Santa Monica 4 Obama

Senate Healthcare Bill benefits CHILDREN of the Foster Care System:

Barbara C. Benedict — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 21:03:50 EST

Senate Healthcare Bill benefits *CHILDREN* of the Foster Care System:

The current Senate Healthcare bill would give former foster care children under the age of *25* eligibility for Medicaid and EPSDT benefits. This helps children, as they come of legal adult age and leave the foster care system, to continue their healthcare support.

This extended Medicaid can help give these still very young and vulnerable adults more chance of being successful in creating a new and healthy life.

*See supporting docs below:

Here's what I've dug up for myself (actual *as of today* current bill language) so far:

*See Senate bill PDF file page 428, Starts Line 21
Or, the Library of Congress Thomas:

http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/F?c111:1:./temp/~c111D3tWYZ:e523352

*See Social Security Website here for supporting reference point:
http://www.socialsecurity.gov/OP_Home/ssact/title19/1902.htm

*CBO Reference point: PDF file page 25, paragraph 1

*See also: George Town University Health Policy Institute Center for Children and Families:

http://ccf.georgetown.edu./index/key-provisions-in-the-senate-bill

* * *

Easy to say "No...." To my fellow Single Payer & Public Option Advocates

Barbara C. Benedict — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 20:30:59 EST

Easy to say "No...." To my fellow Single Payer & Public Option Advocates

I know you care, I really do. And I respect your views. I am a Single Payer & Public Option Advocate. AND I am one of the masses in need. I’m not quitting on these goals. I’m still working to make them more possible. I was right there beside you carrying your literature, calling Congress, driving out of town for meetings -until now- until these final hours.

The reality is the choice is "Yes now," or WAIT for a date in the future (maybe decades) that puts getting anything better a very long shot. Not one person has shown me a bill with a public option AND with *all* the needed vote commitments attached to pass NOW. Give me something that will start helping the sick and in need *right now.*

I have no doubt you can -in your mind- "Win" by killing this bill. But I don't believe you will get a public option this round. PLEASE DON'T just "KILL THE BILL" in CONFERENCE without *all* the votes *in hand* for a completely secure Public Option bill, with an immediate implementation timeline.

The cost of waiting is too high! I am not willing to play “all or nothing“ with people’s Healthcare, --and for 45,000. this year, with their life! I want what you want. Really! *Read the bill! Easy to say "Soon…."

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acnGUWWbTT4

* * *

Why would a SINGLE PAYER & PUBLIC OPTION Advocate be glad for the Senate Healthcare bill moving forward?

Barbara C. Benedict — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 20:05:24 EST

Why would a SINGLE PAYER & PUBLIC OPTION Advocate be glad for the Senate Healthcare bill moving forward?

12-21-2009 By Barbara Benedict

I'm not celebrating blindy and wildly, I'm just hopeful now and interested in moving forward where we can. Over and over other*(1) Single Payer Advocates keep saying "We can do better!" I keep asking them, "Show me the Votes and I'm right there with you supporting a different bill" but only one that's on the table right now --not some "wished for" time in the future.

(1)* I am a Single Payer Advocate!

I'm not going to blame the Obama Administration completely for the choices my Representative made. The behind the scenes were/are very ugly yes, but our Representatives made their choice. If they really wanted to holdout to support a Public Option or Single Payer --yes, at risk of their individual careers in Congress-- they would have. They should have been willing to lay their own butts and careers on the line, but they didn't. So they either disagreed ideologically with a Single Payer or Public Option ideology, or they covered their own butts (in the Congressional fraternity). Legally their vote was 100% theirs to make. They made their choice. OK, so “Next!” After a very long fight, time to move forward.

Soon (hopefully) we will have some power back in the House to fix the bill in Conference best can be for this round. Meanwhile 45,000. people die annually in the US related to lack of health insurance. This right here and now fact is completely unacceptable to me! The current plan, that the moment the President signs the bill, all children will have access to healthcare, and people who are already very sick can't be dropped from their insurance coverage is fantastic! I cannot comprehend those who say "we get nothing." One could choose to look at the glass as ¼ full…

Right *now* I have a friend with a baby girl that has a catastrophic life threatening illness. While her baby girl battles for her life, I hope that the security of her baby girl not being dropped from coverage will at least give some comfort to her and her family during this terrible, terrible time.

Look someone in the eye that is sick now, possibly dying, and *has no healthcare* and tell them you'd rather they wait for a more perfect bill. I can't do it! If you can do this, then how about at least helping someone without any insurance now buy a plan for the long wait ahead --out of your own pocket-- while they wait for better? It could be a learning process… But even if you wanted to do this, you can't really even do it for them until pre-existing condition exclusions are eliminated. So far in the current bill, pre-existing condition exclusions will mostly be eliminated and that’s huge!

Right now I don't really care (the most) if private big pharma and insurance gets richer in the short run*(2). They will continue to do so no matter what so long as they exist. I feel confident the Single Payer & Public Option movement will get stronger and will eventually eliminate Insurance Companies and/or their abuses one step at a time. But it takes time! I'm not comfortably patient waiting for this time in the slightest. For me, current key healthcare bill promises wouldn't even kick in until 2014 --way too late to help my personal situation. But my passion for this moving forward is not all about me.

**2 There are lots of creative ways to force some key issues down the road, once everybody is on a plan. To be discussed later, when it’s relevant.

Contrary to those who would imply the opposite, I too am fighting for those who have no one to stick up for them. Being an activist and maybe savvier regarding my rights than some non-active folks, hasn't gotten me any better treatment or help for my personal situation. Frankly participating in the fight for SP and PO cause has exhausted me and hasn't been the best thing for my personal health… Every minute I give to the causes takes away from my personal immediate healthcare battles. So make no mistake! I too am one of those folks who need help and a voice to stick up for them.

I know the game, we activists play just as many as Congress; It’s called human nature and we are all carriers of this disease. I am fully willing to lay my “likeability quotient” on the line in order to stand up for the currently very unpopular thing in my activist community. I’m not going to keep my mouth shut and “go with the flow.” If I did, that would make me just like the Congress members who have so disappointed me.

PS. Even if they disagree with my position vehemently, I genuinely respect those who have taken their stand publicly. I respect those who are not just hanging around waiting to join the “winning team” but instead are putting their personal capital on the line; At voting time and/or general support time, I will remember who did, and who didn’t. It’s a “character thing.”

* * *

THE NOBEL PEACE PRIZE

"NERVIE" — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 19:45:21 EST

OKAY so today President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle went to Norway to receive the coveted Nobel Peace Prize and you can't seem to hear enough about "9 days before, he agreed to sending 30,000 more troops raising the total to 100,000 troops in Afghanistan". How can he receive such an honor for having not been in office more than 8 months (depending on whether you consider the date he was called for the Prize or when the Prize Committee selected him) is being stated.

The bottomline, after 8 years of being in Afghanistan, we owe it to the citizens to assist in nation building although we have seen how corrupt Karzai can be. After years of dropping bombs on a society who had housed Osama and the Al Qaeda crew, we are trying to help them build their nation under the principles of a democracy that depending on whom you listen to, may not even be what they want. But that is the Obama plan.

The hope I believe with all capitol letters is that the people of Afghanistan will become more aggressive in wanting the help of American troops, builders, educators, and infrastructure contractors. But interestingly the areas we are looking to stabilize happen to be the same area where we know The Taliban is fighting tooth and nail for their right to be leaders in their own country. Do we have the right to go into the country and tell them what is best for them?

Will we be able to keep reigns on Karzai and keep reminding him "democracy" is not a dictatorship where you stash away 1.3 million votes when you believe you are about to loose?

The media has been screaming about the 18 months Obama said will be the deadline for pulling out. There are several comments in Huffington Post magazine, Amy Goodman's commentary on DemocracyNow! and Jesse Jackson on Tavis Smiley Show says that 18 months is a questionable amount of time to complete nation building, but has anyone factored in, that we are talking about a nation of people who have been around longer than our nation is old?

Maybe we shouldn't sell these people short! I'm sure they are tired of the time, money, families lost, bloodshed, and living without as we are of seeing them get back on their feet. And bottomline we want to see our soldiers come home in one piece, with a good sense of whom they are for the service they have given to this country. And not ever have troops feel as many expressed when they went to Vietnam, that their services weren't appreciated . . .

So maybe with the Peace Award President Obama will remember what the essence of the award means and stick to the 18 months withdrawal plan? We again, can only hope.

Psalms 109:8

"NERVIE" — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 12:17:42 EST

It may be considered a Bible war going on in the internet but ladies and gentlemen when someone markets teddy bears, t-shirts, with Psalms 109:8 on it in reference to President Barack Obama, it is time to turn up the serious valve and ask is this an American Jihad and where are the religious leaders when you need them to stand up and exhibit contentiousness against such a decree!

And what is the CIA, FBI and Secret Service doing about any of this?

MAXINE WATERS HELD A HEATLH CARE REFORM TOWN HALL - AND MAJOR MEDIA DIDN’T COME

Susan S. Davis — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 20:40:11 EDT

I just attended a town hall meeting on health care reform today that Ms. Waters was gracious enough to hold today at the Los Angeles Southwest College at The Little Theater. The meeting was filled beyond capacity and people were actually turned away.

The meeting was very informative and I was shocked to see no major media outlet cameras covering the event. From what I could tell, the only coverage appeared to be a few photographers snapping some photos, and a Spanish translator for radio, as well as someone from an Asian station.

It is hard to imagine that CNN, ABC, CBS, NBC, MSNBC or even FOX News, for that matter, weren’t invited to cover a town hall meeting with Congressman Waters - about health care reform, which affects every U.S. citizen.

Just as cameras are rolling to catch all the irate opposers to a national health care system in the U.S., major media outlets should also be documenting the massive numbers of concerned citizens who are gathering to support it.

It is shameful that a public servant such as Congresswoman Maxine Waters and her esteemed panel did not merit the same level of press coverage that her opposition seems to garner so easily.

Since we are continually barraged with coverage of the opposition’s town hall meetings, I feel it is very important to speak out about this. It is the media’s responsibility to cover all sides of this very important health reform issue.

Health care reform will affect us all and major events should be covered by every major and local TV, cable, radio and Internet news outlet.

As concerned citizens, we need to express ourselves and make our voices heard. We need to let local and major media outlets know that it is unacceptable to ignore an event such as this.

Health Insurance Reform

Jane Anne Jeffries Johnson — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 11:39:26 EDT

I retired from the Los Angeles Unified School District in February. I felt it was my civic duty to give up my job and live on my retirement, since the economy is struggling. I moved to Friday Harbor, Washington, where the economy is doing better than in California. I am able to keep abreast of the changes President Obama is making toward a more viable society and economy. I urge everyone who voted for him to continue to support him now. The sharks are swarming, and there is blood in the water. It's time to come together as a force for change.

UNINSURED LA UPDATE: BUMPER STICKERS AVAILABLE FRIDAY

Stephen — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 22:20:12 EDT

UNINSURED LA bumper stickers to support Health Care for Everybody will be available from Friday June 26. You can see what the stickers look like (in English and Spanish) by following http://www.uninsuredla.org.

The stickers are being passed out by volunteers throughout Santa Monica and Venice on June 27 and 28. To participate, email Stephen at uninsuredla@gmail.com.

Use the sticker as a way to start conversations about the need for health reform that truly covers all of us.

The uninsuredla.org website leads to our growing facebook group, where our group of participants is visible and where visitors can find great links to the latest info on single payer health care and the public option being debated nationally. The site will also provide an action list for what visitors can do now to support health reform.

About UNINSURED LA:

UNINSURED LA™ is a solidarity campaign on behalf of the many people in Los Angeles without any or without sufficient health care, led by a Venice-based group of artists and community volunteers.

Our goal is to successfully support reasonable & comprehensive health care for all, with a special focus on engaging young people to participate in the health reform movement:

1) by creating a bold online and print media campaign with a health reform message centered on the uninsured and underinsured;

2) by hosting UNINSUREDLA.ORG where visitors can learn about single payer health care reform in California and the "public health care option" currently being debated nationally + find simple action steps for supporting health reform;

3) by continuing to build a Facebook group as an youth-centered organizing hub in the fight for health reform.

UNINSURED LA UPDATE: UNINSURED LA SPLASH PAGE LIVE!

Stephen — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 16:01:23 EDT

You can now find a central Uninsured LA website at: http://www.uninsuredla.org All Uninsured LA traffic should be directed here.

You can also follow Uninsured LA on twitter, where we will post breaking articles and information related to health reform and the uninsured and underinsured.

Our fundraising on kickstarter only has 2 more days to go...barring miracle or benefactor, we probably won't hit the mark. Not to worry, the movement will continue online with videos and artwork, and we will try to raise the funds again for the bumper sticker and full website campaign.

It's going to be a long summer of health reform debate, and the goal of Uninsured LA is to establish solidarity among the uninsured and underinsured in Los Angeles supporting single-payer health reform in California and comprehensive national reform.

I encourage you to use Facebook and the Uninsured LA group to begin a respectful debate about health reform among your friends. This is an arena where we can truly make a difference.

Thanks for taking part!

Stephen

UNINSURED LA UPDATE: PERSONAL STORY

Stephen — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 18:53:29 EDT

Part of the concept with UNINSURED LA will be to gather stories from the uninsured and underinsured, and then to develop creative ideas for sharing these stories with posters, TV spots, viral videos. Lucinda has very generously agreed to be the first to share her story, here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9uR2F0J4Dc4

To find out more or to support UNINSURED LA by making a pledge visit:

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1465787081/uninsured-la-support-health-care-reform

Join UNINSURED LA on Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=82712517083&ref=nf

UNINSURED LA UPDATE: WEBSITE APPEAL

Stephen — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 01:50:21 EDT

I've posted an appeal video for UNINSURED LA. Please take a look.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1465787081/uninsured-la-support-health-care-reform/posts

We held our meeting to begin planning for June 27 last night at the Church in Ocean Park 'Good Food For Hard Times' $5 dinner. 10 of us present (among a great group of folks just there for fellowship and good cheap eats) discussing how we are going to make this project happen. i'll be posting some notes on that soon - presently I've just landed in NYC to screen a film I have made 'The Drums Inside Your Chest' at Anthology Film Archives and to meet with the graphic designer who is working on the Uninsured LA campaign.

Please take a look at the site and consider supporting/taking part in the project.

UNINSURED LA UPDATE: WEBSITE MOCK-UP

Stephen — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 03:21:20 EDT

I've posted a photoshop mockup (based on the healthreform.gov site) for the UNINSURED LA webpage on kickstarter.com, where I am gathering starter funds for the Uninsured LA campaign:   

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1465787081/uninsured-la-support-health-care-reform/posts    

UNINSURED LA is a solidarity movement for the uninsured and underinsured in support of California and national health care reform started by artists and community organizers in Venice and Santa Monica, CA.  

Please consider contributing to the starter funds. Thanks.

UNINSURED LA: SUPPORT HEALTH CARE REFORM

Stephen — Wed, 27 May 2009 00:19:20 EDT

UNINSURED LA™ is a solidarity campaign for the tens of thousands of people in Los Angeles without health care or without sufficient health care, led by a Venice-based group of community volunteers.

Our goal is to successfully support reasonable & comprehensive health care for all by creating a bold visual campaign that will allow the uninsured and underinsured to openly stand in solidarity, and by creating a simple and interesting website for everybody to learn about health care reform.

The campaign will go live on June 27, 2009, which is a day of coordinated Organizing For American health care service & outreach projects in Los Angeles.

UNINSURED LA bumper stickers & buttons will be handed out for free by volunteers. UNINSURED LA t-shirts and limited edition posters will be given to backers of the project as stated in the 'rewards' section. An UNINSUREDLA.ORG website will also go live on that day.

By slapping the UNINSURED LA bumper sticker on their car, the uninsured & underinsured (and all who supports health care reform & get the joke) will now have a awesome, eye-catching way to stand together and make themselves be seen and heard.

UNINSURED LA PROJECT INFO AT:

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1465787081/uninsured-la-support-health-care-reform

It's Harry and Louise Time --Again

Ed — Tue, 12 May 2009 23:44:41 EDT

There I was, happily switching to CNN between innings of a Dodger game, when what to my wondering eyes should appear: an ad. with several Canadians talking about how bad their public health system was for them. Forgive me for jumping to conclusions, but I reflected on that morning's meeting among the health care giants and the President, in which they offered him their "support" in bringing down health care costs. I concluded that it was all window dressing, and the real efforts of the health care giants were directed to killing a public health care option in its crib. Why? Simple. That option, if properly funded, will work, and will provide as good or better care than the "giants" can. The arithmetic is simple: each option will have to have all the same things, except for high-paid executives, public relations firms, and a cadre of flunkies who are charged with denying coverage to anyone who asks for it.

The Economist magazine, not a liberal publication, has long published what it Britishly calls the "league tables" on health care in the developed world. With little variation over the years, we are last in almost all measures of public health, and yet our system costs the most. Check it out. Are you angry yet?

It is time for some very big change in the health care field.

Too busy to blog for a long time now...

Barbara C. Benedict — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 11:17:03 EDT

...and that's good! : )

Continuing to look for candidates for the 2010 election.

Off to the California Democratic Convention tomorrow through the weekend.

Hope to see you there!

Hast la vista!

Barbara

Remove top management of AIG, take over executive management now.

Barbara C. Benedict — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 17:05:17 EDT

As proxy representative of every American's tax dollars, and acting as "doctor" in this critical situation, the President and his administration needs to use all means necessary to save our tax dollars *immediately.* Remove the current top management of AIG and take over executive management *now.*

I looked up the general mechanics of a "Hostile Takeover."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Takeover I'm not a lawyer but it seems to me that that there is a general precedent to follow here; as the majority owner of AIG, the government should immediately go forward and throw out all the top management of AIG and appoint new management. Giving the current top brass another single day to do more damage and hide evidence of their fraudulent --and at best incompetent deeds-- is crazy.

Recovering the bonuses is not enough. The administration needs to take complete control of AIG now, get in there, audit every single bit of accounting, start prosecution of all that participated in fraud, and close any division that is not needed immediately.

Perhaps the only "bonus" given out at AIG should be a whistleblower reward to employees coming forward with information leading to the successful prosecution of crooks within and associated with the company's fraudulent activities.

The administration, acting as "doctor" in this situation with AIG, would be guilty of medical negligence if it didn't step in and use *all means necessary* to eradicate the disease in this company in a timely fashion. "Timely" in this critical situation is *immediately.*

Remove the current top management of AIG and take over executive management *now.*

Barbara Benedict

Escondido, California

Supporting President Obama's Universal Health Care Plan is fiscally smart!

Barbara C. Benedict — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 17:19:50 EST

I sent this letter to my representatives today.

I hope you can find time to send your own letters too!

Dear Senators and Congressman,

Please know you are doing the right thing --and the fiscally smart thing -- by average Americans and Business in supporting President Obama's Universal Health Care Plan. Keep in mind that if I don't have to spend the entire --over $700. per month that I spend as a single woman, no children, on monthly health insurance (HMO) I would gladly put the difference of the money back into the American economy. I would gladly support growth in the American GDP immediately through using any savings in a "stimulating way."

Run these numbers! For example, an additional $500 - $700. per month pumped back into the economy by an average person like me, multiply me by millions... that's a lot of money! It's nearly 10x any annual tax rebate/stimulus check and it's *every month.* Hundreds of dollars per citizen put back into the American economy -- widespread across all goods and services categories. It's the difference between being able to purchase a much needed new car, making the mortgage, purchasing goods and services in our communities, paying for some college --or going back to college, donating to our local food pantries, etc. etc.

Congress please run these numbers and tell your Republican associates and anyone opposed to an affordable Universal Health Care Plan that they need to rethink! They need to see the big picture effects of how affordable health care in itself can boost the American economy immediately and dramatically. This one example is only the tip of the iceberg in measureable positive economic effects an affordable Universal Healthcare Plan will have on the United States economy.

Barbara Benedict
Escondido, California

Show the President support at the Amgen Cycling Race

Barbara C. Benedict — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 15:50:53 EST

Show the President support at the Amgen Cycling Race

Hello Escondido Friends and neighboring towns!

Calling all Dem's and President Obama supporters! We have very exciting news happening right here, this coming Sunday Feb 22 in Escondido (in North East San Diego County for those of you from out of town -- apx 25 miles from Del Mar). This is a chance of a lifetime opportunity for building the visibility of our Escondido & San Diego area Democrats, and most importantly right now, show our support for President Barack Obama. This Sunday Feb 22, television cameras (from all over the world potentially) will be here, in downtown Escondido at the race's finish line to cover the Amgen cycling race (with Lance Armstrong). What better way to CHANGE our town's old Red image to new Blue! Come out to the finish line in Escondido (or race line where-ever you can in California) and wear your Blue "Obama" shirts -- and other DEM gear -- but especially "Obama" gear! As you know, the "Obama" logo is internationally known so we can get the most mileage in the press from this!

*SEE MORE INFO and official event website links by choosing Find Events near you and looking for this notice.

*This is a NO HOST event suggestion. Grab your friends, organize your groups and see you there!

POSTCARD RESULTS FROM MY GROUP

♥Lynn♥ who is now seeing CHANGE in Politics and USA — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 19:42:27 EST

The Postcard Campaign all started with TaLisa Sheppard and TaKeysha Cheney from Ohio. They wanted to reach out to Women voters in Pennsylvania during the primaries and named their group Women Pass It On.

This initiative was birthed out of a deep desire to counter the skewed perception from the media that only African Americans and young educated Caucasian men support Barack Obama. They wanted to offer women (who are deciding this election) and undecided voters a personal message from Americans around the world in hopes that they would realize that the issues we face are not based on gender. Poverty, sickness, and environmental crisis befall all of us, regardless of our sex. Like Barack and Michelle, they believe that we are our brother’s keeper... that we are our sister’s keeper... and that we rise and fall together.

After a regretful loss in the Ohio Primary they put together this grassroots initiative to work in collaboration with the local GOTV (Get Out the Vote) efforts in Pennsylvania. They received great support from staffers such as David Henry and Jeremy Bird who graciously supplied voter lists for this project with ease. It was a pleasure to know that official members of the campaign see the value in grassroots initiatives.

Realizing supporters wanted to continue participating they decided to follow it through for the General election. That’s how it all began.

I became involved when one of mybo friends, Cheryl, happened to be on the blogs posting information about this campaign during the primaries. I said, “That is something I can do since I’m afraid to make phone calls.” I contacted Talisa and started running with it.

The participation was unbelievable. People from other countries and Americans abroad wanted to help and this was a perfect way to do that. TaLisa was very surprised and thrilled with all the response. After the DNC convention Democratic organizations and HQ’s from other states were e-mailing me about the Postcard Campaign. Thanks to all of the supporters who joined my previous events and spreading the word there were more participants than expected.

During the final months I wanted to recognize all the participants and their stories so I decided to create a slide show. Mybo friend, Carla, happen to send me some bottle cap necklaces of Barack. SURPRISE! I decided to give them out to the individual who sent the most postcards (reported it to me) and the person (s) who sent the most out from having Postcard Parties. You will see who won in the slide show. Then I decided it would be best in a video so I contacted Dan aka Desert Dove Dan who had done a great job creating videos. Once he has completed the video I will post it here.

Goal: 200 supporters then 500 which we surpassed with 856 + 30 (didn't join) = 886

10,000 Postcards sent from this group which we surpassed with 32,399

I hope you enjoy the slideshows:

Part 1 http://s322.photobucket.com/albums/nn415/lbheart/Postcards%20For%20Votes%20Part%201/?action=view&current=693afd5c.pbw

Part 2http://s322.photobucket.com/albums/nn415/lbheart/Postcards%20For%20Votes%20Part%202/?action=view&current=a3cf9559.pbw

Part 3http://s322.photobucket.com/albums/nn415/lbheart/Postcards%20for%20Votes%20Part%203/?action=view&current=498f1497.pbw

Part 4http://s322.photobucket.com/albums/nn415/lbheart/Postcards%20For%20Votes%20Part%204/?action=view&current=8975457b.pbw&t=1231298615

Part 5http://s322.photobucket.com/albums/nn415/lbheart/Postcards%20For%20Votes%20Part%205/?action=view&current=e0e4ca99.pbw

Part 6http://s322.photobucket.com/albums/nn415/lbheart/Postcards%20For%20Votes%20Part%206/?action=view&current=9abad34a.pbw

Part 7http://s322.photobucket.com/albums/nn415/lbheart/Postcards%20For%20Votes%20Part%207/?action=view&current=49b8cfb1.pbw

Part 8http://s322.photobucket.com/albums/nn415/lbheart/Postcards%20For%20Votes%20Part%208/?action=view&current=c41c5073.pbw

THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR SUPPORT AND A WIN!

Economic Recovery House Meeting

♥Lynn♥ who is now seeing CHANGE in Politics and USA — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 18:16:42 EST

On Saturday, February, 7, 2009 I attended a house meeting in my area. I really wasn’t sure what to expect but I knew I just had to be there.

I happened to finally meet one of my participants in the Postcard Campaign and some others who I have met through the campaign as well. Marta Evry, of We Are the Change, hosted this event and there were twenty attendees. She discussed an overview of the meeting and then we watched the video of President Obama speaking directly to Americans about the need for immediate action on the economy. In the video he mentions that if they fail to pass this properly our economy will fall one trillion dollars short of what it’s capable of producing this year. He also mentioned a website www.recovery.gov which you can view after the Plan has passed to see how and where your tax dollars are spent. Once the video ended someone yelled, “That’s our President!” and we cheered.

Then we watched a video of President Obama’s speech from Williamsburg. Go President Obama! This video was a big hit. Here it is: http://www.veniceforchange.com/2009/02/obama-opens-can-of-whup-ass-news-at.html

We reviewed the information distributed to us about Moody ARRP evaluation of the recovery plan. Marta and Dave created a cliff note version of the original. The report was drafted by Mark Zandi, Chief Economist for Moody’s and former economic campaign adviser for John McCain. You can view the original here:http://www.economy.com/mark-zandi/documents/Economic_Stimulus_House_Plan_012109.pdf

What can we do now?

Phone banking to Nevada (300 calls made, 35 contacts made). We asked former volunteers to call their Senators in Nevada and ask them to support restoring the House version of the stimulus package.

Share what we had learned today with all our social and family networks, and have them do the same.

Once the Senate votes on the bill and it goes to committee, call their Senators (in my case Boxer and Feinstein) and their House of Representatives member (in my case Jane Harman) and urge them to do everything possible to restore the funding to the States and to education that was removed in the Senate compromise version.

Senate contact information: http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

House of Representatives contact information:http://www.house.gov/

Call the White House and urge them to allow the committee to do its work and don't inadvertently pressure the committee with an artificial deadline that would force them to make unnecessary compromises. Urge them to give the grassroots the time and resources. White House contact information: http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/

OTHER INFORMATION:

USA TODAY CHART. It breaks down how many jobs would be created or saved, how much in taxes ordinary citizens would save, and more state by state.http://www.usatoday.com/money/economy/2009-02-03-stimulus_N.htm?loc=interstitialskip

Here’s a state by state breakdown in alphabetical order:http://www.whitehouse.gov/assets/documents/White_House_Releases_Additional_State1.pdf

OBAMA has already affected change!

Tanja _ Obama Accessory — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 16:26:18 EST

Has he affected you in any way? Especially as it relates to the fact that nearly 2 million jobs have been lost over the course of not even one year? GM announced the other day that it will close its doors for at least the next four weeks! Another 145,000 jobs are in danger!

BUT - Barack Obama states that he has asked his economic team to devise an economic recovery plan to save or create at least 3 million jobs, while rebuilding our infrastructure and improving our healthcare system as well as school systems at the same time - from an environmental standpoint the promise to us of reducing the dependency on oil (rumors say could cost us $400 Million or more).

There are several aspects, especially with a new government and the changes that will come along with it, on how you can get back to jump start your life! We need to start implementing new strategies, new ideas and help one another to get back on track. We owe it to ourselves, to our loved ones, friends, neighbors and especially our kids - who will be OUR future leaders! It is in our hands to make the most out of our life, create values again and make our lives enjoyable - but all we need to really do is slightly change our way of thinking!

This is a subject that can definitely not be discussed with just one blog - but I would like to tap into different areas and different subjects as it relates to our new government, our new president and our future on a frequent basis and hope to steer interest in each and every one of you, exchange thoughts and together come up with new ideas and strategies.

One area I would like to touch upon today is the survival of the information age - "Turning an unread generation into a reading generation." We are all in the information age and information is more accessible today than it has ever been. History has proved that human success was largely based on the "who you know" concept of networking and "butt kissing".

However, today human success is more based on "what you know" with faint shadows of the "who you know" concept still lingering.

Finally, the ability to learn fast and acquire vast amounts of information can actually be used to get ahead and succeed. This new age of information has rolled out a giant welcome red carpet for independent artists, small businesses or anyone with a great idea. Are you talking advantage of it?

In the industrial age Barack Obama could have never became president of the United States. I believe it is the age that we are currently in that made it possible for him to succeed. The information we have access to and the interest in each individual to create better lives for ourselves and our children is available.

Basically, we have a smarter nation and I see it natural for us to have chosen the candidate we relate to the most. There is an old saying that was very popular and relevant in the industrial age that "only the strong survive." I believe this saying still holds some validity; however I believe that we should be adding a new phrase to that, which is a bit more current and useful for today's times - "It's not what you know, but what you don't know that will hurt you." Crucial knowledge is what stands between millions of talented people, today, and their success and so many of us are still not reading or trying to gain as much knowledge as they should. I read whatever I can get my hands on. It's thought that to keep knowledge away from certain people, simply put it in a book, because most people do not read. Here is an example for you: A friend of mine owns a company that makes accessories and home décor out of newspaper and magazines and it wasn't until he read more about money, marketing and business that he reached the level of success he has today! You can see his Obama line at Obama Accessory. So when looking through his merchandise for items I like, I find myself looking for articles and words from the images that are available. The bottom line is - there is so much information out there today and in the age we are in, with a new president, with times changing, we need to make that necessary shift in our way of thinking and get out there, acquire the knowledge we need and create the happiness in life we want to achieve! TOGETHER WE CAN!

Change Is Coming to California - Mega House Party in Los Angeles

Victoria — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 12:59:12 EST

Check out this great Diary on DailyKos by LaAbogada -- and please vote in the poll at the end!

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/12/13/21368/202

Yes We Can Continue. 400 in Los Angeles. (with pictures) by LaAbogada [Unsubscribe] Sat Dec 13, 2008 at 07:45:33 PM PST

We weren't a battleground state, but we're a state of warriors ready for battle...scratch that, a state of community organizers ready to organize. I didn't take a head count but I would be reasonable/fair in saying 400 people showed up on a rainy Saturday morning in Downtown Los Angeles to brainstorm how to keep the movement moving. Needless to say, Californians are ready to continue working towards change.

LaAbogada's diary :: ::

Change is Coming to California - 400+ Listening to Obama for America California Field Director Mary Jane Stevenson

Possibly the most perfect antidote to an Obama volunteer going through campaign withdrawals, hundreds of volunteers and previous staff members came together to learn, discuss, and organize. Keeping with the California congressional district structure, attendees sat at table with fellow members who shared the same elected representatives (who will be hearing from us soon ;)). It was a practical beginning, sitting with our neighbors; like President-Elect Obama frequently stated: block by block, city by city, state by state, we will change this country.

What made me feel most inspired was that I, a 25 year old, was the youngest person at my table. For two years we've heard about how Obama has inspired the young and hopeful, but this morning I witnessed people who have seen far more in their lifetimes who possibly feel the historic context of this election to a greater extent than I possibly can. It gave me the promise of inter-generational coalition building, that progressive no-longer means college-age liberal, but progressive means: I see a wrong, and I want to make it right, no matter what my background.

We heard stories from California State Field Director Mary Jane Stevenson, Western Region Field Director Matt Rodriguez, LA Community Organizer Solomon Rivera, and LGBT Activist Torie Osborn. Then we were called to act by a man named Bruce Rosen, involved with the Los Angeles Food Bank community...each congressional district left the event with a plan to collect food for the hungry within the next week.

Quite possibly the most important part of the day, albeit cut short due to time constraints, was the introduction to our neigbhors. Meeting, other individuals, who even if not like-minded, like-age, like-socio-economic status, like-gender, like-race, like-religion felt compelled to wake up, far too early on a rainy Saturday morning, to go meet and hear from others who feel that November 4th was the first victory of a movement that for years will follow.

Three and a half hours in a college cafeteria obviously was not enough time. But, the organizers launched CommunityOrganize.com a website that will enable us to communicate with each other, much in the like of other social networking sites, however with a community organizing focus, particularly within in our CD groups, to keep the ball moving with our neighbors.

It was a simple introduction to what will be what we in California make it. As President-Elect Obama states frequently via Gandhi: we are the ones we've been waiting for. It'll be up to us to see how much we answer our own call to create a new America.

Yes We Can, continue on the road to change.

Learning how connected we really are. Each district had a ball of yarn that traveled to other attendees that they knew in other districts to show the power of our network in the room.

Poll

Will you continue to organize in your community now that the election is over?

Yes 87%49 votesNo 3%2 votesMaybe 8%5 votes

| 56 votes | Results

Tags: California, Obama, Field, community organizing, Los Angeles (all tags) :: Previous Tag Versions

MY CHRISTMAS CARD TO SANTA!

♥Lynn♥ who is now seeing CHANGE in Politics and USA — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 20:39:10 EST

I received this in an e-mail and thought it should be shared with all my friends here in Obamaland. If anyone is feeling blue this holiday season, just read this card. We all received our present early this year. LOL

What a present this is not only for us but our country and the world.

Gotta love it!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO YOU AND YOUR FAMILY!

Wow isn't this Cool!!!

Daniel — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 21:55:15 EST

Dreams really do come true. What a fine day this turned out to be. Thank you all who have joined together to make this new day for us all happen. I know there is a lot more to go but heyb this is such a great start.

WE STILL HAVE A DREAM - PART TWO

Susan S. Davis — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 02:27:15 EST

From the first time that I saw Barack Obama, I felt a connection to his message, and believed that his ideals would resonate with everyday people, particularly the ones that are routinely ignored by this country and our government.

I was a child of the civil rights movement. As a young, outnumbered white child on the south side of Chicago, I remember Martin Luther King Jr. After the assassinations of King and the Kennedy’s, I became disillusioned with politics.

It was not until Bill Clinton ran for office, that I became interested in supporting any political agenda again - and he was the first President that I ever voted for, twice. I have been to rallies for both Clintons.

Forty-five years after Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. made his I Have a Dream speech, it was only fitting that on that night, the very first multi-racial man accept the Democratic nomination for the Presidency of the United States of America.

This has been a long journey and is not just a political event. It is an exuberant spectacle of a celebration - the magnitude of which has never been seen before, and may never be seen again, in my life time. Thank you all, for your unwavering vision, and the courage to confront what lies ahead.

Thank you for inspiring the nation. The Gods are smiling upon us at this moment. There is the magic of hope in the air.

Yes We Can :: From Barack Obama, President-Elect

Sarah Gallagher — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 22:20:11 EST

I'm about to head to Grant Park to talk to everyone gathered there, but I wanted to write to you first.

We just made history.

And I don't want you to forget how we did it.

You made history every single day during this campaign -- every day you knocked on doors, made a donation, or talked to your family, friends, and neighbors about why you believe it's time for change.

I want to thank all of you who gave your time, talent, and passion to this campaign.

We have a lot of work to do to get our country back on track, and I'll be in touch soon about what comes next.

But I want to be very clear about one thing...

All of this happened because of you.

Thank you,

Barack

MY VOTE FOR BARACK!

♥Lynn♥ who is now seeing CHANGE in Politics and USA — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 21:35:02 EST

WOW, what an exciting day it is! After all this time it is finally here.

Today is the day we finally get to cast our vote for Barack Obama as President of the United States and Joe Biden as Vice President. I can't wait for the results tonight.

My husband and I decided to go vote in the morning so I told my boss I may be late today. Our polling place is at a lifeguard station on the beach. Only in America would you be able to vote on the beach. How cool is that?

So we walked to the polling place which is three minutes. We usually go in the morning as it's not that busy but this time there was a long line. Lucky for us we had to go in the shorter line of the two. In front of me was a woman who is pregnant and is due in 7 weeks. They gave her a chair so she wouldn't have to stand long then they decided to put her in front of the line to vote.

It was actually fun to wait in line as we were all talking about how elite the line is and socialistic too. (wink, wink) You betcha! How if it wasn't for Sarah Palin these lines would be shorter. :-)

There were professional Photographers taking pictures of the lines. I took my camera and wasn't sure if I could take pictures or not but snuck some in as you will see below. We only had to wait in line for 25 minutes and then it was our turn. I was so nervous to mark the wrong dot that I kept starring at it to make sure it was correct. Then I took a picture of MY VOTE FOR BARACK OBAMA AND JOE BIDEN. In California we had many props to vote on so I had my sample ballot filled out which helped me remember what I wanted to vote for. Completed the ballot and received my "I VOTED" sticker which I put on right away.

WHAT A FEELING!

I choose a scene that is appropriate for this event. Here's the slide show but there's not many pictures:

http://s322.photobucket.com/albums/nn415/lbheart/November%204th%20Election%202008/?action=view&current=da20f8c8.pbw

What a Wonderous sight at the County Recorders Office in LA

Daniel — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 19:47:41 EST

Went to the polls and what a wonderous wonderful site, Lines!!! Long, Long, Long lines what a sweet site it was to see! Beautiful, America voting taking back its country. Thank You Mr President Barack Obama

What a Wonderous sight at the County Recorders Office in LA

Daniel — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 19:47:40 EST

Adlai: On coming together

Roger — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 18:17:12 EST

“We travel together, passengers on a little spaceship, dependent on its vulnerable reserves of air and soil; all committed, for our safety, to its security and peace; preserved from annihilation only by the care, the work and the love we give our fragile craft. We cannot maintain it half fortunate, half miserable, half confident, half despairing, half slave — to the ancient enemies of man — half free in a liberation of resources undreamed of until this day. No craft, no crew can travel safely with such vast contradictions. On their resolution depends the survival of us all.”

Speech to the UN Economic and Social Council, Geneva, Switzerland (9 July 1965)

“On this shrunken globe men can no longer live as strangers. Men can war against each other as hostile neighbors, as we are determined not to do; or they can co-exist in frigid isolation, as we are doing. But our prayer is that men everywhere will learn, finally, to live as brothers, to respect each other's differences, to heal each other's wounds, to promote each other's progress, and to benefit from each other's knowledge.”

As quoted in Man of Honor, Man of Peace : The Life and Words of Adlai Stevenson (1965) by Robert L. Polley, p. 61

Our Time is Now: Vote Today

Sarah Gallagher — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 08:15:00 EST

Make sure you know your polling place and get out to vote today. Take a friend and cast your votes.

Change is within our reach. We're counting on you to get us there today.
www.voteforchange.com

Obama Supporters Rally for Change in California

Sarah Gallagher — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 21:01:52 EST

Obama supporters held rallies in San Francisco, San Diego, Los Angeles and Sacramento today. Hundreds of Obama supporters and local elected officials came together to show their support for Obama and rally to get everyone fired up to vote.

After the rallies, the supporters hit area phone banks to make phone calls to swing state voters, encouraging them to get to their polling places and cast their ballots for Obama.

Find a polling place near you at Last Call for Change.

California Phone Bankers Don't Quit

Sarah Gallagher — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 10:47:43 EST

Californians made a record number of phone calls to Obama supporters across the country, encouraging them to get to the polls and cast their votes.
Joined by celebrities like Orlando Bloom and Eliza Dushku, volunteers overflowed offices across California, sitting on file cabinets, in garages, in alleyways, on yards so that they could call for change all day.Check out the slideshow for more, then join us at a phone bank near you to make history!

Ryan Phillippe Works for Change

Sarah Gallagher — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 01:46:52 EDT

On Friday, Oct 31, Ryan Phillippe joined volunteers at the Obama for America California HQ to make phone calls asking voters in critical battleground states to get to the polls and cast their votes.

To learn more about what Ryan's volunteer effort and how you can get involved too, watch below and then go to Last Call For Change to find a phone bank near your house.

Adrian Grenier Gets to Work at Barack TV

Sarah Gallagher — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 17:09:07 EDT

Adrian Grenier, from HBO's hit show Entourage, joined volunteers at California Obama HQ to work for change, making phone calls to battleground states.

Adrian made calls to swing state voters, encouraging them to get to the polls to cast their votes for Barack Obama.

The volunteers took a break to watch Barack's 30 minute address to America on TV, then were fired by a quick speech from Mary Jane Stevenson, our Field Director. Everyone then got back on the phones, the office was quickly buzzing again with the voices of volunteers working to Get Out the Vote! Join volunteers at a phone bank near you to help Barack Get Out the Vote in the final days of this election!: ca.barackobama.com/LastCallCA

I FINALLY ATTENDED A BARACK OBAMA RALLY!

♥Lynn♥ who is now seeing CHANGE in Politics and USA — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 18:59:50 EDT

Barack is coming to Las Vegas, NV for a rally! I had to go.

Since I live in California which is a blue state there would be no chance for me to see him unless I had $1,000 or more to attend a fundraiser. My husband didn’t want to drive there (4-5 hours) if we didn’t get in. I was determined to go though so I started e-mailing and phoning my friends and BO offices asking how large the stadium was. The funny thing about that was everyone who answered the phone at a BO office was from California so they didn’t know. One of the girls told me if we canvass we could receive tickets to get in. Well, my husband’s foot wasn’t doing so well as he cut it the day before. One of my friends, Marla, also told me about canvassing to get tickets.

Then I received an e-mail from my friend Suzie. She asked if I wanted VIP tickets and stated she might be able to get them from her Field organizer. She has been hosting the GOTV in her home for over a week now. What do you think I did then? :-D

I picked up my cell phone and called her. While were talking her field organizer, Cameron, came in. You know the old saying, “Ask and you shall receive” well he handed her the tickets. I started yelling, “THANK YOU, THANK YOU!”

I called my husband and told him to pack his bags because we’re going to Las Vegas. We started discussing it and decided to leave in the morning. Left at 6:00 AM and arrived to Suzie’s home around 10:30 AM. They were gathering for a GOTV meeting. We ate breakfast and went to the rally.

There were so many people selling T-shirts at every corner. I couldn’t believe all the different ones. I had my items with me but decided not to as I wanted to make sure we got in OK. We had to go through a metal detector. It was very hot. We sat in the bleachers near the stage and high school band. I called my mother and sister and they couldn’t believe we drove there to see him.

When Barack’s caravan came we all started cheering. You should have seen it rows of police motor cycles, two buses for the media, and about 4 SUV’s. First the reverend came out and we prayed. Then we said the Pledge of Allegiance. There was a choir of little girls who sang the National Anthem. They passed out flags and signs but we weren’t able to grab one. I really wanted an Obama/Biden sign for my collection. Cameron, the Field Organizer, came out with two other people and did three examples of GOTV. The last one was the funniest as the voter was voting for Barack and was so excited to see them. THEN IT WAS THE MOMENT WE ALL WERE WAITING FOR. BARACK CAME UP THE STAIRS ONTO THE STAGE WITH THAT BEAUTIFUL SMILE OF HIS WAVING TO ALL OF US. I’m crying now just thinking about it and had tears then too. He stated that Barry Manilow was there. Some of my pictures had to be deleted as people were raising their signs and blocked the view.

After he spoke he did his usual handshaking and had to leave. While walking out I saw this little girl holding a sign while her mother was fixing her hair. I asked the mother if I could take a picture of her with the sign and she agreed. Brooklyn is her name and she was so funny. I told her to hold the sign in front so I could take a picture and she kept raising it like she was still in the rally. I guess it drew attention to her as many came around to take a picture as she got shy and ran behind her mom. It took me a while but I finally got a picture of her. We then went back to Suzie’s for dinner and hit the road around 8:00 PM. One more thing, across the street from Suzie's was a McCain sign. That must have bothered them seeing all those cars with Obama bumper stickers on them.

Here’s the slide show I created to share with all of you:

http://s322.photobucket.com/albums/nn415/lbheart/LV%20Early%20Vote%20Rally/?action=view&current=a642554a.pbw

Los Angeles Early Vote and Phonebank Wrap Up

Sarah Gallagher — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 18:47:34 EDT

Over 500 people gathered at the LA County Registrar's office to cast their votes early for Barack Obama. They joined California Field Director Mary Jane Stevenson and Obama for America staffers, who were fired up to vote for Obama and then get back outside to make phone calls for change!

You can still vote early in California, go to VoteForChange.com to find the early vote location for your county.

Once you vote early, join us to get out the vote by making calls into swing states from now through election day, or sign up now to drive for change to a swing state and make a big difference in this election!

FINAL STRETCH PHONE BANKS SAT and SUN in SANTA MONICA

Stephen Grynberg — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 16:56:23 EDT

HI Friendsand Neighbors,

It’s yourweekly phone bank reminder.

We will becalling swing states SATURDAY AND SUNDAY.

Come be an integral part of this historic election.

There areonly 11 days left until the election. The phone calls we are making this weekend are allintended to “get out the vote” in early voting states.

If you are shy, or worried aboutgettting angry people on the line, don’t be. We are calling to give people valuable information ofhow and where to vote this weekend and most of them appreciate it.

The food isgood, the energy is wonderful and it’s worth a couple hours of your time.

If callingisn’t your thing. Bring some food. Bring some theater tickets to raffle to callers, do on-lineresearch to answer the questions that are raised on the phones. There are a lotof way you can help.

Thisweekends opportunites to call are as follows

SECONDSTREET PHONE BANK

Saturday10-6pm, Sunday 11-6pm

1221 2ndStreet, fourth floor, Santa Monica, CA 90401

(parkingin the city structure next door to office)

http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/lastcallforchange/gshkjh

LA FARM PHONE BANK Saturday 11-6pm, Sunday 11-6pm 3000 West Olympic Boulevard, Santa Monica, Ca 90404 (free parking at the restaurant – just pull in to the lot)

http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/gs5bkd

Don’tforget your cell phones and chargers.

There isalways food to eat and something to do.

Thiselection is too important to sit out.

Hope to seeyou ALL there.

Stephen

Eric Garcetti, LA Council President, on Driving for Change

Sarah Gallagher — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 13:34:36 EDT

Last weekend, I traveled with 150 friends to the battleground state of Nevada, joining thousands of Californians in campaigning for Senator Barack Obama.

Over the weekend, our group knocked on over 5,000 doors. We spread out across Las Vegas, meeting people in their homes and talking to them about their hopes and concerns. What we heard is that Nevadans, like many of their fellow Americans, are worried. They are yearning for change and strong leadership to put our country back on track. Most were responsive to Senator Obama's economic plan of tax cuts for the middle class and smarter regulation of our financial sector.

I know that an Obama administration would bring renewed focus toward reviving our urban centers, and I will be working to bring that message to other voters between now and Election Day.

Join us on another Drive for Change for the final Get Out the Vote Weekend.

Barack Morning Buzz-10-23-08

Barack Daily Buzz - Victory2008.net — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 08:53:40 EDT

Barack Morning Buzz-10-23-08
On to Victory on November 4th

(1) Obama Widens Lead in Ohio
Stephen Koff-Cleveland Plain Dealer
http://blog.cleveland.com/openers/2008/10/barack_obama_widens_lead_in_oh.html

(2) In Red State Tour, Obama Rebuts McCain on Tax Plan
Jennifer Loven-Associated Press
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5isOFwdbq0tsqatW6vJpkDRTI1gMgD9406FVG0

(3) Obama Says He Doesn't Want to be Too Late to See Ailing Relative Again
Foon Rhee-Boston Globe-Political Intelligence
http://www.boston.com/news/politics/politicalintelligence/2008/10/obama_says_he_d.html

(4) Obama's Florida Shot-A Key to Victory
Mark Silva-Chicago Tribune-The Swamp
http://www.swamppolitics.com/news/politics/blog/2008/10/obamas_florida_shot_a_key_to_v.html

(5) Early Voters Face Long Waits and Glitches
Tamara Lush-Associated Press
http://news.aol.com/elections/article/early-voters-face-long-waits-glitches/217052

(6) Florida Voters Line Up to Vote
Associated Press
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNFhH7-ndBw&eurl=http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&q=Barack+Obama&oe=UTF-8&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tab=wn&resnum=0&cd=3

(7) Obama Criticizes McCain on Tone of Their Campaign
Associated Press
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5itzEFe8o5QDV0EFCZG6ZJDbJwdLQD94063DG0

(8) Obama Parries Renewed Attacks on His Readiness
Mark Z Barabak and Bob Drogin-Los Angeles Times
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/asection/la-na-campaign23-2008oct23,0,3239031.story

(9) Shifting Gears, Obama Meets with Foreign Policy Advisers
Scott Helman-Boston Globe
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/10/23/shifting_gears_obama_meets_foreign_policy_advisers/

(10) Obama Leads McCain in Ohio, Florida and Pennsylvania
Associated Press
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/10/23/america/Poll-2008-Swing-States.php

(11) Obama Leads White Race in Three Key States
Agence France Presse-AFP
http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5gfmVLjsRU8kl1w1LjP3NWehRfsDA

(12) Today on the Presidential Campaign Trail
Associated Press
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5iNxTApa2sQRu0Xx99P3jt2bEXw7gD9401V700

(13) Obama's David Plouffe and His Metrics
Lynn Sweet-Chicago Sun-Times
http://blogs.suntimes.com/sweet/2008/10/obamas_david_plouffe_and_his_m.html

(14) Black Europeans Pin Political Hopes on Obama
Stephen Brown-Reuters
http://www.reuters.com/article/politicsNews/idUSTRE49M45820081023

(15) The Punditocracy's Seven Biggest Blunders of the 2008 Election
Mike Madden and Walter Shapiro-Salon
http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2008/10/23/campaign_myths/

(16) Tea with Obama's Sister
Stuart Coleman-Salon
http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2008/10/23/obama_sister/

(17) Rebranding the U.S. with Obama
Nicholas D. Kristof-New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/23/opinion/23kristof.html?ref=opinion

(18) Errors and Mischief Could Lead to Long Election Night
Charles Babington-Associated Press
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gGnXAe9LtYL6kK0RfS4kG9VYGacgD9402DIO0

(19) Record Number of Santa Cruz County, California Voters Likely on November 4th
Kurtis Alexander-Santa Cruz Sentinel
http://www.mercurynews.com/centralcoast/ci_10792670

(20) Economists Say Obama and McCain in Denial about Deficits
Stephen Braun-Los Angeles Times
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-econplan23-2008oct23,0,170331.story

DAYTIME PHONE BANK THIS WED/THUR IN SANTA MONICA

Stephen Grynberg — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 02:34:02 EDT

PLEASE JOIN US WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY 12PM-6PM TO CALL A SWING STATE

Dear Obama Supporter,

This week we are running two special WEEKDAY PHONE BANKS.

Wednesday October 22nd and Thursday October 23rd. Noon to 6pm.

At our Swank Downtown Santa Monica Phone bank:

1221 2nd Street Fourth Floor

Santa Monica, CA 90401a

Come for lunch or after work or for the whole day.

We’ll have some good food, in a great environment for an essential cause.

Make a difference in these last two weeks before election day.

Bring a friend, a cell phone and a phone charger. If you cant make calls, drop off some food or help us gather callers from around santa monica during the bank hours.

(Wednesday we’ll raffle off 2 fifth row tickets to that evenings Clippers preseason game)

for more information or to rsvp click here:

http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/gpr2q9

HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE!

Phonebanking Old Hollywood Style: A Post from Nancy D in LA

Sarah Gallagher — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 19:07:02 EDT

This weekend, the Obama campaign held four ginormous super phonebanks in the Los Angeles area. Harnessing the amazing enthusiasm here in the final weeks of the Presidential campaign, these phonebanks are full of great energy, dedication, and cell phone waves (oh, and yummy snacks). In my neck of the woods, our Hollywood-Los Feliz-Silver Lake phonebanks joined forces at the fabled Sunset-Gower Studios, located at the corner of Sunset Blvd. and Gower St. (This intersection was once known as "Gower Gulch" - silver-screen cowboys used to gather there looking for work as extras on western films.) Last weekend, this particular phonebank drew 200 volunteers who made 13,000 calls to battleground states and, in phonebanks throughout California, over 500,000 voters were called! This weekend our goal was higher - the campaign has challenged California volunteers to reach at least 625,000 voters - the Last Call For Change!

Former home of Columbia Pictures ("It Happened One Night", "Funny Girl" and "The Caine Mutiny") and current home to such TV shows as Dexter and Heroes, Sunset-Gower houses many independent film and television production companies. It was also the former home of one of my all-time personal favorites: Six Feet Under. (You can read more about the studio's history here.)

Last weekend, entering data from calls to Colorado, I was really heartened by the number of voters solidly in the Obama camp, versus the ones for McCain. The polls there are bearing this out. This weekend, we're over halfway toward beating last week's totals - 111 volunteers on Saturday, making nearly 9,000 calls! Sunday will surely rock.

Thanks to the incredible volunteer coordinators who are making this phonebank happen every weekend. Your dedication is inspiring. And of course, the roomful of volunteers who didn't want to leave.

Folks, if you haven't tried it yet, it's not too late - get thee to CA.BarackObama.com and find the nearest phonebank. You can make calls, enter data, sell swag, bring snacks - the possibilities are endless. You won't regret it!

Los Angeles Times Endorses Obama for President

Sarah Gallagher — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 16:00:29 EDT

Today, the LA Times announced their endorsement of Barack Obama for president, touting him as "the competent, confident leader who represents the aspirations of the United States."

11:01 AM PDT, October 17, 2008

It is inherent in the American character to aspire to greatness, so it can be disorienting when the nation stumbles or loses confidence in bedrock principles or institutions. That's where the United States is as it prepares to select a new president: We have seen the government take a stake in venerable private financial houses; we have witnessed eight years of executive branch power grabs and erosion of civil liberties; we are still recovering from a murderous attack by terrorists on our own soil and still struggling with how best to prevent a recurrence.

We need a leader who demonstrates thoughtful calm and grace under pressure, one not prone to volatile gesture or capricious pronouncement. We need a leader well-grounded in the intellectual and legal foundations of American freedom. Yet we ask that the same person also possess the spark and passion to inspire the best within us: creativity, generosity and a fierce defense of justice and liberty.

The Times without hesitation endorses Barack Obama for president.

Divert Campaign Funding to Charities

Susan S. Davis — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 20:21:52 EDT

CNN's Campbell Brown has a brilliant idea:

Instead of spending 30 MIL a week, running negative campaign ads against each other, how about donating some money to the numerous charities that are hurting now, due to lack of donations, to help feed and house the people who are now homeless, many thru no fault of their own?

I think it would be a brilliant move on Obama's part to suggest it, and at least take 1/2 that money to do it, and challenge the McCain campaign to do so as well.

Now THAT would get the public's attention, actually do more good than running costly ads - and may get more votes than any negative ads will ever get.

I just sent this message to the general communication area of the website. I do hope that it is considered.

I would ask that if anyone is in agreement, that they second the motion.

The best way to effect change, is to start it. Donating campaign funds to charities at this time of need, is one of the best ways to do it.

So I really hope that Mr. Obama will direct at least 1/2 of the approx. 30 MIL spent per week on those campaign ads, to charities, and then challenge McCain to do the same.

SANTA MONICA SUPER PHONE BANKS - THIS WEEKEND

Stephen Grynberg — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 18:56:10 EDT

COME HELP US BUILD OUR TWO SANTA MONICA SUPER PHONE BANKS. BRING YOUR FRIENDS, MAKE CALLS TO KEY SWING STATES, GET SOME GOOD FOOD, MEET PEOPLE.

THIS WEEKEND BARACK OBAMA NEEDS YOU. BE A PART OF THE BIGGEST ELECTION IN OUR HISTORY BEFORE ITS TOO LATE. ONLY 20 DAYS LEFT.

BRING YOUR CELL PHONES AND CHARGERS AND IF YOU CAN, CLICK ON THE LINKS AND RSVP.

IF YOU WANT TO HELP US GET THE WORD OUT WITH FLYERS AND TALKING TO YOUR FELLOW STUDENTS PLEASE EMAIL DAMON AT damonlmoore@hotmail.com

HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE -

SANTA MONICA SUPERBANK @ 2nd STREET

1221 Second Street, Santa Monica CA 90401

SATURDAY OCT 18th

http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/gshkwh

SUNDAY OCT 19th http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/phonebank/gshk9p

SWING STATE SUPERBANK @ LA FARM

3000 West Olympic Boulevard Santa Monica, CA 90401

SATURDAY OCT 18th

http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/lastcallforchange/gs5bkf

SUNDAY OCT 19th

http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/lastcallforchange/gs5bkk

Blog from Veterans for Obama Co-Chair Dee Dee Gilliam

Sarah Gallagher — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 15:54:01 EDT

It's been 4 months since I was asked to take a leadership role with Veterans for Obama. Being a non-combat veteran, I knew who I would be representing; I had served with many of them during my 15 years as an Army Reserve nurse. The folks I represent are the finest of American citizens. They are soldiers, sailors, and airmen representing all branches of the uniformed services. They are veterans from World War II, Korea, Viet Nam, Somalia, Bosnia, Iraq x 2, Kuwait and Afghanistan, plus numerous other missions that would take too much space to name. They are the ones that I looked up to, every one of them, as heroes, and always wondered if I was made of the same mettle. Some of the best days of my life were when I was at drill. No matter how much I would moan and groan about going every month, I always came home happy, having spent time with some of the best friends I will ever make in my life.

I have not regretted a moment of the time I've spent doing this. I have met new friends, including many new heroes, and have learned more about the political process than I ever thought I would know. I have learned so much about veterans and military issues, and the various advocacy groups working these issues, that I know this is going to continue to be a part of my life long after Nov. 4. And I have learned so much about how much Barack Obama cares about veterans. I was a supporter before I took on this role, but what I have learned about this man, who has never served a day in uniform, but who, with his wife, goes out of his way to reach out not only to the person serving, but to the family members of that person, has not just reinforced my faith in his abilities as a leader, but as a human being who cares for his fellow man.

Barack Obama believes America has a sacred trust with our veterans. He is committed to creating a 21st Century Department of Veterans' Affairs that provides the care and benefits our nation's veterans deserve. Obama will demand that the military and the VA coordinate to provide a seamless transition from active duty to civilian life, and improve mental health treatment at every stage of military service. He will require that they work to recruit more health professionals, improve screening processes, offer more support to families and make PTSD benefits claims fairer. We shouldn't have to hear stories about veterans losing their families and careers after they come home because they cannot deal with the emotional scars created by repeated deployments. There shouldn't be more stories of veterans committing suicide because they can't re-integrate into civilian life.

Letter from Mary Jane, California Field Director, to All California Activists

Sarah Gallagher — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 19:01:33 EDT

Bravo, California!

This weekend, we exceeded our 500,000 call goal! You made 543,000 calls to Nevada, Colorado and New Mexico, crucial battleground states that will make the difference in this election. Thank you so much for all your hard work and dedication.

Catch your breath and then get ready - we are three weeks from Election Day. Our goals will grow. And we will continue to exceed them. Now is the time to recruit all your friends who have been saying 'What can I do?'.

Join us this weekend at another Last Call For Change phonebank.

I am proud to be in the company of so many amazing volunteers.

Yes We Can,
Mary Jane Stevenson
California Field Director

SANTA MONICA PHONE BANKS 10/11 & 10/12 COME CALL WITH US

Stephen Grynberg — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 18:50:25 EDT

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

This weekend we have two great phone banks running in santa monica. With less than a month to go, we need your help making 20,000 phone calls to Nevada. Our phone banks are two of the highest call volume banks in all of California. Come be a part of history. Nevada is still one of the tightest races in the country. Bring your cell phone and its charger.

Food is provided.

If you don’t have time or don’t like making calls, drop off some baked goods, some drinks or stop in for an hour or two to help out with a myriad of other things. Fight the negativity with hope. Pass this email on.

WE NEED YOU TO TURN IT BLUE

Thanks

Stephen Grynberg

30W team coordinator

Click the link below for more info and RSVP possibilities or just drop by.

Check out our facebook page OBAMASANTAMONICA http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=80889975617

LA FARM SUPERBANK – OPENING WEEKEND

2ND STREET DOWNTOWN SANTA MONICA PHONE BANK

3000 Olympic Blvd.

between Stewart and Centinela

Santa Monica, CA 90404

Free Parking at Lantana

SATURDAY 11am- 6pm

http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/gshwxv

SUNDAY 11am-6pm

http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/gshwxg

LA FARM SUPERBANK – OPENING WEEKEND BASH

2nd Street Santa Monica phone bank (Santa Monica, CA)

1221 2nd St., Suite 400

Santa Monica, CA 90401

SATURDAY 10am-6pm An extra hour of calling..

http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/phonebank/gshkvh

SUNDAY 11am-6pm

http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/phonebank/gshkrp

LOS ANGELES Postcard Party 9-27-08

♥Lynn♥ who is now seeing CHANGE in Politics and USA — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 19:14:01 EDT

Planning the party was easy but finding a place large enough for a Postcard Party was difficult. It took me weeks before I found this park and decided to go for it. The weekend that was available happen to be a weekend that the Obama Campaign was requesting Californians go to Nevada for one last big push in Voter Registration. Can’t blame anyone for going as I probably would have went myself.

My volunteers helped set up the park. There were red, white and blue star balloons, and table covers, pens in cups for the supporters to use, and information at the sign in table.

When supporters arrived we started talking about Sarah Palin and the 1st Debate between Obama and McCain. Many people have never participated in the postcard event before so I explained what to do and handed out instructions. Everyone was very friendly and enjoyed the fresh air while doing postcards.

There were also some fundraising Obama products, unique Obama products made by supporters, bottled water, cookies, and lollipops for the children. We raised $50.00 for the campaign.

Sixty-five postcards were written and mailed out. Mike donated stamps and Sharman donated postcards so another 52 were mailed after. A grand total of 117. Some decided they want to continue with this and I gave them my flyer for the general event to join.

Here is the slide show of the party:

Part 1 of 2

http://s322.photobucket.com/albums/nn415/lbheart/LA%20Postcard%20Party%20Part%201/?albumview=slideshow

Part 2 of 2

http://s322.photobucket.com/albums/nn415/lbheart/LA%20Postcard%20Party%20Part%202/?albumview=slideshow

Debate #3: Los Angeles Wrap Up

Sarah Gallagher — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 14:06:24 EDT

Kit, a volunteer at Obama CA HQ, joined hundreds of supporters to cheer on Barack at the 3rd Debate Watch Party in Los Angeles

Tonight's debate watch party at the lovely Boulevard 3 was nothing short of exhilarating! Barack showed the steady leadership America needs from a president, and clearly outlined his plan for our country. Americans cannot doubt who would be best to lead our nation out of this economic crisis and regain our standing in the world.

The judgment and plans demonstrated by the Senator made a statement to the nation about the kind of President he will be - the President we need. We eagerly look forward to the final debate watch party. Come join fellow supporters next Wednesday 10/15, and make sure you sign up to donate one hour, one day, or one week of your time to elect Barack Obama!

Official Debate Watch Parties on Tuesday!

Sarah Gallagher — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 15:22:36 EDT

With John McCain's announcement that he would rather spend the last month of this election smearing Barack's character instead of talking about the top priority issue for voters, it's more important than ever that you show your support for Obama at an Official California Debate Watch Party in LA, SF, Sacramento or San Diego!

Sign up at my.barackobama.com/cadebatewatch!

The California Obama campaign is hosting debate watch parties across the state.

We'll cheer on Barack at the second presidential debate, hear from local elected officials, discuss the issues, and get to work organizing our communities for change. You'll be able to meet field staff and sign up to make a difference in this campaign. Join us and fellow supporters on Tuesday, October 7th.

Sign up at my.barackobama.com/cadebatewatch!

Volunteer for "Yes You Can" Music Video

Heather from Santa Monica, CA — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 19:09:37 EDT

We are making a music video to Get Out the Vote for Obama and give the people of Los Angeles an opportunity to have their voices heard.

The theme of the music video is that with Individual Voices coming together we can inspire people to overcome fear and take action for a better tomorrow. The music video will feature citizens of LA holding homemade signs saying what HOPE, PEACE or CHANGE means to them.

We have an amazing song that has been produced by a grammy-winning producer and an experienced team of film makers.

We need VOLUNTEERS who would like to participate in this community effort.

Please email us at yesyoucanvideo@yahoo.com if you:

Want to make a sign and appear in the music video
You can coordinate people in your community
You know of a great location in LA for people to gather
You can gather 10 or more people

With the election coming up, we need to move on this fast. So please get back to us by Sunday, Oct 5th at 8pm. YesYouCanVideo@yahoo.com

THANK YOU!

SANTA MONICA PHONEBANKS 10/4, 10/5 - COME CALL WITH US

Stephen Grynberg — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 18:28:07 EDT

SANTA MONICA PHONEBANKS 10/4, 10/5

HI friends and neighbors,

CD30 West is running two more phone banks on Saturday and Sunday. Last weekend these two banks rocked, making over 7500 calls. Those calls played a big part in today’s news that Nevada is in Obama’s favor for the first time.

Come be a part of history and make a couple hours worth of calls to Nevada, this increasingly important battleground state. These banks are spacious and comfortable. Bring a cell phone and a friend.

Be a part of the change.

Olympic Phone Bank

MARK GORDON CO. (LOS ANGELES, CA) (LOS ANGELES, CA)

12200 W. OLYMPIC BLVD., SUITE 250

1 BLK W OF OLYMPIC

LOS ANGELES, CA 90064

Saturday October 4th 11am – 6pm http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/gshfkf

Sunday October 5th 11am – 6pm http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/gshcl7

2nd Street / Downtown Santa Monica Phone Bank

2ND STREET SANTA MONICA PHONE BANK (SANTA MONICA, CA)

1221 2ND ST., SUITE 400

SANTA MONICA, CA 90401

Saturday October 4th 11am – 6pm http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/phonebank/gshkjh

Sunday October 5th 11am – 6pm http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/phonebank/gshk9g

VP Debate Watch Party - Los Angeles

Sarah Gallagher — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 15:22:46 EDT

Kit, a volunteer at our California HQ, was fired up at last night's VP Debate Watch Party at Hollywood Social in LA.

The VP Debate Watch Party at Social Hollywood drew an even larger crowd than the first Presidential debate for what was one of the most highly anticipated events of the campaign. As the two candidates approached their podiums, the excitement in the room reached fever pitch, and everyone was thrilled to see Joe Biden deliver! The statesman from Scranton clearly outlined how the Obama-Biden administration would bring the change the country so desperately needs to the White House. The hundreds of spectators in LA cheered loudly as Senator Biden advocated for the middle class and showed how we could restore America's leadership in the world. While Governor Palin defended the policies of the last eight years, Joe Biden showed the vision and judgement the country an expect from an Obama-Biden administration. And the crowd last night couldn't have been more proud!

BOOMERS For Obama Rally in Long Beach

Phil Cook — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 13:24:38 EDT

MARKYOUR CALENDARS NOW! October 25,10:00 AM, Long Beach Convention Center.

Boomers for Obama RALLY plus FREE admission to the Baby Boomers Expo.How to be Healthier, Wealthier, Wiser...and Live It Up!

BABYBOOMERS come together - Stand up for CHANGE - NOW!

Wedid it in the '60s & '70s, we need CHANGE, NOW more than ever!

Obama-BidenNOW!

Planto attend the Rally. We can get the media to broadcast the rally tothe swing states. We needthe people. Count yourself in.

SIGNUP NOW. Visit www.BarackObama.comsearch Events,put in zip code 90802 and info will be displayed, Sign up for the RALLY.

WENEED HELP. TO ORGANIZE ANDCOORDINATE. CALL 310-271-2118 TOVOLUNTEER. EMAIL turnerbradshaw@yahoo.com

BabyBoomers Rally in Long Beach, CA, 10:00 A.M.

October25, 2008, to Kick-off 9 Day Countdown to

PresidentialElection and Go to the Boomers Show

LongBeach, CA, October 25, 2008 - Baby boomer, men and women – ages 42-62-who remember their significance in the 60’s and 70’s, and “change” as definedby JFK, Martin Luther King, and John Lennon - come together in the 2008election year to how their support for Barak Obama.

TheBoomers for Obama rally takesplace on Saturday, October 25 at 10:00 A.M. in Long Beach, CA in front of theLong Beach Convention Center. Celebrities are invited to participate, and will be introduced to themedia on the Green Carpet. Thedate of the Rally is just 9 days prior to the Presidential election, and providesthe opportunity for baby boomers to have your voices heard – as they wereduring the decades of “change” during your high school and college years.

Babyboomers, you are the nation’s hot topic. You represent the largest, wealthiest demographic. You are concerned about finances,Social Security,taxes,careers, health, aging, parents and children.

TheBoomers Show, How to be Healthier, Wealthier, Wiser…and Live it Up!”, is being independently produced atthe Long Beach Convention Center, featuring exhibits and seminars relevant tothe needs of baby boomers. AllRally participants will receive complimentary admission to the Boomers Show.

Therally and the Boomers Show mark activities that will take place in Long

BeachOctober 25–26, kicking-off” Boomer Days” in Long Beach.

Foradditional information on the Rally visit www.BarackObama.com search

Events,put in zip code 90802 and info will be displayed For information on the BoomersShow visit www.boomersshow.com.

Californians on Change: Tom Mullens, CA Veterans for Obama

Sarah Gallagher — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 19:55:54 EDT

Tom Mullens is the Co-Chair of California Veterans for Obama

"Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!"- Admiral David Farragut

It's only in the last couple of years that I learned how long my family has been part of this country. I found out that I have ancestors who served in the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, the Civil War and nearly every conflict where the country called. I also found that, according to U.S. Census data, up to the beginning of the 20th Century many of them could not read and write.

My dad, as a Navy veteran of the Korean War, was able to take advantage of the G.I. Bill. He became the first member of his family, after more than 250 years in America, to attend college. Unfortunately, he didn't get a degree. Feeding four hungry kids and keeping a roof over our heads eventually took precedence.

I served in the Navy during the Vietnam War and enrolled in college within weeks of my separation from active duty. The G.I. Bill allowed me to attend school full-time while I worked part-time. Four years later, I was the first member of my father's family to graduate from college. Almost as important, I had no student loans hanging over my head so I could afford to choose a career in education. Unfortunately, after Vietnam veterans' education benefits diminished sharply, what had been a major engine of upward advancement for working and middle-class Americans became an afterthought. But last year things changed.

Las Vegas Postcard Party 9-7-08

♥Lynn♥ who is now seeing CHANGE in Politics and USA — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 20:22:57 EDT

Suzie and Fred McKay were kind enough to open their home to me and hold their first Postcard Party. Suzie and I met on the blogs while I was in LV on business. I live in California and was going to Las Vegas with my husband for our yearly vacation. As many of you know, you just can’t get away from this campaign. :- D

Of course we started off with all of us discussing the Republican VP pick, Sarah Palin. We had a great group of participates from a Libertarian, Republican, Hillary supporter, Biden supporter, and myself the Obama supporter. What a group and look what Obama has done bringing all of us together for a common purpose to win the White House back to the people.

Each person received printed instructions and then I started explaining the story of who started Postcards for Votes and where we are today. It was like a show and tell set up. I had my postcards and instructions ready to explain what to do and how the process worked. Once I was done it was time to write those postcards. Fred has Multiple Sclerosis (MS for short) so he typed out his and some of us cut them out so I could use a glue stick to put them on his postcards. Suzie read his message and we were all touched. Here’s her blog to check out what he wrote:

http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/suziemckay/gG53Lf

My husband put together a CD of songs about America that I gave him. We had that playing in the background. There were also some fundraising Obama products, unique Obama products made by supporters, refreshments, and desserts. We raised $62.00 for the campaign which will be split between Suzie’s and my fundraising page. Here’s the links for both of our pages if you would like to donate:

Here’s Lynn’s FR page:

http://my.barackobama.com/page/outreach/view/main/LBHeart

Here’s Suzie’s FR Page:

http://my.barackobama.com/page/outreach/view/main/SuzieM

All the supporters there had never done this before and plan to continue with this event. Forty one postcards were sent out. They also were going to get others involved. Suzie suggested I stop by the campaign office which just opened two days before. I went over there and made contact with some supporters who were interested in participating. Handed out the flyer I made for anyone to join.

Here is a slideshow of the party:

http://s322.photobucket.com/albums/nn415/lbheart/LV%20Postcard%20Party/?albumview=slideshow

Recap: Californians Drive for Change

Sarah Gallagher — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 17:08:13 EDT

Elizabeth Kim is a volunteer in Nevada.

This weekend Californians drove across state lines to canvass for Barack Obama alongside their Nevadan neighbors. The day started off with training sessions across the state. One group of Golden Staters got a quick tutorial on Nevada issues from NW Las Vegas Regional Field Director Evan Sutton.

Why is Nevada so important? Al Gore lost Nevada by 2% in 2000. If Nevada had turned, Gore would have won the election. The good news is that in previous cycles Democrats had a net negative of 8,000 registered voters in Nevada compared to Republicans. We now have a positive advantage of 75,000 registered Democrats over Republicans thanks to the hard work of our volunteers.

Click here to continue reading…

The Royal Debate Kit

Roger — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 03:55:24 EDT

Debate Watching Party Recap

Sarah Gallagher — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 13:43:06 EDT

Last night's event at Social Hollywood put the 'party' in Debate Watching party. Staffers and regular volunteers were joined by hundreds of new supporters to cheer on Obama in the first Presidential Debate on Friday night. The crowd was as ethnically and culturally diverse as LA itself - young, old, from Malibu to the Inland Empire, supporters came out to watch the debate and get involved in the campaign.

The debate watchers were super fired up - according to one of our volunteers, "the energy in the room was like watching the Super Bowl with 500 of your closest friends." One of the highlights for our team was the Republicans for Obama contingent in the audience. They cheered just as loud, if not louder, than everyone else and signed up to phone bank this weekend!

THIS WEEKENDS WESTSIDE PHONE BANKS

Stephen Grynberg — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 12:25:24 EDT

Santa Monica phone banks

Sat 9/27 and Sun 9/28

(30 West calls to Swing States)

Come join us at one of our four Phone Bank locations this week as we reach out to TURN SOME SWING STATES BLUE

Check out our schedule below and sign up at the attached link or contact the coordinator directly.

Our Stewart Avenue location has been moved to Olympic and Bundy location listed below.

BRING A FRIEND, THIS ELECTION IS TOO IMPORTANT TO SIT OUT

Downtown Santa Monica phone bank Revelations Entertainment 1221 Second St. 4th Floor, Santa Monica, CA 90401

SAT 9/27 11AM-6PM http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/phonebank/gsxjrt

SUN 9/28 11AM-6PM http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/phonebank/gsxjt5

Volunteer Coordinator - Debra Skelton debraskelton@charter.net

Bundy and Olympic Phone Bank Mark Gordon Company 12200 W Olympic Blvd Ste 250 Los Angeles, CA 90064

SAT 9/27 11AM-6PM Voter Calls http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/phonebank/gs77xx

SUN 9/28 11AM-6PM Voter Calls http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/phonebank/gs757r

Volunteer Coordinator: Smitha Chandrabose santamonica4obama@gmail.com

Oh, the tangled web we weave...

Roger — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 03:51:47 EDT

Earth to Senator McCain, come in John. Over.

Earth to Senator McCain.

...

When The Fit Hits The Shan

Roger — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 05:31:29 EDT

This is what happens when David Letterman's BS detector goes off, I start getting all lysdexic with my writing. Holy Gother of Mod! Is John McCain comtempting to atmit political suicide?

Gotta get to the White House, you know. No time to get on national television in front of a massive audience and talk about... his great ideas for. Oh that's right, my bad. What ideas?

And Mr. Craig Ferguson, if these words ever pass your eyes, welcome to America brother! That was one hell of a monologue night last.

Curse you Olberman!!!

Heh.

Barack is moving ahead with plans for Friday's debate - Join Us at a California Debate Watch Party

Sarah Gallagher — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 01:41:26 EDT

The election is less than 40 days away, and the American people deserve to hear directly from the candidates about how they intend to lead our country. We want to thank you for your support of this campaign so far and invite you to join Obama for America at one of the four Debate Watch Parties we're hosting across the state.

http://my.barackobama.com/cadebatewatch

We'll cheer for Barack Obama at the Presidential Debate, hear from local elected officials, discuss the issues and get to work organizing in our communities for change! Join us and your fellow supporters this Friday, September 26th.

We're hosting parties in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Sacramento and San Diego, but if you're in another town, you can also use our zip code locator to find a Debate Watch house party near you.

Join us tomorrow!

Yes we can,
Mary Jane Stevenson
Field Director
Obama for America, California

POLICTICAL CLOTHING AT POLLING PLACES

♥Lynn♥ who is now seeing CHANGE in Politics and USA — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 22:45:05 EDT

This information is very important and we all need to share it.

I received an e-mail stating not to wear any Obama gear at the polls as you will be turned away. I decided to check into this further and in some states there are regulations but you CAN NOT BE TURNED AWAY. Here’s the e-mail spreading around:

E-MAIL BEING SENT:

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE ADVISE EVERYONE YOU KNOW THAT THEY
A BSOLUTELY CAN NOT GO TO THE POLLS WEARING ANY OBAMA SHIRTS, PINS, OR HATS, IT IS AGAINST THE LAW AND WILL BE GROUNDS TO HAVE THE POLLING OFFICIALS TO TURN YOU AWAY.

THAT IS CONSIDERED CAMPAIGNING AND NO ONE CAN CAMPAIGN WITHIN
AMOUNT OF 100 FEET TO THE POLLS. THEY ARE BANKING ON US BEING EXCITED AND NOT BE AWARE OF THIS LONG STANDING LAW THAT YOU CAN BET WILL BE ENFORCED THIS YEAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

THEY ARE BANKING THAT IF YOU ARE TURNED AWAY YOU WILL NOT GO HOME
AND CHANGE YOUR CLOTHES. PLEASE JUST DON'T WEAR OBAMA GEAR OF
ANY SORTS TO THE POLLS!!

PLEASE SHARE THIS INFORMATION, OH AND FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO WERE ALREADY AWARE THIS WAS NOT MEANT TO INSULT YOUR INTELLIGENCE.

Here's what I have found:

Each state has different regulations and in some states you are not allowed to wear campaign gear so please check your state's regulations (See below) by contacting your Secretary of State. You can not be turned away but may be asked to take the button/sticker/hat off or put a jacket on to cover the T-shirt. I live in California and wore my Obama for President pin during the primaries and nothing was said to me. A voter wearing a t-shirt saying "Vote for X" that shouts "vote for X" or places his T-shirt in the sightline of voters asking support for "X" is obviously electioneering and will be asked to refrain from the conduct at once, and if they continue will be removed.
If you are not sure of the regulations, then I suggest not wearing any campaign gear or at least be prepared to remove it if asked. We can not afford to lose this race. Now the banking crisis is happening and we need Obama/Biden in the White House.

2006- Ten States have regulations explicityly prohibiting the wearing of buttons to the polls - Delaware, Kansas, Minnesota, Montana, New Jersey, New York South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Vermont. Since the date is 2006 I would suggest you check into it further.

http://law.bepress.com/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=4685&context=expresso

Here’s some resources to check it out:

http://fightthesmears.com/articles/19/tshirtrumor

snopes.com: Passive Electioneering

GOP seeks ban on political clothing at polling placesBy Mario F. Cattabiani INQUIRER STAFF WRITER

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/breaking/20080918_GOP_seeks_ban_on_political_clothing_at_polling_places.html?text=reg&c=y

Californians on Change: A Message on the Economic Crisis

Sarah Gallagher — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 20:06:54 EDT

A message from Ted Lieu, Chair of the Assembly Rules Committee and former Chair of the Assembly Banking and Finance Committee.

If only we had listened to Senator Obama earlier, this entire crisis on Wall Street could have been avoided. Since the beginning of this year, Senator Obama repeatedly called for stemming the foreclosure crisis by providing relief to homeowners and hard-working Americans. No one up to speed on these issues seriously disputes that the root cause of this crisis is the massive and continuing wave of foreclosures caused by predatory and unsuitable loans sold during the mortgage frenzy.

Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson, a former industry CEO on Wall Street, should have seen this foreclosure crisis coming. Before the crisis hit, Senator Obama made repeated calls for foreclosure relief, and Secretary Paulson ignored all of it. Instead, he put out his feeble industry-driven Hope Now plan at the beginning of this year, which I and many others criticized as doing virtually nothing to stem the rising tide of foreclosures.

Senator Obama was right on this issue, and the Bush Administration was wrong. More fundamentally, we need effective mortgage reform so a crisis of this magnitude never happens again. It was the Bush/McCain deregulation policies of the last eight years that directly resulted in the financial implosions occurring on Wall Street. The trickle-down, industry-driven economic policies of the Bush/McCain years have caused immense harm to our citizens.

Before giving away the largest taxpayer bailout in the history of the free world, getting an apology from President Bush, Treasury Secretary Paulson, and Senator John McCain would be nice.

Welcome Back Bill!

Roger — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 02:24:50 EDT

President Clinton is back to work and has brought his A game. This isn't the tired, punchy, sometimes flummoxed man that hit the road with Hillary earlier this year. This is Bill. This is the former President. The lion has had a nap and is back in the tall grass getting down to business. He's hitting the TV circuit and it's good to have his voice in the conversation again. Welcome Back Bill!

WESTSIDE/COASTLINE PHONE BANKS THIS WEEK (30WEST)

Stephen Grynberg — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 16:41:17 EDT

Westside/Coastline phone banks (30 West calls Nevada)

STARTING TONIGHT IN TOPANGA

Come join us at one of Four Phone Bank locations this week as we CALL NEVADA

Weeknight Banks Tonight (Wed 9/24) in Topanga and Thursday in downtown Santa Monica.

Check out our schedule below and sign up at the attached link or contact the coordinator directly.

SPREAD THE WORD, GRAB YOUR FRIENDS. SEE YOU THERE

Topanga Canyon Phone Bank 415 S. Topanga Canyon Blvd. Topanga, CA 90290

TONIGHT WED 9/24 6-9PM http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/gs77sc

Volunteer Coordinator - Linda Gintowt 310-804-2462 cell linda@topangaproperties.com

Stewart Avenue Phone Bank 1717 Stewart Ave Santa Monica, Ca 90404

SAT 9/27 11-6PM http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/gsxvtq

SUN 9/28 11-6PM http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/gs72pq

Coordinator – Tracey Eumont teumont@aol.com

Downtown Santa Monica phone bank Revelations Entertainment 1221 Second St. 4th Floor, Santa Monica, CA 90401

THURS 9/25 6-9PM http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/phonebank/gsxjtj

SAT 9/27 11AM-6PM http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/phonebank/gsxjrt

SUN 9/28 11AM-6PM http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/phonebank/gsxjt5

Volunteer Coordinator - Debra Skelton debraskelton@charter.net

Bundy and Olympic Phone Bank Mark Gordon Company 12200 W Olympic Blvd Ste 250 Los Angeles, CA 90064

SAT 9/27 11a-6PM Voter Calls http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/phonebank/gs77xx

SUN 9/28 11a-6PM Voter Calls http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/phonebank/gs757r

Volunteer Coordinator: Smitha Chandrabose santamonica4obama@gmail.com

HOPE YOU CAN MAKE IT OR TELL A FRIEND

Sincerely,

Stephen Grynberg, Adam Yates and Nan Gail

Team Coordinators CD 30 West

Join Obama for America - California at a Debate Watch Party this Friday

Sarah Gallagher — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 20:18:18 EDT

Join us in Sacramento, San Francisco, Los Angeles or San Diego as we bring people together, watch the debate, talk about the issues, and build this movement for change.

Find a California Debate Watch Party Near You

In another city? Debate Watch House Parties are happening all over the state - meet up with your friends and neighbors!

Recap: Camp Obama - Mamas for Obama

Sarah Gallagher — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 20:10:11 EDT

Last Sunday, over 100 Moms (and some Dads, and plenty of kids) came out to a Culver City park to hear from the Obama for America, California Field Team to learn how to become Community Organizers. The CA Field Team created a condensed Camp Obama, tailored especially for Moms of young kids who might not be able to dedicate large chunks of time to campaigning but still want to be an important part of this election.

Mary Jane Stevenson, California Field Director, kicked off the afternoon by getting the crowd fired up to learn how to organize "with kids sitting on your hips". A mother of twins, Mary Jane talked about her own experience as a Community Organizer and how she balances that with her role as a mother.

The women met other moms in their Congressional Districts and started planning phonebanks and local events. The teams held an impromptu 15 minute phonebank in the park and cranked out over 500 calls!

The field team brought in babysitters to keep the kids entertained with games, arts & crafts and sports, making this an outstanding afternoon for everyone who joined.

2nd St Promenade Phone bank set up

Ellen Sloan of CA CD 30W — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 23:15:42 EDT

Our group (Camp Obama Westside grads 9/08) has obtained amazing space on 2nd St right off the Promenade for our phone banks. It is definitely the "Ritz Carlton" of phone banks. We are going to be manning the phone bank on Tuesday and Thursday nights (6:00 to 9:00pm) and on Saturday and Sunday (three shifts - 11:00 to 2:00, 1:00 to 4:00 and 3:00 to 6:00). We need people to make calls to Nevadans, do relatively simple data entry and be a concierge for the volunteers (greeting volunteers, finding a place for them to call, checking in with them periodically and serving them refreshments). We have also set up a phone bank in Topanga Canyon and will soon have one in the Palisades.

Find events button on right hand side

On left hand side hit search for an event now

Search events by zip code (90401 for Santa Monica and 90290 for Topanga)

The phone bank shifts will be listed, Hit sign up for this event button.

Then choose which shift(s) you want to work. (I will generally be at 2nd St location every weekend.)

Bring your laptop, cellphone and charger for both.

For those of you that do not live in Santa Monica, Palisades or Topanga there are phone banks near you just follow directions above and input your home zip code and you can find events (phone banks, debate parties and the like) close to you. We are also looking for volunteers to drive to Nevada every weekend between now through the election. You can sign up at the 2nd St phone bank or email me at eys13@mac.com.

As you might have heard on NPR Friday night Nevada is THE battleground and it is our job to deliver Nevada for Barack! Every little bit helps so tell your friends and family to get involved locally where ever they live.

You are The Boss... which team would you hire?  

Dr. Barbara Palmer — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 20:17:08 EDT

With America facing historic debt, multiple war fronts, a healthcare crisis, a weakened dollar, all-time high prison population, skyrocketing Federal spending, mortgage crises, bank foreclosures, etc. etc., this is an unusually critical election year.  Let's look at the educational background of your two options: 

Obama: 

- Occidental College -Two years

- Columbia University - B.A. political science with a specialization in international relations

- Harvard - Juris Doctor (J.D.) Magna Cum Laude 

WIFE has doctorate degree

Biden:

- University of Delaware - B.A. in history and B.A. in political science

- Syracuse University - Juris Doctor (J.D.) 

WIFE has doctorate degree

Vs.  

McCain:

-United States Naval Academy - B.S. Class rank 894 of 899 

WIFE has master's degree

Palin:

- Hawaii Pacific University - 1 semester

- North Idaho College - 2 semesters - general studies

- University of Idaho - 2 semesters – journalism

- Matanuska-Susitna College -1 semester 

-University of Idaho -3 semesters - B.A. in journalism 

- HUSBAND has high-school diploma

Now, which team are you going to hire? The choice is yours!

Californians on Change: San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom on the Economy

Sarah Gallagher — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 17:10:02 EDT

The headlines might be coming from Wall Street, but the economy in California is also facing some rocky times. Our state government is going on 80 days without a budget, leaving open the real possibility of hospital and care facilities shutting down. Foreclosure rates throughout the state are the highest in memory, and our statewide unemployment rate, at 7.3% is a 12-year high. Retailers are preparing for a disappointing holiday season, and between surging food and fuel costs - Californians are feeling the pressure.

The jobs of the future will not be created by the politicians of the past. When it comes to fixing our economy, the change we need right now is being offered by Senator Barack Obama.

We're feeling it here too in San Francisco - we had to make the tough decisions to close a record financial shortfall and balance our budget - but in light of what's happening around the state and the nation, San Francisco isn't doing too badly. Much of that has to do with our investments in new technology and efforts to attract new business. As home to many biotech and cleantech firms, we're creating the kind of family sustaining jobs that help communities weather bad economic times. Close to 130 new companies have headquartered or relocated to San Francisco since 2004, 41 of those in biotech. Our unemployment rate continues to rank well below the state and national averages.

Republican Mayor Richard Riordan Endorses Obama for President

Sarah Gallagher — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 19:43:42 EDT

Press Release from Gabriel Sanchez, Obama for America, California
Former LA Mayor Says "Clearly, Obama is the Best Candidate

LOS ANGELES - Former Los Angeles Mayor Riordan, a Republican, today formally announced his endorsement of Barack Obama for President. Crossing party lines, Mayor Riordan said he supports Obama because "we want the best person to be President of the United States, whether they are Republican or Democrat, and clearly Obama is the best candidate."

Senator Obama is the kind of leader we need to get us through these tough economic times. If you truly want to do what's best for the country, you should vote for Barack Obama for President.

"Senator Obama is the kind of leader we need to get us through these tough economic times," said Riordan, explaining why he favors Obama over McCain. "If you truly want to do what's best for the country, you should vote for Barack Obama for President."

Riordan, a registered Republican, was elected Mayor of Los Angeles in 1993 and served until 2001. During his tenure he worked successfully with community and business leaders to revitalize the city of Los Angeles, which was struck hard by the recession of the early 1990s and several natural disaster including the Northridge quake in 1994.

Get Ready for Women's Weekend of Action with Camp Obama - Mamas for Obama!

Sarah Gallagher — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 17:29:55 EDT

On Sunday, September 21st please join us for Mamas for Obama, a special Camp Obama mini-training session, geared toward mothers who want to roll up their sleeves and volunteer for the campaign but cannot attend a traditional two-day Camp Obama. There will be child-care assistance in the park during the training session.

Join us for Camp Obama - Mamas for Obama
A special mini-training welcoming Moms who can volunteer for Obama for America

Kids welcome
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 21st
Location: Culver City (address will be confirmed on RSVP)
Check in: 12:30pm
Training: 1:00 pm - 4:30 pm
RSVP: http://my.barackobama.com/CampObamaCAMama

Recap: Drive for Change Day Trip

Sarah Gallagher — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 19:12:44 EDT

Crowds gathered early at meeting places in cities across California as volunteers set off on the first big Drive for Change of September.

Kicking off at 5AM on Saturday, teams hit the ground Saturday morning and got to work.

Teams started the day registering people to vote, and finished the afternoon talking with supporters and undecided voters.

The best answer I got all day was when I asked a booster what his level of support is. The reply was worthy of the casinos visible from his neighborhood: "I'm all in!" - Cheyney, Volunteer

The teams wrapped up the Drive for Change Day Trip by jumping back on the bus to escape the 90-plus-degree weather and driving back across the Mojave Desert to California.

Rally for Change with Barack Obama in Las Vegas on Wednesday!

Sarah Gallagher — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 23:59:42 EDT

The big California to Nevada Drive for Change will kick off with Barack Obama in Las Vegas this week.

Commit to working for Barack Wednesday through Sunday in Las Vegas and be one of 50 Californians to get guaranteed seats at the Rally for Change on Wednesday night.

Be one of the first 50 people to commit by signing up here: http://my.barackobama.com/catonvrally

We know this is last minute, but just received notice of these limited guaranteed seating opportunities and hope you can still join us. We will contact you by Tuesday evening if you are one of the first 50, and will send an email to everyone who signs up by Tuesday night to let you know when the event is full.

Yes We Can!

A Woman's Choice is Now

Christine — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 19:04:58 EDT

I find it terrifying and utterly amazing that this country is still fighting over abortion rights. The Republican government wants their hands on my body. Doctors feel they can decide if contraception and emergency birth control pills should be prescribed while some pharmacists also feel they have a right to choose to fill a Rx or not. Did I miss something, are we still in America because it feels a bit too like an Orwell setting. The rights of women as we know it will severely diminish if McCain and Palin are elected. They both want to overturn Roe v. Wade, making abortion illegal. Palin is against abortion rights, including rape and incest. In an interview she was asked if Bristol (her pregnant 17 year old daughter) were raped and had gotten pregnant would she feel differently about choices. She undoubtedly said she would favor life across the board. Speaking as someone who has been raped, I would NEVER want to keep a baby from such trauma. Sarah Palin has stated it was "a blessed event," when speaking of her daughter, yet abstinence has been her constant rhetoric instead of other reproductive choices. In fact, Palin endorses abstinence education over sex-ed programs. Her family reveals how successful this plan works. Her own daughter obviously did not practice what Palin advocates. Her daughter is an undererage, pregnant and engaged girl who is an outstanding example that this plan of promoting mainly abstinence just does not work. Every female should choose their own path, McPain back the idea that a woman's decision will be governed and regulated. The 18 million cracks Palin mentioned is not about embarking upon new ground for women, she wants to turn back time and claim our reproductive rights as her little house of cards. This would leave a devastating mess, both politically and on an individual level. Hillary Clinton was the woman who made those 18 million cracks in which she would have vehemently protected a woman's right to own our bodies. We risk becoming a pawn between the government, medical professionals and shockingly enough pharmacists if McPain wins. America does not want a legacy that consumes the rights of reproductive independence because of religious and personal positions. The separation of church and state was written for the obvious reason, choice. Freedom should not be an abstract idea altered with clauses or shaped by certain ideologies; it should remain constant without condemnation or fear. That is why McCain/Palin alarms me so much; they obviously feel they have the justification to oppress decisions about our OWN reproductive rights. We do not want a President and VP who feel entitled to use their religious faith as their trump card over the reproductive choices of all women. This house of cards will fall hard if abortion becomes illegal. Desperate people will find other, most certainly unsafe, ways to perform upon themselves. McCain and Palin definitely would contribute to the collapse of choice, what transgression will follow? We cannot afford McPain to win; Barrack Obama is our only promise. Every voice makes a difference. The women's suffragette fought for the right to vote, today we carry that spirit to free our bodies from the government's clutch and vote Obama.
He will bring hope and integrity back to America. Challenge the status quo and get out there to vote!

Camp Obama Day 1

Kara — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 18:23:41 EDT

This morning I groggily stumbled to the bus stop to catch the 7:43 #33 bus east to downtown LA. I nearly skipped it. Too tired. Thinking "what's the point? I'd rather catch that Anne Hathaway film screening."

But something pushed me further and I continued walking to the stop at Venice/Hughes and waited.

Once downtown, I approached the driver for advice on which stop to depart for 400 Washington. Before she could answer, I heard an excited voice behind me yelp "are you going to the Obama thing?!" Relieved I turned to see the smiling face looking up at me from her seat and follow with "I'm going too! We get off here- my name is Maria, what's yours?"

We arrive at the school to find its cafeteria flooded with people and good energy and...hope. It's early on a Saturday morning and we're not getting paid for our 16+ hours this weekend but everyone is energized, happy, focused, and determined. Last time I saw this was in high school prepping for the big dance team competition.

I quickly run into Mike, a guy I dated 3 years ago. I haven't seen him since then so when our eyes meet we smile warmly and hug. Then joke about where on earth we'll sit in the overcrowded room. I stake out an open space while he kidnaps some chairs. The people at tables around us work together to help us find a home. Allen, an actor I worked with 6 years ago approaches us with his usual drilling smile.

Our first exercise is to share with one another our personal story of challenge and hope. I learn about the full-time mom. the illegitimate woman fathered by the Argentinean immigrant, the lawyer. We meet the social worker from Puerto Rico who has worked her way from penniless immigrant to graduate-degree political blogger. There's the comedy writer who's parents fled Castro's Cuba and Hitler's Poland. The Russian immigrant who wants America to return to it's former glory as the destination for miracles and fair play. The man who's tired of being ashamed of saying he's American when he's traveling abroad. The young mom of 3yr old twins who wants to make this country a better place for her kids.

It's now 3pm - we've completed several group exercises, heard speeches, learned more about Obama's plans vs. McCain's plans through lectures and presentations and handouts. I've learned I have questions I need to research on why Wal-mart employees are being scared into hating Obama. On Barak's history of bringing Democrats and Republicans together to get things done.

I want to learn more about his plans for education rebates bringing college education to those currently unable to afford it. I want to learn more about his health insurance plans. These are my primary concerns as someone who worked with smart, driven children in Chicago's Robert Taylor projects as well as the sister of someone who can't afford health insurance because the premium through her employer would eat up her meager paychecks.

We're reviewing and learning how to be more effective callers for the campaign- to be intelligent persuaders and effective data collectors.

7 hours later and we're still on fire - maybe more so than we were at 8:30am! 2 more hours before I get back on that bus with Maria. Then home to walk my dogs and kiss my boyfriend and see my favorite band at my favorite club. Sleep. Then back up and on that bus eastward to Day 2 of Camp Obama.

What a great change this is and hopefully I'll be a big part of it.

Support the victims of the commuter train tragedy

Sarah Gallagher — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 16:20:03 EDT

Friday afternoon, a Metrolink commuter train carrying 225 collided into a freight train, killing 18 and leaving at least 135 injured. The crash is the deadliest in Metrolink’s history. Survivors have been rushed to several local area hospitals and far too many are in critical condition.

Many of you have asked what you can do to help.

The UCLA Blood and Platelet Center will be open this Saturday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. to accept blood donations. Healthy donors of all blood types are needed to donate blood. Appointments can be made by calling 310-794-7217 ext. 2.

Contact the Red Cross at 800-RED-CROSS or visit www.redcross.org for other information about blood donation or ways you can help.

A smart guy is a good thing, we can't afford another moron making decisions for our country

Pete Kronowitt — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 19:55:36 EDT

from an e-mail a friend forwarded to me.

I find it disheartening when people look at Obama's race with assumptions that assume he couldn't pull his weight in brain power. Barack Obama's academic achievements would have been equally admirable if he were a blond, blue-eyed boy from Kansas called John Smith. He has 12 years of elected office experience and has a track record superior to many legislators with similar experience. Yes, he's never run anything, which makes it more amazing yet that by hard work and despite the albatross that is a Muslim middle name in America, he has built a movement from nothing to involve 18 million people in the best run campaign in history. He has been subjected to impossible scrutiny over the last 18 months on his views on every issue imaginable and was tested by one of the toughest Primary races in history. He never gave up.

Every year around 7,500 people apply to Harvard Law School. Roughly 560 students matriculate with, on average, a 3.8 undergraduate GPA and a 99th percentile LSAT score. After 1L year studying legal theory, around 40 of the best students are appointed to Harvard Law Review based on their first year grades and writing. Law Reviews are highly competitive student run scholarly journals considered mandatory by many for high-end legal careers. For the 7% that make it on to Law Review, 2L year is more legal theory plus highly detailed editing of emerging legal scholarship pending publication in the journal. The articles they produce are largely anonymous. At the end of 2L year, one member of Law Review is elected to be the next year's Editor-in-Chief (President) by the existing members. The Editor-in-Chief then runs the process of producing the next year's editions of the journal. Since 1887, 121 people have been appointed Editor-in-Chief (President) of Harvard Law Review. There were more than 7,000 Rhodes Scholarships granted during the same period. You have to be smart enough to impress some of the smartest, most competitive people in the world to get that job. He did it. This is someone whose mother relied on food stamps to feed him for a while. I wonder, do John McCain and Lynn Westmoreland even know what a food stamp looks like?

John McCain graduated 894th out of 899 students. He was given a Navy Pilot assignment on affirmative, nepotistic action. Why? Because his grand-daddy and daddy were Admirals. It was the most coveted assignment for Naval Academy graduates and typically went to the top students. Go back 50 years and see the average graduating rank of Naval Pilots. It's not even close. Sarah Palin graduated from a 4-year degree course in 6 years, having dropped out 4 times. I wonder who is better able to understand, assimilate and process complex information quickly. It's sad that we've become an anti-intelligence country. McCain is a genuine war hero and Palin may be a tough achiever but let's be honest, these are not examples of intellectual excellence we want for our children, yet we want them to lead the country and set the destiny of our children's children. They may win and that's okay, it's the way of politics and may the best ideas win.

The RNC was a reminder of where America came from and the people sitting in that hall do not represent the America we will be in 20 years, not by a long shot. I swear, anyone emerging from that convention would have you believe we're in the mess we face because of Obama's policies. The saddest part is the fact that nasty attacks that distract from the issues work. By appealing to the ugliest instincts within us with comments like those of Georgia's Congressman Lynn Westmoreland who proudly called Obama and his wife "uppity" and repeated himself proudly when confronted, the Republicans will win. Obama dare not say a word against such a racially tinged epithet, lest he be accused of playing the race card. The fact that a man in his esteemed position, a sitting US Senator, is unable to honestly challenge a plain bigot like Representative Westmoreland without offending someone is damaging to the dignity of this nation. Not a word from Mr. Maverick Change, Mr. Country First and Mr. Post-partisanship John McCain. Shame on you!
I will always love my country, but sometimes it's difficult to be proud of the way it treats some of its citizens who were part of the founding population, but bound in chains. Obama doesn't deserve to win because of his intellect and diligence, but to insult him for it is unChristian, unpatriotic and contrary to conservative values. He is an example to our children, a true conservative who lifted himself up and never gave up and stepped in to organize in the absence of the government. Yet Republicans mocked community service in front of the nation.

Jesus Christ was a community organizer and Pontius Pilate was a governor. John McCain needs to tell us who the Republicans are fighting for.
- LP Zandcus

Share These Videos - Why John McCain Must NEVER Be President

KO — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 19:07:01 EDT

Here's clip after clip of John McCain saying whatever makes him look best in the situation at hand, and lying out of both sides of his mouth (would you buy a used car from this man?):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GEtZlR3zp4c

And here the ladies on The View are getting in his face about the lies spread in his latest campaign commercials. When hit with the truth he acts so surprised. It's such an odd concept:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/12/mccain-grilled-on-the-vie_n_125972.html

We've got 50 days to keep this bozo out of the ring. Phone banking for Nevada is more important than ever. Let's motivate as many of our friends and family as we can to DO SOMETHING.

Share these videos and ask your friends and families, do you want this slippery man making deals with OPEC and Iran on behalf of the United States at such a pivotal time in our country's history and in light of the current economy? You already know what their response will be.

Barack Morning Buzz - 9-12-08

Barack Daily Buzz - Victory2008.net — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 08:46:28 EDT

Barack Morning Buzz - 9-12-08
On to Victory in November

(1) Obama Vows New "Speed and Ferocity"
Mike Allen-Politico
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0908/13396.html

(2) "1982"-New Obama TV Ad Says McCain is Out of Touch
http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid1185304443/bctid1789003018

(3) Obama Plans Sharper Tone as Party Frets
Adam Nagourney and Jeff Zeleny-New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/12/us/politics/12obama.html?em

(4) Truce Over, Obama Comes Out Swinging
Sam Youngman-The Hill
http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/truce-over-obama-comes-out-swinging-2008-09-12.html

(5) Bill Clinton and Obama Have a Really "Great Conversation"
Andrew Malcolm-Los Angeles Times-Top of the Ticket
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2008/09/obama-clinton.html

(6) Obama Deploys Clintons as Race Tightens
Agence France Presse-AFP
http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5iGun42HPqt-3rZUDPxM-sUwROdAg

(7) 9/11 Observances and Obama Meets with Bill Clinton
Ross Simpson-Associated Press Minute
http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&q=Barack+Obama&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=X&oi=news_group&resnum=4&ct=title

(8) Obama and McCain Find Common Ground on National Service
CNNPolitics
http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/09/12/candidates.sept11/index.html?section=cnn_latest

(9) Obama and McCain Keep It Civic
Kate Pickert-TIME
http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1840733,00.html

(10) Obama and McCain Praise Service at Columbia University Forum
Associated Press
http://www.mercurynews.com/presidentelect/ci_10441938

(11) The Unbearable Lightness of Republican Hypocrisy
John Nery-Philippine Daily Inquirer
http://globalnation.inquirer.net/mindfeeds/mindfeeds/view/20080911-160012/The-unbearable-lightness-of-Republican-hypocrisy

(12) Obama to Appear on "Saturday Night Live" Again
Associated Press
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hUJZr2cYsgJCAyRJeKF-6QHPWi0AD934TUAG7

(13) Obama on David Letterman Show-9-10-08
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hf6qd8b65s
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZXc5AVHgaE

(14) "Change We Need" Rally with Hillary Clinton in Elyria, Ohio-9-14-08
Lorain County Community College-1005 North Abbe Road
Gates open at 11:30 AM- Event is free and open to public-No tickets required
No bags, signs or banners permitted for security reasons
http://my.barackobama.com/page/s/ohlorainhrc

(15) "Change We Need" Rally with Hillary Clinton in Akron, Ohio-9-14-08
Ellet High School Gymnasium-309 Woolf Avenue
Doors open at 2:00 PM-Event begins at 3:30 PM
Event is free and open to public-No tickets required-RSVP strongly encouraged
No bags, signs or banners permitted for security reasons
http://my.barackobama.com/page/s/akronchange

A day in the life: Time well spent, a wonderful gift received

Barbara C. Benedict — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 01:51:27 EDT

I'm still up. Working very hard and loving it, though my body and eyes aren't quite so enthusiastic. Building community and relationships takes real quality time. I spoke about an hour -- maybe more, with a fantastic woman tonight. That's not good in accomplishing immediate tasks, in the short run but in the long run it's wonderful, perfect and will achieve our goals: Elect Barack and hand him an empowered community that's ready to help him change the world! I do also have 100 calls to make in the next 24 hours! : } but I don't regret a minute of my time speaking with this interesting woman! She has tremendous talent to share with the campaign and she will help empower our local team exponentially! I can't wait to learn more from her. Wish me luck on the 100 more calls!. They will get done, but always, quality over quantity! People are not widgets! The critical bottom line, the dream Barack is talking about and trying to share with America is happening! : ) We are building community! In the last five full time days I have met so many amazing people! Ok, I have to go back to the women I met tonight on the phone again : ) She's a former writing teacher. During our fantastic conversation, she told me I ought to write a memoir. Her gift to me was something I never understood until tonight. When I told her I've always wanted to but I've been waiting until I could close it with a "happy ending," very hard to do when you've had --and continue to navigate a life like mine... But she said, we don't have happy endings in life, people we love die, and bad things happen, but it's about what you can share that you learned. Wow! Or as she would say "Damn!" This woman just changed my life! And all this from a conversation when I hadn't yet mentioned I liked to write and people had been encouraging me to do this for years! She said she also does a lot of work with a local university, organizing students. She is going to be a brilliant addition to the new community we are creating and a huge asset to the Obama For America Campaign team! Time well spent! And a wonderful gift received. Today was a really good day : )

Adlai: Lipstick

Roger — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 01:10:27 EDT

"You can tell the size of a man by the size of the thing that makes him mad."

The Wit and Wisdom of Adlai Stevenson (1965) p.68

Santa Monicans!

Tanya — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 16:07:31 EDT

This is my First Blog, please excuse any formatting errors!

The Republicans are gearing up their machine and BIG MONEY will be behind McCain. Obama has the support of all of us, but I can only donate so much cash. but I have time and energy to Bake, Donate, Host cocktail parties OR?
I want to get together with people in the Santa Monica
area, and brainstorm FUNDRAISING.
Are there any BAKE SALES, GARAGE SALES, LEMONADE STANDS, or ?? in the works ??

Anyone out there with advice, please post, THANKS!

Chicken Sarah

Roger — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 20:15:55 EDT

No this isn't a new dish. It's just taking the mask of the VP candidate.

If Gov. Sarah Palin is really a pit bull with lipstick or a barracuda then why won't she take questions from the media? If John McCain is so excited to introduce her to DC to unleash her and let her tear up corruption, then why be such a fraidy-cat to take questions?

Oooh, the media is too tough. Much tougher than the weak DC insiders? Right.

For all their talk, it appears to be nothing more than that, the GOP are scared of the media. They are scared of questions and what might be revealed from them. I can hear their knees knocking all the way across the country here in liberal L.A.. Even the head of the McCain campaign today said that she didn't have to address the media from now until the election 60 days away if they didn't want her to. What are they so afraid of? Is she that much of a hothouse flower? Will she wilt? Can she only read a prepared speech off a tele-prompter? She's supposed to be so tough!

More smoke and mirrors from the GOP, what's new?

Sarah's not a pit bull or a barracuda, she's a chicken... at least until she faces the press.

Bok Bok Bok

60 Days to Get the Dream Back

KO — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 13:57:53 EDT

The banter on the campaign trail is heating up. We've got 60 days to go.

I was at the opening of the Southern California Headquarters yesterday and was thrilled to see it was packed - over a thousand people showed up. I think the Republican rhetoric has served to motivate/irritate enough people so that they actively want to make sure the Pain McCain/Pitbull Palin ticket doesn't take away any of our momentum.

The issues are what's going to determine the outcome of this election.

I think I speak for most of us when I say:

All I want is the same standard of living my parents had - house, job, bills paid, and a little bit put aside in case of emergencies.

That's all. No pie in the sky. No big luxury McMansion. Just the normal standard of living that I grew up with - one that now, unfortunately, is becoming harder and harder to achieve for a lot of us.

As a kid, I never imagined that the American economy would change so drastically during my lifetime, to the point where the American Dream would remain in my mind only as a piece of nostalgia.

I want it back. And that is why I was at the opening of the new campaign headquarters yesterday.

I believe that Barack will bring back the American Dream for all of us and our children.

We are at the most crucial point in the campaign. All of us need to donate, make calls, get people signed up to vote, and do whatever we can.

We have sixty days.

Where's the beef?

Roger — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 23:05:52 EDT

John McCain presented more rhetoric tonight in his the final speech from the Republican Convention of 2008 and that's all. I've listened and watched almost all of this low turnout convention and speakers who have leveled accusations and twisted the statements of the democrats from their convention, all to understand what their platform is.

More war I guess. They've raged a lot about that all week long. Rip on the democrats and promise the continuation of war. Yeah, that's change.

Cutting taxes for big business and increasing the tax deductions for children... but no other mention of anything else relating to the economy let alone details or specifics.

He says the working class has lower salaries to look forward to. I guess he's trying reverse psychology? John McCain says he will even things out for their reduction in income by offering training at local community colleges. Huh?

He's all for cutting 700 billion in aide to foreign countries who "don't like us much". No idea who they are or why we're giving them so much money... but I guess he does. He didn't seem to want to go into details but the crowd seemed to love it.

He's all for drilling everywhere and anywhere immediately and building lots of nuclear plants and rambled off a fast list of all kinds of energy technologies but again no details.

The republican attack machine railed and railed and continues to slam Obama for being all rhetoric but the proof was before the eyes of the nation tonight. Zero specifics from the republicans. I guess they don't have a platform. Talk about all hat and no cattle.

The real windbag in this election is John McCain. He and every other major speaker at their convention has told us about his stay at the Hanoi Hilton and his experience as a POW. Tragic and hellish as that experience must have been, we got it the first half dozen times... broken record already.

Yet not a single minute dedicated to anything specific or concrete related to any issues.

Fight Fight Fight! All he knows is war and fighting. US vs. them.

First time in history of any major convention (that I'm aware of) that a platform wasn't announced.

Hey John, I heard a lot of bull tonight but WHERE'S THE BEEF?

I Was a Teenage Neo-Con

Roger — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 18:07:25 EDT

Growing up under a hard core right wing father whose well concealed anger and bitterness towards the left formed my initial concept of politics, I shouldn't have been surprised at the energy and tone of day 3 of the GOP Convention. When I was a child, I used to use anger and false accusation as an offensive tool in debate. Never concede, never compliment, twist the argument in any way possible regardless of merit or fact. Strength through aggression, make the other guy out to be either a fool or a wuss. Thankfully I grew up and learned to listen and think for myself.

So, watching this convention is painful as it is a walk down memory lane of my old political self. I was a teenage neo-con. Those familiar themes and rhetoric haunted my egoic mind for moments last night: the blaming of anyone else, the necessity for enemies to place that blame on, the generation of fear, and the flat out BS of misstating any position or philosophy other than my own to give my own argument merit.

By the hype and hoopla associated to Gov. Sarah Palin and her "debut" performance before America, I expected something different. I expected a woman of the common people who is a reformer who will help unite the country and move it in a new direction. That's how she's being defined by her partisan friends. What I didn't expect was what was delivered, a staunchly partisan republican charged by anger, delivering false accusation with more than a healthy pile of hypocrisy to cover it all up.

The Republican machine seemingly use the concept of newspeak from Orwell's 1984 to their own advantage. They speak in opposites; they speak in lies. Strong word but true. It seems they didn't watch Obama's speech by the way they tried to define him and his platform as wanting to tax the middle class, defund the military, create some kind of massive fictitious new bureaucracy (among other lies). But they did. Obama's speech must have stung them because they spoke some of the same slams he laid down on them back at him and cheered. Obama's speech cut them deep with the truth. The only way they can fight back is with lies and false accusation.

These republicans aren't about change. They are purely Machiavellian "the means justify the ends". They saw the change argument win in the DEMs convention and are now trying to label themselves under that same banner because they think it works. They don't get that they are speaking against themselves and their platform in doing so.

Now, one thing to note, and this is a big thing. The only way that republicans know they're doing a good job (or think they are) is when they get their opponents to react to them. They will bully but they won't be satisfied until their prey cries foul and gets emotionally caught up in it. It's the reaction they're after. They rejoice in trying to push people around. It gives them a sense of strength. If they were sword fighters and stabbed their opponent, they wouldn't know they hit by the sight of blood but by only the scream of pain.

The best way to deal with it is in two opposite tactics. Either treat it as water off a ducks back and don't react or hit them back harder than they hit first. Anything in between gives them energy and a sense their attacks are working. That's the emotional game and the republican party is an emotional party. How do we know this to be true... because they say the opposite. Newspeak. Words of lunatics. Words of the republican party.

Another eye opener... the first woman nominee for GOP VP proudly calls herself a lipstick wearing pit bull, or as we know it in the lower 48... a bitch. And she was cheered for it. At least she's good for laughs. We'll see if she's made of anything more than bluster when she meets a real pit bull in Joe Biden. I once saw him tear Paul Wolfowitz a new orifice. She may have picked a fight with the wrong dog.

Stay strong.

Let's Cut to the Chase On Palin

KO — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 12:44:37 EDT

I'm trying really, really hard to take the Obama high road, but after last night's speech by Sarah Palin, I'm having a hard time keeping my mouth shut about all the things that weren't said by Palin in her pitbull with lipstick speech, especially after all the misinformation spewed forth about our candidate, Barack Obama.

Enough is enough, and it can't be said enough.

So now that the fairy dust has settled, let's get to the bottom line on Palin.

What did she leave out of last night's speech that the Republicans didn't want you to hear?

Yesterday, on the Randi Rhodes radio show, I heard a meticulously compiled laundry list of Palin facts that I was totally unaware of. I'm sure that many of you are already keenly aware of all these little bombshells but for those who aren't, you will find them quite interesting:

After becoming mayor in Wasilla, Sarah Palin sought the local librarian's support to ban certain books in the library, ostensibly because she felt they contained language that was offensive. (Remember Palin is a Creationist, so bye-bye Darwin, anthropology, etc., and probably Harry Potter, too, for his demonic wizardry). When the librarian refused to cooperate, Palin threatened to fire her. A truce was reached, but soon Palin asked for her resignation anyway, on the grounds that she felt the librarian didn't support her beliefs. Palin did the same thing to the Police Chief, who she also felt didn't support her views. So apparently once Palin became mayor, she might as well have been Marie Antoinette. The heads just kept rolling.

"Let them eat mooseburgers!"

http://www.adn.com/sarahpalin/story/510219.html

For a crash course on Palin's controversial right wing fundamentalist world view, just about all you need to know is here. It's interesting to note that in last night's speech, she conveniently left out most of what you will see on this website.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/02/palins-church-may-have-sh_n_123205.html

While waging war on the world with Jesus as her co-pilot, she also forgot to pay business taxes on a carwash she co-owned not long ago:

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/09/02/palin_scrubbing_car_wash.html

Also, when you want them, earmarks are a good thing:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/01/AR2008090103148.html?hpid=topnews

And this one qualifies her as a true Republican:

http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/09/palins_lobbyist_has_abramoff_t.php

To keep abreast of the never-ending Palin saga, Randi Rhodes' site is always a good read:

http://www.therandirhodesshow.com/

Other possible major concerns about Palin in the White House are as follows:

She does not believe in using birth control and could get knocked up again at any time while in office. She just had a baby this last April at the age of 44. How, then, could she board an emergency flight to a disaster area or even Iraq during her third trimester? She couldn't.

Also, Palin's personal life is in an uproar, and this may only get worse. Her sister is involved in a messy divorce that somehow got mixed up with the Governor's office, and not suprisingly, more heads were threatened to roll. This possible abuse of power case is currently under investigation. And, apparently daughter Bristol was wearing ear muffs during Palin's speeches about abstinence. The Republicans act like this is the stuff that happens to normal, every day people, but if the shoe was on the other foot, and it was Obama whose daughter was expecting a child out of wedlock...well, you know the drill.

Remember the "Family Values" platform in the eighties and nineties when the television show "Murphy Brown" was attacked by then Vice President Dan Quayle (who couldn't spell potato) for including a single mom in its cast of main characters? Apparently the "Family Values" rule has been amended and suddenly, a 17-year old girl getting pregnant happens to everybody and it's ok, especially since she's marrying the father. (Given Palin's affection for firearms, her daughter's nuptials may or may not be considered an actual shotgun wedding.)

In any event, Palin is not a disaster waiting to happen, but one that has already happened, and one that the Republicans are endlessly trying to keep under control. Good luck with that, guys.

Palin's Wolves

Dyan Kane — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 16:38:58 EDT

fKANESPEAK

A FORUM FOR EX-CHANGE

Monday, September 1, 2008 I received a letter from Natasha of the Care2 Campaign, regarding Alaska's annual Wolf Slaughter extravaganza. The letter and petition are printed below. Scroll down and go right to it, or allow me to vent first:

McCain's running mate shoots Moose with lead bullets. She eats Moose with her AIP-member, BP oilman hubbie and 4 (or is it 5?) children. She likes to get up close to the helpless animal 'til she sees the whites of the eyes. Then she pulls the trigger.

I guess there's not enough slaughtered meat in Alaska's wanna-be-free-from-the-United States supermarket shelves, for she also continues to OK the aerial "culling" of Alaska's mighty wolves, so her hundreds of thousands of Moose and Caribou won't be hunted and eaten by the (diminishing) wolf population, allowing Ms. NRA and associates to continue to bond. After all, why waste a good bottle of Gallo or a 12-pack of Bud on a measly package of store-bought beef? Or.... perhaps Ms. ex-beauty queen turned newscaster turned mayor turned governor knows the dirty secret most of us are kept in the dark about: alot of those poor cows are sick and "downed" right before their horrific slaughter, because factory farming is a disgusting, disease ridden - but BIG - business.

So she's turned Alaskan wolf slaughter into an art form. Here's how: she gives thumbs up for hunters to pack into airplanes. They circle and circle the wolf families for hours, exhausting them until they cannot run anymore. Then, amidst hi-fives and hoopla, they murder from above, leaving bloody wolf carcasses strewn in for thousands of miles in the virgin snow. The lead bullets used are poisoning hawks, falcons and other near-extinct birds who finish off the dead animals, thus killing THEM and causing THEIR extinction, too.

Lately, hunters have said, "hell with flying, I wanna get up close and personal, like our sexy governor does!". They and their hunter sons and daughters stake out wolf dens, (illegal, but so what? Who's monitering them?). They sneak up when the wolves are sleeping, place their rifle barrels right behind the head, and assassinate them - parents first, then the orphaned pups. Family values 101, GOP style.

But wait, there's more: Ms. Governor Woman, no wuss, has decreed that Polar Bears should not be categorized as endangered. (In FACT, because the ice up there is melting so fast, Polar Bears have nothing to float on after swimming for miles, so they tire, then drown.) This allows no excuse for BP Oil not to drill in Anwar, despite years of calls, petitions, and letters from WE THE PEOPLE (in the lower 48, the nation that Alaska wants to be free of), saying, pleading, hell, SCREAMING "NO!!". Palin is a life long hunter and member of the NRA. What can we expect? She's against abortion of human fetuses, (and would surely turn Roe v. Wade around in a heartbeat, if given the chance) but animals aren't thought to have spirits or souls like humans. (How do WE know that for sure??) So to Ms. Palin, killing wild animals and their pups doesn't count as a sin, right? As abortion does, I mean. Besides, killing unarmed, innocent, animals and their pups is damn fun!! Hell, the family that spills, kills and grills together......And all that untapped OIL...mmmm, mmmm, good!

The republicans think they can throw a woman at it's evangelical base. For the confused, insulted, enraged democrats, they think WE think Palin is Clinton, and Clinton is Palin - I mean, we all look alike in a pants suit, don't we?

Are evangelicals THAT stupid to buy that crap? Are women, red or blue, going to take that?

The Republicans are DESPERATELY betting on it.

This last minute "shock & awe" Palin debacle has revealed more about McCain's "shoot first, ask questions later" mentality than anything he can ever say or do ever again.

I pray that more hurricanes, tornadoes, and floods reign down on the RNC and the GOP campaign, where ever and whenever they convene, right up until November 4th, so we'll all be spared the gut-wrenching spectacle of lil Georgie and Johnnie playing patty-cake behind their star spangled lectern. I think I'd actually return to a church, any church, if God did us all THAT one favor.

Let's say a prayer for the spirits and the souls of all the slaughtered animals killed in the name of human consumption and protein-fortified energy. God, let those angry animal spirits and souls enter us, and give us enough thrust to finally wipe ourselves off the face of your once-beautiful planet!!

Wanna do something for the wolves??? Read on, cut and paste, and sign the petition below:
***********************************************************************************
A letter I received from the CARE2Campaign:

Dear Dyan,

Thank you so much for speaking out and signing our petition to urge Congress to end aerial hunting of wolves. Your signatures are working – there are over 125 co-sponsors of the Protect America’s Wildlife (PAW) Act in Congress now!

But as we are making progress in Congress, there is unfortunately some sad news to report. Last week, Alaska voters defeated a ballot initiative that would have ended the state's brutal aerial hunting program. This news, on top of the recent brutal and illegal killing of 14 wolf pups shows how much we still need to do to protect our wildlife.

That is why we need your help. As we prepare for another bloody aerial hunting season in Alaska, we must redouble our efforts to pass the PAW Act. Please spread the word and help us end aerial hunting of wolves forever – ask three friends to sign our petition today!

Now more than ever we need to ensure that this important bill gets passed. Just weeks ago, state wildlife agency personnel staked out a known wolf denning site -- a practice that is illegal under Alaska law -- and, using helicopters, they gunned down 14 adult wolves from the air, part of an effort to boost caribou populations in Southwest Alaska.

When they landed, they found the 14 helpless pups in the nearby dens -- just weeks old -- and methodically shot each one in the head. 28 wolves gunned down in all.

Please ask three friends to join you in signing our petition to Congress today: http://go.care2.com/e/9Ep3/VyLs/AGY89

You can use our tell-a-friend tool to send your friends a message, or copy the sample message below and send a personal email to all the wildlife lovers you know:

Sample email:

Hi -

Alaska is the only state in the nation where trophy hunters can gun down wolves from airplanes or chase wolves to exhaustion and then shoot them from the ground.

As recently as July, state wildlife agency personnel in Alaska staked out a known wolf denning site -- a practice that is illegal under Alaska law -- and, using helicopters, gunned down 14 adult wolves from the air. When they landed, they found the 14 helpless pups in the nearby dens -- just weeks old -- and methodically shot each one in the head. 28 wolves gunned down in all.

Alaska's state officials continue to let brutal aerial hunting happen by exploiting a loophole in federal law. When this year's hunting season begins, hundreds of wolves could be killed yet again.

Please join me in signing this petition to urge Congress to close the loopholes and end aerial hunting of wolves: http://go.care2.com/e/9Ep4/VyLs/AGY89

Wolf opponents in Idaho and Wyoming are eager to follow Alaska's cruel example. Hundreds of wolves could be killed in the Northern Rockies if these states get their way.

Please sign the petition to save America's wolves and end aerial hunting: http://go.care2.com/e/9Ep4/VyLs/AGY89

Thanks!

Natasha
Thank you for helping us spread the word to save wolves,

Natasha
Care2 Campaign Team Posted by DYRO ENTERTAINMENT at 9:33 AM 0 comments

McCain should be quaranteened

Roger — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 22:59:59 EDT

The madness that John McCain suffers from is contagious.

Evidence of this spreading malady came tonight in Sen. McCain's favorite traveling companion, Sen. Joe Lieberman who still thinks he's a democrat.

Liberman asks "What's a democrat like me doing at a republican convention?"

Last time I checked Joe was an independent, dropping the democratic party for his own selfish interest when it choose Ned Lamont as its nominee for US Senate instead of him.

Warning: hanging around McCain will rot your brain.

If you have to go near a republican, might want to consider wearing one of those surgical masks.

Time to take it to them

Roger — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 15:07:40 EDT

The political news lately is mostly focussed on McCain's lack of good judgement in his VP pick of Governor Whatshernamewho. Let's change the conversation and give McCain some more opportunity to show his lack of sanity.

Change the conversation to what?

Cabinet members... even a single cabinet member.

Cabinet members usually aren't chosen until after the election. Mix it up. Announce State, Defense, Attorney Gen, Energy, Education,... any of the above. Start the rollout early. Show America who is going to be advising in a real Change Administration. The result: the media and public will then challenge McCain to follow suit and he'll be hard pressed not to succumb to the pressure and continue to, well...

If Gov. Whatshernamewho is an indication of McCain's idea of quality... let's give him more opportunities to define himself as a man who is truly losing his mind and lacks the ability to make good choices.

My guess is that Obama's choices for cabinet will be relatively lobby-free and McCains will be full of pro-lobby good ol boys or more non-vetted incompetents.

Move this process forward. Push McCain to do what he doesn't do well, make choices.

Right now the energy is all negative, and the Republican's win when it's negative.

Announcing a cabinet member now, changes that energy from negative against McCain to positive for Obama. More positive energy is good for us. It also adds another voice in the campaign.

Joe Biden is an amazingly brilliant choice. More of the same please. Doing it now in the middle of their convention would be a powerful move. They're (Republicans) all on script and terrible off the cuff. Throw them off their game.

top Bush and Republican issues - we need change; please edit and share

Pete Kronowitt — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 14:46:13 EDT

I don't know about you all but I'm tired of the way our government is mishandling so many important issues. I'm attaching a note I sent to a conservative friend of mine to explain why we need change. We need to have constructive but substantive conversations.

I'm hoping you can use this in e-mails or discussions with Republican friends. This was not meant to be an exhaustive list but only a tool to discuss a larger context.

--
regards,

Pete

I've thought about this reply for a long time. I'm flabbergasted that you still want to support McCain. What will it take for you and other "conservatives" to vote against the Republican party? Our beloved country is really screwed up economically and morally.

Just for fun, let me list some issues we have created for ourselves:

Invading Iraq either by, at best, an error or most likely, misleading the country. Then spending hundreds of billions mishandling the Iraq war leaving millions of people homeless, killing innocents and our own soldiers, leaving us less able to pursue terrorists or invest domestically, Halliburton, cutting spending on wounded troop's care …I could write so much on this alone…
weakening the US constitution by not supporting Habeas Corpus, centralizing too much power in the executive branch. Our government has no checks and balances on things like wire tapping. None.
failure to support an international standard of human rights including the Geneva Convention. We have tortured people; some them definitively innocent.
the failure to catch Osama Bin Laden
our economy is miserable. failure to act on the financial crisis. I distinctly remember when the mortgage lending issues were happening.
the tragedy of this is compounded by the fact that we gave away billions in tax cuts because they were supposed to jump start the economy – so we got little or nothing in return
the lack of support or funding for stem cell research
outing a US spy (Valerie Plame) then offering amnesty to the only person who was 'caught'
firing of Federally appointed lawyers weakening the objectivity of our Justice Department
ignoring a massive amount of scientific data on environmental issues including Global Warming. More likely the Bush administration was suppressing the data though government scientists were trying to deliver information to the public. This also hindered our long-term economic interests to build green businesses.
Ted Stevens, Jack Abramoff, Duke Cunningham, Tom Delay, Larry Craig, Scooter Libby, and many others who didn't make national headlines
before and after Katrina
moving from a budget surplus to a enormous deficit
doing nothing on healthcare
Terry Schiavo
getting the country to focus on less vital issues like Gay marriage and teaching Creationism in our schools.

Do you really believe McCain is going to fix any of these. McCain will bring the same Republicans who created many of these issues with him. McCain's choice for VP is, at best, questionable. His choice of Palin is indicative of how future decisions will be influenced. Palin was chosen because she appeals to the Republican base. Period. All of the concerns you expressed about inexperience should now echo with McCain. If McCain is elected Palin is 'one heartbeat' away from the presidency.

We, the American people, need to demand more from our government. Until thinking people like you demand change the prospects are dim.

The reason I'm sending this is I fear the democratic process is also broken. I'm not convinced Obama will be elected without a massive groundswell of support. We need every American to demand real change.

Obama represents the future, McCain is the past. You should consider sending a message to others and being vocal about change.

Thumped and Stumped!

Roger — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 02:37:19 EDT

Wow!

The energy from Denver was palpable in Los Angeles and I assume everywhere it was broadcast. What a thumping! So much so that... amazingly... the republican talk machine is now stumped.

Larry King Live hosing the republican response to the convention... regurgitation is the best they can do.

Nothing new. "Inexperience!" "Exploding Rhetoric!"

Ben Stein, "His specifics were false." "He accused McCain of being a coward" "machine Chicago politician" "McCain hasn't slashed and burned McCain" "He (Obama) is not a statesman" What?

Representative Cantor of Virginia actually spun Obama will raise taxes on the middle class!

Their talking heads couldn't come up with a single fresh or solid counterpoint.

Fantastic for us!

And the pre-recorded McCain "Good Job Barack" commercial?

Obama's speech rings true and pays dividends immediately "They just don't get it."

They really don't.

Wow!

Do we want McCain's Temper controlling the RED BUTTON?

♥Lynn♥ who is now seeing CHANGE in Politics and USA — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 17:27:57 EDT

Democrats take aim at McCain’s temper

Daniel W. Reilly 7 minutes ago

DENVER — John McCain’s Democratic colleagues in the Senate are zeroing in on his oft-discussed temper, questioning whether the presumptive Republican presidential nominee is too volatile to be commander in chief.

In separate interviews with Politico on Tuesday, Senate Majority Whip Richard J. Durbin (D-Ill.) and Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) said they have seen McCain “explode.”

“He has a huge anger problem,” Boxer said. “And he never hid that. ... I have seen it happen on the Senate floor many, many times. … He has exploded at me a couple times.”

Boxer said McCain has always apologized after the dust-ups. Nonetheless, she insinuated that McCain’s temperament makes him unfit for the White House.

“It’s all well and good to apologize,” Boxer added, “but if you are in charge of that black box, I worry about that.”

Durbin noted McCain’s temper is “well documented,” saying that he had been on the receiving end of it for what he considered “minor things.”

“I was in a confrontation with him … and he was quick to explode,” said Durbin. “It simmered for a long time.”

Republicans have accused Democrats of inventing the temper line of attack to knock the Arizona senator. But Durbin called it “an important issue.”

Boxer pointed out that many of McCain’s GOP colleagues have also spoken out about his volatility, highlighting an incident told to the Biloxi Sun Herald by Sen. Thad Cochran (R-Miss.).

Cochran told the newspaper that he watched McCain get involved in a physical confrontation with a Nicaraguan government official during a 1987 trip there. According to Cochran, McCain grabbed the official by the shirt collar and “snatched him up like he was throwing him up out of the chair.”

McCain has said the account was “simply not true.” A campaign spokesman could not immediately be reached for comment on the latest assertions by Boxer and Durbin.

Jonathan Senft contributed to this report.

CNN OUTAGE IN WEST LA - NO DNC COVERAGE

KO — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 15:18:07 EDT

Today from approx 10 am on CNN coverage of the DNC has been OUT. You can watch it fine on Fox and CSPAN, but coverage on CNN has not available at all and this has been going on for a couple of hours. FYI. We'll see how long it takes them to get their act together.

Thoughts As The Democratic Convention Begins

Dr. Barbara Palmer — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 13:04:31 EDT

I BELIEVE…

A Birth Certificate shows that we were born

A Death Certificate shows that we died

Pictures show that we lived!

Have a seat. . Relax . . . And read this slowly.

I Believe...

That just because two people argue,

it doesn't mean they don't love each other.

And just because they don't argue,

it doesn't mean they do love each other.

I Believe...

That we don't have to change friends if

we understand that friends change.

I Believe...

That no matter how good a friend is, they're going to hurt you every once in a while and you must forgive them for that.

I Believe...

That true friendship continues to grow, even over

the longest distance. Same goes for true love.

I Believe...

That you can do something in an instant

that will give you heartache for life.

I Believe...

That it's taking me a long time

to become the person I want to be.

I Believe...

That you should always leave loved ones with

loving words. It may be the last time you see them.

I Believe...

That you can keep going long after you think you can't.

I Believe...

That we a re responsible for what

we do, no matter how we feel.

I Believe...

That either you control your attitude or it controls you.

I Believe...

That money is a lousy way of keeping score.

I Believe...

That my best friend and I can do anything, or nothing and have the best time.

I Believe...

That sometimes the people you expect to kick you

when you're down, will be the ones to help you get back up.

I Believe...

That maturity has more to do with what types of experiences you've had and what you've learned from them and less to do with how many birthdays you've celebrated.

I Believe...

That it isn't always enough, to be forgiven by others.

sometimes, you have to learn to forgive yourself.

I Believe...

That no matter how bad your heart is broken the world doesn't stop for your grief.

I Believe...

That our background and circumstances may have influenced who we are, but, we are responsible for who we become.

I Believe...

Two people can look at the exact same

thing and see something totally different.

I Believe...

That your life can be changed in a matter of

hours by people who don't even know you.

I Believe...

That even when you think you have no more to give, when a friend cries out to you - you will find the strength to help.

I Believe...

That credentials on the wall do not make you a decent human being.

I Believe...

That you should send this to all of the people that you believe in, I just did.

'The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the most of everything.'

ART FOR OBAMA CONTEST WINNERS DISPLAYED IN DENVER

♥Lynn♥ who is now seeing CHANGE in Politics and USA — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 20:43:41 EDT

The winners are...Sunday, August 24, 2008 11:13 PMWant to see the best of our Obama art contest? Just click below to check out great artwork inspired by the grassroots movement behind Obama's candidacy:

See the winners
Dear MoveOn member,

Barack Obama is inspiring people to get involved with politics. To talk to neighbors. And now, even to make great art.

MoveOn members entered over 1,200 great paintings, drawings, photographs, sculptures, and installations in our Manifest Hope contest in partnership with artist Shepard Fairey.

Check out the finalists in our Obama art contest—and the five winners that are being displayed in Denver right now. They're amazing.

http://pol.moveon.org/mh/gallery/?id=13570-3230212-qkb.rkx&t=3

If you like, you can make a bid to buy one on eBay—the artists have pledged to donate the proceeds to progressive causes and electing Obama. And be sure to share this with your friends.

Here are a few of the featured works:

"Obama/Hope '08" by Shel Starkman of Los Angeles, CA

"Stars and Stripes" by Phil Fung of Miami, FL

"Obama Entrances The Crowd" by Ocean Clark of Hoboken, NJ

The winners were chosen by judges like Shepard Fairey, Guggenheim contemporary art curator Nancy Spector, Denver Museum of Contemporary Art curator Cydney Payton, and recording artists Moby, DJ Spooky, and Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth.

Get inspired. See the rest:

http://pol.moveon.org/mh/gallery/?id=13570-3230212-qkb.rkx&t=7

Thanks for all you do.

–Peter, Karin, Laura, Ilyse and the rest of the team

P.S. For more Obama-inspired art, check out this powerful new music video featuring Whoopi Goldberg, Joan Baez, Dave Stewart, Forest Whitaker, Macy Gray, Herbie Hancock, Joss Stone, Cyndi Lauper, and many other great artists—it's called "American Prayer":

http://www.myamericanprayer.com/

Want to support our work? We're entirely funded by our 3.2 million members—no corporate contributions, no big checks from CEOs. And our tiny staff ensures that small contributions go a long way. Chip in here.

PAID FOR BY MOVEON.ORG POLITICAL ACTION, http://pol.moveon.org/. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee. This email was sent to Lynn Branco on August 24, 2008. To change your email address or update your contact info, click here. To remove yourself from this list, click here.

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