“Lord God, give me the courage to vote for this black man.”
An older Latino man spoke these words to me in Spanish this morning while I was knocking on doors for the Obama campaign in a heavily Latino neighborhood in Milwaukee.
I was nearly finished with my canvass when I encountered the man leaving his house and stepping onto the sidewalk. The naturalized American citizen is a fixture in Milwaukee’s south side Latino community and I’ve patronized his business a dozen or more times in recent years. (Although we’ve met several times he didn’t recognize me, one of thousands of customers who’ve visited his business.)
I greeted him in Spanish and spoke a few words about my knocking on doors and talking to his neighbors on behalf of the Obama campaign. He replied that he is really torn about whom to vote for. He honors John McCain’s service to this country, but in recent days McCain reminds him of some of the old PRI candidates in his native Mexico.
He went on to praise Obama as a man with good, well-articulated ideas and a team of smart people around him. But then in a very soft voice, nearly a whisper, he confided that he’s worried that Obama might be like some of the other “morenos that we’re always hearing about”, and asked me if I know the kinds of people he’s talking about. He quickly re-stated his praise of Obama, and emphatically added that it is time for serious change in this country. And after all, he asked me, isn’t Congressman Luis Gutierrez of Illinois, a true champion for citizenship education for newly arrived immigrants, a fellow Democrat like Obama?
And then he asked himself out loud if he is courageous enough to vote for a black man.
With deep respect, I told him that I understand his concerns but that the time is now to work to end to this racism. Surely, as a Mexican immigrant to this country, he has felt the sting of discrimination. He nodded, offering that today is the Day of the Dead, a most sacred day for Mexicans, and a day to reflect on and celebrate the lives of those who have gone before us. I handed him a piece of campaign literature, in Spanish, and opined that nothing will ever change if we do nothing.
“Votamos el martes, verdad?” he asked me. (“We vote on Tuesday, right?”) I replied affirmatively, and he grimaced.
There on the sidewalk, pointing to a picture of Barack Obama, he voiced a prayer: “Señor Dios, da me el valor de votar para este moreno.” (“Lord God, give me the courage to vote for this black man.”) I made a quick Sign of the Cross, and he climbed in his car, heading off to Mass.
The distinctly different challenges the United States faces today demand a deliberative, steady and thoughtful leader who will guide our nation through what are sure to be a very perilous next four years. Barack Obama is the man for that job. [...] We base our endorsement not just upon Obama's promise of hope and change, but also upon his positions on issues of importance to Americans.
We strongly encourage readers to vote for Barack Obama for president. [...] By contrast [to McCain's campaign], Obama has been steady, thoughtful and inspirational. His "change-we-can-believe-in" campaign inspired thousands of people to get involved in politics for the first time. He's a Harvard lawyer, but he worked as a community organizer and consumer advocate before he went to law school. He has risen from humble beginnings to run for president. In this brilliant campaign, he has earned our vote.
The La Crosse Tribune endorses Sen. Barack Obama, the Democrat from Illinois, to provide the change in leadership, hope and vision we need to restore faith in our future and restore trust among our world partners. [...] Obama combines the discipline of pay-as-you-go budgeting with plans to reinvest in our crumbling national infrastructure and reduce our carbon emissions by 80 percent by the middle of this century -- a more thoughtful, visionary approach to an energy policy than simply crying, "Drill, Baby, Drill." [...] We believe Barack Obama will provide the leadership and inspiration we need.
Americans feel the need for new leadership, a renewal of our national spirit, and a desperate need to pull together in tough times.This election is about such needs, not individual planks in a campaign platform. That's why the Herald endorses Barack Obama for president.[...]Restoring health to the nation's economy will be even more difficult considering the mess that the nation finds itself in at this point. It will likely require patience, sacrifice and a positive attitude from the American people. That will require inspirational leadership from the nation's president, and there is every reason to believe that is Obama's greatest strength.
Americans feel the need for new leadership, a renewal of our national spirit, and a desperate need to pull together in tough times.
This election is about such needs, not individual planks in a campaign platform. That's why the Herald endorses Barack Obama for president.
[...]
Restoring health to the nation's economy will be even more difficult considering the mess that the nation finds itself in at this point. It will likely require patience, sacrifice and a positive attitude from the American people. That will require inspirational leadership from the nation's president, and there is every reason to believe that is Obama's greatest strength.
The Bush administration has bumbled from crisis to crisis for nearly eight years, competence gone AWOL. The nation needs resuscitating change like a new baby needs that first breath of air. Two would-be successors pledge it. But Barack Obama is more believable. We recommend him to be the 44th president of the United States. Obama's vision and potential to be that change agent trump his relative lack of experience, though the experience he possesses is valuable. The maturity and calm demeanor he has exhibited these past two years in the public spotlight and earlier, speak to able, careful, inclusive leadership. And he is simply the better of the two on the issues.
You know when people are focused on something good, it's a momentous occasion. I've never seen anything like it in Baraboo before.
[Obama's] campaign is rooted in providing hope and inspiring Americans to find new solutions to combat problems in this new century. This philosophy is important considering the challenges the next president will face during the next four years, among them crafting a new strategy for Iraq and a financial system in tatters in part because of the skewing of wealth into fewer hands. Obama also has excited people about the democratic process like few candidates in recent memory. Millions of potential voters considered "on the fringe" -- young adults, African Americans and Latinos -- have been energized to become involved and active in government.
Our friend Joseph here at Wisconsin HQ is traveling around Wisconsin talking with some of the amazing volunteers who have made Barack's movement for change possible. Joseph will be filing reports from all over the Badger state during the next few days -- stop by for more great stories of remarkable people working for change.
I watched the primaries, and for Barack Obama to be our choice - I sat there in awe. I couldn't be more thrilled to do what it takes to get him elected.
But the place was packed -- overflowing onto the street, more than anyone could have imagined.
After asking her why, we talked and we talked. This kind of work is about people's stories. Lois is courageous to be open-minded to think of changing her life-long affiliation.
“Wisconsin is a battleground state, and we have got to get the vote out,” Napolitano said. Napolitano emphasized the differences between Obama and Republican John McCain, who is also from Arizona, saying their economic policies differ greatly, with McCain giving tax cuts to the wealthy while Obama focuses more on the middle class.
Napolitano said Eleanor Roosevelt’s call to women in 1933 to engage in the political process as never before and to unite to solve the nation’s problems remains essential to “the new New Deal that we’re going to inaugurate in this country in January.” She recalled her work as chairwoman of the Democratic Party’s national platform committee, where she served with U.S. Rep. Tammy Baldwin, D-Madison, in calling the Obama-Biden ticket “the strongest on women’s issues in history.”
"I'm a lifelong Republican, but Senator Obama is the right leader for our country and will deliver the change we need," she says. "After taking a careful look at the qualities of both McCain and Obama and who would be best for our country, I found that Senator Obama's ability to bridge the partisan divide to work toward solid solutions that will get our nation back on the right track meant he is the right choice this November."
There are only two weeks until Election Day, but why wait? You can vote now if you're ready. An unprecedented number of people have already cast their ballot in Milwaukee. The city is seeing 500 early voters a day, and they're not alone. It's been busy at city halls and town halls all across the state.
[I]n my case, my two sons - one in his early thirties and one in his late twenties, along with my daughters-in-law - just kept after me to support (Obama)." Doyle noted that at first, he gave his children pat answers. "But then I decided I needed to look through their eyes, not necessarily my eyes," the governor recalled. "In their eyes, Barack Obama showed he was a candidate that could build a great future. He was a candidate that represented getting past political fights that have gone on for 40 years. The divisions that happened in the 1960s have been fighting for 40 years. With Obama, we had a candidate that was a candidate that showed us what the future could be."
[Gina] Smith, 56, of Janesville is among hundreds of volunteers across the state who are spending several hours each week making phone calls and going door-to-door in their communities, talking to voters about Obama. "(The local campaign headquarters) is the up-close and personal connection between the campaign and the community," said Phil Walzak, communications director for the Obama campaign in Wisconsin. "It's the vehicle by which our campaign talks to voters on a one-on-one basis. It's the home base for activity." The Obama campaign is "robust" in Wisconsin with 50 offices across the state, not only in areas that are Democratic strongholds but also in areas that are staunchly Republican, he said. And the success of the campaign in a battleground state such as Wisconsin depends on volunteers who week after week spread the word about Obama, he said.
Earlier, while waiting for [Gov.] Doyle to appear, Obama volunteer Brent Nance of Caledonia said the grass-roots organization working on Obama's behalf will be active even beyond Nov. 4. "Obama is taking his training (as a community political organizer) and spreading it nationwide," said Nance, an Obama "team member" for a segment of Caledonia. Each city has a set of teams, he explained, that work together and become acquainted with each other during the campaign. "When the election is over, we'll still have a network," Nance said. "So when the next election happens, we don't have to start all over. You will see them more active on local issues."
Democratic Governor Chet Culver spoke to nearly 50 people at the Rhinelander District Library this afternoon. Culver emphasized Barack Obama's concern for Wisconsin's agriculture, small communities and renewable energy. The Governor says the last 18 days of the election are important here in Wisconsin. "We've got work to do. And that's why I'm crisscrossing Iowa and criss crossing Wisconsina and working with my fellow Governors like Jim Doyle and others who are so excited about Barack Obama's candidacy." Obama supporters at today's event say it's important to have other politicians endorse the candidates in smaller communities. Alan Vanraalte, an Obama supporter, says, "I think it's absolutely vital that they do. if it weren't the candidates would be spread pretty thin and they need to go to where the population centers are."
