Well, here we are-only a few short months into the new presidency, and I am still seeing primarily two camps-the hope-full and the fear-full. I am not just talking about Republicans but about Democrats as well. In theory ,hange can and does happen overnight, but when we are hoping for a positive change that will pervade every aspect of our society and (eternal optimist that I am) of our total organism known as Earth- then sometimes it seems that the change will take forever.
With that prospect in mind, I do indeed see you striving hard to keep your campaign promises Mr. President. I also see the uphill stream that you are trying to traverse. One thing I think a lot of folks may have forgotten is that this pervasive change should not come only from one person. You have said that yourself many, many times Mr. President. So all of us who supported you and voted for you must now find ways to be more active in creating,advocating, implementing and managing the changes that our society and our world needs in order to survive and thrive.
Continue to elicit ideas from us but please give us feedback as well. Beef up the process of putting all citizens to work in fine tuning and advocating these new ideas and put us to work in implementing them and fine tuning them even more.
Finally, we the people must continue forums where we interact more so that together, with no party lines blurring our divisions, we can truly move our wonderful country forward so that all citizens are hope-full because fear no longer feeds them.
Hello all!
I’ve just come from fulfilling my civic duties (and personal responsibility of getting Obama elected) in North Canton, Ohio. I’m writing to let you know that I witnessed a few minor inconveniences at the polls this morning that resulted in a few persons leaving without voting. When I left, I immediately phoned the Voting Rights Institute of the Ohio Secretary of State, Jennifer Brunner and spoke with her assistant regarding the issues. They assured me that they would either phone or send someone out immediately to rectify the situation so that no other persons would have to forfeit their opportunity to vote • at least not for that particular reason.
I am writing to let you know that if you have also experienced or witnessed anything questionable at your polling locations to please make the call to 877-868-3874 so that the issue can be resolved today before the polls close.
You never know in Ohio, it may come down to just these few votes and you may have done your part to ensure Obama’s election! The call only takes a few moments. In addition, you can also log your experience at their website: www.myohiovote.com • please keep in mind that the issues logged here may not be addressed today.
Please forward this message to anyone you know who is voting in Ohio today!
Best,
Jennifer
Well, strange and spurious political sham has finally invaded my email. Today, I received an unsolicited email from a Paul Revere (hmmm...) of Shelbyville, Indiana, inviting me to follow his group of purported Senator Hillary Clinton supporters and join them in disparaging commentary on Senators Obama and Biden. Their website is chock full of lies and inuendos and would likely make Senator Clinton ill to have her name associated with them.
Will they never listen? Do they not hear? We must get Barack and Joe elected! It appears some things, like hate and bigotry, may never entirely be eradicated. But the Obama-Biden ticket is the only one that can change our country, making it better, stronger, more livable, and returning us to a place of respect in the world.
Dear fellow O-H-I-Oans (if you do not currently reside here, please send this to the Ohioans you know),
If, like me, you were distraught over the travesty that was the previous 2 presidential elections, I implore you to read this message and take action. Please let everyone know that it will very likely come down to O-H-I-O again this November and it is way too close for comfort at this point. We love our Bucs scarlet and grey, but prefer our state BLUE! Take a look at this map to see what the polls (and other sources) have to say about how O-H-I-O is leaning in these crucial days.
We have got to stand up this time and say, “Thanks, but no thanks. Ohio wants no part of 4 more years of the same and we will not stand by in silence and watch it happen again.”
The change that electing Obama and Biden would bring about would be best supported by democratic state and local governing officials - they cannot do it alone! Some ballots do not require political party affiliation to be printed next to the candidates name (judges, for example), therefore it is very important to know before you go…so that you can mark your ticket straight democrat! I urge you to find out who the democratic candidates are who are running for office in your voting area. Familiarize yourself with their names and policies.
Please also make sure that others are aware that they can vote as early as October 4th at certain polling locations that are designated for “early” voting. Remind them to submit absentee ballots if they will be out of town on Election Day, Tuesday, November 4th. Absentee ballots can be submitted by REGISTERED Ohio voters starting September 30th. Rules for absentee voting are here.
Also take note that, in another effort to ensure that the real voice of OHIO is not being heard, the GOP is trying to remove your right to vote early in this state, so it is especially important to follow the guidelines provided by the OHIO BOE.
Please feel free to contact me if any of the hyperlinks have been removed from this message or are non-functional!
Thanks in advance for getting the word out. Good luck and God speed!
Jenny
Obama/Biden ‘08
“Be the change that you want to see in the world.” –Gandhi
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world.” –Margaret Mead
Jennifer A. Jones, M.A.
Research Assistant
Institute for the Study and Prevention of Violence
Kent State University
230 Cartwright Hall
Kent, Ohio 44242
tel: 330.672.3851
fax: 330.672.4711
http://dept.kent.edu/ispv/
http://www.smartvoter.org/oh/state/
STARK COUNTY http://www.smartvoter.org/2008/11/04/oh/st/ballot.html
SUMMIT COUNTY http://www.smartvoter.org/2008/11/04/oh/sm/ballot.html
CUYAHOGA COUNTY http://www.smartvoter.org/2008/11/04/oh/cy/ballot.html
LAKE COUNTY http://www.smartvoter.org/2008/11/04/oh/lk/ballot.html
PORTAGE COUNTY http://www.smartvoter.org/oh/prt/
TUSCARAWAS http://www.smartvoter.org/oh/ts/
MEDINA http://www.smartvoter.org/2008/11/04/oh/mdn/ballot.html
For all other counties, please use the link http://www.smartvoter.org/oh/state/ to search by zip code.
I was going to write this blog yesterday, but today it is a whole different story.
Yesterday there was a PPP poll released that had Obama ahead in Ohio by something like 8 points. This made me incredibly happy and have faith that Obama can win here even though Bush took the state narrowly in the past two elections (potentially crookedly).
Today, a Rasmunsen poll comes out with McCain ahead by 10 points. That is an 18 point difference between the two polls - way outside of the margin of error. I can't understand how two polls measuring voters from the same state can be so different.
So, the question is, which poll is closer to actuality? Pollster.com shows Obama ahead 3.5 points in an aggregate poll of polls. I would probably lean more heavily towards this number as the acutaul way that Ohioans feel right now. I expect that margin will grow in the months leading up to the election.
One good thing I see daily is the Obama team registering voters at Kent State and around town. Every percentage point that the voter rolls are increased is a point that goes to Obama in the general election. I also tend to think that the Obama numbers in Ohio could be low due to the high number of students who are cellphone only users and are under-polled.
Ohio is a state Obama can win with the correct allocation of resources. There is definitely a large contingent of conservative voters here (which is why Ohio is a perennial battleground state), but the enthusiasm for McCain the candidate is absent. At a recent event, I watched the Obama tent (directly across the street from the McCain tent) be busy all day long. The McCain tent would have maybe two people occaisionally stop. The Obama supporters were signing up new voters while the McCain camp sat idly by. There is no incentive for them to register voters because it will hurt them in the general election, so they don't (thats not the kind of party I want to belong to).
I am excited by the prospect that Ohio could be a blue state again. I am going to do my part before November 4 to make it happen.
A good point made by a commenter over at The Atlantic -- namely, that Hillary's main argument is, in effect, an implicit criticism of herself by claiming that her supporters are voting against Barack instead of for her.
(And just as a tangential point, how incredible is the blogosphere in providing not only incredible posts, but the type of highly thoughtful and incisive comments that sometimes outshine the original blogger's thoughts entirely?)
By the way, I have very mixed feelings about the recent media coverage of the Appalachian issue. On the one hand, I am glad the people in the media finally looked at a map and figured out Clinton's advantage among lower-income white people was regional and not national. On the other hand, I am disappointed that the media cannot seem to grasp that these people might be voting FOR Clinton, largely because they really like Bill Clinton, and so are voting for the Clintons collectively, more than they are voting AGAINST Obama, the theory being they are just a bunch of racists.And unfortunately, Clinton has been complicit in all this, because her current arguments depend on the notion that these people are voting against Obama and not for her (and hence will also vote against Obama when the other choice is McCain, or presumably any other white person). And that of course is one of the saddest things about Clinton's campaign to date: not only has she repeatedly insulted the members of Obama's coalition, but now she is also reduced to implicitly insulting her own coalition.
By the way, I have very mixed feelings about the recent media coverage of the Appalachian issue.
On the one hand, I am glad the people in the media finally looked at a map and figured out Clinton's advantage among lower-income white people was regional and not national. On the other hand, I am disappointed that the media cannot seem to grasp that these people might be voting FOR Clinton, largely because they really like Bill Clinton, and so are voting for the Clintons collectively, more than they are voting AGAINST Obama, the theory being they are just a bunch of racists.
And unfortunately, Clinton has been complicit in all this, because her current arguments depend on the notion that these people are voting against Obama and not for her (and hence will also vote against Obama when the other choice is McCain, or presumably any other white person). And that of course is one of the saddest things about Clinton's campaign to date: not only has she repeatedly insulted the members of Obama's coalition, but now she is also reduced to implicitly insulting her own coalition.
Because we made him free through our grassroots fundraising...now we hope he can return the favor and free our government from special interests!
From the Nation:http://www.thenation.com/doc/20080324/vonhoffman
"Nonetheless, Obama has a signal accomplishment to his credit, a substantial one, which may change the shape of politics. If elected he will be the first to enter the office without financial backing from the major business, industrial or professional groups with their PACs, their contribution bundlers and lobbyists. That first day, which Hillary Clinton has made famous, will find Obama not owing a thing to the big money pressure groups. You would have to go back a century and a half to name an incoming president with so few debts to repay.
Obama's base of a million or more individual contributors has made him a free man, politically speaking. If his accomplishment is not a one-off feat--if it is something that others can replicate--then he will, with a bow to Howard Dean, have changed the financial basis of presidential politics in the United States. That alone ought to put Obama in the history books, assuming that what he has done establishes a pattern and is not a unique feat, never to be repeated."
CLEVELAND keep your eyes peeled for a new group -- NEOhio for PA -- we're going to be organizing canvassing caravans to PA in the coming weeks...YES WE CANvass!
Thanks for all the help KSU. Picture will be in the Stater on Monday.
Barack will be in Akron tomorrow. I'm going with a group of friends. Will be my first time seeing tha man himself.
Ohio votes March 4th. Vote then, vote early, or vote absentee (like J-Rock is doing). Just vote.
To give Hillary free publicity and participate in another debate...priceless (and hilarious)!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3QaUwLNN5g
(Note: Fake campaign commercial for Hillary, "must-see TV" for anyone in WI)
Our favorite Ohio populist doesn't want to abuse his superdelegate status (God bless him!) BUT had some nice things to say about Barack and specifically the "Patriot Corporation Act" that Barack co-sponsored with him and Dick Durbin.
From The Nation:
http://www.thenation.com/blogs/edcut?bid=7&pid=283830
While Senator Brown has said he won't endorse either candidate before the Ohio primary, he's in close contact with both candidates, and in an interview with me he spoke candidly about trade, globalization, and lessons on how to win in his state. To paraphrase, it's about economic populism, stupid. And as Obama battles to make inroads with the white and Latino working-class, and Clinton distances herself from the trade policies of her husband's administration, Ohio is there for the taking.
"I will not endorse before the Ohio primary. I'm weighing what my state does, that's certainly part of it. Also, my conversations with both Barack and Hillary, and with Governor Sebelius calling for Barack, and with Bill Clinton calling for Hillary, and Dick Durbin – all the people who have called for them, in addition to talking directly with the candidates… [we] talk about trade, talk about a populist, progressive message in Ohio, talk about privatization and anti-privatization, and all the things they need to do around tax and trade policy.
Both of them are obviously significantly better than Bush Republicans, McCain. They're close. I've talked to Barack a lot about his Patriot Corporation Act, which is not trade per se, but it's certainly part of the economic package around globalization. The Patriot Corporation Act has not gotten the attention that I would hope it would. But, basically it says that if you play by the rules, if you pay decent wages, health benefits, pension; do your production here; don't resist unionization on neutral card check, then you will be designated a "Patriot Corporation" and you will get tax advantages and some [preference] on government contracts. Jan Schakowsky first came to me… I co-sponsored and worked on it with her in 2005 or 2006. And Barack has been a sponsor of it in the Senate. Hillary is not on it as of now, but those are the kinds of things I want to see them talk about and do and I am hopeful – and pretty much expect – that they will talk about those issues in Ohio.
Q: Have you had a chance to talk to Sen. Clinton about the Patriot Corporation Act?
Yes, I did some time, back – early, like October or November. I've talked to her since about other things, more specifically, trade. And Barack I've talked to within the last week both on trade and on the Patriot Corporation Act. It does two things, the Patriot Corporation Act and better trade policy: it helps win Ohio and helps them govern in the right way. I think you can really take the country in a very different direction building a progressive message around that kind of economic issue – the Patriot Corporation Act and trade. We won 32 or 33 more counties than John Kerry did mostly in small towns in rural Ohio where they were very responsive to a populist progressive message. One town in particular – this is something that just happened – there's a company called American Standard, they make toilets, plumbing fixtures, you'll see them in near any public restroom anywhere. They're in Tiffin, Ohio, town of 20,000. They've just announced back around 3 months ago, the closing of the plant. It was bought by some investors, they're moving offshore, they're honoring the union contract as far as they have to, which is those who already have their 30 years. If you have less than 30 you're pretty screwed--they give you something, but you can't get to the 30 years because they close the plant. And the company that came in and bought it was Bain Capital, Mitt Romney's firm…. These investors come in, take millions of dollars out of the company, and you know, it's pension and healthcare. And those are going on all over the country. And this is a town of 20,000. I carried that county, Kerry didn't. They had already laid off some people…. It's those kinds of situations that cause small town Ohio to vote for somebody like me regardless of the social issues."<<'
Notice how he ducks addressing Clinton specifically, but those of us who remember his campaign know he's no fan of NAFTA/China in the WTO (both Clinton-engineered deals...)
Greetings from North Canton!
Exciting news for Ohioans for Obama - the upcoming debate in Cleveland and following primary elections! Most assuredly we'd all like nothing more than to keep the current momentum building.
Given what transpired during the 2004 general election in our state, I thought it imperative to pass on a little information regarding the voting process in Ohio.The following information is in no way intended to undermine the intelligence of the reader, rather to reiterate the importance of 'knowing before going'.
First and foremost, before heading to the polls, every voting Ohioan should read the following report on the vulnerability of the electronic voting system in Ohio.
http://www.sos.state.oh.us/sos/info/everest.aspx
The take-away message: do not take for granted that every vote counts. Given the inherent flaws of electronic voting systems, your vote may not count. To this end, the state of Ohio has developed an interactive website that will help you to determine which type of voting system you can expect to encounter at your polling station. It even goes so far as to post instructions on how to properly use the equipment.
If you or anyone you know experienced any equipment problems while voting in previous elections you might want to take a look at the information provided before you go:
http://www.sos.state.oh.us/sos/yvc/index.htm
Additionally, (and I would encourage you to do so), you can obtain more information on voting or report any problems that you experience during the voting process to the Ohio Secretary of State at 877-767-6446 .
Please pass this information along to anyone you think might benefit from it.
I've had Obama gear "on the way" for weeks now, and our primary -- possibly the make-or-break moment of this long campaign -- is rapidly approaching.
I know I am not alone in feeling frustrated at this state of affairs.
However, leave it up to the ingenuity of the Obama Nation to come up with an answer to my prayers for Obama gear:
"The good news: Obama campaign merchandise is so popular, it's flying off the shelves.
The bad news: Obama merchandise is so coveted that most items are backlogged 6-8 weeks, so supporters in states voting between now and mid-March can't get what we need to increase visibility.
The solution: ObamaCycle allows you to send your signs, pins, and other materials to volunteers in critical states in time to maximize the campaign's visibility. It also allows you to request materials if you are in a state that has yet to vote."
From DailyKoshttp://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/2/8/17192/31930/683/452909
WE CAN'T LET OHIO LOSE IT FOR OBAMA!
http://www.obamacycle.com
Saw this on a blog in the comments section, thought I'd pass it on:
"Yes - is optimistic about the future, a hallmark of liberalism.
We - is democratic.
Can - is pragmatic and American."
Couldn't have said it better myself (so I didn't...)
http://blogs.tnr.com/tnr/blogs/the_spine/archive/2008/02/07/obama-and-american-destiny.aspx
Hi all,Sherrod would be a good superdelegate to have on our side (they all would), and I'd say keep those emails going -- it doesn't matter if he replies or not. He got the message (or at least his staff did, and we're probably not going to get through that layer en masse anyway.Just read a blog post where the writer makes a point about big name endorsements, and why on-the-street city mayors may be a better bet than senators (as I think we saw in Southern California yesterday) so if you know any Ohio Democratic mayoral email addresses send them around (I'd send our Lakewood mayor's info but he's already endorsed Obama)."As I've said before, the best endorsements are mayors with patronage machines. SoCal is going HUGE for Hillary, and that's because of the L.A. machine working on her behalf. Compare to senators and congressmen which don't have machines, and then take a look at Massachusetts.Update II: A friend seconds my thing about mayors, saying he saw it in action in New Haven all day. Those mayors are the key. For real."At this point, I would normally cut/paste a generic endorsement letter for you to cut/paste into the email, but as with all things, it's more genuine (and much more respected by the pols involved) when it's in your own words.Plus, it gives you a chance to work on your pitch...Best,BradHere's a couple quickies, like Barack said, time to go to work....Frank Jackson's office, City of Cleveland:
mayorsactioncenter@city.cleveland.oh.usAkron Mayor Donald L. Plusquellic330-375-2345 (voice)330-375-2468 (fax)mayor@ci.akron.oh.usYoungstown Mayor Jay WilliamsOffice Phone: 330.742.8701 Fax: 330.743.1335 Ytownaa@CityofYoungstownOH.com
Fresh off fending off the Clinton machine in the country's first ever national primary, we in the Obama movement need to stress two things:
A. Hillary does not now, nor has she ever stood for, "change". (From Joe Trippi, John Edwards' campaign manager)
"...suddenly there's a celebration going on about how no matter who wins the Democratic nomination, there's going to be big change. Who the hell's spinning that? The Clinton campaign's spinning that line. That's a huge danger for Barack Obama. The Edwards campaign helped define Clinton as the status quo candidate in this race. Left to that definition, the change candidate would win this thing. The Clinton campaign understands that. That's why they're being so, as they always are, so damn efficient. Everyone understands now that, no matter who wins, it's big change. The Obama campaign let that stand. All the way through the California debate, he never challenged her, never said she was status quo. You can already see the problem with us being out. Think about what Edwards would have done--there's no way that would have stood. I'm not getting into their debate strategy. The whole thing is a very dangerous position for Obama to be in. If they're both change candidates, why not vote for her?
In Iowa, we were spending months talking about her being the status quo candidate. Women in Iowa, were saying, "You know, she is [status quo]. I'm not voting for her." She lost women. Lost white women in Iowa. The reason she lost them is because, over that whole period, white women in Iowa were seeing Edwards talk every day, we're making the case. They come to believe that she's carrying Washington's water, not theirs. In New Hampshire we only have five days. We didn't spend a ton of time in New Hampshire. All these women are going to vote for her, they don't know about her taking lobbyists' money. We only do a mild kind of push back, one time in the debate. She is a change candidate in New Hampshire.
http://blogs.tnr.com/tnr/blogs/the_stump/archive/2008/02/05/joe-trippi-the-exit-interview.aspx
B. McCain will wipe the map with her.
"The senator from Arizona beats the senator from New York in 14 of 17 head-to-head polls taken since Dec. 6, but he wins just five of 17 against the senator from Illinois over the same period. Analysts say Mrs. Clinton is so divisive that she would drive moderates and some independents to Mr. McCain. Mr. Obama, conversely, could draw from the pool of supporters who have delivered wins to Mr. McCain in a host of presidential primaries."
http://www.washingtontimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080206/NATION/476091143/1001
http://www.thenation.com/blogs/campaignmatters?pid=280859
OK she probably wouldn't do it, and the job may go to someone like Kathleen Sebelius or Jim Webb (or some say even John Edwards)...
But still -- watch this video and tell me that she isn't every bit as inspiring, just in a different way...
http://www.campaignnetwork.org/search.aspx?For=michelle%20obama
I just phonebanked for an hour or so, and it was an incredible experience -- it's extremely easy, they provide a "step-by-step" script and you choose the state (I chose North Dakota b/c I have family in the area -- well, Minneapolis, Montana and Ontario, so at least I got them surrounded!) but you can call California, New York or New Jersey or another Feb. 5 state of your choosing.
If you're looking for a way to participate, please get on and at least give it a try -- it's quick and easy and no matter who you talk to at the other end, it'll give you some long-distance (and thankfully anonymous -- I screwed up the first couple times!) preparation for the upcoming Ohio campaign in March...great practice!
http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/actioncenter
OK I know that Hollywood doesn't sometimes make the best endorsers, but then again even superdelegates usually don't use the most inspiring politician of our lifetime's words as lyrics and set that endorsement to a beautiful melody...
watch video
If that link doesn't work, try this one:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHEO_fG3mm4
Black Eyed Peas' will.i.am's music video inspired by Barack Obama's message of hope.Yes We Can!¡Sí, Se Puede!If you live in a February 5th voting state, go here:http://www.barackobama.com/feb5statepages/And click your state. We need you on Feb 5th.Lyrics:
It was a creed written into the founding documents that declared the destiny of a nation.Yes we can.It was whispered by slaves and abolitionists as they blazed a trail toward freedom.Yes we can.It was sung by immigrants as they struck out from distant shores and pioneers who pushed westward against an unforgiving wilderness.Yes we can.It was the call of workers who organized; women who reached for the ballots; a President who chose the moon as our new frontier; and a King who took us to the mountaintop and pointed the way to the Promised Land.Yes we can to justice and equality.Yes we can to opportunity and prosperity.Yes we can heal this nation.Yes we can repair this world.Yes we can.We know the battle ahead will be long, but always remember that no matter what obstacles stand in our way, nothing can stand in the way of the power of millions of voices calling for change.We have been told we cannot do this by a chorus of cynics...they will only grow louder and more dissonant. We've been asked to pause for a reality check. We've been warned against offering the people of this nation false hope.But in the unlikely story that is America, there has never been anything false about hope.Now the hopes of the little girl who goes to a crumbling school in Dillon are the same as the dreams of the boy who learns on the streets of LA; we will remember that there is something happening in America; that we are not as divided as our politics suggests; that we are one people; we are one nation; and together, we will begin the next great chapter in the American story with three words that will ring from coast to coast; from sea to shining sea --Yes. We. Can.
(I don't mean pollsters, although those are looking up too!)
From The New Republic's blog comments: http://blogs.tnr.com/tnr/blogs/the_plank/archive/2008/02/01/where-are-edwards-supporters-going.aspx
"It's interesting if you do a scatterplot of the results so far. Both candidates have maxed out at 55 percent, Hillary in Michigan when she was the only real name on the ballot, and Obama in South Carolina. Her worst showing was 29 percent in Iowa, whereas Obama's worst was 33 in Florida. Hillary's mean finish has been 34.6 percent; Obama has only finished below that once, in Florida. Obama's mean finish has been 42.5, well above Hillary's.
In contested races, Hillary has won by 2 and 6. Obama has won contested races by 9 and 28.
Anyway, I think it's telling that Hillary has hit 50 and 51 but only broke through in a state where Obama wasn't on the ballot, whereas Obama's 55 came in an actual contested race. Now that Edwards is out, I think the retroactive lesson of Florida is that Hillary couldn't break past 50 percent in a state she effectively had to herself.
Does any of this mean anything for Super Tuesday? Probably not more than charting the results of any 12 regular-season possessions would tell us who is going to win the Superbowl. But Hillary's inability to score a breakthrough in a competitive race suggests that she has a very low ceiling even among Democrats. May not be low enough to deny her the nomination. But it looks close to catastrophic to me when thinking about the general election."
