Posts with the tag IA

ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

WEBMASTER — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 02:26:14 EST

The Pickens Plan: For those who would like to become an active participant in a solution for our nations energy needs I urge you to join with T.Boone Pickens in his quest for a cleaner planet through alternative energy.

Also see Green Wave Energy: Green Wave was founded by Mark Holmes and was formulated for viable alternative energy solutions. Green Wave Energy is promoting state-of-the-art energy-saving products and services throughout the country.

Green Wave Energy understands alternative energy technology will become “main stream” when

individuals and organizations understand that alternative energy technology exists and
when people see the economic benefits of using alternative energy technologies

Call 949.645.1701 for information on how Green Wave Energy can help you save the planet.

Alternative Energy
Source: David Apperson

url: http://veterans.barackobama.com/page/community/tag/alternative-energy

Attn 18th congressional dist-IL: I'm "Getting by with a little help from my friends"........I need you now!

freedom4u_n_me — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 18:58:28 EDT

I'm happy to announce that I was just made the 'Organizer for the 18th congressional district of IL'!

Our main objective is to GET OUT ThE VOTE! We want to begin weekly meetings for planning, phone banking, trips to IA, and voter registration activities.

GOAL: The weekend of Nov. 1st- Nov. 4th: WE WANT AT LEAST 175 PEOPLE (from our district alone) IN IA TO GOTV!

I'm in Peoria County. Can you help me?

I need your help in:

Adams

Brown

Bureau

Cass

Knox

Lincoln

Macon

Marshall

Mason

Menard

Morgan

Pike

Putnam

Sangamon

Schuyler

Scott

Stark

Tazewell

Woodford

So far I need to find a handicap accessible, FREE, center where we can have meetings and do phone banking.We will be receiving a lot of help from the campaign. If you're afraid money will be an issue, don't worry!

Please contact me:

Gail/Obama in the heart, Peoria,IL http://my.barackobama.com/page/group/ObamaintheHeartPeoriaIL

gail.newtson@gmail.com

Thanks..............everybody!

Real Clear Politics updates Popular Vote totals to include Estimates from 4 Caucus states

Thatcher — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 15:50:55 EDT

As of today, Real Clear Politics (RCP) is reporting the popular vote estimates in the four caucus states that have not released the actual voter breakdowns from the original caucuses.

Iowa, Nevada, Washington and Maine release total voter counts for their caucuses (or close estimates), but do not release what each candidate receives, just percentages of delegates chosen and/or hard caucus delegate counts.

I've been in email contact for about 1 week with the folks at RCP about trying to show a more accurate computation of the popular votes for Obama and Clinton (since Clinton is thinking about using an argument for Popular Vote to sway Super Delegates if she can get a win in PA and if she would win in a revote in Michigan and Florida primaries).

And now, today, RCP has published on their site their estimates!

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2008/president/democratic_vote_count.html

Including these estimates - it now givs Obama an 813,747 lead over Clinton in the popular vote.

YES WE CAN!

Virginia Governor Tim Kaine in Waverly, IA

Jaime Mulligan — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 17:26:22 EST

Virginia Governor Tim Kaine is talking to Iowans this weekend about why he supports Barack Obama, making stops in Marion, Waverly, Charles City and Osage today - part of the same route he took during RAGBRAI (Register's Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa).

Governor Kaine was born in St. Paul, Minnesota and first ran for local office in 1994. He began his political career with two terms on the Richmond city council and one term as mayor. In Richmond, Governor Kaine spent a lot of time trying to break down racial barriers and figuring out ways to unite people from different classes and backgrounds. Now, as governor of Virginia, he has the same challenges: "How do you bring people together?"

Governor Kaine signed on as a supporter one week after Barack announced that he was running for president. Barack had gone to Virginia to help Governor Kaine's gubernatorial campaign in 2005, and that's when the two first met. "We're both Harvard law grads, both civil rights lawyers, and our moms grew up in the same tiny farmtown in Kansas."

At a small roundtable of mostly undecided Iowans in Waverly, Governor Kaine talked about some of the reasons he's supporting Barack:

He has very unique experiences. The experience of having a Kenyan father and being raised for a few years in Indonesia [is important]. That's a powerful experience in forming character. His work as a community organizer, his work in the state legislature to reform criminal justice issues and improve healthcare, and his work on ethics in the U.S. Senate. He's a smart person but he's smart enough to know what he doesn't know. It takes a smart person and a self-confident person to know when to listen to other people.

He also cited electability as a critical factor for supporting Barack:

In Virginia, where we haven't gone for a Democratic candidate [for president] in a very long time, the only way I got elected governor was by uniting Democrats and independents and lots of moderate Republicans. It's still tough for a Democrat to get our 13 electoral votes, but the independents and the moderate Republicans are very excited about Barack's run.

One of the folks at this event in Waverly was John, who came straight from his job at McDonald's. Here's John with our local field organizer, Alek Wipperman.

I asked John why he decided to attend today's event and here was his response:

I came because I'm interested in the possibilites. Personally I'm a Republican. I would say that I do agree with some of the policies ... that the current administration has [taken].

...I saw this commercial the other day. It was just Obama saying give me a chance, see what it could be like. And I think that's really interesting...There's the conflict in my head. I can support the war, but the war is going badly. And [Barack's] morals are better than anybody else's.

Change is what motivated me.

We'll have more coverage of Governor Kaine's travels across Iowa this weekend, so keep checking back. This is the fourth "red-state" Democrat to travel to Iowa in support of Barack in the last couple of weeks. We had former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, former Mississippi Governor Ray Mabus and former Oklahoma Congressman Brad Carson in Iowa.

Yesterday, a new Iowa poll was released that showed Barack as the strongest general election candidate against every major Republican candidate. Barack is definitely emerging as the candidate that swing-state Democrats can be confident having at the top of the ticket!

Live from JJ: Pictures from the Speech

Jaime Mulligan — Sun, 11 Nov 2007 00:47:48 EST

Here's a link to some of the speech.

Liveblogging the JJ: The Sign War

Jaime Mulligan — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 19:24:02 EST

6:42 pm. So if you've never been to the Iowa Jefferson-Jackson Dinner, you may not know that the walls of the room the dinner takes place in are covered in huge handmade signs and posters. And you also may not know that those handmade signs and posters all get put up during a sign war the night before the JJ itself.

It is sign war time. Right now all the campaigns are here in the lobby. The doors open at 7. You can only have five people from any given campaign inside the the hall at any given time.

So we have teams of runners (fired up and) ready to go. The energy in here is amazing. It is definitely, definitely game time.

It's all about organization. And we have it. Here's some pictures of team Obama preparing signs, organizing, stretching, cheering, and generally getting revved up for the massive sign war about to ensue.

7:03 pm. The sign war just started. You can see people darting through the hall, whistles are blowing. Our second team of runners just came out, and the next group moved into position.

There are some people who only have one job: stand there with tape all over them for people running by with posters to grab if needed.

This goes on until 9. It really is all about being organized, and in a way, is no different from what our team does here every day. Work together, involve everyone, and show what this campaign is all about: dedication to changing the world, one step at a time.

8:11 pm. Some pictures:

Change We Can Believe In Tour: Burlington & Fort Madison

Jaime Mulligan — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 10:32:37 EST

On Tuesday, Fort Madison Mayor Steve Ireland was re-elected. And last night, he introduced Barack at the Rodeo Fairgrounds for our latest stop on the Change We Can Believe In tour.

The mayor took the opportunity to officially announce his support for Barack and his plans to caucus for Barack on January 3rd and was greeted by applause from the crowd. "And with that, I give you the next President of the United States…"

Barack had just come from Burlington, where he had held a town hall with more than 500 people.

At both events Barack discussed the significance of this election, saying that it is an opportunity for "us [to be] clear about who we are and what we believe in.We are not going to be a nation driven by fear, we are going to be a nation driven by hope."

He also spoke about the choices Democrats have as a party:

A lot of people ask me: why you instead of Hillary? Why you instead of Edwards? Look, we have a great field of candidates. But I believe we need fundamental change…I think I offer a new generation of leadership that can more effectively unify the country…and I also have a longer track record of fighting for working people. I didn't just discover working people or getting money out of politics…

…The day I'm inaugurated not only does this country look at itself differently but the world looks at America differently…I can go before them and say you know what? I lived in other countries. I have a grandmother who lives in a village in Africa. I know what it's like to be poor in another country, to just be trying to get running water or electricity in your house…

Barack is right--there are a lot of good candidates for the Democratic nomination. But Mayor Ireland and many of the people at the events last night seemed to be looking for something more in a candidate this time around than the same old thing, and they see a special kind of leader in Barack.

What about you? Join us.

Change We Can Believe In Tour: Muscatine

Jaime Mulligan — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 14:55:13 EST

Barack was in Muscatine this afternoon for the latest stop on the Change We Can Believe In Tour. The town hall meeting in the gym of the Muscatine Center for Social Action was standing room only.

Check out some pictures:

Barack took some questions on ethanol, Iran, defense spending and manufacturing jobs. He was also asked what he thought the role of political parties should be. Here's part of his response:

At its best the Democratic Party has represented ordinary Americans...we fight for equality, we fight for opportunity, we fight for democracy...I'm very proud to be a Democrat.

I want to strengthen our party. I don't think our party has been strengthened by some of the approaches to politics we've taken over the last years...We have a tendency to avoid tough questions because we don't want to be attacked by the Republicans...Parties have to have some convictions...I don't believe that any party has a monopoly on all wisdom in the world...

Setting a different tone to our debates is important. I do think that that's something that we have to change.

One thing that Barack has spoken about for years is chipping away at the part of our national political process that suggests that people who have different opinions are somehow bad people. To disagree without being disagreeable. To strengthen our nation by allowing for a larger tent and working together. It's what he did successfully in the Illinois State Senate when he was able to unite Democrats and Republicans to extend health care to thousands of people who didn’t have it, and he has continued to do it in the U.S. Senate, working to pass historic ethics reform.

This is one of the reasons why Barack has so much support from first-time voters, independents and Republicans, and why he's bringing more and more Americans into the Democratic Party.

Do you know someone who Barack has brought into the Democratic Party, or are you one of those people? Tell us about it in the comments.

"They're all our kids"

Jaime Mulligan — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 16:00:10 EDT

On Saturday, at the Amos Issues Conference taking place at Plymouth United Church of Christ in Des Moines, Barack participated with some Iowans in a panel discussion about some of the most pressing concerns facing Americans today. He spoke about the minimum wage, immigration, and healthcare. He also spoke about his community organizing days, and how he learned that listening to people and helping to figure out ways to make their hopes and dreams come to fruition was a hallmark of true leadership.

Barack also outlined his plans for improving education, which includes expanding investment in early childhood education, supporting teachers more, and working on making after-school and summer school programs more available. He also pointed out that even with all these programs, at the end of the day, a lot of our issues come down to individual Americans taking responsibility and said that as President he will be talking to Americans not just about his policies, but about the things they can and should be doing in their everyday life to address the problems we face – like turning off the tv and video games, and making sure kids are doing their homework.

But, he said, the gridlock and conventional thinking in Washington are the true impediments to progress in this and many other policy areas.

We know what to do. The problem is the lack of a sense of urgency. These kids aren't just some other person's problem, they're all our kids. And things won't change until every child is our child.

After the panel, the attendees of the conference broke out into workgroups on the issues discussed. One of the things that Barack has stressed in his campaign is the need for Americans of all faiths to come together, recognize our common values, and enter into dialogues and take action. This is the impetus for our Faith-Action-Change network.

What do you think about education policy, or the role of faith in working for social justice? Talk about it in the comments.

Barack in Ankeny: A Government That Is Thinking About You

Jaime Mulligan — Sat, 27 Oct 2007 14:05:07 EDT

In an overflowing room this morning in Ankeny, Monica Green, an Obama precinct captain, introduced Barack. A registered Republican, she described a decades-long feeling of paralysis where the political process was concerned. But Barack has made her think maybe things can be different.

Whether you are Democrat, or Republican, or independent, I invite you to join me and caucus for Barack Obama. I believe that the day Barack Obama is elected President of the United States, the world will look at us differently.

Barack came into the room and asked everyone to help him out and make him look good in front of the local organizer, Patrick Whitty, and sign one of our supporter cards. He asked people who have already decided to caucus for him to consider becoming a precinct captain like Monica.

He talked about the response to his candidacy, and how there is a yearning among the people he meets for an affirmation that is it possible our nation can come together across our various divisions and work to get something done.

The question is: Do you have a government that is thinking about you and is trying to make sure that every day that burden gets a little bit easier, that you got a little bit of help, that you have a partner in achieving the American Dream?

…The next President better be impatient about solving these problems…As President of the United States I am going to put in place a health care system that reaches every single person…We are gonna work with employers who are providing health insurance to lower premiums for their employees…

We have waited long enough. It is time that we actually got this done.

Barack closed his remarks by promising to wake up each day thinking about how to make the lives of everyday Americans a little better, and invited people to join him---change will take all of us. He took a few questions and outlined many of the ways he would shift our national priorities as President, whether it be simply by ensuring that people in his Cabinet are actually competent (not former heads of the Arabian Horses Association) or by making sure that our money is spent wisely.

What is the one thing that the government could work on changing to help you get closer to achieving the American Dream? What would you ask the President to wake up thinking about every day? Tell us in the comments.

NOTE: Barack participated in a panel at Plymouth Congregational-United Church of Christ after the event in Ankeny and is currently speaking at a town hall meeting in Des Moines about Social Security. We'll have updates on these events (including video of the town hall) here on the website within a few hours, so check back!

Obama / Dracula '08?

Adam Hoyer — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 14:10:51 EDT

As caucus day draws closer, it's going to be important to make sure that everyone knows exactly what a caucus is. There are a lot of caucus veterans supporting Barack, but there are also some new folks who want to get involved.

The campaign is making it a priority to make sure everyone is comfortable with the caucus process. You might remember our cookie caucus in Des Moines earlier this summer.

Well, on Tuesday, the Scott County, Iowa, Obama office got in the Halloween mood and found a werewolf, a mummy, Frankenstein, Dracula, and even a few witches had descended upon the office.

But instead of scaring people away, these monsters actually did their best to entice, attract, and woo people.

What was the reason for such un-monster-like behavior?

Each was trying to appeal to as many potential voters as possible in order to win the mock caucus.

From the beginning, the event was a huge success, as more than sixty locals, and six or seven monsters showed up to learn about the caucus process.

Regional field director Chelsea Kammerer shared some caucus-specifics at the beginning - emphasizing the power of each individual vote for Barack at each caucus location.

Chelsea also explained that the caucus is just a neighborhood meeting where people join with other Obama supporters to vote for Barack. The meetings are usually in a cafeteria, library, gym, senior center or other similar place in the community.

Then, with the crowd anxious to choose their favorite monster, and with the monsters making their pitches, it was time to start the main event.

After the first round of voting, only the mummy didn't have enough supporters to remain "viable," and the other campaigns began pleading for more supporters.

The mummy tried to sell his platform by claiming that he is the only candidate with any leadership experience, because he was probably a pharaoh in ancient Egypt at one time. But his campaign took a turn for the worse when he went negative on Dracula and the werewolf.

Overall it was a fun and educational experience. Mock caucuses are a great way to familiarize folks with what to expect, particularly those like me who will be attending their very first caucus this coming January.

The Iowa caucuses are a unique and special experience in this country, and to have a candidate like Barack Obama makes it that much more important to participate.

As for the results from Tuesday night, the witches, Frankenstein, and the werewolf each came away with 2 delegates from the mock caucus, while Dracula received only one.

Dracula has demanded a recount.

Iowa road trip this Sat. 9AM - 6PM from St. Paul HQ!

Ryan Patrick Flanders — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 03:20:32 EDT

Hey! Free road trip to Iowa this Saturday!

Vans depart the St. Paul HQ at 9AM and will return by 6PM.

You'll be home for supper!

Don't miss the chance to be part of the action!

Obama’s Sincerity Inspires Guests at Annual Sisters on Target Awards Banquet

Harish Nandagopal — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 17:03:32 EDT

Genuine, authentic, honest, or sincere—take your pick—it’s not often that these words are used to describe a politician. But for the many people who have heard Senator Barack Obama speak, such words of praise are never in short supply. Last Saturday, Senator Obama spoke at the annual Sisters on Target Awards Banquet in Des Moines, Iowa. Unsurprisingly, Senator Obama’s speech was received with the same praiseful enthusiasm he has received across the nation. The senator connected with the hundreds of African American guests assembled to celebrate the accomplishments of Iowa’s African American women.

The senator spoke from the heart as he extolled the role African American women played during the civil rights movement, correctly noting that while they provided the backbone of the movement, their work was too often ignored by their civil rights counterparts. But it was not just the words and phrases in the Senator’s speech that excited the audience; rather, it was his pure and natural authenticity that sparked and sustained the audience’s admiration. Veola Perry, a longtime community volunteer in Des Moines and former public school teacher, was passionate in her description of the Senator’s speech. “Obama rose to the occasion,” Veola told me after the event, “He was knowledgeable and honest about addressing issues facing the African American community. He was willing to tell the truth.” Senator Obama’s speech left her “fired-up and ready to go.”

Obama candidly stated that his presidency would not be perfect, but finished these thoughts by saying, “I will always tell you what I think. I will always tell you where we stand." Displaying the leadership and judgment needed to take America in a new direction, Senator Obama affirmed that "I'm not going to win just by being the most calculating politician in this race.” His remarks and the overwhelming response they received showed why, of all the candidates, he best understands and addresses the issues impacting the black community.

Iowa Road Trip - free van ride from St. Paul, home by 7PM!

Ryan Patrick Flanders — Sun, 14 Oct 2007 20:33:44 EDT

Hey, Minnesotans--did you know you can take a free road trip to Iowa every Saturday?

Vans leave every Saturday at approximately 10 AM and are back home by 7 PM, so you still have your Saturday night completely free!

I went yesterday, and I was surprised at how willing Iowans were to chat about politics. Almost everybody was friendly and open to discussion. This is a great chance to inform voters about Obama in the most important primary state!

Here's where the vans leave from:

2233 University Ave W

St. Paul, MN 55414

I hope to see ya next weekend! :-)

Doing Our Part: Barack in Charles City

Jaime Mulligan — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 14:14:13 EDT

Barack stopped by the Charles City YMCA today for a Meet the Candidate event. He thanked everyone in attendance and gave a shoutout to local organizer Annick Febrey, who's running our office at 200 North Main Street (Suite 5) here in Charles City. He asked everyone to make him look good to her by signing a supporter card before they left the event.

He took several questions - ranging from Social Security and Medicare to Iran and No Child Left Behind.

A high schooler asked him what he would say to students. Here's Barack's response:

The issues in this campaign are going to affect them much more than they're going to affect me…it's the next generation that's bearing the burden…What I want young people to understand is that they have more at stake than anybody in this campaign, in this election, and we want them involved, not just as bystanders to history but makers of history.

Over and over Barack stressed that there is an aspect of personal responsibility that Americans need to take on in order to tackle all these issues.

He talked about parents stepping in to turn off the TV to make sure kids are doing their homework. He also mentioned the need to make good decisions about our personal health and an easy way to help conserve energy is for each of us to buy energy-efficient lightbulbs. He talked about the tradition of Americans in stepping up to the plate to sacrifice for the things we know must change.

After so many years of a president not really asking us to do much - other than go shopping - to show our patriotism, many found it refreshing to have a leader not just propose comprehensive policy solutions like Barack outlines, but to take the time to emphasize the actions people cand do to do their part.

What do you think? What's one thing you can go out and do today to do your part? I'm double-checking on my light bulbs when I get home.

Iowa BarackStars in Action

Jaime Mulligan — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 20:20:48 EDT

A huge part of what this campaign is about is making sure everyone has a chance to engage in the political process, and a lot of the people leading the way in the effort are high school students here in Iowa.

The Dubuque County BarackStars have a post here about their activities the weekend of the Harkin Steak Fry that is definitely worth checking out.

Dubuque County BarackStars posing with their t-shirts

And just this past weekend, the Waukee BarackStars were out in full force representing the campaign in Dallas County, participating in both the Waukee Fallfest Parade and the Waukee High School Homecoming Parade.

You may have seen our other post about the Valley Tigers and the Roosevelt Roughriders homecoming parades and the Obama supporters in those. We're excited that so many young people are so fired up and ready to go.

Are you a high school supporter of Barack? Are you local in your high school's BarackStar chapter? Leave your thoughts in the comments! If you're not involved yet, but want to learn more, contact your local field office.

In the Iowa Spotlight: Mary, from Shenandoah

Greg Hauenstein — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 17:25:06 EDT

We’ve run several Iowa Spotlights over the last few months, where we profile regular Iowans who have decided to support Barack Obama in the caucuses. Today, we’re launching the first in a new series of video profiles.

Our first is Mary, a crafter from Shenandoah. She had never been to a political rally in her life but saw a flyer for a town meeting at a craft show, and her mother encouraged her to come. Mary was moved by her mother's passion for Barack and decided to come and check it out for herself.

She came uncertain, but signed a supporter card before she left. Fall is here and people are starting to make their decisions.

Find out more about what Mary thought:

General McPeak's Visit to Iowa

Brian VanRiper — Sat, 29 Sep 2007 18:22:17 EDT

Four-Star General Tony McPeak just finished a 3-day Obama for Commander in Chief tour where he met with veterans and everyday Iowans across the state. On the tour we discussed a range of issues including the war in Iraq and respecting our veterans by providing the benefits they deserve. We had a great trip with stops in Atlantic, Council Bluffs, Sioux City, Algona, Mason City, Ames and Des Moines.

General McPeak talked about Senator Obama’s wisdom to speak out against the war in Iraq before it started and before it was popular to do so. Qualities such as Barack Obama’s judgment and experience convince McPeak that Obama is the best candidate to bring our country together, bring our troops home, and make progress on the tough challenges our nation faces.

Here’s footage from our Des Moines stop:

General McPeak served 37 years in the Air Force and retired as Air Force Chief of Staff in 1994. After President Bush led the United States into a war that should’ve never been waged in Iraq, General McPeak broke from the Washington establishment and spoke out against the misguided war. He brings his 37 years of service, including over 6,000 hours as a command pilot, to the Obama Campaign by serving as a national campaign co-chair and foreign policy advisor.

Homecoming!

Jaime Mulligan — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 16:38:43 EDT

It's homecoming week and the parades and the games are on! Here in Des Moines our high school volunteers – BarackStars – are out representing Obama. And, true to our grassroots base, they’re getting new students signed up and involved!

Here are some pictures from the Valley parade yesterday:

And earlier this afternoon we hit up the Roosevelt parade, where the Obama group was just behind the homecoming court. We found some friends and new supporters in the dance team:

Here's some more shots from Roosevelt, during and right after the parade ended:

Tonight, Roosevelt is playing Ottumwa, and Valley is taking on Ames. Both games start at 7:30. Good luck everyone!!!

Are you a high school student who's interested in finding out more about Barack, or how a campaign works? Contact your local field office and check us out. Many offices have high school night on Tuesdays – see if there's one near you!

Knocking for Change This Weekend

Jaime Mulligan — Sun, 23 Sep 2007 00:17:13 EDT

Today we've had a bunch of events with Barack, but all over Iowa our staff and volunteers are also participating in a statewide canvass, knocking on doors in 46 areas of the state..

Pictures are coming in and it looks like everyone's had a pretty good day out there, despite all types of weather---

Sioux City:

Iowa City:

To see if there's a canvass near you, cliick here.

Seniors Town Hall in Ames

Jaime Mulligan — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 20:40:06 EDT

A grandmother, Pat, and her grandson, Chris, introduced Barack today at the Senior Townhall in Ames. Chris is the president of the Ames High School BarackStar program.

BarackStars, if you aren't familiar, are the high schoolers involved in the Obama campaign here in Iowa. (You can find a chapter near you by clicking here.)

A big issue at this town hall today was health care. One person asked Barack why the insurance companies still need to be involved the system. An excerpt from Barack's response:

Here's the bottom line. If I were designing a system from scratch I would probably set up a single-payer system...But we're not designing a system from scratch...And when we had a healthcare forum before I set up my healthcare plan here in Iowa there was a lot of resistance to a single-payer system. So what I believe is we should set up a series of choices....Over time it may be that we end up transitioning to such a system. For now, I just want to make sure every American is covered...I don't want to wait for that perfect system...The one thing you should ask about the candidates though is who's gonna have the capacity to actually deliver on the change?...I believe I've got a better capacity to break the gridlock and attract both Independents and Republicans to work together.

He also discussed the Medicare doughnut hole. The doughnut hole is a provision in a bill written by special interests that was forced through Congress by Republicans literally in the dead of night. As a result of that provision, thousands of Americans now fall into the hole each year, and are faced with paying hundreds and hundreds of dollars for their prescription medication or halting their physician-proscribed treatment. When asked whether he would fix this, Barack responded with an unequivocal yes.

Barack was asked about transparency in government. "I do not believe in secrecy. I do not believe in the imperial presidency. I believe that the vice presidency is actually part of the executive branch...I taught constitutional law for ten years. I believe in the constitution. I know that's a big change. The next president is going to need that bias towards opening up our government again." He referred people to the website to learn more about his plan in this area.

The townhall ended with a standing ovation for Barack.

Cyclones Come Out for Barack

Jaime Mulligan — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 15:59:33 EDT

This afternoon, 4000+ students gathered in Central Campus to hear Barack's message of hope and change.

He discussed the need to end the game playing that has characterized the political process in this country for so long. But he also talked about how in order for that to happen, it isn't enough for him to even be elected---that true change comes from the bottom up, and it will require all of us, especially the younger generation, to come together and leave the cynicism about the political process at the door.

You have to be involved...the cynics in Washington are counting on you not paying attention...If you believe in yourselves, in your own ability to bring about change...we will transform a nation.

Barack also asked any supporters in the crowd to participate in our "4 more" program. Two Iowans who recruit four new Iowa Obama supporters will be selected to represent Iowa and join Barack at one of our biggest and most historic rallies to date in New York City next Thursday. You can click here for more info on the contest: http://iowa.barackobama.com/4more.

(One of the 4 more supporter cards.)

Were you at the rally? Click here to see more pictures. Tell us your thoughts in the comments.

Iowa celebrates Juneteenth

Jaime Mulligan — Mon, 18 Jun 2007 10:00:30 EDT

Saturday was the official Iowa Juneteenth observance.

Juneteenth is an annual celebration of the end of slavery in the United States that 23 states officially observe with parades, festivals, and picnics. Iowa was the seventh state to officially recognize Juneteenth as an annually-celebrated holiday.

Here in Des Moines, volunteers for Barack were excited to participate in this year's parade:

And even more excited to pass out stickers to kids who were a lot cuter than us!

Just after the parade, during the festivities at Evelyn Davis Park, we answered questions about Barack and signed people up who wanted more information or wanted to let us know they support Barack:

It was an awesome day, but it was pretty hot outside, and the kids playing in the fountain in Evelyn Davis Park had the right idea.

For more pictures of the park and the parade, click here.

If you're a supporter of the campaign, click here to let us know!

Iowa, Here we come!

Chris Northcross — Thu, 08 Mar 2007 15:40:05 EST

Hey folks!

Jessica and I will be loading up the camera and the rest of our gear and heading out to join Senator Obama out on the road as he makes several stops stops through Iowa this weekend. (specifically, Dubuque, Clinton, Davenport, Muscatine and Burlington.) We'd like to see you all out there and we'd love to hear what you have to have to say. Tell us about yourself and what you want to tell Barack Obama.

If you're planning on attending one of these events and want to tell us about yourself or what you want to tell Barack Obama, drop us a line. Let us know which events you plan on attending and hopefully we'll be able to meet you there.