Hi Folks!
Not too long ago I saw a video clip of a speech Barack Obama gave in Iowa. He talked about how he understands that politics and politicians have let down the American people and that we are feeling cynical about the entire process. But, he said if we do not become engaged, they will win. Barack is absolutely right. If we sit back and do nothing, they will win.
People, I want to WIN! I want justice to win!. I want truth to win! I want universal healthcare to win, and jobs, and education, and social security, and energy independence…I want to get people engaged in the political process so that they can work to bring about the changes they want to see!!
Towards that end, I have accepted an Internship with the Ohio Democratic Party and I hope to be hired as a Field Organizer for Franklin County. While I love and support Senator Obama more than ever, I can no longer actively campaign on his behalf during the primary. This is my last blog.
After eight years as a Stay-at-Home Mother, my life in politics begins. I'm so excited.
OMG. OMG. OMG. He's really coming to Columbus! I am so excited I can't stand it!
Friday, October 26, 11:00 am at the Convention Center
We have a meeting tomorrow night to start planning and getting ready to sell tickets:
http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/4vmg2
And will then do further organizing at Happy Hour on the 17th
http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/4v95s
He's Coming!!!
I've heard a bit of confusion about voting in the primaries in Ohio. Some people are under the impression that you have to be registered as a Democrat to vote in the primaries, and that Independents cannot vote in the primaries.
This is not true, In OHIO. You have to be registered to vote, but being independent simply means you can vote in either the republican or the democratic primary, but not both.
I was previously misinformed on this and reregistered as a Democrat and then later found out it was false information. And I keep hearing the same misconception being passed around. The rules are different in each state.
So, Independents CAN vote in the PRIMARY in OHIO, as long as they are registered TO VOTE.
I"m so excited I am having difficulty containing myself. Saturdays table was sooo successful, and I'm sure that this fridays, and saturdays, and the 5K and all the next tables will be too! I can't wait until he comes to Columbus! He is such an awesomer speaker it will be unbelievable to hear and see him live! He continues to gain ground and new supporters, and I have no doubt that Senator Barack Obama will be our next President!! Wooohooooo!!
Okay. I have to get back to work now.
What a fun day we had today! We had a table set up in the Arena District next to Oktoberfest and had quite a bit of traffic and A LOT of VERY positive interest. We should be seeing some new faces at Happy Hour and other events, and hopefully we were able to recruit some runners for the Buckey Groups' 5K! The only negatives today were one man who made a comment about Baracks religion. Then a couple of little kids asked for Obama stickers and then said "go HIllary", but they were pretty cute! My husband, Rich, and I brought our two dogs down there and while we worked the table, they worked the crowd! They were quite adorable in their Obama logo kerchiefs! Hoping that more of you sign up for tables - they really are a lot of fun! The next table is this friday, 10/5 at Nationwide for the Columbus Blue Jackets Season opener. Check the events calendar for more info.
IF anybody has some time in the afternoon, come on down to Goodale Park for the Arts festival. We'll be meeting at noon in the parking lot on Dennison in our Obama Gear, and will be passing out flyers. This will be very casual with more time to talk to people.
For more info and directions, go to:
http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/organizing/4v9rm
Also hope to see everybody at Happy Hour for Obama on wednesday at the Buckeye Cafe!
Well the group wasn't as large as last time, but it was still fun. I arrived to find that we were unable to use the parking lot that we used last time and after driving around confused for a bit, paid $10.00 to park in a lot near the Fawcett Center. For the first half hour, I was by myself. Valli - thank you for the phone support! I still stood with my sign and smiled, but felt a little awkward. Then just as I was about to leave, a car went by with an Obama sign and a gentleman yelled "Where'd you park?". I found out later it was Patrick and Dianne . Since I thought others were coming, I stayed. While Dianne and Patrick didn't make it back - due to parking issues, Dan, Chris and Theresa from the OSU group showed up! YEAH! So thank you Dianne and Patrick for encouraging me to stay long enough til the others arrived. Even with the small number of us, it was still a lot of fun. We got lots of waves, a few honks, some positive and negative comments. Our success of the day was giving flyers to a young couple who had never heard of Barack Obama! We were also able to direct a young woman from Steubenville Ohio to the website, so she will be able to find groups in her area.
Next time, without the lot close to the corner, we need to work something out with car pooling or using shuttles.
Don't forget about the "Wave" tomorrow. If you haven't already done so, you can sign up at:
http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/generationobama/4vccm
If you haven't done this yet, it really is a lot of fun. The first time I went, all I could think on the way there was "I'm on my way to stand on a corner, with a bunch of people I've never met before, waving at people I don't know, while holding a big sign. AM I CRAZY?" Well it turned out to be a hoot! Mostly VERY positive responses! So if you've got an hour or two to spare, we'll be at the corner of Olentangy and Lane, on campus before the football game tomorrow.
Hope to see you there!
Several members of the Central Ohioans for Obama will be down at the Arts Festival at Goodale Park (Victorian Village) area passing out flyers. If you don't want to pass out flyers, please still come down and check out the festival, wearing your Obama gear, of course! Dogs are allowed at all Columbus City parks, but Goodale does not have an off-leash area. So get your dogs in their Obama gear and take them for a walk at the park!
The Central Ohioans for Obama are hosting several table and other events coming up soon, so please take a look at them and volunteer if you have the time. Even if you can't volunteer, but already had plans to attend the local events, please wear your Obama gear! In addition to the few that are posted, we are looking at setting up a table somewhere outside Oktoberfest, but would also like to have some people volunteer to work Oktoberfest. Inside the event, volunteers are allowed to wear their Obama gear, but are not allowed to pass out literature. This could be a lot of fun, will be a huge event, and you could still answer Obama questions and direct people to the information. As Oktoberfest has grown, this year they are moving the festival from German Village over to the Arena District. Please let me know soon if you would like to volunteer for Oktoberfest. Information on our table will be out soon.
Thanks!
Amy Rock
rockrich@sbcglobal.net
How badly do you want to replace Dubya with a Democratic president?
The first segment of the program will involve making phone calls to Democratic households to identify our supporters. These should be very easy phone calls since almost everyone will be a Democrat. Also, we need drivers interested in driving materials and absentee ballot request forms to interested voters.
Please call 614-224-1193 or email zachmanifold@fcdp.org if you are ready to help.
Kickoff Night
Monday, September 17, 2007
5:30 to 8:00 PM (or whatever you can give us)
Franklin County Democratic Party
271 East State Street, Columbus, OH 43215
Free food to those in attendance for the kickoff. Please RSVP!
We will be making calls every Monday and Wednesday until the end of the Early Vote Program.
Democratically yours,
Zach Manifold Executive Director Franklin County Democratic Party
What can you expect at a Central Ohio Happy Hour for Obama?
FUN. This optional icebreaker gives each person a paper with the following traits (Thanks, Brian Fulcher, for putting this together. This will change for each event.) The goal is to get signatures from people with each trait. The person with the most signatures wins something...anyone want to donate a prize? This is fun for everyone and you will get to know a lot of people that are dedicated to our Ohio effort.
find someone who...1. voted for John Kerry in 20042. voted for George W. Bush in 2004 or 2000 (maybe?)3. has campaigned in Iowa or New Hampshire4. can name the last 5 presidents and the years they held office5. was a Dean supporter in 20046. has been to camp obama7. has donated to the Barack Obama campaign8. can name the five freedoms in the first amendment of the bill of rights9. has seen Sicko10. has read an Al Franken book11. knows Mitt Romney's religion12. knows on which tv program Rudy Giuliani appeared in drag13. has dated a Republican14. was against the Iraq war from the start15. is from Chicago16. has ever voted for Dennis Kucinich17. knows which state Mike Gravel is from18. has ever been to Hawaii19. can name 5 supreme court justices20. knows how much John Edwards paid for a haircut
Tables. You can browse tables to see what we are up to, meet committee chairs and talk about our latest initatives. Want to take a road trip to Iowa? Are you ready to do a tabling event? Are you interested in ethnic outreach? Find out about all that and more. You can also buy bumper stickers, buttons and signs.
Food. Some people like to have dinner. Servers will be circulating to take your order from their regular menu. We'll have a really yummy Obama cake...chocolate.
Meeting. Do you just want to hear the basics? Come to the meeting at 7 PM. Find out what our plans are for the future. And...we expect to know more about Senator Obama's expected visit to Ohio by then and will fill you in on that as well.
The next Happy Hour is Wed Sept 26th at the Buckeye Hall of Fame Cafe (1421 Olentangy River Rd). To sign up: http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/4vddq
Come on out...we'd love to meet you...and we can use all the help we can get. Let's win Ohio for Senator Obama!
Obama won! Here's the link
Pictures from our last Happy Hour (sorry they are so dark.) This is a very active, fun group of people. Our Happy Hours are a great first step to get to know other Obama supporters and find out what's going on in the area. Join us for our next Happy Hour on Sept 26th at 5:30 PM with a short meeting at 7. It's at the Buckeye Hall of Fame Cafe. There will be get acquainted activities as our group is growing fast and we want to get to know you.Sign up here: http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/4vddq For more information, email centralohioansforobama@gmail.com
We has a very busy very successful tabling event in early August. We are gearing up to do more tabling events in this fall. If you are interested in helping out (we can use all the help we can get), you can email us at centralohioansforobama@gmail.com.
