Get Out The Vote starts today and campaign for change staff and volunteers are on the ground working hard. Our offices are ready for volunteers, the phonebanks are set up and the doors are ready to be knocked.
What are you doing today? Share your plans with us, but most importantly, if you don't have plans - make them. The next 72 hours are crucial and we need every person working and organizing
That's how this election is going to be won.
Brick by brick.
Block by block.
Let's show everyone what the power of a grassroots movement can do.
This Thursday, October 30th, please join President Bill Clinton with special guests U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar and Senate Candidate Al Franken in Minneapolis, where they will talk about Barack's vision for creating the kind of change we need.
Five Days to Change Rally with President Bill Clinton and Special Guests Sen. Amy Klobuchar and Al Franken Minneapolis Convention Center Exhibit Hall A 1301 2nd Ave. S. Minneapolis, MN Thursday, October 30th Doors Open: 7:00 p.m.
http://mn.barackobama.com/MinneapolisChange The event is free and open to the public. Tickets are not required; however an RSVP is strongly encouraged. For security reasons, do not bring bags and please limit personal items. No signs, banners, or umbrellas permitted.
This weekend will be the biggest on the ground effort of the campaign. It's the weekend before Election Day and we need all of our supporters on the ground in their community helping us to win the election.
Our on the ground effort in Minnesota has been incredible this past five months. Organizers are working day and night to win Minnesota, a must-win state for the Obama campaign. But to pull it off, they're counting on the time, energy, and passion of Obama supporters across the state who share their commitment to Barack's message of change.
Just check out this interview with Jeff Blodgett, the Obama campaign's Minnesota state director about the Campaign for Change's "Get Out the Vote" operation:
From MN Publius:
Earlier today, I had the chance to talk for about a half an hour with Jeff Blodgett, the State Director for Barack Obama in Minnesota. Blodgett is the most distinguished DFL operative in Minnesota. In addition to being Paul Wellstone’s Campaign Manager, Blodgett was a senior adviser in the Klobuchar campaign, GOTV Director for the Kerry campaign in Minnesota and runs Wellstone Action, the not for profit group working to advance the causes that the late Sen. Wellstone fought for during his time in public life. Blodgett gave me a run down of the Obama campaign’s GOTV plans in Minnesota. If I had to describe the effort in one word, it would be “wow.” First things first, if you are not yet signed up to help during this last week, go to www.gotvforchange.com right now. You can enter your zip code and find the campaign action center closest to you, even sign up for a specific shift. Now onto the nitty gritty details. With Blodgett in charge, you will not be surprised to find out that the Obama campaign in Minnesota has been heavily focused on a grassroots ground game. Since June 1, the Obama campaign has had 1 million conversations with voters in Minnesota. That’s stunning. But, as the saying goes, you ain’t seen nothing yet. There are 37 Obama offices in Minnesota. During the last four days of the campaign, that will expand to 130 GOTV action centers spread out from Grand Marais to East Grand Forks to Worthington to La Cresent. Why the massive expansion? The campaign has to accommodate some 20,000 volunteers who have already committed to helping during those final days (including 10,000 who have already signed up to help on Election Day alone!) To put this in perspective, in 2004 the Kerry campaign had about 10,000 volunteers during the final GOTV period and 5,000 volunteers on Election Day. That’s right – the Obama campaign has doubled what the Kerry campaign did in Minnesota just four years ago. Its also worth noting that the 20,000 volunteers are just what the Obama campaign brings to the table – it doesn’t count the Franken volunteers, the Madia volunteers and all the other great DFL campaigns that will bring volunteers to the coordinated GOTV effort. So what will this army of volunteers be doing? The Obama campaign has identified a universe of 500,000 sporadic and new voters who they think are likely to vote for the DFL ticket if they get to the polls. Each one of these 500,000 people will be contacted 4 to 6 times between now and Election Day. The vast majority of these contacts will be made through doorknocking, though phone banking will be used in rural areas. People say this every campaign, but there is no doubt it is true this time around: this is the largest GOTV effort in Minnesota history. You can be part of it by going to www.gotvforchange.com today and signing up for a shift. If you are wondering where you need to go to vote, head to www.voteforchange.com, which will direct you to your polling location.
Earlier today, I had the chance to talk for about a half an hour with Jeff Blodgett, the State Director for Barack Obama in Minnesota. Blodgett is the most distinguished DFL operative in Minnesota. In addition to being Paul Wellstone’s Campaign Manager, Blodgett was a senior adviser in the Klobuchar campaign, GOTV Director for the Kerry campaign in Minnesota and runs Wellstone Action, the not for profit group working to advance the causes that the late Sen. Wellstone fought for during his time in public life.
Blodgett gave me a run down of the Obama campaign’s GOTV plans in Minnesota. If I had to describe the effort in one word, it would be “wow.”
First things first, if you are not yet signed up to help during this last week, go to www.gotvforchange.com right now. You can enter your zip code and find the campaign action center closest to you, even sign up for a specific shift.
Now onto the nitty gritty details. With Blodgett in charge, you will not be surprised to find out that the Obama campaign in Minnesota has been heavily focused on a grassroots ground game. Since June 1, the Obama campaign has had 1 million conversations with voters in Minnesota. That’s stunning.
But, as the saying goes, you ain’t seen nothing yet.
There are 37 Obama offices in Minnesota. During the last four days of the campaign, that will expand to 130 GOTV action centers spread out from Grand Marais to East Grand Forks to Worthington to La Cresent. Why the massive expansion? The campaign has to accommodate some 20,000 volunteers who have already committed to helping during those final days (including 10,000 who have already signed up to help on Election Day alone!) To put this in perspective, in 2004 the Kerry campaign had about 10,000 volunteers during the final GOTV period and 5,000 volunteers on Election Day.
That’s right – the Obama campaign has doubled what the Kerry campaign did in Minnesota just four years ago.
Its also worth noting that the 20,000 volunteers are just what the Obama campaign brings to the table – it doesn’t count the Franken volunteers, the Madia volunteers and all the other great DFL campaigns that will bring volunteers to the coordinated GOTV effort.
So what will this army of volunteers be doing? The Obama campaign has identified a universe of 500,000 sporadic and new voters who they think are likely to vote for the DFL ticket if they get to the polls. Each one of these 500,000 people will be contacted 4 to 6 times between now and Election Day. The vast majority of these contacts will be made through doorknocking, though phone banking will be used in rural areas.
People say this every campaign, but there is no doubt it is true this time around: this is the largest GOTV effort in Minnesota history.
You can be part of it by going to www.gotvforchange.com today and signing up for a shift. If you are wondering where you need to go to vote, head to www.voteforchange.com, which will direct you to your polling location.
Without a doubt, the strength we have in Minnesota is due to the people we have on the ground, talking to voters face-to-face about Barack and the importance of their vote.
We need everyone on the ground this weekend -- it is the only way we are going to win next week. Sign up to Get Out the Vote this weekend.
Barack has been campaigning for 20 months now. For 20 months he has traveled across the country, from state to state, talking to voters and talking about the change that he will bring to Washington. He'll continue traveling and campaigning over the next 16 days, but now it comes down to us.
When Michelle was in Minnesota last week, she explained to the gathered crowd that while Barack has gotten us 85% of the way there, the rest is up to us. We have to knock on doors, call voters, volunteer and most importantly, vote.
We are still in a fight, and the next weeks are going to be crucial to our Get Out The Vote effort. Which is why we need our supporters on the ground to be working as hard as they can over the next 17 days to win. This is the most important election of our lifetimes, and we can't afford to sit on the sidelines. Sign up to help "Get Out the Vote" for Barack between now and Election Day.
Barack said it himself: This election is all about the issues. Minnesotans are hungry for change – for better jobs, for more financial security, for a cleaner environment. And one of the most important issues in this election is Social Security and providing for our senior citizens. With insecure retirement savings, and the skyrocketing costs of health care, housing, and energy costs, our seniors need help. Barack Obama has a plan to help America’s senior citizens. Barack Obama and Joe Biden will protect Social Security and make sure our seniors can afford to retire. The Obama-Biden plan will expand retirement savings program and create new pension programs. And Barack’s plan will eliminate income tax altogether for seniors who make less than $50,000 per year. The Obama-Biden plan will protect and strengthen Medicare, and allow the federal government to negotiate for cheaper drugs for the Medicare program, so seniors can afford their pills. Finally, Obama will increase funding for LIHEAP, to help seniors pay their winter heating bills. John McCain has a different view of Social Security and seniors. McCain wants to privatizes Social Security, taking a gamble with the Social Security system on the stock market. And McCain voted against much needed-increases in Medicare funding, taking away many seniors’ only access to health care.
Minnesota's seniors just can’t afford McCain’s policies. Learn more about the Obama-Biden plan for Seniors and Social Security. And visit JohnMcCainRecord.com to compare McCain’s stance on the issues.
From the Mankato Free Press:
There’s been a concerted, and apparently nationwide, effort by the campaign of presidential candidate Barack Obama to focus attention on the health care reform plan offered by Republican nominee John McCain. In Mankato, Obama was represented by state Sen. Kathy Sheran of Mankato and state House Health and Human Services Committee Chairman Paul Thissen of Minneapolis. The two Democrats said Obama’s plan is similar to proposals developed by a bipartisan group of stakeholders in Minnesota while McCain’s plan is a radical deregulation of the current health care system. “This is an issue that’s truly a defining difference (between the presidential contenders),” Thissen said.
There’s been a concerted, and apparently nationwide, effort by the campaign of presidential candidate Barack Obama to focus attention on the health care reform plan offered by Republican nominee John McCain.
In Mankato, Obama was represented by state Sen. Kathy Sheran of Mankato and state House Health and Human Services Committee Chairman Paul Thissen of Minneapolis. The two Democrats said Obama’s plan is similar to proposals developed by a bipartisan group of stakeholders in Minnesota while McCain’s plan is a radical deregulation of the current health care system.
“This is an issue that’s truly a defining difference (between the presidential contenders),” Thissen said.
Today, the Obama-Biden campaign released a new 30 second TV ad, “Taketh”, which highlights healthcare in the debate last night. In the ad, which features footage from the debate, Obama tells Americans the truth about John McCain’s healthcare plan, explaining that McCain pays for his tax credit by taxing your health care benefits, for the first time ever. "So what one hand giveth," Barack explained last night, "the other hand taketh away.”
"Taketh" will air across the country on national cable beginning today.
Healthcare is an issue that many Americans care about. Parents worry about having insurance that covers their children, seniors worry about being able to pay for prescriptions and others worry about having pre-existing conditions.
Jane from St. Paul shared her story:
I am 41 years old with two kids and my husband is an assistant principal at a charter school. The premiums for his plan would be over $800 a month. We have small health issues that make us unattractive to the health insurers found on ehealth.com.So we are covered under MN comprehensive health plan and pay over $500 a month for just me and the boys and we each have a $1,000 deductible. I haven't been to the doctor in 4 years because we simply can't afford to pay for a doctor because all of our money is going to pay for premiums on a policy with a huge deductible.My children have asthma and average one or two visit a month between the two of them at $80 a visit. So on average we spend between $650-750 a month on health care and I receive no care at all!
I am 41 years old with two kids and my husband is an assistant principal at a charter school. The premiums for his plan would be over $800 a month. We have small health issues that make us unattractive to the health insurers found on ehealth.com.
So we are covered under MN comprehensive health plan and pay over $500 a month for just me and the boys and we each have a $1,000 deductible. I haven't been to the doctor in 4 years because we simply can't afford to pay for a doctor because all of our money is going to pay for premiums on a policy with a huge deductible.
My children have asthma and average one or two visit a month between the two of them at $80 a visit. So on average we spend between $650-750 a month on health care and I receive no care at all!
Barack's plan provides affordable, accessible healthcare for all Americans, builds on the existing healthcare system, and uses existing providers, doctors and plans to implement the plan. Under the Obama-Biden plan, patients will be able to make health care decisions with their doctors, instead of being blocked by insurance company bureaucrats. Under the plan, if you like your current health insurance, nothing changes, except your costs will go down by as much as $2,500 per year.
Barack will require insurance companies to cover pre-existing conditions so all Americans regardless of their health status or history can get comprehensive benefits at fair and stable premiums. He will create a new Small Business Health Tax Credit to help small businesses provide affordable health insurance to their employees.A healthcare plan that promotes public health and looks out for ordinary Americans is the change Washington needs.Find out where John McCain really stands on health care by visiting JohnMcCainRecord.com today.
Here in Minnesota the race for the White House is incredibly close. Polls show Barack and John McCain neck-and-neck, and with just 33 days until Election Day we need to step up our efforts.
The McCain campaign has shown time and again that they don't care about reaching out to folks in Minnesota like you -- they're content to stick to the same tired, cynical politics of smears and attack ads.
Minnesotans are smarter than that, and want to hear real solutions for the challenges facing all of our families.
But too many people still don't know about Barack's plans to cut taxes for 95% of working families, make health care affordable, rebuild our economy from the bottom up, and bring a responsible end to the war in Iraq.
That's why this weekend supporters all across Minnesota are coming together to do the kind of work that wins elections -- knocking on doors and talking to undecided voters.
Sign up now to join a weekend canvass in your area and make a difference in your community.
In this election, every single vote will matter -- and Minnesota could decide this race.
In 2004, George W. Bush came within three percentage points of winning our state.
But after eight years of failed Bush-McCain policies, Americans need change now and we need your help.
To put Barack over the top here in Minnesota we need supporters like you to step up in your communities, since you know them better than anyone.
No experience is required to participate. All you need is a hunger for change and a willingness to turn your enthusiasm into action.
Find a canvass happening near you and sign up today:
http://mn.barackobama.com/onemonthout
What we do -- or don't do -- in these next 30 days will determine whether America gets the change we need or four more years of the same.
Thanks for all that you do,
Jeff
Jeff Blodgett is the Obama campaign's Minnesota State Director.
Before I get to the activities we have lined up this week I want to take a moment to discuss Barack Obama’s huge victory in Friday’s debate.
What you saw on Friday was the past versus the future. While John McCain offered more of the same failed policies of the last 8 years, Barack Obama demonstrated the vision and judgment to be Commander in Chief and outlined his plan to pursue 21st Century policies in Iraq and Afghanistan, and to reinvigorate our alliances.
And while the focus of the debate was foreign policy and national security both candidates addressed the current economic crisis. Barack Obama again showed that he will be a fierce advocate for the middle class while John McCain couldn’t escape his record on the economy – which is just more of the Bush policies that have been a disaster for American families.
This week the campaign will continue to carry the message of change on the economy throughout the nation and across Minnesota. This week, the contrast between the candidates’ on health care will come into sharp focus. Barack Obama has a plan for universal, affordable health care – with no one left out. Barack Obama is committed to turning the page on the failed politics of yesterday's health care debates and working toward a 21st century health care system. Under Obama’s plan, those with health insurance can expect their costs to go down as much as $2,500, and those without health insurance will have a choice of new, affordable health insurance options.
John McCain’s plan will impose taxes on workers’ health care benefits for the first time in history and could force up to 20 million people from their current plan.
On Wednesday, Barack will make a stop just across the border in La Crosse, Wisconsin. The event is open to the public—Click here for more information and to RSVP.
On Thursday, Minnesota Latinos for Obama will be joined by Gov. Bill Richardson for a fundraiser benefitting the Obama Victory fund at the Landmark Center in St. Paul. For more information about this event visit: https://donate.barackobama.com/page/contribute/Oct2MN
Thursday evening, Sen. Joe Biden will meet Gov. Sarah Palin for a debate on domestic and foreign policy issues. Joe Biden has a proven record of bringing people together to get things done, from combating violence against women to confronting the challenges of the dangerous world in which we live. On Thursday, the American people will have an opportunity to decide for themselves which candidate for Vice President is ready for the job from day one.
Thank you for your support.
Jeff BlodgettState Director – MinnesotaObama for America
P.S. – Below are links to some of the new ads released by the Obama campaign.
With just 39 days left until November 4th, we're in a sprint to Election Day.
In the last two weeks, we've seen more bad news come from Wall Street every day. It's on the minds of families here in Minnesota and folks across the country, but all we hear from the McCain Campaign are the same failed policies of the last eight years.
With the stakes so high in this election, we need to be building our movement every day -- reaching out to our friends, family, and neighbors.
It's going to take all of us working together to elect Barack and bring about the change we need.
Yesterday, I recorded a short video on my laptop about our campaign in Minnesota and what we need to do to win these final weeks.
Watch the video and learn about how to get involved with our statewide canvasses happening this weekend and next:
Volunteers across Minnesota are the backbone of our campaign. They have been going door-to-door talking to undecided voters about the real change that the Obama-Biden ticket will bring to Washington. And we're counting on you to step up in your own neighborhood to keep building this movement.
We know it's going to take hard work and dedication to fix the economic crisis our country is facing. But working hard is something we are proud of in Minnesota, and our weekend canvasses are a great opportunity to get involved and help bring about the change we need.
It's up to supporters like you to help put Barack and Joe over the top on Election Day.
Watch the video and sign up for a canvass near you this weekend:
http://mn.barackobama.com/MNstrategyvideo
We can't do this without you -- get involved now to help bring the change we need.
Thanks,
Jeff BlodgettMinnesota State DirectorObama for America
In remembrance of the seventh anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, Senator Obama released the following statement:
Today, we honor the memory of the lives that were lost on September 11, 2001, and grieve with the families and friends who lost someone they loved in New York City, at the Pentagon, and in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. We will never forget those who died. We will always remember the extraordinary efforts of our firefighters, police and emergency responders, and those who sacrificed their own lives on Flight 93 to protect their fellow Americans. And we give thanks for the Americans defending us every day in our communities at home, and in our military abroad. On 9/11, Americans across our great country came together to stand with the families of the victims, to donate blood, to give to charity, and to say a prayer for our country. Let us renew that spirit of service and that sense of common purpose. Let us remember that the terrorists responsible for 9/11 are still at large, and must be brought to justice. Let us resolve to defeat terrorist networks, defend the American homeland, stand up for the enduring American values that we cherish, and seek a new birth of freedom at home and around the world.
The Heartland for Change RV Tour is making its way through 24 communities across Minnesota, talking with folks in coffee shops, senior centers, and in their homes about Barack Obama and Joe Biden's plans to bring the change Minnesotans need. Click here to find a stop near you or to follow our travels across the state.
Early this morning, the Heartland Change RV pulled up in front of the Winona Shores Apartments, an assisted living facility in Alexandria, for a town hall. Because of the location, it was also the perfect place to talk about rural health care and caring for our seniors, as State Representative Mary Ellen Otremba explained:
Very few people in the legislature focus on rural health care. We talk a lot about health care, but we don't often include rural health care. We have to really, really work together on those issues. And we need to do it as a team... It can't just be me, it has to be all of us. And we need to focus on helping the elderly, who are often forgotten or left behind. The elderly were the ones who built our schools, they build our roads, they build our churches, and re-built our schools, and we treat them like this. We need to help them, because if it wasn't for them, we wouldn't have what we have now.
Very few people in the legislature focus on rural health care. We talk a lot about health care, but we don't often include rural health care.
We have to really, really work together on those issues. And we need to do it as a team... It can't just be me, it has to be all of us.
And we need to focus on helping the elderly, who are often forgotten or left behind. The elderly were the ones who built our schools, they build our roads, they build our churches, and re-built our schools, and we treat them like this. We need to help them, because if it wasn't for them, we wouldn't have what we have now.
An important part of this Heartland for Change listening tour is hearing from folks who are directly affected by the failed policies of the last eight years, and getting their input on what should be done in an Obama administration. Many of the seniors shared how Medicare Part D has actually resulted in higher costs for their prescription drugs. Senator Obama supports empowering our government to negotiate drug prices with the companies, instead of allowing them to continue to rake in profits from fixed-income seniors.
One of the residents also wanted to know more about Senator Obama's plan to protect Social Security for future generations. Outreach Director Scott Cooper explained that as someone raised primarily by his grandparents, Barack recognizes that Social Security is indispensable to seniors and believes that we have an obligation to protect Social Security and to ensure that the American people can count on it today, tomorrow, and forever.
Some of the residents expressed concerns about George Bush and John McCain's plans to privatize Social Security. They were encouraged to hear that Senator Obama has a long record of opposing privatization and will make protecting benefits for current and future beneficiaries a priority of his administration.
Here are some more photos from the Alexandria Town Hall:
The people who make up this movement come from all different backgrounds, but they share a common goal of helping bring about fundamental change in Washington. If you haven't already, share your story.
I am 70 years old, the first time I voted I cast my ballot for John F. Kennedy. In 2008 I will vote for Senator Obama. I believe that Senator Oboma is the only person running that has the ability to bring this nation together. I believe that Senator Obama is not only a politician but a statesman as well.
This morning's Rochester Post-Bulletin includes this story about a 75-year-old Caledonia woman who is fired up about Barack's candidacy:
Back in the day, Julia Massman knew them all. She had shaken their hands and heard them speak at state conventions -- political leaders like Wendy Anderson and Rudy Perpich and Hubert Humphrey.Then the Caledonia woman fell away from active involvement in the DFL Party and stayed away for years. Then she began to feel her political soul stirred again.Though she had never been a national delegate or even tried to be, Massman campaigned actively at the DFL district convention in Albert Lea to be a national delegate. She won it on the basis of a speech she delivered at the district convention that included this simple declaration:"I'm a 75-year-old, Irish, Catholic white woman, and I'm supporting Barack Obama," Massman recalled.Massman knew there was political potency in the statement. It directly refuted the conventional wisdom at the time that older, white women, particularly supporters of Sen. Hillary Clinton, never would support Obama's candidacy.At age 75, Massman -- a former dairy farmer, mother of 13 and grandmother of 27 -- will be attending her first national convention as the state's oldest national delegate when the Democratic National Convention kicks off Monday in Denver.Massman makes no secret of what it was that re-ignited her passion for politics. The moment for her came during Obama's speech at the Democratic National Convention in 2004. Massman instantly was converted.Massman calls Obama intellectual and thoughtful, someone who has grown up in different places and countries and knows what it's like to live in those environments."He represents the perfect American. I'm Irish-Dutch. He's Irish, Scotch and Kenyan, and most Americans are more than one nationality. We are a melting pot, after all," she said.DFL leaders say the DFL delegation will be one of the most diverse ever. It will include 25 African-Americans, six American Indians, 10 Asian-Pacific Islanders and seven Latinos. Its youngest will be 17-year-old David Gilbert-Pederson of Minneapolis. Its second youngest will be 18-year-old Sam Hagedorn, a native of Rochester and a graduate of Mayo High School.John Stiles, the state DFL Party's communications director, said the DFL delegation will almost certainly be more reflective of the state's diversity than the GOP delegation, which he said will be almost "entirely white," older and mostly Christian, "with no people of different religious beliefs in it."
On Friday morning, as part of the celebration of the 73rd anniversary of the creation of Social Security, U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar lead a group of Seniors for Obama volunteers to the Seal Hi Rise in St. Paul to address residents and talk about issues important to seniors.
In the afternoon, Congressman Keith Ellison spoke to volunteers at the Campaign for Change office in Minneapolis before heading over to Richfield Health to discuss the concerns of residents there.
Here are some pictures from the events:
To see more photos from the two events, click here.
Around 70 seniors and members of the community came out to the Obama Campaign for Change headquarters in St. Paul this morning to hear former Vice President Walter Mondale speak about the importance of seniors reaching out to their friends and neighbors in this election.
Vice President Mondale also talked about the issues important to seniors:
Senator Obama has comprehensive plans to protect Social Security, strengthen retirement savings, make affordable health care available to every American, and to protect and honor our seniors. With the ‘Seniors Talking to Seniors’ program, we will be launching a sustained effort to grow Senator Obama’s broad support among this important group of voters.
After his remarks and some Q&A, senior volunteers hit the phones and started talking with other seniors about Barack's strong record on the issues they care about.
Here are some photos from today's event:
Are you a Minnesota Senior for Obama? Click here to sign up to recieve special campaign updates and event information.
Here are a couple of photos from today's Seniors Talking to Seniors event.
Although "not quite a senior," Mary brought her 8-year-old grandson Cameron to see Vice President Mondale. Mary volunteers at the St. Paul Campaign for Change headquarters.
Former Minnesota State Representative Dwayne King has a message for the Republicans:
Seniors learn how easy it is to phonebank for the campaign.
Click here to find a seniors phonebanking event near you.
