I had a somewhat Obama-productive day. In the interest of helping Barack meeting the 350k/500k goals, I not only donated again (ok, it was only $5, but I'm poor thanks to student loans), but I sent out a letter to some family members as well. I started out with my grandparents and uncle, as I knew they were my best bets. The letter just explained the 350/500 challenge, and gave some reasons as to why I supported Obama. My grandmother wrote back and said that she was actually a John Edwards supporter, but she would not only contribute, but she would ensure my grandfather did separately as well, making it two new donations! She also said that she was unaware of many of the things listed in my letter, and promised to read up more on the issues and consider voting for him.
I sent the same letter to my uncle who, cynically, wrote back and asked if I had actually written it or if it was a form letter Obama's campaign had sent out. When I told him that no, I had actually written it and believed every word, he said he was impressed that a 21y/o was so interested in a political figure and would donate.
I also convinced a friend, who loves Obama but prefers H.C. for some unknown reason, to donate. She's still in college, so what convinced her was me saying that you could donate as little as $5 -- less than a case of High Life!
Finally, my grandmother also gave me a list of email addresses of her friends and other family members who might be interested. I just sent out about 5 more letters.
So, moral of the blog: reach out! You never know who might be interested in donating, even if they haven't decided who they support 100%. If you're talking to students or recent graduates like myself, stress that they don't have to give $100 -- every little bit helps!
If anyone is interested, the letter I sent is below.
Dear [Family Member/Friend], I know reading a request for monetary donations if probably low on your list of things you want to do, but please give it a chance! You may have heard I've been volunteering for Barack Obama's presidential campaign by doing signature gatherings in Richmond, hosting a "Countdown to Change" House Party, and various other ways. Obama has a little over 48 hours to reach his goal of 500,000 donations from 350,000 people. Right now he's at 492,285 donations from 346,226 people. But if you donate now, your donation will be matched by someone else (if you've given before, it'll be matched by a first-timer; if it's your first time, it'll be matched by someone who's given before) so you're really doubling your impact. And, if you're poor like me, or not sure how much you want to support his campaign yet, you can give as little as $5. And really, you can hardly eat dinner for less than $5, so it's not that much. So why do I support Obama?1. He has the experience Washington needs right nowCritics say he has no experience. False. What they really mean is that he hasn't been in Washington long enough. But A) experience doesn't just happen in Washington (if it did, then Bill Clinton would have had no experience before arriving in '93), B) experience does not automatically equal good judgement, and C) Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld have the longest resumes in the Bush administration....and you can see where that got us. Obama has over 20 years of public service, ranging from community organizer (he worked in the streets of Chicago doing civil rights and voting rights organizing instead of accepting one of his 600 job offers from high-priced corporate law firms upon graduation from law school), civil rights lawyer, Constitutional law professor (which means he actually knows what the constitution says, unlike some other presidents we could mention), and State Senator, where he sponsored and co-sponsored important legislation that reformed Illinois' death penalty system and ethics in the Senate. I personally think it's refreshing that most of his experience comes from outside Washington. Instead of schmoozing with special interest groups over steaks and cigars (he doesn't accept donations from lobbyists or special interest groups), he's been out interacting with real people from all walks of life. He knows what the American people want and need, not just those on Capital Hill. Also, just as a sidenote: he actually has three more years of direct legislative experience than Hillary.2. He tells the truth, even when it's not what we want to hear. Obama came out against the war in 2002, at a time when it was not popular to do so because it seemed "soft" on terrorism. We now know that Iraq has been the biggest foreign policy blunder in American history. Yet Barack, despite his so-called "inexperience", had the judgement to foresee this, unlike other Democratic candidates who go on and on about their wisdom and experience but still voted for the war. Like I said, experience =/= judgement3. He's a uniterThe country has been divided into red state/blue state, democrat/republic, etc. etc. for so long now. Barack is the one candidate able to erase those lines and unite the country. If you look at the attendance at his rallies, you'll see black people, white people, Hispanics, Native Americans, Asians, old people, young people, Democrats, Independents, and even Republicans. In the Illinois state senate, he co-sponsored a bill with Republicans to increase health care coverage for children (and this is just one of many bill examples). 4. He represents a real changeAs he's said in his speeches, it won't be enough to just change political parties in the White House. The other candidates still play the Washington game. It will take someone like Obama to truly change the way politics are done, and let's be honest, it needs to be changed. You can watch a video compilation of his NYC rally, which drew almost 25,000 people, here: http://my.barackobama.com/page/m/e_GQcWSGpXw/QyCocy and see almost the full speech here: http://wcbstv.com/topstories/local_story_270202407.htmland read the Times article about it here http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/28/us/politics/28obama.html?_r=1&ref=politics&oref=slogin and read a copy of a similar speech here, if you don't want to watch the video: http://www.barackobama.com/2007/09/03/remarks_of_senator_barack_obam_22.php You can also read more about his position on various issue at http://origin.barackobama.com/issues/I've been volunteering for his campaign while job-searching, and I never thought I would become this involved or invested in a political campaign. I usually just show up to the polls and vote, not doing anything before November. But if he can cure the apathy of me and thousands of other young people, he must be doing something right. I hope you're doing well!Love,Julia
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