Young People in Washington/ Seattle

Vote by mail video: English, Chinese, hearing impaired

Fair Elections for Washington — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 12:12:30 EDT

There are still LARGE numbers of people who have not yet turned in their vote by mail ballots. It's not too late to benefit from this.

Watch the video that shows how to vote by mail. http://wa-democrats.org/vote

or for the same video on vimeo:

http://www.kingcounty.gov/elections/voting/absentee/howtoabsentee.aspx

Chinese: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yF1M2Mn75nE&fmt=18

Hearing impaired: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0JnFoeZgwOA

Are you really registered to vote?

Fair Elections for Washington — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 20:04:27 EDT

Secretary of State Sam Reed brags about removing 400,000 names from the voting records. I did some checking and I'm uneasy about the figures I found.

The Washington State Voter Registration Database was launched in January 2006, as required by the Help America Voter Act.

On this page: http://www.secstate.wa.gov/elections/vrdb/VRDBFaq.aspx
there is a graphic showing voter registration database transactions
The first two categories can be disregarded because they fluctuate month-to-month depending on voter activity. However the next three are stable and do not add up to 400,000

Canceled a duplicate registration 2006-July 2008 = 53,782
Cancelled deceased voters 2006-July 2008 = 85,884
Cancelled felon registrations 2006-July 2008 = 8,807
Total = 148,433

Where are the other quarter million voters? Why aren't they accounted for in the numbers the Sec. of State tracks? What criteria were used to remove the voters?

Will poll voters be in for a rude surprise when they discover they aren't registered this November?

Is your name one of the quarter million names purged from the voter rolls without explanation?

Check here to make sure: http://wei.secstate.wa.gov/osos/VoterVault/Pages/VoterVaultDetails.aspx
Pass this information to your friends in WA State. Protecting our voter registration is the responsibility of each and every one of us.

Don't let a Republican Secretary of State steal this election. Vote for Jason Osgood this November. Let's get someone in that office who is computer savvy and dedicated to election integrity.

PEACE

swimmer — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 09:50:07 EDT

Peace - an End

    Peace is a word
Of the sea and the wind.
Peace is a bird who sings
As you smile.
Peace is the love
Of a foe as a friend;
Peace is the love you bring
To a child

Searching for me
You look everywhere,
Except beside you.
Searching for you
You look everywhere,
But not inside you.

Peace is a stream
From the heart of a man;
Peace is a man, whose breadth
Is the dawn.
Peace is a dawn
On a day without end;
Peace is the end, like death
Of the war.

Celebrate the Summer Solstice, Support Senator Obama & Register People to Vote!!!

Devon Alisa Abdallah — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 02:34:52 EDT

We’ll be doing voter registration at the Fremont Fair on Saturday 21 June and Sunday 22 June!

Voter registration is easy but an essential part of Senator Obama’s race for the White House. If you are interested, please join us. Just wear your Obama swag*, put on some sun lotion, wear comfortable shoes and bring your enthusiasm. Devon will be conducting a quick voter registration 101 before you head out into the crowds.

The Essentials:

Location: Fremont Fair

Meeting Location: Washington State Dems Booth

Contact Person: Devon at 206-295-1709

Dates & Times: Saturday 21 June noon to 3 p.m. & Sunday 22 June 1 to 4 p.m.

We’ll be meeting at the Washington State Democrats booth (exact location of booth to be determined but in Downtown Fremont 34th and Fremont Ave). Just ask for “Devon”. If you are unable to locate the booth, please phone Devon at 206-295-1709. Also, you can keep your stuff at the WA Dems booth. Stay for the entire time or just for a bit, but please sign up on mybarackobama.com.

Saturday 21 June noon to 3 p.m. http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/447y

Sunday 22 June 1 to 4 p.m. http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/447d

We suggest taking the bus to Fremont since the Fair can be very crowded.

Bus routes 26, 28, 31 and 74 stop right in Fremont.
To look at bus schedules to/from Fremont, click here.

For more information on the 43rd Legislative District Grassroots for Obama and other great volunteer opportunities, click here

For more information on the Fremont Fair, click here

Any questions, contact us at 43forObama@gmail.com

Cheers,

Your 43rd Legislative District Grassroots for Obama Team

PS we have Obama Washington t-shirts designed by a local Seattle artist and printed in Ballard available for $20 suggested donation. All proceeds go back into making more swag and to other 43for Obama Grassroots voter registration efforts.

U-District Street Fair Voter Registration

Devon Alisa Abdallah — Fri, 09 May 2008 01:25:12 EDT

Hi everyone

We’ll be registering people to vote and showing our support for Obama at the upcoming University District Street Fair!

Registering people to vote is easy, fun and fulfilling!!! Just wear comfy shoes, put on some sunscreen, wear your Obama swag and meet up at the Washington State Democrats booth at the fair.

Saturday 17 May: Register Voters at the University District Street Fair, 12-3pm

Sunday 18 May: Register Voters at the University District Street Fair, 12-3pm

I’ll be giving a quick “registering people to vote 101”, then we’ll head out into the fair in pairs. You can keep your stuff at the WA Dems booth. Even if you can only stay for some of the time, please sign up on mybarackobama.com (links above) or email us at 43forObama@gmail.com.

The essentials:

University District Street Fair

Friday & Saturday 17 & 18 May

12 to 3 p.m.

Meeting spot: Washington State Democrats Booth

Located on 42nd Street East of 15th near Orange King

Booth Number: Blue 42S38

Contact person: Devon

Devon’s mobile number: 206-295-1709

If you have more questions or would like to purchase a locally designed Obama t-shirt or Obama buttons to wear at the U-District Street Fair* contact us at 43forObama@gmail.com

Cheers

Your 43rd Grassroots LD Obama Team

www.43forObama.org

*all proceeds go back into making more buttons and t-shirts which are distributed to underswagged areas

Important Info for the 43rd Legislative District

Devon Alisa Abdallah — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 23:07:25 EST

43rd Legislative District Obama Supporters,

Some of you have wondered what the plan is going forward and what to expect at the April 5 caucus meeting. Here are some answers.

But first, to have one contact point for grassroots Obama organizing in our area, all emails to and from the 43rd Legislative District for Obama team will be via 43forObama@gmail.com . This email account will be checked daily. From now on, please send all questions, comments, communication, and leads on volunteers to 43forObama@gmail.com.

In this email, we will cover these important topics:

1. Legislative District delegate trainings

2. Delegate and Alternate contact information

3. 43rd Legislative District Caucus Information

4. MybarackObama.com groups

5. Volunteering

6. T-shirt designs

7. Unsubscribing

1. Legislative District delegate trainings

At this time, we have two delegate trainings set up
- Thursday 6 March 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Capitol Hill Library http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/4rqkm
- Saturday 15 March 2-3 p.m. at the University Branch Library http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/4rq7s
If you plan to attend, please RSVP since space is limited.
For people unable to attend the delegate trainings, we will send out a Q&A on the Legislative District process and email it out at a later date. Feel free to send us any questions you might have that you'd like answered.
If you're interested in attending a training the last week of March (and can't make these previous two dates), please send us an email to let us know.

2. Delegate and Alternate Contact Information

If you are an Obama delegate or an alternate, email 43forObama@gmail.com with your name, contact info and precinct number.
Please include whether you are definitely able to attend the April 5th Caucus.
If you know who the other Obama delegates or alternates in your precinct are, please email 43forObama@gmail.com with their names, contact info and precinct numbers.

3. 43rd Legislative District Caucus Information

If delegates do not attend the April 5th Legislative District Caucus, we lose those delegates. Please let us know if you can't make it so that we can plan for a substitute to be there instead.
The 43rd Democrats have not set the caucus location yet. We will let you know as soon as we know. You can also check their website for updates. http://43rddems.org/
We will have more info on issues with delegate slips (those little blue pieces of paper you should have gotten at the caucus) in a later email.

4. mybarackobama.com groups

We recommend you join the following my.barackobama.com groups (very few emails, unlike some other Obama listservs):
- Washington State Delegate group at http://my.barackobama.com/page/group/WashingtonStateObamaDelegates/circle_list.php
- 43rd Legislative District Seattle group at http://my.barackobama.com/page/group/43rdLegislativeDistrictSeattle

5. Volunteering

If you are interested in volunteering please let us know at 43forObama@gmail.com

Volunteer plans include get out the vote efforts (GOTV) and other activities similar to being a precinct captain, as well as fundraising, representing for Obama at local events this summer, phone banking, etc. Let us know what types of activities interest you and when (for example, immediately or starting in June) you would be available.
If you live in an apartment, condo, or co-op, please let us know. We're working on a program specifically designed for our dense urban area (and avoid a repeat of using the voter lists with so many outdated phone numbers, as we did leading up to the first caucus).

If there are specific types of volunteering you’re either specifically interested in, or would specifically like to avoid, include that in your email.

6. T-shirt designs

We were thinking it would be great if we had our very own Obama shirts. If you know anyone with design skills who would be interested in helping come up with a Seattle for Obama design, please let us know.
Can anyone silkscreen or design a t-shirt or know someone that can?
Did you create those cool "Hope" t-shirts we saw at the caucus-day meet-up? If so please email us at 43forObama@gmail.com

7. Unsubscribing

We know some may not want to be included in our emails any longer, if so please email 43forObama@gmail.com with your name and contact information we will remove you from our list.

Thank you for your continued support!

Cheers
The 43rd Legislative District Team
Andy, Chris, Devon, Heidi, Jen, Michelle, Nick & Rose

The Politics of Hope

Devon Alisa Abdallah — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 00:34:19 EST

Give Peaceful a Chance, Australian Financial Review, 26 February 2008
Writing the story of his childhood, Barack Obama narrates an incident in which his father was drinking in a local bar, when a white man abruptly announced that he shouldn’t have to drink “next to a nigger”. The bar fell silent, expecting a fight. Instead, Obama’s father “walked over to the man, smiled, and proceeded to lecture him about the folly of bigotry, the promise of the American dream, and the universal rights of man”. When the speech finished, the white man reached into his pocket and handed over a hundred dollars on the spot; so ashamed of himself he wanted to purchase forgiveness.

Eighteen months ago, Presidential prediction markets had Obama just a 1 in 50 shot of winning the nomination. Now, he is a 4 in 5 chance of being the Democratic nominee. Obama’s meteoric rise can be traced to two themes – hope and bipartisanship. But how has he managed to turn apparent platitudes into rallying cries? And could a little of the Obama magic rub off on Australia’s politicians?

Obama’s ability to use powerful rhetoric to inspire others has drawn comparisons with John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King, and Abraham Lincoln. Few doubt that he is one of the best speakers of his generation. Yet the critics argue that stirring oratory matters less than solid public policy. So long as you get the ideas right, who cares whether you can make a crowd laugh and cry?

The problem with this critique is that it misses the point that successful politics is about building and maintaining coalitions. This is particularly true of the United States president, but also to a lesser extent of the Australian Prime Minister, who generally must win over a hostile Senate in order to pass legislation.

Creating broad-based coalitions is difficult if you regard your political opponents as knaves and ideologues. What is striking about Obama is that he goes out of his way to see the reasonableness in the other side’s positions. “Spend time actually talking to Americans”, he writes in his most recent book, “and you discover that most evangelicals are more tolerant than the media would have us believe, most secularists more spiritual. Most rich people want the poor to succeed, and most of the poor are both more self-critical and hold higher aspiration than the popular culture allows.”

Recognising that your political opponents are actually striving towards a better world sounds simple; but it is surprising how rarely it is done in Australia. Most federal politicians, and most federal political staffers, have no friendships with anyone from another party. This lack of social contact makes it easy for them to caricature and stereotype their opponents; and stymies the attempt to build lasting political coalitions for change.

What many political players miss is that it is possible to respect and understand your opponents’ perspectives without compromising your own beliefs. Obama has one of the most left-wing voting records in the Senate, but that hasn’t stopped him from criticising the left-wing Daily Kos blog for its ad hominem style. In Australia, one wishes that more politicians walked into Question Time aiming to ‘disagree without being disagreeable’.

While the Rudd government has quickly demonstrated its commitment to rigorous public policy, it would be good to see it governing in both poetry and prose. The bipartisan ‘war cabinet’ to address Indigenous disadvantage is a useful start, but more could be done that unites the values of both left and right. Cutting back on middle-class welfare, improving the performance of schools in disadvantaged areas, improving the incentives for low-skill workers to join the labour market, and carrying out a raft of randomised trials are all initiatives that should be able to transcend the political divide. Yet without bipartisan support, it is easy to see how vested interests will torpedo them one by one.

How positive should we be about the politics of hope and bipartisanship in Australia? To answer this question, I searched the parliamentary database for speeches by Bob Hawke, Paul Keating, John Howard and Kevin Rudd, looking to see how often each used “hope” and “bipartisan”. To account for the number of speeches they had given, I then normalised this using other common parliamentary words: “speaker” and “member”. A rough proxy, to be sure, but one that might nonetheless give insights into the rhetorical priorities of Australia’s last four Prime Ministers.

According to this simple metric, Bob Hawke is the Prime Minister who has spoken most about hope, while Kevin Rudd is the Prime Minister who has spoken most about bipartisanship (Paul Keating scores lowest on both measures). Perhaps Rudd’s speechwriting team should take a leaf from Hawke’s book. And maybe they can learn from Obama’s style, and find fresh ways to tap into the fundamental optimism of the Australian people.

Dr Andrew Leigh is an economist in the Research School of Social Sciences at the Australian National University.

http://andrewleigh.com/?p=1803

What's next for Washington?

Nathan Williams — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 01:17:08 EST

So we won a huge victory. Time to rest on our laurels?

A big thank you from the 43rd!

Devon Alisa Abdallah — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 20:14:22 EST

The Obama 43rd Legislative District Team would like to send out a big THANK YOU to all of our Precinct Captains and supporters! While we don't have any final counts yet it looks like Obama won big in the 43rd, taking on average 70%+ of the delegates.

The turnout to all of the caucus locations was amazing and the amount of Obama support was incredible!

We could not have done it without you!!!!

Thank you,

Your 43rd Legislative District Team

Andy, Chris, Devon, Heidi, Jen, Michelle, Nick and Rose

Caucus FAQ - Updated

Nathan Williams — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 16:00:13 EST

What's the difference between the caucus and the primary?

In Washington, it's a huge difference. The Democratic Party will use the results of the February 9th precinct caucus to determine our presidential nominee, and NOT the primary. Like the Michigan and Florida primaries, Washington's February 19th primary is a so-called “beauty contest,” meaning that it will not help determine the Democratic nominee for President. Remember to caucus on Saturday, February 9th at 1pm.

Why Obama?

Andy — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 04:10:00 EST

Why has Obama won your vote?

This is my reason.

First of all, let me set something straight, I'm not extremely liberal. In fact I would almost view myself as a left-wing libertarian. I am also not a hardcore democrat. In other words, I am more or less an in dependent. Upon each election, I will vote for the single candidate who stands for what I believe in the most. This election, the candidate who manifests my beliefs is Senator Barack Obama. Why Obama?:

Obama Rally in Seattle Friday - Need Volunteers!!!

Devon Alisa Abdallah — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 01:52:44 EST

Spread the word Senator Obama will be in Seattle this Friday 8 February - Key Arena doors open 11 a.m. This event is free and open to the public. However, an RSVP is strongly encouraged. To RSVP please visit http://my.barackobama.com/page/s/seattle or call (206) 529-3859.

If you're able to volunteer please contact any of the following Field Organizers

Steve Dunwoody sdunwoody@barackobama.com Cheryl Taruk ctaruc@barackobama.com Matt Perry mattperry83@gmail.com

Also don't forget to attend your caucus this Saturday! Washington State Democratic Party does not count the primary so if you want your voice to be heard for the Democratic Presidential Candidate you must attend your caucus in person. Go to www.wa-democrats.org to locate your precinct and caucus location.

Precincts Caucusing at SCCC - Meet up

Devon Alisa Abdallah — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 18:24:25 EST

http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/4r58x If your precinct caucus location is at Seattle Central Community College on Broadway in Seattle, please join us for a pre-caucus get together. It's a chance to meet other Obama supporters, put on some Obama swag and walk together to our caucus around 12:30!!!

To locate your precinct go to http://43rddems.org/2008Caucuses.aspx

And if you know your precincts, the precincts that caucus at SCCC are the following ones:
43-1845
43-1846
43-1847
43-1849
43-1857
43-1858
43-1859
43-1860
43-1861
43-1869
43-2541
43-2543
43-2546
43-2547
43-2550
43-2552
43-2553
43-3231

Let's make this happen!!! The Washington state caucus may be pivotal in the Democratic Presidential nomination!

Washington Volunteers Hit the Pavement

Nathan Williams — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 22:12:56 EST

Saturday was a big canvassing day all across the state. Volunteers met to receive canvassing packets from their field organizers and head out to spread the word about next Saturday's caucus.

Important Seattle 43rd Legislative District Information!!!

Devon Alisa Abdallah — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 16:21:13 EST

The 43rd Legislative District in Seattle, Washington has finalized the caucus locations for the Saturday February 9th Washington State caucus.

Please note - some of the caucus locations have changed!!!!!

Please go to the 43rd Legislative District's website and double check that your location has not changed. http://www.43rddems.org/2008Caucuses.aspx As of today, the state Democratic party website does not reflect these changes!!!

If you have any questions or are interested in helping out with the grassroots organizing in Washington for Obama, please contact me at devonabdallah@yahoo.com! Obama is counting on all of us to win and we still need more people to help out in Washington!!!

Please remember you must attend your caucus for your vote to count for the Presidential Candidate. Washington state democratic party does not use the primary!!! You must attend your caucus.

Cheers Devon

Spokane Office Grand Opening

Nathan Williams — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 04:08:14 EST

Eastern Washington was Obama country Friday night as over 100 supporters packed into our new Spokane office for its grand opening and to see Washington state campaign chair Rep. Adam Smith. With a crowd that spilled outside and people peering into the window, Adam explained just how pivotal Washington is going to be.

Volunteers at Work and Play in Washington

Nathan Williams — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 03:41:22 EST

On Thursday our volunteers spent all day hard at work phone-banking...

Obama for America Presents a Town Hall Meeting with U.S. Sen. John Kerry

Nathan Williams — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 13:03:57 EST

Friday, February 1, 2008 at 9am

University of Washington Husky Union Building (HUB) Auditorium

With special guests Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels and U.S. Rep. Adam Smith

For questions or to RSVP please call 206-529-3859 or email washington@barackobama.com

Campaign Update, Talking Points and Schedule for this Week

Kobi Little — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 00:55:15 EDT

This week's blog is packed with new information from the campaign. Special thanks to my friend Teal Baker for her contributions to this post. Take it all in and then share it with others. If you like this blog or if you find this information useful please send me a friend request and join my group, Kobi Little's National Network for Obama.

Breaking news from the conference call with Campaign Manager David Plouffe: A new online fundraising contest is being launched that will grant the members of the My.BarackObama.com groups that raise the most money through the end of the week the opportunity to participate in a personal conference call with Senator Barack Obama and Campaign Manager David Plouffe. Be on the lookout for more information from the My.BarackObama.com team.

State of the Campaign

When we got into this race as a largely unknown candidate new to the national political stage, we never expected that nine months later at this stage of the race, we would be in a tight three way race in Iowa; leading in the money race; have the largest grassroots organization in modern political history; and have an organizational advantage in the early states and February 5 over a quasi-incumbent from the most powerful political machine in modern political history.

Barack is the candidate with the message and biography that is most in synch with the electorate – according to a Gallup poll in September Democratic voters prefer change to experience by a margin of 73 percent to 26 percent.

The Obama campaign has: the largest organizations with the most experienced staff and enthusiastic volunteers in the 4 early states;

An unexpected financial advantage that allows the campaign to compete in multiple contests at the same time;

The most donors by far in the race, who as the election draws nearer will get even more active on our behalf, giving us financial sustainability;

A significant organizational advantage in February 5th states.

Barack Obama's Schedule: On Monday, Barack Obama received the endorsement of the New York City Correction Officers’ Benevolent Association. Tuesday, he’s speaking at Change to Win in Chicago. Wednesday, he can be seen live on the NBC/NECN/New Hampshire Public Radio/New Hampshire Democratic Party debate, which will be broadcast live on MSNBC at 9pm EST. Following the debate he’ll head to New York, where he’ll participate in a live interview on ABC’s The View at 11am EST on Thursday before leading a major rally in Washington Square Park. On Friday, he speaks at Howard University’s Convocation and participates in the CBC Issues Forum in Washington, DC.