This week the Campaign for Change held Early Vote Rallies across the state encouraging supports to skip the lines this Election Day by casting their ballots early.
Senator George Mitchell was on hand at many events across the Pine Street State to speak with voters about the importance of this election and how they could do their part to help the Obama-Biden ticket in the final days of the campaign. Hundreds of voters turned out to hear him speak before marching to the polls and casting their vote.
Candidates Tom Allen and Mike Michaud were also in attendence to speak with voters and help get out the vote in Maine.
If you would like to vote early, there is still time! Visit voteforchange.com or call 877-2-ME-OBAMA to learn more.
To sign-up to volunteer with the Campaign for Change, CLICK HERE.
The Campaign for Change is pleased to announce a series of events with Senator George Mitchell.
Find an event near you and join Campaign for Change staff and fellow supporters as we countdown to Election Day.
Early Vote for Change Rally, BangorMonday, October 27th at 1:30PMLearn more and RSVP
Early Vote for Change Rally, Presque IsleMonday, October 27th at 3:30PMLearn more and RSVP
Town Hall Meeting, Van BurenMonday, October 27th at 5:00PMLearn more and RSVP
Town Hall Meeting, MadawaskaMonday, October 27th at 7:00PMLearn more and RSVP
Early Vote for Change Breakfast, BelfastTuesday, October 28th at 9:00AMLearn more and RSVP
Early Vote for Change Rally, WatervilleTuesday, October 28th at 11:30AMLearn more and RSVP
Solutions for a Strong Economy Roundtable, SkowheganTuesday, October 28th at 12:30PMLearn more and RSVP
This email by Alan Konell was forwarded to me tonightI am reproducing it here to help worried Obamasupporters... Try this Obama Mantra....
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Here's a good approach.. This is such an obviousanswer ... Remember how powerful our thoughtsare!=======To all my friends who have had enough --I want to make two specific requests (discussionfollows):1) 3 times a day (more is better) I suggest yousay or just think to yourself "President Obama"and when you do to imagine it being true rightnow and feeling all the great feelings that gowith this thought.2) Please forward this email to all your friendswho you know for a fact are voting for Obama andwill be thrilled when he wins, encouraging themto send it on to their friends.Discussion:It dawned on me that many of us are getting caught in the fear orgy the Republicans love to createbecause most of their policies are based in fear.They even fail to recognize that the opposite offear is not hope but trust and expectation. Soeliminating fear requires practicing trust andexpectation.Fearing the Republicans is just more fear andfeeds their cause. They want us to be afraid,even if all we're afraid of is them. I don'texpect us to never experience fearful thoughts,but when we notice that we are would be a goodtime to think "President Obama" and experiencethe pleasure that this reality brings.When I first thought of this I anticipated thatsome, me included, would react with, "well justthinking about it won't do it. Way too'airy-fairy' What we need is to be in action."Interesting thought, but aligning our thoughtswith what we want never hurts and imagining whatwe want never precludes getting into action. Infact, imagining "President Obama" is more likelyto inspire those actions that will create thiswonderful outcome.Not to mention, if a whole bunch of us arefeeling good, instead of afraid, resigned andhelpless, then we will probably get a whole lotmore done. Practice this thought and notice thatit makes you feel good and certainly moreresourceful. The decision to send this email cameto me last night after deciding to practice thisthought myself yesterday. "President Obama"Aaaaah. Happy and relieved. Like taking off ashoe that's too tight (or in this case, maybe anoose).I did the math and if each of sends this to tenothers and only five send it on then in 13 roundsthis email will reach over 244 Million people.Probably less because of repeats. If we send itto more and let's say 10 send it on then in 9rounds 1 Billion emails will be sent. Staggeringand no-one is asking you to send any moneyanywhere or informing you that you have inheritedmoney from a long lost relative.When I first heard Barak Obama speak in 2004 atthe convention, I thought 'This man could bePresident someday." I like many others areinspired by him and know that behind his inspiring words is a strong, thoughtful and courageousintelligence. Let's join together to make"President Obama" (Aaaaaah) a reality by imagining together that it already is. Thanks for yourhelp.Alan Konell, M.S.W.
"Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we". George Bush - Washington, DC; August 5, 2004.
How true, George! You and your party have been very resourceful and successful in harming our country. I don't think we can afford to follow up with 4-8 years of a McCain administration.
"They want the federal government controlling Social Security like it's some kind of federal program."
Yup, you guessed it....G.W. in St. Charles, MO; November 2, 2000
We elected America's brightest and best, I guess. :-)
Let's get out and change the embarassment to pride again!
Shucks!! This'll probably get me put on the 'no fly' list next to Cat Stevens. Oh well, can't afford a ticket these days anyway. Anyway, 'hi', y'all. Hope to meet you somewhere along the way.
I want to live in webkinz world. This is a virtual world where my children "play" with their virtual pets.
My children just told me that in webkinz world: you don't need gas for your car, the price of food never goes up, it doesn't cost anything to go the doctor (unless you need medicine), you can buy a piece of property for less than $1000, and your first home is free. This is an unsophisticated land free of war and strife.
HRC had everything going for her in Pennsylvania, a state she has strong ties to, and she still only came out LESS than 10 points ahead of Barack. HRC garnered 1,260,444 votes to Barack's 1,046,220 for a difference of 214,224 votes. This is a lead of 9.2871% NOT 10%. Any other calculation is just "fuzzy math"
Thank you to all of the volunteers and supporters and the people of Pennsylvania who realize that Barack is the best choice!
To be reminded of how important it is that Barack Obama is chosen as our next President, all I need to do is: go to the grocery store, or pay my bills, or take my children to the doctor, or hear news about the war, or go to gas pump, or...... all I need to do is live my life.
Apathy, cynicism, and a not speaking up for what is right are what got us where we are today.
Barack Obama's message of hope and his ability to remind us that we can effect change are the tools to help solve the problems we face.
Apathy is not an option!
I found an a cappella version of "Yes We Can", the song inspired by Obama in South Carolina. It is done by a group of young high school students who are so inspired by Barack Obama that they chose to sing about it. It is really beautiful and hopeful and proof that all types of people are listening to Obama's message. Take a minute and listen to these kids! They are our future and they are amazing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l07COcgwmXU
If anyone had any doubts about Barack Obama's ability to unite a nation, I hope it was cleared up for them during the speech he gave this morning. When it comes to peace, social justice and equality, Barack Obama shines. He is a natural leader and a captivivating speaker, with so much passion and sincerity it makes me wonder how I ever listened to presidential candidates before him. The honesty with which he spoke is not only refreshing, but ground breaking in politics. The issue of race has long been ignored and as a result, we haven't actually gotten very far beyond it. To address it directly, as a man who came from a black father and a white mother, was very brave and very neccessary if we are to really make a difference this time around. Thank you, Barack Obama. Thank you for affirming the reasons I became a democrat in the first place and thank you for reminding me that compassion and hope, patience and understanding are not far from our collective reach.
I woke up with a terrible headache this morning. I wonder if this grinding headache is due in part (or in entirety) to the events of the last week.
I've spent a good amount of my time since Tuesday night trying to assuage the feeling of "dashed hopes" amongst those I know. And I've tried to lay off reading and watching the news media, because it makes me angrier than is good for me.
I continue to read everything that's on the Atlantic Monthly website, and I highly suggest others do the same. Yglesias, Ambinder and Sullivan are all good counter against the bias and near-hysteria of the mainstream media.
I have suggested here, with some negative feedback from my fellow of Obama supporters, that we are affected by the news media coverage in insidious ways. I suggest that we pull back some from accepting what we hear. It is very discouraging.
Let me remind you (and myself) that the news media thrives on conflict. It also presents a terribly distorted picture of what reality is. In fact, "reality" can sometimes be missing in its entirety.
Reality is missing, most certainly, from Ms.Clinton's campaign. She did not have a HUGE victory on Tuesday. She says that Obama's gotten a pass from the media. What about the pass she's getting right now? Tuesday nght, we see pictures from her campaign: a triumphant Clinton surrounded by confetti.
After 11 straight wins from Obama, did we indulge in confetti and crowing? No. Obama, the one who is supposed to be the "dreamer, flake, man of little substance" (pick your disparaging word from the media/clinton's arsenal) did NOT declare a resounding victory, throw confetti around and basically say this thing is a wrap. He/we didn't project the air of inevitability that Clinton has consistently portrayed (with her 11 straight losses being merely a blip caused by the "insanity" of the "barackomaniac cult"). If we had thrown confetti, can you imagine what negative repercussions that would have had in the media? No, we didn't do this, and rightly so, for the race was never over. Add to that her total lack of even the most common decency. She stopped congratulating Obama on his wins. It seems a small thing, but it was so telling of her basic mean spiritedness. I tried not to be too bothered by this, but it showed something awful about her character, but I wasn't complaining, for he was winning. Perhaps, in retrospect, we should have been pointing this kind of behavior out a bit more. But hindsight is always 20/20. Anyway, I digress.
You may think "oh, she's going on and on about confetti", but this confetti is a metaphor, though it certainly was the real stuff, of this campaign season. Clinton continues to skew reality or disregard it entirely and the media says very little about it. Was her victory on Tuesday night so decisive? No. Obama is still ahead. And no matter how deftly one spins the math of the delegate count, she can not win the nomination with regular delegates, even if she wins every single contest to come. Interestingly, when the media mentions this, they do so while projecting her the winner in every single contest, as if this suddenly now seems the probable outcome. How is winning (barely) Texas and Ohio the basis for projecting her the winner from here on out? This kind of analysis is rather like the confetti - unwarranted and premature.
I sense, and please correct me if I'm wrong, a feeling of demoralization from many of my fellow Obama supporters. Going up against the Clinton machine is very, very tough. Can we do it? Yes, we can! Will it be easy? No, it won't.
I hope Obama takes the high road, but frankly, we don't have to. Nor should the high road include not pointing out the non-reality of statements and perceptions put out by the Clinton campaign. We don't have to fight dirty to fight back.
When Clinton keeps saying she AND McCain have better national security experience than Obama it makes my blood boil. One day (and it seems so long ago) she's throwing a fit over Obama's mailers, saying "Shame on you, Barack Obama!" and self-righteously going into how wrong it is for one Democrat to denounce another in a way that gives the Republicans ammunition. She's doing just that right now, every day, many times a day, and it's just plain disgusting.
I came into this campaign with a grudging admiration of Senator Clinton. If Obama didn't win the nomination, I would have voted for her, not very happily, but I would have. Now, I'm wondering if she is so different than John McCain. I wonder if can do the usual "hold my nose while voting" thing that i've been doing for years, and wonder if when push comes to shove, I might just sit it out. Oh, Ms. Clinton: how many highly motivated voters have you reduced to this conclusion? In your own words: "Shame on you!" She accuses Obama of "Ken Starr" tactics because he thinks she should release her tax returns. Again and again, she has shown she'll stop at nothing to win. Is this what a politician who cares about the future of our country does? Is this what a politician who cares about the voters does? Do her campaign tactics do anything to bring people together? NO. They all show a candidate who cares only about one thing: winning. She plays on peoples' fears, fears about our enemies, inchoate racial fears, class-based fear. . You name it. Fear is one thing we've had quite enough of, thank you very much.
In closing, I've backed off my saying my worst thoughts and feelings (believe it or not). I just want to remind all of us: it's not over. We must continue talking and keeping not only our hopes up but our awareness up, so we can counter all the misinformation that is dominating the print media and airwaves. See it for what it is: bullshit.
And I apologize for this not being a "positive" post. However, I feel very strongly that it is time to speak out against misinformation. And I feel even more strongly that sometimes anger (without violence) is essential. This is called "speaking truth to power". I urge all of you: Speak up! Speak out!
I don't know whether to describe how I feel this morning as anticipation or anxiety. I suppose it is a mixture of both. After having felt very discouraged about Clinton's negative tactics and blown away by the sudden change in the media, I have braced my heart against it. Senator Obama has run a campaign he can be proud of, filled with optimism and good judgement. I am proud to be a part of such a great and refreshing movement. Only time can tell now.
There is something to be said for fighting the good fight. I hope Americans will repond to that message rather than vote out of fear. All we can do is hope today, hope for our candidate, hope for our country, for our planet, for our children. After all, hope really is what has gotten us this far.
When George W. Bush was first elected I couldn't believe it. I think I walked around in a daze for the first couple of days, trying to convince my heart that recounts would prove that Al Gore had actually pulled it off. It didn't happen and the reality of it all sunk in. I remember watching a segment on him on one of those news shows and he was on his ranch wearing a cowboy hat and boots, with a chain saw and a goofy grin and I remember thinking, "Hey, it's only four years. Look at the guy, he's too goofy to do any damage." Boy was I wrong...but that didn't stop the country from liking him those first four years.
That's the dangerous thing about John McCain. He is likeable. He is funny, he is soft spoken and thoughtful at times, he is very moderate, he seems to care some about the environment and on top of it all, he's a freaking war hero! Who better to lead our country during times of war? Being likeable is important. We see this every day because Barack Obama possesses that same quality. The difference is, there is no dangerous undertone in the message of Barack Obama. John McCain's failure to admit the need to get out of Iraq goes much further than stubborn pride. He really believes in this war! He supported it from the start and he continues to support it. Not only that, but he had also stated that he didn't care how many years we remain in Iraq, he is committed to staying for however long it takes to get the job done. What does that even mean? When will "the job" ever be done? What exactly spells success in Iraq? A rising and tragic death toll for hundreds of thousands of innocent people in Iraq? Straining even more relationships across the globe? Shipping more of our young men and women home in wooden boxes? Spending even more money on death, rather than on education for our children, food for our hungry, investing in alternative forms of energy, building the sad and ignored city of New Orleans or saving our planet?
John McCain is likeable. He is likeable and dangerous. Are people forgetting that some of the reasons W's approval rating is in the 20th percentile is because he failed at the same ideas McCain wishes to continue? Enough is enough.
I believe that one of the most important endorsments we can receive is that of Senator John Edwards. John Edwards supporters are often as loyal and passionate about him as we are about Barack Obama. It is urgent that we contact Senator Edwards and tell him how we feel about Barack Obama! One of the most important messages I think Edwards can receive is that Barack Obama is the candidate who most closely shares his passion for people and his to plans to fight poverty.
You can call Senator Edwards at (919) 636-3131 and leave a message with the operator at the switch board who is keeping track of who people would like him to endorse.
telephone - (919) 636-3131
fax - (919) 967-3644
OR WRITE TO HIM:
410 Market Street, Suite 400, Chapel Hill NC 27516
Please take the time to contact him. It only takes a minute to call and it is very important.
I just watched Hillary Clinton's "Shame on you, Barack Obama" rant and quite frankly I wasn't even surprised by it. If I had listened to it a week ago, I would have been outraged and disgusted, but I have recently come to terms with my disapointment in Hillary Clinton and I instead took it for what it is worth. Desperate times call for desperate measures, right? This is a woman so fond of conflict, that if there isn't a fight to be fought, she will create one. Her accusations come from such a place of anger and stubborn pride, that I really almost felt sorry for her.
Barack Obama's message is so positive and simply honest, that it makes Hillary's angry war cries seem almost foolish. I guess the Clinton campaign has decided that negative attention is better than not receiving any attention at all.
The question is, when Hillary Clinton criticizes Barack Obama supporters, and they make up a significant part of the democratic party, will they still come out and vote for her if she is the candidate come this November? I'm not sure what my own answer is to that question at this point.
I was asked to post this, but not name names. Evidentally, one can get in trouble for "talking out of school", or something.
AT A RURAL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL:
Because of it being President's Day, the K-1 kids were asked "Who is the president of the United States?" They started shouting out names:
WASHINGTON!
No, he was the first president.
LINCOLN!
No, he was the president during the civil war. The one who helped free the slaves.
BARACK OBAMA!
At that point, the teachers both cracked up. No, Barack Obama is not the president of the United States, she said. George W. Bush is.
I asked my "informant": Did any of the kids yell out Hillary Clinton?
"Are you kidding?" was the answer.
I'm trying to analyze this beyond it just being a refreshing and funny story: This happened, as I said, in a VERY RURAL community. According to all those demographics, these kids' parents should be supporting Hillary Clinton. They're all white and I seriously doubt anyone makes over 50K a year. Sure, these kids are VERY young, but what are they hearing?
A nice antidote to Ferraro's terrible (self-admitting) cynical piece in the NYTimes today!!!
That's it, I've had it! As much as I have tried to hold onto the shred of respect I had for Hillary Clinton, I just can't do it anymore. She thinks that we are Obama supporters because we are under some sort of spell he has cast. SHE JUST DOESN'T GET IT!!! Her constant negativity, her constant accusations and manipulations of his words and his record are deceitful. Doesn't she realize that by alienating his supporters that she is dividing instead of uniting?
I do not support Barack Obama because I am blind and uniformed and building my castles in the clouds, but until now I was a blind supporter of the democratic party. This is the first time I have had my eyes wide open when it comes to politics. Barack Obama has made me realize that this country has the potential to do great things and create positive relationships throughout the world.
Hillary Clinton is so desperate to hold onto something that she thinks is owed to her, that it has brought out all of the characteristics in her I did not want to believe existed.
We are not Obama groupies, thank you very much. We are informed, voting citizens of a country that desperatley wants to be great again.
Michelle Obama is at it again - she is speaking her mind and showing this country her true personality. Mrs. Obama said the other day that she is proud of her country for the first time and she has been criticized for this ever since. Don't the critics realize that she feels the same way that many Americans do now and that is why people are turning out to the polls in record numbers? She is proud of the youth vote, she is proud of all types of people standing together for a common cause in a country that has very much been divided for many years. The truth is, I haven't been proud of my country in a very long time either, if ever. I was discouraged when we went to Iraq the first time and ashamed when we went the second time. I am ashamed of our consumption, of our need for material things, of the huge divide between the wealthy, the middle class and the poor. The list goes on and on and I was so relieved that somebody finally admitted it. For years we have been told that if you do not support this war then you are unpatriotic, if you do not support the goals of this government then you are not a good American. Michelle Obama only stated what so many of us all feel, but were afraid to say.
This is the kind of woman I want to see in the White House. This is the kind of woman I want to be a role model for my children. I want a first lady with as much passion for change as her husband. I want a first lady who can be an inspirational and vocal woman, one who is not a political tool, one who will stand up for what she believes, not believe what she is told to. Barack Obama is a very special man who is so fortunate to have such a strong woman beside him. That's the difference. Michelle Obama does not stand behind her husband, she stands beside him.
