Monica from Duanesburg, New York will be walking into the convention not only as a first-time delegate, but also as a first time voter and new American citizen.She came to the United States 20 years ago from Costa Rica but just recently applied for citizenship. “Sometimes immigrants hold back and don’t want to make that change and give up their home country. But I finally did and am so excited that my first vote will go to Barack Obama.” Monica’s mother and sister became citizens at the same time and will also be placing their first-ever votes for Barack in November.Because this is her first time voting, Monica feels a great sense of pride being chosen a delegate.
Voting this year means a lot to me. It means that I really believe in my vote, and I believe it’s going to make a difference. We really need people involved this year because we can’t continue with the current government and politics. Voting this year means that I am officially part of the democracy. I can’t tell you how excited I am! I am part of this movement.
A 37-year-old legislative budget analyst for the New York State Assembly, Monica is very involved in her community, especially with a number of local Latino organizations. She works with Hispanic Outreach Services, which provides tutoring, language help, and after school programs to the community. She says she is very concerned with how high fuel prices, a lack of quality healthcare, and childcare costs have impacted her local Latino community.Monica had never been politically involved before the Obama campaign came calling. But she’s been doing all she could for the campaign for months – from helping with voter registration to being the treasurer for her local Obama office, to traveling to Ohio to knock on doors.
Knocking on doors? I would never have done that before! But I feel that Barack is going to do something for us, so we have to do something for him first.The fact that Barack inspired me to move and do something is incredible. He’s very passionate about what he believes. The fact that he moves people is very important to me. To bring the changes that he wants to bring, we need everyone involved.
With one day to go until the start of the Democratic National Convention, excitement is building in Denver and across America. Soon, delegates from all fifty states will convene in the Mile High City to cast their ballots for Barack Obama and witness his acceptance of the Democratic Party's nomination for president of the United States. Thursday, August 28th will be the biggest night of the campaign so far. Even if you can’t be in Denver, you can be a part of this historic convention by attending a Convention Watch Party in your area.
At the HQ blog, we get to talk to a lot of supporters. Most of them point to Barack's speech at the 2004 convention or their experience reading one of his books as the point at which they become supporters. Cori, on the other hand, admits that her support was in some ways accidental. She hadn't settled on a choice in the Democratic primary, but the Obama campaign showed up in Kansas before any other campaign, and that made the difference.
I hadn't decided between the primary candidates, but the Obama campaign was the first to show up in Kansas since the 1980s, so when they set up an office in my home town it was a big deal. They had a caucus training and I really wanted to learn how to caucus since it was my first year. So I went. Everyone there was so nice and excited about Barack that I couldn't help but sign up to volunteer.
Cori decided to start a chapter of Students for Barack Obama at her high school. She was skeptical: a chapter of the Young Democrats that she had tried to get going has failed for lack of interest. This time was different.
The first meeting had 40 people at it. People were really committed not just to hanging out, watching debates, and having fun, but to canvassing on the weekends and phonebanking on school nights.
On caucus night, Cori volunteered as a precinct captain, but her assigned location hit its 2,000 person capacity, and people had to be redirected to the overflow location. Cori rushed ahead to set up and make sure that everyone was organized, and at the end of the night, a staffer suggested that she try to become a national delegate.
Cori wanted to be a delegate so that she could represent all the young people who had worked so hard during the primary campaign. She sees important issues that are affecting people her age, and will be essential to secure America's future. Cori will be leaving straight from the convention to attend her freshman orientation at Babson College, and she's seen first hand this year the effect that our flagging economy has had on her friends as they've made choices about college.
People I'm close to aren't able to go to the schools that they've been accepted at because they just can't afford it. They can't get loans anymore because of the credit shortage. So I think what Barack is talking about, making it easier for kids to actually go to college, will help a lot of my friends. Some of them got into really great schools or even just state schools but are struggling to figure out if they can make the loans. A lot of their decisions were based solely on money this year, and that made me really sad.
Cori knows that Barack's education plan will make college more affordable for people across America. Under his American Opportunity Tax Credit, the first $4,000 of a college education will be completely free for most Americans. That's two-thirds the cost of tuition at the average public college or university.
Denver isn't the end of the road for Cori. She's going to be volunteering through the end of the campaign, working to make sure that the opportunity to go to the college of your dreams isn't just for the wealthy. You can help too - sign up to volunteer today, and join our grassroots campaign.
Boots on the ground. In a political campaign, sometimes that's what it comes down to: how many supporters do you have giving up their time to help the cause? Our movement is built on our supporters, and in many cases, they had organized themselves in later primary states months before official campaign staff arrived. It was the difference between defeat and victory.
In Arkansas, Omaya was one of those volunteers.
Before the campaign came here formally, we were doing stuff on our own in terms of canvassing and going out with material that we'd printed up ourselves. The first real event that was did was in June of last year, when we organized a Walk for Change event. The campaign didn't come to Arkansas until about two weeks before Super Tuesday.
It was organization like that that earned us nomination, and it's the kind of work that we're going to need to win in November. Omaya's already traveled out-of-state to volunteer: he canvassed in Texas and Louisiana before their state primaries and he plans to volunteer through the general election.
He decided that being a national delegate was a good way to show his support for Barack. Omaya remembers the national online town hall that we held in March of last year: "There were other candidates, but Barack was the real deal. He seemed more genuine to me in his message and the policies he was putting forward."
Omaya's also supports Barack because he was against the war from the beginning.
I knew that he had the right judgment and the ability to make good calls. He was more aware of what was going on, and he wasn't even in the United States Senate with access to all the information that the senators who made the wrong decision had.
Omaya knows we need that judgment in the White House. That's why he's spending all of his free time helping out with the campaign. You can help out just like Omaya - sign up to volunteer today, and join our grassroots campaign.
With the tools available on My.BarackObama.com, it couldn't be easier. Create an account to network with other supporters, or sign up to volunteer and be a part of the movement.
I became politically involved as a teenager. We realized that to effect change, we had to come together and understand the process of politics. We had to involve as many people as possible. I got involved because of one Ms. Fanny Lou Hammer – a civil rights leader in Mississippi who came to help people get the right to vote. She said, “It doesn’t matter what people do to me. I’m still going to fight for what is right.” And I followed that message.
I do it to help get people more politically involved. There were people who died to provide us the right to vote, and so many young people don’t have an appreciation for that. It’s my job to help people understand the history and the obligation – and privilege – to vote because they are lucky to be free and living in the United States. We all need to encourage our friends and family to go out and vote!We can all effect change. Get out the vote, knock on doors, make calls, help on Election Day. We need to all do the best we can now because the best change we can effect today is to take back the White House.
Gerri, who retired from General Motors a few years ago, sees jobs, healthcare, and the mortgage crisis as the major issues affecting her community right now. “GM is one of the biggest companies here in the state. They’ve been forced to downsize, and it’s really affecting our community. So people need to be retrained with new skills to get new jobs.”Gerri’s looking forward to the convention and hopes that she can bring some of what she learns back home to Flint.
This is my first convention. I am so very excited! We all know that we’re making history here. I am so honored that my county elected me to represent them, and I will do the very best job that I can. I hope to network with other Democrats, get ideas to bring back to Michigan, and empower our residents here in Genesee County.
Gerri is excited about the historic nature of Barack’s candidacy.
I remember when Reverend Martin Luther King was alive, and he tried to help America understand that people should be judged not by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character. I think Obama personifies what Dr. King was referring to. He’s a strong, kind, intelligent man with a strong sense of community. For him to be the nominee, I am overwhelmed with pride and so happy that we are moving to a time where we can look at people for their character and what they stand for.
Theo wasn't exactly Utah's most politically active citizen. Growing up in one of the most Republican states in the union, he was never very engaged in politics. In fact, his family leaned Republican, when they thought about politics at all. Barack Obama changed all that for Theo. Barack's message reached him even before the Senator announced his candidacy, and Theo saw the potential for a new kind of politics.
He has this very even handed way, being able to say "I like this idea, but I also like parts of this other idea." And I'd never seen a politician have this kind of level headed approach to policy.
Theo got involved in the Utah Draft Obama effort, which just lead him into more involvement with the campaign. His first stop was finding other supporters, and he did it through our network of supporters on My.BarackObama.com.
I went to the website, which is this wonderful community-based site that allows you to connect with other supporters in your area. And I started going to local Utah for Obama Meetings. I became secretary of that group, and we eventually helped get the Senator to stop and do a rally in Park City. One of the events that I put on was a fundraiser where the vice chair of Utah Democratic Party spoke on the subject of how to become a national delegate.
It was then that Theo decided to try his hand at campaigning to be one of the Obama pledged delegates. It wasn't easy - there were a lot of people who wanted the spot.
I got helped for advice by a local party official, and someone at headquarters who told me to make phone calls. I did that, and I got my friends and family to make phone calls as well. I created campaign material, did my own branding and stickers and fliers. I went to the county caucus meetings promoted myself. Honestly, I was skeptical that I'd win because I was competing against a local millionaire celebrity, but I pulled it off.
Theo's a true example of how open our movement is - we're built on the strength of our grassroots volunteers and small dollar donors. As Theo said, "George Bush and all these other characters have taught us you have to know someone to get involved. But you don't. If you want to get involved in the campaign or the party you just have to show up and be passionate and honest and work hard."
With the tools available on My.BarackObama.com, it couldn't be easier. Create an account there to network with other supporters, or sign up to volunteer today.
Julia, 59, of Westminster, Colorado has been involved in Democratic politics just about as long as she can remember. She first got involved in 1960 when she was 11, walking precincts in North Carolina with her grandfather and passing out literature about JFK.
My grandfather only had a ninth grade education, but he always believed in democracy and getting people involved and voting. He believed that was the only way we were going to change things. This was in the segregation era, so he couldn’t join the Party, but he could hand out literature. So that was my introduction to politics, and I’ve been involved ever since.
Julia has moved around a lot since, but “every time we moved, the next day I would call the local Democratic Party and say, ‘I’m here – what do you need me to do?’ And then I get back involved.”And Julia has certainly been involved. Even with four children and eight grandkids, she has been everything from a precinct captain to Vice Chair of the Colorado Democratic Party.Julia has a long history with the conventions. She has attended every Democratic convention since 1968. In 1968, she was a protester outside the convention, but every year since Julia has been inside voting as a delegate.
My favorite convention was Atlanta in 1988, which was a very historic year and also 1996 because we were back in Chicago. That time I wasn’t stuck outside the convention but actually a delegate voting for Bill Clinton.
But she thinks this time will be extra special.
This time is historic. You can’t get any higher than this.We can change the country! We need to come out and show America that we are united and hitting the ground running. This is about us taking our country back.
With three days to go until the start of the Democratic National Convention, excitement is building in Denver and across America. Soon, delegates from all fifty states will convene in the Mile High City to cast their ballots for Barack Obama and witness his acceptance of the Democratic Party's nomination for president of the United States. Thursday, August 28th will be the biggest night of the campaign so far. Even if you can’t be in Denver, you can be a part of this historic convention by attending a Convention Watch Party in your area.
Jacob, 24, of New Vienna, Iowa was not even here to cast his vote in the 2004 elections. He had to send his ballot in direct from Baghdad. A soldier in the 82nd Airborne based out of Fort Bragg, North Carolina, Jacob spent four years in the Army, including two deployments to Baghdad as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom.But his next deployment will be much easier – Jacob is soon leaving Iowa for Colorado to be a delegate at the national convention. “Since I was oversees during the last election, I wanted to be more involved this time,” he says. “It’s just something I felt I had to do. In that way, it’s a lot like when I joined the Army. I just followed my gut.”This time, Jacob’s gut has driven him to get involved in influencing the future of the Democratic Party at the convention and stand up for his fellow soldiers.
I told people at the delegate electing convention how I felt about the war. We have 150,000 pairs of boots on the ground, and every day a family is told that their son or daughter will come home wearing only one boot, or simply find their boots sent him in a box.I will be wearing my boots at the convention. I wanted to be a delegate to give a voice to the men and women in the military and make sure the government hears them.
Jacob is especially concerned about the Iraq war and veterans issues. He was injured in Iraq and is now considered 80% disabled by the Army, primarily due to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). When he left the Army, he joined a group in Iowa trying to get help for injured soldiers returning home.
The government estimates that more than 20 percent of soldiers coming back from Iraq have PTSD. The effects of this are huge. Families are hurt by it. We need to care for these guys and get them the help they need. The new GI Bill is a great start. It’s about time.
Jacob even wrote a book about his own experiences in Iraq. He says the writing helped in dealing with his own PTSD and the realities of war.
My greatest hope is that we can get out of Iraq soon. We need to finish the job but do it responsibly. There are good things coming out of the war, but they are nothing compared with the atrocities we are seeing. There are over 35,000 dead and 4,000 wounded. We’re sending people home broken. And we need to fix this policy.
Jacob hopes Obama will bring a fresh perspective to the war. “Obama is new, young, and has the intestinal fortitude to see these things through and bring back the power to the people. America has always been great. We just need to get back on track.”Since returning from the Army, Jacob has become a full time college student studying secondary education and English. He hopes to become a teacher. He is also adjusting back to farming life. Jacob hopes to address agricultural issues as a delegate at the convention.
I was raised on a family dairy farm, and when I got out of the military I bought acreage next to the farm I grew up on. Family farms are really struggling right now. The rising costs of fuel is hard on farmers, and the price that we’re getting for our products is not keeping up with rising inflation. We need to help the small family farmers.
In addition to being a delegate, Jacob has been working to get more people voting. “We can’t forget the power of the vote. It’s the most powerful tool we have.”
With just four days to go until the start of the Democratic National Convention, excitement is building in Denver and across America. Soon, delegates from all fifty states will convene in the Mile High City to cast their ballots for Barack Obama and witness his acceptance of the Democratic Party's nomination for president of the United States. Thursday, August 28th will be the biggest night of the campaign so far. Even if you can’t be in Denver, you can be a part of this historic convention by attending a Convention Watch Party in your area.
Things can be a little different growing up in Iowa. Every four years of your childhood, you see every presidential candidate come through town and campaign and anticipate the first year that your can join in and caucus. Molly absorbed everything she could during her first 18 years, and by the time she came of voting age, she knew exactly what she was looking for in a president. "I was one of the people who was with him from the get go," she said, "I saw him the April after he announced his run and I was impressed. I liked his emphasis on community involvement."Molly's enthusiasm for Barack was so great that she turned the tables on her family. After years of defaulting to her parents' political choices, this time Molly took the lead.
This is the first election in which I've gotten my family interested in a candidate instead of the other way around. I was just so excited from the get-go because of what I'd learned in my government class. When you're learning about the politicians of the past, Obama sticks out. I was persistent: my dad was a big Edwards supporter, but I got him to switch before the caucuses.
After Barack's victory in the Iowa caucuses, Molly was so excited that she flew to New Jersey to put her organizing skills to use in a new state. She relished the challenge of campaigning in a totally different environment from her home in America's heartland.The reason that Molly campaigns is simple: she's afraid of a future where the things that we depend on as Americans have been stripped away by unwise leadership.
My main concern is making sure that the things you depend on don't disappear. My dad works for the state, so we've always had health insurance, but I had surgery in April, and then my dad had to be airlifted to a hospital in June. It was thousands of dollars in unexpected costs, and if we hadn't had health insurance, it would have been a crisis for our family.
Molly won't let her involvement with the campaign end at the convention. She's going to be out working hard to turn Iowa blue. You can help in your own state. Sign up to volunteer today and join our grassroots campaign.
With five days to go until the start of the Democratic National Convention, excitement is building in Denver and across America. Soon, delegates from all fifty states will convene in the Mile High City to cast their ballots for Barack Obama and witness his acceptance of the Democratic Party's nomination for president of the United States. Thursday, August 28th will be the biggest night of the campaign so far. Even if you can’t be in Denver, you can be a part of this historic convention by attending a Convention Watch Party in your area.
I had always voted Republican in presidential elections. But I had been raised to help my community and do what I could for those less fortunate. I realized that in voting Republican, I was voting for my own self-interest rather than for my community. Barack Obama is all about working for the community. So I decided to do all I could to help Barack.
The first thing I did was give money, which I had never done before. Then I bought the DVD. And hosted a house meeting. And it snowballed from there.
And when I got home, there was no organization in Indiana. So I formed a group of volunteers and friends, and we started ramping up efforts here. We did voter registration and organized volunteers. Someone suggested running for delegate. I did, and I won.
Sofia, 36, is married with two black lab mutts. She owns her own advertising company, which helps give her the freedom to volunteer for the campaign.Before her experience with the Obama campaign, Sofia had never knocked on a door on behalf of a candidate before, and she’d never made a campaign phone call.
It’s a big step, but it’s a great experience. Today, I went to the mailbox, and there was a box of Obama buttons made by some volunteers who heard about me from some other volunteers. Strangers! But they sent me buttons because they wanted to help. This campaign is all about getting to know people and working together for a common cause. We all care deeply about our country and our community, and that shows in the volunteer efforts.
She’s really excited about learning new things at the convention that she can bring back and share with her community.
I have a whole community here that I have connected with who I never would have known if not for this campaign. I hope to bring my experience at the convention back home and share it with the volunteers here to get them energized. Getting elected delegate was a pat on the back for a job well done, but it’s also just the kickoff for what’s ahead.
Ryan comes from a long line of Alaska Democrats. As far back as his grandmother, who advocated for herself and other First Alaskans in the North Slope, his family has fought to improve the lives of Alaskans across the vast state. When he first learned of Barack's plan for America, Ryan felt a connection to his family's work in Alaska.
I appreciate his character and vision and what I see that he can do for this country. We've seen it already, not only in the course he's set nationally but internationally -- like we saw in the Berlin speech. I think young people are gravitating to him because he'll say "This is an issue, this is the way we can solve it. Let's come together to solve it." That really appealed to me.
When asked about how involved youth are with politics, he's quick to dispel the myth that youth are apathetic. In fact, he says that it's quite the opposite now.
A lot of people, pundits, and older professors will spend months talking about how strange it is, but I don't think it's as strange. This new millennial generation has a different dynamic. We grew up in a world where we've always had computers and the internet. We don't turn to the mainstream media for our news. We seek out our own news. If we want to find information, we can do that; if we want to start a national group, we can do that. A lot of people in this generation don't like to be tagged as apathetic, and using the tools of this new generation we can show that we're going to be decision markers and part of the process.
Ryan can think of a few issues that he thinks young people can begin to address. He's interested in mass transit solutions to help with energy costs and the climate crisis. He's also concerned about college affordability.
I have to spend most of my money on tuition, and I come from the mindset that the country should invest as much as it can in its people through education. And that's what creates a good economy -- having a well educated and well rounded workforce.
Ryan belives we have to look to the future. According to him, "It's not just about me, it's about people less fortunate than me and the people that will come after me." He knows that solving tomorrow's problems require strong action today and that Barack Obama's campaign is a great place to start. You can join in the effort. Sign up to volunteer today.
When we called Joy one evening, she was still standing out in the fields finishing up the day’s work. At 51, Joy lives on the family farm she grew up at in tiny Bruning, Nebraska, with her 82-year-old father. She farms pigs and also grows corn and soybeans.Since she returned to Bruning (population: 300) to take over the farm 20 years ago, Joy has been fiercely involved in rural and agricultural issues, helping to draft the recent farm bill and serving on the Obama Agriculture Committee.
I’ve always been interested in politics and policy. My grandfather was a staunch Democrat who always said, “If we don’t say anything, nobody else is going to say it for us.” That’s how I got involved. People in rural areas are often afraid to speak up. We’re conservative people. We don’t brag about what we do, and when policies are being set they’re often set by people who don’t understand us. So I started championing farm issues to the government.People here are often afraid to speak up. I thought if I got involved, others might feel empowered to get involved too.
Joy is excited about the convention. She went to the 2004 convention as a spectator but not as a delegate. “It was such a great experience. At the time, I told my friend I was there with “someday I’ll come back as a delegate.” But I had no idea it would be only four years later! I think we’re going to walk out of the convention in a unified fashion. We have a golden opportunity this year to come together and make change happen.”Joy is working hard to highlight the interests of rural voters this election.
It’s important to make sure there’s fairness in agricultural regulation. And telecommunications is important in rural America. I like in the great state of Nebraska, and I have a terrible time getting a cell phone signal. We need better infrastructure in rural areas. Putting a better infrastructure into rural areas will help the whole country. It will have a huge impact on the rural economy, which will improve the economy of the whole country.
She says healthcare is also a big issue for rural voters. “It costs a lot to go to a doctor, and we have to drive a long way for some services. We need to make medical services more accessible to people. People don’t always spend money to take care of themselves when they have to pay bills. I really worry that people right now don’t have enough to make it all work.”Joy loves doing her part to speak up for rural Americans.
For those of us who run farms, our whole goal is to keep agriculture in the United States and produce good food for the country. If we’re going to feed the world, we need the right policies and attitudes to get it done.
She met Senator Obama at an agriculture event and is convinced he has what it takes to work for rural America. “He’s a good, sound thinker and that’s what we need. Obama is willing to listen to our concerns and try to address the rural issues. He’s got real common sense.”
National delegate Mildred from Meriden, Connecticut is no stranger to the political process. For the last eleven years she has worked in the state general assembly for the Connecticut House Majority Leader Chris Donovan. But she’s also no stranger to the economic hardship facing many people in her community this fall.Before she got the job with the state general assembly, Mildred was a single mother trying to care for her children with her small monthly welfare check. She dropped out of high school, had her first child, and then joined the state’s welfare-to-work program. Through that program, Mildred was able to go back to school and get her degree, and then the same program landed her a job with the state assembly. Now a 36-year-old married mother of three, Mildred hasn’t looked back since. She says her experience has made her even more excited to be working for the Democratic Party at the convention.
The Democratic Party fought for the programs that made me self-sufficient today – from job assistance to rental assistance to financial aid to go back to school. I wouldn’t be where I am today without these Democratic programs.
Mildred says those programs are even more important today.
People are sick and tired of being sick and tired. We’re want something better. We need some major change in the economy. We need to elect Democrats to keep these important programs that helped people like me. I am where I am today because of these opportunities to go out and better yourself, and I’ve tried to pay it back.
Mildred decided early on to support Barack. She’s registered voters, canvassed neighborhoods, and even set up a small office before the primary that organized volunteers to knock on over 1,000 doors. “I take any opportunity to get people involved. Our local headquarters won’t open until September, but we have a lot of volunteers ready to work.”Though she’s been involved in politics for over a decade, this is Mildred’s first time going to the convention.
When I applied, I knew it would be a long shot, but now I’m just so excited to go. The whole process is a learning experience for me. I’m excited to learn more about how the delegate system works.
Mildred, who is Hispanic, also serves as the Democratic Chair in Meriden. She is both the first woman and first Hispanic to hold the position. “So I’m looking forward to meeting other women and Latinos at the convention who are involved in the Party,” she says.Most of all, Mildred is just glad to once again be able to do something for the Party that helped her.
My home town is a working-class, diverse, blue-collar community and I’m looking forward to representing them and helping to give them the same opportunities I had.
Ashley's interest in community leadership began with a race for middle school treasurer and has only grown from there. She's now a staffer in newly-minted Congressman Don Cazayoux's office. "It was second nature," she said. "My family's always been involved and abreast of what's going on in the country and with politics." As a community leader, one of Ashley's biggest priorities is service, which she typically performs in conjunction with her church and her sorority. She is a regular worker in the local soup kitchen and also serves the community in various other capacities. Her experience working in the community helped her identify with Barack:
I would listen to him talk about how the only way the election and campaign could work is from the bottom up. I agreed with him and thought that was truly the only was it could work. I asked myself what I could do, how I could help in my state and really contribute.
Ashley typed in her zip code on My.BarackObama.com and was instantly connected to other local supporters. From there it was easy.
I joined the grassroots organizations and started meeting people who had the same interests. During the primary, we would do voter registration, pass out flyers, and phone bank. After the primary was over, I was still trying to figure out how I could contribute more, so I went to the DNC website to see how I could become a delegate.
Ashley discovered that she would have to apply and then appear before a committee, with the committee making the final selections. Although many delegates waited until the day of interviews, Ashley took proactive steps.
I wrote a letter about why I wanted to be a delegate and why I supported Senator Obama, and I e-mailed and snail-mailed that to all the people on the committee. There were about 200 of them. Because people received my info before the meeting and already knew my name, they could just put a face to my name. The meeting lasted forever. It started at about 11:00 that morning and didn't end until 6:00 that evening. I talked to all the committee members at least three times or more, just telling them about myself and how I've been involved. And because of the that, they chose me as an at large delegate.
Ashley hopes to use her position as a delegate to advance the issues that are important to her -- education and health care.
Education is a main issue for me... I'm in graduate school and paying back loans and having that financial stress is a big concern. Also health care is a big deal because I'm 24, and with my mom's insurance you get kicked off at 23. So that's a major issue -- making sure you're covered. I don't have time as a student to get a full-time job with those benefits to be able to cover myself, so that's a top issue.
With six days to go until the start of the Democratic National Convention, excitement is building in Denver and across America. Soon, delegates from all fifty states will convene in the Mile High City to cast their ballots for Barack Obama and witness his acceptance of the Democratic Party's nomination for president of the United States. Thursday, August 28th will be the biggest night of the campaign so far. Even if you can’t be in Denver, you can be a part of this historic convention by attending a Convention Watch Party in your area.
Fatema, 32, of Irving, Texas, was not always politically involved. “I didn’t even vote in 2000 election,” she says. “That’s the kind of voter I was! So I’ve come a long way.”Since then, Fatema has become anything but politically apathetic.
My story begins last year when I started a group on MyBo. The idea was to find people nearby who think the way I do. But when it became apparent that Texas was going to matter, I put more effort into it. I sent out an email and got a response from a restaurant owner who offered up her restaurant. We posted the event, and 24 hours later fifteen people showed up!
More than a few Obama events later, Fatema considered running for state delegate. Unfortunately, her brother’s wedding was the same day as the local convention. But she filled out the at-large form and made the cut. Her friends from Irving for Obama called, and Fatema ran out of the wedding and to the local convention just in the nick of time. “And I won a seat as delegate! My group members really rallied for me. I’m so inspired by the Obama supporters.”
I realized we couldn’t sit on the sidelines anymore.
Her Irving for Obama group still meets twice a month to register voters and recruit new voters. The group has gotten involved in local races as well, helping down-ticket Democrats in the area.Fatema is looking forward to the convention.
I’m always inspired by Obama supporters, and I’m thrilled to meet activists from all over the country. We need to find new ways of doing things – from energy to healthcare – and I hope to address these issues at the convention.
Though she’s busy with two young children and a small tile business, Fatema plans to stay involved because of the inspiration she finds in Barack. “I appreciate his diverse background. He is very representative of what America is.”The best part of her new-found political involvement? Fatema says that’s an easy answer: the people.
Initially it was Barack Obama that drew me into campaign, but what kept me going was the people that I met along the way. They’re amazing.
David is only 19, but you wouldn't know it from the length of his resume. Growing up in Texas, he completed over 2,300 hours of community service. He was involved with the Dean and Kerry campaigns in 2004, knocking on doors and making phonecalls from local offices. He later interned for Congressman Lloyd Doggett before moving to Connecticut for school.
It was in Connecticut that David became involved in our campaign through a youth organization called Obama Works, which does community service as they help to spread Barack Obama's message of real change.
On my first trip with Obama Works, we went to a neighborhood and swept and cleaned up the streets. We really just did community service. We wanted to show that Barack Obama's message was one that people could be proud of.
Action is a big part of David's philosophy. He doesn't want to be dismissed because of his age or his politics. He wants people to see that Barack and the Democratic Party are bringing real change to America.
I think a lot of people look at college students like me and say, "It's great that you're getting excited about a candidate, but I have real problems. Gas prices, healthcare, food prices...do these people really understand my problems? Or do they just like him because he's charismatic?" We do understand. A lot of us have done community service and come from families with the exact same problems.
Part of the reason that David wanted to become a delegate was to dispel the notion that young supporters were just a bunch of tabloid-reading fans. It was on one of his clean sweeps with Obama Works that he made the decision.
When the first person said, 'I didn't know you guys really meant this and worked for it and had a stake in it,' that's when I decided to run.
David brought the same fervor to his campaign for delegate that he brought to volunteering -- going door to door to the homes of all the precinct electors.
That was touching because of the precinct allocation. I had to be in every single nook and cranny of Austin. I met with people who had lead the civil rights movement back in the 60s who had marched down the streets I was driving across for their right to vote. For them to then say, 'I want you -- a 19 year old white kid who goes to Yale -- I want you to be my voice,'... That's a very humbling feeling.
It's too late to become a national delegate like David, but it's not too late to empower yourself and help change America. Click here to sign up and volunteer with the campaign today.
With seven days to go until the Democratic National Convention, excitement is building in Denver and across America. Soon, delegates from all fifty states will convene in the Mile High City to cast their ballots for Barack Obama and witness his acceptance of the Democratic Party's nomination for president of the United States. As the convention approaches, we will follow these delegates and share stories of the grassroots supporters participating in this historic event.
It's safe to say that Lauren's passion is youth politics. As the president of the College Democrats of America, she's charged with representing the next generation of political leaders to the party stalwarts in Washington.
She started as a student at Smith College, where she organized not only the Smith campus but also worked with other New England schools to send volunteers to New Hampshire. The hard work of volunteers, especially those from New England schools, is largely credited for John Kerry's success in New Hampshire.
Impressed by her organizational efforts, Lauren's friends and fellow volunteers encouraged her to run for CDA president. She won, and by virtue of her position is a delegate to the convention. She supports Barack because of his commitment to youth activism.
His power with young people was very moving and motivating for me as someone who has been involved in politics since I was 17. It seemed he was the first serious candidate to really pick up on the power of young people. So for someone who's given their all to youth activism, that really meant a lot.
Lauren's concerned about the economy. She sees that eight years of the Bush Administration have made things difficult for middle class Americans and hopes that Barack can help.
When I graduate next year, I want to be able to get a job in Michigan. The ability to have some economic opportunity in my state and not have to move away would be great. I want to stay in Michigan and have my life here.... Tax breaks for the wealthy don't help and normal family. And I'm going to be kicked off of my parents' health plan soon, so I won't have health insurance like so many young people.
Still, Lauren knows that it's up to young people like her to get out and volunteer, working to create change in their communities.
When I was looking for a way to get involved, I just went online and saw what I could do in my community. The Oakland County Democratic Party seemed to be the easiest way to volunteer, and they sent me to places to go door-to-door or to help out at a rally.
Not everyone can be the CDA president, but everyone can volunteer in their community to create change right where they are. Click here and sign up to volunteer today.
With 10 days to go until the Democratic National Convention, excitement is building in Denver and across America. Soon, delegates from all fifty states will convene in the Mile High City to cast their ballots for Barack Obama and witness his acceptance of the Democratic Party's nomination for president of the United States. As the convention approaches, we will follow these delegates and share stories of the grassroots supporters participating in this historic event.
Having worked at the community level, Alex understands that solutions to problems don't always fit into party molds. He appreciates that Barack is able to transcend partisan politics, reach across the aisle, and offer real solutions tot he problems that are facing our country.
It's always inspiring when intelligent people take office. Barack has this understanding that the world is nuanced and that things aren't always black and white. He's done a very good job of making a policy that is exactly what we need to get things done, even though it might not fit into any of the convenient party boxes that we've set up.
After being active the UT Austin Democrats, he decided that he wanted to work to elect Barack Obama. His work on the campaign ended up with him running a campaign of his own.
I decided I wanted to help Barack Obama and do things to try to get him elected so I worked here in Austin on it. Then I got the idea to try to be a national delegate...it was the first campaign I had ever run myself, and I ended up making a website and handing out flyers at all the local club meetings.
One of the reasons that he wanted to get involved is to make sure that his issues are discussed at the convention. He's especially concerned about repairing America's image in the world.
It was great to see Barack go to Europe. It's good when people overseas can see that we're the good guys and not the bad guys anymore. I'm looking forward to seeing Senator Obama recreate the kind of image that my grandfather created when he fought in World War II.
It's too late to become a delegate to the convention, but it's not too late to get involved. If you're still in school, join a local chapter of Students for Barack Obama. If you're not in school, look up a Generation Obama chapter in your neighborhood.
With 12 days to go until the Democratic National Convention, excitement is building in Denver and across America. Soon, delegates from all fifty states will convene in the Mile High City to cast their ballots for Barack Obama and witness his acceptance of the Democratic Party's nomination for president of the United States. As the convention approaches, we will follow these delegates and share stories of the grassroots supporters participating in this historic event.
Jennifer's dream is to be an intelligence analyst for the federal government. She was dismayed when she learned about the pressure that that Bush Administration placed on intelligence agencies to provide evidence that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction. She wants to make sure that that never happens when she's helping protect our nation. "It's important for me to have a president who isn't going to stand over my shoulder and tell me what kind of intelligence I'm supposed to produce. And the only person in politics that I've ever believed in to not do that is Barack Obama." Jennifer knew that she had to get involved.
I started a chapter of Students for Barack Obama at my school, and I guess somewhere someone had my name on a list. I started getting email about meetings of Erie for Obama. I went to those meetings, and at one of them they passed around the form for people who wanted to be a delegate. It just went from there.
Jennifer is concerned with the issues that are facing young people, and thinks that Barack is the right set America back on track.
I think a lot of kids are generally apathetic about politics, and it takes someone like Senator Obama to get people to give up the attitude that all politicians are the same... Since I'm a college student, making college affordable has been a really hard thing. I've been lucky that I was able to get a scholarship to help pay for college, but if it wasn't for that I don't know that I would be able to afford it.
That's why she's glad that Barack has made college affordability a big part of his campaign. Jennifer is proof that not all young people are apathetic about politics. If you're still in school, join a local chapter of Students for Barack Obama. If you're not in school, look up a Generation Obama chapter in your neighborhood.
With 13 days to go until the Democratic National Convention, excitement is building in Denver and across America. Soon, delegates from all fifty states will convene in the Mile High City to cast their ballots for Barack Obama and witness his acceptance of the Democratic Party's nomination for president of the United States. As the convention approaches, we will follow these delegates and share stories of the grassroots supporters participating in this historic event.
Crystal meant business when she ran to represent Missouri as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention in Denver. She was less motivated by the “cool” factor of serving as a delegate than she was by her belief that Barack’s delegation should include people who work at the grassroots level, people who would vigorously support Obama’s candidacy and the ideas he has.
The issues that hold particular importance to Crystal are foreign policy and early childhood education. She feels as though we must repair the world’s view of America by “restoring our Constitution-- specifically protecting the civil rights of suspected terrorists and of targeted ethnic groups.” Further, she has “a strong belief that education is the rock on which a civilized society is built.”
While Crystal has no prior political experience apart from voting, she is a lifelong Democrat and her first political memory is when she was visiting friends with her parents and she made her parents stay late so they could finish watching the Carter-Reagan Debate in 1980. (She was five.)
I realize that a lot of people sacrificed their lives for me to be able to vote, and it is my moral obligation and duty as a citizen to do so. But it was not until Barack that I felt the compelling need to actually do something.
Crystal and six fellow organizers met at local coffee shops to plan how to execute a victory for Barack in the Missouri primary. When recalling her favorite primary moment, she claims that “driving onto the tarmac with Secret Service to drop off Barack at his place was pretty awesome.”
For Crystal, working for the campaign and fun are one in the same.
Between planning events/activities for the campaign and attending house parties and office openings, I never thought politics could be so much fun. The people I have met are phenomenal and planning events with them and hanging out with them at the office or at meetings is what I enjoy doing.
Other than political activities, Crystal enjoys traveling abroad, dancing (NIA, Zumba, African, Belly dance), crossword/logic puzzles, and watching ’80s movies. Crystal is married “with three kitty children” and lives in St. Louis.
My husband and I are both military brats and grew up across the river in Southern Illinois. Our fathers both retired from the military in Virginia. My dad is African-American and grew up in Georgia. He and his brother were the first and only blacks to attend the all-white school at the beginning of desegregation. He suffered a lot for his education, so education has always been of the utmost importance to him and to me. My mother is Turkish and came to the States after marrying my dad in Turkey. He was stationed there with the Air Force and met my mother at the NCO club on the base. My mother was educated from high school through college in English so she was fluent before she came to the States. She stayed home with me and when I was in grade school she began drawing again and has been making money doing that and writing ever since. My dad is working for a government contractor and playing golf when he can. I am an only child of two loving and (mostly) perfect parents.
Thanks to Crystal and her team, hopefully we can swing Missouri in our direction.
With 14 days to go until the convention, excitement is building in Denver and across America. Soon, delegates from all fifty states will gather in the Mile High City to elect Barack Obama as the Democratic Party's nominee for President of the United States. As we make our way together to the convention, we will be following those delegates and sharing stories of grassroots supporters who are participating in this historic event.
When Andrew decided to get involved with the campaign, he jumped in with both feet. As campus coordinator for Students for Barack Obama at Bard College in Upstate New York, he did everything from phone banking and canvassing to representing the campaign in a televised debate on a local station. His hard work paid off. When the primary came around, his local precinct cast 80% of its votes for Barack.
He's home in Portland, Oregon for the summer, but that hasn't stopped him from putting in long hours to bring real change to America. He's the campaign manager of a race for the Oregon legislature and has been coordinating among local races to help them incorporate Barack's message of change. Andrew knows that electing Barack is important and that he'll also need a strong network of like-minded public officials to get the job done.
Andrew doesn't see all of his political activity as unusual. He thinks that Barack has really inspired his generation to get involved.
I think it's a myth that most young people are apathetic. I think most young people I know really care about one or many issues, and it's just getting them to see the connection between the issues they care about and the political process. I don't know any young people who don't care about anything. Sometimes it's the environment, sometimes it's financial aid, but across the board we care about stuff. So I like to connect that with the political process, so people know that there are public officials like Barack who can help us with these issues.
Andrew has his own set of issues that he's concerned about.
I'm really concerned about Social Security and what's going to happen in 20 and 30 years when the baby boomers have retired. And I think there are long term issues like Social Security and energy independence that we don't talk about, beucase we're often so obsessed with the short term that we lose sight of the long term and some of the issues that we really need to address.
He decided that becoming a national delegate would be a good way to show his support for Barack and to take his participation that much further, so he decided to run a campaign for himself.
I was thinking about the convention, a few months ago, and I thought it'd be really cool to be a delegate. I know that most of the delegates were older, so I contacted the state party and they said to run a campaign and talk to people about it. People really responded to the idea that we needed at least one young delegate and so they selected me. I'm looking forward to showing everyone that the Democratic Party and Senator Obama really support and respect young people.
It's too late to become a delegate to the Convention, but it's not too late to get involved - if you're still in school, join a local chapter of Students for Barack Obama. If you're not in school, look up a Generation Obama chapter in your neighborhood.
With 14 days to go until the Democratic National Convention, excitement is building in Denver and across America. Soon, delegates from all fifty states will convene in the Mile High City to cast their ballots for Barack Obama and witness his acceptance of the Democratic Party's nomination for president of the United States. As the convention approaches, we will follow these delegates and share stories of the grassroots supporters participating in this historic event.
