Posts with the tag Pennsylvania

Organizing in Shippensburg

Joshua Neyhart — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 16:26:51 EDT

I decided to day to see what I could do. I want the people of Shippensburg and the surrounding area to meet and see what they can do to once again influence change. This is a very conservative area, but I know that there are plenty of democrats and progressives around here. I set up and event for next Sunday, so we'll see what happens! I am very excited. I would like to sit down and meet with locals who would like to see change and see what we as a group could do. It might start and be very very simple. But we could grow into something big. We'll see what happens. I'll keep everyone updated. So if you think you can make it, PLEASE come out! It'll be fun and we can take step one to making changes in the community.

UNITED AGAINST RACISM

WEBMASTER — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 12:46:34 EDT

Hi Friend

There is a new group that just started on Facebook that I thought Organizing for America members may be interested in joining. Please see United Against Racism -

http://apps.facebook.com/causes/354956/80588439?m=9dc74a6e

United Against Racism

posted by David Apperson

OFA at West Chester, PA Swingin' Summer Thursday

Bill of Downingtown — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 08:36:51 EDT

On Thursday, August 6, OFA will canvass at Swingin’ Summer Thursday in West Chester, PA.

http://www.west-chester.com/boroughcal.php?z=9&c=&d=2004-09-05&t=m&f=l&p=1&t2=&f2=&p2=&time=1244514226

I love meeting people at public events like this. And this time it is doubly important. We will be asking for declarations of support for the President’s three health care reform principles. And we will, of course, supply the contact information for our two US Senators and all locally based Congresspeople so that the people we meet can contact their representatives directly.

If you are based in Chester County, PA or anywhere close by, please join me and other members of OFA in our canvass. Training will be provided at the start.

Find the event and sign up at

http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/search_simple?source=sidenav

Thanks.

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton Swears In Dan Rooney as US Ambassador to Ireland

Michael from Milton, MA — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 09:02:52 EDT

(Comments of Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, July 1, 2009)

Well, good afternoon, and welcome to the State Department. I came off the injured reserve list – – in order to officiate at this ceremony because I could not be more delighted than to make official what is going to be so well received in Ireland and means so much to Americans, not only Irish Americans but all Americans, and that is the swearing-in of our new ambassador to Ireland.

Now, we do have special guests with us, and I thank the Irish chargé d'affaires for being here, Mr. McDaid, and I thank Mrs. Collins for being here as well. Her husband, the ambassador, is in Ireland as we speak. And having Senator Robert Casey, my colleague, here, as well as Attorney General Eric Holder is a special treat.

Now, I’m not sure that we specifically mentioned all of the Rooneys who are here. Please forgive us if we forgot anyone. But this is just a representative sampling of the Rooney family.

You know, we may be meeting in Washington, but the city at the heart of today’s celebration is Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. And in recent years, Pittsburgh has staged a remarkable comeback. It has made such great strides in transforming its economy and developing its high-tech sector, and those are accomplishments that led President Obama to select Pittsburgh as the site for the meeting of the G-20 this September.

Pittsburgh is rich in arts and culture, and, of course, it continues to shine in sports. It is, I think, an understatement to say that with the Pittsburgh Penguins winning their third Stanley Cup, and, of course, the Steelers winning the Super Bowl for a record-breaking sixth time, the site of Pittsburgh is not only a great place to showcase business, but also the success of American sports as well.

And today, we are celebrating the man behind the Steelers, one of Pittsburgh’s leading citizens and our next ambassador to Ireland, Mr. Dan Rooney. Ambassador Rooney is assuming this post at a crucial time. Ireland is one of our closest allies. Our countries are connected by political, economic, cultural, and certainly familial ties. And we share a deep and rich history, one that continues today. It is sustained and enhanced by the millions of people in both nations whose family and loved ones live in the other. And I witnessed that firsthand when I marched in the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Pittsburgh last year. I never saw so many people – until, of course, I got to Scranton, Bob.

Forty million Americans boast Irish heritage, and I expect we have a few in the room today in addition to the Rooneys. And as every American can attest, those of our neighbors and friends who are sons and daughters of Ireland are fiercely proud of their ancestry. And we are so grateful to the Irish immigrants who sweated and sacrificed to build this country and who broke down barriers at every level of society.

The friendship between Ireland and the United States is vital to both of our nations, and President Obama and I are confident that it will deepen with Dan and Patricia Rooney in Dublin. We have a great team here together. This is a partnership. These are civic leaders and successful people who are also lifelong supporters of Ireland.

In the early 1970s, after a trip to Ireland in which Ambassador Rooney saw for himself the destructive effects of deprivation and division, he founded the American Ireland Fund. Today, the Ireland Funds operate in 11 countries worldwide, uniting people of Irish descent to further progress in their ancestral homeland. And as Dan Rooney knows, the children and grandchildren of immigrants often have a deep desire to contribute to the nation where their families got their start.

And so today, Chargé McDaid, we are sending you one of our very best. There is no greater champion of Irish-American relations than Dan Rooney. And in the months ahead, as we work together to address the many challenges we face, from the global economic downturn, to the threat of terrorism, to climate change, to the development of clean energy sources, as well as to our continuing emphasis on the peace process in Northern Ireland, I am confident that with Dan Rooney as our ambassador, our partnership will thrive, and that will benefit Ireland, the United States, and all the world’s people.

So Ambassador Rooney, if you’re ready, I am ready to administer the oath. Please raise your right hand.

(The Oath of Office was administered.)

http://www.state.gov/secretary/rm/2009a/july/125539.htm

http://www.irishamericansforobamabiden.blogspot.com/

Pennsylvania Election Blog

WEBMASTER — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 09:33:00 EDT

As President Obama recently related to me regarding local service; "Now is our time to work together, reaffirm our enduring spirit, and choose our better history."

It is our responsibility as Americans to vote, and vote we must. And now is the time to prepare for the next election. I invite all citizens of Pennsylvania to post a message on the Pennsylvania Election Blog.

Pennsylvania Election Blog
pennsylvania-election.blogspot.com

BARACK OBAMA FIRST 100 DAYS

WEBMASTER — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 13:23:01 EDT

During the first 100 days of the Obama presidency we have seen outstanding leadership in tackling the many issues facing our great nation. And it seems that overwhelming poll numbers indicate that America agrees with President Obama. see THE WHITE HOUSE

The question remains; What can we as fellow Americans do to help our neighbors and countrymen? Included are nine things you can do to help the President celebrate his first 100 Days in office:

1. Donate unused suits to the Salvation Army
2. Donate time to Americorps
3. Donate toys for children at Toys for Tots
4. Donate blood at the Red Cross
5. Donate a can of food each week to a Local Shelter or Food Pantry
6. Donate money to Save the Children
7. Donate time at local a Veterans Hospital
8. Donate an hour a day to your Child
9. Donate to the Make a Wish Foundation

Participation is greatly appreciated. What you do for the least of our brethren, you do for yourself -
http://donate.barackobama.com/page/community/post/president/gGxWJh

Barack Obama First 100 Days posted by David Apperson

President Obama Nominates Daniel Rooney as Ambassador to Ireland

Michael from Milton, MA — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 19:59:19 EDT

WASHINGTON, D.C. – March 17, 2009

Today at the White House, President Barack Obama announced his intent to nominate Daniel Rooney as the Ambassador to Ireland.

President Obama said, "I am honored and grateful that such a dedicated and accomplished individual has agreed to serve as the representative of the United States to the Irish people. Dan Rooney is an unwavering supporter of Irish peace, culture, and education, and I have every confidence that he and Secretary Clinton will ensure America’s continued close and unique partnership with Ireland in the years ahead."

Dan Rooney is the recent recipient of the American Ireland Fund’s Lifetime Achievement Award and honorary Commander of the British Empire for contributions to peace and reconciliation in Northern Ireland, has played an integral role in the Irish peace process since the early 1970s. In 1976, Rooney co-founded the American Ireland Fund, an organization which to date has raised over $300 million for peace and education programs in Ireland. Rooney founded the annual prize for Irish Literature in 1987 and co-founded the Ireland Institution of Pittsburgh in 1989. In 1993, the "Rooney Fellowship" was created to honor his generosity and charitable works. Chairman of the Pittsburgh Steelers, the winners of Super Bowl XLIII, Rooney was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2000. He has been the recipient of various awards in relation to his work within the community and for his involvement with the National Football League over the last 26 years, including: the Sporting News NFL Executive of the Year in 1972 and 2001, the Maxwell Football Club Reds Bagwell Award in 1999, and, in 2008, the YWCA Racial Justice Award and the Ellis Island Medal of Honor presented by the National Ethnic Coalition. Rooney also led the sports world’s efforts to include diversity beyond the field and into the front office through the "Rooney Rule."

http://www.irishamericansforobamabiden.blogspot.com/

MISSING CHILDREN - IMMEDIATE WEB CIRCULATION NEEDED - PLEASE HELP

Please Help Missing Children — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 13:21:03 EDT

Daniel Zamlen - Endangered Missing - Minnesota

Nathaly Alonzo 12 - Abducted - Delaware

Joshua David Avara 11 - Abducted - Texas

Sandra Cantu 8 - FOUND DECEASED

JACK CONNOLLY 7 - FOUND DECEASED - KILLED BY NON-CUSTODIAL FATHER WITH VIOLENT HISTORY - NO SUPERVISED VISITATION

DUNCAN CONNOLLY 9 - FOUND DECEASED - KILLED BY NON-CUSTODIAL FATHER WITH VIOLENT HISTORY - NO SUPERVISED VISITATION

BRITTANY WELLS 17 - SUSPECTED RUNAWAY - NORTH DAKOTA

Rochelle Denise Battle 16 - MISSING - MARYLAND

ALLYSON CORRALES 4 - ENDANGERED MISSING - MISSOURI

Mariah Sparks - MISSING CHILD - ALABAMA

Amber Leeanne Dubois - Endangered Missing - California

Haleigh Cummings - Endangered Missing - Florida

Tierny Perry 16 - Endangered Runaway - Florida

Adji "Ji Ji" Desir - Endangered Missing - Florida

SAMANTHA CHER HOWELL 15 - ENDANGERED RUNAWAY - NEW MEXICO

Jeff Renaud - Missing - Ontario

Crystal Ann Fox - Missing - California

Mystic Dawn Salazar - Missing - Colorado

Omar Qutaiba Mahoud - Abducted - New Mexico

Nadia Mahmoud - Abducted - New Mexico

Pebbles Jace - Missing Endangered - California

Max-Gian (Max-Jon) Alcalde 7 - Missing - Idaho

Ashley Nicole Lopez 18 - Endangered Runaway - New Mexico

Wendy Rameriz-Beristain - Endangered Missing - Florida

Marlene Torales - Endangered Missing - California

Claudia Vanessa Yat - Endangered Missing - California

Tangena Hussain 2 - Endangered Missing - Michigan

Jaliek "Jay" Rainwalker 12 - Endangered Missing - New York

Elian Amilcar Majano 2 - Endangered - Texas

Benjamin “Ben” Melvin Roseland - Missing - Iowa

Yasmin Acree - Missing - Illinois

Amy Fitzapatrick - Missing - Spain

Adrian Gonzalez 7 - Endangered Missing - Florida

Neida Rodriguez-Gonzalez 3 - Endangered Missing - Florida

Thor Danielsson Wang 1 - Endangered Missing - California

AMBER ADELIA BITTINGER 15 - ENDANGERED RUNAWAY - NEW MEXICO

Latoya Fleming 6 - Endangered Missing - New York

JOANNA CANO 15 & ANGEL 6 mo. - "PERSON OF INTEREST" WANTED FOR 1ST DEGREE MURDER - NORTH CAROLINA

XYLONIA BEGAY - MISSING - NEW MEXICO

MADELEINE MCCANN 4 - MISSING - INTERNATIONAL

Tabitha Tudor 18 - Endangered Missing - Tennessee

Kyle Fleischmann - Missing - North Carolina

Justin Gaines - Missing - Georgia

Donna Jou - Missing - California

Jason Michael Rourk - Missing - Georgia

Jennifer Keese - Missing - Florida

Mark Degner - Missing - Florida

Brian Hayes - Missing - Florida

Maura Murray - Missing - New Hampshire

Tabitha Tudors - Missing - Tennessee

Branson Perry - Missing - Missouri

Suzanne "Suzy" Gloria Lyall - Missing - New York

Karen Wilson - Missing - New York

Michael Mayfield - Endangered Missing - Texas

Pamela Mayfield - Endangered Missing - Texas

Puppet Theatr OBAMERICA «Petrushki In St. Petersburg».

Spiral — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 23:57:21 EST

February 21 09 по February 21 12

Creating UNITY across DIVERSITY!
Through the synthesis of the arts in the Puppet Theater, and social networks to Go Green! Showcases the ground-breaking applications and content addressing the natural environment, promoting environmental sustainability, integrating the principles of environmentally sustainable development into country policies and programmes, reversing the loss of environmental resources including biodiversity, reducing the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water and improving the lives of slum dwellers.Vsevolod Meyerhold lifelong dream of reviving with Balagan and PetrushkA. Eisenstein and Kozintsev until 1929, continued the search for new nforms of farce to the cinema. Indispensable and very important part of St. Petersburg culture were famous city festivals and entertainment with their original genre, themes, images, verbal and entertainment, gaming art. Relevant components of this culture was Petrushka A national hero doll. Favorite of many cities, popular throughout the vast space of Russia, St. Petersburg, he had his face was unique, as is North Palmyra. Incarnation freedom, irrepressible energy, the wise people's words and laughter, it is not accidentally turned alien impersonal Soviet reality and hold on for many decades in dusty cabinets museums, stood as a unique rarities. Created by a journalist and poet Irina Dudina actual dome for surprisingly mobile and multi-screens, invented sponsor, the curator of cultural programming fund Shemyakin - Yuri Shevnin used not only for its intended purpose (as theater screen), and at the same time witty, unconventional way advertising. The draft takes into account the charitable, educational and the humanitarian side, the opportunity to engage in creative work of children and contemporary artists. Today, thanks to grant support for puppet theater and Petrushek farce developed since 1999. With the advent of small form in St Petersburg public buildings and advertising sites in shopping malls an opportunity to the evolution of Petrushka and business escorts through various forms of the grotesque and the fusion of modern art. By withdrawing the recommendation of the project «Petrushka In St. Petersburg» A. F. Nekrylova - Professor of the Russian Institute of History of Art, nauthor of the book - «Russian national holidays» The modern theater must absorb all of the specific theater Receptions - pantomime, improvisation, a new mobile architecture, masks, theatr paper, presentation and promotion of contemporary art, science and inventions in all fields. In this case, the P.V. Annenkov in his time, wrote that it was time, finally, understand that the only form that can be Russian theater out of boredom, it is Balagan. This was called the return of the theater to its original, which is a farce. To the essence of farce, you will see that everything is happening here as a particularly wonderful, and not in kind, in the sphere of ordinary life. For example, in balagane costume plays a very different role than that He also plays in a regular theater. Entering the booth furnished is a special ritual, a special parade and mystery. Itself appearance farce, log into it attracts your attention to unusual type of DROPS form education for all. http://projects.tigweb.org/petrushki/

PRESIDENTIAL INAUGURAL SPEECH

WEBMASTER — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 13:39:36 EST

Presidential Inaugural Address Delivered by President Barack Obama on 20 Jan 2009

My fellow citizens -
I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors. I thank President Bush for his service to our nation, as well as the generosity and cooperation he has shown throughout this transition. Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath. The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace. Yet, every so often the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms. At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because We the People have remained faithful to the ideals of our forbearers, and true to our founding documents. So it has been. So it must be with this generation of Americans.
That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. Our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age. Homes have been lost; jobs shed; businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly; our schools fail too many; and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet.
These are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics. Less measurable but no less profound is a sapping of confidence across our land - a nagging fear that America's decline is inevitable, and that the next generation must lower its sights.
Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America - they will be met.
On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.
On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics.
We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.
In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has never been one of short-cuts or settling for less. It has not been the path for the faint-hearted - for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame. Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things - some celebrated but more often men and women obscure in their labor, who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom.
For us, they packed up their few worldly possessions and traveled across oceans in search of a new life.
For us, they toiled in sweatshops and settled the West; endured the lash of the whip and plowed the hard earth.
For us, they fought and died, in places like Concord and Gettysburg; Normandy and Khe Sahn.
Time and again these men and women struggled and sacrificed and worked till their hands were raw so that we might live a better life. They saw America as bigger than the sum of our individual ambitions; greater than all the differences of birth or wealth or faction.
This is the journey we continue today. We remain the most prosperous, powerful nation on Earth. Our workers are no less productive than when this crisis began. Our minds are no less inventive, our goods and services no less needed than they were last week or last month or last year. Our capacity remains undiminished. But our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions - that time has surely passed. Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.
For everywhere we look, there is work to be done. The state of the economy calls for action, bold and swift, and we will act - not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth. We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together. We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology's wonders to raise health care's quality and lower its cost. We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age. All this we can do. And all this we will do.
Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions - who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans. Their memories are short. For they have forgotten what this country has already done; what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose, and necessity to courage.
What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them - that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply. The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works - whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified. Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs will end. And those of us who manage the public's dollars will be held to account - to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day - because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government.
Nor is the question before us whether the market is a force for good or ill. Its power to generate wealth and expand freedom is unmatched, but this crisis has reminded us that without a watchful eye, the market can spin out of control - and that a nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous. The success of our economy has always depended not just on the size of our Gross Domestic Product, but on the reach of our prosperity; on our ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart - not out of charity, but because it is the surest route to our common good.
As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. Our Founding Fathers, faced with perils we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations. Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience's sake. And so to all other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born: know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman, and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and that we are ready to lead once more.
Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with sturdy alliances and enduring convictions. They understood that our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please. Instead, they knew that our power grows through its prudent use; our security emanates from the justness of our cause, the force of our example, the tempering qualities of humility and restraint.
We are the keepers of this legacy. Guided by these principles once more, we can meet those new threats that demand even greater effort - even greater cooperation and understanding between nations. We will begin to responsibly leave Iraq to its people, and forge a hard-earned peace in Afghanistan. With old friends and former foes, we will work tirelessly to lessen the nuclear threat, and roll back the specter of a warming planet. We will not apologize for our way of life, nor will we waver in its defense, and for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken; you cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you.
For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus - and non-believers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth; and because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation, and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace.
To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect. To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society's ills on the West - know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy. To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.
To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds. And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to suffering outside our borders; nor can we consume the world's resources without regard to effect. For the world has changed, and we must change with it.
As we consider the road that unfolds before us, we remember with humble gratitude those brave Americans who, at this very hour, patrol far-off deserts and distant mountains. They have something to tell us today, just as the fallen heroes who lie in Arlington whisper through the ages. We honor them not only because they are guardians of our liberty, but because they embody the spirit of service; a willingness to find meaning in something greater than themselves. And yet, at this moment - a moment that will define a generation - it is precisely this spirit that must inhabit us all.
For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies. It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break, the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us through our darkest hours. It is the firefighter's courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent's willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate.
Our challenges may be new. The instruments with which we meet them may be new. But those values upon which our success depends - hard work and honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism - these things are old. These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history. What is demanded then is a return to these truths. What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility - a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task.
This is the price and the promise of citizenship.
This is the source of our confidence - the knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny.
This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed - why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent mall, and why a man whose father less than sixty years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath.
So let us mark this day with remembrance, of who we are and how far we have traveled. In the year of America's birth, in the coldest of months, a small band of patriots huddled by dying campfires on the shores of an icy river. The capital was abandoned. The enemy was advancing. The snow was stained with blood. At a moment when the outcome of our revolution was most in doubt, the father of our nation ordered these words be read to the people:
"Let it be told to the future world...that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive...that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet it."
America. In the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words. With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come. Let it be said by our children's children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God's grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations.
President Barack Obama

Presidential Inaugural Speech - A message for all people
http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/president/gGxHqT

source: David Apperson, webmaster

ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

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

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

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

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

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

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

Alternative Energy
Source: David Apperson

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

PRESIDENTIAL TRANSITION TEAM

WEBMASTER — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 18:06:01 EST

Obama-Biden PRESIDENTIAL TRANSITION TEAM is giving all people a voice in the administration -

The PRESIDENTIAL TRANSITION TEAM is doing a great job. Thank the Almighty Creator that this is a new day in the history of this great nation.

WEBMASTER - DESIGNERS AND DEVELOPERS

WEBMASTER — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 04:14:56 EST

President Barack Obama

Internet Webmasters, Designers and Developers

If you are an independent webmaster, designer or developer and have linked a business, personal, or political website or blog to your barack obama posts or other barackobama.com web pages and would like to be recognized for your efforts let me know.

Mail your contact and other pertinent information to:

David Apperson, Webmaster
10336 Loch Lomond Rd PMB 105
Middletown CA 95461

or email contact information to yofast@gmail.com

Finally PEACE.

Mona Ali — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 04:09:42 EST

I am so glad I am alive to see this day.

I have traveled around the world.

I have visited and lived in other countries.

I had the Opportunity to meet many different People in other Countries.

I am Grateful to have experienced the Past Opportunities in LIFE.

It made me who I am today. Pragmatic.

We needed this Election more than some people know.

I see PEACE in the Future.

We are going in the right direction.

*One Snow Flake is weak.

**Thousands of Snow Flakes are strong.

(I'm thinking about all those HARD Snowballs Iv'e been HIT with...OUCH!)

An Avalanche is Powerful.

The USA has the Strength of a Blizzard;

...and the Passion as a Blanket of Snow. (Just Beautiful. Protects Plants, too!)

Today I am glad Barack Obama is OUR PRESIDENT-Elect.

"CONGRATULATIONS Barack Obama!"

The World will be a Better Place to live in.

The United States of America will certainly be a better place to VISIT.

PEACE to All,

Finally

Goodnight My Friends,

Mona Ali

YES, WE DID

Matt Wall — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 02:01:51 EST

11 points in Pennsylvania! ELEVEN FREAKIN' POINTS!

Heh heh heh!!!

President Obama Wins

www.EasyToInsureME.com — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 23:12:26 EST

President Obama wins Pennsylvania. President Obama wins Ohio. President Obama wins Florida. President Obama wins the Presidential Race.

11:11 pm

11/04/08

Penn State : 1,000 college students lined up to vote this morning.

RK — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 11:15:56 EST

If Penn State is an indication of the commitment of the Youth Vote, we are heading in the right direction !

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/11/04/over-1000-students-lined_n_140859.html

4th CD PA PDA Unity and Victory Dinner a Big Success

CarlDavidson — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 00:09:48 EST

Want to know want can come from organizing independently at the base? Bringing together antiwar activists, Obama youth, labor and civil rights groups? Or a notion of what we can do down the road? Take a look at this....

http://students.barackobama.com/page/content/sfbohome

President Bush endorses McCain on continuing America's economic prosperity

RK — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 18:42:31 EST

Pennsylvania, Ohio, Missouri, and Virginia here is the endorsement all of you have been waiting for...

President Bush remains hopeful that John McCain will pull it out tomorrow night and win the election." Perino added that Bush thinks McCain and other Republicans "have the right ideas when it comes to the economy and national security."

My activity rating

KSpurge — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 01:16:59 EST

First off, please vote even if it means standing in lines for a long time. Don't let long lines harass you out of voting for Barack.

My activity rating should probably should be a bit higher than 2 out of 10.

After I attended Camp Obama in Brooklyn, I came to Western Pennsylvania to work as a Deputy Field Organizer in the Eastern Suburbs of Pittsburgh. I've been here five weeks.

I've made thousands of phone calls, knocked hundreds of doors, talked to hundreds of voters, registered scores to vote, made signs (very badly), fixed a broken local network, entered countless pages of canvass and phone data, driven some very windy back roads (and gotten lost more than once), met some fascinating and fun people, and worked so much and slept so little I've had a near-constant cold for weeks now.

It's been inspiring but I'm not a youngter: I'm pretty tired and now have a couple days of hard work before it's all over and I fly back to NYC on Wednesday.

When I decided to come to PA (the sister state of NY for DFO's) the state was kinda close in the polls. Shortly after that decision Obama opened up a lead he's maintained. In recent days, McCain has pushed all his chips into the Keystone state and polls have tightened, so I believe I've made a decision and done work that could help Barack win a decisive victory.

Maybe I'll write more about it later. Right now, it's off to sleep and then up to run a staging location in Plum.

Let's win this thing!

Pennsylvania race is getting scary

Junaid Butt — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 04:55:10 EST

Hello everyone!

Can't sleep! Some recent polls out of PA are really scary. Are we spreading ourselves too thin and letting this state slip away? We urgently need a trip from Obama as well as Hillary Clinton especially in Western PA. There is only a 4-5 point lead remaining which could be easily eaten away how John McCain is camping there and misleading voters. According to Rasmussen, only 75% of Democrats are voting for Obama in PA. This has only changed in last 2 weeks thanks to John Murtha & Barney Frank. The only way this can be saved now is if he have an atleast 80% turnout in the African American community and 60% or less turnout amongst whites especially 65 and older. I can only pray or we need to get all the African American and Young vote out on election day.

It also seems like we are not doing a very good job of defending Obama's tax policy. We need to rip the media apart when they say Obama is going to raise taxes on the middle class and explain the tax plan in detail. Also I wish the 30 minute ad had included breakdown of the tax plan so no one could sow any seeds of confusion

Senator Obama if you are listening please use these words in your rallies:

" Mark my words- No Tax increase on families making less than 250K . This is my promise to you which I will not break. I will resign and seek your mandate again if a situation arises that would force me to break this promise."

Also it would be important to poing out that even small businesses making 400K may get a net tax break because of the 50% tax credit on health insurance premium.

A business with a 400K net income would typically employ 15 employees. Cost of Health Insurance Premium would be $200 per employee per month = 200 x 15 x 12 =$36000 per year. Hence 50% tax credit would be $18,000. However since Health insurance premium is currently tax deductible, they would have benefited $36000 * 35% = $12600 anyways. So net benefit of Health insurance credit = $18000- 12600 = $5400.

Increase in taxes for this business would be $150,000 * 3% = $4500

So this business will save $5400-$4500 = $900 in taxes.

Now if this business hires another employee, they will get another $3000 in tax credit. That would wash off any taxes off another 100K of the business' income.

One of our campaign representative will have to do this math with a whiteboard on one of the TV progams. Its still not too late!

Junaid Butt

Rainy Day phone calling only three days to go!

Karen D. — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 20:58:34 EDT

I did not make as many calls as I intended to today so tomorrow (Sunday!) and Monday I will put a more serious effort in.

But I did get to call PA which is dear to my heart and I did help Robyn get up on N2N and she made a bunch of calls to Ohio. Also emailed with Sylvia and she was calling VA today, as well.

I identified voters who will help drive other voters to the polls, and I continue to encourage folks here in CA to make calls. It is so easy and so efficient. What a well run campaign.

I did feel I helped convine an PA undecided voter to vote for Obama just by listening and emphathizing with how tough this decision was for her. Anyhow, off to sushi with friends. Calls and prayers tomorrow.

Thanks to all of you who are working so hard. We Can; We Are and We Will. My husband says that Tuesday will be the happiest day of his life if Obama wins. Wow! No complacency.

Tricia Mueller Urges NJ Volunteers to Travel to PA

Janice NJ HQ — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 14:22:48 EDT

An important note from Tricia Mueller, Obama for America NJ State Director.

“We’re going to win in Pennsylvania,” John McCain told supporters on Wednesday before traveling to a rally in North Carolina.

In 4 days, this race is going to be won or lost in a few crucial battleground states.

We need you now more than ever to help secure our sister state Pennsylvania’s 21 Electoral votes.

Please go to Pennsylvania the critical days leading up to Election Day! If you need a ride, or have a ride to share, visit

http://my.barackobama.com/ridesPA.

This election is down to the final stretch, and we're too close to slow down now.

Can we count on you to help get out the vote for Barack in Pennsylvania? Sign up now to do your part and go to PA.

Thank you for all that you do.

Tricia Mueller
NJ State Director
Obama for America

PS: If you aren’t able to go to PA, please help get out the vote here in New Jersey. Sign up now at http://nj.barackobama.com/njgotv1.

Remarks of Senator Barack Obama, Delaware County, Chester, PA

Jill 4 Obama — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 11:31:53 EDT

Remarks of Senator Barack Obama (Chester, PA) Chester, PA | October 28, 2008

One week.

After decades of broken politics in Washington, eight years of failed policies from George Bush, and twenty-one months of a campaign that has taken us from the rocky coast of Maine to the sunshine of California, we are one week away from change in America.

In one week, you can turn the page on policies that have put the greed and irresponsibility of Wall Street before the hard work and sacrifice of folks on Main Street.

In one week, you can choose policies that invest in our middle-class, create new jobs, and grow this economy from the bottom-up so that everyone has a chance to succeed; from the CEO to the secretary and the janitor; from the factory owner to the men and women who work on its floor.

In one week, you can put an end to the politics that would divide a nation just to win an election; that tries to pit region against region, city against town, Republican against Democrat; that asks us to fear at a time when we need hope.

In one week, at this defining moment in history, you can give this country the change we need.

We began this journey in the depths of winter nearly two years ago, on the steps of the Old State Capitol in Springfield, Illinois. Back then, we didn't have much money or many endorsements. We weren't given much of a chance by the polls or the pundits, and we knew how steep our climb would be.

But I also knew this. I knew that the size of our challenges had outgrown the smallness of our politics. I believed that Democrats and Republicans and Americans of every political stripe were hungry for new ideas, new leadership, and a new kind of politics - one that favors common sense over ideology; one that focuses on those values and ideals we hold in common as Americans.

Most of all, I believed in your ability to make change happen. I knew that the American people were a decent, generous people who are willing to work hard and sacrifice for future generations. And I was convinced that when we come together, our voices are more powerful than the most entrenched lobbyists, or the most vicious political attacks, or the full force of a status quo in Washington that wants to keep things just the way they are.

Twenty-one months later, my faith in the American people has been vindicated. That's how we've come so far and so close - because of you. That's how we'll change this country - with your help. And that's why we can't afford to slow down, sit back, or let up for one day, one minute, or one second in this last week. Not now. Not when so much is at stake.

We are in the middle of the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. 760,000 workers have lost their jobs this year. Businesses and families can't get credit. Home values are falling. Pensions are disappearing. Wages are lower than they've been in a decade, at a time when the cost of health care and college have never been higher. It's getting harder and harder to make the mortgage, or fill up your gas tank, or even keep the electricity on at the end of the month.

And yet, just yesterday, we learned that despite this crisis, Wall Street bank executives are set to walk away with billions more in bonuses at the end of this year. Well, they might call that a bonus on Wall Street, but here in Pennsylvania, we call it an outrage - and they shouldn't be allowed to get away with it.

We can't afford four more years of the tired, old theory that says we should give more to billionaires and big corporations and hope that prosperity trickles down to everyone else. That's the failed theory that got us into this mess. It hasn't worked, and it's time for change. That's why I'm running for President of the United States.

Now, in the closing days of this campaign, my opponent is trying to distance himself from the President he has faithfully supported 90% of the time. He's supported four of the five Bush budgets that have taken us from the surpluses of the Clinton years to the largest deficits in history. John McCain has ridden shotgun as George Bush has driven our economy toward a cliff, and now he wants to take the wheel and step on the gas.

And when it comes to the issue of taxes, saying that John McCain is running for a third Bush term isn't being fair to George W. Bush. He's proposing $300 billion in new tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans and big corporations. That's something not even George Bush proposed. Not even George Bush proposed another $700,000 tax cut to the average Fortune 500 CEO. Not even George Bush proposed a plan that would leave out 100 million middle class families. That's not change.

Change is a middle class tax cut for 95% of workers and their families. Change is eliminating income taxes for seniors making under $50,000 and giving homeowners and working parents more of a break. Change is eliminating capital gains taxes for the small businesses that are the engine of job-creation in this country.

That's what I want to do. That's what change is.

The fact is, there's only one candidate with a plan that could eventually raise taxes on millions of middle class families, and it isn't me. It's my opponent, who'd make you pay taxes on your health care benefits for the first time ever.

Now, it's true that I want to roll back the Bush tax cuts on the wealthiest Americans and go back to the rate they paid under Bill Clinton. But make no mistake: If you make less than a quarter of a million dollars a year - which includes 98% of small business owners - you won't see your taxes increase one single dime. Not your payroll taxes, not your income taxes, not your capital gains taxes - nothing. Because the last thing we should do in this economy is raise taxes on the middle-class.

In the end, the choice in this election isn't between tax cuts and no tax cuts. It's about whether you believe we should only reward wealth, or whether we should also reward the work and workers who create it. It's about whether you believe in an America where opportunity and success is open to anyone who's willing to work for it. And that's the America we will build together when I'm President of the United States.

We've tried it John McCain's way. We've tried it George Bush's way. Deep down, Senator McCain knows that, which is why his campaign said that "if we keep talking about the economy, we're going to lose." That's why he's spending these last weeks calling me every name in the book. Because that's how you play the game in Washington. If you can't beat your opponent's ideas, you distort those ideas and maybe make some up. If you don't have a record to run on, then you paint your opponent as someone people should run away from. You make a big election about small things.

Pennsylvania, we are here to say "Not this time. Not this year. Not when so much is at stake." Senator McCain might be worried about losing an election, but I'm worried about Americans who are losing their homes, and their jobs, and their life savings. I can take one more week of John McCain's attacks, but this country can't take four more years of the same old politics and the same failed policies. It's time for something new.

The question in this election is not "Are you better off than you were four years ago?" We know the answer to that. The real question is, "Will this country be better off four years from now?"

I know these are difficult times for America. But I also know that we have faced difficult times before. The American story has never been about things coming easy - it's been about rising to the moment when the moment was hard. It's about seeing the highest mountaintop from the deepest of valleys. It's about rejecting fear and division for unity of purpose. That's how we've overcome war and depression. That's how we've won great struggles for civil rights and women's rights and worker's rights. And that's how we'll emerge from this crisis stronger and more prosperous than we were before - as one nation; as one people.

Remember, we still have the most talented, most productive workers of any country on Earth. We're still home to innovation and technology, colleges and universities that are the envy of the world. Some of the biggest ideas in history have come from our small businesses and our research facilities. So there's no reason we can't make this century another American century. We just need a new direction. We need a new politics.

Now, I don't believe that government can or should try to solve all our problems. I know you don't either. But I do believe that government should do that which we cannot do for ourselves - protect us from harm and provide a decent education for our children; invest in new roads and new science and technology. It should reward drive and innovation and growth in the free market, but it should also make sure businesses live up to their responsibility to create American jobs, and look out for American workers, and play by the rules of the road. It should ensure a shot at success not only for those with money and power and influence, but for every single American who's willing to work. That's how we create not just more millionaires, but more middle-class families. That's how we make sure businesses have customers that can afford their products and services. That's how we've always grown the American economy - from the bottom-up. John McCain calls this socialism. I call it opportunity, and there is nothing more American than that.

Understand, if we want get through this crisis, we need to get beyond the old ideological debates and divides between left and right. We don't need bigger government or smaller government. We need a better government - a more competent government - a government that upholds the values we hold in common as Americans.

We don't have to choose between allowing our financial system to collapse and spending billions of taxpayer dollars to bail out Wall Street banks. As President, I will ensure that the financial rescue plan helps stop foreclosures and protects your money instead of enriching CEOs. And I will put in place the common-sense regulations I've been calling for throughout this campaign so that Wall Street can never cause a crisis like this again. That's the change we need.

When it comes to jobs, the choice in this election is not between putting up a wall around America or allowing every job to disappear overseas. The truth is, we won't be able to bring back every job that we've lost, but that doesn't mean we should follow John McCain's plan to keep giving tax breaks to corporations that send American jobs overseas. I will end those breaks as President, and I will give American businesses a $3,000 tax credit for every job they create right here in the United States of America. We'll create two million new jobs by rebuilding our crumbling roads, and bridges, and schools, and by laying broadband lines to reach every corner of the country. And I will invest $15 billion a year in renewable sources of energy to create five million new energy jobs over the next decade - jobs that pay well and can't be outsourced; jobs building solar panels and wind turbines and a new electricity grid; jobs building the fuel-efficient cars of tomorrow, not in Japan or South Korea but here in the United States of America; jobs that will help us eliminate the oil we import from the Middle East in ten years and help save the planet in the bargain. That's how America can lead again.

When it comes to health care, we don't have to choose between a government-run health care system and the unaffordable one we have now. If you already have health insurance, the only thing that will change under my plan is that we will lower premiums. If you don't have health insurance, you'll be able to get the same kind of health insurance that Members of Congress get for themselves. We'll invest in preventative care and new technology to finally lower the cost of health care for families, businesses, and the entire economy. And as someone who watched his own mother spend the final months of her life arguing with insurance companies because they claimed her cancer was a pre-existing condition and didn't want to pay for treatment, I will stop insurance companies from discriminating against those who are sick and need care most.

When it comes to giving every child a world-class education so they can compete in this global economy for the jobs of the 21st century, the choice is not between more money and more reform - because our schools need both. As President, I will invest in early childhood education, recruit an army of new teachers, pay them more, and give them more support. But I will also demand higher standards and more accountability from our teachers and our schools. And I will make a deal with every American who has the drive and the will but not the money to go to college: if you commit to serving your community or your country, we will make sure you can afford your tuition. You invest in America, America will invest in you, and together, we will move this country forward.

I won't stand here and pretend that any of this will be easy - especially now. The cost of this economic crisis, and the cost of the war in Iraq, means that Washington will have to tighten its belt and put off spending on things we can afford to do without. On this, there is no other choice. As President, I will go through the federal budget, line-by-line, ending programs that we don't need and making the ones we do need work better and cost less.

But as I've said from the day we began this journey all those months ago, the change we need isn't just about new programs and policies. It's about a new politics - a politics that calls on our better angels instead of encouraging our worst instincts; one that reminds us of the obligations we have to ourselves and one another.

Part of the reason this economic crisis occurred is because we have been living through an era of profound irresponsibility. On Wall Street, easy money and an ethic of "what's good for me is good enough" blinded greedy executives to the danger in the decisions they were making. On Main Street, lenders tricked people into buying homes they couldn't afford. Some folks knew they couldn't afford those houses and bought them anyway. In Washington, politicians spent money they didn't have and allowed lobbyists to set the agenda. They scored political points instead of solving our problems, and even after the greatest attack on American soil since Pearl Harbor, all we were asked to do by our President was to go out and shop.

That is why what we have lost in these last eight years cannot be measured by lost wages or bigger trade deficits alone. What has also been lost is the idea that in this American story, each of us has a role to play. Each of us has a responsibility to work hard and look after ourselves and our families, and each of us has a responsibility to our fellow citizens. That's what's been lost these last eight years - our sense of common purpose; of higher purpose. And that's what we need to restore right now.

Yes, government must lead the way on energy independence, but each of us must do our part to make our homes and our businesses more efficient. Yes, we must provide more ladders to success for young men who fall into lives of crime and despair. But all of us must do our part as parents to turn off the television and read to our children and take responsibility for providing the love and guidance they need. Yes, we can argue and debate our positions passionately, but at this defining moment, all of us must summon the strength and grace to bridge our differences and unite in common effort - black, white, Latino, Asian, Native American; Democrat and Republican, young and old, rich and poor, gay and straight, disabled or not.

In this election, we cannot afford the same political games and tactics that are being used to pit us against one another and make us afraid of one another. The stakes are too high to divide us by class and region and background; by who we are or what we believe.

Because despite what our opponents may claim, there are no real or fake parts of this country. There is no city or town that is more pro-America than anywhere else - we are one nation, all of us proud, all of us patriots. There are patriots who supported this war in Iraq and patriots who opposed it; patriots who believe in Democratic policies and those who believe in Republican policies. The men and women who serve in our battlefields may be Democrats and Republicans and Independents, but they have fought together and bled together and some died together under the same proud flag. They have not served a Red America or a Blue America - they have served the United States of America.

It won't be easy, Pennsylvania. It won't be quick. But you and I know that it is time to come together and change this country. Some of you may be cynical and fed up with politics. A lot of you may be disappointed and even angry with your leaders. You have every right to be. But despite all of this, I ask of you what has been asked of Americans throughout our history.

I ask you to believe - not just in my ability to bring about change, but in yours.

I know this change is possible. Because I have seen it over the last twenty-one months. Because in this campaign, I have had the privilege to witness what is best in America.

I've seen it in lines of voters that stretched around schools and churches; in the young people who cast their ballot for the first time, and those not so young folks who got involved again after a very long time. I've seen it in the workers who would rather cut back their hours than see their friends lose their jobs; in the neighbors who take a stranger in when the floodwaters rise; in the soldiers who re-enlist after losing a limb. I've seen it in the faces of the men and women I've met at countless rallies and town halls across the country, men and women who speak of their struggles but also of their hopes and dreams.

I still remember the email that a woman named Robyn sent me after I met her in Ft. Lauderdale. Sometime after our event, her son nearly went into cardiac arrest, and was diagnosed with a heart condition that could only be treated with a procedure that cost tens of thousands of dollars. Her insurance company refused to pay, and their family just didn't have that kind of money.

In her email, Robyn wrote, "I ask only this of you - on the days where you feel so tired you can't think of uttering another word to the people, think of us. When those who oppose you have you down, reach deep and fight back harder."

Pennsylvania, that's what hope is - that thing inside us that insists, despite all evidence to the contrary, that something better is waiting around the bend; that insists there are better days ahead. If we're willing to work for it. If we're willing to shed our fears and our doubts. If we're willing to reach deep down inside ourselves when we're tired and come back fighting harder.

Hope! That's what kept some of our parents and grandparents going when times were tough. What led them to say, "Maybe I can't go to college, but if I save a little bit each week my child can; maybe I can't have my own business but if I work really hard my child can open one of her own." It's what led immigrants from distant lands to come to these shores against great odds and carve a new life for their families in America; what led those who couldn't vote to march and organize and stand for freedom; that led them to cry out, "It may look dark tonight, but if I hold on to hope, tomorrow will be brighter."

That's what this election is about. That is the choice we face right now.

Don't believe for a second this election is over. Don't think for a minute that power concedes. We have to work like our future depends on it in this last week, because it does.

In one week, we can choose an economy that rewards work and creates new jobs and fuels prosperity from the bottom-up.

In one week, we can choose to invest in health care for our families, and education for our kids, and renewable energy for our future.

In one week, we can choose hope over fear, unity over division, the promise of change over the power of the status quo.

In one week, we can come together as one nation, and one people, and once more choose our better history.

That's what's at stake. That's what we're fighting for. And if in this last week, you will knock on some doors for me, and make some calls for me, and talk to your neighbors, and convince your friends; if you will stand with me, and fight with me, and give me your vote, then I promise you this - we will not just win Pennsylvania, we will not just win this election, but together, we will change this country and we will change the world. Thank you, God bless you, and may God bless America.

Be Prepared on Voting Day! Don't fall for the tricks in the trick-bag

Rawspoon — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 23:09:55 EDT

For those of us in PA, keep this in mind when you go to vote:

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/10/29/judge-pa-must-have-paper-ballots-ready-if-half-of-machines-fail/

Also, you should have received your new voter's registration card in the mail by now if you're newly registered OR if your district's poling place changed since the last election. Please make sure to check your registration status with your county Board of Elections office. You can find this at www.votespa.com. We've heard over the last few months that newly registered voters need to also bring photo identification and a current utility bill with them to the polls. But that is NOT entirely true.

Last Lap in Pennsylvania

Lucy — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 13:50:26 EDT

Sent out the following message today to the Baltimore-area groups of which I am a member - feel free to copy and circulate to everyone you know!

In case you’re not certain whether you want to go to the trouble of travelling to Pennsylvania at this point, please take a look at the following excerpts from today’s “Rasmussen Reports” (emphasis added):

“Monday, October 27, 2008

In Pennsylvania, John McCain has pulled back within single digits of Barack Obama.

The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of voters in the state shows Obama with 53% of the vote while McCain picks up 46%. That seven-point margin is half the 13-point advantage Obama enjoyed early in October.

Not coincidentally, Obama’s current lead is matched by a seven-point advantage on the question of which candidate is trusted more on the economy.

However, while McCain has closed the gap, virtually all the movement comes from an increase in his support rather than a loss of support for Obama. This is the third straight poll showing Obama’s support at or above the 50% level.

Still, the tightening poll results help explain why the Obama campaign has been paying so much attention to the Keystone State this week. Obama and Biden are both campaigning there along with major campaign surrogates.

Obama is now viewed favorably by 56% of Pennsylvania voters, down three points from earlier in the month.

McCain’s favorability ratings have been moving in the opposite direction, up four points to 54%.”

With 21 Electoral Votes, Pennsylvania is a key state in this election.

Volunteers helped register over 100,000 new voters in Pennsylvania this year.
Volunteers will do the work between now and Tuesday to get these voters to the polls on Election Day.
Volunteers are essential to winning Pennsylvania for Obama on Election Day.
Pennsylvania is critical for Obama’s election as President.

And finally:

York is less than an hour away, and Lancaster is only a few minutes further.
One three-hour shift will make a difference.

Click here for information on volunteering between now and Election Day.

Pennsylvania not buying what McCain is peddling

RK — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 12:26:39 EDT

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/10/29/45417/748/456/645349

A Change Today

HvnsGrl — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 15:41:33 EDT

For a change, when the clock alarmed at 5:30 - I got out of bed and stayed out.

For a change, I was in my car and enroute to Chester Pa at 6 am (the Sun didn't even think about saying good morning).

For a change, I was tolerant, patience and @ peace with the traffic.

For a change, I didn't mind the commute beyond Philadelphia International Airport.

For a change, I spoke to a young male teen to ask for direction.

For a change, I parked blocks from my destination and traveled in the rain.. the COLD...no FREEZING rain.

For a change, I complied to EVER rule listed on the OPPORTUNITY to attend today's rally.

For a change, I joined a line that had grown by 60 people within 10 min.

For a change, I smiled at strangers and welcomed them into conversations and learned the common denominator of THE DAY.

For a change, I didn't get annoyed when others thought it their RIGHT to cut the line and NOT wait as others. I simply walked around them and maintained my rightful place.

For a change, I smiled as I realized I could no longer feel my feet nor fingertips and resolved that TEA and Zicam would be the diet of the day.

For a change, I offered my space to those who couldn't see as well as I.

For a change, I covered my son in my poncho as the rain beat down in anticipation of HOPE.

For a change, I encouraged a sister to my left who was being "harassed" to put down her umbrella and reminded folks that we need to be about peace - not about disruption.

For a change, I stool since 7 am and didn't walk again until 11 am. And felt kisses from Heaven as my dreams were elevated to higher levels and HOPE filled the atmosphere.

For a change, I looked straight ahead and saw his smile, heard his passion, felt his sincerity and BELIEVED he not only COULD be Will.

For a change, I felt LIKE EVERYONE felt they could.

and

For a change, I didn't even raise an eyebrow when I heard on the radio as I journeyed back to New Jersey that palin had cancelled her rally due to the weather.

Interesting... we had the SAME weather... but with Barack - the Show went on.

Interesting.

For a change.

I can believe.

For a change.

I can believe.

Volunteering for Obama in Doylestown

Gian Pablo — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 09:07:26 EDT

I spent the weekend volunteering for the Obama campaign, in Doylestown, Pennsylvania. This town is in the heart of Bucks County, one of the "must-win" counties in the coming election, according to politico.com. Main Street here is as close as you can get to the typical small-town "Main Street" that the candidates love to refer to in their speeches.

Volunteering for the campaign was a major watershed for me: I've never been so motivated by an election, and really think there is more at stake than in any previous election that I've voted in - and a lot of the people I spoke to over the weekend felt the same way. The experience was rewarding, and I felt that I had contributed significantly to a coming electoral success!

More volunteers are needed for the coming week in Doylestown, especially from November 1st to 4th: http://my.barackobama.com/page/s/PABorder

Briefing the volunteers

Bucks County is a real cross-section of Pennsylvania, split between Republican and Democratic voters, with diverse demographics. It has one of the highest numbers of independent or undecided voters within Pennsylvania, a state with a very large number of electoral votes.

Unlike the McCain campaign, the Obama campaign is placing a very high emphasis on face-to-face contact with potential voters. The goal is not only to sway undecided voters, but to create a sense of momentum and presence, that the campaign cares about Bucks County and is fully mobilized.

An extremely important part of the canvassing effort is to identify any problems that are preventing voters from voting, and seek to overcome them. For example, I personally met with some elderly or ill voters who felt they could not make it to the polls - for them, we were carrying absentee ballot request forms, which we filled in with them, and personally delivered to the courthouse. For others, we arranged rides to the polls on election day.

I encountered overwhelming support for Obama and the Democratic party, most strikingly from a number of elderly voters who were voting for a Democratic president for the first time in their lives. It was inspiring to meet these seniors, in their 80s and 90s, still taking a very active interest in politics and the direction of the country.

The enthusiasm of the volunteers in the Obama office was remarkable, not just the young and highly motivated campaign staff, but the volunteers from all walks of life who had come from all over the state, and from out of state, to campaign in Doylestown. One middle-aged couple from Doylestown, manning the phones, was very impressive to me: the way they engaged individual voters in caring and thoughtful conversation was a real example of how a campaign could (and should) be run.

And don't forget, you can still be a part of it! http://my.barackobama.com/page/s/PABorder

Absentee Ballot Information for Philadelphia

Sheldon from Doylestown — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 09:53:02 EDT

For Pennsylvania And Particularly Philadelphia:

I received an email saying that some people have not received their Absentee Ballots in the mail.

Anyone who is going to be out of town on Election Day can go to Room 142 in City Hall and submit his/her absentee ballot on the spot. They don't have to go through the process of waiting for the ballot to come back in the mail. (County Board of Elections: 215-686-3469 or 215-686-3943) Bring acceptable I.D.
Acceptable I.D. from http://votespa.com/HowtoVote/GuideforFirstTimeVoters/tabid/77/language/en-US/Default.aspx:

Pennsylvania driver's license or PennDOT ID card
ID issued by any Commonwealth agency
ID issued by the U.S. Government
U.S. passport
U.S. Armed Forces ID
Student ID
Employee ID

If you do not have a photo ID, you can use a non-photo identification that includes your name and address. Approved forms of non-photo identification include:
Confirmation issued by the County Voter Registration Office
Non-photo ID issued by the Commonwealth
Non-photo ID issued by the U.S. Government
Firearm permit
Current utility bill
Current bank statement
Current paycheck
Government check

There are special provisions for people who miss the deadlines as well as military personnel.

(Reference: http://votespa.com/HowtoVote/VotingbyAbsenteeBallot/tabid/78/language/en-US/Default.aspx)

Absentee Ballot Applications must be received by the Board of Elections by 5 p.m. on October 28th. Absentee Ballots must be received by the Board of Elections by 5:00 PM on October 31st. Postmarks are NOT honored; applications must be in the office before the deadline. (See: http://www.phillyelection.com/abeng.htm)

The mailing address for Philadelphia County on the state's two websites is incorrect. The correct address, which is printed on the Absentee Ballot forms from the Philadelphia Board of Elections is:

Philadelphia County Board of Elections
Room 142 City Hall
Philadelphia, PA 19107-3211

For additional help, please see this website: https://www.myfamilyvotes.com/Absentee_Ballot.html. Further instructions at https://www.myfamilyvotes.com/Ab.html. (Thank you, Emma Tramble.)

First-time voters and those who have moved should confirm that they are registered to vote by searching Pennsylvania's voter registration database. You also can confirm your registration by contacting your County Board of Elections (County Board of Elections: 215-686-3469 or 215-686-3943) or by calling 1-877-VOTESPA.

Print out an Absentee Ballot Application here:

https://www.myfamilyvotes.com/uploads/absentee_ballot_application_for_PA.pdf

(Reference: http://votespa.com/HowtoVote/VotingbyAbsenteeBallot/tabid/78/language/en-US/Default.aspx)

BARACK OBAMA in Pennsylvania, Mon. & Tues., Oct. 27, 28

Jill 4 Obama — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 07:10:09 EDT

Exciting News!

Barack is going to make two stops in Pennsylvania Monday and Tuesday.

Here are the details:

Monday, October 27th
Doors Open: 3:00 p.m.

Mellon Arena
66 Mario Lemieux Place
Pittsburgh, PA 15219
RSVP

Tuesday, October 28th
Doors Open: 8:00 a.m.
Program Begins: 10:00 a.m.

Widener University
Main Quad
One University Place
Chester, PA 19013

Public Entrance off of E 17th St.
RSVP

Canvassing in the Rain

Aaron — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 12:18:24 EDT

I helped canvas in PA this Saturday, the last weekend of canvassing. It was quite the adventure. Five of us packed up in compact car to drive out to our turf. By this time it was raining pretty heavily. I set off with two others; not having brought an umbrella or raincoat splitting up was somewhat impractical. We trooped through the rain, flipping through our soggy list. Despite the terrible weather, the experience was still pretty rewarding. Almost all of our contacts were really receptive and positive and pro-Obama. Most volunteered this right off the bat, which made our job easy and brightened the day up a bit. Many people had already been canvassed several times, and we suspect that was due to labor union activity, which for some reason is not coordinated with the main campaign. I didn't see a lot of McCain campaign activity, although at one house I did encounter McCain campaign materials stuffed in a mailbox/slot, which we have been told is illegal (owned by the federal government). That annoyed me somewhat, they should get their act together.

All in all, despite (because of?) the weather, and being dead of exhaustion (this election is wearing on me; I've become addicted to politico.com and CNN) it was a very positive experience; you get to meet some great people, both fellow canvassers and fellow citizens out there. I plan to attend final GOTV events next weekend (and maybe Monday or Tuesday), and then it will finally be over and we'll hopefully see that our hard work has paid off.

Next time however I'll come with a better canvassing/GOTV kit:

* raincoat

* flashlight

* umbrella

* backback or messenger bag of some sort

* pre-determined walk route

* pre-grouped campaign material packets

BARACK OBAMA in Pennsylvania, Mon. & Tues., Oct. 27, 28

Jill 4 Obama — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 06:49:31 EDT

Exciting News!

Barack is going to make two stops in Pennsylvania early this week.

Here are the details:

Monday, October 27th
Doors Open: 3:00 p.m.

Mellon Arena
66 Mario Lemieux Place
Pittsburgh, PA 15219
RSVP

Tuesday, October 28th
Doors Open: 8:00 a.m.
Program Begins: 10:00 a.m.

Widener University
Main Quad
One University Place
Chester, PA 19013

Public Entrance off of E 17th St.
RSVP

How the Republican Party Has Fallen

John J. Davenport — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 00:11:51 EDT

The Republican Party began as a party devoted to moral principle, bringing liberty to slaves, public education to the poor, development of our infrastructure, and sound fiscal policy. In March 1839, while serving in the Illinois state government, where Barack Obama also began, Abraham Lincoln defended progressive tax policies that mirror Obama's: the proposed tax should be passed because it "does not increase the tax on the 'many poor' but upon the 'wealthy few'," Lincoln wrote to William Wait. Likewise in 1834, the great Republican politician Thaddeus Stevens, who later drafted the 14th Amendment, argued in his state legislature for free public schools "...that the blessing of education shall be conferred on every son of Pennsylvania -- shall be carried home to the poorest child of the poorest inhabitants of the meanest hut in your mountains." Words cannot adequately express the betrayal of these values by Republicans who today argue for a flat income tax and who define "rich" as making more than $3 million a year.

Once upon a time, John McCain opposed such extreme libertarian ideology, which has led directly to our current crisis. Five years of a war based on misinformation, economic collapse fed by deregulation, and tax cuts for the richest Americans that have left our federal government almost broke and our children and grandchildren saddled with over $10,000 billion in national debt. This tremendous injustice should be rejected by Democrats and Republicans alike. We should vote for new and visionary leadership that will rebuild our economy and inspire our allies around the world to work with us once again.

I respected John McCain in 2000 when, in true maverick fashion, he opposed George W. Bush's proposed tax cuts going primarily to the wealthiest Americans. But then McCain reversed course and supported the budgets including these insane tax cuts, which led to the richest 1% of Americans now earning 40% of our national income, and turned Clinton's federal budget surpluses to annual deficits: this doubled our national debt in eight years and left us no rainy-day fund to help us in our current mortgage and credit crisis. Against what he knows is best for the country and solely for political gain, McCain has returned to Republican ideology: he now wants to make those disastrous tax cuts that he once opposed permanent, and to extend more tax breaks to large corporations – even while hard times are forcing us to add another $1,000 billion to our national debt. McCain wants you to ignore the crushing mountain of debt we're leaving to our children, and instead believe that Obama is a communist because Joe the Plumber might pay $100 more in income tax if he starts making over $250,000 a year! He wants you to ignore the $800 billion he's spent on the Iraq war and focus on $1 billion in Illinois projects for which Obama sought federal funding. This is not honest leadership. Only Obama now has the guts to say that people in with higher incomes will have to return to paying a bit more, as they did before Bush, if we are going to return to fiscal sanity, repay the Social Security Trust account the billions we've borrowed from it, and eventually have that rainy day fund which ought to have been amassed in good times. Only Obama will make good health insurance policies available to uninsured families, while McCain want to break up employer-paid health plans by taxing them instead. Only Obama has a real track record of supporting renewable energy so that we have an stable environment, as well as balanced national accounts, to pass on to the next generation.

I respected John McCain both for his service in Vietnam, his personal courage, and his record in the Senate – no informed and judicious citizen could think otherwise. But with all my heart, I support Barack Obama in this election: his judgment has proven better in recent years, and he has the moral courage to make hard changes needed to return justice and credibility to this nation. John McCain was right to encourage the surge in Iraq – and the change in political strategy to get Sunni allegiance that really made the difference – but McCain made a fatal mistake in supporting our entry into Iraq in the first place; at that time, Obama was the maverick standing almost alone against the beat of the war drum, and he still risks political loss by supporting a more proactive diplomacy. I believe that as President, Obama stands a much better chance than McCain of being able to get our allies to do their share in Afghanistan, to secure a final two-state solution and permanent peace for Israel, and to bring the Iraq war to a successful close in which we recoup at least some of the $800 billion the Republicans spent on this venture in nation-building. The lives lost, of course, can never be restored; we can only hope for a new President who works in their name to bring democracy and peace to all nations. Though Obama will not ignore terrorist threats, he is a peacemaker; McCain is likely to lead us into new wars with Iran, or even with Russia, which thanks to his tax cuts and overhasty entry into Iraq, we lack the resources to fight.

I respected John McCain when, as a maverick Republican, he stood for the separation of church and state; but I lost that respect when he picked an utterly unqualified first-term governor for his running mate – after trying to argue that Obama lacked experience! Surely after the last eight years, we don't want another ill-spoken politician of less-than-average intelligence and education leading our nation. (But now we are told that wanting smart leaders is elitist? That's a pretty desperate ploy!). In their first presidential decisions, Obama made a wise and conservative call in choosing Joe Biden -- a man whose foreign policy experience equals McCain's -- while McCain made a huge blunder. Worse, he made it to pander to religious views he does not hold. He hopes that you will vote solely on a judgment that his ticket is "more Christian," and forget that Christians stand for peace with justice, aid for the poor, and stewardship of the Earth. Trying to make you forget these values with Sarah Palin is just insulting.

Today, the spirit of Lincoln and Stevens -- the spirit of everything that was once good and just in the Republican party -- is represented by Barack Obama. Let us now reach across party lines and recapture that spirit, for the sake of our nation, our children, and the progress of humanity across the world.

Ground Game: A Personal Story

davidconnell — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 23:17:58 EDT

My parents are in their mid-60s, recently retired and living in a small, conservative rust-belt Pennsylvania town. They twice voted for George Bush, Sr., despised Bill Clinton and couldn't stomach a vote for Al Gore -- casting a protest vote for Ralph Nadar instead. (A vote, they regret to this day.)

My father served two tours in Vietnam as a United States Marine, earning Captain's bars and a case of malaria for his trouble. He proudly wears an Eagle, Globe and Anchor on his suit jacket but eschews the false patriotism of the flag lapel pin.

They raised four children, found a way to send them all to the college of their choice and ran their own business for over a decade.

My parents have always had a keen interest in politics, but to my knowledge they have never been directly involved in a political campaign -- until last week.

Last week, my mother, at the age of 67, canvassed for Barack Obama. She did this in a part of the state where, frankly, he doesn't stand a chance of winning. She and two other women knocked on doors of Republicans, Independents and Democrats. They had doors slammed in their face. They were chased by dogs. They spoke to voters who were either for the McCain-Palin ticket or undecided. They handed our their literature and tallied their GOTV sheets dutifully.

I'd love to say this is one of those inspiring Obama canvassing stories where they turned out more voters than they expected, changed some minds or met some inspiring or surprising supporters. The fact is, most of the folks they met were either indifferent or downright hostile to their message. But despite this -- despite the truly discouraging results -- my mother is heading out their again on Tuesday and she's bringing my father, a man with two synthetic knees, with her.

They are going door-to-door for Senator Obama in a place where the struggle for votes is monumental. They are retirees in not-so-great health who could be doing just about anything they want with their time and what they have chosen to do is walk the streets at dusk during a cold Pennsylvania October for Barack Obama.

I asked my mother tonight why she is doing this. Her answer was simple: "I believe in his campaign. I just pray he can win."

With folks like my parents out there, the Obama ground game is secure -- and unbeatable.

Canvassing tomorrow

Timothy O'Neill — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 16:03:21 EDT

Tomorrow will be my second day canvassing during the general election campaign. I did do a bit of canvassing in Baltimore before the primary, but that was pretty friendly territory. I first canvassed for the general election last Saturday in Norristown, PA, a Philadelphia suburb. It was exciting seeing how much support Obama has in these white neighborhoods that most years are flooded mainly with signs for the republican candidate. The volunteers I canvassed with were amazing people, and I enjoyed the whole thing immensely.

Also, on Wednesday night I ordered some "dope gear" from the Obama store - about 50 buttons, a yard sign, and a long-sleeved t-shirt. Can't wait to get it!! Hope it comes before election day...

Targeting State by State

John Zwier — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 12:40:12 EDT

Reposting from Huffington Post

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bart-motes/obamas-smart-targeted-web_b_135249.html

Obama's Smart Targeted Web Campaign

Add another headache to the McCain campaign's faltering efforts. Barack Obama, avid Iphone user (see video) is employing state specific web sites to hammer John McCain. Websites specific to Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Virginia, and Ohio point out the disastrous impact of a McCain presidency on the lives of voters in each state. Though the websites employ the same basic format, they include statistics specific to each state.

The websites aren't quite as sexy as the new Obama for Iphone application, which gives you a ready made call list of your friends, uses the Iphone's GPS to tell you where your nearest office is, and provides users with position papers on every imaginable issue. But they may be even more effective.

For instance, the Ohio website notes that "Bankruptcies Rose 19% In Ohio In The 12 Months Leading Up To June 2008; 54,160 Bankruptcies Were Filed During This Time."

Specific data such as this arms local supporters and helps convince undecided voters that John McCain will directly and negatively impact their lives.

The program is another example of the Democratic National Committee's 50 State plan. States like North Carolina and Virginia would have been ignored by a less aggressive (read previous Democratic) campaign. But because the Obama campaign built on Howard Dean's decision to build a presence in every state, not just reliably Democratic states, the McCain campaign is forced to use its limited resources to play defense in North Carolina and Virginia.

Most provocatively, the North Carolina and Virginia sites allow voters to click on their area and see funding for local projects opposed by McCain.

Websites cannot substitute for the hard work of grassroots campaigning: particularly phone banking and canvassing. But they can augment the work of local organizers and volunteers. Since the names of the state specific websites are catchy and memorable "McCain Versus Ohio," it is easy for volunteers and staff to mention them to voters and magnify their impact.

The Obama campaign is pioneering the merger between high technology and grassroots campaigning begun by Howard Dean and Joe Trippi. The results will be felt long after this election.

Note that since this post, several other state sites have been targeted. These include:

www.McCainvsMontana.com

www.McCainvsNM.com

www.McCainvsMichigan.com

Obama, Irrational Exuberance and the Black Swan

Rick in Maryland — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 10:35:34 EDT

It's 10:45 a.m. on Election Day and you pull up the Internet
for the first time...

AP is predicting record voter turnout but trouble is already
apparent... Voting machines are breaking down and long lines
have formed at inner-city polling sites...People are
being turned away, told to go to other precincts because
their names aren't on the rolls...An early-winter ice storm
is sweeping across the Midwest and predicted to hit the East
Coast by noon...You feel a tight knot form in your stomach...

Canvassing: Great Fun, Great Exercise

Sam Reichgott — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 02:13:35 EDT

I have been out rapping on and rapping at doors for Senator Obama these past couple of weekends, and it's been great.

No, not everyone I meet is a supporter, and not everyone is welcoming. The percentages are about what you would expect in each case. Most people are very pleasant, and it's great to talk with people on both sides and find out what's important to them. For the most part I'm getting a really good response, lots of support for Senator Obama, and I find a couple more people willing to volunteer each time I go out.

One good one from last week.... Husband comes to the door and says "I'm voting for McCain, but I think my wife may be considering Obama." Wife comes to the door, and we all talk for a few minutes, me, my wife Marcy, and Mr. and Mrs. Voter. He brought up some of the easy-to-dispell right wing radio junk, and Marcy and I dispelled it. By the time we left she was still "leaning Obama" and he had moved from "strong McCain" to "undecided." So there's still hope for their marriage!

After today's walk I came home, had dinner, and sat down to watch the Penn State game. I guess I had a good day, because I fell asleep at halftime, didn't wake up until I heard the re-run of Saturday Night Live. So naturally, I'm up late blogging about it.

Keep on walkin' and callin' and maybe we'll all get our Gs back, dog gonnit!

Today is the last day to register to vote in Florida...here's my effort...

Mon, 06 Oct 2008 13:28:59 EDT

I created a flyer today to notify my immediate neighbors and neighboring apartment buildings that today is the last day to register to vote in Florida.

If you live in Michigan, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania or Virginia today is the day for you to tie up all the loose ends and register...

Let your voice be heard!!!!

This was my effort on this last day to register here in Downtown St. Petersburg, Florida...enjoy:

-R

I'm off to Pennsylvania!!

Matt Wall — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 11:18:47 EDT

I type this out on the shuttle on the way to the airport to fly back to my state of longest residency, Pennsylvania, where I'll be helping on the fall campaign for the final month. I have a separate blog for my travel and campaign adventures:

http://mattwall.typepad.com

I'm hoping to also "moolight" in Delaware County doing some door knocking, I hope to see some of you out there. Those of you around Swartmore, please drop me a note at mattwall@gmail.com - I'll be working out of Philly and Pittsburgh on GOTV with another organization but I want to see you guys.

My Detailed 2008 Election Predictions for All 50 States

Eli Corp — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 01:44:09 EDT

My Detailed 2008 Presidential Election Predictions!

You can check out your own state and see how every demographic group will likely break down in this election.

Today I made some minor changes to my predictions after news broke that McCain was abandoning his Michigan campaign, and putting resources into Indiana and Pennsylvania. I also made some very minor changes to Minnesota, New Hampshire, Nevada, North Carolina and Ohio after looking at some new polling data. These changes were minor and did not change the eventual electoral outcome in any of the states, but instead solidified Obama's lead in those states.

Let me first explain how these election projections were made. Each State was carefully researched for the most recent census and other important demographic data. Using State by State U.S. Census data I broke down the state by Gender, Race, Party Affiliation, Age, Education Level, and Religion.

Using a complex formula I did the following, I created a Demographic profile of individuals. (ex. Men-White-Democrat-18 to 44-College Educated-Catholic) There were about 216 Different Demographic Groups represented.

Next I created a two part formula, the first was issue oriented, the second demographic oriented based on CNN Election 2004 Exit Polls.(http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2004/pages/results/) The issues represented a wide variety of issues from Women's Issues, to Urban and Rural Issues, Foreign Policy and Economic Policy. I also included cultural issues such as Gun Rights and Racial Issues.

By answering a series of Yes/No Questions regarding those issues, I assigned specific numerical values to each question either Negative (liberal) or Positive (conservative).

On the Demographic formula I assigned importance based on exit polls from CNN. For instance Party is more important than Age or Gender. Race is more important than Gender etc.

The end result is a formula that is about 90%-95% accurate. I double checked the results against Exit Poll Data from 2004, and they match up remarkably well. Political Party numbers do tend to be under-represented in my formulas but do match up fairly accurately, and do balance out in the end. I used Exit Poll data, and numbers of Democrats and Republicans in the state legislatures to determine likely voter models for each political party.

HERE ARE THE FINAL RESULTS:

I project that Barack Obama will become the 44th President of the United States!

I project that Barack Obama will win with 338 Electoral Votes to John McCain's 200 Electoral Votes. (270 needed to win)

Obama will win 26 States and the District of Columbia. McCain will win 24 States.

Obama will win 51.12% of the Total Popular Vote; 67,531,664 - 338 Electoral Votes

McCain will win 47.03% of the Total Popular Vote; 62,130,227 - 200 Electoral Votes

Nader, McKinney, Barr and others will win 1.86% of the Vote; 2,451,238 - 0 Electoral Votes

TOTAL VOTES: 132,113,129 - 538 Electoral Votes

Projected difference between Obama and McCain: +4.09%

Obama Projected Wins:

California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Washington DC, Wisconsin.

McCain Projected Wins:

Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, West Virginia.

Below is a full list of Predictions from every State and Washington DC.

FULL LIST OF EVERY STATE AND WASHINGTON DC WITH NATIONAL POPULAR VOTE:

Here is a full list of all state predictions:

Alabama

Alaska

Arizona

Arkansas

California

Colorado

Connecticut

Delaware

Florida

Georgia

Hawaii

Idaho

Illinois

Indiana

Iowa

Kansas

Kentucky

Louisiana

Maine

Maryland

Massachusetts

Michigan

Minnesota

Mississippi

Missouri

Montana

Nebraska

Nevada

New Hampshire

New Jersey

New Mexico

New York

North Carolina

North Dakota

Ohio

Oklahoma

Oregon

Pennsylvania

Rhode Island

South Carolina

South Dakota

Tennessee

Texas

Utah

Vermont

Virginia

Washington

Washington DC

West Virginia

Wisconsin

Wyoming

Canvass In PA

Richie Chevat — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 09:25:46 EDT

Our first bus trip to PA last Saturday was a huge success. We sent 62 volunteers to Philadelphia where we knocked on 1200 doors, spoke with about 400 voters and registered 40 new voters. Not bad for an afternoon's work. We are going back this coming Saturday, October 4. To reserve your seat, contact caryc@bluewavenj.org

Bluewave is also holding phone banking every night and organizing volunteers for Dennis Shulman and Linda Stender, two important Democratic congressional candidates. Find out more at bluewavenj.org.

Or you can drop in at our new action office at 347 Bloomfield Ave. Montclair, open from 10 AM to 2 PM.

Pitch in and help us take back America.

PHOTOS: Michelle Obama, Joe Biden, Ed Rendell and Mayor Nutter!

Vincenzo — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 19:40:12 EDT

Interesting people and places captured in these two sets. The first set is from the Joe Biden "Community Gathering" at Linvilla Farms in Media, PA. The second set is of Michelle Obama, Jill Biden, Ed Rendell and Mayor Michael Nutter at the Francis Myers Recreation Center in South West Philadelphia.

Dem. VP Nominee Joe Biden Vows To End Iraq War

Erin from New York, NY — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 12:20:05 EDT

September 26, 2008 by Erin Medlicott

Greensburg, PA: Speaking to a packed house in the Greensburg Salem High School gym Thursday, Democratic VP nominee Sen. Joe Biden (D-DE) criticized the Bush Administration on its handling of U.S. military involvement in Iraq, shouting, “we will end this war.”

Introduced by NFL Hall of Famer and Pittsburgh Steelers owner Dan Rooney, and Norma Margonari, a local activist who comes from a large family of coal miners, Biden opened his remarks by thanking Pittsburgh for pitching in to help his family. He choked up and somberly spoke about how after his wife and daughter were killed in an automobile accident, Rocky Bleier, one of the Steelers, came to his sons’ hospital room to give them footballs to cheer them up, at the request of Dan Rooney’s dad.

Biden calmed fears when he said the Obama-Biden team would guarantee to keep Social Security intact. He answered questions on health care benefits and fixing the economy - but his most crowd-rousing comments were given about the Iraq War.

His statement, “Imagine a country where we only go to war when it is absolutely necessary” brought a big round of applause.

Biden continued, “and when we do….. we go with the support of the rest of the world.” More big applause. And then, ” Ladies and gentlemen, we will end this war.” Standing ovation.

Senator Biden’s got a personal interest in six-year long war, since his family learned their oldest son, Beau, currently Delaware’s Attorney General, and a captain in the National Guard, will be deployed to Iraq next month. But he’s been blasting the Bush Administration for several years for their lack of commitment to benefits for vets returning home, including making it extremely hard to be considered “eligible” for education and health benefits once their tours of duty are over.

Last year, the senator’s bill to provide funding for MRAPs, mine resistant ambush protected vehicles, paved the way for construction and distribution of these V-shaped hull tanks, directly leading to a dramatic drop in the deaths of US soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan who were hit by roadside bombs. The bill was passed by a vote of 75-24. The one remaining vote was Sen. Hillary Clinton, who was absent in the Senate that day.

Pittsburgh has a higher than average number of residents in the U.S. military. Speaking to the veterans and their families in the crowd, Biden continued, “The only people sacrificing right now are those who have children or husbands or wives who are serving, and the families that are left behind. And we don’t mention it often enough, but we have thousands of people who have died. We have over 30,000 who have been wounded.”

He continued, “Ladies and gentlemen, we owe them. We owe them more than we can ever repay them.”

The senator stayed to answer questions (unlike his counterpart, Gov. Sarah Palin, so far…) and left to a standing ovation.

Voices For Change: Valerie in Pennsylvania

Sarah Ramey — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 14:24:59 EDT

We're the typical American family. Not too far to the left, not too far to the right. We just like common sense.

Which is why they like Barack Obama.

He has a good, strong voice for the majority of the American people, rather than the two extremes.

Valerie's family has been in Pittsburgh for over 100 years -- her children will be fourth generation Pennsylvanians, and their grandparents on both sides worked in the steel mills. Valerie herself is a packager at a major shipping company, and her husband is a mechanic.

The biggest misconception about Barack Obama is that he's "elite" and doesn't represent families like mine. For goodness sake -- he was raised by a single mother. Just go read about his mother -- that explains everything. She was wonderful. She gave him good, well-rounded values, and those values are the same as ours.
We value family stability and working hard. When I look at what Barack and the Democrats are offering -- taking care of working families with better health care, better opportunities to go to college, and tax relief for the middle class -- that tells me Barack Obama actually values working families. As opposed to talk about "family values," with no follow up.

To Valerie, that's one of the most important differences when it comes to comparing Barack Obama and John McCain: every time she turns on the television she sees Barack Obama laying out plans, policies, and proposals to help families like hers. She's not seeing any plans or policy proposals from John McCain.

With the economy the way it is, we don't need promises that change from day to day -- we need concrete proposals. We need the how. That's what impresses me about Barack Obama. He not only gets the how -- he can also communicate that to regular people and inspire them to get involved.

So what are we waiting for? You can read more about Barack Obama's plans for fixing the economy, tax relief for the middle class, affordable healthcare, and college tuition credits by clicking here.

But most important of all, you can take the next step:

This is the movement for change: informed, inspired Americans working to put the country back on the right track -- one phone call, one doorstep, one $5 bill at a time.

Get out there!

Voices for Change: Marian in Pennsylvania

Sarah Ramey — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 11:15:45 EDT

You know, it was my kids who first got me to pay attention to Barack Obama.

And wouldn't you know: now it's Marian, 53 years old and a school nurse in Pennsylvania, who volunteers at her local Obama office, calling up young voters to talk to them about Barack Obama -- even getting their cell numbers so she can forward them text messages from the campaign.

I live in a very 'red' part of the state, and this isn't the kind of election where we can just wait for things to happen -- we have to make them happen.

And from the sound of it, the Obama movement in York County is powered by all types of people.

Just recently, Marian's been volunteering right alongside two grandmothers -- lifelong Republicans -- who are just as fired up as the next text messager.

These ladies are just so disappointed with the Bush Administration -- with the lies they've been told about the war and the economy -- and they decided they couldn't just sit at home and read about it in the newspaper and do nothing. So they came down to the office.

They're facing their fears, talking to people they don't know, talking about being Republicans for Obama -- and they're doing it because you can't work as hard as they did all their lives just to leave their loved ones with this kind of burden. War, debt -- none of us want to leave behind that kind of legacy.

This is what's happening everywhere -- from Republican grandmothers to college students to school nurses in rural Pennsylvania: people of all ages and all backgrounds are coming out to do the work it takes to get Barack Obama elected President of the United States of America so we can turn this country around.

He's the smartest guy in the room. That's the guy I want. He understands the economy, and he can keep calm and strong in times like these, which is what a real leader does. And he surrounds himself with the smartest people. That's the guy I want.

Well said. That just inspired this blogger to donate again! You can do the same:

"This time," Marian says as we're getting off the phone, "it's just too important to stay at home."

Please join Marian, college students everywhere and Grandmothers for Obama -- and get volunteering at your local office today.

An Informal Introduction

Gregg from Kittanning, PA — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 03:57:45 EDT

Good evening, Obama fans. I'll be joining you for the rest of the flight. The facts about me?

Age: 25
Occupation: Student (finishing my MA thesis at the moment)
Location: Pennsylvania, the prefix "Battleground" not included

All in all, I am your basic post-graduate student with aspirations to teach at the college level. The subject? Geography. You know, that subject that the public education system is convinced isn't worth the time to teach? Yeah, that's my thing.

I'll be honest, I'm not much for blogs. It really isn't my thing. But the more I watch this election the more I feel the need to talk about the campaigns and what it means to someone like me. I was amazed as I rolled through the various blogs here on this site, and how the stories of each person varied so widely. Needless to say, I felt kinda compelled to add my two cents (though these days I may need about $1.20 with costs going up as they are).

As you all well know, the stakes for this election are huge. Even bigger for those of my generation, all told. The last eight years have left us in a pinch as a nation. Our reputation abroad is decimated, there are a thousand different troubles here at home, and America needs a true leader. Not just someone who has "experience" (remember, our dear friend Dick Cheney had "experience"), but someone who can raise the spirits of the common man. Someone who inspires the people of America to want to be more than they are, and for their country to follow suit.

Today, that someone is Barack Obama.

The Fire in Philly: on Registering Voters in North Philadelphia

Yvonne Wu — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 18:55:08 EDT

Canvassing in Northern Philly yesterday was fantastic. It was my first time going door-to-door, and I can't wait to go back and do more. With 3 weekends left to register voters, our purpose was to confirm that each adult in every home is registered, to register those who are not, to find out their voting preference, and to recruit volunteers. In the brief training, we were warned that the greatest challenge in our going into the predominantly black neighborhood would be voter apathy ("what difference does my vote make? It won't change anything...Yeah, yeah, I'm registered.")

But I knocked on 77 doors and, aside from only two who refused to talk to me, and one die-hard Hillary supporter, I was met with quiet but deep enthusiasm. As I introduced myself, "I'm a volunteer with the Obama campaign and I'm just making sure everyone is registered to vote," I saw smiles catch, inner pride awaken, and resolute answers, "Yeah, I'm registered." When I asked if they knew who they would be voting for, I got, in playful "duh" kind of tone, "O-BA-ma!" I met none who was undecided. Almost all had that understated fire.

I recruited no volunteers but seemed to catch the interest of many when I told them about the new Obama office near them which just opened two days ago. Many requested additional flyers so they could pass on the information. They nodded assuringly when I encouraged them to make sure their friends and family were also registered and to send them our way if they weren't.

This was not an apathetic group but one eagerly anticipating the opportunity for something that could finally be theirs.

Abortion Issue Bigger Than We Thought

Change O'8 — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 14:16:19 EDT

Every undecided voter I've spoken to likes Obama, but are repelled by his stance on abortion.

I think Obama's public discussion of abortion, so far, is inadequate. But Obama has left his view on abortion a little wiggle room, such as, when during the PA debate he said he was unsure about when life began. Then, during the Faith Forum, he said this difficult question was "above [his] pay grade."

I agree with Hillary's comment that abortion should be rare and safe. I think Obama should welcome a vote, once he becomes president, to overturn Roe vs. Wade to state law, and communicate this within the next 45 days to undecided voters.

You Ignorant Liberal...

Shane — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 20:48:20 EDT

Obama is everything the Democrats have been waiting for, and we're all right to feel empowered, enthused, and confident about our candidate. BUT WE ABSOLUTELY, IN NO WAY SHAPE OR FORM, HAVE THE RIGHT TO BELIEVE HE WILL ACTUALLY MAKE IT INTO OFFICE. You think the average American has had enough of Bush's lies? Well, you're lying to yourself.

Just like Gore and Kerry before him, Obama is having to battle the deception and manipulation that the Republican party exerts over the American people. Moreover, obstacles like voter caging http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caging_list, voting location inaccessibility, and voter count manipulations http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florida_election_recount will make it even more difficult for Obama to get elected.

Like the 2000 and 2004 elections preceding it, this presidency will be decided by a narrow margin. In order to make sure Obama not only gets the votes he needs to legally win, but gets enough votes to beat the "Republican spread," we HAVE to get involved. There is no exception. If we don't, we WILL NOT win.

Post Camp Obama

Michele — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 23:53:43 EDT

This past week I have decided to take a step that is quite unusual for me. I have never been the type to get directly involved in politics, preferring to have an impact from the margins through grassroots work and through my media endeavors. But this time things are different. And these last two weeks have changed my perspective. I enlisted with the Obama Campaign and participated in Camp Obama. It was a life changing experience. I came out of that camp knowing with even more certainty that we cannot afford to lose this election. And our bordering state, Pennsylvania, is a critical player in the ultimate outcome. I have committed to do as much as I can with whatever free time I can muster to have an impact -- for myself, for my kids, for the future. My reaching out to friends and family is one of those small steps towards winning the election in November. The urgency of now is upon us and I am asking them to get involved in any way they can to help get Obama elected. More to come later. Let's make change happen now!

My Double-Vetting is More than Palin Got (I Should Be McCain's VP)

Chris Orcutt, Deputy Field Organizer — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 21:09:02 EDT

So, tonight I got a call from the Obama for America campaign. Actually, make that TWO calls.

First, a nice man named Al called, then another man named Haram (sp?). Both asked the same questions, making sure that I could commit to at least 2 weeks in a battleground state--probably Pennsylvania and its 21 electoral votes.

At the end of the second phone call, I remarked to Haram, "You know, this is the second of these calls I got. I think I hit the 'Apply Now!' button twice. Sorry."

"That's no problem, Mr. Orcutt," Haram said.

And then, from the easy chair, my Chief of Staff, Alexas, said, "Yeah, tell him you got more vetting than Palin. YOU should be McCain's VP."

Tomorrow I'm supposed to get a phone call from OFA telling me where the Obama Camp training is. During this weekend's training session, I'm to learn what my responsibilities will be as a Deputy Field Organizer.

As I said in my application to them, I have no excuses for not getting involved--no children, no 9-5 job (I'm freelance, baby!), no shrewish wife (Alexas rules).

Looks like I'm heading for Pennsylvania.

WE ARE TAKING BACK THE WHITE HOUSE, BABY!

Santa Barbarian in Altoona, Pennsylvania

Ashley — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 13:54:32 EDT

Hello my fellow Santa Barbarians!

First, I want to say thank you for all the good work you have been doing. From phone banks to events, sounds like you have lots of enthusiasm and volunteers turning up to help out. Way to go!

The bad news is, I will not be able to work with you during the general election campaign. The good news is, I have just accepted a job in Pennsylvania as a field organizer for the Campaign for Change! Those of you I worked with during the primary know that I had the opportunity to work in Texas. The same friend who I worked with in Texas contacted me a couple weeks ago to see if I was interested in coming to PA. The catch- I had to DRIVE across country! Having a car is essential for canvassing in rural areas.

I am going to miss Santa Barbara dearly, but I am excited to be working in a key swing state. I'm living in supporter housing in Altoona where I will be in charge of Blair County. There are a few urban areas here, but most of the community is truly rural. I arrived here yesterday night after the 5-day cross country drive from Santa Barbara!!! It is only day one and I can say for sure, it is going to be an uphill battle!

Rural Pennsylvanians are still very conservative overall. Even those who are working class have been overwhelmed by rumors and the worry that Obama is going to increase their taxes. This is certainly a tough town!

I am, without a doubt, going to miss the beach. But I'm so excited to be a part of something so important to the future of our country. I hope you continue to keep up the enthusiasm in California, and PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE--- if you can--- go to Nevada!!!!

If anyone happens to have relatives in the Pennsylvania area (or any interest at all in coming to visit) help is in desperate need! Otherwise, please send your thoughts and prayers our direction as we go into these last months- 50 days left! This is crunch time! If you've been waiting to participate, now is the time! =)

Thanks again to all my wonderful SB for Obama friends and staff. Your stories and efforts continue to inspire me and I will do my best to represent the energy and efforts of Santa Barbarians here in the Rust Belt.

~Ashley Putnam~

Ron Paul & Bob Barr Reducing McCain's Chances of Winning

Jeanette — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 01:18:15 EDT

Word on the ground is most Republicans in PA are ashamed of McCain's irresponsible VP pick and lack of detailed explanations of his plan for America, so they prefer to lose with dignity voting for the right man than to shame themselves with the like's of Sarah Palin. They love their party too much to let it go to unqualified "Nuke and Fluke" and the Alaska drill, drill, drill. Remember it was in PA where many Republicans switched parties starting with a couple of MAYORS. They know that the Democrats will not make the stupid decisions which resulted in closures and takeovers. And that's a chance they are willing to take.

MUST WIN STATES!!(LISTEN UP!!)

JZ — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 16:19:52 EDT

IF WE WANT THIS MAN TO BE PRESIDENT, WE MUST HIGHLY FOCUS ON THESE STATES(NUMBER 1 BEING THE MOST IMPORTANT):
1.COLORADO - 9 EV(RCP AVERAGE +2.3 OBAMA).CHOOSING DENVER AS THE DNC WAS A GREAT IDEA,BUT WE MUST PRESS ON BECAUSE THIS STATE AND NEW MEXICO IS PLAN B IF OHIO OR VIRGINIA DOESN'T DELIVER.
2.NEW MEXICO - 5 EV(RCP AVERAGE +2.3 OBAMA).I MENTIONED COLORADO IS A MUST WIN STATE, WELL NEW MEXICO IS JUST AS IMPORTANT. THERE IS NO PLAN B WITHOUT NEW MEXICO BEING FOR OBAMA. SO FAR THE TIDE IN NEW MEXICO IS A BIT ON OBAMA'S SIDE AND TENDS TO LEAN DEMOCRATIC AT TIMES BUT WE SHOULDN'T SLEEP ON IT.
3.NEW HAMSHIRE - 4 EV(RCP AVERAGE +3.3 OBAMA)ALTHOUGH ITS A BLUE STATE, IT WAS THE STATE THAT RESUCITATED MCCAIN'S PRIMARY ELECTION AND GAVE BUSH A "V" IN 2000 GENERAL ELECTION.
4.PENNSYLVANIA - 21 EV(RCP AVG. +2.3 OBAMA)KEEP HER BLUE!!! OR ELSE!!

SO!!!!!.....IF YOU'RE FROM COLORADO OR NEW MEXICO OR FROM ALL THESE STATES I'VE MENTIONED, GET TO WORK!!! I KNOW WE ALL GOT RESPONSIBILITIES AND OUR COST OF LIVING KEEPS RISING EVERYDAY...BUT IF YOU DON'T SACRIFICE A FEW HOURS A DAY IN MAKING THIS ELECTION HAPPEN, THEN THOSE HOURS THAT YOU DIDN'T PUT IN COULD TURN INTO A FEW YEARS OF MORE BITTERNESS. THINK ABOUT IT..FEW HOURS OF DEDICATION OR FEW MORE YEARS OF THE SAME AND EVEN WORSE..IF I WHERE IN COLORADO OR NEW MEXICO, I'D BE CAMPAINING LIKE IF MY LIFE DEPENDED ON IT...

Canvass for Change in PA - Trips from Ulster County

Beth — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 13:38:02 EDT

For the last eight weekends leading up to November 4th, we will be making trips to eastern Pennsylvania to help ensure this critical region votes Obama. Barack must win this region to become president.And it's just two hours from most of our doorsteps!

Of the key battleground states, the only one with more electoral votes than Pennsylvania is Florida. And Pennsylvania is teetering between Obama and McCain. In fact, the McCain campaign sees Pennsylvania as their one and only opportunity to turn a previously blue state to red. As a result, they are pouring unprecedented resources into Pennsylvania, with McCain in the state almost every week. This is most true in Northeast Pennsylvania, where working-class white voters and conservative Democrats favored Hillary Clinton by a 3-1 margin in the primaries. While we can expect big margins in Philly and perhaps Pittsburgh, we can expect a very tough battle in the middle of the state...and that leaves Northeast PA, which is predominantly Democratic, but not yet sold on Senator Obama, as the swing region of this swing state. Simply put, where we are going in Pennsylvania is ground zero for the presidential race.

Barack needs your support in Pennsylvania.

So, how can you help? Commit to one Saturday, or one weekend or more, for grassroots canvassing, voter registration, phonebanking and organizing. You will be talking with people one-on-one about the issues that matter to them and how Barack can address their concerns as president. Those of you who went to Pennsylvania for the primary know how crucial this effort is and how much we are needed there!

Saturday day trips (about two hours from Kingston) are easy and will have you canvassing from 10am to 4pm most days. You might also choose to stay overnight (in supporter housing or a hotel). Our fundraising is going towards helping with gas and hotel stipends for you if you need it--do not let cost be an issue! Neighborhood Team Leaders and teams are being identified and trained in Pennsylvania at this time and will be up and running after the conventions. We will know more about destinations as we approach each weekend. The Pennsylvania state coordinator and delegate from this region have said that our out-of-state group is absolutely critical to wining this region! They have asked us to be prepared to go where needed and will provide us with detailed directions and contacts prior to each weekend.

To sign up or just get more info on going to Pennsylvania, contact Nan Bress at 845-331-7369, nan3000@yahoo.com

Or RSVP at

http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/canvass/gpgwjq

Thanks so much!

Beth

Community Organizers: Respond to Giuliani, Palin and McCain

Sean from New York, NY — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 13:08:22 EDT

Dear New Friends and Fellow Obama Supporters:

How dare they heap such scorn and contempt upon community organizers.

The gall of Rudy Giuliani and Sarah Palin and John McCain sneering at the notion of Barack Obama starting his career as a community organizer.

That's what's stuck in my craw still these 48 hours later.

Who does Rudy Giuliani think those people were who descended upon Ground Zero day after day in the first weeks after 9-11? They were volunteer and professional rescue and fire workers from every state in the Union; the people who organize and deliver basic safety in their own big, medium and small communities. I’d say they’re community organizers.

Who does Sarah Palin think those people were who immediately hit the shorelines of Alaska following the Exxon Valdez disaster, sopping up oil with paper towels and rescuing--and literally cleaning with their own hands -- surviving birds and other wildlife? They were volunteers from the communities affected by the disaster, responding to the clear and obvious need to act. Johnny-on-the spot community organizers are what I’d call them.

And who does John McCain think that Massachusetts silversmith was who rode out of Boston to alert the community militias of Lexington and Concord that the British troops were coming? I’d call him a community organizer. And I’d say the same about Ben Franklin, Tom Paine, and Betsy Ross and hundreds of others from that period. The list never ends.

The story of this country and every great challenge and advancement it has made includes the passion, commitment and action of community organizers. Harriet Tubman, John Brown, Susan B. Anthony, James Chaney, Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwerner…The list never ends.

The Constitution, Bill of Rights and all the Amendments—good and bad—nearly all the work of community organizers acting out the promises of this country’s Declaration of Independence, seeking justice and freedom in the cause of making a better society.

Think about your own life and your family’s history and challenges over the years: the rescue squads, the girl scouts or boy scouts, the little leagues, the hospice workers, the winter coat drives, the candy stripers, the food pantries, the battered families shelters, the AIDS clinics…All the work or brain-childs of community organizers. The list never ends.

You bet I am a little peeved. It’s outrageous this insult, this slander being perpetrated by the GOP. My dander is up. The innate Irish raving is in control.

And so I have a question for everyone in SOMA-OBAMA and all Obama supporters…

It’s one I hope you’ll take to heart and give deep consideration to right now. And I hope you can feel strongly enough about this question to pass it along to your friends, families and colleagues who’ve endured almost 8 years of daily insult to nearly everything you were raised to believe is good about this country…

My question is this:

Can you give up some chunk of your personal, family, weekend time—any weekend day between now and Nov. 4th-- and answer the Obama call for on-the-ground volunteers in Pennsylvania? (Or some other swing state?)

In other words, can you act as a community organizer for Barack Obama by going to a battle-ground state to canvass, register and get out the vote?

I’ve received an email from the Obama people in P.A. and they’ve got volunteer canvassing actions scheduled every weekend until Election Day. Here are the dates:

9/6 – 9/7 Out-of-State Volunteer Kick-Off Weekend

9/13 – 9/14

9/20 - 9/21

9/27 - 9/28

10/4 - 10/5 Final Days of Voter Registration

10/11 – 10/12

10/18 – 10/19

10/26 – 11/4 (10-day GOTV)

10/29 – 11/4 (7-day GOTV)

11/1 – 11/4 (4-day GOTV)

Obama needs help in Pennsylvania. The Obama people have assignments. We can be the foot soldiers he needs to turnout new votes and ID PA voters who are on the fence.

PA is big and not far away—a couple of hours south, west and northwest of here. We can organize this together as a group, responding to the Obama campaign’s needs and forming carpools, etc. And/or we can do it individually.

Your commitment probably could be as little as one Saturday or Sunday—leaving here in the AM and getting back in the PM. Or a lot more.

We can promote this at the Sept. 28 picnic and we can go down to PA before and definitely after.

I know it’s hard with jobs and families to think of squeezing one more thing in. And I know we’re going to have a great community event right here for the Obama campaign on the 28th.

But I want to ask you to think about this in terms of something bigger. This is a “change” election. The stakes are really huge for us, our families, the long-term direction the country. It’s an historic election already. If we lose, the right wing die will be completely cast in the Supreme Court and the Constitution will be eviscerated. The never-ending wars will continue. The planet spoiled more. You know this list, it never ends with them.

If we win, we’ve earned the chance to try to turn the country around. It’s a chance to play a small role in history. It’s a chance to say, “Yeah, I was a community organizer for Barack Obama.”

The conventions are over now. The summer is over now. It’s time for everyone who expressed interest in working for Obama earlier in this year to look at their calendars, work out arrangements to open up some time, and come to our meetings to help organize the picnic and get organized to go to Pennsylvania.

So please come to the next meeting on Wednesday at 8PM, 15 Owen Drive, Maplewood: 973-762-2297.

Check out Madeleine Albright in Pennsylvania yesterday!

Julie from Philadelphia, PA — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 14:22:04 EDT

Don’t forget to sign-up to the official Pennsylvania Women For Obama website at http://my.barackobama.com/page/s/pawomen.

Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright stumps for Barack in Pennsylvania
by Kevin HartnettWednesday,

September 03, 2008 at 10:12 PM

Last Thursday night former United States Secretary of State Madeleine Albright sat with Hillary Clinton at Invesco Field in Denver and listened to Barack deliver his nomination acceptance speech. For Albright, the speech was the culmination of a summer spent getting to know Barack Obama, after having worked tirelessly for Senator Clinton during the primaries. She listened to his books on tape, spoke with him on the phone, and along with 40 million other Americans, watched him lay out a 21st century vision for our country in Denver.

Speaking today before a packed hall at Bryn Mawr college in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, Secretary Albright left no doubt about how she felt about Barack.

“I'm going to go out there, and work my tail off for him.”

That's certainly what Secretary Albright did today in Pennsylvania. She greeted volunteers at the Bucks County field office in the morning, then hosted a Women's Issues Forum in Bristol, before addressing the standing room only crowd at Bryn Mawr.

Albright spoke about the world as she sees it today, calling it, quite frankly, "a mess." She described the challenges facing whomever serves next as Commander in Chief, and said, "I want a president who's confident rather than certain...a president who looks at a lot of ideas and comes up with an integrated approach that's principled."

Albright's loudest applause of the afternoon came when she talked about the stakes for women in this election, and the clear choice that exists between Barack and John McCain and Sarah Palin.

“This is not a question of gender, it's a question of agenda.”

Albright spoke about the future makeup of the Supreme Court, about equal pay for equal work, and jobs. She said that in her mind the comparison is not even close. It was a firm and convincing declaration, the kind you could imagine her delivering to foreign leaders overseas during her time as Secretary of State, and it brought the overflow crowd to its feet.

You can watch the video of Secretary Albright's speech in its entirety here.

Candidate McCain's Big Decision (New York Times Editorial, September 2: no one has stated it more clearly; please forward this widely to family,friends, and colleagues!)

Stephen Fox, Contributing Editor New Mexico Sun News — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 20:16:21 EDT

Senator John McCain speaks with his wife, Cindy, in St. Louis. (Photo: Getty Images)

More often than not, the role of a vice president is a minor one, unless some tragedy occurs. But a presidential nominee's choice of a running mate is vitally important. It is his first executive decision and offers an important insight into how that nominee would lead the nation.

If John McCain wants voters to conclude, as he argues, that he has more independence and experience and better judgment than Barack Obama, he made a bad start by choosing Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska.

Mr. McCain's supporters are valiantly trying to argue that the selection was a bold stroke that shows their candidate is a risk-taking maverick who - we can believe - will change Washington. (Mr. Obama's call for change - now "the change we need" - has become all the rage in St. Paul.)

To us, it says the opposite. Mr. McCain's snap choice of Ms. Palin reflects his impulsive streak: a wild play that he made after conservative activists warned him that he would face an all-out revolt in the party if he chose who he really wanted - Senator Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut.

Why Mr. McCain would want to pander to right-wing activists - who helped George W. Bush kill off his candidacy in the 2000 primaries in a particularly ugly way - is baffling. Frankly, they have no place to go. Mr. McCain would have a lot more success demonstrating his independence, and his courage, if he stood up to them the way he did in 2000.

As far as we can tell, Mr. McCain and his aides did almost no due diligence before choosing Ms. Palin, raising serious questions about his management skills. The fact that Ms. Palin's 17-year-old daughter is pregnant is irrelevant to her candidacy. There are, however, very serious questions about her political past and her ideology.

If Mr. McCain wanted to break with his party's past and choose the Republicans' first female vice presidential candidate, there are a number of politicians out there with far greater experience and stature than Ms. Palin, who has been in Alaska's Statehouse for less than two years.

Before she was elected governor, she was mayor of a tiny Anchorage suburb, where her greatest accomplishment was raising the sales tax to build a hockey rink. According to Time magazine, she also sought to have books banned from the local library and threatened to fire the librarian.

For Mr. McCain to go on claiming that Mr. Obama has too little experience to be president after almost four years in the United States Senate is laughable now that he has announced that someone with no national or foreign policy experience is qualified to replace him, if necessary.

Senator Lindsey Graham, the South Carolina Republican who has been one of Mr. McCain's most loyal friends, said Tuesday that he was certain that Ms. Palin would take the right positions on issues like Iraq, Russia's invasion of Georgia and Iran's nuclear weapons ambitions. That seemed based largely on his repeated assertion that Ms. Palin would be tended by Mr. McCain's foreign policy advisers. That was not much of an endorsement.

Some of the things Ms. Palin has had to say in the recent past about foreign policy are especially worrisome. In a speech last June to her former church in Wasilla, Ms. Palin said the war in Iraq was "a task that is from God." Mr. Bush made similar claims as he rejected all sound mortal advice on how to conduct the war.

Mr. McCain, Mr. Graham and others also claim that Ms. Palin is a fearless reformer who is committed to fighting waste, fraud and earmarks. Ms. Palin did show courage taking on some of the Alaska Republican Party's most sleazy politicians. But she also was an eager recipient of earmarked money as a mayor and governor.

Mayor Palin gathered up $27 million in subsidies from Washington, $15 million of it for a railroad from her town to the ski resort hometown of Senator Ted Stevens, now under indictment for failing to report gifts.

The Republicans are presenting Ms. Palin as a crusader against Mr. Stevens's infamous "Bridge to Nowhere." The record says otherwise; she initially supported Mr. Stevens's boondoggle, diverting the money to other projects when the bridge became a political disaster. In her speech to the Wasilla Assembly of God in June, Ms. Palin said it was "God's will" that the federal government contribute to a $30 billion gas pipeline she wants built in Alaska.

Mr. McCain will make his acceptance speech on Thursday, and Ms. Palin will speak on Wednesday. Those two appearances will go a long way to forming voters' views of this Republican ticket.

As Senator Graham noted, Mr. McCain has to reach out beyond the party's loyal base. "We're going to have to win this thing," he said. "This is not our race to lose."

Mr. McCain's hurdles are substantial. To start, he has to overcome Mr. Bush's record of failures. (The president addressed the convention Tuesday night and now, McCain strategists fervently hope, will retire quietly to the Rose Garden.) That record includes the disastrous war in Iraq, a ballooning deficit, the mortgage crisis - and the list goes on.

To address those many problems, this country needs a leader with sound judgment and strong leadership skills. Choosing Ms. Palin raises serious questions about Mr. McCain's qualifications

Autism Speaks Announces Multi-State Insurance Legislation Campaign Florida, California, Michigan and Pennsylvania are Key Battlegrounds in Effort to Change Insurance Laws

Emily from Grand Rapids, MI — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 23:02:28 EDT

Autism Speaks Announces Multi-State Insurance Legislation Campaign
Florida, California, Michigan and Pennsylvania are Key Battlegrounds in Effort to Change Insurance Laws

Full Story:

http://www.autismspeaks.org/press/insurance_legislation_campaign.php

Michigan has yet to pass.

Autism Speaks Applauds Pennsylvania House Speaker Dennis O'Brien and State Lawmakers for Passing Strongest Autism Insurance Mandate in the Nation

Emily from Grand Rapids, MI — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 22:31:42 EDT

Autism Speaks Applauds Pennsylvania House Speaker Dennis O'Brien and State Lawmakers for Passing Strongest Autism Insurance Mandate in the Nation

See full story:

http://www.autismspeaks.org/press/pennsylvania_autism_insurance_bill_passed.php

I would like to see Obama take this on as part of his national health care plan. There are a lot of families that need this help. Michigan has not yet passed this and we need help for our children!

Let join forces, Hampton!

Pauline — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 21:54:38 EDT

Is there anybody out there? I mean, I know there are democrats in Hampton Township! I saw one who was on the sign-in lisit at the rally in Beaver the other day. You only live about a mile away from me on Delo Drive! Let's get our voices for change together in Hampton and support Obama/Biden, as well as try to get some unregistered voters registered and win some independents to our side. Come on, show me you are out there!

New Yorker canvassing in PA this weekend?

William Finkel — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 12:06:16 EDT

Hey all,

I'm jumping on a bus tomorrow at 9 am to go canvas in Philly, if anyone would like to join me, I'd love the company. Drop me a line if interested or sign up at my event page.

Hope to see you there.

William

My VP Pick - Ed Rendell

Simon Gornick — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 00:58:18 EDT

Big story in the NYT tonight about how Western PA - which used to be solidly democratic - is much softer.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/21/us/politics/21penn.html

We need to focus on PA, because for all the talk of a new election paradigm, I'm guessing it's the same old same old. PA, OH, and FL. Sure BO is going after all 50 but the math doesn't really add up.

We need to get working class support - we're very weak there - and Ed Rendell, Governor of PA can really help to deliver the state and add an old school democratic touch to the ticket.

McCain's people are going to try and con the white working classes yet again, and they may just do it.

Resources for finding the United States

Xyliana — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 13:35:41 EDT

I have recently been looking at http://newsproject.org

Just watching stories about things going on right here at home, more insight to the things I care about. I feel as though if anything in this election I want to start finding out more about things in my own country. I know so many of us will go by day and day not even making eye contact with one another. The word community is almost a history term but if I walk out the door and hold it open for someone else... then thats a step.

Motivational Note

Friends of President Barack Obama — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 00:19:02 EDT

Even though it may not look like it or feel like it, you are making progress.

Continue working towards progress instead of perfection.

Nothing or no no one is perfect.

Just keep taking steps.

Keep making those phone calls.

Continue following your plan.

Remain focused on your goal.

Do what you have to do right now to get to the next level.

Complete every task.

Keep every promise and commitment.

Don't look back.

Stay on track.

Let no one weaken your walk of faith and determination.

Remain teachable.

Place yourself in a blessing position by associating with people on-the-grow.

Talk with teachers.

Walk with winners.

Climb with champions.

Study successful people.

Something great is about to happen for you!

Start giving thanks right now before you can even see the outward manisfestation of your prayers and desires.

Everything you do from this day forward will take you further away or closer to your potential for successful living.

-by Dr. Jewel Diamond Taylor, Motivational Speaker & Author

This Saturday - Watch Senator Obama’s Faith Forum

John Kelly, PA Catholic Vote Director — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 22:39:06 EDT

Please watch Senator Barack Obama as he sits down to speak with Pastor Rick Warren, author of New York Times bestseller, The Purpose Driven Life. Pastor Warren will host both candidates as part of the Civil Forum on the Presidency and the discussion will focus on issues of faith and politics. The conversation will be broadcast live on CNN from Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, CA this Saturday, August 16th from 8:00 to 10:00PM Eastern.

Consider hosting a watch Party, a great tool for recruiting other volunteers and sharing our message with friends and family.

To Host a Watch Party Click here.

obama needs this "pennsyltucky" tee ...

Albert from Susquehanna, PA — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 18:22:30 EDT

.... there, I said it ....

okay, so Alabama is in the middle ... so what ... many a Scot-Irish soldier from P A struggled in Union blue at Devil's Den ...

toodles

Calling all PA Catholics for Obama

John Kelly, PA Catholic Vote Director — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 15:24:11 EDT

Let me introduce myself, my name is John Kelly and I am the new Catholic Vote Director for the PA Campaign for Change. It was wonderful to find MyBO groups by diocese already in place! I hope to post updates and events frequently and look forward to reading your posts.

Although polls have proven time and time again to be a bit unreliable during this election cycle, according to today's Franklin and Marshall poll: http://edisk.fandm.edu/FLI/keystone/pdf/keyaug08_1.pdf, there are a huge number of undecided Catholic voters in Pennsylvania. We only have 83 days left before the election! I hope we can work together to reach out Catholics across the state.

In the very near future, there will be meetings across PA of Catholic supporters of Sen. Obama. Your assistance is critical to help pull together people for these meetings. Please email me if you can help and/or for more information: jkellyATpaforchange.com

Looking forward to working with you!

Where the Hill is Hillary!!!?

Simon Gornick — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 11:55:33 EDT

Senator Clinton has a vital role to play in this campaign, shoring up the supporters she so assiduously nurtured and appealing - on behalf of BO - to the working class voters of PA, OH and other key states to help him bridge that critical gap. Where is she? Why isn't she stumping for Obama every day, tirelessly, convincingly, and effectively.

It would be an incredibly effective ad so show the links between BO and Hill. We need to force her out of her inactivity in the waning days before the convention. She has to be forced to play a role. As Barack has said, this is not about personalities, it's about America. She really has the power to damage his campaign. Through her dreadful surrogates like the depressingly sour Mark Penn, she's doing just that.

We need to unite the party - and she is the key. Perhaps we need a 'positive' ad about Obama and Clinton to force her into a more active role on a daily basis.

Obama outflanked her fair and square to pick up the nom. It was her's to lose and she's not being at all magnanimous in defeat.

I Love You, God Loves You, and Barack Obama Loves You

Jim Parker — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 17:34:23 EDT

I look forward to voting for Barack Obama for President of the United States with a greater sense of anticipation than I've ever looked forward to anything, with the possible exception of every Christmas Eve before I turned 11 or so, and started getting more clothes than toys.

I know that Senator Obama’s campaign has been a beacon of hope for lots of other ordinary Americans, too, because I’ve been honored to serve it on the ground as a volunteer in Arizona, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Oregon, and South Dakota, and I’ve seen reflections of the hope Barack Obama has sparked in, literally, thousands of pairs of eyes as I’ve walked—again, literally—hundreds of miles, canvassing, door to door.

And even though it isn’t easy to convey a sense of all the wonders I’ve witnessed and lessons I’ve learned working on the campaign—walking one precinct after another, talking with voters about what our nation can and will be again—one conversation still stands out in my memory. Maybe it symbolizes the shiny, new gift under the tree (or beside the menorah) that Barack Obama’s “improbable” candidacy represents to us all. Or maybe it was just a special moment for me. You decide.

It began on April 23rd, around five o’clock, a warm spring afternoon in south-suburban Indianapolis. I’d just arrived in Indy from Pittsburgh earlier that day and I was excited to be on the ground again, knocking on doors and ringing doorbells, making the case for Senator Obama as best I could. As I started my walk, I crossed paths with two women—mother and daughter, Jane and Christina—walking in the opposite direction. After introducing myself, I asked if they planned on supporting Senator Obama in the May 5 Indiana primary.

They both scrunched up their faces and Jane shrugged. “We still haven’t made up our minds,” she replied. “We lean toward Hillary one day and the next day we lean toward Obama.”

I smiled and replied as I often did, “We do have two good candidates this time around.”

It was my basic stock reply to a response I’d gotten from voters almost every day I’d spent canvassing since the primary in my home state of Arizona on February 5. Except this time, I pushed my observations a step further and added: “But we only have one great candidate.”

Jane asked why I felt that way, and I replied that Obama had the courage to oppose, and speak out against, the war in Iraq when it was potentially a form of political suicide to do so. I remarked that, despite all the campaign hoopla and hype about 3 a.m. phone calls, sometimes the “call” a prospective commander-in-chief gets doesn’t come at three in the morning, at all, but at three in the afternoon, and it doesn’t take the form of a phone call, but a roll call vote on the floor of the United States Senate.

I told Jane and Christina that—from my perspective, at least—Senator Clinton had already failed her own “commander-in-chief test” in October 2002, when she voted to authorize an unnecessary war—one that’s resulted in the deaths of 4,000 Americans and hundreds of thousands of Iraqis and the squandering of hundreds of billions of dollars—money which could have been more wisely and profitably spent in this country, to eradicate poverty and provide health care and an improved quality of life for our own citizens.

It was Barack’s early and continued opposition to the war that seemed to rivet all of Jane’s attention. She told me that both she and her daughter, and the rest of her family, are members of the Church of the Brethren, a Christian group so solemnly anti-war that its members had even refused to fight in World War Two.

As we talked on, the three of us still standing at the side of that street in suburban Indianapolis, Jane and Christina seemed impressed, and only a little incredulous, that I’d come so far, at my own expense—taking an unpaid leave of absence from my “real” career—to walk unfamiliar streets in places I’d never been before, simply to promote the candidacy of Barack Obama.

“But I’m not doing it for Barack Obama,” I told Jane as I nodded at her daughter. “I’m doing it for Christina, here, and my daughter, Sara, and for their kids, someday.”

Then I paused, trying to find words to explain the improbable transformation that had begun to occur in my own life, after Sara and I listened to Senator Obama speak at a Phoenix rally in January, which led me to read—and my commitment to be ignited by—the simple truths in The Audacity of Hope.

I told them that, for me, this campaign isn’t about Barack Obama, at all. It’s about the grassroots movement that he started building when he returned to Chicago from Harvard Law School and resumed his community organizing work with Project Vote.

“Barack Obama made me remember something that I let myself forget, 40 years ago, when Martin Luther King and Bobby Kennedy were assassinated: that this is our country and we’re responsible for what our leaders do in our name. And changing things isn’t just about getting people to vote. It’s about participation — participating in the process yourself, and inviting other people to participate until everyone remembers that we are the process.”

Jane and Christina both nodded in agreement, and as we began our goodbyes, I finally found the words I’d been searching for earlier to express the depth of my gratitude and the extent of the honor I felt even to be representing Senator Obama as an unpaid volunteer on the streets of Indianapolis.

But the words weren’t mine; they were Barack Obama's. So, as a preamble, I just skipped all the way down to my own personal bottom line: “Besides, think of how great it will be again to have a president who’s a poet and a philosopher.”

As proof, I cited Barack’s “Yes We Can” speech, the one that the Black-Eyed Peas’ will.i.am turned into such a moving music video. Neither Jane nor Christina were familiar with the speech or the video, so I began to recite it from memory, there on that quiet suburban street of Indianapolis:

“It was a creed written into the founding documents that declared the destiny of a nation: Yes we can.
“It was whispered by slaves and abolitionists as they blazed a trail toward freedom: Yes we can.”

Then, my eyes misted, my voice quavered, and I broke off the recitation, just considering the awful weight of that last stanza: That, fewer than 150 years ago, citizens of our nation believed themselves capable of owning other human beings, to do with as they pleased. It reminded me that we’ve come so far, in so many ways, and yet have so much further to go, to answer the call that Abraham Lincoln issued in his Gettysburg Address, to ensure “that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”

I brushed my hand across my eyes, to erase the trace of tears that had started to form, and was surprised when I looked at Jane, and noticed that tears were spilling out of her eyes, too.

I decided that it wouldn’t do to part company, on so somber a note, with so elegant and sensitive a small assembly—a 50-something-year-old woman from Indianapolis, standing with her 18-year-old daughter (who would cast her first ballot in less than two weeks), alongside a 50-something-year-old man from Arizona, who had just invoked the memories of long-dead, but unforgotten, human beings who had repealed the horrors of slavery from our land a century and a half ago.

So I smiled again and told Jane and Christina about the radiant faith and hope and joy I’d seen on the faces of hundreds of African-American kids I’d met the week before, canvassing the bleak, ex-urban ghettos of McKeesport, Pennsylvania for their candidate, my candidate, our candidate: Senator Barack Obama.

I remembered a parting phrase that had seemed to form itself spontaneously—and managed to escape my lips without conscious thought, at all—that first or second day in McKeesport. And since it suddenly seemed to fit again, I told Jane and Christina how I’d ended so many conversations with voters—black and white, young and old—in Pennsylvania: “I love you, God loves you, and Barack Obama loves you.”

The words always seemed to bring a smile when I delivered them in McKeesport, and they worked just as well to brighten things up that April day on the streets of Indianapolis.

Then, as we said our goodbyes and resumed our separate walks—Jane and Christina heading for home, me off to knock on more doors and ring more bells for the next President of the United States of America—I couldn’t resist turning and calling out: “It’s true, you know. No matter who you vote for: I love you, God loves you, and Barack Obama loves you.”

I only hope that you believe it as much as I do. Because it is true, you know.

McCain Gets Another Free Pass from the Media

Fred - Team Liaison - Smyrna-Vinings — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 17:33:56 EDT

I never thought that John McCain could turn any aspect of his POW experience into a negative, but it appears he has done just that...

More about the local efforts...

George A Sanders — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 22:40:20 EDT

The next big project is 4th of July weekend voter registration. We have 3 events the campaign is putting together that we need help with in the Red Lion area. Our goal is to reach 200 registrations! Let me know what other groups are doing. If you are in the area and can help for any amount of time on any of the events, we need you! We can also use help making phone calls to volunteers, donations of water (could be hot days), food, pens, clipboards or just stopping by to say hi (great for moral support!)...

November?!?

Lucy — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 02:02:38 EDT

Hello to all those who went to Pennsylvania this spring from other states, for a day, a weekend, a week or a month, to register voters or get out the vote. Hello as well to those who wanted to join us, but couldn't get there.
I don't think it's too early to be thinking about November, not to mention the voter registration efforts that I assume will occur in the leadup. As many of you know, the logistical planning for out-of-staters was not as good as it could have been, and as one of those who made the effort to travel to help, I'd like to see things go more smoothly this time. Among other things, I think better planning would result in more volunteers on the ground.
So, here are my questions to start the discussion:
- Are you planning to travel to PA help win the election, or are you needed closer to home?
- Does anyone have any word yet on the campaign's plans in PA for the general election?
In general, what are your thoughts on this?

Some Questions (and Ideas) About Fundraising

Lucy — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 01:27:30 EDT

[Sent substantially the same content to the group listserv, but never saw it come through, so I'm posting here, now that I've figured out how. Apologies if you're seeing the same material in two places.]

Hi, all – Happy to have found this group. I’m a reasonably long-term volunteer (Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania) and contributor, just now starting to fundraise. I have some questions, plus a few ideas on which I’d value the group’s input.

Stepping up the pace for the General Election

George A Sanders — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 03:14:20 EDT

Things are starting to jump in PA. Our county has 11 Organizing Fellows and a paid Staffer. This weekend there are at least 18 Unity parties planned. Voter registration is in full swing. I heard reports that the Organizing Fellows are getting 100 registrations a day. There are Hillary supporters hosting Unity parties for the campaign. In my area volunteers are registering voters at carnivals, community yard sales, in grocery store parking lots, at 4th of July events, and many other places. What is happening in other areas?

Lackawanna County for Obama office now open in Scranton!

John D — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 11:53:06 EDT

Exciting news for North East Pennsylvania Democrats! The campaign has opened its office at 222 Wyoming Ave Scranton, PA 18503. Give us a call at 570-344-1754 or stop by anytime between 10am and 6pm. We are open seven days a week. You can also e-mail us at NorthEastPAForObama@gmail.com. Get involved with our movement for change! Help us man the office, make calls or go out registering voters. Together, we can deliver Pennsylvania for Obama and put a Democrat back in the White House!

New Erie PA Forum

Andrew Vivier — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 13:54:27 EDT

Hello Erieites,

Just wanted to let you know I started up a new Erie Forum where we can discuss Obama or chat about anything Erie.

Quinnipiac Shows Obama Leading in FL, OH, & PA

Deborah Simmel — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 17:59:39 EDT

New poll results released yesterday from Quinnipiac University have Senator Obama leading in three important swing states, Florida, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. Details and some internal data can be seen here.

http://www.quinnipiac.edu/x2882.xml?ReleaseID=1187

Celebrate with confidence. Show your enthusiasm for our candidate with a donation today!

OHIO MIGHT FINALLY GET IT

1 "Bitter" Yvonne "Hussein" Raphael from California, a "Typical" American — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 10:59:26 EDT

Second best first: GO CELTICS!!!

Now for THE BEST -

My heart was made glad this a.m. when I read this:

Poll: Obama leading in swing states Posted: 08:50 AM ET
From CNN Political Producer Alexander Marquardt
Obama is leading McCain in swing states in a new poll.

(CNN) – Barack Obama leading John McCain in the crucial swing states of Ohio, Pennsylvania and Florida, according to a new survey.

Obama lost the Democratic primary in Pennsylvania by 9 points — but a Quinnipiac University poll released Wednesday shows him leading McCain by 12 points, 52-40. In Ohio — a state Obama lost to Hillary Clinton by 10 points in March — he’s leading McCain 48-42. And in Florida, where he did not campaign this primary season and lost an unsanctioned Democratic contest, he leads McCain 47-43.

The Ohio and Florida results are reversals from Quinnipiac polls published a month ago, when Clinton was still in the race, and McCain led Obama in hypothetical match-ups.

In the waning days of her campaign, Hillary Clinton argued to voters and superdelegates that she should be the nominee because she was the stronger candidate to beat McCain in these swing states. Democrats in all three swing states say they’d like to see her on the ballot this fall, but independent voters give the idea a thumbs down by margins of 9-16 percent.

Florida clinched the presidency for George W. Bush in 2000, and Ohio did the same in 2004.

Quinnipiac surveyed between 1,300 and 1,500 voters in each state from June 9-16 with margins of error of plus or minus 2.5 percent for Pennsylvania and 2.6 percent for Ohio and Florida.

Filed under: Barack Obama • John McCain

Ohio, I just might give you another look :-D

GOBAMA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ONE Vote '08

Chesco Bill — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 10:33:36 EDT

Dear Friends,

As summer heats up and the presidential campaign hits full stride, I'm proud to invite you to join an unprecedented effort, made up of ONE members right here in Pennsylvania and across the country, to give the one billion people around the world living in extreme poverty a voice in the 2008 election.

It's called ONE Vote '08 and it's a high-energy, grassroots campaign to make the fight against extreme poverty a key part of the 2008 election. Together, we can make sure that our next president, no matter if it's John McCain or Barack Obama, is committed to saving millions of lives and stopping needless suffering around the world.

Sign up below to be a ONE Vote '08 volunteer and you can be a part of our team here in Pennsylvania. From Pittsburgh to Philadelphia, we're hitting the campaign trail to rally voters and press the candidates on the incredible power of American leadership to save lives in the poorest parts of the world.

Sign up for ONE Vote '08

Trouble up north

Lee — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 23:49:03 EDT

McCain has communications problems in Ohio, while Obama has a more superficial issue in Pennsylvania

Today I sat on my horse and he pulled me in a cart

Danielle Clarke USA Vietnam Vet — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 18:09:51 EDT

I want to thank you all who responded to me in the other first blog. I will get a diary and write in it every day. I hope to ride him from southeastern lancaster county to noerthwestern lancaster county on july 5th and 6th to pick up my carriage. I will surely take pics as soon as i can get a digital camera.

Today was a great day for me and Buddy (my horses name) :) I harnessed him and at first let rebeca an amish teen show me how to drive him with the cart and then she went back to the house while i drove him another 2 times around a 30 acre farm trail and then back to the barn. That was the first time i ever did this. Oh i had rode a jenny when i was a teen in N Calif. I then got on his back after rebeca did. I had to use a bucket to get on.. i am fasting 2 days now and plan to lose 20 lbs and get back down to 155lbs or less soon. I was bareback and well buddy was tired. He was so sweet and then i took him over and washed him down. I now realize he is only gonna be 3 in febuary so i can't really ride him much even though he is a big halflinger. When he is 3 it will be ok. However he can pull a carriage for about an hour a day for the first week and then 2 hours the next week and then 3 hours thereafter. In time he may be able to go more but i have to go slow and let him grow. Of course he and i will always stop and rest at places and meet new people and i am sure i will have to watch him carefully as time goes by. Oh i also have been cleaning his hoves and making sure the thrush isn't there and i did shoe a horse when i was a teen. Well i just wanted to say hi and thank you all and well i will be surlely working on the amish vote as i help them with loading hay and picking crops etc etc etc in hopes i get places to hang for a day or 2. I did load 500 bales for another amish farmer last week. We did that by horse drawn carts and gas powered baler. Me and the father and 2 sons and one daughter did it all in 4 hours and loaded it in the barn. 6 carts filled. Yes i worked very hard and lifted bales over my head and i got many blisters ...ouch...

Anyway i will try to stay in touch and i am hoping to be able to get online at least once a week. Eventually i do plan to get my way down past gettysburg and into maryland and into the shenadoah valley virginia. I then hope to be able to settle in west virginia this winter.

hugs love Danielle :)))))))

$20.000.000 after all

Obamanizer — Wed, 21 May 2008 10:46:02 EDT

Remember when Clinton claimed to have raised $10.000.000 in the 24h after Pennsylvania? That makes her raising only $10.000.000 for the rest of the month of April. Is there any source where the fund raising information is listed by daily donations...?

48 years old ... and still experiencing!

Pennsylvania Pam — Sat, 17 May 2008 20:54:14 EDT

This is the first blog that I've ever had ... I never even thought I'd have a blog in my life! But here I am.

When the Obama campaign rolled into Pennsylvania, the area organizer (the fabulous Kyle Lierman from Maryland/DC) promised us that being part of Barack's movement would lead us to meet people we never would have met before, and to do things heretofore unknown or unthinkable.

Boy, was he right! I'm still mourning the sight of the back of the Obama bus heading off after our primary, for the friends that I met and the comaraderie we shared. We were working Western Montgomery County ... and although I was crushed when Barack lost Pennsylvania, I immediately saw the hope that Barack has promised when I learned the next day that Hillary had one Montgomery County -- considered a PA bellweather -- by less than 2 points.

I'm anxiously awaiting the return of the bus when the real fun starts for the general election! Thanks, Barack!

Appalachia's problem

Steven — Sat, 17 May 2008 10:38:36 EDT

There is a really interesting op-ed by Charles Blow in today's NYT:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/17/opinion/17blow.html?ref=opinion

What it suggests to me is that Obama does not have that much of a problem with "white blue-collar workers" as such--he actually did fairly well even in Indiana, and very well in Wisconsin and, of course, Illinois. In the general he will also do well, I suspect, in Michigan, New York, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania (where he leads McCain handily in current polls). But there is a problem for him in appealing to "white blue-collar workers", or "poor, uneducated whites" more generally, in Appalachia. This raises two questions:

1) Given Blow's point that Obama only has to win the states at the fringes of Appalachia in the general (Pennsylvania, Ohio, New York, perhaps Virginia and North Carolina), without the votes of Appalachia, and can discount states such as West Virginia and Kentucky, how much effort should the Obama campaign put into such states and regions of states, compared, for instance, to the Midwest states where he does fairly well among "white blue-collar workers"?

2) Is Obama's apparent problem with "white blue-collar workers" more a problem with Appalachia and its particular political culture (see Karl Rove's recent--outrageously Know-Nothingist--remarks about what are and are not "American" values--completely identifying "Appalachian" guns'n'religion/us v. them values with "America"). And if so, given 1), is it not then more a problem, a tragically ever-recurring problem, for Appalachia than for Obama?

Racist Incidents Give Some Obama Campaigners Pause

Bolaji — Tue, 13 May 2008 13:21:28 EDT

Racist Incidents Give Some Obama Campaigners Pause

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/12/AR2008051203014_pf.html

By Kevin Merida
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, May 13, 2008; A01

Danielle Ross was alone in an empty room at the Obama campaign headquarters in Kokomo, Ind., a cellphone in one hand, a voter call list in the other. She was stretched out on the carpeted floor wearing laceless sky-blue Converses, stories from the trail on her mind. It was the day before Indiana's primary, and she had just been chased by dogs while canvassing in a Kokomo suburb. But that was not the worst thing to occur since she postponed her sophomore year at Middle Tennessee State University, in part to hopscotch America stumping for Barack Obama.

Here's the worst: In Muncie, a factory town in the east-central part of Indiana, Ross and her cohorts were soliciting support for Obama at malls, on street corners and in a Wal-Mart parking lot, and they ran into "a horrible response," as Ross put it, a level of anti-black sentiment that none of them had anticipated.

"The first person I encountered was like, 'I'll never vote for a black person,' " recalled Ross, who is white and just turned 20. "People just weren't receptive."

See more in extended post...

Limbaugh's operation chaos

Chinni — Tue, 06 May 2008 16:53:33 EDT

Limbaugh issues orders for Indiana

..today on his program, Limbaugh told "operatives and commandos" that he has received emails from GOP voters that they have not been challenged at the polls. He read one email from one who voted for Clinton: "It was tough. I showered twice, I threw up in my mouth, but I did it."

Rush Limbaugh says Clinton-Obama race is proceeding precisely according to his plan

Nobody really knows, of course, how influential Limbaugh has actually been, although the promotional publicity for him and his program has been absolutely priceless. Anecdotal evidence suggests many thousands of Republicans did, in fact, cross over to vote for Clinton, which, frankly, is fine with her. She'll take anybody's vote these days.

All Rush is saying is that he urged Texas Republicans, without a real contest of their own, to cross over and vote for Clinton and she won the state's popular vote. And he urged Ohio Republicans to cross over. And she also won there big-time, raising disturbing doubts about Obama's ability to win the populous heartland industrial states that Democrats need for a November victory.

And then Rush urged Republicans to cross over in Pennsylvania. Which they did. And Clinton won again by nearly 10 points.

So Rush is just saying.

The big hole in Clinton’s “electability” argument.

Steven — Fri, 02 May 2008 12:00:29 EDT

Hillary Clinton’s one remaining argument for why superdelegates should hand her the nomination over the insuperable lead that Barack Obama has in pledged delegates (earned after months of hard campaigning in actual contests) is that she can win and he cannot.

She bases this argument on the “fact” that she has won the primaries in the “big” states—New York, California etc.--and the “battleground” states—Ohio, Pennsylvania—that will be necessary for a Democrat to win the White House. She has also argued that Obama’s inability to attract the support of white, blue-collar workers (Reagan Democrats) means he will be a weak candidate when facing McCain. Both of these arguments are completely disingenuous, for much the same reason—Obama lost those states and so far has not won over a majority of those working-class voters (nor of women or the elderly) not because of his inability to attract them so much as her continuing to have the strong support and loyalty of enough of those voters (to win in Ohio and Pennsylvania). But in a general election Obama will not be facing Hillary Clinton but rather John McCain.

Assuming Hillary Clinton has the deep loyalty to the Democratic Party that she professes, the first thing she will do when conceding to Obama will be, or at least should be, graciously to urge her supporters and all those people who voted for her to rally behind Obama now. At that point Obama’s own “electability” strengths as concerns the key African-American constituency, those with college education, the young and independents (i.e. the reason why Clinton has lost), will be complemented by Clinton’s own--not quite as strong-- “electability” strengths among women, the elderly and blue-collar workers. That is a winning combination for November (with the deciding margin provided by Obama’s cross-party appeal).

As far as winning “big” states goes, it is already crystal clear that many of the “big” states that Clinton won, such as California, New York and Massachusetts are going to vote Democratic whoever the nominee is, so there the “electability” argument is a complete non-starter. Even in the “battleground” states, it depends which states you are talking about. Obama won Wisconsin, handily, and Missouri and Colorado, and he also has the advantage that he has put in play certain states, such as Virginia, that simply would not be on the table if Clinton were running.

There is an apparently stronger argument for Clinton in other, more traditional “battleground” states that she has won, but even there the context in which polling is being conducted at present makes any such argument a stretch, and a bit fatuous. Some current polls, for instance, showing Clinton stronger against McCain in states such as Ohio and Pennsylvania are simply a reflection of relative strengths in those states of the two candidates, including elements, I am sure, of gaming the system (so that, for instance, an Obama supporter might hypothetically claim to be for McCain when asked for a preference between Clinton and McCain, just to depress the numbers for Clinton—not that an Obama supporter would ever actually do such a thing, of course). Once the candidate is decided, one can expect the vast bulk of support for the losing candidate to shift over to the actual nominee. At that point Obama, who is in any case running fairly even with McCain also in the states that Clinton won recently (Ohio and Pennsylvania) should be able to take up much of Clinton’s advantage and pull ahead.

It could be, as they are currently claiming, that many Clinton supporters will not vote for Obama, but I think that is just resentment at having lost. Once the nominating campaign is over, most of Clinton’s supporters will come over to supporting Obama, because he is so much closer to Clinton’s positions on virtually every score than McCain is. Clinton, not surprisingly, has enjoyed a huge advantage among middle-aged and older women. Many if not most of this constituency will be on the women’s rights side of most social issues, including abortion and gender equality. Are such women going to vote for McCain, a candidate who has promised to continue to appoint conservative judges to the Supreme Court, to hack away at Roe v. Wade, or are they going to vote in droves for Obama, who is virtually identical with Clinton on such issues? Similarly, blue-collar workers and union members should want to vote for the one remaining candidate who backs extending union and workers’ rights; the elderly might want an old man like McCain in the presidential office, but if they care for their health benefits and preserving Social Security, then again, if they voted for Clinton, they would be somewhat irrational in not voting for Obama.

How much can disappointment at one’s candidate’s loss, assuming it is fair and square, go against one’s own interests and values when it comes to casting a vote?

One might add here that the operative words are “fair and square”, because I do not have the same confidence that the same rallying around would happen were the reverse to happen, and the superdelegates went against the pledged delegate tally and make Clinton the nominee. There would, in any case, be loud shouts of betrayal of the democratic (and Democratic) process, justifiably so in my opinion, and this would already cause a greater falling away of support for Clinton—possibly splitting the party. Even were this not the case, the fact is that the extra strengths that Obama brings are precisely the add-ons of a potentially dominant Democratic coalition. There is the African-American constituency, who will vote in large numbers, holding their noses, also for Clinton, but not in anywhere near the numbers that they would for Obama, and this could already be a crucial weakness for a Clinton campaign. Even more significant, though, is the fact that much of Obama’s success has come from energizing the young, at universities and in many other walks of life, as well as independents. The youth vote is notoriously fickle, and, with no Obama “movement” to keep them motivated, might well simply disappear from the electoral process come November; similarly Clinton is very weak among the sort of independent-minded voter for whom Obama’s “come together” theme has been so attractive. They also will not turn up in November in big numbers if Clinton is the candidate, or might well vote for the “straight talker” Mc Cain.

At the end of the day, the “electability” argument is a disingenuous argument, reeking of opportunistic exploitation of such distractions as the Wright spat. It distracts from the real question, the real choice, in this primary campaign: who is the best candidate, with the best policies, and with the best chance of uniting the country, enacting effective legislation, and becoming a president about whom all Americans can be proud? Clinton’s effort to muddy the waters about how superdelegates should vote does not change the fact that Obama will get the nomination because he has an insuperable lead among pledged delegates, and the superdelegates will, in a majority, realize they cannot buck the result of the actual primary campaigns. Once Obama is the nominee, support will coalesce around him, as it usually does in such contests. If he is given enough time to heal the rifts within the Party, and smooth the feathers of his opponent and her camp, he will then go on to the general election with a united party behind him, and most probably, given the parlous and perilous state of the country, go on to a landslide victory. It is not the “electability” at this point of the candidate that matters, but of the Democratic Party. In that sense, the earlier the Party can come together, end the drama of the polls and primaries, and reunite its forces on Obama and a platform for reform and change to benefit the People as opposed to the special interests and corporations who have for too long been running the show under Bush, the better off we all shall be. In a sentence: “End the drama; vote Obama!”

Hillary Clinton, Stalwart of Disenfranchisement

Blue Shield — Fri, 02 May 2008 11:59:11 EDT

Hillary Clinton recently claimed that if her supporters vote for Mccain in the general election were she to lose in the primary, it would be “foolish” of them. What she is not telling the public is that she already thinks her supporters are “foolish” and so she would gladly want them to support Mccain over Obama. She herself already knows its virtually impossible for her to win the nomination unless the Superdelegates overturn Obama’s eventual victory in popular vote, pledged delegate lead, and number of states won. However, because she keeps changing the rules as she feels fit as a way to formulate a way that will favor her, her supporters are actually falling for it. What does this mean? It means that Hillary Clinton has been banking on the “ignorant” vote. She keeps repeating false claims of how the Obama campaign wants to disenfranchise over millions of voters in Florida and Michigan, an argument that is so baseless and vitriol it is unsettling at best.

PA experiences

Obamakin in NS — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 18:00:10 EDT

I drove over 1200 miles to help GOTV in PA. I helped phone people who said they would volunteer, hit the streets and knocked on doors for hours over 4 days, helped tally results, and enter data. I saw how important the work that phonebankers do identifying supporters becomes when it comes to getting out the vote. It allows us to concentrate on the most productive areas in the last crucial days and hours.

I saw all kinds of people from all over the country come to help, but we didn't have enough volunteers in the suburb of Pittsburgh to cover all the bases. I was really impressed by the dedication of the people who were there. Many of us went beyond our endurance levels. If you don't know Pittsburgh, let me tell you walking up and down those hills and the long stairways to peoples' houses was like four days on a stairmaster for over 6 hours/day. By the end my legs were so sore I could hardly walk.

People who worked several shifts for the campaign got special tickets to the rally at UPenn, so we could keep working and not worry about getting in or having to wait in the super long line that went all the way down Cardiac Hill. We still waited for 90 minutes to get in and another 90 minutes before Barack came, but it was more than worth it. I can't describe the feeling when the Yes We Can music video appeared and most of the ten thousand people sang along, or when Michelle was introduced!

I wish we could have brought home Pennsylvania, but from my experiences knocking on doors there, we had a hard row to hoe. In the end, we kept the margin under 10, and from what I saw, that was a terrific achievement. Think of what we could have done with more people!

At the end, I wished I could have driven on to Indiana, instead of having to go back to work! Volunteer! You won't regret it.

Farrakhan's Closest Democratic Tie. It Isn't Obama. It's Penn. Governor Ed Rendell.

jgabriel — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 12:57:20 EDT

Read this Washington Post article that explores Pennsylvania governor (and big Hillary supporter) Ed Rendell's connection with Nation of Islam's Louis Farrakhan.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/25/AR2008042502976.html

Some food for our Clinton lover side..

Chinni — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 21:51:02 EDT

Clinton's endearing fictions

..In the wake of her Pennsylvania victory, I pondered what it is about her that appeals to so many voters, even when she looks hopelessly out of the race. And I decided only one thing can explain it: A lot of us like our politicians to lie and fudge—the more flagrantly, the better.

Why would that be? For the same reason women enjoy hearing that their eyes are like sapphires and guys like to be told they resemble Greek gods—even when they know full well that the person talking is not being entirely candid. If a politician won't mislead you to get elected, it seems as though he or she doesn't care enough to deserve the office...

Why Hillary Clinton makes my wife scream
My wife Barbara has begun yelling at the television set every time she hears Hillary Clinton. This is abnormal behavior, since Barbara is a meditative practitioner of everything peaceful and organic, and is inspired by Barack Obama's transformational appeal.

For Barbara, Hillary has become the screech on the blackboard. From first lady to Lady Macbeth.

It's getting to me as well. Last year, I was somewhat reconciled to the prospect of supporting and pressuring Hillary as the nominee amid the rising tide of my friends who already hated her, irrationally I thought. I was one of those people Barack accuses of being willing to settle. I even had framed a flattering autographed message from Hillary.

--
Contribute for Obama '08 at
http://my.barackobama.com/page/outreach/view/main/cparimi

Pictures from Pennsylvania

The Pollitikat — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 20:45:25 EDT

check out pictures from my journey in pennsylvania

http://www.thepollitikat.com/

Groundhog Day

Netweaver — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 18:29:39 EDT

I have been following the Pennsylvania primary and I have to tell you I am puzzled and shocked at how Hilary Clinton was able to frame Barack as an elitist and out of touch politician. I am appalled at the introduction of Reverend Wright as Barack's Kryptonite. I am worried by Barack's seeming inability to reach out to bridge the working class people that he needs to win in November. I think he needs to see the movie Groundhog Day. Why do I say that?

I was in my bank today. This is a bank that I have been going to for over 10 years. I only mention this to tell you I have a long time routine with the tellers in this bank. I do most of my banking online and via the ATM. Ocassionally I will go into the branch on a Saturday and make a deposit.

My interactions with the tellers have always been cordial and professional. I see them as professionals. I walk up to the window. I say good morning, how are you doing and I tell the teller I would like to make a deposit. I make my deposit, I get my receipt and I am on my way. Like I said I have been doing this for years. Today was different though. Today for the first time I noticed that the teller's were business as usual professionals. Performing their jobs with the solemnity and professional smile they learned in the customer service training class they were made to attend. But I noticed for the first time that there were certain regular customers that they would "light up" for. The tellers greated them with warmth and a jovial comment. Genuinely happy to see them. The customer was also pleased to see and interact with the teller. I knew some of these people are regulars I have seen on some of my visits to this bank branch.

I was standing on line waiting my turn when it hit me. I have been a "customer" at this branch for over ten years and yet I had never connected with the tellers. I have never bothered to engage them personally. I was always aloof, professional.

I decided I would break the customer/teller wall and engage "Simone", the teller who was becoming available when I reached the front of the line.

"Hi Simone", I said. "How are you doing today?"

"Fine" she said barely looking up, not leaving room to take the conversation any further. She took my deposit slip and check, produced a receipt and said "Have a nice day. Next!"

I walked out of the branch feeling a little sad about that interchange. I realized that I was not going to break the customer/teller wall in one attempt. I realized it would take time to establish the same kind of comfortable rapport I say she had with other customers. I realized also that I would have to make the effort. That's when the thought came to me. "why should I? What's in it for me? I barely use the teller windows. I do most of my banking electronically and via ATM. Why should I invest my time and energy in getting to know the tellers?

That's when I thought about the movie "Groundhog Day". I was looking at people and the time I would invest in them with a "what can they do for me attitude".

That's also when I realized what went wrong in the Pennsylvania primary. That's when I realized that Barack was too polished, too cerebral and too professional for the working class. He reminds them of the "suits" that make decisions about their lives. The suits who don't take time to talk to them unless they need something. The suits that have impacted their lives so negatively.

This is a worrisome thing. Barack is Barack. He is not pretending to be polished, he is. He is not pretending to be professional, he is. He is not engaging these folks because it is somewhat implausible that he can engage so many individuals on a personal level.

I don't know how he is going to solve this problem but he just has to.

Dumble Digits versus the Obama Landslide

Bigname Scientist — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 13:12:17 EDT

Every time I hear "Double Digit win" I get angry. In order to turn a 9.2% lead in Penn into a "double digit win" Clinton's spinmeisters rounded 54.6 up to 55% and rounded 45.4% down to 45%, then subtracted AFTER rounding, doubling the rounding error and dumbling the media.

We need a group of mathematicians or scientists to make news pointing out this intentional error. If she can't add 2+2 what does that say about budgeting? Its the same spinning baloney as when Texas ended in a statistical tie (before Obama won most caucus delegates), yet Clinton turned that day into a "big triple win" instead of conceding after losing only 13 states in a row instead of 15.

Today she is claiming to win the popular vote by counting uncountable states. The truth is that since Florida and Michigan don't count, of the 42 states counted so far, Obama has won 28 states to Clinton's 14 states. Thats 66.6% to 33.3% -- an electoral landslide if democratic delegates were allocated like Republicans or the Electoral College.

Similarly, we can look at the results of biggest 100 cities in America, the size of crowds at events, as well as fundraising prowess. We have and are witnessing the Obama Landslide, and it is completely obvious except to those who have been dumbled-down.

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart

Corrinne Davies — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 08:45:31 EDT

I was watching “The Daily Show” the other day where Jon presented the Pennsylvania primary results. I must say, as a Pennsylvanian and as an Obama supporter/volunteer that I absolutely loved the way Jon Stewart presented the results. It was almost as if he had read my mind. I could really relate with the video clip of the correspondents giving interviews in PA after the primary. Now that PA has NOT decided anything we are no longer important, nobody cares what we think. I find it amusing we got all this attention but after the party we woke up alone and forgotten. Tossed away like a piece of trash.

I was under no illusion that Barrack was going to win. I knew he would lose PA but I didn’t know by how much. The thing that is really driving me mad is how Hilary is doing this song and dance about how she amazingly won PA, acting as if she were the underdog in that state or something. She was predicted to win PA by a huge margin, why is she acting so shocked that she won, that she has turned the tide. Barack did what he could, his volunteers did what they could to try to cut into Hilary’s margin and make it a closer race but the odds of us actually winning were highly unlikely. The cable news networks have been going on an on about how much of a margin there would need to be for either of the candidates for them to consider it a win. Double digits was the magical number needed by Hillary to stay in the race as if she would actually drop out regardless of how awful the result could have been. Everybody has been going on about how she pulled it off and go her double digit lead in PA. I did the math and the margin was a 9.2 lead. Back when I was in Elementary school we were taught that if you are going to round a number to the next whole number, you take the last digit and if it is greater than 5 than you round the number up and if it less that five you round down, then there is this grey area about which direction you round if that digit is equal to 5 but that was not the case here. 9.2 clearly rounds down to 9. Jon was right – there are two digits in 9.2 – doesn’t seem to matter what side of them decimal point they fall on as long as there are two digits.

Hilary has some crazy new math she invented to prove that she’s winning the popular vote. First she doesn’t bother to count caucus states because she claims they don’t represent the real electorate (of course this has nothing to do with the fact that she loses in caucus states), then she goes on to include the popular vote from both Florida and Michigan even though these states had their delegates stripped because the broke the rules. Neither candidate campaigned in Florida which is a disservice to Obama because he has often gone into states with these huge margins in Clintons favor but he has managed to cut into her leads and often does better than expected in states that Strongly favored Clinton.

To make matters worse Obama wasn’t even on the ticket in Michigan because all the candidates were asked to remove their names from the ballot because the vote here wasn’t going to count. Everybody removed their names except Hillary which works out very conveniently for her in her new math system. She gets all the poplar votes from that state and just ignores the fact that some of those uncommitted votes would have gone to Obama had his name stayed on….but we will never know. It wouldn’t be fair to give him all the uncommitted votes either because I’m sure there were individuals that wanted to vote for Edwards in that mix of uncommitted. She couldn’t even win a state where he name was the only one on the ballot. Her math gets even more complex when she starts declaring that she has won all the big states, all the states that are important in the general election. Basically she is stepping on and trash talking all the states that didn’t’ vote for her, saying they aren’t important. The only states that matter are the big ones that she has won. Lets not forget that Obama did walk away from Texas with more delegates even though many of the media networks still give the win in Texas to Clinton.

I’m just sick and tired of the cable news networks rehashing the same old shit day after day. Watching The Daily Show is like a breath of fresh air in the midst of all this indecision insanity and cable news bullshit.

Last Night Clinton Won the Pennsylvania Primary, but Lost the War for the Nomination - Robert Creamer, HuffPo

Christopher Martin — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 21:26:21 EDT

The Pennsylvania Primary was Hillary Clinton's last chance to deliver a game changing blow to Obama's campaign for the nomination. She failed to deliver.

Pennsylvania provided her with her final real opportunity to knock the wheels off the Obama campaign. She needed a crushing victory of 18% to 25% to have any real chance of altering the math or the psychology. Demographically, Pennsylvania was made for Hillary: the second oldest state in the nation, heavily blue collar, Catholic and rural -- Hillary's voter profile. She started with a lead of almost 20 points. But her final margin -- which the Pennsylvania Secretary of State says was only 9.2% -- fell far short of what was needed to stop Obama's nomination. Here's why:

Why Can't Hillary Clinton Close the Deal?

Ali A. Rizvi — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 16:14:04 EDT

Watching the post-Pennsylvania primary coverage, you’d think Hillary Clinton has pulled an unprecedented upset by beating out Barack Obama with a “decisive” 10-point margin.

There are two components to the spin.

First, why wasn’t Senator Obama able to close the deal in Pennsylvania, despite outspending Clinton 3 to 1 with record amounts of money in the state? And second, why can’t Senator Obama win big states that Democrats need in the general election?

Obama wasn’t able to completely close the 20 point gap in this one state – Pennsylvania – despite the millions he spent, and according to Clinton, that makes him unelectable.

Does that mean the superdelegates should now gravitate towards Clinton, who (i) cannot close the much wider, nationwide 130+ delegate gap even if she gets up to 70% of the remaining delegates in the primary season; and (ii) has run out of money at least twice in the last two months, even having to loan her campaign $5 million at one point?

So the first question probably brings up even more questions.

How was Obama even able to raise the money to outspend Clinton 3 to 1?

Why wasn’t Clinton able to raise as much money – if not more money – than Obama, having been a multi-term New York senator, not to mention First Lady for eight years with a wildly popular Democratic president?

Why did she have to loan her campaign millions of dollars earlier in the primary season?

How is it that Barack Obama, after outspending Clinton 3 to 1 in the state, still has over $41 million in the bank while her campaign was in debt when the polls closed in Pennsylvania? Is he more advantaged than the 100-million-dollar Clintons?

Let’s step outside of Pennsylvania and ask the bigger question.

How is it that a black man – whose first name rhymes with Iraq, last name with Osama, and middle name literally IS Hussein – has come out of nowhere, de novo, with no prior political connections and just over one Senate term, singlehandedly dethroning the Clintons, who are virtually royalty in the Democratic Party establishment, if not in the entire country?

With the immense stature and recognition that Hillary Clinton has had nationwide over almost twenty years, how is it that has she not been able to defeat the unknown-till-very-recently Obama by more than just 10 points in Pennsylvania after six weeks of Jeremiah Wright, Bittergate, Bill Ayers, his weakest performance ever in a debate that was watched by over ten million people, and an initial lead of more than 20 points?

Moving on, the answer to the second question is shorter. Winning large states in a primary has very little to do with winning them in a general election. The Democrats in these states voted for either Clinton or Obama during the primaries because they had a choice among multiple Democratic candidates. In the general election, they won’t have that choice, and will most likely vote for whichever Democrat is going against John McCain, whether it's Obama or Clinton.

Every primary election season has those that swear they will vote for the other party if their favored candidate isn’t made their party’s nominee - don’t forget the hordes of Republicans who loudly and publicly vowed to vote for Hillary Clinton if the not-too-conservative John McCain ended up as their nominee. Now that the fight has died down and the GOP has almost uniformly coalesced around McCain, does anybody seriously believe that these Republicans – such as Ann Coulter or Bill Cunningham – will still vote Democratic in November? Come on.

Either Democratic candidate will be able to carry the states that Clinton has said only she can carry in a general election.

When (yes, "when", not "if") Obama is the nominee, Massachusetts will not suddenly go the way of McCain because Clinton won it in the primary. In the same way, whichever Democrat won Texas (Clinton by popular vote, Obama by delegates) is very unlikely to carry it in the general election.

That brings us back to the media coverage. Despite popular opinion, the media has helped Clinton all along, by treating this as a “close”, “neck-in-neck”, “tight” race, even though it was effectively over more than six weeks ago.

So don't fall for the electability argument. Clinton cannot take McCain down for one simple reason: she could not – and cannot – take down Obama.