Official NY LGBT Volunteer and Activist Network

President Obama Signed HIV/AIDS Treatment Extension Act

EsquireUK — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 12:48:50 EDT

http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2009/10/30/honoring-legacy-ryan-white

President Obama signed the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Treatment Extension Act of 2009. It represents our ongoing commitment to ensuring access to needed HIV/AIDS care and treatment. The White House and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) worked very closely with Congress on this bipartisan legislation, and the consensus document developed by the HIV/AIDS advocacy community was an important part of the process. We were so pleased that Jeanne White-Ginder, Ryan White’s mother, was here at the bill signing.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2009/10/30/honoring-legacy-ryan-white

Building Support for Health Care Reform...

Jason Haas — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 17:45:56 EDT

...It's not easy, but Yes We Can.

Given the mob tactics and misinformation being spread by those who seek to profit from the sick and vulnerable, we must now stand up for those who cannot. We must talk to our neighbors, friends, co-workers, union members, family, and communities of faith to create real action on Health Care Reform today.

If you haven’t already, please visit OFA’s Health Care Action Center to find simple tools that will help you make a difference from home.

Also, join President Obama for a special strategy meeting on Health Care Reform this Thursday, Aug. 20 at 2:30pm Easterm Time.

And, for those of you who live near New York City, please join me this special event:

Unity Walk and Rally for Health Care Reform

Saturday, August 29, 2009 - 2 pm

NYC - Times Square

SIGN-UP HERE!

Health Care Reform Can't Wait!

State electeds and other guest speakers. Hosted by NYCforChange in partnership with Organizing for America, Obama supporter groups, and many more! We will show the nation that New Yorkers are UNITED in support of reform at this critical time before our Congress members go back to D.C. to vote on historic legislation.

Volunteers needed! Contact allie.feldman@gmail.com

Rick Warren

Paul Gorrell — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 19:17:38 EST

i chose obama against the clintons in the fall of 07
i knocked on doors
i made phone calls from home and his offices
i gave money
i am from NJ but was in Grant Park on election night
i have been obsessed with helping and promoting

Now...I have a homophobic, hate filled, torture supporting, peace award to Bush giving pastor Rick Warren present at the Inaugaration that I planned to go to. Not now.

Maybe it was all for naught. Count me with the folks who are bitter, but I am clinging to my rights as a gay man and I am clinging to my 16 year old relationship with my partner which Rick Warren works against.

Count me out for 2012.

Last Day for Change

Benjamin from New York, NY — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 18:02:50 EST

Here's what you can do:

VOTE

GET OUT THE VOTE
Phonebanks are open tonight until 9pm to call battleground states. Come down and be a part of New York making history in this campaign.

The Scene at HQ-The Scene for the Final Two Days

Benjamin from New York, NY — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 00:49:48 EST

HQ has been so busy co-ordinating all of our wonderful volunteers, the blog has taken a back seat. Here's a taste of what's been going on.

The volunteers and staff at Obama HQ New York are fired up. The excitement created by occasional special visitors (Sarah Jessica Parker, Matthew Broderick, Peter Yarrow from Peter, Paul and Mary in the last few days) is but a brief spike before the volunteers are back to work calling voters in battleground states:

The street team is out there inspiring you to phonebank to help Get Out the Vote on Tuesday:

Back in quieter times we had a party for the HQ volunteers:

Come down and join the excitement here at HQ or at a phonebank near you, Monday and Tuesday; all day, both days.

Last Call for Change - Final Four Days

Benjamin from New York, NY — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 00:22:14 EDT

This is it!

We're coming down to the final stretch and Barack Obama needs your help now, more than ever before!

Please bring your cell phone, a charger and a few fun friends who care about change and join with thousands of your neighbors in the largest ever-attempted phone bank effort in New York state history. The Obama campaign is hosting several of these "mega call centers" all over New York, so invite your friends and family to make calls to voters in key battleground states and change America for years to come.

Visit http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/nylastcall to find a location near you.

COUNTDOWN BARACK -what are you going to do in these last 7 days to help make history?

Rich Kiamco — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 17:26:22 EDT

HI Friends

shoutout from the OBAMA trenches!!
lets pump it up for the last week! KEEP IT GOING!!!

i just delivered a KEYNOTE ADDRESS at U of Illinois to 1,000 Filipino-American students from campuses in
Illinois, Wisconsin, Iowa, Kentucky, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Missouri and Virginia!!
talk about swingstate sweetspot!!!
I urged them all to get to the polls, and get involved!

and then I urged them to grab more than just a lever,
I urged them to grab on to the passion for LIFE!

now I am urging you!!!

what will you do in the next 7days?

I am driving out [again] to ALLENTOWN,PA thursday and stayin til the polls close!!

I DO NOT WANT ANYONE TO WAKE UP ON WEDS THE 5th saying
(#$*SH*T i wish i had done a few more things!!!
"I could've made a few calls from my own home!" or volunteered for an hour, carpooled with some friends or hit the barack obama site and joined a bus with other enthusiastic obama people, or just entered data at the headquarters, or even just help call other volunteers to get them to volunteer ..or just popped by a local obma office and said OK, how can I help?"
or even talking to your friends and family that are undecided..!

SH*T i was too busy laughing at the gaffes of Palin n McCain
and I FORGOT that
watching YOUTUBE, SNL and having the best watercooler stories
or screaming at the TV and arguing with FOX news
doesn't win any votes

.. reaching out and taking actions does
so...
here are some links for action

find events in your zipcode
http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/search_simple?source=sidenav

join the caravan to PA:
SwingOUT State Sister!! NYC/JC CARAVAN for Change to ALLENTOWN, PA GOTV (Drive for Change) http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/gptwvk

do you have a car/van you wanna carpool a load of peeps for a daytrip or for the weekend?
http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/rideshare/

work it locally in New York:
http://newyork.barackobama.com/page/content/nyhome

work it locally in Jersey: find events just around the corner!!!!
http://nj.barackobama.com/njgotv1

work it in your own home!!
call swing state voters!
http://my.barackobama.com/page/votercontact/landing

work it from WITHIN!! prayer teleconference
http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/meeting/gprddy

THANKS FOR READING THIS FAR DOWN!!!

do not get complacent
the last 7days are crucial!!!The world is waiting for you!!!

thanks for every little thing u do!!!!

Barackin it out in whatever little way i can

RICH KIAMCO

PS we will [GODWILLING] have a BARACK BLOWOUT PARTY on Saturday the 8th
will keep u posted - but...until then

FULL STEAM AHEAD!!!

Two weeks out!

Jamie Citron — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 11:42:01 EDT

Believe it or not, Election Day is just two weeks away. We need all hands on deck as we work to turn the page on the last eight years of failed policies and divisive politics promoted by George Bush, usually with the backing of John McCain, that have been so hurtful to the LGBT community. And we can, in fact, bring the change our community desperately needs. We’re close. But we all need to work as hard as we ever have over the next 14 days to make sure we cross the finish line.
I’m asking you to not just spend some time over these last 14 days helping us get out the vote. I’m also asking you to mobilize your network of supporters, contacts, and friends – and ask them to do the same.
PLEASE, IF YOU HAVEN’T ALREADY, TAKE GOTV WEEKEND OFF AND HELP US TURN OUT VOTERS
This campaign has built an unprecedented field program that has successfully contacted millions of voters. But we can’t let up in the final days. Help us meet our ambitious goals over the final days. There are so many states in play this year, which means there’s most likely a battleground state within driving distance of wherever you may be right now. To find out where we need YOUR help the most, and to sign up to help out in that state, please check out our Drive for Change program here: http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/driveforchange
CALL EVERYONE YOU KNOW, AGAIN, AND ASK THEM TO VOTE OBAMA-BIDEN
Whether or not you can take GOTV weekend off and travel to a battleground state, you can still help out from your home. We’ve got two tools that can help you reach out to people you have relationships with and talk to them about the importance of voting for Barack and Joe. The first, Hometown Pride, helps you brainstorm all the people you know “back home.” Check it out here: http://my.barackobama.com/page/s/hometownpride
The second, for those of you with iPhones, is a handy application that prioritizes your contacts by key battleground states, and keeps track of your results in one place. Find it here: http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/iphone
WRITE A LETTER TO THE EDITOR OR AN OP-ED ABOUT WHY YOU SUPPORT THE TICKET
You are a leader in the LGBT community, and people care about what you have to say. In these last weeks, it’s important that LGBT people hear from you about why you support the Obama-Biden ticket. Help us spread the word about Barack’s record on issues important to our community. We’ve created a Letter to the Editor tool that makes it easy to submit a letter to the editor of your local LGBT paper. It’s at http://my.barackobama.com/page/speakout/prideletter?js=true. Of course, you should also consider submitting an Op-Ed. If, while you’re writing, you’ve got a question about where Barack stands on an issue, you can find all the information you should need under the Resources section at http://pride.barackobama.com.
CALL VOTERS FROM THE COMFORT OF YOUR OWN HOME
Finally, you can also phone bank callers in key states right from the comfort of your couch. We’ve got a tool that will link you with voters we need to contact in battleground states, that you can access online. You can also get a group of friends or supporters together to participate in this easy way. Check it out at http://my.barackobama.com/modules/votercontact/login_signup.php.
I also want to extend a personal thank you for everything you have been doing to make sure we win in November. The LGBT community has come together and worked hard to make sure LGBT voters understand the vast contrasts between Barack and John McCain on the issues we care about. I know a lot of that hard work has come from you, and from the work you’ve done to inspire the people around you to step up and make a difference. Thank you for that, and thank you for what I know you will do over these last few weeks to help us win on November 4th.
And please forward these tools to everyone you think will find them helpful!
Thanks,
Dave Noble
National LGBT Vote Director
Obama for America

Queers United Supports Obama/Biden '08

queerunity — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 16:54:28 EDT

Queers United stands firmly in support of Barack Obama for president because of his principles of fairness and equality for all citizens.

Barack Obama's Stance:

-Supports civil unions

-Supports the repeal of (Defense of Marriage Act)

-Supports repealing Don't Ask Don't Tell Policy

-Supports expanding federal hate crimes to include sexual orientation/gender identity

-Supports Employment Non-discrimination Act

-Supports adoption rights by LGBT families

-Committed to fighting HIV/AIDS on a global level

-Opposed to a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage

All hands on deck.

Jamie Citron — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 11:26:34 EDT

“We are all sick because of AIDS - and we are all tested by this crisis. It is a test not only of our willingness to respond, but of our ability to look past the artificial divisions and debates that have often shaped that response. When you go to places like Africa and you see this problem up close, you realize that it's not a question of either treatment or prevention – or even what kind of prevention – it is all of the above. It is not an issue of either science or values – it is both. Yes, there must be more money spent on this disease. But there must also be a change in hearts and minds, in cultures and attitudes. Neither philanthropist nor scientist, neither government nor church, can solve this problem on their own - AIDS must be an all-hands-on-deck effort.”
-Senator Barack Obama

On October 16th, the Obama Campaign held a conference call to highlight Senator Obama's commitment to fighting HIV/AIDS both abroad and domestically and the detailed policies he has in place to make it happen. Kerry Eleveld at Advocate reports:

Sen. Barack Obama's campaign held a conference call Thursday intended to highlight his policy prescriptions for combating the HIV/AIDS epidemic -- including increased funding for research, care, and prevention as well as developing a national HIV/AIDS strategy within the first year of his administration...
Sandra Thurman, former director of the White House Office of National AIDS Policy under President Clinton, stressed the importance of developing a national AIDS strategy.
“As a former director of the Office of National AIDS Policy, I can't imagine anything more important than having a national AIDS strategy, the likes of which we have never had in the history of the epidemic for over a quarter of a century,” she said.

Click HERE to read the whole piece.

post ALLENTOWN,PA mapping canvassing greening

Rich Kiamco — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 00:04:56 EDT

ALLENTOWN can use more volunteers!!! just over an hour away from jersey city

anytime between now and the election

Lehigh County - Allentown #2
917 Hamilton St.
Allentown, PA 18101
(610) 704-9392
Email: info@paforchange.com

well..a bit blurry now, but thrilled at a great weeknd of volunteering in ALLENTOWN,PA woohoo

got there friday, zack n jack are the great cofffee'd up -sleep deprived - leaders,

nice team of people, CAMP OBAMA grads and other dedicated souls, met the housing/host lady -sweet woman who set me and my friend up with housing

such a diverse crowd of people

did some map making for canvassing -envelope stuffing and helped set up canvassing paks, then slept at an Emmaus hosts house -in daughter's old bedroom filled w/ stuffed animals and hopes for OBAMA.

Hit doors canvassing ringing doorbells, -strangely these 1920's section of houses all had broken doorbells, so mostly knocking on doors/windows to get out the vote get volunteers & talk to undecided voters.. one other Jersey CIty family i ran into at HQ told me of theire moment of running into a green party canvasser, and how he was like -last electon cycle there were streets filled with Rick Santorum [UGH! compared homosexuality to incest and pedophilia] banners and now they are replaced with OBAMA signs,

he was shocked at the conversions

someone must be doing some great work

hopefully we have been part of that, in anycase, feels great to have done some knocking

got back to Jersey city, and did a phone banking event, calling GEORGIA -yep even georgia is in play woohoo!

one guy i called LAUGHED when I called him, he was on the other line talking to a friend about putting a big OBAMA party together teehee-said everyone out ther ewas voting early and workign liek crazy to get the RED OUT and turn GEorgia BLUE

off to bed,

more sleep then on to more OBAMA work

JERSEY PEEPS the registration deadline is tuesday the 14th!!!

[one disturbing note: the McCain offices nearby were empty, but their window had pix of Obama with bullseyes hand drawn on them, taped to their front door,

disappointing to see such hatred, not surprised i guess, but certainly even republicans can do better than that!

maybe just talk about their vision or something [see:OBAMA]

Obama Pride celebrates National Coming Out Day

Jamie Citron — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 16:09:13 EDT

A message from LGBT Vote Director, Dave Noble:

Today is National Coming Out Day, an occasion in the LGBT community when we all take special pride in living our lives openly, no matter our sexual orientation or gender identity. I’m encouraged today, as every day on this campaign, by the huge numbers of out activists playing an important role in our campaign. We have organized Obama Pride networks in almost every state, and every day we are talking to fellow members of our communities about the importance of this election for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.
We’ve got just 23 days left to make sure we elect Barack Obama and Joe Biden, and finally turn the page on the policies and politics of the current Administration. While we come out today to family and friends, don’t forget to also “come out” to a battleground state and knock on doors over a weekend before Election Day! Our Chicago LGBT team is out in the field and we want you to join us. Email us at pride@barackobama.com and let us know where and when you can come out – for change!

JOIN LAST CALL FOR CHANGE Saturday and Sunday in NYC

Benjamin from New York, NY — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 17:12:04 EDT

This weekend we're holding phonebanks at campaign offices and other locations across New York so that Obama supporters can reach out to voters in swing states. No experience is needed to participate -- staff will give you all the resources you need to succeed. All you need to do is bring your cell phone. Nothing is more powerful than having undecided voters hear from ordinary folks about Barack and this campaign for change.

http://ny.barackobama.com/NYlastcall

Write About It.

Jamie Citron — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 19:52:24 EDT

Have something to say?

Want to share with the LGBT community why you support Obama?

The most powerful voice is yours. Write a letter to the editor today.

Click the icon below (or click 'write a letter to the editor' in the TAKE ACTION section above) and get started. Don't know what your local LGBT paper is? No problem, we have them listed for you. Not sure what to say? We have talking points at the ready to help you get started. You are one click away from making your voice heard in a way that will spread Barack's message to those who need to hear it, our community.

Writing a letter to the editor is an important way to keep our movement growing, as the LGBT press is an effective and targeted way to reach undecided LGBT voters. In addition to promoting Barack’s message of equality, your letters will play a crucial role in inspiring other supporters to get involved.

Hometown Pride: How to get started!

Jamie Citron — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 21:33:14 EDT

We are just weeks away from the most critical election of our lifetime and every vote counts. The difference between Barack Obama and John McCain could not be clearer and as LGBT people we know what's at stake. Senator Obama's LGBT Vote team is asking you to take part in a program unlike anything done before. Not only are we asking you to get involved where you live, but we are also asking you to make a difference where you are from. It's crucial to remember all the contacts we have – even if we don't live near them anymore – and talk to them, we can bring in the handful of votes that decide this election. LGBT Americans are from every corner of the country. Join us today and make a difference in a corner of the US that you know best.

Find three to five people back in your hometown who you think you could have a conversation with about Barack and Joe. When you talk with these people, tell them why you personally support Barack and Joe. These are your friends and people who know you, tell them your story.

Get Started Today.

Not sure who to talk to? Think about people you're still close to, like family members – but also think about people you might not have talked to in years. Think about:

Family members, Former Teachers, High School Friends, Your Piano Teacher, Sports or Drama Coach, an old Babysitter, Barber or Sunday School teacher. T-Ball Teammates, College Friends, Mentors and Professors. Your first boss and co-workers at the drive-in, bookstore or corner diner. What about your first boyfriend/girlfriend?

Not sure what to say? If you're talking about LGBT issues, we have some great talking points to help you start the conversation.

· John McCain has never once voted to progress LGBT equality. He voted against federal legislation that would protect LGBT people from being fired just for who they are, he believes gay people should not be able to serve in the military, visit their loved ones in the hospital and he isn't even sure we should be able to adopt.

· Barack Obama has a clear and consistent record in support of LGBT people. He promises to include me and other LGBT people in his vision of America and will work to make sure I am secure in my job, safe from hate crimes and equal in the eyes of the law.

· The Supreme Court is one vote away from overturning important decisions about personal privacy, like Lawrence vs. Texas and Roe vs. Wade, that protect all Americans from government intrusion – especially LGBT people.

Don't stop here. Do you know that your former high school English teacher is worried about social security? Is your softball coach or first boss worried about the struggling economy? Did your uncle just lose his job? Find out about Barack's plans to help every American HERE.

Quinn on Obama

Jamie Citron — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 14:18:11 EDT

The first openly gay New York City Council Speaker, Christine Quinn, joined 50 LGBT organizational leaders and Obama Pride New York for an Obama Pride Rally and mass endorsement on the steps on City Hall.

"I am confident . . . he will be the most pro-LGBT president we've had", said Quinn.

The Past. The Present. Our Future.

Lee Castoro — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 23:01:38 EDT

My LGBT friends:

As you are well aware 2000-2008 were very difficult years for our community and our families. I witnessed first hand, how we were used as a wedge by Republicans to mobilize evangelical voters, working for the Kerry Campaign in 2004. Yet, we stood firm and proud and became more vigilant and determined individuals.

I'd like to start a blog to start discussing the toll of the past 8 years and how any of us were discriminated against. Did any of you lose a job? Did your marriage or civil union go unrecognized?

I think it's equally important to start a dialogue of our dreams, of our values and of our hopes for a president who stands beside us. We are a community, a nation of vast diversity and we must not forget the past, nor shut the door on it. Our future is bright, and our fight will continue. We're not looking for "special" rights. We deserve equal rights. No more. No less. The stakes our too high. What is your story? What are your hopes for a pro-LGBT president?

All the best,

Lee

Get Involved in New York State!

Jason Haas — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 00:10:28 EDT

Hey Team!

I'd like to (re-)introduce myself as a New York State Field Organizer. After serving Obama for America as an outreach volunteer over the past 16 months, I feel empowered and prepared to help bring home a win for Senator Obama -- and America -- on Election Day, November 4th.

The New York State staff looks forward to continue working with those who have called for positive change in their government and public institutions.

In the weeks to come, we will be training Deputy Field Organizers at Camp Obama who will then travel to battle ground states, register and activate voters, and run phone banks. You can apply to Camp Obama at ny.barackobama.com. If you are unable to relocate in the coming weeks, join the New York Action Team and learn how to get involved locally at ny.barackobama.com.

Together We Can!

Jason

Barack's LGBT Friends & Colleagues

Jamie Citron — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 13:11:49 EDT

The Advocate has spent the last month talking to personal friends and colleagues, all LGBT, of Barack's, as well as Illinois activists who know his work the best. The piece does a great job of reminding us of his great stances on our issues but also shines light on the important ways LGBT people have impacted Senator Obama's life. I strongly urge you to read the whole piece.

Barack Obama had just finished a long day of campaigning for the U.S. Senate in 2004 when he called his daughters on the cell phone to say good night. Then he sat back in the car, turned to an aide (who had also been a close friend for more than a decade), and asked, “So, Kevin—have you and Greg thought about having kids?”
The aide, Kevin Thompson (who no longer works for the candidate), says Obama often asked questions about his life as a gay man: wondering how he and his partner made various decisions, why they didn’t want to get married, why they weren’t planning to have kids. And after Obama marched in a Chicago pride parade for the first time, Thompson says, questions again poured forth: “He wanted to know the history of Pride—how is it that every city has one, what was the origin of it, what was the whole story about Stonewall.”
Obama had seen Thompson through ups and downs. They first met when Thompson worked with Michelle Obama in the Chicago mayor’s office in the early 1990s. At the time, Thompson was married to a woman, but in the difficult period when his marriage ended and he started coming out, he says, Michelle became one of his closest confidantes. “I knew that [my coming out] made a lot of people uncomfortable, no matter what they said. I never worried, never wondered for a second what Michelle and Barack thought of me. They were the kind of friends who I knew would always be with me.”

Please take a minute to read the entire article here.

LIVE from Northalsted St.

Jamie Citron — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 16:32:18 EDT

Obama Pride,

I am blogging to you from booth #333 at Northalsted Market Days, the largest street festival in the Midwest and Chicago's most famous LGBT event. We are registering voters from all over and have registered or re-registered 800 people and counting! Check back tomorrow for our grand total. Do you need to register? Have you moved since you last registered and you need to re-register? CLICK HERE.

Obama Pride NYC Newsletter

Steven T. Nicks — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 16:03:13 EDT

Obama Pride New York City
Weekly Update
August 05, 2008

NOTE: If this email has been forwarded to you and you'd like to be included on future updates, please go to NYC.LGBT4Obama.com and sign up! Please forward this news letter to all your friends and contacts in NYC.

UPCOMING EVENTS

** REGISTER VOTERS FOR OBAMA IN CHELSEA (Voter Registration Drive)
Wednesday, August 6 at 5:00 PM
23rd St. & 8th Ave. (New York, NY)
http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/voterregistrationdrive/44zmt

** Phone Bank from NYC
Thursday, August 7th from 7-10pm
at PKPR
307 Seventh Avenue, Suite 1104
between 27th and 28th Streets

** Go to PA
August 9th trip to NW Philly to register voters at the green market.
Organized by Jeanne Heifetz
Depart NYC at 9am, return at 7pm
For more info and to sign up:
http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/44q8t

** REGISTER VOTERS FOR OBAMA IN THE EAST VILLAGE (Voter Registration Drive)
Thursday, August 21 at 5:00 PM
Astor Place - 8th St. @ Lafayette & 4th Ave. -- Northwest corner by the K-Mart (New York, NY)
http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/voterregistrationdrive/44q5j

** Jersey City's 8th Annual Pride Festival (Pride Event)
Saturday, August 23 at 11:00 AM
One Exchange Place, Jersey City (Jersey City, NJ)
http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/prideevent/4gskx

RECENT OBAMA PRIDE POSTS

** Estimated 27% Increase in LGBT Convention Participation
By Jamie Citron - Aug 4th, 2008 at 7:00 pm EDT
http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/jcitron/gG589d

** Message from Dave Noble: How You Can Help Barack
By Amanda Scott - Aug 4th, 2008 at 3:16 pm EDT
http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/amandascott/gG5zhW

** Obama's letter to the Family Equality Council
By Jamie Citron - Aug 2nd, 2008 at 2:59 pm EDT
http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/jcitron/gG5k5Z

** Video: LGBT Vote Deputy Director Jamie Citron
By Amanda Scott - Jul 30th, 2008 at 12:53 pm EDT
http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/amandascott/gGxYhK

OBAMA ON LGBT ISSUES

** Sign up to for updates from Chicago and to help elect Barack Obama the next President of the United States: http://my.barackobama.com/page/s/lgbtsignup

** Here what Michelle Obama has to say about LGBT issues:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=H6Kxi8eeo3U

** Here What Barack has to say about LGBT issues:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IRGHwRQ4qU4

NOTE: If this email has been forwarded to you and you'd like to be included on future updates, please go to NYC.LGBT4Obama.com and sign up!

Harlem LGBT-Oriented "Our Platform" Meeting, July 27

Richard Salatiello — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 01:00:45 EDT

Position Paper:

HARLEM LGBT-ORIENTED “OUR PLATFORM” MEETING
Date: July 27, 2008
Location: Billie’s Black Restaurant & Lounge, New York City

A majority of the 10 participants decided to focus on four major issues of concern to the LGBT community in Harlem:

CIVIL RIGHTS
We support expanded protections of civil rights for the LGBT community:
•    Eliminate workplace discrimination, beginning with passage of the federal Employment Non Discrimination Act (ENDA)
•    Repeal the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy for military services
•    Guarantee fair housing through anti-discrimination policies
•    Guarantee access to social/human services, including long-term care and living facilities for LGBT elders

HATE CRIME STATUTES
We seek to ensure zero tolerance of hate crimes against LGBT individuals, on a national scale, which requires specific action:
•    Expand legislative language to eliminate uncertainty or “gray areas” in hate crime statutes with respect to LGBT persons
•    Strengthen federal and state penalties for conviction of such crimes

HIV/AIDS
We support comprehensive education and outreach in the battle against HIV/AIDS:
•    Dramatically increase government funding, especially for LGBT organizations which provide leadership in HIV prevention/education
•    Ensure that research and HIV-eradication are higher federal priorities
•    Expand access to treatment and care for individuals with HIV/AIDS
•    Eliminate abstinence-only restrictions on government funding of HIV prevention programs

EQUALITY FOR COUPLES
We seek freedom and inclusion with respect to the legal recognition of couples:
•    Repeal the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA)
•    Expand legislative language to ensure equality in terms of rights and privileges for all couples
•    Oppose federal and/or state efforts to discriminate against same-sex couples

Our Platform - Adopted on July 23, 2008 @ the Center 208 W. 13th Stree

Evan Shapiro — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 13:16:25 EDT

Civil Rights for the LGBT Community

Pass an inclusive Employment Non Discrimination Act (ENDA) that include broader language from Bill #2015 which covers gender identity and expression inclusive of non-gender-oriented

Include sexual orientation, gender identity & expression in existing hate crimes legislation.

Pass legislation providing comprehensive federal civil rights protection for the LGBT community including protection with respect to housing, public accommodations, and application for and extensions of credit.

Support state and federal legislation that provides for and recognizes same-sex marriages.

Repeal the Defense of Marriage Act ("DOMA").

Healthcare

Government funding for “sensitivity training” for healthcare professionals that promotes awareness of (1) diverse sexual orientations, identities and expressions of the public and (2) of specific health risks to different segments of the LGBT community.

Government funding of preventive care geared toward the LGBT community.

Support legistlation and other measures requiring that treatments for gender/sex transition recognized by the American Medical Association Guidelines as "medically necessary" be treated on equal terms with all other medically necessary treatments with regards to health insurance coverage and coverage by all government-funded healthcare benefits programs.

Make government funding of medical schools contingent on the schools’ inclusion of education concerning LGBT health-related issues.

Lift the Federal Drug Administration’s ban on blood donations by men who have sex with men.

HIV/AIDS

Increase government funding of national and international HIV prevention/education programs that are science-based and that reflect the realities of at-risk communities

Advocate for the adoption of a national HIV/AIDS strategy

Lift the ban on federal funding of HIV prevention programs including exchange of clean needles; support efforts to promote needle-exchange as a means of HIV prevention.

Eliminate abstinence-only restrictions on government funding of national and international HIV prevention efforts.

Lift all restrictions preventing foreign nationals living with HIV/AIDS from entering the United States.

Census

Support a federal census process that acknowledges the existence of, and collects data concerning, same-sex couples.

LGBT Immigration

Pass the United American Families Act.

Military Service

Repeal all laws and regulations implementing the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy.

Universal Healthcare

Enact a single-payer based universal healthcare program.

Women’s Rights

Pass the Ledbetter Act to require equal pay for women.

Support women's full reproductive rights, which includes unrestricted access to all forms of contraception.

Lift the restrictions on foreign aid programs that accommodate women's full reproductive rights.

Education

Support government funding for age-appropriate HIV-prevention education in public schools from K to 12th Grade.

Support government funding of tolerance education: curriculum that teaches respect for all students.

Make federal funding for institutions of higher education contingent on their adoption of non-harassment policies that include sexual orientation and gender identity.

Adopt a federal anti-bullying law using state models, for example, the Maine and Massachusetts anti-bullying statutes.

Support government funding for comprehensive evidence-based and age-appropriate K through 12 sex education.

Support the prohibition of the teaching of intelligent design in public schools as unconstitutional.

Federal Judiciary

Appoint federal judges who respect civil rights and civil liberties, as reflected in decisions such as Roe v. Wade and Lawrence v. Texas.

The federal judiciary should be a refuge of justice for women and minority communities and should take into account their lived experiences in deciding cases that impact these communities.

Outrageous! Obama Prevented From Visiting Wounded Troops in Germany!

Karanja "Hussein" — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 15:17:46 EDT

Andrea Mitchell, in a rare attack of even handedness, pointed out that the McCain attacks on Obama for his "lofty rhetoric" while failing to visit the wounded troops in Germany, was actually an attack that seems to have been engineered and designed from above in advance. Obama was refused access to the wounded troops in Germany, from a directive by the Pentagon! Is this an extension of the Condi like politicizing of a congressional trip abroad whereby she sent out a memo to her officers overseas instructing them not to aid camp Obama?

So now its camp Obama’s word, against the military's. Of course, camp Obama is too smart to fall for that one, so they have refused to be drawn into that argument. All team Obama would have needed
would be a fight to emerge between Obama and "our troops" to show just how "elitist", "out-of-touch" and "against our troops" he is. Well, not falling for it, Condi, Gates, Bush and Co! Nice try.

Andrea Mitchell clears the air! (sorry, I can't embed the vid)

Item at minute 1:03 - 2:50

Obama Pride Video

Jody Rodgers — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 02:58:50 EDT

Jen Hauseman and Jake Standish, co-directors of Seattle Pride and inspiring Obama supporters, had the idea of creating a video to introduce Barack Obama to the LGBT community. I worked with them on making a short video that highlights some of his past speeches with an emphasis on Obama's commitment and bold support of the GLBT community. I hope you enjoy the video and please pass it on!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IRGHwRQ4qU4

Also, we have a very simple Pride button design that we will be adding to our templates page on Buttons4Obama.com very soon. If you haven't thought about making buttons for the campaign please check out the site as it is a lot of fun and we all know the world needs more flair!

June is coming up, and with it, pride festivals in cities across the country.

Danielle Clarke USA Vietnam Vet — Fri, 30 May 2008 17:38:41 EDT

June is coming up, and with it, pride festivals in cities across the country.

http://pride.barackobama.com/pridemonth

As a member of Obama Pride, you can use these events to help make a big difference for Barack.

The LGBT community will be an essential part of our strategy as we prepare to challenge John McCain in all 50 states, and there's no better opportunity to reach out and organize than at your local pride festival.

There are organizing events scheduled all across the country, so come join in the excitement and make a difference for Barack at the pride festival near you:

http://pride.barackobama.com/pridemonth

This campaign has always been about everyday people reaching out to one another, talking to friends and neighbors about our common vision for changing this country.

Pride Month is a perfect opportunity to make this happen by spreading the word about Barack's positions on LGBT issues and letting everyone know why we're a part of this movement.

We'll march and show our support for Barack -- then we'll talk to voters, register new people to vote, and sign up volunteers to help us win in November!

Learn more about how you can make a difference for Barack at your pride parade:

http://pride.barackobama.com/pridemonth

Thank you,

Jamie

Jamie Citron
LGBT Outreach Coordinator
Obama for America

A Letter to Two Wives - Sherman Yellen

Jen Rencher from Jersey City — Thu, 22 May 2008 15:15:53 EDT

In the 1949 film, A Letter to Three Wives, three women receive letters from an unseen character telling them that she, their friend, Addie Ross, had run off with one of their husbands. Since the Joseph Mankiewicz film dropped two of the "Five Wives" of the original story on which it was based, I feel free to drop one wife more for the purposes of this post. The letter I write below is to Michelle Obama, and to Cindy Hensley McCain, and I'm not the kind of guy to run off with either of your husbands. No Addie Ross me. But one of you will discover what it is to be deeply disappointed and sadly surprised this year, when your beloved spouse loses the big one and disappoints your hopes for him, and yourself. Both of you are strong defenders of your husbands, while being women of accomplishment. But only one of you has come under attack of the main stream press, and that says something about America today that's worth exploring.

Dear Cindy and Michelle. If you don't mind we'll start with you Cindy, after all, you are accustomed to having pride of place at any gathering. Cindy, it is hard for me to find fault with a woman who devoted her early years to treatment of children with severe disabilities, one who founded the American Voluntary Medical team to provide MASH style care to disaster areas, and personally participated in fifty five of their missions, without a blonde hair, or a remark out of place. You are Mother Theresa in an Armani suit. You are undoubtedly kind and deeply charitable. And real lucky. For eight years you have been the chair of your late father's beer business Hensley & Co, earning for yourself some four hundred thousand dollars a year. Your good works go on and on from Operation Smile to CARE to an organization that removes land mines in Cambodia. And you have learned to smile your way through some abusive language that your salt of the earth husband has aimed at you - sober. Ah, Cindy, if that was all.

Twenty years ago Cindy, you became addicted to pain killers, a slave to Vicodin and Percocet after spinal surgeries, and some say to ease the emotional pain of being caught up in your husband's influence peddling corruption during the Keating Loan scandals, where you conveniently lost the records that might have more deeply incriminated your husband, and even yourself. Then you started stealing drugs from your own charitable medical facility. When that was discovered, an intervention took place and you escaped imprisonment when the Drug Enforcement Administration limited your punishment to a fine and forced you to take part in a "program.' Again, rehab to the rescue of the super-rich. In other words, your punishment was brought down to the level of attending traffic school after running a stop sign, a school run by Mickey the clown. Imagine your fate if you were not a billionairess, if you were instead a poor black woman, an addicted hospital nurse caught stealing drugs. Ten years in the slammer, your kids taken from you and placed in foster care. Some might say it was your second major act of theft, because while your husband was still married you became his girlfriend, leading to his divorce from the woman who had waited out his years of POW incarceration. But nobody batted an eye in your world of Desperate but Affluent Housewives. That's the way it is there. You were Cindy Hensley McCain, so instead of the big house you may be going to the White House. In recent years this domicile has been the home of others from the Bush crime family, so the way has been prepared for your arrival.

Listen up, Michelle, this is about you too. As the wife of Barack, the Democratic Candidate, you were quoted as saying "And let me tell you something: For the first time in my adult lifetime I am really proud of my country," and you, Cindy, piped up with "I am proud of my country. I don't know about you -- if you heard those words earlier - I am very proud of my country. " Then you, Cindy, went on to steal some recipes and claim them as your own on the Food Network, a small but significant symbol of recidivism, today it's pot-roast, tomorrow pot. Putting your life of grand and petty larceny aside - forgetting all recipes and husband jumping - you should be proud of your country. Born into billions, with something that approaches beauty (if beauty be defined as a middle aged Barbie) you have had the best that this country could offer in opportunities for the Town and Country life. And you were able to cap it off by playing Lady Bountiful to the unwashed, downtrodden millions, and still keep your appointment with your hairdresser. Cindy, you come from the world of charity balls and big check writing - one that gives the giver a sense of moral superiority but frowns on government programs which should rightfully provide dignity, work, educational opportunity, and health care to the many. You are the poster girl for a generosity which masks the essential selfishness of the Republican ethos. No, I don't disrespect generosity - but I do question its value when it is only palliative, when it fails to address the real problems that the poor face on a daily basis in our country and through the world.

Now to you, Michelle. The fact that you made it to Princeton as an African American, by dint of your hard work and smarts, and that you are a mouthy lawyer, a shoot from the lip kind of woman, does not endear you to the Cindy McCains of the world, and to a lot of Americans. That "let me tell you something" remark was true in all ways, but truth is often an affront to propriety. Why should any African American - no matter how fortunate in being educated by the best schools, take great pride in the history of a country that suffered slavery and Jim Crow for centuries? Until the rise of your husband no black man has been taken seriously as a leader of this country. And in saying what you did you meant to speak of progress and pride. But it came out all wrong and ready to be pounced upon by the O'Reilly-Limbaugh-Colter cabal, the guys and gals who take a truth and put it up before a carnival distorting mirror to mock it. But you have to be smart enough to know that every thought you have does not need to be expressed and that there are the Cindy McCains out there waiting to leap on your remarks as if they were a capsule of Vicodin, and cast doubt upon your love of country. Of course you can love your country and be critical of it. It's the only way to love a country. We all love our kids and we are critical of them, and they matter most in our lives. But you have to put a zipper on the lip on the way to the White House, or you will find that too many gentlemen prefer blondes.

Now who did Addie Ross run off with? Go see the movie - it's a fun film by a great filmmaker, a man who knew something about class in America. You see, class doesn't necessarily come attached to a billion dollars; sometimes it's linked to a sarcastic black woman who didn't run off with another woman's husband, didn't steal drugs, studied to attain dignified work, and knows what's real and what's just the foam from Hensley's beer.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sherman-yellen/a-letter-to-two-wives_b_103096.html

2 Democrats Were Registered Today

theantidesi101 — Sat, 10 May 2008 17:55:00 EDT

2 Democrats were registered today. 2 more people were added to the many newly registered voters ready to vote for Obama in November. 2 more voters. 2 more preservers of our Democracy. 2 more hopes for America. 2 more chances for a progressive America.

Virgin Territory

theantidesi101 — Sat, 10 May 2008 01:27:51 EDT

This is all new to me, and it's all happening so fast. I find myself giving more time, more emotional investment and more effort for this. This, this candidacy, this movement, this organization of pissed off but inspired activists for change. I find myself reserving 30 minutes every day of the week to call for this cause, picking up the phone, dialing people I never have known and forging bonds with these strangers over a message of hope. I feel ownership of a movement for change, and while I know there's so much I would like to see more of in Barack as a candidate, he still inspires me. Inspired my enough to explore this strange virgin territory that is his own social networking phenomenon.

Clinton Slams Democratic Activists At Private Fundraiser

Jen Rencher from Jersey City — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 21:11:12 EDT

At a small closed-door fundraiser after Super Tuesday, Sen. Hillary Clinton blamed what she called the "activist base" of the Democratic Party -- and MoveOn.org in particular -- for many of her electoral defeats, saying activists had "flooded" state caucuses and "intimidated" her supporters, according to an audio recording of the event obtained by The Huffington Post.

"Moveon.org endorsed [Sen. Barack Obama] -- which is like a gusher of money that never seems to slow down," Clinton said to a meeting of donors. "We have been less successful in caucuses because it brings out the activist base of the Democratic Party. MoveOn didn't even want us to go into Afghanistan. I mean, that's what we're dealing with. And you know they turn out in great numbers. And they are very driven by their view of our positions, and it's primarily national security and foreign policy that drives them. I don't agree with them. They know I don't agree with them. So they flood into these caucuses and dominate them and really intimidate people who actually show up to support me."

Senator Clinton's remarks depart radically from the traditional position of presidential candidates who in the past have celebrated high levels of turnout by party activists and partisans as a harbinger for their own party's success -- regardless of who is the eventual nominee -- in the general election showdown.

The comments also contradict Clinton's previous statements praising this year's elevated Democratic turnout in primaries and caucuses, and appear to blame her caucus defeats on newly energized grassroots voter groups that she has lauded in the past as "lively participants" in American democracy.

"You've been asking the tough questions," Clinton said in April of last year at a MoveOn-sponsored town hall event. "You've been refusing to back down when any of us who are in political leadership are not living up to the standards that we should set for ourselves... I think you have helped to change the face of American politics for the better... both online, and in the corridors of power."

Clinton's criticism followed MoveOn's endorsement of Obama in early February.

In a statement to The Huffington Post, MoveOn's Executive Director Eli Pariser reacted strongly to Clinton's remarks: "Senator Clinton has her facts wrong again. MoveOn never opposed the war in Afghanistan, and we set the record straight years ago when Karl Rove made the same claim. Senator Clinton's attack on our members is divisive at a time when Democrats will soon need to unify to beat Senator McCain. MoveOn is 3.2 million reliable voters and volunteers who are an important part of any winning Democratic coalition in November. They deserve better than to be dismissed using Republican talking points."

Howard Wolfson, communications director for the Clinton campaign, verified the authenticity of the audio. When asked if Clinton's statement suggested dismay over high Democratic turnout and elevated activist energy, Wolfson replied: "I'll let the statement stand as is." But he elaborated on Clinton's charge that these same party activists were engaged in acts of intimidation against her supporters: "There have been well documented instances of intimidation in the Nevada and the Texas caucuses, and it is a fact that while we have won 4 of the 5 largest primaries, where participation is greatest, Senator Obama has done better in caucuses than we have."

In fact, the Nevada caucuses occurred prior to MoveOn's endorsement of Obama, and when Clinton made her remarks, the Texas caucuses had yet to take place.

The disclosure of Clinton's remarks disparaging the prominence of party activists in the caucus process comes after she repeatedly suggested that Obama's electability had been compromised because he had allegedly offended other key Democratic constituencies.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/celeste-fremon/clinton-slams-democratic_b_97484.html

Obama to Secret Service: “No, I have a lady I have to speak to.”

Jen Rencher from Jersey City — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 19:33:33 EDT

A caller to the Sam Seder just told him a story of how, last week, she went to see Barack Obama speak.

"It was a fundraiser. There was a group of Obama supporters outside with Obama for President signs. After his speech, he took questions. One woman said “a woman outside flagged me down and said that she is Irish, but recently became a US citizen specifically to vote for you. She has a son in Iraq, and she believes you will bring her boy back home to her. She asked me to ask you to wave at her when you leave.” He put his head down. He closed his eyes for a beat.
When it was time for him to leave, the Secret Service men said “Senator, its time to get in the car.” He straightened his spine and said “No. I have a lady I need to talk to.” and then he went outside to find her. The secret service did go with him. A lot of us inside the event were close to tears. We were all “OMG he’s not getting in the car! OMG he’s going to find that Irish lady!”'

http://agonist.org/schecter/?p=8682#comment-38886

Obama Talks All Things LGBT With The Advocate

EsquireUK — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 13:40:09 EDT

“While we have come a long way since the Stonewall riots in 1969, we still have a lot of work to do. Too often, the issue of LGBT rights is exploited by those seeking to divide us. But at its core, this issue is about who we are as Americans. It’s about whether this nation is going to live up to its founding promise of equality by treating all its citizens with dignity and respect.”

— Presidential Candidate Barack Obama

April 10, 2008 Obama Talks All Things LGBT with The Advocate In an exclusive Chicago sit-down with The Advocate's Kerry Eleveld, Democratic front-runner Barack Obama www.barackobama.com discusses "don't ask, don't tell," Rev. Wright, and what he would do for LGBT Americans if he becomes president. By Kerry Eleveld

Democratic presidential front-runner Barack Obama has been weathering a small storm lately in the LGBT community for being too tight-lipped with gay and lesbian news media.

Unlike his rival Hillary Clinton, who's given interviews to Logo and several local papers since appearing on the cover of The Advocate last fall, the Illinois senator has only talked once, to address the Donnie McClurkin controversy. But last week, his campaign offered our magazine an exclusive sit-down in Chicago with the man who may well become the next President of the United States.

To some extent, it symbolizes the brilliance of a protracted primary contest where candidates continually pivot and adjust in order to engage ever more voters. Had the race stopped cold in the snows of New Hampshire, gays and lesbians would have been left with one interview of record for each Democratic candidate in total.

But in a wide-ranging interview this Monday, Sen. Obama discussed "don't ask, don't tell," Rev. Wright, and why LGBT folks should lead on marriage equality, not politicians. Some may call the chat a shrewd political move made by the Obama camp ahead of the April 22nd Pennsylvania primary. We call it access.

The Advocate: Let’s start with what’s hot, why the silence on gay issues? You’ve only done one other interview with the LGBT press. I know people wish they were hearing more from you.

Sen. Obama: I don’t think it’s fair to say silence on gay issues. The gay press may feel like I’m not giving them enough love. But basically, all press feels that way at all times. Obviously, when you’ve got limited amount of time, you’ve got so many outlets. We tend not to do a whole bunch of specialized press. We try to do general press for a general readership.

But I haven’t been silent on gay issues. What’s happened is, I speak oftentimes to gay issues to a public general audience. When I spoke at Ebenezer Church for King Day, I talked about the need to get over the homophobia in the African-American community, when I deliver my stump speeches routinely I talk about the way that antigay sentiment is used to divide the country and distract us from issues that we need to be working on, and I include gay constituencies as people that should be treated with full honor and respect as part of the American family.

So I actually have been much more vocal on gay issues to general audiences than any other presidential candidate probably in history. What I probably haven’t done as much as the press would like is to put out as many specialized interviews. But that has more to do with our focus on general press than it does on … I promise you the African-American press says the same thing.

And Spanish-language?

And Spanish-language [outlets] had the same gripe. Just generally, we have generally tried to speak to broader audiences. That’s all that is.

I think the underlying fear of the gay community is that if you get into office, will LGBT folks be last on the priority list?

I guess my point would be that the fact that I’m raising issues accordant to the LGBT community in a general audience rather than just treating you like a special interest that is sort of off in its own little box – that, I think, is more indicative of my commitment. Because ultimately what that shows is that I’m not afraid to advocate on your behalf outside of church, so to speak. It’s easy to preach to the choir; what I think is harder is to speak to a broader audience about why these issues are important to all Americans.

If you were elected, what do you plan to do for the LGBT community -- what can you reasonably get done?

I reasonably can see “don’t ask, don’t tell” eliminated. I think that I can help usher through an Employment Non-Discrimination Act and sign it into law.

You think it’s transgender-inclusive?

I think that’s going to be tough, and I’ve said this before. I have been clear about my interest in including gender identity in legislation, but I’ve also been honest with the groups that I’ve met with that it is a heavy lift through Congress. We’ve got some Democrats who are willing to vote for a non-inclusive bill but we lose them on an inclusive bill, and we just may not be able to generate the votes. I don’t know. And obviously, my goal would be to get the strongest possible bill -- that’s what I’ll be working for.

The third thing I believe I can get done is in dealing with federal employees, making sure that their benefits, that their ability to transfer health or pension benefits the same way that opposite-sex couples do, is something that I’m interested in making happen and I think can be done with some opposition, some turbulence, but I think we can get that done.

And finally, an area that I’m very interested in is making sure that federal benefits are available to same-sex couples who have a civil union. I think as more states sign civil union bills into law the federal government should be helping to usher in a time when there’s full equality in terms of what that means for federal benefits.

I assume you’re talking about the Defense of Marriage Act.

Absolutely, and I for a very long time have been interested in repeal of DOMA.

Do you think it’s possible to get full repeal of DOMA? As you know, Senator Clinton is only looking at repealing the plank of DOMA that prohibits the federal government from recognizing state-sanctioned unions.

I don’t know. But my commitment is to try to make sure that we are moving in the direction of full equality, and I think the federal government historically has led on civil rights -- I’d like to see us lead here too.

Back to “don’t ask, don’t tell” real quick -- you’ve said before you don’t think that’s a heavy lift. Of course, it would be if you had Joint Chiefs who were against repeal. Is that something you’ll look at?

I would never make this a litmus test for the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Obviously, there are so many issues that a member of the Joint Chiefs has to deal with, and my paramount obligation is to get the best possible people to keep America safe. But I think there’s increasing recognition within the Armed Forces that this is a counterproductive strategy -- ya know, we’re spending large sums of money to kick highly qualified gays or lesbians out of our military, some of whom possess specialties like Arab-language capabilities that we desperately need. That doesn’t make us more safe, and what I want are members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff who are making decisions based on what strengthens our military and what is going to make us safer, not ideology.

Both you and your wife speak eloquently about being told to wait your turn and how if you had done that, you might not have gone to law school or run for Senate or even president. To some extent, isn’t that what you’re asking same-sex couples to do by favoring civil unions over marriage, is to wait their turn?

I don’t ask them that. Anybody who’s been at an LGBT event with me can testify that my message is very explicit -- I don’t think that the gay and lesbian community, the LGBT community, should take its cues from me or some political leader in terms of what they think is right for them. It’s not my place to tell the LGBT community, wait your turn. I’m very mindful of Dr. King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” where he says to the white clergy, don’t tell me to wait for my freedom.

So I strongly respect the right of same-sex couples to insist that even if we got complete equality in benefits, it still wouldn’t be equal because there’s a stigma associated with not having the same word, marriage, assigned to it. I understand that, but my perspective is also shaped by the broader political and historical context in which I’m operating. And I’ve said this before -- I’m the product of a mixed marriage that would have been illegal in 12 states when I was born. That doesn’t mean that had I been an adviser to Dr. King back then, I would have told him to lead with repealing an anti-miscegenation law, because it just might not have been the best strategy in terms of moving broader equality forward.

That’s a decision that the LGBT community has to make. That’s not a decision for me to make.

Is it fair for the LGBT community to ask for leadership? In 1963, President Kennedy made civil rights a moral issue for the country.

But he didn’t overturn anti-miscegenation. Right?

True enough.

As I said, I think the LGBT community has every right to push for what it thinks is right. And I think that it’s absolutely fair to ask me for leadership, and my argument would be that I’m ahead of the curve on these issues compared to 99% of most elected officials around the country on this issue. So I think I’ve shown leadership.

What event or person has most affected your perceptions of or relationship to the LGBT community?

Well, it starts with my mom, who just always instilled in me a belief that everybody’s of equal worth and a strong sense of empathy -- that you try to see people through their eyes, stand in their shoes. So I think that applies to how I see all people.

Somebody else who influenced me, I actually had a professor at Occidental -- now, this is embarrassing because I might screw up his last name -- Lawrence Golden, I think it was. He was a wonderful guy. He was the first openly gay professor that I had ever come in contact with, or openly gay person of authority that I had come in contact with. And he was just a terrific guy. He wasn’t proselytizing all the time, but just his comfort in his own skin and the friendship we developed helped to educate me on a number of these issues.

Did you have a chance to ask him about being gay?

I’m sure we did, but as I said, he was really comfortable in his own skin, and the relationship was a strong friendship and I never felt as if I had to get over any mental hurdles to be close to him or to learn from him. He’s probably somebody who had a strong influence.

How old were you then?

Eighteen … 19. It does remind me, though, I remember in my first two years of college that was when I first saw students who were self-identified gay and lesbian come out and start organizing around gay issues, so that would have been in 1979 and ’80. I think what’s encouraging is just to see how much progress has been made in such a relatively short period of time.

Just draw that thought out a little bit in terms of comparing it to the African-American civil rights movement.

You always want to be careful comparing groups that have been discriminated against because each group’s experiences are different. I think that the transition toward fuller acceptance of the LGBT community has happened without some of the tumult and violence that accompanied the civil rights movement. But we still have a long ways to go, and I think that it also obviously varies geographically. I think in urban communities, you can’t say there’s full equality, but in terms of the LGBT community daily round they’re not as likely to experience certainly the discrimination that they experienced 25 years ago.

Whereas, in the African-American community, you can still see some fairly overt racism. On the other hand, in rural communities, I think attitudes are slower to change.

There’s plenty of homophobia to go around, but you have a unique perspective into the African-American community. Is there a…

I don’t think it’s worse than in the white community. I think that the difference has to do with the fact that the African-American community is more churched and most African-American churches are still fairly traditional in their interpretations of Scripture. And so from the pulpit or in sermons you still hear homophobic attitudes expressed. And since African-American ministers are often the most prominent figures in the African-American community those attitudes get magnified or amplified a little bit more than in other communities.

Do you think there’s a specific prescriptive, which is not to say that there’s more homophobia in the African-American community. But is there a different answer to…

Well, I think what’s important is to have some of that church leadership speak up and change its attitudes, because I think a lot of its members are taking cues from that leadership.

Do you have any regrets about the South Carolina tour? People there are still sort of mystified that you gave Donnie McClurkin the chance to get up on stage and do this, and he did go on sort of an antigay rant there.

I tell you what, my campaign is premised on trying to reach as many constituencies as possible, and to go into as many places as possible and sometimes that creates discomfort or turbulence. This goes back to your first question. If you’re segmenting your base into neat categories and constituency groups and you never try to bring them together and you just speak to them individually -- so I keep the African-Americans neatly over here and the church folks neatly over there and the LGBT community neatly over there -- then these kinds of issues don’t arise.

The flip side of it is, you never create the opportunity for people to have a conversation and to lift some of these issues up and to talk about them and to struggle with them and our campaign is built around the idea that we should all be talking. And that creates some discomfort because people discover, gosh, within the Democratic Party or within Barack Obama’s campaign or within whatever sets of constituencies there are going to be some different points of view that might even be offensive to some folks. That’s not unique to this issue. I mean, ironically, my biggest … the biggest political news surrounding me over the last three weeks has been Reverend Wright, who offended a whole huge constituency with some of his statements but has been very good on gay and lesbian issues. I mean he’s one of the leaders in the African-American community of embracing, speaking out against homophobia, and talking about the importance of AIDS.

And so nobody is going to be perfectly aligned with my views. So what I hope is that people take me for who I am, for what I’ve said and for what I’ve displayed in terms of my commitment to these issues, but understanding that there’s going to be a range of constituencies that I’m reaching out to and working on issues that we have in common, even though I may differ with them on other issues. And that’s true, also, by the way … well, I think that’s going to be true so long as I’m reaching out beyond the traditional Democratic base.

http://pride.barackobama.com/page/content/lgbthome

http://www.advocate.com/print_article_ektid53285.asp

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/apr/10/barackobama.uselections2008

Help Barack In Pennsylvania

EsquireUK — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 15:24:51 EDT

Help Barack in Pennsylvania

You can have a major impact on the race for the Democratic nomination. Pennsylvania's primary is on April 22nd and we need your help to get Pennsylvania voters out to the polls.

Join fellow Obama supporters and travel to Pennsylvania for Barack and help Get Out the Vote.

No prior experience is needed. Simply let us know when you can join us and a local organizer will provide you with more information.

Sign Up Now and Help Get Out the Vote:

http://my.barackobama.com/page/s/volunteerinpa3

Email: *
First Name: *
Last Name: *
Address: *

City: *
State:
AA AE AK AL AP AR AS AZ CA CO CT DC DE FL FM GA GU HI IA ID IL IN KS KY LA MA MD ME MH MI MN MO MP MS MT NC ND NE NH NJ NM NV NY OH OK OR PA PR PW RI SC SD TN TX UT VA VI VT WA WI WV WY AB BC MB NB NL NT NS NU ON PE QC SK YT n/aZip / Postal Code: *
Phone: *
I will volunteer the weekend before Get Out the Vote:

http://my.barackobama.com/page/s/volunteerinpa3
Saturday, April 12th
Sunday, April 13th

For the weekend before Primary Day (Saurday April 19 to Monday, April 21), I will help turn voters out in my neighborhood (check all that apply):
Saturday:

http://my.barackobama.com/page/s/volunteerinpa3
  9 a.m. - 12 p.m.
  12 p.m. - 4 p.m.
  4 p.m. - 8 p.m.
Sunday:
  11 a.m. - 2 p.m.
  2 p.m. - 5 p.m.
  5 p.m. - 8 p.m.
Monday:
  9 a.m. - 12 p.m.
  12 p.m. - 4 p.m.
  4 p.m. - 8 p.m.

On PRIMARY DAY, April 22 (check all that apply):

http://my.barackobama.com/page/s/volunteerinpa3
  I will volunteer all day for Barack Obama
  9 a.m. – 12 p.m.
  12 p.m. – 4 p.m.
  4 p.m. - 8 p.m.
Will you have access to a car in Pennsylvania?:    Yes NoIf you are able to drive other Obama volunteers, how many?:    1 2 3 4 5+Do you need housing while volunteering in Pennsylvania?:    Yes No MaybeIf you have already arranged housing in Pennsylvania, in which city will you be staying?:
* denotes required field

http://my.barackobama.com/page/s/volunteerinpa3

Barack Obama holds LGBT fundraiser in New York City WITH GREAT APPROVAL pass this around ...

Danielle Clarke USA Vietnam Vet — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 16:14:32 EDT

Obama holds LGBT fundraiser in New York CityTo:glbtforobamagaylesbianbisexualtransgende@groups.barackobama.com

REPOSTED:::

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT OR WANT TO SHARE THIS IMPORTANT
INFORMATION.

Danielle

http://www.advocate.com/news_detail_ektid53048.asp

   03/29/08-03/31/08
   Obama Holds LGBT Fund-raiser In New York City

     Sen. Barack Obama waded deep into Clinton
territory Thursday evening at a private LGBT
fund-raiser in New York City where the price of
admission was $2,300 per person.

   Held at the apartment of GLSEN founder and
executive director Kevin Jennings and his partner,
Jeff Davis, the event drew about 125 people and
raised $170,000. No press were admitted, but based
on several accounts, attendees were struck by the
Illinois senator’s candor as well as his fluency
with LGBT issues.

   “I’ve been to many events over the past 10 years
of candidates running for office,” said Corey
Johnson, one of the hosts, “This was the most
forthright, eloquent, and detailed stuff I’ve heard
from a politician [regarding gay issues].”

   Molly Lenore, 43, compared Obama’s discussion of
the LGBT community to the speech he gave about race
in America last week. “During his race speech,
everybody said afterward that he treated the
American people like adults, and I felt like that’s
what he did,” said Lenore, who is transgender and an
Obama supporter. “I might not agree 100%, but I want
to have an intelligent conversation with somebody.”

   According to those present, Obama spoke for about
30 to 35 minutes about queer issues and then fielded
questions, most of which were not LGBT-specific.

   Johnson, who is 25, has supported Obama for about
a year but prefaced his remarks by saying he has
never been an “Obama-phile.” He said the senator
addressed some of the most contentious LGBT issues
without prompting, such as same-sex marriage and the
inclusion of transgender people in the Employment
Non-Discrimination Act. In fact, those were the two
issues Sen. Obama singled out as being potential
disappointments to the LGBT community right now,
while he signaled that a hate-crimes bill could
likely be passed and signed into law and that repeal
of “don’t ask, don’t tell” might be on the horizon.

   According to several sources, including Johnson
and Lenore, Obama said he did not think it was
“politically feasible” to secure marriage rights for
same-sex couples in the country at this point. Sen.
Obama acknowledged that the community wanted full
marriage rights but said that he favored civil
unions for now while leaving open the possibility
that his position might evolve in the future.

   In terms of ENDA, Obama said he supported an ENDA
that included transgender protections but that he
didn’t believe a fully inclusive bill had enough
votes to pass the Senate at this time.

   “I don’t agree -- I think we’re much stronger
united as a community,” Lenore said of keeping
transgender protections in the bill. “But I do
understand the politics and I do appreciate the fact
that he said, hey, it’s not going to pass in this
political climate. Many other politicians haven’t
really done that. They make decisions but they never
really address the trans community.”

   Should he become president, Obama said his first
three priorities would be designing a safe exit
strategy for Iraq, working on affordable health
care, and addressing greenhouse gases and the
environment.

   As Sen. Obama made his way to the door, Johnson
said he asked the senator directly to do more
interviews with the gay press, citing the fact that
he has conducted only one interview with an LGBT
outlet during his presidential campaign. “I said,
‘Your speech tonight was so moving to all of us, the
way you spoke about our community. You need to do
more [interviews],” recalled Johnson. “And he said,
‘You’re right, absolutely. We do need to do more
with the LGBT press.’” (Kerry Eleveld, The Advocate)

Factor military duty into criticism

Jen Rencher from Jersey City — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 09:10:56 EDT

By Lawrence Korb and Ian Moss

April 3, 2008

In 1961, a young African-American man, after hearing President John F. Kennedy's challenge to, "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country," gave up his student deferment, left college in Virginia and voluntarily joined the Marines.

In 1963, this man, having completed his two years of service in the Marines, volunteered again to become a Navy corpsman. (They provide medical assistance to the Marines as well as to Navy personnel.)

The man did so well in corpsman school that he was the valedictorian and became a cardiopulmonary technician. Not surprisingly, he was assigned to the Navy's premier medical facility, Bethesda Naval Hospital, as a member of the commander in chief's medical team, and helped care for President Lyndon B. Johnson after his 1966 surgery. For his service on the team, which he left in 1967, the White House awarded him three letters of commendation.

What is even more remarkable is that this man entered the Marines and Navy not many years after the two branches began to become integrated.

While this young man was serving six years on active duty, Vice President Dick Cheney, who was born the same year as the Marine/sailor, received five deferments, four for being an undergraduate and graduate student and one for being a prospective father. Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, both five years younger than the African-American youth, used their student deferments to stay in college until 1968. Both then avoided going on active duty through family connections.

Who is the real patriot? The young man who interrupted his studies to serve his country for six years or our three political leaders who beat the system? Are the patriots the people who actually sacrifice something or those who merely talk about their love of the country?

After leaving the service of his country, the young African-American finished his final year of college, entered the seminary, was ordained as a minister, and eventually became pastor of a large church in one of America's biggest cities.

This man is Rev. Jeremiah Wright, the retiring pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ, who has been in the news for comments he made over the last three decades.

Since these comments became public we have heard criticisms, condemnations, denouncements and rejections of his comments and him.

We've seen on television, in a seemingly endless loop, sound bites of a select few of Rev. Wright's many sermons.

Some of the Wright's comments are inexcusable and inappropriate and should be condemned, but in calling him "unpatriotic," let us not forget that this is a man who gave up six of the most productive years of his life to serve his country.

How many of Wright's detractors, Rush Limbaugh and Bill O'Reilly to name but a few, volunteered for service, and did so under the often tumultuous circumstances of a newly integrated armed forces and a society in the midst of a civil rights struggle? Not many.

While words do count, so do actions.

Let us not forget that, for whatever Rev. Wright may have said over the last 30 years, he has demonstrated his patriotism.

Lawrence Korb and Ian Moss are, respectively, Navy and Marine Corps veterans. They work at The Center For American Progress. Korb served as assistant secretary of Defense in the Reagan administration.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/chi-oped0404wrightapr03,0,2263127,print.story

Every Saturday in Philly Until April 22nd Primary

Doug From OutPOCPAC ** New York — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 23:30:46 EDT

The bus outing to Philly to do canvassing has been so successful that we will continue doing it until the April 22nd primary. Please join us. It is very easy to do. You can sleep on the bus going down and coming back. You can leave Philly at anytime you want since the buses run every hour. Just go to the following link to sign up:

http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/4rgqf

The round trip bus fare is just $20.

If you have any questions, please call me on my cell at (917) 804-9579 or e-Mail me at: doug@outpocpac.org

See you on Saturday!

doug

Every Saturday in Philly Until April 22nd Primary

Doug From OutPOCPAC ** New York — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 23:30:36 EDT

http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/4rgqf

The round trip bus fare is just $20.

If you have any questions, please call me on my cell at (917) 804-9579 or e-Mail me at: doug@outpocpac.org

See you on Saturday!

doug

Comedy Show in West Bushwick to Benefit Barack Obama!

Christine — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 14:09:48 EDT

Here is a fun, fun event benefiting the Obama campaign. I hope you can all attend!

http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/4rgj4

Relaying a Message of Love and Support from Joan Baez

Jeffrey Morgan — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 00:40:52 EDT

As you likely know, Joan Baez has for the first time ever endorsed a political candidate in supporting Barack Obama's bid for the presidency. You can read it here:

http://www.joanbaez.com/obama

I saw her concert in Englewood NJ last Saturday, and was invited back to speak with her, some gush-and-fawn, but more about our feelings and hopes for the Obama campaign. ( I was hoping to get her to visit the Philadelphia headquarters as she passed nearby on her tour, but her subsequent cold rendered that effort moot, for now. )

She is all one might expect and more: funny, beautiful, smart, profound, kind, cute, thoughtful and loving.

We spoke of reconciling distaste for politics with the hope that this will bring about substantive change for the better, and how urgently change is needed. I myself sometimes have to back away from the partisan politicky stuff and remember why I'm here.

As we were parting, she enveloped me in a cloud of grace with the famous Joan Baez hug, and asked me specifically, pointedly, to take her message of love and support to everyone in this cause.

And that is what I am doing now, for her, from her, for real.

It is my honor to pass along that wonderful hug and her message to each and all, from Joan, as requested.

Please pass this along !

Carry it ON

Yes, we can.

Jeffrey Morgan

Team 2B, Bucks County PA

P.S. Happy Birthday Maya Angelou, and watch Joan's face at 3:52 as she sings of marching in Selma with MLK.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmb9DcterR0

New York Blade Op-Ed (1/25/08)

Jason Haas — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 16:14:12 EDT

OPINION

Barack Obama Champions Gay Rights on the Campaign Trail

By Steven Nicks, with David Alport, Jason Haas, Peter Teague and Maxim Thorne
Friday, January 25, 2008

ON JAN. 20, THE eve of Martin Luther King Day, Sen. Barack Obama stood before Rev. King’s home church in Atlanta and proudly set forth his vision for achieving progressive change and unity in America. In that historic speech, Barack challenged his audience to examine their own prejudices. “If we are honest with ourselves,” he said, “we must admit that none of our hands are entirely clean. If we’re honest with ourselves, we’ll acknowledge that our own community has not always been true to King’s vision of a beloved community. We have scorned our gay brothers and sisters instead of embracing them.” He continued:
“So let us say that on this day of all days, each of us carries with us the task of changing our hearts and minds. The division, the stereotypes, the scapegoating, the ease with which we blame our plight on others—all of this distracts us from the common challenges we face: war and poverty; injustice and inequality. We can no longer afford to build ourselves up by tearing someone else down. We can no longer afford to traffic in lies or fear or hate. It is the poison that we must purge from our politics; the wall that we must tear down before the hour grows too late.”

This extraordinary act—including the LGBT community in a message delivered in the very heartland of the Civil Rights Movement—was merely the latest chapter in Barack’s advocacy on behalf of LGBT Americans. Among all the candidates in this race, only Barack Obama included gays and lesbians as participants in the American Dream when announcing his decision to run for President. Only Barack has regularly talked about LGBT equality on the campaign trail, even when the audience was not LGBT-friendly. Barack has been changing hearts and minds, and the visibility he has given to LGBT equality is unprecedented.

Barack’s commitment to LGBT rights is also manifest in his record of accomplishment, which extends throughout his 11 years in public office on every issue of concern to our community. From relationships and families to workplace discrimination to bold policies on HIV/AIDS, the Senator’s commitment is unmatched by any candidate. He has proven that he has the character to stand up for principle when the going gets tough.

Barack has supported the complete, unqualified repeal of the federal Defense of Marriage Act since he was a candidate for Senate. He has taken stronger positions on dismantling Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell and on fully inclusive workplace protections than any candidate in this race. Barack is a strong supporter of every major piece of LGBT legislation in Congress today, from fair tax treatment and equal immigration rights to domestic partner benefits for federal workers. In contrast to Barack’s leadership, we find it troubling that Sen. Hillary Clinton refuses to call for the full repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act, legislation that was signed into law by then-President Clinton.

In Illinois, Obama sponsored a fully inclusive anti-discrimination law that included both sexual orientation and gender identity. A subsequent version of that bill was later enacted as the Illinois Human Rights Act, now one of the most progressive laws of its kind in the country. The U.S. House of Representatives was not able to pass a bill that included gender identity. Barack helped make it happen in Illinois.

FIGHTING THE SPREAD of HIV and securing fully funded, accessible treatment for people with HIV or AIDS have always been top priorities for Obama. He understands that the fight against HIV/AIDS requires an approach that is bold enough to set national standards and benchmarks for progress and deep enough to address the forces of poverty, racism, homophobia and unequal access to health care that all contribute to the spread of the disease. Barack has sponsored the Microbicide Development Act to fund research critical to combating HIV/AIDS in the United States and around the world. He spoke out on World AIDS Day to an audience of evangelical leaders at Saddleback Church, publicly disagreeing with the leaders in attendance who opposed condom distribution. Obama has always insisted that our approach to HIV/AIDS be guided by the expertise of scientists, health-care professionals and direct service providers who know what works, rather than by politics and ideology.

In Illinois, Barack worked to enact a law that authorizes licensed pharmacists to provide clean needles in small, controlled numbers, a reform that is credited with achieving dramatic declines in the spread of HIV among intravenous drug users. In Congress, he has supported efforts to lift the ban on federal funding for regulated needle exchange programs that are proven to work in the fight against HIV/AIDS. Experience demonstrates that these programs save lives and protect the public without promoting illegal drug use, but getting them passed requires political courage. Barack has shown that courage.

This race presents a historic opportunity: the opportunity to elect a candidate who has stood up for LGBT equality boldly and courageously for his entire career in public office. His singular ability to inspire unity and support across communities is why we support Barack Obama. In 2008, we deserve nothing less.

Steven Nicks, managing Director of Fourth Sector Investments, has served as a member of HRC's Board of Governors and is an elected official in New York City, serving on the Democratic County Committee. He co-developed this opinion piece with the Obama NY Leadership team, including David Alport, Jason Haas, Peter Teague, and Maxim Thorne.

Keith Olbermann's Special Comments about HRC - a MUST READ!

Jen Rencher from Jersey City — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 22:22:36 EDT

The transcript from MSNBC's Keith Olbermann:

Finally, as promised, a Special Comment on the presidential campaign of the Junior Senator from New York.
      By way of necessary preface, President and Senator Clinton -- and the Senator's mother, and the Senator's brother -- were of immeasurable support to me at the moments when these very commentaries were the focus of the most surprise, the most uncertainty, and the most anger. My gratitude to them is abiding.
      Also, I am not here endorsing Senator Obama's nomination, nor suggesting it is inevitable.
      Thus I have fought with myself over whether or not to say anything.
      Senator, as it has reached its apex in their tone-deaf, arrogant, and insensitive reaction to the remarks of Geraldine Ferraro... your own advisors are slowly killing your chances to become President.
      Senator, their words, and your own, are now slowly killing the chances for any Democrat to become President.
      In your tepid response to this Ferraro disaster, you may sincerely think you are disenthralling an enchanted media, and righting an unfair advance bestowed on Senator Obama.
      You may think the matter has closed with Representative Ferraro's bitter, almost threatening resignation.
      But in fact, Senator, you are now campaigning, as if Barock Obama were the Democrat, and youâ€¦ were the Republican.
      As Shakespeare wrote, Senator -- that wayâ€¦ madnessâ€¦ lies.
      You have missed a critical opportunity to do... what was right.
      No matter what Ms. Ferraro now claims, no one took her comments out of context.
      She had made them on at least three separate occasions, then twice more on television this morning.
      Just hours ago, on NBC Nightly News, she denied she had made the remarks in an interview -- only at a paid political speech.
      In fact, the first time she spoke them, was ten days before the California newspaper published them... not in a speech, but in a radio interview.
      On February 26th, quoting...
      "If Barack Obama were a white man, would we be talking about this, as a potential real problem for Hillary? If he were a woman of any color, would he be in this position that he's in? Absolutely not."
      The context was inescapable.
      Two minutes earlier, a member of Senator Clinton's Finance Committee, one of her "Hill-Raisers," had bemoaned the change in allegiance by Super-Delegate John Lewis from Clinton to Obama, and the endorsement of Obama by Senator Dodd.
      "I look at these guys doing it," she had said, "and I have to tell you, it's the guys sticking together."
      A minute after the "color" remarks, she was describing herself as having been chosen for the 1984 Democratic ticket, purely as a woman politician, purely to make history.
      She was, in turn, making a blind accusation of sexism -- and dismissing Senator Obama's candidacy as nothing more than an Equal Opportunity stunt.
      The next day she repeated her comments to a reporter from the newspaper in Torrance, California.
      "If Obama was a white man, he would not be in this position. And if he was a woman (of any color) he would not be in this position. He happens to be very lucky to be who he is. And the country is caught up in the concept."
      And when this despicable statement -- ugly in its overtones, laughable in its weak grip of facts, and moronic in the historical context -- when it floats outward from the Clinton Campaign like a poison cloud, what do the advisors have their candidate do?
      Do they have Senator Clinton herself compare the remark to Al Campanis talking on Nightline... on Jackie Robinson day... about how blacks lacked the necessities to become baseball executives, while she points out that Barock Obama has not gotten his 1600 delegates as part of some kind of Affirmative Action plan?
      Do they have Senator Clinton note that her own brief period in elected office, is as irrelevant to the issue of judgment as is Senator Obama'sâ€¦
     â€¦while she points out that FDR had served only six years as a governor and state Senator before he became President?
      Or that Teddy Roosevelt had four-and-a-half years before the White House?
      Or that Woodrow Wilson had two years and six weeks?
      Or Richard Nixonâ€¦ fourteen... and Calvin Coolidge 25?
      Do these advisors have Senator Clinton invoke Samantha Power -- gone by sunrise after she used the word "monster" -- and have Senator Clinton say, "this is how I police my campaign and this is what I stand for," while she fires former Congresswoman Ferraro from any role the campaign?
      No.
      Somebody tells her that simply disagreeing with and rejecting the remarks is sufficient.
      And she should then call, "regrettable", words that should make any Democrat retch.
      And that she should then try to twist them, first into some pox-on-both-your-houses plea to 'stick to the issues,' and then to let her campaign manager try to bend them beyond all recognition, into Senator Obama's fault.
      And thus these advisers give Congresswoman Ferraro nearly a week in which to send Senator Clinton's campaign back into the vocabulary... of David Duke.
      "Any time anybody does anything that in any way pulls this campaign down and says let's address reality and the problems we're facing in this world, you're accused of being racist, so you have to shut up.
      "Racism works in two different directions. I really think they're attacking me because I'm white.
      "How's that?"
      How's that?
      Apart from sounding exactly like Rush Limbaugh attacking the black football quarterback Donovan McNabb?
      Apart from sounding exactly like what Ms. Ferraro said about another campaign, nearly twenty years ago?
      Quote:
      "President Reagan suggested Tuesday that people don't ask Jackson tough questions because of his race. And former representative Geraldine A. Ferraro (D-N.Y.) said Wednesday that because of his "radical" views, "if Jesse Jackson were not black, he wouldn't be in the race."
      So... apart from sounding like insidious racism that is at least two decades old?
      Apart from rendering ridiculous, Senator Clinton's shell-game about choosing Obama as Vice President?
      Apart from this evening's resignation letter?
      "I am stepping down from your finance committee so I can speak for myself and you can continue to speak for yourself about what is at stake in this campaign.
      "The Obama campaign is attacking me to hurt you."
      Apart from all that?
      Well. It sounds as if those advisors want their campaign to be associated with those words, and the cheapâ€¦ ignorantâ€¦ vileâ€¦ racism that underlies every syllable...
      And that Geraldine Ferraro has just gone free-lance.
      Senator Clinton:
      This is not a campaign strategy.
      This is a suicide pact.
      This week alone, your so-called strategists have declared that Senator Obama has not yet crossed the "commander-in-chief threshold"â€¦
      But -- he might be your choice to be Vice President, even though a quarter of the previous sixteen Vice Presidents have become commander-in-chief during the greatest kind of crisis this nation can face: a mid-term succession.
      But you'd only pick him if he crosses that threshold by the time of the convention.
      But if he does cross that threshold by the time of the convention, he will only have done so sufficiently enough to become Vice President, not President.

      Senator, if the serpentine logic of your so-called advisors were not bad enough...
      Now, thanks to Geraldine Ferraro, and your campaign's initial refusal to break with her, and your new relationship with her -- now more disturbing still with her claim that she can now "speak for herself" about her vision of Senator Obama as some kind of embodiment of a quota...
      If you were to seek Obama as a Vice President, it would be, to Ms. Ferraro, some kind of social engineering gesture, some kind of racial make-good.
      Do you not see, Senator?
      To Senator Clinton's supporters, to her admirers, to her friends for whom she is first choice, and her friends for whom she is second choice, she is still letting herself be perceived as standing next to, and standing by, racial divisiveness and blindnessâ€¦
      And worst yet, after what President Clinton said during the South Carolina primary, comparing the Obama and Jesse Jackson campaigns -- a disturbing, but only borderline remark...
      After what some in the black community have perceived as a racial undertone to the "3 A-M" ad... a disturbing -- but only borderline interpretation...
      And after that moment's hesitation in her own answer on 60 Minutes about Obama's religion -- a disturbing, but only borderline vagueness...
      After those precedents, there are those who see a pattern... false, or true.
      After those precedents, there are those who see an intent... false, or true.
      After those precedents, there are those who see the Clinton campaign's anything-but-benign neglect of this Ferraro catastrophe -- falsely or truly -- as a desire to hear the kind of casual prejudice which still haunts this society voiced... and to not distance the campaign from it.
      To not distance you from it, Senator!
      To not distance you... from that which you as a woman, and Senator Obama as an African-American, should both know and feel with the deepest of personal pain!
      Which you should both fight with all you have!
      Which you should both insure, has no place in this contest!

      This, Senator Clinton, is your campaign, and it is your name.
      Grab the reins back from whoever has led you to this precipice, before it is too late.
      Voluntarily or inadvertently, you are still awash in this filth.
      Your only reaction has been to disagree, reject, and to call it regrettable.
      Her only reaction has been to brand herself as the victim, resign from your committee, and insist she will continue to speak.
      Unless you say something definitive, Senator, the former Congresswoman is speaking with your approval.
      You must remedy this.
      And you must... reject... and denounce... Geraldine Ferraro.
      Good night, and good luck.

Stephen Colbert NAILS the "Big States" Argument!

DaveNY1979 — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 09:27:14 EDT

Check out this great clip from "The Colbert Report" -- once again the jester proves himself smarter than the courtiers (yeah, sure, Russert... it's a *great* argument)!

Check it out here:

http://www.comedycentral.com/colbertreport/videos.jhtml?videoId=163288

Concern mounts over rising troop suicides

Jen Rencher from Jersey City — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 21:34:06 EST

The next time McCain talks about how "the surge is working" in reducing violence (ummm....to what? pre-2006 levels???), Obama should respond with this. How is the surge taking a toll on our soldiers?

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Every day, five U.S. soldiers try to kill themselves. Before the Iraq war began, that figure was less than one suicide attempt a day.

The dramatic increase is revealed in new U.S. Army figures, which show 2,100 soldiers tried to commit suicide in 2007.

"Suicide attempts are rising and have risen over the last five years," said Col. Elspeth Cameron-Ritchie, an Army psychiatrist.

Concern over the rate of suicide attempts prompted Sen. Jim Webb, D-Virginia, to introduce legislation Thursday to improve the military's suicide-prevention programs.

"Our troops and their families are under unprecedented levels of stress due to the pace and frequency of more than five years of deployments," Webb said in a written statement.

Sen. Patty Murray, D-Washington, took to the Senate floor Thursday, urging more help for military members, especially for those returning from war.

"Our brave service members who face deployment after deployment without the rest, recovery and treatment they need are at the breaking point," Murray said.

She said Congress has given "hundreds of millions of dollars" to the military to improve its ability to provide mental health treatment, but said it will take more than money to resolve the problem.

"It takes leadership and it takes a change in the culture of war," she said. She said some soldiers had reported receiving nothing more than an 800 number to call for help.

"Many soldiers need a real person to talk to," she said. "And they need psychiatrists and they need psychologists."

According to Army statistics, the incidence of U.S. Army soldiers attempting suicide or inflicting injuries on themselves has skyrocketed in the nearly five years since the start of the Iraq war.

Last year's 2,100 attempted suicides -- an average of more than 5 per day -- compares with about 350 suicide attempts in 2002, the year before the war in Iraq began, according to the Army.

The figures also show the number of suicides by active-duty troops in 2007 may reach an all-time high when the statistics are finalized in March, Army officials said.

The Army lists 89 soldier deaths in 2007 as suicides and is investigating 32 more as possible suicides. Suicide rates already were up in 2006 with 102 deaths, compared with 87 in 2005.

Cameron-Ritchie, the Army psychiatrist, said suicide attempts are usually related to problems with intimate relationships, but they are also related to problems with work, finances and the law.

"The really tough area here is stigma. We know that soldiers don't want to go seek care. They're tough, they're strong, they don't want to go see a behavioral health-care provider," Cameron-Ritchie said.

Multiple deployments and long deployments appear to exact a toll on relationships, thereby boosting the number of suicide attempts, she said.

Traditionally, the suicide rate among military members has been lower than age- and gender-matched civilians. But in recent years the rate has crept up from 12 per 100,000 among the military to 17.5 per 100,000 in 2006, she said. That's still less than the civilian figure of about 20 per 100,000, she said.

The "typical" soldier who commits suicide is a member of an infantry unit who uses a firearm to carry out the act, according to the Army.

Post-traumatic stress disorder also may be a factor in suicide attempts, Cameron-Ritchie said, because it can result in broken relationships and often leads to drug and alcohol abuse.

"The real central issue is relationships. Relationships, relationships, relationships," said U.S. Army Chaplain Lt. Col. Ran Dolinger. "People look at PTSD, they look at length of deployments ... but it's that broken relationship that really makes the difference."

To reduce suicides, the Army said it is targeting soldiers who are or have been in Iraq for long periods and teaching them to notice signs that can lead to suicide.

That training came too late for Army Specialist Tim Bowman. The 23-year-old killed himself in 2005 after returning from Iraq.

"As my family was preparing for a 2005 Thanksgiving meal, our son Timothy was lying on the floor, slowly bleeding to death from a self-inflicted gunshot wound," said his father, Mike Bowman, in testimony to a House Veterans' Affairs committee hearing in December. "His war was now over."

He said veterans return home to find an "understaffed, under-funded, under-equipped" Veterans Affairs mental health system.

"Many just give up trying," he said.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/02/01/military.suicides/index.html

Eroding Another Bastion...Former Gay Clinton Supporters Defect To Obama

EsquireUK — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 08:47:06 EST

Gay Clinton Backers Defect to Obama, Eroding Another Bastion

By Kim Chipman

Feb. 29 (Bloomberg) -- Hillary Clinton cemented years of goodwill with gays in 2000, when she walked in New York's Pride Parade.

``Having the first lady march was enormously powerful,'' said Representative Barney Frank, one of two openly gay members of Congress. ``I've never seen such a strong emotional outpouring.''

Now some gay voters, who have been among Clinton's most stalwart supporters and helped her defeat Barack Obama www.barackobama.com in Democratic presidential primaries earlier this month, may be drifting toward the Illinois senator, according to political activists and campaign officials.

``Clinton probably is still a little bit ahead of Obama among leadership in the community,'' said Steve Elmendorf, a Clinton supporter and lobbyist with ties to the gay and lesbian communities. ``They have a longer and deeper relationship with her than Obama, but he has a good record,'' said Elmendorf, deputy campaign manager for Democrat John Kerry's 2004 presidential bid.

``Obama has presented more detailed position papers on gay and lesbian issues than Clinton,'' said David Mixner, 61, a writer and activist who helped longtime friend Bill Clinton win over the homosexual vote during the 1992 presidential race and who supported both of Hillary Clinton's successful Senate races in New York.

`The Young Reformer'

This time, Mixner is backing Obama. The Clintons have become ``a machine, and Obama's the young reformer,'' Mixner said.

Clinton's support among gay voters helped her hold her own against Obama, 46, in the Feb. 5 Super Tuesday contests. In California, the most populous state, 63 percent of people identifying themselves as homosexual voted for Clinton, according to exit polls. In New York, she drew gay support of 59 percent.

Since then, Clinton has lost 11 consecutive contests to Obama, who according to exit polls has cut into her base of support among single women, Latinos and blue-collar workers. To keep her candidacy afloat, she needs victories March 4 in Texas -- and particularly in the large gay communities in Houston and Dallas -- and Ohio, which has the sixth-largest gay and lesbian population in the U.S.

Supporting Civil Unions

Both Clinton, 60, and Obama oppose same-sex marriages while supporting civil unions. A major difference between the candidates is that Obama supports full repeal of the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, a law signed by Bill Clinton -- under pressure from a Republican-dominated Congress -- that prohibits federal recognition of same-sex marriages and permits states to do the same. Hillary Clinton wants to roll back only part of the law.

``That's a big deal,'' said Eric Stern, who joined Obama's lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender policy-advisory group after heading former North Carolina Senator John Edwards' gay steering committee. Edwards, 54, dropped out of the Democratic race last month.

While many gay and lesbian voters remain loyal Clinton supporters, Mixner said, others remain angry over her previous support of the Defense of Marriage Act.

Some also still tie her to the military's ``don't ask, don't tell'' policy instituted during her husband's presidency, which reversed a campaign pledge he made to allow gays to serve openly.

A Sin

Obama, meanwhile, prompted anger from gay-rights activists when he invited gospel singer Donnie McClurkin, who has called homosexuality a sin, to perform at a fundraiser last October. Obama later denounced McClurkin's views.

Tobias Wolff, a law professor at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia who heads Obama's national gay- policy committee, said inviting McClurkin was ``a mistake, but nothing more complicated than a mistake, and one that Obama responded to.''

On the eve of last month's Martin Luther King Day, Obama called on blacks to begin examining attitudes toward homosexuals. ``If we are honest with ourselves, we'll acknowledge that our own community hasn't always been true to King's vision of a beloved community,'' he said Jan. 20 at King's Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta.

Mixner said he probably would have endorsed Obama anyway, ``but that speech made it easier.'' At a Beaumont, Texas, town- hall meeting yesterday, Obama said he has heard people in the black community and churches ``saying things that I don't think are very Christian with respect to people who are gay and lesbian.''

Showdown States

Both campaigns are targeting gay voters in the showdown Texas and Ohio primaries. In Texas, Clinton support still runs strong, said Jesse Garcia, 36, head of the Stonewall Democrats of Dallas, the national gay and lesbian organization's biggest chapter in the state and the third-largest in the country.

``There's a real allegiance to Hillary,'' said Garcia, whose group endorsed Clinton last week.

In Ohio, meanwhile, Clinton's campaign formally launched a statewide committee this week to spearhead get-out-the-vote efforts in gay areas of Cleveland, Cincinnati and Columbus.

Obama has countered with full-page advertisements in gay publications in Texas and Ohio. The message is being heard, said Patrick King, 44, a private nurse from Houston who cared for the late Lloyd Bentsen, the former senator and Bill Clinton's first Treasury secretary.

``I was with Hillary until I heard Obama speak on TV about a month ago,'' King said. ``I thought, `Wow, this guy is really sincere.'''

To contact the reporters on this story: Kim Chipman in Washington at kchipman@bloomberg.net .

Last Updated: February 29, 2008 00:09 EST

Equality is a Moral Imperative

Alex Okrent, Louisiana Field Director — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 11:53:30 EST

Senator Obama just released an open letter concerning LGBT equality in America, reaffirming his steadfast commitment to equal rights for ALL Americans.

I’m running for President to build an America that lives up to our founding
promise of equality for all – a promise that extends to our gay brothers
and sisters. It’s wrong to have millions of Americans living as second-class
citizens in this nation. And I ask for your support in this election so that
together we can bring about real change for all LGBT Americans.

Click here to read the rest.

The linguist origins of Barack Hussein Obama

Jen Rencher from Jersey City — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 22:49:40 EST

from: http://www.juancole.com/2008/02/barack-hussein-obama-omar-bradley.html

Informed Comment

Thoughts on the Middle East, History, and Religion

Juan Cole is President of the Global Americana Institute

Wednesday, February 27, 2008Barack Hussein Obama, Omar Bradley, Benjamin Franklin and other Semitically Named American Heroes

At Cincinnati, Bill Cunningham, according to the LAT, who "introduced presidential candidate John McCain at a rally here today accused Barack Obama of sympathizing with 'world leaders who want to kill us' and invoked Obama's middle name -- three times calling him 'Barack Hussein Obama.' " John McCain repudiated Cunningham's low tactics and said that using the middle name like that three times was "inappropriate" and would never happen again at one of his rallies.

I want to say something about Barack Hussein Obama's name. It is a name to be proud of. It is an American name. It is a blessed name. It is a heroic name, as heroic and American in its own way as the name of General Omar Nelson Bradley or the name of Benjamin Franklin. And denigrating that name is a form of racial and religious bigotry of the most vile and debased sort. It is a prejudice against names deriving from Semitic languages!

Christian, Western heroes have often been bequeathed Middle Eastern names. Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar, the medieval Spanish hero, carried the name El Cid, from the Arabic al-Sayyid, "the lord."

Barack and Hussein are Semitic words. Americans have been named with Semitic names since the founding of the Republic. Fourteen of our 43 presidents have had Semitic names (see below). And, American English contains many Arabic-derived words that we use every day and without which we would be much impoverished. America is a world civilization with a world heritage, something Cunninghamism will never understand.

Barack is a Semitic word meaning "to bless" as a verb or "blessing" as a noun. In its Hebrew form, barak, it is found all through the Bible. It first occurs in Genesis 1:22: "And God blessed (ḇāreḵə ) them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth."

Here is a list of how many times barak appears in each book of the Bible.

Now let us take the name "Hussein." It is from the Semitic word, hasan, meaning "good" or "handsome." Husayn is the diminutive, affectionate form.

Barack Obama's middle name is in honor of his grandfather, Hussein, a secular resident of Nairobi. Americans may think of Saddam Hussein when they hear the name, but that is like thinking of Stalin when you hear the name Joseph. There have been lots of Husseins in history, from the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, a hero who touched the historian Gibbon, to King Hussein of Jordan, one of America's most steadfast allies in the 20th century. The author of the beloved American novel, The Kite Runner, is Khaled Hosseini.

But in Obama's case, it is just a reference to his grandfather.

It is worth pointing out that John McCain's adopted daughter, Bridget, is originally from Bangladesh. Since Hussein is a very common name in Bangladesh, it is entirely possible that her birth father or grandfather was named Hussein. McCain certainly has Muslim relatives via adoption in his family. If Muslim relatives are a disqualification from high office in the United States, then McCain himself is in trouble. In fact, since Bridget is upset that George W. Bush doesn't like her "because she is black," and used her to stop the McCain campaign in South Carolina in 2000, you understand why McCain would be especially sensitive to race-baiting of Cunningham's sort. The question is how vigorously he will combat it; he hasn't been above Muslim-taunting in the campaign so far. (And, the McCains really should let Bridget know that she is Asian, not "black." The poor girl; Bush and Rove have done a number on her, and Cindy's confusion can't help.)

The other thing to say about grandfathers named Hussein is that very large numbers of African-Americans probably have an ancestor ten or eleven generations ago with that name, in what is now Mali or Senegal or Nigeria. And, since so many thousands of Arab Muslims were made to convert to Catholicism in Spain after 1501, many Latinos have distant ancestors named Hussein, too. In fact, since there was a lot of Arab-Spanish intermarriage, and since there was subsequent Spanish intermarriage with other European Catholics, more European Americans are descended from a Hussein than they realize. The British royal family is quite forthright about the Arab line in their ancestry going back to Andalusia.

Obama, being a cousin of Dick Cheney on one side and having relatives in Kenya on the other, is just more and more typical of the 21st century United States.

So, anyway, Obama's first two names mean "Blessing, the Good." If we are lucky enough to get him for president, we can only hope that his names are prophetic for us.

Which brings me to Omar Bradley. Omar is an alternative spelling of Umar, i.e. Umar ibn al-Khattab, the second caliph of Sunni Islam. Presumably General Bradley was named for the poet Omar Khayyam, who bore the caliph's name. Omar Khayyam's Rubaiyat, in the "translation" of Edward FitzGerald, became enormously popular in Victorian America.

Gen. Omar Bradley, who bore a Semitic, Muslim first name, and shared it with the second Caliph of Sunni Islam, was the hero of D-Day and Normandy, of the Battle of the Bulge and the Ruhr.

Would Mr. Cunningham see Omar Bradley as un-American, as an enemy because of his name?

What about other American heroes, such as Gen. George Joulwan, former NATO Supreme Allied Commander of Europe? "Joulwan" is an Arabic name. Or there is Gen. John Abizaid, former CENTCOM commander. Abizaid is an Arabic name. Abi means Abu or "father of," and Zaid is a common Arab first name. Is Cunningham good enough to wipe their shoes? Is he going to call them traitors because they have Arabic names?

What about Congressman Darrell Issa of California? ("`Isa" means Jesus in Arabic). Former cabinet secretary Donna Shalala? (Shalala means "waterfall" in Arabic).

I won't go into all the great Americans with Arabic names in sports, entertainment and business, against whom Cunningham would apparently discriminate on that basis. Does he want to take citizenship away from Kareem Abdul Jabbar [meaning "noble the servant of the Mighty"] and Ahmad Jamal [meaning "the most praised, beauty"]? What about Rihanna ["sweet basil," "aromatic"]? Tony Shalhoub [i.e. Mr. Monk]?

Let us take Benjamin Franklin. His first name is from the Hebrew Bin Yamin, the son of the Right (hand), or son of strength, or the son of the South (yamin or right has lots of connotations). The "Bin" means "son of," just as in modern colloquial Arabic. Bin Yamin Franklin is not a dishonorable name because of its Semitic root. By the way, there are lots of Muslims named Bin Yamin.

As for an American president bearing a name derived from a Semitic language, that is hardly unprecedented.

John Adams really only had Semitic names. His first name is from the Hebrew Yochanan, or gift of God, which became Johan and then John. (In German and in medieval English, "y" is represented by "j" but was originally pronounced "y".) Adams is from the biblical Adam, which also just means "human being." In Arabic, one way of saying "human being" is "Bani Adam," the children of men.

Thomas Jefferson's first name is from the Aramaic Tuma, meaning "twin." Aramaic is a Semitic language spoken by Jesus, which is related to Hebrew and Arabic. In Arabic twin is tau'am, so you can see the similarity.

James Madison, James Monroe and James Polk all had a Semitic first name, derived from the Hebrew Ya'aqov or Jacob, which is Ya`qub in Arabic. It became Iacobus in Latin, then was corrupted to Iacomus, and from there became James in English.

Zachary Taylor's first name is from the Hebrew Zachariah, which means "the Lord has remembered."

Abraham Lincoln, of course is, named for the patriarch Abraham, from the Semitic word for father, Ab, and the word for "multitude," raham,. Abu, "father of," is a common element in Arab names today.

So, Mr. Cunningham, Barack Hussein Obama fits right in this list of presidents with Semitic names. In fact, we haven't had one for a while. We are due for another one.

A blessed and good one.

Spreading the word

Alex Okrent, Louisiana Field Director — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 19:00:36 EST

In a display of his commitment to spreading the message of equal rights for all, Senator Obama has taken out full-page ads in several LGBT newspapers in Texas and Ohio.

The ad, which will be featured in Outlook Weekly in Columbus, the Gay People's Chronicle in Cleveland, The Dallas Voice, and OutSmart in Houston.

Click here to read more on the advertisements.

Obama's Gay Supporters Speak!

Alex Okrent, Louisiana Field Director — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 15:28:20 EST

This article recently published in Bay Windows, a leading LGBT newspaper.

Obama’s gay supporters speak
by Laura Kiritsy
Editor-in-chief
Friday Feb 22, 2008

Queerty.com has some interesting interviews with three of Barack Obama’s gay supporters, Tobias Wolff, Stampp Corbin and Eric Stern - who, incidentally, initially backed John Edwards. Some interesting insights from these guys about why they’re supporting Obama, including the fact that unlike his rival Sen. Hillary Clinton, Obama wants to repeal DOMA in its entirety.

Check out the article at Queerty

Hillary charged interest on the $5 million she lent her campaign

Jen Rencher from Jersey City — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 14:53:46 EST

I'm not too familiar with the intricacies of campaign financing, but I think it's a bit odd that Hillary is charging her own campaign 1.26% on the 5 million she loaned herself.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23273781/

Anyway, here are the January figures for the campaigns:

Barack Obama
Total receipts to date: (includes contributions for the primary and general elections, loans and transfers) $140.58 million, including $6.98 million for general election .
Total contributions to date: $138.2 million.
Total spending: $115.6 million.
January 2008 contributions: $36 million, including $892,669 for the general election.
January 2008 spending: $30.5 million.
January 2008 transfers or loans: $0.
Cash on hand: $24.9 million.
Debt: $1.1 million.
Top donor states this month: California: $5.5 million; New York: $3.03 million; Illinois: $1.87 million.
Employees of Microsoft gave $37,988; employees of Goldman Sachs gave $37,963; employees of IBM gave $37,085.

Hillary Clinton
Total receipts to date: (includes contributions for the primary and general elections, loans and transfers) $138.05 million, including $20.49 million for the general election.
Total contributions to date: $121 million.
Total spending: $109 million.
January 2008 contributions: $13.9 million, including $953,641 for the general election.
January 2008 spending: $28.5 million
January 2008 transfers or loans: $5 million.
Cash on hand: $29.2 million.
Debt: $7.6 million.
Top donor states this month: New York: $2.09 million; California: $1.84 million; Florida: $911,498.
Employees of Sullivan & Cromwell LLP gave $23,620; employees of DFC&W gave $23,000; employees of Ch2M Hill gave $16,400.

Howard Hemsleyfrom NYC Kicks off Phila Voter registration drive today at Broad an Olney, N. Phila

Danielle Clarke USA Vietnam Vet — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 18:04:33 EST

Howard Hemsleyfrom NYC Kicks off Phila Voter registration drive today at Broad an Olney, N. Phila

Yes another New Yorker has come to Phila to help with our voter registration drive. Lynn came with Joe last sunday to Malcom X park and today Howard Hemsley came and created = Firing Up Philly! #1 (Community Service)
Wednesday, February 20 at 1:00 PM
Broad Street and Olney Avenue (Philadelphia, PA)http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/communityservice/4rgxj

Howard Hemsley and me collected 31 more completed registrations and yes i had to leave at 4pm and Howard is still there until 6pm. I am sure he has gotten another 30 more completed. I had met Howard at CampObama in NYC last yr and then at the NY rally. He is 69 and looks like he is 40 and he is a delegate in NY. Wow if you get the chance to volunteer with him please do so. Howard says he will be doing another voter registration drive this friday and then next monday and wensday and friday etc etc etc until march 24th.

join Howard and me friday = Firing Up Philly #2 (Organizing)
Friday, February 22 at 1:00 PM
52nd & Chestnut Streets (Philadelphia, PA) http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/organizing/4rlwl

Make sure you do come and don't just sign up.

Danielle Clarke 215-237-0952

PS: I am going to Ohio Feb 26th and won't be back until March 4th so please help Howard when i am gone. He is the greatest and very very responsible.

Making a New Music Video!

DaveNY1979 — Sat, 16 Feb 2008 12:52:29 EST

Hi, all my fellow Obama-supporting friends!

I am currently working with a filmmaker friend of mine to produce a music video satirizing the Clinton campaign, and am looking for musicians who might be able to help me lay down the track! If you or anyone you know fits the bill, please put them in touch with me!

The concept:
Parody of Bob Dylan's famous "Subterranean Homesick Blues" film (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-xIulyVsG8), with the music being Dylan's "Maggie's Farm" with parody lyrics ("It's a shame the way she voted for the war / I ain't gonna vote for Hillary no more!").

So! If you or anyone you know would be interested in helping to make this happen over the next week, please -- drop me a line!!!

-Dave

Our Work Has Just Begun!!!

DaveNY1979 — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 15:03:52 EST

Hey Everyone,

I just wanted to drop my own personal two cents of thanks for everyone who worked so hard here in New York to close the gap with Clinton -- a big reason we're able to claim more delegates across the nation from last night!

But I also wanted to remind all of you that our work has just begun! The Obama campaign is going to need continued fundraising in order to compete in the remaining states. Also, some very big prizes are still up for grabs -- and right in our backyard! Next Tuesday sees Maryland, DC, and Virginia vote -- all potentially very strong states for Barack. Best of all, round trip bus fare there costs under $40 from NYC!!! So let's try to get some groups together to go down there and volunteer!

Pennsylvania is also coming up soon -- so let's see what we can do there! As James Carville once said, Pennsylvania is "Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, and Alabama in between." But we all know who won Alabama last night!!! So let's make sure that's another win, and a big bunch of delegates for the best candidate in the race!

Finally, you'll note how much progress we were able to make over the past few weeks -- even in states with seemingly unsurmountable obstacles. Look also at how OVERWHELMING Obama's victories in caucus states were. This, to me, is the strongest evidence that our work as volunteers -- getting the word out to our friends, families, co-workers, neighbors, and even strangers on the street -- is THE biggest difference-maker we have.

So keep up the great work. No one ever said it was going to be easy. But together, YES WE CAN!

-Dave Silverstone

NYC

A Letter from a Supporter

Alex Okrent, Louisiana Field Director — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 13:38:36 EST

The campaign received this email today, and I wanted to repost it to show the effect this campaign is having on ordinary Americans.

I'm a lesbian who grew up in a family of Southern Church of Christ Christians. I'm a military brat even more than that, the daughter of a warrant officer in the army. In high school, I spent a lot of time being afraid and disgusted at how the world treated lesbians and gays, and I didn't even come out of the closet until I graduated college and had divorced twice. (Both marriages pressured by my parents.) When Bush was elected, I had hoped that America would change, but it just got worse. And worse. And worse.

When I came out to my parents, they shunned me, and my father told me that we would never have a relationship again because I didn't hold the same convictions that they did.

The fear and bleakness of my future terrified me.

This year, I'll be 25, and my son will be 3. Senator, I want you to know that more than voting for you, I'll be putting my son's future in your hands. I know that you can help us shape this country into what it was supposed to be... A haven of peace for everyone. What it should have been from the start.

Read the rest below the fold...

Obama Endorsed by Four Gay Newspapers

Jason Haas — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 16:43:18 EST

Obama Endorsed by Four Gay Newspapers
Written by Reed Kohler
WeNeedObama.blogspot.com

All across the country this week gay newspapers are endorsing Senator Barack Obama. In Newsweekly (Boston), Gay City News (New York), The Bay Times (San Francisco) and Southern Voice (Atlanta) all decided to back the first viable black presidential candidate. "If Obama is elected president, his principled willingness to advocate full repeal of DOMA - as opposed to Clinton's cautious pragmatism - will move the bar of gay rights farther forward, regardless of whether the actual repeal is accomplished under his tenure," wrote Laura Douglas-Brown, editor of Southern Voice.

This week Hillary Clinton received the backing of San Diego's gay and lesbian news source, The Gay and Lesbian Times, and has held an endorsement from The Washington Blade since late last year.

Obama, Gays, and the TRUTH.

DaveNY1979 — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 15:12:18 EST

We are fortunate to have two candidates with a record of supporting gay rights running for the Democratic nomination.

Unfortunately, there has been an underhanded smear campaign waged to portray one of them, Senator Barack Obama, as anti-gay. Besides the sheer wrongness of painting a friend of LGBT rights this way, I think it is important to reject divide-and-conquer politics rooted in distortion. Let us set the facts straight (so to speak).

A bad exchange

DaveNY1979 — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 10:19:04 EST

Took part in a visibility event at 8th and 14th yesterday with some GREAT fellow volunteers. It was definitely a tougher crowd than on Sunday in the West Village -- as we all know, New Yorkers trying to get home during rush hour are not the most outgoing folks! But we still had a lot of fun and got a LOT of campaign literature out there.

Not everything went smoothly though...

Barack Obama Champions Gay Rights on the Campaign Trail

Alex Okrent, Louisiana Field Director — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 17:00:06 EST

The New York Blade, a weekly LGBT newspaper in New York City, recently published an Op-Ed written by several Obama supporters. You can read the full article here, and an excerpt below the fold. This is just another example of the grassroots support Senator Obama has all over the country.

Continue Reading...

Senator Obama's Speech at Ebenezer Baptist Church

Alex Okrent, Louisiana Field Director — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 20:00:06 EST

Barack spoke today at the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia.

You can read his full remarks here, but I want to bring to light a particular passages, reproduced below.

For most of this country’s history, we in the African-American community have been at the receiving end of man’s inhumanity to man. And all of us understand intimately the insidious role that race still sometimes plays – on the job, in the schools, in our health care system, and in our criminal justice system.

And yet, if we are honest with ourselves, we must admit that none of our hands are entirely clean. If we’re honest with ourselves, we’ll acknowledge that our own community has not always been true to King’s vision of a beloved community.

We have scorned our gay brothers and sisters instead of embracing them. The scourge of anti-Semitism has, at times, revealed itself in our community. For too long, some of us have seen immigrants as competitors for jobs instead of companions in the fight for opportunity.

Senator Obama has been out front about these issues throughout his campaign and his career. He has spoken before all audiences and delivered the same messages of expanding rights and taking our own to task when need be. I strongly encourage everyone to read the entire speech.

Presidential Candidate Barack Obama: 5th February Democratic Presidential Primary In New York

EsquireUK — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 10:44:26 EST

Patrick Andrade for The New York Times

Barack Obama volunteers are preparing a serious challenge to Hillary Rodham Clinton in the Feb. 5 New York primary.

By SAM ROBERTSPublished: January 12, 2008

With Senator Barack Obama www.barackobama.com vowing to challenge Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton on her home turf, the Democratic presidential primary in New York on Feb. 5 is shaping up as the state’s most competitive since 1992, when Bill Clinton took up a rival’s mantra of change to all but cinch the nomination.

Mrs. Clinton was re-elected a little more than a year ago by better than two to one. Before the Iowa caucuses, she had so dominated opinion polls and endorsements by elected officials and powerful unions that many considered her home state impregnable to political interlopers.

But if Mr. Obama wins the South Carolina primary in two weeks, he could develop enough grass-roots support among young people, liberals and black voters in New York to pose a serious threat to her claim to the state’s rich delegate lode, allies of both candidates say.

“The expectation is that Hillary should win in New York,” said Assemblyman Adam Clayton Powell IV of Harlem, an Obama supporter. “As you know, expectations don’t always translate into votes, and so we’re going to fight in New York.”

While Mrs. Clinton’s supporters say they are certain she will win the state and, with it, the bulk of its 281 delegates, they acknowledge that to keep Mr. Obama from running even a close second, she may have to invest more precious time and money here. Twenty-one other states, including New Jersey and Connecticut, also hold primaries on Feb. 5.

“Clearly they’re going to make a humongous effort to make sure that doesn’t happen,” said State Senator Bill Perkins of Harlem, an Obama supporter.

“We’re not taking anything for granted,” said Blake Zeff, the Clinton campaign’s communications director in New York. Representative Charles B. Rangel of Harlem, one of Mrs. Clinton’s earliest supporters, predicted that she would do “extremely well — after all, she’s our ‘favorite daughter.’ She’s better known and she’s earned the right to our support.”

But, Mr. Rangel acknowledged, “Obama’s electric campaign will stimulate a big turnout.”

“Even though there’s no question in my mind that Hillary can do a better job, we’re dealing with a lot of emotion and racial pride, and he’s proven himself to be a credible candidate already,” Mr. Rangel said.

Measured by volunteers, phone banks, offices and other tangible signs statewide, the Clinton campaign appears better organized. She has the support of many members of Congress and the Legislature, as well as the backing of unions that are adept at turning out voters, including those representing teachers, building service workers and municipal employees.

Mr. Obama has been endorsed by a number of black elected officials in Harlem, southeast Queens and central Brooklyn, all bastions of Democratic voters. And in a particularly revealing gauge of his organizational strength, Mr. Obama is the only Democrat other than Mrs. Clinton to have full delegate slates in each of the state’s 29 Congressional districts, suggesting he may be competitive in areas outside New York City.

In the 2004 primary, nearly half the Democrats who voted were in New York City. Manhattan alone accounted for nearly one in five.

Even before his victory in Iowa, Mr. Obama had an impressive fund-raising record in New York, receiving significant support from Wall Street, the entertainment industry and lawyers. Through Sept. 30, he reported raising more from New York donors than any other Democrat except Mrs. Clinton and was not far behind former Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani.

Mrs. Clinton reported raising more than $18 million in all from New Yorkers, compared to Mr. Obama’s nearly $8 million, but a large chunk of Mrs. Clinton’s fund-raising is reserved for the general election. New York contributors who donated for the primaries gave $13 million to Mrs. Clinton through Sept. 30 and $7 million to Mr. Obama.

Mr. Obama’s victory in Iowa and his second-place finish in New Hampshire have put a number of black leaders in the awkward position of opposing a black candidate for president.

Many black elected officials in New York have already endorsed Mrs. Clinton, but they may find that their followers, who constitute as much as 25 percent of New York’s primary electorate, are flocking to Mr. Obama if he wins South Carolina, political analysts said.

A few prominent black leaders remain on the fence. Among those leaders is the Rev. Al Sharpton. On Friday, in one sign of how vigorously he is being courted, Bill Clinton called into Mr. Sharpton’s nationally syndicated radio talk show to explain his use of the phrase “fairy tale” in a critique of the Obama campaign this week. The description angered many blacks, but Mr. Clinton said he was referring only to Mr. Obama’s position on Iraq, not his candidacy.

Neither campaign has made firm decisions yet about television advertising and public appearances in the state, which has 5.3 million enrolled Democrats.

Their ranks could be swollen by last-minute registration efforts. Unregistered New Yorkers had until Friday to enroll in order to be eligible to vote Feb. 5.

The New York City Board of Elections said more than 13,000 forms had been filed in the last week alone. In New Hampshire, Mr. Obama fared better among first-time primary voters.

On primary day, 232 of New York’s 281 convention delegates will be in play, 151 of them elected by Congressional district and allotted in proportion to the candidate’s total. Some delegate slots are reserved for public officials and party leaders, and others are assigned by party officials. Representative Anthony D. Weiner, a Clinton supporter who represents parts of Brooklyn and Queens, said the campaign dynamics have energized the Clinton camp, too.

“It’s now clear that her home state is going to play an important role in making her president,” he said. “People are more excited about that than concerned.”

He said he had not discerned any shift to Mr. Obama among Clinton supporters.

At least one has shifted the other way. Neil Barsky, a Manhattan hedge-fund manager who raised money last year for Mr. Obama, said he now favored Mrs. Clinton. “I believe Hillary, while potentially less of a transformational candidate, would make an excellent president and is our best chance of winning,” he said.

New York’s presidential primaries have usually been held too late to make much difference, although in June 1972 George S. McGovern’s near sweep in New York virtually sealed his nomination.

Two other New York primaries were pivotal, though.

In April 1988, Michael S. Dukakis won a bruising primary campaign in New York over Al Gore and Jesse Jackson, who polled an impressive 37 percent.

In April 1992, New York Democrats squelched the presidential aspirations of Paul E. Tsongas and Edmund G. Brown Jr., who had run as an anti-establishment candidate, and all but virtually sealed Bill Clinton’s presidential nomination.

In his victory speech, Mr. Clinton declared, “Tonight, every person who voted in the Democratic primary voted for change.”

Reporting was contributed by Diane Cardwell, Patrick Healy, Aron Pilhofer and Raymond Hernandez.

The Hillary Guilt

Kat Voboril — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 15:53:13 EST

It's coming on pretty strong now--the Hillary Guilt. I'm suddenly more aware of my second x chromosome; I'm remembering how, after I out-debated Joe Miller in history class, I found myself dateless for the Winter Ball. Then I recall the boss who told me how to wear my hair, who instructed me to do anything I could to make my colleagues at a private equity firm forget that I was a woman, including forgo pastels and change my first name.

Finally, and this is where Mr. Obama has the greatest chance of losing my vote, I think of the women who came before. Women who endured all my personal struggles multiplied many times over. These women are the reason I can deign to work at a private equity firm, or pursue an MBA. Don't I owe it to these women, you know, the ones Hillary's age and older, to vote for the first viable woman candidate?

If Barack Obama were any other candidate, he'd have lost me a long time ago. As it is, I'm torn with guilt, as are many of my professional women friends. We know we should vote for Hillary, we know we should be supporting her, and that much of the criticism she receives is fueled by sexism. And yet--and yet a man stands up and makes me excited. A man stands up and says I matter. And nothing else seems so important anymore. Then, after I hear him speak, I remember that he's true to his word. I remember that I know, personally, that Obama believes in me, and in all of the other people who want to change our country.

When I was living in New York (now I'm in Portland, Oregon), I decided to volunteer for a political campaign and live out my "West Wing," Sorkinesque fantasy. I called, emailed and stopped by the Hillary campaign office. "I'm a writer," I told them. "I do marketing. I love to throw parties. I'll stuff envelopes; I'll do whatever is needed." But the Hillary campaign didn't need any help. A few weeks later, I was invited to a $1,000 a head luncheon for the "Hillraisers." Not only was that WAY out of my price range, but I certainly couldn't afford to miss work.

On a whim, I signed up to volunteer with the Obama campaign-I simply wanted to take part and was tired of begging to volunteer for free to help Mrs. Clinton. Within a week, I was attending meetings, canvassing, leading groups, helping edit newsletters and websites for the Barack Obama campaign. More importantly, I was meeting inspirational people who made me confident that our country would start to look the way it should again, if we could work together. All of this was before I attended a rally and heard Barack Obama, shook his hand and forgot about chromosomes all together.

Hillary Clinton is an inspirational woman. She has absolutely paved the way for women who seek executive positions normally filled by men. She's writing new rules on how and when to be strong and vulnerable, and she is being punished far more than she deserves for occasionally getting it wrong.

But Hillary Clinton didn't want my help. In these times, where so many problems seem insurmountable, I believe it will take all of us, and even then, we may not find solutions. To turn away an able young person with passion in her heart is to turn away an entire generation that seeks to leave a different, meaningful legacy because they can't afford the price of admissions. Politics should never be inside baseball and just when she had me, Mrs. Clinton told me I couldn't play.

That's why each day I push my guilt aside, think of the bigger picture and hope and pray that Barack Obama is the next President of the United States.

Let's Get The Word Out To Youngsters

Paquita — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 04:28:27 EST

He needs our help in getting the word out to people under 30 about primary election dates, and do voter registration. We need to ask clubs to allow us to set up shop in their clubs (where ever the young people are), and let the young people know when their state's primaries are. Please realize that the majority of young people don't even know it's important to vote in the primary. They are just new to the voting process. Even if the club owners won’t allow us to promote Obama, they will let us set up a table to do voter registration and put up state election dates. We need to get the word out to them in all the primary states, and not JUST at college. All young people are not in college. We have to help him guys.

Richardson & Kucinch Need To Drop Out

Paquita — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 03:53:05 EST

Richardson & Kucinch had a total of 7 percentage points in NH. Remember in Iowa if you didn't get 15%, then you couldn't go to the 2nd round, and their people had to vote for either, Obama, Clinton or Edward else. He needs our help, and get the word out to people under 30. Please see my other blog labeled "Let's Get The Word Out to Youngsters"

America Remembered

Jacob — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 13:26:54 EST

A short video I made about how I and other volunteers are feeling at this historic moment:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iO3cH8HbFbA

Thanks to fellow volunteers Gabe, Jenna Schlosbon, Livia Kamberos, Jennifer Chude Mondlane, Karen, Lauren Russell, Lauren Hall, cameraman Zack Kinney, and sound operators Riqie Klein and Natalia.

What the numbers don’t tell you.

Steven T. Nicks — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 18:52:06 EST

I’ve just returned from Iowa where I spent the last 8 days and I find myself inspired, exhilarated and thoroughly exhausted. Last night I served as the Obama campaign’s caucus representative for Precinct 5 in Des Moines—where Obama was the clear winner—as well as had an opportunity to speak with the Senator and participate in the post-caucus rally. I want to share some of my experience with you. (In case you didn’t see Barack’s speech last night at the rally you can watch it at

https://donate.barackobama.com/page/contribute/iavictory.)

THE WEEK

Brrrr! It was cold in Iowa. With single digit temperature and wind chill as low as -20 degrees, I’m suffering from some pretty chapped hands. I spent most my time focused on voter contact: attending organized events, knocking on doors, making phone calls and just talking to people I encountered. At times I wondered if the Iowans weren’t just sick of us, but they continued to engage and even sometimes invited us in out of the cold—something shocking to a New Yorker. New Year’s came and went mostly unnoticed by those of us on the ground, but we got our payback last night!

THE PEOPLE

I felt very humbled at the caucus last night. We had almost twice the normal caucus attendance and I met many first time caucus go-ers, young people and republicans, all who came out to support Barack. I think some of the people had the sense they were creating the momentum that will change our country. Others simply came because they were inspired by the man they had met. One of the people I met asked me, “As a New Yorker don’t you feel like New York should be first to vote?” My response to her was no, because I’ve come to understand that only in a place like Iowa can a candidate really be inspected and examined. Barack has been meeting with these people in their homes and in small groups for a year now. They know more about him then many of us ever will and they do us all a great service by serving as a sort of gatekeeper.

The Obama staff and volunteers are amazing people. They come from all walks of life and have amazing energy. And do you know what I’ve learned? The people who work and volunteer for campaigns are a real barometer of the candidates themselves. Each campaign tends to attract a certain type of people and those people take their clues from the top. Some campaign workers/volunteers spend their time on the attack, telling you why your candidate is bad, even if they misrepresent the record and even if your just out for a social dinner. Others walk around with an arrogance that comes from a sense of entitlement which in my opinion stems from too much time in power. But the Obama team I met wasn’t like that at all. They were experienced and effective but somehow still had a freshness and sense of humility and kindness that you would never expect in politics. They are the kind of people you would want to be around and people you would trust if in power. And it’s these people that made Obama’s decisive victory happen. When you have a chance to go out with a community organizer who has been on the ground for 10 months, you see the deep relationships they have created. It’s also amazing when someone you’re talking to says “You know your campaign has the nicest and most genuine people.”

I also want to say something about the LGBT people I met in Iowa. While Iowa has passed some significant LGBT rights legislation over the last year that puts it among a handful of progressive states, it’s not easy to be out in Iowa—at least not once you leave Des Moines. I had a chance to travel to Sioux City to attend a house party with LGBT people. I was proud to see LGBT people making their voices heard. It was also great to see how much the campaign encouraged LGBT staff and volunteers to be open, honest and out.

Oh, and I also met superman.

THE CAUCUS

The Caucus was an amazing experience. I really felt like I was watching democracy in action. I arrived at 5:45 p.m. at my caucus location—a middle school gym—and the local Precinct Captains were already there. Corey and Michele are a young couple with two little kids. They had never caucused before. Corey had already picked the best spot in the room, a corner that faced the door so his huge Obama banner was clearly visible. Michele had baked cookies and decorated them with red, white and blue frosting. At about 6:05 p.m. a group of Clinton supporters came in and found their place. They all had printed name tags and were mostly older people (I later came to learn the young people with them were with the campaign and could not caucus, they had just been there to over see the event and to attend a pre-reception with a catered meal). I introduced myself to one of the Clinton supporters and asked him how he was and he simply replied “confident.”

At about 6:20 I started to get a bit concerned. We had about 10 people, Richardson had 3 or 4 and Edwards had 7 or 8. Then I remembered all those phone calls I had made and remembered that I closed each of them by saying “remember, be there at 6:30 sharp.” By 6:45 we were clearly building momentum. I had to go on a hunt for more chairs. Before we got started I introduced myself to some of the Richardson and Edwards people and we had a nice conversation about how amazing the turnout was.

At 7:00 p.m. sharp the Caucus Chair called the meeting to order and the caucus re-elected the chair and secretary. Then all non-voting people in the room were asked to gather in one area and it was at this point that I realized that 7 members of the Clinton group were from the campaign office. Obama and Richardson each had one and the Edwards rep was actually from the neighborhood and could vote. The Caucus Chair began his head count and started in our corner. We had 49 people. Clinton was next and at this point I knew Hillary had 36 people. Richardson had 15 and Edwards had 32. The others were either undecided or for one of the other candidates. The total for the room was established at 142 and it was determined the to be “viable” each group would have to have at least 22 people. Then a 30 minute realignment began and people had a chance to recruit from other groups.

The Obama campaign had provided me with a spreadsheet that told me the number of delegates each campaign would get based on the number of people that stood with them. Our Caucus had 6 delegates and at 49 Obama already had 2 of them. I also knew that to pick up one more we’d need 60 people, something that seemed possible if we could get the Richardson group to come our way. But the Richardson group was determined to be viable and actually got a fair number of the free agents to stand with them. And then something odd happened and I don’t think the Clinton team was paying attention. 4 of their people moved to Richardson because they wanted Richardson to at least be viable. I knew at this point that Richardson had just taken one of Hillary’s delegates and that this also bumped up Edwards.

At final count, our room was 51 Obama, 36 Edwards, 32 Clinton and 23 Richardson. And this is why I’ve titled my email “What the Numbers Don’t Tell You.” Because of caucus rules, Obama and Edwards each got 2 delegates, Clinton and Richardson each got 1. But it was clear Obama had the momentum and the turnout. And even though we had an amazing and clear victory last night, the strength of the win is under estimated and under reported in the news.

BARACK

You know, when you meet Barack he shakes your hand, doesn’t let go and looks you right in the eyes. You can see in his eyes that he is really engaged. I’m not exactly sure what it is, but it’s different than when you meet other politicians and get the sense that they are just working their way through a crowd. I don’t really know if Barack would know who I was if he saw me again or if he’d remember what I said. But what I do know is that he is listening and to me that is what is most important. And if we have a President who listens we have an ability to collectively influence him and not be at the mercy of those who currently have influence and power.

My friend Tobias Wolff said to me last night that he can’t think of anyone he would choose to be President over Barack Obama. I agree and I realize that this is an amazing place for us to be. We are not in a campaign where we have to “settle for the best our political process can produce.” We are in a campaign where we have an amazing leader, an ethical and principled person who can become President and use his experience and judgment to move our country and the world to a better place.

If you are still not sure who you are supporting for President, or if you have doubts about Barack or another candidate, please reach out to me. I’d love to have the opportunity to talk to you further.

I also hope you’ll consider donating to the campaign. The press will be watching to see how Iowa effects Obama’s ability to raise money. If you’d like to donate, you can give at

https://donate.barackobama.com/page/contribute/iavictory.

Why no one on NYC streets NOW?

MisterG — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 22:49:50 EST

Why do I not see folks working the streets here in Manhattan trying to get more people registered as Dems and voting for Barack in the primary?! Time's almost up for registering.

It's true that we have a proportional electoral system in NY, right? If so, then every vote REALLY counts.

I'm ready... anyone else?

Presidential Candidate Barack Obama: When A Movement Gains Momentum

EsquireUK — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 20:45:11 EST

When A Movement Gains MomentumThe Iowa Jefferson Jackson Dinner is one of the pivotal moments in the contest for the Democratic party's presidential nomination, and Barack Obama gave what could be the most important speech of the campaign to more than 9,000 Iowa Democrats in Des Moines this weekend.

He sparked new momentum on the ground in Iowa, where the January 3rd caucuses will be the first true test of our campaign and Senator Clinton's.

http://www.barackobama.com/2007/11/10/remarks_of_senator_barack_obam_33.php

See some of the overwhelming response to the performance and donate now so we can capitalize on this moment.

Des Moines Register (David Yepsen) "Yepsen: Obama's superb speech could catapult his bid":The six leading Democratic presidential candidates showed up for the Iowa Democratic Party's big Jefferson Jackson Dinner on Saturday night, and five of them gave very good speeches. Barack Obama's was excellent. It was one of the best of his campaign. The passion he showed should help him close the gap on Hillary Clinton by tipping some undecided caucusgoers his way. His oratory was moving, and he successfully contrasted himself with the others — especially Clinton — without being snide or nasty about it.
Read more from the Des Moines Register

The Garance (Garance):Barack Obama, on the other hand, finally gave the speech his supporters have been waiting for him to give all year. If anyone comes out of this dinner with The Big Mo, it will be him. Obama’s supporters used their voices, not tools, to make noise. The moment House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced his name in her introduction, she was met with screams, whoops, ululations, whistles, shouts, and cries of wordless enthusiasm. When she said, "Please welcome the next president of the United States" — a line she’d used in earlier introductions — the crowd burst into what my notes could only capture as "TOTAL ROAR."
Read more from The Garance

Washington Post (Dan Balz and Shailagh Murray) "Obama stands out in night of speeches":...In the view of many watching, he [Obama] emerged as the oratorical winner at the biggest Democratic political event in Iowa before the state's January caucuses....Before the Saturday dinner, Barbara and Mike Donnelly hadn't been certain which candidate to support in the Democratic caucuses. They left with colorful glow necklaces, handed out by Obama's campaign. "We just think he's a very strong character," said Barbara Donnelly. Obama's speech "crystallized it for me," said Mike Donnelly.
Read more from The Washington Post

ABC News (David Chalian/Eloise Harper/Sunlen Miller/Raelyn Johnson) "Democrats Rally the Troops in Iowa":... The Obama troops clearly won the contest for loudest cheers in the hall as they offered some call and response with the "fired up, ready to go" chants that have become the standard finale to the senator's stump speech.... In what appeared to be the most rousing speech of the evening, Sen. Obama was sure to revisit his theme of calling for a change in the political climate and again offering a thinly veiled swipe toward his main opponent. "This party -- of Jefferson and Jackson, of Roosevelt and Kennedy -- has made the most difference in people's lives when we've led, not by polls, but by principle; not by calculation, but by conviction," Obama said to applause.
Read more from ABC News

MSNBC (Aswini Anburajan) "Obama Shows Off Organizational Strength":Nearly one in three people at last night’s Jefferson-Jackson Dinner was an Obama supporter. The campaign brought 3,000 supporters to a dinner that had 9,000 attendees. They also made sure to have a representative from each of Iowa’s 99 counties in attendance. ... Obama’s speech was buoyed by his large crowd of supporters. They chanted, yelled and stood up and cheered as he evoked the civil rights movement to talk about how he could only stand on this stage because those who had come before him were not afraid to take the difficult positions that he is supposedly espousing now.
Read more from MSNBC First Read

Chicago Sun-Times (Jennifer Hunter) "Obama vows moral high ground for Dems, U.S.":About 9,000 activists turned up for the dinner... But Obama's followers were the most uproarious.
Read more from the Sun Times

Time (Anna Marie Cox):Obama: The excerpts give a flavor of what he delivered, but I have to say, given the low energy of the room, his performance was especially striking. Again, the applause at his introduction was thundering. He also drew the longest, loudest responses throughout his speech: hooting, hollering and he was the only candidate to draw an enthusiastic chant. He also was the only candidate that seemed, for lack of a better word, to be working it. He gave that speech as if he was trying to convince people, not just solidifying the support he already had.
Read more from Time.com

Barack Obama's Speech at the Jefferson Jackson Dinner

NBC Nightly News

ABC Nightly News

Tucker Carlson

Paid for by Obama for America

Mrs. Clinton, Please Allow Your Experience To Be Evaluated

EsquireUK — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 20:08:10 EST

Secrecy Issues Dog Giuliani, Clinton

Tuesday December 4, 2007 12:31 AM

By LIZ SIDOTI

Associated Press Writer

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - Rudy Giuliani and Hillary Rodham Clinton have secrecy issues dogging them.

The front-runners in national polls for their parties' nominations both are grappling with disclosure controversies as they seek to succeed President Bush, known as one of the most secretive chief executives in modern history.

For the Republican former New York mayor, the primary issue is Giuliani Partners, the consulting business he formed when he left City Hall. He still works for the firm but won't shed light on its business dealings or release a client list. He's not required to; the company is privately held.

``It isn't mysterious at all,'' Giuliani insists, arguing that the media has identified clients.

He's also battling - and dismissing - suggestions that security expenses for extramarital liaisons with current wife Judith Nathan were hidden in little-known city accounts. And, he is facing criticism for the handling of his mayoral records.

Clinton, the Democratic New York senator and former first lady, is taking heat over locked-away correspondence between President Clinton and her during their White House years. She often cites her experience in her campaign, and rivals argue she should expedite the opening of those records to allow her experience to be evaluated, particularly on health care policy.

She says the National Archives, which has custody of the records, ``is moving as rapidly as the Archives moves.'' Her husband said last week: ``I'm not trying to cover anything up.''

A direct comparison between the Giuliani and Clinton situations is difficult.

``There's a concern on the part of Giuliani about his behavior, a man known relatively little to the public except in flashes of post-9/11 take charge,'' said Thomas Mann, a political analyst at the Washington-based Brookings Institution. ``There are real questions about his probity, his choice of associates and potential conflicts of interest given the extraordinary amount of business he's done since leaving office and that touches on government policies.''

``With Clinton, it's a bit of a muddle,'' Mann said. ``It's appropriate that presidential documents be released and made public as soon as possible. It's a reasonable question to be raised,'' he said. But, he added: ``It's not like there's necessarily some crucial information in there that's not being revealed.''

Still, both candidates face lack-of-disclosure questions in a campaign marked by public concern about honesty and ethics.

A recent national survey by The Associated Press and Yahoo News found that both Democrats and Republicans rated those two issues as very important or extremely important qualities in a presidential candidate more often than any other trait measured.

Neither Clinton nor Giuliani was seen as particularly honest or ethical. Just 38 percent viewed Clinton as honest, while just 40 percent called her ethical. Forty-two percent called Giuliani honest, 40 percent ethical.

Secrecy questions about them could give voters pause - particularly after seven years of Bush's behind-the-curtain approach that included covert CIA prisons, warrantless wiretapping and classified memos on interrogation techniques.

Generally, a president prone to secrecy can have long-term implications for a democracy.

``The effect is sort of an imperialistic presidency that's unchecked,'' said Anne Weismann, chief counsel of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. With Bush, she said: ``We're pretty far down that road, but I don't think we're there yet.'' However, she added, given the outcry over Bush's actions, ``It's hard to imagine a president that will follow in that same course.''

Giuliani laughed, then grew agitated, when the AP asked recently whether he would ever outline his role with his firm or release a thorough client list. ``Everything I did at Giuliani Partners was totally legal, totally ethical,'' he said. ``There's nothing for me to explain about. We acted honorably, decently.''

The media have unearthed some client names that show his firm represents or has represented airlines, energy companies and communications businesses. One client, Purdue Pharma L.P., makes the controversial painkiller OxyContin.

Separately, Giuliani has called reports that he charged security expenses to obscure city offices as his affair began ``a typical political hit job with only half the story told.'' He also has dismissed criticism over the 2,000 boxes of his mayoral documents temporarily going to a private foundation his supporters ran and financed to be copied and archived.

Clinton, for her part, rejects charges that she's been secretive about her own documents. This month in Iowa, she said: ``My husband has not withheld a single document.''

But, like some of his predecessors, Bill Clinton had the power to limit what records the National Archives could immediately make public. In a 2002 letter, he asked that the archives consider withholding certain categories of information, including personal correspondence between himself and his wife.

``We're not trying to hold up anything,'' he told C-SPAN last week. ``We're getting this stuff out as soon as we can.''

^---

EDITOR'S NOTE - Liz Sidoti covers presidential politics for The Associated Press.

http://www.barackobama.com/2007/11/10/remarks_of_senator_barack_obam_33.php

Senator Obama's Statement on World AIDS DAY

Alex Okrent, Louisiana Field Director — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 19:09:59 EST

http://www.barackobama.com/2007/11/30/world_aids_day_statement.php

World AIDS Day Statement

Chicago, IL | November 30, 2007

Chicago, IL -- This World AIDS Day is a time to reflect on what this global crisis is costing us. It's a cost that's measured in generations lost, in cultures traumatized, and in societies that have grown more unstable as a result of this pandemic. And it's a cost that 33 million people worldwide bear each day as they struggle to live with this disease. And what makes all of this so heartbreaking is that it was - in each and every case - entirely preventable.

And yet, this is also a time to draw inspiration from the stories of heroism that are being lived each day. It's a time to draw hope from the extraordinary perseverance of those helping combat this disease around the world. And above all, it's a time to stay focused on the task ahead - stopping the spread of this disease once and for all.

That is what I will fight to do as President. As part of my comprehensive national HIV/AIDS strategy, we'll provide $50 billion by 2013 to fight the pandemic, and contribute our fair share to the Global Fund. I'll work to dispel the stigma surrounding this disease, which is what Michelle and I tried to do by taking a public HIV test in Kenya a while back. I'll expand the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief by $1 billion a year in new money over the next five years so we can reach more people in places like Southeast Asia, India, and Eastern Europe, where the pandemic is growing. We'll make sure medications developed with taxpayer dollars are available as generics in developing countries - because a person shouldn't be denied life-saving drugs just because we can't find a way to reform our patent laws. And we'll work to eliminate the extreme poverty that permits HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria to flourish by doubling our foreign assistance from $25 billion per year to $50 billion per year by 2012.

But leadership on HIV/AIDS has to start at home. We recently learned that our nation's capital has the highest AIDS infection rate of any city in this country. That is an outrage. It's time to launch a national effort to stop this disease, starting with African Americans, who are being affected disproportionately.

We cannot give the boy back the parents he lost or the woman back the future she had dreamed of. But what we can do is prevent any more suffering. What's stopping us is not a lack of knowledge or resources, but a lack of will. And until we - as Americans and as human beings - summon the will to end this moral crisis, the conscience of our nation cannot rest.

Presidential Candidate Barack Obama Has Found His Voice: Reclaiming The American Dream

EsquireUK — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 15:00:21 EST

Dear Presidential Candidate Barack Obama Supporter!

The latest news from Iowa is exciting. The Des Moines Register shows that Presidential Candidate Barack Obama www.barackobama.com has pulled ahead of Mrs. Clinton and is now leading in Iowa. He is even leading among women by five points! This is superb!

The polls in Iowa show that Mrs. Clinton is running the most negative campaign of any presidential candidate. Today we need to respond to any attacks which Mrs. Clinton may direct at Presidential Candidate Barack Obama. We need to ensure that he has the resources to go from strength to strength. We need to put him firmly on a victorious path to the 2008 Presidential General Election!

We have an immediate challenge: In the next 48 hours, Presidential Candidate Barack Obama needs 10,000 people to donate.

https://donate.barackobama.com/costofnegativity

This response will show Mrs. Clinton and other opponents that our resolve to reclaim the American dream is real. The Countdown to Change movement is in full force. The momentum is starting to build.

Thank you very much,

Raphael Holoman-Franklin

Presidential Candidate Barack Obama Supporter

Op-Ed Columnist

Who’s Afraid of Barack Obama? By FRANK RICHPublished: December 2, 2007

JUST 24 hours after Hillary Clinton mowed down a skeptical Katie Couric with her certitude that she would win the Democratic nomination — “It will be me!” — her husband showed exactly how she could lose it.

Skip to next paragraph Fred R. Conrad/The New York Times

Frank Rich

Go to Columnist Page » Enlarge This Image Barry Blitt

By telling an Iowa audience on Tuesday night that he had opposed the Iraq war “from the beginning,” Bill Clinton committed a double pratfall. Not only did he refocus attention on his wife’s most hazardous issue, Iraq, just as it was receding as the nation’s Topic A, but he also revived unhappy memories of the truth-dodging nadirs of the Clinton White House.

Whatever his caveats, Mr. Clinton did not explicitly oppose the Iraq war from the beginning. But Al Gore did unequivocally and loudly in a public speech before the beginning, as did an obscure Illinois state senator named Barack Obama www.barackobama.com . What if Mrs. Clinton had led an insurrection against the war authorization in the Senate? Might she have helped impede America’s rush into one of the greatest fiascos in our history?

That history cannot be rewritten in any case, by Bill Clinton or anyone else. But future history is yet to be made. In the year to come, it will be written by the candidates and the voters, not by those journalists who, as the old saw has it, lay down history’s first draft.

Election year isn’t even here yet, and already most of the first drafts penned by the political press have proved instantly disposable, from Fred Thompson’s irresistible Reaganesque star power to the Family Research Council’s ability to abort the rise of Rudy Giuliani. The biggest Beltway myth so far — that the Clinton campaign is “textbook perfect” and “tightly disciplined” — was surely buried for good by the undisciplined former president’s seemingly panic-driven blunder last week.

The Washington wisdom about Mr. Obama has often been just as wrong as that about Mrs. Clinton. We kept being told he was making rookie mistakes and offering voters wispy idealistic sentiments rather than the real beef of policy. But what the Beltway mistook for gaffes often was the policy.

Mr. Obama’s much-derided readiness to talk promptly and directly to the leaders of Iran and Syria, for instance, was a clear alternative, agree with it or not, to Mrs. Clinton’s same-old Foggy Bottom platitudes on the subject. His supposedly reckless pledge to chase down Osama bin Laden and his gang in Pakistan, without Pakistani permission if necessary, was a pointed rebuke of both Mrs. Clinton’s and President Bush’s misplaced fealty to our terrorist-enabling “ally,” Pervez Musharraf. Like Mr. Obama’s prescient Iraq speech of 2002, his open acknowledgment of the Pakistan president’s slipperiness turned out to be ahead of the curve.

Now that the Beltway establishment, jolted by the Iowa polls, is frantically revising its premature blueprints for a Clinton coronation and declaring, as Time’s inevitable cliché would have it, that Mr. Obama has “found his voice,” it’s worth looking at some campaign story lines that have been ignored so far. They tell us more than the hyped scenarios that have fallen apart. Indeed, they flip the standard narrative of Campaign 2008 on its head: Were Mr. Obama to best Mrs. Clinton for the Democratic nomination, he may prove harder for the Republicans to rally against and defeat than the all-powerful, battle-tested Clinton machine.

The unspoken truth is that the Clinton machine is not being battle-tested at all by the Democratic primary process. When Mrs. Clinton accused John Edwards of “throwing mud” and “personally” attacking her in a sharp policy exchange in one debate, the press didn’t challenge the absurd hyperbole of her claim. In reality, neither Mr. Edwards nor any other Democratic competitor will ever hit her with the real, personal mud being stockpiled by the right. But if she’s getting a bye now, she will not from the Republican standard-bearer, whoever he may be. Clinton-bashing is the last shared article of faith (and last area of indisputable G.O.P. competence) that could yet unite the fractured and dispirited conservative electorate.

The Republicans know this and are so psychologically invested in refighting the Clinton wars that they’re giddy. Karl Rove’s first column for Newsweek last week, “How to Beat Hillary (Next) November,” proceeded from the premise that her nomination was a done deal. In the G.O.P. debates through last Thursday, the candidates mentioned the Clintons some 65 times. Barack Obama’s name has not been said once.

But much like the Clinton campaign itself, the Republicans have fallen into a trap by continuing to cling to the Hillary-is-inevitable trope. They have not allowed themselves to think the unthinkable — that they might need a Plan B to go up against a candidate who is not she. It’s far from clear that they would remotely know how to construct a Plan B to counter Mr. Obama. The repeated attempts to fan “rumors” that he is a madrassa-indoctrinated Muslim — whether on Fox News or in The Washington Post, where they resurfaced scurrilously on the front page on Thursday — are too demonstrably false to survive endless reruns even in the Swift-boating era.

Part of the Republicans’ difficulty in countering Mr. Obama, should they have to, is their own cynical racial politics. For the most part, race has been the dog that hasn’t barked in this campaign despite the (largely) white press’s endless fretting about whether the Illinois senator is too white for black voters and too black for white voters. Most Americans aren’t racist, most Republicans included. (Those who are won’t vote for the Democratic presidential candidate even if it’s not Mr. Obama.) But the G.O.P., by its own doing, is nonetheless saddled with a history that most recently includes “macaca” and Katrina, Mr. Bush’s appearance at Bob Jones University in 2000 and the nonexistent black population of its Congressional delegation.

As the Republican leadership knows, this record is an albatross, driving away not just black voters but crucial white swing voters, too. Ken Mehlman, the former G.O.P. chairman, and Mr. Rove, as recently as in that Newsweek column, have implored their party to reach out to minorities. So have Newt Gingrich and Jack Kemp. But not even conservative leaders of this stature could persuade their party’s top 2008 presidential contenders to show up for a September debate moderated by Tavis Smiley for PBS at the historically black Morgan State University.

It’s not because those no-shows are racists; it’s because they are defensive and out of touch. With the notable exception of Mike Huckabee, most of the party’s candidates have barricaded themselves from African-Americans for so long that they don’t know how to speak to or about them. As sure-footed as these Republicans are in attacking the Clintons and Streisand — or in exchanging fire with Al Sharpton and hip-hop moguls — they are strangers to the mainstream multiracial and multicultural America exemplified by an Obama or an Oprah.

An Obama candidacy would force them to engage. Or try to. A matchup between Mr. Obama and Mr. Giuliani, who was forged in the racial crucible of New York’s police brutality nightmares of the 1990s, or between Mr. Obama and Mitt Romney, who was shaped by a religion that didn’t give blacks equal membership until 1978, would be less a clash of races than of centuries.

But there’s another, even more fascinating hidden story line in the 2008 campaign that speaks to the potential prowess of an Obama candidacy. Despite the thuggish name-calling of a few right-wing die-hards (e.g., Rush Limbaugh mocking “Barack Hussein Odumbo”), the dirty secret of a number of conservatives is that they are disarmed by Mr. Obama even though they know his record is more liberal than Mrs. Clinton’s.

The drumbeat of approval has been remarkably steady. Last year Mark McKinnon, a top adviser to both the 2000 and 2004 Bush campaigns, admiringly called Mr. Obama “a walking, talking hope machine” who “may reshape American politics.” Andrew Ferguson devoted pages in The Weekly Standard to raving about “Dreams From My Father,” Mr. Obama’s memoir, before dismissing its political sequel, “The Audacity of Hope.” Rich Lowry, the editor of National Review, keeps trying to write anti-Obama articles but they’re so mild that they never really contradict his judgment of a year ago that the senator from Illinois “is the only presidential candidate from either party about whom there is a palpable excitement.” Even Tom Tancredo, the most virulent immigration demagogue of the G.O.P. presidential field, has spoken warmly of Mr. Obama.

Perhaps most striking is the case of Shelby Steele, the archconservative scholar who shares Mr. Obama’s mixed-race heritage. Though he has just written an entire book, “A Bound Man,” to argue (unpersuasively, in my view) that Mr. Obama “can’t win,” he can’t stop himself from admiring the guy throughout. Peggy Noonan wasn’t being tongue-in-cheek when she wondered in The Wall Street Journal last month whether Mr. Obama “understands the kind of quiet cheering he is beginning to garner from some Republicans.” In her view “they see him as a Democrat who could cure the Bush-Clinton-Bush-Clinton sickness.”

Or at least they do in the abstract. Should Mr. Obama upend the Beltway story line by taking Iowa, the Republicans will have every reason to be as fearful as the Clinton camp is now.

Presidential Candidate Barack Obama: The Momentum Is Starting To Build

EsquireUK — Sun, 02 Dec 2007 16:32:40 EST

Community Blogs Login | Register | Search Blogs Post from Obama HQ: New Des Moines Register Poll: Obama leading in IowaBy Sam Graham-Felsen - Dec 1st, 2007 at 10:09 pm EST Comments | Mail to a Friend | Report Objectionable Content Tags: Iowa Bad? Brilliant?
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World Aids Day: Breaking The Silence

EsquireUK — Sat, 01 Dec 2007 09:07:52 EST

Dear Presidential Candidate Barack Obama Supporter!

More than 33 million people are living with HIV around the world today. World Aids Day was launched by the United Nations in 1988 to raise awareness of HIV/Aids, to urge leaders to help relieve suffering for those afflicted and to increase efforts to prevent HIV transmission.

On December 1, World Aids Day 2007 will highlight the importance of using open communication to break down the silence and stigma surrounding HIV and Aids and to get people talking to increase their understanding of the virus.

Presidential Candidate Barack Obama www.barackobama.com has a genuine understanding of the urgent need to break down the silence and stigma surrounding HIV and Aids. We can count on him to support and promote a brighter future of real hope for the millions living with HIV in America and around the world.

Raphael Holoman-Franklin

Presidential Candidate Barack Obama Supporter

10 LGBT ARTICLES FOR OPPOSITION REBUTAL (LONG FOLLOW UP FOR COMPLETE RESEARCH)

Danielle Clarke USA Vietnam Vet — Sat, 24 Nov 2007 14:00:16 EST

THE FOLLOWING ARTICLES COVER MANY AREAS FOR USE IN REBUTING THOSE WHO WOULD ATTACK BARACK

1. OBAMA WINS LOGO GAY DEBATES

2. OBAMA ON D.O.M.A. = DEFENSE OF MARRIAGE ACT

3. OBAMA ON NON BLOOD FAMILY VISITS

4. OBAMA ON UNTING AMERICAN FAMILIES ACT

5. OBAMA'S PAST WORDS 2004 RESEMBLES HIS PRESENT WORDS

6. OBAMA ON TRANSGENDER PEOPLE

7. OBAMA ON GOSPEL TOUR = MANY ARTICLES

8. OBAMA WON'T THROW GAYS UNDER THE BUS WILL HILLARY?

9. OBAMA ON PRIDE MONTH AND STATEMENT ON LGBT RIGHTS

10. GAY MAN CHARLES MERRILL TALKS TO ME ABOUT OBAMA CLINTON EDWARDS BY IM

TOO SEE LONG BLOG - CLICK - READ MORE

NOV 20th - The Transgender Day of Remembrance was set aside to memorialize those who were killed due to anti-transgender hatred or prejudice. The event is held in November to honor Rita Hester, whose murder in 1998 kicked off the “Remembering Our Dead” we

Danielle Clarke USA Vietnam Vet — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 06:59:47 EST

NOVEMBER 20TH

The Transgender Day of Remembrance was set aside to memorialize those who were killed due to anti-transgender hatred or prejudice. The event is held in November to honor Rita Hester, whose murder in 1998 kicked off the “Remembering Our Dead” web project and a San Francisco candlelight vigil in 1999. Since then, the event has grown to encompass memorials in dozens of cities across the world.

http://www.gender.org/remember/day/

Nakia Ladelle Baker
Location: Nashville, Tennessee
Age: 31 yrs. old
Cause of Death: trauma to the head
Date of Death: January 7, 2007

Hasan Sabeh
Location: Baghdad, Iraq
Age: 34 yrs. old
Cause of death: Stripped and shot dead by an Islamist death squad
Date of death: January 11, 2007

Keittirat Longnawa
Location: Rassada, Thailand
Age: ?
Cause of Death: Beaten by 9 Youths and then they slit her throat
Date of Death: January 31, 2007

Tatiana (Aldomiro Gomes)
Location: Trani, Italy
Age: 57
Cause of Death: Her skull was bashed in, in the middle of the street and
then
Her head was slammed in a car door.
Date of Death: February 18, 2007

Moira Donaire
Location: Viña del Mar, Chile
Age: 30 yrs. Old
Cause of Death: Stabbed 5 times by a street vendor
Date of Death: March 5, 2007

Michelle Carrasco "Chela"
Location: Santiago, Chile
Age: 54 Yrs. Old
Cause of Death: She was found in a pit with her face completely
disfigured.
Date of Death: March 16, 2007

Ruby Rodriguez
Location: San Francisco, California
Age: 27 Yrs. Old
Cause of Death: She had been strangled and was found naked in the street.
Date of Death: March 16, 2007

Erica Keel
Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Age: 21 Yrs. Old
Cause of Death: A car repeatedly struck her
Date of Death: March 23, 2007

Bret T. Turner
Location: Madison, Wisconsin
Age: 48 Yrs. Old
Cause of Death: Multiple stab wounds
Date of Death: April 2, 2007

Barack Obama: A Call for Full LGBT Equality / McClurkin / Meet the Press

Danielle Clarke USA Vietnam Vet — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 06:42:21 EST

Barack Obama: A Call for Full LGBT Equality

Greetings folk,

Just wanted to summarize a few good resources if/when responding to the flack surrounding the McClurkin Issue. Obama submitted a memo to a gay blog just yesterday further clarifying and defending his positions in a much more demonstrative fashion in my opinion http://www.bilerico.com/2007/11/a_call_for_full_equality.php (full text below in email as well)

The campaign said they will be posting this latest memo on the LGBT main blog very soon.

Also, other ammunition should you ever need it:

Supportive opinion piece in Washington Blade
http://washingtonblade.com/2007/11-2/view/columns/11504.cfm

Obama Interview in The Advocate: http://www.advocate.com/news_detail_ektid50021.asp

Obama comments on MTP regarding LGBT rights (see text at the end)

Well respected and Obama supportive LGBT blog on Obama vs Clinton
http://citizenchris.typepad.com/citizenchris/barack_obama/index.html

Cheers,

Tim
http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/blog/worldcitizen

******************************************************
http://www.bilerico.com/2007/11/a_call_for_full_equality.php
Barack Obama: A Call for Full Equality

Over the last several weeks, the question of GLBT equality was placed on center stage by the appearance of Donnie McClurkin at one of my campaign events. McClurkin is a talented performer and a beloved figure among many African Americans and Christians around the country. At the same time, he espouses beliefs about homosexuality that I completely reject.
The events of the last several weeks are not the occasion that I would have chosen to discuss America's divisions on gay rights and my own deep commitment to GLBT equality. Now that the issue is before us, however, I do not intend to run away from it. These events have provided an important opportunity for us to confront a difficult fact: There are good, decent, moral people in this country who do not yet embrace their gay brothers and sisters as full members of our shared community.
We will not secure full equality for all GLBT Americans until we learn how to address that deep disagreement and move beyond it. To achieve that goal, we must state our beliefs boldly, bring the message of equality to audiences that have not yet accepted it, and listen to what those audiences have to say in return.
For my entire career in public life, I have brought the message of GLBT equality to skeptical audiences as well as friendly ones. No other leading candidate in the race for the Presidency has demonstrated the same commitment to the principle of full equality. I support the full and unqualified repeal of the federal Defense of Marriage Act. While some say we should repeal only part of the law, I believe we should get rid of that statute altogether. Federal law should not discriminate in any way against gay and lesbian couples. I will also fight to repeal the U.S. military's Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy, a law that should never have been passed, and my Defense Department will work with top military leaders to implement that repeal.
As President, I will use the bully pulpit to urge states to treat same-sex couples with full equality in their family and adoption laws. I personally believe that civil unions represent the best way to secure that equal treatment. But I also believe that the federal government should not stand in the way of states that want to decide on their own how best to pursue equality for gay and lesbian couples - whether that means a domestic partnership, a civil union, or a civil marriage. I will also place the weight of my administration behind the enactment of the Matthew Shepard Act to outlaw hate crimes and a fully inclusive Employment Non-Discrimination Act to outlaw workplace discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. I have supported fully inclusive protections since my days in the Illinois legislature, when I sponsored a bill to outlaw workplace discrimination that expressly included both sexual orientation and gender identity.
That is where I stand on the major issues of the day. But having the right positions on the issues is only half the battle. The other half is to win broad support for those positions. And winning broad support will require stepping outside our comfort zone. If we want to repeal DOMA, repeal Don't Ask, Don't Tell, and implement fully inclusive laws outlawing hate crimes and discrimination in the workplace, we need to bring the message of GLBT equality to people who are not yet convinced.
That's why I brought this message of inclusiveness to all of America in my keynote address at the 2004 Democratic convention. I reiterated that message in the speech announcing my candidacy for President. Since beginning my campaign, I have been talking about GLBT equality on the stump, from rural farmers to Southern preachers. Just as important, I have been listening to what all Americans have to say in return. I will never compromise on my commitment to equal rights for all GLBT Americans. But neither will I close my ears to the voices of those who still need to be convinced. That is the work that we need to do if we are going to move forward together. It is difficult. It is challenging. And it is necessary.
The American people have been poorly served by two terms of an administration that seeks to manipulate us through fear: fear over national security, fear over immigrants and fear over gay and lesbian couples in loving relationships. Americans are yearning for leadership that will put an end to the fear mongering and instead begin empowering us once again to reach for the America we know is possible. I believe that we can achieve the goal of full equality for the millions of GLBT people in this country. To do that, we need leadership that appeals to the best parts of the human spirit, rather than the worst. Together, we will achieve real equality for all Americans, gay and straight alike.
********************************************************

From Meet the Press 11/11/07

MR. RUSSERT: Let me ask you about the issue of gay marriage. John Lewis, who you called a living saint, said this: "I've heard reasons for opposing civil marriage for same-sex couples. Cut through the distortions and they stink of the same fear, hatred and intolerance I've known in racism and in bigotry.

"Some say let's choose another route and give gay folks some legal rights, but call it something other than marriage. We've been down that road before in this country. Separate is not equal. The rights of liberty and happiness belong to each of us and on the same terms without regard to either skin color or sexual orientation." You agree?

SEN. OBAMA: Well, look, here's what I believe. John Lewis is--his sentiments are exactly right that we have to provide equal rights for gays and lesbians in this country, and I have consistently fought for that. I was a co-sponsor of the human rights ordinance in Illinois that eliminated discrimination on the job, in housing and other areas for gays and lesbians in Illinois. I have championed every single piece of legislation that would expand the same rights to gays and lesbians. I have not said that I was a supporter of gay marriage, but I am a strong supporter of civil unions, and I would, as president, make absolutely certain that all federal laws pertaining to married couples--benefits pertaining to married couples are conferred to people who--same sex couples who have civil unions as well.

MR. RUSSERT: And yet you had a group of supporters on a Bible tour in South Carolina headed by a singer called Donnie McClurkin...

SEN. OBAMA: Mm-hmm.

MR. RUSSERT: ...who said that homosexuality was a curse and that he had been cured by prayer. Do you believe homosexuality's a curse?

SEN. OBAMA: No.

MR. RUSSERT: Do you believe that it is something that you are born gay and that--or that you can change your behavior?

SEN. OBAMA: I do not believe being gay or lesbian is a choice. And so I disagree with Reverend McClurkin. But understand, Tim, part of what I hope to offer as president is the ability to reach to people that I don't agree with, and the evangelical community is one where the Democratic Party, I think, we have generally seen as hostile. We haven't been reaching out to them, and I think that if we're going to makes significant progress on critical issues that we face, whether it's education or healthcare or energy or our foreign policy in this country, we've got to be able to get beyond our comfort zones and just talk to people we don't like. And--or just talk to people we like, or people that we agree with on every single issue. And so when I--one of the things that I've tried to do is to reach out to the evangelical community and tell them very clearly where I disagree. I've talked to African-American ministers. There's a problem of homophobia in the African-American community. I will go into churches, I will go into meetings with ministers and say, "I disagree with you on these issues. This is not how I interpret my faith." But the fact that we're having a conversation, I think, allows the possibly that I will change their minds, make them more tolerant of these issues. They may not agree with me on this, but ultimately, it allows me to bridge some of the cultural divisions that have, I think, prevented us from making progress in this country for so long.

Senator Obama in The Advocate

Alex Okrent, Louisiana Field Director — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 23:26:34 EST

Senator Obama sat down recently with Kerry Eleveld of the Advocate, one of the most respected and widely-circulated LGBT publications in the country. The full text of the interview can be found here.

Let us know what you think about the Senator's answers in the comments section.

A Call for Full Equality

Alex Okrent, Louisiana Field Director — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 22:50:54 EST

Senator Obama penned an op-ed circulated around the country this week, expressing his views on full equality for members of the LGBT Community.

A Call for Full Equality

by Barack Obama

Over the last several weeks, the question of LGBT equality was placed on center stage by the appearance of Donnie McClurkin at one of my campaign events. McClurkin is a talented performer and a beloved figure among many African Americans and Christians around the country. At the same time, he espouses beliefs about homosexuality that I completely reject.

(Continue reading below the jump)

"Barack's Friday Project" were raising MILLIONS FOR OBAMA to show we are FIRED UP + READY TO GO

Danielle Clarke USA Vietnam Vet — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 13:48:39 EST

Hello Team,

Barack has given us Hope - Now it is time to give something back!

Barack Obama has hundreds of thousands of people that have contributed to his campaign thus far. Imagine if 100,000 of them all contributed on one day - or even more than that.. What if we could raise 5 or 10 million dollars in one day?

Imagine if on November 15th Barack has an amazing showing in the next debate. With all of the news stations covering his performance, then we raise this unprecedented amount - making all the headlines around the country.

With a good debate and an unprecedented raising of funds all in one day, it could be enough to propel Barack to the presidency. We could begin the process of restoring unity in our country. Most of all, we can restore Hope.

On November 16th, 2007, or what now is known as "Barack's Friday" contribute every dollar you can. More importantly, forward this information to all of your friends and relatives. Make your voice heard!

I know it is a stretch goal for most of us.

Not an impossible one, but certainly audacious.

Grassroots at Work

Joint Letter from the African American Religious and LGBT Leadership Teams

Alex Okrent, Louisiana Field Director — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 15:44:20 EDT

African American Religious and LGBT Leaders

Call for Communities to Find Common Ground

CHICAGO, IL- Obama supporters and leaders in the LGBT and African American faith communities released the following letter today calling on members of their communities to come together to find common ground.

To Whom It May Concern:

As representatives of Barack Obama supporters from the African American religious community and the gay community, we are issuing a statement together for the first time. Our letter addresses the recent issue of Pastor Donnie McClurkin singing at Senator Obama’s “Embrace the Change” concert series. In the midst of division, we hope and believe that this is a moment to bring together communities that have been divided for far too long.

A few things are clear.

First, Pastor McClurkin believes and has stated things about sexual orientation that are deeply hurtful and offensive to many Americans, most especially to gay Americans. This cannot and should not be denied.

At the same time, a great many African Americans share Pastor McClurkin’s beliefs. This also cannot be ignored.

Finally, we believe that the only way for these two sides to find common ground is to do so together.

Not at arms length. Not in a war of words with press and pundits. Only together.

It is clear that Barack Obama is the only candidate who has made bringing these two often disparate groups together a goal. In gatherings of LGBT Americans and African Americans of faith, Obama has stated that all individuals should be afforded full civil rights regardless of their sexual orientation, and that homophobia must be eradicated in every corner of our nation. If we are to end homophobia and secure full civil rights for gay Americans, then we need an advocate within the Black community like Barack Obama.

At the same time, while Obama has said that he "strongly disagrees" with Pastor McClurkin's comments, he will not exclude from his campaign the many Americans including many in the African American community who believe the same as Pastor McClurkin.

We believe that Barack Obama is constructing a tent big enough for LGBT Americans who know that their sexual orientation is an innate and treasured part of their being, and for African American ministers and citizens who believe that their religion prevents them from fully embracing their gay brothers and sisters. And if we are to confront our shared challenges we have to join together, build on common ground, and engage in a civil dialogue even when we disagree.

We also ask Senator Obama’s critics to consider the alternatives. Would we prefer a candidate who ignores the realities in the African American community and cuts off millions of Blacks who believe things offensive to many Americans? Or a panderer who tells African Americans what they want to hear, at the expense of our gay brothers and sisters? Or would we rather stand with Barack Obama, who speaks truth in love to both sides, pulling no punches but foreclosing no opportunities to engage?

We stand with Senator Obama. We stand with him because of the solutions he is proposing for our nation. We stand with him because of his character and his judgment. But the most important reason we stand with him is because today, as he has done all along, Barack Obama is causing us to stand together.

That's the kind of President we need, and we are proud to support him.

Sincerely,

Rev. Dr. Otis Moss, Jr.

Olivet Institutional Baptist Church

Chair, Obama National African American Religious Leaders Working Group

Cleveland, Ohio

Stampp Corbin

Chair, Obama National LGBT Leadership Council

Former Member of Human Rights Campaign Board of Directors

Columbus, Ohio

Tobias Barrington Wolff

Chair, Obama LGBT Policy Committee

Professor of Law, University of Pennsylvania Law School

Philadelphia, PA

The Reverend Stephen John Thurston

President

National Baptist Convention of America

Chicago, IL

The Reverend Alvin Love

President

Baptist General State Convention of Illinois, Inc.

Bishop E. Earl McCloud, Jr.

Office of Ecumenical & Urban Affairs

African Methodist Episcopal Church

Atlanta, GA

Steven Latasa-Nicks

President, The Phelon Group, Inc.

Former Human Rights Campaign Board of Governors

New York, NY

Maxim Thorne

Former COO, Human Rights Campaign

Paterson, NJ

Phil Burgess

Former Human Rights Campaign Board of Directors

Chicago, IL

Rev. Dr. Barbara Williams-Skinner

Skinner Leadership Institute

Tracy’s Landing, MD

Rev. Michael Pfleger

St. Sabina, Chicago

Rev. Edward Taylor

San Jose, CA

The Reverend Robert H. Thompson

Exeter, NH

Sharon Malheiro

LGBT Activist

Des Moines, IA

Hon. Jon Cooper

Majority Leader, Suffolk County (NY) Legislature

Rev. Paul Hobson Sadler, Sr., Pastor

Mt. Zion Congregational UCC

Reflexionar sobre la importancia de un candidato presidencial Barack Obama victoria en el 2008 es para usted

EsquireUK — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 11:08:23 EDT

Estimado candidato presidencial Barack Obama defensor!

Si hay sido un día que demuestra la importancia de la victoria en el año 2008 se ha convertido, que es hoy.

A pesar de un amplio esfuerzo bipartidaria en el Congreso, George Bush de vetar el State Children's Health Insurance Program permanece en el lugar. Este presidente y sus leales en el Congreso han hecho lo impensable, el recorte de millones de niños de América del servicios básicos de asistencia sanitaria que necesitan.

Usted se puso de pie y lucharon, los demócratas en el Congreso se puso de pie y lucharon, pero sólo no tienen los números para anular el veto.

Puede estar enojada ahora -- estoy seguro --, pero que no gana ninguna elección. Mientras que el que está en juego es tan claro, pensar en la importancia de un candidato presidencial Barack Obama victoria en el 2008 es de ustedes, y nos ayude a llegar allí. Cada uno de los candidatos a presidente republicano apoya este veto. Haremos sentir el dolor de esta en las urnas, pero tenemos trabajo que hacer

Olvídese de "swing de los votantes" -- incluso acérrimos republicanos están huyendo de su partido. Ayer, el Washington Post informó de que más de una tercera parte del Presidente Bush del más grande de fondos aún no han sido para apoyar a un candidato en las primarias de su partido. Como uno Pioneer Bush dijo que "no sólo estoy satisfecho con la dirección de nuestro partido. Creo que tenemos un enorme problema de credibilidad, que no he visto ninguno de los candidatos demostrar su capacidad de elevarse por encima. "
Todos los días los republicanos están enfermos de su partido tomar decisiones que no haría -- puede culparlos?

Mientras que el Partido Republicano está llegando además, nuestro partido es la inversión en infraestructura y desarrollo comunitario. No vamos a perder una oportunidad única para consolidar una posición de fuerza y llegar a zonas que los demócratas ignorado durante décadas.

Estoy seguro de que nuestro cambio de cuenta a los voluntarios y simpatizantes de base en toda América dará candidato presidencial Barack Obama `s organizadores sobre el terreno las herramientas que necesitan para orientar áreas clave y salir de la votación en el Día de las Elecciones.

Llegado el día de las elecciones, no podemos dejar nada allí sobre el terreno. Intensificar y hacer su parte por la donación de $ 15, $ 25, $ 50 o más:

Contribuir hoy a: www.barackobama.com
George Bush puede gloating hoy, pero no estamos para caer. El Partido Republicano es alienar cada vez más norteamericanos que no pueden soportar su reducción, crueles programa.

Estamos construyendo una sorprendente y eficaz circulación, y el candidato presidencial Barack Obama necesita de tu ayuda. Cambio de cuenta regresiva está llegando a más y más estadounidenses que están dispuestos a luchar -- y votar -- por algo mejor.

Por favor, haga lo que pueda para ayudar a los candidatos presidenciales Barack Obama hoy.

Muchas gracias!

Raphael Holoman - Franklin
Barack Obama candidato presidencial partidario

Haga su donación en línea
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Presidential Candidate Barack Obama: Turn The Page On The Bitterness And Bigotry That Fill So Much Of Today's LGBT Rights Debate

EsquireUK — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 08:51:55 EDT

Obama Statement on Pride Month| June 01, 2007

CHICAGO , IL-- U.S. Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) today released the following statement to commemorate Pride Month.

"Pride Month is a reminder that while we have come a long way since the Stonewall riots in 1969, we still have a lot of work to do."

"Too often, the issue of LGBT rights is exploited by those seeking to divide us. But at its core, this issue is about who we are as Americans. It's about whether this nation is going to live up to its founding promise of equality by treating all its citizens with dignity and respect."

"It's time to turn the page on the bitterness and bigotry that fill so much of today's LGBT rights debate. The rights of all Americans should be protected -- whether it's at work or anyplace else. "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" needs to be repealed because patriotism and a sense of duty should be the key tests for military service, not sexual orientation. Civil unions should give gay couples full rights. And those who commit hate crimes should be punished no matter whether those crimes are committed on account of race, religion, gender identity, or sexual orientation."

"This Pride Month, let's make our founding promise of equality a reality for every American."

Statement on Reverend Donnie McClurkin

Alex Okrent, Louisiana Field Director — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 19:40:28 EDT

Statement on Rev. McClurkin

"I have clearly stated my belief that gays and lesbians are our brothers and sisters and should be provided the respect, dignity, and rights of all other citizens. I have consistently spoken directly to African-American religious leaders about the need to overcome the homophobia that persists in some parts of our community so that we can confront issues like HIV/AIDS and broaden the reach of equal rights in this country.

I strongly believe that African Americans and the LGBT community must stand together in the fight for equal rights. And so I strongly disagree with Reverend McClurkin's views and will continue to fight for these rights as President of the United States to ensure that America is a country that spreads tolerance instead of division."

~ Barack Obama
10/22/07

Presidential Candidate Barack Obama: New York City Area Visit: Don`t Miss The Chance To See The Next President of The United States

EsquireUK — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 11:29:34 EDT

If you missed Senator Obama the last time he paid the
Big Apple a visit, here's your chance to see the next
President of the United States.

On Monday, October 22nd, Senator Obama will be at the
New Jersey Performing Arts Center, Prudential Hall,
One Center St., Newark, NJ.

Doors open at 4:15 p.m. Tickets are $25 or $15 for
students.

Just a PATH train away ...

RSVP Here:

https://donate.barackobama.com/page/contribute/C2CNJ?source=eventcenter

TELL YOUR FRIENDS & FAMILY!!!

Presidential Candidate Barack Obama Connects With Latino Voters In Los Angeles

EsquireUK — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 01:19:28 EDT

Obama courts Latino voters in L.A.L.A. Times | October 21, 2007

By Cathleen Decker

Barack Obama dived into California's most contentious policy debates Saturday at an East Los Angeles appearance where he defended immigration reform and affirmative action and criticized Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's veto of a measure to extend college scholarships to students in the country illegally.

"That was wrong," the Illinois senator and Democratic presidential candidate told several hundred gathered at Garfield High School. "Instead of driving thousands of children who were on the right path into the shadows, we need to give those who play by the rules the opportunity to succeed."

Later, during a question-and-answer session, he returned to the topic, declaring that if a student had been brought to this country illegally but had been going to school "like every other American child, it is cruel and stupid for us to suddenly say to them: 'We're not going to give you college scholarships. We're not going to let you finance your college education.' "

Schwarzenegger vetoed SB 1, the California Dream Act, on Oct. 13, saying that the Cal Grant financial aid program and community college fee waivers should be for legal residents, not illegal immigrant students.

Schwarzenegger's office did not respond to Obama's remarks.

On the broader topic of immigration, Obama reiterated his support for a comprehensive plan that would have tightened border security but given a pathway to citizenship for the millions already in the country illegally.

"When people say, 'Oh, send 'em all back' -- we're not sending them all back," he said. "People aren't telling the truth. We would have to use all our law enforcement resources. We couldn't go after gang bangers, we couldn't go after auto theft. We'd have to use every single law enforcement officer to go around and round up folks who are working at restaurants."

He said that he would work to diversify the nation's schools despite court rulings that have curbed affirmative action. California fought its own battle over affirmative action in 1996, with voters siding with an initiative that banned preferential treatment based on race or ethnicity in public programs.

"Diversity is not the enemy of excellence, it is the engine of excellence," he said. "I am a strong believer in diversity, and affirmative action is one tool to help achieve that."

Obama came to California behind in the polls and in statewide fundraising, both key measures of support leading up to the Feb. 5 primary. For months, he has been laboring against the strong lead of New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, whose courtship of the state began during her husband's 1992 presidential campaign. As if to sharpen the point, the Clinton campaign let loose Friday with a memo from her pollster -- "How Hillary Will Win the West" -- that noted her strong leads among Latinos and women, who form the bulk of the state's Democratic voters.

Obama alluded to his status in the race as he urged the audience to join his campaign.

"There are a lot of people now who are saying, 'Oh, you know what? Hillary Clinton, she's so far ahead. Obama, he's nice but that's not going to happen.' Let me tell you something. First of all, when you're 46, you're black and your name is Barack Obama, you're always the underdog," he said, laughing. "So nobody expected that this would be easy."

Saturday's public event -- wedged between three private fundraisers -- was intended to give the candidate time to discuss dropout rates and the problems facing inner-city schools. Garfield High was portrayed in the movie "Stand and Deliver," which chronicled the passionate efforts of calculus teacher Jaime Escalante to inspire his students. Obama wedged a reference to the movie into his remarks, though it came out as "stand up and deliver."

Yet it was not so much education as the Iraq war and immigration that drew the most energetic responses from the invitation-only crowd of high school students, their parents and members of community organizations.

Perhaps the loudest cheer came when one woman asked whether it would be possible to hold President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney "accountable for the war."

"You can applaud the fact that they are leaving; they are not on the ballot," Obama said, before adding that an impeachment "would be counterproductive" because the 2008 election is not far away.

He used the question to take a swipe at Clinton's recent vote for a resolution that labeled the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, a government-sponsored military organization, a terrorist group. Obama, who was absent but has said that he would have voted against it, has contended that it would make it easier for Bush to attack Iran.

"We've got to have leaders who are willing to say: 'Don't start another war with Iran when we're not finished [in Iraq and Afghanistan],' " he said.

In remarks that preceded the more relaxed question-and-answer session, Obama said as president he would institute an urban bank modeled after the World Bank to fund inner-city development, would press for affordable housing, and would back programs to help middle-school students improve their standing.

Noting that Latinos and African Americans have higher dropout rates, he said that the problem would expand to affect everyone as the workforce became dominated by those groups.

"How do we expect to continue to compete in the world?" he asked. "We teach our children that in America if you dream big and you work hard, you will fly. . . . We need to keep that promise to every single child in America."

Read the full article from The L.A. Times

Presidential Candidate Barack Obama Plans New Jersey Campaign Stop

EsquireUK — Sun, 21 Oct 2007 18:15:04 EDT

Obama plans N.J. campaign stop9:46 AM EDT, October 21, 2007 NEWARK, N.J. (AP) _ Presidential contender Barack Obama hopes to begin chipping away at his chief Democratic rival's double-digit lead in New Jersey polls when he brings his grassroots campaign to Newark on Monday.

The Illinois senator will host a low-budget fundraiser, "Countdown to Change," designed to enlist average citizens as supporters. Tickets for the event at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center are $15 for students and seniors, $25 general admission.

Obama is running a distant second to Democratic front-runner Hillary Rodham Clinton in both vote-getting and fundraising in New Jersey.

The most recent Quinnipiac University poll, taken in October, had Obama with 20 percent, compared to Clinton's 46 percent.

The Obama campaign says it would be a mistake to put too much stock in early polls because Clinton enjoys broader name recognition than Obama.

"We're thrilled about our prospects in New Jersey," said Mark Alexander, the newly named state director of Obama's New Jersey campaign.

Obama raised $368,590 from New Jerseyans in the three months ending in September, compared with $1.14 million raised by Clinton in the same period here. In total, New Jersey supporters have donated $1.8 million to Obama, compared with $3.5 million for Clinton.

Prominent New Jersey Democrats are divided over which Democrat to support. Gov. Jon S. Corzine has thrown his support behind Clinton, a former U.S. Senate colleague. State Senate President Richard Codey supports former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards, while Newark Mayor Cory Booker, who will introduce Obama Monday, endorsed him in May as did Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy.

Obama and Booker have been linked by some as representing a new generation of black leaders.

Today is National Coming Out Day

Alex Okrent, Louisiana Field Director — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 12:42:29 EDT

In 1988, Dr. Robert Eichberg and Jean O’Leary celebrated the first National Coming Out Day, in honor of an historic march for gay and lesbian rights DC one year earlier. Since then, October 11th has been a day for members of the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender community, along with their allies, to speak openly about their sexuality and encourage others to do so as well.

In honor of National Coming Out Day, Senator Obama today released the following statement:

(continue reading)

Presidential Candidate Barack Obama: Quality Affordable Health Care for All Americans

EsquireUK — Sat, 06 Oct 2007 12:59:12 EDT

Quality Affordable Health Care for All
by the End of Barack Obama's First Term in OfficeObama's Plan for a Healthy America

David Cutler Describes Obama Health Plan

"I...believe that every American has the right to affordable health care. I believe that the millions of Americans who can't take their children to a doctor when they get sick have that right...We now face an opportunity - and an obligation - to turn the page on the failed politics of yesterday's health care debates. It's time to bring together businesses, the medical community, and members of both parties around a comprehensive solution to this crisis, and it's time to let the drug and insurance industries know that while they'll get a seat at the table, they don't get to buy every chair."

-Barack Obama, Speech in Iowa City, IA, 5/27/07

The U.S. spends $2 trillion on health care every year, and offers the best medical technology and scientific research in the world. Yet, the benefits of the American health care system come at a price that an increasing number of individuals and families, employers and employees, and public and private providers cannot afford.

Barack Obama discusses healthcare, and the personal story of one of his supporters in Iowa City on May 29, 2007.; Barack; Healthcare; Obama; iowa; http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid960399001 http://www.brightcove.com/channel.jsp?channel=353512430

47 million Americans - including nearly 9 million children - lack health insurance.

Health care costs are skyrocketing. Health insurance premiums have risen four times faster than wages over the past six years. Lack of affordable health care is compounded by serious flaws in our health care delivery system. About 100,000 Americans die from medical errors in hospitals every year.

Too little is spent on prevention and public health. The nation faces epidemics of obesity and chronic diseases as well as new threats of pandemic flu and bioterrorism. Yet, despite all of this, less than four cents of every health care dollar is spent on prevention and public health.

Barack Obama's Plan for a Healthy America:Lowering health care costs and ensuring affordable, high-quality health care for all

Pauline Taylor, 55, a nurse who lives in Iowa City and is a member of SEIU Local 199, a health care workers' union, [said], "He touched on all the highlight"s...(Obama's plan) is wonderful." Taylor said she liked the emphasis on preventative care and getting more generic medications on the market. A nurse for 33 years, Taylor said she has seen what happens when medical conditions go unchecked for years. "People will not put off going to the doctor for so long," she said.

-Iowa City Press Citizen 5/30/07

Barack Obama believes we live in the greatest country in the world and that when it comes to health care, America can and must do better. The Obama plan will save a typical American family up to $2,500 every year on premiums by:

Providing affordable, comprehensive and portable health coverage for every American;
Modernizing the U.S. health care system to contain spiraling health care costs and improve the quality of patient care; and
Promoting prevention and strengthening public health to prevent disease and protect against natural and man-made disasters.

Quality, Affordable & Portable Health Coverage for All

Douglas Davis, an emergency room technician for the University of Iowa hospitals, said he believes Obama's plan gives hope to families. "I believe it's achievable but the most important thing I'm taking from the plan is the security for families," Davis said. "We can't idly sit by and let families take the burden when you have corporations making" billions of dollars.

-Des Moines Register (as reprinted on USAToday.com), 5/29/07

The Obama plan both builds upon and improves our current insurance system, upon which most Americans continue to rely, and leaves Medicare intact for older and disabled Americans.

1. Obama's Plan to Cover the Uninsured. Obama will create a new national health plan to allow individuals without access to affordable insurance coverage to buy coverage similar to that available to members of Congress. The Obama plan will have:

Guaranteed eligibility. No American will be turned away from any insurance plan because of illness or pre-existing conditions.
Comprehensive benefits. The benefit package will be similar to the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP), and cover all essential medical services, including preventive, maternity and mental health care.
Affordable premiums, co-pays and deductibles.
Subsidies. Individuals who do not qualify for Medicaid or SCHIP but still need assistance will receive an income-related federal subsidy to buy into the new public plan or purchase a private health care plan.
Simplifying paperwork and reining in health costs.
Easy enrollment. The new public plan will be simple to enroll in and provide ready access to coverage.
Portability and choice. Participants in the new public plan and the National Health Insurance Exchange (see below) will be able to move from job to job without changing their health care coverage.
Quality and efficiency. Participating insurance companies will be required to collect and report data to ensure that standards for quality, health information technology and administration are being met.

2. National Health Insurance Exchange. Obama will create a National Health Insurance Exchange to help individuals who wish to purchase private insurance. The Exchange will act as a watchdog group and help reform the private insurance market by creating rules and standards for participating insurance plans to ensure fairness and to make individual coverage more affordable and accessible. Insurers would have to issue every applicant a policy, and charge fair and stable premiums. The Exchange will require benefits comparable to those offered in the new public plan. Insurers would be required to justify an above-average premium increase. The Exchange would evaluate plans and provide information about differences between them.

3. Employer Contribution. Employers that do not offer or make a meaningful contribution to the cost of quality health coverage for their employees will be required to contribute a percentage of payroll toward the costs of the national plan. Small employers that meet certain revenue thresholds will be exempt.

4. Mandatory Coverage of Children. Obama will require that all children have health care coverage.

5. Expansion of Medicaid and SCHIP. Obama will expand eligibility for Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program.

6. Flexibility for State Plans. Obama's plan allows states to continue innovating on health care reform.

Modernizing the U.S. Health Care System to Lower Costs and Improve Quality

Achieving universal coverage has long been a goal of Democratic presidential hopefuls. But Obama's emphasis on cost savings is bound to appeal to people who have insurance but still have seen their costs skyrocket... If Obama's plan helped a little it would mean a lot to her family and many others, Amy . . . said. "There are lots of factors that play into our success or failure, but in our case, the high cost of health insurance premiums is really dragging our family down," said [Amy]... "The month-to-month cost of the premiums is out of balance with the reality of our income. If we could have just a little help, if it could be reduced just a little, it would really help."

-Quad City Times, 5/29/07

1. Reducing Costs of Catastrophic Illnesses for Employers and their Employees. Catastrophic health expenditures account for a high percentage of medical expenses for private insurers. The Obama plan would reimburse employer health plans for a portion of the catastrophic costs they incur above a threshold if they guarantee such savings are used to reduce the cost of workers' premiums.

2. Lowering Costs by Ensuring Patients Receive and Providers Deliver Quality Care.

Helping Patients

Support disease management programs. Seventy five percent of total health care dollars are spent on patients with one or more chronic conditions, such as diabetes, heart disease, and high blood pressure. Obama will require that providers that participate in the new public plan, Medicare or the Federal Employee Health Benefits Program (FEHBP) utilize proven disease management programs.
Coordinate and integrate care. Over 133 million Americans have at least one chronic disease and these chronic conditions cost a staggering $1.7 trillion yearly. More than half of Americans with serious chronic conditions have multiple physicians, leading to duplicate testing and conflicting treatments. Obama will support greater integration and coordination of care for those with chronic conditions.
Require full transparency about quality and costs. Obama will build on his efforts in the U.S. Senate and Illinois State Senate to ensure that patients receive accurate information about hospital and provider quality. Obama will require hospitals and providers to collect and publicly report measures of health care costs and quality, including data on preventable medical errors, nurse staffing ratios, hospital-acquired infections, and disparities in care.

Ensuring Providers Deliver Quality Care

Promoting patient safety. Obama will require providers to report preventable medical errors, and support hospital and physician practice improvement to prevent future occurrences.
Aligning incentives for excellence. Both public and private insurers tend to pay providers based on the volume of services provided, rather than the quality or effectiveness of care. Providers who see patients enrolled in the new public plan, the National Health Insurance Exchange, Medicare and FEHBP will be rewarded for achieving performance thresholds on outcome measures.
Comparative effectiveness research. Obama will establish an independent institute to guide reviews and research on comparative effectiveness, so that Americans and their doctors will have the accurate and objective information they need to make the best decisions for their health and well-being.
Harnessing the power of genetic medicine. Genomics has the potential to revolutionize the practice of medicine, but despite significant scientific advances, very few genomics-based tests or treatments have reached consumers. As President, Obama has a plan to overcome the scientific barriers, adverse market pressures, and outdated federal regulations that have stood in the way of better medicine.
Tackling disparities in health care. As a United States Senator, Barack Obama has fought to maintain funding for the Centers of Excellence in Women's Health at the Department of Health and Human Services and helped spearhead legislative efforts to address gender and ethnic health disparities. As President, Obama will continue to challenge the medical system to eliminate inequities in health care through quality measurement and reporting, implementation of effective interventions such as patient navigation programs, and diversification of the health workforce.
Reforming medical malpractice. Obama will strengthen antitrust laws to prevent insurers from overcharging physicians for their malpractice insurance, and will promote new models for addressing physician errors that improve patient safety, strengthen the doctor-patient relationship, and reduce the need for malpractice suits.

3. Lowering Costs through Investment in Electronic Health Information Technology Systems. Obama will invest $10 billion over five years to move the U.S. health care system to broad adoption of standards-based electronic health information systems. Obama will ensure that patients' privacy is protected.

4. Lowering Costs by Increasing Competition in the Insurance and Drug Markets.

Increasing competition. The insurance business today is dominated by a small group of large companies that has been gobbling up their rivals. Obama will prevent companies from abusing their monopoly power through unjustified price increases and force insurers to spend more funds on patient care instead of keeping exorbitant amounts for profits and administration.
Lowering prescription drug costs. Pharmaceutical companies are selling the exact same drugs in Europe and Canada but charging Americans more than double the price. Obama will allow Americans to buy cheaper medicines from other developed countries if the drugs are safe. Obama will also repeal the ban that prevents the government from negotiating with drug companies for the Medicare prescription drug benefit, which could result in savings as high as $30 billion. Finally, Obama will work to increase the use of generic drugs in federal benefits programs and prohibit drug companies from keeping generics out of markets.

On Tuesday in Iowa City, U.S. Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois, a Democrat, announced his [health care plan]... one aspect is particularly noteworthy: It includes limits on the profits of private-sector health-care businesses. He believes that's the right move for consumers, but it risks offending some powerful interests. He did it anyway. That tells voters something important about him.

-Editorial, Des Moines Register, 6/1/07

Promoting Prevention and Strengthening Public Health

Obama's emphasis on reducing waste and inefficiencies and increasing spending on prevention appealed to Dr. George Weiner, director of the Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center at UI. The cost of providing health care to those without insurance often is more expensive than prevention would have been, he said. "I'm excited about his plan and others," Weiner said. "The time is right for universal health care."

-Cedar Rapids Gazette, 5/29/07

Barack Obama believes that protecting and promoting health and wellness in this nation is a shared responsibility among individuals and families, school systems, employers, the medical and public health workforce, and federal, state, and local governments.

1. Employers. An increasing number of employers are offering worksite health promotion programs and insurance plans that cover preventive services. Obama will support and expand these important efforts.

2. School Systems. Obama will work with schools to create more healthful environments for children. He will work to get junk food out of vending machines in schools and improve nutritional content of lunches through financial incentives, increase grant support for physical education, expand federal reimbursement for school-based health services, and provide grants for health educational programs for students.

3. Workforce. Obama will expand funding - including loan repayment, adequate reimbursement, grants for training curricula, and infrastructure support to improve working conditions - to ensure a strong workforce that will champion prevention and public health activities.

4. Individuals and Families. The way Americans live, eat, work, and play have real implications for their health and wellness. The Obama health plan will require coverage of essential clinical preventive services such as cancer screenings and smoking cessation programs in all federally supported health plans. Obama will also increase funding to expand proven community-based preventive interventions.

5. Federal, State and Local Governments. Governments at all levels should develop a national and regional strategy for public health that includes funding mechanisms for implementation. Senator Obama also supports greater organization of the 3,000 health departments in this nation and supports collaborative arrangements between government and the private sector. The Obama plan will also force government to examine its own policies, including agricultural, educational, and environmental policies, to assess and improve their effect on public health in this nation. As president, Barack Obama will prioritize these activities to strengthen prevention and public health, as well as fight for the following initiatives:

Fight AIDS Worldwide. There are 40 million people across the planet infected with HIV/AIDS. As president, Obama will continue to be a global leader in the fight against AIDS. Obama believes in working across party lines to combat this epidemic and recently joined Senator Sam Brownback (R-KS) at a large California evangelical church to promote greater investment in the global AIDS battle.
Improve Mental Health Care. Mental illness affects approximately one in five American families. The National Alliance on Mental Illness estimates that untreated mental illnesses cost the U.S. more than $100 billion per year. As president, Obama will support mental health parity so that coverage for serious mental illnesses are provided on the same terms and conditions as other illnesses and diseases.
Protect Our Children from Lead Poisoning. More than 430,000 American children have dangerously high levels of lead in their blood. Lead can cause irreversible brain damage, learning disabilities, behavioral problems, and, at very high levels, seizures, coma and death. As president, Obama will protect children from lead poisoning by requiring that child care facilities be lead-safe within five years.
Reduce Risks of Mercury Pollution. More than five million women of childbearing age have high levels of toxic mercury in their blood, and approximately 630,000 newborns are born at risk every year. Barack Obama has a plan to significantly reduce the amount of mercury that is deposited in oceans, lakes, and rivers, which in turn would reduce the amount of mercury in fish.
Support Americans with Autism. More than one million Americans have autism, a complex neurobiological condition that has a range of impacts on thinking, feeling, language, and the ability to relate to others. As diagnostic criteria broaden and awareness increases, more cases of autism have been recognized across the country. Barack Obama believes that we can do more to help autistic Americans and their families understand and live with autism. He has been a strong supporter of more than $1 billion in federal funding for autism research on the root causes and treatments, and he believes that we should increase funding for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act to truly ensure that no child is left behind.

More than anything, autism remains a profound mystery with a broad spectrum of effects on autistic individuals, their families, loved ones, the community, and education and health care systems. Obama believes that the government and our communities should work together to provide a helping hand to autistic individuals and their families.

Barack Obama Wants to Hear Your Ideas on Health Care

Share your voice on these issues by using our MyPolicy tools. With the help of your insight, Barack will further develop his health care plan to take into account our common experiences and build the political momentum to enact real reform.

This blog is devoted to fostering an open, meaningful discussion of health care policy issues and your health care stories. It is provided to help you collaborate with others across the nation to define and refine the best ideas for the future of health care policy. Your ideas will help shape the debate and our vision.

This discussion represents YOUR views and is not an expression of the positions of Barack Obama or the campaign. All are welcome to participate. We ask only that participants show consideration and respect for each other.

Presidential Candidate Barack Obama For America

EsquireUK — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 17:26:45 EDT

Dear Barack Obama Supporters!

BarackObama.com/NYC

Join us in New York City today for a free public rally:
BarackObama.com/Match

Double your impact by making a matched donation now: Today, thousands of supporters are coming together in New York City now for a free public rally with Presidential Candidate Barack Obama.

This is your last chance to RSVP and join people from all over New York and across the country at this historic event.

Here are the details:

Barack in NYC
Washington Square Park
September 27, 2007
Gates open at 4:30 p.m.

http://my.barackobama.com/nyc

If you can't make it to the event today, you can still play an important role in what's happening. Help grow our movement by sending an invitation to your family and friends in the New York City area:

http://my.barackobama.com/nycinvite

Spread the word about the rally in your community by downloading posters and other organizing materials:

http://my.barackobama.com/nycorganize

And remember to check in on BarackObama.com

Thank you very much for your support!!!

Raphael Holoman-Franklin

Supporter for Presidential Candidate Barack Obama

P.S. -- We're just a few days away from a fundraising deadline that will shape this race for the rest of the year. If you donate now, a fellow supporter will match your donation and double your impact. Take the next step and own a piece of this campaign:

https://donate.barackobama.com /match

Join Presidential Candidate Barack Obama in NYC

EsquireUK — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 17:42:21 EDT

Join Presidential Candidate Barack Obama in New York City on September 27, 2007 Washington Square Park Gates open at 5:00 p.m. Kindly RSVP to let us know you're coming and get a rapid-entry pass NYC Rally with Presidential Candidate Barack Obama.

September 27, 2007
Washington Square Park
Gates open at 5:00 pm
RSVP here: http://my.barackobama.com/nyc

For event updates: Text NYC to OBAMA (62262)

Of all the people in the country supporting this campaign, our New York area supporters have been among the proudest and best organized.

We've had these rallies across the country, and it's not just the number of supporters who turn out that's inspiring. It's the individual people and stories behind those numbers.

They're young and old, black and white, Latino, Asian, and Native American. They're Democrats and Independents and more than a few Republicans. Many are showing up to the very first political event of their lifetime.

RSVP now and spread the word about the rally:

http://my.barackobama.com/nyc

The conventional thinking in Washington tells us that we're a country divided into red states and blue states; that we're doomed to fight the same tired partisan battles over and over again. They tell us we can't come together to take on big challenges like health care, or energy, or education; that we can't agree on what America should be, so we might as well settle for the way America is right now.

But these crowds tell me something else. They tell me that when it comes to what's wrong with this country, the American people are not the problem. The American people are the answer.

RESPONSE from CitzenCrain on my => UPDATE on UAFA + Obama's LGBT office // question at LOGOONLINE

Danielle Clarke USA Vietnam Vet — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 14:49:35 EDT

I wrote the following blog on the 6th of september

http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/danielleclarke/Ccnr

and got back the following response which Chris now ask Hillary the same question.

http://citizenchris.typepad.com/citizenchris/2007/09/obama-and-gay-i.htmlSeptember 06, 2007
Obama and gay immigration rights

Score another blow for readers of this blog.

First there was Christopher Hubble, who reacted to a complimentary post I'd written about Bill Richardson by dredging up his "maricón moment" on the Don Imus show a year earlier.

That resulted in a story on Gay News Watch that was a first important hint that the New Mexico governor's record on gay rights was more impressive than his command of gay issues.

Now Danielle Clark, a Barack Obama supporter, has done some sleuthing that sheds important light on her candidate's qualified support for gay couple immigration rights. She came across a couple of posts I wrote back in June about how both Obama and Clinton were hedging their support for the Uniting American Families Act, which would extend to gay Americans the same rights straight folks have to sponsor their spouses for citizenship.The Human Rights Campaign candidate "scorecard" showed both Obama and Clinton supporting immigration rights for binational couples even though neither had signed on to cosponsor UAFA. It turns out that both of them, in their more detailed responses to the HRC questionnaire, had raised concerns about the risk of fraud under UAFA as written.

When I wrote a less-than-complimentary second post tracking Obama's evolution on the issue, in which he showed sympathy but not full-fledged support, Danielle had had enough.She fired off an email to the Obama campaign asking for clarification and got this, rather detailed reply

:Danielle-Barack believes that LGBT Americans with partners from other countries should not be faced with a choice between staying with their partner and staying in their country. That's why he supports changing immigration policy through the Uniting American Families Act. He does, however, have some reservations about the fraud provisions of the present bill.Precisely because same-sex couples are not allowed to enter into civil unions, domestic partnerships, or other legally-recognized unions throughout the country, he believes we need to make sure that we have adequate safeguards against fraud.He wants to make sure that immigration is possible for a partner in committed relationships, but he also wants to make sure there is a good mechanism for determining who qualifies for that status. He would like to see the Act get more specific with regards to defining 'financial interdependence' and the documentation required as proof in order to establish relationships -- which could very well happen once the bill reaches the Senate floor.Hope this helps clarify

.Alex

Actually, Alex and Danielle, this does help clarify quite a bit. The Obama camp is right that merely extending immigration rights to gay Americans doesn't level the playing field because heterosexuals are required to marry (or at least be engaged) to the non-American to sponsor him/her for citizenship. As Alex rightly suggests, gay Americans can't enter into that level of commitment because few states have marriage or civil unions for gay couples, and the Defense of Marriage Act (signed by Mr. Hillary Clinton) blocks federal recognition of gay marriages anyway.So that makes the fraud provisions of UAFA that much more important. Even though it's unfair we can't marry, it is fair to require some additional level proof than just our say-so that we are in a committed, permanent relationship with the non-American we want to sponsor.

As Alex/Obama also suggests, the UAFA strategy has been to add on fraud-prevention provisions in the horsetrading that would happen when the bill comes up for consideration. Adding them now, it's reasoned by Immigration Equality and other pro-UAFA groups, only means vulnerability to some other, more painful compromise when push time comes.It's a judgment call to be sure, but I see Obama's point here.

Why shouldn't UAFA be written in a form ready for passage, rather than holding off on provisions that ought to be there but aren't. Other countries that have dealt with this issue of how to test the legitimacy of unmarried couples, including Canada and the U.K., have required one year of cohabitation in addition to proof of financial codependence, etc. It's a draconian provision, as my own vagabond life has proven, but I can't say it's unreasonable.

So kudos to Danielle and, I have to say, I'm once again impressed that Obama and the Obama camp don't pander and have substantive responses on the issues. Now it's Hillary's turn.

Subject: Re: DIRECT FROM THE LGBT DEPT AT BARACKOBAMA.COM .............................
Date: 9/12/2007 2:14:41 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time
From: chris@
Reply To:
To: Danielegrl@

Here's the link.....http://tinyurl.com/2vlel5Chris Crain
chris@

On Sep 12, 2007, at 1:22 PM, Danielegrl@ wrote:
In a message dated 9/12/2007 1:19:11 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time, chris@ writes:
Danielle:

Sorry for the delay in getting back to you. Hope you saw the post I did about the reply you received. It's not the ideal answer, but I respect it anyway.
Thanks for pushing them for the info.
ChrisChris Crain
chris@

Actually i am so busy doing events these days i barely ever get back to my blogs. I will try to look but please feel free to email it to me.

Danielle

UPDATE on UAFA + Obama's LGBT office // question at LOGOONLINE

Danielle Clarke USA Vietnam Vet — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 13:37:22 EDT

-----Original Message-----
From: Danielle c [mailto:danielegrl@yahoo.com]
Sent: Wednesday, September 05, 2007 12:36 PM
To: Alex
Subject: logoonline ask fraud question too

http://visiblevote08.logoonline.com/2007/08/29/immigration-rights-nadler-tells-it-like-it-is-whats-up-obama/#comments

What he didn't say, though (and what he might not
know), was that only Obama supported it with a
caveat.

On his HRC questionnaire, he wrote, "As someone who
believes that homosexual
couples should have the same legal rights as married
couples and that our immigration laws
should unite families, I support the Uniting
American
Families Act in concept. But I also
believe that changes need to be made to the bill to
minimize the potential for fraud and abuse
of the immigration system."

Changes? What changes? The bill does nothing but
give
gays and lesbians the EXACT SAME rights as straight
couples (along with the same burdens of proof),
simply
adding "permanent partners" where now the language
says "spouse."

Let's note, too, that Obama didn't sign on as a
co-sponsor.

When asked about politicos who say they don't
support
something fully because of fraud concerns (with no
mention of Obama), Nadler responded that fraud is a
red herring.

"It's insincerity. They say 'fraud' when they're
opposed to a bill and they don't want to come out
and
say the real reason they're opposed."

Sen. Obama: Care to rethink your position?

................................................
DIRECT FROM THE LGBT DEPT AT BARACKOBAMA.COM
................................................

THEIR EMAIL TO ME:

Danielle-

Barack believes that LGBT Americans with partners
from
other countries
should not be faced with a choice between staying
with
their partner and
staying in their country. That's why he supports
changing immigration
policy through the Uniting American Families Act.
He
does, however,
have some reservations about the fraud provisions of
the present bill.
Precisely because same-sex couples are not allowed
to
enter into civil
unions, domestic partnerships, or other
legally-recognized unions
throughout the country, he believes we need to make
sure that we have
adequate safeguards against fraud.

He wants to make sure that immigration is possible
for
a partner in
committed relationships, but he also wants to make
sure there is a good
mechanism for determining who qualifies for that
status. He would like
to see the Act get more specific with regards to
defining 'financial
interdependence' and the documentation required as
proof in order to
establish relationships - which could very well
happen
once the bill
reaches the Senate floor.

Hope this helps clarify.

Alex

.............................................
Lets all get Barack Obama elected and get civil
unions and get the UAFA bill fraud issue resolved
so
all can have equality.
Danielle

....................................................

Which LGBT campaign issue is most important to you? http://visiblevote08.logoonline.com/ and a QUESTION ON THE DEBATES

Danielle Clarke USA Vietnam Vet — Mon, 27 Aug 2007 14:02:48 EDT

Which LGBT campaign issue
is most important to you?

"Don't Ask, Don't Tell"
Employment Non-
Discrimination Act (ENDA)
Gay Marriage
Hate Crime Protection Laws
Health Care/Partner Benefits
HIV/AIDS Prevention/Funding
Transgender Rights

http://visiblevote08.logoonline.com/

Which LGBT campaign issue
is most important to you?

35% Gay Marriage

20% Employment Non-
Discrimination Act (ENDA)

15% Health Care/Partner Benefits

9% Hate Crime Protection Laws

5% Transgender Rights

4% HIV/AIDS Prevention/Funding

past LGBT + LOGOONLINE INFO use READ MORE

LOGO GAY DEBATES Who got your vote? Any surprises?

Danielle Clarke USA Vietnam Vet — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 14:26:28 EDT

LOGO GAY DEBATES Who got your vote? Any surprises?

http://visiblevote08.logoonline.com/2007/08/13/who-got-your-vote-any-surprises/#comment-1821

All through the weekend since Thursday, visitors to the site here have been asked to “Sound Off” and place a vote for the candidate they’re most behind. Which could mean both who they thought performed well during the VisibleVote08 Presidential Forum on Thursday night (which you can watch again tonight at 9pm ET, if you missed it), and just who they support the most in general. And the results may surprise you… As of 1:50pm today, here are the numbers:

WHO’S YOUR CANDIDATE?

Barack Obama 45%

Dennis Kucinich 25%

Hillary Clinton 14%

Mike Gravel 8%

John Edwards 5%

Bill Richardson 3%

Surprised? Obviously, Obama inspires and comes off amazingly well. And people respond to him as a maverick and a fresh voice. But is it surprising that he fares so much better than his biggest rival, Hillary Clinton? And would you have expected higher numbers for her? Kucinich and Gravel benefitted from their warmly received, pro-gay performance on Thursday, but it’s hard to know whether Kucinich’s vast jump in the rankings here (he sort of trounced Clinton) translates to any real boost for him.

More so, it demonstrates how enthusiastically gay voters respond to a candidate who embraces them and vows to fight for them. And it looks like neither John Edwards nor Bill Richardson won themselves much of a gay boost in support… But might that change?

.......................................

It seems right to me with how Barack wants to repeal DOMA and has since 1996. Why clinton won't do this is beyond me. Or Edwards for that matter. Also barack has a forum on his site which is open to discussion whereas the others don't

go to http://barackobama.com see people scroll down to LGBT issues

http://pride.barackobama.com/page/content/lgbthome

full transcripts at my blog below

http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/danielleclarke/CJnX

Gay Debates Transcript and voter results

Danielle Clarke USA Vietnam Vet — Sat, 11 Aug 2007 10:19:03 EDT

The full transcrip is in the extended read more section below.

Who's your candidate?

43% Barack Obama

24% Dennis Kucinich

16% Hillary Clinton

8% Mike Gravel

6% John Edwards

3% Bill Richardson
http://visiblevote08.logoonline.com/

The above is the present results. Yes it isn't scientific but all are allowed to vote and well it seems this is the outcome so far.

Host a party for Barack

Alex Okrent, Louisiana Field Director — Mon, 06 Aug 2007 11:45:35 EDT

Hi Friends,

As many of you know, Senator Obama is participating in the historic HRC Presidential Forum in Los Angeles on August 9th. This forum will be televised on the LOGO Network nationally and streamed live online at
Logo Online , and we want to make sure everyone has a chance to see it. Please note that you do not need to have the LOGO network to host a party as long as you have the ability to stream video off the internet.

Because not everyone has the LOGO Network or the ability to stream video online, we are encouraging those who do to host forum-watching parties and open their house to neighbors, friends and family. If you are interested in hosting a party, or would like to attend a party in your area, click here to register your party or find one near you.

For more information, you can contact us via pride@barackobama.com or directly by phone at 312-819-2509.

This presidential forum is an amazing way to highlight Senator Obama's strong support of the LGBT community. It is only through your efforts that Barack can continue to spread his message of hope to the country. After Senator Obama speaks at the forum, there will be a conference call where he will speak to his supporters at house parties across the country.

Please forward this message anyone who may be interested in hosting or attending a party.

Thanks,
The Obama LGBT Team

click here to register your party or find one near you.

Exciting news

Alex Okrent, Louisiana Field Director — Fri, 03 Aug 2007 10:42:16 EDT

The Obama Campaign was excited to receive the endorsement yesterday of Bishop V. Gene Robinson.

There's an excellent interview with the Bishop in the latest edition of the Advocate and can be found online here: http://www.advocate.com/exclusive_detail_ektid47851.asp

Also exciting is the historic upcoming HRC Forum on August 9th in which Senator Obama is participating. We're encouraging people around the country to host house parties to invite their neighbors, friends and families to watch the Forum. For more information, please visit http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/hphrclogo.

Thanks, and stay tuned for more information!

Alex Okrent

Kat's "He Doesn't Have Enough Experience" Rant

Kat Voboril — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 09:37:38 EDT

Of all the Obama criticisms I've heard, nothing affects me on a more personal level than the old standby, “he doesn’t have enough experience.”

Perhaps this is because I discovered a year or two ago (like many of my 25 year-old, quarter-life-crisis peers), that I didn’t want to do what I thought I wanted to do with the rest of my life. It would seem that your early 20s are about realizing that perhaps you’re not on the right path and adjusting accordingly to get where you want to be. A large part of that “adjustment” naturally requires getting a job in the field you’re interested in but don’t know enough about.

Thus we arrive at my favorite (and by favorite, I mean most-loathed) catch 22: you need a job to get experience and you need experience to get a job.

And not just experience in the broad sense, because if experience meant: “What has happened in your life? How has it shaped who you are today? And what are you capable of as a result?” well then, the catch wouldn’t exist.

It’s when experience starts to mean: “Have you, specifically, in the past, performed exactly the duties you would perform here in exactly the same kind of corporation as this is? Yes, or no?” that everyone has a little trouble.

Now we all know that Barack Obama has experience. The guy didn’t just wake up one morning with a law degree and a political career. Community organizing in Chicago isn’t exactly easy and being the first African-American President of the Harvard Law Review can’t have been a cakewalk either (and I’m excluding so many other experiences Barack Obama has that would no doubt enhance his strength as President).

To me, the problem is that Barack Obama’s experiences don’t fit into a neat and tidy little box that can be checked off, so they are counted for less. This sort of “in-the-box” thinking, is how human resources departments wind up overlooking candidates who might make a significant impact on their firm, and my only hope is that the American people are more imaginative and/or sick of what this “square-pegs-in-square-holes” thought process has rendered.

Somehow, we’ve come to believe that experience means safety and competence, and that one can only “hit the ground running on day one,” as Hillary likes to say, if they’ve had massive Washington establishment experience. Some people even voted for President Bush a second time thinking he would surround himself with establishment advisors who could provide the depth of strategic thinking accumulated from being around the White House for a long time.

Clearly, these advisors were able to lead us into historically familiar territory. Distrust of government rings a bell. Fear of cultures we don’t understand, which induces isolationism promising only to keep us less educated and well-regarded than our neighbors (who share an ever-flattening world with us) seems like something I learned about in school. I know for sure that all of the baby boomers who taught my history classes in high school and college knew someone who died in a senseless war that our country had no reason getting into, so that, too, strikes a familiar chord.

What has “experience” really done for us lately anyway? The most experienced people have lessened our safety while simultaneously making us so afraid that we’ve let them play politics with our health, our environment and our uniquely American freedoms.

They’re real pros alright.

Monumental change, the kind so many Americans claim to yearn for, rarely comes from a person or organization that has been doing something the same way as everyone else for longer than anyone can remember.

If an organization wants to get the same old job done, they should keep using the process which has served them so well, and if our country wants to continue on the path “experienced” advisors put us on, we should vote for someone who allows us to check off the most boxes and to meet our quotas.

If, however, we’d like experience to mean that a person’s experiences define who they are, what they are capable of and why, we might have the kind of President who creates a whole new field of boxes to check and quotas to meet. We could take a chance on someone who might just be the biggest fast-track hotshot this company the United States has ever seen.

write your editors of local newspapers using ==> YOU CALL THIS PROGRESS -- Dear Editor, ---> http://my.barackobama.com/page/speakout/bushindenial

Danielle Clarke USA Vietnam Vet — Sun, 15 Jul 2007 17:57:29 EDT

write your editors of local newspapers using ==> YOU CALL THIS PROGRESS -- Dear Editor, ---> http://my.barackobama.com/page/speakout/bushindenial

Dear Editor,
First of all i am a Vietnam veteran, who volunteered with the USMC. During that war, I was trained to make the air President Nixon would breathe when flying above 20k feet. During the Vietnam War we at least had plenty of soldiers to give others a break. Today our soldiers are at the breaking point. I am writing to express my dismay over President Bush's reaction to the recent threat assessment from U.S. counter-terrorism analysts. The assessment found that al-Qaeda has regained strength in a safe haven along the Afghan-Pakistani border. Despite this evaluation, the White House issued a statement claiming that we are making security progress in the war on terror. George Bush only knows what war to start and who to attack but he doesn't have the ability to ask how to complete a war and why to start one, other than because he just wants too. Now we have an almost broken military. During the Clinton administration our defict was low, but that was because Bill Clinton closed bases and reduced troop levels. So Clinton knew when and where to close bases and reduce troop levels, however, he also didn't know to ask why he should do it and how it would affect our military.. This administration is also in denial, and its failure to acknowledge the facts is putting the United States in danger. The report found that al Qaeda has regrouped to an extent not seen since 2001, the year our nation was rocked by a devastating attack. During the vietnam war we had a draft. We at least had enough troops. Today's military / soldiers will never be able to resolve any future wars due to George Bush and Bill Clinton. The thought of another attack of that magnitude on U.S. soil is very upsetting to me, and I am seriously concerned that our president continues to disregard this information. George Bush only knows to ask who and what and The clintons only understand to ask when and where. Those without mirror neurons, who can't ask how and why are like robots, which is a form of artificial intellegence. A robot only knows to ask what and who and when and where but doesn't have the foresight to ask how and why. Personally i am throwing my support to Barack Obama, who i feel, has the best understanding and ability to know how and why to go to war. He understood "why" we shouldn't have gotten into this stupid war and "how" this would affect our troop level and safety. I can only hope and pray that you post my letter in hopes that our country and our military soldiers are not totally destroyed with this war in Iraq. If George Bush and his republican congress can't give our troops a break, and stop breaking our military, then i ask them to at the least propose a draft or get us out of Iraq now! Thank you for your time.

to write your own letter to the editor use the link below.

YOU CALL THIS PROGRESS -- Dear Editor, ---> http://my.barackobama.com/page/speakout/bushindenial

http
://my.barackobama.
com/page/speakout/bushindenial

"John believes that (gay) couples in ""committed long-term relationships"" -" Edwards sidesteps on civil unions for gays"

Danielle Clarke USA Vietnam Vet — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 10:37:40 EDT

Link SAN FRAN GAY PRIDE EDWARDS WIFE SAYS ::

"John believes that couples in committed long-term relationships should enjoy the same rights, benefits and responsibilities regardless of whether they are straight couples or same-sex couples," Edwards said earlier during her speech. "He supports civil unions."

""Edwards wife can't make the changes and so her statement means nothing but a ploy to get votes.""

Again Edwards backs up what i said after i read his stsatement at HRC = Link Danielle Clarke USA Vietnam Vet Jun 21st 2007 at 8:45 am EDT
MY CONCLUSIONS TO WHAT THEIR WORDS REALLY MEAN LEGALLY STANDING.

Edwards
""I believe that couples in committed, long‐term
relationships should have the same rights,
benefits, and responsibilities, whether they are straight couples or same‐Sex couples.""

Edwards above statement, is the only one in the area of
civil unions i am concerned about. Because straight
people don't have to be in long term committed relationships to get married / civil unions.
However, edwards does want to repeal the DOMA bill
that the clintons levied on us in the 90's, which is a
good thing for edwards.

Clinton says

""I would like to see federal benefits extended to
same sex couples that meet certain standards.""

""I support repealing the provision of DOMA that may
prohibit the federal government from providing benefits to people in states that recognize same sex
marriage. ""

""I strongly support ensuring people in stable,
long-term same sex relationships have full equality of
benefits, rights, and responsibilities.""

Clintons above three statements have me very concerned
that she is side stepping in what she says so as not
to commit to anything officially.

she would amend the provisions of DOMA in certain
standards. Her husband and her were the ones who got us DOMA which Barack has wanted to erase ever since
the clintons had it installed as law. Barack obama
and john edwards want to repeal DOMA which is good for
us.

"Obama is the only candidate who supports long-term,
same-sex relationships regardless of length of time those couples have been together. In the
united states no heterosexual couple is ever
challenged to demonstrate length of relationship in
order to obtain the privileges of marriage.

By supporting Barack Obama, you can join me in supporting the candidate who stands for providing
equal rights to same sex couples--with NO
qualifications."

NOTE: Lastly please send this to your friends who are either gay or lesbian or supporters so they may know the truth of these three candidates.

Anyway that is the way i see this one issue of civil unions.

I would love for you to evaluate the "rest" of these three candidates statements below. You will see how Hillary Clinton and John Edwards try to use words which give them room to squeeze out of fulfilling their commitment to all of us in the LGBT community.

JOHN EDWARDS

Link

HILLARY CLINTON

Link

BARACK OBAMA

Link

respectively yours
Danielle Clarke = Your friend at philapride 6-10-07

Gay Man Charles Merrill Of Merrill Lynch speaks to me in IM on Clinton Edwards Obama + gay rights

Danielle Clarke USA Vietnam Vet — Sun, 17 Jun 2007 17:48:46 EDT
Gay Man Charles Merrill Of Merrill Lynch speaks to me in IM on Clinton Edwards Obama + gay rightsPlease forgive me if you got this but its now in a
proper format that you can share to others. Make sure
you go to Charles site too. http://danielleclar ke.newsvine. com/_news/ 2007/06/17/ 786800-gay- man-charles- merrill-of- merrill-lynch- on-clinton- edwards-obama- in-instant- message-emails

Thanks for caring for the LGBT community and common
respect

Danielle

LGBT T-Shirts

Steven T. Nicks — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 00:29:04 EDT

I had a friend create some artwork for NYC Pride shirts and I wanted to share it with others who might want a shirt.
The artwork can be found here: Link and here: Link
This design contains a URL that points back to our my.barackobama.com group, but if you want to remove it feel free.
For NYC Pride, we used an online printer to help us. I left the shirts we setup online and they can be found and ordered from Link. We are not making money off of these shirts, although the printer is (as they should if they want to stay in business).
What I've learned about shirt printing: silk screen is the best process, but you have to pay for each color and the rainbow flag makes it quit expensive. So we used digital printing which is on demand per shirt but less quality.