VCubed

You Are Bringing About Historic Change

V, aka VCubed/Virginia V — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 04:52:39 EDT

Summer's gone, school's back in. Holidays are around the bend. Yet change is on its inexorable path, waiting for no one. You've made an enormous impact, and the finish line for one historic change, health care reform, is in sight! Can you help make it the change you want to see?

You've all made thousands of calls, gotten your neighbors to sign tens of thousands declarations, you've sent thousands of emails. What did you achieve? For one, Sen. Maria Cantwell went from "no comment" on the public option, to public support for the public option. Sen. Patty Murray and many of our Representatives are also on board. Four of five committees have voted on a bill - and that has never, ever happened before.

Do you want to make sure they stand strong? The biggest hurdle is right up ahead. We expect the final of five committees, the Finance Committee, to vote on Tuesday. It could take a little longer - that seems to happen pretty often, right? But next is the full Senate and full House, then they have to reconcile their bills, then it's the final vote to send it to President Obama to sign.

You can imagine the bill you want will be signed. Go ahead. Imagine.

NO PUBLIC OPTION = BILLION-DOLLAR TAXPAYER GIVEAWAY TO PRIVATE INSURERS

V, aka VCubed/Virginia V — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 18:51:39 EDT

If we do not get a public option, we will pay billions of dollars in subsidies to private insurers only. 80% of people with no health insurance work, and rightfully, they will get subsidies.

Wrongfully, all that subsidy money paid with your taxes will go to private insurers, and pay for not only health care, but also for:

- Salaries of $20-$25 million for private insurance CEOs

- Perks like private jets, bonuses, and stock shares often worth over $100 million for those CEOs

No government employee gets millions of dollars a year, and perks and stock shares worth over $100 million.

. Your firefighter, police, highway patrol do not make $25 million a year.

. Your congressmen don’t make $25 million a year.

. Your President of the United States does not make $25 million/year.

. Your Medicare, VA and Medicaid bureaucrats do not make $25 million/year.

Canvas Bremerton: Sat. Aug. 22nd, Evergreen Park

V, aka VCubed/Virginia V — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 00:27:33 EDT

Bremerton for Health Care Reform:

Time to talk to neighbors, 1-to-1 again! Gather the troops and meet us Saturday, August 22nd at 10 a.m. to canvas the area around Evergreen Park. We will have a script, homemade clipboards, and a list of Independent voters. We’ll start with a quick training/review, and walk the neighborhood in pairs, to gather from 50-100 signed declarations from voters in favor of health care reform with a strong public option.

RSVP here:

http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/gpfcdf

Remember, we are the change we’ve been waiting for. The anti-health reform lobby is going strong, even though it is still a minority. It’s time we help demonstrate what most voters really want: reform, now, with a strong public option! Bring comfortable shoes, bottled water, a smile and a friend!

Attend Health Care Reform Meeting: Obama Supports Public Option

V, aka VCubed/Virginia V — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 19:06:05 EDT

I just got great news that our President has spoken out to the legislators that the Public Option is a "must" for health care reform! This is a direct result of our feedback, to the top people of Organizing for America, that all of you have spoken up for this option. Thank you all for your input! Our President took action to make your voices heard before he began his trip to the Middle East and Europe this week.
Now, please, if you have not done so yet and have an hour or two to spare , sign up for a Health Care Reform Kickoff Meeting, to host (we'll help you organize it!) or attend: http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/hckickoff
In our Bainbridge Island meeting, we will be hand-writing letters to both our senators and to our Representative Jay Inslee, stating we want the Public Option With No Trigger. As you may have heard, some Democrats in the Senate starting with the top Dem on the Finance Committe, Sen. Baucus, proposed a "trigger": It gives 7 years to private health insurers to meet new standards "or else" the Public Option takes effect. Every single one of you I've spoken with said you don't want the trigger, you want the Public Option now.
Let's write and work and break bread together. If you're in Bainbridge Island, bring a refreshment or quick simple (hopefully healthy) treat to share, write what you're bringing in your RSVP:
http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/healthcareorganizingkickoff/gpcbpv
Thus far, at the Bainbridge Island meeting, we have a green salad, a broccoli salad, a fruit salad, and muffins. We need refreshments. I'll order a goat-cheese pizza from The Treehouse Cafe. And I'll have copies of President Obama's pro-public option statements to share!
Virginia VCD1 OFA Captain

Meet Our Organizing for America WA State Director Tuesday May 19th

V, aka VCubed/Virginia V — Fri, 15 May 2009 00:32:40 EDT

Organizing for America Listening Tour -- All Fired Up to Make Change a Reality (Listening Tour)

Organizing For America would like to invite you to an important gathering for volunteers in our city. Across the nation, volunteers like you will attend Listening Tour stops in their communities. At the meeting, you will:

* Meet your new statewide Organizing for America staff.

* Hear about Organizing For America's mission, accomplishments, and State-specific goals.

* Provide lots of input on what Organizing for America should look like in your hometown.

Many of us were moved to share hundreds to thousands of hours of our time during the campaign. We shed tears on election night when we realized beyond the shadow of a doubt that our nation is ready to grow. Now is the time to step forward and support President Obama's agenda in an active way!

Each of you have important testimonies to share on how we best support President Obama's agenda and build a formidable grassroots movement in Washington State. Please join us and share your vision. Together we will create the change we voted for!

Time: Tuesday, May 19 from 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM

Host: Dustin Lambro

Location: Lynwood Commons Community Center (Bainbridge Island, WA) 4779 Lynnwood Center Rd NE Bainbridge Island, WA 98110

Bring a snack/refreshments to share if you're able! Thanks!

RSVP: http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/gpcsz7

We Have to Comment! EPA: Action on Greenhouse Gases, Hearings in May

V, aka VCubed/Virginia V — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 20:08:40 EDT

We have never had a better chance to impact this critical issue. Our reps are willing to use "budget reconciliation" to overcome filibuster threats and pass health care reform (since private insurers are still at the table), but on climate change and cap-and-trade, the resistance is absolute, from Democratic reps from mining, coal, oil, gas states, not just from Republicans.

Since our representatives are more indebted to their oil, gas, mining and coal lobbyists than to our environment or our President, it's the EPA to the rescue! There will be a 60-day comment period so please write, right now, and get everyone you can to attend 2 public hearings in May, in

Arlington, VA 5/18, and
Seattle WA 5/21.

Support w/your comments to:

GHG-Endangerment-Docket@epa.gov

Subject: Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2009-0171

Do it please, now! Background at: http://epa.gov/climatechange/endangerment.html

Post this on Facebook, all your networks, Digg to push story to front page:

http://digg.com/world_news/U_S_says_greenhouse_emissions_endanger_human_health

Send this alert to all your friends, especially in the vicinity of VA and WA!

Write to DNC Support Obama's Cap-and-Trade

V, aka VCubed/Virginia V — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 07:45:37 EDT

I think lobbyists are ruling our Democratic reps and senators, as there is no push in either house to support Obama's budget proposal for cap-and-trade and as of now, it's beaten, it's out, so, if you're as p-o'd as I am about it, don't wait for a call to action - just write the DNC now:
http://www.democrats.org/page/s/contactissues

Choose "Energy Independence", and tell them you want it reinstated. If we sit back, we can kiss it goodbye. Obama is having a lunch with the Dems on Wednesday to push for it - let's all help him, and our poor arctic-ice-melting planet!

Make History for Barack, Alameda! Call Voters in Battleground States This Weekend!

V, aka VCubed/Virginia V — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 17:07:35 EDT

VCubed to alamedaforobama show details 2:02 PM Reply As our candidate said in his 'closing argument':

"In one week, at this defining moment in history, you can give this country the change we need.... We can't afford to slow down, sit back, or let up for one day, one minute, or one second in this last week. Not now. Not when so much is at stake." For more, select link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XDw5_d0M-wc&NR=1

Sign up now, to put Alameda on the map as history-makers, when we break yet another record phone banking battleground states for Barack! If you hate to call, come tally or enter data when lists are done, or bring snacks for hardworking callers. Pass on this email to every friend you have in Alameda!

Saturday, pick a 2-hr shift or two, or three!
http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/gprtf3

Sunday, pick a 2-hr shift or two, or three!
http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/gprtzl

Obama wins a voter/volunteer with Saddleback Forum

V, aka VCubed/Virginia V — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 18:15:39 EDT

I was watching with a local organizer-volunteer, Stephanie, mother, black female, Christian, veteran, who got a text msg from a fellow black female student who had not committed to vote until then - saying she will now definitely vote for Barack, and volunteer too, after seeing Barack at Saddleback.

Michael Moore: Make Movies, Don't Call Yourself a Campaign Pro

V, aka VCubed/Virginia V — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 18:00:31 EDT

This is in response to the Aug. 21, 08 Op Ed by Michael Moore in Rolling Stone.

Michael Moore's a successful (rich) mockumentary maker, and very successful among many working class whites especially. Yet, like so many white liberals, he wants the first viable African American presidential candidate - who happens to have the best policies for the working class, and best environmental policies, and the best transparency in government policies, and the best anti-media-conglomerate policies, and the best foreign and trade policies - to be more radical and outspoken than any white presidential candidate who's ever made it this far.

Michael claims Obama's legendary "move to the center" will discourage volunteers. Michael, there were 22,000 volunteer applicants for 10,000 volunteer positions at the Denver Democratic Convention!

Michael ignores that there are tens if not hundreds of thousands of white voters, especially older ones but not exclusively, who will not vote for Obama if he stands on his head and hands them $100 bills. He wants black Obama to act like white Michael, or at least like Michael's deposed hero John Edwards.

Imagine it for a moment. See Obama yell for the poor and rail against the Two Americas, as Edwards did. See him, in your mind's eye, pounding on the podium with righteous indignation. Right. That'll sink him like a stone.

Angry black men are not the ideal candidates in America. It sure didn't work for the black Republican Alan Keyes, who couldn't get even white Republicans to vote for him against mild-mannered, cool as a cucumber Obama. For that matter, the Angry Populist act didn't put even white John Edwards over the top. All people of all races are tired of divisive politics - except for contentious liberals who make a nice living from the divisive politics. We want to fight bad policies, not paint everyone who supports those bad policies as demons on earth.

We Are Bridging Generations - At Last!

V, aka VCubed/Virginia V — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 01:51:07 EDT

We just registered 130 people today, from 10 am til 6 pm at a local festival. Many who registered were just turning 18, first-time voters. It is so exhilarating! We did it in concert w/our local democratic club, and it turned out Obama volunteers were the backbone of the event - 8 of the 10 who worked the registration tables were our volunteers.

Another Obama vol photographed supporters, for free, to post on the Google group Wall of Hope. Galen Swain, our volunteer photographer from a separate district, took over 300 pictures of couples, singles and groups of people who wanted a picture with "Obama" - a life-size cardboard standing figure. He hollers out "Take a picture with the next President! All it'll cost you is a smile!" Who can resist that?

Someone got so inspired he's bringing a plaster bust of Obama's lovely head for our table tomorrow - he bought it from a local artist we'll be contacting, trust me! Two local t-shirt printers offered us ready-made BO t's to sell and take a cut. We're raising money to send people to a battleground state - just a little $50 gas card for each carpool. Looks like we'll be sending lots of carpools!

A local volunteer who has a graphic designing young son with his own printing business made organic cotton canvas shopping bags with an awesome design of BO and quote. We're going to do it in different languages - they're selling like hot cakes! So are the t's he made where we get half the cut on sales - sweet!

None of us but our senior Democratic Club members ever did this before, and the creative fundraising projects we did impressed them no end. Our enthusiasm, the level of commitment, made the organizer, in his 60s, smile all day long.

I had offered to take over on scheduling and confirming volunteers, and a team to set up and break down, when the Democratic Club elder who organizes this every year called me four days ago to tell me his wife, his most loyal voter registration partner, was going in for two surgeries followed by a week in a nursing home. We (our local Obama group) were just gonna show up, sit down, and register people before that very sweet, humble "ask" for more help.

Unity has invigorated this campaign!

V, aka VCubed/Virginia V — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 22:01:29 EDT

In the past month, especially just since our Unity district-wide event this past Saturday in Fremont, CA, that drew 150 mostly brand new volunteers for Obama, I've seen a thunderclap of energy erupt in this campaign that I only dreamed of in the primary season.

Don't get me wrong, we've had great energetic volunteers throughout this odyssey. We wouldn't have gotten here without them, and we share the beginnings of this astounding movement that's taken the nation, and the world, by storm - we were at the birth, together.

But there are three new groups, new additions to the Obama Family, that we are all so happy to be working with, at last: Hillary's devoted supporters, the entire local Democratic Party family, and all the new or reenergized political participants fired up to be part the historical triumph of the grassroots in November.

I want you all to have a sense of how intense this desire to be part of change, to get out of the armchair, turn off the TV, and get out and talk to people, has become, because you won't know it from the media. Not from mainstream media, not from the pundits trying to out-yell each other, not even from the liberal blogosphere. Those are all competing for the same audience, thriving on conflict more than solutions, parsing people into categories as if we were still more separate than united. To see the reality, let me share our events.

Voters Respond: Wright Is Not the Issue in Election

V, aka VCubed/Virginia V — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 18:17:28 EDT

Nothing is more disheartening than the media assault that ties our Senator Obama's ideals with Rev. Wright's perceived ideas - distorted by the barely minutes-long media "coverage". Long articles are written, but they consist of quoting themselves and each other - no new information, no analysis of the history of black churches, no question of how they are feeding into threats to the pastor and the congregation.

My gift has been voters' and supporters' letters and comments in response to this pathetic media feed frenzy. They inspired me to write my own, but first, their encouraging words:

I am a soldier reading all this from Iraq. I cannot tell you how disturbed I am at this moment. I have spent 34 of the past 48 months in battle or training for battle... and all my country can do is squabble about Jerimiah Wright. I believe in Barack Obama. Not just his policies, but the process in which he will go about implementing those policies. Unity, sitting down at the table, transparency, diplomacy, empathy... and all I see are my fellow citizens behaving like children, fighting for the tablescraps of power. I understand what a McCain presidency will bring... another tour here, sigh. I understand what a Hillary presidency will bring. 4 years of partisan bickering, more stories of Bill, mudslinging from the Right and on and on and on. This is almost like a movie, a living nightmare that won't end. Everything is topsy turvy. I'm losing faith in our political system. I have yet to hear a single hate word spew from Sen Obama's mouth. Not one. I have not heard a single hateful character bash come from his words, not one. I have read his books. Beautiful, sound, in depth, visionary, truthfull, articulate... sigh. I am this close to resigning my commission. Our government IS broken. I no longer feel inspired to serve my country. Why am I fighting here? Why are we fighting at home? We can elect George Bush twice, and yet sling this amazing American possessed with tremendous talent in the garbage. If Obama is not elected, we get what we deserve. Either more war, or more of the same Rush Limbaugh bickering. April 28, 2008 4:05 PM Link

More below the fold.

OBAMA IS WINNING - STILL!

V, aka VCubed/Virginia V — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 03:16:51 EDT

Check out Slate.com:

POLITICS: WHO'S WINNING, WHO'S LOSING, AND WHY.
Slate's Delegate Calculator
THE MATH ONLY GETS GLOOMIER FOR CLINTON—EVEN AFTER A BIG PENNSYLVANIA WIN.
By Chris Wilson and Chadwick Matlin
Updated Wednesday, April 23, 2008, at 1:03 AM ET

Hillary Clinton's 10-point victory in Pennsylvania awards her a net gain of about 16 pledged delegates, based on projections from the popular vote. Because Pennsylvania awards about two-thirds of its delegates by district, we won't have a precise figure until later this week.

Coming into today, the odds that Clinton would catch Obama in pledged delegates were very small. Now they're zero. Before Pennsylvania, Clinton needed to win each remaining primary with 65 percent of the vote to close the gap. Even though she won Pennsylvania, that figure is now just over 68 percent. (Try it on the calculator below by dragging the red bar at the top to the right.) Furthermore, the state with the most remaining delegates is North Carolina, where Obama leads in the polls by about 20 points. Assuming he nets at least 20 more of the state's 115 delegates, Clinton needs 80 percent of the vote in each of the other eight remaining primaries to catch up.

Media Links - Indiana, North Carolina

V, aka VCubed/Virginia V — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 02:41:38 EDT

Here are the media lists for Indiana and North Carolina.... Tell the people there why it must be President Obama in January 2009:

Indiana Major Media Outlets:
IN Major Media

Indiana Newspapers

Indiana TV

North Carolina Major Media Outlets

North Carolina Newspapers

North Carolina TV

One Week to Win 2 States ~ This is It!

V, aka VCubed/Virginia V — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 02:15:30 EDT

Now is the time to give your all. Indiana and North Carolina must and will be blowouts, if you and I give our all.

Let no one say Hillary got more steam out of this than Obama - we overcame a 20+ lead after every smear thrown at Obama, in less than one month, after 55 minutes of organized attack at the final so-called "debate" - so for all practical purposes, she lost! She needed a 15 point win, she only got 10, if that. She only got 10 more delegates than Obama, 75-65, with 18 to be determined. There are just as many delegates up for grabs in IN and NC, so let's go get them!

If you've never pushed an undecided or Clinton-leaning voter to reconsider, do it now, in one of those upcoming elections. It is so easy. Over 10% of voters still believe Obama is a practicing or undercover Muslim, and/or doesn't salute the flag. You can change that! Just say, nicely and firmly, why you want Jan. 2009 to usher in the Obama Administration.
Phonebank

If you've never donated or have 5, 10, 20 to spare, do it now.
Donate

If you've never written a newspaper, or in news sites online, write now. Start with Indiana and NC. If you get into a groove, keep on going. Just say, nicely and firmly, why you want Jan. 2009 to usher in the Obama Administration.
Rapid Response

If you're bilingual and write nicely in Spanish, write Puerto Rico's media outlets, at least online.
Latino Rapid Response

If you can travel to one of the last states, from Kentucky to Oregon, or West Virginia or Puerto Rico, get set and go now!
Hit the road!

If you ever wanted Obama campaign gear, get it now, only at
BO Store

Remember, as future President Barack Obama reminds us:

Thank you, and let's keep rolling!

V, aka VCubed/Virginia V — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 08:13:09 EST

After a sufficient time grieving that we didn't win my [newest] home state California, I'm fired up - we won so many states, with such huge margins! The Democratic Party is positively drooling for our candidate Barack, who has brought so many devoted supporters to the Democratic Party.

I keep working on the campaign, and so do most of the volunteers I've met. We're phonebanking, holding fundraisers to get each other to the next primary or caucus states, and we're determined to reach June 3rd as the decisive winners. Gather some friends, pick a state, and call: Call for Obama

Good News from Indian Country

V, aka VCubed/Virginia V — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 06:33:05 EST

Things are looking good for Obama in Indian Country, according to this article. Let's do all we can to spread the word among our friends and relatives in Indian Country and get out the vote for Barack Feb. 5th! Read on, it starts forebodingly, but it's very positive, overall. The rest is up to us! Alaska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, North Dakota and Arizona - let's get to work! Spread the word among our Native brothers and sisters.

Barack Obama is big in Indian Country, even though he’s done everything wrong.

He hasn’t attended the annual National Congress of American Indians meet, or rolled out a comprehensive Native American agenda, or even addressed the rumors of his own Native heritage—but he has still, somehow, managed to capture the imagination of Indian Country, say Native American commentators and community activists.

Link

Obama to Reunite Us, Our Moment Is Now

V, aka VCubed/Virginia V — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 23:09:58 EST

I watched Obama's new primaries "closer” speech of 12/27 on video, from his Des Moines, Iowa appearance. It's long, but captivating - I watched it several times.

link

This final speech left me undone, in a good way, but a sad way too. It reminded me of when my son, now almost 30, was just 2 years old, and I'd been hit by a car in October, and was still on crutches for Christmas. I was a paralegal with no health insurance, 3,000 miles from home and family, saved by a lawyer, but broke until the settlement (which, no, did not make me rich, far from it, and the injury still hurts 30 years later). Christmas for my son and I was going to be rather sad, until ...

My best friend at the time was Julie, a "Corn Girl" from Iowa, a very liberal college student and neighbor. Without any forewarning, she cashed in her Christmas airline ticket and told me to pack, we were driving to her family's house in Iowa for Christmas - from San Diego! I worried for a moment of how a mixed-race single-mom family (mine) would be greeted by her folks, but I threw caution to the wind and accepted the hospitality. Instead of long lonely days and nights, my son and I had a great time, singing across the west into the midwest with Julie, to meet the parents.

Obama Team Canvases Hayward Latinos

V, aka VCubed/Virginia V — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 21:58:31 EST

A small team of devoted Obama canvassers descended on a very poor Latino community in Hayward to spread the word on Barack. The most memorable contact I had was with an elderly "new" citizen from Nicaragua - she became eligible and became a citizen at 62 years old! She has a daughter and a nephew in the military. Her nephew is being shipped out to Iraq; her daughter is only spared by her current pregnancy. We left great bilingual literature for her to share with her family, letting her know Obama gets the most donations from active servicemen and women and veterans of any Democrat. She's a devoted Democrat and diligent voter, and happy to talk about politics with friends and family. Like most new citizens, her appreciation of the democratic system is visible and contagious. Read the article: Link Obama campaign courts Latinos in Hayward Activists rally in Hayward to get candidate's message outBy Matt O'Brien, STAFF WRITERArticle Last Updated: 12/03/2007 06:14:46 AM PST
var requestedWidth = 0; if(requestedWidth > 0){ document.getElementById('articleViewerGroup').style.width = requestedWidth + "px"; document.getElementById('articleViewerGroup').style.margin = "0px 0px 10px 10px"; } HAYWARD — When time came to vote for a new mayor in June 2006, turnout at the precinct along Harris Road was the city's second-lowest.

Only 23.6 percent of registered voters either mailed absentee ballots or showed up at the Tyrrell Elementary School cafeteria on election day, compared with the 35.6 percent citywide average, according to the Alameda County registrar of voters.

But that didn't matter to a small crew of grass-roots organizers for presidential candidate Barack Obama who bombarded the apartment-heavy neighborhood with unexpected attention on a chilly and breezy Sunday afternoon.

"Everything we do, it's all alone," said organizer Virginia Velez of Alameda. "It's astonishing. We have less than 70 days to go."

Obama Civil Rights Speech in SC Includes Homosexuals

V, aka VCubed/Virginia V — Sat, 03 Nov 2007 16:42:15 EDT

Once again, Barack Obama put his political career on the line. Once again, he took an unpopular stand in front of an audience he could have easily wooed with platitudes. He was making his black audience happy, representing what they/we know and understand about discrimination. And he made the LGBT issue most important, saved the best for last, so to speak.

Read what an audience member at that SC speech with Barack says about it in Andrew Sullivan's blog in the Atlantic Monthly:

Yesterday, I went to see Barack Obama speak at North Carolina Central University, a "Historically Black College" in Durham, North Carolina. The vast majority of the crowd was black. In his riffing on what groups we cannot allow to be scapegoated in the next election, Barack built to and concluded with "homosexuals" ... to the conspicuous (and regrettable) silence of the crowd.

It wasn't the "right" thing to say politically, but it was the right thing to say. The national media certainly wouldn't have reported on it had he left homosexuality out of this particular speech. All he accomplished, by sticking to his principles, was run the risk of alienating people whose support he desperately needs. Though, in fairness, this did cement my support.

Andrew, this man is a strong ally. Anyone for whom sexuality issues are important would be making a grievous error to jump his ship over the Donnie McClurkin fiasco.

Can you imagine Senator Clinton defending "homosexuals" in front of a non-gay crowd? Unimaginable.

Link

Want to see BO in SF but broke thanks to Bush/Cheney?

V, aka VCubed/Virginia V — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 08:52:22 EDT

Phonebank at the Oakland Northern California Obama 08 headquarters for a free ticket!

Spend just three hours phonebanking to get people to BO's rally in San Francisco on Wednesday, November 14th, at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, and you get a free ticket to see Obama. You saw it posted on your Events, didn't you? You want to go, don't you? Of course you do!

If you haven't been to Obama Northern California Headquarters, it's time to make it your new regular stop! It's at:

436 14th Street, 3rd Floor, just off Broadway, in downtown Oakland

Take public transit if at all possible during rush hour! Buses from almost everywhere stop there. BART leave you right there: 12th Street Oakland City BART Station

Does America Want a Boxer, a Liberal Bullhorn, or a Statesman for President?

V, aka VCubed/Virginia V — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 08:20:19 EDT

As always, categories are generalizations, but the pundits' unending armchair quarterbacking of Obama and his campaign have snapped my last nerve. I literally groan when political reports sound, not even like sports casts – at this point racing analogies would be a relief! – but like boxing match pre-game hype: “He’s gotta move in, really let her have it!”

Even liberal talk show hosts I used to love to hear and join in the "amen" choir have picked up the same blood-lust, gladiator-arena political style that they used to criticize when it was all we saw/heard from FOX, CNN, MSNBC, etc.

Look, entertainment choices are one thing, I love to be entertained, but when it comes to who will lead this nation and represent us here and to the world, I'm not looking for entertainment. I'm looking for a statesman or woman. Unfortunately (since I’m a woman wanting that ceiling broken through, too), the woman the Democrats gave me does not meet my standards in any way, so this term, I found my statesman, thankfully and amen!

Fixing Education - Obama is Best Equipped!

V, aka VCubed/Virginia V — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 23:09:43 EDT

Whether it's in the cities or rural towns, wherever there's poverty, there are failed schools and school districts.

Obama's plans to address poverty are by far the best, and when it comes to schools, that is where his policies will affect change most dramatically. I know this because I survived impoverished urban ghetto schools and ended up at Stanford U, but not without a lot of help! I also taught in a very poor town with unpaved roads and families living in what should have been condemned apartments and in garages.

What educators need most to help students succeed is collaboration. When everyone gets together, there isn't a problem that can't be solved. When factions fight only for their own interests, the kids and their families lose, the whole country loses the potential in our greatest resource.

We've been at a stalemate in education for decades. More than anything, it's for lack of strong, fair negotiations with the students' outcomes as the most important focus. I don't see anyone but Obama able to successfully negotiate the deadly political terrain of school boards, teachers' unions, parents organizations, and testing companies. He'll become President without private school and testing company lobbyist support, and without labor PAC support - free and clear, able to bring all sides to the table.

Read below the fold to see how Obama plans to transfer lessons learned in Harlem, in NYC, to areas where poverty, high dropout rates and poor quality schools are the norm, in this case, the schools in impoverished East LA.

Obama Concerned Over Latino Dropout Rate

V, aka VCubed/Virginia V — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 22:45:36 EDT

Oct. 22, 2007
By Obama Press Release
Los Angeles, CA -- At a townhall meeting held at the East Los Angeles high school on which the movie "Stand and Deliver," was based, Barack Obama announced that he will introduce a middle school investment bill that will help reduce the Latino dropout rate.

Obama also discussed his plan to help relieve the grip poverty has on our cities.

Latinos are dropping out of school more than any other group of Americans.

Obama's bill invests in proven strategies to support middle school students because research shows that the academic problems that lead a high school student to drop out often begin in middle school.

Obama on Tonight Show: On Hillary's "Inevitability"

V, aka VCubed/Virginia V — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 01:21:21 EDT

Just got this note from Barack, and it's so great I had to share:

------

I'm leaving the Tonight Show studio and I wanted to share something.

Jay Leno just asked if it bothers me that some of the Washington pundits are declaring Hillary Clinton the winner of this election before a single vote has been cast.

I'll tell you what I told him: Hillary is not the first politician in Washington to declare "Mission Accomplished" a little too soon.

We started this week $2.1 million behind the Clinton campaign -- a lead they built in large part with contributions from Washington lobbyists and special interest PACs.

We don't accept money from federal lobbyists or PACs. But we've already cut that advantage in half with small donations from people like you.

Let's close the rest of that gap now. Please make a donation of $100:

https://donate.barackobama.com/closingthegap

Thank you,

Barack

CA Sen. Gloria Romero for Hispanic Heritage Month and Obama in 08!

V, aka VCubed/Virginia V — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 01:18:53 EDT

From Women for Barack Obama at barackobama.com:

October 15th is the last day of Hispanic Heritage month. California Senator Gloria Romero writes in recognition of the achievements of Latinos – and the hope that an Obama Presidency would pave the way for many more.

CA State Capitol Senator Romero writes: As the highest ranking woman -- and Latina! -- in the California State Legislature, I am proud to join Senator Obama in celebrating October as both Hispanic Heritage Month and Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Latinas have come far in this country; we need a President who will keep us moving forward. It is time to turn the page of history and to bring to fruition the dreams of our mothers.

My Mother had a 6th grade education. I have a PhD. I understand the value of education in transforming lives, and share the great American hunger for equal opportunity and justice throughout our nation.

Obama Gets Best Reception from Black Women in Iowa

V, aka VCubed/Virginia V — Sun, 14 Oct 2007 22:29:55 EDT

"Obama, who received the loudest response and led the audience in a fiery chant at the end of his talk, also lauded the contributions of African-American women..." Want to truly make history, women voters? Put three black women in the West Wing, light a dream in all girls' eyes equally! Michelle Obama will truly help ALL women and girls, equally. Obama was raised at times in his life by a single mother, he knows what women go through to raise their children.

Michelle grew up with working class parents, she has not been a privileged daughter. She and Obama just finished paying off their student loans when he was paid for his books - they were not wealthy privileged people. Obama has two daughters, and they will bring a sight never before seen in America: African American children living in the West Wing!

Under the Clinton Administration, we got Welfare Reform that drove more single mothers and sons and daughters into poverty for lack of childcare (even Hillary's old employer, the Children's Defense Fund Executive Director Edelstein says so!). We got Sentencing Guidelines and Three Strikes that were aimed at African Americans disproportionately, including the double-standard sentencing that made penalties for crack cocaine used most in African American communities tougher than powder cocaine used most in white communities.

Let's wake up and vote for the man - yes, he's a man, but what of it? - who will do more for women and men of all races, and especially for the poor and middle class, while we still have a middle class to aspire to! Let's vote the Civil Rights and Constitution expert to the presidency, and raise our individual rights back to their proper place in our democratic system - at the top!

Vote Obama in the Primary Election in your state - Hillary Clinton won't miss your vote, trust me! Obama will count every one of us, for no one else, no PAC, no lobbyist, will have "installed" or "coronated" him.

Obama 08! Fire It Up! Ready to Make History!

http://digg.com/2008_us_elections/3_Democrats_woo_black_Sisters_on_Target_in_Iowa_Obama_gets_best_reception'>digg story

Beauty Shop/Barber Shop Politics - A Gold Mine for Obama

V, aka VCubed/Virginia V — Sun, 14 Oct 2007 20:40:19 EDT

Does your community team have a Beauty/Barber Shop Team? Hillary has mined the black women's beauty shops to her advantage. Are we going to let her take them without representing for Obama, or neglect black men's barber shops? Lauren Champaign, one of our most dedicated volunteers in South Carolina, who gave up a $75,000 scholarship to work to get Obama elected, makes the rounds of beauty and barber shops regularly. See the great video of her work here:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/video/2007/10/12/VI2007101201543.html

We have to bring the discussion to the places people gather, in the little leisure time they have left. They can't always come to us and our meetings and house parties. Take a page out of Lauren Champaign's book and work your local B&B shops with confidence, with a canvassing pro the first couple of times, if you like. You can download commitment cards and literature, print them, take them with you and then give your signed commitment cards to your Team, City or District organizer.

Major myth to debunk in black B&B shops: Obama cannot win because white people won't vote for him. I'd recommend that mixed teams of black and white canvassers go out for Obama to black B&B shops whenever possible - nothing's more convincing than what you see with your own eyes and hear with your own ears. Read the article excerpt below (the whole first part of the article deals with Clinton's beauty shop supporters) and see what I mean:

Obama's Truth is Not Like Clinton's "Sister Souljah Tack"

V, aka VCubed/Virginia V — Sun, 14 Oct 2007 19:45:09 EDT

Bloomberg News recently published an article that I had to respond to with a Letter to the Editor and to the authors. Here's the article:

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aTHNGEZYwkrY&refer=home

Here's my letter:

Nice article on Obama's candidness in 10/12/07 Bloomberg, except for the title "Obama Takes `Sister Souljah' Tack to Gain Ground on Clinton". Yes, Obama will not pander to his audience and tell us what we want to hear, but it's not a new tactic to take on Clinton; it's his standard. Unlike Hillary Clinton, he won't dance around an issue; he'll tell you why he took a particular stand and agree to disagree if you don't like it. Obama especially won't leave out key parts of his policies when facing the very audience that might take issue with it: fuel efficiency standards with the auto industry, merit pay based on teachers' own performance standards to the NEA - the most powerful teachers' union in the U.S. These are things he's been doing since he started campaigning; why call it a new "tack" and make it all about Clinton?

Why you should canvass this weekend

V, aka VCubed/Virginia V — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 23:31:11 EDT

Why you should canvass this weekend By Sam Graham-Felsen - Oct 11th, 2007 at 8:27 pm EDT Mail to a Friend It has been a half-decade since Congress authorized President Bush to invade Iraq.

We've been in Iraq longer than we were engaged in World War II and longer than we fought in the Civil War. We've lost over 3,800 American lives. More than 27,600 have been wounded. The Iraqi civilian death toll is climbing towards a staggering 1 million people. There are 2.4 million Iraqi refugees througout the Middle East. Nearly half a trillion dollars have been spent.

Barack Obama publicly opposed this war from the beginning. And he has a plan to end it now.

Let's walk through our neighborhoods this Saturday, all across America, and let's let our neighbors know that it's time to make a judgment call -- between a candidate with the conviction to challenge this war from the start and a candidate who championed this war until it became convenient to oppose it.

Let's let our neighbors know that there is a difference here. There is a difference between a candidate who will fundamentally reshape our foreign policy and a candidate who will make the same mistake again as the drumbeat for war with Iran grows.

Let's make sure our neighbors understand there is a clear choice here.

If we want the country to see what we see, we've got to walk the walk.

If you've got other obligations this Saturday, you can still make an impact by contributing to this campaign. Your donation will help us show this country that there is a critical choice here -- and that Barack Obama is the right one.

Polls No Comfort to Hillary Camp in Iowa: We and Obama have them worried

V, aka VCubed/Virginia V — Sat, 06 Oct 2007 00:44:38 EDT

The one recent poll that gave Hillary a huge lead nationally was a great media event for her, but her head campaigner's sweating it in Iowa. As Michelle Obama said, gotta win Iowa or it's all just a dream. In reality, Obama can still win the nomination with a close second in Iowa if he's strong in the other three early states, but Hillary's inevitability cloak gets a bit full of holes if she doesn't take Iowa, decisively.

Something you should know about Obama events and house parties: Organize it well, get a co-host/hostess, and folks will show up. Folks who show up will volunteer, with gusto. And folks for Obama are truly fired up and ready to go. Hillary's supporters, "welllllll, not so much", as Jon Stewart would say. Read the story below the fold or on the link for proof. <l>http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21140950/site/newsweek/page/0/<-/>

Read it? Good, I hope you had a good chuckle, now let's get out there, get fired up, and don't even imagine this race is anywhere near over. Hillary and Terry don't believe the polls give them a guaranteed win - why should we?

Remember, we must not leave our sign-up sheets blank when so many are eagerly waiting to fill them. We have the 17-year DC insider worried!

It's our work, our enthusiastic house parties, rallies, our eager, even obsessive collection of names, phone numbers and emails and zip codes of every supporter we meet.

Are you phone banking this weekend? Call or email an organizer near you and offer your services.

Are you planning a canvas on Oct. 13th? You've got all you need on BarackObama.com, and your local organizer can help you get others to help. Start organizing your neighborhood canvas now.

Your neighborhood, your precinct, your city, your county, district and state, all need your enthusiasm. Take charge of your movement! Check events near you and sign on - Obama supporters are waiting for you to call them to action! Your lists will never stay blank.

Build it, they will come, if you give it a little elbow grease. You are the force that will make history, and make Barack Obama President of the United States of America in 2008.
--
Few obstacles can withstand the power of a million voices calling for change. - Barack Obama

It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change. - Charles Darwin

We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope. - Martin Luther King, Jr

In the end, that's what this election is about. Do we participate in a politics of cynicism or a politics of hope? - Barack Obama

New Volunteer Orientation Meetings - Oakland Office

V, aka VCubed/Virginia V — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 00:57:59 EDT

New Volunteer Meetings will now be available twice a week! Put one on your calendar and just show up!

When: Wednesdays, 7pm - 8:30pm & Saturdays, 2pm - 3:30pm

Where: Northern California Field Office, 436 14th St., Third Floor, Oakland, CA.

Who: All new volunteers and supporters who were unable to attend Camp Obama training.

What: These volunteer orientations will take the place of the "new volunteer meetings" your teams have been doing.

In CDs beyond reasonable traveling distance to the office, we will be setting up these orientations at the CD level within the next week or so.

The program will include an overview of the campaign's strategy, structure, and goals. This will be a 1.5-hour version of Camp Obama.

Why: Having regularly scheduled, standardized volunteer orientations serves a number of purposes:

1. Ensures all volunteers share a common understanding of the campaign's goals, structure, and strategy. To use a football analogy, it's important that we're all working from the same "play book."

2. Gives new volunteers a chance to see the office, meet staff, etc.

3. Simplifies the recruitment process. All teams will be give "business cards" that have the days, times, and location of the orientations, so they can simply hand them out to interested folks during canvassing, tabling, and other outreach activities.

OCTOBER EVENTS CALENDAR, CD-13

V, aka VCubed/Virginia V — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 00:47:43 EDT

October Events Newsletter
Issue 1, October 2008
Obama for America

Setting the Stage in the "Lucky 13th"

Your all-volunteer coordinators for California's 13th Congressional District (Matt Freeman, Charles Brown, Tyler Allison and Virginia Velez), The Lucky 13th, have been hard at work to recruit volunteers and organize field teams in every city, precinct and neighborhood in Alameda County. It's fun and hard work – Obama's volunteers are the greatest campaigners you'll ever meet, they make the work a pleasure. Join in and meet them! Just type in your zip code under Events at BarackObama.com, and sign up for any of the events we've scheduled below!

We four met in Camp Obama mid-August, and scheduled 14 events (see schedule below) through October and recruited some excellent volunteers. We're generating excitement throughout The Lucky 13th, and signing up committed volunteers and voters for Obama to add to thousands already identified by the campaign.

Our events are in all cities. Ohlone Students for Obama is up and CSU-Easy Bay and Hayward's Chabot College student groups start up in October. We've tabled at Rep. Pete Stark's town hall meetings in Alameda, San Leandro and Fremont.

Experienced campaigners are training great new leaders for each of our cities and precincts. Our Goal: Recruit all the phone bankers and the canvassers we need to get out the vote – early voting begins Jan. 9th! It's time to get fired up! Over half of voters, 55%, are undecided and it's time to help them decide, one-on-one.

Our district has over 2,000 Obama supporters ready to put California's Lucky 13th in the winning column for Obama 08 – are you one of them? Don't get left out of what will be the best celebration on California's first Super Tuesday!

Grand Opening Block Party, New Campaign Office in Oakland Sunday

V, aka VCubed/Virginia V — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 22:30:20 EDT

Celebrate the Grand Opening of The Barack Obama for President Northern California Headquarters!

What: A Block Party with special guests, music (including Blackalicious, progressive hip-hop group), activities, and fun! Bring family and friends.

Our new office and community center will be the hub of volunteer activity through the February 5th Primary and beyond.

Come to the party, wear your Obama gear or get it at the event, and help show that we’re here to help Obama win in California's first early primary!

* Date: Sunday, September 30th
* Time: 1 PM
* Location: 436 14th St, at the intersection of 14th and Broadway, right at the Oakland City Center BART Station.

Durbin, Obama want VA to explain deaths at Marion hospital

V, aka VCubed/Virginia V — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 18:32:31 EDT

Our veterans are being killed by medical malpractice as the VA hires doctors de-certified in other states. This case is in Illinois, so Sen. Obama, on the Veterans Affairs Committee, is joined by Sen. Dick Durbin in defense of our vets.

CHICAGO --Sens. Dick Durbin and Barack Obama want the secretary of Veterans Affairs to explain how a surgeon with a history of malpractice complaints in Massachusetts was hired at a VA medical facility in Southern Illinois.

The senators wrote to VA Secretary R. James Nicholson on Monday, calling the hiring of Dr. Jose Veizaga-Mendez at the Marion VA Medical Center "extremely distressing." Veizaga-Mendez, resigned from the hospital last month, shortly before the hospital suspended inpatient surgeries because of a spike in post-surgical deaths.

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2007/09/24/durbin_obama_want_va_to_explain_deaths_at_marion_hospital/

Obama supports striking UAW today - DailyKos

V, aka VCubed/Virginia V — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 17:56:33 EDT

Barack Obama and the UAW by Adam B Mon Sep 24, 2007 at 07:22:58 PM PDT

Here's what the Senator had to say at 2:46 pm today:

I stand with the 73,000 United Automobile Workers who are striking General Motors. The demands the union is fighting for -- job security, the health benefits they were promised--are things that all workers should expect and that UAW members deserve. General Motors owes it to the UAW to come back to the bargaining table so that union members can go back to work.

Of course, this wasn't the first time Obama stood up with, and for, the men and women of the UAW. Last June, he spoke before their national convention, well before he was running for President:

Today, you inherit the legacy of courageous Americans who faced down the greatest of challenges and still succeeded against the greatest of odds.

Allies' approaches differ on race issue

V, aka VCubed/Virginia V — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 17:22:22 EDT

In a nutshell, the columnist sees Jesse Jackson as a divider, Barack Obama as a uniter on race and reconciliation among opposing sides in politics as well. NATIONAL PERSPECTIVE - Boston Globe

By Peter S. Canellos, Globe Columnist | September 25, 2007

WASHINGTON - Of all political marriages of convenience, the union of Senator Barack Obama of Illinois and the Rev. Jesse Jackson, a fellow Chicagoan, is among the most freighted. The two men need each other's support, yet also need to keep their distance. Each serves as a standing critique of the other, yet they profess to share similar goals.

When Jackson, who endorsed Obama for president last spring, was quoted last week as saying that his favorite candidate was "acting like he's white," Jackson mostly hurt himself. Both blacks and whites could take offense, and the remark appeared to violate Jackson's own arguments against a racial litmus test. He quickly backtracked.

Obama rocks Atlanta, Georgians to board buses for South Carolina

V, aka VCubed/Virginia V — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 07:25:00 EDT

Obama rallies more than 2,000 backers at Atlanta event

By JIM GALLOWAY
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 09/20/07

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama on Thursday told a cheering Atlanta crowd that he walked away from a U.S. Senate vote to condemn the MoveOn.org newspaper ad that attacked Gen. David Petraeus, declaring the debate was an unnecessary waste of time.

The newspaper ad, published in the New York Times, referred to Petraeus as "General Betray Us." The Senate on Thursday approved the Republican-sponsored resolution, 72 to 25.

Elissa Eubanks/Staff(ENLARGE)Presidential candidate Barack Obama speaks at the Georgia World Congress Center on Thursday.
• More photos

"I happen to believe that General Petraeus has served this country honorably. And I think it probably was a distraction to try to attack him as opposed to [President] George Bush's policies," Obama said.

But the Illinois senator said he couldn't tolerate "the notion that at a time when we know young men and women are dying, and veterans are not being served right here at home.... We're wasting time debating about a newspaper ad."

"I did not vote on that bill. This is the kind of game plan that the American people are tired of," Obama said.

The candidate made his comments at a $25-a-head event at the Georgia World Congress Center that organizers said drew 2,200 supporters. A $1,000-per-person, private event followed.

Campaign Strategy: More than the First Four states

V, aka VCubed/Virginia V — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 06:18:32 EDT

This is why your help calling New Yorkers to get them to the rally Sept. 27th is absolutely critical. This is why you can double your donation if you donate now, when there are matching donors to meet your donation. This is why you would make a difference just making Obama support more visible, with window signs, buttons and bumper stickers ready to share with friends, neighbors, and neighborhood businesses. Fired Up! Ready to go!

Dan Balz's Take

Democrats Gearing Up For Delegate Fight

Obama working the crowd in New Hampshire on Labor Day. (Getty).

Barack Obama sent out an e-mail to supporters on Tuesday announcing plans for a big rally in New York's Washington Square Park on Sept. 27. The invitation was evidence of a campaign planning for a potentially extended battle against Hillary Clinton.

The idea of a protracted contest runs contrary to widespread assumptions about how the 2008 Democratic race may play out. But some analysts, who have studied the new calendar, the rules for allocating convention delegates and the financial resources of the leading candidates, believe that a lengthy contest extending into the megaprimary day of Feb. 5 and beyond may be just as likely.

Intern for the next President of the United States in NV!

V, aka VCubed/Virginia V — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 02:47:29 EDT

Come Intern for the Next President of the United States

We are looking for several more hard-working, talented and dedicated individuals to complete our all-star field teams in Las Vegas, Reno, Lake Tahoe, Carson City and Elko. And, trust me, our interns are not going to just sit around a campaign office answering the phones and filing. Each and every one of you will get the opportunity to work directly with campaign field staff in offices throughout Nevada. You will directly see all aspects of the Barack Obama presidential campaign, and meet party activists and community leaders to help build a movement for change in American politics.

By the way, interning in the field program is the single best way to get on the inside track to get a paid position on the campaign. If you have any questions or are interested, please send an email to krish@barackobama.com

We thank you so much and wish you all the best.

-Krishnan Subrahmanian

Obama Leads in Donations from Military Personnel

V, aka VCubed/Virginia V — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 16:54:54 EDT

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/story?id=3601542&page=1

Democrat Barack Obama and Republican Ron Paul have little in common politically, except their opposition to the Iraq war. Both top a new list of presidential candidates receiving campaign contributions from people who work for the four branches of the military and National Guard, according to a study released Thursday by the non-partisan Center for Responsive Politics. Obama, an Illinois senator, brought in more donations from this group than any White House contender from either party. The Democrat announced Wednesday his plan to withdraw all U.S. troops from Iraq by the end of 2008.

Paul, a Texas congressman and the only GOP presidential hopeful who supports an immediate troop withdrawal, comes in second. "Paul and Obama are talking straight to soldiers, and what they are saying is resonating," said Larnell Exum, a retired Army lieutenant colonel, who gave $500 to Obama. Exum, who works for the Army as a congressional liaison, is a Democrat but voted for George Bush in 1992.

Letter to NYT - Obama is change from lobbyist/PAC-bought politicians

V, aka VCubed/Virginia V — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 13:01:21 EDT

Morain's "Obama: Fresh face or and old-school tactician" is a re-hash of old stories that have not stuck to Obama in a negative way for the simple reason that these are, relative to the multimillion dollar secretive funding of the frontrunner Democrat Hillary Clinton, non-issues. A real new story would provide a comparison between them, if that's not too much to ask of paid journalists.

Obama challenged paid-for signature-gathering by an opponent and that opponent's operation is so sloppy she loses the nomination for invalid signatures? That's not denying voters their rights; it's protecting them from unscrupulous practices. That's why the law exists to challenge the signatures.

Univision - First Debate in Spanish/English Is a Disappointment

V, aka VCubed/Virginia V — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 08:32:11 EDT

The first presidential debate in Spanish aimed at Latino voters (simultaneously interpreted from English) put on by Spanish media conglomerate Univision on Sept. 9th was staged and devoid of value for educating the Latino audience on the candidates' records on the issues. The moderators, anchors from their own network, challenged no one, and the setup allowed for no exchanges between the candidates whatsoever. Questions and answers were reduced to soundbytes. The moderators excluded Obama and Kucinich from the all-important question of U.S. relations with Latin America. Notable also are the so-called candidate profiles on the univision.com website, meant to "introduce" viewers to the candidates.

On Univision's site, Obama's stand on immigration is disgracefully blown off in one line as primarily focused on border enforcement - Obama has a huge policy section on his website on immigration and borders, covering everything from the deaths of immigrants attempting to cross the border, to the poor return on huge investments in border enforcement, to ending the illegal employment pull, providing a path for citizenship to get undocumented workers "out of the shadows", to yes investing in more border enforcement but in a smarter way, to honoring our immigrant veterans with a sped-up path to citizenship.

Youth boost Obama at crowded S.F. event

V, aka VCubed/Virginia V — Sun, 09 Sep 2007 08:52:56 EDT

Democratic presidential candidate proves popular with some first-time voters By Ben Malley, CORRESPONDENT SAN FRANCISCO — Women paid $250 to $2,300 to sit around lunch tables and hear Sen. Barack Obama on Friday, but young people from throughout the Bay Area filled the San Francisco auditorium's balcony at $25 a person.

At least 20 students from Palo Alto, many with homemade Obama signs, seemed to cheer loudest of all for the presidential candidate at the Generation Obama event at the Bill Graham Auditorium.

In the line outside the auditorium before the doors opened, two female students in matching blue shirts eagerly awaited the Democrat from Illinois.

"Oh mama, we're gonna see Obama," one chanted. Link

Former Clinton Cabinet Member Backs Barack Obama

V, aka VCubed/Virginia V — Sun, 09 Sep 2007 08:21:20 EDT

Rift In The Clinton Camp As Former Ally Supports Obama: Federico Pena, a former Cabinet member of the Clinton Administration, said Friday that is will become a co-chairman for Sen. Barack Obama's presidential run. Pena, who headed transportation and energy departments under President Bill Clinton, has caused a rift among some in Democratic circles by choosing to back Hillary Clinton's main rival for the Democratic nomination. Pena mentioned that the easiest course of action would be to stay out of the primary process as he has many friends participating on all sides. However, his concern over the direction of the country has inspired him to formally back Senator Obama who he sees as having "the ability to look at both domestic and world problems from a very creative perspective unencumbered by any past political ideology." His concerns have echoed that of many in the party, some who would like to support Clinton but feel her policy making is stuck in the 1990's. Another rival for the nomination, John Edwards has repeated this criticism many times on the campaign trail. "I have come to conclude that Barack Obama has the depth of judgment that our country needs to usher in a new era of global leadership," said Pena, "For me, judgment and wisdom are far more important than experience."

Link

Obama in San Francisco, California Women for Obama Event

V, aka VCubed/Virginia V — Sun, 09 Sep 2007 07:25:54 EDT

I have no voice whatsoever from chanting and cheering so much at the Women for Obama SF Event Friday Sept. 7th! Obama's speech was the best I've heard since the famous 2004 "One America" speech at the Democratic Convention.

Obama's sounding more like Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to me. His tone is just as somber, as passionate, his delivery makes you as pensive, even mournful as you listen to what our country has become. But he always leaves you ecstatically hopeful and energized, fired up and ready to make our dream of an America living up to its promise come true.

The dozens of women seated behind him were a reflection of our world: Asian, Latina, African, European, Native, Americans all, from a young Latina daughter of farmworker immigrants, SEIU organizer Rosa Cabrera, to elder community leaders and every age in-between. San Francisco's first female DA Kamala Harris, and LA's first female Controller Laura Chick pulled together a great range of California Women for Obama.

Tabling Has Begun!

V, aka VCubed/Virginia V — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 09:40:58 EDT

Our district is getting very busy. Join us!

We've started setting up a table to register voters and Obama supporters throughout Pete Stark's district. Our first table was at a BART station in San Leandro. In less than two hours, we registered 15 voters, 10 supporters for Barack, and gave out all our literature!

Two new volunteers from the island of Alameda and one from Hayward were trained on the spot, and all are ready to continue in their own cities. They had a great time - people gathered as soon as they saw the Obama 08 banner!

Camp Obama Grads - Getting time on your side

V, aka VCubed/Virginia V — Thu, 30 Aug 2007 08:58:34 EDT

It's been less than three weeks since Camp Obama in San Francisco, California. Some of us have made a false start (or two), some of us have had only success. Some of us have actually burned the candle at both ends, we have extra work at the start of a new school year, and are thoroughly burned out already! Oh-oh!

Some of us found our CD (congressional district) groups were large and splintering by city or neighborhood or by outreach philosophies. Others found our groups were small and too few coordinators have to cover too much ground. Some have discovered overlapping districts in various neighborhoods. Maybe the start-up felt (or feels) overwhelming.

Deep breath. Everything starts with a breath. When calm has more or less returned, take stock.

Obama leads by widest margin in general election

V, aka VCubed/Virginia V — Thu, 30 Aug 2007 06:20:56 EDT

In case you missed it, it's official: Obama beats all the Republicans by wider margins than Hillary. In the national polls, Edwards does better than Clinton also in some races.
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2008/president/national.html

Obama takes on mortgage lenders and their lobbyists

V, aka VCubed/Virginia V — Thu, 30 Aug 2007 06:13:23 EDT

Mr Obama said the government needed to “stop the unlicensed, unregulated, fly-by-night mortgage brokers who are hoodwinking low- income borrowers into loans they can’t afford."Obama unveils radical mortgage plan

By Jeremy Grant and Eoin Callan in Washington

Published: August 28 2007 22:04 | Last updated: August 28 2007 22:04

Unscrupulous lenders who deceptively sold subprime mortgages to millions of Americans should be fined and the proceeds used to help bail out borrowers facing a wave of foreclosures, according to Barack Obama, the Democratic senator running to be his party’s presidential candidate.

The proposal is among the most radical yet from a leading Democrat and comes as Washington tries to respond to a growing wave of foreclosures and a crisis in credit markets.

... Ethan Harris, an economist at Lehman Brothers, said: “There needs to be rationalisation – more centralisation – of how mortgage lending is regulated.”

Obama has not hurt relations with Pakistan

V, aka VCubed/Virginia V — Thu, 09 Aug 2007 04:42:22 EDT

To rebut anyone writing/saying that Obama's statement that his administration will pursue bin Laden and al Qaeda even within Pakistan has soured relations with Musharraf, have them read this article in the UK Guardian in July 2007, which points out that Musharraf had already been deemed inadequate in 2004 as an ally against the Taliban by both the US and Britain, and diplomats have been working to reinstate democratic elections in hopes Benazir Bhutto, the first Muslim woman formerly elected Prime Minister in Pakistan in the 90s, can win and better help disarm the Taliban and extremist cells Musharraf helped grow.

http://politics.guardian.co.uk/foreignaffairs/story/0,,2130101,00.html

Obama in caregiver's shoes -- chicagotribune.com

V, aka VCubed/Virginia V — Thu, 09 Aug 2007 04:24:33 EDT

It was Obama's turn to spend part of a work day with a union member. He made a favorable impression on the single woman caregiver who's raising two foster children and a great-grand-nephew and whom he worked with in Oakland, California.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-070808obama,1,4697042,print.story

Rock Star' Obama in Harmony with U.S. Allies

V, aka VCubed/Virginia V — Thu, 09 Aug 2007 04:21:08 EDT

he foreign policy debate between Senators Cilnton and Obama is still being talked about. Our allies agree with Obama, that we must get out of Iraq as soon as possible and negotiate with Iran, Syria, Venezuela, Cuba and So. Korea.

Obama blasts shadow fundraising group

V, aka VCubed/Virginia V — Thu, 09 Aug 2007 04:17:16 EDT

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama publicly urged his supporters today not to contribute to independent and unregulated groups -- particularly so-called 527 organizations -- that are currently raising money to aid his cause, saying that if backers give directly to his campaign instead, "we'll all be better off.''

Obama: Keep America safe by maintaining ideals

V, aka VCubed/Virginia V — Sun, 29 Jul 2007 04:30:47 EDT

Local write-up of Obama's 7/27 appearance in Des Moines, Iowa. Obama is cheered for his stand on negotiations with adversaries without preconditions, and is bolstered by former Iowa House Democratic Leader Dick Myers of Iowa City, an Army veteran.http://www.gazetteonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070728/IOWACAUCUS/70728010/1011/IOWACAUCUS"

Obama gets cheers for "negotiations without preconditions" in Iowa

V, aka VCubed/Virginia V — Sun, 29 Jul 2007 03:50:56 EDT

Once again Obama has shown how to criticize a policy without resorting to negative campaigning or personal attacks. On the contrary, he deflects his opponents' attacks with a laser-like focus on the issues. Here's an article that shows how this quality is appreciated in the state of Iowa: Link (If I could make html work, I would, sorry for the long address!):http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/07/28/america/NA-GEN-US-Obama-Diplomacy.php

Obama Wins Hearts and Minds in Alabama

V, aka VCubed/Virginia V — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 09:19:39 EDT

A more positive review of his first fundraising visit to Alabama couldn't have been written! The writer focused on Obama's tremendous capacity to connect with everyone, including those supporters who didn't pay to hear him speak and those who were just checking him out. Send this awesome reporter a nice note if you get a chance:
patricia.mccarter@htimes.com
http://www.al.com/news/huntsvilletimes/index.ssf?/base/news/118405891714840.xml&coll=1

Iraq Vets Stump for Obama in Iowa

V, aka VCubed/Virginia V — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 08:03:27 EDT

Des Moines Register Story 7/9/07: The Iraq vets and military officers (some from Iowa) will attend functions in Iowa to stress support for Sen. Obama among military members, for his plan to get out of Iraq, his support of the troops, and his capacity to deal with foreign leaders.
http://desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070709/NEWS/70709040/1001

Black Culture Scholar Michael Dyson Endorses Obama

V, aka VCubed/Virginia V — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 07:45:16 EDT

Michael Eric Dyson is a force of nature, and he's not only a scholar who now has a post at Georgetown University, but a media personality and author of popular books. He took the opportunity at the Essence Jazz Festival in New Orleans to endorse and introduce Obama. Expect Obama's support in the African American communities to grow considerably in the months to come, as Dyson and Cornel West, another famous African American scholar, preacher and culture critic in media circles, publicize their endorsement of Obama. An irony tucked into the article: Dyson's wife supports Clinton!

Obama Polls Best Among Arab Americans

V, aka VCubed/Virginia V — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 20:48:56 EDT

Proof that President Obama will help the U.S. gain in negotiating status in the international arena. The poll naturally includes Christian Arab Americans, but all-around, including among Muslim Arab Americans, Obama rates highest. President Obama will help improve our image and influence in the Middle East, Indonesia, and Africa and Asia generally.

CNN Contributor Defends Obama's "Quiet Riots"

V, aka VCubed/Virginia V — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 05:22:55 EDT

Obama's 'quiet riots' are for real POSTED: 7:38 p.m. EDT, June 7, 2007By Roland S. Martin
CNN contributor
Link Roland S. Martin is a CNN contributor and a talk-show host for WVON-AM in Chicago.

(CNN) -- Conservative critics have been lighting up the airwaves and blogs for the last 48 hours after Sen. Barack Obama's speech to the Hampton University Annual Ministers' Conference raised the combustible topic of the burning anger among the nation's poor African Americans.

Much of this was the result of a terrible story written by Bob Lewis of The Associated Press, who wrote in his lead that "Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama said Tuesday that the Bush administration has done nothing to defuse a 'quiet riot' among blacks that threatens to erupt just as riots in Los Angeles did 15 years ago."

TALK RADIO AND C-SPAN: Don't Just Listen/Watch - Call In and Represent!

V, aka VCubed/Virginia V — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 04:13:42 EDT

I'm a progressive talk-radio junkie, especially call-in radio (Response from my fellows in 12-Step: Hi VCubed!). I confess also that, at 4 a.m. California-time, I'm tuning in online to C-SPAN to watch/hear Washington Journal, sometimes staying awake for three hours of call-ins (with a few guests, news reviews interspersed). Obviously I don’t work days.

I'd like to encourage all you good folks to call in to those shows and help people learn what Obama’s candidacy is about. If we don’t, for 24 hours a day on some of these stations, people who know nothing about him or have been misinformed will keep getting false information from callers who support Republicans or other Democrats. Those programs reach tens if not hundreds of thousands of people across the country at any given time. I'd love it if sweeter, calmer, mellower people than I would call in and represent.

Gather up a few relevant points and speak up for Obama! Check out the phone numbers and websites at the end of this post and give it a whirl! It’s easier than you think – at least there are no cameras!

McCain Aide Will Quit if Obama is Democratic Candidate

V, aka VCubed/Virginia V — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 02:35:17 EDT

I called in to an Air America/Nova M Radio show (Jon Elliott) and got a huge laugh when I read this over the air:
"McKinnon, a lifelong Democrat until he decided to team up with Bush, developed a bond with McCain over their shared belief in the need to remain committed to the troops in Iraq. McKinnon helped organize McCain's last book tour and has traveled extensively with the senator, offering media advice to the candidate for much of the last year. But he wrote a memo to the campaign in January, explaining that he would quit if the general election pitted McCain against Obama. McKinnon wrote that while he opposed Obama's policies, especially on Iraq, he felt that the Illinois senator--as an African-American politician--has a unique potential to change the country. Therefore, McKinnon argued, he wanted no part in any efforts to tear down Obama's candidacy.

Why the Obama Groundswell Keeps Growing

V, aka VCubed/Virginia V — Sat, 02 Jun 2007 23:57:42 EDT

Great article just came out of Broward County in Florida (The Broward Times) on Barack's background and his personal connections to Rev. Wright. It raises both Barack and Rev. Wright up from the recent right-wing muckraking put out by their press about the Reverand. Rev. Wright is not a preacher of militancy and separatism, as he's been made out to be lately, but like Obama a man who tried different philosophies before choosing the one that benefits the most people. Rev. Wright is a brilliant scholar and a worthy spiritual guide for our next President, Obama. Read on; it's inspiring! Link by Al Calloway
Barack Obama: "The Audacity of Hope" - Part IIWritten by Al Calloway

Obama Motivates Youth To Action!

V, aka VCubed/Virginia V — Fri, 01 Jun 2007 06:48:18 EDT

This young man wrote an inspiring account of how seeing, hearing and reading Obama's words changed him from someone who'd rather get his teeth pulled than go to a political convention, into a full-fledged community activist (and a great writer on Obama's behalf!). My only critique of this fine work is his adopting the word "inexperience" whole cloth, and his comparison of Obama to Arnold Schwarzenegger. He means well. We'll have to learn to rebut that label, for Obama has experience that money and years buried in legislative halls can't buy, and his experiences will serve us well. The story comes from Link

Watch Obama's Real Experience in Action

V, aka VCubed/Virginia V — Fri, 01 Jun 2007 06:27:18 EDT

I just viewed Obama’s speech in Detroit, and now I know I want Obama to be President for sure. My former hesitation came from my radical roots and weariness with political rhetoric, but like many who’ve worked hard to change our political, economic, environmental and social downslide in the past, I’m tired of reacting with equal vehemence as my Neo-Con opponents. Truly I am finally sold on Obama’s incremental but steady change with more allies than opponents, and on his knowledge and ability to lead our country through that difficult but necessary transition. I even dare feel optimistic about it! (See Link under “Obama Speeches” Address to the Detroit Economic Club.)

Poll Shows Only Obama Beats Both Giuliani and McCain

V, aka VCubed/Virginia V — Thu, 31 May 2007 09:16:55 EDT

Good news - Giuliani still beats Edwards and Clinton, but not Obama!Obama Ahead of McCain, Giuliani in U.S.Angus Reid Global Monitor : Polls & Research

Polling Data May 31, 2007

Possible match-ups - 2008 U.S. presidential election

Rudy Giuliani (R) 41% - 43% Barack Obama (D)
John McCain (R) 39% - 43% Barack Obama (D)

Rudy Giuliani (R) 45% - 43% Hillary Rodham Clinton (D)
John McCain (R) 43% - 45% Hillary Rodham Clinton (D)

Rudy Giuliani (R) 43% - 42% John Edwards (D)
John McCain (R) 39% - 44% John Edwards (D)

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Democrat Barack Obama holds the lead against two prospective Republican rivals in the United States, according to the Financial Dynamics / Diageo/Hotline poll. 43 per cent of respondents would vote for the Illinois senator in the 2008 U.S. presidential election, while 39 per cent would support Arizona senator John McCain.

Obama also holds a two-point edge over former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani. In other contests, New York senator Hillary Rodham Clinton leads McCain by two points and trails Giuliani by the same margin. Former North Carolina senator is one point behind Giuliani, and five points ahead of McCain.

Newark NJ Mayor Endorses Barack

V, aka VCubed/Virginia V — Mon, 14 May 2007 07:49:37 EDT

Newark NJ Mayor Cory Booker is a friend of the Clintons as well as of Barack, but he will be giving a ringing endorsement of Obama on Monday and it's getting lots of media attention. Write/call your mayor and ask him/her to endorse Obama too!
Newark's mayor plans to endorse Obama's run By Daniela FloresAssociated PressMIKE DERER / Associated PressCory Booker, mayor of New Jersey's largest city, is to announce his endorsement today. "It's been a long time since I've been so excited about a candidate as I am with Barack Obama," he said.
TRENTON - The high-profile mayor of New Jersey's largest city says he endorses Sen. Barack Obama for president.

Newark Mayor Cory A. Booker said he would officially announce his endorsement at a news conference with Obama today, when the senator arrives in New Jersey to attend a number of events, including a town-hall meeting with union members in Trenton.

"It's time that we have a national leader that's going to raise us around our highest common ideals and remind us that we have more in common as a people than we do that divides us," Booker told the Associated Press.

Blogger Slanders Obama, Illinois Congressman (and former Bill Clinton Counsel) Fights Back

V, aka VCubed/Virginia V — Mon, 14 May 2007 06:52:39 EDT

A liberal blogsite (Counterpunch.com) writer cast some nasty dispersions on Obama by "creative" bundling of individual donations by employer, and by not mentioning how many employees donated to other candidates in any party. It's great to see those who served and worked with Obama immediately rise up and counter groundless distortions.

Corporate gifts to Obama? It never happened Federal laws ban companies from donating -- and him from acceptingMay 14, 2007BY ABNER J. MIKVAThe front-page "teaser" made sure I would read the story. It had a tough picture of Sen. Barack Obama and a headline "Obama Inc. Is our man of the people already beholden to fat cats?"

Corporations did not give any money to Obama and they are not going to have any hold on him in his public life. I have watched Barack Obama since he entered the state Legislature many years ago. I have compared him and his ethics with those of people I have known in political arenas over the last 50 years that I have been active in public life. He is in the mold of the late Senators Paul Douglas and Paul Simon. The only "Inc." you can put after his name is if you are starting to spell the word "incorruptible."

Abner J. Mikva served as White House counsel for President Bill Clinton, as chief judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit and as a five-term congressman from Illinois.

Obama's Sister Campaigns for Him in Hawaii

V, aka VCubed/Virginia V — Mon, 14 May 2007 06:34:55 EDT

Obama's sister, Maya Soetor-Ng, and brother-in-law Konrad Ng, are now on the campaign trail to support him. At her first appearance, there were 100 supporters at a Honolulu middle school!
Obama's half-Indonesian sister debutes as public campaigner

HONOLULU (AP): The half-sister of Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama shared memories of their mother as supporters in Hawaii met to organize a state campaign.

Debuting as an enthusiastic public campaigner for her older brother, Maya Soetoro-Ng, who is half-Indonesian, read a letter from the candidate for the Democratic nomination and described him as never mean to her, but sometimes "bossy" as they grew up together in Honolulu.

Obama Leads Clinton, Edwards to Curb Exec Pay

V, aka VCubed/Virginia V — Mon, 14 May 2007 06:14:27 EDT

Obama's the youngest among the three, and supposedly less experienced than Hillary Clinton, yet once again he had to lead her to support the bill he introduced in the Senate to curb executive pay.
Obama, Clinton, Edwards Back Measure Curbing Executive Pay By Alison Vekshin

May 11 (Bloomberg) -- Democratic presidential candidates may have come across a new campaign issue: spotlighting excessive executive compensation.

Senator Barack Obama of Illinois introduced a measure last month allowing public-company shareholders to hold an annual, non-binding vote on executive pay. New York Senator Hillary Clinton and former North Carolina Senator John Edwards said yesterday they support his bill.

Newsweek Evaluates Obama's "Oppo Team"

V, aka VCubed/Virginia V — Wed, 28 Feb 2007 08:11:31 EST

Link 2007 MSNBC.com/Newsweek: Handicapping Obama’s Oppo Team

He’s been through the first minor skirmish of the ’08 wars. Does Obama’s team have the dirt-diggers, the counterpunchers, and the wise guys he’ll need to go the distance?WEB-EXCLUSIVE COMMENTARYBy Richard WolffeNewsweekUpdated: 4:36 p.m. AKT Feb 27, 2007

Feb. 27, 2007 - It was Obama’s first taste of 2008 blood. After Hollywood mogul David Geffen took a shot at Sen. Hillary Clinton, the Clinton camp hit back—demanding that Obama return money Geffen had raised for him, and calling on the Illinois senator to disavow Geffen’s remarks. Obama declined the invitation, and an aide pointed out that the Clintons, too, had benefited from Geffen’s largesse. But the incident left the chattering classes asking: does the rookie have enough muscle and experience in his entourage to trade blows with the battle-tested Clinton crowd?

The answer to that question leads, inevitably, to David Axelrod. “We all view it as a lesson in how easy it is to slide into the muck,” says Axelrod, Obama’s media adviser and chief strategist, of last week’s dust-up. “We are a 6-week-old campaign and we’re going to learn a lot of things along the way.”

He may be trying to help steer his candidate to a new kind of politics, but Axelrod knows plenty about the old ways. He covered politics for the Chicago Tribune before becoming a consultant, helping first Harold Washington and then Richard M. Daley win the Chicago mayoralty. And he’s punched his ticket nationally, having worked for Sen. John Edwards's 2004 White House bid and a number of rising Democratic stars at the state level—including newly minted Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick and New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer. Perhaps most helpful for the challenge ahead, he even did a stint inside enemy territory, working on Clinton’s 2000 Senate campaign. In fact, he’s the only operative out there to have logged time with the top three Democratic contenders in the 2008 presidential campaign.

Axelrod says he’s ready to rumble. “There’s no doubt that there are times when shots are going to be taken at us that are going to require a tough reaction because they are on substantive things that directly relate to something Barack has said or done—or some distortion of what he’s said or done,” says Axelrod. “As my old friend Harold Washington used to say, politics isn’t beanbag.”

But his team is still in the process of figuring out when to fire, and when to keep the powder dry. “It’s a question of assessing the incoming and deciding, ‘Is this heading for the main engine or is it going to pass by?’ That is the process. If you are going to respond to something, respond to something substantive and real, not something contrived and meaningless.”

So what counts as “substantive” and “real”? Take a look at how Team Obama responded to a recent Los Angeles Times story about the candidate’s early work as a community organizer in Chicago. The L.A. Times quoted locals who said Obama had oversold his role in helping to improve a Chicago housing project—strongly suggesting that Obama had overplayed his part in his own memoir, "Dreams From My Father." The Obama campaign’s response: a point-by-point, annotated rebuttal, entitled “Just Because Someone Writes It, Does Not Make It True.”

That rebuttal—complete with testimonials from fellow community activists—was the work of the campaign’s research department. The group is headed by Devorah Adler, a former DNC research director who worked for the Clinton White House, and for then-Senate Democratic leader Tom Daschle. (She later joined the DNC’s research operation under Mike Gehrke, who headed up the "oppo" research effort for the Kerry campaign in 2004.) Axelrod says the team will do as much research into its own candidate as its rivals. “We have a long record—actually a longer record in public life than several of the other candidates—and the first order of business is when representations are made about that record, we are completely informed as to what Barack has said and done and written,” says Axelrod. “You’d be foolish to have a campaign without that operational capacity.

“Second, it’s important for us to know what other candidates have said and done because you need to understand where there are similarities and contrasts. The difference is about using your opposition research as a kind of offensive weapon on a day-to-day basis to try to besmirch your opponents.”

In selling that message, Axelrod will have help from a team that does not have deep ties to the candidate. Robert Gibbs, his communications director, is the longest-serving staffer, having joined Obama in 2004. Bill Burton, national press secretary, was at the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee for last year’s elections. He started the 2004 presidential cycle with Dick Gephardt, before joining the Kerry team after the Iowa caucuses. Dan Pfeiffer, another press secretary, worked for Daschle in 2004, and was part of Evan Bayh’s brief presidential bid. Loyal Democrats all—but a crew assembled from the ashes of other presidential campaigns faces a tough challenge against the wily veterans of Hillaryland.

Can Obama stick to the high road, and win? It’s an admirable goal. But his posse will be hard-pressed to stay that course once the serious dirt-dishing begins. Candidates, after all, sling mud for one reason: It works, much of the time.

Character - Obama Has It, And It Shows

V, aka VCubed/Virginia V — Wed, 28 Feb 2007 07:44:58 EST

This story is taken from Sacbee / Opinion.

Ruben Navarrette: The character issue in 2008By Ruben Navarrette -
Published 12:00 am PST Wednesday, February 28, 2007

Think of it as revisionist politics.

The Clintonistas and some of their chums in the elite media want you to think that Hillary Clinton actually got the better of Barack Obama in their recent scrape over the comments by movie and music mogul and Obama supporter David Geffen.

Excuse me, but what fight were they watching? Hillary never laid a glove on Obama. And he got in two sharp jabs -- one that he served up himself and one delivered by his campaign spokesman, Robert Gibbs, who now is under fire from liberal bloggers because he is so effective at drawing blood from fellow Democrats.

At the very least, the Clintonistas seem to be hoping that the verbal shoving match has shattered the spell that Obama has had on much of the national media and that, from this point forward, he'll be treated like any other candidate running for president.

Some members of the media are obediently picking up on that thread.

Kate Zernike of the New York Times wrote that "Mr. Obama's reputation for being above politics was soiled." Her colleague, Adam Nagourney, insisted that Obama "seemed to acknowledge that he may have been outmaneuvered." And Dan Balz of the Washington Post lamented that Obama "missed an opportunity to project the kind of campaign that he says he wants to project, which is to get away from the politics of polarization and personalization."

To recap, Geffen -- who, with pals Steven Spielberg and Jeffrey Katzenberg, recently raised about $1.3 million in Hollywood money for Obama -- made some incendiary but insightful remarks about the ease with which both Bill and Hillary Clinton tell whoppers and the difficulty of electing Hillary, who Geffen aptly described as "another incredibly polarizing figure."

Clearly, it stung. The Clinton camp quickly fired off an e-mail to Democratic supporters in an attempt to drive a wedge between Obama and Geffen. "If Senator Obama is indeed sincere about his repeated claims to change the tone of our politics," the e-mail read, "he should immediately denounce these remarks, remove Mr. Geffen from his campaign and return his money."

Obama spokesman Gibbs shot back in a written statement: "It's ironic that the Clintons had no problem with David Geffen when he was raising them $18 million and sleeping at their invitation in the Lincoln Bedroom."

And when reporters asked Obama whether he would condemn Geffen's remarks, the Illinois Democrat tossed in some common sense. "It's not clear to me why I'd be apologizing for someone else's remark," he said.

Good for them both. Gibbs deserves a raise, and Obama deserves to be seen by Democrats as being able to counterpunch and keep his wits while under fire.

Too bad the Clintonistas didn't come across nearly as well in all this.

The question in all this is simple: do people like David Geffen have the right to free speech or not? They absolutely do. And that speech should be protected, whether it comes in the form of a check to a campaign or provocative comments about a candidate. If you believe in one, you have to believe in the other.

As for Obama, he has since said that he intends to take the high road from now on and that he told his staff he wants them not to "be a party to these kinds of distractions" but instead to talk about issues.

Yet one of the most important issues in a presidential campaign is character. And this latest ruckus told us something about who has it and who lacks it.

Standing Ovation for Obama: Response to "Is Obama Black"

V, aka VCubed/Virginia V — Wed, 28 Feb 2007 06:19:10 EST

Link BUFFALO NEWS COMMENTARY Questioning Obama's 'blackness' is ridiculous ""I think this issue is being manufactured by people who want to get us off focus."" 2/25/2007 By EUGENE ROBINSON ORANGEBURG, S.C. - Is Barack Obama "authentically" black? Come on, be real. Is the pope Catholic? Obama made his first campaign trip to this early-primary state last weekend, drawing about 3,000 people to a rally in Columbia, the state capital, and another 2,000 to a "town hall meeting" here in the city where I was born and raised. If those who rose early on a Saturday morning to attend the Orangeburg event constitute a representative focus group, black voters will want to weigh Obama's policy positions against those of the other candidates before deciding who to support. But they won't spend a lot of time pondering his identity. Among the dignitaries with front-row seats in the auditorium at Claflin University was state legislator Gilda Cobb-Hunter, an African-American, who had no patience for the "blackness" question that reporters kept asking. "People talk as if this is, like, some kind of option for him," Cobb-Hunter said. "When Obama looks in the mirror in the morning, what do you think he sees? There is no way that he has any confusion about being a man of color. I think this issue is being manufactured by people who want to get us off focus. I don't hear the national media questioning Hillary Clinton about being a woman." But what about the argument, posed by a couple of contrarian black columnists, that since Obama is not the descendant of slaves (Caucasian mother, Kenyan father), he's a different kind of African-American? "As time passes, very few people are going be able to say they marched in the civil rights movement," Cobb-Hunter said. "Are the people asking this question saying that if you didn't live through the Civil War, you can't understand slavery?" Most of those in Obama's audience here had some past or present association with Claflin or nearby South Carolina State University, historically black colleges. Making my way through the crowd of old friends, I wasn't able to find anyone willing to qualify Obama's blackness with an asterisk. Henry N. Tisdale, Claflin's president, was less blunt than Cobb-Hunter but no less dismissive: "I think that in today's global and multicultural society, we will find persons such as Barack Obama becoming not the exception but the rule, and giving hope to all who want to live the American dream." House Majority Whip James E. Clyburn, whose district includes Orangeburg, rearranged his schedule so he could be here to introduce Obama at Claflin. "I thank him for giving new hope and inspiration to a new generation," Clyburn said. "Obama is able to run today because Rosa Parks sat down. . . . He is able to run today to give hopes and dreams to all of us." I should make clear that none of these kind words added up to a formal endorsement. Almost a year remains before the South Carolina Democratic primary, in which African-Americans will cast about half of all votes. Both Hillary Clinton and John Edwards hope to win significant black support in this state; I would advise them, and others, that trying to convince people that Obama isn't black enough would be a poor use of precious time and resources. Obama was comfortable in the "town hall" format, pacing like a talk-show host without notes or a lectern. His first big applause line was a call to fix "a health care system that's broken." There were more cheers when he reiterated his opposition to the Iraq War, but he really got the crowd going when he talked about the national hunger for "a new kind of politics." People "want something new," he said, and the crowd enthusiastically agreed. One of his biggest applause lines was a call for black Americans to "get over this anti-intellectualism we see in our community sometimes." And when he ended with a rousing "Yes we can!" set piece, he exited the way every candidate wants to leave any room: With people on their feet, cheering for more. Washington Post Writers Group

Obama's Wisdom on Iraq War is Recognized, and The Experience Factor

V, aka VCubed/Virginia V — Wed, 28 Feb 2007 04:22:52 EST

Link Obama and The Experience Factor Scripps News editorials and opinion

By MARTIN SCHRAM
Tuesday, February 27, 2007

"The Experience Factor." The words resonate wherever pols and pundits congregate, sipping and opining at watering holes along the campaign trail.

"The Experience Factor." It comes up right after someone mentions "The Obama Phenomenon" _ and it sets the wise heads to nodding, figuring that concerns about his lack of experience will doom what many think is a premature run for the presidency by this talented man who has only been a U.S. senator for two years.

But before joining the Wise Nodding Bobble-Heads, we need to take a hard look at The Experience Factor. After all, searching for presidential experience ought to be a bit like candling an egg, because before passing judgment and then discarding it, it is good to figure out what is really inside.

We begin in October 2002. Congress was deliberating what to do about Saddam Hussein, who was refusing to cooperate with U.N. inspectors of weapons of mass destruction. In the club that is the Senate, smart liberals _ including Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., now the Armed Services Committee chairman _ were fashioning alternative resolutions that would authorize President Bush to invade Iraq, but with important caveats, and so on.

Of all the words legislators spoke in that crucial month, none proved more prescient than these, uttered on Oct. 26, 2002:

"I know that even a successful war against Iraq will require a U.S. 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. ...

"So for those of us who seek a more just and secure world for our children, let us send a clear message to the president today. ... Let's finish the fight with bin Laden and al Qaeda, through effective, coordinated intelligence, and a shutting down of the financial networks that support terrorism, and a homeland security program that involves more than color-coded warnings."

Those words were spoken not in the U.S. Senate, but at an anti-war rally in Chicago. The speaker was not a U.S. senator, but Illinois state Sen. Obama. He began by boldly attacking the notion of being anti-war.

"Let me begin by saying that although this has been billed as an anti-war rally, I stand before you as someone who is not opposed to war in all circumstances," Obama said.

He spoke eloquently of the importance of the Civil War, World War II ("My grandfather signed up for a war the day after Pearl Harbor was bombed, fought in Patton's army.") and the War on Terror.

"After September 11th, after witnessing the carnage and destruction, the dust and the tears, I supported this administration's pledge to hunt down and root out those who would slaughter innocents in the name of intolerance, and I would willingly take up arms myself to prevent such tragedy from happening again," Obama said.

"I don't oppose all wars. What I am opposed to is a dumb war. What I am opposed to is a rash war."

What made Obama's speech rather remarkable wasn't just that his warnings proved true. It was that this was a state legislator who had developed a conceptual framework of how world issues are intrinsically linked _ that actions in one place can have far-reaching consequences.

So Obama urged Bush to fight terror by vigorously fighting for nonproliferation and the safeguarding of poorly secured weapons in the former Soviet Union (the Nunn-Lugar program, named for former Sen. Sam Nunn, D-Ga., and Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind., who would become Obama's mentor and partner in policy initiatives). He warned about nuclear war between India and Pakistan, and urged us to press Middle East allies such as Egypt and Saudi Arabia to ease repressive practices that turn citizens into "ready recruits of terrorist cells."

On that day, Obama ended his uncommon anti-war-rally speech not with a fist-shaking warning but with a heart-tugging reminder about who would pay the ultimate price for a federal folly. After warning us not to "travel down that hellish path blindly" by invading Iraq without global consensus, he added: "Nor should we allow those who would march off and pay the ultimate sacrifice, who would prove the full measure of devotion with their blood, to make such an awful sacrifice in vain."

Those who were in Chicago's Federal Plaza on that 2002 day heard a voice of experience that was neither heard nor heeded in a nation's capital hell-bent on fighting the wrong war.

African American Voters Flock to Obama

V, aka VCubed/Virginia V — Wed, 28 Feb 2007 03:57:53 EST

Link Under "Opinion":The Nation -- The big news in today's Washington Post/ABC poll is that black voters like Barack Obama (news, bio, voting record). He now leads Hillary Clinton among black voters by nine points, a huge shift from last month, when the same poll found black voters preferred Clinton by a whopping 40 percent.
Reporters had jumped on that early gap to write speculative stories about Obama's supposed trouble with the "black vote." The Washington Post ran a front page article last month under the headline "Obama's Appeal to Blacks Remains an Open Question," citing Clinton's "3 to 1" edge among black Democrats. (Never mind that everything is an "open question" when the candidate hasn't even announced yet.)
Then this month, The New York Times offered a front page news flash under the headline, "So Far, Obama Can't Take Black Vote for Granted." The article quoted Debra J. Dickerson's claim that "Obama isn't black" in an American racial context, and then explored why "some black voters" are "so uneasy" about Obama. One barber explained that Obama might not be right for the Presidency because he was not "born, raised, bred, [and] fed in America." Whatever. That kind of talk has been shredded by The Nation's Patricia Williams, among others. Now these new poll numbers should remove one crutch reporters were using to write premature stories about how black voters supposedly did not like Obama "enough."
The poll has already been shooting around the blogopshere. Olivier Willis, who has written about Obama and the "black vote," argues the new poll is a reminder that the "arguments in the media and academia about Obama's 'blackness' are just kind of nonsense noise in the real world." Over at MyDD, Chris Bowes thinks that with these numbers, if Obama "continues to rise among African-Americans while maintaining his young, progressive, netroots base, it may only be a matter of three or four months before he catches Clinton in national polls."
Yet so far, the most fascinating part of the new poll has been mostly ignored. It's a section that could be called Pick Your Prejudice. (See questions 21-24.) Pollsters asked voters how certain "attributes" of a candidate -- like being black or female or smoking cigarettes -- would affect their vote. If you believe the numbers, smokers have a much bigger challenge than black or female candidates. Over 20 percent of voters say they are less likely to vote for a smoker, while only 13 percent say that about a female candidate, and a slim 6 percent say so about a black candidate. (Apparently older candidates should hang it up now: 58 percent of voters claim they are less likely to vote for "someone who is over age 72.")
Of course, like most early presidential polling, these numbers are pretty meaningless -- and probably misleading. You don't usually find sexists by asking people if they are sexist. The data reveals more about which biases people think are acceptable than what actual prejudices are out there. On that score, Mitt Romney may have a bigger challenge than Obama: 29 percent of Americans admit they are less likely to vote for someone simply for being Mormon.