OBAMA FUNDRAISING NOTE:
Dear Friend,
I'm looking for someone to match my campaign contribution of $17.89 to Barack Obama, and to pass this "1789 message" along to others.
1789 was the year the Constitution of the United States was ratified. Barack Obama has studied the Constitution, and he has taught it to law students. He says in his stump speech, "I love the Constitution, and as President I will obey the Constitution."
I believe him. I live in Iowa and have closely followed Barack Obama's candidacy since February, 2007. I initially supported him because I saw his potential to reverse the serious decline in American prestige and influence in the rest of the world (I had worked overseas with UNICEF until I retired in 2006).
A year ago, Obama was new on the scene, and in Iowa we had the chance to meet with all the candidates many times throughout 2007. I watched Obama closely to assess his fitness for the Presidency. I watched as he put together a remarkably well-organized and disciplined campaign. I watched him through the very difficult period of August-October last year, when he couldn't seem to make any progress against Hillary Clinton's 20 percent lead in the polls. I watched him stand up to the pundits and advisors who were insisting he must become aggressively negative about his fellow Democrats if he wanted to win.
But Barack Obama seemed to know who he was, and why he had embarked on this journey. He knew that if he won by becoming like George Bush and Karl Rove, he would have won a battle but already lost the war for a change in American politics that was the heart of his candidacy.
As a volunteer Precinct Captain for Obama, I received a memento of appreciation last October: a copy of the Constitution of the United States. It really made me think about how nice it would be to have a President who, when he swears to uphold the Constitution, actually knows what's in it, and is genuinely devoted to it, heart and soul.
As this campaign has unfolded over the last two months, I have also begun to worry even more about all the powers that George W. Bush has accumulated in the Presidency. Can we afford for four more years to have someone in the White House, Democrat or Republican, whose will for power is stronger than their devotion to principle?
Barack Obama says he takes no contributions from lobbyists, but I think he will make an exception for you and me, if we declare ourselves "lobbyists for the Constitution." The only way citizens are going to take back this country from the special interests is if all of us who care about it are willing in very large numbers each to put up small amounts of money, in return for which we only ask for principled Government and respect for the Constitution.
That's why I've decided to make all of my contributions to Barack Obama in the form of "matching grants" of $17.89, as part of a "1789 Campaign." Will you match mine? Would you be willing to put up additional contributions of $17.89 as your own "matching grant(s)," and forward this letter to others? I would encourage you, especially, to try to involve young people you know to become contributors, to make their own "1789" contribution to the future of the nation they will inherit.
With best regards,
Alan Brody (Obama Precinct Captain, Iowa City, IA)
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