I think Obama's gone just a little too far with his choice of Rick Warren. It's great he wants to be nice but there are plenty of other choices. This is just as slap in the face to the gay community and to the progressives who supported him so long and so strongly.
What does everyone else think?
So there was some good news today. In the latest Quinnepec polls, Obama has opened up significant leads in the battlegrounds states of Pennsylvania, Ohio and Florida.
BUT....
We must not let this alter our work efforts. We must continue on like we are 10 points down and be sure EVERYONE makes it to the polls on November 4.
This is the last weekend to get folks registered to vote in many places. Make sure all your friends and family have absentee ballets if they need them, and are up to date on voter registrations if they have moved.
Lets not forget our mission we were given at the onset of this election. We will not give up a single vote, or a single precint. Lets make this work!
What a wonderful feeling to know someone has been encouraged by this campaign! I just made a matching donation for a new donor.
I challenge you to do the same. If even just $5. We have only begun to show the world that lobbyist and big government will not run this country. Its time we stand up.
Its also time to volunteer. In as little as 1 hour a week, you can write 4 or 5 letters to undecided voters to share your hope and reasons for supporting Barack and Joe. This may be all it takes to change their minds. There are many offices around and there are online tools to help as well. You dont even have to leave your house.
Lets finish this campaign stronger then ever!
I live in a "red" county. It's okay because there are a handful of dedicated volunteers working hard to change that. Every Saturday and Sunday we meet at the NEW Warren County Democrats Office (an accomplishment in itself for a small county to have an office). We (all ten of us) canvass and work the office with no complaints, because we know that it needs to be done. That Virginia HAS to vote for Barack Obama, even Warren County (it could happen).
At one point there was a rumor that we were going to get a Coordinated Campaign office or was it an Obama office? We got excited because maybe that would mean that the 1/2 of a staffer assigned to us would get some help. I say 1/2 of a staffer because he is assigned to two remote counties. He isn't really a 1/2 though because he IS WORKING REALLY HARD and does the work of ten people! Yes, Brian Damron, our Obama staffer is our rock and pumps us up when we need it the most.
Oh, yes, we have heard rumors that buses from the bluer nearby sections of DC and Maryland are going to roll up soon to help us. They haven't but it's okay, we know they have work to do too. I read the events nearby and see phrases like "The demand was so great we added another date to canvass." This makes me smile because I know that my neighbors to the East are working hard too and was so proud when I saw Mary Lee Cirillo on TV during the National Convention in Denver.
Autumn is coming and our town will be busy with people who have come to drive/bike Skyline Drive. We will have the pleasure of seeing the beautiful leaves from our own backyard as we knock on our neighbors doors. Will we hit every house, every house that is SOOO important this election? Probably not but it won't be for a lack of desire, because we will be out there, every Saturday and Sunday. Maybe, on your way to Skyline Drive you could canvass with us in the AM?
So this Fall if you come to Skyline Drive, please make sure you stop by the office and say "Hi". We love friendly faces and appreciate words of encouragement.
Molly Snyder
Warren County Democrats
Front Royal is in da hoooooooouuuuuuuse!
So we got a little taste last evening of what our opponents have up their sleeve for the rest of this campaign...sarcasm laced speeches that misrepresent our candidate and OUR efforts to change this country. You saw exactly the same thing that turns everyone off from politics and making change in our communities. These are the scare tactics the Republicans have used over the last 2 elections to win....but I've got news for them NOT THIS TIME!
We knew this would not be easy, so know it is time for us to hit back. We have not made it this far only to let the same old Washington knock us down. The resources it takes to fight back are much. But I encourage you to donate what you can. $5, $10, $20. It makes a difference.
What is required of us also means talking to people....knock on doors, make phone calls, write letters. This may seem uncomfortable to some people, but i'll be the first to say that I made the jump and it wasn't that bad! Calling folks and knocking on their doors may be intimidating, but once you start to see the support we have, it turns intimidating into encouraging. Sure, there are people who will disagree with you, but treat them as we like to be treated, and as Barack has shown us. Listening and talking through things is the only way we move this world forward.....not through party bashing, sarcastic, misleading speeches.
LETS MAKE THIS HAPPEN! YES WE CAN and YES WE WILL!
So we have all been working very very hard over the last weeks and days of the presidential campaign. Well folks, I'm writing to say that our work is paying off!! In the most recent Gallup poll released just moments ago, Obama now leads 50% to McCain's 42%. The poll was taken between August 29 and September 1.
Now....we cant let our guard down now! With the increased media coverage of the GOP convention, lets get back out there. Knock on some doors, make some phone calls, and write letters. This truly is a grassroots effort and our effort will help to ensure this Nation gets the change it deserves.
With the announcement of Sarah Palin yesterday as his running mate, John McCain did several things. He chose an attractive young woman, adding much needed pizzazz to his convention. He pandered to his base to generate excitement among both social conservatives and cultural crusaders. Some even think he made a play to disaffected HRC voters, thought it could only be to those care about no issue other than electing a woman, as Hillary Clinton and Sarah Palin have almost nothing in common. By some standards, this move was bold, shrewd, clever, or even, by some, brilliant. In democratic circles, it was seen as criticized as being wreckless, as Gov. Palin seems to lack the experience to take over if the 72 year old cancer survivor were to die.
For my part, I was horrified over this selection. The base political calculation which seemed to disregard the need for truly qualified people to lead the country saddens me. The conservative pundits jumping at the bit to compare Gov. Palin's two year record of service (do we count the PTA?) with Sen. Obama's two years of national service is laughable on it's face. Beyond that, it ignores Obama's much longer history of achievement in his academic and professional lives, which underscore my belief in his level of ability. We've moved from wanting a candidate who seems like regular folk, to one that actually is regular folk. Sarah Palin may be a brilliant leader, but there is certainly nothing in her resume that gives one that sense.
But as I watched the 24 hour media cycle digest this selection, I also became frustrated that this campaign seemed off message -- at least off the message I would have sent. While everything I just wrote is undoubtedly true, the slam dunk critique of this choice, what makes it politically untenable, has nothing to do with Sarah Palin. For the last 6 weeks, all we've heard from John McCain is that Barack Obama lacks the experience to be president and this is why we should vote for McCain. It would not be news if you or I came out and said that this assertion is false or that we don't believe it, but it IS news when John McCain comes out and says HE doen't believe it either!! Think about it. By selecting a VP candidate with less experience than Obama, John McCain makes one of two unequivocal statements. Either he doesn't think that it is important for the VP to be qualified to be president, which is absurd and indefensible, or, he thinks both Palin and Obama ARE qualified and he's been making a specious argument for months. Both of these positions are utterly indefensible.
On CNN last night, Carville pecked at the edges of this construction and the McCain surrogate (I can't recall her name) seemed to take the first defense, that Palin is running for VP, not President. But Carville never asked the right question, the question that needs to be asked every day, over and over again for the next hundred days:
DOES JOHN MCCAIN BELIEVE THAT SARAH PALIN IS QUALIFIED TO LEAD OUR COUNTRY IF HE WERE TO BECOME UNABLE? IF THE ANSWER IS YES (AND I THINK IT WILL HAVE TO BE), WHAT MAKES SARAH PALIN MORE QUALIFIED THAN BARACK OBAMA? JOHN MCCAIN HAS INSISTED THAT BARACK OBAMA IS NOT READY TO LEAD, WHY SHOULD HIS TICKET BE HELD TO A DIFFERENT STANDARD?
The political issue here is very simple. Honesty and trustworthiness are the political capital that McCain trades on. The "Maverick" thing isn't so much about being independent as it is about being straightforward. After all, he's supposed to be the Straight Talk guy. The news today and everyday shoud now be that the "Honest" guy has been making an argument for the last 2 months that he doesn't believe himself. This indicts McCain at the core of his attractivenss as a candidate and he will not be able to withstand it. When the media gets tired of hearing this argument (in 2 or 3 days, for example), we need to keep at it like we're chopping down a tree. John McCain either doesn't believe that the VP needs to be ready to serve or he lied for 2 months about what he thinks is important. Case closed.
This weekend will be the largest voter registration drive and canvassing event of this campaign to date!! While groups across the US will be participating, I encourage you to find your local Obama office, or organize your own event.
In Harrisonburg, we will be meeting on Saturday morning at the Obama office to get organized. This is sure to be an energizing experience, and a unified show of just how determined we are to elect Barack Obama to office and start the CHANGE for the future!
Harrisonburg Voter Registration and Canvassing Details:
With Barack's VP choice most likely coming in the very near future, there are so many eyes and ears listening. Lets take advantage of this!
Write a letter to friends and family
Canvass your neighborhood
Make a donation to Barack's campaign
Volunteer to do phone banking
Purchase a car magnet
Put a yard sign up
By showing our support during this incredibly exciting time, we can rest assured our enthusiasm WILL be seen! Now everyone sleep with your cell phones for the highly anticipated text!!! I know I will be
While campaigning for Obama last weekend I got into an argument with a staunch anti choice thirty something year old male. Now I tend to get defensive when some nut calls my candidate a “baby killer”
Since he and his cohorts are so determined to put their legislation on my body, I thought an alternative plan- one that puts the legislation on his body- might be an interesting idea for him to mull over.
So I’ve come up with a little plan for new reproductive rights legislation and I plan to hand him a copy if we run into each other again on the campaign trail.
I’ll also get it over to the members of Congress. Maybe it will come up for a vote!
For over thirty years this country has been divided over the issue of a woman’s right to choose whether or not she will carry out a pregnancy. For millions of voters, this issue takes precedence above all others. They will vote for a candidate who touts their view on this issue regardless of that candidate’s stand on the economy, taxes, foreign policy etc.
I believe such tunnel vision is creating a whole generation of stupid voters. I think you and your colleagues need to end the argument over reproductive rights once and for all. The best way to do this is to bring men into the equation. Anti choice zealots especially focus on the woman and the embryo/fetus. They never seem to bring the man’s role into the picture. That needs to change. Please read my proposal and talk it over among yourselves and try to figure out a way to make it happen. It ties in perfectly with your Universal Health Care debates so this is a good year to introduce it. Thanks for everything you do.
ZIP (Zero Irresponsible Pregnancies)
Description of Proposed Legislation to End Abortions Now and Forever
At an age determined by a panel of the top medical experts (perhaps 16 or 17 will be the age) every male in the country will be required to bank his sperm and have a (reversible) vasectomy. He will be able to access his sperm for the purpose of reproduction by writing a “check” for it and entering a contract with the female who will be providing the egg for reproduction. The process will be the same for married and unmarried couples while the contract will be specific to the couple reproducing The contract will detail the roles and responsibilities of each person involved in the reproductive process from the time of conception through the time when their offspring becomes self-sufficient.
While this law will not prevent any sexually transmitted diseases it will prevent practically all unplanned pregnancies involving citizens of the U.S. As other nations follow our lead we will be able to prevent unwanted pregnancies globally. It will end the era of paternity suits as no man will be able to get to his sperm until he enters into an Z.I.P. contract with a partner and she won’t receive a donation of sperm until she agrees.
This law will not end sexual assaults against women but it will help to somewhat lessen the suffering of the rape victim. While she will still have to cope with the burden of the assault, she will not have to worry about an unplanned pregnancy on top of it.
Teenage pregnancy will be rare as it will be subject to contractual law. It will be more difficult for anyone under 18 to enter into a Z.I.P. contractual agreement.
Thousands, or perhaps millions of new jobs will be created due to the Z.I.P. legislation. Sperm Banks will have to be built in every town in the USA and medical as well as administrative staff will need to be hired. High tech security will be in demand to protect the millions of sperm deposits left in the banks. If, say an earthquake or other disaster befalls a bank, each depositor will be insured and will be able to reverse his vasectomy to re-deposit if he so chooses. If he has decided that he no longer wishes to reproduce, he won’t be likely to bother with the reversal and new deposit.
It will take time for this system to run completely smoothly and it will be an expensive project to set up. But, in time, Z.I.P. will achieve so much good that no one will remember the costs involved with it’s initiation.
It may only take a decade to eradicate unwanted pregnancies, and therefore abortions, in the United States of America. Isn’t that worth any monetary price we have to pay?
August 2008
S.N.I.P (Stop Needless Irresponsible Pregnancies)
E.R.R.N.O.T (Equal Reproductive Responsibility Now One Together)
I hope everyone has signed up for the Organizational meeting this week. If you haven't (ERIC) make sure that you do.
-Molly
Hey Gang,
I really wanted to encourage everyone to sign up for the organizational meeting and bring anyone and everyone you know that is serious about volunteering. We really need to organize the ground troops or if you are like me, the phone banking troops.
Oh and I think it would be nice to have refreshments, anyone interested in making their famous peanut butter cookies.....hint hint Donna!
Most of you probably have seen that in June, Barack raised $52 million. That is incredible! While the Republican candidate and RNC still have more cash on hand, I think this is a remarkable feat for any candidate with an average donation of $68. This campaign proves itself month after month.
Donate now: https://donate.barackobama.com/junenumbers
Hello Obamafriends!
FRONT ROYALTY FOR OBAMA met this afternoon at The Daily Grind here in Front Royal. In addition to Kelli Hart and I, we had a visit from Obama campaign staffers Brian Damron and Jason Berry. Jason's beautiful wife Andrea was there as well. They were here to help us get Warren County FIRED UP AND READY TO GO for Barack Obama!!!!!
Folks we have soooo much to get excited about. There's a lot of work to do and territory to cover over the next four months and I'm so proud to be a part of this incredible movement!
FIRED UP AND READY TO GO,
Donna
If John McCain thinks Social Security is a disgrace then why does he take over $23,000 a year out of it? Social Security is a blessing for those who rely on it as their only source of income in their old age. They are people who have worked hard and been an important part of this country's economic growth for decades. They put their trust in the promise of social security and that promise should not be broken.
The only thing disgraceful about the Social Security system is that a man like McCain receives a salary of $161,708, Book Royalty Income of $176,508,000, a Navy pension of $58,000 and Social Security (what, he's not already secure enough??) Income of $23,157. This isn't even counting the tens of millions his wife brings home.
Contrast that with an 86 year old couple who's combined social security income of $15,000 is ALL they have to survive on. A couple whose medical costs take up nearly half of that income per year. Think how hard that must be on them and how getting an extra $10,000 to $20,000 per year could alleviate the constant struggle just to survive after working hard and being responsible their whole lives. The fact that someone with John McCain's wealth is recieving a dime from Social Security while others are deciding between food and medicine is the most disgraceful and shameful fact about Social Security.
If anyone with enough money to live in luxury were to be denied Social Security benefits I bet the system would work much better for everyone.
