Hello MN Change Agents!As Communications Director of the MN CAN (Community Action Network) I’ve been asked to help get the word out.
By way of introduction, as a tail end baby boomer, I have lived and worked in Minnesota my entire life. More specifically, that currently means living in White Bear Lake but I grew up in Coon Rapids and Anoka school districts, and have lived in Burnsville, Bloomington, Maplewood, Woodbury, Mankato, Golden Valley, and NE Mpls, as well. (For what it’s worth, I also have immediate family in Ham Lake, Andover, Blaine, Lakeville, Minneapolis, St. Paul, St. Cloud, St. Joseph, and Hastings:) Some of you may remember me as we biked—quite literally pedaling thousands of miles—together in the late ‘70s/early ‘80s throughout greater Minnesota with the Jaunt w/Jim (Klobuchar) Ride sponsored by the Minneapolis STRIB.
Others of you may be familiar w/my online efforts during the 2008 campaign, but I also travelled to Indiana and South Dakota to knock on doors during the primary and spent the summer working as a grassroots organizer for the Obama campaign in St. Cloud—where we gathered together to watch then Senator Obama accept the DNC nomination for POTUS at the largest Watch Party in the state of Minnesota. Like many of you I’ve also been hosting and/or attending smaller scale house parties in support of Change for the last two years and feel invested, not to mention heard, in the political process for the first time ever.
My right hand in CAN is Tom Hayes, a tireless self described “non-partisan synergist” for Change who spent hours blogging during the campaign. Tom was an Obama precinct captain in Northfield, worked closely with the metro campaign volunteers and ObamaWorks. In addition, he helped moderate and maintain the Rapid Response group on BarackObama.com. You can learn more about Tom’s leadership/philosophical approach in one of his latest online articles: If You're Not Part of the Solution.
By now you may know a little something about the CAN groups. To be clear we are not OFA 2.0 but a grassroots Community Action Network born of a strong desire to show support for our new President; helping in any way we can to DO SOMETHING about the state of the union inherited from the Bush legacy. So we requested, and graciously received, permission to build out within MyBO throughout the U.S. If you have any specific questions, please feel free to write one of the original founders, LisaLindo@aol.com, for clarification.Someone said it’s impossible to give Barack Obama too much feedback: But we’re going to try anywayJ I believe the phenomenon of this movement for Change evolved as a result of many factors coming together in this time; none of which would have been possible w/out the type of leader we find in President Obama—who has fought hard to provide everyone of us w/access to the information/tools we need to connect the dots. Now, as Tavis Smiley observed on Larry King this evening, their accountability is our responsibility. Thus, we need your help to organize and to put together action events throughout Minnesota to support our President and your communities statewide. (If you are presently located in a different state and want to stay in the loop for local activities, just let us know so we can get you connected.)
In any case we hope you’ll join us on http://My.BarackObama.com/page/group/MinnesotaCAN
We are building out this infrastructure to organize America in support of our new Leader. Please “come out” and join our (virtual) national Barn Building Party for President Obama. Our grassroots teams, in an effort to support Barack, are rolling out Grassroots Government 2.0. before the snow melts!
Our first and foremost immediate objective is to form ranks. To get involved, these are the instructions:1. Join these two groups:o http://my.barackobama.com/page/group/MinnesotaCANo http://my.barackobama.com/page/group/USACAN
2. Update your Personal Profile on MyBO with real contact information so we can interact accordingly.3. Do your part to help us develop this robust nationwide project: All MyBO members who want to participate in Grassroots Government 2.0 need to join their respective State CAN group.
To give you a heads up, a call has been put out for each county across the country to have their second CAN meeting Saturday, March 7th. (In your county, it may be the first meeting as we gear up.) At these face to face meetings in each county across MN we will elect officers, assign issue teams by individual interests, and connect people who share local concerns to work across CAN; joining forces and implementing solutions. This is the plan we make in support of President Barack Obama's upcoming legislation and programs; which are detailed in the President’s Blue Print for Change and posted at www.whitehouse.gov. Please pass this on to your friends, fellow Obama Supporters, list serves et al: The more voices people hear about how important it is to meet up in each county, in each community, the better chance we have of getting bodies in those seats, votes in those polls, and voices in the National Conversation.“We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek..” --Barack Obama
This is not a drill: Now is the time!
From social networking to text messaging, young people have changed the way political campaigns are run in the United States.
And, today, we have a chance to change the nation.
But only if we vote.
Check out this video of Kal Penn, the star of the Harold & Kumar movies, talking to students at the U about the power of the youth vote, and then find your polling place and vote!
Now the big question: if your attention is worth billions of dollars, how much power does your vote have?
Go to www.VoteForChange.com to find your polling place.
There are just four days left before Election Day and the campaign's Get Out the Vote effort is running on all cylinders to ensure that Barack is elected on November 4th.
Tomorrow, Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean will make stops in St. Cloud and Minneapolis to rally supporters to "Get Out the Vote" over the next few days.
Governor Dean will campaign for Barack Obama, Al Franken, Elwyn Tinklenberg and other DFL candidates. He’ll appear alongside Tinklenberg, state Senate Assistant Majority Leader Tarryl Clark, Thomasin Frankin, Mayor RT Rybak, and Rep. Keith Ellison.
Here are the details:
Saturday, November 1: ST CLOUD: Get Out The Vote Rally for Change with Gov. Howard Dean FEATURING: El Tinklenberg, Minnesota Senator Assistant Majority Leader Tarryl Clark and Thomasin Frankin Campaign For Change Office 904 West St. Germain Street St. Cloud, MN 5PM MINNEAPOLIS Get Out The Vote Concert for Change With Howard Dean, Martin Zellar, White Light Riot, and the Radiators FEATURING: Mayor RT Rybak, Thomasin Frankin, and Rep. Keith Ellison Trocaderos Nightclub & Restaurant 107 3rd Avenue North Minneapolis, MN 8PM
Saturday, November 1:
ST CLOUD: Get Out The Vote Rally for Change with Gov. Howard Dean FEATURING: El Tinklenberg, Minnesota Senator Assistant Majority Leader Tarryl Clark and Thomasin Frankin
Campaign For Change Office 904 West St. Germain Street St. Cloud, MN 5PM
MINNEAPOLIS Get Out The Vote Concert for Change With Howard Dean, Martin Zellar, White Light Riot, and the Radiators FEATURING: Mayor RT Rybak, Thomasin Frankin, and Rep. Keith Ellison
Trocaderos Nightclub & Restaurant 107 3rd Avenue North Minneapolis, MN 8PM
Governor Dean knows that in 2000 and 2004 the Republican turn-out machine helped deliver the presidency to George Bush, twice. Over the last 21 months, grassroots supporters across Minnesota -- many of whom had never been involved in politics before -- have built an organization to match. In four days, we'll know who wins.
But the one thing we do know is that you can't win if you don't fight. This weekend is your chance to be part of that fight.
The clock starts this weekend.
Polls close in four days.
Originally posted at http://www.saveourcountry.us/node/104
McCain envy is the term used to describe a candidate's negative reactions towards another candidates success in fund raising activities. While this type of envy is nothing new it definitely has reached levels never before seen and therefore this term was coined in response to the 2008 Republican presidential candidate, John McCain. During the race Mr. McCain consistently failed to realize that the success of his opponent, Barack Obama, was a result of Obama's ability to reach out to the people. McCain could not comprehend how his own misguided Republican philosophies had proven to be dangerous and how they had nearly bankrupted the United States. Being unable to recognize these facts and being incredibly jealous of Obama, he began to imagine sinister alternatives which included Obama accepting funds from foreign entities and illegal donations, exceeding the federally mandated maximums, from the super wealthy. It was impossible for McCain to accept that millions of people from across the country all made relatively small contributions which gave Obama an unprecedented financial advantage.
A friend of mine has 100 lawn signs that she had printed up with stands that say OBAMA BIDEN, they are solid blue with the OBAMA BIDEN in white and a white border. She had them printed up and is selling them for cost at $4.00 a piece since we couldn't get any Obama lawn signs anywhere and she has already sold 400 out of the 500 she had printed. She is willing to meet you part way if you buy 10 or more. She lives in St. Michael.
I can meet you downtown Minneapolis to deliver a few since I work there. I will be at work this Thurs, Friday and next monday 6am -4pm. If you are interested in buying any of these call her at 763-490-3039. Her name is sue.
Let's get Obama lawn signs out everywhere.
Originally Posted at http://www.saveourcountry.us/node/101
After listening to John McCain and his Republican allies one would think that the organization, ACORN, set out to systematically perpetuate voter fraud on a grand scale. Firstly, no one questions the fact, even ACORN, that there were hundreds of voter registration forms that were turned in with false names. Some of these names were obvious, like Mickey Mouse, others were not since they were of people who recently departed this plane of existence. Obviously this is a problem and there does need to be an investigation of how it occurred and those found responsible must be held accountable. The problem is that McCain and his allies are making it sound as if someone is trying to “steal” this election and generate votes for Obama, since ACORN is a left leaning organization.However, McCain, in a truly Republican tradition, is only telling you part of the story and exaggerating the potential impact of these “false” voter registrations. ACORN hires people to participate in its voter registration drives and these people, in an attempt to fulfill their quota's and keep their jobs, created false registrations. ACORN not only acknowledges this occurred but also flagged registrations it believed to be problematic and agreed, up front, to work with officials in vetting them. ACORN did not want to simply throw these registrations away as this would be illegal. Simply put, how would you feel if you filled out a voter registration card and an organization threw it away. If it turned out a Republican's voter registration card was thrown away I guarantee you McCain and his allies would be making a fuss about that.It is truly unfortunate that these events occurred and it is going to require government resources to deal with these false registrations. However, a false registration does not equate to a fraudulent vote. First of all there is no risk that Mickey Mouse will be leaving his imaginary land to come and cast a vote for either McCain or Obama. Second, even for the names of the deceased, it would be required that someone to actually know that the deceased is on the voter rolls and then be able to obtain false identification to cast the vote. The penalties for casting a fraudulent vote are steep, ten years in prison, it would be irrational for someone to go through the expense, trouble, and risk to simply add a single vote in an election where tens of millions will participate. Finally, there is not a single documented incidence where a false registration led to a fraudulent vote. This is just another example of where the Republican's are wrong on the issues and knowing this are trying to fabricate a scandal.
Originally posted at http://www.saveourcountry.us/node/97
While it may seem like good news if they are it is more likely just a ploy. The Republican party is saying this as a method to encourage independents and undecideds to vote for Republican senators and house candidates. Sending the idea that one party control is a bad thing since it was when the Republicans had full control. The other reason why they are using this ploy is that they are hoping that Obama supporters will decided to not vote. There are many who may think, “why bother voting, Obama has it in the bag.” However, this is by far the most dangerous line of thinking one can take, the only way Obama can win is if we all get out there and vote!Also, Obama still needs donations to combat the lies that the RNC and McCain are pushing with their robocalls!
With less than two weeks until Election Day, Senator Amy Klobuchar and Obama’s Minnesota state director Jeff Blodgett will make four campaign stops across Minnesota to make the case for change to undecided Minnesota voters.
Events will be held in St. Paul, St Cloud, Grand Rapids and Virginia to highlight Senator Obama’s comprehensive plans to restore the economy and lead our country in the 21st century.
The day’s events will kick off at 10 AM at the State Capitol in St. Paul on Thursday. With undecided voters making their decisions over the next few days, these events will speak to independent voters who are concerned with the direction of our economy and are fed up with the viscous attacks and smear tactics being used in the campaign.
Jeff Blodgett explains:
Undecided voters are starting to make their choices and they are seeing a stark contrast between the two candidates for President. Senator McCain has been erratic and out of touch in the face of a serious economic crisis, while Barack Obama has shown strong and steady leadership. As Minnesotans have struggled to deal with the economic crisis, the McCain campaign has stooped to the worst kind of smear tactics that our political process has to offer and Minnesotans are just fed up. Minnesotans want to hear about how we’ll get out of this economic mess, not more negativity and dishonesty.
Undecided voters are starting to make their choices and they are seeing a stark contrast between the two candidates for President. Senator McCain has been erratic and out of touch in the face of a serious economic crisis, while Barack Obama has shown strong and steady leadership.
As Minnesotans have struggled to deal with the economic crisis, the McCain campaign has stooped to the worst kind of smear tactics that our political process has to offer and Minnesotans are just fed up. Minnesotans want to hear about how we’ll get out of this economic mess, not more negativity and dishonesty.
St. Paul Senator Amy Klobuchar State Capitol Room B-15 Program Begins: 10:00 AM St. Cloud Economic Round Table East Side VFW 104 Franklin Avenue Northeast St. Cloud, MN Program Begins: 12:00 PM Grand Rapids Canvass Kickoff Grand Rapids Campaign for Change Office 809 NE 4th Street Grand Rapids, MN Program Begins: 4:00 PM Virginia House Party Home of Paul Cerkvenik 817 S 5th Avenue Virginia, MN Program Begins: 5:30 PM
St. Paul Senator Amy Klobuchar State Capitol Room B-15
Program Begins: 10:00 AM
St. Cloud Economic Round Table East Side VFW 104 Franklin Avenue Northeast St. Cloud, MN
Program Begins: 12:00 PM
Grand Rapids Canvass Kickoff Grand Rapids Campaign for Change Office 809 NE 4th Street Grand Rapids, MN
Program Begins: 4:00 PM
Virginia House Party Home of Paul Cerkvenik 817 S 5th Avenue Virginia, MN
Program Begins: 5:30 PM
Originally posted at: http://www.saveourcountry.us/node/96
Today John McCain made the claim that if he had been president that the mortgage crisis which ultimately is responsible for dragging the whole economy down, would have been avoided if he had been president. Here is the problem, John McCain has been an active supporter of the deregulation that led to this mess. The reversal of regulations that were put in place after the great depression that would prevent banks from over investing the money of others in risky areas. Based on his long history of deregulation it is impossible to believe that he would have acted any differently than if he had run against Bush and won. It is clear that John does not understand how we got in this mess and that his policies were a direct cause!
As the next 2 weeks bring us closer to victory, we need to keep working to secure that victory. If you have any campaign signs on your property, remember to take them in for Halloween since that's when they seem to disappear if left out. I had one stolen from my front yard while I was in the back shooting off 300 rounds of ammunition with my friends.
Michele Bachmann needs to be replaced and we need to get our friends to vote for El Tinklenberg to do that. She has become his biggest fundraiser since her appearance on Hardball last Friday. So far over 1 million has been raised.
There are many opportunities for you all to help. Write letters to the editor, door knock, make calls, volunteer at your candidates offices etc. Call their offices and volunteer. They will find something for you to do.
We can't sit still and rest because we feel our candidates will win. Winning is not a given. It is more important now than ever that we keep working hard for our candidates. If nothing else contribute money to their campaigns. The vote blue website is an easy way to do this, or just donate to our candidates directly on their websites.
Thanks for all you are doing! Gabe
Originally posted at http://www.saveourcountry.us/node/95
Hello, I am Scott the future guy, I am 85 years old and I just got off of a ten hour shift and now I am going to baby sit my grand children while my son goes and works his ten hour shift (can't afford a baby sitter). Unfortunately for me there is no longer any social security left because all our taxes are going to make the interest payments on the national debt. My 401K plan, which I thought would help me through, all but evaporated after successive blunders by executives who were running it. By the way, they all now live on some island they built using the money they collected from their golden parachutes (couldn't buy an island anymore because all the rest are under water - global warming).
Unfortunately all of this could have been prevented back in the election of '08, all we would have done was not have voted for the candidates that claimed the “other guy” was going to “spread the wealth”. I kinda feel like my wealth was taken from me and spent a few decades ago!
Hello, I am Scott the guy living in '08 – please help me avoid having to meet this future Scott by support Barack Obama for president. We can not afford another four years of tax cutting at the expense of increasing the national debt, we can not afford another four years of name calling, we can not afford another four years of questioning the patriotism of others just because we disagree on the issues, we can not afford another four years of calling those we disagree with terrorists, but the bottom line is our future can not afford it!
Please join me by support Barack Obama by making a donation at http://my.barackobama.com/page/outreach/view/main/saveourcountryus and also please post a message at http://www.saveourcountry.us/forum/4 telling us why you support Barack Obama for president!
Originally posted at http://www.saveourcountry.us/node/93
Recently the republicans have been making a big deal about Obama's tax plan. They are claiming that it is socialist in nature since Obama will increase the taxes on the wealthiest and cut taxes on everyone else. The republicans claim that 40% of US citizens do not pay income taxes but this is just a matter of how you define taxes. In truth, no matter what your income, we all pay FICA (Federal Insurance Contributions Act aka Social Security Tax) and FMHI (Medicare) taxes, although the republican's call these “fees”. I, like many hard working people are tired of the play on words, any time anyone has to pay the government it is a tax, plain and simple. Furthermore, these taxes are based on income and therefore are “income taxes”, from working, so the claim by republicans that only 40% pay taxes is patently false! (If you do not have income from working you will not have these taxes) Obama's plan is giving people a credit for these taxes paid, they do not get a “free pass” rather they are credited $500 for having paid these taxes. Currently all workers, unless you make in excess of $100K per year, pay 7.65% of their income for FICA and FMHI, Obama's credit would effectively protects the first $6,500 from that tax. Giving those in lower income tax brackets a tax cut is not socialism and charging those in upper income tax brackets a higher rate also is not socialism. It is all a matter of a difference in opinions of what the tax policy should be here in the US. Considering how badly those of us in the middle class are being pinched it makes good economic sense to allow us to keep more of our money. Furthermore, because we have more money we will have more money to spend thereby increasing business revenues and encouraging them to hire more employees to meet demand.No rational employer will hire additional employees because they received a tax cut, employers increase payrolls when they believe payroll expenses will be offset by additional revenues. Employers lay people off when the current workforce is capable of producing product that exceeds demand. Employers increase workforce when the current staffing levels can not produce a level of supply which meets demand. If consumers have more money in their pocketbooks then their demand for products will increase thereby resulting in more employment opportunities and thereby increasing profits for business owners. However, this is not a “transfer” of wealth, it is all about cutting taxes for one group and returning the taxes to another group to what existed prior to Bush's tax cuts. It is about restoring government revenues to offset the budget deficits that have been brought upon us in the last eight years.The problem with the republican policies is they cut taxes on the wealthiest and have financed those cuts with debt. In effect they are cutting taxes for a select group today at the expense of additional taxes on future generations. Someday, somehow this debt will need to be paid back, it is not going to magically evaporate. That national debt is nothing but an instrument to transfer debt from future generations to today. One would be hard pressed to even find socialists who would believe this was a justifiable redistribution of wealth!
Originally posted at http://www.saveourcountry.us/node/92
What if the supreme court had not stopped the recount and Al Gore really did win the 2000 election. How the last eight years would have been different. The United States definitely would have been in a different situation than it is in today. The nation's military involvement, its debt, dependence on foreign oil, and even the current political race would be drastically different.First of all we probably would have been attacked on September 11th. It is possible that a President Gore would have acted differently than Bush and would have taken actions to prevent it, but let us assume nothing could have changed that. Without doubt, contrary to the rhetoric of some conservatives, he would have ordered us to take military action in Afghanistan. However, we definitely would not have attacked Iraq, a President Gore would not have had the predisposition demonstrated by Bush and his allies, to attack this country. Without doubt the primary reason why Bush and his allies “read” the intelligence in a manner which led us to believe Iraq had weapons of mass destruction was because they wanted to find something to justify an attack. Without the Iraq distraction, the United States would have, by now, captured Bin Laden and been able to complete its mission there. Furthermore we would have rebuilt that country, transferred power back to its people, and our soldiers would be home.Without the enormous costs of these wars our national deficit would not be what it is today. Furthermore, a President Gore would not have given the richest, in this country, the tax breaks which Bush handed out (and Palin-McCain are calling us “socialists” for wanting to reverse them). These two facts alone would have significantly reduced, if not eliminated, the incredible increase in the US national debt. The national debt is what is causing the dollar's value to decline and does have an impact on oil prices. Simply put, as the dollar declines, the price of oil increases. The declining dollar is not the only reason why oil prices spiked last summer but it is part of the problem. The other part of the problem is the demand for oil and the United States does import 70% of its oil.Under a President Gore, we would have, without doubt, seen a decrease in our dependence on oil. Al Gore has been a strong advocate for reducing green house gases and eliminating our dependence on oil. Under his leadership this nation would be further along in its need to utilize alternative energy sources. The carbonites (those who advocate continued use of fossil fuels) have relentlessly attacked people like Gore, claiming that moving to alternative energy sources is too costly. However, the price of energy is definitely a reason why this country economy is in a downward spiral. It may cost us, in the short term, to switch over but if we do it then we never again will be dependent on foreign nations for our energy needs and our economy would be protected from the actions of foreign entities like OPEC. Eight years ago we all made choices, some chose to vote for George Bush, some for Al Gore, some for another person, and many chose to not vote at all. Many who did not vote believe that there was no reason to do so because it would not make a difference and there are some who believe that today. I would ask you to carefully consider how things would have been different had Al Gore won in 2000. How different the world would be today without the Iraq war, how our nation debt would not have gone from five trillion to ten trillion dollars, how the war in Afghanistan would be over, and how oil energy prices would not have caused enormous financial pain. Without doubt the world would be different, that is why on November 4th it is important to vote. On November 4th, you will have the choice between voting for the status quo or to vote for someone who will make a change. Make no mistake, Palin-McCain claim to be agents of change, however all you need to do is examine their record in this race to see they are no different than Bush. The fact that they will question the patriotism of anyone who disagrees with their stances, call people terrorists for holding a differing political view, and calling them “socialists” for having a tax policy that taxes the rich and not the poor. While John McCain may have been a “maverick” he has forfeited any right to continue to make that claim. He has allowed his campaign to be consumed by rhetoric which has become the cancer of this great country during the Bush administration. It is no longer a campaign based on the principals he claimed to believe in at its beginning, instead it has been preempted by Republican neo-cons under the leadership of Sarah Palin. This November 4th be sure to vote and remember your vote does matter, the only way we can put this country back on track is to put Obama into the white house!
From the St. Cloud Times:
This is one of several Our Views offering the Times Editorial Board’s opinion on Election Day races and issues. Endorsements reflect the majority view of the board. Members are Times Media President and Publisher Bill Albrecht, Executive Editor John Bodette, Opinion Page Editor Randy Krebs, Times Media employee representative Mark Hessler and community representative Dorrie Larison. Central Minnesotans who see all things through red or blue lenses long ago decided their votes for president. Knowing that, the past six months — and especially the next two weeks — are about determining which candidate will best serve moderate voters and middle-class Americans. We believe that’s Barack Obama. While both he and John McCain propose some solutions lacking the details that should be evident after an almost-two-year campaign, Obama delivers a more consistent, less partisan message. Most importantly, he offers a vision decidedly different from what’s come from the White House the past eight years. McCain, despite his heroic military record and self-proclaimed maverick label, has a senatorial voting record and presidential platform that do little to inspire confidence in substantial change. And while there are plenty of issue-based differences upon which to base decisions, we must note that McCain’s recent decision to ramp up negative personal attacks are far removed from the spirit of the political principles he seemed to embrace and reflect up to this point in his career. Still, the issues are what should help voters decide on Election Day. Among those that we believe would appeal to moderates and yield substantive changes are Obama’s economic plan, especially its focus on tax cuts for low- and moderate-income families. There is little argument that the thrust of McCain’s plan rests in continuing tax breaks for the wealthiest 1 percent. Both candidates also have campaigned heavily on health care reform, but the majority of nonpartisan analysis of each plan seems to conclude that applying precise cost and benefit measures is difficult because both lack details. Amid that, the focus probably needs to be on providing affordable access to middle- and low-income Americans — something that seems more likely (but, yes, expensive) under Obama’s plan. As for overall government spending, the nonpartisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget determined Obama and McCain are proposing policies that would increase the federal deficit. And yes, Obama’s efforts come with a higher price tag and potential need to increase some taxes. But analysts also note that McCain’s plans would require cutting government spending 25 percent — something clearly unrealistic given the past eight years. Finally, the choice of running mates must be noted. In Joe Biden, Obama picked a person whose credentials primarily address potential concerns about foreign policy under an Obama administration. In Sarah Palin, McCain picked a person whose sole mission is clearly to inflame already-partisan crowds leading up to Election Day. Moderate Americans should recognize the impact behind those approaches and elect Obama. He’s the best chance at changing the direction of the White House, perhaps the country, in the next four years.
This is one of several Our Views offering the Times Editorial Board’s opinion on Election Day races and issues. Endorsements reflect the majority view of the board. Members are Times Media President and Publisher Bill Albrecht, Executive Editor John Bodette, Opinion Page Editor Randy Krebs, Times Media employee representative Mark Hessler and community representative Dorrie Larison.
Central Minnesotans who see all things through red or blue lenses long ago decided their votes for president. Knowing that, the past six months — and especially the next two weeks — are about determining which candidate will best serve moderate voters and middle-class Americans.
We believe that’s Barack Obama.
While both he and John McCain propose some solutions lacking the details that should be evident after an almost-two-year campaign, Obama delivers a more consistent, less partisan message. Most importantly, he offers a vision decidedly different from what’s come from the White House the past eight years.
McCain, despite his heroic military record and self-proclaimed maverick label, has a senatorial voting record and presidential platform that do little to inspire confidence in substantial change.
And while there are plenty of issue-based differences upon which to base decisions, we must note that McCain’s recent decision to ramp up negative personal attacks are far removed from the spirit of the political principles he seemed to embrace and reflect up to this point in his career.
Still, the issues are what should help voters decide on Election Day. Among those that we believe would appeal to moderates and yield substantive changes are Obama’s economic plan, especially its focus on tax cuts for low- and moderate-income families. There is little argument that the thrust of McCain’s plan rests in continuing tax breaks for the wealthiest 1 percent.
Both candidates also have campaigned heavily on health care reform, but the majority of nonpartisan analysis of each plan seems to conclude that applying precise cost and benefit measures is difficult because both lack details. Amid that, the focus probably needs to be on providing affordable access to middle- and low-income Americans — something that seems more likely (but, yes, expensive) under Obama’s plan.
As for overall government spending, the nonpartisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget determined Obama and McCain are proposing policies that would increase the federal deficit. And yes, Obama’s efforts come with a higher price tag and potential need to increase some taxes. But analysts also note that McCain’s plans would require cutting government spending 25 percent — something clearly unrealistic given the past eight years.
Finally, the choice of running mates must be noted. In Joe Biden, Obama picked a person whose credentials primarily address potential concerns about foreign policy under an Obama administration. In Sarah Palin, McCain picked a person whose sole mission is clearly to inflame already-partisan crowds leading up to Election Day.
Moderate Americans should recognize the impact behind those approaches and elect Obama. He’s the best chance at changing the direction of the White House, perhaps the country, in the next four years.
Earlier today, DFL Associate Chair, Donna Cassutt sent out the email below promoting the Campaign for Change's Get-Out-The-Vote (GOTV) effort...
In 17 short days, Minnesotans will go to the polls to vote in the most historic election of our time. That is, of course, if they are asked. We know that the number one reason people don’t vote is that no one asked them to. Will you join me in these final few days of the campaign and ask our fellow Minnesotans to join us at the polls on November 4? This weekend, we are pleased to launch a new website, www.gotvforchange.com. In the final days leading up to Election Day, we’ll need thousands of volunteers to fill thousands of shifts as we Get Out the Vote in all corners of Minnesota. We’ll be walking door to door and calling our neighbors, encouraging them to vote for the entire DFL ticket. Visit www.gotvforchange.com right now to sign up. Many of you have been working hard during a very long campaign. You've been incredible. You might be tired. You might be thinking it’s someone else’s turn to help out. You might think that we’re going to win. But we can’t give up now. Campaigns are about how we finish and we're almost there. No one will remember how many doors we knocked on or how many phone calls we made if Senator Obama doesn’t win Minnesota. But when he does, because of your efforts, we will know that we pushed to the end to make it happen. Let’s keep pushing. I’m fired up and ready to go. Are you? Click here to sign up right now. We need your help to encourage our neighbors to go to the polls in the final days of this campaign. We know the most effective way to motivate voters is by calling them or visiting with them on their doorstep. Whether you can volunteer a few hours or several days, it is critical to our success that you sign up now to talk with your neighbors to ensure Minnesotans vote for change on November 4. You might say – well, I don’t want to wait until the weekend before Election Day to start helping. Excellent. We have offices throughout Minnesota that are up and running day and night right now and we’d love to have you stop by and pitch in. Click here to find an office near you. Thank you so much for all you do, and will do to help get out the vote. With your efforts, we will elect Senator Barack Obama as the next President of the United States, send Al Franken to the Senate, elect three new Democratic members of Congress and secure a veto-proof majority in the Minnesota House. With your help, the DFL will win – up and down the ballot – in all corners of the state. Sincerely, Donna Cassutt Associate Chair Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party P.S. There is too much at stake to stay home. It will take each and every one of us to do our part to achieve victory on November 4. Please visit www.gotvforchange.com to sign up now.
In 17 short days, Minnesotans will go to the polls to vote in the most historic election of our time. That is, of course, if they are asked. We know that the number one reason people don’t vote is that no one asked them to.
Will you join me in these final few days of the campaign and ask our fellow Minnesotans to join us at the polls on November 4?
This weekend, we are pleased to launch a new website, www.gotvforchange.com. In the final days leading up to Election Day, we’ll need thousands of volunteers to fill thousands of shifts as we Get Out the Vote in all corners of Minnesota. We’ll be walking door to door and calling our neighbors, encouraging them to vote for the entire DFL ticket.
Visit www.gotvforchange.com right now to sign up.
Many of you have been working hard during a very long campaign. You've been incredible. You might be tired. You might be thinking it’s someone else’s turn to help out. You might think that we’re going to win. But we can’t give up now.
Campaigns are about how we finish and we're almost there. No one will remember how many doors we knocked on or how many phone calls we made if Senator Obama doesn’t win Minnesota. But when he does, because of your efforts, we will know that we pushed to the end to make it happen. Let’s keep pushing.
I’m fired up and ready to go. Are you? Click here to sign up right now.
We need your help to encourage our neighbors to go to the polls in the final days of this campaign. We know the most effective way to motivate voters is by calling them or visiting with them on their doorstep. Whether you can volunteer a few hours or several days, it is critical to our success that you sign up now to talk with your neighbors to ensure Minnesotans vote for change on November 4.
You might say – well, I don’t want to wait until the weekend before Election Day to start helping. Excellent. We have offices throughout Minnesota that are up and running day and night right now and we’d love to have you stop by and pitch in.
Click here to find an office near you.
Thank you so much for all you do, and will do to help get out the vote. With your efforts, we will elect Senator Barack Obama as the next President of the United States, send Al Franken to the Senate, elect three new Democratic members of Congress and secure a veto-proof majority in the Minnesota House. With your help, the DFL will win – up and down the ballot – in all corners of the state.
Sincerely,
Donna Cassutt Associate Chair Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party
P.S. There is too much at stake to stay home. It will take each and every one of us to do our part to achieve victory on November 4. Please visit www.gotvforchange.com to sign up now.
