I am so happy to write my first blog post! I really appreciate the awesome Obama Biden leadership, the campaign team and this fabulous website! Congratulations and thank you so much! This is a wonderful way to share and connect!
By way of a little background, my heritage is Asian American from Hawaii. I graduated from Columbia University in New York, majored in economics. I love Washington D.C. I have been in D.C. since I came to complete my Masters and Ph.D. majoring in economics and international relations from GWU. My passion is achieving human potential and promoting community service and social entrepreneurship. I love making new contacts and developing new win-win-win relationships.
I look forward to meeting you at the free monthly networking community events that I help to organize as president of Allies Building Community Inc. (A.B.C.) so people of diverse backgrounds can regularly come together to network, bond, know and appreciate each other as fellow members of the human family! This is a good way to introduce friends and allies to each other to start conversations for possibilities. I look forward to meeting you at one of these meetings. The next one is on Sunday, Feb. 15, 2009.
On the third Sundays of every month in 2009, from 12:30PM to 2:30PM, our Meetup Alliance for Networking comes together to explore opportunities for community service, to make new contacts, exchange ideas, develop new friendships and build community spirit! We have networking conversations over lunch (self-pay) at the Burma Restaurant, 740 6th St. NW 2nd Floor, Wash. DC 20001. This is about one block from the Gallery Place/Chinatown Metro station (red, green, yellow lines). (We chose the Burma Restaurant because they have good food, are near the Chinatown Metro stop, and they give us the entire restaurant for our regular monthly event.)
A little more background: A.B.C. (Allies Building Community), its friends and associates, were instrumental in the creation The Friendship Archway bringing together Wash. D.C. and Beijing as "Sister Cities". Located next to the Gallery Place/Chinatown Metro station at 7th and H Streets NW, DC., it is the widest single span Chinese archway in the world. Unlike most monuments in Wash. DC that look to the past, the Friendship Archway looks to the future, a strong visual symbol for bridging the joint East-West, Chinese and American aspirations for peace, friendship and cooperation. China and America will be the two leading economic superpowers in the 21st century. The Friendship Archway commemorates their necessary interdependence.
The Friendship Archway physically symbolizes how to bridge over superficial differences by focusing on shared ideals and by working together to develop many effective solutions for generating more joy, friendship and prosperity for all. For more information, see http://www.archway2.org/ or http://www.meetup.com/networking/ or http://www.meetupalliance.com/conversationsNET/ My friends and I look forward to meet you on the 3rd Sundays of each month in Downtown Wash. DC! Please feel free to invite your friends and allies to meet us at the Burma Restaurant. Meetup.com/networking/ will send you monthly reminders if you sign up free of charge.
Our free monthly get-togethers are about appreciation, joy, fun, good humor, nonjudgment, nonattachment, unconditional Love and acceptance, sharing perspectives and developing community around your passion or cause. We believe all of us can make A Bigger Contribution by giving our positive energy to the world! You and I can change and be more powerful generators of Loving energy. You and I can give more gifts of hope, appreciation and friendship. We can all make a difference by choosing to focus on we want for ourselves, for others and for the community. Let's BE the change by becoming more aware of our subjective perceptions and attitudes. Let's help to spread happiness, locally and globally, on land and online!
My friends and I want more than just the absence of war or violence. We want to build an infrastructure of communications, mutual trust, good will and friendship among people of diverse backgrounds. Let's choose to reflect a change or improvement in our attitude, behavior and choices. We look forward to meeting you at our next Meetup Alliance community get-together in Wash. D.C.! Aloha!
Way to go Hampton Roads!!
Too soon to color Henrico, Chesterfield blue, but they have become battlegrounds Sunday, Nov 09, 2008 - 12:09 AM
If you think Barack Obama cruised to victory in Virginia based on his strength in Northern Virginia alone, think again. On Tuesday, Obama won Hampton Roads by nearly 79,000 votes. In 2004, President Bush beat Democrat John Kerry there by 48,000. In greater Richmond, Obama beat John McCain by 39,000 votes. Four years ago, Bush won by 55,000.
On four Sundays leading up to Election Day, the Richmond Times-Dispatch took detailed looks at four key regions -- Northern Virginia, Hampton Roads, Southwest Virginia and central Virginia. Here's what Tuesday's results tell us about each: As the polls projected, Obama roared out of Northern Virginia with a big lead. The key here is that Obama more than tripled Kerry's margin from 2004. Kerry won Northern Virginia by 68,000 votes. Obama beat McCain by 233,000. Obama carried Fairfax County alone by 109,000. He also knocked down the Republicans' firewall by winning the big outer counties of Loudoun and Prince William, which voted for Bush in 2004.
In Hampton Roads, Obama expanded Kerry's margins in cities with large black populations, such as Norfolk, Newport News and Hampton. The stunner here is that even with Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin on the ticket, McCain got no boost in the state's religiously conservative base. In Virginia Beach, where Pat Robertson founded the Christian Broadcasting Network, the Christian Coalition and Regent University, McCain edged Obama by only 1,184 votes. Bush had carried the city by 33,000 in 2004. Obama beat McCain by 1,369 votes in Chesapeake, a city that Bush carried by 13,500 votes in 2004. In greater Richmond, the results recall a warning that Rep. Thomas M. Davis III, R-11th, issued to fellow Republicans last May. "My argument to the downstate folks [is that] Henrico and Chesterfield [counties] are becoming more like Northern Virginia than they are like the rest of the state," Davis told Neil Simon of Media General News Service. It's premature to color those counties blue, but they have become battlegrounds, reducing Republicans' ability to make up big Democratic margins in Richmond.
In Henrico, a county Bush carried by nearly 11,000 votes in 2004, Obama won by nearly 19,000 on Tuesday. In Chesterfield, which Bush carried by 34,000 votes, McCain won by just 12,000. Meantime, Obama carried the city of Richmond by 54,700 votes, up from Kerry's margin of 30,500 four years ago. So with all that going for him, why didn't Obama win Virginia by more than 6 percentage points? McCain dominated in the state's rural regions. In the 9th Congressional District, most of which is in Southwest Virginia, Kerry had taken only one of 27 localities in 2004, the tiny city of Covington. On Tuesday, Obama didn't do much better, carrying Covington, Montgomery County -- home to Virginia Tech -- and Radford -- home to Radford University. McCain captured 59 percent of the vote in Southwest Virginia to 40 percent for Obama. As Virginia politicos turn their attention to the 2009 governor's race, Sen.-elect Mark R. Warner is tempering his fellow Democrats' glee, saying he sees no sign of a permanent realignment. Warner knows well that in Virginia politics, the pendulum swings. Since 1969, each party has won the governorship five times. Then there's this: Since 1976, Virginians have followed every single presidential election by electing a governor from the other party a year later. Time will tell whether Attorney General Bob McDonnell, the likely GOP nominee for governor, can find a silver lining in Obama's Virginia victory.
Contact Andrew Cain at (804) 649-6645 or acain@timesdispatch.com.
I saw first hand this week why Obama won this election. I was one of thousands of out-of-state lawyers recruited to do voter protection work in Ohio. On election day, I visited three campaign offices in Cleveland and met some of the thousands of volunteers who have been working tirelessly to canvass, phone call, and make sure the election was run properly. Why did we do it? We all know that no one volunteer is going to make the difference in the election, no matter how hard any of us worked. But I have no doubt in my mind that this collective effort did make the difference, particularly in close states like Ohio, Virginia, North Carolina, Indiana, Florida and others. There was simply no comparison between the level of commitment and enthusiasm shown by the grassroots-organized field staff in the Obama campaign and the Republican regulars who half-heartedly staffed the McCain campaign.
There are no words with which to express the profound. In spite of knowing that we were marching into an historic event -- in spite of talking about the impact and importance of the moment -- nothing prepared me for the incredible depth of emotion, the pride in my country, the knowledge that others besides myself were ready and willing to come forward to create change, the thankfulness that a higher power/profidence/fate brought us a leader I could dream about but never imagined I would see.
I look back at the process -- my part in the process -- my very, small moment. The chance that I walked in the same places, experienced similar events, and even knew people who touched his life. WOW!
I wish I could have been there to see it in person! I wish I could have had one more walk with history and I hope that there will be more chances in the future.
I do know that what I witnessed on my television screen this evening was a magical, moment with extreme importance for the world -- a moment that transcends history. We have all been blessed with this moment and will be blessed. I pray for the continued safety of our next president and to help him as he prepares to lead us.
Yes, we did. Yes, we can.
MSNBC shares real time election news for blogs:
http://cs8d.clearspring.com/u/48ff995c49a30ff2/490fc942bcb9a70b
VOTE!
It has been a while since I posted on this blog. I have been unwavering in my support of Barack and have been instrumental when I could.
There is much I have wanted to say. That can all wait. I may take some time tomorrow to catch up with posts and tell my stories.
That can all wait.
Right now all I really want to do is to give my condolences to the Obama family for the loss of Barack's grandmother. From the little I know about her, she was an incredible woman. I wish she could have lived one more day to see her grandson become president. But, I am sure that her spirit will be there -- be watching him as he takes the stage.
My thoughts and prayers are with you, Barack and Michelle.
/lisa
LISA SINGH
Obama: A Time For Unity, Change Posted 2008-10-29Kaine, Warner Join In Historic Rally At JMU
By Jenny Jones
Cleopatra Nelson, 78, of Harrisonburg, cries as she listens to Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama speak at a rally at the James Madison University Convocation Center in Harrisonburg on Tuesday.Photos by Pete Marovich and Nikki Fox MORE PHOTOS
HARRISONBURG - Sen. Barack Obama started his speech at James Madison University on Tuesday by acknowledging that it has been "awhile" since a presidential nominee campaigned in Harrisonburg.
The last Democratic nominee to visit the city was Stephen Douglas in 1860, while the last major party presidential candidate to stop by was Richard Nixon, who was vying for the Republican nomination in 1968.
"It's been quite awhile, but I am glad to be here," Obama told the packed house at JMU's Convocation Center during what was his ninth stop in Virginia since the primaries ended. "It is a testimony to the path that our country has traveled that the last time a Democrat was here was Stephen Douglas, and now the next presidential candidate is Barack Obama."
While the Illinois senator's campaign stop brought out a capacity crowd of about 8,000 to JMU's Convocation Center, thousands more, unable to get in, viewed the speech via streaming video in a nearby gym and on the soccer field.
Fellow Democrats, Gov. Timothy M. Kaine and U.S. Senate candidate Mark Warner introduced Obama to the crowd, calling him a leader who can bring people together to get the country "back on the right path."
"We need a leader who will appeal to us, not as Democrats and Republicans, but first and foremost as Americans," Warner said. "And Barack Obama is that leader.
"In one week, you get a chance not only to make history, but, more importantly, you have a chance to come together as a nation and get us headed in the right direction again," he continued. "Will you join me in doing all you can over the next week to make that happen and elect Barack Obama as president?"
Addressing A Fired-Up Crowd
JMU's campus was abuzz all day Tuesday with the anticipation of Obama's appearance.
Students and residents alike lined up in the cold outside the Convocation Center in hopes of seeing the candidate. And members of the local and national media awaited his appearance.
By midafternoon, the Convo's doors opened and guests were met by music that included oldies and rock ‘n' roll. Some supporters chose to stand on the floor for an up-close look of the candidate, while others filled the seats around the basketball arena.
After Kaine and Warner's introduction, Obama appeared from behind a large American flag and made his way onto a stage that jutted out into a crowd of cheering supporters, many of whom held up Obama signs and waved small American flags.
Before starting his speech titled "One Week," which he is delivering across the nation as the campaign wraps up and Election Day approaches, Obama gave a hearty "Go Dukes." It ignited the crowd into a rousing "Duuuuukes."
"Somebody told me that there was a ground movement going on, ‘Duke Dog for president,'" Obama said. "I can understand why you might vote for [Duke] Dog, but he is not on the ballot, so you might try Barack Obama, instead."
The statement got the crowd into a chant of Obama's name and a roaring cheer. The enthusiasm held up throughout the candidate's address with several outbursts of not only his name but also his signature, "Yes we can."
‘Like Our Future Depends On It'
Obama touched on several issues, including the economy, the war and education, during his speech that lasted more than a half-hour.
He promised to cut taxes for 95 percent of Americans, eliminate taxes for seniors who make less than $50,000 and increase taxes for those making more than $250,000 a year back to the rates of the 1990s.
He also promised to end the war in Iraq, provide a world-class education to every American child and invest in renewable sources of energy that will not only end the nation's dependence on foreign oil, but also create jobs for Americans.
"It won't be easy ... it won't be quick, but you and I know that it is time to come together and change this country," Obama said. "I ask of you what has been asked of Americans throughout our history. I ask you to believe, not just in my ability to bring about change, but in yours."
Obama reflected on the challenges he faced early on in his campaign, when he didn't have much money or support. He said he overcame those struggles because he believed in the people's desire for change and their ability to make it happen.
"My faith in the American people has been vindicated," he said. "That's how we've come so far and so close - because of you. That's how we'll change this country - with your help."
Obama called on the crowd to keep the momentum going through Election Day and asked that they knock on doors and convince their neighbors to vote for him.
"We can't afford to slow down, sit back or let up for one day, one minute, or one second in this last week," he said. "Not now, not when so much is at stake. ... We have to work like our future depends on it in this last week, because it does."
Contact Jenny Jones at 574-6286 or jjones@dnronline.com
© 2005 Daily News-Record © 2005 Daily News-Record
Good news on making 400,000 calls from the Maryland Call Team and a new Goal: 500,000 calls today! We can do it!Maryland Call Team Message --Congratulations on helping make more than 400,000 calls yesterday and smashing our previous one-day record. Thanks to all of you who helped put us over the top.Unfortunately there's no time to revel in this accomplishment. There are still millions of voters we need to talk to and an election to win.We've set a new goal of making 500,000 calls today. Can you help us set a new record?http://my.barackobama.com/call
The Maryland Call Team alone made 7,000 calls yesterday. I've put us down to make 9,000 today. That's the number of calls our team needs to make to put us on track to hit the national goal of a half million calls. Can you help the team reach its goal?http://my.barackobama.com/call
Your calls to get out the vote in key swing states couldn't be more important. We've worked nearly two years to build this movement for change, but it doesn't matter unless we're able to convert support for Barack Obama into votes.Let's go break another calling record today and win this thing.
Amy HamblinMy.BarackObama
***** FYI, Bethesda overflow phonebankers and canvassers can go to the annex location in Gaithersburg on Frederick Avenue. Enjoy the Day!
A Message for Maryland voters:
On Tuesday, citizens in Maryland and around the nation will finally cast their verdict on the last eight years of disastrous policies. We're urging you today to make one final push to get Obama supporters to the polls on Election Day, and change the direction of our nation.
We've spent the last several months organizing phone banks, canvassers, and raising money and volunteer hours to change the direction of our country, and elect Barack Obama the next President of the United States. Our efforts have not only taken us throughout Maryland, but into our neighboring states of Pennsylvania and Virginia as well, where the outcome may very well determine the result of this election.
In this historic election, the stakes could not be higher for Marylanders. The leaders chosen to serve in Washington will make decisions that will impact the lives of you and your family during this time national economic uncertainty, and make our country a stronger, better place for our kids and their future.
Please visit www.elections.state.md.us for information about your local polling place, or contact your local Board of Elections by clicking here.
You can also call for a free ride to your poll at 1-888-678-8636.
Elections matter. Be sure your voice is heard. Elect Barack Obama the next President of the United States.
Martin O'MalleyGovernor
Anthony BrownLt. Governor
The campaign office in Newport News has many dedicated volunteers and staffers. I arrived last night and today am working with Noam, Erin, Jessica and Jessica to GOTV!
The volunteers and staffers are wonderful and very helpful. Phonebacking, yard sign pickup and preparing for election day are top matters for the office this morrning. The interest was so high, we've run out of Obama bumper stickers, but we're improvising and are providing Obama*Warner Commonsense Solutions for Virginia literature!
We can still use: bottled water for the office; canvassers for the area through election day; and Obama bumper stickers.
PatriciaCamp Obama Field Office Volunteer
www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/chi-chicago-tribune-endorsement,0,1371034.story
http://www.newsweek.com/id/164498
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/19/AR2008101900598.html?hpid=topnews
Watch the Meet the Press interview with Former Secretary of State Colin Powell tonight or online this afternoon, if you missed it earlier this morning! Validating, heartwarming, rich in inspiration is Powell’s endorsement of Senator Barack Obama and his campaign. Colin Powell took the past few months to thoroughly vet both Presidential candidates and has made a sound decision based on numerous important factors, including diplomacy, intellectual vigor, judgment regarding their VP selection, inclusiveness and Obama' robust economic ideas for the country. We applaud Colin Powell in his careful, reasoned decision.
For those of you who are sitting on the fence this campaign season or for those of you are are awaiting the seal of approval from Colin Powell, the Meet the Press Interview is definitely a must view event:
On MSNBC at 6:00 pm ET/3:00 PT October 19, 2008 and 2:00 AM ET/11:00 PM PT
Online at: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27265369/
Colin Powell has been the subject and has written numerous books about his life, principals and ideas, including one of my favorites, My American Journey, written in 1995:
Colin Powell (Rookie Biographies) by Wil Mara (Paperback - Mar 2004) Buy new: $4.95 26 Used & new from $1.85
The Leadership Secrets Of Colin Powell - by Oren Harari - (Hardcover - 2002) 8 Used & new from $11.42
Colin Powell: A Biography (Scholastic Biography) by James Haskins (Paperback - Feb 1992) 23 Used & new from $0.01
A very uplifting and refreshing article!
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/frank-schaeffer/obama-will-be-one-of-the_b_132843.html
Campaign Manager, David Plouffe reports (post debate):
Barack Obama won a resounding victory in John McCain’s favorite debate format because he made the case for change that will rebuild the middle class.
The American people asked tough questions tonight, and only Barack Obama was in touch with their struggles and offered clear and passionate answers about creating jobs, reducing health care costs, cutting taxes for 95% of working families, and responsibly ending the war in Iraq.
John McCain was all over the map on the issues, and he is so angry about the state of his campaign that he referred to Barack Obama as "that one" – last time he couldn’t look at Senator Obama, this time he couldn’t say his name.
The McCain campaign said, "if we keep talking about the economy, we’re going to lose."
*****************
Before the debate, David Plouffe made a request:
Patricia -- I was in North Carolina with Barack yesterday -- getting ready for tonight's debate -- and I took a break to record a short strategy update for you. Yesterday, millions of Americans learned the details about John McCain, his political patron Charles Keating, and their role in the last major financial crisis and taxpayer-financed bailout of our time. The truth makes it even clearer why a senior McCain adviser admitted to a reporter, "If we keep talking about the economic crisis, we're going to lose." But it's not enough to merely inform voters -- we've got to turn them out to vote. You can make a huge difference by making a short trip to a key battleground state where the race is neck-and-neck -- or by making phone calls to undecided voters in battleground states. Watch our latest strategy update video and consider giving a day of your time to help turn out the vote in the crucial four days leading up to the election:
While we're focused on persuading and turning out voters, John McCain has given up talking about the issues that are central to this election -- especially the economy. Instead, he's running the most negative presidential campaign in modern history. In the past few days, we've seen the beginning of a major offensive that McCain is about to launch, filled with distortions, personal attacks, and flat-out lies about Barack. But you can help fight back by getting involved at the grassroots level -- knocking on doors, making phone calls, and talking to undecided voters about what really matters in this election. Commit at least one day to make sure Barack gets the votes we need to win: http://my.barackobama.com/giveadayvideo Thanks for everything you're doing, David David PlouffeCampaign ManagerObama for America P.S. -- Don't forget to tune in to the debate tonight at 9:00 p.m. Eastern. And make sure your friends and family watch Barack talk about the change we need in this country.
Check your voter's registration at www.VoteForChange.com
More information on Amanda Scott's Blog:
...
Monday, October 6th is the deadline to register in 17 additional states.
No matter where you live, if you have three minutes to spare, you can check your registration status, register to vote, request an absentee ballot, and find your early voting site or polling location at VoteForChange.com.
In 2004, George Bush won Nevada by less than 2.5% of voters, New Mexico by less than 1% of voters, and Colorado by less than 100,000 votes. In Ohio, Bush won by just over 100,000 votes -- less than 10 votes per precinct.
This time, we can't leave anything to chance.
This is your choice: three minutes spent registering to vote -- or four years spent wishing that you had.
Even if you are registered, you likely know someone who isn't.
If you have friends or family who support Barack but might not be registered to vote, you can use our online form to let them know about VoteForChange.com. A simple message from you could be the difference between them voting and them staying at home on November 4th.
And that could be the difference in this election.
The Vice Presidential Debate just ended and was excellent. Senator Joe Biden was clear, direct, poised and had wonderful presence during the debate. Not only did he answer the questions, but he was extraordinary and spectacular in his understanding of foreign policy over the past decade.
Governor Palin was nonresponsive and repetitively referred back to "energy" and "taxes" in answer to questions that had nothing to do with those concepts. She is naive to think that Americans will fall for that jedi trick.
Her offensive comments about the media were also polarizing.
House ignores Bush, rejects $700B bailout bill
Sept 29, 2008 4:22 PM (21 mins ago)
By JULIE HIRSCHFELD DAVIS, AP WASHINGTON - In a stunning vote that shocked the capital and worldwide markets, the House on Monday defeated a $700 billion emergency rescue for the nation's financial system, ignoring urgent warnings from President Bush and congressional leaders of both parties that the economy could nosedive without it. The Dow Jones industrials plunged nearly 800 points..... (for story, go to: http://www.examiner.com/a-1613095~House_ignores_Bush__rejects__700B_bailout_bill.html
Watch the video of Barack Obama's speech:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYsVcLMO7HU&feature=user
