Posts with the tag Las Vegas

Happy New Year of The Bible 2010 by Paul Broun

Peter from Carrollton, TX — Sun, 31 May 2009 19:26:07 EDT

2010 Year of the Bible by Paul Broun AP/Photo

Happy New Year of The Bible 2010 by Paul Broun

On our countdown to a new year in 2010, Paul Broun (R-Ga.) wants everyone to ring in the “Year of the Bible”. He wants to pass legislation to honor the good book. Opposition is strong in the Democratic party, but whats the big deal? We’re already burning them suckers in Afghanistan. I wrote a post about it, and got negative feedback from every dem, saying I’m a GOP’r in disguise. In fact, I’m just a student pointing out similarities between different governments past and present. That isn’t choosing sides at all. When people see a political blog, they are automatically trying to figure out what party I am affiliated with. None. Well, whoever decides to pay me the most. Just kidding(That’s illegal for all you kids out there, no selling votes.) Sorry for ranting but I’ve been enraged at some of my readers that just don’t get the whole picture. Someone said I’m a Christian that hates America. No, I’m a Christian that loves America; the thought of America more like it. It used to stand for something, and all I see and read is how far it has gone from what our forefathers set forth to achieve. I am not ashamed of being an American. Our differences are what makes this country unique. I say instead of the “Year of the Bible”, we just go with the Chinese astrology and name it after an animal. Or we can ring in the New Year as a world united. All across Washington people are joking about what year its going to be after that. Year of the encyclopedia? Quran? Las Vegas escort Pamphlets? Whatever the year, I’ll be ringing it in with a smile, knowing I’m in a country that spends too much time on a stupid idea. Hey Paul Broun, think of a way to get your ass back to work on important things.

Henderson Brainstorming

Pam Chalkley — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 12:54:08 EST

Ten concerned citizens met on February 8 in Henderson, NV, to discuss the Economic Recovery and Reinvestment Plan, better known to many as the stimulus plan. They are incensed that Republicans in the Senate have, yet again, hijacked democracy and derailed not only our best chance at getting this country back on the fast track to recovery but quite possibly our only chance of survival in today’s rapidly (rabidly) declining economic conditions, apparently oblivious to what led to their demise in the recent election.

Poll results obviously have not changed our landscape, but the same rumble that rocked this country to its new leader is fueling the small groups gathering in dining rooms and living rooms in every state, to talk about how to light flickering fires and fan bigger ones. Ten people around a table watching a governor answer questions may not seem like much, but those ten people brainstormed ideas to push this stimulus through. The idea that ultimately saves our nation could come from a similar meeting.

The more important outcome is what happens with the ten people at this meeting: Each has committed to bringing more friends to the next meeting and growing a larger coalition of like-minded people devoted to healing our nation’s ills. They will strive to rebuild a sense of community that works together to link elbows to take on the forces of resistance that persist in blocking any and all proactive measures to correct the destructive legacy of the previous administration.

Another goal is to present to the Obama Administration, through the Organizing for America arm, a set of suggestions put together by the group that they believe will be instrumental in various aspects of what is happening at a particular juncture. Right now, of course, the primary focus is on getting the stimulus passed, helping more Americans understand its importance, and ensuring its transparency when it does pass.

The Las Vegas area has been hit particularly hard by foreclosures, unemployment, and – contrary to what Senator Ensign would have the country believe – dramatic state budget shortfalls ($2 billion) that will decimate our education system, state services like firefighting and peacekeeping, social services, unemployment, etc., at a time when the need for these services is at a pinnacle. Everyone in the state has a personal stake in this stimulus. If someone is not already personally affected by the economy, they likely will be in the very near term. Every homeowner has been affected by loss of equity, whether they plan to sell or not. Every renter is at risk of eviction without notice, because laws do not protect tenants if landlords are foreclosed. There is no notification process or requirement. Every worker is at risk of job loss, with the remote exception of the military (and even they are not exempt as the 1992 reduction in forces proved to the author of this piece). State employees are facing a forced salary reduction if our governor’s plan is passed.

There were thousands of meetings around this great country of ours similar to this one. The Henderson group is dynamic and diverse. They are serious and focused. Most of them have been politically astute for many years; however, they would like for others to become more involved in their communities and more politically active to effect the type of change that is needed in today’s climate. Just as it took a storm to elect this president, it will take a tsunami to bring about the type of change he promised and this country so desperately needs. The storm has subsided. The tsunami is building strength: it started with ten (times thousands); those ten will bring twenty more. Then those twenty will gather their forty. You don't have to know us to join our group. Please watch for future house parties to be posted on my.barackobama.com and be sure to RSVP on the website.

Together … yes, we can! We did. We shall.

Proposed New Federal Law to Prevent Future Home Foreclosures

JimBO — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 17:11:05 EST

I propose a new federal law, that protects home buyers from ever losing value in their home by no fault of their own. If a home ever goes under what it was originally purchased for the mortgage company will be required to take a loss and write off the principle. At first I'm sure you are saying no way, this is wrong, and maybe even unAmerican. But what does it mean to be an American? Does it mean that we corrupt and like it that way? Does it mean that we do not look out for one another, and try to pull each other down anyway we can whether or not it's ethical or moral? It seems to me that alot of the times now a days that's exactly what it is. And we allow it to go on and turn the other cheek and just say to ourselves that's just the way it is and nothing can change it. Well not nothing. We can change it if we want to. I have put a little thought into this new law and I think it may very well be the correct solution. Let's think about it for a second. If there was a law that required a mortgage company to write down a principle if a home went under that value originally purchased, do you think maybe banks would make sure they are making good loans? Ummm absolutely. If they don't get the home value right, they will take the loss. Not the buyer. Do you think they will make sure they are not handing out risky loans? Absolutely, we all know what happens now when you have too many foreclosures. Would this create a real estate market that was fair and stable? Yes, a market that is as safe and stable as a FDIC insured savings account and a market that people would want to invest in again. One of the big problems now is that people do not trust the market anymore, and just don't want to take such a risk anymore. The law is simple and straightforward, the banks take the loss. After all they are to blame as well. They are taking the risk of whether or not you are going to pay back the loan. Now things are so bad, no one wants to pay the loan and they are risking their entire companies. Why? They're reputations are now that they cannot be trusted and now no one wants to do business with them.

Now the only problem I forsee with this law is that banks may end up dictating home prices. That's a big maybe.. I think the reason they require 20% or 10% down is just in case you pay to much for a home. So if you put 20% down and the home is worth 20% less well, the bank wouldn't take that loss. That would be on you. But if it goes beyond the 20%, then the law would state the bank would be required to write down the principle of the loan to the home value minus the 20%. This is only fair that the bank would do this. After all you've already lost everything you put down. You took that much risk. The bank should take the rest.

If anyone has any thoughts or ideas for or against proposed law, please add it to this blog.

New Law to Solve Foreclosure Crisis

James from North Las Vegas, NV — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 14:38:42 EST

I started this blog because I bought a home a few years ago in Las Vegas, when the market was hot and now I've lost so much money on my home I can't even sell it if I want to. If I did I'd probably end up with a net loss of over $100,000. It was my first home. I put nothing down, with a 5 year arm. I have good credit, and so far have not missed any payments. However because the economy in Vegas is getting worse, I'm not sure how much longer I can afford to stay in this home. And since it's not appreciating and doesn't look like the value will be coming back anytime soon, it's looking more and more like a lost cause. I know there are many others in Las Vegas that are in the same situation that I am in, so this blog will be a good place to express your anger toward the banking system and government. I believe they both share in the majority of the blame for the foreclosures. I hear talk that the Govt. is working on it and Obama is planning on doing something, but not much action or specifics as of yet. I'm not sure the government really does have a plan. At least doesn't seem like they have any real good ideas yet. So I started this blog so Americans can post their thoughts themselves and discuss some possible solutions. The foreclosure crisis is the root of all our economic problems and what triggered the recession, so we will not only be solving the foreclosure crisis, but also saving the entire country from meltdown.

Pics from AD15, Nevada staging location

Dan — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 15:18:39 EST

http://s35.photobucket.com/albums/d196/dansnet/Obama%20Victory/

Nevada Voter Protection

Vickie Pynchon — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 12:36:31 EDT

In Las Vegas doing voter protection. The polls are open for early voting and people are streaming in. The poll workers are amazing, treating every voter like a golden egg, making sure they're able to vote; resolving problems with registration by calling the registrar of voters for any problem that they cannot resolve on the ground. Makes you proud of our little "d" democracy. If you're a lawyer like me willing to devote a weekend or even just one day to voter protection, come on out.

Snake Eyes McCain

Nia "Hussein" J. — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 02:28:33 EDT

September 28, 2008McCain and Team Have Many Ties to Gambling Industry By JO BECKER and DON VAN NATTA Jr.

Senator John McCain was on a roll. In a room reserved for high-stakes gamblers at the Foxwoods Resort Casino in Connecticut, he tossed $100 chips around a hot craps table. When the marathon session ended around 2:30 a.m., the Arizona senator and his entourage emerged with thousands of dollars in winnings.

A lifelong gambler, Mr. McCain takes risks, both on and off the craps table. He was throwing dice that night not long after his failed 2000 presidential bid, in which he was skewered by the Republican Party’s evangelical base, opponents of gambling. Mr. McCain was betting at a casino he oversaw as a member of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, and he was doing so with the lobbyist who represents that casino, according to three associates of Mr. McCain.

The visit had been arranged by the lobbyist, Scott Reed, who works for the Mashantucket Pequot, a tribe that has contributed heavily to Mr. McCain’s campaigns and built Foxwoods into the world’s second-largest casino. Joining them was Rick Davis, Mr. McCain’s current campaign manager. Their night of good fortune epitomized not just Mr. McCain’s affection for gambling, but also the close relationship he has built with the gambling industry and its lobbyists during his 25-year career in Congress.

As a two-time chairman of the Indian Affairs Committee, Mr. McCain has done more than any other member of Congress to shape the laws governing America’s casinos, helping to transform the once-sleepy Indian gambling business into a $26-billion-a-year behemoth with 423 casinos across the country. He has won praise as a champion of economic development and self-governance on reservations.

“One of the founding fathers of Indian gaming” is what Steven Light, a University of North Dakota professor and a leading Indian gambling expert, called Mr. McCain.

As factions of the ferociously competitive gambling industry have vied for an edge, they have found it advantageous to cultivate a relationship with Mr. McCain or hire someone who has one, according to an examination based on more than 70 interviews and thousands of pages of documents.

Mr. McCain portrays himself as a Washington maverick unswayed by special interests, referring recently to lobbyists as “birds of prey.” Yet in his current campaign, more than 40 fund-raisers and top advisers have lobbied or worked for an array of gambling interests — including tribal and Las Vegas casinos, lottery companies and online poker purveyors.

When rules being considered by Congress threatened a California tribe’s planned casino in 2005, Mr. McCain helped spare the tribe. Its lobbyist, who had no prior experience in the gambling industry, had a nearly 20-year friendship with Mr. McCain.

In Connecticut that year, when a tribe was looking to open the state’s third casino, staff members on the Indian Affairs Committee provided guidance to lobbyists representing those fighting the casino, e-mail messages and interviews show. The proposed casino, which would have cut into the Pequots’ market share, was opposed by Mr. McCain’s colleagues in Connecticut.

Mr. McCain declined to be interviewed. In written answers to questions, his campaign staff said he was “justifiably proud” of his record on regulating Indian gambling. “Senator McCain has taken positions on policy issues because he believed they are in the public interest,” the campaign said.

Mr. McCain’s spokesman, Tucker Bounds, would not discuss the senator’s night of gambling at Foxwoods, saying: “Your paper has repeatedly attempted to insinuate impropriety on the part of Senator McCain where none exists — and it reveals that your publication is desperately willing to gamble away what little credibility it still has.”

Over his career, Mr. McCain has taken on special interests, like big tobacco, and angered the capital’s powerbrokers by promoting campaign finance reform and pushing to limit gifts that lobbyists can shower on lawmakers. On occasion, he has crossed the gambling industry on issues like regulating slot machines.

Perhaps no episode burnished Mr. McCain’s image as a reformer more than his stewardship three years ago of the Congressional investigation into Jack Abramoff, the disgraced Republican Indian gambling lobbyist who became a national symbol of the pay-to-play culture in Washington. The senator’s leadership during the scandal set the stage for the most sweeping overhaul of lobbying laws since Watergate.

“I’ve fought lobbyists who stole from Indian tribes,” the senator said in his speech accepting the Republican presidential nomination this month.

But interviews and records show that lobbyists and political operatives in Mr. McCain’s inner circle played a behind-the-scenes role in bringing Mr. Abramoff’s misdeeds to Mr. McCain’s attention — and then cashed in on the resulting investigation. The senator’s longtime chief political strategist, for example, was paid $100,000 over four months as a consultant to one tribe caught up in the inquiry, records show.

Mr. McCain’s campaign said the senator acted solely to protect American Indians, even though the inquiry posed “grave risk to his political interests.”

As public opposition to tribal casinos has grown in recent years, Mr. McCain has distanced himself from Indian gambling, Congressional and American Indian officials said.

But he has rarely wavered in his loyalty to Las Vegas, where he counts casino executives among his close friends and most prolific fund-raisers. “Beyond just his support for gaming, Nevada supports John McCain because he’s one of us, a Westerner at heart,” said Sig Rogich, a Nevada Republican kingmaker who raised nearly $2 million for Mr. McCain at an event at his home in June.

Only six members of Congress have received more money from the gambling industry than Mr. McCain, and five hail from the casino hubs of Nevada and New Jersey, according to data from the Center for Responsive Politics dating back to 1989. In the presidential race, Senator Barack Obama has also received money from the industry; Mr. McCain has raised almost twice as much.

In May 2007, as Mr. McCain’s presidential bid was floundering, he spent a weekend at the MGM Grand on the Las Vegas strip. A fund-raiser hosted by J. Terrence Lanni, the casino’s top executive and a longtime friend of the senator, raised $400,000 for his campaign. Afterward, Mr. McCain attended a boxing match and hit the craps tables.

For much of his adult life, Mr. McCain has gambled as often as once a month, friends and associates said, traveling to Las Vegas for weekend betting marathons. Former senior campaign officials said they worried about Mr. McCain’s patronage of casinos, given the power he wields over the industry. The officials, like others interviewed for this article, spoke on condition of anonymity.

“We were always concerned about appearances,” one former official said. “If you go around saying that appearances matter, then they matter.”

The former official said he would tell Mr. McCain: “Do we really have to go to a casino? I don’t think it’s a good idea. The base doesn’t like it. It doesn’t look good. And good things don’t happen in casinos at midnight.”

“You worry too much,” Mr. McCain would respond, the official said.

A Record of Support

In one of their last conversations, Representative Morris K. Udall, Arizona’s powerful Democrat, whose devotion to American Indian causes was legendary, implored his friend Mr. McCain to carry on his legacy.

“Don’t forget the Indians,” Mr. Udall, who died in 1998, told Mr. McCain in a directive that the senator has recounted to others.

More than a decade earlier, Mr. Udall had persuaded Mr. McCain to join the Senate Indian Affairs Committee. Mr. McCain, whose home state has the third-highest Indian population, eloquently decried the “grinding poverty” that gripped many reservations.

The two men helped write the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1988 after the Supreme Court found that states had virtually no right to control wagering on reservations. The legislation provided a framework for the oversight and growth of Indian casinos: In 1988, Indian gambling represented less than 1 percent of the nation’s gambling revenues; today it captures more than one third.

On the Senate floor after the bill’s passage, Mr. McCain said he personally opposed Indian gambling, but when impoverished communities “are faced with only one option for economic development, and that is to set up gambling on their reservations, then I cannot disapprove.”

In 1994, Mr. McCain pushed an amendment that enabled dozens of additional tribes to win federal recognition and open casinos. And in 1998, Mr. McCain fought a Senate effort to rein in the boom.

He also voted twice in the last decade to give casinos tax breaks estimated to cost the government more than $326 million over a dozen years.

The first tax break benefited the industry in Las Vegas, one of a number of ways Mr. McCain has helped nontribal casinos. Mr. Lanni, the MGM Mirage chief executive, said that an unsuccessful bid by the senator to ban wagering on college sports in Nevada was the only time he could recall Mr. McCain opposing Las Vegas. “I can’t think of any other issue,” Mr. Lanni said.

The second tax break helped tribal casinos like Foxwoods and was pushed by Scott Reed, the Pequots’ lobbyist.

Mr. McCain had gotten to know Mr. Reed during Senator Bob Dole’s 1996 presidential campaign, which Mr. Reed managed. Four years later, when Mr. McCain ran for president, Mr. Reed recommended he hire his close friend and protégé, Rick Davis, to manage that campaign.

During his 2000 primary race against George W. Bush, Mr. McCain promoted his record of helping Indian Country, telling reporters on a campaign swing that he had provided critical support to “the Pequot, now the proud owners of the largest casino in the world.”

But Mr. McCain’s record on Indian gambling was fast becoming a difficult issue for him in the primary. Bush supporters like Gov. John Engler of Michigan lambasted Mr. McCain for his “close ties to Indian gambling.”

A decade after Mr. McCain co-authored the Indian gambling act, the political tides had turned. Tribal casinos, which were growing at a blazing pace, had become increasingly unpopular around the country for reasons as varied as morality and traffic.

Then came the biggest lobbying scandal to shake Washington.

Behind an Inquiry

At a September 2004 hearing of the Indian Affairs Committee, Mr. McCain described Jack Abramoff as one of the most brazen in a long line of crooks to cheat American Indians. “It began with the sale of Manhattan, and has continued ever since,” he said. “What sets this tale apart, what makes it truly extraordinary, is the extent and degree of the apparent exploitation and deceit.”

Over the next two years, Mr. McCain helped uncover a breathtaking lobbying scandal — Mr. Abramoff and a partner bilked six tribes of $66 million — that showcased the senator’s willingness to risk the wrath of his own party to expose wrongdoing. But interviews and documents show that Mr. McCain and a circle of allies — lobbyists, lawyers and senior strategists — also seized on the case for its opportunities.

For McCain-connected lobbyists who were rivals of Mr. Abramoff, the scandal presented a chance to crush a competitor. For senior McCain advisers, the inquiry allowed them to collect fees from the very Indians that Mr. Abramoff had ripped off. And the investigation enabled Mr. McCain to confront political enemies who helped defeat him in his 2000 presidential run while polishing his maverick image.

The Abramoff saga started in early 2003 when members of two tribes began questioning Mr. Abramoff’s astronomical fees. Over the next year, they leaked information to local newspapers, but it took the hiring of lobbyists who were competitors of Mr. Abramoff to get the attention of Mr. McCain’s committee.

Bernie Sprague, who led the effort by one of the tribes, the Saginaw Chippewas in Michigan, hired a Democratic lobbyist who recommended that the tribe retain Scott Reed, the Republican lobbyist, to push for an investigation.

Mr. Reed had boasted to other lobbyists of his access to Mr. McCain, three close associates said. Mr. Reed “pretty much had open access to John from 2000 to at least the end of 2006,” one aide said.

Lobbyist disclosure forms show that Mr. Reed went to work for the Saginaw Chippewa on Feb. 15, 2004, charging the tribe $56,000 over a year. Mr. Abramoff had tried to steal the Pequots and another tribal client from Mr. Reed, and taking down Mr. Abramoff would eliminate a competitor.

Mr. Reed became the chief conduit to Mr. McCain’s committee for billing documents and other information Mr. Sprague was digging up on Mr. Abramoff, Mr. Sprague said, who said Mr. Reed “did a great to service to me.”

“He had contacts I did not,” Mr. Sprague said. “Initially, I think that the senator’s office was doing Reed a favor by listening to me.”

A few weeks after hiring Mr. Reed, Mr. Sprague received a letter from the senator. “We have met with Scott Reed, who was very helpful on the issue,” Mr. McCain wrote.

Information about Mr. Abramoff was also flowing to Mr. McCain’s committee from another tribe, the Coushatta of Louisiana. The source was a consultant named Roy Fletcher, who had been Mr. McCain’s deputy campaign manager in 2000, running his war room in South Carolina.

It was in that primary race that two of Mr. Abramoff’s closest associates, Grover Norquist, who runs the nonprofit Americans for Tax Reform, and Ralph Reed, the former director of the Christian Coalition, ran a blistering campaign questioning Mr. McCain’s conservative credentials. The senator and his advisers blamed that attack for Mr. McCain’s loss to Mr. Bush in South Carolina, creating tensions that would resurface in the Abramoff matter.

“I was interested in busting” Mr. Abramoff, said Mr. Fletcher, who was eventually hired to represent the tribe. “That was my job. But I was also filled with righteous indignation, I got to tell you.”

Mr. Fletcher said he began passing information to John Weaver, Mr. McCain’s chief political strategist, and other staff members in late 2003 or January 2004. Mr. Weaver confirmed the timing.

Mr. McCain announced his investigation on Feb. 26, 2004, citing an article on Mr. Abramoff in The Washington Post. He did not mention the action by lobbyists and tribes in the preceding weeks. His campaign said no one in his “innermost circle” brought information to Mr. McCain that prompted the investigation.

The senator declared he would not investigate members of Congress, whom Mr. Abramoff had lavished with tribal donations and golf outings to Scotland. But in the course of the investigation, the committee exposed Mr. Abramoff’s dealings with the two men who had helped defeat Mr. McCain in the 2000 primary.

The investigation showed that Mr. Norquist’s foundation was used by Mr. Abramoff to launder lobbying fees from tribes. Ralph Reed was found to have accepted $4 million to run bogus antigambling campaigns. And the investigation also highlighted Mr. Abramoff’s efforts to curry favor with the House majority leader at the time, Tom DeLay, Republican of Texas, a longtime political foe who had opposed many of Mr. McCain’s legislative priorities.

Mr. McCain’s campaign said the senator did not “single out” Ralph Reed or Mr. Norquist, neither of whom were ever charged, and that both men fell within the “scope of the investigation.” The inquiry, which led to guilty pleas by over a dozen individuals, was motivated by a desire to help aggrieved tribes, the campaign said.

Inside the investigation, the sense of schadenfreude was palpable, according to several people close to the senator. “It was like hitting pay dirt,” said one associate of Mr. McCain’s who had consulted with the senator’s office on the investigation. “And face it — McCain and Weaver were maniacal about Ralph Reed and Norquist. They were sticking little pins in dolls because those guys had cost him South Carolina.”

Down on the Coushattas reservation, bills related to the investigation kept coming. After firing Mr. Abramoff, the tribe hired Kent Hance, a lawyer and former Texas congressman who said he had been friends with Mr. McCain since the 1980s.

David Sickey, the tribe’s vice chairman, said he was “dumbfounded” over the bills submitted by Mr. Hance’s firm, Hance Scarborough, which had been hired by Mr. Sickey’s predecessors.

“The very thing we were fighting seemed to be happening all over again — these absurd amounts of money being paid,” Mr. Sickey said.

Mr. Hance’s firm billed the tribe nearly $1.3 million over 11 months in legal and political consulting fees, records show. But Mr. Sickey said that the billing statements offered only vague explanations for services and that he could not point to any tangible results. Two consultants, for instance, were paid to fight the expansion of gambling in Texas — even though it was unlikely given that the governor there opposed any such prospect, Mr. Sickey said.

Mr. Hance and Jay B. Stewart, the firm’s managing partner, defended their team’s work, saying they successfully steered the tribe through a difficult period. “We did an outstanding job for them,” Mr. Hance said. “When we told them our bill was going to be $100,000 a month, they thought we were cheap. Mr. Abramoff had charged them $1 million a month.”

The firm’s fees covered the services of Mr. Fletcher, who served as the tribe’s spokesman. Records also show that Mr. Hance had Mr. Weaver — who was serving as Mr. McCain’s chief strategist — put on the tribe’s payroll from February to May 2005.

It is not precisely clear what role Mr. Weaver played for his $100,000 fee.

Mr. Stewart said Mr. Weaver was hired because “he had a lot of experience with the Senate, especially the new chairman, John McCain.” The Hance firm told the tribe in a letter that Mr. Weaver was hired to provide “representation for the tribe before the U.S. Senate.”

But Mr. Weaver never registered to lobby on the issue, and he has another explanation for his work.

“The Hance law firm retained me to assist them and their client in developing an aggressive crisis management and communications strategy,” Mr. Weaver said. “At no point was I asked by Kent Hance or anyone associated with him to set up meetings with anyone in or outside of government to discuss this, and if asked I would have summarily declined to do so.”

In June 2005, the tribe informed Mr. Hance that his services were no longer needed.

Change in Tone

After the Abramoff scandal, Mr. McCain stopped taking campaign donations from tribes. Some American Indians were offended, especially since Mr. McCain continued to accept money from the tribes’ lobbyists.

Resentment in Indian Country mounted as Mr. McCain, who was preparing for another White House run, singled out the growth in tribal gambling as one of three national issues that were “out of control.” (The others were federal spending and illegal immigration.)

Franklin Ducheneaux, an aide to Morris Udall who helped draft the 1988 Indian gambling law, said that position ran contrary to Mr. McCain’s record. “What did he think? That Congress intended for the tribes to be only somewhat successful?” Mr. Ducheneaux said.

Mr. McCain began taking a broad look at whether the laws were sufficient to oversee the growing industry. His campaign said that the growth had put “considerable stress” on regulators and Mr. McCain held hearings on whether the federal government needed more oversight power.

An opportunity to restrain the industry came in the spring of 2005, when a small tribe in Connecticut set off a political battle. The group, the Schaghticoke Tribal Nation, had won federal recognition in 2004 after producing voluminous documentation tracing its roots.

The tribe wanted to build Connecticut’s third casino, which would compete with Foxwoods and another, the Mohegan Sun. Facing public opposition on the proposed casino, members of the Connecticut political establishment — many of whom had received large Pequot and Mohegan campaign donations — swung into action.

Connecticut officials claimed that a genealogical review by the Bureau of Indian Affairs was flawed, and that the Schaghticoke was not a tribe.

The tribe’s opponents, led by the Washington lobbying firm Barbour Griffith & Rogers, turned to Mr. McCain’s committee. It was a full-circle moment for the senator, who had helped the Pequots gain tribal recognition in the 1980s despite concerns about their legitimacy.

Now, Mr. McCain was doing a favor for allies in the Connecticut delegation, including Senator Joseph I. Lieberman, a close friend, according to two former Congressional aides. “It was one of those collegial deals,” said one of the aides, who worked for Mr. McCain.

Barbour Griffith & Rogers wanted Mr. McCain to hold a hearing that would show that the Bureau of Indian Affairs was “broken,” said Bradley A. Blakeman, who was a lobbyist for the firm at the time.

“It was our hope that the hearing would shed light on the fact that the bureau had not followed their rules and had improperly granted recognition to the Schaghticoke,” Mr. Blakeman said. “And that the bureau would revisit the issue and follow their rules.”

Mr. McCain’s staff helped that effort by offering strategic advice.

His staff told a lobbyist for the firm that the Indian Affairs Committee “would love to receive a letter” from the Connecticut governor requesting a hearing, according to an e-mail exchange, and offered “guidance on what the most effective tone and approach” would be in the letter.

On May 11, 2005, Mr. McCain held a hearing billed as a general “oversight hearing on federal recognition of Indian tribes.” But nearly all the witnesses were Schaghticoke opponents who portrayed the tribe as imposters.

Mr. McCain set the tone: “The role that gaming and its nontribal backers have played in the recognition process has increased perceptions that it is unfair, if not corrupt.”

Chief Richard F. Velky of the Schaghticokes found himself facing off against the governor and most of the state’s congressional delegation. “The deck was stacked against us,” Mr. Velky said. “They were given lots of time. I was given five minutes.”

He had always believed Mr. McCain “to be an honest and fair man,” Mr. Velky said, “but this didn’t make me feel that good.”

Mr. Velky said he felt worse when the e-mail messages between the tribe’s opponents and Mr. McCain’s staff surfaced in a federal lawsuit. “Is there a letter telling me how to address the senator to give me the best shot?” Mr. Velky asked. “No, there is not.”

After the hearing, Pablo E. Carrillo, who was Mr. McCain’s chief Abramoff investigator at the time, wrote to a Barbour Griffith & Rogers lobbyist, Brant Imperatore. “Your client’s side definitely got a good hearing record,” Mr. Carillo wrote, adding “you probably have a good sense” on where Mr. McCain “is headed on this.”

“Well done!” he added.

Cynthia Shaw, a Republican counsel to the committee from 2005 to 2007, said Mr. McCain made decisions based on merit, not special interests. “Everybody got a meeting who asked for one,” Ms. Shaw said, “whether you were represented by counsel or by a lobbyist — or regardless of which lobbyist.”

Mr. McCain’s campaign defended the senator’s handling of the Schaghticoke case, saying no staff member acted improperly. The campaign said the session was part of normal committee business and the notion that Mr. McCain was intending to help Congressional colleagues defeat the tribe was “absolutely false.”

It added that the senator’s commitment to Indian sovereignty “remains as strong as ever.”

Within months of the May 2005 hearing, the Bureau of Indian Affairs took the rare step of rescinding the Schaghticokes’ recognition. A federal court recently rejected the tribe’s claim that the reversal was politically motivated.

Making an Exception

That spring of 2005, as the Schaghticokes went down to defeat in the East, another tribe in the West squared off against Mr. McCain with its bid to construct a gambling emporium in California. The stakes were similar, but the outcome would be far different.

The tribe’s plan to build a casino on a former Navy base just outside San Francisco represented a trend rippling across the country: American Indians seeking to build casinos near population centers, far from their reservations.

The practice, known as “off-reservation shopping,” stemmed from the 1988 Indian gambling law, which included exceptions allowing some casinos to be built outside tribal lands. When Mr. McCain began his second stint as chairman of the Indian Affairs Committee three years ago, Las Vegas pressed him to revisit the exceptions he had helped create, according to Sig Rogich, the Republican fund-raiser from Nevada.

“We told him this off-reservation shopping had to stop,” Mr. Rogich said. “It was no secret that the gaming industry, as well as many potentially affected communities in other states, voiced opposition to the practice.”

In the spring of 2005, Mr. McCain announced he was planning a sweeping overhaul of Indian gambling laws, including limiting off-reservation casinos. His campaign said Las Vegas had nothing to do with it. In a 2005 interview with The Oregonian, Mr. McCain said that if Congress did not act, “soon every Indian tribe is going to have a casino in downtown, metropolitan areas.”

Prospects for the proposed California project did not look promising. Then the tribe, the Guidiville Band of Pomo Indians, hired a lobbyist based in Phoenix named Wes Gullett.

Mr. Gullett, who had never represented tribes before Congress, had known Mr. McCain since the early 1980s. Mr. Gullett met his wife while they were working in Mr. McCain’s Washington office. He subsequently managed Mr. McCain’s 1992 Senate campaign and served as a top aide to his 2000 presidential campaign. Their friendship went beyond politics. When Mr. McCain’s wife, Cindy, brought two infants in need of medical treatment back to Arizona from Bangladesh, the Gulletts adopted one baby and the McCains the other. The two men also liked to take weekend trips to Las Vegas.

Another of Mr. McCain’s close friends, former Defense Secretary William S. Cohen, was a major investor in the Guidivilles’ proposed casino. Mr. Cohen, who did not return calls, was best man at Mr. McCain’s 1980 wedding.

Scott Crowell, lawyer for the Guidivilles, said Mr. Gullett was hired to ensure that Mr. McCain’s overhaul of the Indian gambling laws did not harm the tribe.

Mr. Gullett said he never talked to Mr. McCain about the legislation. “If you are hired directly to lobby John McCain, you are not going to be effective,” he said. Mr. Gullett said he only helped prepare the testimony of the tribe’s administrator, Walter Gray, who was invited to plead his case before Mr. McCain’s committee in July 2005. Mr. Gullett said he advised Mr. Gray in a series of conference calls.

On disclosure forms filed with the Senate, however, Mr. Gullett stated that he was not hired until November, long after Mr. Gray’s testimony. Mr. Gullett said the late filing might have been “a mistake, but it was inadvertent.” Steve Hart, a former lawyer for the Guidivilles, backed up Mr. Gullett’s contention that he had guided Mr. Gray on his July testimony.

When asked whether Mr. Gullett had helped him, Mr. Gray responded, “I’ve never met the man and couldn’t tell you anything about him.”

On Nov. 18, 2005, when Mr. McCain introduced his promised legislation overhauling the Indian gambling law, he left largely intact a provision that the Guidivilles needed for their casino. Mr. McCain’s campaign declined to answer whether the senator spoke with Mr. Gullett or Mr. Cohen about the project. In the end, Mr. McCain’s bill died, largely because Indian gambling interests fought back. But the Department of Interior picked up where Mr. McCain left off, effectively doing through regulations what he had hoped to accomplish legislatively. Carl Artman, who served as the Interior Department’s assistant secretary of Indian Affairs until May, said Mr. McCain pushed him to rewrite the off-reservation rules. “It became one of my top priorities because Senator McCain made it clear it was one of his top priorities,” he said.

The new guidelines were issued on Jan. 4. As a result, the casino applications of 11 tribes were rejected. The Guidivilles were not among them.

Kitty Bennett and Griff Palmer contributed to reporting.

Obama/Biden Weekly Videos (09-20-08)

Stephanie Williams — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 09:00:10 EDT

New Videos from BarackObamadotcom

I was at Tonights speech in Las Vegas~

Sin City Scott — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 01:03:38 EDT

First they belittle Barack Obama's public service, laughing at him for being a community organizer and wanting to better the lives of those around him.Then they try to tell us that the change we need is to move away from a "liberal" Washington Democrat to a conservative Washington Republican as though we're stupid and don't know that the conservative Republicans have been in charge there for the last eight years.Then they flat out lie to us about their Vice Presidential nominee's record.Then their Presidential nominee - who has been in Washington for over a quarter of a century and has voted with George W. Bus 95% of the time - is the agent of change our federal government so desperately needs. Today he actually appropriated Obama’s campaign slogan word for word!? Does anyone fall for this tripe? Finally they publicly announce that this campaign - perhaps the most important of our lifetimes - will not be about issues. Rather, it will be about personalities. It will be about smear tactics. It will be about racist and sexist innuendo, and if anyone calls them on it they turn around and scream that their opponents are using the very tactics they champion. This is all accomplished with the aid of compliant media.It was bad enough that we awarded Goerge W. Bush, Dick Cheney, and Karl Rove with eight years in the White House for this sort of conduct. Heaven help us if we do the same for John McCain.I saw Barack tonight in Las Vegas. There is no denying that he GET’S IT, and has been on point since the beginning when he was vying with HRC. Senator Obama was detailed in his content, outlined solutions, how much money he’d set aside for the initiatives he outlined and how he’d pay for them. He also attacked McCain again for the lie the he would raise taxes on anyone in the Middle Class. Barack said explicitly tonight- and I was sitting 4 rows away- that if he is elected President for those who make less than $250,000 per year that your taxes “will not go up one dime!” To thunderous applause btw.22 months late in the game McCain starts running ads saying that he’s an agent of change and Barack is more of the same. I KID YOU NOT. I don’t know if you saw the exchange where Karl Rove said that the McCain campaign had crossed the line and obviously was not telling the truth…Karl Rove says this you know you really are not only a liar, but a bad liar, a very bad liar.Please fellow voters: Go register as many new voters as possible, work your ‘sphere of influence’ and get them in the fold, and for God sake’s if you’re not registered to vote- get on it folks. Every night I pray; dear Lord, please watch over my family and give us the strength and the courage to do what is right and please dear Lord- Barack for President.

Remember when this was a longshot?

SC — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 10:05:24 EDT

Snapped this pic while Barack spoke at the Clark County Administration Building in Las Vegas, NV in Spring 2007. At the time, we thought we would just go to see what he had to say, wishing fervently that the political atmosphere in America was such that his candidacy could be more than just an honorable effort in the shadow of the Great Hillary Machine.

Looking at it now, its amazing to think how far the campaign has come, how many obstacles they have sailed over, and how the wave of support for positivity and hope in politics has shown everyone in the world that millions of Americans are shrugging off the deep gloom of the Bush years.

So every time you hear McCain/Palin talk about change, think about this picture and realize what REAL change looks like.

Nov. 1-4 Road Trip to Vegas

Jennifer from San Diego, CA — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 16:36:38 EDT

(NOTE: THIS INFO IS ALSO IN "EVENTS")

8 people is enough! 8 of us are traveling from San Diego to Vegas in our Toyota Sequioa during Get Out The Vote (GOTV) time -- Nov. 1-4, 2008. There will be no transportation cost for those joining us in our vehicle.

We will do what the Obama campaign asked us to do, most likely door-to-door work -- talking to voters, dropping campaign literature. We are coordinating with the San Diego effort to bring volunteers to Nevada and expect the Obama campaign to offer free housing in local volunteer homes. (though my husband, baby and I may stay in a hotel).

As of Sept. 8, we have room for 1-2 more people. Contact Jennifer if interested. Note that we are bringing our 1-year-old baby and a woman and her elementary age son, so you must be a kid-friendly person. We will leave Saturday morning, Nov. 1 and return the evening of election day, Tuesday, Nov. 4. On the way there and back, we will make a brief stop in Irvine to drop off and pick up our son at my parent's place. NOTE: If our vehicle fills up and I expect that, we can take more cars and caravan.

Nevada Democrat Voter Registration Up - News Update

Bobi McBratney - AD 13N Neighborhood Leader Las Vegas, Nevada — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 03:22:14 EDT

Las Vegas - Channel 8

Nevada Democrats now have a voter registration edge of more than 76,000 over Republicans, according to figures released Tuesday by the secretary of state's office.

The registration totals through the end of August show that the 1.3 million total of registered voters, both active and inactive, includes 565,855 Democrats and 489,802 Republicans.

The new total is an increase of nearly 9 percent over August 2007, and a nearly 29 percent increase over the voter total at the same point in 2004."

http://www.lasvegasnow.com/global/story.asp?s=8941413

Labor Day Weekend Results

Bobi McBratney - AD 13N Neighborhood Leader Las Vegas, Nevada — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 19:54:30 EDT

Assembly District 13 North did an outstanding job this weekend with unbelievable volunteer turn-out. Thank you to all of you that endured the heat, sweat and slightly sore feet to help with our voter registration drives on Saturday, Sunday and Monday.

Thanks to everyone's efforts, we set statewide records with the registration numbers, as well as, everyone that is continually coming out to "make a change" in this country.

Barack was absolutely correct when he said this election is about all of us and not just him. We are strong in numbers and the grass roots effort is gaining more and more momentum and enthusiasm every day. YES we will turn the State of Nevada BLUE in 2008!

If you are new or a veteran to this website and want to get involved with the "Campaign for Change", I encourage you to look up the events in your area or you can contact me directly at 702-266-2848.

Featured on barackobama.com!

Amy Helton — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 00:50:15 EDT

I was so honored today to be featured on the barackobama.com website as one of their grassroots fundraising success stories!

Here's a link to the story:
http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/mollyclaflinblog/gG5FBc

It's because of many of you and your generous donations that I've reached my previous fundraising goals, so I wanted to share the news with you. Of course, you know this means that I've been inspired to raise my goal again...I'm now looking to increase my total online fundraising amount to $3,000. I'm now at $2,018, so I've got a long way to go. If you can spare $10, $25, $100....any amount helps...please click on the link below to make your donation today:

http://my.barackobama.com/page/outreach/view/main/AmyHelton

Thank you SO MUCH to all of you who've been on board with my fundraising page since the beginning and a BIG WELCOME to all of you new givers. This election year we're taking back our government, but it will only happen if we all stand up together and make our voices heard. There are lots of ways to get involved in this campaign, this historic movement for change, and giving is a great way to start.

Thanks again, and YES WE CAN!!

Las Vegas 4 Obama

Christine Justice — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 12:24:04 EDT

Hello Obama community!
I'm a resident of Las Vegas for almost 9 years. Like many who live in Nevada I'm originally from 'somewhere else.' Like many who are volunteering for Obama this is a new experience for me. I'm sure that one thing we have in-common is this may be a first time to blog for a campaign. I'd like to say that I'm eager to follow through with my pledge to help Obama in any way I can.
Canvassing, phone banking, helping register voters, blogging, and simply trying to spread the word is hard but Obama's worth it.
This is our time. Being encouraged by another volunteer is what got me interested in volunteering. I won't forget that when out and about and will try to get others interested in volunteering to get involved too.

Now more than ever we need to reach out to the supporters of other campaigns like the Hillary Clinton supporters to get them with us!
We need to have a grass roots based image here in Nevada that includes as many concerned locals as possible to make sure that people feel that their vote counts.
For so many years we've been told that Nevada is a "Republican State" or a red state. Let's show them that we democrats have the drive to turn Nevada into a "blue" state.

Respect, Peace and Light
Christine Justice
Las Vegas, NV

Native American Navajo Indians targeted by McCain and greedy senators

Marion Young — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 16:17:01 EDT

The "Straight Talk Express" in action...

Native Americans: Navajo Indians Targeted for Brutal Genocide, in Arizona, USA ...by Sen. John McCain & a Few Greedy Senators

http://www.care2.com/news/member/691012399/815662

Native American Navajo Indians targeted by McCain and greedy senators

Marion Young — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 16:08:37 EDT

Take It Easy (Obama Wins Washoe!)

Robert Mills — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 17:13:55 EST

Some Obama supporters question fairness of county convention.

I say "chill."

Close-quarters combat with the Hillary camp can be stressful stuff. I attended the Washoe County Democratic Convention Saturday and I can attest to a thick sense of hostility floating around the Reno Convention Center Ballroom. A line was painted (literally) down the middle of the floor, separating the Obama and Clinton factions definitively.

1,666 delegates decided which candidate was the best representative voice for Northern Nevada. That voice belonged to Barack Obama. In the first alignment of 1,666 delegates, there were 77 votes for John Edwards, 668 votes for Hillary Clinton and 915 votes for Barack Obama with six undecided voters. After the first alignment, John Edwards was declared a nonviable candidate and Edwards voters were required to realign with either Clinton or Obama. After the second alignment, there were 1,655 delegate votes with 11 refusing to support one of the two viable candidates. Of the 1,655 votes, 683 went to Clinton with 15 Edwards votes and 972 went to Obama with an additional 57 votes coming from the Edwards camp.

I’m hearing stories of Clinton supporters behaving unfairly to some Obama supporters at Saturday’s event. All I can say is, “what did you expect?” Following 11 major losses and the announcement of an horrendous campaign debt reaching the millions, Clinton supporters are justifiably bitter. One thing I believe--despite any failings of bureaucracy or treachery from bad-egg supporters--is the event went alright. It wasn’t perfect, but it was okay. It could have always ran smoother, but that’s hindsight. A handful of people ran a convention full of 1,000-plus divided Democrats and did so rather fairly. There will always be complaints, but one or two angry people is better than an event cancelation -- like what happened in Clark county.

I’ll admit that I saw some things I didn’t agree with, but I think that, as an Obama supporter, I was already on the defensive. In January my caucus was led by a self-proclaimed, “recovering drug addict” Clinton supporter who nearly had a “panic attack” when some Obama supporters disagreed with her declaration to close doors at 11:30 a.m. (instead of noon). Apparently, this kind of thing happened all over Nevada -- prompting legal action from both camps and the writing of letters to Congressional Candidate Jill Derby regarding voter disenfranchisement (in thousands of precincts). I think these experiences made a lot of Obama supporters (including myself) ultra-sensitive to the issue of fairness.

When I entered the convention, I analyzed the floor like a hawk. I was prepared for anything. Questions like, “why is the Clinton half of the room closer to the main entrance?,” “why are the Hillary posters bigger than the Obama posters?” and “why are Hillary people signing in delegates?” ran through my mind. I questioned the fairness of the arrangement of alternate and guest seating. I took my seat in the bleachers and waited for the worst.

Nothing much happened.

There was a heated debate over what would be done with any remaining John Edwards delegate votes if there weren’t enough Edwards supporters in attendance. Delegates debated for what seemed like an hour until we came to the decision that remaining Edwards delegate votes would be split proportionately in accordance with Nevada caucus results. Well, there were enough Edwards supporters, so the debate was completely moot.

Sometime later, alternates got to enter the delegate floor. I was one of over one-hundred people that changed their name tags from “Alternate” to “Delegate” in support of Obama. When I went to cast my vote, I didn’t know where to turn in my candidate preference card. A Hillary supporter guided me in the wrong direction and mumbled something like, “I dunno I think it’s somewhere over there.”

I learn fast.

I found the nearest Obama supporter who pointed me in the right direction and even helped me with my little, bead-necklace thing (which wasn’t necessary but still very nice of her to do).

I guess what I’m getting at is that we need to stick together and not focus on the negativity of the Clinton camp and their steadily declining bid for the presidency. We should be focusing on the positivity of our own campaign and the fact that we worked together to make Washoe County, Obama Country. We should focus on the fact that, despite the long day, we got the job done with minimal pain.

Clark County Nevada Convention

Ruth in Vegas — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 00:22:55 EST

Many of you have heard that there was a problem with the Clark County Convention in Las Vegas on Saturday. I received this email to explain what happened and a link to a youtube video.

Here is a video of our meeting with campaign surrogates and Chairs... I believe we did the right thing yesterday. My major concern about yesterday was when i saw those unsecured voting boxes floating around the room collecting our votes...(big red flag)

I must say that we made the right decision to postpone the voting and I will also add what a great turn out.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUBccoroqFo

anecdotal re Dem caucuses in North Las Vegas

Marilyn — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 20:16:50 EST

I wanted to share my 73-year-old mother's experience about how she tried to caucus for Barack in North Las Vegas today. This is anecdotal based on phone conversations with her.

She'd been contacted several times by the Obama campaign re giving her a ride to her caucus (she's vision impaired). She told me last night that she'd had more than one phone call with a young man who said he would be picking up my mother and three others at her senior complex. She suggested they meet him at the clubhouse for pick-up since it's a central location and she gave him detailed instructions on how to find it (although you can't miss it once you enter the gate). He seemed to think meeting at the clubhouse was a good idea, so he said he'd meet them there at 10:15. (She didn't know the other 3 voters, so she assumed he'd be calling them re those arrangements.) She walked to the clubhouse before 10 am today and waited...and waited...and waited... Finally someone in the complex office who works for the management company saw she was still waiting and drove her to her precinct. But en route, my mother called an Obama contact number she'd been given (she identified the person as a woman from Seattle) who told my mother she'd come by to pick her up, but couldn't find her apartment. (Clearly the whole clubhouse arrangement hadn't been related to the new driver.) The Seattle woman told my mother that the caucus location they were headed to wasn't the correct one--that in fact her location was just across the street from where she lives. They arrived at her correct caucus location at 11:50, but she was told that the doors had been locked at 11:30 and she was turned away. But...it turns out that the original caucus location she was headed to was the correct one.

My mother's best friend also lives in North Las Vegas, but was caucusing at a different precinct within blocks of her home. She told my mother that she was surprised she'd been turned away at 11:30 since at her precinct the doors had stayed open until 12:15. She said things had seemed very disorganized in her caucus and that there were MANY more people caucusing for Obama than for Clinton. This friend called my mother when she got home (having come straight from her caucus) about 1:30 this afternoon, saying they'd JUST finished...and she (friend) was stunned that Clinton had already been announced as the winner.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Have you seen the "Your PIX" section on the front page of the Las Vegas Review-Journal? There's anecdotal commentary there that sounds like some stuff might have been going on...

http://www.lvrj.com/

Stand for Change with Barack in Las Vegas Tonight!

Zachary Scott Edwards — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 19:52:07 EST

Barack will be back in Vegas tonight for a rally at UNLV in front of the student center!

Join us-- this is going to be an amazing event. The doors open at 5:30 PM and this is a great opportunity to hear Barack one last time before we caucus tomorrow at 11 AM! Get there soon!

Here is a video from the rally in Las Vegas yesterday:

Here are a few pictures from some of Michelle’s house parties yesterday and the rally with Barack at Rancho high school:

Caucus in Las Vegas

Shawn from Las Vegas, NV — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 17:10:32 EST

Hi there,

Does anyone know the answer?

Can we caucus at the Luxor at 4PM on Saturday Jan 19, 2008?

Or is that too late?

Regards,

Shawn Kalin

John Kerry Kicks Off Canvass in North Las Vegas

Zachary Scott Edwards — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 14:28:02 EST

Several dozen supporters met up with Senator John Kerry this morning to kick off a canvass of North Las Vegas neighborhoods as we prepare for the caucus tomorrow at 11 AM. Senator Kerry fired everyone up as he talked about his reasons for coming out to Nevada, and his decision to endorse Barack. You can see the respect that Las Vegas residents -- including several local veterans who showed up -- have for Senator Kerry It’s quite powerful, the younger supporters are staring admirably as the veterans talked with Senator Kerry—it’s a real testament to his leadership abilities.

There is a shared sense of urgency among our supporters and Senator Kerry—as if everyone realizes that moments like this only come along once in a generation. This group of canvassers is a perfect reflection of our campaign—there are young people, old people, retired people, businessmen, mothers, Republicans, Democrats, Independents, and yet—they all have the same determined look in their eyes. This is the moment, and the movement that can change this country and it’s clear that people here in Las Vegas sense this unique opportunity.

Our supporters are starting to get really excited down here and seem more than ready to stand up and work hard these lat important hours. People are brining sack lunches out into their precincts so they can get in as much face to face contact time today with their neighbors. The phone lines were packed—even as Senator Kerry gave his appeal to the canvassers.

Things are heating up in Las Vegas and it’s time to get involved. Find your caucus location, find your local office, and make sure your friends, family, and neighbors know about the caucus tomorrow morning at 11 AM. Stand up with our grassroots and join this movement—it’s our moment to change the world.

Judge allows casino caucuses to proceed - CNN

Becca — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 02:25:13 EST

STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Judge allows caucusing at nine casinos on the Vegas strip
Suit filed by teachers union said at-large caucuses would carry more weight
Caucuses to allow casino workers to participate approved a year ago
Obama said the timing of the lawsuit was no coincidence

Read the full story here: http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/01/17/casino.caucuses/index.html

This is a huge win for the Obama camp and I'm so happy. It seems sometimes that nothing turns out the way I wish it would - but not this time. The audacity of hope is not just a slogan!

Yes we can!

John Kerry and Michelle Obama Stand Up for Change

Zachary Scott Edwards — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 01:40:51 EST

Today all across Las Vegas, Michelle Obama held house parties with supporters and undecided Nevadans to talk about the honesty, integrity, and experience that she and Barack will bring to Washington. For several of the parties, Senator John Kerry joined Michelle to talk about working with Barack and the reasons why Barack is the best choice for president. Senator Kerry also talked with supporters in Boulder city and volunteers at several of our Obama Head quarters in Las Vegas.

Both brought inspiration with them at every stop, and fired up our supporters for the final push before we caucus on Saturday. Here is a short video from one of their house parties:

Here are a few pictures from the event as well:

Things are certainly heating up here in Nevada, and we need everyone to get out and caucus at 11 AM this Saturday. Use our lookup tool to find your caucus location, and help us get our supporters out to caucus. This is our moment for change!

Barack and Michelle Stand for Change in Las Vegas

Zachary Scott Edwards — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 00:39:25 EST

Today’s town hall was a great opportunity for people to get to know Barack and Michelle better. Barack took the opportunity to talk about what he will focus on during his presidency, and Michelle talked about the changes that Barack provides, and the honesty and integrity they can bring back to Washington.

Barack spoke about his consistent opposition to the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy that are going to cost the nation over $2.3 trillion by the time they expire in 2009. These types of tax cuts irresponsibly raised our national debt from $5.7 trillion to $8.8 trillion, which is an increase of more than 50 percent!

Barack also gave a really interesting anecdote about his friend Warren Buffet. Mr. Buffet made around $46 million dollars last year, and yet he only paid payroll taxes for the first $97,000. Barack believes that we should raise this payroll tax to cover higher incomes—but also include a gap or “donut hole” to protect middle-income earners from paying more.

Tonight, Barack also talked about his support for merit-based raises for teachers. Barack made it clear that in his administration, education will be one of the top priorities. He said that he will focus more attention on improving our national education system by investing in our schools, and he will fight for new college scholarship programs that are earned by completing community service requirements.

Barack also adamantly stated that teachers should be earning more money. The turnover rate in schools all around the country, and especially in Nevada, is a growing problem that must be tackled if we are going to improve our education system.

We’re celebrating more than just another great rally today in Las Vegas… It’s Michelle’s birthday! And while this crowd might look like they are just here for a big party—there were tons of people who were canvassing their neighborhoods all morning and afternoon. This evening’s rally with Barack and Michelle is a welcome break, but most of them are going right back over to our field offices to make phone calls!

This fight isn’t over yet, and we have lots to do before the caucus on Saturday at 11 AM. There are less than two days left and time is quickly running out to put your mark on this election in Nevada!

Tomorrow, Barack will be in Reno for a morning rally, in Elko in the afternoon, and back in Las Vegas in the evening for a rally at UNLV. You can check out more information on the Nevada homepage and also RSVP for each event.

We only have two days before we caucus in Nevada, and if you still have questions about what exactly takes place in a caucus, check out our Nevada caucus center, and get all your questions answered. It’s also time to find your caucus location! The time is now to get involved!

Here are a few more pictures from today’s Stand for Change Rally at Rancho high school in Las Vegas:

Barack and Michelle Stand for Change in Las Vegas, Nevada

Zachary Scott Edwards — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 20:56:38 EST

Rancho high school is completely packed with Obama supporters and hundreds of undecided Las Vegas residents as they prepare to hear from Barack Obama and Michelle Obama. You can see that the second floor is even packed full of people as they squeeze in to get a view of the stage. It’s become quite a common sight in Nevada for hundreds of people to show up and push all our venues to capacity.

Senator Steven Horsford already gave a rousing speech talking about why he was one of our earliest supporters in the state, and all the things we need to do to win the caucus on Saturday. He’s been volunteering regularly at our North Las Vegas office, and he is a staff and volunteer favorite. Horsford’s attitude is absolutely contagious and this audience is really getting fired up!

There is more to come (updates soon)—and you should know that everyone on the ground here in Nevada is fired up for the caucus on Saturday and ready to stand up for change!

Las Vegas Caucus Lawsuit

Brian L — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 09:47:00 EST

I am truly outraged by the Clinton's behavior regarding the pending lawsuit regarding Caucuses in Las Vegas. Had Hillary garnered the labor endorsements, then they would no problem at all with the Caucus locations. As soon as Barack was awarded the big endorsements, the Clinton smear machine went into action.This is yet another in the long line of self serving, opportunistic, back stabbing, political shenanigans the Clintons are famous for; sour grapes at its most refined. Bill Clinton, who I supported energetically in '92, is now looking like Karl Rove. The blatant twisting of the truth and the attempt to change the rules at this late date is shameful and really disgusting. I guess when a pathological liar looks in the mirror he's sees not just what he wants to see but, an a aggrandizement of what he thinks he is.

The Obabma camp must be quicker on its feet and smarter in the long run!

Brian L.

SATURDAY NIGHT PLEASE ATTEND

Americans4America — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 00:52:53 EST

EVERY CITIZEN IN THE UNITED STATES SHOULD BE AWARE OF IMPRISONED BORDER AGENTS RAMOS & COMPEAN.

SPREAD THE WORD, IF YOU LIVE IN VEGAS PLEASE ATTEND.

http://www.operationgeneration.org/RamosBenefit2008.pdf

THIS ISN'T ABOUT POLITICAL PARTIES...

THIS IS ABOUT AMERICAN CITIZENS WHO HAVE BECOME POLITICAL PRISONERS...

THIS COULD VERY WELL BE YOUR FAMILY, NEXT TIME AROUND

PLEASE PASS THIS ON TO OTHER BLOGGERS, FRIENDS, BARACK, AND EVERY PERSON YO KNOW.

THIS COUNTRY IS ABOUT UNITY RIGHT? SEE YOU THERE

Can this really be a race without race now

Dreamer from Killeen, TX — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 18:18:29 EST

I am worried that the racial tensions between the clinton and obama camps has become engraved in the presidential campaign now. Race is the most sensitive topic among people. Someone is always talking about it with somebody somewhere and now I think people are going to be tempted to vote in a black v. white fashion and I hope that will not happen.

MSNBC Nevada Caucus Democratic Presidential Debate Transcript

Matthew Negrete — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 17:53:37 EST

Here is the transcript for the January 16 MSNBC Nevada caucus Democratic Presidential Debate.

Do you know about?

Americans4America — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 06:31:33 EST

Ramos & Compean?

What about US Border Agents Ignacio "Nacho" Ramos & Jose Compean?
363 days of injustice. Click on the following link for full story.
http://agentramos.blogspot.com/

This case has been profiled on America's Most Wanted numerous times. John Walsh
joins in the fight to "Free Ramos & Compean"
http://www.amw.com/features/feature_story_detail.cfm?id=1369&mid=0

Vegas road trip for Obama

Deb from South Pas — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 20:42:55 EST

I just got back to Southern California from a weekend in Nevada, helping canvass voters in the Las Vegas area. About a dozen volunteers from California spent a whirlwind 36 hours there, and it was an experience I'll never forget (I'll spare everyone the raw sewage anecdote). This was the first time I'd been involved in a campaign since I was an idealistic 13-year old convinced that George McGovern would be the next President. That's how long I've waited to be inspired and hopeful again.

The supporters we met and the undecided voters who welcomed our message gave me renewed hope that we CAN get this done, one voter at a time. Please hear the call and do whatever you can to help Obama win!

Here's a link to a video of one of my new volunteer friends talking about an experience she had with a voter in Las Vegas.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FAgVEJ1g3C0

Fired Up Before the Las Vegas Debate

Zachary Scott Edwards — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 19:55:23 EST

This is what Fired Up in Las Vegas looks like!

Here in Las Vegas, Nevada, things are heating up and Obama supporters are as far as the eye can see! We are about an hour away from the final debate before the Nevada caucus this Saturday.

Local supporters have lined the streets with signs and are chanting “Yes We Can!”

The caucus is all about ground game here in Nevada, and our supports not only show up early for events, but they show up ready to go!

Don’t forget to tune in. The debate starts at 6 PM PST! There have been record numbers of people for our crowds here in Nevada this last week, and you know Barack is going to be full of energy and enthusiasm.

We are FIRED UP… but we need as much help as we can before the Nevada caucus this Saturday… Join Us!

Show Your Support in Las Vegas Tonight

Michael Pipe — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 17:35:41 EST

Exactly two months ago, Nevada held a Democratic Presidential Debate on the campus of UNLV. Obama supporters filled the streets around the parking lot of the Cox Pavilian waving signs and chanting "Fired Up! Ready to Go!" Here's a video of Obama volunteers making signs before the debate:

Tonight, there is another debate at the Cashman Theatre in North Las Vegas. If you are in Las Vegas:

Show Your Support for Barack
Tuesday, January 15, 3:45 p.m.
Cashman Theatre
Parking Lot B
850 North Las Vegas Blvd
Las Vegas, Nevada

Stay tuned to the blog for live coverage of the pre-debate visibility.

Video: Las Vegas Town Hall Attendees Pledge to Caucus for Barack

Michael Pipe — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 11:18:24 EST

After every Obama town hall meeting, rally, and meet the candidate event in Nevada, volunteers encourage new supporters to sign supporter cards and pledge to caucus for Barack in five days on January 19.

Here's a video featuring a some of the newest supporter of Barack's campaign here in Nevada. This video was shot after a Stand for Change town hall meeting with Sen. Obama at Del Sol High School in Las Vegas.

If you're from Nevada, click here to fill out an online supporter card.

Video: Barack Obama, Culinary Workers Join Forces to Canvass for Change in Nevada

Michael Pipe — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 13:45:11 EST

UPDATE: Check out this video of Barack canvassing a neighborhood in Las Vegas:

Yesterday, Barack Obama and members of the Culinary Workers Union went door to door to encourage Nevadans and Local 226 members to stand for change in next Saturday's caucus.

Speaking to the Culinary workers at the canvass kickoff event, Obama said:

"This is a time of great economic uncertainty for many Americans. People are working harder for less and paying more for everything from health care, to college tuition, to filling up the gas tank. The time has come to help the middle class reclaim the American dream."

Obama, who began his career as a community organizer, canvassed a Northeast Las Vegas neighborhood with Culinary Workers Union President Geoconda Arguello Kline and Local 226 members. The union represents over 60,000 members in Nevada and announced its endorsement of Obama for President on January 9th. The Obama campaign also took to the doors on Saturday, when volunteers and supporters launched canvasses from hundreds of staging areas across the state.

"The time has come to help homeowners who are struggling to pay their mortgages, provide relief to those who were ripped off by lenders, and raise the minimum wage so working families can afford the rising costs in this country," Obama continued. "Now is the time to put divisive politics aside and come together as a nation to solve our problems and bring about change we can believe in."

Click here to canvass for change in your neighborhood.

Barack Meets with Precinct Captains at Doolittle Community Center

Zachary Scott Edwards — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 11:43:39 EST

Last night in Las Vegas, Barack met with local Precinct Captains and their families at the Doolittle community center—basically the Obama campaigns second home—you can check out our other past events at Doolittle here, here, here, here, here, and here.

The caucus this coming Saturday is all about ground game, about making sure that every precinct has strong supporters dedicated to making phone calls, canvassing their streets, and following up with the Obama supporters to grow our grassroots. It takes passion and dedication to get out there and work for change— and let me tell you—our captains here in Nevada have plenty of that!

One of the most inspirational parts of our campaign is the supporters who don’t necessarily have enough time to dedicate themselves to a precinct captain position—but still get involved in a very meaningful capacity. The passion that Barack instills in people is contagious, and we consistently see volunteers exceeding even their own expectations and rising to the occasion to get involved and stand up for change.

One of our fantastic organizers in North Las Vegas, Max Stahl, got this letter from a supporter, Helen, who he helped to get fired up:

Hi Max,
Thank you for your diligent communications and encouraging me to participate in Obama's campaign. As you know I signed a pledge card and committed to volunteer after attending a rally at Doolittle Recreation Center in North. Las Vegas. The lines were long and parking was far away even then. But I could see that Obama's sincerity was real.

Today, Jan. 12, 2008, was one of the most exhilarating days of my life. I had a chance to get involved in the political process on more than just voting and hoping the candidate of my choice would win. My friend Sharon and I decided that we wanted to canvas in an area where people may not feel that they are a part of the American Dream. Along with our precinct captain, we knocked on doors and talked to people on the street who agreed to sign pledge cards and recruit family members to do so. We helped them see that Barack Obama truly wants to make America a better place to live for all of us.

At the end of a long day, we felt like we were walking on water! I refused your offer to become a precinct captain and continued to spread the word via my email campaign. However, today, I felt like the Captain of my own ship and will be proud to say I was not a spectator, but helped to make something wonderful happen.

Keep up the good work!!

This is what it’s all about. Not only wanting change—but working for change. We need as many supporters as possible for the caucus starting at 11 AM this Saturday. Join Us and Our Movement for Change.

To give a taste of what the meeting at Doolittle was like, here are some pictures:

Nelson and Leslie: Standing Up for Change

Zachary Scott Edwards — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 16:31:10 EST

Yesterday, all across Nevada, thousands of Obama supporters were reaching out to friends, family, and neighbors to let them know about Barack and the Nevada caucus that is less than a week away. Two of our great supporters in Las Vegas, Nelson and Leslie, hit the streets to make sure that everyone was aware of Barack’s commitment to working families and to ensure that they are engaged and able to caucus this Saturday at 11 AM.

Nelson is the son of a Culinary Union member. If you have ever visited Las Vegas, you were almost certainly served or assisted by a member of the 60,000 member strong Culinary Union.

Here is a video of the canvass—and if you look closely—you will see one of our native treats that are served throughout the streets of Las Vegas—corn on the cob with a butter, mayonnaise, and a delicious spice mix—it’s just another one of those great things about Las Vegas that tourists never get a chance to try!

We have tons of events coming up in Nevada as we prepare for the caucus this coming weekend, and we need everyone to get involved.

Tonight at 6 pm… Pahrump Stand for Change Town Hall

Tomorrow: Three Events… Three Cities… One Day

Carson City Stand for Change Town Hall with Barack Obama

Meet the Candidate with Barack Obama in Fallon

Reno Stand for Change Rally with Barack Obama

Video: Barack at Del Sol High School in Las Vegas, Nevada

Zachary Scott Edwards — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 12:21:17 EST

Check out this video of Barack’s trip to Del Sol High school in Las Vegas:

frustration ...

Jillian — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 03:26:44 EST

How the caucus precincts are set up is something for the state party to decide -- how is it okay for a politician from somewhere else to come in and start telling the state party how to do things, especially when it looks like deliberate tampering to affect the outcome of the caucus, one week before the event? ((Sigh)) In a perfect democracy, none of this would be an issue -- we wouldn't need special precincts because there'd be a national holiday to ensure everyone's opportunity to participate if they chose. If Obama did something to keep painters from participating in the caucus because the painters union endorsed Hillary Clinton, that'd be immoral -- regardless of how often painters choose to participate in the democratic process. But you know what -- he wouldn't do that. He's not that kind of person.

A Change We Can Believe In

Zachary Scott Edwards — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 23:58:07 EST

At tonight's town hall at Del Sol high school, Barack discussed health care and his first hand experience caring for his mother and her struggle with the medical insurance industry. Barack lost his mother at a young age, and he described how, in her final days, she was spending her time worrying over the details of her insurance coverage.

Barack has said that he is committed to a comprehensive health care plan that brings costs down as the first priority. He also made it clear that there will be a big roundtable discussion where all ideas can be brought forward, but he also made it abundantly clear the insurance and pharmaceutical companies won’t be leading this discussion anymore.

“We will all be sitting around the table--- but you know the insurance companies won’t have all the chairs…and I’ll have the biggest chair—because I’ll be president…but we will do it on CSPAN, because then you will see what’s going on, and you will be able to watch us to make sure we are doing your business.”

A government that doesn’t try and hide behind closed doors -- a government that lets the people participate in the process that directly affects them -- this is the kind of change Barack Obama will usher in as president. This is truly the election where we can take back Washington.

The Nevada caucus is January 19th. Help us take back Washington by getting involved. This is our moment for change.

Las Vegas Town Hall Meeting

Eric Chatfield — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 23:16:46 EST

So I'm in Las Vegas this week working, and I heard that Barack was going to have a town hall meeting at a local high school...so I get my online ticket and rub it in to my wife that I get to go and she doesn't.

After work, I head to the school. The event is set to start at 5PM. I got there about 4:15. The line to get in was easily a city block long already. I was standing with some really nice people who had lived in the area for over 50 years. After a while their daughter and grand-daughter came also. I found out that the grand-daughter was married to Mitt Romney's second cousin. I thought it was pretty funny.

So after two hours in line (the line had easily doubled in length since I got there), I was almost at the gymnasium doors when the closed them down because the fire marshall said they were at capacity at 2500 people. They left a large crowd outside the gym doors and had set up speakers so the crowd outside could hear the speeches.

Then Barack came to the crowd outside to thank everybody that came and apologize for everyone not being able to get inside. He was very nice and the crowd was very excited to caucus next week. He shook a lot of hands (I didn't get close enough, but I did get close enough for a photo of him) and then went into the school.

I didn't wait around outside to hear the speech, but I might try to go to the Town Hall Meeting on Sunday in Pahrump. I'll be sure to get there early!

Rally at Del Sol in Las Vegas

Zachary Scott Edwards — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 22:58:20 EST

I have never seen this many people waiting for a Barack Obama rally in Las Vegas. There were so many people that the fire marshal had to stop letting people in.

Never fear—Barack held a makeshift rally on top of a picnic table right outside the gymnasium! According to Barack and staffers, there were nearly 2,000 people outside that couldn’t make it into the packed auditorium- but you sure couldn’t tell that they never made it to the rally! These people are FIRED UP down here in the Silver State. And from the sound of it, they can’t wait for next Saturday for the opportunity to caucus for him.

The event is about to start now and the Governor from Arizona Janet Napolitano, who just endorsed Barack this morning--- is introducing him.

Things are heating up in Nevada. Barack is in town.

I’m Caucusing with the Culinary— Culinary Members Fired Up

Zachary Scott Edwards — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 21:00:39 EST

You can see the passion in the eyes of these organizers and union members. They looked long and hard at the candidates, and they didn’t choose Barack on a whim. You can feel it -- this crowd is passionate about getting Barack elected. They seem absolutely electric for the chance to really get down to the work that comes so naturally to them.

Culinary President D. Taylor with other fired up Culinary members

This is what a movement looks like. This is what the Obama grassroots looks like. Si Se Puede.

Si Se Puede – Yes We Can

Zachary Scott Edwards — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 20:27:33 EST

The sound of Queen’s “We Will Rock You” was blasted through the room filled with Culinary Union members as the members chanted “Obama, Obama, Obama.”

This is what a Culinary Union Rally in Las Vegas, Nevada looks like. The members gathered tonight at the Culinary Union headquarters seem more than ready to meet their candidate of choice, Barack Obama. Through their chants of “Union, Union, Union” you can hear hundreds of individual conversations going on about how they are going to make sure that their union makes a huge impact on the caucus this year.

With the world watching, the Culinary Union members plan to speak loud and clear—the candidate for working families in Nevada is Barack Obama.

The members are all saying the same thing: “We plan to make the Las Vegas Dream the American Dream. And if we stick together—we will make it happen!”

Look at the room—that is Si Se Puede indeed (Yes We Can)

Watch Las Vegas Youth Support Obama on Nickolodean News Sunday at 9p.m.

vette58 — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 03:14:56 EST

Hello Everyone,

Showing their support of Senator Obama, our daughters Alyse and Dominique will be featured on Nick News this Sunday, Jan 13th at 9:00 p.m. on Nickolodean Channel 23. Check your local listing for time and channel if you're outside Las Vegas.

Alyse and Dominique were included in a special kids program reporting on the 2008 presidential campaign and their focus on the Obama campaign and their canvassing activities in the neighborhood.

Warmest Regards,
Yvette Williams

Stand for Change Town Hall Meeting with Barack in Las Vegas

Michael Pipe — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 20:45:49 EST

Senator Barack Obama will attend a rally with members of Culinary Workers Union before hosting a Stand for Change town hall meeting at Del Sol High School in Las Vegas this Friday, January 11th. He will be meeting with Nevadans from across Las Vegas to fire up supporters and undecided caucus-goers ahead of the January 19th caucuses. This will be Barack Obama’s 11th visit to Nevada since announcing his plans to run for president.

Town Hall Meeting with Barack Obama in Las Vegas

Del Sol High School Gymnasium
3100 East Patrick Lane
Las Vegas, NV 89120

Friday, January 11, 2008
Doors Open: 5:00 pm

Click the link below for more info or to print out your free tickets:

http://nevada.barackobama.com/LasVegasTH

Video: Nevadans Ready to Build the Momentum

Michael Pipe — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 04:12:38 EST

Nevadans are ready to build the momentum.

Check out this video from the Iowa Caucus Watch Party in Las Vegas:

Help change the world.

"West Wing" Actress Kathryn Joosten Coming to Nevada

Michael Pipe — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 19:46:41 EST

Las Vegas, Nevada – The Barack Obama campaign announced today that “Desperate Housewives” actress Kathryn Joosten will phone bank with local volunteers and supporters tomorrow, Saturday, December 29th in the Southwest Las Vegas office. Joosten, who previously starred as Mrs. Landingham in “The West Wing,” will call Las Vegas residents to encourage them to support Senator Obama and join his growing grassroots movement for change in Nevada and across the country. Later in the day, Joosten will attend one of the Women for Barack Obama house parties being held across the state. Senator Obama’s sister, Maya Soetoro-Ng, will call into the gatherings.

RSVP for the Women for Barack Obama house party with Kathryn.

Nevada Precinct Captains: Dave and Joe in Las Vegas

Michael Pipe — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 15:14:17 EST

A few days ago I called up Dave Anson and Joseph Godlewski, who are co-captains of Clark County's 5387 precinct, and asked them if we could sit down and talk about why they're supporting Barack. They instantly agreed and invited me over for morning coffee and a healthy dose of politics.

Check out some video from of our conversation:

Samantha Power Visits Nevada -- Wrap Up

Michael Pipe — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 14:35:45 EST

This past weekend, Samantha Power, one of Barack Obama’s top foreign policy advisors, spent the day sharing Barack's vision of the world here in Nevada. Ms. Power is a professor at Harvard and won the 2003 Pulitzer Prize for her book entitled "A Problem from Hell": America and the Age of Genocide. Here’s a brief recap of the weekend’s events:

Ms. Power began the day at a foreign policy forum sponsored by the One Campaign at the University of Las Vegas, Nevada. Throughout the discussion she stressed that Barack has long been championing the major foreign policy issues of the twenty-first century. Click here to read Zach’s recap of the forum.

After departing UNLV, Ms. Power stopped by two house parties in Southern Nevada - one in Sun City Las Vegas and another in Henderson. Here’s a video from the Sun City house party:

House Parties with Samantha Power

Michael Pipe — Sun, 16 Dec 2007 17:51:20 EST

In addition to speaking at a forum on Darfur and Africa yesterday, Samantha Power (Harvard professor, award-winning author, and foreign policy advisor to Barack Obama) spent quality time with undecided caucus-goers and Obama supporters at two house parties in Nevada.

At each house party Ms. Power gave a short introduction about herself and Barack’s vision for a post-Bush administration world. She then welcomed the audience to ask her whatever was on their minds and promised to relay Nevadans’ concerns to Barack himself. She was asked, “When should we stop negotiating with dictators?” Here’s her answer:

"There’s plenty bad to say about Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad but to say it from here, from Washington, from America and throw these verbal grenades – the idea that that’s tough but going in the room is somehow weak and naïve? When have we ever achieved anything in the way of diplomacy or peace making by lobbing verbal grenades from far way and not by meeting with theses guys? Nixon went to China and met with Mao. Kennedy talked to Khrushchev. We will not diffuse global tensions unless we’re willing to get in the room and Obama was the first candidate who was prepared to say and do that."

Ms. Power began at a gathering in Sun City Las Vegas.

And finished the day with a house party in Henderson.

Check back in with the Nevada HQ Blog for video from Samantha Power's visit to Nevada.

Barack Obama to Meet with Students in Las Vegas Today

Michael Pipe — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 12:15:22 EST

Today, Barack Obama will meet with high school and college students in Las Vegas. Here are the details for the event:

2:15 PM
Clark County Public Library
1401 E Flamingo Road
Las Vegas, NV 8911
MAP

If you have time between studying for finals and taking finals be sure to stop by the library for this free event! You can RSVP here.

More updates to come...

Last night, students from Green Valley High School stopped by the Las Vegas HQ to volunteer their time.

Alex, the field organizer for Green Valley High, thanks the students for their hard work.

The Pain of Healthcare Costs

Zachary Scott Edwards — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 00:24:42 EST

One of our most dedicated volunteers at the Flamingo Office in Las Vegas, William, pictured here on the left, was hurt over the Thanksgiving holiday and was forced to go to the emergency room. The costs were so high that after he left the hospital he couldn’t purchase the medicine that he had been prescribed. All over the country people are facing the problem that even though they want healthcare, they just can’t afford it.

Listen to William explain his personal health care crisis:

Barack Obama has a universal health care plan that will cover every American and bring down the cost of a typical family’s premiums by $2500 – more than any other proposal in this race. Once this plan is implemented, if there are still Americans who do not have health insurance, he will do whatever is necessary to cover every American.

Barack Obama disagrees with the plan to achieve universal coverage by forcing everyone to buy health insurance. In Massachusetts, they are already doing one of two things with the people who still haven’t purchased insurance – they are either telling people who can’t afford it that they don’t have to buy it after all, or they are fining people for not buying it.

Barack believes the reason people are uninsured isn’t because no one’s forced them to buy health care, it’s because no one’s made health care affordable. That’s why his plan does more to cut the cost of health care than any other proposal in this race.

William knows the reality of not being able to pay for insurance that you want and need. William was shocked at the thought of having mandatory medical insurance, because car insurance is mandatory, and since he can’t afford it, he has to use public transportation.

William gets fired up about the thought of universal health care coverage without making sure that lowering payments is the top priority:

Read about Barack’s plan for quality affordable health care.
Full plan in .PDF format.

Read Frequently Asked Questions about the Obama health care plan.

Let’s make a change we can believe in!

Welcome

Amy Helton — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 17:38:11 EST

Thanks for visiting! I'm looking to share support in the South/Southwest region of Las Vegas, particularly Southern Highlands, to organize and raise support for Barack Obama in the January 19 caucus.

I have periodic Precinct Leadership meetings at my house. Please let me know if you'd like to get involved. I just set up a group for my precinct (6534) and would love you to join if you feel you can lend a hand!

GO BARACK!!

Amy

HILLARY LOGIC

rommelo — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 06:16:33 EST

When democrats point out differences with Hillary Clinton, they are not Democrats they are Republicans. There are plenty of people who acknowledge these differences and agree with them. I guess Hillary's campaign are calling them all Republicans.

The logic is as follows: unless you support Hillary, you are a Republican. But as I remember in the Las Vegas debate, DEMOCRATS were booing other DEMOCRATS, and Hillary did not speak against these actions, instead continued their talking point, DEMOCRATS should not be attacking other DEMOCRATS.

Sounds to me like hypocrisy pure.

New Edwards line: If Hillary was not willing to denounce such actions, while at the same time denouncing actions against herself as "Democrats against Democrats" there must be a double standard to her logic. They are not based on principle but on faulty logic. If Democrats go against her, they are not Democrats but Republicans. And the American people are not just democrats, they are Republicans, Democrats, Independents, and so on....

The LV debate still angers me...

She must be called on her slime politics. How to do that without seeming like they are whining?

Rally in the Hallway

Michael Pipe — Sun, 18 Nov 2007 23:45:28 EST

After the UNLV debate on Thursday night, Barack Obama drove from the Cox Pavilion to Paradise Cantina to give a pep talk to 200+ dedicated volunteers. "Let's go change the world" was received with thunderous cheers and applause and Barack flashed his smile and it only grew louder. He then shook hands, hugged supporters, and signed autographs before departing to the Paris Hotel to address the Nevada Clark County Democrats at their annual JJ Dinner.

Check out this video of what ensued in the hallway of the convention. Brace yourself.

Hillary Dealt the Losing Hand in Vegas, the Democrats Debate

Matthew Negrete — Sun, 18 Nov 2007 00:58:20 EST

On Thursday, November 15, the seven Democratic presidential candidates debated the issues in Las Vegas, Nevada at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas (UNLV). This debate was broadcasted on Cable News Network (CNN) with moderator Wolf Blitzer. As the title partially suggests, this debate further spiraled in the contest between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. The candidates at this intense debate were Senator Barack Obama (IL), Senator Joe Biden (DE), Senator Hillary Clinton (NY), Senator Chris Dodd (CT), former Senator John Edwards (NC), Congressman Dennis Kucinich (OH), and Governor Bill Richardson (NM). Former Alaska Senator Mike Gravel was not invited due to the CNN criteria-failure of raising $1,000,000, in which, his campaign has reported $240,000, thus far. In this post, I will highlight the foreign policy issues, as well as, the building rivalry between Senators Clinton and Obama, and why I did not like the quality of the debate.

Barack Rallies Supporters Minutes After the Debate at UNLV

Michael Pipe — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 22:30:45 EST

Obama supporters in Nevada were fired up from Barack's performance at the Democratic Presidential Debate in Las Vegas. Minutes after the debate at UNLV, Barack drove over to the Paradise Cantina Restaurant and fired up over 200 supporters. This was a real treat for our volunteers who had given up their day to help hold signs and cheer for Barack.

Many of these supporters had volunteered at the sign war throughout in the day. Holding rally signs in the hot sun and chanting "Fired Up! Ready to Go!" for hours is a true test of endurance. But these Nevadans were up to the challenge!

Their chants in the video below were as loud and passionate as ever. Enjoy:

The Nevada Obama Staff Deserve A Round of Applause!

vette58 — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 05:25:31 EST

Wow! What an incredible event. The Nevada Obama staff planned and executed an award winning event yesterday. The rally featured volunteers wearing "fire it up... he's ready to go" t-shirts, with signage (large and small), mega phones, and fired up supporters that you would have thought were on steroids. The energy level was as high as the biggest fans at the superbowl. The Obama team definately stole the show prior to the debate. And if that wasn't good enough, the team moved to the JJ Dinner at the Paris Resort and ended the night with another "tremendous" show. More on this event later.

So on behalf of Obama supporters and volunteers, CONGRATULATIONS Nevada Obama Staff on an awesome job during the CNN Las Vegas Debate. We are very proud and excited about the temendous impact the activites made and feel confident many votes were wonyesterday. A BIG HIGH FIVE. To see live footage of the Pre-debate and JJ Dinner Rally go to http://nevada.barackobama.com/page/content/nvhome

The Nevada Obama Staff Deserve A Round of Applause!

vette58 — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 05:24:31 EST

The Nevada Obama Staff Deserve A Round of Applause!

vette58 — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 05:23:21 EST

The Nevada Obama Staff Deserve A Round of Applause!

vette58 — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 05:22:33 EST

The Nevada Obama Staff Deserve A Round of Applause!

vette58 — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 05:21:19 EST

The Nevada Obama Staff Deserve A Round of Applause!

vette58 — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 05:20:26 EST

The Nevada Obama Staff Deserve A Round of Applause!

vette58 — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 05:19:39 EST

The Nevada Obama Staff Deserve A Round of Applause!

vette58 — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 05:18:51 EST

The Nevada Obama Staff Deserve A Round of Applause!

vette58 — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 05:16:13 EST

The Nevada Obama Staff Deserve A Round of Applause!

vette58 — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 05:15:13 EST

The Nevada Obama Staff Deserve A Round of Applause!

vette58 — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 05:14:01 EST

The Nevada Obama Staff Deserve A Round of Applause!

vette58 — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 05:12:29 EST

The Nevada Obama Staff Deserve A Round of Applause!

vette58 — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 05:11:34 EST

The Nevada Obama Staff Deserve A Round of Applause!

vette58 — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 05:03:57 EST

The CNN-Las Vegas Democratic Presidential Debate Transcript

Matthew Negrete — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 12:24:23 EST

Here is the transcript for those who were not able to watch the November 15 CNN-Las Vegas Democratic Presidential Debate. As a note, I will write my commentary in the next few days.

CNN and Nevada State Democratic Party Conspire In Favor of Sen. Clinton!

Eli Corp — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 00:49:27 EST

I want to comment on a couple of issues relating to the Debate because I feel it is important to speak out about it. I have had some inside information about how this debate was conducted and I think that CNN and those who organized this debate have a responsibility to answer for the way it was conducted. It was clear at the CNN Nevada Debate on November 15th that CNN was not unbiased or impartial in how they conducted the "debate" or in their post debate analysis. I give CNN an F on how they conducted this debate, and I will detail why.

You may have noticed that there was an obvious audience bias in favor of Sen. Hillary Clinton and often times an audience bias against Sen. Edwards and Sen. Obama. It was clear when Clinton gave her answers the audience was screaming and clapping, but on several occasions Barack Obama, John Edwards and Dennis Kucinich were actually booed and interrupted by protesters. There is actually a logical reason for this kind of not-so-subtle bias in the audience and in the moderators, and I have some inside information about what occurred in the last 48 hours before the debate that dramatically changed the dynamics of this debate.

Watch the Audience Reaction and How Nothing Was Done to Stop the Heckler:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70adwv66r7s

Live from the UNLV Debate: A Sea of Red

Michael Pipe — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 23:08:07 EST

Check out a clip from earlier today. In case you can't tell - we're the ones in red.

"LOUDER!"

12:45 @ UNLV Pre-Debate Rally

Zachary Scott Edwards — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 16:44:00 EST

The volunteers in Las Vegas have been pumped up all week for the chance to attend a debate watch party with Barack, and get out in the streets and show what it really means to be FIRED UP! We are dwarfing every other campaign and cars are constantly honking at our “Honk for Obama” sign. It’s amazing!

Two new volunteers arrived at UNLV and went straight to the streets. They were both beaming at the prospects of our campaign and what we have in store for the rest of the day…

Tawanda is pictured on the right and she didn’t even try to hide her excitement: “This is my first time at an event and it’s awesome! I feel honored and privileged to be a part of Nevadans for Obama. A change is coming, and his name is Barack Obama!!!”

One of our other local supporters Phil was yelling pumped about the differences between the supporters lining the streets outside UNLV. “Young, old, white, black, Latino… it doesn’t matter. You can see that there’s greater diversity among the Obama supporters here.”

Phil is totally right about our diversity. Barack has helped us bring together so many different people, and you can see the excitement in the eyes of young people who would have probably never been involved in politics had it not been for our campaign. This dynamic makes us so much stronger and you can see the excitement…but I wish you could hear it right now too!...

We have barely gotten started!!

More videos and pictures to come!

Bring Your Passion for Barack to UNLV

Michael Pipe — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 09:24:36 EST

Tonight at 5PM PST the University of Nevada, Las Vegas will be hosting the Democratic Presidential Debate sponsored by CNN and the Nevada State Democratic Party.

To prepare for the sign war that will ensue in the parking lot of the Thomas & Mack Center, Obama supporters were hard at work last night.

Here's a video to get you fired up for today!

Be sure to come down to Tropicana and Swenson and show your support for Barack.

Stay tuned for more live updates from the UNLV campus.

SUGGESTION FOR BARACK OF TOMORROWS DEBATE

'Wale — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 15:16:11 EST

Already Senator Clintons surrogates have come out to start attacking Barack for an answer he gave on "Meet The Press" last Sunday: http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/11/14/466224.aspx

On Sunday, Tim "Timmeh" Russert never read the full answer Barack gave in a previous interview they had in 2004 at the Democratic Convention, but instead used an incomplete quote to try and stump Barack with his question. Barack inturn (through no fault of his) gave what might be a mis-construed answer.

I have a feeling that Hillary Clinton will try to bring this up in the debate tomorrow night and I want Barack to be ready for it. Personally I would put the entire answer he gave Tim Russert (back in 2004) on an mini-audiotape player and play it live when Hillary brings it up. This was his answer and I quote:

'But, I'm not privy to Senate intelligence reports,' Mr. Obama said. 'What would I have done? I don't know. What I know is that from my vantage point the case was not made.' But Mr. Obama said he did fault Democratic leaders for failing to ask enough tough questions of the Bush administration to force it to prove its case for war. 'What I don't think was appropriate was the degree to which Congress gave the president a pass on this,'

So as you can see, although Barack was obviously protecting John Kerry and Edwards as best he could, he still stressed that he felt the case for War had not been made, and still critisized congress for giving Bush a free pass by authorizing the war.

SOMEONE PLEASE PASS THIS ON TO BARACK!

Sneak Peak of General Tony McPeak Nevada Visits

Michael Pipe — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 22:27:01 EST

Retired Four-Star General Merrill “Tony” McPeak led two foreign policy discussions in Pahrump and Boulder City today. Yesterday, General McPeak spoke and took questions from people at four stops throughout Northern Nevada! We have pictures and video from General McPeak’s dialogue with Nevadans in the hopper. Stay tuned.

In conjunction with General McPeak’s tour of Nevada, here is a video of Nevada veterans and family of veterans talking about we they believe Barack Obama should be the next Commander-in-Chief of the United States.

Online Polls

Lisa Beyer — Sat, 27 Oct 2007 03:14:56 EDT

PLEASE VOTE:

DFA Las Vegas

DFA Henderson

Celebratory Event Brings Out African American Community Leaders

Michael Pipe — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 17:32:51 EDT

Zach blogged about the Nevada Launch for the African Americans constituency group last Tuesday night. In case you were unable to attend check out the videos from two of our amazing Nevada supporters: Assemblyman Kelvin Atkinson and Obama Nevada Leadership Member Rose McKinney-James. Michael Strautmanis, a senior adviser to Obama for America, also spoke at the Ice House in Las Vegas Wednesday evening.

Assemblyman Kelvin Atkinson gives his pledge card pitch:

Rose McKinney-James talks about why she is involved in Barack's campaign:

Michael Strautmanis tells the audience to not be filled with fear but with hope.

To join African Americans for Barack Obama contact Stephen Brokaw (email) for more information.

UNLV Students Organize for Barack on Campus

Michael Pipe — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 20:05:16 EDT

Chapters of Students for Barack Obama are forming in high schools and colleges all across the country. Students here in Nevada are eager to organize and spread the word about Barack. The University of Nevada, Reno has been featured on the Nevada blog before and has a fantastic grassroots presence on campus. Their bretheren and sisters in the south are organizing the campus of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

Sara Arthrell, president of Students for Barack Obama at UNLV, spoke with me for a few minutes after a meeting the group held in the Student Union. Check out some of our interview below:

To learn more about Students for Barack Obama in Nevada and how you can get involved please email Nevada Youth Vote Director Justo Robles (email).

Students Speaking Out for Barack

Zachary Scott Edwards — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 23:17:08 EDT

Students Speaking Out for Barack

The Las Vegas Students for Barack Obama chapter helped to bring over 200 students to the Cheyenne High School community event on Thursday. Their dedication to Barack’s message of hope, and our movement to change Washington is truly inspiring. With their help, our organization reaches out to thousands of new supporters, and they have encouraged a long overdue dialogue with young people.

Several students were moved by issues that specifically concern their friends and family, whereas others were inspired to action though Barack’s message of hope and unification.

No matter how you look at it—the Obama campaign is reaching out to students all across Nevada—and students are tuning in, and standing up for change.

At the community event with Senator Obama on Thursday, several students wanted to make sure that other young people heard their reasons for working for Barack. Their candid honesty is apparent, and you will notice a maturity typically held by people who have followed politics for years.

Our campaign wouldn’t be possible without these students’ important contributions…

Rebecca Stephanie

MatthewBritney
LindsayAndre

If you would like to join Students for Obama contact Justo Robles at Jrobles@barackobama.com.

The Judgment to Lead: Two Cities-One Day

Zachary Scott Edwards — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 19:53:52 EDT

On Thursday in Nevada, Barack Obama delivered a firm warning about the risk of making the same mistakes with Iran that we made in Iraq.

Over 2,000 supporters in Reno and 1,500 in Las Vegas turned out to hear Barack talk about his plan for getting American troops out of Iraq and improving our standing in the world.

Obama’s plan to end the war in Iraq would remove all of our combat brigades within 16 months, while launching the diplomatic and humanitarian initiatives that are needed to advance stability and alleviate suffering in Iraq and the region. He said that the same political excuses some politicians used to justify their vote for the Iraq war are now being used to give this Administration cover for potential military action in Iran.

Before the event in Las Vegas, Barack got a chance to meet with local precinct captains and long-time supporters. One young supporter let Barack know that even though she was only in middle-school, she was still a dedicated volunteer and working hard to convince her family and friends to support his campaign.

Barack is mobilizing tens of thousands of supporters in Nevada and our campaign has energized young people all across the state. Their work for our campaign—and all the work they did to make sure that hundreds of their fellow Cheyenne High School students showed up to hear Barack speak --truly speaks volumes about the energy and passion that Barack is bringing back to politics.

The grassroots youth movement is empowering a whole new generation of active citizens who will someday be leading their communities. It’s impossible to quantify these new surges in political activism and our campaign is consistently surprised by the fantastic work of our young supporters. Barack is going to bring change to Washington, and his message is helping to build the largest grassroots movement of students in generations. Young people want change and they are definitely working to bring it!

Rebel Pride

Michael Pipe — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 17:52:33 EDT

After Barack finished up his first leg of his "One Day Two Cities" swing through Nevada, Obama supporters joined in the festivities on the UNLV campus.

It's Homecoming Week at UNLV and students, faculty, and administrators enjoyed some food and music on campus today.

Students for Barack Obama were busy signing up supporters and handing out tickets for the Las Vegas Community Event with Barack Obama tonight. Nathan from Las Vegas (above) manned the Obama table for an hour or two and answer questions about Barack's policies and positions.

I'm headed off to the Las Vegas event right now! I'll see you there!

International Day Parade in Las Vegas!

Zachary Scott Edwards — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 09:12:28 EDT

On Saturday, the Hispanic International Day Parade winded its way through the streets of downtown Las Vegas as Obama volunteers were out in full force signing up new supporters and celebrating the cultural melting pot that is Nevada.

According to the Hispanic International Day Parade of Nevada website there were over 21 countries participating in this year’s festivities. This type of community engagement is exactly what Senator Obama has been dedicated to his entire life. Our campaign would be remiss to not participate in such an important event that brought together thousands of people to further the important discussions about international communities in America.

Our campaign prides itself on the diversity of our staff and supporters. Together we are working to bring important changes to communities all across the country.

Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky Speaks about Barack

Michael Pipe — Mon, 08 Oct 2007 19:54:04 EDT

Here's a video from the house party that Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) spoke at over the weekend. The Congresswoman talked about how Barack appealed to Illinois Republicans in his successful 2004 Senate campaign without "trimming his progressive values." Rep. Schakowsky also gives a behind-the-scenes look at how Barack handles himself under pressure. Check it out:

Read up on Congresswoman Schakowsky's efforts to fight for health care for children and some background information about the Congresswoman.

First Friday in Las Vegas with the Obama Campaign

Zachary Scott Edwards — Sat, 06 Oct 2007 14:26:04 EDT

It’s the first Saturday of the month, and all of Las Vegas knows what that means… Yesterday was First Friday! It was also the five-year anniversary of our monthly art festival that has become a staple for locals looking to enjoy the great art, music, food, and street performances that Las Vegas has to offer. The Obama campaign set up our first booth and got to enjoy the sights and sounds while connecting with dozens of new supporters. Some of our regular volunteers just showed and were happily surprised that we were attending one of the greatest festivals that Southern Nevada has to offer.

From the First Friday Website:

The air is light, the spirit festive and the drinks cold in Downtown, where, once a month the pedestrian-friendly streets transform into a huge block party during FIRST FRIDAY. Each celebration, the entertainment shifts and multiplies as ice sculptors, fire breathers and fortune tellers serve as a back-drop for this ongoing festival of art perusal and appreciation. Local bands perform throughout the evening, and the streets turn into canvasses for children (young and old) to decorate with chalk. FIRST FRIDAY is a stage for local galleries and Las Vegas' vital Downtown cultural scene. It's a place to meet friends new and old, and rejoice in the preservation and innovation of an historical neighborhood. In this land of suburbs and strip malls, visitors come from near and far to people-watch, sample new restaurants and revel at area bars.

If you are ever in the Las Vegas area on the First Friday of the month, we highly recommend taking a trip down to this great event. Maybe you’ll even run into the Obama campaign while you’re down there!

Calling All Grassroots Volunteers to Las Vegas Jan. 13 - 19th, 2008?

vette58 — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 14:24:15 EDT

Campaign and grassroots groups in Nevada are working hard to win the Nevada Caucus for Senator Obama and could use help from our out of state supporters.

If you're looking for the perfect excuse to visit Las Vegas, this is it! We're looking for supporters the week of January 13 - 19th to help walk our precincts to door knock, lit drop, and make phone calls to solidify Obama supporters for the Caucus on January 19th.

If you're interested, please join this group and provide your direct email address by becoming my friend. More information will be forthcoming as we move closer to the date and work out the logistics. Thank you in advance for your support and consideration. Yvette Williams Administrator, Nevadans 4 Obama

Out of Many, One

Michael Pipe — Sun, 23 Sep 2007 21:07:54 EDT

Thanks to all the Obama supporters from Orange County, California, and Phoenix, Tucson, and Yuma County, Arizona, for giving up their weekend and volunteering here in Las Vegas. Border State volunteers helped out our Las Vegas supporters by collecting pledge cards, registering new voters, and phone banking. Thanks for the good times this weekend!

Last week we had a group of volunteers drive in from Los Angeles to lend us an extra 120 hands and feet. Will, an intern in the Las Vegas office, spent some quality time with last weekend's Border State crew and wrote the following blog entry:

Last weekend in Las Vegas, we were privileged to have over 60 volunteers come all the way from Los Angeles. The volunteers helped out the campaign with their tremendous effort, and we couldn’t have achieved as much as we did this weekend without them.
One great volunteer that came in last weekend was named Bryce, a 17-year-old high school student. Bryce came to help Barack Obama in Las Vegas because he believes Barack cares about young people and the issues that they care about. “Obama is inspiring, a real leader,” said Bryce. “He’s not the normal politician. I want to see him as commander-in-chief.” The Iraq War and Social Security are two issues that Bryce sees as affecting his life.
Steven, another volunteer this weekend, has the simplest, and probably the most important reason to support Barack: his two children. After seeing Barack on his book tour for The Audacity of Hope, Steven immediately knew Barack was the best person to create a safe and prosperous future for his children.
The 60 volunteers that traveled from Los Angeles to Las Vegas are testament to the powerful reach that Barack has when bringing people together.
During my conversations with Bryce, Steven, and the other Los Angeles volunteers, I couldn’t help remember the first time I knew Barack Obama was the candidate I wanted to work for.
My hope for the future really started with just a few words spoken by Barack at the Democratic National Convention.
“It is that fundamental belief: I am my brother’s keeper, I am my sister’s keeper that makes this country work. It’s what allows us to pursue our individual dreams and yet still come together as one American family. E pluribus Unum: ‘Out of many, one.’”
Those words meant more to me than just a good campaign slogan in a stump speech. Those words were a call-to-action, and for the first time, I felt like there was a chance that America would not always be split along red states and blue states, Democrats and Republicans, young and old, the haves and have-nots. I saw a chance to build a stronger American community. One based not on fear and distrust, but of hope and a common purpose.
I dropped out of my last semester of college, delaying my graduation, to come to Nevada to intern for the Obama campaign. I have never made a better decision.

Barack Obama Tackling Foreclosure Crisis

Michael Pipe — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 14:24:33 EDT

At the Doolittle town hall meeting in Las Vegas, an audience member asked Barack Obama, “What are you going to do when you are elected president to end these deceptive practices [subprime loans and predatory lending]?”

Right now, Nevada has the highest foreclosure rate in the country and there are thousands of Las Vegas residents who have lost their homes because of deceptive lending practices. Two recent articles (“Coping with a Real-Estate Bust” and “U.S. Home Foreclosures Soar in August”) detail the toll that foreclosures are having on Americans.

In the video below Barack Obama talks about the Stop Fraud Act that he introduced in the Senate in February 2006. Barack wants to protect homeowners from unfair mortgage practices while not giving handouts to home speculators looking "to make a quick buck."

Watch Barack’s answer below:

Matching Donations are Sweeping the Nation

Michael Pipe — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 23:59:58 EDT

Check out some of the responses we've been receiving from our new Matching Donors program.

I am a middle school teacher who strongly supports Barack's drive to change Washington politics. I am fed up with the current status quo. I know that even the smallest donations really do make a difference! Together we can change the U.S. in a positive direction. Please tell your friends about Sen. Obama and continue to support his drive for a better America!
Shelby from Henderson

Please be a part of something new and different. It's time for a change and Barack Obama is the one who can bring about real change to our political system!
Tamya from Las Vegas

This is the person who will make the difference for all Americans in their daily lives and to be respected again in the world arena for leading the way towards world peace. He can do it as no other candidate can. He marches to a different beat of the drum than all the others. That beat is the American peoples’ beat.
Patty from Gold Hill

This is the first time I've ever contributed to a political campaign. Why? Because Barack Obama is the first candidate who gives me hope for our future.
Marty from Reno

If you feel inspired by what people are saying about Barack and want to donate, click here.

Another Successful Organizational Meeting

Michael Pipe — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 21:04:41 EDT

Last night, Obama supporters in northwest Las Vegas gathered for an organization meeting at Parson Elementary School to learn more about the campaign and each other. Nevada Field Director, Michael Moffo, shared with supporters the importance of organizing for the Nevada caucus. Michael also spoke about the "amazing progress" that the campaign has made here in the Silver State. People came for the light refreshments but stayed for the informative presentation.

Thanks to everyone that attended the meeting! In case you couldn't attend the meeting here are some pictures from Parson...

Not Voting for Barack Out of Fear??

Amber — Sun, 16 Sep 2007 00:37:01 EDT

Here in Las Vegas I've discovered there is a prominent train of thought amongst some Black voters. It goes like this:

They love Barack Obama so much that they're not going to vote for him because they feel if he's voted into the office of president, he will be assassinated. So they're trying to keep him alive....

To the Black people here and around the country who have that attitude I would say: If you truly believe Barack is the answer to what is wrong with this country - GIVE HIM YOUR VOTES! Please leave the rest up to GOD! IF Barack is divinely slated for assassination it will happen whether he's president or not! In the meantime let's at least give him a fighting chance to help turn this country around! PLEASE!! He can't do it without your votes, so show some love the right way!

Burning the Midnight Oil

Michael Pipe — Sat, 15 Sep 2007 04:30:56 EDT

We are burning the midnight oil on Friday night here at the Las Vegas office. We are heading into a busy weekend and so we'll be up late preparing for two big events. First, a new team of Border State volunteers drove in from Los Angeles to help out for the weekend and field organizers are finishing up some activities that will keep our border state volunteers active all weekend. Secondly, we are also holding an organization meeting for the Southwest region of Las Vegas. This meeting will empower hundreds of volunteers with tools to help them organize for Barack in their neighborhoods.

Check back on Saturday and Sunday for more posts featuring the Border State volunteer s and the SW Organizational Meeting.

Here's are some of the most dedicate people I know...

From Apartheid To Darfur: Africa's Struggle Against Disdain

Lisa Beyer — Sun, 09 Sep 2007 16:03:34 EDT

Join us in Las Vegas!

Mark you calendars! ONE is thrilled to announce a community partnership with the Black Mountain Institute (BMI) as they present a landmark panel exploring the significant challenges facing Africa today.

On September 11, please join UNLV President Emerita Carol C. Harter and fellow ONE members for BMI's Africa Forum, "From Apartheid To Darfur: Africa's Struggle Against Disdain."

Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka will lead a group of distinguished authors; Chris Abani (Nigeria), Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (Nigeria), Alexandra Fuller (Zambia), and Chenjerai Hove (Zimbabwe)--in a discussion about the complex contemporary legacies of colonialism, war, famine, genocide, dictatorial rule, and the AIDS epidemic in Africa.

For event details or to RSVP, CLICK HERE

What: Africa Forum, "From Apartheid To Darfur: Africa's Struggle Against Disdain"
Who: UNLV's Black Mountain Institute
Where: UNLV Beam Music Center Recital Hall
When: Tuesday, September 11, 7:00 P.M.
Cost: Free

This will be an amazing opportunity to hear from some of the greatest African literary minds and learn from their experience about the culture, politics, and challenges facing Africa. Hope to see you there.

Thanks,
Megan Jones, ONE.org

Barack's Commitment to Education Inspires Organizer

Michael Pipe — Sun, 09 Sep 2007 01:24:12 EDT

Kate Nowak has been on the ground here in Nevada since July 1st helping to organize Southwest Las Vegas. She attended Camp Obama last June and has used her organizing skills to empower her volunteers and improve the overall quality of work at the Obama headquarters.

Before Kate came to Nevada, she was an educator of children with special needs in Queens, New York. Her passion for education is evident everyday at the Las Vegas HQ.

In the video below, Kate talks about her admiration of Barack's commitment to education.

Having worked closely with Kate over the past three months, I've been witness to her never-ending ability to push those around her to do their best. She is an inspiration to the young and old alike. We are proud here at the Nevada HQ to have Kate Nowak working on our team.

Community Turns Out for Barack at Doolittle

Michael Pipe — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 23:24:46 EDT

It's my pleasure to present the inaugural video from the Nevada New Media Team.

Before the doors to the event swung open, people were lined up all the way down the block! We truly appreciate everyone who braved the Vegas heat to see Barack at the Doolittle Community Center...

More video of Barack firing up the Doolittle crowd coming soon...

(If you have pictures from the event and would like us to post the pictures, email them to
nevada@barackobama.com)