As I look back over the first 100 days Of President Obama's first term ,I think of what previous presidents and their cabnets had accomplished or even attempted in that time frame. You have to go back to Kennedy and LBJ to find a real comparison.Not even Bill Clinton put in the kind of hours that Barrack has been enduring in this first 100 days. If this is a sign of his work ethics then just imagine what is possible in a four year term. If the President can work like this then so can we.
Get out and help your community. Pick a new carity, check in on eldery nieghbors ,anything to show you care for your country and the future.Volunteer services are in need in this economi.If you dont have the time send money,if you dont have the money, write your reps with support for change.Any effort is better than no effort. One man can not do it all but Togehter we can make our country and the world a better place.
On November 4, 2008, President-elect Barack Obama issued a challenge to every citizen of the United States. In a world of hope, his message will be answered by those beyond the barrier of borders or the positions of the past.
Barack Obama said,
"This victory alone is not the change we seek. It is only the chance for us to make that change. And that cannot happen if we go back to the way things were. It can't happen without you, without a new spirit of service, a new spirit of sacrifice. So let us summon a new spirit of patriotism, of responsibility, where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves but each other."
Thanksgiving is celebrated in the United States on November 27. I invite every one of you to find a reason to give thanks and share it with another person. I encourage you to reach out to others in your family and community so that no one will be lost or alone for at least this one day. Individual acts of caring and kindness do not require government programs, formal organizations, or economic stimuli.
I challenge you to act NOW!
p.s. pass this message along, thanks.
Living in Idaho can sometimes be hard for a person with Democratic leanings. Most days, I don't much notice, but today was a reminder that we can be optimistic. I put on my T-shirt which is a tri-color sihouette of Obama on a black background. Under his face, it says "PROGRESS."
The funniest thing started happening. First, in REI one of the salesmen asked if he could help me then with a lowered voice, he shared that he'd voted this week and Obama got his vote. We talked for another minute or so and he continued to help someone else. Then in Target a woman with a two year old in her arms was looking at me and talking to her daughter. I probably got that, "what are you looking at?" attitude because the woman explained to me that her daughter sometimes chants, "Bama, Bama, Bama" when she sees a picture of Obama.
The next stop on the path was Coscto. This time, I pulled in to buy gas, went through the gauntlet of paying and was putting the hose to the car when the employee approached. I expected him to pass with the normal, "how's it going?" or "everything allright?" Once again, he came right up to me and started asking if Obama was still ahead in the polls and was the difference 6% or was it holding. He made a sarcastic comment about his vote not counting in Idaho and I shared my confidence that at least one Democrat looks like he will win national office from Idaho.
It gives me hope to have so many total strangers engage me with their shared support. I will wear this t-shirt again this week not only because it might encourage one more person to go vote for Obama, but also because I found the conversations with a number of very different people so refreshing. As a black woman in Boise, this is not always the pattern of my day.
What a week it has been.
Wow. The thoughtful endorsement by Colin Powell still mskes me feel great. He could have simply said, "i'm voting for Barack Obama." Instead Powellgave us well reasoned thoughts and analysis. Wow. I just keep saying that. When Powell did not resign in protest from his post in the first Bush administration, I was very disappointed. This endorsement helps me regain some of the regard that I have for him.
A quick note on the missing yard sign. It never did reappear. The thieves took a neighbor's as well. I was not willing to let this go unanswered so a quick stop at a Utah Democratic office in Logan was sufficient to get new signs. The signs are different in that instead of the blue plastic that everyone else has. These are white cardboard. Instead of trading for the familiar type with my friend in Utah, I opted for the unique sign for two reasons. First, maybe it will catch more people's attention because it's different. Second, a large cardboard sign will be more difficult to carry off un-noticed. As an extra precaution, there is also a rally sign in my window.
We are so close. I continue to hold out hope that Obama will win Idaho. Let's all hope (and work) for the landslide that will produce a win for obama in Idaho.
I have had a yard sign in my front lawn since last January. When I put it (actually two) out, I was not quite sure how the neighbors would respond. No one said anything. There was also one Obama sign in each of the two blocks south of of mine. Then I ran into my immediate neighbor in line to Caucus. She shared that she too is an Obama supporter. Then a new neighbor moved into the next house down and she shared that she too supports Obama. I offered her my second sign which she accepted and put out.
Since the conventions, more and more Obama signs sprouted so you can imagine my surprise last Thursday when I realized my sign was gone as was the one I'd given my neighbor. I took the dog for a walk to ascertain how many signs were still present. The signs to the south are still there as well as a couple of new ones in the next block north. So what happened to my signs?
It feels like such a loss. There are no more signs to be had at the headquarters in Boise. I have a plan. There are signs available in Utah. I'm headed to Logan, Utah on Thursday so by next week, I'll have a new Obama sign in my front yard. But the question lingers, what happened to my sign?
I was pleased to read that Christopher Buckley, the son of William F. Buckley, has endorsed Senator Obama. In his own right, Christopher writes for the National Review. I am guessing his decision to go public with this endorsement has not won him many friends at work. (http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/10/10/a-buckley-endorses-obama/) I respect him for taking a stand.
It renews my sense of hope each time I hear of someone sitting down and making a reasoned decision about who to support based on facts instead of based on sound bites. Of course, I am happier when their decision matches mine, but that is less important.
Let's see how many more people we can encourage to let the facts inform their decisions.
We are not quite there, but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.
Obama did a good job in the debate tonight. I was glad that major attacks were avoided. I hope that both sides will back off of the increasing attacks. If anyone is reading this. I'd like to register a strong request. Please do not take the low road now. My initial decision to support Obama was largely based on embracing the idea that this would be a positive campaign. That is a part of why I chose him over Clinton. Please prove me right.
1%, or 1 vote out of 100There have been 12 Presidential elections that were decided by less than a 1% margin; meaning if less than 1% of the voters in certain states had changed their mind to the other candidate the outcome of the entire election would have been different. More than half were decided by less than a 2% margin.
In 2004, 57,787 votes would have given us President Kerry.In 2000, 269 votes would have given us President GoreIn 1996, 575,515 votes would have given us President Dole.
From ABC News:
http://blogs.abcnews.com/scienceandsociety/2008/09/squeakers.html
=========="Squeakers"Ned PotterABC NewsSeptember 29, 2008How close have Presidential elections been? Closer, perhaps, than we ever guessed. Mike Sheppard, a grad student in statistics at Michigan State, has done a mathematical exercise that shows it.He ran a computer program to answer this question: "What is the smallest number of total votes that need to be switched from one candidate to another, and from which states, to affect the outcome of the election?"The answer: in some years, very, very few. Take a look at his analysis HERE. It shows the powerful interaction between the popular vote and the electoral college.[...]==========
Full article here:http://blogs.abcnews.com/scienceandsociety/2008/09/squeakers.html
Detailed analysis here, including colored maps:https://www.msu.edu/~sheppa28/elections.html-Mike Sheppard
On Wednesday, September 24th, GO-IDAHO hosted a meet ‘n’ greet mixer for students and young adults, and we had a great time. Due to the excellent hospitality afforded to us by the owners of the Melting Pot, we took over the patio for a warm, fall evening full of wine, cheese fondue, and politicking! We always know an event like that is a success when people are walking in off the street just because they saw our signs and wanted to become a part of the movement.
Some local supporters voiced their diverse opinions on why it matters so much to them that we elect Barack Obama:
- “As a student, it’s very important to me that we have a president who understands how hard it is to pay for college these days. I think more than any other candidate in my lifetime, Barack Obama knows what it’s like to be fresh out of college looking at a painful student loan debt.” – Justine, Student at Boise State University
- “The thing that drew me the most to Obama is his stance on immigration. When I listen to him, I can tell that he has lived outside the country and understands how hard it can be for families to be torn apart by a broken system.” – Chryssa, Advertising Professional
- “I support Barack Obama because we all need a breath of fresh air!” – Jenny, Student at Boise State University
- “I support Barack Obama because no candidate in my voting life has ever made me think he or she is really for the American people until now. He doesn’t take money from corporate fat cats who want to own his administration. He really will lead this country in a direction that favors its citizens - and he actually will do it, and he will CHANGE this country.” Lisa, Community Organizer
- “The reason I support Barack Obama is because he's inspirational at a time when people need a leader, not someone to fix their problems, but someone to inspire them to work harder, do more, use less, and come together to make a greater America.” Ahmad, IT Specialist
Sound like fun? We’d love to see you plan some other events in your own area of Idaho. Planning and hosting an event is easier than you’d think! Through the use of various new media tools (including my.barackobama.com, facebook, and myspace), we spread the word effectively and had a strong group of supporters. These supporters met other, like-minded young people and learned of some great upcoming canvasses and other campaign events in which they could get involved. If you’d like to get involved with GO-IDAHO, or would just like information on how to start your own group, you can find us through any of the following means:
1. Check my.barackobama.com to find, post, and host local events to support Obama;
2. Check our grassroots site, which has been active for longer than most of our volunteers and continues to keep timely updates: www.idahoforobama.org;
3. Join the GO-IDAHO myspace page at www.myspace.com/idahogo; and
4. Find our facebook page by searching Groups for “Generation Obama Idaho.”
GO-IDAHO's Mission Statement: As the next generation of civic, political, and social leaders in Idaho, we between the ages of 18 and 35 have the unique responsibility of framing the future of our remarkable state. The mission of the Idaho chapter of Generation Obama (GO-IDAHO) is to harness the enthusiasm and awareness that Barack Obama has brought to the young people of Idaho, and to translate that passion into active engagement of our peers, service to our community, and new voter turnout in November. Although we are often dismissed by our predecessors as being uninvolved, apathetic, and inexperienced idealists, the truth is that we wield an awe-inspiring power to effect real change throughout Idaho. GO-IDAHO intends to impact the 2008 election with a youth and new voter turnout that has not been seen before during our lifetimes, and to do so by demonstrating that our generation will no longer acquiesce to the negative politics of the past several decades. We will work positively and with all of the vigor and energy of our youth to ensure that Barack Obama is elected the next President of the United States of America.
We are less than two months from the day that our country will decide who will be the next president of these United States. I doubt that I am preaching to anyone but the choir here, but I feel it necessary to reiterate the importance of this election. The position of the Obama campaign from the very beginning (I've been with the movement for over a year now) has been to stay "above the fray" of the negative campaigning of the past. Doing so has often been very hard, as we've made our way through a very trying primary cycle into an even nastier general race. And when you consider how the past eight years have brought out the worst in our country, the challenge of remaining positive becomes even harder to master.
But what we have to remember is that all of that cynicism, negativity, and partisan bickering CAN be defeated in 2008. We, as the youngest people to go to the polls this year and as the future leaders of the state of Idaho and the United States of America, have a duty to each other, to our own kids, to our brothers and sisters, and to our elders, to make the statement that we demand CHANGE in the way politics and government are run in this country.
Many of you may be curious as to who I am, as the director of our GO-IDAHO group. As I said above, I have now been involved with the Obama campaign for a little over a year. I was initially approached by some old friends back in D.C. who asked if I'd head up an Idaho chapter of a group called Young Lawyers for Obama. After some careful thought and some heavy research into the candidate, I found myself being called by that same idea that Barack frequently attributes to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.: "The fierce urgency of now." I accepted the invitation, and soon integrated my efforts into the overall grassroots movement to elect Sen. Obama.
I remained an active volunteer throughout the primary season, and proudly shared some truly awe-inspiring moments on the journey. When we got news that Barack Obama would ACTUALLY be visiting Boise, the excitement was almost uncontrollable. Because of my consistent volunteer efforts, I had the distinct honor of being selected to drive in the motorcade that brought Obama and his staff from the airport to the Grove Hotel the night before his speech. While I did not drive the Senator, I did have three of his top advisors. I remember driving down Broadway (we took an interesting route) and being asked by one of the three gentlemen how many people I expected to show up. Having grown up in eastern Idaho and, therefore, having a healthy skepticism about the willingness of Democrats to show their faces in public, I answered, "I think we'll have a good four or five thousand." Without needing to go into much more detail, I'll only say that I shared in the profound disbelief when over 14,000 showed up the next morning. All I can remember thinking is, "We've done something here... we have changed Idaho politics forever."
Just a few days later we made history with (1) record attendance (2) at a caucus in every county in Idaho for the first time in history, (3) resulting in a larger percentage win for Barack Obama here than in any other state. Needless to say, this has been a very exciting time to be involved in politics in Idaho and to be involved in the Idaho Democratic Party. (Kudos must go to Kassie Cerami, TJ Thomson, Katie Whittier, Shelly Landry, Randy Johnson, and all other Idahoans that made caucuses appear in every county.)
When the general election began to heat up again, I knew that I had to reprise my role in the campaign, because I believe too strongly in the opportunity placed before us. I believe too strongly in the need for CHANGE in the direction of our country on so many fronts - from the economy, to our place in the international arena, to the irresponsible use of our brave men and women in the armed forces, to the future of energy production and use, to the risks confronting our beautiful environment in the next several years... need I continue? So when we all started to get underway, the campaign staff asked me to expand the Young Lawyers group to become a chapter of the GO movement. Again, after careful consideration about various factors in my own life, I accepted the challenge.
What a lot of people don't know, however, is that this isn't my job. I do what I can during my lunch hours, my evenings, and my weekends. I still have a 40+ hour/week job as a practicing attorney at a firm in downtown Boise. For something this important, it isn't about having time; it is about MAKING time.
And the success of our campaign is entirely dependent upon volunteer contributions of time, energy, and ideas. Not that this message isn't long enough already, I want to share two brief stories. Just the other day, we were doing voter registration drives at the Saturday Market and at Art in the Park in Boise. During the morning Market session, I had a new volunteer show up, Anna, who had been convinced to come along by another volunteer, Kelsey. Doing what we do can be intimidating, so I let the two of them pair up to add a bit of comfort for Anna in the new experience. By the end of the drive, Anna was completely into it and loving it. It's things like Anna's smile after two and a half hours of voter registration that reassure me we're doing the right thing here.
Just a couple of hours later, we'd moved our drive to the outskirts of the Art in the Park festival, and we were seeing some more great success. After about an hour or two, I had a gentleman come up to me because he'd been told by some other volunteers that I was the one in charge. He introduced himself as Jim and asked what he could do to help out. I interpreted that as a general question about volunteering overall, and began to give him my standard answer about coming into the office, joining our myspace pages, etc. Recognizing that I'd misunderstood his question, Jim cut me off saying, "No no no... I mean NOW. How can I help you right now?" Shocked, and inspired, I handed him a clipboard with voter registration cards and he went to work. Jim stayed that day for over two hours, having just happened to have been passing us on the street.
I tell these stories to emphasize that volunteering for this campaign is not something you should be afraid of doing; everyone... EVERYONE... has skills that we can utilize, but we need you to step up. We can't find the volunteer power on our own to turn this state and country around, but together WE CAN.
So I've asked before, but I want to encourage you to reach out to me to let me know how you think you can help in your community. Since this isn't a real job for me, I am somewhat bound to the Boise area. I can't travel around the state organizing younger volunteers because I like my paycheck! But if you're in Pocatello, or Moscow, or Idaho Falls, or Twin Falls, or Couer D'Alene, or Salmon, or McCall, or Lewiston, or Rigby, or Challis, or Rexburg... OR ANYWHERE and you think you can host some events (debate watching parties, etc.), organize some voter registration drives (at your local tailgate party for example), or just get a few volunteers to dawn some Obama gear and head out to do some community service, please let me know! And if you don't know where to start, but want to be involved, I will always be here as your resource. We have some really good ideas, we just need people who are willing to step up to make them happen. (Oh, and we also have a lot of fun, even though I haven't made that a real emphasis of this call to action. I should still say it!)
I've now made this message a bit longer than perhaps originally intended, but I want you to recognize that we want, need, and deeply appreciate your involvement. To conclude, in case you haven't seen or really considered it, I'm including the GO-IDAHO Mission Statement:
As the next generation of civic, political, and social leaders in Idaho, we between the ages of 18 and 35 have the unique responsibility of framing the future of our remarkable state. The mission of the Idaho chapter of Generation Obama (GO-IDAHO) is to harness the enthusiasm and awareness that Barack Obama has brought to the young people of Idaho, and to translate that passion into active engagement of our peers, service to our community, and new voter turnout in November. Although we are often dismissed by our predecessors as being uninvolved, apathetic, and inexperienced idealists, the truth is that we wield an awe-inspiring power to effect real change throughout Idaho. GO-IDAHO intends to impact the 2008 election with a youth and new voter turnout that has not been seen before during our lifetimes, and to do so by demonstrating that our generation will no longer acquiesce to the negative politics of the past several decades. We will work positively and with all of the vigor and energy of our youth to ensure that Barack Obama is elected the next President of the United States of America.
Take care everyone, and I hope to hear from you very soon! In the meantime, I've got a few upcoming events I'll be posting in the next day or so.
Best,
Tom
When friends ask why I support Senator Obama, I tell them. Then I say, don't take my word for it, do your own research. At the end of the day, I believe that if people know how Barack Obama stands on the issues they can make an informed decision. My goal is that each voter makes a decision based on facts not on misconceptions.
In that vein, it is informative to hear Sarah Palin talk about the issues. You can watch her recent interviews with Katy Couric at the link below. Please watch both the interview on foreign policy as well as domestic issues.
The link is http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/09/24/eveningnews/main4476173.shtml
