We encourage all people to participate with their local Obama groups (i.e. Utah for Obama).
Please read Obama's speech on faith.
Also, please use the blog feature for discussions, and make announcements over the listserv. The listserv is now moderated.
The Mormons for Obama email discussion group can be found here.
Visit the Mormons for Obama Store!
Minnesota's March for Healthcare - in conjuction with the nationwide movement of marches on Sunday, September 13 to demand real healthcare reform.
In cooperation with TakeActionMN
Sunday, September 13, 2009 at 12 noon
Phillips Park
1530 E. Franklin Ave.
Minneapolis, MN
Speakers:
Congressman Keith Ellison
John Marty, State Senator and Candidate for Governor
Reverend Grant Stevenson
Erin Murphy, State Representative
For more information visit www.march4healthcare.com
email: mnhealthcarereform@gmail.com
[This event is not sponsored or affiliated with Organizing for America. It is a truly grassroots action at its most powerful! and finest!]
I'm about to have my sixth health care event on Saturday. It's been a long hard trip, but well worth it! People really want to talk about their ideas about health care, and I'm happy to be a sounding board for them, guiding them to Obama's 3 principles or even single payer. This Saturday we're going to stand on a corner and get people to sign on to the 3 principles, hand out information including information about contacting congressmen, and just TALK to people. I've gone canvassing twice. Everyone wants to talk about health care and I'm ready to be there for them to do it. Once we stop they have all had deep and meaningful thoughts about health care: they'll never think about it the same way again. And it's all the thoughts they had in their heads all along!
Go canvassing, people. Sponsor house meetings. We had two where we watched health care movies such as "Sicko." Call people on the phone! Yeah, we won in November, but the real work is going on now!!!
"THIS IS WHAT DEMOCRACY LOOKS LIKE!!!!!!!" Those were the words echoing in my mind as me and my two canvassing buddies walked home from our canvassing for health care.This is what democracy looks like. We all felt empowered by our ability to express our opinions, our stories and our feelings about health care and be listened to by kind neighbors who felt empowered to tell us about their concerns and hopes about the health care system in our country.
I've had two health care canvassing events at my house, and I'm going to do it EVERY WEEK until we get a decent health care plan. This week we're not canvassing but watching Michael Moore's "Sicko." I think I'll take the people who come to canvass for 3-4 houses just to help them get their feet wet.
I'm hosting a health care kick-off event on June 6. It's funny but my across-the-street neighbor contacted me about having an event where we would talk about universal health care months ago, long before Obama started encouraging us to have and go to these events. We're focusing on information, so we're watching a video about healthcare systems around the world (not Michael Moore's "Sicko" but something kind of like it). Then we'll talk briefly (one minute each) about Canada, Massachusetts and the SUSTINET legislation in Connectitut (where we are), which is a universal health care plan for our state. After all that we'll share stories and get people working.
I think the main "work" I want to encourage is having everyone write to their congressmen. Our congressmen need to be emboldened to be radical with what they will support, and getting lots of "radical" letters supporting a public health care plan will help them move away from the donations they get from the insurance companies, etc. etc. I will also mention the possibility of canvassing and making phone calls. I hope that both those things actually happen!
Friday, 9th January 2009
Washington, D.C.
President Elect Barack Obama delivered a major new speech at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. He made the case for urgent action on an American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan to address the current economic crisis. He offered up the outlines of a plan that includes both new policy and new approaches, with the goal of saving or creating over three million jobs while investing in priorities like health care, energy, and education to jumpstart job creation and long-term growth.
www.change.gov
There is no doubt that the cost of this plan will be considerable. It will certainly add to the budget deficit in the short-term. But equally certain are the consequences of doing too little or nothing at all, for that will lead to an even greater deficit of jobs, incomes, and confidence in our economy. It is true that we cannot depend on government alone to create jobs or long-term growth, but at this particular moment, only government can provide the short-term boost necessary to lift us from a recession this deep and severe. Only government can break the vicious cycles that are crippling our economy – where a lack of spending leads to lost jobs which leads to even less spending; where an inability to lend and borrow stops growth and leads to even less credit.That is why we need to act boldly and act now to reverse these cycles. That’s why we need to put money in the pockets of the American people, create new jobs, and invest in our future. That’s why we need to re-start the flow of credit and restore the rules of the road that will ensure a crisis like this never happens again.That work begins with this plan – a plan I am confident will save or create at least three million jobs over the next few years. It is not just another public works program. It’s a plan that recognizes both the paradox and the promise of this moment – the fact that there are millions of Americans trying to find work, even as, all around the country, there is so much work to be done. That’s why we’ll invest in priorities like energy and education; health care and a new infrastructure that are necessary to keep us strong and competitive in the 21st century. That’s why the overwhelming majority of the jobs created will be in the private sector, while our plan will save the public sector jobs of teachers, cops, firefighters and others who provide vital services.
Some of the initiatives outlined include:
Read President-elect Obama's full remarks, as prepared for delivery . . .
Inauguration Day...20th January, 2009...Only 11 Days ...
Yes, we can! was the motto of the presidential campaign. We don't have to wait until 20 January to get started.
Check out the use of Youtube to support a health-related sales tax in New York state. The State Health Commissioner, Dr. David Raines, created a Youtube video to support a proposal by the Governor, David Patterson, to tax high sugared fruit juices and non-diet soft drinks. The New York times article describing the policy and the video, along with the video itself, is at: http://theboard.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/12/30/selling-new-yorks-proposed-obesity-tax/ .
The campaign to ban these terrible weapons is making progress. This week, as half the world's nations gathered in Norway to sign a treaty banning cluster bombs, here in the United States the Obama transition team announced that the new president will "carefully review the new treaty" when he takes office.
The Obama team's statement is a welcome departure from the position of the Bush administration. The Bush administration refused to send a representative to the treaty negotiations and actively lobbied other countries not to support the treaty. This week Bush's spokesperson couldn't even answer a question from veteran journalist Helen Thomas about why the White House opposes the pact. Now that President-Elect Barack Obama has said he will review the treaty,
A U.S. Campaign to Ban Landmines and Cluster Bombs will build support for the U.S. signing the cluster bomb treaty by mobilizing people around the country, lobbying here in Washington, and meeting with key members of the new administration.
The campaign needs your help to expand the movement to stop the use of these weapons. Get involved by writing your Congressional Representative or the President Elect
Have you seen the emails from MY Barrack Obama group members over the last 2 days not wishing to let the movement slip away now that the election has been won.
Take a look at the petition on the attached link to see whether you would be willing to add your name to the list….
Thank God, the community organizer is now the country organizer!
We are in for prosperity, progress and patriotism.
Yes indeed.
God bless USA
God bless Obama
I made 40 phone calls tonight to Washington State voters through my.BarackObama.com. I've done it more than a few times before, even though I really hate being on the phone, especially with strangers. If you're nervous, that goes away after the first time you reach a person at home. I really wonder if they put in a faux number to someone sitting there with a smile, who tells you that they're voting Obama, just to make you less nervous. Ok, I'm kidding. But every time I've called, the first person home is friendly.
Many were not home, or were the wrong number. Even those that are not voting for Barack either quickly end the call, or just hang up. I've not been yelled at, or had any real negative experiences.
Tomorrow, the effort will be GOTV, where you are calling committed voters, asking if they voted yet, and letting them know where to vote. All the info is right there on your computer screen.
If you can, make some calls. Or head to your local Democratic Party to help with local campaigns. Just don't let yourself wake up on November 5th, wondering what you could have done...
Sending my love and prayers to the Obama family and to Maya's family on their loss.
Penna
I was sent an e-mail by a relative regarding Obama and his views against Prop 8. He is a big McCain supporter and so far I have been able to counter all of his points against Obama. But the one about Prop 8 is one I am not too familiar with. Obama has stated that he opposes same sex marriage but wants civil unions. Since the LDS church has pushed for Prop I wanted to see what our great grop here at Mormons for Obama have to say and maybe some things I can tell my relatives.
Because they in a sense told me that "how can I be for Obama and be LDS?".
Just a quick post to discuss my thoughts about two of the most absurd claims made by McCain about Obama. First, Obama is an "elitist." Now, work with me here. Barack Obama came from a single parent home and was raised largely by his grandparents. He did not come from a wealthy background. He moved to Chicago and worked hard for very low pay as a community organizer, helping the unemployed to find work. Wanting to have power to do more for those people, he worked his way through Harvard, became the first black president of the Harvard Law Review, and obtained his law degree. Obama married, has two children, one home and one vehicle between him and his wife. He has only recently paid back his student loans. John McCain, on the other hand, was born into a life of privilege as the son and grandson of four-star navy admirals. That fact alone was the reason he got into the naval academy. He barely graduated (fifth from the bottom in his class), and until he was captured by the Vietnamese, enjoyed a pretty luxurious life in the navy. Anyone who wrecks one plane is stripped of his right to fly again in the navy, unless you're the son of a four-star general, then you can wreck five planes without punishment. Then all of a sudden he is a war hero, comes home and dumps his crippled wife for a much richer woman, and has more houses than he can count on one hand (seven to be precise). Between him and his wife, they have thirteen vehicles. Now you tell me who is the elitist. I haven't seen John's income tax filing, but Cindy's was recently released. In 2007, she cleared $4.2 million.
Which leads me to my next issue: Who's calling who a socialist? According to Cindy McCain's tax return, she paid $1.1 million in taxes in 2007. I think I've got this all figured out. If McCain becomes president, he is planning on giving his wife and himself an additional $300,000 in tax cuts. Before Reagan and the Bushes, those who made the amount of money the McCains make paid a much higher percentage in taxes than the middle class. But since, the Republicans have created more tax cuts and loopholes for the wealthy to jump through, while the middle class have found stagnant wages and higher taxes. Seems to me that since the 1980s we have had a wealth redistribution - from the poor and middle class to the ultra rich. The richer you are, the more of your money you get to keep. Oh, and according to his plan, I, as a nurse, would only get about a $300 tax cut. This is according to the Tax Policy Center's estimation based on the plans provided by the candidates. Perhaps I'm just naive, but it seems to me that there are only so many really wealthy people, but there are a whole lot more in the middle class. Wealthy people can buy whatever they want when they want, and once they've bought so much, they're not going to buy anymore. On the other hand, there are a lot of middle class who don't have things they might want to buy.Let me explain it this way, a wealthy person walks into a Best Buy, picks out the largest, most expensive HD TV he can find and buys it. Chances are, he has what he needs and will buy no more. If his taxes go up, so what? He can still afford his TV, and he'll buy it anyway. On the other hand, twenty middle class people walk into Best Buy and want to buy an HD TV. A couple of them have saved for a while, and now have enough to buy a modest HD TV. A few more have room on their credit cards to splurge, and the rest are "just browsing" because there is absolutely no way they can afford that TV. Now the rich guy is going to buy his TV if he wants to regardless of his tax rate. He's ok. But wouldn't be better for our economy if all twenty of the middle class people had a tax cut and could have bought a TV as well? Best Buy gets more business and income, the TV manufacturers make more money from selling twenty one TVs rather than four or five, and can now afford to hire more employees or give higher wages or give better benefits.I know I'm oversimplifying with this example, but the principle - I think - is accurate. The economy is stronger when the middle class has more money to spend. The Republican theory of giving more tax breaks to the top 5% and wealth trickling down to the rest of us has proven disastrous. It has only proven that those at the top are greedy and engage in practices that have caused our economy to spiral out of control downward. And now Johnny boy wants to give those wealthiest of Americans $86 billion in tax cuts while giving the middle class peanuts. Yeah, that sounds like a brilliant idea.In summary, who's the elitist? I say it's the guy with so many houses he can't remember how many he has (seven) and thirteen cars and a beer heiress wife who makes $4.2 million a year in addition to his own income. I absolutely love what Chris Rock said to Larry King in an interview a few weeks ago regarding how many houses McCain has versus Obama. Obama has one house to lose and then he's homeless, while McCain can lose several homes and still sleep well. Who really cares about the economy more? Barack Obama. Who's the elitist? By far, John McCain.Who's the socialist? Republican policies have robbed from the poor and middle class and rained cash down on the wealthiest 5% of Americans. This is what I like to call reverse socialism. Obama's plan will require those in the top 5% to pay taxes at the rate they did under Clinton (and they remained quite wealthy during those years) and give relief to the middle class, who desperately needs it. Is this socialism? No more than it is to give the wealthiest Americans tax breaks while largely ignoring the middle class. So who's the socialist? In my book, it is John McCain and his Republican policies.
We've been counting down the days so long that it's hard to believe we're in the last week.
As I've talked with people I called today, one thing has become apparent: the impact and importance of this campaign isn't lost on many. It's exciting, and I'm surprised that everyone doesn't want ownership in the election.
As usual, Barack (and the rest of his staff) didn't disappoint. His televised production this evening was great. I'd decide to vote for him if I hadn't already.
I talked with Dylan Roberts, field coordinator for the campaign in Steamboat and Craig, Colorado, yesterday. It looks as if I get to work in Craig for the last three days of the campaign.
What fun.
My aunt and uncle lived in Craig for about two years while serving an LDS Mission there. In a way, I'll be carrying on that effort -- persuading people. I'm not sure that my aunt and uncle would agree with me as the purpose being the same, but alas, we're all working for the better world. (I am winking and smiling at my family right now.)
The Ogden phone bank is full of volunteers. Brenda K, the leader of the effort, has done amazing things. People in the area should check it out: Weber State University Union Building, Room 319. Cell phones are needed there, of course.
Cheers, everyone.
Whatever you wanna call it... That was the BEST 30 minutes of TV I've ever "given my money to pay for"!
I'm proud to be a Maxed-Out supporter, door-knocker, out-of-state traveler, phone-bank caller, travelFORchange sponsoring, t-shirt giving, button wearing, CNN and MSNBC at 2am watching, obama.com blogging, bumper sticker on my BMW having Obama voter!
Peace,
Obama '08
