Texas Action Team

Stand for Change with Barack Obama in Austin

Zachary Scott Edwards — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 11:10:20 EST

Stand for Change with Barack Obama in Austin

Join Barack Obama at a Stand for Change Rally in Austin this Friday, February 22nd. Below are the details for this event:

STAND FOR CHANGE RALLY WITH BARACK OBAMA

Congress Avenue at 11th Street
Austin, TX 78701
Public Entrance: Located at 10th Street

Friday, February 22, 2008
Gates Open: 6:00 p.m.
Program Begins: 9:00 p.m.

Open for Business- Grassroots in Texas Fired Up

Zachary Scott Edwards — Sat, 16 Feb 2008 14:43:26 EST

We’re holding our grand opening of the Austin Headquarters today and the response has been absolutely overwhelming. Volunteers looking to sign up as Precinct Captains have been chanting “Fired Up, Ready to Go” and working through the cold and rainy day as they head out to pass out literature and canvass in their neighborhoods.

Hundreds of people have passed through our doors this morning and there is no sign of it stopping any time soon.

The Obama campaign will be holding Precinct Captain trainings all over Texas today and tomorrow. Click here to find one near you. We will also be holding the trainings throughout the coming weeks.

We had such an incredible turnout at our Austin HQ that we were forced to hold precinct captain trainings in several rooms on multiple floors. People continued to pour into the offices, and we had to form a line that wound through the hallways.

The grassroots supporters of Texas have been working overtime for months to get our Barack’s message of hope and explain his deep desire to change the ways of Washington by not accepting money from Washington lobbyists or Political Action Committees. There are people today in our Austin HQ from all political parties, walks of life, backgrounds—looking to get involved in this movement for change.

Join us for one of our Precinct Captain Trainings and join the Obama grassroots in Texas.

Yes We Can! ¡Sí, Se Puede!

The Mayor of Newark, New Jersey, and strong Obama supporter, Cory Booker, is here in Austin today firing up supporters and canvassing the neighborhoods. Check back later for video from today's event.

San Antonio Express-News Endorses Barack Obama

Sam Graham-Felsen — Sun, 10 Feb 2008 13:04:08 EST

The San Antonio Express-News has endorsed Barack Obama for President...

Editorial: Obama better choice for Democratic nod

San Antonio Express-News

America needs a president that tries to create unity out of diversity, marshalling all the forces — red, blue or purple — that make this country great.

Sen. Barack Obama is the Democratic candidate that offers the best chance to reach that lofty objective.

Obama is generating so much excitement that Sen. Hillary Clinton, once leading comfortably in the polls, is bracing for the fight of her life.

The Democratic nomination battle reflects the unique qualities each candidate brings to the table, qualities that center on character more than issues.

The rivals differ little when it comes to their positions, except on health care; Clinton favors mandated insurance, while Obama proposes a system that is affordable for everyone, leaving it up to the individuals to decide whether they want to sign up.

But the main difference comes down to approach. Obama expresses a message of hope that emphasizes what is good for the country, not the party.

Obama tends to falter in debates, his words sometimes unable to express the passion he feels inside. On the campaign trail, however, it is a different story, his words ringing with a clarity and energy that have been missing from a bitterly divided political landscape.

Clinton talks about her vast edge in experience, but much of it came as first lady, when her attempt to reform health care proved a colossal failure, mainly because of her inability to do what Obama advocates — reach across the aisle.

Before he was elected to the U.S. Senate, Obama earned a law degree from Harvard Law School, worked as a community organizer, taught law at the University of Chicago professor and spent eight years as a state senator in Illinois.

He has spent less time in Washington than Clinton, but he lacks the polarizing baggage that undoubtedly would hamper a Clinton presidency. And the fact that he is less embedded in the traditional ways of Capitol Hill has real advantages.

In addition, Clinton and her husband are running a campaign that has been, at turns, nasty and undignified. The Clinton team's win-at-all-costs approach is a turn off to many voters, who are ready to leave today's dysfunctional political culture behind.

Obama he may have a hard time translating his words into action. But embracing his message of hope and a new approach to American politics is a far preferable gamble than the prospect of another era of Clinton politics.

For more on how you can get involved locally in Texas, visit TX.BarackObama.com.

Houston Grassroots Gets Fired Up

Sam Graham-Felsen — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 12:27:08 EST

A Daily Kos diarist describes Houston's organizational meeting...

Last night in Houston, the 100% Grassroots supported Volunteer office hosted an event meant to encourage attendance at their upcoming Grand Opening, explain the Texas Caucus process, encourage Obama Supporters to run as Delegates at the caucus, and start/continue neighborhood GOTV efforts. While there was no official count, there were at least 150 people who showed up, and about 10 minutes after starting, the room was filled to capacity.

More on the Houston grassroots in the Houston Chronicle...

Austin American Statesman Endorses Obama

Sam Graham-Felsen — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 21:06:09 EST

The Austin American Statesman endorses Barack Obama for president...

Time is right for his unifying vision: Yes, Obama can
By The Editorial Board | Saturday, February 2, 2008, 07:30 PM
Look closely at the two Democratic front-runners for president and you will see similarities in how they address challenging problems confronting the country.
Sens. Hillary Clinton of New York and Barack Obama of Illinois both talk about strengthening the middle class, expanding economic growth and lifting sagging wages. Both offer solutions for the crisis in our health care system and global warming and support ending the war in Iraq. So the key differences between the candidates are in their leadership styles and visions for the country.
Obama presents a view of governing that is inclusive and relies on Americans to work with their government to solve sobering problems at home and abroad. Obama’s familiar refrain on the campaign trail is, “Yes, we can.”
By contrast, Clinton promotes a self-centered governing style that drives home what she would do as president. She asks little of Americans and discourages opposing views. Clinton has moved from her position as first lady that it “takes a village” to solve problems to it takes only Hillary (and maybe Bill).
Those contrasts offer a clear choice: Barack Obama. His optimism, unifying vision and ability to inspire are the kind of healing balm the country needs at this moment in history.
In two days, on “Super Tuesday,” 22 states will hold Democratic primaries and caucuses. The outcome of those contests might determine a winner. If not, the battle moves to Texas on March 4. Obama is the best pick Democrats could make.
Resolving the big issues confronting the nation requires a leader who can attract support from independents and Republicans. Of the two front runners, only Obama has shown the ability to bring divergent interests together. He did that as a state senator in Illinois and as a U.S. senator in Washington. And he has staked his presidential campaign on doing that in the White House.
In endorsing Obama, the Chicago Tribune recently wrote this about his tenure in the Illinois Legislature: “In the minority party for all but his final two years in the Statehouse, he tempered a progressive agenda with a cold dash of realism, often forging consensus with conservative Republicans when other liberals wanted to crusade.”
Obama brought that style of leadership to Washington. He worked with Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., to sponsor and pass legislation that would assist taxpayers in tracking government spending - including earmarks and federal grants - with a Google-like search engine.
Obama showed courage in opposing the Iraq war in 2002 as a candidate for the U.S. Senate, years before that was the popular position. He backs aggressive diplomacy in dealing with America’s adversaries, including talking to our enemies.
But he isn’t against the use of military might and continues to support the war in Afghanistan. We also believe that Obama is more electable than Clinton, who would no doubt energize dispirited Republican voters. That makes Obama a stronger nominee for the Democrats going into November.
In another election, we might look for the kind of experience Clinton brings from her role as a U.S. senator and tenure as first lady. But these are different times. Abroad, the country is at war. The terrorism threat remains alarming. America’s moral standing has been diminished by Guantánamo and the Iraqi occupation.
At home, we’re divided into red and blue camps. Democrats and Republicans have stoked divisions to advance their party’s interests. Meanwhile, Washington is stumbling along with its red leg moving right and blue one lurching left.
Along the way, elected officials - and the public - have forgotten that those legs are part of the same body. It’s not surprising, therefore, that we’ve danced in place, failing to make progress on the big challenges that confront our country. Young people, disillusioned and disheartened with their government, have tuned out.
No other candidate except Obama offers a way out of that rut. He has articulated a vision that would allow the legs of government to again move fluidly in a natural motion that takes the country forward.
Young people hungry for purpose have flocked to Obama rallies in rock concert numbers. They’re not just cheering but volunteering. Older people, especially African Americans, send small donations and passages from Scripture as they look to him to fulfill America’s promise.
Like a veteran slugger on deck, Hillary Clinton has campaigned principally on the logic that it is her turn at bat. Democrats must resist the instinct to select the next in line and grab instead the best hitter on the bench. That is Barack Obama.