This Thanksgiving, Jonathan and I have much for which to be thankful:
We are thankful for you, our volunteers. We are thankful for your tireless efforts slightly more than a year ago to elect Barack Obama as President. And we are especially thankful for your on-going support of health insurance reform.
Because of all you do, this Thanksgiving Jonathan and I are sending you a warm and heartfelt, “Thank you.” Your work has made real change possible in Alaska and across the United States.
Now that we are moving into the crucial stages of passing health insurance reform, we need you more than ever. Please join with other Alaskans who have committed to doubling their efforts for ensuring that health insurance reform passes by calling our members of Congress, writing letters to the editor, and taking other urgent actions.
Will you join our Rapid Response Teams?
By being on a Rapid Response Team, you can show your thanks for and commitment to all that has already happened and all that will happen for health insurance reform. Please join other Alaskans on Rapid Response Teams this holiday season and help us pass health insurance reform.
Happy Thanksgiving!
…continued from Part 2: Pursuing the American Dream...
In the two previous postings, we've seen how Alaskan small business owners try to cope with or eventually crash because rising health care costs impact their business's bottom line. This struggle cannot go on any longer. Enacting health insurance reform helps Americans who own or want to start small businesses.
So what is health reform going to do for small businesses?
President Obama and several members in Congress have listened to us and thought long and hard about what the best ways are to guarantee that small businesses have quality, affordable, secure, and stable coverage. As a result, reform will help small businesses by:
Health insurance reform helps people like Alex and all the thousands of other small business owners and employees and families in Alaska. We cannot afford to wait for health insurance reform any longer.
Congressman Young chose not to vote for the House version of the health insurance reform bill. But he can still make that wrong right. Call Congressman Young now and ask him to do something that helps Alaskan small businesses: Ask him to vote for the final Health Insurance Reform Legislation.
As exciting as it is that a majority of members of the House passed their health insurance reform bill, we still have more to do. We need you now more than ever. We need to get a filibuster-proof bill through the Senate. We need to see the Senate bill combined with the House bill so that the House and the Senate can vote on the same bill. How do you help make all this happen? It's simple.
Call Senator Begich, Senator Murkowski, and Congressman Young TODAY and let them know you want them to help Alaska, our small businesses, and our families by voting for health insurance reform.
When we work together, we can achieve the American dream.
…continued from Part 1: Pursuing the American Dream…
Alaskans want to pursue the American dream, and they shouldn't have to choose between starting a business and keeping their health insurance.
Alaskan small business owners and employees know - and we know - that they play a crucial role as job-providers and community-builders in Alaska. In fact, there are a quarter million private-sector jobs in Alaska, and approximately half of these jobs are at businesses with fewer than 50 employees.
However, in Alaska, 75% of small businesses do not offer health insurance coverage. This means that any full-time employee working for a small business runs a 3 out of 4 chance that she will not be provided employer-based health insurance.
This is an unnecessary hardship for Alaska's small businesses and all the people whose lives they touch. But the small business owners in Alaska still want to do the right thing. I hear the same statement over and over from them:
"I want to do the right thing. I want to offer my employees health coverage."
But the sad truth is that they often cannot. They know it's the right thing to do, and they also know that when their employees thrive, their companies thrive.
So why is it so hard for Alaskan small businesses to offer health insurance and to compete with big businesses?
Small businesses pay 18% more than larger businesses for the same health insurance plan, and 26 cents out of every dollar they pay into health insurance goes to paying for things like executive compensation, bonuses, marketing, and paperwork.
To make matters worse, because health care is so expensive for Alaskan small businesses, Alaska's premiums have increased by 145% in the past ten years. This hurts our economy. Instead of supporting small businesses, Alaskans are often pushed toward buying products from the big businesses. When we buy from big businesses, money is siphoned out of Alaska and our hard-earned money is used to subsidize the economic growth of other states.
Alaskans deserve better than this. You can do something to help make sure that small businesses stay strong in Alaska. Write a letter to the editor explaining how small businesses impact your life and why health reform will make them stronger.
Supporting health reform means supporting Alaska’s small businesses.
…to be continued.
When Alaskans dare to pursue the American dream, they face the question:
"Should I start my own business, or should I keep my job that has health benefits?"
Alaskan small business owners know that the cost of health care is unaffordable. Not only do the owners and the employees pay huge premiums, but the small businesses have a hard time growing and competing with big businesses.
Watch Alex K., a small-business owner in Anchorage, talk about her experiences struggling to expand her business because she does not have access to affordable, quality insurance.
Like Alex, you may be the person who works for a small business but do not have access to affordable, quality health care. Or maybe it's your child or your friend. Or maybe you are an Alaskan who has seen one of our treasured small businesses close their doors because they simply can't compete with another new big business. Wherever you fall on the spectrum, one thing is certain:
We need Senator Begich, Senator Murkowski, and Congressman Young to support Alaskans by voting “yes” on the health reform legislation.
Health insurance reform will make it easier for small businesses to compete with big businesses, to offer health insurance benefits for their employees, and to grow their businesses - all of which help Alaskans.
So how can you help? Call the members of Congress and tell them your story.
It's stories - like yours and Alex's - that make our requests to Alaska's members of Congress powerful and urgent. Organizing for America is continuing to work with you to highlight the stories of small business owners who have a difficult time paying for and keeping health insurance coverage for their employees.
So tell your story. Call Senator Begich, Senator Murkowski, and Congressman Young NOW to let them know you support health reform legislation because it helps Alaska's businesses and Alaska's families and that you want them to vote for the health reform that reduces costs, guarantees choice, and ensures quality care for all Americans.
Together, we can make health care work for all Alaskans.
Community Organizers are the foundation of Organizing for America, not only around the country but here in Alaska too. These people fill a vital role within OFA’s structure by building and expanding volunteer leadership and activities in their part of town to support President Obama’s policy agenda.This week I got to sit down with Karolina Bednarska, a 25 year-old from Anchorage, to get her thoughts on why she got involved in OFA and then decided to sign-up to be a Community Organizer.First, Karolina, tell me a little bit about yourself.
I work for a small, local business here in Anchorage, primarily in the field of marketing and database analysis. I would describe myself as a quirky, passionate, and intelligent young female who is interested now – more than ever – how I can contribute to my community on both large and small scales.
What are some of the issues that matter most to you and why?
Right now, health insurance reform is the most important issue for me, as it is with many Americans. The more I get involved and become more educated about the issue, the more determined I am that we need major changes in our current health care system. It's not a system that benefits everyone, but only those that seem privileged enough to afford it. I don't believe at all that this is a fair system.
Can you give me a sense about how long have you been involved in something Obama-related – whether with the Obama campaign in 2008 or OFA-Alaska?
Does reading about President Obama a lot count? (At this point, Karolina laughs.)Seriously though, I just recently became involved with OFA on a committed-volunteer basis – I guess it’s been about two months now. I followed the Obama campaign closely but never really thought about volunteering. Watch Karolina talk about volunteering with OFA.For me, going from not really knowing about OFA, to volunteering with you all, to being a Community Organizer went something like this:After Alex (a mutual friend) introduced us and we chatted about some current political issues and grassroots organizing, I really felt like I needed to find out more about OFA. So I decided to “friend” OFA-Alaska on Facebook. About a week later, I saw you guys were having a training on health insurance reform and decided to go. I guess that training is ultimately what sold me on getting involved in a large-scale capacity.
Does reading about President Obama a lot count? (At this point, Karolina laughs.)
Seriously though, I just recently became involved with OFA on a committed-volunteer basis – I guess it’s been about two months now. I followed the Obama campaign closely but never really thought about volunteering. Watch Karolina talk about volunteering with OFA.
For me, going from not really knowing about OFA, to volunteering with you all, to being a Community Organizer went something like this:
After Alex (a mutual friend) introduced us and we chatted about some current political issues and grassroots organizing, I really felt like I needed to find out more about OFA. So I decided to “friend” OFA-Alaska on Facebook. About a week later, I saw you guys were having a training on health insurance reform and decided to go. I guess that training is ultimately what sold me on getting involved in a large-scale capacity.
Sometimes people who want to get involved with OFA feel like they don’t know much about volunteering or worry that they don’t know how to talk to other Alaskans about political issues. What would you say to them and what tips have you gotten that make your efforts successful?
I really like the way OFA focuses on individual neighborhoods. It makes it easier to talk to people because you are talking to people who live near you. Somehow that just makes it feel more comfortable. Then, as I meet other individuals from my part of town who support President Obama and his goals, it feels like together we can contribute to and work on the changes that need to take place if we are going to get health insurance reform – and also if we are going to stand up for President Obama's vision for change for the US.OFA really gives people an outlet where they can have a voice on issues. If you want to be heard, volunteering with OFA is the best way to go. They suggest things you can do to make your voice heard and help you feel prepared to talk to other Alaskans – whether they are neighbors or our members of Congress – about health insurance reform.
Karolina has a message for you: Click here to hear what she has to say!
Are you ready to join Karolina as a volunteer for OFA? Your voice – and thousands of other Alaskans – will make a difference.
Doctors from all 50 states gathered together at the White House yesterday for an event to show their support for health insurance reform. Alaska was fortunate to have three health care professionals represent us at the discussion with the President, and one of the doctors invited is a committed and active volunteer with our Organizing for America team.
Listen to President Obama's comments to the doctors at the event in the Rose Garden at the White House.
Monique, like most Alaskans, knows that paying for sky-rocketing health care costs and finding a doctor in Alaska are not easy tasks. Over the last decade, when compared to the other 49 states, Alaskan families saw the greatest rate of increase for their health insurance premiums.
Our wages increased by only 35%, but our families’ health insurance premiums increased by 145%.
Let me put it another way: As an Alaskan, for every extra dollar you earn, you have to pay three more dollars for your family's health insurance premium.
We had a chance to catch up with Monique while she was in Phoenix, boarding a flight back to Anchorage. She told us all about her visit to the White House.
Tell us a little bit about your visit. When did you find out you were going? When did you arrive? Had you been to Washington, D.C. before?
I was invited and confirmed to attend just on Friday, but I didn't get to D.C. until 7 am this morning.When I arrived at the White House, I was admitted through the Visitor's Gate, and the Secret Service greeted me and took me on a private tour of the White House, which was amazing. President Obama talked to us at 11:00. It was incredible to be one of a few people who got to hear the President talk about health insurance reform. I know that as a doctor, as an Alaskan, and as an American it was exciting to be there with other doctors who support President Obama's Health Reform Plan. This issue is so important to so many Americans -- and it’s as important to me as a doctor in Alaska.I wish I could have stayed longer because I've only been to Washington, D.C. once before when I was in high school. Pretty much right after the event at the White House, I had to head back to the airport to catch the long flight back home to Anchorage.
I was invited and confirmed to attend just on Friday, but I didn't get to D.C. until 7 am this morning.
When I arrived at the White House, I was admitted through the Visitor's Gate, and the Secret Service greeted me and took me on a private tour of the White House, which was amazing. President Obama talked to us at 11:00. It was incredible to be one of a few people who got to hear the President talk about health insurance reform. I know that as a doctor, as an Alaskan, and as an American it was exciting to be there with other doctors who support President Obama's Health Reform Plan. This issue is so important to so many Americans -- and it’s as important to me as a doctor in Alaska.
I wish I could have stayed longer because I've only been to Washington, D.C. once before when I was in high school. Pretty much right after the event at the White House, I had to head back to the airport to catch the long flight back home to Anchorage.
Of course, we’re all excited to hear that a fellow-Alaskan got to go to the White House. So the obvious question is: Did you get to speak with the President or any other noteworthy person?
No, unfortunately I did not get to meet President Obama. But I did get to talk to a lot of other amazing doctors.
In your conversations with other doctors, what was one of the most compelling reasons you heard about why we need health reform now?
Interesting enough, the reason I couldn't go to the White House until Monday morning was because I am the pediatrician for a new set of twins whose family had serious problems with their insurance company as they were trying to get care for their new babies. Additionally, when I took a taxi to the airport, even my cabdriver told me about his problems with getting health care.I know I have story after story -- like each doctor at the White House and doctors all over the US -- about patients struggling to get the health care they need. I think every person knows their reasons for why Americans need health reform, and your reasons are as good as mine.
Interesting enough, the reason I couldn't go to the White House until Monday morning was because I am the pediatrician for a new set of twins whose family had serious problems with their insurance company as they were trying to get care for their new babies. Additionally, when I took a taxi to the airport, even my cabdriver told me about his problems with getting health care.
I know I have story after story -- like each doctor at the White House and doctors all over the US -- about patients struggling to get the health care they need. I think every person knows their reasons for why Americans need health reform, and your reasons are as good as mine.
As you come back to Alaska from this meeting, what do you think is the most critical thing Alaskans can do to get real reform?
I've been a supporter of health reform for a long time, and I think President Obama's plan to fix the broken system is the best I've seen. I believe that every Alaskan needs to continue having conversations about what real health reform will do for our state and even more importantly our own families. As more and more people become aware that we each know someone harmed by the current system and that our President has a plan, supporters of health reform need to take bigger steps to talk to other Alaskans and tell Senator Begich, Senator Murkowski, and Congressman Young that we want real health insurance reform passed this year.
Like Monique said, the best thing Alaskans can do to get health reform that helps Alaskans get quality, affordable health care is to call Senator Begich, Senator Murkowski, and Congressman Young. Make your voice heard NOW and let your members of Congress know that you support real health reform.
I always appreciate when people are direct with me. In fact, I think this is one of the reasons that I love Alaska so much. During my time living in Alaska - and especially working in Alaskan politics - I've realized that all Alaskans have at least one thing in common:
Alaskans like straightforwardness.
We appreciate when we get what we expect - whether it's from a person, a news source, or an organization. Here in Alaska, Organizing for America intends to give YOU just that: straightforwardness.
When you visit this blog or when you talk to me, Jonathan, or one of our amazing Organizing for America's volunteers, you can expect that we will give you up-to-date, clear information about how you can join with other Alaskans to talk to your neighbors and your members of Congress about the issues that matter most to you, such as health insurance reform.
Jonathan Teeters, Alaska's State Director for Organizing for America, works hard to hear from and respond to the concerns of all Alaskans.
I've been lucky enough to work as an organizer with Alaskans for about 5 years. What I've learned is that most people want to have a voice in these important discussions and a hand in shaping the outcomes.As I've worked alongside you, I've come to understand that my most pressing task is to find creative ways to make your voice count day-in and day-out. This happens when Alaskans join together and share their thoughts and ideas - and maybe more importantly, it happens when YOU feel like your voice mattersI ultimately see myself as a facilitator, as the person who listens to each and every concern and works with you to find the most effective way to address it constructively in your community.
I've been lucky enough to work as an organizer with Alaskans for about 5 years. What I've learned is that most people want to have a voice in these important discussions and a hand in shaping the outcomes.
As I've worked alongside you, I've come to understand that my most pressing task is to find creative ways to make your voice count day-in and day-out. This happens when Alaskans join together and share their thoughts and ideas - and maybe more importantly, it happens when YOU feel like your voice matters
I ultimately see myself as a facilitator, as the person who listens to each and every concern and works with you to find the most effective way to address it constructively in your community.
You can count on Jonathan being straightforward with you, and you can count on me (Sarah Mouracade, Alaska's Regional Field Director) being straightforward with you. This value - being open and direct, being straightforward - is embedded in Organizing for America. It guided Barack Obama's presidential campaign in 2008 and continues to guide Organizing for America as we support President Obama's policy agenda and build a grassroots network of supporters throughout Alaska. If you haven't heard our mantra, let me share it with you now. I think it applies:
“Respect. Empower. Include.”
When Jonathan and I sit down and talk about the ideas and questions you share with us, we use this mantra to influence how we work with YOU. We want to be available to you, and we want to think about the most effective ways to reach out and include YOU in Organizing for America.
So when I say that we seek to be “straightforward” with you, what does that mean?
On Alaska’s blog for Organizing for America, you can expect to get:
So stay tuned. Check in often. And – as always – shoot your questions and/or ideas our way.
We’re listening.
For more information about Organizing for America and to learn how you can support President Obama, click here.
From Jonathan Teeters, the new Alaska State Director for Organizing for America:
Since Inauguration Day, Organizing for America has been dedicated to making real the change we fought for during the election. But to be successful, we need to hear from you -- your effort and commitment are the backbone of this movement and this organization. That's why I'm so excited to announce that we're back on the ground in Alaska, and starting tomorrow, May 14th, we'll be hosting Listening Tour Town Halls across the state.Will you make your voice heard and join us on the Listening Tour? At Listening Tour meetings, you'll get a chance to meet new state staff members, hear about some lessons learned during the general election, and offer your thoughts on how we can organize Alaska going forward. Your ideas will be used to write an Alaska-specific plan for Organizing for America in 2009 and beyond. The campaign brought an unprecedented number of new voices into the process -- we need to make sure those voices remain at the center of the debate as the President and Congress work on providing solutions for our economy. But these meetings are not just for folks who were involved in the campaign -- we're hopeful that every Alaskan will get involved. We can't stop growing our movement now. We've never had a better opportunity to shape our future -- and just like during the election, we'll do it from the bottom up. Sign up now to attend a Listening Tour event. I look forward to seeing you, Jonathan Jonathan Teeters Alaska State Director Organizing for America P.S. -- If you can't make it to a Listening Tour event, you can still get involved with Organizing for America in Alaska. Let us know how you'd like to see Alaska organized.
Today David Plouffe sent out the following message to supporters, inviting them to attend one the many grassroots house meetings taking place throughout the country later this month:
Exactly one month ago, you made history by giving all Americans a real opportunity for change. Now it's time to start preparing and working for change in our communities. On December 13th and 14th, supporters are coming together in every part of the country to reflect on what we've accomplished and plan the future of this movement. Your ideas and feedback will be collected and used to guide this movement in the months and years ahead. Join your friends and neighbors -- sign up to host or attend a Change is Coming house meeting near you. Since the election, the challenges we face -- and our responsibility to take action -- have only gotten more urgent. You can connect with fellow supporters, make progress on the issues you care about, and help shape the future of your community and our country. Learn what you can do now to support President-elect Obama's agenda for change and continue to make a difference in your community. Take the first important step by hosting or attending a Change is Coming house meeting. Sign up right now. To get our country back on track, it will take all of us working together. Barack and Joe have a clear agenda and an unprecedented opportunity for change. But they can't do it alone. Will you join us at a house meeting and help plan the next steps for this movement? Thanks, David David Plouffe Campaign Manager Obama for America
"I will never forget who this victory truly belongs to – it belongs to you." - Barack Obama, Election Night 2008
Read the full speech, as prepared for delivery . . .
Right now, while volunteers work to Get Out The Vote in key states, thousands of grassroots supporters across the country are helping out from home by using our online voter contact tools to call voters.
Our target today is to make 1,000,000 calls to voters in battleground states before the close of polls tonight. As of 1:00 PM Eastern, we've made 214,187 calls. However, our staff on the ground are telling us that we need to reach the 500,000 call mark by 3:00 PM Eastern Time.
These calls provide our supporters with information about when, where and how to vote today, and by helping identify which voters have already cast a ballot, we can dramatically reduce the number of houses our volunteers on the ground need to reach before polls close.
If you have even thirty minutes to spare in the next three hours, when can use your help. Simply select the state you want to call from the map below, and we'll provide you with an easy to use script and a targeted list of voters to call.
The largest voter contact operation ever attempted is underway right now. This is your chance to be part of it.
In Alaska, polls are open today from 7:00 AM until 8:00 PM local time. Anyone who is in line by 7:00 PM will be allowed to vote. You can find your polling location now.
For additional information or for any issues you may have with voting visit our Voter Information Center or call 1-877-US-4-OBAMA (877-874-6226). Answers to some of the most common voting questions are below:
Do I need to bring ID with me when I go vote?
On Election Day, all voters must provide one of the following forms of proof of identification:
7:00 am–8:00 pm
If you are a qualified voter who is disabled, you may apply for an absentee ballot through a personal representative who can bring the ballot to you.
Voters with disabilities can bring someone to help at the polls. The division of elections has a TTY communication device for the hearing impaired, magnifying ballot viewers at the polling places and audio recordings of the general election official election pamphlet for the visually impaired, and handicapped accessible polling places.
Jonathan Curley is a banker. He voted for George H.W. Bush twice and George W. Bush once. Here's an excerpt from his story on canvassing for the Obama campaign in North Carolina, from the Christian Science Monitor:
There has been a lot of speculation that Barack Obama might win the election due to his better "ground game" and superior campaign organization. I had the chance to view that organization up close this month when I canvassed for him. I'm not sure I learned much about his chances, but I learned a lot about myself and about this election. Let me make it clear: I'm pretty conservative. I grew up in the suburbs. I voted for George H.W. Bush twice, and his son once. I was disappointed when Bill Clinton won, and disappointed he couldn't run again. ...So you can imagine my surprise when my wife suggested we spend a Saturday morning canvassing for Obama. I have never canvassed for any candidate. But I did, of course, what most middle-aged married men do: what I was told. At the Obama headquarters, we stood in a group to receive our instructions. I wasn't the oldest, but close, and the youngest was maybe in high school. I watched a campaign organizer match up a young black man who looked to be college age with a white guy about my age to canvas together. It should not have been a big thing, but the beauty of the image did not escape me. Instead of walking the tree-lined streets near our home, my wife and I were instructed to canvass a housing project. A middle-aged white couple with clipboards could not look more out of place in this predominantly black neighborhood. We knocked on doors and voices from behind carefully locked doors shouted, "Who is it?" "We're from the Obama campaign," we'd answer. And just like that doors opened and folks with wide smiles came out on the porch to talk. Grandmothers kept one hand on their grandchildren and made sure they had all the information they needed for their son or daughter to vote for the first time. ...We knocked on every door we could find and checked off every name on our list. We did our job, but Obama may not have been the one who got the most out of the day's work. I learned in just those three hours that this election is not about what we think of as the "big things." ... I've learned that this election is about the heart of America. It's about the young people who are losing hope and the old people who have been forgotten. It's about those who have worked all their lives and never fully realized the promise of America, but see that promise for their grandchildren in Barack Obama. The poor see a chance, when they often have few. I saw hope in the eyes and faces in those doorways. My wife and I went out last weekend to knock on more doors. But this time, not because it was her idea. I don't know what it's going to do for the Obama campaign, but it's doing a lot for me.
There has been a lot of speculation that Barack Obama might win the election due to his better "ground game" and superior campaign organization.
I had the chance to view that organization up close this month when I canvassed for him. I'm not sure I learned much about his chances, but I learned a lot about myself and about this election.
Let me make it clear: I'm pretty conservative. I grew up in the suburbs. I voted for George H.W. Bush twice, and his son once. I was disappointed when Bill Clinton won, and disappointed he couldn't run again.
...So you can imagine my surprise when my wife suggested we spend a Saturday morning canvassing for Obama. I have never canvassed for any candidate. But I did, of course, what most middle-aged married men do: what I was told.
At the Obama headquarters, we stood in a group to receive our instructions. I wasn't the oldest, but close, and the youngest was maybe in high school. I watched a campaign organizer match up a young black man who looked to be college age with a white guy about my age to canvas together. It should not have been a big thing, but the beauty of the image did not escape me.
Instead of walking the tree-lined streets near our home, my wife and I were instructed to canvass a housing project. A middle-aged white couple with clipboards could not look more out of place in this predominantly black neighborhood.
We knocked on doors and voices from behind carefully locked doors shouted, "Who is it?"
"We're from the Obama campaign," we'd answer. And just like that doors opened and folks with wide smiles came out on the porch to talk.
Grandmothers kept one hand on their grandchildren and made sure they had all the information they needed for their son or daughter to vote for the first time.
...We knocked on every door we could find and checked off every name on our list. We did our job, but Obama may not have been the one who got the most out of the day's work.
I learned in just those three hours that this election is not about what we think of as the "big things."
... I've learned that this election is about the heart of America. It's about the young people who are losing hope and the old people who have been forgotten. It's about those who have worked all their lives and never fully realized the promise of America, but see that promise for their grandchildren in Barack Obama. The poor see a chance, when they often have few. I saw hope in the eyes and faces in those doorways.
My wife and I went out last weekend to knock on more doors. But this time, not because it was her idea. I don't know what it's going to do for the Obama campaign, but it's doing a lot for me.
It's not too late to volunteer. Click here to make a difference in the last few days.
We've reached the most important days of this entire campaign.
All of the voters we've registered, phone calls we've made, doors we've knocked on, friends and neighbors we spread the word to over the course of this campaign have brought us to where we are today: making Barack Obama very compettive in the race for the presidency of the United States.
Now we have to make sure all of that time and effort doesn't go to waste. It's time to once again take change into our own hands and get out the vote (GOTV).
As Barack explained in Nevada this morning:
Don’t believe for a second this election is over. Don’t think for a minute that power concedes. We have to work like our future depends on it in these last few days, because it does.
Join millions of Americans all over the country by volunteering in the last four days of this campaign. Everything we have worked for over the past 20 months will come down to what we do -- or don't do -- to help get out the vote.
Miss Laura from the DailyKos offered these words of wisdom from a veteran volunteer:
Before you hit your first door, or dial your first number...think about why you're doing it. Maybe it's your loved one in Iraq. Maybe it's wanting a Supreme Court that will preserve your right to control your own body. Maybe it's the healthcare you need and can't afford. Take a piece of paper and a pen and write your reason down. Keep it in your pocket, and if you have a hard conversation or string of them, take that piece of paper out of your pocket and read it. Remind yourself that this is not an empty chore, it's a way to something really, really important. Carry that knowledge with you to each door or each dial.
Before you hit your first door, or dial your first number...think about why you're doing it. Maybe it's your loved one in Iraq. Maybe it's wanting a Supreme Court that will preserve your right to control your own body. Maybe it's the healthcare you need and can't afford.
Take a piece of paper and a pen and write your reason down. Keep it in your pocket, and if you have a hard conversation or string of them, take that piece of paper out of your pocket and read it. Remind yourself that this is not an empty chore, it's a way to something really, really important. Carry that knowledge with you to each door or each dial.
So what can you do? Find a volunteer event near you and sign up to help between now and Election Day.
If you live in a non-battleground state you can play an important role in deciding this election in key battleground states. Especially tonight.
The campaign will be airing a 30-minute special tonight called Barack Obama: American Promises from 8-8:30pm EDT.
Tonight supporters are gathering at Last Call for Change phonebanks across the country, calling voters in swing states to tell them where their polling location is.
There are only 6 days left to bring the change we need.
Barack is counting on your incredibly important phone calls. You can make sure Obama supporters know where to vote on Tuesday. Their polling location may have changed, or they may have never voted before.
No experience is required. You'll have a script to work from, and our staff will help you every step of the way.
The Alaska Call Team has set a goal of making 1,600 calls into Nevada and Colorado this week between October 24th and October 31st, and today we have the second progress report. As of this writing on October 27 at 4:00 PM Alaska Time, nearly 693 calls have been logged, putting us a little behind course to meet the original target, showing the importance of the remaining days.
The most important thing to focus on now is the task at hand, to make sure we give all we can to get in these last few days.
If you haven't started yet, it's not too late. The Neighbor to Neighbor phonebanking tool allows anyone to get involved without any previous experience. It just takes a few minutes to set up and get started calling. You'll be provided with lists of voters and a call script. Watch this instructional video on how to use the make calls from home, or you can join an organized event and enjoy the company of other supporters.
You can also Host a Last Call for Change house party next Wednesday, October 29. Invite everyone you know to watch Barack's 30-minute presentation and make important phone calls to voters in key battleground states. Click here for more details.
The Alaska Call Team has set a goal of making 1,600 calls into Colorado and Nevada between October 24th and the 31st, and today we have a progress report. As of this writing on October 24 at 3:30 PM PDT, 274 calls have been logged, with a busy weekend of calling ahead. All together over 7,500 calls have been made by this team of dedicated grassroots supporters from every corner of the state.
The most important thing to remember now is to not let-up. The past 20 months of hard work by millions of Americans comes down to these last few crucial days. The goal is 1,600 calls, and Alaska should strive to shatter that goal to show that this election is too important to leave to chance.
Early Voting in underway in Florida now, but the last day is November 1st. Your phone calls to suporters and undecided voters can help us secure crucial votes, today.
The clock is running out in this historic Presidential election, with more and more people wondering what they can do to help Barack Obama become the next President.
Using our online Neighbor to Neighbor tool (N2N) voter contact tool, you can make calls into key battleground states to help turn out support for Barack. You can obtain lists of voters to call, as well as a call script, and have everything you need at your fingertips to get going.
Click here for an informational video that walks you through the Neighbor to Neighbor phonebanking tool.
Alaskans are ready for Change and will be phonebanking to make sure others are too.
You can also Host a Last Call for Change house party next Wednesday. October 29. Invite everyone you know to watch Barack's 30-minute television spot on Wednesday night and then make important phone calls to voters in key battleground states.
Wasillans for Obama
