Dear Friend:
We have made great progress with the independent movement and brought real--plus fundamental change to the two-party system. Now is the moment and time to join our continuous effort on making government more accountable -- Coaches! 101 have lobbied the government for Health Care Reform, and Homeless Prevention. Now we are taking on the fight to bring more jobs to NJ, and we need both republican and democrats to join our movement to place pressure on government to create jobs, or fund programs that create jobs in this country. The Next Generation's Leaders Program needs some of your help. We are asking you to be a part of the program and Donate to the cause.
Our program called: The Impact Player Award has helped the lives of teens everywhere.
http://www.coaches101.org/impact_player_award
Join the Community of service!
Old Obi-Wan Kenobi's last words just popped into my head. Not that the conversation was about Star Wars at all -- we were actually taking about charges of impeachment and war crimes on George Bush and Dick Cheney . . . but the "Obi-Wan Kenobi syndrome" is nevertheless applicable: "If you strike me down, I shall become powerful than you can possibly imagine."Blame the above-mentioned, pseudo-insightful analogy on my self-induced sleep-deprived 4-day road trip from Oregon to D.C. for tomorrow's historic Inauguration. But it seemed to strike a chord with Laura, so I figured: What the hell. I'll share it with you too.I suppose it's now somewhat of a moot point -- considering today is President Bush's FINAL day in office (!!!), but if our party is to engage in further charging the 43rd president with treasonous war crimes (of which, yes, I do believe there is a strong argument to make in regards to his abuse of executive power, privilege, and blatant lies to the American people), then we risk making an already pathetic GW even more pathetically appealing to a public that's proved time and time again how much we love to forgive. You see, by stoking the fire of impeachment/investigation, we actually risk elevating the party of a man whose political capital is so spent and whose name and reputation is so tarnished; we risk a potential comeback for the Republicans to rally around.It's a risk Democrats can't afford. Like American moviegoers did when we saw Olive Stone's bitingly clever "W" this last fall, empathy may kick-in and families -- entire communities of Joe six packs and Plumbers and whoever would feel sorry for G.W. and Poor President George would be the sad sentiment of forgiving short-term memory America. That attitude would dangerously pave the way for a Jeb or a Newt or a Jindal to lead the charge of rallying behind their washed-up past president. I'll say it again and in bold print: It's a risk we can't afford. After all, when one leaves the highest office in the land with the lowest approval rating (22%) since the Gallup Poll started taking ratings over 70 years ago, we should recognize that geez, all George and the G.O.P. can do is go back up.Barack Obama must be aware of this. Believe it or not, there are larger fish to fry than grilling Bush and seeking political payback (something many Dems have been longing to see for a long, long time). But we must be patient. And for the sake of our nation, we MUST move forward.There's a photo-shopped pic of Barack Obama (with a lightsabre in-hand) on our local county party's refrigerator. Though the President-elect Obama looks pretty cool among a sea of molten lava with the weapon of a Jedi in hand, Obama is no Jedi. He's no deity. He's no divine entity. We may like to think so, but no. He's just a man like you and I. But unlike you and I, tomorrow he will hold the most important and honored keys to the kingdom: executive powers, privilege and the Constitutional responsibilities of the President of the United States. However, thanks to the constitutional terrorists Dick Cheney and George W. Bush, a President Obama and future executives governing from the Oval Office can now wield a rather dangerous authority and a most unprecedented Patriot Act of power. When the Obama/Lincoln parallels are drawn, I'll admit, even as a true-blue, National Obama Delegate, I'm a bit alarmed when considering Abraham Lincoln's Civil War suspension of the Constitution. Realizing exactly how much authority team Bush-Cheney has granted the office of our president, I -- and every free thinking American -- should raise an eyebrow. Wire-tapping, suspension of habeas corpus, Orwellian monitoring of U.S. citizens under ANY administration is cause for serious concern. Unlike this past, most failed administration that has successfully waged war on our freedoms and declared Jihad on the Constitution, President Obama's team will undoubtedly be forced to rise above. At least, we hope so.I trust Obama to do what's right. More importantly, I trust in our ability as American to rightfully ensure that our president remains the Barack Obama we celebrate today and fought so hard in so many frigid and brutal primaries to nominate and elect as our 44th president of these United States. Yes, indeed, America, we did. And, as this National Day of Service illustrates, we most certainly will continue to do! Clearly, I'm quite glad to be in D.C. to see, firsthand, the ultimate highlight to this most storied journey. Weeping, like I was in the Helena office for the announcement of our victory the evening of Montana primary; weeping, like I was in Denver with our dynamic Oregon Delegation; and weeping like I was -- like you were too -- on the evening of November 4, 2008, tomorrow, I'm sure I'll shed a tear or two of joy and sorrow . . . of hope and change . . . of trust and recognition of this beautifully historical impact we've made for our future.Thank you, Mr. President -- Obama, that is! (And hell, I suppose we owe the last guy a thank you as well.)
Live from Washingtion, D.C. (at the Old Ebbit Grill - sitting next to Kim and Leslie from Dallas, Texas), Matt Keating, Delegate (OR-4)
As a member of the Change Campaign I hope we all join in support for Omar Dyer: As he took and stole the Next Generation of Leaders title.
Change is Coming:Omar Dyer is running for Gov. Of New Jersey. He's ideas, and vision for New Jersey is what this state needs. Three weeks ago, Omar Dyer implanted a bond system. This system is a vital creation, that can benefit a week economy. The media pundits called Dyer a joke, and rivals claimed he was making monopoly money. Barack Obama is open to all ideas, and saw that his young strong supporter had an idea that can give immediate relief to the economy. So this weekend New Jersey became one of the first States to implant a economic system, where bonds are a vital tool. We in New Jersey need a Governor that will know about the economy. We need a smart Governor, and not a political Governor. The old system of suspending programs, cutting reliable taxes will not work. Just Like Jon Corzine's Toll Hike: Little did you know Corzine wanted to implant this hike a couple of years ago. This was a campaign move to riddle New Jersey. If Jon Corzine was a good Commander in Chief, he would have consulted with the senators and state representatives; this is where he would have learned: The senate passed a bill that granted earmark bills to the transit authority for infrastructure on roads and bridges. So his Toll Hike would cause serious intangible acts on New Jersey's economy, that's why I want to repeal that mandatory law. I want to eliminate property taxes for seniors over 65, and give them a relief so they will have more money in their pockets to spend. The question is: how will you pay for it, well I plan on imposing a windfall profits tax: and use that profit to bond and rebate the American people.No more will profit gains go to the buddies funding campaigns, no more will corporate money will rule political engineering. This will be an all hands on approach: That's why United Way, has stuck with Coaches! 101 -- my personal community based business. They knew that good leadership comes from the bottom up. That's why I'm standing right here in front of you today. That will to fight eminent domain; cause I used every educational tool I know to stop my mother's home from becoming foreclosed, during the financial melt down. So, I will be thinking about keeping people in their homes, if you elect me as your Gov. / Commander in Chief: of New Jersey. I know how to govern, and would like to work with you and work for you. The system needs an economic chief, who can change the way we see, plus view politics. A Government that will work on all levels, and that's why I'm working with United Way. I don't want you to donate to my campaign if you don't trust me. I want you to donate to united way and then donate your time to canvass for real change. I'm not using this as a campaign pitch to ride a wave. Then once I get in, I become one of many: If you work with me. Get people to vote for me, knock on some doors for me, start a phone banking system for me: have political watch parties for me, and use those donation to campaign for me. I will bring government into your homes, bring Obam: like ideas to New Jersey. During Obama's campaign he found a few students to inspire him, who got him all fired up, and ady to go. I'm looking for that same student to fire me up. I'm looking to groom the next leader, as Obama groomed me. That's what change means, and that's government. The new bonds proposal, we can bring responsible government to New Jersey. Pundits will say; "I never heard of Omar Dyer, he didn't attend the local meeting, or donate to anyone's campaign." You never heard of Omar Dyer is only because you didn't want too. Omar Dyer became a known figure when Rainbow Push: mentored him, and BBSA (Big Brothers, Sisters Association) groomed him. Omar Dyer became a known figure when Color of Change; gave him a spot on their board. The media pudits are well aware of the name Omar Dyer, that's why they call the kid: the biggest celebrity in the world. The media will not do a report on Omar Dyer because he doesn't drop millions of dollors on news ads. Their backwards ideology of writing on popularity is vague. They have their favorites. And that's why I'm on the internet. Since Omar Dyer announced that he wanted run for Governor: 50 people jumped into the pool, 5 of Dyer's associates have jumped in the pool to run for mayor. Omar Dyer has the same view, vision and ideas as Bsrack Obama. That's why his bond systemWas implanted in New Jersey.
Hyperbole aside, our voice — our VOTE mattered! I truly believe our collective efforts have helped save our city, save our community college, save our county, save our state, save our country and save our planet. For that, we thank you.
President-elect Barack Obama’s in-box will undoubtedly be monstrous. His team, already being assembled, will certainly have their hands full of an unfathomable economic, domestic and international mess. But locally - right here in Lane County - we can assist our 44th president by staying actively involved. We must remain as dedicated to the cause of change as we were leading up to that most memorable Tuesday, Novemeber 4. Yes, we did - but now we must buckle down and “be the change we want to see.”
Join fellow Dems/Eugene for Obama-Biden/Lane Student Democrats/Lane Students for Obama on Thursday, November 20 at the monthly Democratic Party of Lane County Central Committee meeting. Stay plugged-in to local, state and national politics and celebrate, with great revelry, our long path to victory. (DPLC Central Committee meetings are normally held on the 3rd Thursday of every month at EWEB. The Novemeber DPLC meeting/volunteer “thank you” pot-luck, however, is at the Woodworkers Union Hall at 1116 S. “A” Street in Springfield -- 6:30 p.m. -- RSVP at http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/gsx2jw.)
With your help, we will not only implement president-elect Obama’s environmental awareness, education reform, health care and social improvement plans on a local level, but we must also hold ALL our elected officials accountable. Stay engaged. Be the Change.
See you Thursday, Novemeber 20 at the Woodworkers' Union Hall in Springfield for our DPLC volunteer “thank you” potluck. Yes, Lane County, we did! And as Rep. Chris Edwards likes to say, "Now let’s get to work!"
Matt Keating, Candidate for Vice Chair of the Democratic Party of Lane County
Eugene Mayor Kitty Piercy, Matt Keating and Mario Parker-Milligan at the Lane County Elections Watch Party, 11-4-08 (photo by JB BOTWINICK/The Torch).
And if you haven’t voted yet - DO IT! And do it “down-ticket” PLEASE!
Finally, see y’all after our final GOTV push at the Lane County Fairgrounds from 8PM-10PM. Following the Election Watch Party at the Fairgrounds, we’re slated to gather at Davis’ Restaurant in Eugene from 10:30PM-2AM. The good folks at Davis’ are kind enough to offer $3 beer specials and $3 well drinks for Obama backers!
Good luck to Obama, Merkley, Kitty, the LCC Bond Measure, our Lane County and State of Oregon down-ticket Dems!
Matt Keating - chowing on Pegasus Pizza Pie @ the Obama office before my final GOTV canvass of the 2008 season . . . !
This note comes on the heels of an inspiring visit to Eugene by DNC Chairman Howard Dean. As Governor Dean just exclaimed a few hours ago, "Live from Eugene -- it's Sunday night!" Before launching into our Eugene-Springfield plan for Tuesday's final Get Out The Vote push, I'd like to share with you some highlights of the last 24 hours . . . As great as it is to get a visit from the man responsible for our current campaign's savvy use of the internet and architect of the Democratic Party's 50 State Strategy, Saturday night's conference call with Barack Obama was the highlight of weekend highlights!"You are the lifeblood of this campaign," Senator Obama reminded yours truly and 20,000 volunteers, community organizers, and campaign workers across the country via conference call. "Keep up the good work but don't get complacent," Obama announced. "It'd be a shame to work so hard for so long and see history slip through our hands." Our future 44th president encouraged us to keep spirits up, stay positive, double our efforts, bring new friends into the fold, keep folks engaged and vested in the political process and turn out millions of new voters on Tuesday. Ultimately, Obama offered this: We can rest on Wednesday! (Yes, we will!)That's the last 24 hours: A Howard Dean visit to our campaign office and a kick-@%# Barack Obama conference call sandwiched by two canvass shifts (over 120 doors knocked), a Saturday Market booth staffed, over a dozen new volunteers recruited, around 100 calls made, and half-a-dozen ballots collected. Truly, the Eugene students and staff at the Lane County Obama office feel that our future president would be so pleased to see our team diligently "working as if we're twenty points down."Monday is our last full day to effectively educate voters about the importance of down-ticket Democratic voting, offical drop-box locations, etc. Let's not waist a moment of the final Merkley Monday of the 2008 campaign! And, of course, there's Tuesday. Our combined GOTV efforts during the FINAL 24 hours of this historic movement must be focussed on organization and mobilization before celebration.
Here's a breakdown of Election Day activity if you'd like to join us:
4AM-6AM -- Join us for a "silent knock" reminder to voters that today is the LAST day to drop your ballot at an official drop box location in Lane County. Please be at the Campaign for Change HQ (150 W. Broadway) by 4AM.7AM-9AM -- Sign waving/visibility @ Ferry St. Bridge. Please join us for Election Day sign-waving for Obama, Merkley, Kitty and down-ticket Dems at the Ferry St. Bridge. Signs will be provided. Homemade signs are welcome - stay positive, please!10AM-11AM -- Sign waving/visibility at 30th near Albertson's for "YES!" on Lane Community College's Bond Measure 20-142. 11:30AM-12:30PM -- Securing space for Lane Student Democrats/Lane Students for Obama at the Fairgrounds for Election Results Watch Party. 1PM-4PM -- Final day of ballot collection and tabling at LCC for Obama/Merkley/Piercy and LCC's Bond Measure 20-142.5PM-7:59PM -- Final GOTV action! Canvassing and quality ballot collection!8PM-10PM -- Election Results Watch Party @ the Lane County Fairgrounds! YES, WE CAN!10PM-2AM -- Election Results Post Party @ location to be determined. But please, fellow Obama enthusiast and dedicated Campaigner for Change, let's make this THE most historic moment of our life. Do more than you've ever done in a single day for any candidate ever! Knock on doors, make critical phone calls. Get out the word and GET OUT THE VOTE!Thank you for all you do, all you've done and all we'll accomplish in the next crucial 24 hours of this campaign.Fired up!. . . And ready to go!Matt Keating
youtube.com/mkeating2008
Jolene Loudon of Junction City writes, “Clipboards and voter registration forms in hand, the most diligent workers of the political season — unpaid canvassers — are the finest symbol of democracy in action.”
Awesome.
In support of Lane’s critical Bond Measure 20-142, Lane Student Dems/Lane Students for Obama encourage fellow students to canvass and/or phone-bank for your candidate of choice — especially if you’re a student in support of Lane’s Bond (even if it’s just for a few hours). Volunteer opportunities to help support LCC’s Bond Measure are available at www.yesforlcc.com.
Also, this Monday, October 27, is another Lane Students for Obama Merkley Monday! From the Forward Oregon office on 12th and High, Lane Student Dems will make phone calls in support of Jeff Merkley for U.S. Senate. Join us from 6PM-8:30PM (pizza provided!) Contact Justin at jcox@forwardoregon.org for more information.
And, of course, at our Lane Students for Obama table in the LCC cafeteria, we provide students with quite a bit of crucial voter information from the League of Women Voters (http://www.lwvor.org/votersguide.htm) and the Democratic Party of Lane County (DPLC.org). We also have plenty of Obama T-shirts, stickers, and Obama-Biden lawn signs from the Democratic Party of Oregon (DPO.org).
OK, here’s the calendar of activity for the Lane Student group through Election Day . . .
Monday-Friday (9AM-3PM) - Providing ballot pick-up at LCC and tabling at Lane Community College for Obama-Biden, Jeff Merkley, Kate Brown, Kitty Piercy, down-ticket Dems and “YES!” on Lane’s Bond Measure 20-142.
Monday, October 27 (6PM-8:30PM) - Merkley Monday - Phonebanking from Forward Oregon office at 12th and High for Jeff Merkley for U.S. Senate.
Tuesday, October 28 (6:00PM-8:30PM) - Phonebanking from SEIU for Kitty Piercy for Mayor. Details: visit http://www.kittypiercy.com/volunteer.htm, e-mail jessica@kittypiercy.com or call 334-6727 to sign-up!
Wednesday, October 29 (6PM-6:30PM) - Obama on TV watch party @ World Flavors. Barack Obama has purchased a half-hour of TV-time on the anniversary of the 1929 stock market crash to address the issues of job creation and our current economic situation.
Wednesday, October 29 (7pm-8:30pm) - Phonebanking from SEIU for Kitty Piercy for Mayor. Details: visit http://www.kittypiercy.com/volunteer.htm, e-mail jessica@kittypiercy.com or call 334-6727 to sign-up!
Eugene Mayor Kitty Piercy welcomes Barack Obama to the University of Oregon (Spring, 2008)
Thursday, October 30 (4:30PM-8:30Pm) - GOTV canvassing/phonebanking from Obama’s Lane County Campaign for Change HQ at 150 W. Broadway in Eugene.
Friday, October 31 (4PM-6PM) - Phonbanking for Obama-Biden and Jeff Merkley from 150 W. Broadway.
Friday, October 31 (6PM-8:30PM) - Canvass in Costume!!! (Please, NO political costumes. Thanks!) Meet at the 150 W. Broadway office to Barack the Vote on Halloween!
Friday, October 31 (11PM-2AM) - Barack-O-Lantern “Bring Your Ballot Halloween Party” @ Eugene’s historic McDonald Theater. Show starts at 11pm, tickets: $10 - advance; $12 - door. All ages.
Friday, October 31 - Last day to mail your Oregon ballot!!!
Saturday, November 1 (10AM-3PM) - Saturday Market voter information booth. Volunteer opportunities available. Contact Matt at mkeating@studentsforbarackobama.com.
Sunday, November 2 (10AM-2PM, 2PM-6PM) - GOTV canvass shifts for Obama-Biden and down-ticket Dems from 150 W. Broadway. E-mail DAguilar@Oregon4Change.com to volunteer!
Also, appearing at the Obama office on Sunday, November 2 (7:30PM) - DNC Chair Howard Dean! Admission to see Governor Dean is a completed walk-packet canvassed earlier that afternoon.
Monday, November 3 (10AM-2PM) - Ballot collection/tabling at Lane Community College
Monday, November 3 (2PM-6PM, 6PM-9PM) - GOTV canvassing for Obama-Biden and down-ticket Dems!
Tuesday, November 4 (10AM-2Pm) - Ballot collection/tabling at Lane Community College
Tuesday, November 4 (2PM-5Pm, 5PM-8PM) - ELECTION DAY!!! Final day of GOTV canvassing!
Tuesday, November 4 (8pm-1opm) - Election Results watch party @ Lane County Fairgrounds
Tuesday, November 4 (10PM-2AM) - Post Election Party @ McDonald Theater. 21+ please.
Remember, VOTE by 8PM on November 4. To find your nearest official ballot drop box, visit www.voteforchange.com.
Thanks!
Matt Keating
First things first: HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JEFF MERKLEY!
Lane Students for Obama/Lane Student Dems president Mario Parker with U.S. Senate Candidate Jeff Merkley at the University of Oregon.
CALENDAR:
Tonight: Meeting/phonebank with Eugene for Obama-Biden memebers and Lane Students for Obama. “FREE PIZZA FRIDAY” from Pegasus Pizza @ 150 W. Broadway (Eugene - 7PM).
Saturday: Canvassing for Lane’s Bond Measure 20-142 from the parking lot of South Eugene High School (400 E 19th) on Patterson across from the YMCA. Coffee will be provided (10AM).
Saturday: GOTV Obama-Biden/Merkley canvassing from Guido Batista’s house @ 140 Hardy Ave. in Eugene 97404. Start time: noon. Please RSVP by calling Noah Dorson at 503-449-1440.
Sunday: “LCC Sunday” phonebanking from O.E.A. (2815 Coburg Road) - just north of Costco from 1PM-3:30PM; 3:30PM-6PM; 6PM-6:30PM. Details and RSVP on http://my. barackobama. com/page/event/detail/gprqgm.
Monday: “Merkley Monday” phonebank from Forward Oregon office on 12th and High (Eugene - 6PM). Please RSVP: http://my. barackobama. com/page/event/detail/gprqqb.
Oregon Delegate/Lane Students for Obama Chapter Coordinator Matt Keating interviews U.S. Senate Candidate Jeff Merkley for www.youtube.com/mkeating2008
Fellow Obama-Biden and Jeff Merkley for U.S. Senate enthusiasts,
We need a Secretary of State who will fight for all Oregonians and who will fight for fair elections. Kate Brown has a proven track record, 17 years of progressive legislative experience and a clear vision of where she would lead Oregon as Secretary of State.
This Friday, right here in Eugene, please come cheer Kate on as she debates Republican Rick Dancer at the Downtown Athletic Club. Let’s show Oregon voters that Eugene supports a progressive champion like Kate Brown for Secretary of State!
For more information on Kate Brown, please visit http://www.katebrownfororegon.com/. Thanks!
-Lane Student Democrats/Lane Students for Obama
PS - For video of Kate Brown speaking directly to Lane Community College students and staff about the importance of voting, down-tcket participation and supporting higher education, please visit www.youtube.com/mkeating2008.
PPS - If you're a voter in Lane County, please VOTE "YES" on LCC's Bond Measure 20-142 to help aid the efforts to repair the aging infrastructure at Lane Community College. Measure 20-142 keeps an already existing bond on the books that does NOT significantly increase taxes and directly benefits the students, the community, and the state! Thank you! More info on Lane's bond measure 20-142 can be found at www.yesforlcc.com and/or www.lanecc.edu/bond.
I just posted a :60sec Students for Merkley video from Jeff’s visit to the University of Oregon with Senator Russ Feingold and Rep. Peter DeFazio on Tuesday, October 14: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qEGUQtpV9W4.
Speaker Merkley is neck-n-neck with Gordon Smith, the Republican incumbent. Please, IF YOU BACK BARACK, JOIN JEFF! Volunteers are needed - especially tonight when Lane Student Dems participate in another “Merkley Monday phonebank” at the Forward Oregon office on 12th & High in Eugene. E-mail jcox@forwardoregon.org for more information.
Oh! This Friday, Vice President Al Gore and Jeff Merkley will be in Portland (Oregon Convention Center, 777 NE Martin Luther King Blvd.) for a reception for change at 5:30pm. General admission is $50 and preferred seating is $250. More details are at www.jeffmerkley.com.
For those of us staying in Eugene on Friday, please visit the Lane County Campaign for Change HQ at 7pm for another FREE PIZZA FRIDAY PHONEBANK FOR OBAMA! Courtesy of Pegasus Pizza, free eats will be provided to Eugene for Obama-Biden and Lane Student Democrat volunteers participating in our weekly get-together/phonebank session at the Eugene Obama office!
Thanks,
Barack Obama’s brother-in-law, OSU basketball coach Craig Robinson and fellow Eugene/Springfield Obama enthusiasts shared a brief rendezvous this afternoon at the Lane County Campaign for Change HQ (150 W. Broadway, Eugene). “Coach” (as I call Michelle Obama’s older brother) and his wife Kelly helped the Eugene field office kick-off our 1st day of Get-Out-the-Vote canvassing for the 2008 election.
“The game’s not over till it’s over,” Coach Robinson announced. “I know we’re up in the polls, but that’s like being up (by) eight with about four minutes to go . . . so we’ve got to continue to work through the fourth!” And the crowded Campaign for Change office erupted into applause.
Privately, Coach Robinson echoed his all-too-important 4th quarter analogy by addressing my laptop and the collegiate YouTube community about the importance of casting every vote, “While it seems like we’re up now — we’re not up by much and every vote’s gonna count . . . It would be really exciting,” Coach Robinson continued, “to have a turnout like we’ve never had here in Oregon and you guys can be a part of it!”
For video of Coach Craig Robinson’s visit to Eugene’s Campaign for Change HQ, please visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=baHZVCupjjs.
Oh! I should add that the Beaver basketball coach’s pep-talk worked: Our team immediately hit the streets of Eugene/Springfield and engaged the community in quality Get-Out-the-Vote canvassing!
. . . It’s just past 6pm and I’m at Allen Bros. (on Hilyard) taking a quick coffee break from my South University area canvassing for Obama-Biden and Jeff Merkley for U.S. Senate. The bad news: my shoes (after canvassing in Oregon, Montana and Colorado) are finally starting to wear. The good news: We already collected one ballot! Yeahhh!!! As Coach Robinson remided us, EVERY VOTE COUNTS!!!
For those that don’t know, our G.O.T.V. goals are simple: educate voters on the importance of early voting, down-ticket Democratic support and using $0.59 worth of postage if they choose to mail their ballots. We’re also providing a toll-free hot-line for the few folks whom have yet to receive their ballot or have specific voting questions/concerns. The number: 888-969-7622 (888-MY-OR-OBAMA).
Thanks for the read, the support, and the enthusiasm surrounding the MOST historic election and transformational movement in the history of American politics.
. . . Now go out there and do a G.O.T.V. canvass shift! Barack needs EVERYONE’s involvement — and that means YOU!
Thank you,
Matt Keating, 4th Congressional District Delegate (OR)
"Obama is the first African American to be nominated by a major political party for president.[1] A graduate of Columbia University and Harvard Law School, where he served as president of the Harvard Law Review, Obama worked as a community organizer and practiced as a civil rights attorney before serving three terms in the Illinois Senate from 1997 to 2004. He taught constitutional law at the University of Chicago Law School from 1992 to 2004. Following an unsuccessful bid for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives in 2000, he announced his campaign for the U.S. Senate in January 2003. After a primary victory in March 2004, Obama delivered the keynote address at the Democratic National Convention in July 2004. He was elected to the Senate in November 2004 with 70% of the vote."
It's interesting to see these smears and people bringing race into the equation. That is an ignorant, uninformed argument. Let the undecided, unregistered, and uninterested become educated! Get out the word!
What supporters need to do now is know that this period of time before the election is most important. Vote for Obama, get the word out. Let those undecided know WHY you support Obama. We are asking for a nation not just focused on "policing" nations but rather improving our own at the same time. We need a strong, powerful, patriotic nation... not one swayed by the propaganda the Bush Regime wants you to believe. Be the change you believe in.
Best,Travis
(Cross-posted at www.YesWeCanOregon.com)
I'm voting for Barack Obama because on the day Barack Obama is inaugurated, America will think differently of itself, and this is no small thing. Imagine the symbolism of it. Do not short shrift symbols, for they are very powerful. To be able to point to a President Barack Obama and tell a child of any color anywhere in America that they, too, through education and hard work, could someday be anything they want to be...that’s a powerful thing, especially in our melting-pot nation.
I'm voting for Barack Obama because Obama’s narrative is quintessentially American. His is an All-American success story. A biracial kid with an absentee father raised by a single mother on food stamps. A kid with a funny name whose improbable path carried him from Hawaii to Indonesia to Chicago to Washington; a Columbia grad who spent three years after receiving his undergraduate degree working as a community organizer back in Chicago; a Harvard law grad who turned away from a coveted Supreme Court clerkship to return to his home town as a law professor at the University of Chicago; an Illinois State Senator for eight years, with a reputation for getting things done; a United States Senator who, until his presidential campaign, still shopped for groceries with his young children, and who only recently got out from underneath his student loans; a family man with a solid marriage to a bright and dynamic, articulate and self-made woman; a man of faith who walks the walk of his religion. Nothing was handed to this man - everything he has accomplished has come from the sweat of his own grit and determination.
I'm voting for Barack Obama because Senator Obama inspires people of all ages to action. And while inspiration alone isn’t enough to get the job done, it’s a necessary ingredient to begin the hard work. After sixteen years of Clinton and Bush hyper-partisanship, Obama’s appeal to Americans to have the audacity to hope falls on fertile ground. He is a hope-mongerer facing down a legion of entrenched, Washingtonian hope-mockers. His unwillingness to cross the line into the dark side of politics has touched a fundamental place in the hearts of many who are eager to believe that the political process is not entirely a cynical joke.
I'm voting for Barack Obama because Senator Obama understands that you win elections not by pandering to your base, but by drawing support from independents and from the opposite side, by articulating what unifies people rather than exploiting what divides them. Change comes not just from knowing how to work the levers of power – it takes more than that. It takes creating the popular movements necessary to support and sustain change. No other candidate spurs that kind of enthusiasm.
I'm voting for Barack Obama because most politicians talk about "I", the crafter of the policy, whereas Obama talks about "we" and "us", the people who demand it and who jointly carry it out. He talks about this nation as if all of us are in it together. He speaks to the nation rather than preaching to the partisan choir. If he inspires fervor, it speaks only to the deep need of Americans to put behind us decades of the politics of selfishness, pettiness, divisiveness, cynicism, and greed. Americans are sick of it. Most of us are well aware that our nation, indeed the world, faces issues that are intractable, overwhelming, and terrifying, and we know deep inside ourselves that we have to do something different than what we've been doing in order to address them.
I'm voting for Barack Obama because Obama’s appeal also rests on an attractive optimism, a chance for America to move beyond the poisonous legacy of the divisions wrought between liberals and conservatives by the 1960s, Vietnam, and the 1990s. He meets a hunger that exists nationwide to turn the page on the tired ideological battles of the past. He captures the electorate's hunger for meaningful change. With septuagenarian Senator John McCain as the Republican nominee, a man with broad popular appeal but also a man who, if elected, would be the oldest president at inauguration in American history, what better choice between past and future could Americans be offered than between he and Obama?
I'm voting for Barack Obama because Obama has built a powerful political network unlike seen before, based on cross-cultural and multi-generational grassroots movements and community building. He possesses an exceptional and enduring talent for organization and for connecting with voters, and has attracted voters on a level unseen in decades: over two million Americans have contributed to his campaign! He is about participation, and participation wins elections. His appeal is also much broader ideologically and racially than perhaps any politician in American history, and his demographic diversity contrasts sharply and is more representative of America than Senator McCain’s demographic monotony: mostly white, and mostly male.
I'm voting for Barack Obama because his relatively short time in Washington is more asset than handicap. Not long removed from the pool of the people, in Obama ordinary, everyday hard-working Americans of every political stripe will have a friend in the White House.
I'm voting for Barack Obama because he has the judgment and character necessary to lead this nation in these perilous times. He is serious, thoughtful, and decent. He exhibits charisma, coolness under fire, and an impresive understanding of the issues that face us. He gives rational explanations of his positions and brings people into his thought process, rather than talking down to them. He thinks about the questions, the daunting questions we face, and he answers those questions. He articulates and embodies the idea of a nobler America. He is pragmatic, and has exhibited throughout his political career a genuine commitment to the idea of finding pragmatic solutions by reaching across the partisan divide, and forging relationships with those of differing viewpoints.
I'm voting for Barack Obama because his is the face of the future. America in the coming decades will be predominantly a nation of color, and with the election of Barack Obama America will send a message to its own future that it is unafraid of it, that it welcomes it, and embraces it. That a black man in a country that denied black people the vote as recently as 1964, in a country whose past is disfigured by slavery, segregation, and unequal voting rights, is now the nominee of a major political party is itself an extraordinary comment on how far America has come over the past half-century. His election to the presidency would signal that the next half-century will likely bring continued progress toward genuine equality for every race, color, creed and orientation.
I'm voting for Barack Obama because on the day Barack Obama is inaugurated, the world will think differently of America. The election of Obama, a man with a multicultural name and heritage, would overnight begin to improve the image of the United States abroad, and send the global message that a post-Bush and post-Clinton 21st-century American era has arrived. With his election, the value of America’s moral currency abroad would begin to be restored.
I'm voting for Barack Obama because of Obama’s stalwart opposition to the Iraq War since before its beginning, and his stalwart dedication to see the Iraq War to its end. Obama said, in 2002: "I know that even a successful war against Iraq will require a U.S. occupation of undetermined length, at undetermined cost, with undetermined consequences. I know that an invasion of Iraq without a clear rationale and without strong international support will only fan the flames of the Middle East and encourage the worst, rather than best, impulses of the Arab world and strengthen the recruitment arm of al Qaeda. I am not opposed to all wars. I’m opposed to dumb wars.” In 2008, Obama speaks once again for millions: “I don’t want to just end the war, I want to end the mind-set that got us into war in the first place.”
I'm voting for Barack Obama because Obama is a Harvard-educated constitutional law scholar, and civil libertarian. In his campaign speeches, he has frequently referred to his desire to close Guantanamo, stop torture, restore habeas corpus rights to detainees, bring back our lost civil liberties, and return to a presidency that sticks to its vow to follow the U.S. Constitution.
I'm voting for Barack Obama because Obama pushes progressive values into the mainstream. He constantly talks about his core liberal philosophy in a way that’s appealing to non-liberals. He has an ability to use his eloquence not just to persuade, but to mobilize, and to unite. Unlike the method of triangulating, moving Democrats to the middle, Obama moves the middle to our values. He stands for progressive values while appealing to common sense and pragmatism over ideology and demagoguery. And the end effect might be an ascendant, mainstream progressive party that enacts its values into laws.
I'm voting for Barack Obama because Obama has the potential to be a transformative American leader. The best leaders are like magnets beneath a piece of paper, invisibly aligning iron filings into new patterns of their design. Obama could be such a leader. Most of the presidents in American history who have been transformative have been charismatic figures with exceptional oratorical skills who persuaded Americans to share in their larger vision. I am not able to imagine a President John McCain being similarly transformative, or being such a magnet.
I'm voting for Barack Obama because I know that most voters do not vote primarily on the basis of policies, but rather on values, connection, authenticity, trust, and identity. Obama has solid values. He connects with voters as no politician has done since Reagan, or Kennedy. His authenticity is unquestioned. Polls have consistently revealed great differences between Obama and McCain on matters of trust and identity.
I'm voting for Barack Obama because after the bitterness of the Bush years, America badly needs a dose of unity. We face huge issues in the years to come, and to work through them we need not only optimism, creativity, and courage, but also trust in one another, and an end to bitter partisanship. None of that arises out of cynicism and despair. Does anyone foresee an end to – or even an easing of – our bitter divisions with a President McCain?
I'm voting for Barack Obama because this era demands a president who will include all of us in the debate over our future, whether or not we agree on every issue. And while I do not agree with Senator Obama on every issue, it does not matter so much to me, because this election campaign is about so much more than individuals and their pet issues. It is about the reacquisition of an ideal that has been stolen away from us.
I'm voting for Barack Obama because for now, at this time in history, I believe Barack Obama to be the best antidote we’ve got to the darkness and division we’ve endured for too many years. He’s our best hope to re-dignify the office of President of the United States with a stature that symbolizes the awesomeness of America. He’s our best hope not to make change, but to remind us of our ability to make change.
I'm voting for Barack Obama because there is no question Obama is an icon of hope. And despite ridicule to the contrary, hope does matter. When people join movements to realize raised hopes, our nation has a chance of changing for the better. When they damp their hopes, as his opponents throughout this campaign have suggested, the status quo is preserved.
Hope and fear, future and past are the determining factors in this election. Not gender, not race. Will grouchy and divided Americans be driven primarily by their fears, or by their hopes? By their nostalgia for some “better” past, or by the courage to face a new future? The possibility of a new president named Barack Hussein Obama hangs on the answer.
Obama's is a message of faith, belief, and empowerment. It speaks well of him, and of us, that that message is resonating so strongly across America. Should America take a chance on a President Obama? If elected, will he and we confront the enormous peril of high expectations? Yes, to both. But NOW IS THE TIME to go for broke, to challenge and to overthrow the governing ideas and style of the last sixteen years.
Sunday, Oct. 12 - 11:30am - Mayoral Debate at KLCC (Selco Building). Call KLCC at (541) 463-6000 to be in the audience for the Noon broadcast of the live debate between Kitty Piercy and Jim Torrey - LIVE on KLCC at noon!
Sunday, Oct. 12 - 2pm - GOTV Summit Training (includes Vote by Mail training, Get-Out-The-Vote Canvassing instructions, and Election Day plans. Join us at Lane County’s Campaign for Change HQ at 150 W. Broadway in Eugene for student volunteer training, priorities and programs geared toward our critical GOTV effort).
Sunday, Oct. 12 - 3:30pm - North Eugene/Bethel canvass for Obama-Biden and Jeff Merkley for U.S. Senate. Meet at 150 W. Broadway in Eugene.
Monday, Oct. 13 - Tabling for Obama, Merkley and down-ticket Democrats with the Lane Students for Obama/Lane Student Democrats at Lane Community College cafeteria (10am-3pm).
Monday, Oct. 13 - “Merkley Monday” Phonebanking from Jeff Merkley’s Forward Oregon office at 12th & High St. in Eugene (6p-8:30p).
Tuesday, Oct. 14 - LAST DAY TO REGISTER TO VOTE!!! Join Lane Students for Obama for our final day of voter registration tabling at LCC (10am-1pm).
Tuesday, Oct. 14 - Rally for Jeff Merkley with U.S. Senator Russ Feingold, Congressman Peter DeFazio, and Eugene Mayor Kitty Piercy at the ERB Memorial Union (1pm - 2:30pm).
Tuesday, Oct. 14 - “Kitty Tuesday” - Phonebanking for Eugene Mayor Kitty Piercy from SEIU on 11th and Franklin (6pm-8:30pm). To volunteer, e-mail volunteer@kittypiercy.com or call the campaign at 541-334-6727.
Wednesday, Oct. 15 - 3rd and final Presidential Debate Watch Party @ World Flavors Pizza in Eugene. World Flavors is located at 1044 Willamette - just three doors down from the McDonald Theater (5:45pm-7:30pm).
Thursday, Oct. 16 - Post Debate Day of Action canvassing! Meet at 150 W. Broadway in Eugene at 5pm. Contact Diana Aguilar at daguilar@oregon4change for more information or to schedule yourself for a volunteer shift!
Friday, Oct. 17 - 7pm - FREE PIZZA FRIDAY courtesy of Eugene’s Pegasus Pizza! Meet with grassroots group Eugene for Obama and the Lane Student Democrats/Lane Students for Obama for some free pie at the Lane County Campaign for Change HQ - 150 W. Broadway in Eugene (7pm). Immediately following our meeting, we’ll make a final round of Friday phone calls to voters the day ballots are mailed out to Oregonians.
Saturday, Oct. 17 - 10am - FIRST DAY OF GET-OUT-THE-VOTE!!!
Sunday, Oct. 19 - “LCC Sunday” - Phonebanking in support of Local Ballot Measure 20-142 (LCC’s Bond Measure) from 1p-3:30p, 3:30p-6:00p, and 6:00p-8:30p. E-mail Trevor at trevor@yesforlcc.com. For more Measure 20-142 information, please visit www.yesforlcc.com.
Matt Keating here. (And, yes, I’m at the Lane Student Democrats/Lane Students for Barack Obama table at LCC!)
As anyone regularly registering voters and/or working on a political campaign this election cycle knows: THIS WEEK HAS BEEN NUTS! First off, it’s the final Friday to register to vote. And tonight, Lane’s SFBO group meets for a FREE PIZZA Friday @ 4pm with Senator Wyden at Pegasus Pizza (near UO campus on 14th). At 7pm this evening, Eugene for Obama and Lane Students for Obama get together for an evening of action at 150 W. Broadway (between Charnelton and Olive).
Also, along with Sen. Ron Wyden, we’re preparing to launch a huge Merkley for Senate canvassing effort from the Forward Oregon office on 12th & High St. (10am) on Saturday morning. On Sunday there’s a Bethel canvass scheduled at 2pm from the Lane County Obama HQ @ 150 W. Broadway and that evening we’ll be phonebanking for Local LCC Measure 20-142 from OEA (off Coburg past Costco) from 3:30-6:00p and 6:00-8:30p.
OK . . . Last night’s Merkley-Smith debate. Did ya see it? If not, you really missed out!
After a solid day of voter reg, I spent my ever-so-cold October evening at Davis Restaurant in Eugene with fellow Lane County Democrats (including U.S. Congressman Peter DeFazio) in support of Jeff Merkley for U.S. Senate. As Jon Issaacs, Jeff Merkley for Oregon Campaign Manager said, Speaker Merkley “laid out a clear vision for Oregon’s future and how he will team up with Ron Wyden and Barack Obama to bring our nation the change it deserves.”
My thoughts: Let’s do this! This Saturday morning, 10am, at 12th & High, Lane Student Democrats/Lane Students for Barack Obama are invited to kick-off a Forward Oregon/Campaign for Change Canvass for Obama-Biden ‘08 and Jeff Merkley for Senate with U.S. Senator Ron Wyden. Please sign-up at our table in the LCC cafeteria or call Speaker Merkley’s Eugene office at 541-686-3504.
Oh! One more thing. For Lane’s please visit www.lanecc.edu/bond . Volunteer opportunities are open for our LCC Day of Action on Sunday, October 19. Phonebank shifts are slated for 1-3:30pm, 3:30-6:00pm, and 6-8:30pm. Please e-mail Trevor at trevor@yesforlcc.com.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=95439252
Biggest news story or event coming politically for this country. I can't help but think that the biggest issue for voters is race. Let's band together and look at the issues and not get brainwashed by the political rhetoric that exists on TV Ads today.
Best,
Travis Hartman
Democrat
In my opinion the democrats are still winning these Election 2008 debates. The reason being is that it appears to me that the republicans are too hung up on foreign policy. Work ON OUR NATION FIRST! Then worry about bombing the middle east or whatever war they want to conduct. That's at least how I see that this nation should be run. Sub prime morgages shouldn't exist! Fix our nation before trying to try and "fix" the others!
McCain's camp's arguments are old rhetoric. Choose a President not tied to the oil industry. Obama 2008.
You can be serious with John McCain: on May 22, 2008: he had a No Vote on a bill that helped Farmers.H.R. 2419: Prohibits persons with adjusted gross non-farm income of over $500,000 or adjusted gross farm income of over $750,000 from receiving certain types of subsidies (Sec. 1604). -- John McCain didn't vote: bill passed, with an 82-13 vote.
When it comes to protecting the American interest in Homeland Security: John McCain couldn't even strip a vote. On Sep 30 of 2008 the president signed: H.R. 2638, the vote in the Senate passed it, and John McCain couldn't register a vote to Protect you: the American People. Yet, he is better on Foreign Affairs, then his party members. You don't only protect America overseas: You also protect them at Home (Domestic). When you needed protection, John McCain didn't show up for the vote.
He voted No on the Railroad Amendment: which will create jobs in New Jersey, and help the transit get the proper training it needed. He first didn't show up for the vote to bring the amendment to the floor and then voted NO on the later bill. Again another chance to create jobs in America, and because it was a Democratic bill: John McCain said: NO.
