The July 4 celebration and fireworks at this nearby park was going to be a good audience for registering new voters, so I planned the event for it. It also struck me that one of the most fundamental things about our system of government is the vote, and voting (and helping people register to vote) is one of the more patriotic things you can do. So, it seemed quite natural to register people to vote on the day we celebrate the declaration of independence from the British crown. I also like hosting events because it gets people to be more active - I've given them an event in their area to participate in, and afterwards they are trained in voter registration and more comfortable with it. Turning ‘newbies’ to voter registration into people with some experience is pivotal, because it makes them realize it's not rocket science. They are more likely to do it in the future and to tell others that they are capable of doing it too. I can also feel the roots spreading in other ways: One new volunteer is on the faculty at a local college and arranged for Vote for Change to have a table at the college's new student orientation - she wouldn't have done this if she hadn't known there was a way to find volunteers to staff it. Also, a couple other attendees met each other today and are making plans to do registration efforts targeting young Korean-Americans in the area. Without the event, they wouldn't have been able to meet, brainstorm and plan future efforts. Voter registration is important because it's actively building the party, and the new Democrats and left-leaning independents will help not only Barack Obama, but all the down ticket races. The trend in California is that every single congressional district is getting bluer - registration drives like we did today help continue this trend.
Peter has done voter registration events because he feels proud to be a part of this campaign. He explains why this campaign is different from others…
I support Barack because of the emphasis in his campaign on empowering people to make the change they want to see. This aspect of the campaign, and his providing infrastructure support to let supporters make connections amongst ourselves on MyBO, shows that he means what he says. He's constantly making the point that people need to get engaged, and that simply voting isn't enough. This is the only way real change can happen - if we the people make it happen. I became an Obama supporter following John Edwards’s departure from the primaries. Barack's embrace of the 50-state strategy and his putting real resources to build the whole party and not just help his campaign were really important things that made me come to support him.
Are you involved in the campaign? Create a my.barackobama.com account to connect with other supporters and sign up to attend a voter registration drive in your town.
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I've been concerned that there are too many rumors going around about John McCain and I wanted to help set the facts straight. Please forward this email to everyone you know. THE LIE: Combined, the McCain family has has a credit card balance that is more than $750,000 and their interest rate is 24.49%. THE TRUTH: The McCains pay off their credit card bills on a monthly basis. The $750,000 figure is also wrong, though it is true that between January 2007 and May 2008, one of the credit cards did reach $500,000 and another reached $250,000. Also, with a combined net worth over $100 million, most of the credit cards did not have any interest payments at all. Only their Visa, Mastercard, and Saks Fifth Avenue cards (monthly balances ranging between $15,000 and $50,000) charged interest. ::: ::: THE LIE: McCain purchased two separate $4.7 million dollar condos in San Diego for their own enjoyment. THE TRUTH: The combined cost of the two condos was $4.7 millon, and one of them was for the kids. ::: ::: THE LIE: The McCains spent over $500,000 in 2007 on household staff, such as maids and butlers. THE TRUTH: They increased their household staffing budget from $184,000 in 2006 to only $273,000 in 2007. ::: ::: THE LIE: The McCains spent $11 million between the summer of 2004 and February 2008 on 13 different residences. THE TRUTH: They spent $11 million acquiring five residences. ::: ::: THE LIE: The McCains inherited a business worth $1,000,000,000 from relatives. THE TRUTH: The McCains inherited assets worth more than $100,000,000 from relatives, but those assets are unlikely to be worth $1,000,000,000. ::: ::: THE LIE: John McCain gambles away hundreds of thousands of dollars at the craps tables in Las Vegas. THE TRUTH: While John McCain does frequently play craps in Las Vegas in continuous 14-hour sessions, it is unlikely that he has ever gambled away $100,000 in a single session.
