Hi Everyone,
Well, we did it. Barack Obama will be the 44th President of the United States. It brings a sense of peacefulness that has been missing for many years (8 to be exact).
Now the job will be to help this man have the most successful administration in the history of the republic. By doing so, we will help to chart a course that is crucial to get out of the whole that has been dug for the country over the past 8 years. So look for our Captioned Media for Obama site (www.captionedmediaforobama.com) to continue to provide messages from President Obama in a way that the world-wide audience can understand and appreciate.
Get ready.
... Michael Novak
I cannot describe to you how I feel. For last few days, I gave the campaign my all. I did phone banking to Missouri and it was an inspiring hour, 15 for Obama, 2 for McCain and those saying Obama were happy and ecstatic and excited to vote for him. Those who said McCain had anger in their voice and I could not any words, in fact, they wanted to hang up. Then, I blogged and responded to request for information on why I got involved with Obama till 4am, and it was also a period in which we had to write a close-out report for Singgalot, and an initial organizing meeting for Vagina Monologues to bring to our community's awareness the issue of sexual violence is not unlike ravaging Mother's Earth.
And there is pressure connected to becoming a virgin pollworker. I figured the best way to monitor Obama election is to be part of the solution of bringing an orderly election in my neighborhood precinct. So, the day yesterday started at 530am, the power was out in my neighborhood bakery till 10am, so breakfast was at McDonalds, and off to the polls. I bought two breakfasts, a Mcburrito and Egg McMuffin, thinking I would have both to sustain me for the entire day, until I had to brave the traffic to go to KSCI-18. I ended up giving my Mcburrito to a fellow pollworker.
From the moment we set up the polls at 630am ( our poll coordinator came late, of all days he has done this for 15 years ), and we rushed to open the polls at 701am. Before we even opened the polls, at 6am, the first voters in line were over a dozen African American voters, young, middle aged and not so young. It was exhilirating to see this. We started the process of voting. I quickly assessed the strengths of my team, and became an adhoc background leader. I asked folks what they want to do, and deployed folks, I took the most difficult job of street indexing voters, and made that the first task. In prior elections that was the second task and it was counterintuitive as it delayed the process. By getting the street index done early and saying the person is in for voting, all the voter does is sign, get the ballot and then vote. What delayed the voting was LA County provided us only five polling booths for 1700 registered voters. Can you imagine the lines that snaked around the Westside Jewish Community Center in the lobby and quickly infuriated folks who are rushing to go to work? Can you also imagine that it was quite cold as it had just rained? In fact, it was pouring but quickly stopped as soon as polls started. So again, we readjusted and moved the voting to the auditorium, another moving back and forth. Mind you, we were supposed to have 9 pollworkers, but only 5 showed up. So, if you have crowds that were non-stopped from 7am to 2pm, and lines not letting up, you would think that would be enough. Nope. An LA county worker comes at around 1pm and stops the process and tells us we are doing it wrong as we gave folks their ballot and it took them quite sometime before they got to the polling booths. Why, because LA County gave us five polling booths, one did not work as it was made inoperable by the auditing of the LA county worker, and even the official given cell phone did not work. Never mind the drama she created. One voter offered to buy us lunch, I gave my $30 to buy my pollworkers lunch. My response to distress is to give more love, in my old age, this works for me. And each time we got a virgin voter, we clapped our hands, we announced it to the group as if we were winning a game, and then our poll coordinator gave each virgin voter a Krispy Kreme doughnut.But you know what saved me from shaking from low blood sugar was my loving husband who walked to the auditorium of the Westside Jewish Community Center and handed me my P-8 juice ( my power and pee juice of parsley, zucchini, bell pepper, carrots, calamansi, apple, grapes, spinach ). Had he not given my power boosting liquid, I was about to lose it.
And of course my daughter comes in to vote early in the morning and quickly gets into a problem: her name does not show up. In a usual problem-solving mode, she tells us she checked she was registered online and then, spots the supplementary voter roster. Hooray, she was on that list. At about 2pm, our Subway sandwiches arrived, but not enough to feed all pollworkers, so I requested folks to share the foot long with others. It impressed the Russian older worker, Raisa who had been volunteering for twenty years and actually in the last primary delayed the lines snaking so long for she could not find the streets where folks lived or actually could not read the street index. So, I gave her the task of giving folks ballots and she liked that so much because she did not have to read. Then, it was time to run to Kababayan LA show at KSCi-18 TV discussing why Obama, why McCain, what the polls showed, how Filipinos voted, why they voted the way they did, and the show lasted an hour. The show progressed but all I could think of are the long lines of voters that I could not help. Even Jannelle said that I was subdued. Yes, I was so subdued, but it was more of a confident position that Obama had won already, when I experienced first hand the turnout of young, disabled, middle aged, and almost all of the 41 neighbors in my street. I like the one hour show as it gave us a chance to discuss the elections more fully. Jannelle does a heroic job of compressing a Rachel Maddow and CNN type of show compressed in one thirty minute show and she succeeded in getting an hour. The TV management has not quite gotten it that her show is important, and prefers to show a fifteen minute of garbage videos instead of featuring more substantive news. The drive home took me an hour in peak traffic, a distance of less than 10 miles. I went straight to the Westside Jewish Community Center, it was now 6pm. I am hungry but no time to nourish myself, as we still had straggling voters, who had their young children in tow, as they are rushing to vote. No one was turned down to vote. Everyone was given a provisional ballot and in that provisional envelope was a chance to give their identifying and validating information. It took us until 915 pm to finally close out the polls, we had to count all the ballots, voided ballots, absentee ballots, provisional ballots, dismantle the polling booths, pack up all the supplies, sign all the paperwork and ship the election paraphernalia to LA County voting station. Our poll coordinator was getting testy when his wife of thirty years could not read fast enough to him. Of course, you know me, I had to intervene. I told him that his wife is helping him, and if I were in her place, I would not be as patient, and instead would say " stop f......g with me. " Whew, he quickly controlled his tongue, he quickly resorted to laughter and sense of humor. And we got the job done. We gave each other a hug and wrote in the roster we want to be a team again next election. When I got home, my loving husband had eggplant omelet for me, roasted okra and steamed green beans with bagoong and kalamansi. Can you imagine how much I ate? I ate two eggplant omelets and all the green beans and okra I could. I was so hungry and quite happy that he prepared us a most nutritious and easy to digest food. Of course, I wanted to stay up and listen to the speech of Obama, I have not yet heard it, only snippets and my bones are still aching. I know I did not leave any stone unturned in getting him elected and I am crying with joy as I listened to Ermena's wonderful voice mail message of watching the election results in Times Square.
And you know what is so good about this win is WE ALL WORKED TOGETHER to make it happen. In every Obama event I created, I sensed folks' optimism, their desire to change. And I am proud to say in my Delacruz family, which includes my husband, my daughter, my son, my brother and sister in law and their two daughters who are virgin voters, we all voted Obama.
And the sad part for me is that my sisters could not vote Obama and were stuck in voting their religion on anti-abortion. At one point, my eldest sister was mad at me, demanding that I fully accept what she sends me about McCain, as she does with what I send her about Obama. And one evening, I responded with no self-restraint, " What you sent me, Ate demonizes Obama and smeared him as Hitler, Muslim and even a monkey. That is not electioneering, that is racism and it is wrong. " I had to repeat that same message in Kababayan LA as my Filipino American community does not acknowledge their unconscious bias. Well, folks I will savor my hard work this coming Saturday with Progressive Chefs Taking it Ba (ra ) ck!! I cannot wait and I am very proud to be an American of Filipino descent and heritage! Yes, we can!! PS: I was supposed to be at Century Plaza Hotel but chose to be with my hubby who gave me play by play rundown of the election results. It is a great morning in California, sun is out and I am getting ready to go to my favorite bakery, La Maison!! But wait, this email was sent to me and it captured all the goodness I feel at the moment:
I did a bit of sign waving with another dozen volunteers, made reminder calls in the afternoon, but others had done such a great job with GOTV efforts, just about everyone we reached tonight had already voted. Someone brought champagne for all, but we dare not jinx the outcome by celebrating victory prematurely, so a toast was said in gratitude and memory of Barack's Tutu (grandmother).
On to the watch party and celebration, which was packed full of supporters. A heartfelt letter from Barack's sister, Maya (who has been caring for their grandmother in these last few days) was read. I think the longest line this Election Day was the buffet, but it was ono (real good)!
99% of the Hawai`i count is in now, and we've made our staff's goal to bring in the largest percentage of Obama/Biden votes... 72%!
My favorite personal experiences of the campaign... on a Sunday afternoon of sign waving, seeing a car come around the median in a U-turn (heading to McDonald's) full of tutus (grandmas) all vigorously waving back at us after seeing our Obama-Biden signs. Registering a student to vote who was turning 18 on Election Day... and shaking hands with both our State Senators for the first time tonight!
Mahalo (thank you) to all campaign staff and supporters for making my HOPE a REALITY!
IMUA (go forward)!
Where forty three US presidents have exclusively been Caucasians for the last 172 years in America, almost two centuries later, tomorrow, American voters will create the landslide victory of Senator Barack Obama, as he becomes the first African American president in all of 172 years of US presidency!!
Wow, this is so historic and is giving me goosebumps as I read the last acts of Amanda Jones, in her 109 years, the daughter of a slave, voted for her first African American president, seeing change in her lifetime. But she is not unique, as even Barack's grandmother, affectionately called " Toot" by Barack, her last act was about voting her grandson into office and she is of Caucasian, midwestern roots.
Tomorrow, if Missouri is indicative of the battleground states, one of the states I called today from California's Century Plaza Hotel, I spoke to 15 folks who shared with me they are enthusiastically voting Barack Obama, and only 2 declared their emphatic, almost diminished and in hushed tones, almost ashamed in voting Senator John McCain. But, mostly declaring it out of loyalty and tradition! Well, I respect their choice.
The same way I respect a Republican friend who could not find her polling place, I jokingly called her tonight and told her to skip voting if she is voting McCain, and then, informed her just the same of her new polling place, courtesy of mybarackobama.com website's vote for change feature, and encouraged her to consider voting Barack Obama. I figured that since she is still undecided and she declared moving away from voting McCain, she just might vote Obama tomorrow. Yes, that is how doggedly determined I am!
Tomorrow, I will monitor the polling place, as one of the pollworkers, and then, I will go to KSCI-18 to share with my kababayans why I voted Obama and have a more extended discussion on race and racism.
Yes, it is time to turn away from slavery, Jim Crow's lynching past, and embrace our diversity, starting with voting our first African American President. After all, he surpassed the voters' challenge by fundraising a record amount of $750 million dollars, almost 2/3 of a billion dollars, amassed over 3,000, 000 volunteers and ran an almost flawless, smart, superbly disciplined campaign that was able to mobilize every single volunteer in the ground, and inspired them to no end.
Tomorrow, even my community papers will have feature articles discussing race and racism and why our darker fears had to be transcended to be part of this new American history! Yes, we can, our real history is just beginning to be written, and this time, it includes all Americans of every ethnicity and every age group!!
And, it is a great feeling to be in the frontlines of making of history! And now I just pray I get to become part of the inauguration, after all, I already bought my tickets to DC last month to be there in January 2009, that is how much optimism I have tomorrow in the goodness of the American people, their ability to write their own progressive history, just like in 1860 and 1932!!
Im not in favor of McCain because he wants to cheat workers, and give more money to the extreamly rich that make 250,000.00 or more! Yo no estoy en favor al McCain por que el quire enganiar a los trabajadores y dar mas dinero a los ricototes, la cual que hacen 250,000.00 y mas!
Im not in favor of McCain because he is too old, 72 years old, and placed Palin as VP. Poor Palin dosn't know much about the world, much less about how to run Our Nation. Yo no estoy en favor al McCain por que ya esta muy viejo, 72 anos, y puso a la Palin de VP. La pobre Palin no sabe mucho del mundo, menos como correr nuestro Nacion!
Im not in favor of McCain because he says he knows how to do everything, but really what has he done in, practicly nothing in 20 years. Yo no estoy en favor al McCain por que el dice que el sabe como hacer de todo, pero a la deveras no ha hecho casi nada en 20 anos.
Im not in favor of McCain because he lies too much! There are so many lies I cannot place them all here, it is an embarrasment! Yo no estoy en favor al McCain por que miente demaciado! Hay tantas mentiras que no los puedo ponerlos todos aqui, es una veruenza!
I voted for Senator Obama because he wants to help those workers who pay way too much in taxes. He wants the rich that make 250,000.00 or more to pay taxes as it was during the years of President Clinton. Yo Vote por Senador Obama por que el qiere ayudar a aquellos que trabajan y pagan demacido taxes. El quiere que los ricos que hacen 250,000.00 y mas que ellos pagan taxes como era en los anos del Presidente Clinton.
I voted for Senator Obama because he realized when his mom was ill that the insurance companies didn't want to pay the bills because her illness before she died being cancer was considered 'pre-existing'. And she sadly died with the worries of the bills. Yo Vote por Senador Obama por que el se dio cuenta que cuando su mama estaba enferma las companias de seguranza no querian pagar los cuentos por que querian decir la cual que la enfermedad que cancer que tenia su mama antes de murir que era 'pre-existing'. Y la pobre murio con penas de los cuentos!
I voted for Senator Obama because he knows what it is like to live in poverty, for when he was a child he and his mom were on foodstamps. And his manerism is one of humility. Yo Vote por Senador Obama por que el sabe como es vivir pobre, cuando el era nino, su mama y el estaban es las estampas. Y tiene un modo de ser que es humide.
I voted for Senator Obama because he knows what it is like to live without a dad. His dad left when he was only two years old. And he knows that there are many mothers with children who are alone and suffering with mounting bills. Yo Vote al Senador Obama por que el sabe como es vivir sin un papa. El papa de el se fue, cuando el no mas tenia dos anos de edad. Y sabe que hay muchas madres con ninos que estan solas y sufiendo con biles demasiados.
I voted for Senator Obama because he wants to give many jobs to the people! Yo Vote al Senador Obama por que el quiere a dar muchos trabajos a la gente!
I voted for Senator Obama because he wants all students to have the opportunities to go to collage, not just the rich! Yo Vote al Senador Obama por que el quiere que todos estudiantes tengan la oportunidad a ir al colejio, no, no mas los ricos!
I voted for Obama because he knows we have to stop the war in Iraq, and look for that man Bin Ladden who killed nearly 4 thousand people here in the United States on September 11, 2001. Yo Vote al Obama por que el sabe que tenemos que parrar la guierra en Iraq y buscar al hombre ese Bin Ladden; que mato ha casi 4 mil personas aqui en Los Estados Unidos en Septiembre 11 del 2001.
I voted for Senator Obama because he dose not want American companies to leave to China, and he wants them to stay here in the Untited States. Yo Vote por el Senador Obama por que el no quiere que las companias Americanas se van para China, el quiere que se esten aqui en Los Estados Unidos.
I voted for Senator Obama because he wants to help companies make new inventions, so that we will not be dependant on other nations for oil. Yo Vote al Senador Obama por que el quiere ayudar a las companias hacer invenciones nuevas, para no estemos dependidas en otros Naciones para el aceite.
The tax calculator: El calculador de taxes:http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/stateupdates/gGgFgH
McCain is what 72 years old? Will Sarah Palin and her husband Todd Palin be able to run the Whit House? Why hasn't Todd Palin been veted? Are people not aware that Christian women tend to follow scripture and 'be submissive to their husbands'?
If McCain was in deed tested to be President of The United States in 1962, why didn't he run for office way back then?
Why dose McCain proclaim he knows how to fix the economy, the war, the stock market? What exactly has he done that proves he really dose know how to fix all of these complex problems?
VP Dick Cheney campaning in Wyoming today praising McCain!
sourse CNN
Barack Obama has offered a detailed plan to get America’s economy back on track, by creating new jobs and easing the burden on hardworking Americans by offering middle-class tax cuts three times the size of McCain’s.
Wages are Stagnant as Prices Rise: While wages remain flat, the costs of basic necessities are increasing. The cost of in-state college tuition has grown 35 percent over the past five years. Health care costs have risen four times faster than wages over the past six years. And the personal savings rate is now the lowest it's been since the Great Depression.
Tax Cuts for Wealthy Instead of Middle Class: The Bush tax cuts give those who earn over $1 million dollars a tax cut nearly 160 times greater than that received by middle-income Americans. At the same time, this administration has refused to tackle health care, education and housing in a manner that benefits the middle class.
Learn More
John McCain’s economic policy is the same as George Bush’s. It ignores middle class Americans, giving $200 billion in tax cuts to corporations, including $4 billion in tax breaks to Big Oil, while leaving over 100 million middle-class Americans with no relief. Economists say McCain’s plan will add $3.4 trillion to the national debt.
McCain says Obama wants to re-distribute the wealth!
Who has been burdened by taxes the last 8 years? The Middle Class, because the million and billionaires have enjoyed a tax break, that McCain wants to make permanent!!!!!!!
Obama wants to tax the million and billionaires, and belive me, those folks are not small businesses!!!!!!!!
McCain is using fearmongering to sway votes in his favor!
Who was with Bush on the 'Privatizing of Social Security'? McCain?
When Sen McCain claims to have been tested to be United States President; in 1962 when he sat in a plane cockpit, during the Cuban missle Crisis, why didn't McCain run for USA President way back then? It's only been 46 years ago.
McCain says he knows how to win wars, what wars has he won?
McCain says he knows how to fix corruption, what corruption has he fixed?
McCain says he knows how to fix Wallstreet, when has McCain ever fixed Wallstreet?
Like George W. Bush, McCain and Palin have to lie. Because if they told the truth about their policies, they'd lose the election.
By Alan Wolfe
http://www.salon.com/opinion/feature/2008/09/18/lies/
We can take your 'skinny legs' insults, but we cannot take four more years of McCin-Bush economics!!!!!! Was it not you Arnold R-Gov of Calif. that asked for a bail out for the State of Calif. a few days after the AIG bail out? So you want the hard working middle class to bail out Calif., because you don't know how to balance a budget? And allow the billion and millionaires to get richer and richer?
Do the math!!!!!!
http://www.my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/stateupdates/gGgFgH
Look it up in the dictionary!!!!!!!
About 'socialism' look it up in the dictionary! Just because Sen Barack Obama wants to make healthcare affordable for everyone, dose not mean a socialistic government! Way too many of our working families are going bankrupt because of the skyrocketing costs of healthcare! And those who don't have healthcare, are often treated when it is too late, driving up the costs of healthcare for all of us!!!!!!! Of all develped countries in the world, the USA is lagging far behind, with high infant mortality rates etc. etc.!
Socialism - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Socialism refers to a broad set of economic theories of social organization advocating state or collective ownership and administration of the means of ...en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socialism
Democracy - Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaDemocracy is a form of government in which the supreme power is held completely by the people under a free electoral system. It is derived from the Greek ...en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democracy Capitalism - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Capitalism is the economic system in which the means of production are distributed to openly competing profit-seeking [1] private persons and where ...en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capitalism
For those with Tax savings questions see the Tax Calculator:
http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/stateupdates/gGgFgH
Vote Early, take friends with you!
Before and on Nov. 4, if one can help to bring people to the polls! If one has folding chairs, mark with your name and phone number and offer to help our seniors, and those with disbilities sit down while waiting in expected long lines!
Remind folks to sign their names on paper ballots! In some areas one cannot wear political T-Shirts or pins!
We cannot afford to believe the polls! Every Vote Counts!!!!!!
Joe the plumber said yesturday "I will vote for McCain the real American." 'The real American', wonder what he means by that? Or what is he implying by that statement? Unless one has Native American ancestry as dose Sen Barack Obama, I cannot see the connection to 'real American'. I personally find the comment offensive... Should Sen McCain win this election, what cabnet position will Joe the Plunger have, or did I hear wrong?
Poor Joe the Plumber, if he had studied small business (or at least googled it) he would know that overhead, payroll, utilities and a host of other expenses are deducted before talling up the total profit from business income on Schedule C of the Federal Tax Forms... It's sad to see gulable American people lied to, in such a decptive fashion! I wonder if Joe the Plumber is jumping for joy because EXON-MOBIL again anounce hudge profits! Will Joe the Plumber get any cash from EXON-MOBIL as McCain has implied that the rich will somehow benifit the poor and middles class?
