Alachua * Alafaya * Alford * Aloma * Altamonte Springs * Altha * Altoona * Alturas * Alva * Amelia Island * Anna Maria * Anthony * Apalachicola * Apollo Annex * Apollo Beach * Apopka * Arcadia * Archer * Argyle * Aripeka * Astatula * Astor * Atlantic Beach * Auburndale * Aventura * Avon Park * Azalea Park * Babson Park * Bagdad * Baker * Bal Harbour * Baldwin * Balm * Barberville * Barefoot Bay * Bartow * Bascom * Bay Harbor * Bay Pines * Bayonet Point * Bearss-Plaza * Bell * Belle Glade * Belleair * Belleair Beach * Belleair Bluffs * Belleview * Beverly Hills * Big Pine Key * Boca Grande * Boca Raton * Boca Rio * Bokeelia * Bonifay * Bonita-Springs * Bostwick * Bowling Green * Boynton Beach * Boys Ranch * Braden River * Bradenton * Bradenton Beach * Bradley * Brandon * Branford * Brickell * Bristol * Bronson * Brooker * Brooksville * Bryant * Bryceville * Buena Ventura Lakes * Bunnell * Bushnell * Callahan * Callaway * Campbellton * Canal Point * Candler * Cantonment * Cape Canaveral * Cape Coral * Captiva * Carl Fisher * Carol City * Carrabelle * Caryville * Cassadaga * Casselberry * Cedar Key * Celebration * Center Hill * Century * Chattahoochee * Chiefland * Chipley * Chokoloskee * Christmas * Chuluota * Cinco Bayou * Citra * Citrus Ridge * Clarcona * Clarksville * Clearwater * Clearwater Beach * Clermont * Clewiston * Cocoa * Cocoa Beach * Cocoa Village * Coconut Creek * Coconut Grove * Coleman * College Plaza * Cooper City * Copeland * Coral Gables * Coral Springs * Cortez * Cottondale * Crawfordville * Crescent Beach * Crescent City * Crestview * Cross City * Crystal Beach * Crystal River * Crystal Springs * Cudjoe Key * Cypress * Cypress Gardens * Dade City * Dania * Davenport * Davie * Day * Daytona Beach * Daytona Beach Shores * De Leon Springs * DeBary
Despite the concrete fact that 95% of Americans would have their income tax cut under an Obama administration, there are still a lot of misperceptions out there about Barack's tax plan. Fortunately the campaign has created a website, http://taxcut.barackobama.com, where anyone can plug in their own income and get the truth about what kind of tax break they would get with Barack.
Recently, supporter Ed O'Neill, better known as Al Bundy from "Married with Children," was back in his hometown of Youngstown, to campaign for Barack. While there, he brought Al back to figure out what TV's favorite shoe salesman's tax cut would be under an Obama administration:
Also on taxcut.barackobama.com, you can:
A recent ABC News poll found that 8% of Americans are still undecided about who they are going to vote for. This has been a strong campaign, but 8 percent is a considerable amount.
Do you know someone who is undecided? Much of the Ohio homepage and the blog has concentrated on the supporters and volunteers that make this movement amazing. But many people still have not made up their minds, and the campaign wants to provide them with all the resources and information about Barack that they need to make a decision. So the Ohio Campaign for Change has created an Undecided Voter Resource page, where Undecided Ohio voters can get what they need to make an informed decision about Barack, and where supporters can easily send their undecided friends all that they should read, watch, and hear about Barack and Ohio.
The site features this video: "Four Reasons Ohio Needs Barack"
In addition to this video, the site includes
During the 7 day overlap between voter registration and early voting, where Buckeyes could register and vote on site, Obama supporters gave the campaign a huge advantage by turning out in droves.
Now that registration has closed, all that's left is to vote! Voting is going on every day up through Election Day. Thousands in Ohio have already voted, and all reports find that voting early an easy and convenient way to cast a ballot for change--just check out this article from the Youngstown Vindicator. You can locate your early voting location using the tool below, which is also located at www.VoteForChange.com.
Here are some more personal testimonies from early voters in Ohio. Sue from Toledo writes:
I voted on the first day of early voting & it was so exciting! I took a friend with me, & we went to Obama offices first to get more [materials], then it was on to the polls! I was never so excited about voting before in my life, nor have I ever been more proud to cast my vote! Barack is our hope for the future!
Nickie in Wadsworth says:
“There were so many people ready to cast their votes and I was very proud...! It's time for a positive change in this country and I've never supported anyone more than I support Obama! For the first time I'm not voting for someone to keep the 'other guy' from becoming President! What a great feeling to really have HOPE FOR CHANGE! Obama/Biden are bound to instill a renewed faith and pride in our country!”
Have you voted already? Share your experience here, or let us know how it went in the comments section below.
Democratic Vice Presidential Candidate Senator Joe Biden will return to the Buckeye State on Wednesday to kick off a two-day bus trip across northern Ohio. The tour includes Change We Need Rallies in Maumee and Wooster on Wednesday, and in Canton on Thursday, with details of additional events in the Akron and Youngstown areas to be announced later.
Click the events below to RSVP online!
Wednesday, September 17
CHANGE WE NEED RALLY WITH JOE BIDENUptown Maumee at the 100 Block of West Wayne StreetBetween Conant and Allen StreetsMaumee, OHDoors Open: 7:30 AMEvent Begins: 9:30 AMTickets NOT required, but RSVP is strongly encouraged.
CHANGE WE NEED RALLY WITH JOE BIDENCollege of WoosterKauke Hall, South LawnPublic Entrance: Corner of East University and Beall Ave.Wooster, OHGates Open: 4:00 PMTickets ARE required--RSVP here and pick up tickets at the locations below:
Ticket Distribution Locations
Farmer Boy Restaurant2558 Cleveland RdWooster, OH 44691
Available: Tuesday from 7:00am - 9:00pm, and Wednesday from 7:00am - 3:00pm
Kropf, Wagner, Hohenberger & Lutz, L.L.P.100 N Vine StreetOrrville, OH 44667Available: Wednesday from 9:00am-3:00pm
Further details to be announced as they become available.
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 18CHANGE WE NEED RALLY WITH JOE BIDENPro Football Hall of Fame2121 George Halas Drive NWDoors Open: 8:00 AM Program Begins: 9:30 AMThe event is free and open to the public. There is no RSVP, but members of the public are invited to pick up their free tickets at the locations and times listed below.(For more information call the Canton Campaign for Change Office: 330-452-4746)
***Free tickets are available Tuesday, September 16, and Wednesday, September 17, between 9:00AM and 9:00PM on a first-come, first-serve basis ***
Canton Campaign for Change Office111 2nd St NWCanton, OH 44702
Canton Democratic Party Office(Corner of 2nd and Market - Enter on Market)4220 12th St. NWCanton, OH 44708
Massillon Campaign for Change Office35 Erie St NorthMassillon, OH 44646
Alliance Campaign for Change Office15 S. Arch Ave.Alliance, OH 44601
Minerva Campaign for Change Office 215 N. Market St.Minerva, OH 44657
Kal Penn, of "Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle," "The Namesake," and the TV series "House," is back on the campaign trail in Ohio on Tuesday to get the word out to young students about the importance of volunteering for Barack. A constant on the road to change, Kal will this time be accompanied by Jurnee Smollett, of "Grey's Anatomy," "The Cosby Show," and most recently "The Great Debaters." The duo will hold two organizing meetings tomorrow, in Youngstown and at Kent State University. Details and links to the events on My.BarackObama.com (so you can RSVP!) are below the picture, from Kal's recent campaign stop in Minnesota:
Kal Penn and Jurnee Smollett Organizing for ChangeTuesday, September 9, 11:45 amJones Room, Kilcawley CenterYoungstown, OH
Kal Penn & Jurnee Smollett @ Kent StateTuesday, September 9, 2:00 pmStudent Center Government ChambersKent State Student Center, 2nd Floor2000 Summit RdKent, OH
Click HERE to get involved on your campus.
It was a packed day for the Obamas and the Bidens yesterday in Ohio, as the two families criss-crossed the state and made nothing short of four stops for a variety of events.
The climax of the day was no doubt the Rally in Dublin, at Dublin Coffman High School, where 19,000 people packed both sides of the football stadium, not to mention the sprawl of the sidelines, to hear Barack and Joe. The two Senators were introduced by Governor Ted Strickland, Senator Sherrod Brown, and Ohio hero and former Senator John Glenn. Pictures from the event, and the rest of the day, are posted below:
Even before Barack took the stage and shouted "O-H!" (to the roaring reply of "I-O"), the energy in the open air stadium was off the charts. Joe Biden aptly explained what's behind all the excitement in his introduction of Barack:
"I watched a guy tap into, just by his very being and his ideas, tap into the age-old American belief that many have forgotten. And that is, you don't have to accept a situation you cannot bear; you can change it."
The rally was preceded by a stop in tiny Marengo, in Morrow County, where Barack and Joe stopped at a sweet corn stand.
Before that, in Cleveland, the families attended the memorial service of Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones, who died on August 20th. Senator Clinton and President Clinton were also present, and though the service stretched to four hours, Barack stayed for the duration, and made remarks as well.
The duo kicked off the morning with some breakfast at the Yankee Kitchen Diner in Boardman, near Youngstown. The stop was caught on video, which you can check out here:
Today, Barack and Joe were in Lima and then Toledo, for a discussion on the economy at the Toledo-Lucas Library. More on those events coming soon...
On the road with Barack for his double-header of Town Halls--in Youngstown and now in Berea--the enthusiasm is contagious.
The crowd at the Austintown Fitch High School in Youngstown was riled up and ready to go, ever since the doors opened at 7:15 am. A diverse crowd packed into the gymnasium, fanning themselves as they waited in anticipation.
Here in Berea, Barack has just taken the stage. More to come soon!
Hello everyone. First up, Obama has a new ad attacking McCain on energy. I could have sworn I saw this ad on TV last night. McCain has been in Washington for a little over 25 years, the ad says, but he voted against exploring alternative energy sources. He's part of the problem, not the solution.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHMbwk6CDLE&eurl=http://thepage.time.com/2008/08/05/obamas-up-with-second-negative-spot-on-energy/
Essence Magazine profiles both Barack and Michelle in the most recent issue. Here's an excerpt from Barack:
Bounding through the throng with a lanky ease, the junior senator from Illinois smiles broadly, kisses babies and basks in the praise of adoring strangers. “Everywhere we go we’ve been seeing these terrific crowds,” he exults to the lunchtime onlookers, pushing his voice past the limitations of a mild head cold. “Twenty thousand people show up in Atlanta. Twenty thousand people in Austin, Texas. We had 15,000 in Oakland. “People have asked me what accounts for all this,” he continues. “I would love to take all the credit myself and say it’s because I’m just so terrific. But I have to say it’s not about me. The reason people are coming out is they are burning with a want and a desire for change.”
And here's Michelle:
On her husband:“The authenticity you see is real, and that’s why I fell in love with him.”
The NY Times is reporting that the GOP is dropping in voter registration in many states this year.
Well before Senators Barack Obama and John McCain rose to the top of their parties, a partisan shift was under way at the local and state level. For more than three years starting in 2005, there has been a reduction in the number of voters who register with the Republican Party and a rise among voters who affiliate with Democrats and, almost as often, with no party at all.While the implications of the changing landscape for Mr. Obama and Mr. McCain are far from clear, voting experts say the registration numbers may signal the beginning of a move away from Republicans that could affect local, state and national politics over several election cycles. Already, there has been a sharp reversal for Republicans in many statehouses and governors’ mansions.In several states, including the traditional battlegrounds of Nevada and Iowa, Democrats have surprised their own party officials with significant gains in registration. In both of those states, there are now more registered Democrats than Republicans, a flip from 2004. No states have switched to the Republicans over the same period, according to data from 26 of the 29 states in which voters register by party. (Three of the states did not have complete data.)
Well before Senators Barack Obama and John McCain rose to the top of their parties, a partisan shift was under way at the local and state level. For more than three years starting in 2005, there has been a reduction in the number of voters who register with the Republican Party and a rise among voters who affiliate with Democrats and, almost as often, with no party at all.
While the implications of the changing landscape for Mr. Obama and Mr. McCain are far from clear, voting experts say the registration numbers may signal the beginning of a move away from Republicans that could affect local, state and national politics over several election cycles. Already, there has been a sharp reversal for Republicans in many statehouses and governors’ mansions.
In several states, including the traditional battlegrounds of Nevada and Iowa, Democrats have surprised their own party officials with significant gains in registration. In both of those states, there are now more registered Democrats than Republicans, a flip from 2004. No states have switched to the Republicans over the same period, according to data from 26 of the 29 states in which voters register by party. (Three of the states did not have complete data.)
Maureen Dowd has an interesting opinion piece on Obama and Hillary supporters:
Obama met for an hour Tuesday with three dozen top Hillaryites at a hotel here, seeking their endorsement and beguiling their begrudging. He opened the session by saying that he knew there had been frustration about what they saw as sexism during the primary. The Los Angeles Times reported that Hillary die-hards want to enshrine a whine in the Democratic platform about how the primaries “exposed pervasive gender bias in the media” and call on party leaders to take “immediate and public steps” to denounce any perceived bias in the future. That is one nutty idea.Perhaps it is because feminists are still so busy cataloging past slights to Hillary that they have failed to mount a vivid defense of Michelle Obama, who has taken over from Hillary as the one conservatives like to paint as a harridan.
Obama met for an hour Tuesday with three dozen top Hillaryites at a hotel here, seeking their endorsement and beguiling their begrudging. He opened the session by saying that he knew there had been frustration about what they saw as sexism during the primary.
The Los Angeles Times reported that Hillary die-hards want to enshrine a whine in the Democratic platform about how the primaries “exposed pervasive gender bias in the media” and call on party leaders to take “immediate and public steps” to denounce any perceived bias in the future. That is one nutty idea.
Perhaps it is because feminists are still so busy cataloging past slights to Hillary that they have failed to mount a vivid defense of Michelle Obama, who has taken over from Hillary as the one conservatives like to paint as a harridan.
Finally, here are some excerpts from Obama's energy town hall this morning in Youngstown, Ohio.
"And while Senator McCain’s plan won’t save you at the pump anytime soon, it sure has done a lot to raise campaign dollars. Senator McCain raised more than one million dollars from the oil industry just last month, most of which came after he announced his plan for offshore drilling to a room full of cheering oil executives."
Barack is back! This Tuesday he'll be holding Town Halls in both Youngstown and Berea, to talk about his agenda to help hard-working families in Ohio. He'll map out a new direction for this country to solve the most pressing problems, from lost jobs to rising gas prices. Here are the details:
TOWN HALL WITH BARACK OBAMA, Tues. Aug. 5th
Austintown Fitch High School4560 Falcon Dr.Youngstown, OH 44515Doors open at 7:15 amLimited on-site parkingThe event is free and open to the public. However, tickets are REQUIRED. Tickets are limited and will be available on a first come, first serve basis at the ticket distribution location listed below: Trumbull County Democratic Headquarters164 High St. NEWarren, OH 44481Sunday 4:00 pm-8:00 pm, Monday 10:00 am - 9:00 pm The Mahoning County Campaign for Change Headquarters5020 Market St.Youngstown, OH 44512Sunday 4:00 pm-8:00 pm, Monday 10:00 am-9:00 pm
Baldwin-Wallace CollegeLou Higgins Recreation Center136 E. Bagley RoadBerea, Ohio 44017 Doors Open: 12:00 PMThe event is free and open to the public. However, tickets are REQUIRED. Tickets are limited and will be available on a first come, first serve basis at the ticket distribution location listed below. Obama Campaign for ChangeParma Office5580 Ridge RoadParma, OH 44129Sunday 4:00 PM – 8:00 PM, Monday 9:00 AM – 2:00 PM
Finally, Governor Strickland made clear in the third of his appearances at a Campaign for Change office opening, this one in Chillicothe, that he and Barack share more than the same birthday: they're also united in the direction they desire for Ohio. It's well known what Governor Strickland himself looks like; the photo above aims to show what he and Barack inspire in people when they talk of the change they seek for America.
This past Saturday's series of Unite for Change meetings, held all across Ohio, were such a success and a remarkable return to community-based activism that it's no wonder there's a write-up of one in vindy.com, the self-described homepage for "the Valley," based in Youngstown.
Those quoted testify to the usefulness of the house meeting format to really engage neighbors about the issues, in a close and comfortable setting.
In other news, on Monday the city of Cincinnati announced its intent to launch a series of green initiatives within the municipal public intrastructure. The details of said initiatives are sure to be revealed later, but they could include sponsoring the use of everything from "electric dryers to hybrid buses."
It is exactly this kind of environment-friendly civic leadership that our candidate has called for and supported, evident in his own plans for a major project to invest money in greening our urban public infrasturture, and consequently creating a green collar job corps comprised of those who can make it happen.
Obama and Ohio: the perfect match.
Canvassers who spent the day knocking on doors in Youngstown, Ohio, gathered at the New Bethel Baptist Church to watch and listen to SEIU President Andy Stern and Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick share why they are supporting Barack Obama.Watch a video clip below:
Join us and be a part of history as we knock on one million doors in Ohio to get out the vote for Barack Obama.
Making Chili for phone bank
Veggie on left, Meat on Right
Road trip to see the next President on Presidents Day (Youngstown 2/18/2008)
My kids in line
Gahanna Honk and wave making signs
Check Out Reynoldsburg Honk & Wave - Canvass Afterward!
Noted from the campaign being taken to Ohio, particularly the Youngstown area. Playing the Dolly Parton song Nine to Five, the article notes of Hillary: "Two days later, as the Dolly Parton song blasted over a gymnasium sound system, she strode into a Youngtown high school and provoked the biggest cheers by promising to bring back manufacturing to a place that has lost 18,500 factory jobs since 1996." Democrats Vie for Votes in Blue-Collar Stronghold" (emphasis added).
Um, excuse me? The declined started when? 1996, in the Clinton administration second term. And we think more manufacturing jobs are coming back to Youngstown under a Hillary administration, why or how?
The silence is deafening.
Barack Obama, President
In my hometown of Youngstown, Ohio about 20 students from my highschool, joined the Obama campaign. I belive, like these kids (like myself), there are others willing to join the rally for Change. Obama will get us where we need to be. And I can see it in their hearts, that we shall not have a house divided, for like Abraham Lincon's famous speech " A house divided can not stand." This true in our goverment, and that's why I rally for change. I encourage other young voters to support Obama, and rally for Change. Youngstown, is a saddened place, with the steel mills closed and the factories, going to close. We are desperate for Change and like Obama's message, "Change will come." Not only with Barack's words, but with his promise. Better jobs, better education, and a better goverment.
"She says speeches don't put food on the table. You know what? NAFTA didn't put food on the table, either," Obama said, bringing the Rust Belt crowd to its feet. - http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23223921/
"She says speeches don't put food on the table. You know what? NAFTA didn't put food on the table, either," Obama said, bringing the Rust Belt crowd to its feet.
- http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23223921/
Go Barack! That was the best line we've heard in this campaign.
Might be worthy of slogan status in the Rust Belt. And it's one slogan she won't steal...
Today is President's Day in 2008. So it is only fitting that today is the day I shook the hand of the next President of the United States.
Today at 10 AM, I got into a car with my cousin (seventeen) and grandfather (seventy-nine) and headed 30 minutes west to Youngstown, Ohio. It was freezing outside and our toes grew numb as we waited for an hour in line. But one thing kept us warm. The promise of hope. The dream that America would be the place that it was intended to be by our Founding Fathers. The idea that someone out there was standing up and fighting for US. Standing up for our families. That got us through, into the doors of YSU, and into the third row from the stage.
As Barack Obama spoke, so elequently, to a crowd of hundreds, tears welled up in my eyes. The time, the time that seemed so far away 8 and 4 years ago; that time has come. It is upon us. Change is in our future, and it's coming in the form of Barack. I was privaliged to see him today, and I hope to again soon. Because the feeling of empowerment that I got when standing in his presence is like nothing I've ever experienced. And that is something else.
Thousands of people waited in line to see Barack speak at the Home of the Penguins - Youngstown State University.
Watch some Ohioans talk about why their supporting Barack Obama:
Check out Caitlin's post from earlier.
