Greetings fellow Obama Supporters!
I trust that you are all doing well, and that you continue to support PRESIDENT OBAMA in his efforts to deliver on the promises he made during the 2008 Campaign. For the latest examples, have a look at an outstanding example of transparency just released today: Data.gov. This and other resources are always available on the the White House website.
On this topic of transparency in our government, I'm sure you've heard about the new legislation passed by Congress to improve fairness for consumers with respect to Credit Card providers. I hope you are also aware that the NRA and their political bloc managed to insert an addendum to this bill that has absolutely NOTHING to do with consumer lending practices. The addendum was to reverse a previous legal statute that prohibits carrying concealed weapons within our National Parks.
THIS is an outrageous example of the same OLD political process, concealing the work of special interests and hijacking the legislative process to achieve a goal that would not be achievable in an "open" process. Our democratic process will only survive if we take an active role in OUR government. WE must hold our legislators accountable to be sure that our representative government is truly representing US!
Much has been written and said about the risk of the "The Bradley Effect" having a significant influence on the outcome of the 2008 election for US President. This phenomenon was named for Tom Bradley, the African-American politician running for governor who ended up losing after having a huge lead in the polls.
There is, however, an alternative point of view regarding the privacy of a voting booth - and that is the potential in the 2008 election that those who do not publicly support Barack Obama may in fact vote for him when marking their ballots this year. This may come to be known as "The Obama Effect."
I'm sure we will all be there tonight, with McSame or without McSame. So here is the challenge:
Bring two completed registration forms and receive a free bumper sticker. Bring 5 completed forms and receive a yard sign.
The person with the most completed forms will receive a bumper sticker, yard sign and a special "Stacey" button.
I just received this from Corey Berger, and I thought I'd share it with all of you.
Below is the letter to the editor I just sent to the AJC in response to Jim Wooten's article in Sunday's paper: "Jim, I have a simple request. Instead of writing an article every week talking about how Obama is going to lose, why don't you write an article illustrating the differences between McCain and Bush. If McCain is everything you think he is, you should have no trouble filling your editorial space in the Sunday paper with those differences. Any space you can't use should go to an extra Luckovich cartoon. Deal? Let's make the election about the issues, not about personality. The American people will be better for it!" Article link is: http://www.ajc.com/opinion/content/shared-blogs/ajc/thinkingright/entries/2008/09/12/panic_sets_in_for_obama_democr.html We need to do more of this. Make the election about the issues. Then we win! Pass it on, make people think. I spent almost 4 hours last night outside the Regal Cinema by Perimeter Mall trying to register voters and get people to support Obama. Not necessarily a hotbed of Obama supporters. I didn't get a lot of registrations, and I'm not sure they'll all vote for Obama, but I did collect a number of email addresses and phone numbers of people who are either looking to volunteer or undecided and just want to learn more about the issues. I had a lot of good conversations, especially with the undecideds. Who are they? People who haven't paid a lot of attention to the race. (Tough for us to understand who live and breath this stuff, but they are out there.) Everyone I talked to, even those who were leaning McCain, when I asked "Are you interested in knowing why I'm voting for Obama" said "Yes" without hesitation. And they listened. They wanted to know more. Some had misconceptions about Obama or McCain (and especially Palin), and I'm not sure I convinced them what I was saying was the truth, but they wanted to know more. What's my point: "ENGAGE PEOPLE"! People recognize this is an important election (even though they say that every election cycle), and they want to learn more, but in some cases don't know how. One request I got was to send 2 undecided voters the date of the debates, since they weren't sure when they were. It's the little things that will matter in this election. Reach out to people. Talk to people. Understand their concerns. Then tell them the difference between McCain and Obama. DO NOT LIE! DO NOT EVEN STRETCH THE TRUTH! Don't say "McCain is opposed to stem cell research" if that topic come up. It's not true, and you'll lose credibility. Obama is on the right side of so many issues that the American people care about that giving kudos to McCain where he deserves them will STILL convince people to vote for Obama. It shows integrity, and that is something people want from the President. I could say more, but you get the point. This election is far from over. As much as the polls show a dead heat, a lot of people are still undecided, and McCain's support could drop. NOW is the time to engage people. As a closing thought, if someone enters the polling booth on November 4th and is still undecided, you want the last thought in their head before they cast their vote to be "You know, someone from the Obama campaign actually asked for my vote. Noone from the McCain campaign did."
Corey Berger
The distortions and lies sent out in the opponent campaign have been so blunt that the discussion has reached the front pages of the NYTimes:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/13/us/politics/13mccain.html
Then, it seems that there is very little about Ms. Palin coming from her campaign that the public can rely on:
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/09/13/report_palin_did_not_visit_ira.html
The people have the right to receive the real facts, and we need to help this happen...Check out the links above and the following ones:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/13/opinion/13herbert.html
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/09/12/doctrine-not-received/
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/09/12/palin-meets-the-media/
--Stella
This will make it clear how urgent this is...
http://www.barackobama.com/flash/countdown.swf RESPECT - EMPOWER - INCLUDE
Watching the RNC convention, with the huge screen behind the speakers, was like watching the scene of your death in Soylent Green.
Understand that I am an Independent and after watching both conventions I feel very alienated by the party which seeks to "unite" the people of the USA. I did not feel that way after the DNC convention.
Are you kidding me?!
This is a *blatant* attempt by Karl Rove to capture the disaffected Hilary Clinton primary voters, and this time I believe he's reached too far.
I really, really hope that these voters are intelligent enough to recognize this for what it is - pandering to "steal" anothe relection. We must help them - so how can we do that? Please respond with your ideas...
DENVER -- John McCain has selected Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin to be his vice presidential running mate, according to the McCain campaign, a surprise pick sure to shake up the race and reinforce the idea of the Arizona senator as a reformer.
The news that Palin, the mayor of a small town in Alaska just two years ago, was the pick came after CNN reported that a private plane had traveled from the Last Frontier to Dayton, Ohio where McCain is set to unveil his vice presidential pick later today. The Palin news came after the two supposed frontrunners -- Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney -- each confirmed he would not be traveling to Dayton today.
In picking Palin, McCain is taking a calculated risk. She is totally unknown and untested on the national stage but also has impressive credentials in her short time in public life.
Of Palin, former White House political svengali Karl Rove said this morning on Fox News Channel: "It would be a clear sign from the McCain campaign that they were going to be making a very strong bid for the women whom they see up for grabs -- both the traditional, swing independent suburbanites and then the Hillary Clinton supporters who remain disillusioned."
In the best case scenario, Karl Rove will have "directed" his last election - and we will win in November in a landslide.
YES...we can!!
_ James
Most famously stated by Thomas "Tip" O'Neill, a longtime Speaker of the House in the U.S. Congress...
"All politics is local."
As we near Election Day 2008, all of us have an obligation to get involved in the political process if we expect to have an influence on the outcome. I am proud to report that I've recently joined a local group to advocate for Obama/Biden in John's Creek and Roswell, Ga.
We met for the first time on Thursday, the 20th of August and by Saturday the 22nd of August a group of us had assembled to register voters and engage citizens during a local youth football jamboree.
Enduring the harsh stares of a mostly Republican population, we were thrilled to be approached by other Obama supporters who were somewhat surprised but very happy that we were there - in a visible way. Throughout the day, we registered (5) new voters and obtained address updates for (4) others, while capturing (2) new volunteers for the Obama campaign.
What a great day!_ James
Another timely piece on the foundations of transformational leadership...
The Leader and the Moment
The brief editorial describes how Abraham Lincoln, an "inexperienced" congressman from Illinois, became one of the greatest leaders our nation has ever known.
Enjoy!
In a (mostly) light-hearted article appearing in today's NY Times the authors offer a few details regarding Barack Obama's legislative efforts during his first term.
ALL OF US who support Barack Obama for President must share these details in response to the question "What has he really accomplished?" so that we can overcome this objection that threatens to derail his candidacy. Hillary Clinton will amplify this question in the Democratic Race, and John McCain will most certainly echo the question in the general election.
In brief, please be prepared to share the following details with those who question his preparedness:
> As a member of the Foreign Relations Committee, Barack Obama joined with senior Republican colleague Richard G. Lugar to visit Russia and other nuclear states to assess the security of nuclear weapons - and later to pass legislation to reduce stockpiles of conventional weapons.
"(Senator Obama) sought out senior colleagues, traveling to Russia with Senator Richard G. Lugar, Republican of Indiana, an advocate of nuclear disarmament."
> Senator Obama joined with Republican Senator Tom Coburn to oversee the development of a publicly accessible and *searchable* database that allows citizens to track government spending - and thus spotlight the pork-barrel spending secured by members of Congress.
" He worked with Senator Tom Coburn, Republican of Oklahoma and one of the most conservative in the chamber, to establish a public database to examine government spending after Hurricane Katrina."
> Finally, Barack Obama showed "real guts" by joining Senator Russ Feingold to propose *and* pass legislation designed to curb the influence of special interests in Washington through meaningful ethics reform.
"His most important accomplishment was his push for ethics reform. Party leaders named him their point person in 2006, and when the Democrats assumed the majority in Congress in January 2007, Mr. Obama and Mr. Feingold, a longtime Democratic proponent of ethics reform, proposed curtailing meals and gifts from lobbyists, restricting the use of corporate planes and requiring lobbyists who bundle donations to disclose individual donors."
The full article appears in The New York Times for Sunday March 9, 2008:
U.S. / POLITICS | March 9, 2008 The Long Run: Obama in Senate: Star Power, Minor Role By KATE ZERNIKE and JEFF ZELENY In Barack Obama’s time in the Senate, there are two competing elements: his celebrity and the realities of the job he was elected to do.
Yes - it is possible to have both!
Many of the greatest leaders in history have displayed exceptional speaking (and writing) abilities - while also demonstrating courage, conviction and character during extraordinary times.
Winston Churchill and Abraham Lincoln are two such leaders, each of whom defied their critics to rise and meet the extraordinary challenges facing their nation. The challenges currently facing our nation, and our world, demand such leadership.
It is my sincere belief that Barack Obama will rise to these challenges - yet I hear from some friends who remain undecided that they are not sure he has depth and substance that is equal to his rhetoric. Really?!
Each of us must confront such "seeds of doubt" being planted by the Clinton campaign, soon to be nurtured by John McCain. Please choose your own example of why you believe that Barack Obama is well-prepared to lead our nation - and share that with those around you who need assurances.
For example, I believe his book The Audacity of Hope reveals to us the deeply held beliefs which provide the foundation for Barack Obama's political and social philosophy. Adhering to the core principles of our founders, he has consistently demonstrated that government OF the people, BY the people, and FOR the people remains an attainable ideal.
What reason(s) will you offer?
