Oh, and one more thing: The planet will likely be here long after we're gone. We can speed the process of making ourselves gone. The planet will recover. We might not. We've learned that smoking, though enjoyable, is bad for us. We've learned that putting outhouses on our water sources is unhealthy, to say the least. We've learned that asbestos is a great insulator, but that it also can kill us. Surely you can see this next one coming: We've learned that fossil fuels are hugely useful, but we've also learned that acquiring them can devastate our lands and literally change our ecosystem, sometimes to our detriment. Hmmmm, what to do?
I was rude to my brother-in-law in his own home today. Over politics. I love my brother-in-law. He's a good father, and he works hard every day. He's got a great sense of humor. He's honest. In short, I respect him. Yet in less than five minutes, I was furious with him and told him very shortly that the conversation was over - I didn't want to get into a political debate with him. What was he saying that was so abhorrent to me? Nothing except what he hears on the news.
I don't like it that we are spending the way we seem to be. But what if it's necessary? I hear the same news everyone else does. One side says this, and the other side says that, and there are just enough facts being spun by the doctors to thoroughly obscure the truth. I think that's what I was really mad about. I don't really mind a good debate. And what's going on with a huge debt we don't know how we're going to repay is certainly worthy of debate. I'd just like to have it without name calling and sensationalism.
I voted for Barak Obama because he seems to be able to have the dialogue even when others are spoiling for the fight. Not because he's black, or a democrat. I wish I had been able to have the dialogue today instead of rising to a fight. I hate it that politics can come between family.
Hello , to everyone that reads this, what a speech our President made the other night ! As always I was in awe by his intelligence , the ease in which he speaks and his leadership. I know he was meant for such a time as this .Although there are many that disagree with us, Including the GOP , but we need to stand firm, at times myself as I watch the news and hear whats going on , or as I seen on the Oprah Show Wed. what is happening to people that are losing there homes, there are people that are starting to live in tents, my heart goes out to them, and I think why isn't someone steping up to the plate where they are and doing something, when I hear and see all of this and know its bad out there, I think can we come out of this, as in the depression of the 30's , when Roosevelt took office, he gave the people hope, they were still in food lines, still living more than one family in a house, shareing whatever they could with their neighbors, but they had hope, they had hope that tomorrow might be better, they had hope that maybe with the encourangeing words of this new President, that there future would get better than their present circumstances would change, and he gave them hope, he steped up to the plate with a message of hope to them, and they belived in him although they didn't see things change the next week , or the next month, and so forth, they had respect for their President and the office and pulled together, in there neighborhoods and their communities and need I say more, as Paul harvey says " and now you know the rest of the story "
Before watching the speech the other night I went to a site on face book that CNN had set up to make comments, I made a comment and posted it about the night and the Presidents speech coming up , but didn't have time to stop and read some of the comments but went back later, how awful, some of the things I read, hatred for the President, lewd and hatefilled remarks , I came away sad, wondering what has happened to this country, what happened to respect for the Office of the President , just because it is the office of the most highly elected official in our country , weather you agree with him or not . This has been a country of debate , and agreement and, disagreement and civil war, but finally working as one for the common good of the people but I can feel and see the shift , by the disrespect , and it makes me afraid for our country and sometimes makes me want to just sit back and not hear anything, but I cannot do that because when I heard a man by the name of Barack Obama Speak, he gave me a hope that I hadn't had for so long. I belived in change, I belived that this was the time, this was the place , if not now , when , if not me then who, so I got involved , first by making phone calls from my home on my own ,My Barack Obama , I made a few phone calls from my home, but wasn't long before I was involved in our Jackson County Ohio Campaign office. So making calls, canvassing , everyday coming back and doing data entry till maybe 1 in the morning 7 days a week , non stop with all the other wonderful people I worked with, thinking sometimes I don't thnk I can do all of this one more day because we were all so bone tired, but we all knew that we had a cause, that we had a new hope, and when Senator Obama would speak , or we would go to a rally, it would fire us up again and we would keep working. Until the night of Jan. 20th , 2009, we had made the last phone call we could make ,went to the last door we could, we had sent in the last report, and then we all gathred in front of the T. V. and got to see all our hard work paid off as Barack Obama became the 44 th President Of the United States of America , Our President , the one we worked for, the one that inspired us , the one that gave us our first HOPE , that maybe just maybe we can change this country.
So now here we are, and with all the bad news we hear, with all the nay sayers, with all the hate filled remarks , with all the division in the Senate , we cannot give up on Hope, we cannot give up not for one week, not for one day , not for one minute, we must stand behind our President , we must get fired up again, we must step up to the plate, we must speak out, we must make calls, we must write letters, we cannot give up or give in because if we do they win, and I am not just speaking of the GOP. I am speaking of all the people that say hate filled remarks and racism , and division, whoever they are across this land. I wrote this because I see a letting down of the people that supported Senator Obama then , I can see it by the numbers on these cando sites especially my own OhioCan , President Obama was elected people but believe me , he still needs us , he still needs us to stand behind him and support his agenda , lets once again get fired up , and do the work that was set before us , when this all first began . call people you know, call the people you worked with on the campaign that you haven''t heard from again or in awhile , ( I even know some, our group got lax after the election ) get them fired up , have them join your state can site , and ask them to get someone to join, have a meeting and get it going. We have got to regroup again , its imperitive that we do , because divided we fall, united we stand and we must stand for what we believe in and we believe in our President and we believe in hope, without hope the people perish.
Thanks and I know this was long , but its straight from my heart.
Sincerely Brenda Long OHIOCAN and Will
I am watching the news constantly , the stimulus has passed, with no help from the Gop . now must make it to the presidents desk for signing. Have they forgotten that they were elected to do the will of the people. After the past 8 years under the leandership we have had it was quite evident that something needed to be done and fast. The greed in this country in high places has led to its desent into the abyss of Joblessness, Poverty, homelessness, our dependance on foreign oil , etc. The American people had lost hope, and without hope the people perish. Now we have hope back, but the Gop doesn't want us to have hope evidently , with the tatics they have done over the stimulus package. I see so many people hurting , if the GOP had to walk a month in the shoes of someone that has lost their job, they would have jumped on this stimulus package. They have lost site of who the American people are and what they want , and who they are working for. We have to fight evey step of the way , and beat them back and let them know what the American people what and what they were sent to Washington to do when they were elected , and that was to do the will of the people.
Please join in our work ,there are so many groups to be apart of , remember two is better than one and thousands can move mountains.
" Be the change you wish to see in the world " Ghandi
Hello , my name is Brenda Long, from Wellston, I am now the new administrator for the site Jackson County Ohio for Obama. The election is over, President Obama was elected , now it is time to move on , as he has called on us to do , so in the weeks and months ahead , we will be planning some new things, the first one being a house party where we can get together and brainstorm to see what kind of ideas we can come up with to bring change to our individual communities in Jackson county , on just how to move forward in our communities, to reach out to people that are being hurt by the economy at this time, to work with our local democratic party to bring about change in who are elected officials are and support the people that are planning on running for office's in up coming local elections.
I will be talking with two other people that I have worked with closely during the Campaign first to get a house party organized, I will let you know when and where that will be in the near future. check the site Jackson County Ohio for Obama often and let me hear some ideas from you.
Thanks and now let us move , to reach out because we are ,our brothers keeper.
Today the real work begins. President Obama has called on us to rebuild our great nation. Bringing a large, populous, wealthy nation to the next level is our task. We must not be overcome, for the hour is late and time is short. Until campaign season in 2012, we are on a new mission: to achieve our destiny as individuals, as communities, as a nation, and as a world. We are all one people today, but the road ahead will be long and arduous.
Cincinnati Obama 2008 is becoming Cincinnati Supports Our President. I invite mailing list members to create a forum for discussing local solutions to the many problems we face. God bless President Obama, and God bless America!
I still wake up feeling the same way I have for awhile...then I realize, that something so exemplary has been accomplished. The hate and fear aren't as prevalent as they were even a week ago. There's an overall sense of relief to the nation, dare I say the world, that the biggest kid on the block, the current bully, realized that is possible to use your powers for good. You can take care of your own, the weak, your neighbor, the old lady down the street, the injured veteran across the street. You can care about the neighbor of your enemy without dehumanizing an entire culture, race, or hemisphere in the name of security. You don't have to spy on your own citizens for their own good; you can give people the benefit of the doubt and still be strong and secure. If nothing else this makes you stronger and more secure. If you take away everyone's rights and freedoms, because the "unseen terrorist enemy" uses our freedoms and liberties to attack us, so we must be stripped of them for our own safety; then they've won. They successfully destroyed the United States of America, because that was the biggest difference between us and many other countries of the world. It had seemed like the Great Experiment had collapsed on itself. No one is strong and secure if they’re constantly looking over their shoulder. A life lived in fear is only half a life.
The fear that has gripped people and was used to control them since, quote the Giuliani, "9/11", seems to have given way to the attitude of, for every night we make it through, there's the promise of a brand new day. If you have to stop living, in order to live, then that's merely existing. I feel like I can breathe now. I feel like it's that new day, and the storm (Katrina) is over, and although I look out my window and it's still a wreck, at least now I know I won't run the risk of getting arrested or "detained" while trying to clean up my own back yard. And once we have our own things in order we can do more to help others. You can’t really do anything to help your friends while you’re holding in your own guts hoping they don’t spill to the ground.
While I can't say I was ever truly ashamed to be an American, I was definitely ashamed of some of the things that happened on my watch, as it were. When America is listed as an abuser of human rights, rather than a champion of them, then that is not my America. My America denounces torture and human rights abuses. My America does not have a blank check to spy on its own citizens. My America does not disregard the Constitution of the United States of America as just a “Goddamn piece of paper[1].”
It's Sunday, the election was Tuesday, I believed it Wednesday, it's Sunday, and I still wake up in that old world, and it has to burn off of me like the fog in the valley before the sun works it’s way over the crest of the ridge. But once it does I can see the beauty that lay before me; I have my country back. I can raise my head, stare out at the horizon and know that no matter what may come my way, I know that when Americans stand together and have had enough, there’s nothing that can’t be accomplished. It is now the time to fly the flag and have pride in your country, it is no longer the time for flag decals and magnetic ribbons announcing support for the troops. It’s time to support them, after their service as well as during and bringing them home still whole and alive is a hell of a start.
[1] "Stop throwing the Constitution in my face," Bush screamed back. "It's just a goddamned piece of paper!" http://www.google.com/search?q=the+constitution+a+goddamned+piece+of+paper&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a
I can't believe it, I just can't believe it. It's like 16 hours after the election was called and it's just setting in.
We won, AMERICA WON!
Columnist Charles Blow wrote his reaction: People Wept
Then I wrote mine in part to his column, in part to the history being made around us!
We can still believe in miracles. We can still believe in hope. We can still believe that humanity can call forth our better nature, that we can become those people that the Scriptures of all our traditions say that we can, say that we must become.
If one generation not so long ago has been called “the greatest,” and indeed their stand for liberty merits such designation, here today we have a new contender for the title. Today we’ve earned the right to compete for the title. How we grow, how we honor the trust, how we change, will prove in the future whether or not we can claim it.
As much as President-elect Obama is the result of hope, of dreams, of miracles, he is there for at least as much, if not more so the result of hard work, of dedication, of the commitments of time, money, energy by many Americans who together took the spirit of “we shall overcome” and rendered the verdict, “Yes, we can.”
Savor this moment. Note it well as what hopefully will be a watershed in our national discourse and for the benefit of the world. And when the body is tired from crying, when the body is exhausted from hollering and shouting praise of gratitude for what seemed so long to be impossible, pause in the silence. That place of dreams where all things have form that can be given life on this physical plane.
Then roll up the sleeves, we all have a lot of work to do! But let us do so looking at each other equally in the eye, looking to make real all the promise that this moment carries with it. The dawn of the new day is here. Smile.
The longest political campaign ever -- ever! -- is finally at a close. Today we close the gap between Hope and Change when we go to the polls and Vote. This is not only our right, it is our duty to ourselves, our families, our communities, our great nation, and our evolving world. Tomorrow is the dawning of a new era -- and a new age of America. Today we vote, on the first day of the rest of our lives.
God Bless America,
Paul/Qaliqo
Everything leading up to the election has pretty much been done; the presents are under the electoral college all being watched by both sides with care. And not a mouse at the board of elections is stirring, not even an optical mouse.
Sorry, my ass is so worn out from all this. Since about February, when I threw my support behind this campaign, even though I still thought that he should wait until the next election; then again, I'm a pundit, like I'm a waif model.
Needless to say, I've never in my life, donated my time, money, social life, whatever I could, car, gas...I can't think of it all. But it's over for me as far as anything but answering some questions, if asked, and pulling the lever or poking the chad (he he) or whatever way I'm voting tomorrow.
I've never put more into somethng so outside of my control. I'm planning on going to a friend's for an election party, after karate (I need to punch something) and hope to be celebrating, but am not believeing poll numbers or anything until all the votes are in. I guess I've seen, Red Right 88, the Drive, the Fumble, Jordan blocking Elho's shot, Mesa shaking off Alomar in the 9th of game 7. I'm used to having defeat snatched from the jaws of victory. So I won't unclench until it's called. But I am hopeful.
Hope, that was the whole point, wasn't it? It's still there. I must, Barack Obama has knocked the dust off idealism I thought was long, long ago dead.
I hope that I'm right for a change; and more so, I hope that if I am right about tomorrow, I am right about what's right for the country.
I want my country back.I want my rights back.I want my constitution to mean something.I want my country to be respected around the world once again.I want my country to be thought of as a land of justice, liberty and freedom.I want a place where anyone has a chance.I want a country where anyone with a little drive can make a life for themselves.I want the American Dream to no longer be a joke made on late night talk shows.
I want Sen. Barack Hussein Obama to be the next President of the Untied States of America.
I have created spreadsheets that detail all the States in this election, and have broken down each state by Gender, Race, Age, Party Affiliation, Education and Religion. I won't go into too much detail on how the predictions have been made, but most of the data comes from the US Census Bureau and Exit Polls from the 2004 Election. More information on methodology was described extensively with my first set of predictions.
Here are some of the sources I used for these Projections:
U.S Census Bureau
CNN.com Election 2004 Exit Poll Results
Graduate College Religion Survey- City University of New York
I have two sets of results for each State Prediction. The first model is a Low Turnout Model that assumes a similar turnout as 2004. The second and I believe more likely model is a High Turnout Model that assumes a much bigger turnout among younger voters and African Americans. Overall I project that Obama will win between 338 Electoral Votes and 390 Electoral Votes. I have also added another addition to this. I have created a spreadsheet with the Election Night Results with the Time Polls Close, and Projected Times that States will be Called. Before I go any further, I want to take note of Georgia. Georgia is a state I am now predicting Obama can win, and I project that Obama will win Georgia. The reason is the data we now have from Early Voting in Georgia. I have a brief breakdown of the Early Voting results below.Turn out Demographics: Black Female388,443 22.0%Black Male229,522 13.0%TOTAL BLACK: 35%White Female595,243 33.7%White Male474,379 26.8%TOTAL WHITE: 60.5%Asia-PI Female5,564 0.3%Asia-PI Male4,065 0.2%TOTAL ASIA-PL : 0.5%Hisp-Lt Female6,962 0.4%Hisp-Lt Male5,091 0.3%TOTAL HISP: 0.7%Other57,529 3.2%Total1,767,139 99.9%So what is the big deal with these numbers? Why am I confident Obama can win Georgia?First lets consider the total vote already cast in Early Voting in Georgia. 1.77 Million. That number accounts for 54% of the TOTAL Vote in 2004 (3.3 Million). Also consider this.. If an astonomical 25% more people vote in 2008 than voted in 2004 (4.1 Million), that 1.77 Million Early Vote total is 42% of the total vote. Either way just about half the vote has already been cast. In 2004, 25% of the Vote came from African Americans, thus far 35% is African American with half the vote cast. If White Voters as polls suggest vote 70% for McCain and 26% or more vote for Obama, that would allow the large African American turnout to push Obama over the top in Georgia. Even if African Americans are only 30% of the Total Vote, that 5% increase over 2004 could be enough for Obama, and my projection below demostrates how that is possible. There are similar numbers coming from North Carolina and Florida where nearly half of voters have voted, and African Americans are turning out in very large numbers.
For all the shortcomings of the campaign, both John McCain and Barack Obama offer hope of national redemption. Now America has to choose between them. The Economist does not have a vote, but if it did, it would cast it for Mr Obama. We do so wholeheartedly: the Democratic candidate has clearly shown that he offers the better chance of restoring America's self-confidence. But we acknowledge it is a gamble. Given Mr Obama's inexperience, the lack of clarity about some of his beliefs and the prospect of a stridently Democratic Congress, voting for him is a risk. Yet it is one America should take, given the steep road ahead.
The immediate focus, which has dominated the campaign, looks daunting enough: repairing America's economy and its international reputation. The financial crisis is far from finished. The United States is at the start of a painful recession. Some form of further fiscal stimulus is needed, though estimates of the budget deficit next year already spiral above $1 trillion. Some 50m Americans have negligible health-care cover. Abroad, even though troops are dying in two countries, the cack-handed way in which George Bush has prosecuted his war on terror has left America less feared by its enemies and less admired by its friends than it once was.
Yet there are also longer-term challenges, worth stressing if only because they have been so ignored on the campaign. Jump forward to 2017, when the next president will hope to relinquish office. A combination of demography and the rising costs of America's huge entitlement programmes—Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid—will be starting to bankrupt the country. Abroad a greater task is already evident: welding the new emerging powers to the West. That is not just a matter of handling the rise of India and China, drawing them into global efforts, such as curbs on climate change; it means reselling economic and political freedom to a world that too quickly associates American capitalism with Lehman Brothers and American justice with Guantánamo Bay. This will take patience, fortitude, salesmanship and strategy.
At the beginning of this election year, there were strong arguments against putting another Republican in the White House. A spell in opposition seemed apt punishment for the incompetence, cronyism and extremism of the Bush presidency. Conservative America also needs to recover its vim. Somehow Ronald Reagan's party of western individualism and limited government has ended up not just increasing the size of the state but turning it into a tool of southern-fried moralism.
The selection of Mr McCain as the Republicans' candidate was a powerful reason to reconsider. Mr McCain has his faults: he is an instinctive politician, quick to judge and with a sharp temper. And his age has long been a concern (how many global companies in distress would bring in a new 72-year-old boss?). Yet he has bravely taken unpopular positions—for free trade, immigration reform, the surge in Iraq, tackling climate change and campaign-finance reform. A western Republican in the Reagan mould, he has a long record of working with both Democrats and America's allies.
That, however, was Senator McCain; the Candidate McCain of the past six months has too often seemed the victim of political sorcery, his good features magically inverted, his bad ones exaggerated. The fiscal conservative who once tackled Mr Bush over his unaffordable tax cuts now proposes not just to keep the cuts, but to deepen them. The man who denounced the religious right as "agents of intolerance" now embraces theocratic culture warriors. The campaigner against ethanol subsidies (who had a better record on global warming than most Democrats) came out in favour of a petrol-tax holiday. It has not all disappeared: his support for free trade has never wavered. Yet rather than heading towards the centre after he won the nomination, Mr McCain moved to the right.
Meanwhile his temperament, always perhaps his weak spot, has been found wanting. Sometimes the seat-of-the-pants method still works: his gut reaction over Georgia—to warn Russia off immediately—was the right one. Yet on the great issue of the campaign, the financial crisis, he has seemed all at sea, emitting panic and indecision. Mr McCain has never been particularly interested in economics, but, unlike Mr Obama, he has made little effort to catch up or to bring in good advisers (Doug Holtz-Eakin being the impressive exception).
The choice of Sarah Palin epitomised the sloppiness. It is not just that she is an unconvincing stand-in, nor even that she seems to have been chosen partly for her views on divisive social issues, notably abortion. Mr McCain made his most important appointment having met her just twice.
Ironically, given that he first won over so many independents by speaking his mind, the case for Mr McCain comes down to a piece of artifice: vote for him on the assumption that he does not believe a word of what he has been saying. Once he reaches the White House, runs this argument, he will put Mrs Palin back in her box, throw away his unrealistic tax plan and begin negotiations with the Democratic Congress. That is plausible; but it is a long way from the convincing case that Mr McCain could have made. Had he become president in 2000 instead of Mr Bush, the world might have had fewer problems. But this time it is beset by problems, and Mr McCain has not proved that he knows how to deal with them.
Is Mr Obama any better? Most of the hoopla about him has been about what he is, rather than what he would do. His identity is not as irrelevant as it sounds. Merely by becoming president, he would dispel many of the myths built up about America: it would be far harder for the spreaders of hate in the Islamic world to denounce the Great Satan if it were led by a black man whose middle name is Hussein; and far harder for autocrats around the world to claim that American democracy is a sham. America's allies would rally to him: the global electoral college on our website shows a landslide in his favour. At home he would salve, if not close, the ugly racial wound left by America's history and lessen the tendency of American blacks to blame all their problems on racism.
So Mr Obama's star quality will be useful to him as president. But that alone is not enough to earn him the job. Charisma will not fix Medicare nor deal with Iran. Can he govern well? Two doubts present themselves: his lack of executive experience; and the suspicion that he is too far to the left.
There is no getting around the fact that Mr Obama's résumé is thin for the world's biggest job. But the exceptionally assured way in which he has run his campaign is a considerable comfort. It is not just that he has more than held his own against Mr McCain in the debates. A man who started with no money and few supporters has out-thought, out-organised and outfought the two mightiest machines in American politics—the Clintons and the conservative right.
Political fire, far from rattling Mr Obama, seems to bring out the best in him: the furore about his (admittedly ghastly) preacher prompted one of the most thoughtful speeches of the campaign. On the financial crisis his performance has been as assured as Mr McCain's has been febrile. He seems a quick learner and has built up an impressive team of advisers, drawing in seasoned hands like Paul Volcker, Robert Rubin and Larry Summers. Of course, Mr Obama will make mistakes; but this is a man who listens, learns and manages well.
It is hard too nowadays to depict him as soft when it comes to dealing with America's enemies. Part of Mr Obama's original appeal to the Democratic left was his keenness to get American troops out of Iraq; but since the primaries he has moved to the centre, pragmatically saying the troops will leave only when the conditions are right. His determination to focus American power on Afghanistan, Pakistan and proliferation was prescient. He is keener to talk to Iran than Mr McCain is— but that makes sense, providing certain conditions are met.
Our main doubts about Mr Obama have to do with the damage a muddle-headed Democratic Congress might try to do to the economy. Despite the protectionist rhetoric that still sometimes seeps into his speeches, Mr Obama would not sponsor a China-bashing bill. But what happens if one appears out of Congress? Worryingly, he has a poor record of defying his party's baronies, especially the unions. His advisers insist that Mr Obama is too clever to usher in a new age of over-regulation, that he will stop such nonsense getting out of Congress, that he is a political chameleon who would move to the centre in Washington. But the risk remains that on economic matters the centre that Mr Obama moves to would be that of his party, not that of the country as a whole.
So Mr Obama in that respect is a gamble. But the same goes for Mr McCain on at least as many counts, not least the possibility of President Palin. And this cannot be another election where the choice is based merely on fear. In terms of painting a brighter future for America and the world, Mr Obama has produced the more compelling and detailed portrait. He has campaigned with more style, intelligence and discipline than his opponent. Whether he can fulfil his immense potential remains to be seen. But Mr Obama deserves the presidency.
Yes, the polls look great, high-profile Republicans are endorsing Sen. Obama and Camp McCain appears to be struggling. Yes, it’s easy to feel like it’s over – but it’s not.
As I was about to launch into my own appeal to guard against complacency, the following email hit my inbox. Mark Johns from Licking County hit the nail on the head with his message.
After you finish reading, walk, drive or cycle to the Campaign for Change office near you. Walk in, sign up and help bring this historic campaign home.
Athens Headquarters - 540 West Union St. Athens 740-248-6518
Uptown Athens Headquarters - 5 North Court St. 5 on Court Second Floor Athens 740-974-0025
Meigs County Headquarters - Carpenters Union Hall 218 E Main St. Pomeroy
Nelsonville Headquarters - 25 Public Square Nelsonville
Thanks John
Despite what some of the polls are showing, I want to make sure we guard against complacency. There are some other polls that show things tightening. And we know that things in Ohio are going to be very tight.
If we do have the McCain campaign on the ropes, next week is when we MUST begin to deliver the knockout punch! Get down to the Obama office right away, sign your name to the Victory Wall, and commit some of your time to help Get Out The Vote. That is what will be critical to an Obama victory in Ohio, and therefore, in the election itself.
And if you can, take Election Day off from work to help. Without a strong GOTV effort by the Obama campaign, it is in danger of losing the election.
Mark JohnsLicking County, OH for ObamaJOIN THE LICKING COUNTY, OH FOR OBAMA GROUP NOW, AND LET'S HELP SEN. OBAMA WIN OHIO AND THE WHITE HOUSE IN NOVEMBER! GO TO:
http://my.barackobama.com/page/group/LickingCountyOHforObama
http://blogs.reuters.com/trail08/2008/10/22/catholic-groups-launches-pro-obama-web-site/
Catholic groups launches pro-Obama web site
DALLAS - Catholics for Obama has just launched a web site as the Nov. 4 White House race between Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain enters its final laps.
Catholics, who account for close to a quarter of the U.S. adult population, comprise a key religious group that both sides have tried to woo. In closely contested swing states such as Ohio or Florida the Catholic vote could make a difference.
The web site is sure to stoke controversy in Catholic circles with this statement: “Is Barack Obama really pro-life? The answer is ‘yes.’ Looking through the lens of Catholic Social Teaching, Senator Obama has spent his entire career striving for the common good. He supports health care programs that will cover all Americans, a living wage for working families, and solutions that allow distressed families to stay in their homes.”
It goes on to say that Obama, a strong advocate like his party of abortion rights, will reduce the number of abortions by promoting health care for pregnant women and infant care.
As a volunteer I must refrain from blogging, save this one entry:
I spent three weeks in Athens, Ohio, staying with family and working in the local Obama offices until two days ago, when I came back to New York. The volunteers I met and worked for and with were among the most dedicated, capable, and nicest people I've had the pleasure of knowing. From local students to out-of-towners committing themselves to working virtually nonstop until Nov. 4, the diverse group tought me the best lessons about grassroots democracy and working for a cause bigger than oneself.
I suppose being a New Yorker gives me a slightly different perspective on the way people work, but I pay all of them my highest compliment: "I'd hire them all, no hesitation."
