Posts with the tag Wisconsin

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

A Good Weekend of Canvassing

Jonathan — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 02:47:50 EDT

Hello everyone!

This past weekend we were canvassing here in La Crosse, Wisconsin on Saturday and Sunday. On Saturday we were canvassing for Senator Feingold. My partner Emeron and I aren't the most experienced canvassers, but we worked well together. I felt like we really made a difference. We definitely cleared up some misconceptions people had about health care reform and found out what was important to them in preparation for Senator Feingold's upcoming re-election bid. The people were generally receptive to us. One kind woman gave us a donation for Senator Feingold's campaign for $100. I have to thank all of the people that worked putting that canvass together especially my friends Katie Norton and Natalie Holzem who made sure things ran smoothly the day of the canvass. I thank all of the people that got out there and knocked on doors as well. In order to appreciate the organizing people do, people need to be hitting the streets.

The canvass on Sunday was also good. My partner Matt and I had a good time. Almost everyone we talked to was in support of President Obama's health care reform. A few people even agreed to call Congressman Kind's office and tell him they support health care reform which is very important. Make sure you are e-mailing or calling your representatives and telling them you are supporting the plan. A lot of people who are opposed to it are calling and making their voices heard. Our voices won the election now they must carry us as we work to pass health care reform. Again I thank the organizers of this canvas especially my friend Andrew Londre. It was another day of making a difference and fighting for the change that we want to see!

I also want to congratulate my friend Alex Stoffregen on being a new community organizer!

Next time I will post my story about why I support health care reform with a public option!

Thanks for reading,

Jonathan Ringdahl

"Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek."-President Obama

Wisconsin Election Blog

WEBMASTER — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 08:58:54 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 Wisconsin to post a message on the Wisconsin Election Blog.

Wisconsin Election Blog
wisconsin-election.blogspot.com

GrassRoots OFA Team Leader's Coalition EVent Planning Committee

Marcia Riquelme — Mon, 04 May 2009 11:44:08 EDT

Hi Everyone,

In the months after the WISCONSIN RIVER VALLEY GRASSROOTS CONFERENCE on Feb. 21st, a coalition of Team Leaders and active volunteers decided to meet and discuss how we could continue on with our network still on the ground post-election.

It is clear there is a great interest to strengthen and continue that network. Dan Grandone and J.D. Stier attended our second meeting and agreed it is a good thing they are enthusiastic to see continue.

There is now a third and fourth event on the calendar. Please consider attending if you can.

Tuesday, May 7th -- a collaborative meeting to set in motion a more 'formalized' sort of group description and establishing the group as an entity working within the goals of OFA but also working with many local and statewide community service issues and focus groups. We are expanding our invitation base to anyone who is interested in attending, and especially those who were part of the network that volunteered to elect Obama. Here is the agenda:

PLEASE NOTE: This meeting will move us from talking to walking. So come prepared to be in on the ground floor of developing an action agenda for Dane County.

Thanks

Dear Obama Team Leaders,

The anticipation of spring is upon us and with it the arrival of President Obama's first 100 days in office. It's difficult to determine which to be more excited about, but for most of us it probably is the 100 days.

Throughout the long winter we have continued to work with our teams, participate in the Grassroots Festival, and meet the OFA Wisconsin Coordinator, Dan Grandone). It seems clear that we will be stronger and more effective if we share our energy in some form of county wide network.

With this realization, it is time to take the next step in building the Dane County Grassroots Network. Join us at the Alicia Ashman Library (large meeting room), 733 N. High Point Rd.1 on Thursday evening May 7, at 6:30 pm. This meeting will be a work session with some heavy lifting for the future. We encourage you to bring one or two additional team members with you who are also committed to this project.

See the attached agenda for details.

We look forward to seeing you on May 7. If you have questions call any of the numbers below.

Ron Biendseil 836-1920

Bruce Green

Nate Timm 220-0139

Eric Sundquist

GRASSROOTS NETWORK AGENDA

MAY 7, 2009

6:30 p.m., Alicia Ashman Library, 733 N. High Point Rd. (Corner of High Point and Old Sauk, one block east of the Beltline)

WHO WILL KEEP US ON TIME??

6:30 WELCOME AND BRIEF HISTORY OF EFFORTS TO CREATE A GRASSROOTS NETWORK IN WISCONSIN. (Obama campaign experience, Grassroots Festival, Organizing for America listening sessions, Dual Rail Meeting, first meeting of grassroots teams at the Alicia Ashman Library
6:40 PURPOSE OF TONIGHTS MEETING:
1. Identify top priorities of issues people want to begin working on with other area teams
2. Develop preliminary work plans to address top priorities

NOTE: the underlying assumption is that you are here because you want to DO SOMETHING

6:50 WHO’S HERE Rapid fire -- Your name and community
7:00 MISSION STATEMENT:

The Dane County Grassroots Network consists of progressive groups, teams, and individuals committed to the civic betterment of the community and the nation.

The mission of the Dane County Grassroots Network is to:

Facilitate the exchange of ideas, information and skills among network members in order to promote the civic betterment of our community and nation
Identify issues of common interest to groups and facilitate shared activities and campaigns.

Is there anyone here who CANNOT live with this as the mission for this initiative??

7:10 Identify top priorities that the network will address
Who will join the Coordinating Team for Dane County? This group will support work groups, problem solve, trouble shoot, and plan follow up activities of this meeting
7:30 Break into Work Groups to begin developing action plans
8:15 Reconvene as large group to BRIEFLY report on highlights of work plans
8:30 We’re out of here.

Possible Priorities ( for further action by work groups)

Note: participants at previous meetings have endorsed the need to develop an electronic communications network to support our efforts. Marcia has agreed to coordinate this effort. If you’d be interested in being part of this work group STAND UP AND BE COUNTED NOW.

WORK TOGETHER TO:

(First, circle your top 5-6 priorities. Then check off your TOP 3)

___Influence state legislative priorities
___Support President Obama's political agenda
___Influence the national legislative agenda
___Support a national Health Care initiative: facilitate education, information

dissemination and action etc, on this issue

___Support a state Transportation initiative: RTA facilitate education, information

dissemination and action etc, on this issue

___Support a national Energy policy: facilitate education, information dissemination

and action etc, on this issue

___Support a national Education initiative: facilitate education, information

dissemination and action etc, on this issue

___Organize coordinated community service projects (short term and ongoing

projects)

___Develop and support youth involvement in a grassroots network
___Find and support a credible Dem. candidate to oppose Rep. Paul Ryan
___Establish Study/Discussion Groups (books, articles, issues, etc.)
___Establish a Grassroots Academy to help network members hone their political

skills, community organizing skills, communications skills, etc., and develop political, business and community linkages

Others??

1 The library is at the back of s small shopping center at the corner of High Point and Old Sauk Rd. Turn into the shopping center and head to the back corner. We’ll be there.

I will post the announcement of the HealthCare Reform forum announcement in my next posting. Please take a look and consider attending. We are and can still make a huge difference if we keep the network alive and functioning!

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

For those of you who have signed up for my "Event"

Steve Severson — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 21:14:48 EDT

I thank you SO much! I would like to ask an additional favor of you, though; could you email me at stevenvonspark@yahoo.com, so I can thank you personally? I like the personal touch! Also, I promise NOT to harrass you, spam you, or otherwise insinuate myself into your world!

I have enough to do in my own 'lil world! Most like the personal touch! And when asked are GLAD TO HELP OUT.

i like to get to know "my peeps"(not those sugary yellow chicks that make your teeth hurt just lookin' at them!) at whatever level with which they are comfortable. It has become 'round these parts, something of my signature!

I am a very open person, and delight in it!

So much so, my phone just died from lack o' power. Again, thank you folks SO much, and I SO look forward to your emails!

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

Geithner Detector....

James — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 22:24:27 EST

What are we doing? Just what kind of human being is allowed through the gauntlet of media, which presumes that anyone with any life experience at all is somehow tainted. Too tainted to serve in office. This Geithner fellow. I am not a fan. He is up from the same school as the rest of them. The Harvard, Yale, Darmouth crowd of Ivy leaguer's who do all of their 'training' with law firms or somebody like Kissinger and Associates. They have no real experience at all. Geithner has no experience either. Just some legacy education, and then some gifted 'not-a-real-job' employment in a foreign land. But he did not pay all of his taxes for a couple of years. Yes! That is exactly the guy we want in Treasury. He does not like to pay taxes. He eventually paid, plus penalty and interest, just like the rest of us, when we get caught. If you are not being audited than you are giving way too much to this government. Don't commit tax fraud (falsifying documents) or tax evasion (failing to admit or reveal income) but do stall, hesitate, delay and wait. Sometimes it is better for a person to pay the taxes late with penalty and interest. Sometimes we do not have the money to pay when the taxes are due! Dah! The real world, as opposed to the world most of the 'no-lifers' who run this country live in. So I am for Geithner. You go guy! I don't want to pay either. I will if you make me, but you really have to make me. I am a true patriot of our wonderful country. I fought and bled for it, and still suffer the wounds. But I part with tax money hard. I don't like it. I am not supposed to like it. I am like the forefathers who built this country in that way. They didn't like it either. So there. I would dump tea in Lake Geneva but it is frozen solid.

Bush is on television asking for sympathy, as he ships off to the brambles of Texas. God, can you imagine living down there with him? There will be no exodus, however. Most of the people down there are built just like him. "Aw shucks and golly gee, yaal!" They can keep it. And him. I like Austin, but that place is not really Texas. It somehow got transplanted there. It is a former suburb of Santa Fe. Cool. Bush is very very funny, as he goes. His truly stupid intellect and phony corn pone ticks and habits are right out there now for all to see. Hidden by the media and covered by staff for nine years, or so. The other night he actually said these words "Generally, I tell the truth." By the next day, on the White House internet site, which ran the written dialogue from the press conference, that became "Genuinely, I tell the truth." He told the truth the first time, and then covers with a lie. About lying! I love it. True to form. He goes out as he came in, wearing an invisible dunce cap that is becoming more and more visible as he slides toward oblivion. He took New Orleans and made it Republican. By simply not helping any of the real culture there survive. The poor, the renters, the real working class. All gone. Swept away by Brownie and his good old boy shucking drawl performance. And it was on purpose. Bush did that just like he did Iraq and Afghanistan. This man killed a lot of people. You have to hand it to Former President Carter. In that photo op, with all the presidents there in the oval office, he stood aloofly alone, and off to the side. That had nothing to do with Obama. That had to do with the cowardly killer who is still president, and made him show up.

The rug. The dunce-capped douche bag actually commented on the rug. That I found of interest. It was panned by the media, his comment about liking the rug, and also by John Stewart later that night. But the rug is a big deal. Nothing more exemplifies the taste and direction of the new president's presence in office as the Oval office rug. I have been in the Oval office a half dozen times. Even once with the President alone (Bush Sr.). He had the coolest rug of all time. The robin's egg blue with the coat of arms in gold at the center. God it was terrific. In fact, I liked it so much that when I was allowed in the side door (I had been grilled about walking directly to the front of the great old Naval Desk, the Man sat behind, and standing at attention until I was spoken to) instead of following my directions, I walked to the desk, and then said 'nice rug." Senior looked up at me and shook his head. I was already known to be terribly insubordinate, and he knew that. He also did not like it, but refused to take the bait. He gave me another mission impossible instead. "Go to this country, you know the one, and find out if that general leading the country is doing the terrible things to his people that I believe he is. If he is, then replace him with someone better. You have four days. And oh, don't spill any blood or spend any money." He looked back down, which meant I was dismissed. There is not a lot of great good cheer or greetings and felicitations in that room, unless the press is there. I left, only to encounter the Chief of Staff waiting in the hall. Chief's of Staff have one hatred above all others (and they have quite a few others). That hatred is for anyone that gets to see the president alone, without their oppressive company and advice. In fact, if the COS is there, then the president talks to him and he talks to you. It is idiotic, but there you have it. Anyway, he wanted to know what the president had said. I told him to ask the president. He flew into a rage and threatened my career (not my life, as he knew my line of work). I waited him out, as we walked back to the administration area. Then I laughed, and told him everything, of course. I was not stupid. One really cannot survive, working for those guys, if the COS is after your ass. He never did like me, but he left me alone. Until he got me stuck inside an African prison. But that was later. And for something else. Which I did deserve.

Palin's lovely looney head has reared up. She cannot stay out of the limelight no matter what. She has had a taste of 'the life,' and can't go back to Alaska and live like she used to anymore. She is mad at the media, at Couric and poor old Charlie for dissing her. She is mad at McCain because he mis-managed their campaign. If she had it to do over she would not have remained so compliant and silent. She would have given them advice. Now that is about as funny as Bush saying that he was a president like all the rest before him. That Obama would find out. But Palin is right there. A different form of applied stupidity. An out of control razor blade of a woman, compared to our dull, plodding baseball-bat president. God, would Palin and Bush not have been a ticket? They could have argued about who was dumber. And they would have been contesting to gain the title, not deny it. Palin also does not like bloggers. They lie. I am howling here. We do? Yes, we do. When we feel like it. And we even admit it, which places us in a league all of our own, compared to the likes of that jealous, angry and hard-ugly woman. Our national gold-digger. The kind that the guy in the last blog wants so badly to avoid (or get rid of, because I think he has kind of a problem at home).

It is twelve below zero right this minute out there. Harvey is curled up under the monitor. I took him out earlier, as he demanded it. He stood there for the longest time, then licked both of his front paws. He put them back down on the packed snow. And then snapped his head around to me with eyes wide open. I grabbed the idiot, and swooped him up. He had not, fortunately, stuck his paws to the ground. I think cats lack real saliva, as his tongue always feels dry. But still. He has not made any comments since. I think he is mad. I am the god of everything in his life, I think. And I have royally screwed up his weather. Wisconsin. In the Indian dialect the word came out of, 'wisconsin' means endurance. Yes, that is lie. I just said that in case Ms. Palin reads my blog. Or has it read, because I don't think she reads any better than our grand glorious leader.

from-the-chateau-dif.blogspot.com

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

I CHANGE MY MIND

L. Dampeer — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 04:04:27 EST

I've been online reading blogs for years, yet this is my first. I am so inspired by President Obama and Family that I can't keep quiet any longer. I've honestly been given hope, inspiration and change. THANK YOU!

To Whom It May Concern:

For years i've been on my way back to school to futher my career. I've had plenty to say that was meaningful and from the bottom of my heart. Afraid to walk in the shoes of the person I truely want to be... the person I am. Haven't embraced the extremely artistic portion of myself... my passion. Its crazy how i've taken so much from myself, and pretended not to be as intellectual, and beautiful as I am inside and out. I thought to myself that I didnt want to be intimidating. Didn't say it if I thought it would hurt your feelings. It's fine... I am ok with who and where I am.

What the ____! What really have I been thinking...

Voices For Change: Brian in Wisconsin

Sarah Ramey — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 22:07:11 EDT

Brian has lived all over the electoral map. Born in Minnesota, he moved with his dairy herdsman father and family to Wisconsin and then Illinois. From there, onto Nebraska, then Washington, Ohio, North Dakota, and finally back to Wisconsin. And now, having lived in so many states -- as many red states as blue -- Brian has a good sense of what this country really looks like: purple.

And there's a Senator who really agrees with him.

"I started early looking for the best candidate to get us moving to where we need to go. I found Barack's positions all very compatible with my own and his personality to be outstanding."

There are specific "purple" issues that Brian thinks the whole country could get behind, and energy independence is one of them. As a landscape construction worker employed by a Wisconsin forest preserve, he knows that an energy-independent United States would be good for the environment -- and not only that, it would increase our national security as well. By creating over 5 million new green collar jobs, it's also a much-needed boost to our economy. This bipartisan issue is at the center of Barack Obama's campaign, and that's one reason Brian got motivated to get out there and help.

I have worked on three walk lists in my local area -- and it's a little hard at first to go knock on a stranger's door. But, I've found that it's actually interesting to meet neighbors I would never have any other reason to meet. Most people I have talked with have been nice, and some are really enthusiastic about their support.
I have another walk list that I am anxious to start because I still see the polls put Wisconsin in the toss-up category. We can do much better to show our support of a sane and prosperous future by getting behind the only candidate that makes any sense.

With the clock ticking down, and so many states in the toss-up category, now is the time to join Brian by knocking on some doors in your own neighborhood -- or making calls to someone else's neighborhood!

As Brian put it, thinking about the future of this country:

I can barely wait to get started fixing this mess.

Let's get started now.

Make calls. Knock on doors.

Elect Barack Obama as the next President of the United States.

Obama to Leave Trail & Visit Ailing Grandmother in Hawaii

Stephanie Williams — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 23:05:03 EDT

WEST PALM BEACH, Florida (Reuters) - Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama will leave the campaign trail to go to Hawaii this week to visit the ailing grandmother who helped raise him, an aide said on Monday.

"Recently his grandmother has become ill and in the last few weeks her health has deteriorated to the point where her situation is very serious," said Obama aide Robert Gibbs.

Obama's grandmother, Madelyn Dunham, who will be 86 on Sunday, helped raise him along with his mother, Ann Dunham, and his grandfather, Stanley Dunham.

Gibbs would not discuss the nature of her illness.

Barack in the house

Jay Williams — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 16:06:04 EDT

I just read that Sen. Obama WILL be coming to Madison before election day.

More Madison, WI Rally - John Kerry

Jay Williams — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 16:17:34 EDT

I've finally gotten the headliner of the Madison, WI rally up on YouTube.

Giving a day for Barack? There is room in the car

Terrie — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 17:28:17 EDT

http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/gshrh3

I'm driving to Wisconsin for a day on Friday, Oct. 10, from Chicago. I have room for 3 people. You can respond by clicking above or leaving a comment with your e-mail. Wisconsin is one of the battleground states and I'm planning to go to Janesville to canvass all day.

Give a day for Obama/Biden 08!!!

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

Hello!

Lloralleaves — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 23:34:29 EDT

I am brand new to this and very relieved to find a place that I can feel hope that where I am in life may be understood! I am a mother of six kids. My oldest two have pretty much left me for higher ground and my youngest four have been in fostercare for 15 months here in Kenosha county based on false accusations that I beat them. The system is so quick to judge those with mental health issues that even the police officers and investigators will call you a liar instead of allowing you to clarify their inaccurate assumptions. I chose to go on disability so could be stable and attentive to my children and the county is one day's hearings away from giving them to a drug addicted father who just got out of jail after many failed attemts to be a father rather than return them to a mother on disability. I have not given up, but a healthy person would crack under the pressure! I have to be in denial to survive some days! I came to Wisconsin because there was so little help in Illinois, so I am more than please to hear Senator Obama set the record straight about what this country needs! Don't let our children slip through the cracks Senator Obama!! I believe with all my heart that you are not about greed! Give us a voice!

McCain Classifies Recently Foreclosed Michigan Voters as Indigent, Plans To Take Away Voting Rights

Iris Turner — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 16:59:36 EDT

Shorter version forwarded to the Press September 2008

McCain is Un-American:
How Un-American is John McCain? His recent attacks on Michigan voters who recently lost their homes says a lot about McCain and how he feels about American's plight in this financial tsunami, namely the mortgage and credit crunch. For McCain to charge hardworking Americans who have lost their homes with being indigent, so that he can then argue that they are ineligible to vote, is as unethical as the predatory lending practices that put Michigan voters and many other American voters in that position in the first place. The fact that Michigan is a swing state unveils McCains sinister plot.

This current anti-democratic plot is similar to other plots that Republicans have slithered surreptitiously into action when faced with close races such as this. Since time immemorial such strategies, as sleazy and un-American as they are, have always worked in Republicans' favor. The most recent such plot that comes to mind was during the Kerry election. More people need a voice now, and their message of being bullied and robbed of their rights as Americans should be heard by courts of public opinion, and more vigilantly by the highest court of the land.

Let's keep our eyes peeled and our ears open to other shinanigans that McCain and his fellow Republicans will attempt soon in other swing states, out of sheer desperation, going forward.

John McCain is not interested in the issues:
John McCain has no interest in issues that do not affect him. With all his wife's millions, John McCain will never have to apply for a sub-prime home loan, lose his job, be in a position not to be able to afford medical attention, or default on his mortgage...on ANY of his mortgages, that is. We all know how many houses he has, even though he doesn't!

McCain is out of touch with Americans:
This recent Republican led effort to disown Americans in Michigan proves just how out of touch John McCain is to Americans plight, and the American economy. Americans in Michigan who have tragically met a disastrous fate in the wake of a financial tsunami deserve better than this! How deplorable and out of touch can McCain and his Republican agenda be? Being out of touch is a trademark of John McCain and the Republican agenda. McCain has been harping his message of being out of touch with Americans, and the American economy, at every turn, and almost every chance he gets. He can't help himself. This is the true face of John McCain.

Right to vote:
Voting is a constitutional right since I last checked. However, McCain is not in touch with that. He should have some self respect and bow out of the race. As recently as last week, proven facts and evidence are clearly taking shape in the form of a presidential candidate who can not win on the issues, has no clue on economic issues facing Americans in this country, and that he plain doesn't care. How dare McCain try to add to the financial crisis facing Michigan and other voters by trying to deny them their right to ensure that they will be able to pick the right candidate for president? Barack Obama has a lot of experience outside the Old Boys network that spells ruin not only for certain disloyal Democrats too proud to come back home, but for Republican supporters themselves. Why? Because the way of the Republicans has led this country to financial greed, and ruin. Those who played the game outside the United States are also reeling from its effects of this greed, if not ruined.

This is the continuous out of touch saga that is John McCain and the Republican agenda.

McCain says Americans shouldn't ask for help:
McCain proudly continues to boast about his belief that Americans should be able to pull themselves up by their own boot straps.

Let me tell John McCain something about Americans pulling themselves up by their own boot straps.

McCain should do better to practice bending his torso if that is what he needs to do to look people in the eye at a 90 degree, or 180 degree angle. If I can pull myself up by my boot straps, why can't he in the only way he can show us? McCain is a politician after all! I know what it is like to suffer huge physical setbacks, and how frustrating it is on the way to recovery, and without medical coverage to continue with physical therapy.

I pulled myself up by my own boot straps when I was hit by a flatbed truck by a Hamilton NJ trucking company that could not afford insurance beyond the bare bones minimum.

I pulled myself up by my own boot straps when my head injuries prevented me from using my eyes beyond staring straight ahead: I learned I had to move my torso in the direction my eyes needed to be.

I pulled myself up by my own boot straps- I know how painful it is both physically and emotionally to wear orthopaedic shoes, and have to endure pain not only in my arms, or in my spine, or in my cervical area, or in my legs, or in my skull, or in my jaw, or eye sockets, joints, feet, or legs, but in every part of my body, including my heart. To experience pain so deep that it shot pain into every part of my body, and at times simulate a heart attack.

I pulled myself up by my own boot straps- I know what it is like to force myself to accept the only job available to me at the time: making photocopies and sorting documents at a financial institution.

I pulled myself up by my own boot straps- I know how painful it is to have to use 2 hours to take a shower because only the fingertips of my hands were functional: I had to prop my body against the bathroom wall for support because my knees, spine, etc, couldn't wait for my finger tips to finish the task.

I pulled myself up by my own boot straps- when it took 30 minutes to walk from the parking lot, because I needed to slide out of the driver seat with the assistance of the car seat (thanks Oldsmobile!), using the car door and frame to stand up. The only way I could walk was to slide or shuffle one foot in front of the other. Muscles in my legs, thighs, and hip area no longer functioned. All this while, tears streamed down my face from the pain and non-cooperation of my limbs. From being able to work 2 or 3 jobs, I was reduced to a walking vegetable.

I pulled myself up by my boot straps when I had to learn how to painfully move my hands to take a test to determine whether I had any physical dexterity to do any type of job.

I pulled myself up by my own boot straps when I learnt my college education had been wiped out, that I had lost short term memory, and had to relearn how to memorize, practice speaking, walking, and use gadgets to wear my clothes and open my door.

Even so, you better believe I pulled myself up by my boot straps- this was a personal issue. I could control some things, no matter how painfully severe the situation was- this was my effort to get back into the work force, and hopefully back into life.

What I had to do was personal. The mortgage sub-prime lending debacle on the other hand, is not a personal issue by a long shot.

To John McCain and the Republican agenda: How dare you to lead a Republican effort with Republican Party Chairman James Carabelli, to suppress voters who have recently lost their home due to the foreclosure crisis. Florida, Wisconsin, and Ohio- wake up, you are next on McCain's list!

The Worst Financial Crisis Since The 1930s:
McCain, and Republicans have got it all wrong! Hard working Americans who have lost their homes -and their jobs- largely due to the predatory lending practices of institutions who have themselves failed, or are failing, hardly constitutes a lack of pride in themselves as Americans, or heavy reliance on the government to 'fix' things for them. McCain fails to realize that the worst financial crisis since the 1930s is not a personal issue, but is a national, as well as an international financial disaster caused by financial institutions, that trickled down to the individual borrowers.

So now that we have clearly underlined the very important fact that this is not a personal issue, you know why McCain is so wrong! Wrong on the issues, therefore wrong as a potential leader, and wrong for America!

People the world over are facing much the same situations as citizens and hard working people right here in America! It doesn't take much research to find that out. Adopt a few middle class families, listen to their stories. Read a local newspaper, or the Wall Street Journal. Adopt a more people-friendly attitude in life.

McCain already says you will be sorry!
First, he vows that if he gets elected president, no one will be safe from his policies- no bailouts whatsoever. Second, this recent attack on voters who used to be homeowners and are now at the mercy of well-wishers for food, water to drink, and to shower, are not degenerates, mind you. These are hard working people. Most of these people lost their homes in the sub-prime lending debacle due to dishonest, unethical, and mafia-like lending practices that have resulted in the worst stock market crash in history, since the 1930s.

This is the same John McCain who will do anything and everything to save his own bacon: he selected Sarah Palin, whom he really has no confidence in, but just selected her because she is a woman who will do his bidding, as evidenced by Troopergate. This is only a token but gimmicky throwback strategy McCain and staffers felt would "give the Clinton supporters what they want" How lame is that? Sarah Palin has very little in common with Clinton supporters. I quote Barbara Streisand here as saying women "are not that stupid!"

A Republican-led effort is underway to deny Michiganders their right to vote. Macomb County Republican Party Chairman James Carabelli is leading the charge to suppress voters who have recently lost their home due to the foreclosure crisis. Florida, Wisconsin, and Ohio- wake up, you are next on McCain's list!

Daddy dearest:
When McCain speaks, he sounds so unsure of himself- like Bush let him out to play, but McCain never wanted to be out in the public in the first place. He seems so uncomfortable in public, like he prefers to be in the cocoon he has been living in all along- he hasn't much to say. Don't let McCain's demeanor fool you either- look at what he did to Michigan, amongst other underhanded things. If it wasn't for concerned citizens like us, McCain's plan may have passed behind closed doors. So Un-American, after all we have been through! Florida, Wisconsin, and Ohio- wake up, you are next on McCain's list for the same classification!

To McCain: how dare you, Sir!

Rally with Obama in La Crosse, WI, 10/1/08

Jill from Tomah, WI — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 23:00:54 EDT

Today's rally with Senator Obama and 15,000 supporters was the embodiment of patriotism, hope, democracy in action, faith, and passion. As amazing as the event itself was, the rest of the day reinforced in surprising ways that each of us has the power to make America a more perfect union.

When I got back to work, many people had been watching the rally online, in part because they knew my family would be there. When the kids went back to school, they prompted discussions in class and generated excitement among the teachers. We saw several members of our church and customers of our family farm there, and now we have a new bond of common purpose. Even our piano teacher was in La Crosse today. It is a thrill and a privilege to share our enthusiasm with all of these people, knowing that our efforts as individuals do carry beyond our simple spheres to have an impact on the larger community.

Do not doubt that your presence at an event, or your voice on the phone, or your email message to friends and family, or your knock on a neighbor's door, or your placement of a button/poster/bumper sticker/yard sign can make the difference to bring one more supporter on board and one more voter to the booth on election day!

Women's Week Of Action Spotlight - Stoughton House Party/Phone Bank

Thomas Kelley — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 15:13:28 EDT

Stoughton - This week is Women's Week Of Action with the Campaign for Change here in Wisconsin. Beginning with Michelle Obama's Kickoff Rally's on Monday, the Camapign for Change has hosted a series of action events for women supporters of Barack Obama. In Stoughton, WI, Krista Westerberg hosted a Women to Women house party. The first half of the party was a discussion of women's issues which led into these women taking action by phone calling other women in order to spread the message of why Barack Obama is the candidate of choice on women's issues.

Whether it was his position in favor of Equal Pay versus John McCain's voting against last year's equal pay bill in Congress or his position in support of families through expansion of the Family Medical Leave Act, to Krista's crew Barack was clearly on the right side of every issue. Now, the work came in persuading undecided women to get on board with Obama.

As they listened to the concerns of women they reached out to, Krista's crew matched their concerns with the issues. Baracks stance in favor of expansion of Early Childhood Education, affordable non-mandated Health Care for all Americans and Equal Pay were all items that helped bring a few voters into the Obama column.

It is voices of change like Krista's crew in Stoughton that are growing the grassroots movement for change here in Wisconsin. Spreading the change we need this movement is fueled by volunteers taking action into their own hands in their own communities. Reclaiming our country is a tough task, but with examples like what happened in Stoughton the other night it got a little easier.

Check out these photos submitted by Nick Holder of the event:

Want to stand up for change? Find a Get The Facts House Party here.

Video: Michelle Obama In Madison Monday

Thomas Kelley — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 12:14:20 EDT

As we reported on last night, Michelle Obama was in Wisconsin on Monday. See her entire remarks at the Madison rally here:

This week is Women's Week Of Action with the Campaign for Change in Wisconsin.

Attend a Get The Facts House Party Today.

On the Road Again: Northbrook, Illinois to Oak Creek, Wisconsin

Christine "No Distractions" O'Bama — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 22:35:39 EDT

As many of you know, this summer I was trained as a Volunteer Organizer. My current “job” is to call and recruit volunteers from Chicago’s North Shore suburbs to make canvassing trips in the Milwaukee area. I am in charge of organizing trips every other weekend, but there are groups from just about every town in Northern Illinois who make trips every weekend into southern Wisconsin. Last weekend alone, we had over 200 residents of Northern Illinois travel into southern Wisconsin to knock on doors and get out the vote. I was just one of them.

The night before our trip, I baked 3 dozen monster chocolate chip cookies and lugged up a case of bottled water from the basement to pass out to my volunteers. I made sure I got to bed early because I was told by a friend who had canvassed in Oak Creek the Sunday before that the houses were fairly far apart, and that I should expect to do plenty of walking.

The morning of the trip I got up extra early to first organize the day for my own family. My 5-year-old son had a soccer game at 10 a.m., and it was his turn to bring the snack and beverage. I cut up the banana bread I made the day before, and found the juice boxes buried in the back of the fridge. Check. Grace had a soccer game on a new field at 1:30, so I had to find the playfield on GoogleMaps and e-mail it to Dad. Check. I located the kids’ soccer socks, shoes and uniforms that always seem to go missing sometime between Friday night and Saturday morning. Check. I thanked my husband profusely for managing a soccer Saturday on his own. Check. Now I was ready to go!

I left the house at 8 a.m., and drove to the Northbrook Court Mall, our designated meeting spot. It was our best turn-out yet! There were at least a dozen cars in the parking lot when I arrived. (And another dozen would continue to arrive for the next 15 minutes.) We took attendance, passed out cookies and water bottles, and made sure everyone had a ride. We had 65-year-old recent retirees, college students, soccer moms and dads, lawyers, and teachers – all fired up and ready to make a difference. Many had never canvassed in their lives. One man, Bob, a recent retiree, said he did not think he would be very good at canvassing, but that this election was so important, he thought he needed to try. (Bob sent me a note yesterday saying he traveled all the way to Green Bay to see Barack in person and that he wanted me to put him on my list for the next trip to Wisconsin!)

Within 20 minutes, we were off to drive the 60 miles straight up I-94 to Wisconsin!

After a minor traffic snag just 12 miles outside of Oak Creek, we arrived at our “host” Obama office. It was actually the grand opening for the office, and the energy was wild! There were so many volunteers arriving from Illinois that we had to park in the auxiliary parking lot. (I overheard at one point there were at least 125 Illinois volunteers knocking on doors in Oak Creek that day.)

We went inside the building (which is being borrowed or rented from the UAW), and were greeted by half a dozen local volunteers who were assigning and passing out our canvassing packets. We then went upstairs for our training, in groups of 15-20. There were probably five or six training sessions being conducted in different rooms at the same time, and they just filled room after room as new people arrived.

In our room we learned about the community of Oak Creek, which has suffered in this economy like lots of other middle class towns. We learned about the issues that are most important to the people in the area. And we were told about how the campaign generates the lists of doors to knock on. We had plenty of time to ask questions about the task at hand, and our presenter, Tyler, directly answered all of them. In our room, many had canvassed before, but at least a third had not. By the end of the training session, everyone was equally ready to go!

http://s278.photobucket.com/albums/kk98/CWDonnelly/action=view&current=DSC00208.jpg&track=tag_email_clickthrough

Before we left the training room, I paired up with a threesome from two other Illinois towns (Deerfield and Glenview, both near me in Winnetka). The two from Deerfield (Susie and John) were a mother-son duo. She had recently been let go from her job of 12 years, and wanted to do what she could to help the campaign because she now (fortunately or unfortunately) had the time. Her son is a junior at the University of Illinois, home for the weekend. The other woman (Judy) was a friend of theirs and had been to Wisconsin to canvass just the weekend before. (It is addictive!)

We canvassed for a few hours, splitting our list of addresses in two, so that we could canvass in pairs. By 1:30, everyone was more than ready for lunch. Man, it was a hot day, especially for Wisconsin in September. We ate at the Culver’s in Oak Creek. Butter burgers and soft serve. Mmmmmmm. Mmmmmmmm. ☺

After a bathroom break and some BandAids for some sore sandaled feet, we were off for round two! We canvassed until almost 5:00 and knocked on over 60 doors. Some people were not home, but those we spoke with were very receptive to talking about Barack and the election. Even those supporting Senator McCain were rather gracious in their “thanks, but no thanks.”

When we finished our list, we headed back to the Obama office and filled in our tally sheets, noting how many doors we knocked and how many supporters and potential volunteers we found. By then, there was a band playing outside as part of the grand opening festivities, and some free snacks and cold beverages. (Did I mention it was HOT?!)

I was back on the road by 5:00, and even made it home with enough time to shower and change, sit and chat with my kids over their dinner of mac & cheese, and head out for a dinner in downtown Chicago with my husband, and his college roommate, John, who was celebrating a big “milestone” birthday. As it turned out, John’s wife Kathy, who had never canvassed before, had decided to hook up with the Oak Park, IL Democrats that day and traveled to Kalamazoo, MI to canvass there! She said they had 500 people from Illinois in Kalamazoo that day alone!

Between us, Kathy and I have 2 part-time jobs and 5 children under the age of 10, and yet we were able to dedicate a day to volunteering for the campaign. If we can do it, anyone can.

Click the “Events” button to the right of your screen, pick a date, put it in your calendar, and just do it. We need every boot on the ground. The stakes are just too great to sit this one out.

MIchelle Obama Kick's off Women's Week Of Action In Wisconsin

Thomas Kelley — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 21:50:57 EDT

Yesterday while her husband was in Green Bay talking about reforming Washington, Michelle Obama was also in the Badger state. Kicking off the Campaign for Change's Women Week Of Action here in Wisconsin, Michelle held a rally outside Camp Randall in Madison before jetting to Wassau to host an economic forum and ultimately ending the day with another rally in West Allis. Her message was clear, Barack gets it and women get it done.

Check out these photos submitted by Ally Carragher and Stav Shtekel

Speaking about the movement for change and that "each of us has come to this movement through our own paths", Michelle talked about her path and family upbringing on the south side of Chicago and the example of hard work and faith her parents instilled in her. She spoke about the issues that worry her as they do many Americans, such as a broken education system and the need for better health care and how that will impact her daughters future. Yet, she stated it did not need to be that way. There is one candidate that gets it.

Michelle spoke about the one candidate who "instead of talking about family values...actually have policies that value families." She echoed that there was only one candidate "who has a health care plan that will cover all Americans and reduce costs. Even further Michelle stated there was only one candidate "whose built his economic plan around the middle class and will cut 95% of taxes for all working Americans." This candidate is her husband, Barack Obama.

Check out these photos from the West Allis rally as taken by Erin Nagy:

Yet, with only 41 days left until election day, Michelle was here to urge that we take action if we want to see the solutions to these issues become a reality. Urging women to get involved and take action at one of the many events the Campaign for Change is hosting this week, she reminded us there is not much time left but our time truly is now.

Get Involved with the Campaign for Change Women's Week of Action.

Attend a Get the Facts House Party or Phone Bank today.

Wisconsin Hotly Contested: Allegations Of Voter Fraud Surface

Scott Foval — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 21:45:33 EDT

EDITORIAL NOTE: This Post Originally Appeared At The Huffington Post / Off The Bus On September 14, 2008.

Visit http://www.huffingtonpost.com/scott-foval/wisconsin-hotly-contested_b_126332.htmlto view the original post.

Wisconsin has become one of the most watched battleground states in the country, and forces on both the Democratic and Republican sides have activated their field operations and get-out-the-vote, or GOTV, efforts to woo registered Independent and undecided likely voters. Democrats have been hoping to turn this traditionally red state into a purple or possibly even blue one this year. But just before polls opened last Tuesday for Wisconsin's general assembly primary, numerous, unconfirmed allegations began to surface of a behind-the-scenes effort by the McCain-Palin campaign to manipulate the vote totals in Wisconsin and other key states this November.

On the Monday night before the primary, thousands of Wisconsin registered Independents and voters who have re-registered in the last year received absentee ballot applications enclosed in McCain / Palin direct mail pieces. The pre-printed, re-mailable absentee ballot applications appeared to be customized to the recipient's mailing address, with the addressee's local election office already on the form. Such mailers have been a tool for political campaigns, labor unions, GOTV interest organizations, and state and county election offices for a number of years. Other states reportedly saw similar mailings hit mailboxes, possibly totaling in the millions.

On the surface, the mailings appear to be a legal GOTV effort to re-register targeted recipients for the November 4 general election. But reports in the blogosphere, progressive media, and by other individual sources allege that the forms could instead be part of a larger effort to purposefully manipulate voter registrations in Wisconsin and possibly nationwide. The mailers, if true, may be a type of voter fraud because if someone receives an absentee ballot but does not send it in, he or she cannot go to the polls and vote on election day. The allegations imply that the McCain campaign is sending absentee ballots to people in the hopes that they will not send them in and when they try to vote in person will be turned away.

On Thursday's and Friday's nationally-broadcast Thom Hartmann Show, which airs on Air America Radio Network and streamed online, guest host Lee Rayburn of AAR affiliate The Mic 92.1 FM in Sun Prairie, Wisc., broke the story about the mailings and fielded numerous calls from listeners echoing their concerns about them.

In Wisconsin, the core center of government, the state capitol of Madison, is notoriously liberal. And Milwaukee, the economic center along Lake Michigan, tends to lean left. However, over the last three decades the rest of the state, proud of its independence, its agricultural and green technology industries, and religious conservatism, has proven to be moderate-to-conservative, primarily voting so-called red most of the time. In the last 12 years Wisconsin also has had its share of alleged voting irregularities, although investigations into the allegations have not yet been aggressively pursued by the state assembly or attorney general's offices.

This year, however, may be different. As the economic policies of George Bush have played out, and 3000-plus Wisconsin National Guard reservists were called up last weekend to deploy to Iraq this fall, the state's residents seem to have shifted their opinions of the Republican Party, and the presidential and vice presidential contests. As a result, Wisconsinites are scrutinizing every angle of electing their public officials at a level that has not been seen before. Members of the military who are deployed abroad, by far the largest group of absentee voters, are being courted particularly heavily by the political parties, as dissension in the ranks has swung both political contributions and absentee registrations towards the Democrats and away from Republicans in many states.

Direct mail campaigns containing absentee ballot applications from political parties and campaigns targeted at registered Independents are not new. Wisconsin is an Independent stronghold due to the popularity of Independent U.S. Senator Herb Kohl. Mail campaigns also affect the local and statewide races by activating those potential swing votes. Democrats have been active too, coordinating GOTV efforts for contested Wisconsin General Assembly seats with the Service Employees International Union (SEIU). SEIU distributed direct mail pieces to thousands of households on behalf of their endorsed candidates to likely voters in Wisconsin and other states. In Wisconsin both direct mail campaigns hit mailboxes on or before Monday night, September 8, just in time for Tuesday's primary activities. The SEIU mailers did not contain absentee ballot applications, nor did they include endorsements of the national parties or the Obama-Biden campaigns.

McCain's political pitch is targeted squarely at pro-life conservatives. The headline, "A faith that sustains me...," leads to a main story starting with his POW experience in Vietnam, his adoption (with wife Cindy) of a little girl from Mother Theresa's orphanage, and delivers the pro-life position to the reader right between the eyes.

Quoted McCain lines from one of the mailers include these:

"My faith in God sustained me, protected me and gave me the strength to endure."

"That's why I have consistently fought to defend the right to life and the rights of the unborn."

"That's why Cindy and I have worked to promote adoption here and around the world as an alternative to abortion, including adopting our own daughter from Mother Theresa's orphanage in Bangladesh."

"And that's why I will appoint judges that respect the values and protect the rights established in our Constitution, faithfully applying the law without legislating from the bench."

Local party officials and labor union organizers are mixed on the effect the national efforts will have on the races at the local level, and on the results in November. Wisconsin's 2nd Congressional District Democratic Party Chairman Peter Rickman, an experienced political operative and labor organizer for the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), indicated in a Thursday phone interview that the national campaigns are prioritizing their efforts in Wisconsin towards GOTV efforts, but that more statewide and local media buys would be necessary to sway the voters in his district. Rickman insisted that the local candidates and parties were more focused on winning the Wisconsin General Assembly for Democrats, because local politics, he said, is where "real governing happens," and was pessimistic on whether the Obama campaign had done enough to support the entire ticket in an effort to spur the kind of change Obama spoke about in his Democratic National Convention acceptance speech.

"They're focused on their guy and getting him elected, and that's great, but the Obama Campaign could do a lot more to help out in local and statewide races, supporting the whole ticket," Rickman said. "If they really want to make change happen, it's going to have to be at the grassroots level, and although they have raised a lot of individual contributions and support from the grassroots, I haven't seen much of that money coming back in the way of paid media." Rickman did say, however, that the Obama-Biden Campaign and other national organizations are mobilizing large numbers of volunteers and paid staffers in his state and others to bolster GOTV efforts, which would go a long way to insure that likely voters are delivered on November 4.

Wisconsin Republican Party officials at the state and county levels in several areas were contacted for this report, but numerous requests for comment about the allegations surrounding the McCain-Palin mailings went unanswered. Democratic officials, including Rickman and Dane County Democratic Party Chairman Wayne Bigelow, did not mention the absentee ballot allegations in their respective interviews, but have been contacted for follow-up on this story. Efforts to contact state election officials about the allegations are still ongoing, but at press time, requests for comment have yet to be answered.

Calling for Change

Kevin from Schaumburg, IL — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 21:34:44 EDT

I have spent around five hours of my life calling people in Illinois, Iowa, and Wisconsin about Barack Obama. I do not have a personal tally, but people, in general, seem to be pretty excited about the campaign. Some things that I have noticed:

Several people are upset that campaign merchandise (signs, stickers, etc.) are moving slowly. I had someone from Southern Illinois report that they had seen close to four signs in an 800 square mile area they had travelled. Yikes.

Voters in Iowa seem very favorable from Barack and I can tell by the age of the voters that many of these are college students.

Voters in Wisconsin seem split on Barack and John. The problem is that we need to pull every vote out of the rural areas so that the votes can overwhelm the ones from less liberal portions of the states. Even if we identify 10 voters out of 100 in rural Wisconsin, those 10 voters bring us closer to 50% plus on election day.

The script needs to be changed for these calls, though I am not sure of who to contact for something like that. It is long, wordy, and turns people off with its sometimes gimmicky start "Hi I am Kevin and I am calling on behalf of BO's campaign for change. It would be better if I were calling on behalf of BO.

Video: Blueprint For Change At A Glance

Thomas Kelley — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 22:03:55 EDT

Earlier this year, Barack Obama unveiled a detailed plan on the kind of change and leadership he is offering Americans. The Blueprint for Change is a comprehensive booklet that offers Barack's stance on every fundamental issue our country is facing right now.
Solutions on issues such as clean energy that will free us from foreign oil dependency, providing non-mandated affordable health care and providing tax cuts to 95% of all Americans; the Blueprint for Change is an example of the leadership Senator Obama will bring to our country.
However, this is not a one way dialogue. Barack encourages you to read the Blueprint for Change and give feedback to the campaign on the policy positions he has taken as he firmly believes it is time to put governement back into the hands of the people. In the video below the Campaign for Change has focused on a segment of the Blueprint for Change which focus on one of the most important issues facing our nation today, the economy.
Watch the video and learn why Barack Obama is the clear choice that will provide leadership and solutions to the issues facing our economy. Don't forget to tell us what you think and contact the campaign with your thoughts here.

Download the entire Blueprint for Change here.

My Story - Remi Aregbesola (Madison, WI)

Young and Powerful - Madison — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 09:41:51 EDT

Young and Powerful for Obama

I never expected to be involved in the political process of America. For a long time, I thought it would be better to just organize in my community so I wouldn’t have to deal with all of the backstabbing, smearing, and party dueling of politics while making a positive impact in society. No, it is not that I’m not cut out for it. I felt that it was a waste of time, and a part of me still feels that it is. I am an individual who has overcome many obstacles--big & small. I was born and grew up on the South side of Chicago with two parents who emigrated from Nigeria. Most of my child-hood friends are still poor, have been killed due to violence, or sell drugs. I recently graduated from UW-Madison, one of the top universities in the county, via a POSSE full-tuition scholarship. I have a started my career in Finance and organize in the community as President of the alumni chapter of my fraternity, Alpha Phi Alpha. I organize because always thought it was best to keep the common touch and politicians usually lack that. But one day I decided to organize for a candidate. His name is Senator Barack Obama.

One of my frat brothers, Jarvis Houston, was visiting from DC and crashed at my place while attending a political training in Madison, WI. Later that day, we were helping another brother of ours move out who recently graduated from medical school and Jarvis began to talk to me about Young & Powerful for Obama (YP for Obama) and the fundraisers they hosted in the past year. He stated that YP for Obama has one final fundraiser left which would occur in six cities (Madison being the seventh) on the same day. We rambled back and forth and I was really reluctant because I had a lot on my plate with the alumni chapter, new job, and new life as a “grown up.” Senator Barack Obama was someone I was familiar with—politically and I was going to vote for him in the election. And even though I really like him as a candidate, I still didn’t want to get involved. Jarvis left after his training was over and told me to think about it. What made me change my mind was all of the training and organizing I experienced in school, in the frat, and in the community. I knew that my involvement should not go in vain and if I were ever going to get involved with real politics this would be the time. YP for Obama was founded by young professionals who were leaders and organizers in college, and now, as young professionals, are still involved only part-time. Besides the issues, the more I learned about Obama’s personal life, my life, and how the other city chairmen’s background intertwined, I was almost certain this was the right route to take. Months after, when Senator Obama gave his nomination acceptance speech, my mother called me as soon as Senator Barack was done. She started screaming with her still “fresh” Nigerian accent, “Remi going to be President, Remi going to be President.” I don’t honestly think she believes I’m going to be President one day, but that Senator Barack Obama was giving her and me inspiration. I never heard her speak like this about anyone. I can tell, she doesn’t have to actually utter the words, but his message and actions epitomize the true principles of America. For me, there is no turning back. YES WE CAN.

Remi Aregbesola
City Chair
Young and Powerful for Obama - Madison,WI
YP4OBAMA.COM

:::::::::
Young & Powerful for Obama Fundraiser September 25th
BE SEEN...BE HEARD...BE POWERFUL! Networking::Music::Social::PoliticalDonate/RSVP Today @ http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/gpg3qwMADISON, WI
WASHINGTON, D.C.
CHICAGO
LOS ANGELES
NEW YORK
ATLANTA
DETROIT

7 cities...1 day...1 goal! YP4OBAMA.com
youngandpowerfulmadison@gmail.com
:::::::::

Wisconsin Obama Victory Depends on Your Sending Several Letters to the Editor Over the Next Few Days; Lake Geneva Supporter Writes an Exemplary Opinion/Editorial to Convince the Fencesitters and Apathetics

Stephen Fox, Contributing Editor New Mexico Sun News — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 11:29:40 EDT

ENCOURAGING THOSE WHO HAVEN'T WRITTEN SEVERAL OF THEIR OWN to support Obama, a very effective technique but time is running out; please use EDITOR AND PUBLISHER, a reference work in your library, indispensable in this effort, especially to call ahead and ask to publish your longer Opinion/Editorial, 600-800 words, to really make your case in Wisconsin!

[posted by [Stephen Fox, Contributing Editor New Mexico Sun News]

*************

by Donna Roepenack, published in Lake Geneva and in Kenosha

Vote With Conscience for All Americans

This year has to be different. We must be informed and vote our conscience. We must check out facts presented for the truth. I researched the following information and it can be verified at the sites noted:

To put these figures in perspective, Exxon made $77,245 per minute in 2007—that’s more money generated per minute than 70 percent of Americans earned all year according to the Census Bureau (Center for American Progress).Over the past nine months, global food prices have soared 40 percent, while food reserves are at 30-year lows (CNN Money). Energy prices were up 6.6% in the month, led by a 10.1% jump in gas prices. That left gasoline prices up nearly a third from a year earlier.

Many people, tired of politics as usual, think nothing will be done any differently when one of our candidates becomes President in 2008.

I urge all of you to think carefully about how the past eight years have affected 95% of the American population, and that John McCain has the same economic policies that President Bush has had.

McCain thinks multimillionaires are members of the middle class, homeowners are to blame for the housing crisis, and Big Oil needs more tax breaks.

In the $603 thousand to 2.8 million brackets, McCain's plan gives a tax break of $45,361 while Obama's plan will tax them $119,574 more (Tax Policy Center.org)! He will tax the big oil companies on their record profits, and put that money to use for the middle class. He’ll offer students a $4,000 tax break to pay for tuition in exchange for doing 100 hours of community service. And he’ll raise the minimum wage and index it to inflation. He will eliminate income tax for seniors making less than $50,000 per year. He will eliminate oil and gas loopholes. And there is so much more.

Check out the Major Tax Revisions Chart at Tax Policy Center.org ( a non-partisan research firm that reports factual, proven, information to the American consumer) where there is a comparison chart showing the two candidates economic policies.

When this candidate spoke on Labor Day, I heard and will forever remember these words, “If there’s a poor child out there that’s my child; If there’s a man out there who lost his job, that’s my brother. If there’s a senior out there in trouble, that’s my grandparent; If there’s a woman out there without health care, that’s my sister.”

Vote your conscience for the largest majority of the American people. You really can make a difference!

A Concerned Citizen

Donna Roepenack Lake Geneva WI donnamike@wi.rr.com 262-248-1822

Wisconsin Obama Victory Depends on Your Letter to the Editor; Lake Geneva Supporter Writes a Great Opinion/Editorial

Stephen Fox, Contributing Editor New Mexico Sun News — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 11:19:30 EDT

[posted by [Stephen Fox, Contributing Editor New Mexico Sun News]

by Donna Roepenack, published in Lake Geneva and in Kenosha

Vote With Conscience for All Americans

Many people, tired of politics as usual, think nothing will be done any differently when one of our candidates becomes President in 2008.

I urge all of you to think carefully about how the past eight years have affected 95% of the American population, and that John McCain has the same economic policies that President Bush has had.

McCain thinks multimillionaires are members of the middle class, homeowners are to blame for the housing crisis, and Big Oil needs more tax breaks.

Vote your conscience for the largest majority of the American people. You really can make a difference!

A Concerned Citizen

Donna Roepenack Lake Geneva WI donnamike@wi.rr.com 262-248-1822

WISCONSIN LETTER TO THE EDITOR; ENCOURAGING TO THOSE WHO HAVEN'T WRITTEN ONE OR TWO OF THEIR OWN to support Obama; a very effective technique will time still remains; by Donna Roepenack, published in Lake Geneva and in Kenosha!

Stephen Fox, Contributing Editor New Mexico Sun News — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 11:48:34 EDT

Vote With Conscience for All Americans

When I hear one of the candidates for President say, "The fundamentals of our economy are strong," I have to speak out. It is so important in this campaign for Americans, whether Democrat, Republican, or Independent, to think long and hard about the state our country is in. Regardless of party, we should study the issues, and when we go into the booth to vote on November 4th, make our decision based on a good knowledge of the real facts and not campaign rhetoric. Too often, voters stubbornly vote along party lines instead of what is the best for America. This year has to be different. We must be informed and vote our conscience. We must check out facts presented for the truth. There are non-partisan websites like Snopes.com or Truthorfiction.com, that will tell you what is the truth and what is a rumor, lie, or misinformation. I researched the following information and it can be verified at the sites noted:

The unemployment rate is up to 6.1%, a five-year high, this quarter and more than 10 percent of Americans are unemployed or underemployed, a nearly 25-percent increase from one year earlier (Wall Street Journal). More than a half million Americans (530,000) have been subject to mass layoffs in the last year. Real estate foreclosures in the U.S. were up 75 percent in 2007. The overall rate in the U.S. was 10.3 per 1,000 households. Eight states ended the year with foreclosure rates of more than 15 per 1,000 households (CBS News), yet Exxon-Mobil smashed the record for highest profits ever made by a public U.S. company by posting a net profit of $40.6 billion in 2007. To put these figures in perspective, Exxon made $77,245 per minute in 2007—that’s more money generated per minute than 70 percent of Americans earned all year according to the Census Bureau (Center for American Progress).Over the past nine months, global food prices have soared 40 percent, while food reserves are at 30-year lows (CNN Money). Energy prices were up 6.6% in the month, led by a 10.1% jump in gas prices. That left gasoline prices up nearly a third from a year earlier.

Many people, tired of politics as usual, think nothing will be done any differently when one of our candidates becomes President in 2008.

I urge all of you to think carefully about how the past eight years have affected 95% of the American population, and that John McCain has the same economic policies that President Bush has had.

McCain thinks multimillionaires are members of the middle class, homeowners are to blame for the housing crisis, and Big Oil needs more tax breaks.

Barack Obama will put the middle class first. He’ll pass a middle class tax cut that gives 95% of working Americans a tax cut of up to $1,000—and he’ll give families an emergency energy rebate to help folks cope with rising gas prices. For example, in the $38 to $66 thousand salary bracket, McCain's plan gives a tax break of $31. Obama's plan gives a break of $1042. In the $603 thousand to 2.8 million brackets, McCain's plan gives a tax break of $45,361 while Obama's plan will tax them $119,574 more (Tax Policy Center.org)! He will tax the big oil companies on their record profits, and put that money to use for the middle class. He’ll offer students a $4,000 tax break to pay for tuition in exchange for doing 100 hours of community service. And he’ll raise the minimum wage and index it to inflation. He will eliminate income tax for seniors making less than $50,000 per year. He will eliminate oil and gas loopholes. And there is so much more. Check out the Major Tax Revisions Chart at Tax Policy Center.org ( a non-partisan research firm that reports factual, proven, information to the American consumer) where there is a comparison chart showing the two candidates economic policies.

Barack Obama is the clear choice for American families. Barack Obama has been working for the poor and the middle class all of his adult life, and I hope that Americans will reach deep inside their conscience and have a spirit of love for ALL the people in our great country when they vote on November 4th. When this candidate spoke on Labor Day, I heard and will forever remember these words, “If there’s a poor child out there that’s my child; If there’s a man out there who lost his job, that’s my brother. If there’s a senior out there in trouble, that’s my grandparent; If there’s a woman out there without health care, that’s my sister.”

Vote your conscience for the largest majority of the American people. You really can make a difference!

A Concerned Citizen

Donna Roepenack Lake Geneva WI donnamike@wi.rr.com 262-248-1822

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.

My story: Young and Powerful for Obama by Remi Aregbesola

Young and Powerful - Madison — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 10:09:15 EDT

Young and Powerful for Obama

Remi Aregbesola
City Chair
Young and Powerful for Obama - Madison,WI
YP4OBAMA.COM

:::::::::
Young & Powerful for Obama Fundraiser September 25th
BE SEEN...BE HEARD...BE POWERFUL! Networking::Music::Social::PoliticalDonate/RSVP Today @ http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/gpg3qwMADISON, WI
WASHINGTON, D.C.
CHICAGO
LOS ANGELES
NEW YORK
ATLANTA
DETROIT

7 cities...1 day...1 goal! YP4OBAMA.com
youngandpowerfulmadison@gmail.com
:::::::::

Sebelius in WI

Gordon — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 23:04:13 EDT

From an e-mail I got from the campaign:

> Please join us this Wednesday, September 17th in Sun Prairie for a town hall meeting on the economy with Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius, Governor Jim Doyle and Dane County Executive, Kathleen Falk. Governor Sebelius, a longtime Obama supporter with a proven track record of reaching across the aisle to get things done in Kansas, will discuss Senator Obama’s plans to revitalize the economy and restore the middle class.
>
> Wednesday, September 17th
> 2:30 p.m.
> Colonial Club Senior Activity Center,
> 301 Blankenheim Lane, Sun Prairie, WI
>
> If you plan on attending this event p lease RSVP to Cheryl Taruc at 608-255-0411 or ctaruc@obamacampaign4change.org

Caging 2008

ephg — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 22:44:57 EDT

BE AFRAID...BE VERY AFRAID!!! THE ELECTION MAY BE STOLEN AGAIN!!

The Republicans are at it again.....caging, but this time with a new twist.

I was listening to a podcast of the Thom Harmann show from September 11. 2008. Lee Rayburn from Mike 92.1 from Madison Wisconsin was guest hosting. Near the end of the show for about 30 minutes, Mr. Rayburn talked about some anomalies he knew of in absentee ballots in Wisconsin. It seems that John McCain is sending absentee ballots to Obama supporters and listeners of progressive radio. Well isn't that just wonderful, Mr. McCain is helping Obama voters cast their vote. It would appear the Mr. McCain wants to make sure that every Obama Supporter gets a chance to cast their ballot. Could this be out of some great moral sense that every vote should be counted? Does this show that altruistic side of McCain? Not if your life depended on it. Here is how the scam works. McCain sends out absentee ballots to Obama supporters. First the envelopes have do not forward on them (the usually caging strategy). Second, the return envelope does not go back to the town you are registered in, it goes to a town hundreds of miles away from where you live. That's right, your ballot goes to the wrong city and the wrong clerk so the ballot is then declared void. The owner of the radio station even got one!!! Mr Rayburn asked people to call if they had received any such letters. It turns out that people in California, Michigan, North Carolina There is even a scam for the snow birds that vote in Florida. I got it from the iTunes podcast of the Thom Hartmann show September 11, 2008. Listen to the last 30 minutes. This is too important to ignore. Please copy and spread the word.

Qute of the Week

Gordon — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 09:58:01 EDT

Attention Sara Palin:
Jesus Christ was a community organizer.

(Seen on a button worn by the mother of Wisconsin State Senator Mark Miller.)

In Wisconsin, politics is getting dirtier than I've ever seen.

Stopping the Republican's hijacking of Christianity — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 22:26:42 EDT

The Mccain camp is once again trying to do everything they can to cause legitimate Democratic voters to get either kicked off of the voter rolls or have their votes deemed ineligible. After a voter ID bill was shot down the last presidential campaign, Republicans have beefed up their efforts and become more savvy all the while. Today in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel it is noted that the lawsuit filed by Attorney General J.B Van Hollen, who is the co-chair of the Mccain campaign in Wisconsin, could cause thousands of voters to be kicked off of the voter registration rolls which will cause them to cast provisional ballots. In order for the provisional ballot to be counted, the voter must prove their identity by the next day. Most adults do not have that kind of time, especially if they aren't prepared in advance for that kind of hassle because they assumed everything is okay when they've been voting for years. Mr Van Hollen claims his political party affiliation and activism had nothing to do with the lawsuit, but its timing is suspicious. He's been in office for some years and if it meant so much to him wouldn't one assume he could have filed the suit long ago? Another tactic adopted by the campaign is mailing absentee ballot request forms to voters, unsolicited of course, with the incorrect address listed for the application to be mailed to. Mailing to the wrong office would cause your vote to not be counted. It is also suspicious that anyone would get this (thousands according to the Mccain campaign) from a campaign at all, in my estimation anyway. This was brought to light by a lawyer for the state Dept. of Transportation who is a Democrat. The creativity is astounding and very disturbing. One may argue they are "technically" playing by the rules, but just because the rules doesn't stipulate these particular cases specifically doesn't make them ethically sound. It just seems like Mccain and the Republican machine are getting dirtier and more evil than ever. I can see them sitting in their leather recliners with cigars hanging out of their mouth, very Cheney-esque, laughing about how they are so clever. Playing underhanded isn't clever. Karma will pay off in due time and I just hope the American people don't suffer for it if they are foolish enough to elect him. If Mccain wins, I'll venture to say the election will be stolen much like it was 8 years ago. Rove did it then so why can't his cronies do it now? I would like to find out how many of these tactics are being recycled in different parts of the country. Is there a good investigative reporter out there reading this who may have the time to find out? Encourage everyone around you to vote and have your voices heard. We must take back America for our children's sake, we owe THEM the best we can give them not more of the same with Mccain. With another bail out seemingly on the horizon let's remember who the Republicans and Mccain really care about because it isn't the American people just his lobbyist friends of whom we are picking up the tab.

Suppressing voting

Jennifer Jones — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 20:41:18 EDT

Team McCain is already hard at work trying to suppress voter turnout. He knows that the numbers are in Obama's favor, especially the new voters. To see the tricks the Republicans are up to in Wisconsin, go to:
http://www.madison.com/tct/news/304606
We all need to be very vigilant about our voting rights and helping new and young voters understand how to properly register.

New Obama Office in Sun Prairie, WI

Gordon — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 08:34:27 EDT

A grand opening of Obama's Sun Prairie office is tentatively scheduled for this coming Saturday, September 13th, at 3:00.
The location is the old "Fan 4 Ever" behind the Subway sandwhich shop on Main Street.
Details to follow...

Hard Ball Tactics: PLEASE read this: The Sarah Palin Smokescreen, and Wisconsin Small-town residents boo media with McCain

Stephen Fox, Contributing Editor New Mexico Sun News — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 19:43:01 EDT

The Sarah Palin Smokescreen posted by Katrina vanden Heuvel

(http://www.thenation.com/directory/bios/katrina_vanden_heuvel) on 09/04/2008 The Nation "Here's the deal: Palin is the latest G.O.P. distraction," Bob Herbert wrote in a New York Times op-ed(http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/02/opinion/02herbert.html)on Tuesday.

"She's meant to shift attention away from the real issue of this campaign--the awful state of the nation after eight years of Republican rule. The Republicans are brilliant at distractions." Herbert's right on target.

Barack Obama honed in on that point in Denver too (http://www.barackobama.com/2008/08/28/remarks_of_senator_barack_obam_108.php). "If you don't have any fresh ideas, then you use stale tactics to scare the voters. If you don't have a record to run on, then you paint your opponent as someone people should run from. You make a big election about small things."

On cue, Sarah Palin attempted to paint an absurd caricature of Obama in her speech at the Republican Convention last night: "What does he actually seek to accomplish, after he's done turning back the waters and healing the planet? The answer is to make government bigger ... take more of your money ... give you more orders from Washington ... and to reduce the strength of America in a dangerous world."

More than anything, this election should be about the big issues of our time--ending a disastrous war, restoring America's reputation in the world and building an economy that works for more than just the very rich. The challenge for Democrats is to frame these issues in a way that connects with traditional American and progressive values, exposes Republican callousness and extremism, and in doing so trumps the GOP's political marketing which cynically and cleverly plays on symbolism. [http://www.thenation.com/blogs/edcut/349350/taking_on_poverty_and_inequality].

As George Lakoff wrote (http://www.commondreams.org/view/2008/09/02), "Just arguing the realities, the issues, the hard truths should be enough in times this bad, but the political mind and its response to symbolism cannot be ignored..... Democrats, in addition, need to call an extremist an extremist: to shine a light on the shared anti-democratic ideology of McCain and Palin, the same ideology shared by Bush and Cheney. They share values antithetical to our democracy."

In order to have a fighting chance after eight ruinous years of Bush, the Republicans need voters to lose sight of where we are as a nation and how Republican leadership got us there. We saw that with the GOP's politicization of Hurricane Gustav in an attempt to whitewash eight years of hostility to the notion of government's role as a force for public good.(http://www.thenation.com/blogs/edcut/352686)

We see it with their hypocritical media-bashing. {Let's not forget, as Bloomberg News' Al Hunt told the New York Times, "Probably no one in American politics over the last twenty years has had a closer relationship with the national press than John McCain."} And we are seeing it again now. McCain's campaign manager Rick Davis admitted as much - as The Nation's Christopher Hayes noted when he said, "This election is not about issues.

This election is about a composite view of what people take away from these candidates." (http://www.thenation.com/blogs/jstreet/353084/not_about_issues)

That's exactly how Republicans win. Democrats can't let them get away with it.

So it was good to see Obama and Joe Biden both calling the Republicans out for the lack of attention being paid to the economy at the Republican Convention in St. Paul on Tuesday. (http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/09/03/democrats-criticize-gop-convention/?ei=5070&emc=eta1)

"You did not hear a single world about the economy," Mr. Obama said. "Not once did they mention the hardships that people are going through." Harold Meyerson also wrote about the Republicans' failure to address the economy at their convention in an op-ed in Wednesday's Washington Post: "I have combed the schedule of events here without finding a single forum... devoted to what John McCain and the Republican Party propose to do about America's short and long-term economic challenges.... For all these woes, McCain offers only a continuation of Bush's tax cuts for the rich and an ideological bias toward the very kind of deregulation that has wrecked the housing market.... If the election is about the economy, they're cooked - and their silence this week on nearly all things economic means that they know it." it. (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/02/AR2008090202442_pf.html)

If the Republicans succeed in making this election about something other than the big issues, they are likely to win. If it's about a likable woman governor who can shoot a gun and field dress a moose, or a churchgoing commander of the Alaskan National Guard, they are likely to win. Or if they pull off the feat of making the reactionary right-wing McCain-Palin ticket seem more "connected to the people" than Obama-Biden whose stance on the issues is in touch with millions of Americans who seek a more active government in these economically squeezed times, then they are likely to win. (http://www.thenation.com/blogs/edcut/339763/americans_government_and_the_american_dream)

If voters really want real change, rather than Reality Politics TV-style change [sponsored by the Republicans and that darn elitist corporate media], here are some important facts to consider: (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/31/business/31view.html)

Since 1948, the economy has grown faster on average under Democratic presidents than under Republicans; and income inequality trended "substantially upward under Republican presidents but slightly downward under Democrats," according to Princeton professor of political science, Larry M. Bartels, author of Unequal Democracy. These historical trends have serious implications for today's challenges of increasing poverty, stagnating wages, and a greater concentration of wealth than anytime since 1928 (http://www.epi.org/content.cfm/webfeatures_econindicators_income_20080826) .

In these next sixty-one days until the election, small-d democrats who are committed to forming a more perfect union will need to do everything we can to stay focused on the big issues, expose Republican callousness and anti-democratic policies for what they are, and lay out the clear choice that lies before us. (http://www.thenation.com/blogs/edcut/354368)

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Small-town residents boo media with McCain http://washingtontimes.com/weblogs/joe-curl/2008/Sep/05/small-town-residents-boo-media-mccain-1/

POSTED September 05 2008 3:59 PM BY Joseph Curl CEDARBURG, Wisc.

Hundreds of angry people in this small town outside Milwaukee taunted reporters and TV crews traveling with Sen. John McCain on Friday, chanting "Be fair!" and pointing fingers at a pack of journalists as they booed loudly.

On the first leg of the "McCain Street USA" tour -- which will take the Republican presidential nominee and his running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, to small towns across the heartland -- the 30 or so reporters and crew were walking back to their buses to join the McCain motorcade when hundreds of townspeople started yelling. "Stop lying! You are all liars! Tell the truth!" one woman yelled from the front of the pack.

The crowd was not menacing or threatening, but was clearly angry. "You're telling lies! Stop the lies!" one man yelled. Asked why the crowd was so angry, Linda J. Green of Mequon, Wisc., said: "I'm thinking the press is very biased."

"I think the press is very liberal and very slanted against the McCain-Palin ticket. Would you ask a man if his kids were being taken care of while he's out campaigning?" She said the coverage of Mrs. Palin is flat-out sexist. "The media has called her a sexy librarian look. Would you say that Obama is a sexy Will Smith look? They called her Tina Fey's sister, only sexier. I think you're being very sexist."

Another woman questioned local television coverage, which differed for the Republican and Democratic party conventions, she said. "Why did the networks not carry the Republican convention, when they carried the Democratic convention?" she asked. "They do it because they're liberal," a man chimed in.

The scene was reminiscent of one that occurred spontaneously at the RNC, when Mrs. Palin accused political pundits and columnists of misinformation. With thousands of red-meat Republicans in the huge Xcel Center in Minneapolis, the crowd turned ugly. Hundreds began pointing at a group of reporters and booing -- some chanted "CNN!" while others yelled "MSNBC!"

— Joseph Curl, senior White House correspondent, The Washington Times

Great Obama-Biden Web Resources

Andy Olsen — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 18:33:49 EDT

The Obama Campaign has done a great job assembling an effective web site to give people great ways to get involved. Here are some keys pages for Wisconsin environmentalists:

Wisconsin page: http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/wihome

Find events, get involved with the statewide campaign.

WI offices: http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/wioffices

The campaign has many local offices around the state. Visit your local office today and tell them you're another environmentalist for Obama!

My BarackObama.com: http://my.barackobama.com/page/dashboard/private

Set up your own page or join peer groups to work with others.

National Environmentalists for Obama: http://enviros.barackobama.com/page/content/enviroshome

Action Center: http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/actioncenter

It's all about taking action, getting support and getting people to the polls. There are many ways to fit in.

Fighting the Smears: http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/fightthesmearshome

Because smears is all they have left. Look here for rapid response to the latest attacks. For victory,

Andy O

Barack will be in Eau Claire Sunday

Wisco — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 13:25:29 EDT

Sen. Barack Obama will campaign in Wisconsin for the first time in two months this weekend.

His campaign says the Illinois senator will stop in the western city of Eau Claire on Sunday.

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The event is part of a tour of battleground states leading up to next week's Democratic National Convention.

The campaign did not offer details about the location or time of the event.

It says Obama is expected to talk about how he will offer relief to struggling middle-class families.

The stop will be Obama's second in Wisconsin for the general election. His last stop was in Kaukauna in June.

Obama started the campaign with a healthy lead over Republican Sen. John McCain in Wisconsin, but the race seems to be tightening.

House Party, Grafton, WI

Scott W — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 15:52:50 EDT

Jenny and I are hosting a house party in Grafton! Join us for wine, beer, coffee, snacks and (hopefully) some lively discussion about the Obama campaign.

When: Friday August 15, 2008 at 7:00 PM

Where: 261 W. Maple St. in Grafton

Look in the "Events" section to RSVP.

-Scott W.

This Week's Obama Update from Oconomowoc, WI

Staci Leigh O'Brien — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 12:10:30 EDT

Obama in Oconomowoc! This week’s most exciting news is that the Obama campaign will be an active presence in Oconomowoc this weekend with lots of people already signed up to help and lots of slots open for the rest of us. Send Ryan Shannon an email if you want to get involved (ryshannon@gmail.com). Come to town this weekend for Obama, stay for our famous art festival and homemade cobbler!

Other volunteer opportunities:

Phonebanking: at the Waukesha Office, Monday thru Friday, 5:00-9:00 p.m. Call 262.521.2008 for details.

Voter Registration: Tuesday and Thursday at 5:30-8:30 p.m.; Saturday 10:00-2:00/2:00-6:00; and Sunday 2:00-6:00. Meet at the Waukesha office. Locations shift; transportation from the office available.

Questions? Ryan Shannon: ryshannon@gmail.com.

Three Things I Think You’ll Like:

· It’s getting down to the wire! Sign up to be the first to know who Obama picks as a running mate: http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/stateupdates/gG5KD4.

· Meanwhile, this slightly irreverent but dead-on look at possible veeps still makes me laugh: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8TXmHYSbMM.

· Closer to home, check out the Wisconsin campaign blog: http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/wihome#top.

This week’s QUICK AND EASY thing to do: The Obama campaign website makes it easier than ever to participate and stay informed: www.barackobama.com. Poke around and see what’s there and what’s new! If you’re a technophobe like me, give me a call for a mini-tour of gems it took me months to find. Send me an email if you want to set up a time to call: staci.leigh.obrien@att.net

Meanwhile, don’t forget these upcoming events:

Saturday, September 6, The Oconomowoc Dems Monthly Breakfast Meeting: 10:00 a.m. at The Depot/Maxim’s in Oconomowoc. I’ll be speaking briefly about what we’ve got going on in Oconomowoc. Hope to see you there!

As always…forward this post and help spread the excitement! And drop me a note if you want to start receiving this in your inbox: staci.leigh.obrien@att.net

Fired up!

Now that the office is open . . .

Chris 11 — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 17:36:46 EDT

Monday's (August 4th) opening of the West Bend Obama campaign office for Washington and Ozaukee Counties (at 152 North Main Street, right downtown in West Bend) was exciting and energizing . . . and I had to leave halfway through. I expect it got even better as the campaign staff organizers were meeting with people from their assigned areas.

If you have not yet met some of the local organizers, you have a treat in store. This campaign has found some remarkably smart, effective, energetic folks to help US organize OUR local efforts.

Let's pause to remember the message behind Obama's famous slogan: "Yes, WE can." This is one of his greatest strengths: getting large numbers of people to work effectively for a positive goal beyond themselves. His campaign is creating positive energy and momentum for communities working together that should go far beyond the end of election season.

Back to our wonderful local organizers: These highly-educated, experienced, competent, even inspiring individuals are not shipped in from the east or west coast. Several of them (two for Washington County, one for Ozaukee) are Slinger High School graduates -- some years past now. (Go, Owls!)

Now is the time for us to get activities underway; it's too important to wait for fall. We have campaign activities this Thursday from 6:30 to 9:00 in West Bend in connection with "Music on Main Street." I met at least two other folks from Hartford at the opening event, and I know there are other Obama supporters here in town, including some significant donors to the campaign, so let's reach out and get some more folks engaged in the campaign and joining the local group online.

Registering Voters & Volunteers at the Country's Largest Farmers Market (Madison, WI)

Jim W — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 21:53:27 EDT

I just wanted to share a fun and creative idea that a friend and fellow Obama supporter came up with for collecting even more supporter contact emails.

My friend bought a life size Barack Obama cutout, ($30.00 online) thinking it would be a fun conversation starter to add to our Obama table at the Madison, WI Farmers Market.

Well, it definitely worked! The response is phenomenal. Not only does it attract lots of smiles, laughs, and thumbs up, from excited little kids and parents to college kids and senior citizens, but sometimes there's a line that forms as people wait to have their pictures taken with "Obama".

We’re happy to take photos for people, inviting them to sign up as supporters afterward, and for those people who don’t have a camera handy we’ve recently started taking photos and collecting their emails to provide them with a link to a digital copy.

Here’s a small sample of our Farmer’s Market photos:

http://flickr.com/photos/92163096@N00/sets/72157606426151547/

The most common questions are, "Is this life size?" and "Where can we get one?"

For the record we think it's a couple inches short : )

What have we accomplished with our simple little table?

Warning signs (part 2)

Gordon — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 08:45:13 EDT

Over the weekend, I attended an event for Dem operatives.

One described my home state of Wisconsin as "a fiercely contested swing state" (not sure that quote is exact, but it's pretty close).

True enough. Per http://www.wispolitics.com/index.iml?Article=26651, the presidential results in 2004 were as follows:

49.76 %, 1,488,935 votes John Kerry
49.36 %, 1,477,122 votes George W. Bush

Rather stupidly, another was heard to talk about how Dem Senator Russ Feingold "crushed" his last opponent - and still another was heard to talk about how weird it was that in 2004 Feingold polled at (again a paraphrase here:) "something like 70% in a state that Bush almost won."

Here are the facts: Feingold - whose status as a national liberal darling might make you believe that he's an unbeatable Democratic juggernaut - took a less-than-staggering 55 %, of the votes against some Republican dude named Tim Michels. (Who??)

(Again, numbers courtesy of http://www.wispolitics.com/).

Still, even while Wisconsin is a swing state, I'm proud to say that it is a state that has never voted for anyone with the last name of "Bush." George HW lost here even to Michael Dukakis before losing again to Clinton, and "W" struck out here in '00 before his close loss to Kerry in '04.

Plus, remember that Wisconsin is home to Russ Feingold, once a solitary voice against the Patriot Act; David Obey, House Ways & Means Chairman; Democratic Guv. Jim Doyle, who helped push Obama over Hillary this spring; and has 2 Dems representing it in the U.S. Senate.

And yet...

Senator Kreitlow--a Freshman Fighting for Wisconsinites

Compassionate Badger — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 11:00:19 EDT

See Original Post

On May 22nd, I had a chance to attend Wisconsin State Senator Kreitlow's listening session at L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library in Eau Claire. A number of topics were brought up by constituents--gas prices, railway transportation, higher education, healthcare, the Iraq War, farming, etc. But the topic of most importance to me--as a UW-Madison student--was NOT sky-rocketing tuition or universal healthcare; instead, I was most interested in bipartisanship. We will only see effective policies implemented if our elected officials commit to working across party lines.

As a first term Senator, I hope Senator Kreitlow is committed to finding real solutions during this partisan age. Admittedly, his positions are often along party lines. Nonetheless, throughout the listening session, Kreitlow talked about the need for compromise and respecting the views of people you may not agree with.

As I listened to Senator Kreitlow, I couldn't help but think about State Representative Musser--a Republican of Black River Falls--who will not be seeking re-election because he is "fed up" with the partisan ways that have come to dominate politics.

The Capital Times reported:

After 24 years in the Assembly State Rep. Terry M. Musser, R-Black River Falls, will not seek re-election this fall, saying he is "fed up" with how "nasty" politics have become in the state.

"The last straw was the personal attacks I received in (Assembly Republican) caucus on the compassionate care bill. Before then I was thinking I may be giving it one more term, but not after that," Musser said from his Capitol office Wednesday.

. . .

The senior ranking Republican in the Assembly said he has had enough of the political battleground where adherence to ideology makes collegiality nearly impossible. Instead, he will retire to his Jackson County farm where his cows give him fewer problems, he said.

"I think the people of Wisconsin appreciate bipartisanship; that's what was needed in the last two budget bills, but too many people in this puzzle palace think that's a sign of weakness. I've never understood that, so it's time to go back to my cows who are much more reasonable," he said.

As retired members of the Legislature have said, Musser said he remembers when legislators could debate a bill on the Assembly floor and then go out have a drink with them. But now that friendship doesn't even carry over from his own Republican caucus when he on the other side of a debate.

"I was shocked at the venom in our closed caucuses I knew it would be rough, but the personal attacks in the caucuses just blows my mind," he said.

. . .

"For years I've tried 'working across the aisle' but it seems like there are too many now that only talk about it but don't do it. Now, it's 'my way or the highway,'" he said.

It is interesting that the extreme attacks that Assembly Representative felt were from within his own party. At a time when Wisconsinites are demanding solutions from their leaders, political parties are continuing to entrench themselves in ideologies.

Old timers, like Representative Musser, seem to always remember the good ol' days of politics--when ideological and political differences existed, but when compromises where still made. Where have these good ol' days gone? I'm far to young--at 23 years old--to remember an era that existed without 24-hour-news-shows and talk-radio-line-ups that epitomize partisan bickering. Today, compromises are more often portrayed as signs of weakness or acts of betrayal.

In his book The Audacity of Hope, Senator Obama also addresses the idea of vehement partisanship. Americans--and Wisconsinites--have the right to demand solutions from their leaders. They have a right to demand that compromises be made to find those solutions. I firmly believe that we need more Freshman Senators who are committed to a new kind of politics that produces results.

As a side note, I will be trying my hardest in this blog to keep talks of politics away from personal attacks. I understand that my views and opinions may, at times, appear partisan. However, this does not mean that I am not willing to listen to the other side; it does not mean that I am not willing to concede my position to a better one; and, it does not mean that I would not seek compromise. Instead of attacking the opposite party, I will use this blog as a way to combat something more important--Mainstream Media (See Post: "I LOVE/HATE the Mainstream Media").

Stevens Point Office Kickoff

Wisco — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 17:52:10 EDT

You can RSVP for the office opening following the URL below. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is in town and may make an appearance before his talk at the Wellness Conference. More below...

Where are you my people?

joanne j — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 01:34:42 EDT

There is no choice in this election. Obama must be our President. We must do everything we can to make that happen. He wants this to be our election, he wants us to organize and decide our priorities for this country. He knows it's not all in our heads. He wants to lead us and the world in a new direction. I am in Beloit, Wisconsin. How many people would come to Beloit for some serious porch sitting. We need to join hands and minds and in numbers there is strength. I swear if Obama doesn't win in Wisconsin, I'm going to have to move.

Two Events on July 9th

Asher Heimermann — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 15:58:00 EDT

We'll hosting two events in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, for volunteers and supporters to attend. The first event will be at 1:00 pm and th second event will be at 2:30 pm on Wednesday, July 9th. We are holding a National Day of Action for an Oil-Free President. With local outreach events at gas stations around the country, we'll make sure voters know the facts: John McCain's campaign is run by oil lobbyists, it's funded by oil companies, his policies are straight out of Big Oil's playbook, and he won't solve our energy crisis.

If you would like to learn more information about these two special events or to sign up, go to my official website at www.AsherHeimermann.com and look for the "Campaign For An Oil Free President" link. We are looking for about 10 to 15 people to attend each event but anyone that can attend is more then welcome.

Change for Ohio

Gaelic Gal — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 17:17:04 EDT

I am a transplant from the great city of Madison, WI, now living (due to husband job at P&G) in one of the most conservative areas I've seen. In 2004, I was the only one in my neighborhood with a "Kerry / Edwards" sign in my yard. Unfortunately, and I'm sure there are more of you out there, my husband Rodney voted for "King George" both times. So, we had to compromise and he had his "Bush" sign out in the yard too, to the delight and laughter of the neighbors. God, do we need change! Are there any other Ohioans out there like me?

Sheboygan County Office

Asher Heimermann — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 16:59:02 EDT

Just letting you know that a new Obama for America Campaign Office has opened at 1225 Erie Avenue in Sheboygan, staffed by five field organizers, including myself. Come in any weekday from 10 am until 8 pm. You can call 920-918-0879, or send an email to me at asher@asherheimermann.com to learn about how you can get involved. Currently we are looking for people to:

Phone Voters
Canvass Door-to-Door
Register New Voters and Sign Up New Volunteers

You can always visit my official website at www.AsherHeimermann.com to learn more about me and my involvement as well as events in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. We hope to work with you soon!

Barack Obama's 6-12-08 Kaukauna Visit Details Released

Wisco — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 00:47:50 EDT

Sort of odd that there's no evidence of this visit on either A) the barackobama.com site or B) the Wisconsin Dem Party site, so here it is, courtesy of your pal Wisco and wbay...details about The Next President of the U.S.A. Visiting Big Old Kaukauna Wisconsin on Thursday June 12 (!!!)

My First Post

Peter — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 12:38:24 EDT

Short and sweet today. Each post I will discuss one reason why i am voting for Obama.

#1 Judgment. As Wisconsinites, we have a long history of smart politicians (Joseph McCarthy notwithstanding) Russ Feingold, Tammy Baldwin, William Proxmire, and extending back to the Robert LaFollette and the emergence of the progressive party. By far what i have been most impressed with is Barack Obama's keen insight and judgment in running this campaign and the decisions he has made. He is exceptionally smart in terms of recognizing hurdles that have to be faced. He has shown this through his winning the Democratic Primary Nomination when nobody gave him a chance along with all of the problems he faced with Rev Wright, bittergate etc. One could say that his speech against the Iraq war and why this war was wrong was a fluke, but i see his acument at work as he is now pivoting to the general election. I am convinced he will be our next President of the United States. Wisconsinites pride ourselves in voting for people who are smart and adept. That is one reason why I am voting for Barack Obama and why he will carry the state of Wisconsin.

College Dems Endorse Obama

Missouri Geographer — Sat, 17 May 2008 03:34:36 EDT

I just read that the two college democrat superdelegates endorsed Obama on Wednesday (wonderful news!) but I don't see it on CNN's tally and I don't recall reading about it here. Did we and the media miss something?

Links are at:

http://www.suntimes.com/news/politics/obama/949146,youtube051408.article

the YT announcement:

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

I recently finished grad school and I think that was a natural choice for college students, where I think Obama support is pretty much overwhelming. Obama campaign people: let's get in contact with the college dems and tally this endorsement up!

If you read the tribune article, you'll notice that the students are from Wisconsin and Michigan, the latter of which won't count due to the state messing with the rules.

It’s Our Time Now

Matt from Madison — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 14:10:32 EDT

A group of locals in Beloit got together and made a music video for the Barack Obama campaign called “It’s Our Time Now.” Rob Tomaro—music director of the Beloit-Janesville Symphony Orchestra—wrote the song, and Nicole Waters of the cover band the Orphans performs it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3LWlUhESBM

Hello,Texans For Obama !

Franklin Katunda — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 10:46:41 EDT

Hello Texans,

It's been a long time. What's up? I was in TX for the Primaries, but just on a short trip (3 days).

Just posting this short note to say that we did good in TX (with a total of more delegates than Hillary Clinton) in primaries + caucuses,

Total delegates for Texas:

99 democrat delegates for Barack Obama (38 in caucus + 61 in primaries)

94 democrat delegates for Hillary (29 in caucus + 65 primaries)

So, send the news out there...With a Wyoming Win and a Missisipi eventual win, PA will be a combination of the Wisconsin and Wyoming kind of voters, which put us on our way to win this nomination with MORE pledged delegates and states.

Be good, Franklin

GO OBAMA 08'

BARACK OBAMA - ROAD TO THE WHITE HOUSE

WEBMASTER — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 11:23:04 EST

BARACK IS A UNIVERSAL WORD MEANING TO BRING A BLESSING.

ACCORDING TO HOSEA 4:6 WITH A VISION WE HAVE THE ETERNAL RIGHT TO SPIRITUAL LEADERSHIP, GUIDANCE and HOPE FOR A BETTER FUTURE.

In 1999, the Federal Communications Law Journal revealed how Bill and Hillary Clinton were put in a compromising position. see PLAYING THE NAME GAME - A GLIMPSE AT THE FUTURE / page 411

In this digital age we need courage, leadership and true vision. Obama has shown such in the proper use of political blogging. It is my belief that the message of HOPE spoken by Obama is a God given word and that the vision must not slip from the grasp of the American people or the other nations, peoples and tongues that support Barack Obama around the world.

This is a day the Lord has made. Barak Obama is on his way to the THE WHITE HOUSE . . . .

and I am humbly honored to finish this message with the closing remarks of the world famous CIVIL RIGHTS leader, DR MARTIN LUTHER KING, born 15 JAN 1929, who proclaimed to the world at the LINCOLN MEMORIAL on 28 AUG 1963 in his famous freedom speech:

I HAVE A DREAM

And so let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire.
Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York.
Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania.
Let freedom ring from the snow-capped Rockies of Colorado.
Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California.
But not only that: Let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia.
Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee.
Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi.
From every mountainside, let freedom ring.
And when this happens, when we allow freedom to ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual:
Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!

THAT DAY IS HERE - YOU ARE FREE

UPDATE: OBAMA MAKES HISTORY as FIRST BLACK PRESIDENT and YES HE DID

HONOR PRESIDENT ABRAHAM LINCOLN 1861-1865

Feingold Comes Out of the Closet!

Julie Hensley — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 22:17:59 EST

Feingold: I voted for Obama

Sen. Russ Feingold said today that he voted for Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama in this week's Wisconsin primary and indicated that he likely will vote for Obama's nomination as one of the state's "superdelegates" to the Democratic convention this summer.[More at http://www.madison.com/tct/news/273831]

Repost from my LJ from 2/14/08

Margaret from Madison, WI — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 14:46:47 EST

So I signed up online to volunteer for the Obama campaign this weekend, and they told me to come to a "training" tonight at their headquarters. This wasn't so much a training as a little mini-rally, mostly aimed at college kids who needed to get fired up/ready to go/whatever about pestering people down the hall in their dorms. Unbeknownst to me (and to the other people at the "training" over the age of 22, of which there were about 10 out of a crowd of 60 or so), the big draw for the night was that actors Kal Penn and Brandon Routh were going to come talk about why they support Barack Obama. I manged to pick up through some mumbling who the special guests were. A man in his early 40s asked me if I knew who was coming, who we were waiting for, and I said, "Superman and Kumar." This cracked up the little pod of middle-aged folks around me, one of whom started bemoaning the fact that she first worked on a campaign in '72 and she felt really old. I can only imagine how she felt, since I was already feeling pretty decrepit.

So the main organizers spoke, and basically told us to sign up if we hadn't already and they'd call us tomorrow to tell us when to come in and do our GOTV shift. And then Superman and Kumar came in. It's always funny to see celebrities in person, because they totally look like normal people, just slightly SHINIER normal people, and you feel like you know them but you totally don't. Brandon Routh is pretty tall -- about 6'3", I'd say. Nice broad shoulders. Pretty face, pretty hair. Up close I could see that his skin had a tiny bit of acne-scarring, which made me like him more. He was wearing a blue ringer t-shirt with Obama's face stenciled onto it. Good looking man. Kal Penn is also very cute. Shorter, about 5'10". Looks 100% exactly like he does on screen. Sounds 100% exactly like he does on screen. And he's a REALLY good Obama advocate, because he's obviously passionate, he's funny, he's very well-spoken, and he had some fantastic anecdotes to tell. (His grandparents marched with Gandhi, and he talked about growing up hearing those stories and how Obama is the first person to inspire him in that way since his grandparents. That's a good one.) Routh was less eloquent, more shambly every-man, but he made a great point about how campaigning for Barack Obama is not, for him, about being in the public eye and making a difference that way -- it just that, simply, he recognizes that you shouldn't be completely cynical about politics because politics touches you and everyone you love, and he felt the need to work against that cynicism for the betterment of himself and the people around him. Or something like that. GoBama!

When Penn and Routh got there and started talking, some TV cameras got turned on. This random guy (wearing a leather jacket and a shirt with Bush's face with an x through it) managed to position himself right next to Superman, and as soon as the cameras went on, he pulls out a giant cardboard sign with Obama's quote about being willing to go after Bin Laden in Pakistan plastered across the front, along with the URL infowars.org. (I didn't know whether he was an International ANSWER/Lyndon LaRouche guy or a Paultard at the time...from looking at the site, it looks like Paultard.) You could see that the organizers realized there was a disgruntled nerd trying to make a scene, and didn't quite know what to do...they were smart enough to immediately pick up (as did I) that he totally WANTED them to kick him out so he could shout about free speech shit, so they just ignored him. Brandon Routh was talking, and Kal Penn sorta looked over at the sign and started reading it and raised his eyebrows in a little "are you serious?" kind of face. It made me giggle. So the guy is ticked off that no one is paying any attention to his dumb sloganeering (you know, some of us have more nuanced ideas about foreign policy than just "bomb everyone" or "shiny happy people" and aren't particularly cheesed off about a leader saying that he is willing to use our armed forces for a mission -- when it's the right damn mission), so he suddenly starts shouting "Don't bomb Iran! Don't bomb Pakistan! Don't bomb Iran! don't bomb Pakistan!" A couple people look kind of confused, a couple of people hesitantly clap, like, "Yeah, I don't wanna do that. Are we bombing them? What's happening?" The vast majority of us just sorta stare at him like, "OK, yeah? Dude? Your point?" And he starts sorta mealy-mouthing something about how Obama is willing to bomb Pakistan. And we all continue to look at him like, yeah, duh, we're all politically aware adults, we heard that quote -- who didn't hear that quote? He starts walking towards the side-door of the laundromat (this is all happening in a laundromat which is also a bar which is also the Obama Madison headquarters), and a couple of people from the campaign are standing sorta near him and basically nudge him towards the door, and then he starts frantically shouting about "Free Speech" and says something about "Kumar", and Kal Penn laughs and says "That's not actually my name." So the guy basically just walks out the door of his own accord, because he has absolutely nothing of any substance to say and everyone's just sorta staring at him sadly, but I'm sure he'll be blogging tonight about how Obama goons manhandled him out of the laundromat. They didn't. It was entirely pathetic and spastic. WE'RE HERE! WE'RE QUEER! WE DON'T WANT ANY MORE BEARS!

Primary Day

Kristopher — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 14:05:51 EST

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uwq4nLhVTaY

Wooed Wisconsin super delegate makes his decision

Lizbeth Ager — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 23:51:44 EST

Remember Jason Rae? He's the youngest DNC member, or one of them, I believe. His home base is my county party. I had just joined my local party during the '04 general election when he ran a successful campaign to be one of Wisconsin's four DNC members. The remarkable thing was that he was only 17 years old.

Since then, he's certainly gone places. Recent news has been that that surrogates for Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama--including Bill Clinton and John Kerry--have been courting him, trying to sway his vote as a superdelegate. He's certainly been more self-contained and diplomatic than I could have been, had Madeline Albright called me up to chat.

Now he's announced his decision.

(Crossposted at Daily Kos)

Eau Claire, WI: Obama, talk of the town

Lizbeth Ager — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 23:25:28 EST

(Crossposted at Daily Kos)

EAU CLAIRE, WISCONSIN, February 16, 2008--Barack Obama made a campaign stop in Sawdust City this morning. He filled the arena of my alma mater, UW-Eau Claire, with over 3 thousand people. Several thousand more stood outside and listened to him speak over the PA.

His visit came just as the news of Hillary Clinton's canceled February 18th town hall meeting at Eau Claire's Memorial High percolated through the crowd. "I wanted to go, just to see what kind of crowd <em>she</em> would attract," commented one woman.

I went with my husband and 5-year-old son, and we stood in line along with thousands of others, in 15°F temperatures, with winds whipping down over the Chippewa River. The line stretched for over ¾ of a mile up the Garfield Avenue hill. We all wanted to see Obama that bad. And he did not disappoint. Make the hop and look at the photos.

Another superdelegate!

Virginia S. — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 16:29:50 EST

We got another one! Thanks Rep. Kagen (D-WI) for going with the will of your district and pledging to vote for Obama! May the other superdelegates choose to do the same. :) And Sen. Feingold (D-WI) is "inclined" towards us! I really respect that guy.

Obama '08!

Momentum

Eric VDH — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 17:30:00 EST

With a win of 17 pecent in Wisconsin, and 3/4 of the votes in Hawaii yesterday, I think Obama has enough momentum to win. His 17% blowout was his smallest margin of victory in the 10 in a row that he won. Even though Clinton has the upper hand right now in Texas and Ohio, I think that Obama will be able to convince enough people in 2 weeks to win at least one of the stats. If he wins one, he will have enough momentum to carry him through to the nomination, but he will still need to camaign for the win. If he wins both, he will basically have won the election and will be the democratic nominee. If Hillary would win both, he would have to campaign very hard and very strategically in Pennsylvania to gain back his momentum. I know that Obama can win this race, and only he can lose it. Hillary can't win unless Obama screws up big.

Calling Wisconsin Supporters

Asher Heimermann — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 17:29:21 EST

Tonight (Wednesday, February 20th), I will be on Todays TMJ4. The profile of myself will air on the 10:00pm News. Make sure that you tune in and watch it! Shelley Walcott interviews me about my youth movement and my involvement in politics.

You can always learn more about me on my website at www.ASHERHEIMERMANN.com anytime of the day. You can also visit ASHERHEIMERMANN.com/blog for the latest updates.

Email from Senator Kennedy

Asher Heimermann — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 17:00:02 EST

Below is an email that I got from Senator Ted Kennedy. I'm so fired up for Senator Obama!

By now, I'm sure you've heard of my enthusiastic endorsement of Barack Obama.
You know that I believe he's the one candidate running for president who can unify the country and inspire Americans to believe that our best days are still ahead. I've also worked with him in the Senate and know he has the experience and qualifications to hit the ground running on the first day.
You're getting this email because the Wisconsin Democratic primary is today. I hope you're planning to vote and that you will consider supporting the candidate I have spent the past few weeks campaigning for: Barack Obama.
If you're not sure where you're supposed to vote, or need help contacting your elections official, please visit the campaign's website:
http://wisconsin.barackobama.com
If you support Senator Obama like I do, and want to do more to help the campaign in these critical last hours, you can help get out the vote by calling supporters from your own home.
Click here to use the Obama campaign's online calling tool:
http://my.barackobama.com/call
Today's vote is the first step toward changing our country. I hope you'll do your part. And, I hope you'll join me in supporting the one candidate who can bring about real change, unite our country, and get America moving again.
Sincerely,
Senator Edward M. Kennedy

Last Update for Sheboygan County

Asher Heimermann — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 16:54:33 EST

Great job! With very little notice, we pulled together a die-hard group of volunteers that trudged through the snow, spent hours on the phones, distributed signs, talked to college students, and helped fire up Sheboygan County for Barack Obama. We also identified several people who weren't able to help with the primary, but are ready to work for Senator Obama during the general election, after he wins the nomination!

We knocked on several hundred doors, made over a thousand phone calls, and distributed signs all over the county. You can still volunteer to help Senator Obama win Wisconsin - go to www.barackobama.com, click on "make calls," select Wisconsin and call tonight and tomorrow to remind people to get out and vote. If you have any free time during the day tomorrow and I haven't already talked with you, let me know if you'd like to volunteer anytime between 9 AM and 7 PM. We may do some walking, if weather allows. Also, tomorrow, we will watch key polling sites and celebrate an Obama win in Wisconsin!

Wisconsin Foreshadowing the Results in Ohio?

Colin — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 16:48:50 EST

As i continue to search the Internet for any predictions on the outcomes of the primaries that are going to take place in two weeks time in Ohio and Texas, one tid bit of information has caught my eye. CNN has stated that Wisconsin and Ohio are very similar politically and share very much the same demographics as Ohio. Does this mean that Obama will trump Clinton in this comming primary or will it be a closer race. Thoughts? Opinions? and little gems of wisdom to share with me?

Barack Obama's Winning Streak Hits 10

Matthew Negrete — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 12:38:50 EST

Yesterday, Barack Obama has furthered the momentum by reaching 10-state winning streak. Barack Obama has won the states of Hawaii and Wisconsin. Here is the breakdown of the February 19 elections from the CNN Election Center.

The victory speech can be viewed in Sam Graham-Felsen's Obama's victory speech in Houston.

Thank you to Barack Obama and everyone who have made this happen.

Below are two comments made by Campaign spokesman Bill Burton and the text of the victory speech:

Obama Crushed Clinton in Hawaii

rberlind — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 11:05:30 EST

In addition to beating Clinton in Wisconsin by a large margin, Obama also crushed her in Hawaii where he got 76% of the vote to her 24%. This result has probably been overshadowed by Wisconsin because of the timezone difference. Hawaii is another caucus state, so what this result probably tells us is that the Obama campaign had better organization again and was able to turn out more votes. The Clinton campaign is just not competitive in these caucus states. The reason for this is that they did not set up ground operations in any of these states before Super Tuesday because they were over-confident and thought they would lock up the nomination before then. It’s been all downhill since then because they can’t make up for lost time.

Obama and Clinton are like Aesop’s tortoise and hare. Clinton took a quick lead but then decided to take a snooze in the middle of the race, during which Obama slowly crawled past her until he was far ahead. She’s way too far behind now to catch him. If only she had read Chelsea more fairy tales or paid attention when she did read them.

Obama win sets stage for showdown

! ! Leonel Picun — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 10:02:11 EST

BE ALERT!!!!!!!!!!
Source: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0208/8596.html
Obama win sets stage for showdown
By: Ben Smith
Feb 20, 2008 12:01 AM EST

Obama beat Clinton among men and nearly tied her among women, winning in every income bracket, and among white voters and black. Photo: APSAVEDigg del.icio.usTechnoratireddit SHARECOMMENT PRINTEMAILRECOMMEND
Senator Barack Obama picked up steam with ninth straight victory in Wisconsin, beating Senator Hillary Clinton in a state where she had no clear excuse for defeat, and leaving her no leeway at all for further major losses.

His win sets the stage for showdowns in Texas and Ohio on March 4, two states Clinton's supporters acknowledge she must win.

The timing of the two candidates' evening speeches indicated that both are readying for a bruising two weeks. In a small breakdown of political etiquette, Clinton stepped to the podium in Youngstown, Ohio, soon after polls closed in Wisconsin, to open what her campaign billed as a major new front against Obama. And Obama began his own speech in the middle of hers, causing cable networks to interrupt her talk and cut to his.

"The American people have spoken out and they are saying we need to move in a new direction," he told an overflow crowd at the 18,500 seat Toyota Center in Houston. "We have a unique moment that we have to seize."

Clinton's speech broke little new ground after a month of largely ineffective attacks on her rival.

Wisc. exit polls spell trouble for Clinton
Obama turns tables on Clinton
In presidential campaign, life imitates TV
She said she would be "a president who relies not just on words but on work." And she questioned Obama's readiness to lead the American military.

"One of us is ready to be commander in chief in a dangerous world," she said.

Those have been the themes of Clinton's steady assault since her defeat last month in Iowa jarred her onto offense. But she also launched a new attack on Obama in the days before her Wisconsin defeat: Her chief spokesman, Howard Wolfson, charged Obama with "plagiarism" for using whole phrases from a political ally, Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick.

"Both Deval Patrick and Senator Obama have the same consultant and adviser, who is apparently putting words in both of their mouths," she said, referring to consultant David Axelrod in an interview with the Honolulu CBS affiliate. "And I think that's a serious question to be raised because, obviously, we're asking the people of Hawaii to hire us for the toughest job in the world."

Her campaign's focus on the question was an attempt to attack Obama on what is perhaps his greatest strength - a perception of authenticity and freshness that has eluded Clinton.

Obama's aides said they viewed the Wisconsin win as a specific rejection of Clinton's attacks.

Axelrod called Obama's strength among late-deciding voters "a repudiation of the negative campaign we saw in Wisconsin."

Clinton's campaign, however, is unlikely to back down. She needs to stop Obama's momentum now, and Wolfson rejected Axelrod's contention.

"They predicted they would win two weeks ago," he said. "They did. On to Ohio and Texas."

The results in Wisconsin, like those in Virginia, suggest that the next two states are an uncertain firewall for Clinton. Wisconsin has only half the African-American population of Ohio, and shares some of its characteristics, with a large white working class, and broad disenchantment with trade and globalization.

And Obama won a broad mandate in Wisconsin, according to exit polls.

He won among every age group of voters, except those over 60. He tied Clinton among voters who had only a high school education. He beat her among men and nearly tied her among women, winning in every income bracket, and among white voters and black.

It was African-Americans who, again, widened his margin by giving him the vast bulk of their support. He won 90 percent of the black vote, according to exit polls, which found that African-Americans made up 8 percent of primary voters - up from 6 percent in the 2004 presidential primaries. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that some polling places in that city ran out of ballots because of unexpectedly high turnout.

Obama's frontrunner status was solidified in the moments after polls closed when John McCain, declared the Republican victor, attacked him as "inexperienced" and his words as "empty" — without even mentioning Clinton. And after Obama interrupted Clinton's speech - which mixed attacks on Obama's allegedly empty rhetoric with her own policy proposals - he gave a comfortable, loose, and policy-heavy speech of his own, breaking little ground and running an unusually long time, about 45 minutes.

"We have lift-off," he told the Houston crowd.

Kenneth P. Vogel and Carrie Budoff Brown contributed to this report.

Houston Welcomes Obama After Wisconsin Victory

Shawn O'Donnell — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 09:16:33 EST

http://virginiadem.wordpress.com/2008/02/20/houston-welcomes-barack-obama-after-wisconsin-victory/

Hillary's crumbling firewall

Chuck — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 08:40:08 EST

Since Obama started this streak of now TEN straight state wins, there has been talk (and clearly actions by the Clinton campaign itself) that Hillary was depending on a 'firewall' of BIG wins in TX and OH to contain the Obama conflaguration.

It seems her faith in this strategy was a little over enthusiastic. Some examples:

her campaign keeps making derogatory comments about states that Obama has won, saying that red states, small states, states with significant black populations, states with more educated populations, and states with fewer working class people aren't 'significant"

MSNBC: Why Obama Won

Michael Kotyk — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 08:06:20 EST

From MSNBC's Norah O'Donnell and Adam Verdugo
Obama chalked up his ninth straight victory and won in this predominantly white state with a strong showing across a broad spectrum of voters and by eating into Hillary Clinton's base of support. He nearly tied her among women, won on all of the issues and won every income level. He also won the white vote under-60.

OBAMA'S DRAMATIC WISCONSIN WIN LEAVES CLINTON WITH LITTLE TO SAY...

RNC_for_Obama — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 07:10:10 EST

http://www.thenation.com/blogs/campaignmatters?pid=287604

How soon they forget.

On Monday night, Hillary Clinton was rallying supporters in Madison, Wisconsin, and talking about how excited she was about the state's primary.

On Tuesday night, Hillary Clinton was rallying supporters in Youngstown, Ohio, and she didn't even mention Wisconsin.

And rightly so.

Clinton is not going to want anyone in Ohio – which votes in the next big Democratic presidential primary on March 4 – or anywhere else to pay attention to the results from Wisconsin. And she certainly is not going to want her major donors, who will be tapped to fund those next races, to consider the results from the ninth state that Clinton has lost since Super Tuesday.

Wisconsin, where Clinton had demographic and structural advantages -- overwhelmingly white, working-class electorate with a recent tradition of voting for women in a lot of elections -- important endorsements and union support, she got wiped out.

Illinois Senator Barack Obama was winning more than 56 percent of the vote to 44 percent for Clinton with more than half the vote counted.

But that's only the start of the story of her defeat.

Exit polls had Obama winning liberals, moderates and conservatives.

Exit polls had Obama winning among white voters and African-Americans.

Exit polls had Obama winning 60-40 among Protestants and splitting the Catholic vote.

Exit polls had Obama winning urban, rural and suburban areas.

Exit polls had Obama winning union households and non-union households.

Bottom line: Obama won and won and won in a state where it should have been a close race.

Even among women, Clinton was ahead just 51 percent, to 48 percent for Obama.

Among men, it was 66-32 for Obama.

Why didn't Hillary Clinton mention Wisconsin in her speech Tuesday night?

Because there was no good news for her from a state where she should should have been a competitor. No good news at all.

Posted by John Nichols at 02/19/2008 @ 10:55pm

No Silver Lining for Hillary

RNC_for_Obama — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 06:51:26 EST

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/179218.php

A couple of things jump out from tonight's Wisconsin results.

First, despite polls showing a relatively close race, Obama looks likely to have a final winning margin in the double digits. In other words, not close at all. It's one thing to endure a month of losing, as the Hillary camp has steeled itself for, it's quite another to hold on through a series of landslide defeats, which is what they're facing now.

The other thing that doesn't bode well for her is that the electorate isn't remaining static. It's moving, and the exit polls suggest it's moving toward Obama. Last week, Obama made gains among white voters and women in Virginia and Maryland. Today, the exit polls show him eroding her core constituencies further: he almost won among women and won among middle-aged voters, among lower-income voters, and among union households.

If you're a Hillary supporter, there's not much in the Wisconsin results to raise your spirits.

--David Kurtz

Feb 19, 2008

TJ Baker — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 00:41:39 EST

I was a bit surprised to see, yet again, that Hilary Clinton didn't congratulate Barack on his victory....

I was even more suprised at the attack that John McCain let out upon his 'victory speech'. I mean, I expect it sooner or later from him ... but this was sooner than I expected.....

I have some thoughts on John McCain ....

The revolution will be televised

Dave Howard — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 00:32:09 EST

Watching Senator Obama tonight, I finally felt that the attacks on his stump speeches had been deflated. Barack delivered specific strategic and tactical targets for his administration. He referred to himself as commander-in-chief. He laid out specific policy and program goals that made even the most biased pundits and wonks sit up and take notice.

I have said it before and I will say it again; Obama is the real deal. I wholeheartedly believe that there is no way that Hillary Clinton can match Obama's passion, vision or resolve to turn his words into action.

I recently spoke with my dad who is 80 and lives in Washington state. He and my stepmom caucused for Obama, although they were Clinton supporters last year. My dad's concern is this:
Who will be Barack Obama's support staff in the West Wing?

My dad is concerned that Obama will end up with an administration like Jimmy Carter. He sees Barack as a smart, charismatic idealist with not a lot of experience at the executive table. He is afraid that Obama will bring in a cabinet like him with little ability to drive the political machine in Washington.

Personally, I think the best and brightest in Washington and across the country will line up to serve at the pleasure of President Obama. I would definitely like to know more about his campaign staff and who might translate from the campaign to the West Wing.

Barack Obama knows how to play the television camera; just don't play it. He gets real, keeps it real and forces the issue of speaking to the desires, the needs, the dreams of every class, gender and personality in the nation. Conservatives would do well to notice his stance on secure borders, national security and fiscal responsibility.

Join us or feel our wheels. Tonight we ride in mansions of glory, chrome-wheeled, fuel-injected and stepping out over the line.

THANK YOU Wisconsin !!!

sharonb-Atlanta — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 00:18:20 EST

THANK YOU FOR STANDING UP AND VOTING FOR CHANGE!!!

Obamamentum

DoctorTodd — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 00:04:14 EST

Who'd have guessed a 17-point victory (with 80% precincts reporting). Obama has now won ten straight (assuming the near-certain win in Hawai'i)...now that's Obamamentum.

Wisconsin is demographically similar to Ohio...I had counted Ohio out, but now it suddenly seems in play.

Hillary's campaign spokepeople are starting to sound like ol' Baghdad Bob: "Victory is just around the corner..."

And the latest polls in Texas show Obama pulling nearly even; major Texas papers (Dallas, Austin, Houston) are endorsing Obama.

Another telling sign: McCain has gone on the Obamattack...and Obama's campaign is giving right back at him. McCain and the Republicans clearly have decided they know their opponent.

It's not over, but the fat lady has warmed up her voice and is walking onto the stage.

Onward to March 4th!

Glorious Wisconsin WIN...Thank you EVERYONE!!

Rob — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 23:59:02 EST

HRC, according to MSNBC, needs to win her most favorable states winning delegates 65% to 35%...that equates to winning TX, OH, PA, WV, KY, etc. by 2 to 1 in popular vote.

If Barack should win TX, or come within 10 points...HRC MUST fold in the tent. She is coming perilously close to fatally damaging the party and the Clinton brand.

Here's what Obama did to her in WI...state where she should have been strong:

Wisconsin Exit Polls:
Obama Won:
Women (51-49)
All age groups under 65
All education levels
All regions of the state -- urban, suburban and rural
Voters without college degrees (50-48)
Democrats (50-49)
Whites (53-46)
White men (59-38)
Voters who decided in the last week (58-42)

Won or tied voters of all income levels
Tied among white women
Tied among union members
Tied among union households

She has lost her advantage with core consituencies.

Wow.

How CAN she win the remaining primary delagates without trying to alter the established rules (again) regarding MI and FL?

I'll say it again... she should, before the Clinton brand is ruined, concede the nomination. This is to say nothing of the GE which will be threatened by party division if this goes much further.

Obama/Clinton?
Obama/Richardson?
Obama/Gore?
Obama/Biden?

Which is YOUR favorite?

We worked like DOGS in Wisconsin. DOGS, we were.

I want to pubically call out the Wisconsin team, Dave Vorland, Mel, Megan, Ryan...and so many other paid staff and volunteers (like me.

Today, we heard that there were underperforming wards, and on the fly, the staff made the decison to dispatch a tram of folks to get into the ward and d ocold-knocks, offer rides, etc.

This is a smart, agile team my friends, and I would suggest that McCain start shakin' a bit.

Love to all!

Wisconsin Primary

Dennis James — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 23:57:27 EST

"Get out and vote today", I said that to myself and many others. And looking at the early results not only did Wisconsin come out to vote, the residents of Wisconsin gave Barack Obama the state and a nearly 150 delegate lead.

Looking even further at what happened, more voters came out in support of Obama than the Republican primary combined. I think we are seeing a nation beginning down a road of transformation, and that is being led by desire.

We are looking for change, the primary and effective message of Mr. Obama's campaign. While Mrs. Clinton and the republican right continue to frame Mr. Obama as only a man of words, those very same words are bringing people to the polls, getting them involved in the political process, inspiring them to take a bold step, a step away from what we've struggled through for 8 years, a step forward in supporting a candidate that knows he needs us now and in the future to be the vessel of change.

From 2002 on I have slowly become numb and disinterested in what our country has been doing. My beliefs and hope have been repressed and forgotten by an administration that has ruled us with fear, completely destroyed foreign policy, ignored the constitution, alienated our rights, and funded a war built upon lies and now held together by the men and women that are our neighbors, family and friends.

I've stopped watching the news, I've become irritated by the machine Bush and company have built to deflect attention and continue to ignore the publics displeasure.

In 2008 I have been re energized with interest, passion and vigor. I can only thank one man for that, and he holds the hopes and dreams of myself and so many other Americans in his hands and future.

I am certain all of his policies won't immediately take effect once he gets into office, but his refreshing stance, humility, perseverance, vision, and honesty has me once again believing that we don't need to settle for status quo.

And maybe, just maybe, my generation is seeing the birth of a figure worthy of being compared to the great men and women that shaped the country, and his words will inspire others, bring forth serious action, and help America move forward instead of continuing to fall behind.

WISCONSIN: AMERICANS HAVE CHOSEN OBAMA

ODEH ODEH — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 23:07:34 EST

America have chosen hope over despair;love over hatred; unity over division; progress over retogression; change over status quo and positivity over negativity.

America has chosen Obama over Hilary.

American has chosen to end the war in Iraq.

American has chosen affordable halthcare over quantity driven and unrealistic Hilary plan

American has chosen to make peace with the entire world, over military actions

Behold, the dawn of a new era; one in which peace and love; neghborliness and humanity abound.

Thank you, Wisconsin, thank you, America, we must move forward, no matter how difficult and excrutiating the opponents plan to hurt us may be.

God bless USA

God bless Obama

Exit polls: Obama holds onto his base, makes inroads in Clinton'sPosted: 09:17 PM ET

(CNN) — In campaign contests so far, Barack Obama has polled the best among black, more wealthy and educated voters and college students, while rival Hillary Clinton has been able to count on women, low-income voters and blue-collar workers.

But in early exit polls tonight, Obama held Clinton to a virtual tie among Wisconsin Democratic primary voters who said they have a union member in their household — 50 percent for Clinton to 49 percent for Obama — and actually edged her among women, 51 percent to 49 percent.

Clinton held a narrow advantage over Obama among Catholic poll respondents — who made up 43 percent of voters interviewed — 51 percent to 48 percent. She also held narrow leads among voters with only a high school education, people 60 or older and those making between $15,000-$30,000 a year.

But Obama kept those margins close and took easy wins among his traditional base of supporters.

Among voters 49 years old and younger he had a significant 64-39 percent advantage over Clinton. College-educated voters, who made up 72 percent of those polled, favored him 59 percent to 39 percent.

Obama had a slight edge among voters who called themselves Democrats — 50 percent to 49 percent — but overwhelmingly topped Clinton among the 27 percent of respondents who called themselves independents, taking 63 percent of their votes to Clinton's 36 percent.

Filed under: Exit Polls • Wisconsin

March to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.

Chris from Conway, AR — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 22:55:51 EST

How sweet it is to chalk up another victory! Thank you Wisconsin! Part of me feels like we are witnessing a modern-day version of "Sherman's March to the Sea," but this time Sen. Obama is marching to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.

I agree with the many blogs out there that are reminding us that while we've won another battle, the war is not yet won. HRC is still a strong opponent and she has proven in the past that you shouldn't count her out until the very end. I would encourage everyone to keep up the fight, the pressure, and spreading the word that Obama will be the best president we've seen in generations.

I will be donating tomorrow to help Sen. Obama's campaign as he works to win Texas and Ohio on March 4th...I encourage you to do the same. So let's savor tonight's victory, but know that we must press on!

Onward and upward--yes we can!

Winning Wisconsin

Gordon — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 22:42:26 EST

With Barack's win tonight in Wisconsin, he's won 9 straight states.

Whatever you do, dear readers, don't believe the spin from the media, or the Clintons, that's likely to come, suggesting that it was expected all along that Barack would win Wisconsin. Recent polls in the state had Hillary close to within the margin of error -- e.g., one poll here I saw just a few days ago, after Barack's big rally in Madison, had Barack up by only 5 points. The Clintons blanketed the state:

Hillary spoke the night before the primary in Madison. (Correction from an earlier post: that was the Hillary speech that, earlier here on the blog, I said was "cancelled." Turns out it had just been postponed due to weather.)
She had a slew of high-profile introductions for her rally - far more than Barack had in his Madison speech a week earlier: Congressmen & Congresswomen, the Lt. Governor, the Madison-area county executive.
Hillary did a number of unexpected call-ins to Madison radio stations as diverse as Z104 (the local top 40/teeny-bopper type station) and WMMM/105.1, a homegrown alternative & blues station. (To be fair, Barack called into the same stations, too.)
Hillary had 4 offices in Wisconsin. (Full disclosure: Barack had something like 11.)
The AFSCME union made a phone effort to get the vote out for Hillary. (Again, full disclosure: I'm an AFSCME member.)
Bill Clinton spoke for her on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus, and Chelsea appeared there separately.
Hillary & Clesea both did appearances at Milwaukee's Marquette University (my alma mater) and in the Marquette area.
Chelsea showed up before the media to accompany a high-profile Dem to the polling place election morning.
Hillary showed up to the Milwaukee Democratic Founder's Day dinner (as did Barack) and gave it her best shot.

In short, Hillary contested Wisconsin, strongly. Barack beat her in the contest of organization and ideas.

On to Texas and Ohio.

Obama in VIctory Speech: Gay People Are Not Scapegoats

Scott A. Giordano — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 22:26:16 EST

Continuing his inclusive tradition. Sen. Barack Obama mentioned gay people yet again in his latest victory speech.

Young People Help Carry Barack to Victory in Wisconsin

Marc R. Peters — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 22:17:49 EST

The results from Tuesday's contests demonstrated the ever-encouraging enthusiasm among our campaign's youngest supporters. The exit polling from Wisconsin indicates that 71% - nearly 3 out of every 4 voters - between the ages of 18 and 29 voted for Senator Obama in Tuesday's primary.

Furthermore, Senator Obama carried every age category comprised of voters under the age of 65. Americans young and old took to the polls on Tuesday, and they delivered a decisive victory to our campaign, and to our movement. Today, we are prepared to march onward to Texas and Ohio, and we will carry our message of hope to the doorsteps of voters across this country.

Photos from University of Wisconsin Students for Barack Obama

College Democrat Suchita Shah helping someone find his polling place.

Students line up to cast their votes for change.

Student hard at work at headquarters (based in a student laundromat).

Click here for more pictures from the University of Wisconsin chapter.

For more on what students are doing in this campaign visit Students.BarackObama.com

Celebrating is over...

Julie Hensley — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 21:35:41 EST

We have Wisconsin. Another 'battle' won but not the war.

To make the point and drive it home to even the most determined and ardent Democratic candidate we HAVE to help Obama do this again and in two states - Texas and Ohio by March 4.

Early voting has already started in TX which ups the anty since people could be going everyday to place their vote that our phone calls and blogs and letters to the editor and ground forces can't change.

She's not out. Once she is, the battle will start on a new front with John McCain. At this point, Senator McCain is lying back doing his darnedest to generate good will and creating his list of points to go against whomever is the nominee from the Democratic party.

When the Democratic nominee is recognized they will likely have little time for more than a breath prior to having to be plunged into more battling with McCain. I have hopes for better ... but since McCain doesn't listen to my hopes.. I have doubts too.

Enjoy your beer or baklava or whatever in celebration - consider making a donation to the campaign, get a good night's sleep...

and then we need to get back on it - TOMORROW.

Sleep well, all.

NBC Just Called Wisconsin For Obama!

Unknown user — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 21:30:46 EST

Thanks to all of your hard work on the phones and in the streets, it appears as though Obama will best Clinton in Wisconsin with a split of 54% to 45%, respectively.

YES WE CAN, and yes we are!

Despite all of the negative press, and the accusations from the Clinton campaign, the Obama movement came through and pulled off another win.

Congratulations!

Dude, we won Wisconsin!

Virginia S. — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 21:21:22 EST

The MSM needs to get off their butts and call Wisconsin for us. :) Their exit polls have us up by over 10%, but we all know they just don't want to look like fools like they did calling Missouri early. Plus, they want to keep their ratings high. I'm satisfied we won!

Obama '08!

Wisconsin Exit Polls Favor Obama

rberlind — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 20:27:12 EST

CBS News reported that the early exit polls from Wisconsin appear to favor Obama tonight. CBS indicated that change was viewed as the most important quality to Democratic primary voters in the early exit polls. Additionally, Obama is seen by Wisconsin voters as the Democrat most likely to win the election in November.

Jeff Greenfield of CBS said the following about the polling numbers: “Harry, if you’re looking for encouragement from Hillary Clinton, basically you have to hope these numbers are wrong.”

Bob Schieffer of CBS added: “There can’t be very much happiness in the Clinton camp tonight.”

CNN reported earlier tonight that 27% of the Wisconsin voters in the Democratic primary were independents while 10% were Republicans. This also bodes well for Obama.

Of course, the exit polls might not truly reflect the final outcome. They have often not done so in this primary season. But I’m sure the Obama camp would rather have the exit polls look favorable than not.

Last Call for Wisconsin Calls!

Sarah Ramey — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 18:58:25 EST

Spoke to Christine in Wisconsin last night who took the whole night off to make calls to fellow Wisconsinites to help get out the vote today.

"The thing I am most impressed by with Senator Obama is that he doesn't take any money from lobbyists or PACs, he raises money in small donations from regular people -- and that's how Washington is going to change. When he is President, it's going to be a 180 change in the White House. He won't have to answer to corporations and lobbyists -- he'll have to answer to us, and that's how it should be."

Christine works full time at an engineering company, and she's a full time student and she also volunteers at a domestic violence center. And she's still making time to knock on doors for Obama, to make hundreds of phone calls, to blog on the website and to donate to the campagn.

So even the busiest of us can take just half an hour to reach out to Wisconsin voters! Even if you've never done it before, now is the time. Just check out the call center, you'll get a script and numbers and you'll be on your way...

Your calls are making a big difference.

And there's still time to make calls into Wisconsin to make sure we get out the vote!

No time to lose, meet us in the call center:

We ARE The Super Delegates !! Spread The Word

RE Ausetkmt — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 16:19:28 EST

Obama leading Clinton as contests get underway WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- As Democrats hold contests Tuesday in Wisconsin, Hawaii and Washington state, Hillary Clinton could use a dose of Barack Obama's favorite thing: hope. According to a nationwide poll of likely Democratic primary voters, the New York senator is lagging Obama by 4 percentage points. Despite that margin, cited by the Rasmussen Reports poll, Clinton still could pull off an upset in Wisconsin, some political pundits said. See full story. Meanwhile, Republican frontrunner John McCain may mock Obama's oft-repeated use of the word "hope" in his campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination, but the Rasmussen daily presidential tracking poll suggests McCain will need to draw on his own optimism. Monday's daily poll shows Obama leading the Arizona senator 46% to 43% in a hypothetical showdown of the two. And in a face-off with McCain, Clinton lags by 7 percentage points. Wisconsin is the last primary leading up to the March 4 contests in Ohio, Texas, Rhode Island and Vermont. Democrats will hold caucuses in Hawaii on Tuesday, where Obama was raised as a child and is expected to win handily. Washington also plans to finish off its selection process by holding primaries as a follow-up to the Feb. 9 caucuses. Obama and Clinton are duking it out a day after Clinton rolled out an economic blueprint that contained ideas including a 90-day moratorium on subprime-mortgage foreclosures, ending tax breaks for companies that ship jobs overseas and providing universal health care. Clinton has talked about many of the proposals in detail since launching her campaign for the nomination. Read Clinton's plan.

Robert Schroeder is a reporter for MarketWatch in Washington.

Family, Friends and Loved Ones Please Don't Ignore the Super Delegate Issue.
It's not our silence that will empower us now.

Please Please Please - Pass This On.

Repost to News and Discussion Groups to Enable
the Facts To Be Known. Tell Your Church; Your Co-Workers.

The Super Delegates are US. Folks in Michigan and Florida.
Please Each One, Take the responsibility and Teach One.

A Luta Continua, it's time for a Change.
Vote Obama in 08'

~RE

~RE Ausetkmt
Realities Groups // BadGalsRadio.com // Trenchtones Records

88888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888

-------- Original Message --------

Subject: Our votes aren't divided. Will Black reps ignore them? Date: Tue, 19 Feb 2008 09:56:28 PST From: James & Van, ColorOfChange.org PAC <no-reply@colorofchange.org> To: RE Ausetkmt
Voters should decide elections, not politicians.

Tell the CBC to support our vote, not undermine it.

Dear Re,

Voters in places like Atlanta,1 Brooklyn,2 St. Louis,3 and Inglewood4 have made it clear who their choice is for president: Barack Obama. So why are some members of the Congressional Black Caucus threatening to use their power as "superdelegates" to undermine their vote and nominate Hillary Clinton?5

Voters should decide elections--not politicians. And members of the Congressional Black Caucus should amplify the political voice of their constituents, not silence it. Join us in demanding that the CBC to listen to the voters. Tell them to vote with the people, not against them:

http://colorofchange.org/superd/?id=2365-436031

Voters in almost all the districts represented by the CBC have chosen Obama, helping him win more delegates than Clinton. But only some delegates vote based on the results of primaries. A fifth of the delegates that will vote at the convention -- and decide the nomination -- are "superdelegates" that can technically vote however they like, regardless of what the voters say.6 These superdelegates are members of Congress, senators, governors and Democratic party insiders. In a contest this close, they have the power to overturn the will of voters, and decide the outcome.

Representatives Jesse Jackson Jr.,7 John Conyers,8 Eleanor Holmes-Norton,9 and others have called for superdelegates to listen to the voices of those they claim to represent, but we need to convince their colleagues to do the same. At least 11 Black members of Congress might cast their superdelegate vote for Clinton, even though their districts voted for Obama. Many endorsed Clinton, typically before any voting had taken place. But even after their constituents showed an overwhelming preference for Obama, most are refusing to say what they'll do as superdelegates.10

In 2000 and 2004, CBC members stood up to defend the rights of Black voters that had been disenfranchised. It would be a disgrace for its members to now undermine the votes of the Black people they represent. Rarely have Black voters across the country been so unified behind a particular candidate. If CBC members vote against their constituents, it will diminish the power of Black voters in a historic election that could result in our country's first Black president.

It will take courage and conviction for CBC members to break with back-room politics and stand up for democracy. But we must demand it. Please join us:

http://colorofchange.org/superd/?id=2365-436031

Thank You and Peace,

-- James, Van, Gabriel, Clarissa, Mervyn, Andre, and the rest of the ColorOfChange.org team
February 19th, 2008

P.S. Here's what Eleanor Holmes-Norton (D.C.'s Congressional Delegate) had to say about her role as a superdelegate:

As a super delegate, I decided I had to speak up now to separate myself from the idea that is afoot for the first time that super delegates, especially those who have not announced their choice, could or should decide our nominee under some circumstances. The notion that a candidate who has not earned delegates could become the Democratic nominee for president is at odds with the democratic principles of our party reforms. Super delegates were never intended to allow the return of smoked-filled room, behind the scenes selection of our candidate. I have carried a banner for a democracy of the District of Columbia too long to depart from principles of democracy within my own party.11

Here's Donna Brazile (a strategist who ran Al Gore's campaign and has a position with the DNC):

If 795 of my colleagues [the other superdelegates] decide this election, I will quit the Democratic Party. I feel very strongly about this.12

References:

1. Huckabee, Obama Celebrate Wins In Georgia, WSB-TV, 2-7-2008
http://www.wsbtv.com/politics/15212406/detail.html

2. New York Primary Results, USAToday.com
http://content.usatoday.com/news/politics/election2008/results.aspx?sp=NY

3. Election Summary Report, City of Saint Louis
http://www.stlelections.com/results/results-1.htm

4. California Primary Results, USAToday.com
http://content.usatoday.com/news/politics/election2008/results.aspx?sp=CA

5. Black lawmakers backing Obama press colleagues to heed voters, The Hill, 2-16-08
http://tinyurl.com/383bu4

6. "Superdelegate," Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superdelegate

7. "The delicate superdelegate predicament," Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr., Op-ed in the New York Times, 2-12-08
http://tinyurl.com/3c666q

8. See reference 5.

9. "Deciding Between Two Good Friends, Norton Chooses Obama," Hotline On Call, 2-12-08
http://tinyurl.com/2hcnbq

10. See reference 5.

11. See reference 9.

12. "Democrats dreading a drawn-out, costly battle for nomination," CNN.com, 2-8-08
http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/02/07/dem.delegates/

Clinton hopes to end Obama surge in Wisconsin 02-18-2008, 18h21 MADISON, Wisconsin (AFP)

White House hopeful Hillary Clinton clashed with rival Barack Obama in Wisconsin Monday as she sought to regain momentum in the Democratic nomination race after a string of defeats.

On the Republican side, runaway front-runner John McCain won the endorsement of former president George Bush, a new backer who could help the maverick senator woo conservatives suspicious where his loyalties lie.

A win in Tuesday's Wisconsin primary could give Clinton's faltering campaign a much-needed shot in the arm before a major showdown on March 4 in Ohio and Texas, where a combined 334 delegates are at stake.

The Democratic rivals fired off television advertisements and campaigned across the Midwestern state in a tough fight for Wisconsin's 74 delegates with the latest poll showing Obama with a narrow five-point lead over Clinton.

Obama has taken a 1,302 to 1,235 delegate lead over Clinton after winning eight straight primaries and caucuses since February 9, according to independent poll-tracker RealClearPolitics.com. At least 2,025 delegates are needed to win the Democratic nomination.

The Illinois senator could make it 10 in a row Tuesday by capturing Wisconsin and the caucuses in Hawaii, the Pacific island state where he was born and which is holding caucuses on the same day.

But both camps acknowledged Monday that the Wisconsin primary would be close a race.

"We expect tomorrow will be competitive," Obama campaign manager David Plouffe told reporters.

The Clinton campaign was similarly cautious. "Obviously we're doing the best we can to do the best we can," her communications director, Howard Wolfson, told reporters.

But asked about the importance of Tuesday's primary, Wolfson said: "I do not subscribe to the momentum theory of American politics. ... Voters assess candidates based on who they think will be the best candidate."

With blue-collar workers considered a key voting bloc in Wisconsin, Clinton unveiled a 13-page "economic blueprint" to create new jobs, end the housing crisis and revive the manufacturing sector.

"We have a lot of work to do to take back our country because our economy is not working the way it needs to," Clinton told supporters at a town-hall-type meeting in Du Pere, Wisconsin.

"It's working for some. It's working for the wealthy and the well connected. It's worked quite well for them for the last seven years," she said in St. Norbert College, taking a swipe at President George W. Bush's policies.

While McCain secured the elder Bush's endorsement, Obama briefly strayed from the campaign trail Sunday to visit former Democratic rival John Edwards, who has yet to endorse anyone, in North Carolina.

The Democratic rivals would welcome an endorsement from Edwards, the party's 2004 vice presidential nominee who ran a populist campaign promising to help the poor and America's middle class.

The rival campaigns also exchanged fire on Monday, accusing each other of borrowing lines from others.

The Clinton camp, which has charged that Obama's eloquent speeches mask a lack of substance, accused the Illinois senator of lifting words from Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick.

"If you're going to talk about the value of words the words should be your own," Wolfson said.

The Obama campaign hit back by releasing several Clinton phrases that it said he had used first.

While the Democrats slugged it out, McCain picked up the elder Bush's endorsement, which could be crucial in his bid to woo conservatives.

"I believe now is the right time for me to help John in his effort to start building the broad-based coalition it'll take for our values to carry the White House this fall," Bush told a news conference alongside McCain in Texas.

The current President Bush has yet to endorse anyone, but has said he would help McCain if he won the nomination.

McCain is almost assured to win the Republican nod, but former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee has refused to step aside despite trailing by hundreds of delegates.

Great news from Wisconsin

Virginia S. — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 16:17:10 EST

So far, I'm hearing a lot of great news from Wisconsin! I didn't even feel as good about Virginia as I do about Wisconsin. You have to understand - people in Wisconsin are A) very nice and polite B) thoughtful and likely to vote and C) smart. This adds up to a win for us. :)

Here are some sites where you get news from the ground up: MAL Contends, Milwaulkee Journal Sentinel, Capital Times, DailyKos, Wisconsin State Journal.

Honestly, looking at them all, the news seems very pro-Obama, except in the Milwaulkee JS, which seems to be trying to give every candidate balanced coverage. My favorite quote comes from the Wisconsin SJ: "OK, so we all know Madison is a bastion for liberalism. And this primary is a much tighter race on the Democratic side, drawing more attention and excitement. But c'mon, where are all the Republicans? After five straight people exiting the polls here said they voted for Obama, Neil Kosterman, 61, emerged to say that he voted for McCain."

Obama '08!

Phonebankers in Wisconsin

Sarah Ramey — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 12:52:54 EST

Last night we caught up with some volunteers in Wisconsin who are doing exactly what thousands of you are doing all over the country right now: making calls to Wisconsin voters to get out the vote.

Chris is one of the phonebankers we talked to who had taken last night to go to her local Obama office to help out, and she took a minute to tell us why she got involved.

It’s interesting, I’m nearly 60 years old, and I started out thinking how great it would be to have a woman as President. But then I started looking at both candidates closely, and Obama is clearly the better candidate. The more I have watched, the more I realize it it time for my generation pass the baton to the next generation.

Chris relates to Michelle Obama's life story -- especially when she talks about how her father supported four kids on a city salary, and it was enough. Chris thinks that we need to get back to a kind of government that supports working families. "Obama's overall plan, if you step back, is about making life affordable again for the middle class, and that's what this country needs. Life needs to be affordable so we can get back to the basics of living the American dream. If you look at any one of his domestic policies, that's his focus."

"There is something he says -- he quotes Dr. Martin Luther King who talked about the 'fierce urgency of now' -- and he's got it exactly right. We need someone like Obama now -- not in 4 years, not in 8 years. Now."

Chris has also been out in the neighborhoods knocking on doors and talking to voters in person to get the word out, and of course to get the vote out. On Friday she knocked on 71 doors -- and the majority of people she talked to were either excited about Obama, or excited to learn more.

That's why these calls are so important -- people are listening.

So, please pick up the phone and make a few calls!

My.BarackObama.com/calls

We've made an astonishing 185,000 calls so far. We're so close to our goal of 200,000.

Make a call.

Your calls to Wisconsin voters are making a huge difference.

Let's get out the vote!

Call now.

And to find out any information about where, when and how to vote in Wisconsin, visit WI.BarackObama.com or click here:

WISCONSIN'S CALLING-CALL 'EM BACK!!!

Denise from Medford — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 11:50:13 EST

Good Morning!

All right! I just looked at the phone bank stats for calls to Wisconsin. Our top 10 callers have placed almost 6,000 calls on the Senator's behalf this week alone!! You guys rock! Claudia Sutton has placed almost 1,000 on her own!!!! You rock Ms. Sutton! I just tried to get more numbers-there are none available at the moment. That's great! I'll bet they replenish the list soon. Keep checking!

We also have Hawaii to watch today! Remember, Obama has ties to the state and they love him! I can't wait till the results start coming in later!

Hope ya'll have an AWESOME DAY!!!!

DENISE

Hawaii & Wisconsin: It's Your Turn!

Riley Wilson — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 11:49:25 EST

Tonight, it's Hawaii and Wisconsin's turn to extend Obama's lead! I have a friend in Wisconsin who said she watched Bill Clinton speak, and after that, she supported Obama even more than ever!

Now is the time to tell friends and family to go out and let their voice be heard. Just like Clinton likes to boast "Talk is cheap" so let's show her that us young voters do more than just say we support Obama, but actually go out and support him with our votes!

Yes. We. Can.