Anyone in the Southeastern part of Michigan with an interest in health care reform in this country should plan to attend the health care forum being sponsored by the OFA team from Districts 7 and 15 this coming Tuesday, April 14th. It will be attended by Congressman John Dingell along with a number of other local officials. The press release is below and a flyer for the event can be found HERE.Chris Savage--------------------------------------New Grassroots Coalition and Congressman Dingell Hold Local Health Care Forum
For more information contact:Tad Wysor, 734/883-3225 or tadwysor@gmail.comLynne Schwartz, 646/842-1360 or Lynnes1@gmail.com
A broad new group of Obama campaign volunteers believes that everyday people and community leaders need to take more responsibility for winning on key issues essential to the economic turnaround both here in Michigan and across the nation - issues like health care reform -- and is acting on it. The local "Organizing for America (OFA)" Coalition sees its upcoming Health Care Forum with 15th Congressman John Dingell (Tuesday April 14, 6:30-8:00pm at Brown Chapel AME Church in Ypsilanti) as one of the in critical ways in which local people can play an active and effective role in this major upcoming national debate.
"It's no secret that Michigan continues to bear the brunt of our struggling national economy. Our broken health care system is a huge part of the problem and fixing it will be a key factor in the Michigan's economic revival" said Lynne Schwartz, 15th District OFA leader. "It's very hopeful that so many are joining together in effective new ways, including working with a major Washington figure on health care like Congressman Dingell."
The OFA Coalition is encouraging residents, students, unions, people of faith, small business owners, heath care providers, not for profit service organizations, elected officials, and other health care stakeholders to attend and become a part of making the Forum...and ultimately the campaign to reform health care and revive the economy...a success.
The forum is the second major public meeting organized by the new OFA Coalition. In March, 85 people filled First Congregational Church in Ypsilanti, during which three local State Representatives (Alma Wheeler Smith, Rebekah Warren, and Pam Byrnes) committed to support the Coalition's efforts to follow and influence the large influx of economic stimulus dollars into the area as the Obama Administration's economic recovery plans unfold.
The group, many of whom were key volunteers last year in the Obama campaign's grassroots organizing operation throughout the area, are now working closely with the national Organizing for America (OFA) organization. The OFA Coalition believes that this is the logical continuation of the unprecedented grassroots-oriented campaign last year that saw huge numbers of people becoming more active and aware. The local OFA Coalition is committed to supporting the major policy changes and initiatives in health care, education, and energy that are key to the Obama Administration's economic recovery plans.
The OFA Coalition volunteers intend for events like this Health Care Forum to be a important way to show how a wide range of people -- both those who supported Obama and those who didn't -- can participate more effectively in government decisions at all levels. "The Health Care Forum is another chance for many of us to meet our neighbors and remember we're not alone in this crisis. Together, we'll to hear from Mr. Dingell, a national health care leader, and share with him the vital concerns of the community regarding this critical issue." said Tad Wysor, 15th district OFA leader.
Last week, I blogged about a public forum to be held in Ypsilanti, Michigan to discuss the Stimulus Package, called "Where's All That Stimulus Money Going?" The event, sponsored by the OFA Coalition of Congressional Districts 7 & 15, was held last Sunday and was a big success. Below is our press release from the event.
Chris Savage
chrissavage123@sbcglobal.net
The Districts 7 & 15 Organizing for America (OFA) Coalition is sponsoring a public forum, this Sunday, March 22nd. Come help us fill the room for our Coalition's first Ypsi/Ann Arbor Community Forum: "Where's All That Stimulus Money Going?"
This is a community forum on on how we can make the Reinvestment Act work for Michigan and our communities! Amid frightening economic times, the Obama Administration's economic recovery plan is beginning to pump large amounts of much-needed investment into our state and region. Help us start making sure it gets spent quickly and well!
Community Forum: "Where's All That Stimulus Money Going?" Sunday evening, March 22nd, 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.First Congregational United Church of Christ, 218 N. Adams St, Ypsilanti
There will be presentations on creating jobs, making college affordable and improving schools, reducing foreclosures, real improvements in public transportation, green energy and jobs, and good healthcare for everyone.State Representatives Alma Wheeler Smith and Rebekah Warren will answer questions about how Lansing can help us monitor the dollars. Let's keep the momentum going! For more information and to RSVP HERE. You may also call Tad Wysor at 734-883-3225
Chris Savagechrissavage123@sbcglobal.net
On Saturday, March 14, our group met at the Foggy Bottom Coffee House in Dexter, Michigan. At that very productive meeting, we developed our final mission statement draft, heard a proposal from Andrea to put out periodic one page information sheets on actions people can take to improve their environment, discussed putting together a new blog, and listened to a very comprehensive analysis of the Stimulus Package from a "green energy/green jobs" perspective. Details can be found in the minutes which can be found HERE.
The draft mission statement is now visible in the description for this group. Please have a look at it and send me your comments if you think changes should be made to improve it. The email address for this group is WashtenawCountyAreaGreenTeam@groups.barackobama.com. Sending an email to this address will send it to all members of the Green Team. Note: you must be a team member to use this email address. Comments are being received through Saturday, March 22. Thanks!
Chris
I have a new Huffington Post article up today about the Youth Vote in Michigan and the amazing voter registration success enjoyed by the Obama Campaign for change.
Check it out.
Yesterday, I posted still images from the Obama-Biden rally in Detroit this past Sunday. These images were taken by my wife, Anne Savage. As promised, below you will find a link to two interactive panoramic images from that event.
While still images capture the moment, in my opinion nothing captures the immensity of these events like full spherical, fully interactive panoramic images.
The image linked below is fully interactive and goes all the way up, all the way down and all the way around. Use your mouse to drag in the direction you want to spin the image (including up into the sky and down to the ground.) You can also use the buttons to do these actions. Clicking "FULLSCREEN" gives the most dramatic effect, allowing it to fill your screen with a high resolution interactive panoramic image.
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE PANO
What I think is most impressive about these rallies is the diversity that you see. The McPalin campaign made their stop at the Freedom Hill arena in the upscale, mostly white suburb of Detroit, Sterling Heights (pano HERE.) Not surprisingly, nearly everybody there was white. One of the few non-white people at that event was McCain's adopted daughter, Bridget, who is from Bangladesh.
In contrast, Senator Obama went right into the heart of Detroit for three major rallies. At all three events, the crowd was a magnificent mix of all races, all ages and people from all walks of life. If you are interested in panos from the other two rallies, you can view the one from the Joe Louis Arena earlier in the summer by going to Anne's website, RevolutionaryViews.com. Click on "Editorial & Events" under the "Panoramas" tab. Also, she did one for the Detroit News of the Hart Plaza rally on Labor Day which you can view HERE.
For those who have asked, yes, Anne is in contact with the Obama campaign and the pano above is now featured on Michigan Home Page. She will also be shooting for them when Barack Obama returns to Michigan on Thursday, appearing at Michigan State University in East Lansing.
Oh, and just so you know, she's probably not going to tell you how she creates her panos, even if you ask nice. A girl's gotta have some secrets! Enjoy.
Here are some preliminary photos from the Obama-Biden rally, taken by my wife, Anne Savage. She will have some panoramic photos up as well, probably tomorrow, which I will share.
I also have an article on the "under-30" voters in Michigan at the Huffington Post. Have a gander HERE
I walked into the local Democratic Party offices last night, on a day of disappointing national poll numbers for the Obama campaign, prepared to see a team of sullen phone-bankers.Boy, was I wrong.Rather than being dejected about McCain's poll bump, our volunteers were more excited than ever to talk to undecided voters. Because mixed in with the news of day with regard to the polls was also a hint of things to come. The mainstream media, insulted by the McCain campaign's claim that Ms. Palin won't do any interviews until they become sufficiently "deferential", are beginning to push back. Suddenly the Republicans are being held to the same standard as the Democrats.And the lies are piling up.As evidenced by the eight-to-tenfold differential between the amount of money raised by Senator Obama when compared with Senator McCain after Ms. Palin's acceptance speech, her addition to the ticket has fired up more Democrats than Republicans. And despite what the instapolls are saying, she's pushing fence-sitters off the fence and into the Democrat's pasture.Last weekend while canvassing for Senator Obama, I arrived at the house of two university Engineering professors. Surprisingly, neither was registered to vote and hadn't voted in a long time. The wife was solidly in the Obama camp and quickly signed up to volunteer with the campaign and filled out a voter registration form. The husband, however, had a more interesting story."Imagine a continuum with Obama on one end and McCain on the other," he said, stretching his arms wide."I've always leaned Democratic but this time I started out about 80% for McCain and 20% for Obama. When Obama picked Biden, I moved to about 50:50." He moved his left hand in a bit."But this week, after his pick of Palin," he continued, "I'm now 80% for Obama."His wife shook her head sadly. "What is he thinking?" she asked quietly.He, too, signed a volunteer form and filled out the voter registration paperwork. As we said our goodbyes, the two of them thanked me for what I was doing.This is a scene playing out again and again. People who who have been undecided about the election are seeing this transparently pandering vice-presidential pick for what it is: choosing politics over country. And they're moving Democratic. This will continue as the McCain campaign continues to lie and evade and flip-flop on the issues.So don't sweat the polls. Obama supporters have been far more energized throughout this campaign and the Palin pick was just a shot of caffeine to keep us going. Soon enough the Republican Convention hangover will wear off and the Republicans will wake up and look at who they went to bed with.And they are going to realize that their Convention Goggles have led them astray.
I leave you with this thought:
"Being out of touch doesn't make you a maverick."
Coming soon to a bumper or t-shirt near you.
Here's a great interactive panoramic image from Hart Plaza yesterday (Labor Day.) Click on "Fullscreen" and it will fill your computer screen. You can use your mouse to turn the image completely around and up and down and use the buttons to zoom in and out.
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080901/SPECIAL01/80901001&imw=Y
This image also has sound so be sure your speakers are on.
Please pass the link on!
Chris Savage in Dexter
My wife and I held a house meeting in our home this past Saturday. Because we have only lived in this community for about 2 years, we still don't know many people here so we decided to canvass our neighborhood with flyers to let people know about it. We handed out about 160 flyers in the neighborhoods around our house and, a bit surprisingly, got a quite warm response from many of the people we talked to. Like the time when I ran for school board a few years back, going door-to-door was a fun experience for me. I got to know a few of my neighbors. I got to know the neighborhood better. And I had some very interesting conversations, many with McCain supporters. The overwhelming message I got from the people I talked to is, "Boy, do we ever need a change..." And I, of course, couldn't agree more.
Unfortunately we had only one couple show up and that was from some phone calling by volunteers at the Obama campaign from a neighborhood we didn't canvass. It was very disappointing to us because we really thought getting out and talking to people firsthand was a good way to encourage participation. So, yeah, disappointing.
But the meeting was a success in the sense that the couple that did come have been in the area for a long time. They are now energized to have a house meeting of their own and there's a good chance that their meeting will be better attended.
Additionally, over 150 homes in our area now know that the Obama campaign is alive and well in Western Scio Township and that's a Good Thing.
So, despite our disappointing turnout, perhaps we have set in motion some activities that will pay more longer-term dividends. That's our hope anyway.
What do YOU think?
Hey folks! Last night I finished my video diary of the last year and all of the work that we have put into the campaign. It's a tribute/thank you to every Michigander out there as well as a reminder of why I continue to work for change.
Look at the last picture in the video. It's all about my Justice.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGWWSCdiaVs
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Breaking news from the conference call with Campaign Manager David Plouffe: A new online fundraising contest is being launched that will grant the members of the My.BarackObama.com groups that have the most donors at the end of the day on September 30th, the opportunity to participate in a personal conference call with Senator Barack Obama and Campaign Manager David Plouffe. Click here for more information on the Group Fundraising Challenge.
The latest on phonebanking: If you're interested in phonebanking send an e-mail to the campaign at - callteam@barackobama.com and they will e-mail a call sheet to you.
State of the Campaign
Barack Obama's Schedule: On Monday, Barack Obama received the endorsement of the New York City Correction Officers’ Benevolent Association. Tuesday, he spoke at Change to Win in Chicago. Wednesday, he can be seen live on the NBC/NECN/New Hampshire Public Radio/New Hampshire Democratic Party debate, which will be broadcast live on MSNBC at 9pm EST. Following the debate he’ll head to New York, where he’ll participate in a live interview on ABC’s The View at 11am EST on Thursday before leading a major rally in Washington Square Park. On Friday, he speaks at Howard University’s Convocation and participates in the CBC Issues Forum in Washington, DC.
