Just a quick note about earmarks. While John McCain spends a lot of time asserting he has never asked for an earmark, the National Journal just published an article titled "Discovering McCain's Inner Oink" (http://www.nationaljournal.com/njmagazine/nj_20081011_6155.php) that refers to correspondence from McCain requesting that "I would like to ask your help in the vital effort to restore San Xavier del Bac, by earmarking $500,000 for that purpose in the FY 1990 appropriations bill." The McCain letter is available at http://www.nationaljournal.com/img/pdfs/mccain_letter.pdf
I have heard this from several reliable sources, but if I am wrong, please correct me:
ANYONE WEARING OBAMA (or McCain, one assumes) T-SHIRTS, BUTTONS, HATS OR OTHERWISE DISPLAYING A CANDIDATE'S FACE OR NAME TO THE POLLS WILL BE TURNED AWAY FOR "CAMPAIGNING" WITHIN THE 100 FOOT LIMIT.
Obviously, if this is true, it could be a real deterrent to some of our voters, especially if they are wearing T-shirts and have no cover-up or alternative. We should get this warning out if this is true, and possibly volunteers could be positioned outside the 100 foot limit to advise Obama-swag-wearing voters, even offer them "the shirts off our backs" if they need to borrow a cover-up.
If not true, then this rumor should be scotched.
Quick news from the front: the Las Vegas Drive for Change experience is amazing. Despite the unseasonal heat, it was well worth it to me, and 2000 others. (The goal had been a mere 300 volunteers! Way to go!) The Nevada voters I spoke with were friendly and receptive. The Nevada organization was outstanding, thanks for being such good hosts. Keep up the good work, guys.
I'll be back, as our Governator says. Specifically, I'm returning for the massive GOTV (Get Out The Vote) effort at the end of the month. Join me! I'll be the one with the "Smart Women Vote Obama" button on my hat. Outside the 100 foot limit, of course.
Do you live in the Greater Oxnard area?
Do you have spare time next sunday between 2pm and 5pm?
Do you want free food and free wifi?
I'm holding a phonebank in Oxnard on Sunday 28th from 2 to 5. Even if you don't feel comfortable making phone calls we'll find a way for you to help the campaign.
Please follow the link;
http://www.huffingtonpost.c...
Or read the article without hot links below;
Obama Nails the Winning Message: "Honor Comes with Honesty." But Does He Know How to Win with It?
Finally, the Obama campaign has articulated the winning message to counterpunch the shameless lying from McCain-Palin. They have raised the issue of McCain's (lack of) honor.
Following Senator Claire McCaskill's catchy "Honor comes with honesty" rhetoric on ABC's This Week, Obama has released an excellent new ad titled "Honor" that explicitly quotes The Washington Post on McCain's "disgraceful and dishonorable campaign."
You'll know that Obama is serious about winning if he and Biden, their surrogates, and their ads use this devastating line of attack on McCain's dishonorable campaign over and over again, including the debates, through November. I would especially urge all of team Obama to memorize and repeat McCaskill's memorable attack lines whenever they debate a McCain surrogate, like Carly Fiorina, who repeats the various lies about Palin or Obama:
This is a good example of what I'm talking about. You know, honor is talked about a lot in this campaign. Honor comes with honesty. And you've got to be honest about the facts.
This attack on McCain's honor is the winning narrative because it has so many different benefits for Obama. First and foremost, it allows Obama to turn all of the ongoing lies by and about Palin -- which are presumably designed to goad the Obama campaign to go after her, rather than McCain -- into a character attack against McCain.
Second, relatedly, it provides both of the counterpunches that team Obama's message has been missing (as described in "Can Obama Win With Half a Messaging Strategy?"). It counterpunches against McCain's new post-convention message that he is the agent of reform. You can't possibly reform Washington if you are just another dishonest and dishonorable politician. And it counterpunches against McCain's various attacks on Obama by bunching them all together and dismissing them as dishonest and dishonorable.
Indeed, like the best frames, it can be used by Obama or any surrogate to immediately reframe any new McCain attack as yet another example of McCain's dishonor and dishonesty. The best narratives piggyback on and negate a large portion of your opponent's advertisements and messaging -- just as McCain is attempting to do by saying he is the agent of change in the election, not Obama.
In other words, winning campaigns don't just attack their opponents' weaknesses (the issues, McCain's similarity to Bush) but adopt the winning Rovian jujitsu strategy of attacking their opponents' strengths -- the fact that an overwhelming majority of the public thinks McCain has superior character and leadership qualities. Democrats ought to realize by now that merely having the policies the public supports is not a winning strategy -- as Presidents Dukakis, Gore, and Kerry can attest.
Character trumps all. Or at least perception of character does. And right now, McCain is trumping Obama on "Who has the strong leadership qualities needed to be president of the United States?" by 48% to 26%. You can't be a strong leader if you are dishonest and dishonorable.
Third, going after McCain's dishonor is the best way to "get up in McCain's face, to get inside his head the way the McCain campaign has gone after Obama." That is one of the three things that Democratic strategists told Mark Halperin that Obama must do to win, along with "stop focusing so much on Sarah Palin" and "get back to talking about the economy."
Nothing will get inside McCain's head more than going after his dishonor -- especially if Obama does it during the debates. McCain prides himself on his honor above all other qualities, I believe, and that makes him defensive about any attacks on it. At some level, McCain knows he is selling his soul to the Rovians devil to win. But he has gone all-in on the countless lies and stands by them lamely, as he did on The View. If he does that during a debate, he will be skewered by the crucial post-debate media analysis.
The key to success when using such a harsh attack face to face is to choose your words very carefully. The best I've seen from team Obama was Senator Claire McCaskill thrashing McCain surrogate Carly Fiorina on ABC's This Week yesterday. McCaskill called her out on the lies she repeated and thrashed McCain with a simple yet powerful message of truth and honor:
FIORINA: Sarah Palin as governor stood up and said, I know earmarks are corrupting. We must ask for less of them--
STEPHANOPOLOUS: But she still requested them.
FIORINA: As governor she did not. [...]
MCCASKILL: She just requested this year, George. She requested hundreds of millions of dollars of earmarks for Alaska. She took the money for the bridge to nowhere. She took -- she hired lobbyists to get earmarks.
This is a woman who has been lobbying for earmarks, has received earmarks. As a mayor, as a governor.
Sarah Palin has been an earmark queen in Alaska. That's the facts.
Note to Obama campaign: Please have all your surrogates -- and Obama and Biden -- study the transcript to see McCaskill's deftness here. Please have them memorize and repeat her key attack lines again and again and again.
Note to McCain campaign: Please continue to use Fiorina as a surrogate as much as possible.
McCaskill did four crucial things here:
1. She had all of the relevant facts at her fingertips and repeated them calmly but forthrightly.
2. She used a memorable metaphor to quickly dismiss Palin -- "earmark queen."
3. She turned Fiorina's mindless and indefensible repetition of Palin's stock lies into an attack on McCain's honor and honesty.
4. She created an attack on McCain that uses some of the best rhetorical figures of speech, which makes any attack more powerful and more memorable.
The key lines cannot be repeated too much:
The point is to link "honor" -- a term (unjustifiably) associated with McCain -- with "honest." Marrying the two words is easy because of the alliteration, assonance, and consonance they share. But repetition of the whole word always helps, especially the powerful figure of speech, anaphora, repeating the same word at the beginning of a series of clauses or sentences: "honor is talked about a lot in this campaign. Honor comes with honesty."
Presumably, the McCain campaign keeps pushing Palin and its surrogates to keep repeating their lies for a purpose. They must know there is some cost to having Palin repeat on Saturday for the ninth time the absurd claim that she said to Congress, "Thanks, but no thanks on that Bridge to Nowhere" and having Fiorina -- a much less-practiced liar than McCain and Palin -- say "The facts are that Sarah Palin rejected the money for the Bridge to Nowhere."
The McCain team must see benefits that outweigh the cost of all this well-debunked lying -- and presumably that is keeping the focus of the Obama campaign's attacks on Palin to create sympathy and a backlash in her favor while keeping the attacks off of McCain himself. Obama, however, can turn all this lying to his great advantage if he and his surrogates and his ads finally start ignoring Palin and instead using the pathological lying to go after McCain's character, as they have just started to do.
Even the King of smear, Karl Rove, recognizes the potentially fatal mistake his disciples -- the devil's disciples? -- have made. Why else would he take the extraordinary step of going on FoxNews and saying
McCain has gone in some of his ads -- similarly gone one step too far, and sort of attributing to Obama things that are, you know, beyond the 100-percent-truth test.
If you've been called smelly by a skunk, you know you stink.
The larger point -- the final reason why this attack on McCain's dishonor and dishonesty is so powerful -- is that the media has become so sick and tired of McCain's lying that they won't defend him anymore.
Heck even the just-the-facts Associated Press headlined a piece, "Analysis: McCain's claims skirt facts, test voters" that opens:
The "Straight Talk Express" has detoured into doublespeak
On Sunday, the St. Petersburg Times ran an editorial entitled: "Campaign Of Lies Disgraces McCain," which opines:
McCain's straight talk has become a toxic mix of lies and double-speak. It is leaving a permanent stain on his reputation for integrity, and it is a short-term strategy that eventually will backfire with the very types of independent-thinking voters that were so attracted to him.
That should be the centerpiece quote of any attack ad in Florida.
Kudos to team Obama for finally getting the right counterpunches to McCain's constant lies and his claims to be a reformer. Now they just have to repeat it over and over and over and over again through November 4.
If you are not attacking you are losing.
Obama plans Española visit Thursday; Richardson launches new group while courting Hispanics in battleground states; BATTLEGROUND and FENCESTRADDLER STATES' ELECTORAL VOTES ARE NOT DOOMED TO BE FOR MCCAIN!
http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/stephenfox/gG5qzphttp://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/stephenfox/gG5XtP
Obama plans Española visit; Richardson launches new group while courting Hispanics in battleground states
9/15/2008 - 9/16/08
Gov. Bill Richardson on Monday launched a group called Hispanics for Obama , and announced that the Democratic presidential candidate himself will appear Thursday in Española.
Barack Obama is relying on Richardson to help court Hispanics in battleground states including New Mexico, which narrowly went for Republican George W. Bush four years ago and where John McCain also has visited several times this year.
In informal remarks to dozens of local Democrats at the opening of a new south-side Santa Fe campaign office, Richardson began with a hearty "Buenos tardes." He laughed and made joking asides to enthusiastic audience members as he happily played the role of Obama cheerleader.
"As the Hispanic vote goes nationally, so goes the presidency," Richardson said. He got loud cheers by predicting big margins for the Illinois senator among Hispanic voters in New Mexico as well as in Colorado and Nevada.
"And we want that number to be close to 65 or 70 percent," he said of New Mexico's Hispanic vote for Obama.
It was a chance for locals to see Richardson do what he's been doing increasingly on the national level.
During the weekend, he attended several Obama events in Las Vegas, Nev. He met Saturday with Hispanic leaders there, spoke to Obama volunteers at a North Las Vegas campaign office, had a town hall at the College of Southern Nevada, attended a soccer tournament sponsored by Spanish-language television network Telemundo and spoke at a dinner for Las Vegas Democrats.
(The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported that boxing fan Richardson also attended a title fight between Juan Manuel Marquez and Joel Casamayor.)
Also on Saturday, Richardson, in his role as Obama surrogate, taped an interview on MSNBC. On Sunday, he appeared on Late Edition With Wolf Blitzer, opposite Republican Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty.
During last month's Democratic National Convention in Denver, Richardson told The New Mexican that the Obama campaign mainly wanted him to campaign in New Mexico, Nevada and Colorado, three swing states with significant Hispanic populations.
But Obama apparently isn't limiting Richardson to those Western states. The New York Times last week listed Richardson among surrogates including Sen. Hillary Clinton and Caroline Kennedy who were scheduled to appear at high-dollar fundraisers this month in New York.
A spokeswoman for the Governor's Office said Monday that travel expenses for such out-of-state trips are paid by the Obama campaign. He normally travels with a state police officer, a state Public Safety Department spokesman said. Although the officer's salary is paid by the state, the spokesman said, travel expenses are covered by the campaign.
Some at Monday's event in Santa Fe seemed to want to use Richardson to pass advice to Obama.
"Governor, tell him to toughen up those ads," one man said as Richardson left the building.
Hispanics for Obama is a statewide group, Richardson said after the event. It will hold policy forums involving Hispanic leaders around New Mexico.
Although Hispanic voters traditionally have favored Democrats, the percentages targeted by Richardson are hardly guaranteed. In 2004, President Bush attracted about 40 percent of the Hispanic vote according to exit polls conducted for The Associated Press and television networks.
Richardson said the campaign's goal is to register 12,000 new Hispanic voters as part of a statewide effort to boost total voter registration by 30,000 during the next 30 days.
Contact Steve Terrell at 986-3037 or sterrell@sfnewmexican.com.
IF YOU GO
What: Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama visits Española
When: Rally starts at 12:30 p.m. Thursday at the Española Plaza
Tickets: Free, available starting today at two Obama campaign offices in Santa Fe, 720 St. Michael's Drive 2-N and 3494 Zafarano Drive Suite B, as well as at campaign offices in Las Vegas, Taos, Española, Los Alamos and Raton.
Steve Terrell | The New Mexican
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BREAKING NEWS; "Being the 'detective' that I am, I got the message below from the McCain camp today. I can understand why he wants people to vote for him now, by absentee ballot. He doesn't want people to be able to change their minds as they hear the upcoming debates."
JaneAnne<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
BRILLIANT!SO HERE IS THIS AGAIN:
By Stephen Fox, Contributing Editor New Mexico Sun News -
First thoughts: The Electoral Map 50 days out : from MSNBC:
Turn on the Steam in (leaning Obama) IA, MN, NM OR, PA, WA (61 votes) Toss up: CO, MI, NV, NH, OH, VA, WI (78 votes)
http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/stephenfox/gG5ZBz
A lot of letters to the editor from you, and emailed all over your state might turn the tide, if they were well reasoned and hard hitting, to the point, about why Obama would be best for your state, in the long run! If you speak with the Editorial Page Editor, ask for an op/ed slot, 600-800 words, to really make your point, and don't forget that these are the very editors who are likely to be writing their endorsements in a few short weeks for President, so don't bombard them with blast emails: they won't get printed, and you will just irk the person.
Editorial page editors are listed in EDITOR AND PUBLISHER in your library, and indirectly through
usnpl.com : unitedstatesnewspaperlist
And no doubt, as Dr. Howard Dean III pointed out in Santa Fe about a month ago, nothing works better than going door to door, and personally talking at length with your neighbors, colleagues, and family, to answer any questions they might have regarding Obama's strengths and McCain's failures.
You may find the earlier articles in my blog (there are 109 of them) to be helpful as all have been filed with strategy and tactical considerations in mind, above all.
Truly,
Stephen Fox, Contributing Editor New Mexico Sun NewsFounder, New Millennium Fine Artstephen@santafefineart.com
MSNBC:
The Palin bounce has erased Obama's lead in the national polls, and it has now cut into his electoral-vote advantage, according to NBC’s latest map. Obama holds a 233-227 edge here, down from his 228-200 advantage from last week.
The biggest changes: We moved Florida -- with its 27 electoral votes -- from Toss-up to Lean McCain, and New Mexico from Toss-up to Lean Obama. We also shifted Oregon and Washington from Likely Obama to Lean Obama, as well as Alaska, Georgia, North Dakota and South Dakota from Lean McCain to Likely McCain.
The good news for McCain is that the map looks better for him than at any point so far in this race, and many of those red states that looked like opportunities for Obama (AK, GA, IN) look to be longer shots for him. The bad news for McCain is that given the wave his campaign has been riding from the Palin bounce, is this as good as it gets?
If he isn’t leading in some states now, he might not ever lead in them. Bottom line: You'll know the map is starting to move in one direction or the other if either Pennsylvania or Florida moves back into Toss-up before Election Day.
VIDEO: NBC Political Director Chuck Todd discusses the Sarah Palin affect on the NBC electoral vote map.
Likely Obama: CA, CT, DE, DC, HI, IL, ME, MD, MA, NJ, NY, RI, VT (172 electoral votes)
Lean Obama: IA, MN, NM OR, PA, WA (61 votes)
Toss-up: CO, MI, NV, NH, OH, VA, WI (78 votes)
Lean McCain: FL, IN, MO, MT, NC (67 votes)
Likely McCain: AL, AK, AZ, AR, GA, ID, KS, KY, LA, MS, NE, ND, OK, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, WV, WY (160 votes)
and here is the bottom line: __________________________________________________________________________
By Holly Watt, Washington Post
ST. PAUL -- Democracy Now! radio host Amy Goodman and two producers were arrested while covering demonstrations at the Republican convention in St. Paul, Minn. Goodman was released after being held for over three hours, but is still waiting to hear when Sharif Abdel Kouddous and Nicole Salazar would be released.
video link: http://voices.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/09/01/democracy_now_host_and_produce.html
"I was down on the convention floor interviewing delegates when I heard that two of our producers had been arrested," said Goodman. "I ran down to Jackson and 7th Street, where the police had moved in."
Goodman said that when she ran up to find out what was going on, she was also arrested.
"They seriously manhandled me and handcuffed my hands behind my back. The top ID [at the convention] is to get on the floor and the Secret Service ripped that off me. I had my Democracy Now! ID too. I was clearly a reporter."
Goodman, who was released after being charged with a misdemeanor, said that Salazar had been hurt in the face, while Kouddous had been thrown up against a wall and hurt his elbow.
"Nicole told me that as they moved in on three sides, she asked them 'How do I get away from this?' and they jumped on her."
Both Kouddous and Salazar could be held for up to 36 hours.
"One of the police kept shouting at me 'Shut up, shut up," she said. "It was extremely threatening."
---------------------
Amy Goodman Arrested at RNC; Reports of Tear-Gassing Allison Kilkenny, Huffington Post
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/allison-kilkenny/amy-goodman-arrested-at-r_b_123051.html
Her arrest comes amid accusations of police brutality in St. Paul. I-Witness founder Eileen Clancy was arrested and detained last Saturday by the police in an apparent preemptive arrest. Clancy states she and her team were surrounded in the house they were staying at in St. Paul before they had the chance to video tape any protests.
The police handcuffed Clancy and her team and claimed they were waiting for their search warrant. The officers were armed and at least one police offer was carrying an M-16, Clancy wrote in her blog. [Stephen Fox: this looks more like South America or USA during the Vietnam Era]
In addition to preemptive arrests, the police are responding aggressively to the presence of protesters. New video is appearing on YouTube of protesters being tear-gassed by the police:
footage is found here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=po3MQmOVrZc&eurl=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/allison-kilkenny/amy-goodman-arrested-at-r_b_123051.html
Laurie, the phone operator at the County Jail says she "hopes charges will be presented within the hour." As of right now, Kouddous and Salazar are being held without charges.9:50 PM EST: Kouddous and Salazar are still being held without charges. Laurie, the operator, now expects a few hours to expire before they are officially charged with a crime. She claims the slow process is due to an unusually high number of arrests coupled with many detainees using pseudonyms. More than 100 people were arrested along with Goodman and her producers.
Early reports indicate Kouddous and Salazar were originally arrested on suspicion of rioting .
11:00PM EST: The Ramsey County Jail redirected me to something called the "Joint Information Center." Under a little pressure, the operator finally revealed his name (Sgt. William Palmer,) though he asked for my name (had me spell it twice) and asked for my phone number in exchange. Friendly stuff.
Palmer informed me that Kouddous and Salazar will be held in jail overnight until they are taken to court tomorrow. No one knows what they are being charged with, but Palmer attributes their arrest to "suspicious behavior."
Kouddous and Salazar are still being held without any formal charges.
Mayor Chris Coleman can be contacted at: 651-266-8510 or e-mailed at: https://mn-stpaul.civicplus.com/forms.asp?FID=69Governor Tim Pawlenty can be reached at: (651) 296-3391 or e-mailed at tim.pawlenty@state.mn.usRamsey County Jail: 651-266-9350
_____________________________________________________
Police Seize Journalists Notes About RNC Protest Plans
see also http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xHpDQpZ_NAI&NR=1
Barack Believers,
WOW, we're finally here. Tonight, MONDAY, August 25th, our Democratic Convention will begin. MICHELLE OBAMA will be a keynote speaker. This morning, during a walk through, 6 year old Sasha Obama got to whack the gavel; tonight will be Michelle's turn.
Come on over to our Ojai Obama Campaign Office all this week to watch the excitement on our big screen TV...starting tonight.
TUESDAY, we'll continue to watch the excitement...understatement.
WEDNESDAY, August 27th we'll watch and hold a discussion with PETER STRAUSS!!!
THURSDAY, August 28th, our own BARACK OBAMA will be accepting the nomination for President of the United States of America. We'll be PARTY ING ON DOWN...you betcha. Please, join us for this soooo exciting night!!!
I've read a lot of interesting and articulate blogs on here and would like to tell you about DailyKos.com-
I'm just a blog reader and stumbled upon DailyKos.com through Digg.com but some of you would benefit by writing over there and getting more exposure to other readers on your thoughts about elections in general and issues regarding Obama and the campaign.
http://www.DailyKos.com
For some time now I have been carrying a bag on which is printed the following: "I like my president likie my coffee, black and strong."
I get basically two reactions. The first and most common here in Santa Barbara is, "Where did you get that?" or "Where can I get one?" or "That bag is cool." You get the idea.
The second reaction is characterized by a person looking at the bag and then nervously looking away.
Granted the bag is very 'in your face' and skirts the edge of racism. But what interests me most is the anxiety I percieve which is created by this. While folks who support Mr. Obama are basically fascinated and like the bag those who are less so are perplexed and unsure how to deal with their feelings.
I have discussed the origins of this item with those who verbalize the first (positive) reaction but I have not pursued the folks who nervously avert their glances and walk away. But it is this group which gives me concern. I don't know if they are supporters or not. I only know that something disturbs them which they do not feel empowered to address.
In a less liberal environment I might be attacked for carrying such a thing as this. At least then the message back at me would be clear. (Not that I have any desire to be attacked). But I am puzzled at how to deal with those folks who are either not active supporters of Mr. Obama or are clearly against him.
These are the issues which I believe are crucial to the success of this historic campaign. I am looking for ways to reach out to these folks, to bring them into the flock so to speak. I believe that the issues are all related somehow to fear. But I have yet to find a way.
A recent political cartoon depicts a caricature of Mr. Obama standing by a sign in front of the White House which reads 'White House'. Mr. Obama then states, "This is gonna have to go." Funny. But I also saw the buttons which many Republicans wore which read, "Will they still call it the White House." Essentially the same idea but the buttons carry a far more serious and nasty connotation. The fear of a black man as president.
I do usually simply wear a button or my favorite Obama campaign jacket for a less provocative supportive posturing but it would be a mistake to complacently enjoy the kudos I get in this nicely liberal, largely pro-Obama town and leave it at that.
I will continue to carry the bag from time to time and I will continue to discuss these issues hoping to make it safe for the non-die-hard supporters to discuss their feelings and assuage their fears. I know that there is a fine line between humor and hate speech here. And I am always open to suggestions.
Two morsels here: 1. Democrats are coming together, shifting toward Obama 2. It's coming together: Majority of Californians are now favorable to Obama More likely voters in California have a favorable impression of Obama, while viewing both Clinton and McCain unfavorably, in a new 10-day poll by the Public Policy Institute of California, a non profit group. (I checked; both Gary Hart and Leon Panetta are on the Board of Directors). 80% of Democrats and 55% of Independents support Obama. Clinton won California's Democratic primary in February, but now, 51 percent of voters now say they have an unfavorable opinion of her, according to the poll. 53 percent of voters feel the same way about McCain.
Read More.
Carole
When I returned from 3 days of Camp Obama training in Burbank at the end of July last year, I carried home a printout of every Obama supporter who lives in the 23rd CD. There was not a single supporter living north of Santa Barbara whose name was on that list. So, as a resident of San Luis Obispo County, I endeavored to organize the area from Santa Maria to Cambria. I traveled to Democratic club meetings in Santa Maria, Arroyo Grande, San Luis Obispo and Los Osos and garnered a couple of volunteers from that effort (and by a couple I mean exactly two).
Recognizing that my little corner of the world probably wasn’t the Obama bastion I thought it to be (at least in Democratic establishment circles), I set about trying to convince the members of the San Luis Obispo For Obama MyBO group I established in February, 2007 to host house parties at which I could extol the virtues of grassroots empowerment through the internet that’s unique to the Obama campaign. Every person who was brought in to work on our local campaign was recruited by me or someone that I recruited. There were 200+ invitations sent to consistent, dedicated volunteers and their families for our volunteer recognition party at the conclusion of theprimary-election campaign. (Check out the photos of the party (You may need to register for a free Snapfish account): http://www2.snapfish.com/share/p=4821204517924547/l=358868409/g=33847909/otsc=SYE/otsi=SALB
As a result of the primary-election experience, I am continuing to work to strengthen the Democratic Party in our growing county. Let’s face reality: With conservatism creeping up the coast from the south, a solid Democratic north will keep the 23rd CD in Democratic hands. I am currently working to unseat a conservative member of the county board of supervisors with a progressive candidate, Adam Hill. I am currently managing the field organization for a promising young progressive and president of the local Surfrider Foundation who is running for Morro Bay City Council, Noah Smukler. I believe that by encouraging our local campaign’s best young leaders to enter public service, we will have a group of strong Democratic candidates going forward. Our county Democratic Party apparatus has failed in this mission for years and I am seeking to change that. As a result of being empowered by the Obama campaign, I am regarded by the county party establishment as someone who can get that job done. Thanks to the Obama campaign experience I have discovered that I am really good at this and, in a real sense, that’s reward enough for me.
I traveled to Texas for GOTV weekend before the primary there and was accommodated seamlessly into the field operation there as a result our California experience. I walked precincts and supported precinct captains and utterly felt that I belonged. Working out-of-state was a transformative experience and one that I recommend highly if you have the chance.
Barack's 1,695 vote victory in the 23rd CD could not have been accomplished without the contribution of the hard work of volunteers in SLO County and Santa Maria.Here’s the math: Ventura County was lost by 6541 votes to Clinton, Santa Barbara County (including Santa Maria) recovered 5623 of those votes. The SLO County margin of victory was 2613 votes. (Ref.: http://primary2008.sos.ca.gov/Returns/dcd/2356.htm) That's one of the reasons why I feel there should be a San Luis Obispo County representative in the 23rd CD delegation.
More importantly, we need to make sure that the delegates that are sent to the convention are prepared to advocate for Barack's candidacy in all circumstances. There willbe instances when the ability to organize and to persuade will be required. You can count on me to advocate for Barack. I very much appreciate your thoughtful consideration of me for the position of delegate and I would feel honored to represent you.
Such fun!!! Music by Fred Schmitt, Emmy Reynolds, Piper Denny & Julie Christensen was beyond awesome! We did gobs of Postcards for Pennyslvania! Julie shared how she shook Barack's hand; He look directly into her eyes and she could see his sincereness and how He wants the very best for our country. She became an immediate convert. Fred relayed how they attended the Obama Ralley at Santa Barbara City College; and how he asked an Obama Dude if Barack could sign Lynn's Constitution. The Dude chased after Barack and came back with Barack's Signature on the Constitution; So super! Julie sang a song about how a wounded Veteran's Mom didn't recognize him upon his return - tears in My eyes.
We're famous! Our Concert was on the Nat'l Blog, Friday, March 28th. Only 4 were listed. On Saturday, All across America, Obama supporters Partied and Postcarded for Barack!!! So amazing to realize that so many Americans were working for Our Obama on Saturday; we're among some pretty terrific folks!
Thank you all!
Eileen, the home grown Pixie Tangerines and your homebaked Pecan Bars were delicious!
Fired up! Ready to Go! Storm Surf! Yes!
Candy
Yes we can! Si se puede! Oui c'est possible!
Hi All,
I hope y'all got your very special invitation to our OBAMA COUNTRY CONCERT, March 29th, from 1 - 4 PM!!!
We're going to have so much fun! It will be a true Ojai Happening! Conviviality, Music, Delicious Food and Postcarding to the folks in Pennsylvania! Fred Schmitt and Emmy Reynolds are just wonderful musicians!
Everyone welcome! Kids too! We have a treehouse! Se habla espanol! Francais aussi!
