When they had multiple chances to reduce our dependence on foreign oil by investing in renewable fuels that we can literally grow right here in America, they said no.”

The Portsmouth Herald reports:

In a major speech today, Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama won't be naming names, but he will lay responsibility for past energy policy failures on leading Washington insiders.

And the Los Angeles Times previews some of the policy components:

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama today plans to propose spending $150 billion over 10 years on new clean-energy programs, including proposals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to develop new energy sources, according to senior campaign advisors.

The energy package, which Sen. Obama (D-Ill.) is expected to outline in a speech at a library in Portsmouth, N.H., centers on a requirement that polluters pay for every ton of carbon emissions they release, as opposed to having rights to release some or all of the carbon dioxide they already send into the atmosphere.

The Must-Reid - 10.05.07

Reid Cherlin — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 08:40:33 EDT

The Must-Reid – Friday, October 5

Barack will return to New Hampshire on Monday for two days of events. He'll hold a town hall at Mack's Apples in Londonderry at 10:30 on Tuesday morning, and a town hall at Plymouth State University at 6:30 on Tuesday evening. We’ll have a full advisory later today.

Michelle Obama visits the state today. She’ll speak with voters at a roundtable in Manchester at noon and a house party in Nashua at 1:45. A full advisory is available here.

Yesterday, Barack condemned the Bush administration’s secret authorization of brutal interrogation techniques. The Chicago Tribune reports:

Presidential candidate Barack Obama this morning called a secret Justice Department authorization for expansive use of the harshest interrogation techniques ever used by the Central Intelligence Agency "an outrageous betrayal of our core values, and a grave danger to our security.”

According to an article in today's New York Times, the U.S. Justice Department issued the authorization under Atty. Gen. Alberto Gonzales just months after publicly declaring torture "abhorent" in December 2004….

"When I am president America will once again be the country that stands up to these deplorable tactics. When I am president we won't work in secret to avoid honoring our laws and Constitution, we will be straight with the American people and true to our values," said Obama.

Barack’s full statement is available here.

Also yesterday, Barack announced a plan to honor the sacrifices of our National Guard and Reserve members as President:

It’s time to use the Guard and Reserves responsibly. No more unpredictable deployments. No more extended tours. No more failures to plan, to communicate down the chain of command, or to reset the equipment that we’ve left in Iraq. When we’ve got service-members who have to find out that their tour has been extended in a phone call home, we’re not keeping that trust, and we’re not keeping this country safe…

I will not be a President who sends our Guard off to fight in a misguided war, while telling America’s governors to hope that a big snowstorm won’t hit next winter, or that a tornado won’t come through town. I will not be a President who extends tours for our Guard units overseas, while Americans are stranded on rooftops right here at home. We need to turn the page.

Click here for a fact sheet on Senator Obama’s plan.

Tomorrow, Congressman Paul Hodes will hold official office opening events at three Obama for America offices: Lebanon, Peterborough, and Derry. The events will be open press. Watch for more details later today.

We continue profiling our New Hampshire Women for Obama leadership with Grafton County Chair Bonnie Parker. Bonnie was featured along with her daughter Kat on NH.BarackObama.com:

Health care reform would have life-changing meaning for the Hanover residents, because today no insurance company will cover Kat due to her muscular dystrophy. Looking for a candidate that can surmount the hurdles placed in the way of real change by lobbyists and interest groups, the Parker women support Barack Obama for President.

In a video interview, Bonnie said:

Probably what can be done now maybe won’t even serve her because it will be years down the line before something actually comes of it. But I think what we would like to see is maybe it could help somebody else.

I believe more than anyone out there in that field right now that [Obama] has the capacity to do that. He has the empathy; he has the kindness; he has the brilliance. He can speak. He seems to think, and seriously, if you say something listen, listen to ideas different from his own.

Be sure to catch the full video here.

The Must-Reid – 10.04.07

Reid Cherlin — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 09:38:55 EDT

The Must-Reid – Thursday, October 4

Michelle Obama will visit New Hampshire tomorrow to continue the dialogue that the campaign has maintained with New Hampshire voters. Michelle will attend a roundtable with women in Manchester and a house party in Nashua. A full advisory is available here.

Yesterday, Barack addressed the issue of unaccountable security contractors in Iraq, announcing his plan to force contractors to follow federal law and creating a permanent FBI unit to investigate abuses. The Chicago Tribune reports:

"Most contractors act as if the law doesn't apply to them," [Obama] said. "Under my plan, if contractors break the law, they will be prosecuted."

In announcing his "Security Contractor Accountability Plan," Obama said he would like to see greater transparency on contractor hiring and costs.

"I've proposed tougher government reforms than any other candidate in this race – reforms that would eliminate the kind of no-bid contracts that this administration has given to Blackwater," he said.

Yesterday, Major General Scott Gration (USAF Ret.) spoke with voters in Manchester and Rochester about Barack’s foreign policy vision, his ability to restore America’s standing in the world, and his plan to end the war in Iraq. General Gration told voters:

My experience serving with [Barack] convinced me that he is absolutely the best person to be president and Commander in Chief right now…

He has the judgment, courage, and experience that counts. And most importantly, he has a vision for America that will not only bring our country together but lead again in the world.

Gration first met Barack while visiting Washington to brief members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

[Obama] was a quick study who understood the issues… He has a deep sense of history, and with his background as a constitutional law professor, he understands the values the framers were talking about…

Barack understands that international problems require international solutions. Just like he will bring Americans together, he will bring nations together to solve problems.

You can read more about General Gration’s visit here.

We continue profiling members of New Hampshire Women for Obama today with State Steering Committee member Joan Reische. Joan was featured yesterday on NH.BarackObama.com:

Joan is a member of the New Hampshire Women for Obama leadership because she believes that Barack truly understands the value of strong communities…

Over the decades to follow, the mother of two served on the boards of organizations ranging from the League of Women Voters, Planned Parenthood of New England, and a family planning organization called Health Options. She also taught English as a second language at a nearby grammar school.

Joan served as president and board member of Families in Transition (FIT), an organization that provides safe and affordable housing to homeless families with children. She believes that her work with FIT best exemplifies how supportive communities allow individuals to take control of their own lives.

“I believe that everyone has the potential to make something out of their lives if they are given the chance,” Joan says.

She is inspired by Barack’s call for all Americans to view themselves as their brother’s and sister’s keeper. His constant demonstration of this core value and his ability to connect his policy towards a central concept that “we’re all in this together” gives Joan confidence that Barack will lead the country towards progress in reducing the gap between rich and poor, revitalizing America’s cities, and expanding equal opportunity for all Americans.

“From his work as a community organizer to his more recent speeches, I can see that he understands that a big part of lifting people out of tough situations,” she said, “is connecting them to a larger, supportive community.”

The Must-Reid - 10.03.07

Reid Cherlin — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 07:50:14 EDT

The Must-Reid – October 3, 2007

Yesterday, on the five-year anniversary of his 2002 speech opposing the war in Iraq, Barack issued a major address at Depaul University in Chicago. The New York Times reports:

Senator Barack Obama castigated political leaders of both parties for failing to vigorously challenge the administration’s Iraq policy in 2002, declaring: “The American people weren’t just failed by a president, they were failed by much of Washington.”…

“This is not just a matter of debating the past,” Mr. Obama said. “It’s about who has the best judgment to make the critical decisions of the future.” Because you might think that Washington would learn from Iraq, but we’ve seen in this campaign just how bent out of shape Washington gets when you challenge its assumptions.”

And the Monitor writes:

Five years ago yesterday, Obama spoke at an anti-war rally in Chicago, where he opposed the impending war in Iraq as a "dumb war" and a "rash war" based "not on principle but on politics." He stated that Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein "poses no imminent and direct threat to the United States," and said, "Even a successful war against Iraq will require a U.S. occupation of undetermined length, at undetermined cost, with undetermined consequences."

Obama's campaign released a DVD, shown yesterday across the state, that included several clips of Obama opposing the war, including one of a November 2002 talk show appearance in which Obama called rushing into war a mistake, saying there needed to be a debate over the cost of the war, a plan for rebuilding the country, and a way to ensure Iraq does not split into factions.

You can watch excerpts from yesterday speech on NH.BarackObama.com.

And BarackObama.com has a new video of supporters from across the country recreating Barack’s 2002 speech.

Major General Scott Gration (USAF Ret.), will be in New Hampshire today to discuss Barack’s judgment and foreign policy vision. Gration praised yesterday’s speech, saying:

Senator Obama outlined his ideas for trading Washington's conventional wisdom for a bold new approach for the use of American power across the globe. He was right when he opposed the war in Iraq five years ago. He is right when he says there is no military solution to Iraq's Civil War. He is right when he stands up to conventional thinking and says that while we have to use every tool at our disposal to fight terrorists, it doesn't make any strategic sense to threaten to use nuclear weapons on terrorist camps. Barack Obama's vision of American foreign policy will restore American leadership across the globe and make us a nation of influence once again. This speech demonstrated that Barack Obama has the sound judgment, the right experience, and the requisite leadership skills our country needs right now.

You can read reactions to the speech from other foreign policy experts here. A full advisory of Major General Gration’s trip is available here.

Today we continue profiling members of our New Hampshire Women for Obama leadership team with Belknap County Chair Kate Miller. Kate was featured recently on NH.BarackObama.com:

Since leaving Illinois, Kate has dedicated her life to public service. A decade in Washington as a Capitol Hill staffer soured her on Beltway politics-as-usual. She decided to redirect her energies towards more local paths to service, seeking to produce more immediate results in her community. Kate still believes that big change can come from Washington, but only if the next president is determined to transform not only our policies but the way business is done…

“We did some good things on behalf of average people, but so many important initiatives went nowhere because of the ‘good old boys’ system of favor trading between insiders,” she said…

Politics remains an important part of Kate’s life. An active volunteer on presidential campaigns for the past few cycles, she is supporting Barack Obama because she sees him as the best candidate to transform our deadlocked political system.

“He talks about bringing new people into the political system and helping them find their voice,” she said, “this is the right message for our times. I want my children and their friends to know that an individual can make a difference in our world!”

Kate’s work at the grassroots level to improve her community draws her to Barack. She sees something of herself in Barack’s experiences as a community organizer in Chicago, and as a civil rights lawyer working on voting rights issues. Their life choices reflect a commitment to hearing voices that frequently go unheard.

The Must-Reid - 10.02.07

Reid Cherlin — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 09:46:09 EDT

The Must-Reid – Tuesday, October 2

Five years ago today, Barack spoke out against going to war with Iraq—nine days before the Senate voted to authorize the war. Today, he will speak at DePaul University in Chicago about the critical judgment that went in politicians’ decisions on the war, and the need to move past the conventional Washington thinking on foreign policy issues.

In New Hampshire this morning, supporters are holding roadside visibility events around the state. Later today, voters will gather in 14 towns to watch a specially prepared DVD with clips of Barack’s 2002 speech, his speech outlining his plan to end the war, and a new video featuring New Hampshire veterans of the Iraq war discussing their experiences and their support for Barack.

Take a moment to check out the contents of the DVD here.

Yesterday, Obama for America announced that over the first nine months of the year, more than 350,000 Americans contributed to Barack’s grassroots campaign. The Washington Post reports:

[Obama] appeared to maintain his dominance as the candidate most capable of drawing funds from small-dollar donors, many of whom sent contributions through the Internet. His campaign said he had received money from 352,000 people. About $19 million of Obama's total came in funds that can be used in his primary campaign.

"Many in Washington have spent the last weeks declaring the outcome of this race to be preordained and the primary process a mere formality," said David Plouffe, Obama's campaign manager. "Yet, in this quarter alone, 93,000 more Americans joined our campaign, because they desire real change and believe Barack Obama is the one candidate who can deliver it."

Major General Scott Gration (USAF Ret.), a commander in Iraq and one of Barack’s foreign policy advisors, will visit New Hampshire tomorrow and Thursday to share why he believes that Barack has the judgment to be our next Commander in Chief. General Gration said recently:

Senator Obama showed that he has the best judgment and courage to be Commander in Chief. He outlined a comprehensive and detailed set of policies to turn the page in Iraq, to protect American interests, and to advance stability in Iraq and the region. He understands that the choices we are making in Iraq are bigger than the debate in Washington--they are about the future of our military and the future of our global leadership. Barack Obama is uniquely suited to restore our military and our leadership.

Watch for an advisory later today.

Yesterday, we announced the leadership of New Hampshire Women for Obama. State Rep. Carla Skinder of Cornish, our Sullivan County Women for Obama Chair, was profiled yesterday on NH.BarackObama.com:

The world beyond her borders has always beckoned to State Representative Carla Skinder. Since the days of her troubled upbringing, when her home life was disrupted by alcoholism and abuse, she looked abroad at a world filled with possibilities and hope. During those chaotic years, daydreaming about a life overseas provided her with escape.

Today, Carla frequently travels the world that she once only imagined. She believes that America has much work to do to make the world a gentler place. She supports Barack as a county chair of New Hampshire Women for Obama because of his international perspective derived from his years in Indonesia and his time in Kenya…

In 1999, Carla moved to a farm in Cornish. She works as an administrator for Valley Regional Hospital in Claremont. Politics is not something that Carla ever expected to be involved in, but she ran for the State House in 2006 at the urging of friends. She was elected after a contested primary and now represents Cornish, Plainfield and Grantham at the State House in Concord.

First-hand participation in electoral politics has spurred her to get involved in the presidential primary as well.

Carla supports Barack Obama because she believes that the next president, in order to repair America’s international standing, needs to know the world from the perspective of first-hand experience.

You can read more about Rep. Skinder here.

The Must-Reid - 10.01.07

Reid Cherlin — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 09:45:17 EDT

The Must-Reid – Monday, October 1

The financial quarter ended last night at midnight, and Obama for America reached a total of more than 350,000 contributors so far this year, and more than 500,000 individual contributions. Total primary fundraising numbers will be released shortly.

Later today we’ll announce the leadership of New Hampshire Women for Obama. This group of women from across the state will advise the campaign on women’s and family issues and organize women in their home communities.

Tomorrow marks the five-year anniversary of Barack’s 2002 speech opposing the war inIraq before it began. Addressing an antiwar rally in Chicago, Barack said:

I know that even a successful war against Iraq will require a US occupation of undetermined length, at undetermined cost, with undetermined consequences. I know that an invasion of Iraq without a clear rationale and without strong international support will only fan the flames of the Middle East, and encourage the worst, rather than best, impulses of the Arab world, and strengthen the recruitment arm of Al Qaeda. I am not opposed to all wars. I'm opposed to dumb wars.

Obama supporters across the country will be holding events tomorrow to commemorate the anniversary and show their support for Barack’s stand against the war. Here in New Hampshire, supporters are planning activities throughout the day. We’ll be announcing details shortly.

Barack had another successful visit to New Hampshire Saturday, meeting voters in Concord and Portsmouth. In Concord, Barack reminded the crowd that he’s not the first candidate to run for President without years of Washington experience on his resume:

I remember what was said years ago by a candidate running for President. He said, “The same old experience is not relevant. You can have the right kind of experience and the wrong kind of experience.” Well that candidate was Bill Clinton. And I think he was absolutely right.

(Video of Clinton’s 1992 remarks is here.) The Concord Monitor reported from the event:

Supporters said Obama's lack of Washington experience was a plus. They also sensed a candidate who spoke from the heart and who could lead during a troubled period in history…

"He reminded me of Lincoln," said English teacher Edie Butler of Henniker. "He had very little Washington experience, but he had the capability to guide the country through a civil war. He knew how to think, to deal with issues, to handle people. I feel Obama gives me that sense."

And Beth Allen, a health-care worker in psychiatric nursing, added, "I have a strong sense that he will bring people together, and not just in our own country, but on a global perspective. It's needed at this time in our development as a humanity. Once we stop talking to people, that's when our problems begin."

Later in the day, Barack dropped by our Portsmouth office to offer encouragement to volunteers heading out to knock on doors. Foster’s Daily Democrat wrote:

About 50 people ranging from high school students to retirees crammed into the small office space, plastered with "Obama '08" posters, learning how to correctly fill out canvassing sheets and getting advice from Obama, who started his career in community organizing in Chicago.

"Sometimes it could be a little discouraging, but sometimes people would be excited, almost as if they had been waiting for me to show up," Obama said to cheers and laughter from the group.

He said the entire campaign is about going out and talking to people at a grassroots level.

The Must-Reid - 9.28.07

Reid Cherlin — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 09:44:14 EDT

The Must-Reid – Friday, September 28

Barack will hold a Meet the Candidate event at Rollins Park in Concord tomorrow. Gates open at 9:00 am. The advisory is available here. For credentials please email nh-media@barackobama.com. Watch for more details later today.

The Concord visit follows on the heels of a thousand-person rally in Peterborough before Wednesday’s debate. As the Union Leader reported:

At least a thousand spectators and supporters of Illinois Sen. Barack Obama crowded onto the Old Jaffrey Road property of Terry Reeves and David Baum yesterday to hear the Democratic Presidential candidate.

But Obama warned that it is not enough for voters to simply cast their ballots against the current administration.

"We need to fundamentally change how we do our politics," Obama said. "Instead of sending someone to Washington who plays a good game, we need to put an end to the game playing in politics."

The Keene Sentinel captured response from the crowd:

“I came just as a curiosity seeker, but all this support really makes me think he has a chance,” Mark Reynolds of Antrim said after the event.

Some of the crowd walked through the field with the help of canes, and others skipped their lunch at high school…

Obama emphasized his outsider standing in Washington several times, noting twice that he opposed the war in Iraq in 2002, when he was not yet in the U.S. Senate…

“A long resume does not guarantee good judgement,” Obama said, to one of the louder rounds of applause of the day.

Today we’re profiling Healthcare Community for Obama member Jennifer Kinsey, a public health educator from Stratham. Jennifer was recently featured on NH.BarackObama.com:

After a career in Washington D.C. tackling quality of life and health issues for working families, Jennifer moved to New Hampshire and wrote a grant to establish an organization called Healthy Communities, a community-based coalition targeting prevention of substance abuse in adolescents in the Exeter Region Cooperative School District. Working for the school district, she acted as coordinator for the $350,000 grant. Inspired by the lively civic culture in her community, she also joined local initiatives to protect the environment in her new home town of Stratham…

Barack’s theme of ordinary people accomplishing extraordinary things resonated for Jennifer. “He’s in touch with regular people,” she says, “and you can see it from his career choices in becoming an organizer, civil rights attorney, and state senator.”

Jennifer told NH.BarackObama.com that she believes Barack has the ability to bring people together for change:

“Barack is about the future whereas everyone else is about the past. He can talk to both sides of the partisan divide.”

The Must-Reid - 9.27.07

Reid Cherlin — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 09:40:56 EDT

The Must-Reid – Thursday, September 27

At lat night’s debate, Barack repeated one of the core themes of his candidacy: when it comes to solving the problems that we face, the deciding factor won’t be who has what plan, but who can bring the country together in an open dialogue about change:

The issue is not going to be who has these particular plans. It has to do with who can inspire and mobilize the American people to get it done and open up the process.

And he made it clear that while he may not have the experience Washington likes, he has the experience America needs:

Number one it needs somebody that can bring the country together, and that’s the kind of experience that I bring to this office. When I was in the state legislature, I was able to get people that were polar opposites—police officers and law enforcement working with civil rights advocates to reform a death penalty system that was broken. Bringing people together, Republicans and Democrats, to provide health insurance to people who didn’t have it. That’s number one.

Number two, we need someone who can take on special interests and win. I have consistently done that. On money and politics in the state legislature I passed landmark ethics legislation against not just Republicans, but also some of the leaders in my own party. I did the same thing working with Russ Feingold with the ethics reform package that we passed last year.

And the third thing is telling the truth to the American people even when it's tough, which I did in 2002, standing up against this war at a time when it was very unpopular. And I was risking my political career because I was in the middle of U.S. Senate race.

Now, those are, I think, the kinds of experiences that people are looking for right now in this country and that's the kind of experience I bring to bear to this race.

You can watch the video of that answer here.

Barack’s performance resonated with voters. Following last night’s debate, MSNBC.com asked viewers to weigh in on six categories. Barack won all 4 positive categories as the candidate who:

· “Stood out from the pack”

· “Showed the most leadership qualities”

· “Was the most convincing candidate”

· “Had the best one-liner”

Today we continue to spotlight members of the New Hampshire Health Care Community for Obama. State Representative Cindy Rosenwald was profiled recently NH.BarackObama.com. Rep. Rosenwald is Chairman of the House Health, Human Services, and Elderly Affairs Committee.

“Health care is something so basic to people’s lives that my work can really have an effect on the lives of people across the state…As a New Hampshire state representative, I work closely enough with my constituents to see the impact our legislation has on their daily lives…”

Cindy has experience wrestling with the major health care challenges facing the state: slowing down the rise in health care costs, fighting the increase in childhood obesity rates, expanding mental health coverage, and increasing access to dental care. She made national news in 2006 when she passed a bill on behalf of patients and doctors that protected prescription confidentiality. She sponsored the bill after learning from her husband Peter Klementowicz—a cardiologist—that pharmaceutical companies were obtaining doctor’s prescription records and using them to target doctors for advertising.

“Beyond the privacy issues involved, this practice raises the cost of drugs and leads to pressures for doctors to use the brand name pill, which won’t always be the most effective one…

[Obama’s] brilliant and persuasive and has the good sense to propose an achievable plan while running the sort of campaign that will ensure that, once he gets to the White House, he can overcome the opposition of the drug and insurance lobbies.”

You can read more about Rep. Rosenwald here.

The Must-Reid - 9.26.07

Reid Cherlin — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 08:58:25 EDT

The Must-Reid – Wednesday, September 26

Barack will host a Harvest for Change event in Peterborough TODAY before heading to the debate at Dartmouth College. Media access begins at 10:30 am, and gates open to the public at 11:00 am. The advisory is here. For credentials, please email nh-media@barackobama.com.

Yesterday, we announced the winners of two grassroots contests: our My.BarackObama.com Points Challenge and our New Hampshire to New York City contest.

The five Granite Staters who earned the most My.BarackObama.com points through a combination of online activities—like blogging, joining groups, and adding friends—and offline activities—like canvassing, phone-banking, and hosting events—will get to meet Barack after tonight’s debate. The winners are:

· Nathan Gair, a student from Lancaster

· Marion Noble, a stay-at-home mom from Antrim

· William Dismukes, an airline pilot and Air Force Reservist

· Megan Williams, a student from Dover

· Jennifer Randolph, who owns a neuropsychology practice with her husband in Hanover

In addition, two volunteers who canvassed this past weekend have been selected to represent New Hampshire at our rally in New York City on Thursday.

Katie Gehling of Londonderry and Keith McCrea of Manchester will be flown to New York City to join Barack at the grassroots rally in Washington Square Park.

Read more about these seven outstanding New Hampshire volunteers here.

Yesterday, we launched New Hampshire Healthcare Community for Barack Obama, a diverse group of health care professionals and policy specialists from across the state. The Portsmouth Herald report is here: Locals aid Obama's health care campaign.

Nurse practitioner Kelly Nordstrom of New Boston shared her support for Barack in a blog post at Blue Hampshire yesterday:

I've been following Senator Barack Obama since I first saw him speak at the 2004 Democratic National Convention. At that very moment, like many other Obama supporters, I knew that this man was a born leader, and that he would someday be our president. It is not often, especially in this age of cynicism, that political speech gives you goose bumps and makes you feel hopeful that tomorrow can indeed be better than today.

Senator Obama understands that solving the health care crisis in this country isn't just about putting forward a detailed plan (which he did very early in the campaign) -- it's also about bringing people together to make progress. After all, candidates have been talking about universal health care for years-but there hasn't been the political will to get anything done.

On Thursday, the New Hampshire Health Care Community for Obama will launch a statewide series of policy nights to discuss Obama’s plan to provide health care for all Americans. Policy nights will be held in Keene, Dover, Derry, Nashua, Manchester, Laconia, and Concord. Details can be found here.

Barack continued his fight to expand health care for working families yesterday, issuing a statement in response to President Bush’s veto threat of children’s health care:

Today's announcement by President Bush that he will veto children's health care is unacceptable and serves as an urgent reminder that we must change the way Washington works and finally put the people's interest ahead of the special interests.

In the richest nation on Earth we must no longer stand by while 9 million children live without health care. I believe that the millions of Americans who can't take their children to a doctor when they get sick have the right to affordable health care.

The Must-Reid - 9.25.07

Reid Cherlin — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 08:57:44 EDT

The Must-Reid – Tuesday, September 25

The campaign’s first television ad, BELIEVE, begins running today. In the ad, Barack continues his dialogue with voters, calling on them to believe in their own ability to bring about real change. The AP report is here. Here’s the full script:

Every time I speak about my hope for America, the cynics in Washington roll their eyes.

You see, they don't believe we can actually change politics and bring an end to decades of division and deadlock. They don't believe we can limit the power of lobbyists who block our progress, or that we can trust the American people with the truth.

And that’s why we face the same problems and hear the same promises every four years.

My experience tells me something very different.

In twenty years of public service, I've brought Democrats and Republicans together to solve problems that touch the lives of everyday people.

I've taken on the drug and insurance companies and won. I defied the politics of the moment, and opposed the war in Iraq before it began.

This is Barack Obama. I approve this message to ask you to believe—not just in my ability to bring about real change in Washington. I'm asking you to believe in yours.

On Wednesday, before heading the debate at Dartmouth College, Barack will hold a HARVEST FOR CHANGE event in Peterborough at 11:00 AM. The advisory is here. For credentials, please email nh-media@barackobama.com.

Later this morning we’ll launch the New Hampshire Health Care Community for Obama. This diverse group of health care professionals and policy specialists from across the state will advise the campaign on health issues and serve as spokespeople for Barack’s vision for solving the health care crisis in America.

Yesterday, General Tony McPeak spoke with New Hampshire voters about why he believes that Barack has the judgment and courage to be a great commander in chief. The Concord Monitor reports:

McPeak praised Obama's ability to inspire and his toughness. He painted a grim picture of the war in Iraq and said, "Heading off a worst-case scenario requires imagination, hard work, someone without an ideology he wants to peddle to the world and someone who will be seen as an honest broker. Barack Obama is the only one who has those qualities."

Although McPeak believes top military officials still favor the Republican Party, he said they have been turned off by the current administration and would welcome a president like Obama.

Retired Laconia voter Edwin Allard said that after hearing the general, he could see himself supporting Obama. "Who's had experience the last seven years? Rumsfeld and Cheney. Look how that turned out," Allard said. "What's important is judgment. Can you make the right calls?"

Obama in Peterborough Before Dartmouth Debate

Reid Cherlin — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 07:34:04 EDT

Obama in Peterborough Before Dartmouth Debate

Debate watch party to be held at Everything but Anchovies in Hanover

MANCHESTER, NH— Senator Barack Obama’s New Hampshire campaign announced today that Obama will visit Peterborough on Wednesday before heading to Hanover for the Dartmouth Debate.

Obama supporters from across New Hampshire will watch the debate together at the campaign’s official debate watch party at Everything but Anchovies in Hanover. Obama will stop by immediately after the debate.

Wednesday, September 26

Peterborough

HARVEST FOR CHANGE WITH BARACK OBAMA

Home of David Baum and Terry Reeves

53 Old Jaffrey Rd

Peterborough, NH

Media Pre-Set: 9:30 AM (Equipment will need to be dropped at the site by 9:00 AM; media will not have access to the site from 9:30 AM – 10:30 AM)

Media Access: 10:30 AM

Gates Open: 11:00 AM

Throw: 65ft

Cable Run: 500ft

Live Truck Parking: Directed on site

Free wireless internet will not be available

Event is free and open to the public. To RSVP please contact Mathew Riemer at 603-924-0808.

Media Coverage: The event is open to the press. For credentials please email

Nh-media@barackobama.com.

For logistical and planning purposes only please contact: Katie Lillie 312-533-9005.

Hanover

DNC DEBATE AT DARTMOUTH COLLEGE

Spaulding Auditorium

Dartmouth College

Hanover, NH

Debate begins: 9:00 PM EST

**This event is being sponsored by NBC, New England Cable News, New Hampshire Democratic Party and the Democratic National Committee.**

Media Coverage: For credentials please contact Genevieve.Hass@Dartmough.Edu.

NEW HAMPSHIRE DEBATE WATCH PARTY

Everything but Anchovies

5 Allen St.

Hanover, NH

Debate watch party begins: 9:00 PM

Event is free and open to the public. To RSVP please contact Lauren Watts at 603-448-1188.

Media Coverage: The event is open to the press. For credentials please email Nh-media@barackobama.com.

###

IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 24, 2007

Contact: Reid Cherlin, (603) 668-2008

"Believe" script

Reid Cherlin — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 23:39:00 EDT

Every time I speak about my hope for America, the cynics in Washington roll their eyes.

You see, they don't believe we can actually change politics and bring an end to decades of division and deadlock. They don't believe we can limit the power of lobbyists who block our progress, or that we can trust the American people with the truth.

And that’s why we face the same problems and hear the same promises every four years.

My experience tells me something very different.

In twenty years of public service, I've brought Democrats and Republicans together to solve problems that touch the lives of everyday people.

I've taken on the drug and insurance companies and won. I defied the politics of the moment, and opposed the war in Iraq before it began.

This is Barack Obama. I approve this message to ask you to believe—not just in my ability to bring about real change in Washington. I'm asking you to believe in yours.

The Must-Reid - 9.24.07

Reid Cherlin — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 23:38:06 EDT

The Must-Reid – Monday, September 24

Do you believe?

Do you believe in a responsible end to the war in Iraq?

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama is calling for the immediate withdrawal of all U.S. combat brigades from Iraq, with the pullout being completed by the end of next year.

"Let me be clear: There is no military solution in Iraq and there never was…”

Obama Outlines His Troop Pullout Plan [AP]

Do you believe in health care for every American?

Democrat Barack Obama is offering a sweeping plan that would provide every citizen a means to have health coverage and calls on government, businesses and consumers to share the costs of the program.

Obama said his plan could save the average consumer $2,500 a year and bring health care to all.

"The time has come for universal, affordable health care in America," Obama said…

Obama Offers Universal Health Care Plan [AP]

Do you believe in economic fairness?

Presidential hopeful Barack Obama became the first Democratic candidate to unveil a detailed middle class tax-cut proposal, one that he believes will restore "fiscal responsibility and a sense of fairness."

In a speech titled "Tax Fairness for the Middle Class," delivered Tuesday in Washington, Obama said his five-part $85 billion plan would cut taxes for more than 150 million Americans (including as many as 800,000 in New Hampshire), cut all taxes for seniors making less than $50,000, institute a mortgage tax credit, simplify the tax code and crack down on tax havens, and close corporate loopholes.

Obama unveils tax cuts for middle class [Portsmouth Herald]

Change you can believe in.

Yesterday, former Air Force Chief of Staff Tony McPeak visited the North Country to speak with voters about why he believes Barack has the vision and judgment to be our next Commander in Chief. At a house party in Gorham, General McPeak said:

And I can tell you personally, to the extent that expert testimony means anything, that on close-up observation I can see he has the judgment and the character and the personality we need, not just to be a good commander-in-chief, but to be one of the great ones…

Obama wants to change the game. He doesn’t just want to play the game beter—the old game, politics as usual…For me, it’s inspiring in a way that none of the other candidates can be. Because I believe that a lot of things need to be fixed in this country. We need somebody in the White House who wants to take it on and not be, kind of, same old, same old…

Tomorrow he will be in Bethlehem, Franklin, Tilton, and Deerfield. A full schedule is available here.

General McPeak is one of a team of foreign policy experts that the Chicago Tribune calls “Loaded with all-stars”:

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

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

Those advisers recently explained why they believe Barack has the best plan to end the war in Iraq. The plan would:

- Remove our combat troops from Iraq’s civil war by the end of 2008

- Take a new approach to press for reconciliation within Iraq

- Boost our diplomatic efforts in the region

- Confront the human costs of this war directly with increased humanitarian aid.

The Must-Reid - 9.21.07

Reid Cherlin — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 13:56:55 EDT

The Must-Reid – Friday, September 21

General Tony McPeak, former Chief of Staff of the U.S. Air Force, will visit New Hampshire Sunday and Monday to talk to voters about why he believes Barack has the judgment to be America’s next commander-in-chief. Watch for an advisory later today.

General McPeak recently said of Barack’s plan to end the war in Iraq:

The country desperately needs a new commander-in-chief. Barack Obama will be a great one, and more. He is perhaps the only candidate who has the personal qualities to fully restore our standing as leader of the international community.

Yesterday, former JFK counsel and speechwriter Ted Sorensen told voters in Concord that:

Obama is someone who has that unique ability—more than anybody since Kennedy—to speak from the heart, to inspire people, to talk about the future, to give hope to those who haven’t had it.

I see Obama as the candidate of hope and change in the same way that Kennedy was the candidate of hope and change… Above all, Obama—like Kennedy—has judgment.

Sorensen told his audience in Exeter that he believes this election is so critical because the United States has lost the support of our allies around the world, as the News-Letter reports:

"It's shocking. It's serious," he said. "We live in such a dangerous world that to have that lack of respect out there is dangerous for us as a country."

That danger is why Sorensen said he supports Obama, the one candidate he said can make a change. "He represents change," he said. "In fact, he is change. We need the change that he represents."

Also yesterday, Obama supporters across the state continued to share Barack’s tax fairness plan with New Hampshire voters. Campaigns and Elections reports from Tuesday’s roundtable in Rochester:

Irene Davidson, a social worker who lives in Exeter, said she sees the tax cuts helping her and people who are struggling financially.

"It's about time," she said.

Gail Carter of Rochester said even though her kids have good jobs, they are having a difficult time getting ahead. Obama's tax cuts would be a "tremendous boost" to seniors like herself, but also young families.

We resume our Veterans Steering Committee profiles today with Brian Hardy, commander of Littleton’s VFW Post 816. The Caledonian Record reports:

"I take my vote very seriously," Hardy said Friday, "and I looked at all the candidates, each and every one of them in person or their record, and I just feel he has a view of the world we need to have in the White House.

"His record on veterans' issues is second to none, and this is from someone who has not been in the senate that long. The others are trapped in the past," Hardy said in comparing Obama to other candidates on the issue of veterans and the care they need and benefits they deserve now. "We ought to be that beacon, and on a personal level, he is someone who is very deliberative when he speaks and he is an amazing listener."…

Hardy was an infantryman in the U.S. Army in Vietnam from 1968 to 1969, and was a nuclear weapons technician in Germany from 1966 to 1968. He was awarded the Bronze Star, Air Medal, Good Conduct Medal and Combat Infantry Badge. He was honorably discharged as a staff sergeant.

The Must-Reid - 9.20.07

Reid Cherlin — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 08:11:29 EDT

The Must-Reid – Thursday, September 20

JFK speechwriter and counsel Ted Sorensen visits New Hampshire today to discuss why he believes Barack has the leadership and judgment to change our politics. Sorensen will drop by Chez Vachon in Manchester for breakfast before heading to town halls with seniors in Exeter and Concord. He’ll finish the day with a house party in Contoocook.

The full advisory can be found here. The events are open to the press. Please email nh-media@barackobama.com for credentials.

Meanwhile, Obama supporters are sharing Barack’s tax fairness message with voters across the state. In the first of a series of issue chats around the state, Rep. Cindy Rosenwald visited the Londonderry Senior Center yesterday to discuss Barack’s proposal to eliminate income taxes for seniors making less than $50,000 per year. Those events continue today in five towns. Click here to see a full listing.

At Tuesday’s roundtable on tax fairness with State Senator Jackie Cilley, Rochester resident Gail Carter said that today’s economy doesn’t seem to offer the same opportunities for success that her parents’ generation enjoyed:

If they worked hard [they could] take part in the American dream…Today we have a working poor. I watch my kids now—even with good jobs—struggling. [Obama’s plan] I see as a tremendous boost to families.

Gail told NH.BarackObama.com that even through a bout with breast cancer and, most recently, her diagnosis with Parkinson’s disease, she “always believed that tomorrow would be better.”

That belief has renewed her interest in politics:

I made the connection between the power of hope and optimism to sustain me in my own life, and the value of a leader able to inspire that same sense of hope and optimism in people.

Barack has the ability to paint a picture of the future that inspires hope in his listeners. This gives him the ability to lead people to things that scarcely seem possible at the outset. [His DNC speech] woke up something in me that hasn’t been there for a long time.

You can read more about Gail here.

Ted Sorensen, Counsel to President Kennedy, to Campaign for Obama in New Hampshire on Thursday

Reid Cherlin — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 00:09:09 EDT

Ted Sorensen, Counsel to President Kennedy, to Campaign for Obama in New Hampshire on Thursday

MANCHESTER, NH—Ted Sorensen, counsel and speechwriter to President John F. Kennedy, will hold events in New Hampshire tomorrow to discuss Barack Obama’s vision, judgment, and leadership.

Sorensen began working for Kennedy in the U.S Senate, where they forged a close relationship, and followed him to the White House as Special Counsel & Advisor and primary speechwriter. Sorensen is perhaps best known for his role in writing JFK’s famous 1960 inaugural address.

All events are open to the press. Please email nh-media@barackobama.com for credentials.

Thursday, September 20

Manchester

8:30-9:45 am

Breakfast at Chez Vachon (For planning purposes only; not for publication.)

136 Kelley St

Manchester, NH

Exeter

11:00 am

Town Hall at RiverWoods (For planning purposes only; not for publication.)

RiverWoods Retirement Community

7 RiverWoods Dr. P-209

Exeter, NH

This event is by invitation only.

Concord

2:30 pm

Town Hall at Pleasant View (For planning purposes only; not for publication.)

Pleasant View Retirement Community

227 Pleasant St.

Concord, NH

This event is by invitation only.

Contoocook

5:00 pm

House Party (For planning purposes only; not for publication.)

Home of Beth Moore

181 Burrage Rd.

Contoocook, NH

This event is by invitation only.

###

FOR PLANNING PURPOSES ONLY

September 19, 2007

Contact: Reid Cherlin, (603) 668-2008

The Must-Reid - 9.19.07

Reid Cherlin — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 09:31:44 EDT

The Must-Reid – Wednesday, September 19

Today and tomorrow, Obama supporters will share Barack’s tax fairness message with seniors across the state. As President, Barack will eliminate income taxes for senior citizens making less than $50,000 per year—providing direct relief for 30,000 seniors in New Hamsphire.

State Rep. Cindy Rosenwald will hold the first chat this morning at the Londonderry Senior Center at 11:00 am. Watch for a full advisory shortly. The events are open to the press. Please email nh-media@barackobama.com for credentials.

Barack unveiled his complete middle class tax fairness plan yesterday in Washington. The Portsmouth Herald reports:

"Instead of working to find ways to relieve the burden on the middle class, we've developed creative ways to remove the burden from the well-off," Obama said. "Instead of having all of us pay our fair share, we've got over $1 trillion worth of loopholes in the corporate tax code. This isn't the invisible hand of the market at work. It's the successful work of special interests."

Yesterday afternoon, state Senator Jackie Cilley sat down with New Hampshire voters at a roundtable in Rochester to discuss the merits of Barack’s plan. The Herald continues:

Following a campaign roundtable with voters on the topic in Rochester on Tuesday, Obama supporter and state Sen. Jackie Cilley of Barrington said the plan "is a middle class uplift. It shifts the very irresponsible tax cuts of the Bush era to the most productive aspects of our economy."

Tomorrow, JFK speechwriter and counsel Ted Sorensen will visit New Hampshire to discuss Barack’s vision, judgment, and leadership. In a July article in The New Republic, Sorensen wrote:

Perhaps most tellingly, both [Kennedy and Obama] preached (and personified) the politics of hope in contrast to the politics of fear, which characterized Republican speeches during their respective eras…Hope trumped fear in 1960, and I have no doubt that it will again in 2008.

Sorensen explains his endorsement of Barack in a video here.

We continue profiling our Veterans Steering Committee members today with Marine Corps veteran and New Hampshire State Representative Kris Roberts. In a recent interview, Kris told NH.BarackObama.com:

Looking at his past and his work with other organizations, I believe [Obama is] willing to go out there and give people the tools necessary to turn their hope into reality…

Not only do I think he can get things done for veterans, I think he wants to get things done for veterans.

Today Kris serves in the New Hampshire House, where he chairs the State-Federal Relations and Veterans Affairs committee, upholding the values he defended as a Marine.

I always wanted to become a Marine because the Marine Corps had a high standard and the Marine Corps had the ability to bring the best out of people.

My moment that I’m most proud of as an engineer, as a Marine officer, even as an American…was when we finally finished a school and opened a school for families [in Panama]. These mothers were so happy that their kids were finally going to be able to go to school. These kids will never know who I am—they’ll probably never see me—but I was able to make a positive impact on their life.

Even though I’m no longer in the Marine Corps, I’m still contributing… One of my proudest moments in the New Hampshire House was, we finally got the bill passed that we give a Medal of Honor to the parents or the spouse who have lost a son or daughter in harm’s way.

I tell people on the committee, “My job is to make sure each one of you guys get better, because if you all get better, regardless of what party you are, we produce better work, and if we produce better work, the people of New Hampshire benefit.”

I think Barack Obama understands that. He understands the importance of making people better.

You can watch more of the interview with Kris here.

Excerpts: Obama to Announce Major Middle Class Tax Relief Plan

Reid Cherlin — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 06:26:59 EDT

Obama to Announce Major Middle Class Tax Relief Plan

Excerpts and NH-specific fact sheet provided below

MANCHESTER, NH—U.S. Senator Barack Obama plans to announce a bold and innovative plan to reform America’s tax code so that it works for the middle class in a speech to the Tax Policy Center today in Washington, DC. Obama’s plan would provide a substantial tax cut for nearly all working Americans, for homeowners, and for low- and middle-income seniors.

Obama will make the case that our current tax code reflects the wrong priorities, by rewarding wealth instead of work and pledge to restore fairness to the tax code to strengthen the American economy.

Obama’s middle class tax relief plan would provide $80-85 billion in tax cuts to America’s workers, seniors and homeowners by:

Cutting taxes for 150 million Americans and their families allowing them to get a tax cut of up to $1000.

Easing the burden on the middle class by providing a universal homeowner’s tax credit to those who do not itemize their deductions, immediately benefiting 10 million homeowners, the majority of whom make under $50,000 per year.

Eliminating the income tax for any American senior making less than $50,000 per year, eliminating income taxes for about 7 million American seniors.

Simplifying tax filings so millions of Americans can do their taxes in less than 5 minutes.

Obama would pay for his tax reform plan by closing corporate loopholes, cracking down on international tax havens, closing the carried interest loophole, and increasing the dividends and capital gains rate for the top bracket.

The full plan with New Hampshire-specific information can be found HERE.

TAX FAIRNESS FOR THE MIDDLE CLASS

Speech Excerpts

Washington, DC

“We believe that there is a place in the American economy for every American’s dream. And we know that when we extend that dream of opportunity to more Americans, all of us gain.”

“Instead of working to find ways to relieve the burden on the middle class, we’ve developed creative ways to remove the burden from the well-off. Instead of having all of us pay our fair share, we’ve got over $1 trillion worth of loopholes in the corporate tax code. This isn’t the invisible hand of the market at work. It’s the successful work of special interests. For decades, we’ve seen a successful strategy to ride anti-tax sentiment in this country toward tax cuts that favor wealth, not work. And for decades, we’ve seen the gaps in wealth in this country grow wider, while the costs to working people are greater.”

“…to get through these uncertain times, we have to recognize that we all have a stake in one another’s success. When folks are hurting out there on Main Street, that’s not good for Wall Street. When the changes in our economy are leaving too many people behind, the competitiveness of our country risks falling behind. When that dream of opportunity is denied to too many Americans, then ultimately that pain has a way of trickling up.”

“If we’re going to keep that social compact for a new century, we need a tax code that’s fair – a tax code that rewards work and advances opportunity. Every American who is ready to work for their American dream should be able to trust that they have a government that works for them. I’ll keep that trust by cutting taxes for working people, homeowners, and seniors, and by simplifying tax filing for middle class Americans.”

“I’d reward work by providing an income tax cut of up to $500 per person – or $1,000 for each working family – to offset the payroll tax that they’re already paying...Under my plan, 150 million Americans – and their families – will get a tax cut. And because this credit would be greater than their income tax bill, my proposal would eliminate all income taxes for 10 million working Americans.

“The second thing I’ll do to ease the burden on the middle class is provide a universal homeowners’ tax credit….This will immediately benefit 10 million homeowners in America. The vast majority of these are folks who make under $50,000 per year, who will get a break of 10 percent of their mortgage interest rate.”

“It’s time to give America’s seniors a break. So I’ll give retired folks the same kind of relief I’ll offer to working people. When I’m President, we’ll work to see that no retiree making less than $50,000 each year has to pay income tax. This will eliminate income taxes for about 7 million Americans, at a savings rate of roughly $1,400 each year.”

“When I’m President, we’ll put in place a system where 40 million Americans with a job and a bank account who take the standard deduction can do their taxes in less than five minutes. The government already collects wage and bank account information, so there’s no reason the IRS can’t send Americans prefilled tax forms to verify. This means no more worry. No more wasted time. No more extra expenses for a tax preparer.”

###

IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 18, 2007

Contact: Reid Cherlin, (603) 668-2008

The Must-Reid - 9.17.07

Reid Cherlin — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 08:57:44 EDT

The Must-Reid – Monday, September 17

Barack is giving a speech this morning in New York introducing the economic agenda that he’ll be laying out in detail in the coming weeks.

As the Politico reports:

Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) went to the NASDAQ MarketSite in Times Square this morning to call for greater openness and transparency on Wall Street – an approach that echoed his choice of Detroit for a speech in May taking on auto companies.

Barack’s economic agenda has three parts: modernizing and simplifying our tax code, ensuring American competitiveness in the world, and strengthening the safety net for working Americans. The campaign released Barack’s remarks this morning.

Tomorrow, I’ll lay out the first part of my agenda – a plan to modernize and simplify our tax code so that it provides greater opportunity and more relief to more Americans…My plan will give a break to middle-class Americans, seniors, and the homeowners who are feeling today’s anxiety and uncertainty, because I believe that we all have a stake in restoring their confidence and investing in their prosperity.

The second part of my agenda will be to ensure America’s competitive edge in the 21st century. This starts with providing every American with a world-class education from cradle to adulthood….We can’t allow ourselves to fall behind. That means investing in early child education. It means recruiting an army of new, qualified teachers who we pay more and support more because we know how important their job is to the future of this country. And it means finally making a college education affordable and available to every American…

Finally, the third part of my agenda will be to modernize and strengthen America’s safety net…Like all of you, I believe in free trade. But we have to acknowledge that for millions of Americans, its burdens outweigh its benefits. And so if we want to avoid rising protectionism in this country; if we expect working Americans to accept and even embrace free trade, then I believe we all have a stake in embracing policies that will provide them with a sense of security. That means health insurance and a pension that they can always count on. That means skills and training that can actually help people find a job. And that means wages that actually make work pay.

As Barack lays out his plans, we’ll be talking about economic fairness here in New Hampshire this week. More details soon.

Our profiles of the Obama for New Hampshire Veterans Steering Committee members continue today with Air Force veteran and New Hampshire State Veterans Council Executive Director Mary Morin of Raymond.

Mary grew up in a military family and joined the Air Force at age 21, serving 21 years as an air maintenance technician. She recently told NH.BarackObama.com:

I can't say that I joined with an overarching vision for what my service would look like. I grew up as a Navy brat, and I thought that joining the service would provide some discipline and direction.

Once in the Air Force, Mary discovered her passion for the camaraderie associated with service—a passion which motivated her to take on her role as Executive Director of the State Veterans Council:

There's a camaraderie you feel with your fellow service members that isn't matched anywhere else. I like knowing that I am continuing to do my part to support my old comrades...Every day, I’m reminded of why I do this. I like knowing that I’ve helped make a veteran’s life just a little better.

She sees daily the issues confronting America’s veterans.

Veterans are waiting too long to get into the system, too long to see a doctor, and traveling too far to their appointments…

Mary supports Barack because of his commitment to understanding those problems and achieving workable solutions:

He’s focused on veterans’ issues, and has demonstrated the work ethic and discipline to study the issue and serve as an advocate for veterans across the country...He looks you in the eye and doesn’t make big promises. He listens, learns about the issue, and then speaks frankly about what can be done.

You can read more about Mary Morin on NH.BarackObama.com.

Obama Calls for Greater Openness and Transparency on Wall Street

Reid Cherlin — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 06:28:00 EDT

Obama Calls for Greater Openness and Transparency on Wall Street

Embargoed Speech Text Below

MANCHESTER, NH—Senator Barack Obama is scheduled to deliver the following remarks today at the NASDAQ Marketsite. Obama will argue that the “what’s good for me is good enough” mentality that has crept into certain corners of the Washington and the business world has led to bad-for-business practices that don’t just offend our morals, but endanger our markets.

Using the subprime mortgage crisis that has led to today’s economic uncertainty as an example, Obama will discuss why the American economy and the American people benefit from policies that ensure openness, transparency, and honesty in the marketplace. Obama has been a leader in raising awareness of the subprime issue, and he will reiterate his call for more disclosure in the housing market. To ensure that no conflict of interest exists between rating agencies and the people they’re rating, he will also call for an immediate investigation into the relationship and business practices of rating agencies and their clients.

Finally, Obama will ask Wall Street to join him in supporting an economic agenda that will level the playing field for the American people and ensure America’s prosperity in the 21st century. Obama is scheduled to deliver a speech on Tuesday in Washington DC where he will outline specific tax policy proposals.

The speech is being hosted by the Executive Council as part of their Candidate Roundtable Series.

As Prepared for Delivery:

Remarks of Senator Barack Obama

Our Common Stake in America’s Prosperity

Monday, September 17, 2007

New York, New York

EMBARGOED for Delivery

Seventy-five years ago this week, Governor Franklin Delano Roosevelt took his campaign for the presidency to the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco.

It was a time when faith in the American economy was shaken – a time when too many of our leaders clung to the conventional thinking that said all we could do is sit idly by and wish that our problems would go away on their own.

But Franklin Roosevelt challenged that cynicism. Amid a crisis of confidence Roosevelt called for a “re-appraisal of values.” He made clear that in this country, our right to live must also include the right to live comfortably; that government must favor no small group at the expense of all its citizens; and that in order for us to prosper as one nation, “…the responsible heads of finance and industry, instead of acting each for himself, must work together to achieve the common end.”

This vision of America would require change that went beyond replacing a failed President. It would require a renewed trust in the market and a renewed spirit of obligation and cooperation between business and workers; between a people and their government. As FDR put it, “Faith in America, faith in our tradition of personal responsibility, faith in our institutions, and faith in ourselves demands that we all recognize the new terms of the old social contract.”

Seventy-five years later, this faith is calling us to act once more.

We certainly do not face a test of the magnitude that Roosevelt’s generation did. But we are tested still. We meet at a time when much of Wall Street is holding its collective breath. Here at the NASDAQ and all across America, the tickers are being watched with heightened anxiety and considerable uncertainty. There is much anticipation about tomorrow’s meeting of the Fed, and with each new day, there is hope that the headlines will bring better news than the last.

It is a hope shared by millions of Americans, men and women, who have experienced this kind of anxiety and uncertainty long before it arrived on Wall Street. They are the families I meet every day who are working longer hours for a paycheck that isn’t getting any bigger and can’t seem to cover the rising cost of health care and tuition and taxes. They are the Maytag workers I’ve met in Galesburg, Illinois and Newton, Iowa – workers who believed they would retire and never have to work again; workers who now compete with their teenagers for minimum wage jobs at Wal-Mart because their factory moved overseas.

These Americans and many others were already struggling before the problems on Wall Street arose. Now they are looking at their homes and wondering if their greatest source of wealth will still have the same value in another year, or even another month. And we’re all wondering whether this will spill over to the wider economy.

So we know there is a need right now to restore confidence in our markets. We know there is a need to renew public trust in our markets. But I also think that this is another moment that requires, in FDR’s words, a re-appraisal of our values as a nation.

I believe that America’s free market has been the engine of America’s great progress. It’s created a prosperity that is the envy of the world. It’s led to a standard of living unmatched in history. And it has provided great rewards to the innovators and risk-takers who have made America a beacon for science, and technology, and discovery.

But I also know that in this country, our grand experiment has only worked because we have guided the market’s invisible hand with a higher principle.

It’s the idea that we are all in this together. From CEOs to shareholders, from financiers to factory workers, we all have a stake in each other’s success because the more Americans prosper, the more America prospers. That’s why we’ve had titans of industry who’ve made it their mission to pay well enough that their employees could afford the products they made. That’s why employees at companies like Google don’t mind the vast success of their CEOs – because they share in that success just the same. And that’s why our economy hasn’t just been the world’s greatest wealth creator – it’s been the world’s greatest job generator. It’s been the tide that has lifted the boats of the largest middle-class in history.

We have not come this far because we practice survival of the fittest. America is America because we believe in creating a framework in which all can succeed. Our free market was never meant to be a free license to take whatever you can get, however you can get it. And so from time to time, we have put in place certain rules of the road to make competition fair, and open, and honest. We have done this not to stifle prosperity or liberty, but to foster those things and ensure that they are shared and spread as widely as possible.

In recent years, we have seen a dangerous erosion of the rules and principles that have allowed our market to work and our economy to thrive. Instead of thinking about what’s good for America or what’s good for business, a mentality has crept into certain corners of Washington and the business world that says, “what’s good for me is good enough.”

In our government, we see campaign contributions and lobbyists used to cut corners and win favors that stack the deck against businesses and consumers who play by the rules. Massive tax cuts are shoved outside the budget window and accounting shenanigans are used to hide the full cost of this war.

In the business world, it’s a mentality that sees conflicts of interest as opportunities for profit. The quick kill is prized without regard to long-term consequences for the financial system and the economy. And while this may benefit the few who push the envelope as far as it will go, it’s doesn’t benefit America and it doesn’t benefit the market. Just because it makes money doesn’t mean it’s good for business.

It’s bad for business when boards allow their executives to set the price of their stock options to guarantee that they’ll get rich regardless of how they perform. It’s bad for the bottom line when CEOs receive massive severance packages after letting down shareholders, firing workers and dumping their pensions; or when they throw lavish birthday parties with company funds.

It’s bad for competition when you have an Administration that’s willing to approve merger after merger with barely any scrutiny. Such an approach stifles innovation, it robs consumers of choice, it means higher prices, and we have to guard against it.

And it’s bad for the market when there are over $1 trillion worth of loopholes in the corporate tax code, or when some companies get to set up a mailbox in a foreign country to avoid paying any taxes at all. This means a greater share of taxes for Americans and small businesses that are trying to compete but can’t afford to lobby their way to more loopholes.

It also means that investment goes to the companies that are best connected instead of the ones that are most productive. Economics 101 tells us special interest politics distorts the free market. After all, why would an oil company invest in research for alternative fuels that could save our environment when they can get billions of dollars in subsidies to keep drilling for oil and gas?

These anti-market, anti-business practices are wasteful, unproductive, and antithetical to the very spirit of capitalism. They benefit the undeserving few at the expense of hardworking Americans and entrepreneurs who play by the rules.

In fact, the danger with this mentality isn’t just that it offends our morals, it’s that it endangers our markets. Markets can’t thrive without the trust of investors and the public. At a most basic level, capital markets work by steering capital to the place where it is most productive. Without transparency, that cannot happen. If the information is flawed, if there is fraud, or if the risks facing financial institutions are not fully disclosed, people stop investing because they fear they’re being had. When the public trust is abused badly enough, it can bring financial markets to their knees. We all suffer when we do not ensure that markets are transparent, open and honest.

We saw this during the dotcom boom of the 90s when conflicts of interest between securities analysts, whose research was supposed to guide investors, and the banks they worked for led investors to doubt the markets in general.

We saw it during the Enron and WorldCom scandals when major public companies artificially pumped up their earnings, disguised their losses and otherwise engaged in accounting fraud to make their profits look better – a practice that ultimately led investors to question the balance sheets of all companies.

And we cannot help but see some reflections of these practices when we look at the subprime mortgage fiasco today.

Subprime lending started off as a good idea – helping Americans buy homes who couldn’t previously afford to. Financial institutions created new financial instruments that could securitize these loans, slice them into finer and finer risk categories and spread them out among investors around the country and around the world.

In theory, this should have allowed mortgage lending to be less risky and more diversified. But as certain lenders and brokers began to see how much money could be made, they began to lower their standards. Some appraisers began inflating their estimates to get the deals done. Some borrowers started claiming income they didn’t have just to qualify for the loans, and some were engaging in irresponsible speculation. But many borrowers were tricked into glossing over the fine print. And ratings agencies began rating bundles of different kinds of these loans as low-risk even though they were very high-risk.

Most everyone knew that some of these deals were just too good to be true, but all that money flowing in made it tempting to look the other way and ignore the unscrupulous practice of some bad actors

And yet, time and again we were warned this could happen. Ned Gramlich, the former Fed governor who sadly passed away two weeks ago, wrote an entire book predicting this very situation. Repeated calls for better disclosure and stronger oversight were met with millions in mortgage industry lobbying. Far too many continued to put their own short-term gain ahead of what they knew the long-term consequences would be when those rates exploded.

Those consequences are now clear: nearly 2.5 million homeowners could lose their homes. Millions more who had nothing to do with this could see the value of their own home decline – with some estimates projecting a cost of nearly $164 billion, primarily in lost home equity. The projected cost to investors is nearly $150 billion worldwide. And the impact on the housing market and wider economy has been so great that some economists are now predicting a possible recession – a prediction all of us hope does not come to pass.

There are a number of lessons that we must learn from this going forward. We know that much of this could have been avoided if the market operated with more honesty and accountability. We also know we would have been far better off if there were greater transparency and more information had been available to the American people.

To that extent, I believe there are a few steps we should take to prevent future crises of this kind and restore some measure of public trust in the market:

First, we need more disclosure and accountability in the housing market. To ensure that potential homeowners aren’t tricked into purchasing loans they can’t afford, I’ve proposed updating the current mortgage rules to establish a federal definition of mortgage fraud and enact tough penalties against lenders who knowingly act in bad faith. I’ve also proposed a Home Score system that would create a simplified, standardized metric for home mortgages, sort of like the APR. This would empower Americans to make smart decisions by allowing prospective buyers to easily compare various mortgage products so they can find out whether they can afford the payments. And I believe we should finally enact the meaningful mortgage disclosure laws that the mortgage industry has been lobbying against for far too long.

Second, I believe that if we hope to restore trust in the markets, we must be able to trust the judgment of our rating agencies. The failure of government to exercise adequate oversight over the rating agencies will cost investors and public pension funds billions of dollars – losses we have not yet fully recognized. We cannot let the public trust be lost by a conflict of interest between the rating agencies and the people they’re rating. As Arthur Levitt recently reminded us, this happened when rating agencies continued to give a rosy outlook for Enron despite its impending bankruptcy. And of course we saw it this year when subprime mortgage loans continued to receive strong ratings despite repeated warnings of the instability of the mortgages and the impending slowdown of the housing market.

Here’s the real danger – if the public comes to view this like the accounting analyses of Enron, the markets will be ravished by a crisis in confidence. We must take steps to avoid that at all costs, and that is why I believe there should be an immediate investigation of the relationship and business practices of rating agencies and their clients.

The third thing we need to do is look at other areas in the market where a lack of transparency could lead to similar problems. Many of the people who hold these subprime mortgages are now shifting their debt to credit cards, and if they do not understand the commitments they’re taking on, or are subjected to predatory practices, this could fester into a second crisis down the road. That’s why I’m proposing a five-star credit card rating system to inform consumers about the level of risk involved in every credit card they sign up for, including how easily the company can change the interest rate. If more Americans were armed with this kind of information before they purchased risky mortgage loans, the current crisis might not have happened. Now that so many are in debt, we shouldn’t let the same lax standards create another.

Finally, while it’s not my place to comment on the actions of the Fed, I have heard many of you say that you hope for a sizable rate cut tomorrow to soothe the market turmoil.

But I also know that there are nearly 2.5 million Americans who may lose their homes no matter what happens tomorrow. And so for those institutions that are holding these mortgages, I ask them to show some flexibility to folks trying to sell or refinance their houses. They are in the same liquidity pinch as companies are, but they don’t have the same resources available to protect themselves.

Now, in addition to these immediate steps, I also believe there is a larger lesson to be learned from the subprime crisis.

In this modern, interconnected economy, there is no dividing line between Main Street and Wall Street. The decisions that are made in New York’s high-rises and hedge funds matter and have consequences for millions of Americans across the country. And whether those Americans keep their homes or their jobs; whether they can spend with confidence and avoid falling into debt – that matters and has consequences for the entire market.

We all have a stake in each other’s success. We all have a stake in ensuring that the market is efficient and transparent; that it inspires trust and confidence; that it rewards those who are truly successful instead of those who are just successful at gaming the system. Because if the last few months have taught us anything, it’s that we can all suffer from the excesses of a few. Turning a blind eye to the cronyism in our midst can put us all in jeopardy. And we cannot accept that in the United States of America.

So I promise you this. I will be a President who believes in your success. I will value your contribution to this country and I will do what I can to encourage it, because I understand that how well you do is inextricably linked to how well America does. And I will always be a strong advocate for a market that is free and open.

But today I am asking you to join me in saying that in this country, we will not tolerate a market that is fixed. We will not tolerate a market that is rigged by lobbyists who don’t represent the interests of real Americans or most businesses. And we will not tolerate “what’s good for me is good enough” any longer – because the only thing that’s good enough is what’s best for America.

I am also asking you to join me in doing something else today. I am asking you to remind yourselves that in this country, we rise or fall as one people. And I am asking you to join me in ushering in a new era of mutual responsibility in America.

Right now there are millions of hardworking Americans who have been struggling to get by for quite some time. They have watched their wages stagnate and their health costs rise and their pensions disappear. Some have seen jobs shipped overseas and others have found new ones that pay much less. Some tell their children they won’t be able to afford college this year, others send their youngest to a school that is crumbling around them.

I meet these Americans every single day – people who believe they have been left on the sidelines by a global economy that has forever changed the rules of the game. They understand that revolutions in technology and communication have torn borders and opened up new markets and new opportunities. They know we can’t go back to yesterday or wall off our economy from everyone else. Their problem is not that our world is flat. It’s that our playing field isn’t level. It’s that opportunity is no longer equal. And that’s something we cannot accept anymore.

For too long we have had a President who has clung to the belief that there is nothing America can do about this. He has looked away from these challenges and peddled a philosophy of “what’s bad for you is not my problem.”

It may be true that many of the dislocations that have occurred were propelled by technology, and if we are honest, I think we must admit that those who have benefited from the new global marketplace – and that includes almost everyone in this room – have not always concerned themselves with the losers in this new economy. There has been a tendency, during the boom times, to consider the casualties of a changing economy to be inevitable, and to justify outsized paydays or lower tax rates on Wall Street earnings as part of the natural order of things.

Indeed, rather than addressing this growing sense of uncertainty and constricting opportunity for millions of working-class and middle-class Americans, this Administration has accelerated these trends through its tax policies and spending priorities – to the point where there is greater income inequality now than at any time since the Gilded Age.

It may be true, as some have argued, that larger forces are at work here – that technological advance and globalization have triggered a fundamental change in the economy. It is true as well that we cannot simply look backwards for solutions – to try to fence off the world beyond our borders, or to hope that the New Deal programs borne of a different era are, by themselves, somehow adequate to meet the challenges of the future.

No, we are going to have to adapt our institutions to a new world as we always have. And in doing so, we have to remind ourselves that we rise and fall as one nation; that a country in which only a few prosper is antithetical to our ideals and our democracy; that those of us who have benefited greatly from the blessings of this country have a solemn obligation to open the doors of opportunity, not just for our children, but to all of America’s children; and that unless we take immediate steps to realign the interests of all Americans in growth and prosperity, we may generate a political climate that is inimical to both.

And so, in the coming weeks, I will be laying out a 21st century economic agenda for America. It’s an agenda that will level the playing field for more Americans to ensure that America can compete and thrive in a global economy.

It will f ocus on three broad areas.

Tomorrow, I’ll lay out the first part of my agenda – a plan to modernize and simplify our tax code so that it provides greater opportunity and more relief to more Americans. For far too long, our tax code has been so riddled with special-interest loopholes and giveaways that it’s shifted the tax burden to small businesses and middle-class Americans. At a time when most Americans are facing stagnant wages and rising costs, that’s not fair and it doesn’t benefit our economy. My plan will give a break to middle-class Americans, seniors, and the homeowners who are feeling today’s anxiety and uncertainty, because I believe that we all have a stake in restoring their confidence and investing in their prosperity.

The second part of my agenda will be to ensure America’s competitive edge in the 21st century. This starts with providing every American with a world-class education from cradle to adulthood. We know that in this economy, countries that out-educate us today will out-compete us tomorrow. And we also know that China is already graduating four times as many engineers as we do and that our share of twenty-four-year-olds with college degrees now falls somewhere between Bulgaria and Costa Rica.

We can’t allow ourselves to fall behind. That means investing in early child education. It means recruiting an army of new, qualified teachers who we pay more and support more because we know how important their job is to the future of this country. And it means finally making a college education affordable and available to every American. Tony Blair once said that “Talent is the 21st century wealth,” and I believe we all have a stake in nurturing that talent if we hope to prosper in this century.

Ensuring our competitive edge also means investing more in the science and technology that has fueled so much of our nation’s economic growth. And one place where that investment would make an enormous difference to the future of this country is in a renewable energy policy that ends our addiction on foreign oil. We know this addiction isn’t sustainable for our security. We know it’s not sustainable for the planet. And I’ve talked to countless CEOs and business leaders who know it’s not sustainable for our economy to be held hostage to the spot oil market. I believe that we all have a stake in a renewable future that will create thousands of new jobs and entire new industries that can fuel our prosperity well into the next century.

Finally, the third part of my agenda will be to modernize and strengthen America’s safety net for working Americans. Like all of you, I believe in free trade. But we have to acknowledge that for millions of Americans, its burdens outweigh its benefits. And so if we want to avoid rising protectionism in this country; if we expect working Americans to accept and even embrace free trade, then I believe we all have a stake in embracing policies that will provide them with a sense of security. That means health insurance and a pension that they can always count on. That means skills and training that can actually help people find a job. And that means wages that actually make work pay.

I ask for your support for this economic agenda, both in this campaign and if I should get the chance to enact these policies as your President. I will not pretend it will come without cost, but I do believe we can do achieve this in a fiscally responsible way – certainly more so than the current Administration that’s given us deficits as far as the eye can see.

I know some may say it’s anathema to come to Wall Street and call for shared sacrifice so that all Americans can benefit from this new economy of ours. But I believe that all of you are as open and willing to listen as anyone else in America. I believe you care about this country and the future we are leaving to the next generation. I believe your work to be a part of building a stronger, more vibrant, and more just America. I think the problem is that no one has asked you to play a part in the project of American renewal.

I also realize that there are some who will say that achieving all of this is far too difficult. That it is too hard to build consensus. That we are too divided and self-interested to think about the responsibilities we have to each other and to our country. That the times are simply too tough.

But then I am reminded that we have been in tougher times and we have faced far more difficult challenges. And each time we have emerged stronger, more united, and more prosperous than the last. It is faith in the American ideal that carries us through, as well as the belief that was voiced by Franklin Roosevelt all those years ago this week: “Failure is not an American habit; and in the strength of great hope we must all shoulder our common load.” That is the strength and the hope we seek both today – and in all the days and months to come.

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EMBARGOED FOR DELIVERY

September 17, 2007

Contact: Reid Cherlin, (603) 668-2008

Paid for by Obama for America

The Must-Reid - 9.14.07

Reid Cherlin — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 15:43:44 EDT

The Must-Reid – Friday, September 14

Last night Barack issued a statement rejecting the President’s insistence on pursuing his failed policy in Iraq:

It is long past time to end a war that never should have started. President Bush was wrong when he took us to war, he was wrong when he escalated this war in January, and he is wrong to stay the course now. [The full statement is here.]

Barack also appeared on Larry King Live to discuss the speech, telling King:

We need to bring this war to an end now. We need to start bringing our troops home now and have a schedule for a responsible but rapid and phased redeployment out of Iraq. I’ve talked to military experts. They say we can bring one to two brigades out per month. If we started now on that schedule, we can have all our combat troops out by next year. [Video available here.]

Over the next few days we’ll be profiling members of the Obama for New Hampshire Veterans Steering Committee, which officially launched yesterday.

Featured today is Ryan Gray of Goffstown. Ryan enlisted in the Marine Corps and volunteered twice to fight in Iraq. He spoke recently with NH.BarackObama.com [video here]:

Even though it wasn’t my unit that was leaving…when they asked me “Do you want to go? Do you want to volunteer?” I said yes, because you don’t join the Marines or the Army or all the other services to sit around. That’s your job. You go where you’re asked to go. You go where you’re told to go…

When I got the call for my second deployment, I volunteered to go because I had Marines going; I had friends going that didn’t have combat experience. I thought, “maybe my combat experience will help save their lives.”

Since returning, Ryan is pursuing a graduate degree in education and has devoted himself to his role as a husband and father:

As time goes on I don’t want to be away from my son. I don’t want to risk him growing up not knowing who his father is.

Ryan was first impressed with Barack’s early opposition to the war.

I support Obama because I feel like he noticed that there was something wrong with us going in the first place and he stood by his convictions... He’s got good judgment as far as how to run our military, how to treat the advice that military commanders want to give to him, and how to treat our veterans as they come home.

I feel like we’re being stretched thin…There are other places where the war on terror needs to be fought and the Senator recognizes that.

As Barack laid out his plan to end the war this week, Ryan praised his grasp of the complicated situation in a blog post on Blue Hampshire:

Having been on the front lines, I can tell you that our troops are solely dedicated to their mission and the safety of their comrades. Marines, soldiers, sailors and Air Force personnel have no choice but to trust that the civilian leadership who put you in harm's way understands the situation and has your back. Obama recognizes the situation in Iraq for what it is. And he's stressed again and again that we have to be as careful getting out as we were careless getting in. I could not agree more.

But it doesn't end with Iraq. I appreciate Obama's strong track record of fighting for us as a member of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee. Now, as a presidential candidate, he has pledged a comprehensive approach to looking after our service members, from the moment they enlist through their service and re-entry into society…

Obama understands that there is a sacred trust in this country between our government and those of us who take up arms to defend our ideals--and he understands that for too long that trust has not been kept.

Obama Campaign Announces New Hampshire Veterans Steering Committee

Reid Cherlin — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 09:07:16 EDT

Obama Campaign Announces New Hampshire Veterans Steering Committee

Membership calls on the administration to begin responsible redeployment of American troops from Iraq

MANCHESTER, NH—Senator Barack Obama’s New Hampshire campaign today announced the membership of the Obama for New Hampshire Veterans Steering Committee. The steering committee includes leaders of prominent veterans’ services organizations and veterans of Vietnam and the ongoing war in Iraq. The steering committee will coordinate outreach and advise the campaign on veterans’ and military issues.

“Senator Obama has a strong track record of fighting for veterans and their families as a member of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee,” steering committee member Mary Morin said. “Now, as a presidential candidate, he has pledged a comprehensive approach to upholding the sacred trust with our service members and their families, from the moment they enlist through their service and re-entry into society.”

Obama has introduced a plan to improve mental health care at every stage of military service and expand the VA’s capacity to treat psychological injury. As President, Obama will fully fund the VA, expand Vet Centers, revamp the current benefits system, and put in place a “zero tolerance” policy for homelessness among veterans. You can read more about Obama’s plan HERE.

On the heels of Senator Obama major address on Iraq yesterday, the committee called on the Bush administration to stop redefining “success” in Iraq and to begin a responsible withdrawal of our troops.

“Our troops have done a tremendous job in Iraq, and we know they’ll do whatever is asked of them—but it’s time for the administration to come clean and acknowledge that no amount of American heroism is going to force Iraq’s leaders to reconcile and end their civil war,” steering committee member Kris Roberts said. “Senator Obama’s plan to begin a phased withdrawal—made in consultation with our senior military leadership—will put pressure on the Iraqis to forge a political solution, and will allow us to be ready to confront new threats to the U.S. or our allies.”

**Steering committee members are available to talk to the media. Please contact Reid Cherlin for details at (603) 668-2008.

Obama for New Hampshire Veterans Steering Committee

Ryan Gray – Sergeant, Marine Corps; served two tours in Iraq.
Goffstown, NH

Brian Hardy – Commander, Littleton VFW Post 816, Member of Congressman Hodes’s Veterans Advisory Committee; served in U.S. Army, Vietnam combat infantry (1968-69) and nuclear weapons technician in Germany (1966-68). Awarded the Bronze Star, Air Medal, Good Conduct Medal and Combat Infantry Badge. Honorably discharged staff sergeant.

Dalton, NH

Larry Johnson – State Commander, Disabled American Veterans; Retired USAF Master

Sergeant, 22 years of service.

Dover, NH

Doug Micklon – Former State Commander, American Legion; served in U.S. Navy (1962-1966) aboard USS Franklin D. Roosevelt CAV 42.

Salem, NH

Mary Morin – Executive Director, New Hampshire State Veterans Council; Retired U.S. Air Force, 21 years active service.

Raymond, NH

Rep. Kris Roberts – Chairman, House State-Federal Relations and Veterans Affairs Committee; Retired United States Marine Corps Lt. Col. with almost 26 year of total service (21 years active duty), Vietnam veteran.

Keene, NH

John Rubery – Senior Vice Commander, New Hampshire Veterans of Foreign Wars; U.S Army, served two tours in Vietnam.

Amherst, NH

Bob Wayss – Former State Commander, Disabled American Veterans; Retired USAF, 20 years of service.

Portsmouth, NH

###

IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 13, 2007

Contact: Reid Cherlin, (603) 668-2008

The Must-Reid - 9.13.07

Reid Cherlin — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 09:16:58 EDT

The Must-Reid – Thursday, September 13

Barack’s campaign will announce the New Hampshire Veterans for Obama Steering Committee today. The steering committee will advise the campaign on policy and will coordinate outreach to veterans and military families across New Hampshire. Look for profiles of steering committee members in the Must-Reid and on NH.BarackObama.com in the coming days.

Yesterday, Barack delivered a major speech laying out his plan to end the war in Iraq and address the humanitarian crisis there. Under Barack’s plan, all U.S. combat troops would be out of Iraq by the end of 2008. As the Concord Monitor reports:

Illinois Sen. Barack Obama yesterday called for an end to military action in Iraq, with American troops withdrawing gradually throughout the next year. Only by removing American troops can the U.S. instill a sense of urgency in Iraqi government officials to gain control of their country, he said.

The Chicago Tribune notes:

Obama's plan, outlined before an audience of about 500 at Ashford University, calls for the complete pullout of troops by the end of next year by bringing home one or two brigades each month…

Obama called for a new constitutional convention in Iraq to be convened by the United Nations. He also called for increasing U.S. aid to $2 billion this year to help displaced Iraqis, plus more support for social services for refugees in neighboring countries.

You can read Barack’s full remarks here, and you can read the details of the plan here. Foreign policy experts weigh in with their opinions of the plan here.

Barack’s plan makes it clear exactly where he stands on ending the war he has opposed from the start—and illustrates the real change and new thinking he’ll bring to Washington. Elwood at Blue Hampshire has this review:

The speech is very eloquent - in a way that cheers me in terms not only of his strengths as a candidate, but also of his thoughtfulness and willingness to challenge conventional wisdom…This speech made me more favorable toward and comfortable with Senator Obama.

And the Cedar Rapids Gazette adds:

Just as it's time to turn the page in Iraq, Obama seemed to say it's time to turn the page in Washington. He is calling for an end to the ‘politics of division and conventional Washington thinking that first led us into Iraq.’

The Must-Reid - 9.12.07

Reid Cherlin — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 09:56:48 EDT

The Must-Reid – Wednesday, September 12

Barack will deliver a major speech on Iraq today outlining his plan to end the war and laying out his vision for what America can achieve once we turn the page in Iraq. The following excerpts from the speech are to be released this morning:

I opposed this war from the beginning. I opposed the war in 2002. I opposed it in 2003. I opposed it in 2004. I opposed it in 2005. I opposed it in 2006. I introduced a plan in January to remove all of our combat brigades by next March. And I am here to say that we have to begin to end this war now.

…

Let me be clear: there is no military solution in Iraq, and there never was. The best way to protect our security and to pressure Iraq’s leaders to resolve their civil war is to immediately begin to remove our combat troops. Not in six months or one year—now. We should enter into talks with the Iraqi government to discuss the process of our drawdown. We must get out strategically and carefully, removing troops from secure areas first, and keeping troops in more volatile areas until later. But our drawdown should proceed at a steady pace of one or two brigades each month. If we start now, all of our combat brigades should be out of Iraq by the end of next year.

Yesterday in the Senate, Barack pressed General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker on their defense of the administration’s failed Iraq policy:

“[W]e have now set the bar so low that modest improvement in what was a completely chaotic situation, to the point where now we just have the levels of intolerable violence that existed in June of 2006 is considered success, and it's not…

And if we're there the same place a year from now, can you please describe for me any circumstances in which you would make a different recommendation and suggest it is now time for us to start withdrawing our troops? Any scenario? Any set of benchmarks that had not been met?”

Talking Points Memo had this to say about the hearing:

It needs to be said that Barack Obama made some pretty solid points when questioning General Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker today -- points that are probably on the minds of many people.

The Must-Reid - 9.10.07

Reid Cherlin — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 10:30:06 EDT

The Must-Reid – Monday, September 10

Four New Hampshire activists will announce their support for Barack today: Representatives John Henson and Eileen Flockhart of Exeter, Representative Dennis Abbot of Newmarket, and New Hampshire Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers founder Cathy Green of Dunbarton.

Rep. Henson finalized his decision to support Barack after seeing him speak at a house party in Exeter in August. “I came away absolutely convinced that he can bring about the change we need,” Henson said. “He has the vision, he has the judgment, and he has the guts to take on the status quo.”

With the debate on Iraq set to take center stage in the Senate this week, Barack’s consistent opposition to the war remains a key issue for New Hampshire voters.

In the Senate and on the campaign trail, Barack has been fighting to bring the war to a responsible close. In January, Barack introduced the Iraq War De-escalation Act, which would have begun a phased redeployment in May of this year, with the goal of removing all American combat brigades by March 31, 2008. Barack said at the time:

Our troops have performed brilliantly in Iraq, but no amount of American soldiers can solve the political differences at the heart of somebody else's civil war. That's why I have introduced a plan to not only stop the escalation of this war, but begin a phased redeployment that can pressure the Iraqis to finally reach a political settlement and reduce the violence.

On May 1, President Bush vetoed Democratic legislation containing Barack’s target date—and Barack urged voters in New Hampshire and around the country to call on their Senators to vote to override the veto. On May 19th, more than 550 supporters took that message to doorsteps across New Hampshire in what the Globe called “an unprecedented canvassing eight months before the first primary vote is cast.”

In Manchester last week Barack reiterated that call, reminding the crowd that real change is within reach:

I introduced a plan back in January that would have gradually and responsibly removed all combat troops from Iraq by March 30th, 2008. The President vetoed a plan just like this last spring, but we will be debating the war again next week. Now is the time to keep the pressure on all those Republican Senators and Congressmen who continue to support the President's failed course. We can end this war without George Bush. And if we don't, then it will be the first thing I do as President of the United States.

The Must-Reid - 9.07.07

Reid Cherlin — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 10:29:15 EDT

The Must-Reid – Friday, September 7

Barack spent this week articulating the need to restore trust in government, beginning with his rally in Manchester on Monday. (Video of the full speech is now up here, or you can read the full text here.)

But Barack isn’t just talking about ethics reform on the campaign trail—he continues to be a leader in the Senate. Yesterday he introduced legislation calling for greater transparency in campaign fundraising. The Chicago Tribune reports:

Continuing a reform theme that he has stressed in the opening week of the fall campaign, Barack Obama introduced legislation today that would significantly expand disclosure of "bundlers" who raise large amounts of money for presidential and congressional candidates.

Also yesterday, the Senate Judiciary Committee passed another of Barack’s initiatives to restore trust in government: the Deceptive Practices and Voter Intimidation Prevention Act. This legislation would make voter intimidation and misinformation punishable by law and put an end to the deceptive phone calls and mailers that have plagued recent elections. Barack urged his Senate colleagues to help him move the legislation forward to final passage:

For too many elections, misinformation and intimidation have kept thousands of Americans from voting. Voting is not only a basic right but also one of our most important responsibilities, and we must ensure that all Americans have equal, unfettered access to the polls. I urge the Senate to act quickly to pass this bill to make voter intimidation and deceptive election practices illegal.

In New Hampshire earlier this summer, Barack pledged that as President he’ll enact the most sweeping ethics reform in history on his first day in office. As he told the Manchester audience:

We need a President who sees government not as a tool to enrich well-connected friends and high-priced lobbyists, but as the defender of fairness and opportunity for every American. That's what this country has always been about, and that's the kind of President I intend to be.

The Must-Reid - 9.06.07

Reid Cherlin — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 09:51:53 EDT

The Must-Reid – Thursday, September 6

This evening, Barack’s sister Maya Soetoro-Ng will hold a conference call with participants and hosts of the From Doubt to Hope book clubs. Maya, a teacher in Hawaii, will talk about her experiences growing up with Barack and will offer a personal perspective on why he’s the best candidate to change the country.

The call will take place at 5:30 pm and is open to the press. For dial-in information, please contact Marti Adams at 668-2008.

With more discussion yesterday of who will be the candidate to bring real change, Barack continued to introduce specific proposals to change the broken culture in Washington and reconnect people to their government. Speaking to voters in Iowa, he laid out his plan to improve the quality and affordability of our health care by making the system more transparent and arming consumers with the information they need to make good decisions.

The details of the plan can be found here.

Barack also discussed the need to include the American people in an open process as he works to enact universal health care—bringing about the kind of fundamental change that hasn’t been achieved in the past. AP reports:

"We will convene an open process which the American people will be watching," Obama told about 50 people at an informal coffee. "What the president can do is shine a spotlight on the process and (involve) the American people and keep the pressure on and that is something that didn't happen. In many ways it didn't happen in '93."

As Barack heard at Tuesday’s roundtable in Manchester, the cost and accessibility of health care continues to be a top issue for New Hampshire voters. Phil Slagle of Brookline told Barack that his medical costs may force him to give up his dream home:

You’re allowed to have a prescription filled once a month and I’ve just had a situation where I had surgery and I had horrific pain. And so after they filled the pain prescription once—and it goes from $24 to $283 a month, or as needed. And it just—we’re pretty much getting to the end of the rope in that where we may have to sell our house, our dream house, and move into an apartment or condo or something. And we’re—believe me—we didn’t think we were struggling or whatever, we both had really nice jobs. And it’s frustrating. Its very frustrating to see your disposable income and your savings just—and I’ve had to cash in one of my 401(k)s just to pay bills.

Barack told Phil that his story underscores the need for universal coverage and to overcome the influence of special interests in Washington:

So all this argues for why I think universal healthcare is so important. And the proposal that we put forward would create a government plan that people could buy into, no discrimination based on preexisting conditions, coverage on drugs, cost savings achieved through putting more money in prevention, health IT, the management of the chronically ill, subsidies for people who can’t afford it so that we’re confident we can cover everybody, for the cost of the Bush tax cuts to the top one percent…And we’re really going to have to build a movement. The drug and insurance companies have spent over a billion dollars over the last decade on lobbying. A billion. And that has an impact in terms of blocking and preventing things from getting done and that’s a real problem.

Obama Will Improve Health Care Quality, Affordability by Increasing Information Available to Consumers

Reid Cherlin — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 07:38:08 EDT

Obama Will Improve Health Care Quality, Affordability by Increasing Information Available to Consumers

MANCHESTER, NH—U.S. Senator Barack Obama said today that as President, he will improve the quality and affordability of healthcare by making more information available to consumers about hospital performance and complicated prescription drug plans. Obama’s plan, which can be viewed in full HERE, is similar to his successful efforts in the Illinois state Senate to pass the Hospital Report Cards Act, a law that requires hospitals to make public facts and figures about the quality of care they’re providing.

“Today, seniors are flooded with material about lots of different plans, but they get little guidance about which is actually best for them,” Obama said. “As a result, many people are paying a lot more than they should be. When I’m President, we’ll make sure seniors are provided with information about what prescription drug plan is best for them. And we’ll also require companies to make information about these plans available online so seniors can do some comparative shopping and find the best price.”

Obama said American health care consumers are not armed with the cost and quality information they need to make good decisions about their care. A recent study in Wisconsin found that seniors are spending on average about $500 more than they should be. In another survey of 2,000 Americans, 63 percent of respondents who had received treatment for a serious health issue or had a close family member receive treatment did not know the cost until after treatment was received. Participants were able to predict the price of a Honda Accord within $300 on average, but were off by $8,100 on a four-day hospital stay.

“I think it should be public knowledge if a hospital’s making lots of preventable mistakes, or if there are only a few nurses for every patient, or if patients are getting lots of infections while they’re in the hospital,” Obama said. “People should be able to know which hospitals are doing a good job and which aren’t. And when I’m President, they will.”

Obama also discussed his detailed universal health care plan, which will cover every American and cut the cost of a typical family’s premiums by up to $2,500 per year.

###

IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 5, 2007

Contact: Reid Cherlin, (603) 668-2008

The Must-Reid - 9.05.07

Reid Cherlin — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 10:55:06 EDT

The Must-Reid – Wednesday, September 5

At yesterday’s roundtable with voters in Manchester, Barack announced his plan to restore trust in government by making its workings more transparent. As AP reports:

The change Americans crave — universal health care, new energy solutions and better economic policies for regular people — can't happen unless the system for making deals in Washington is fundamentally overhauled, Obama said Tuesday at a voters' round-table.

As President, Obama will create a centralized, searchable database of lobbying reports, ethics records, and campaign finance reports, expand lobbying disclosure rules, and create an independent body to enforce lobbying regulations. The details of the plan are here.

The roundtable, held at T.R. Brennan’s on Hanover Street, allowed Barack to engage in a direct dialogue with voters about how their government has lost their trust. As the Chicago Tribune reports:

Suzanne Martin, a disabled 55-year-old from Manchester, spoke of her shock at suddenly confronting prescription drug bills of $300 per pharmacy visit when she reached the "donut hole" in which the Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit no longer covers drug costs.

Here’s what Suzanne told Barack:

Yes, I have something that I think ties into what you were talking about—government secrecy and bills passed in the middle of the night. I’m on Medicare and I signed up for Medicare Part D coverage and it took effect in January.

From January to August 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.

Barack told her that the sky-high prices she’s now paying out of pocket are a direct result of secrecy and special interest influence in our lawmaking:

This is an example of how Washington fundamentally failed the American people, and it was purely based on lobbying by the drug industry. This is—you don’t get a better example than this. Think about how this bill was put together. You had the chairman of the committee of the House and you had a number of administration officials who put together this bill, who, subsequently went to work for the drug lobby… The bill in the House—normally the vote is15 minutes—they held it for hours. To force and twist arms to get it passed.

And so this is why I think it’s so important, as president, to make sure that how we put this legislation together is transparent, its open, people understand it. Press has easy access to these bills, there’s enough time to examine you know, the details of the legislation. Because most American people, they didn’t know the details of a lot of this stuff.

Obama Announces Plan to Restore Trust in Government

Reid Cherlin — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 06:44:47 EDT

Obama Announces Plan to Restore Trust in Government

Proposals Will Make Government More Transparent

MANCHESTER, NH—During a roundtable discussion with New Hampshire voters in Manchester today, U.S. Senator Barack Obama announced a series of initiatives to restore the American people’s trust in their government by making government more transparent.

“It’s no secret that most Americans think the country is on the wrong track,” Obama told the group. “But the reason isn’t just failed policies. It’s a system in Washington that has failed the American people. A system that has not kept the most fundamental trust of American democracy: that our government is of the people, and that it must govern for all the people – not just the interests of the wealthy and well-connected.”

Saying that Washington has failed to address the issues that matter most to Americans, Obama outlined his plans to make government more transparent, including:

Lifting the curtain on connections between lobbyists and Members of Congress by creating a centralized database of lobbying reports, congressional ethics records, and campaign finance filings available on the internet in a searchable, sortable and downloadable format,

Expanding lobbying disclosure rules to include lobbyists seeking government contracts and presidential pardons,

Enforcing congressional lobbying laws and ethics rules through an independent entity,

Creating an “contracts and influence” database which will disclose how much federal contractors spend on lobbying, and ensuring citizens have easy access to contract details and contractor performance.

Full details of the plans Obama announced today can be viewed HERE.

“We’re not going to be able to change America unless we challenge this system that isn’t working for us and hasn’t for a long time,” Obama said. “Now I know some will say that we can’t make this change. That the culture of corrosive influence in politics is too sprawling to spotlight. Or that the lobbyists writing our laws represent real Americans.

“That’s not how I see it. Because when it comes to what’s wrong with this country, the American people are not the problem. The American people are the answer. The American people want to trust in our government again – we just need a government that will trust in us. And making government accountable to the people isn’t just a cause of this campaign – it’s been a cause of my life for two decades.”

Senator Obama is a long-time leader in the effort to reform government. As a State Senator in Illinois, Obama passed the first campaign finance reform in 25 years. In the U.S. Senate, Obama took on both parties to help pass major ethics and lobbying reform legislation. And earlier this year in a speech in Manchester, Obama pledged to that on his first day in the White House he would enact the most sweeping ethics reform in history.

###

IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 4, 2007

Contact: Reid Cherlin, (603) 668-2008

The Must-Reid, 9.04.07

Reid Cherlin — Tue, 04 Sep 2007 07:53:04 EDT

The Must-Reid – Tuesday, September 4

At 8:30 this morning, Barack will continue his ongoing dialogue with voters at a roundtable on restoring trust in government. He’ll hold a discussion with a small group of Granite Staters who feel that their government isn’t working for them. The roundtable will be held at T.R. Brennan’s in Manchester at 8:30 and is open to the press.

Barack’s visit to New Hampshire began yesterday, as he urged crowds to return to a sense of possibility, to challenge the conventional thinking in Washington, and to put an end to special interest-driven politics.

Yesterday morning, Barack attended the AFL-CIO breakfast and held a rally in downtown Manchester before heading to the Milford Labor Day Parade and an ice cream social in Hudson.

Don’t miss the Union Leader: “Obama promises to fight special interests” and the Washington Post: “Barack Obama, Drawing the Big Crowds.” As the Post reports:

He continued: "Too many in Washington see politics as a game. And that is why I believe this election cannot be about those who can play this game better. It has to be about who can put an end to the game-playing. The times are too serious, the stakes are too high."

Barack’s day concluded in Nashua, where he sat down for dinner with four participants who had contributed small amounts online as part of the campaign’s “Dinner with Barack” program. Among the four was Gaby Grossman of Exeter, who told the Telegraph “It was so great my face hurts from smiling.”

Grossman said she doesn’t usually get involved in politics, but Obama’s message inspired her to hope that many of the problems facing the country can be solved and to do her part to affect change in government.“I trust him,” she said. “He has integrity, and that’s what government seems to be lacking. We are each responsible to make change. I feel like Senator Obama gives me that confidence. (He’s) just real, a real, smart, powerful man who wants to make a difference.”

The Must-Reid, 8.31.07

Reid Cherlin — Fri, 31 Aug 2007 08:29:40 EDT

The Must-Reid – Friday, August 31

As we head into the heart of the primary season the Obama campaign has just opened two new offices: a Lakes Region office in Laconia and a Monadnock Region office in Peterborough. That makes nine total offices. Already open are Concrord, Keene, Nashua, Conway, Portsmouth, Rochester, and our statewide HQ in Manchester.

Obama for America Peterborough Office

43 Grove Street (Unit #5)

Peterborough, NH 03458

Phone: (603) 924-0808

Obama for America Laconia Office (opening tomorrow, 9/1)

666 Main Street

Laconia, NH 03246

Phone: (603) 528-0008

We’re happy to announce that Michelle Obama and Sasha and Malia Obama will join Barack for his events in Manchester and Milford on Monday. The family’s visit to New Hampshire last week is featured in this new video on our website.

In addition to successful visits with Barack and Michelle this summer, our volunteers and supporters in New Hampshire attended more than 400 organizing activities, from policy nights to coffees with the campaign to From Doubt to Hope book clubs. The book clubs are going strong and enter their final summer session next week.

We look forward to seeing you out on the campaign trail on Monday and Tuesday. Please let me know if you have any questions about the trip, and as always you can request credentials for the events by emailing nh-media@barackobama.com.

A Summer of Grassroots Organizing: Supporters Across the State Build a Network to Put Barack on Top

Reid Cherlin — Fri, 31 Aug 2007 07:08:17 EDT

A Summer of Grassroots Organizing: Supporters Across the State Build a Network to Put Barack on Top

From May through August, supporters attended more than 400 non-candidate organizing events in New Hampshire

MANCHESTER, NH—Barack Obama has visited New Hampshire 13 times as a candidate—and returns Monday—and he’s held over 40 events here. Think that’s impressive? Obama supporters here in the Granite State have planned and attended more than 400 events this summer, building a grassroots organization unlike any other.

Barack Obama made it clear from the beginning that he wanted to run a different kind of campaign—a grassroots movement that would allow regular people to take organizing into their own hands to change the country. From issue forums to book clubs to “eating meetings,” that vision has become a reality in New Hampshire this summer.

As we head into the fall, here’s a sampling of some of the more than 400 activities from the summer:

Local issue forums: 33

Participants: more than 400

Faith forums: 9

Child advocacy forums: 7

Small business forums: 4

Environment forums: 7

Senior citizen forums: 6

From Doubt to Hope Book Clubs: 48

Four sessions each 12 towns

Participants: more than 300

New Hampshire My.BarackObama.com Users: 801

Hoops.Action.Change basketball tournament

Regional brackets: 4 (Portsmouth, Keene, Nashua, and Lebanon)

Participants: 75

Games played: 58

Independence Day Events: More than 50

Debate Watch Parties: 27

Women for Obama events: 12

Coffees with the Campaign: 46

General organizational meetings: 82

Updated Labor Day Advisory

Reid Cherlin — Fri, 31 Aug 2007 07:02:44 EDT

UPDATED: Obama Returns to New Hampshire on Labor Day

Obama will visit Manchester, Milford, Hudson and Nashua

MANCHESTER, NH—Senator Barack Obama will make his fourteenth trip to New Hampshire on Labor Day, September 3, for two days of events. In New Hampshire and across the country, Obama has been laying out his vision for challenging the Washington establishment and changing America—restoring Americans’ trust in government, and restoring America’s moral leadership in the world.

Monday, September 3

Manchester

NEW HAMPSHIRE AFL-CIO LABOR DAY BREAKFAST

St. George Greek Orthodox Cathedral

650 Hanover St.

Manchester, NH 03104

Breakfast Begins: 9:00 AM

Barack Arrives: 9:30 AM

***The AFL-CIO is hosting this event. They are handling logistics. For more information, please call Jessica Clark at 603-203-9463.***

LABOR DAY RALLY

Veterans Memorial Park

737 Elm Street

Manchester, NH 03101

Gates Open: 10:00 AM

The event is free and open to the public. Those wishing to attend are encouraged to RSVP either by calling Lenora Fisher at (603) 668-2008 or on the web at http://nh.barackobama.com.

Media Coverage: The event is open press. For credentials, please email nh-media@barackobama.com.

Milford

BARACK RIDES IN MILFORD LABOR DAY PARADE

Starting Point: Milford High School

100 West Street

Milford, NH 03055

Ending Point: Harley Sanford Post No. 4368

1 VFW Way

Milford, NH 03055

Parade Steps Off: 1:00 PM

***This is a public event organized by the Harley-Sanford VFW Post in Milford.***

Hudson

ICE CREAM SOCIAL

Dr. H.O. Smith School

33 School St

Hudson, NH 03051

Gates Open: 3:30 PM

The event is free and open to the public. Those wishing to attend are encouraged to RSVP either by calling Julia Fox at (603) 578-9007 or on the web at http://nh.barackobama.com (under “Upcoming Events” at right).

Media Coverage: The event is open press. For credentials, please email nh-media@barackobama.com.

Nashua

DINNER WITH BARACK

***Details forthcoming.***

Tuesday, September 4

Manchester

ROUNDTABLE ON RESTORING TRUST IN GOVERNMENT

T.R. Brennan’s (Location for planning purposes only, not for publication.)

1037 Hanover Street

Manchester, NH

Doors Open: 8:30 AM

This event is by invitation only.

Media Coverage: The event is open press. For credentials, please email nh-media@barackobama.com.

###

IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August 30, 2007

Contact: Reid Cherlin, (603) 668-2008

The Must-Reid, 8.30.07

Reid Cherlin — Thu, 30 Aug 2007 07:45:58 EDT

The Must-Reid – More details for Barack’s upcoming visit – Thursday, August 30

Keep an eye out today for a fuller advisory for Barack’s Labor Day visit. In the meantime, here are more details for Monday for our Must-Reiders.

New: The campaign will announce today that the second round of “Dinner with Barack” will be held here in New Hampshire during this visit. You may remember that Gaby Grossman of Exeter was selected to dine with Barack, along with three others, from among thousands of supporters who contributed as little as $5 online. The date and location of the dinner has now been set: the party of five will sit down for dinner in Nashua on Monday evening.

Below is an outline of Monday’s events for planning purposes only. Times are approximate and meant as a guideline. As always, you can request credentials by emailing nh-media@barackobama.com. Please let me know if you have any questions.

Manchester

9:15 – On Sunday morning Barack will drop by the AFL-CIO breakfast at St. George Greek Orthodox Cathedral at 650 Hanover St. This is a meet-and-greet only; there will be no remarks.

10:00 – Barack, joined by Michelle Obama and their daughters, will hold a Labor Day rally at Veterans Memorial Park at 737 Elm St.

1:00 – The Obama family Marches in the Milford Labor Day Parade.

Hudson

4:00 – Barack will attend an ice cream social at Dr. H.O. Smith School, 33 School St. Barack will speak and then meet and greet with guests.

Nashua

7:00 – Dinner with Barack.

The Must-Reid, 8.29.07

Reid Cherlin — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 12:30:21 EDT

The Must-Reid – Wednesday, August 29

Today marks the second anniversary of Hurricane Katrina’s landfall in New Orleans. Barack has traveled to the Gulf Coast frequently over the last two years, monitoring the progress of the recovery effort and meeting with displaced residents. On Sunday, Barack visited New Orleans again to unveil his comprehensive plan to rebuild the Gulf Coast—and to and to ensure that such catastrophe never happens again.

“Let New Orleans be the place where we strengthen those bonds of trust, where a city rises up on a new foundation that can be broken by no storm,” Obama said. “Let New Orleans become the example of what America can do when we come together, not a symbol of what we couldn't do.”

Speaking at First Emanuel Baptist Church (video clip here), Barack also said that the tragedy began before the hurricane hit.

“America failed the people of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast long before that failure showed up on our television sets. America failed them again during Katrina. We cannot, we must not, fail for a third time.”

Among the steps Obama is proposing: ensuring that the FEMA director reports directly to the President, using loan forgiveness programs to bring college students back to New Orleans and to rebuild health care infrastructure there, and creating a National Catastrophe Insurance Reserve. You can view the full plan here.

The shame of Katrina remains a touchstone issue for many voters here in New Hampshire. Concord resident Gerri King introduced Barack at her home last week by quoting a woman she met recently in New Orleans:

“‘Please, please, if you see Barack Obama, tell him we're desperate to have him…We need somebody there who believes us when we say we're suffering. We need someone there who believes we're suffering long after the press has stopped covering our situation. And when you've been through what we've been through, you get really good at knowing who sincerely cares.’ And so I give you that person: Barack Obama.”

The Must-Reid, 8.28.07

Reid Cherlin — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 08:09:11 EDT

The Must-Reid – Tuesday, August 28

Zbigniew Brzezinski, former National Security Advisor and “paragon of foreign policy eminence,” announced Friday that he supports Barack’s stand against Washington conventional wisdom. In an interview with Bloomberg’s Al Hunt, Brzezinski said when it comes to the primary season’s competing views on foreign policy, Barack is “clearly more effective and has the upper hand.” And looking beyond the current disagreements, Brzezinski said that Barack has the fresh perspective on foreign policy that this critical moment requires.

He has a sense of what is historically relevant and what is needed from the United States in relationship to the world. He recognizes that the challenge is a new face, a new sense of direction, a new definition of America's role in the world…

There is a need for a fundamental rethinking of how we conduct world affairs. And Obama seems to me to have both the guts and the intelligence to address that issue and to change the nature of America's relationship with the world.

You can watch the video of the entire interview here.

Brzezinski joins a growing number of foreign policy experts speaking out in favor of Obama and a fundamentally new direction in our foreign policy. Another former National Security Advisor, Tony Lake—who served under Bill Clinton—is also advising Obama. Lake recently explained his support for Obama to Michael McCord of the Portsmouth Herald.

There were two reasons why [he] hooked up with Obama, who is fighting against the tide of conventional political wise-guy wisdom that he’s a foreign policy novice (not unlike Bill Clinton in 1992). Lake said that since meeting Obama in 2004 before he was elected to the U.S. Senate, he has become impressed with Obama’s intelligence, practicality and decisiveness. The second reason is more metaphysical: “We simply have to show a new face to the world, one offering new hope. The act of electing him would send a message to the world.

Samantha Power, Harvard professor and Pulitzer Prize-winning human rights and international affairs expert, summed up the argument for Barack’s foreign policy vision in a recent memo:

American foreign policy is broken. It has been broken by people who supported the Iraq War, opposed talking to our adversaries, failed to finish the job with al Qaeda, and alienated the world with our belligerence. Yet conventional wisdom holds that people whose experience includes taking these positions are held up as examples of what America needs in times of trouble.

Barack Obama says we have to turn the page. We cannot afford any more of this kind of bankrupt conventional wisdom. He has laid out a foreign policy that is bold, clear, principled, and tailored for the 21st century. End a war we should never have fought, concentrate our resources against terrorists who threaten America. End the counterproductive policy of lumping together our adversaries and avoiding talking to our foes. End the era of politics that is all sound-bites and no substance, and offer the American people the change that they need. Barack Obama’s judgment is right. It is conventional wisdom that has to change.

The Must-Reid, 8.27.07

Reid Cherlin — Mon, 27 Aug 2007 09:03:55 EDT

The Must-Reid – Monday, August 27

The New York Times reports that Attorney General Alberto Gonzales will announce his resignation later this morning. Barack voted against confirming Gonzales as attorney general in 2005. As he said in New Hampshire last Monday, he opposed Gonzales because "he saw the job as being the president's lawyer, when he's supposed to be the people's lawyer."

With the anniversary of Hurricane Katrina approaching, Barack visited New Orleans yesterday to lay out his plan to rebuild the Gulf Coast and prevent future catastrophes. He discussed his plan this morning in an interview Good Morning America’s Robin Roberts (video here). Roberts also asked Barack for his reaction to recent comments that a terrorist attack would help the Republicans’ electoral chances.

The interview concludes with what has become a key theme of this campaign: Barack’s potential to bridge the divide between Democrats and Republicans so that we can start making progress again. In case you missed it, an article in Friday’s edition of Salon encapsulates this critical story, noting that Obama placed third in a poll of Iowa Republicans, and interviewing “lifelong” Republicans like Joe Rowe, a retired pharmacist in North Carolina:

Though he says he has always voted for Republican presidents in the past, he now makes monthly contributions to the Obama campaign. "You have to make a stand sometime, and there is so much partisanship, and I would love to see someone who can be a reconciler," Rowe explained this week in a phone interview. "I think we can get a lot done with his approach."

Here’s the full story:

Barack Obama's Republican edge

If he can win the Democratic primary, will his fans from the opposing party help take him all the way to the White House?

By Michael Scherer

Aug. 24, 2007 | It was sort of like finding a Christmas tree in a cornfield. In late July and early August, Iowa Republican voters were asked to name their choice for president in a University of Iowa poll. Mitt Romney, who leads most Iowa surveys, got 22 percent of the total. Rudy Giuliani came in second with 10 percent. But third place went to a Democrat, Barack Obama, who got nearly 7 percent -- more than Mike Huckabee, John McCain and Sam Brownback combined.

Not to worry: The Obama campaign isn't likely to join the Grand Old Party, and pollsters are convinced that Obama has exactly zero chance of winning the Republican caucus in Iowa. But something is going on. "I don't want to make too much of it," says David Redlawsk, the professor who commissioned the poll. "But I do think that the message Obama is putting out right now is the most likely to reach across party lines."

There are other signs of Obama's crossover appeal. Over the last several months, Frank Luntz, a Republican pollster, has been holding focus groups for various media organizations like Fox News to find out what the public thinks of the presidential candidates. "I would ask Republicans, 'Which Democratic candidate would you accept? Who would you consider to vote for?'" Luntz says. "Obama would get more than everybody else combined. Hillary [Clinton] and [John] Edwards have no crossover voters."

A recent poll by the Washington Post and ABC News revealed a third data point in Obama's favor: When asked in July which Democratic candidate has the best chance to defeat a Republican in a general election, Republicans and independents were more likely than Democrats to pick Obama over Clinton. In fact, among Democrats, only 22 percent said Obama was the best general election candidate, while 54 percent flagged Clinton as the best in the general election. But among Republicans, 33 percent said Obama was the best candidate, and 37 percent said Hillary. In other words, Republicans were about 11 points more likely than Democrats to see Obama as the best shot for a Democratic White House.

Any political expert will tell you that polls don't mean much five months before the first caucus. But a pattern may be emerging. In part because of Clinton's high negatives among Republicans, it appears Obama is gaining momentum as a fresh candidate with a less divisive approach, by constantly appealing beyond the partisan lines of the last decade. His first television ad buy in Iowa included testimony from a Republican state lawmaker from Illinois talking up Obama and his ability to reach across party lines. As Obama reiterated in an appearance in Iowa last week, "The country is hungry for change. It wants something new. We want to chart a new direction for our nation."

It's a cliché message, but one that could have traction for Obama. "There is a segment of society that is desperately looking for a less partisan, less divisive approach," Luntz says of Obama. "For them, he is the perfect candidate." This segment may be cutting into Republican votes more than those of Democrats. Since 2004, the percentage of Americans identifying as Republican has declined from 29 percent to 25 percent, while the percentage identifying as Democrat has held steady at 33 percent, according to the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press. In Iowa, the lack of Republican enthusiasm is palpable. "It's been really hard for us to get likely Republican caucus goers," Redlawsk says about his polling operation.

Perhaps abetted by this decline in enthusiasm, Obama has been able to attract people like Joe Rowe, 63, a retired pharmacist in Raleigh, N.C., who describes himself as a lifelong Republican in favor of tort reform and privatizing Social Security. Though he says he has always voted for Republican presidents in the past, he now makes monthly contributions to the Obama campaign. "You have to make a stand sometime, and there is so much partisanship, and I would love to see someone who can be a reconciler," Rowe explained this week in a phone interview. "I think we can get a lot done with his approach."

He just changed his party registration, but he is not yet ready to embrace the Democratic Party. He says Hillary Clinton and Nancy Pelosi are just "a part of the system that is in there now." Those sentiments are echoed by Chuck Slack, 47, who has joined a small group called "Republicans for Obama" on the campaign's Web site. An electrical engineer in Colorado Springs, Colo., Slack says he supported Ross Perot in 1992 and typically votes Republican based on fiscal issues. But now he supports Obama because he's "sick of people not working together." Ask him about Clinton, however, and he gets testy. "There is no way in hell I am voting for Hillary Clinton. I am going to go to Canada if she wins."

The problem for Obama may be that much of this cross-party support does not matter in the primary season. In Iowa, for instance, the bizarre caucus ritual would require a Republican backing Obama to reregister as a Democrat and then attend a public Democratic precinct meeting, where the Republican would publicly stand with other Obama supporters. So the 7 percent of Republicans voters in Iowa who say they like Obama could be misleading in terms of any tangible results. But in the general election, such crossover potential -- if not obliterated by the Republican attacks in store for whomever the opposing candidate turns out to be -- could be a boon to Obama. "Boy, does it matter in the general election," says Luntz. Obama just has to make it there first.

The Must-Reid, 8.24.07

Reid Cherlin — Fri, 24 Aug 2007 08:10:33 EDT

The Must-Reid – Friday, August 24

A key columnist asserts that the foreign policy debate among Democratic candidates is shaking out in Barack’s favor: David Ignatius observed yesterday that “Obama is deftly managing to outflank his Democratic rivals on both the left and right on key foreign policy issues.”

Indeed, you can argue that over the past month, Obama has been shaping the foreign policy debate for the Democrats—and getting the best of the arguments. By last Sunday's televised debate in Iowa, nobody else seemed eager to challenge Obama's postulate that "strong countries and strong presidents meet and talk with our adversaries." And there was little repetition, either, of the tut-tutting that greeted his statement that he would be prepared to go after al-Qaeda terrorists in Pakistan, with or without President Pervez Musharraf's blessing.

The disagreements over foreign policy connect directly with Barack’s belief that we need in our next President is not a Washington resume, but good judgment—a point he has emphasized in the Democratic debates, at house parties in New Hampshire, and even on the Daily Show this week. "When people talk about experience,” Barack told Jon Stewart, “what they really want to know is, 'Does he have good judgment?'”

Before the war even began, Barack had the good judgment to point out that the most important question was what would happen after Iraq fell: “How do we stabilize and make sure that this country doesn't splinter into factions between the Shias and the Kurds and the Sunnis?” he asked in 2002, before the invasion.

Yesterday—nearly five years after Obama posed that question—a newly released National Intelligence Estimate offered “a dim prognosis on the likelihood that Iraqi politicians can heal deep sectarian rifts” and stated that “Iraqi leaders ‘remain unable to govern effectively,’” according to the New York Times.

Barack’s statement on the NIE and his proposals to ease the humanitarian crisis in Iraq can be found at this link.

The Must-Reid, 8.23.07

Reid Cherlin — Thu, 23 Aug 2007 07:59:11 EDT

The Must Reid – Thursday, August 23

Voters in New Hampshire are recognizing that Barack Obama's vision, conviction, and record make him the candidate who can truly change the broken culture in Washington. Others will try to claim that mantle their own. But the record is clear: Barack Obama has made a career of bringing people together to change the status quo, and he is campaigning on his record of accomplishment and his proposals to turn the page on our failed policies and special interest-driven politics. This column from yesterday’s Washington Post praised Obama's agenda for change as the most substantive in the field:

On this issue, Obama leads the pack -- I'd say PAC, but he (and Edwards) don't take their checks, either. He helped pass a far-reaching ethics and campaign finance bill in the Illinois state Senate and made the issue a priority on arriving in Washington. Much to the displeasure of his colleagues, Obama promoted an outside commission to handle Senate ethics complaints. He co-authored the lobbying reform bill awaiting President Bush's signature and pushed -- again to the dismay of some colleagues -- to include a provision requiring lawmakers to report the names of their lobbyist-bundlers.

Democrats' Purity Primary

By Ruth Marcus

The Washington Post

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

Every campaign has moments when candidates substitute political preening for substance. Such an episode is unfolding now in the Democratic field, and it involves that perennial piñata, the Washington lobbyist.

John Edwards and Barack Obama won't take lobbyist money; Hillary Clinton will. Edwards, angling for attention in the purity primary, has kicked things up a notch. He is calling on all Democrats to reject lobbyist contributions, and calling on Obama to join him in that call.

"Not a dime from a Washington lobbyist," Edwards declared at the Yearly Kos convention. "Their money is no good with us."

Of course, the folks who would be most delighted with this outcome are lobbyists, the target of relentless haranguing for campaign cash. Of course, it's not going to happen: Democrats, back in partial power and desperate to keep it, aren't about to give up a dime from any (legal) source.

And, as you might have guessed from my tone, I don't think it would much matter if Democrats were to live in The World According to Edwards, who has never taken lobbyist money. Nice symbolism, perhaps, but how does it make candidates any purer to disdain checks from lobbyists while avidly vacuuming up contributions from the various industries they represent?

Edwards is no less tainted by the trial-lawyer money he scoops up by the bucketful than he would be by lobbyist contributions. Obama is no more ethical now than when he was an unknown Senate candidate dutifully calling lobbyists and asking for a check, please.

Clinton botched her initial response on this, telling the Yearly Kos-ers -- they weren't skeptical enough of her already? -- that lobbyists represent "real Americans," too. She refined her argument in time for Sunday's ABC debate, noting "this artificial distinction that people are trying to make: Don't take money from lobbyists, but take money from the people who employ and hire lobbyists and give them their marching orders."

Indeed, who takes money from lobbyists is the wrong question about an essential subject. Instead, voters who care -- and I think voters should care -- ought to ask: What is the candidate's history on campaign finance reform, lobbying and ethics rules, and open government generally? How transparent is the candidate about campaign and personal finances? What steps will he or she take to limit the influence of money during the current campaign?

On these, there are revealing differences among the Democratic front-runners.

Edwards was part of the legislative team working to pass the McCain-Feingold campaign finance law, but lobbying and campaign reform were nowhere near the top of his agenda in the Senate.

During the 2004 campaign, Edwards gave a useful speech outlining his plan to limit lobbyists' influence. But, unlike the other Democratic candidates, he refused requests to reveal the identities of his big fundraisers. This time around, after considerable prodding, Edwards agreed to release the names of fundraisers -- all his fundraisers, with no specifics about how much they had collected. His campaign argues vehemently that it should be praised for this avalanche of information, not faulted. But the candidate knows who has reeled in $1,000 and who raised $100,000. Why shouldn't voters?

Clinton has shown no zeal for or even particular interest in the issue in the Senate; nor did she while in the White House. Indeed, as her handling of the health-care task force and Whitewater documents illustrate, Clinton's instinct is for secrecy, and her default position is to disclose only the minimum legally required. She consented to reveal her major fundraisers only after repeated editorial hammering -- and only after all the other leading Democratic contenders had agreed.

He has co-sponsored bills to overhaul the presidential public financing system and public financing of Senate campaigns. It's nice to hear Clinton talk about how "we've got to move toward public financing" -- Edwards backs it, too -- but I don't see her name on those measures.

Obama readily agreed to identify his bundlers. Unlike Clinton and Edwards, he has released his income tax returns. Perhaps most important, Obama has pledged to take public financing for the general election if he is the Democratic nominee and his Republican opponent will do the same.

Any Democratic candidate wanting to "get the money out of American politics" (Clinton) or demonstrate that "the Democratic Party is the party of the people" (Edwards) ought to leap at this chance. The candidates' silence on Obama's public financing proposal -- they'll "consider" it -- has been more telling than anything they have actually said.

The Must-Reid, 8.22.07

Reid Cherlin — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 07:44:27 EDT

The Must-Reid – Wednesday, August 22

Barack wrapped up his thirteenth visit to New Hampshire yesterday with a trip to Nashua’s Holman stadium to catch a Pride game and to meet and listen to voters at a pre-game picnic. AP speaks with two Republicans who attended the event:

“Both Republicans, [Sherry and Philip Surra of Nashua] said they are seriously considering supporting Obama. ‘He hasn't been corrupted by the system yet,’ Sherry Surra said. ‘We appreciate the fact that he's still able to say what he thinks. He doesn't seem to be owned by anyone yet.’”

Barack was joined in the stands by hosts of the From Doubt to Hope book clubs. These volunteers have spent the summer leading their friends and neighbors in reading Dreams From my Father and learning more about how Barack’s life experience shaped him as a leader—and this evening they got the chance to get to know Barack better face-to-face.

Also yesterday Barack addressed the 108th National Convention of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, laying out a comprehensive plan to support our fighting men and women at every stage of their service. Obama’s plan calls for rebuilding and repairing our military, significantly improving mental health care for veterans, and establishing a national zero-tolerance policy for veterans falling into homelessness. (You can find the New Hampshire-specific fact sheet here.)

Barack’s commitment to veterans care and to a smarter foreign policy have a new spokesman in U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy, the only veteran of the Iraq war serving in Congress. Congressman Murphy endorsed Barack yesterday, saying that he is “absolutely our best chance to change the direction of our country.”

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Release: Obama Invites Book Club Hosts to Join him at Pride Game

Reid Cherlin — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 00:13:03 EDT

Obama Invites Book Club Hosts to Join him at Pride Game

MANCHESTER, NH—Senator Barack Obama has invited the hosts of the From Doubt to Hope book clubs to be his guests at the Nashua Pride game at Holman Stadium tonight. After spending the summer discussing Obama’s background with other voters, the book club hosts will be able to ask him questions face to face.

Volunteers have been hosting book clubs around the state to introduce undecided voters to Obama’s background by reading his book Dreams From my Father. Reading this unvarnished personal history offers voters a unique opportunity to find out more about Obama’s background and the experiences that shaped him into the leader he is today.

Laconia resident Theresa Peters told the Laconia Daily Sun that: “The book defined for me what this man has and will become. I’m going to vote for him. I’m totally taken with his honesty. I’ll never vote Republican again.”

The From Doubt to Hope book clubs are ongoing in 12 towns around the state: Manchester, Nashua, Portsmouth, Derry, Lebanon, Exeter, Keene, Concord, Laconia, Dover, Peterborough, and Conway.

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IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August 21, 2007

Contact: Reid Cherlin, (603) 668-2008

The Must-Reid, 8.21.07

Reid Cherlin — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 08:18:08 EDT

The Must-Reid for August 21:

Tuesday was another packed day on the New Hampshire campaign trail. Barack attended house parties in Exeter and Salem and then jumped to a Meet the Candidate Event in Derry before visiting another house party in Bedford and a final one in Concord.

Here’s a look at some of the coverage coming out of yesterday’s events:

The Concord Monitor takes an in-depth look at Barack’s one-on-one campaign style: "’From being a community organizer, he knows if you don't listen to people, they don't listen to you,’ said University of New Hampshire professor David Watters, who heard Obama speak and predicted that he will win the New Hampshire primary. ‘He wants to hear what you have to say, and he stays until he shakes every hand. People like that.’”

The Union Leader gauges voter response to Barack’s message: “Sarah Murai, who recently moved to New Hampshire from California, said the Illinois senator's lack of experience was actually a good thing. ‘I think that's maybe a plus just like he was saying,’ she said, adding that Obama is ‘someone with fresh ideas who is not already contaminated by Washington.’”

Yesterday afternoon’s Foster’s wrote up the Obama family’s tasty ice cream social in Dover: “During a visit to Dover on Sunday night, presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama said, ‘America is hungry for a change’ and he's ready to make it happen.”

Elsewhere in the press, a KC star columnist notes that throughout the recent disagreements on foreign policy “Barack Obama exudes confidence”: “‘I’ve been trying to challenge some conventional wisdom,’ Obama said. ‘And the purveyors of conventional wisdom have gotten uncomfortable. I don’t mind that discomfort…’”

And in case you missed it, JFK advisor Ted Sorensen wrote yesterday that while Kennedy “represents the proudest past of the Democratic Party,” Obama “represents its future.”

Barack will be back in Nashua this evening to catch a Pride game and hold a pre-game picnic. We’d love to have you join us. Please send us an email to RSVP—the Pride require that all press be credentialed.

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Welcome to The Must-Reid

Reid Cherlin — Mon, 20 Aug 2007 01:01:26 EDT

The Must-Reid for August 20:

Barack and Michelle Obama are spending a second day in New Hampshire today, showing voters why Barack is the candidate who can bring about real change in Washington. The Obamas will be holding a number traditional New Hampshire-style campaign events today, with house parties in Exeter, Salem, Bedford, and Concord, and a Meet the Candidate event in Derry. (Their full schedule is here.)

Barack held two events in New Hampshire yesterday, making his case to voters at a patio party in Portsmouth and an ice cream social in Dover. (The Portsmouth Herald’s coverage is here.)

At the Portsmouth event Barack made it very clear his relatively short tenure in Washington is one of his greatest strengths. Referring to yesterday morning’s debate, he said: “All the folks on the stage, all of whom had voted for the war in Iraq, were explaining how their experience made them more qualified, and I thought to myself, ‘with that kind of experience, I don't want it.’”

Those comments came just hours after a winning performance at ABC’s debate in Iowa.

In this must-watch segment, the participants in Fox News’s focus group overwhelmingly declare Barack the winner. The Des Moines Register’s David Yepsen says “Obama may be the biggest winner,” and that “he looked presidential…”

Time Magazine gives Barack an A for his performance, and Politico’s Roger Simon praises Barack for setting himself apart on opposing the war in Iraq from the very start and for communicating his vision for changing politics in America.

Check back tomorrow for a full wrap-up of today’s busy campaign schedule.

The Must-Reid is a regular digest of what's happening with the Obama campaign in New Hampshire and around the country. In addition to landing in your inbox, The Must-Reid will also reside on my.barackobama.com. (Bookmark this link: http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/blog/must-reid)

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Obama's NH Schedule, Aug. 19-21

Reid Cherlin — Mon, 20 Aug 2007 00:00:27 EDT

Obama Returns to New Hampshire for Three-Day Swing, August 19-21

Michelle Obama and daughters Malia and Sasha to join Senator Obama for events on August 19, 20

MANCHESTER, NH—Senator Barack Obama’s New Hampshire campaign announced today that Senator Obama will return to New Hampshire on Sunday, August 19, for three days of events. Michelle Obama and Malia and Sasha Obama will join him on August 19 and 20.

All events are open to the press. For credentials, please email nh-media@barackobama.com.

Please contact Reid Cherlin at (603) 668-2008 with any questions.

SUNDAY, AUGUST 19

Portsmouth

PATIO PARTY WITH BARACK OBAMA

One Harbour Place (For planning purposes only; not for publication.)

Portsmouth, NH

Doors open: 2:30 pm

Due to space limitations, this event is by invitation only.

Dover

ICE CREAM SOCIAL WITH THE OBAMA FAMILY

Guppey Park

100 Portland St

Dover, NH

Gates open: 5:45 pm

This event is free and open to the public. Those wishing to attend are asked to RSVP to Courtney Hight at (603) 330-0808.

Note: Guests are encouraged to bring their own lawn chairs or blankets.

MONDAY, AUGUST 20

Exeter

HOUSE PARTY WITH THE OBAMA FAMILY

Home of James and Juanita Spivey

23 Blackford Rd (For planning purposes only; not for publication.)

Exeter, NH

Event begins: 8:30 am

Due to space limitations, this event is by invitation only.

Salem

HOUSE PARTY WITH THE OBAMA FAMILY

Lynne Snierson

20 Lady Lane (For planning purposes only; not for publication.)

Salem, NH

Event begins: 10:45 am

Due to space limitations, this event is by invitation only.

Derry

MEET THE CANDIDATE EVENT

McGregor Park

4 East Broadway

Derry, NH

Gates open: 2:00 pm

This event is free and open to the public. Those wishing to attend are asked to RSVP to Danielle Cendejas at (603) 578-9007.

Note: Guests are encouraged to bring their own lawn chairs or blankets.

Bedford

HOUSE PARTY WITH BARACK OBAMA

Home of Kate Hanna

58 Bedford Center Road (For planning purposes only; not for publication.)

Bedford, NH

Event begins: 4:00 pm

Due to space limitations, this event is by invitation only.

Concord

HOUSE PARTY WITH BARACK OBAMA

Home of Gerri and Ron King

10 Pine St (For planning purposes only; not for publication.)

Concord, NH

Event begins: 5:45 pm

Due to space limitations, this event is by invitation only.

TUESDAY, AUGUST 21

Nashua

NASHUA PRIDE GAME AND PRE-GAME PICNIC

Historic Holman Stadium

67 Amherst Street

Nashua, NH

Picnic begins at 5:30 PM at the Left Field Pub

The picnic is free and open to the public. Those wishing to attend are required to RSVP to Lynn Eisenberg at (603) 578-9007.

**$5 Reserved tickets to the game may be purchased in advance by calling the Nashua Pride box office at (603) 883-BALL. Please reference the code “OBAMA” to receive the $2 ticket discount. $5 Reserved tickets will also be available for purchase the day of the game at the pre-game picnic.

** Please note that members of the press wishing to cover this event are required to request credentials in advance. Please email nh-media@barackobama.com.

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IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August 17, 2007

Contact: Reid Cherlin, (603) 668-2008