The straight scoop from the Oregon Sec. of State Website. http://www.sos.state.or.us/elections/votreg/vreg.htm
Remember we have until April 29th to Register as many people as possible, and only registered Democrats can vote in our closed primary for Barack.
Hi all,
Here's a quick piece from Representative Blumenauer regarding his experience traveling with Barack last Friday.
http://www.blueoregon.com/2008/03/on-the-bus-with.html
Hope everyone had fun and let's look forward to welcoming our man back soon!
On March 21, 2008, Sen. Barack Obama came to my state of Oregon, where he held several events. I was at his "Stand For Change" town hall meeting at the Salem Armory, and I took some pictures, which am sharing below, giving credit to those taken by others. Barack was absolutely at his best, and we Oregonians will do our best for him to win. Oregon matters in the primary for the first time in 40 years! To watch the complete Salem townhall with Barack, copy & paste this url on your browser - http://www.cctvsalem.org/Waiting for Hope outside the armory!Megan, a Kaizer elementary school teacher, waits in line.
Young Farmworkers Union Endorse Obama! Yo Estoy Con La Union silkscreened on the back of their red shirts. They're mostly high school students from Woodburn, Oregon.
Salem Volunteer Group Administrator David Pearl (white Obama shirt), his son Itai & Marion County DNC members.
Even the geese up in the sky love Barack!
The stage is now ready inside the armory!
From right, Wilma Rogers, 84, her daughter Emily Rogers, 55, & Melinda Cowdery,54 - from coastal Lincoln City, Oregon.(Photo by Amy Hsuan/The Oregonian)
Obama Girl & Obama Kid!
Here Comes Barack Obama!Salem Is For Change!(Photo by Thomas Patterson/Statesman Journal)
Change We Can Believe In
Photos by LeTigre/Flickr.com http://www.flickr.com/photos/letiger/tags/21st/page3/
We're among millions of voices calling for change, giving one of countless standing ovations for the next president.On upper right, 5th row from stage, that's Lincoln City councilman Randy Butts (tall guy, pale blue sweater with black pattern). I'm standing left of him, proudly wearing a "Women For Obama" button from my field organizer when I was volunteering in Iowa.
Photo by DesertCat/DailyKos http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/3/21/211557/224/180/481880For videos of Sen. Obama's townhall meeting in Salem, including question & answer videos on race, immigrant college education, North Korea, differences with Sen. Clinton, go to http://www.statesmanjournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080321/ELECTION03/80321057 Below are a couple of great blogs on the senator's Salem visit. The first one includes his full text answers on questions from the crowd."I met Barack Obama today. Today was the 10th anniversary of our marriage, and rather than go out to a fancy restaurant for dinner, we decided to take our kids to witness history in the making. My family (Husband, Daughter-16, Daughter-14) and I attended the event in Salem, OR today, arriving at about 8:30A for the announced 11:30 doors open time.""The wind blew a cold 40 degrees, and it threatened to rain. We watched the TSA screeners arrive, along with bomb-sniffing dogs that were taken up and down the now long line into the Salem Armory. From the front of the line, a cheer rose as the gates were finally opened at 11:30A, as promised.The TSA searched us thoroughly. I was even wanded. Into the Armory we went, searching out the closest seats we could. We ended up several rows back, but within 50 feet of the stage. Finally, Earl Blumenauer, our beloved bow-tie wearing US Representative came out to introduce Obama. Earl gave a very nice speech, the details of which I can't recall due to what came next."To read more, go to http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/3/22/04155/3116/67/481985"Today I had a chance to see Sen. Obama at a stop he made in Salem, OR. Part of a few stops in various towns, Sen. Obama delivered a fairly basic stump speech, followed by about twenty five minutes of questions and answers. Unlike the "town hall" meetings of Mr. Cheney and Mr. Bush during the last cycle, Sen. Obama's campaign did not invite only party members, did not have anybody sign loyalty oaths, did not kick anybody out for wearing shirts with "unacceptable" political themes, etc. Nope. It was an open engagement, in which Sen. Obama, after the de rigueur stumping, proceeded to call folks to a refurbished diplomatic discourse, to trust and believe in themselves as agents of change, and to recognition that the people can truly make a difference. I've watched plenty of stump speeches, I've written about them, and I study them as part of my work. This was indeed a stump speech, but Sen. Obama sounded forthright and honest, and perhaps most importantly, he struck me as truly, fully, behind the philosophy of political change he espoused."To read more, go to http://www.woodmoorvillage.org/2008/03/barack-obama-in.html
Our family would like to wish everyone a blessed day as many of us reflect on the miracle of Christ life, death and resurrection and our reconciliation with God.
I believe we can all gain so much by living out and applying the examples and principles of love and faith we have been given by our Lord.
Love others enough to forgive them - Jesus said this about those that cruxified Him "Father forgive them; for they know not what they do".
Because of His unconditional love for the all mankind (even His enemies) Jesus Christ gave Himself as a sacrifice to bring attonement for our sins past, present and future and through this act of divine love we received forgiveness and reconciliation with our God, Creator and Father.
We stood about 10 people or more thick waiting along the gates- at 9pm a white SUV drove up and Barack Obama strode out. He talked, joked, inspired us for 10 minutes, then walked around the perimeter of the crowd shaking hands. We got to about 5 feet of touching his hand. He left afterwards to speak at McCourt. As we walked around McCourt and were even some distance away the crowd was heard thundering. I'd never heard anything like it. Not at any basketball game.
My husband is an Obama supporter but a bit of a cynic. He walked away from the event saying it was truly magical to see and hear the man in the flesh. I cannot get the whole evening out of my mind. Barack Obama has to be our next president to help extricate ourselves from the disasters that GWB has engaged us in both at home and abroad.
Thanks for reading. Let's work to get this man elected in November!
Well Medford, Oregon got to see the next President of the United States today. And it was amazing! Here is a video link of the town hall event. http://www.mailtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?category=NEWS0802
Here is one volunteer's perspective from yours truly.
[b]Obama plans Oregon visit this week[/b]
Posted by Harry Esteve, The Oregonian March 18, 2008 13:49PM
Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama appears headed for Oregon this week. Sources close to the campaign say he's planning to visit the state Friday, with a number of stops.
Mentioned were Portland, Eugene, Salem and Medford. It's unclear how much time he plans to spend at each place or what sort of events he plans to hold. He typically holds at least one big all-comer rally when he campaigns.
It will be the Illinois' senator's second appearance in Oregon and third in the Northwest. In September, he attracted about 4,000 people who paid at least $25 each to attend a rally at the Oregon Convention Center in Portland. Obama collected an estimated $200,000 in contributions in the short visit.
In early February, he packed 18,000 cheering fans into KeyArena in Seattle during a visit on the eve of the Washington caucuses. As many as 3,000 more were turned away for lack of room.
The night before, New York Sen. Hillary Clinton held energetic rallies in Seattle, Tacoma and Spokane. About 6,000 people jammed a basketball arena at Puget Sound University to hear Clinton call for universal health care and bigger tax breaks for families with college-bound students.
Obama also portrayed himself as a supporter of universal health coverage and contended that he has the strongest plan for attacking global warming.
-- Harry Esteve and Jeff Mapes; harryesteve@news.oregonian.com
http://blog.oregonlive.com/breakingnews/2008/03/obama_plans_oregon_visit_this.html
What a Super Tuesday it was!
It was a great day for the campaign nationally, and right here in Southern Oregon. Here's why.
Last evening, I made a campaign contribution for a Presidential campaign for the first time in many years. I didn't do it because I'm wealthy because I'm not. I did it because I love my country and have been so dismayed about the policies and lack of leadership we have seen over the last 7+ years. Barack Obama will listen. He is a natural leader. He can "play" well with others and once again give the United States some credibility with other countries. I believe he will seek honest and viable solutions to our situations in Iraq and Afganistan without compromising our national security. If we can believe even half of what he says, he will work very hard to bring bi-partisan solutions to the domestic issues we face such as health care, education and our economy. Unlike out current President, he seems to have the ability to develop coalitions to truly work together to resolve the important issues facing our country. I sincerely hope that on Super Primary day he will emerge as the clear cut candidate for the Democratic nomination so the United States can once again move forward. And oh by the way...if he chooses Hillary Clinton as his Vice-President, that wouldn't be a bad move!!
Dec 22, 2007. Thirteen days to go until the Iowa caucuses, counting this day. I'm back in Oregon for a few days now after volunteering in Iowa. There's still much work to do.Thanks to everybody for all your effort to help Barack win, and have a safe and fun trip to those who are planning to volunteer in Iowa and the early states.Graham (my field organizer in Fairfield), if you get to read this, know that we appreciate all your hard work and we're rooting for you. I was hoping for the details and behind-the-scene scoop with Michelle Obama's visit to Fairfield Dec 20, but was happy with your three-word email "Michelle was fantastic." I did get to see Michelle in Seattle last summer and she's right as rain fantastic.
In the caucus poster below, Barack tells usIT'S TIME TO UNITE AMERICA"I'm asking you to believe, not just in my ability to bring about real change in Washington - I'm asking you to believe in yours."It's going to be rough sailing, but Barack will make it, if we all move together as one.One last picture. I waved this sign at Cedar Rapids, Iowa during the Oprah-Obama rally. That was a blast!With hope in my heart, I wish you all the best.Happy Holidays!
Well Maria and Ginnie have done such a great job in Iowa. I figure its time to throw a few Oregonians at the good State of Nevada that will be holding its caucus on January 19, right after Iowa and New Hampshire.
Well I finally got the "go" from Nevada HQ.
Dec 17, 2007. Seventeen days to the Iowa caucuses. We will fight to the finish. My volunteer days are over, we go home tomorrow, but the work continues. One of those who encouraged me to proceed to Iowa was Matt Sutton. When I had a panic attack, he emailed "You'd have the time of your life, nothing to be afraid of."
My daughter, Kalyanii wrote the blog below. On our way to Waterloo, we stopped by a Kum & Go Store in Ames, and there for everybody to see was the local newspaper The Tribune with a nice picture of Barack on the headline with the news that he is leading 9 points in a recent poll (Dec 15) at 33, with HRC and Edwards tied at 24. So you can imagine ecstasy and electricity in the air. Some of us have heard the "Fired Up" story several times, but it was a first for Kalyanii, and she was just blown away by the story and the reaction of the crowd.
At the end of the program, I climbed a chair to take pictures, but was unsuccessful. The media with their formidable video equipment charged forward despite repeated "You all have to go back, you're not allowed here."Kalyanii exchanged a few words with Barack -- My Mom came from Oregon, and my son and I came all the way from Washington to see you. As he shook her hand, Barack asked " ... where in Washington?" As you recall, Barack's mother went to school in Mercer Island in Seattle area.
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I'm Maria's daughter and am writing about our time in Waterloo. Mom, Karun (my son), and I drove to Waterloo on Saturday to see Barack. It was supposed to take 2.5 hours, but it took us 4 hours since it was so icy in some parts! We braved it out amidst overturned vehicles and vehicles in ditches to hear his speech and let Karun do a hi-five with him.
There were 500+ energetic people that clapped and cheered, as well as asked very good questions about what he will do about various issues such as immigration, health care, and veteran's benefits when he gets elected President. I thought his answers were well thought and well spoken, as well as from the heart. I also liked the fact that he acknowledged that all of the candidates had good policies but made himself stand out by saying how he would go about implementing them.
I feel that he is honest when saying that he will start a new kind of politics that isn't underhanded and insulting to the intelligence of Americans, such as slandering his opponent's character instead of concentrating on the important topics at hand.
Karun was behaving pretty well for being stuck in a car for 4 hours (he's 3 yrs old!) but he was tired by the time we got there and really wanted to run around and take pictures. After the speech, I rushed up front while holding Karun and pushed to the front so that Karun could meet Barack. He was having a little tantrum since he tried (but wasn't allowed) to go run under the rope (Secret Service gave him some looks and approached me when I had to go under the rope to run after him, but after I got him, I dodged back under the rope to the "safe" side so they left me alone!).
Finally Karun got to do a high-five with Barack and was quite shy. Barack was very gracious and warm-hearted! He chuckled when he saw that Karun was wearing an oversized Barack t-shirt with a Barack button pinned to it.
In fact, photographers took a bunch of pictures of Karun while he marched to the bathroom with Mom (he was potty trained before he turned 3!) in full Barack gear. Maybe his picture will turn up in the local paper or on Barack's website : )
Anywayz, time to go and Mom, I just have to say I love you and you are amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This is a great blog.
Love, Kalyanii and Karun
Obama Part II
I completely forgot to talk about my "conversation" with Barack! Really it was only a few lines, but after he gave Karun a high-five, he went on to shake the next person's hand and I said "My mom came all the way from Washington to see you!" Then he turned his head and smiled and said "Oh really? What part of Washington?" Then I had to correct myself and say "Oh, Mom came from Oregon to see you! I came from Washington, Bremerton, Washington." Then Karun started running away since he wanted to be with Lola (my mom) and I said "You're doing a great job!" and then ran after Karun before he got lost in the crowd.
My mom and grandma took me to see Barack Obama so I can make history!!!
Dec 8, 2007. 10th day of volunteering in Fairfield, Iowa.Today, I came to the office to find my field organizer printing and sorting campaign materials in fast forward mode. He said 10 volunteers are coming from Peoria, Illinois to canvass. So I helped him sort out maps and directions, sign-in sheets, volunteer sign-up forms, caucus brochures, and Michelle Obama's Dec 11 event flyers. The last time I canvassed, it really helped to place all the materials in a bag, so we scrounged around for 10 grocery bags, one for each canvasser. I thought we sure can use nicer bags, but that's wishful thinking.Then the Illinois volunteers came in, bright-eyed and smiling. Mind you, it was very cold, the streets were icy, and they've driven over three hours.Here's a picture of Graham, giving instructions to a couple of the volunteers. They came earlier than the rest because they had to drive back sooner for previous commitments.The rest of the volunteers came, Graham objected to me taking pictures - "There's no time for that" - but not before I took this one.The young man (he's barely out of his teens)with the leather jacket is Jos Muzuma, one of the Muzuma Twins. I love love their music, which I'm playing right now. I remember the campaign using their instrumental piece called "Generation Obama" or was that "President Obama." Just in case you want to listen to some of their unique music, and friend them, here's a link to their MySpace.comhttp://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=39135738What else happened yesterday? I'll write about it, but beware this is my recollection and opinion, thus it's subjective, even biased.
I do not pretend to be a writer or a photographer, but I wrote notes and took pictures to share with everybody here in my blog.Well, five of us were carpooling to Cedar Rapids for the Oprah-Obama event, but after several phone calls and weather checks, they decided not to go. "It's too risky." So much for the rally, Graham already printed me a long list of phone calls for the evening, and I would have been happy to do phone banking. My secret wish though is to go to the rally. The phone rings, and one of the local supporters asks if by chance we have extra tickets, since he heard about people cancelling due to treacherous weather. As we talked, I asked him if I can carpool with him and his wife, and without preamble, he said yes. He had met Barack, he hasn't watched Oprah. He said "Nothing ventured, nothing gained." And "Don't worry, I've been driving since I was 14. This is a once in a lifetime event, we don't want to miss. We'd drive back if the roads get too dangerous." I was so scared and almost told them I had changed my mind, when I saw that their van had no back seat, no seatbelt, instead there was a futon mattress for me to sit on with my legs stretched out. They got pillows for me to lean on. It was a two-hour drive, and the windshield iced, but we made it to Cellular Center. We were there over a couple hours early, but the lobby was already packed. The energy was electric. Little girls all dressed up were chanting "I-O-W-A Barack Obama All The Way". And now and then somebody would lead the chant "Fired Up, Ready to Go". I chatted with a lady, who said she was host to a volunteer from Oregon, his name is Kevin. We were able to get one of the best seats on the preferred seating section. They -Eric and Kathy- were puzzled that I wanted to leave very early; seeing the crowds streaming in (9,575 of all colors and ages, there were babies and toddlers) they said they were glad we did that. They were meditators, so they meditated while waiting for the program to begin. They were concerned that it's starting late. I told them that Barack et al are coming from a previous rally in Des Moines. We waited, appreciating the singers who had us swaying and dancing on our seats and the students who presented a caucus skit that had us laughing, and informed. As it turned out, Kathy has never caucused although she's lived in Iowa for 25 years as an adult. When somebody passed out supporter cards, I encouraged her to sign up which she happily did. Then after a while, Kathy said "Oprah is in the building, I can feel her."When Michelle came out, the audience gasped because of her model looks and stylish dress and boots. There were loud, loud cheers for her. She introduced Oprah who came out to thunderous cheers. She seemed humbled by the crowd. Nobody can ever question that the audience loves Oprah. I thought the building might collapse because of the loud noise that won't stop. How she spoke about Barack was very persuasive, dignified and compelling - you probably have seen this on youtube.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XaQ3w_QSqEwOprah is credible and people trust her because her words come straight from the heart. She is a class act. She's genuine and real, just like our candidate. There were a few people who were curious about Oprah, and came out convinced the lady is just fine.Oprah brought the crowds in to get to listen to Barack. For those undecided people: If Oprah can't convince someone to caucus or vote for Barack, nothing will.When Barack came out, again I thought the building would break down due to the loud cheering and screaming. He said "Thank you, Honey" to Michelle -that's when he was acknowledging the two strong women with him. His speech was great, very powerful as you must have now seen on youtube.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTDTXdCVyLY&feature=userIn person, it was radioactive, yes definitely radioactive. I saw Oprah wipe her tears at some point during his speech. Both Barack and Oprah had some of the audience, including me. crying, because what they say is touching and true. They inspire hope. They empower. They uplift. They connected fully with the audience. He looks younger, very handsome. Kathy said that Barack (paraphrase) is at the zenith of his spiritual and intellectual powers, and like Oprah said, he is The One to lead the U.S. and the world at this moment in history. I agree.We brought extra clothing and food in case we got stranded in Cedar Rapids, but we made it back. It took us over two hours to get out of the parking garage. We watched people go to their cars, chanting O-O-O Obama, still high energy from the rally. We talked and waited, until it was our turn to drive out. On the way home, we saw at least three cars that had fallen into the ditch, and one accident. We hope there were no serious injuries.I'm glad I decided to go. I feel blessed to witness this moment in history.
Daily Kos has a poll put up today at 9:42 AM. Make sure to go there today and vote for Obama! It’s still early…Obama’s now in second place at 26% behind Edwards at 35% Let’s change these numbers to reflect the grassroots support we are seeing moving in his direction.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/11/29/124013/18
Barack Obama's little sister said the clearest windows into the Illinois senator's character are the women in his life.Obama was raised by strong women and now surrounds himself with them, Maya Soetoro-Ng, 37, said in Carroll during a speech and in an interview with Iowa Independent."I really believe that my brother is a feminist," she said. "So much of what he does is so he can help to make the world a better place for his daughters and nieces."Soetoro-Ng reinforced some of Obama's best-selling writing on their grandmother, Madelyn Dunham of Honolulu."She has been the quintessential matriarch in our lives," Soetoro-Ng said.Most of all, she said, their grandmother, successful in banking in Hawaii, encouraged her grandchildren to pursue careers based on the "mandates of our hearts." "The reason he chose to enter it now is because...[h]e just felt I think what a lot of people feel - that he's the right man for these times and that he's only one who's going to make us heal."
Barack Obama's little sister said the clearest windows into the Illinois senator's character are the women in his life.
Obama was raised by strong women and now surrounds himself with them, Maya Soetoro-Ng, 37, said in Carroll during a speech and in an interview with Iowa Independent.
"I really believe that my brother is a feminist," she said. "So much of what he does is so he can help to make the world a better place for his daughters and nieces."
Soetoro-Ng reinforced some of Obama's best-selling writing on their grandmother, Madelyn Dunham of Honolulu.
"She has been the quintessential matriarch in our lives," Soetoro-Ng said.
Most of all, she said, their grandmother, successful in banking in Hawaii, encouraged her grandchildren to pursue careers based on the "mandates of our hearts."
"The reason he chose to enter it now is because...[h]e just felt I think what a lot of people feel - that he's the right man for these times and that he's only one who's going to make us heal."
I have told all my friends that I am voting for Barack, and asked them all to read about him...
I live in a small town on the Oregon Coast. I'm a stay at home mom (my son is just 8 weeks old).
My hubby and I live pay check to pay check, so I have no money that I can contribute, but I feel very strongly about getting Barack into office. I truely believe that he will be a great president for our country!
So what more can I do to support him?
If any one has ideas, I'd love to hear them.
The race is over? Well the national media is bombarding us with messages that the frontrunner has an insurmountable lead. They apparently haven't read the latest Universitiy of Iowa poll showing Barack gaining 7 points and now being in a statistical tie with Hillary in Iowa. http://news-releases.uiowa.edu/2007/october/102907poll-topline.pdf Yet the spell of the national media may encourage us to sit back and eat our popcorn and simply watch the presidential campaign in the early voting states. However, if you really pay attention, you will begin to notice that the Obama campaign’s battle for the Democratic nomination has entered a new phase. I hope that this may motivate you to put down the popcorn, get off the couch and get involved.
