Organizing for America | External Online Organizing: A Discussion with Barack

Unity Through Diversity | Report to Admin

By Matthew Negrete Jul 10th 2007 at 2:50 pm EDT

I absolutely agree. The community blogs provide a great way for people to give their viewpoints. I have even written some foreign policy posts to share my views and ideas. I felt that this communication is so important that I created a group based on this principle, The IR (International Relations) Forum - Link. Anyone who has a basic knowledge of IR or foreign policy should consider joining and participate in the discussion.

Re: I agree with Obama here | Report to Admin

By Jim Jul 10th 2007 at 3:00 pm EDT

As much as I have disagreed with you, every now and then you come out with something worth reading. Thanks for being the lone voice of dissent on the Obama blog, you frustrating, belligerent ... :-)

Re: I agree with Obama here | Report to Admin

By alyce rocco Jul 10th 2007 at 4:53 pm EDT

"Lone voice of dissent"? I have been frustrated by dissenting voices because I am trying my darnest to get Obama elected Pres. and I find it offensive that his non-supporters use the blog his campaign (and our donations) to get him elected are being used negatively against the man. I have more than a few than this supposed "lone voice of dissent".

The Senator, of course, believes in freedom of speech and even encourages dissenting voices to chat about it on these blogs. Me? I do not have time for it here, 'cause there is more than enough of it out there.

Re: I agree with Obama here | Report to Admin

By Cilla...Currently living in Spain and lovin' it Jul 10th 2007 at 5:38 pm EDT

Jim, I think I can honestly say that barack Obama is the most pen candidate that lets anyone post on his blog,although fustrating to some of us we know damn well the ones who come her and try to stir stuuf up are completely envious of what we as supporters have done with this campaign. This one named DAWN,she claims she is a Dem. But I have the feeling she is a MOLE. There is a reason for her banter,little does she know eventually she too will be ignorned. Yes, the Repubs. vome here to in disguise,just to see how we react.Notice when they are not eponed to,they disappear. Obama scares some people. Not everyone can adapt to change. Their whole world will shatter if they had to change their way of being. It really scares some people because it is REAL-Barack Obama has a omre than good chance of winning the General Election.

Re: I agree with Obama here | Report to Admin

By ObamaAlumni Jul 10th 2007 at 5:54 pm EDT

Wayne this is the most positive thing ive read from you. Im glad youre on hear though, I believe in the whole "iron sharpens iron" aproach.

Community | Report to Admin

By Mid America Mom Jul 10th 2007 at 2:56 pm EDT

The more involved in your community you are- the more engaged you are in making the process work! The power of even a small group of committed citizens does make a difference. Our country's BEING is testament to that.

As Rebecca spoke to on the call- from a small town and now trying to engage her daughters ... make the time to be INVOLVED. Be that positive role model.

No matter how much time you can spare it is appreciated and needed. Be it Kiwanis, Rotary, GFWC (general federation of womens clubs), PTA, Boys and Girls Club or your faith community...

smart lady | Report to Admin

By alyce rocco Jul 10th 2007 at 4:57 pm EDT

Whenever I think of how families get along and how people get along or solve issues with their neighbors, I know there is no hope for international or global peace. But I am willing to follow the hope-dealer to see where it will lead.

I learned something new today, thanks for sharing the video. I did not realize that federal government was as simple to understand, as it is on a small town local level.

Advice for the Senator from Someone Who Knows | Report to Admin

By Dawn Jul 10th 2007 at 5:07 pm EDT

Senator, there's a growing chorus of people who love you (and some who are infatuated but want to fall in love) waiting for you to take us and this campaign to the next level. We're getting anxious and a little concerned. It doesn't appear that you and your staff are listening to this growing restlessness, but here is a great post from someone who knows his way around a presidential campaign. For your sake us and your loyal supporters, please start listening!

Barack Next
by Dan Carol
Posted July 10, 2007 | 01:23 PM (EST)
Huffington Post

Short Prelude: Last summer and fall, I wrote a couple of HuffPo columns suggesting that if Gore and Hillary weren't willing to team up and run together as the two Democratic titans, then the idea of Barack Now seemed pretty darn good. Some college students on Facebook agreed with me, we had a few phone calls, and well, some pretty interesting stuff developed after that.

For the most part though, I have been watching the race develop from the sidelines. As a former DNC staffer who spent 3 years working to upend the last Bush presidency in 1992, I will freely admit that it's very difficult for me to take sides in a Democratic primary. I much prefer a role where I work quietly behind the scenes to "raise the bar" on what all of the candidates are saying and doing on the issues, and this cycle, I have been trying to play that role around the issue of energy and climate.

But now I think it's time to take a public stand, and lay out what I think it will take to win me over for good -- and maybe win over a few other voters too.

So here goes.

Dear Senator Obama:

I think I speak for a great many political pros -- and regular Joes -- in wondering when we will be seeing your next big, bold, audacious move. We're out here hoping, in droves.

So forgive me in advance for speaking bluntly, Senator, it's a personality trait of mine and not necessarily a good one. But the clock is ticking and sometimes politeness doesn't cut the mustard -- especially in presidential politics.

Yes, it's great that you are winning the money race with record numbers of small donors, but you won't have a truly great campaign until you deliver a message that does more than make the call for hope. In my experience, Americans are desperately seeking to embrace a signature idea that involves them directly in fixing their communities. Voters and non-voters alike want to know more about how they literally can roll up their sleeves and join in a new, Habitat-for-Humanity-style project of national renewal.

You seemed to hint at all that in your Springfield announcement speech, but so far you haven't told us what we can do other than wait for your election or write you a check. We're yearning for more.

Now I get that your campaign team is wisely trying to avoid the mistakes of Democratic campaigns past. No disagreement from me that we need to avoid debates over dry policy plans which fail to engage voters at the deep, emotional, gut level we need to tap.

My gut is that the answer lies in marrying a call to national service around energy efficiency and independence - getting young and old, union worker and apprentice, city and rural, black and brown and white, retrofitting a new America and busy creating the jobs and industries of tomorrow. This is hardly a new idea, but no one yet owns the idea in this campaign. To own it you need to bet big and go all in, Texas hold-em style.

People want the whole enchilada - new federal R&D and clean energy earmarks in every Congressional district, national service to weatherize the 13 million homes that remain eligible for federal assistance (many in inner cities), and I'll even bet Americans would reach into their pockets and buy freedom bonds to invest even more if they knew the jobs created would stay at home.

I don't really care what you call it. Call it Project Hope. A Green New Deal as Tom Friedman does. A green corps to rival FDR's civilian conservation corps in a new century. A new Apollo project. Renew America. Operation Iraqi Freedom. The What-Else-We-Need-To-Do-After- We-Buy-A-Prius-12-Step-Nutri-S ystem. Or honestly...I'll (even) Take Manhattan. As in Project. That's your marketing team's call.

But I won't take no for an answer, because mark my words, your failure to deliver a compelling and big idea will cost you the election.

So what's the hold-up to giving Americans what they've been craving for?

Could it be that the hurdle to moving forward lies in your own campaign's structure? With all due respect, I worry you may be repeating the fatal flaw that the Kerry campaign made in 2004 by creating silo-ed "policy groups" and treating the energy issue as a separate issue rather than as a centerpiece of a smart war on terror and winning economics.

Understand in your gut, as voters already do, that all of these issues are connected.

Otherwise you will be stuck, as you are right now, in wonky debates within your campaign apparatus and in the public sphere over whose CAFÉ standard is better in 2018 or whether an 80% or 90% carbon cut by 2050 is enough, or whether we can afford more federal spending, or if we should subsidize Detroit or any of the dinosaur industries who will never be the leaders until their competitors from the renewable side are given the level playing fields and the markets they need to compete.

Like I said, voters' eyes glaze over when they hear about this stuff.

Voters draw closer when you explain how we can create a new America - with our own hands, from downtown Detroit to the sprawl of Las Vegas.

What will it take to be unassailable to the serious policy crowd and the editorial writers? My recommended benchmark will be specific investment commitments -- basically an Iraq War's worth (say $400-500 billion) -- as well as caps and targets. We can nerd out on the details another time, but this isn't anywhere near the zone of political suicide - in fact, you can let others lead the call for carbon taxes and instead offer up a smart mix of federal investment, tax and subsidy shifts, loan guarantees and capital account budgeting to pay for the program, drive economic growth and satisfy both Bob Rubin budget hawks and Al Gore. Voters meanwhile will love it: they'll hear you say you want to invest billions in our communities and create millions of American jobs. Set and match.

Don't listen to me though. Dial up your old law school classmate Alan Jenkins in New York and see how his idea for "opportunity impact assessments" could free up new public investment for critically needed infrastructure projects, by making sure that we do all the math when it comes to life cycle cost analysis.

Or sit down with Van Jones of the Ella Baker Center, Anthony Thigpenn of SCOPE and Billy Parish and the whole campus challenge crew working on a serious Clean Energy Corps proposal right now.

Or meet with John O'Donnell and Vinod Khosla of Ausra.com to learn about concentrated solar technology and the emerging economic case for ending coal.

I'd advise you do this all quickly, and support a new surge for change and national service involving Americans of all ages (not just young people!!) -- before Hillary Clinton or anyone else steps into the breach. If she does dust off a green version of national service (in honor of the late, great Eli Segal), and commits to putting enough "putting people first" investment money into the pot, I'll bet a lot more folks will be voting for her, even inspired by her. Maybe even me.

Here's my hope. Elevate this campaign, challenge us, and remind America how audacious we all can be.

Do it and I believe you'll have the wind at your back. And millions more behind you.

Re: Advice for the Senator from Someone Who Knows | Report to Admin

By Cilla...Currently living in Spain and lovin' it Jul 10th 2007 at 5:30 pm EDT

here's another one that I wish would just go away.

Re: Advice for the Senator from Someone Who Knows | Report to Admin

By ObamaAlumni Jul 10th 2007 at 6:10 pm EDT

Good post. I agree in order for barack to distinguish himself from his democratic opponets and take the democratic nomination and give him "more wind in his sails" a new deal type idea would be great. How would the hope manifest? what does the shoulder to the wheel look like? However, I believe the foundation for any great idea will be the grass roots organization now being built.

Re: Advice for the Senator from Someone Who Knows | Report to Admin

By Lakisha from Fort Worth, TX Jul 10th 2007 at 6:39 pm EDT

Why should this contributor go away? I recently started reading these blogs and I am inspired, to say the least. I am a solid Barack Obama supporter. I’ve familiarized myself with several presidential candidates (Democrat and Republican) and I am convinced that Barack Obama is the candidate who is best suited to unite the country and restore our image in the global community.

As a mother of 2 young children (ages 6 and 3), I’ve learned that one of the best ways to show support and encourage growth is to constantly raise the bar. I love my children and I know that the sky is truly their limit. I will do anything in my power to help them succeed in life. But, when it’s all said and done, they will have to put in the work and continuously improve themselves. As I’ve watched senator Obama over the past 6 months, I know that he understands this fundamental concept. He gets that he has to keep an open mind, and that he may have to adjust some of his tactics in order to keep the American people engaged.

Unlike some of his colleagues, he is genuinely concerned about what the average American expects of him as a leader. His integrity and empathy won’t allow him to turn a deaf ear to the needs of his supporters. Having said that, why shouldn’t we raise the bar for our presidential candidate? Better yet, why shouldn’t we raise the bar for ourselves? We know what our candidate stands for. Given the scope and demands of the campaigning process, we know that it’s impossible for him to engage in grassroots organizing at this level. However, he has thousands of supporters all across the country, and WE are capable of taking this campaign to the next level. If we raise the bar for him and for ourselves, maybe we won’t have to spend so much time defending his policies and / or experience. At the end of the day, the world will know that we are a powerful force because we will have succeeded at getting our candidate elected to the presidency. So, rather than infringing on a fellow American’s freedom-of-speech rights, let’s get to work!

Re: Advice for the Senator from Someone Who Knows | Report to Admin

By J. Lowe Jul 10th 2007 at 5:43 pm EDT

Thank you Dawn, I think we have met before. Excellent post for pushing to the next level and understanding the will of the people. I remember new inexpensive solar technology on npr science friday awhile back. My husband and I have talked about having them installed on our house.

May I please request that you please post excerpts of this into the 'my policy' 3 step system? (click on the 'issues' button to find it)

btw if you are the same dawn, thanks. the last conversation we had here really helped me resort my thinking and be more respectful, even to people I disagree with. Glad to see you again so you could receive that acknowledgement.

Re: Advice for the Senator from Someone Who Knows | Report to Admin

By Ellen from Saint Louis, MO Jul 10th 2007 at 8:42 pm EDT

I think that the people who have been supporting Obama since his Feb. 10 announcement (or before!)are the only ones who are worried about the poll numbers and want him to be more aggressive.

I think people need to remember that Obama still has to introduce himself to a lot of people and until he has an organization that can support his growing number of supporters, he needs to keep doing what he is doing: Outlining his policy positions, differentiating himself from his opponents, organizing his base. He should NOT bite off more than he can chew at this point.

How would it be if he started attacking Hillary Clinton but didn't have the political machine in place to handle the backlash from her political operatives? How would it be that he started being aggressive, but was inept in handling result? He would lose more than would be gained.

I think this campaign is like a very exciting (but tense!) tennis match at the highest levels (think Wimbleton or the U.S. Open.) In the early sets, both opponents are evenly matched so it will take a mistake on either side to win the set. Hillary is like Natavrilova, Obama like Serena Williams. Serena (Obama) has faulted a few times because he is not as experienced as Natavrilova (Hillary) but no matter how crafty and sly Martina is, Serena has the athlecisim to meet her volley by volley, She (he) is young, dangerous, and a powerful opponent. My money is on Serena in this fight.

I think we need to remember ourselves as we began to evaluate Obama and made the decision to support him. This is where most voters are and Obama will need them in the coming months. Thanks to us, he has the resources to communicate his message beyond those who love him already.

Re: Advice for the Senator from Someone Who Knows | Report to Admin

By Cilla...Currently living in Spain and lovin' it Jul 10th 2007 at 9:03 pm EDT

Dawn,
why do you bother even mentioning Hillary Clinton. You have no clue who re Barack obama's campaign team. If you did,you would realize the NAMES OF HIS CAMPAIGN STAFF AND WHO MOST OF THEM ONCE WORKED FOR!!!. I said this to you before and I will say it again, You do not support this candiate and it is just for you to post here because you can. Tell Hillary everything over here is going smoothly. Please let the Clinton camp.know about 300,000 people have BARACK OBAMA'S BACK. If you truly want to get "your message" to Senator Obama then go to his Semate web page and post your "message".

YOU NEED TO "TURN THE PAGE".

Non-Voters & Their Reasons For Not Voting | Report to Admin

By Michelle from Youngstown, Ohio Jul 10th 2007 at 5:40 pm EDT

How can we get non-voter to vote?

I have two sisters,who WILL NOT be voting.They haven't voted for over 20 years I think. They don't believe in voting. When I asked them why....

1)both would tell me that their vote doesn't count.That is the number one reason I hear from non voters,but my sister Tammy took it a step further by saying....

2) if she did vote for the right president in office,he or she will not be able to keep the promise made to us because....
a)his or her hands are tied under another system(s) that may prohibited him or her from executing them.
b)The president in office cannot truly make the decision on his or her own. There are other people and sytems determining how his or her missions are played out.In other word...politic.... as we know it, is so dynamic.

We don't know if the president in office are tied to other organizations and the list continues, that's some of the reasons why my sisters are discouraged from voting.

We were talking about how our city mayor, who has the least authority, and while he tries to make good with little authority he has, people are bashing him left and right.

I guess I have two questions, they are when a future president makes a promise to a nation, what are some of the reasons for them being broken?

.....And does it really matter whether we vote the right or wrong president in office, since it does not guaranteed that he or she can deliver on the good anyway, because how the political system is set up, Right?

So one of my sister feels, having the right person in office will not change our country for the better anyway.

Help me to understand this, then maybe I can get my sisters to change their minds.