I hope everyone watches this soon, as we launch the general election campaign.
This talk by Barack will fire you up so you're ready to go for the next five months!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bnhmByYxEIo
Dear Women for Obama,
We are able to stand here today – celebrating our primary victory – thanks to the tireless work and dedication of all of you. Women have everything to do this victory, and we are so grateful for everything you have done over the course of this long primary campaign.
Here’s a quick recap of your astounding commitment and efforts over these past 17 months: thousands of you have served as precinct captains in your communities, run local volunteer field operations, held more than 2,000 house parties and hundreds of “ladies’ nights” organizing events, hosted dozens of Obama books clubs, run more than 200 grassroots online MYBO groups, knocked on tens of thousands of doors and have made over 200,000 calls to undecided women in eight targeted states!
While we take a well-deserved pause to celebrate this historic moment, we must prepare to turn our sights on November – and understand that we will have our work cut out for us in the general election campaign against John McCain. We must, first and foremost, commit ourselves to building unity in the Democratic Party, understanding that this will be critical and central to our victory in November. In addition to Democrats, we must work to bring in women who are Independents and Republicans.
We’ll need to work to educate women across the board about what is at stake this fall. We already are familiar with the long list of reasons why John McCain is NOT a champion for women. Here are a few to keep in mind, particularly as you have opportunities to speak to women you know – friends, family, coworkers, leaders in your community, everyone! – about what exactly we stand to lose if we do not succeed in defeating John McCain:
· McCain has a 0% pro-choice rating from NARAL and Planned Parenthood.
· He has vowed to appoint pro-life justices to the Supreme Court.
· McCain voted against reauthorizing the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) for five years.
· He voted against the restoration of the Equal Pay Act.
· McCain voted to suspend the Family and Medical Leave Act in 1993, unless the federal government certified that compliance wouldn't increase business expenses or gave employers financial assistance to cover any costs.
Again, thank you so much for all that you have done to make this day possible. We couldn’t be more thrilled to have you on our side as we move to the general election and work to elect Barack Obama as the next President of the United States!
Fired Up and Ready to Go!
Does the word "conservative" even mean anything anymore? Lately they don't seem interested in conserving money, natural resources, human rights, endangered animals, international respect, or anything else... seems to be a bit of an unfortunate misnomer, eh?
OK is it just me or is this whole thing with Sen. McCain and Rev. Hagee super ironic?!? After McCain criticized Obama for his relationship with Rev. Wright (although McCain seems to have recently taken back his earlier statements about this), Obama takes the high road and chooses not to add to the negativity that has had such a huge presence in this race. Although Hagee's beliefs about Catholics, Hitler, and the Holocaust are incredibly offensive -- and in my opinion considerably more disturbing than what Reverend Wright said -- Barack responded with both honesty and realistic self-restraint. I, on the other hand, couldn't help but smile while I watched Karma bite John McCain in the ass...
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The difference between Barack Obama's campaign and the backwards ideals of Bush and McCain could not be more obvious, especially since Obama's speech last friday. Bush spoke about how diplomacy was a rediculous idea, using history (WWII) as an example, but failing to cite any examples of why diplomacy is a bad idea in more recent U.S. history (like the war in Iraq); Obama responded -- speaking a little more eloquently and intelligently than our current president -- with a message of positive and realistic change for our nation's foreign policy, saying "If George Bush and John McCain want to have a debate about protecting the United States of America, that is a debate that I'm happy to have anytime, anyplace, and that is a debate I will win because George Bush and John McCain have a lot to answer for."
And to me, that represents hope for real change in America, not only in our foreign policy, but for every policy that affects this nation.
NARAL Pro-Choice America today announced its endorsement of Senator Barack Obama in the race for President! Their political action committee board voted unanimously to endorse Senator Obama last Friday.
Here is the statement released today by NARAL:
NARAL Pro-Choice America PAC EndorsesSenator Barack Obama for President
Washington, D.C. – NARAL Pro-Choice America, the political leader of the pro-choice movement with more than one million member activists in all 50 states, today announced that its political action committee is endorsing Sen. Barack Obama for president.
“There are few more tireless defenders of women’s rights in this country than NARAL Pro-Choice America and I’m proud to accept their support,” Sen. Obama said. “For decades, they have worked in the courthouse, in the legislature, and in the streets to make sure that women have the right to choose. This is a fundamental civil right that I've fought to protect in Illinois and in Washington, that’s being threatened by Senator McCain, and that I'll be fighting in the months ahead to make secure today, tomorrow, and always.”
Nancy Keenan, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America, praised both Sen. Obama and Sen. Hillary Clinton for their leadership in standing up for women’s reproductive rights throughout this campaign, but only one of these dynamic candidates can advance to the general election.
“Pro-choice Americans have been fortunate to have two strong pro-choice candidates in Sen. Obama and Sen. Clinton, both of whom have inspired millions of new voters to participate in this historic presidential race,” Keenan said. “Today, we are proud to put our organization’s grassroots and political support behind the pro-choice candidate whom we believe will secure the Democratic nomination and advance to the general election. That candidate is Sen. Obama.”
Keenan said the stark contrast between Sen. Obama’s pro-choice record and John McCain’s 25 years of anti-choice votes in Washington will be a major reason many voters, especially pro-choice Independent and Republican women, will cross party lines to support Sen. Obama in the fall.
“While Sen. Obama has consistently and passionately stood up for and articulated his support for the values of freedom and privacy, John McCain has said that he wants Roe v. Wade to be overturned,” Keenan said. “Sen. Obama is the leader who can unify Americans on both sides of this issue behind commonsense, common-ground ways to prevent unintended pregnancy. In contrast, McCain wants to continue George W. Bush’s failed abstinence-only policy, eliminate funding for low-income women's access to birth control, and stack the Supreme Court with even more right-wing judges who don’t believe in the right to privacy. Without a doubt, the clear differences between these candidates on the critical issue of a woman’s right to choose will unify America’s pro-choice majority behind Sen. Obama’s campaign.”
NARAL Pro-Choice America PAC’s endorsement of Sen. Obama is part of the organization’s Protect & Elect program. NARAL Pro-Choice America is working to protect the net gain of 23 pro-choice seats in the U.S. House and three in the U.S. Senate from the 2006 midterm elections by electing even more pro-choice leaders in 2008, including a pro-choice president.
TELL NARAL “THANK YOU” FOR THEIR SUPPORT
It’s so important that NARAL hears from all of you about their endorsement of Senator Obama and what it means to you – their staff and members need to know that their endorsement matters! Please take the time to call or email NARAL to thank them for their support. NARAL can be reached at either:
(202) 973-3000
OR
can@prochoiceamerica.org
You can also post a blog about this endorsement at blogforchoice.com: Go to “blogforchoice.com” and voice your opinion of the endorsement! http://www.blogforchoice.com/archives/2008/05/naral-prochoice-6.html
In these last days leading up to the North Carolina and Indiana primaries, we need your help to get out the vote and recruit undecided women. We hope you will spend some part of the next few days volunteering in either state, but if you can’t travel, please participate in our Women for Obama phonebank to recruit undecided women in Indiana.
Making calls is very easy. All you need is a computer and a phone. Review the script before you make calls to get comfortable with it and then start plugging away. Our women phonebankers have already made more than 8,000 calls over the last few days, but we have a ways to. You should also consider inviting your friends over to phone bank together! Lots of supporters have found that to be a great way to motivate one another. You can also print out lists for those who don’t have computers.
Every door knocked and every call made is going to count in this election. Don’t let a day go by before this Tuesday the 6th without making calls to women in Indiana or getting to North Carolina or Indiana to help get out the vote for Barack.
Make calls into undecided women in Indiana: http://my.barackobama.com/page/contact/main/callinwomen
Travel to Indiana: http://my.barackobama.com/page/s/inoosgotv
Travel to North Carolina: http://my.barackobama.com/page/s/NCWFOcomehelp
We are so close to securing the nomination. Barack is less than 280 delegates short of doing so! He’s picked up close to 100 superdelegates since Super Tuesday on February 5th compared with 15 for Senator Clinton. With every contest, Senator Obama gets closer to becoming the Democratic nominee for president and with your help, he’ll get there. Thank you!
Dear friends,
First the good news…since Saturday night, you made more than 2,200 calls into Indiana women! Thank you! We’re on track to make 20,000 calls before the May 6th primary, but I’m hopeful we’ll be able to surpass that. With your track record of making more than 160,000 calls into seven targeted states during the primary, I’m sure that we will! I cannot underscore the importance of making these calls. Every door that’s knocked on and every call made to recruit and identify Obama supporters gets us closer to the finish line.
I’ve received several calls and emails from you regarding the phone calls you’ve been making into Indiana. It seems that many of you keep getting wrong or disconnected numbers. I know it’s terribly frustrating, but we come across that in every phone bank - it's just part of the process. So keep plugging away because every contact you make could mean another vote for Senator Obama! Thanks again and keep making those calls! And don’t forget that you can now print out lists for those who don’t have computers by clicking on “call contacts offline” on our phone bank page.
SIGN UP TO VOLUNTEER IN INDIANA*
Sign up to volunteer this weekend or through Election Day by clicking here: http://my.barackobama.com/page/s/inoosgotv
* If you plan to travel with more than two people to IN, please email us at women@barackobama.com and let us know which days you plan to travel, how many will be with your group and include your phone number. We need as many volunteers possible this weekend and through the primary on Tuesday the 6th.
MAKE CALLS TO UNDECIDED WOMEN IN INDIANA
Make calls to undecided women in IN by clicking here: http://my.barackobama.com/page/contact/main/callinwomen
For the three phonebankers who make the most calls before the May 6th primary, you will all receive a special thank you from the campaign!
Thanks again to all of you who spent so much of your time in PA going door to door and making calls to undecided women. Your work helped close a 24% gap to just under 10% on election night. That prevented Senator Clinton from making any meaningful progress in closing her own gap among delegates. She needed a blowout and that didn’t happen.
Now, we need to focus our efforts on two key states with primaries on May 6th – Indiana and North Carolina. For those of you who live near either of these states, we need your help on the ground. We will also need all of your help to make calls to undecided women in these states. Please consider spending a day or two in either state. I cannot stress enough the importance of having volunteers on the ground in these states – it’s the most effective way to connect with voters and recruit them to support Senator Obama.
There is less than two weeks left and we need as many volunteers out in the field as possible, so please sign up to join us this weekend (April 26-27), the following weekend (May 3-4) or Election Day (May 6th). If you’d like to organize a group to travel to either state, please email us at women@barackobama.com and tell us your name, phone number, which dates you and your group would like to travel, which state you will travel to and how many you hope to have in your group.
SIGN UP TO VOLUNTEER IN INDIANA: http://my.barackobama.com/page/s/inoosgotv
SIGN UP TO VOLUNTEER IN NC: http://nc.barackobama.com/page/s/NCWFO
Talking Points on the Pennsylvania Results - April 23, 2008
· Last night, Hillary Clinton used up her last, best chance to make significant inroads in our pledged delegate lead of 171 delegates—and she barely made a dent.
· The only surprising result from Pennsylvania is that Barack Obama was able to improve his standing among key voter groups since the Ohio primary.
· For example, among white voters, Obama narrowed the gap by six points. Among voters over 60, he nearly cut the gap in half, from 41 points to 24 points.
· Pennsylvania was considered a state tailor-made for Hillary Clinton, and all along she was expected to win. She has family roots in the state, which borders her own; she had the support of the Democratic establishment—including Governor Rendell’s extensive network—and former President Clinton remains very popular there. And Independent voters—the group that will decide the general election and a group Obama is particularly strong with—were not able to vote in the primary. Not surprisingly, Senator Clinton led by as much as 25 points in the weeks leading up to the election.
· How did Barack Obama substantially reduce that lead and gain support among key voters in the face of long odds and unrelenting negativity from Senator Clinton? By talking about his plans to stand up to the special interests and bring people together so that we can change Washington to turn our economy around, make sure that every American has quality health care, and bring this misguided war to an end.
· As he has done in every state, Barack Obama campaigned hard to pick up as much support and as many delegates as possible.
· As NBC’s Chuck Todd said last night, “The pledged delegate count is basically over…it now appears like it’s going to be impossible for Obama to lose his lead.”
· You’ll be hearing a lot from the Clinton campaign about “big states” and their bearing on the general election. The fact of the matter is that Barack Obama has won more key battlegrounds—states like Missouri, Colorado, Minnesota, Virginia, Wisconsin, and Iowa. Clinton points to her wins in states like California, New Jersey, and New York (her home state)—but everyone agrees that those states will go Democratic in November no matter what.
· The bottom line is that the Pennsylvania outcome does not change dynamic of this lengthy primary. While there were 158 delegates at stake there, there are more—187 delegates—up for grabs in the North Carolina and Indiana primaries on May 6.
· This is a race for delegates, as the Clinton campaign has repeatedly acknowledged, and we have always structured our strategy around picking up as many delegates as possible. But even if we were to judge the race on the popular vote alone, we anticipate having a comfortable lead when the voting has ended on June 3rd.
· Senator Obama will continue to gain strength with Democratic superdelegates. He will maintain his position as the best candidate to take on John McCain. And he will be ready to unite the American people and begin a new chapter in our history.
· We are already organizing vigorously in the remaining contests, opening local offices, canvassing, and engaging voters in this unprecedented campaign. We will have the financial resources we need to compete and win.
Of the $3,623,477 raised in Minnesota for 2008 presidential candidates, CNN reports that $1,118,400 was raised by Obama, $846,840 by Clinton, and $405,959 by McCain. Guiliana actually has exceeded McCain in the state with his $419,850.
For total contributions, Obama has raised over $240 million, to Clinton's $194 million, and McCain's $80 million. Total cash on hand currently sits at $51 million for Obama, $31 million for Clinton, and $11 million for McCain.
The interesting stat is how much the parties have raised: DNC $72 million to the RNC $149 million. That is where the prolonged Democratic race is hurting Obama. Money that could be spent targeting McCain is being spent for the current primaries coming up in Pennsylvania and Indiana. Are the Dem's shooting themselves in the foot by not coming to agreement on a candidate? Probably, but time will tell.
All I know is there are a lot of sick and hungry people out there that could use a little of this campaign money that is being spent on advertisements and such. Is the US so self-centered that we don't see this? Unfortunately, I think so. All I can do is hope and I am getting pretty good at that!
Yesterday I received a call from a reporter for the Mpls Star-Tribune. He asked me about Barack's 'bitter' speech, guns, and unemployed workers' anger at the government. I live in an economically depressed area of NE MN and the paper picked me because of my blog and the fact that they could get in contact with me. I answered as honest as I could without making a fool of myself. Now I am anxiously waiting to see if it gets printed and how they spin it. I may be part of the negative spin if they misquote me or slant my words in the direction that they want. I also sent my Hillary blog in a letter to the editor. I figured it was worth a try to get it in at the same time. I guess all I can do is hope and I am getting good at that!
The tag line on my profile page says, "Musings of a woman about Hillary Clinton's age that believes YES WE CAN". People have written to me asking, if you are a woman about Hillary's age (and race), why do you feel so strongly about voting for Barack Obama? I have thought about this and decided that my decision was not about Hillary. It was about Barack. In another time and place I probably would be supporting Hillary Clinton.
When I saw Barack speak at the last Democratic National Convention, I saw a man who was very special. He had a strong vision that rises above our partisan politics, our races, our religions. My first glimpse at him told me he was a kind, intelligent, billiant man who can bridge our differences and connect us all to work toward a better nation and a better world. He empowers me to help make the change that we want to see. What has that got to do with Hillary? Nothing! I have realized that this is the sad truth for Hillary. There is nothing she can do about it. It is not that she isn't well educated, she is. It is not that she hasn't had some experience. She has. It is not that she is a woman, gender is just not the issue.
There will be a woman president some day. It just probably won't be her. She has made a great contribution to our country by running for president. It is just that Barack Obama is here and he is something very special that we need right now. I feel sorry for Hillary because her ego is getting in her way of serving her country. She has many gifts that can still be used to help our country and our world, but she seems to making this an all or nothing contest. Is this her true character? Many say, "Yes it is." If so, thank God for Barack.
Well, Amy Klobuchar finally gave her endorsement to Barack! Here is a link to the Minnesota Public Radio article:
http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2008/03/31/amyobama/
