Organizing for America | Why I Support Barack Obama: Back Together

I don't know why... | Report to Admin

By Nancy M. May 19th 2008 at 8:27 pm EDT

I don't know why it matters, but I would really like 10 SDs to come forward tomorrow before the polls close in Kentucky. For some reason, I really want to be in double digits (99) before tomorrow night.

Call me an optimist, but I am hoping for 60 delegates for us tomorrow and wishing that all our SDs in waiting will come out on Wednesday, bringing us to 2026.

P.S. Hillary is really cranking out the spin and the blogs are starting to get nervous. I need refuge!

Relaxed Barack | Report to Admin

By Nancy M. May 19th 2008 at 10:08 pm EDT

I have been missing the "relaxed" Barack that we haven't gotten to see much of lately. In case you missed it, here it Barack with the Crow Nation today. I got to see a bit of relaxed Barack, and it was nice to see him again.

Link

The ultimate in relaxed: Barack on Conan before he officially announced he was running:

Link

Re: Relaxed Barack | Report to Admin

By IA for Obama ☮ May 19th 2008 at 11:37 pm EDT

How awesome is that, that he's now part of the Crow Nation. Yet another first for his presidency. Also, he makes reference in Dreams to a Cherokee ancestor on his mother's side (p. 13), so that's at least two tribes who can claim him as kin. His new name befits him, as he does strive to help all people of the land (the earth?). It's quite remarkable, the extent to which he can claim kinship with us all, and us with him. It's not just his blood, though, but his perspective. Another line from Dreams comes to mind, "If everyone is family, no one is family" (337, 347). The perspective he has makes him keenly aware of the complex nature of bonds and divisions. Belonging to multiple worlds, yet also the other within them, gives him such great insight into diverse perspectives, the cause of conflicts, the consequences, and the solutions.

Folks claim his talk of spanning the political divide, of uniting Democrat with Republican, is fantasy, but look at the divides this man has bridged. Political parties are pretty insignificant in comparison. Besides, this movement has proven the truth of his vision, with Obamacans, Obamadents (I kinda like Obamadependents, though!), as well as Obamacrats. Hell, he's even gotten die-hard conservatives to vote for HRC! :-p

While flipping through Dreams to find the exact page numbers, I came across one of my favorite lines from a Nzotake Shange play (206; funny, though, he doesn't attribute it):
i found god in myself,
and i loved her/i loved her fiercely.

How gorgeous is that!

The Conan show is a great one. I remember watching it when it first aired. I still cringe when I hear him say Celtic, with a soft c, like the basketball team (it should be a k sound). He might have the blood, but he'll need to learn the pronunciation (as he good-naturedly acknowledges in the Crow clip). But I doubt even 1% of those watching even notice it. Not like when the current occupier of the oval office mangles the English language on a daily basis!

Re: Relaxed Barack | Report to Admin

By Nancy M. May 20th 2008 at 12:10 am EDT

Maeve, I caught it when he said the soft c, and I decided I must have been wrong all this time! I figured Barack would have it right, so I must have been wrong. :-)

Believe it or not, I haven't finished Dreams yet. I have the book and the audio version. Not quite sure what I'm waiting for. I think I want him to have the nomination first, if that makes any sense.

I don't quite get the "if everyone is family, no one is family" comment. Maybe one of these days you can explain it.

He is one gorgeous man, inside and out. Well, it's off to bed for me. Tomorrow is a big day!

Who said it? | Report to Admin

By Nancy M. May 19th 2008 at 10:46 pm EDT

Who can tell me who said this?
No fair using google or some other search engine.
If you don't know, guess!

"Let me tell you something: When I'm on the golf course and I slip my wedding ring into my golf bag, the Rev. Jacquie Hood Martin is still my wife. When we shoot hoops and I remove my Texas A&M University ring from my right hand, I still love my school. The fact that I can no longer wear my 1987 class ring from Houston's Jack Yates High School doesn't mean I don't cherish the crimson and gold. And I may not be able to fit into the shirt I pledged in, but I will be a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. until the day I die.

I am an unapologetic Christian, but you won't see a cross dangling from my neck or a James Avery charm bracelet on my wrist. Why? Because my love of Jesus Christ is in my heart.

This debate is useless, tiresome and distracting. Why? Because if there are members of Congress who wear a flag lapel pin but refuse to shore up our borders, don't do enough to stop the flow of drugs into our neighborhoods, or don't help to eradicate the gaps between the haves and have nots, then are they truly fighting for the concerns of Americans, or playing on the emotions of people by what's on their lapel?

We're better than that. We're smarter than that. It's time that we make decisions based on substance, which is what we say we actually care about. But maybe we're just lying to ourselves about that, too."

Okay, who all is going to Des Moines? | Report to Admin

By Nancy M. May 20th 2008 at 12:06 am EDT

Okay, who all is going to Des Moines for Tuesday night?
I just realized we won't see you here, then, if you're there!

Maeve?
Joy?
Laura?

I am so jealous! We will miss you being here. Unless you come home afterwards and tell us all about it. Looks to be a late night waiting for Oregon results.

Re: Okay, who all is going to Des Moines? | Report to Admin

By IA for Obama ☮ May 20th 2008 at 12:14 am EDT

I will be there, as will Joy. I think we're both volunteering.

Mary's union will be bringing a vanload, including her.

Laura I think was thinking about it.

CK will be there too.

And about 20?50?75?,000 of our closest friends.

We'll blog it later, as we did in the old days.

Re: Okay, who all is going to Des Moines? | Report to Admin

By Joy IA May 20th 2008 at 9:42 am EDT

We'll be there representing all of you, our "old timer" blog friends! It's going to be a long evening/night--have to figure out appropriate clothing, snacks, and make sure the camera has fresh batteries! ;-)

YES WE *DID* on January 3rd!! :-)

Re: Okay, who all is going to Des Moines? | Report to Admin

By Nancy M. May 20th 2008 at 9:45 am EDT

I thought he was going to start speaking around 7:30, but you said it's going to be a long night. Do I have the time wrong? Or is it just because you will be volunteering and will have to be there way early.

The first time I volunteered for Barack in Iowa we were on our feet for 6 hours - after a day of canvassing. I was so tired that I actually yawned during Barack's speech. I was afraid someone would catch it on film and say people were bored!

Re: Okay, who all is going to Des Moines? | Report to Admin

By IA for Obama ☮ May 20th 2008 at 10:33 am EDT

"doors" open at 7:30. It's an open air rally, so take that for what it's worth. I have a special pass that gets you into some section, but I'm not sure how that's going to be configured. It's in the East Village, which is downtown, close to where the old HQ is, with the state capitol building as backdrop. But the streets are two lanes (one each way), so this isn't a huge area, and they're lined with shops, restaurants, etc. I am sure Joy, Mary, and all the precinct captains have these passes as well; I know Laura does. But I just don't know where this preferred viewing area is, unless there are some rooftop gardens I didn't know about.

I would bet he won't go on until after 10 Central, as that's when OR voting ends. Michelle might go on before, and whoever else. But I would imagine this will go on until after 11.

Volunteers meet at 5. See you there and then, Joy!

Rally | Report to Admin

By Laura Hubka ~From Iowa Where It Started and Will Continue~~~ May 20th 2008 at 12:10 pm EDT

Im going to the rally. Look for me if you are there!!!

Link

Re: Rally | Report to Admin

By Nancy M. May 20th 2008 at 1:51 pm EDT

Hey Laura, I'm so glad you decided to go! It sounds like you are already on your way to Des Moines, so you won't see this comment, but I want to say thanks a bunch for your video. We are wishing you all a wonderful evening with Barack, and we love you back!

So sad | Report to Admin

By Nancy M. May 20th 2008 at 1:54 pm EDT

I am so sad to hear that Ted Kennedy has a brain tumor. Malignant. I sure wasn't suspecting anything like that. How the hell do they do radiation on a brain tumor without damaging the rest of your brain?

Re: So sad | Report to Admin

By Joy IA May 20th 2008 at 3:22 pm EDT

Very, very sad and prognosis is not good. My father in law had a malignant brain tumor and lived for just 6 more months after diagnosis. Ted Kennedy is such a fighter, I imagine he'll be around to see Barack get sworn in though! :-)

Re: So sad | Report to Admin

By Nancy M. May 20th 2008 at 4:31 pm EDT

Sorry to hear about your father-in-law. That must have been really hard.

This sounds pretty grave. They are talking about chemotherapy and radiation, but they are not talking about surgery, which means it may be inoperable. It broke my heart seeing Chris Dodd nearly in tears. But Teddy is one tough cookie, so if anybody can fight it, hopefully he can. Someone on the blog said their relative had this kind of brain tumor and is doing fine now. Life is so fragile.

I have been in tears on and off this afternoon. I think this must have stirred up all my emotions about JFK, Bobby, and Martin Luther King. I was maybe 7 when JFK was shot, and I can still play the convertible scene in my head like it was yesterday. The Kennedy legends have been prominent figures for my entire life, and I am not ready to lose Teddy.

Re: So sad | Report to Admin

By Rick Beaule' May 20th 2008 at 4:22 pm EDT

They can concentrate the radiation into very small areas now. My stepfather just finished a series of cancer treatments, so I've learned quite a bit over the last few months.

He will be in our prayers....

Rick
Mustard seeds for everyone!!!

Re: So sad | Report to Admin

By Nancy M. May 20th 2008 at 4:47 pm EDT

You have had such a tough year, Rick. My heart goes out to you.

Re: So sad | Report to Admin

By Rick Beaule' May 20th 2008 at 9:43 pm EDT

Bless you for remembering. I appreciate it. I am still however, doggedly upbeat, if a trifle sardonic on occasion.... :)

Rick
Still passing out mustard seeds for everyone!!!

Hey Everyone... | Report to Admin

By Don Hussein Obama May 20th 2008 at 10:51 pm EDT

I guess not many will be here tonight. Too bad... so much news today!

When I first heard about the brain tumor, it was in passing during the MSNBC coverage. My first thought: damn, that sucks. Second thought was: hope it's not inoperable. Crap.

I had the chance to meet Sen. Kennedy personally during the 2004 campaign. He did an event on the University of Wisconsin campus, and at the tender age of 37 I was one of the co-chairs of Students for Kerry. Somewhere there's a picture of me on stage in the backdrop with a few dozen other folks alongside him. I remember thinking how lucky I was to meet someone who had done so much for so many.

Sigh... on to happier thoughts.

I thought BHO was extermely gracious toward Shrillary tonight. He rightfully pointed out that she's "shattered myths and broken barriers". It's always hard for the losing side to come around (I remember the Dean supporters in 2004), but the speech tonight made me feel more hopeful that it will happen that I have felt in a while.

tonight's rally | Report to Admin

By IA for Obama ☮ May 21st 2008 at 1:11 am EDT

just wrote a blog about this glorious evening, if you'd like to check it out: Link .

And now I go to dream happy dreams. Goodnight all!

Re: tonight's rally | Report to Admin

By Joy IA May 21st 2008 at 11:47 am EDT

Great blog Maeve, so glad to have seen you! I finally scrambled something together...

Link

I must say I slept as soundly as I've slept in a very, very long time...must have been because I was in the presence of our next president and know that our future is in great hands! :-)

Re: tonight's rally | Report to Admin

By IA for Obama ☮ May 21st 2008 at 3:15 pm EDT

Lucky you. I was too fired up to sleep, and then my poor son was up half the night, burning up and in pain. He's much better now, and fortunately my husband went in late so I could at least get a few hours sleep.

Rally | Report to Admin

By Joy IA May 21st 2008 at 1:18 am EDT

Hi Everyone!
What a great night, huh? I know, an understatement... lol

The rally was wonderful, energetic, and filled with much Iowa love for the Obama family. Maeve and I said hello--Laura and Mary, I wish we could have all figured out how to meet one another! It was so nice to see so many people from caucus night and reminisce about how much fun we had on January 3rd. One of our organizers who now coordinates SFBO in MI flew in this afternoon (on his own dime!) and flies out tomorrow--he just couldn't miss this speech, not to mention Des Moines has a special place in his heart.

I'm getting kinda loopy now so I'll have to process the rally while sleeping.. Hope we represented all of you well tonight!! ;-) Thanks for all of your support from across the country--you all are honorary Iowans forever!

Re: Rally | Report to Admin

By IA for Obama ☮ May 21st 2008 at 1:24 am EDT

I saw Matt, as he filed into the space for volunteers. I kept looking to see you come past us as well, but I must have missed you. So glad I got to see you as soon as I came in. See above for the link to my account of it, if you're interested.

Hmmm... | Report to Admin

By Foreigner May 21st 2008 at 5:44 am EDT

(It's 7:45 pm in Sydney now. 5:45 am in NY)

Just saw this at Link where PocketNines is tracking Oregon results:

"UPDATE #19, 1:56AM PACIFIC: Will Grant County ever report? Bueller? Bueller? Meanwhile, Al Giordano drops this in an update over at The Field Link

Updates: The Field can now confirm two facts:

Senator Clinton has made direct and private overtures to Senator Obama regarding the path ahead.

Keep your eye on superdelegates, particularly in California, but also elsewhere, that had committed to Senator Clinton, but who are gathering together by the exit sign.

You can take both of those tips to the bank."

Re: Hmmm... | Report to Admin

By Nancy M. May 21st 2008 at 8:07 am EDT

Hi Foreigner, thanks for those happy tips. First thing I saw this morning...

Ok, I have to rant | Report to Admin

By Terri May 21st 2008 at 12:50 pm EDT

and I'm thinking no one but my Obama-buds are going to understand.

Ok, so to remind everyone, I'm in FL. Like leaving NY and coming to FL wasn't already the worst choice of my life, here comes the first presidential candidate I really want to vote for..and the state dems take that away from me. Ok, I wrote and ranted and decided well at least I can contribute and have my voice heard that way at least.

So I sit here and dream of the day I can finally see Barack in person. So here he comes down to FL. Except Tampa is way up north, and Miami is too far away for my car to make it. There's a fundraiser here in Wilton Manors but it's $1000--kiss that one goodbye. So, I think, ok, at least people in the state will see him, I'm not too upset.

Then I get an email from the campaign..Barack will be at the Atlantic Center in Sunrise..right by me..on Friday. OMG!!!!!!! It's on Friday at 2:30, so I go in and put in for a vacation day this morning, and get called in saying 2 people have already requested the day off, and I will have to reschedule.

You guys..I came this close to walking out. Seriously, I was in tears all morning. What I should have done is just called in sick, but there was no reason. There's never a problem with anyone taking vacation days. Never thought I'd have to lie just to get the day off and now it's really too late to claim sick.

I kid you not, I spent most of the morning going through all my 401k's in my head and trying to figure out how I could quit and be able to make it. lol. I have clearly lost my mind.

Well, obviously I'm in no position to walk out, and there probably isn't anyone but you guys who wouldn't think I was nuts to even be taking any of this so hard. But JEEZ..he's going to be HERE.

Ok, I'm going to try and remember what I always say..the only important thing is seeing him in the White House. But Friday is going to be a bad day at work..so close..

Well Nov 5 is my birthday. A present of President Obama will make up for this.

Re: Ok, I have to rant | Report to Admin

By Nancy M. May 21st 2008 at 1:43 pm EDT

Hey Terri, I don't think you're crazy at all. Boy, that completely sucks. Could you plead your case with either your boss or with the people who asked off, or have they asked off for Barack, too?

It seems like maybe just his once they should be able to make an exception. You work for the city in some way, right?

Re: Ok, I have to rant | Report to Admin

By IA for Obama ☮ May 21st 2008 at 3:13 pm EDT

Oh, Terri, I feel your pain. It might be some consolation that he will be campaigning HUGE in FL for the general, and you will be able to see him again. And we'll all hook up to attend his inauguration, right?

Any way you could arrange to take just the afternoon off? It is the Friday just before Memorial Day week-end--they should be letting folks out early anyway!

Re: Ok, I have to rant | Report to Admin

By Terri May 21st 2008 at 6:34 pm EDT

Ah, I see you guys are used to working for decent human beings. :) Unfortunately, my boss makes us work right up until closing time on Xmas and NewYear's eve, even when we hadn't had a customer for hours. Yeah, I work for the City Building Dept. God forbid if we aren't there in case someone with no life decides they desperately need to pull a permit on X-mas Eve dontcha know. jeez!

I did try pleading -- and I tried the half-day thing too. Truth is, when I heard 2 others had already scheduled the day off, I knew there was no way. They had the days scheduled for a long time and were going away. It's a minor miracle that he let 2 people schedule on the same day as it was. Too bad I didn't have more of a head's up about the rally.

I was thinking the same thing. He'll probably be down to FL quite a bit for the GE since it's a pretty important state and he's probably going to want to soothe the delegates-not-counting anger that so many still feel. I'll catch him next time, and if worse comes to worse, I'm already saving up for the big Inauguration party.

Still... this just SUCKS BIG TIME!

Re: Ok, I have to rant | Report to Admin

By Joy IA May 22nd 2008 at 2:40 pm EDT

Terri, keep the faith that your day to join with Obama will come! Undoubtedly Barack will return to FL and hopefully those dates may be more favorable to your schedule. On the other hand, we could all bombard your boss with emails about how you really should be given the day off...we're quite a movement you know and can be very persuasive! :-)

Ok enough whining | Report to Admin

By Terri May 21st 2008 at 6:39 pm EDT

Don't know if anyone here is a MoveOn member, but they are sending a card from the entire MoveOn community wishing Sen. Kennedy well. Sen. Kerry will hand deliver the card with all the signatures and well wishes to him. You can sign and add your message at this link:

Link

Re: Ok enough whining | Report to Admin

By SFT May 22nd 2008 at 12:08 am EDT

Thanks so much for the link. We were in MN for a week setting up for the summer before we go to Alaska which is great but--I'm in turmoil about whether I can live without my laptop for 3 weeks. I missed everyone for KY & Oregon because we had company in MN. Cried too -- lots about Teddy. As a retired SLP I know that the location of his tumor is one of the worst. I'm especially sad because language is so important to him. Praying like mad for his courage and strength. At the same time so excited about only 60 votes needed for Barack.

Keep HOPE shining.

Rick's going to love this story... | Report to Admin

By Terri May 22nd 2008 at 12:29 am EDT

A DUer has pics and a story about a mustard seed pin she gave Barack.

Link

Funny, early on I looked up mustard seed jewelry and found a very cool necklace. It was 14k gold and $40 .. if I'd had the money (figured the campaign could use it more)I'd have bought one for all of us. Cool that someone else is thinking along the same lines.

Re: Rick's going to love this story... | Report to Admin

By Rick Beaule' May 22nd 2008 at 1:31 pm EDT

I do love it! Waaaaaaaaaaay cool!!!!!

Thanks for posting it!

Rick
Mustard seeds for everyone!!!

Obamatopia | Report to Admin

By Foreigner May 22nd 2008 at 5:24 am EDT

It's 7:20 pm in Sydney, 5:20 am for NY. So... good morning!

I saw this at priscillamusings.blogspot.com. Produced by UCBComedy.com.

Link

Main blog rant | Report to Admin

By Joy IA May 22nd 2008 at 2:48 pm EDT

Okay, I just need to vent and I'll be done...

The main blog is making me crazy--seriously, scroll halfway down and there are *still* references to "1" and "congrats on 1"??? Not to mention the dozens of spam posts... People are not writing anything new, they just rehash and repost the same paragraph over and over. I know the choice I'm supposed to scroll by, which I generally do, but anymore there's so much nonsense going on that the threads are totally incoherent with just a few snippets of resources or interesting info. :-|

For example, "Rob" has been spamming his post about wanting the info on Michele from Huntington Beach (she coordinates the frequent flyer miles). I've posted it, O-mailed it and recently emailed it directly to him yet he keeps posting the same message. Or the dozens of posts responding to a troll or "fake commenter"...

I guess my patience is wearing thin, I'll stop whining now... But thanks for listening!!! :-)

Re: Main blog rant | Report to Admin

By Rick Beaule' May 22nd 2008 at 10:41 pm EDT

You're welcome!!! Now, what are we going to do about it?

I plan on resuming my excerpting of "The Audacity of Hope" over the weekend. I also plan on offering up several editorial-type comments on news articles and analysis. If I am thorough enough, then it will hopefully spark a more enlightened discussion.

Finally, I plan on also renewing my plea for people to commit random acts of kindness while wearing Obama paraphrenalia. It's all stuff I had been doing over the summer, but was knocked off-track from doing so by the exigencies of this past school year. Now that the year is finally coming to an end, I plan to ramp it up again.

So, folks? Got any other ideas??

Rick
Mustard seeds for everyone!!!

Re: Main blog rant | Report to Admin

By SFT May 23rd 2008 at 12:04 am EDT

Those are all wonderful ideas and I will be sure to add supportive and relevant comments. Terrific strategy!

Keep HOPE shining.

Re: Main blog rant | Report to Admin

By Joy IA May 23rd 2008 at 12:40 am EDT

Alright, I'm embarrassed about my whiny post...sheesh, could I be any more petty??? I'm sorry for being so cranky! :-( I promise I'll find a way to be more tolerant and patient, and maybe post some *real* info once in awhile! LOL

Sorry again blog friends, I won't be Debbie Downer anymore! (unless, of course, there's a thread that's completely out of control!) HAHA

Yes We Can | Report to Admin

By Foreigner May 23rd 2008 at 8:30 am EDT

Sydney 10:30 pm
Good morning y'all... guess you've seen this by now, but what the heck, here it is ... enjoy the parrot :-)

Link

Re: Yes We Can | Report to Admin

By IA for Obama ☮ May 23rd 2008 at 11:24 am EDT

My sons cannot get enough of Smokey Boy. So we never tire of multiple links to him--just another excuse to indulge!

HRC comment | Report to Admin

By Joy IA May 23rd 2008 at 6:02 pm EDT

If HRC is talking about primaries lasting into June, then why can't she just say "sometimes, these races last through the summer" period, end. She IS smart enough to know the sensitivity about any reference to the RFK assassination, right??? I feel like she has just spiraled into the abyss--how does she walk back into the Capitol and expect respect from her peers?

New blog up for memorial weekend | Report to Admin

By Nancy M. May 23rd 2008 at 9:32 pm EDT

New blog up:
Link

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