The election is over, but the work is just beginning. I don't know about you, but I didn't support this campaign simply because I thought it would be cool to help someone get elected. I supported this campaign because of my concerns for the erosion of our civil rights, the human rights abuses that have been committed in our name, the unprecednted use of pre-emptive war and the dangerous attempt at grabbing unitary power for the President of the United States. All of these things undermine a healthy democracy and the generation of a peaceful planet.
The question is: "what can I do now?"
OBAMA Visibility Event in Framingham.
STAND FOR CHANGE
WHEN: THURSDAY 10/23
TIME: 4:00PM
WHERE: FARMER'S MARKET
Edgell Rd. along the Framingham Common.
PLEASE call MARINA at 508-405-0176
NOTE: THIS EVENT WILL NOT TAKE PLACE WITHOUT YOUR SUPPORT!
I'd like to see the Obama campaign turn the Ayers story into one that fits the message of this campaign: The audiacity of hope. They could do so with statement such as this:
1%, or 1 vote out of 100There have been 12 Presidential elections that were decided by less than a 1% margin; meaning if less than 1% of the voters in certain states had changed their mind to the other candidate the outcome of the entire election would have been different. More than half were decided by less than a 2% margin.
In 2004, 57,787 votes would have given us President Kerry.In 2000, 269 votes would have given us President GoreIn 1996, 575,515 votes would have given us President Dole.
From ABC News:
http://blogs.abcnews.com/scienceandsociety/2008/09/squeakers.html
=========="Squeakers"Ned PotterABC NewsSeptember 29, 2008How close have Presidential elections been? Closer, perhaps, than we ever guessed. Mike Sheppard, a grad student in statistics at Michigan State, has done a mathematical exercise that shows it.He ran a computer program to answer this question: "What is the smallest number of total votes that need to be switched from one candidate to another, and from which states, to affect the outcome of the election?"The answer: in some years, very, very few. Take a look at his analysis HERE. It shows the powerful interaction between the popular vote and the electoral college.[...]==========
Full article here:http://blogs.abcnews.com/scienceandsociety/2008/09/squeakers.html
Detailed analysis here, including colored maps:https://www.msu.edu/~sheppa28/elections.html-Mike Sheppard
Dear Obama Supporters and Friends:
Many thanks to all who attended Obama House Parties on Saturday 9/13/08. There were over 60 going on at the same time just in Massachusetts! It was a great time to connect and get re-energized. At the Beverly, MA house party we connected and re-connected with new and old friends and talked about next steps locally. With less than 50 days until the election there is a lot to do.
Some specific suggestions are:
1) Canvass in NH2) Donate to the Campaign3) Volunteer to work in and/or fund a Beverly Obama Headquarters4) Make phone calls from home to Massachusetts or New Hampshire5) Register people to vote and get those registrations in prior to the deadline. Click here for details on registering to vote: http://www.sec.state.ma.us/ele/eleifv/howreg.htm6) Wear Obama gear and put Obama signs in your yard.7) Stay focused: Obama is running against McCain! We don't need to give her any more atention or feed the media frenzy.8) Write letters to the editors of local and national papers about why Obama represents your concerns.9) Get involved in Election Protection! If you are a lawyer, sign up for 'Counsel for Change' to help defend the integrity of this election at:http://my.barackobama.com/counselforchange
If you are not a lawyer, sign up for the Voter Protection program:http://my.barackobama.com/page/s/vpcvol2
10) Be informed!
When you are talking about Obama - its best to be informed. In this way we can debunk the myths about him and also educate the undecided about his plans and policies. To that end, here are links to 6 articles that you may find informative! Remember, you are the change you've been waiting for - so let's get out the vote for Barack Obama!
Best Wishes!
1) McCain and surrogates were planning to use illegal measures to prevent people from voting in Michigan until Obama filed a lawsuit to stop them:http://www.michiganmessenger.com/4463/obama-campaign-files-suit-over-foreclosure-lists
2)McCain pushed a woman in a wheelchair. Is this the type of person we want in the White House? http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/07/report-mccain-pushed-woma_n_124615.html
3) Palin is almost as bad at economics as McCain - and even more out of touch with America:http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/08/palin-makes-her-first-gaf_n_124792.html
4) Can Fox out race-bait itself?http://www.huffingtonpost.com/adam-green/was-i-wrong-about-fox_b_124909.html
5) Aren't the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq enough? McCain wants more warshttp://www.tellingthoughts.com/us-politics/taking-control-of-the-agenda
6) McCain's claims of being a reformer are categorically false:http://www.huffingtonpost.com/propublica/mccains-record-contrasts_b_126866.html
So, hundreds of thousands of voters are being purged from their state's voter rolls, as we speak
Here's a synopsis from a member of DailyKos:
Colorado dumped ONE FIFTH of all voter registrations -- the largest in historyFlorida is refusing to accept 85,000 new registrants -- overwhelmingly blacks.New Mexico: purged half of the democrats in Mora county (Hispanics) and 600.000 mailers were returnedOhio & Nevada are scrubbing tens of 1000s of voters who lost their homes to foreclosures (Kerry lost by a mere 10-votes per district in Ohio)
Colorado dumped ONE FIFTH of all voter registrations -- the largest in history
Florida is refusing to accept 85,000 new registrants -- overwhelmingly blacks.
New Mexico: purged half of the democrats in Mora county (Hispanics) and 600.000 mailers were returned
Ohio & Nevada are scrubbing tens of 1000s of voters who lost their homes to foreclosures (Kerry lost by a mere 10-votes per district in Ohio)
Home ownership is not a requirement for voting rights. That would be a poll tax. This is one of the dirty tricks used by the Republicans lately. We don't have to sit back and wait for the feelin of destitution as we watch people examining hanging chads.
We can be proactive, can't we? Some ideas about that.....
I am quite delighted with McCain's veep pick.
Ultra-right Mayor of a town of 7000. Governor of a state of Alaska - population less than metro Boston.
Hopefully, those fringe Clinton women have by now woken up and smelled the garbage. And realized that even though McCain's veep is a woman, she does not stand for anything Hillary Clinton did. I voted for Hillary in the Primaries, but have long since moved on to Obama.
She worked to finish her conference (or whatever it was) even though she was in labor. Then went ahead and had a baby. And was back to work in three days. So women, forget FMLA. Get back to work. You do not need any time off after delivery.Gives a new meaning to drive-thru delivery.
So the McCain vip is chosen. And the choice is a surprise, to say the least!
One must assume he is trying to fight for the Clinton vote by choosing a woman. Still, I can hardly think this is a woman Hillary supporters have much in common with. I can imagine the fierceness with which she would have opposed Hillary for president. Not much of a feminist, pro-choice liberal in this woman.
I think McCain has achieved to make the contrast between the two tickets as great as it could possibly be with his choice. .
Now the question begging to be answered is.... is it truly his choice? I have heard he had really wanted to have Lieberman for a running-mate. Has McCain become a victim of the Rove machine to the point that he is no longer able to fight as the politician he is at heart? That would make this nomination make some sense to me.I have hard time recognizing the man I used to think was a levelheaded and moderate Republican. I think Kerry hit the nail on the head when he asked the Senator to have a debate with the Candidate McCain and decide which one he is..
The fact that he has chosen someone so far on the right will at hopefully make the choice clear to the general public.
Thank you Hillary, for a compelling convention speech!
I'd love to see her in the cabinet!
I was reminded today of McCains promise to run a clean campaign. I would love to see a TV ad with footage his selfrighteous boasts contrasted with media comments on his swiftboting tactics....and the punch line:
He can dish out the dirt, but is he ready to lead
I have recently seen McCain's ad where his message is: Obama will raise your taxes, but he is still not ready to lead. I have looked at Obama's tax plan and all but the wealthiest will receive a tax cut under Obama...for most a higher tax cut than under McCain.
I would like to see a commercial where Warren Buffet's view on taxing the very rich is aired. By making Bush's tax cuts permanent some very rich Americans will benefit, such as John Mccain and Dick Cheney.
By implementing Obama's tax policy the rest of us will be better off.
Go Obama
Obama chose Biden for a co-player in his presidential race. A seasoned foreign policy politician. A mature and respected man, who brings to the ticket balance to younger leader.
Now, according to the Boston Globe, critics say the choice of Biden highlights Obama's weakness when it comes to international politics.
I beg to differ. We just saw Obama travel to the Middle East and Europe. We saw him interact with world leaders with dignity, receiving a respect we have never seen in the past 7 years. I expect to see Obama emerge as one of the great world leaders when he is in office. He has a perspective on international politics that is rare in an American leader, having a parent from Africa and having lived in Indonesia. The reason I decided to campaign for Obama in my little way was that I was so overjoyed to see a person who would break the tradition of cowboy politics. The fact that he is already signaling that he is planning to engage the most experienced and seasoned advisers is just another proof what a mature leader he is. We have seen what comes from a leader who relies on his gut and his friends to make decisions. It is amazing how pundits and critics are able to turn every action into a faux pas of some sort.
I've met people here I would never get to meet in my everyday life.
I set up my page the day Senator Obama announced he was running, set up a fundraising page, loaded 60 names from my address book and watched the page crash.
I've mainly been raising money the old fashioned way, and haven't devoted a lot of time to the website.
In the process of working on an event on Martha's Vineyard, MA, I returned to the website.
This campaign provides a fabulous oportunity to connect with people from all parts of the country, and with all kinds of views on the future of our country and on what is important in life.
I"m a middle-aged, Northeastern, secular professional who believes in feminism, a single payer universal access health care system and freedom to marry regardless of sexual orientation.
I believe that in a decent society, risk is shared among the entire population so that a family isn't financially destroyed by having a member with a serious illness or special needs.
Where else am I going to meet religious Southerners with whom I share a common objective (electing Barack Obama) and who are willing to talk to me?
Most people I know are searching for "diversity".
The Obama campaign is an incredible network!
