Archive for March, 2009:
Prepping for Pledge Deliveries
Supporters across the country have worked for weeks to gather hundreds of thousands of pledges in support of the President's budget. Now, with key votes in Congress this week, it's time to hand deliver the first batch to lawmakers.
Tomorrow morning, supporters will be gathering at the Democratic National Committee headquarters -- three blocks from Capitol Hill -- to personally show Congress the broad support that exists for President Obama's budget.
Staff and volunteers were up late last night, prepping for tomorrow's event. Here's a look behind the scenes as the hallways start to fill:
If you're in the DC area tomorrow and want to take part, you can learn more about the event and RSVP now.
Budget Debate: President Obama’s Meeting with the House Democratic Caucus
This morning President Obama left for Britain and the G20 economic crisis summit, but last night he made one last visit with Democratic congressional members to lay out in clear terms the stakes of the pending vote. Calling his budget “a distillation of core Democratic values,” he urged members of Congress to pass his blueprint for sustained economic growth.
From the Washington Post:
Appearing before an unusually unified House Democratic caucus, President Obama tonight linked passage of a budget resolution later this week to securing momentum for the more critical legislative fights ahead such as health care reform.
... "I need your vote in passing the budget. If we do that, we will create a sense of momentum that will allow us to do health care reform and education," Obama said, according to the notes of a Democrat in attendance.
Meanwhile, supporters across the country have been adding their voices to the debate -- calling their own representatives to let them know where they stand, and calling fellow supporters to let them know that now is the time to weigh in on this important issue. Yesterday the Senate began a 50 hour period of debate on the budget, and a vote in both the House and the Senate is expected within days.
NY-20 Special Election Update: Vote by Vote
Polls are open now in New York's 20th Congressional District for the special election to fill Senator Kirsten Gillibrand's former seat. Despite the fact that the district is overwhelmingly Republican by registration, tonight's outcome is expected to be very close.
In addition to President Obama's support, Scott Murphy was won the endorsement of a number of local papers. The Bennington Banner described Murphy as:
... someone, who, like the president, is more interested in getting things done for his constituents than in constantly making political points and grinding down the opposition in advance of the next election.
The Times-Union added:
We are confident that [Murpy] would join a Democratic majority that would work with Mr. Obama on what voters in the 20th Congressional District elected him to achieve: a comprehensive economic recovery strategy that includes improving and spending wisely on education, health care, technology and energy.
Talking Points Memo has a detailed recap of the race, under the heading "It's Anybody's Guess Tonight In NY-20":
Among Democrats, the mood is generally one of cautious optimism, while Republicans are uncertain -- and of course, both sides are staying focused on their ground game. The bottom line here is that it's impossible to fully predict turnout in a special election -- it must be earned, vote by vote.
Any readers in New York's 20th District who haven't voted yet can look-up your polling location online. Supporters are also helping out by making GOTV calls, using the DCCC's online calling tool.
Polls close at 9:00 PM Eastern.
Budget Debate: “American citizens must participate in our government as well”
While the budget debate continues in the Senate today, supporters across the country are continuing to make calls in support of the President's plan. If you've yet to contact your own representatives, you can look up their contact info online and ask them to vote in favor of a budget that makes real investments in health care reform, education, and alternative energy.
For almost a month now, supporters have worked to raise awareness of the importance of this budget and to build support for the outline put forth by President Obama. With the first votes just days away, we've asked grassroots volunteers to contact fellow supporters and encourage them to speak to their own representatives.
Sammy in Kyle, Texas has made over 350 calls to fellow supporters in the last two weeks:
I can explain to each person in 60 seconds or less that this is about investing in health care, energy, and education for our country. Those investments are not for any party, but for America.
... Many people were eager to take down the numbers and said they would call. Many were quick to say they support the proposed budget priorities by the President and happy to lend a voice of support.
Many of the people that he spoke to were not aware of the pending vote, and were excited to hear that their opinions were being considered. As Sammy explained:
We understand that many members of congress work very long hours on a lot of legislation at the request of the American people. American citizens must participate in our government as well, so that the job is done for our homes, neighborhoods, cities, states, and country.
There is still time to make calls, and to let fellow supporters know that this is their window of opportunity to makes their voices a part of this important debate.
NY-20 Special Election Today — Tuesday, March 31st
The special election to fill the open Congressional seat in New York's 20th district is today -- Tuesday, March 31st. For weeks now volunteers have been canvassing and phonebanking to help Get Out The Vote in what's expected to be an extremely close race. Earlier this evening, President Obama sent a message to his supporters in NY-20, reminding them why he endorsed Scott Murphy last week:
With Scott in Congress, we'll work together to bring about solutions to our economic challenges and create new jobs in Upstate New York and across the country.
Having created over 1,000 jobs by starting successful businesses in clean energy and high-tech industries, Scott understands the potential we have to rebuild our economy and create a new foundation for prosperity.
That's the kind of partner I need in Washington.
If you live in New York's 20th Congressional District, you can look up your polling location online and make plans to vote in tomorrow's election. We've already seen what can happen when to people stand up and make their voices heard, and tomorrow you'll have one more chance to vote to bring change to Washington.
UPDATE: You can help out by making final GOTV calls using the DCCC online calling tool.
Budget Debate Begins in the Senate
Today's Senate calendar:
Convenes: 11:00am
Begin consideration of the Budget Resolution reported by the Budget committee.
With debate now underway, a final vote on the Senate and House budget resolutions is expected within the next few days. For almost a month now, supporters across the country have worked to raise awareness of the importance of this budget fight and to build support for the President's plan. Many of you have already spoken to your own representatives in Congress to urge them to support a budget that lays a foundation for economic recovery by investing in health care reform, education, and alternative energy.
Now in these final days before the budget vote, we're asking you to help spread the word to other supporters and let them know that this is their window of opportunity to have their voice be part of this important debate.
We've put together an online calling tool so that you can easily call other supporters and encourage them to speak to their own representatives.
As always, we'll provide you with a script and a targeted list of numbers to call. These calls are easy to make -- you'll be talking to fellow supporters -- and they couldn't come at a more crucial time.
It's important that people know what's at stake and what they can do to make a difference in the next few days. In the end this budget affects all of us, and the debate in Washington should include us all.
President Obama on the Future of General Motors and Chrysler
President Obama announced this morning that the government will offer struggling auto companies GM and Chrysler a limited period of time to fundamentally restructure in a way that would justify an investment of additional taxpayer dollars. "While Chrysler and GM are very different companies with very different paths forward," the President said, "both need a fresh start to implement the restructuring plans they develop." The President also emphasized that:
We cannot, and must not, and we will not let our auto industry simply vanish. This industry is like no other -- it's an emblem of the American spirit; a once and future symbol of America’s success. It's what helped build the middle class and sustained it throughout the 20th century. It's a source of deep pride for the generations of American workers whose hard work and imagination led to some of the finest cars the world has ever known. It's a pillar of our economy that has held up the dreams of millions of our people. And we cannot continue to excuse poor decisions. We cannot make the survival of our auto industry dependent on an unending flow of taxpayer dollars. These companies -- and this industry -- must ultimately stand on their own, not as wards of the state.
The President spoke at length about the situations surrounding both companies. He said that while GM has made a good faith effort to restructure over the past several months, "the plan that they've put forward is, in its current form, not strong enough." As an initial step, GM announced today that CEO Rick Wagoner will be stepping down. The Obama administration will offer General Motors adequate working capital to continue operations for the next 60 days, during which time the administration will work closely with GM to produce a better business plan. The President added:
Let me be clear: The United States government has no interest in running GM. We have no intention of running GM. What we are interested in is giving GM an opportunity to finally make those much-needed changes that will let them emerge from this crisis a stronger and more competitive company.
In the case of Chrysler, the President explained that the situation was more challenging, and the determination had been made that Chrysler will need a partner to remain viable. To that end, the administration is providing Chrysler 30 days to finalize a potential deal with the international car company Fiat.
Finally, the President said:
Now, let there be no doubt, it will take an unprecedented effort on all our parts -- from the halls of Congress to the boardroom, from the union hall to the factory floor -- to see the auto industry through these difficult times. And I want every American to know that the path I'm laying out today is our best chance to make sure that the cars of the future are built where they've always been built -- in Detroit and across the Midwest -- to make America's auto industry in the 21st century what it was in the 20th century -- unsurpassed around the world.
Read the President's full remarks . . .
Watch the President’s Remarks on the Auto Industry LIVE at WhiteHouse.gov
Open Thread: A New Way Forward
In his interview with Bob Schieffer that aired this morning, President Obama spoke at length about his new plan for Afghanistan and Pakistan. From WhiteHouse.gov, here's the full video of the President laying out the details of this new plan this past Friday:
Time to Pick Up the Phone Again
From Organizing for America Deputy Director Jeremy Bird:
During the election, you stepped up and made calls to potential supporters around the country. Your efforts built this movement from the ground up and elected a President.
But as President Obama said, that victory alone was not the change we seek, only the chance to make that change. I need you to take that leadership role once again.
We've asked supporters across the country to call their elected leaders in Washington and declare their support for President Obama's budget plan. The biggest way you can make an impact now is by calling supporters and reminding them to take that step and call their representatives.
Sign into our online tool and ask fellow supporters across the country to call their elected representatives.
We'll provide you with a script and a targeted list of people to call.
We can't afford to ignore the long-term challenges to our prosperity any longer. Addressing our challenges in energy, health care, and education is essential to achieving an economic recovery that lasts.
As Congress nears a vote on President Obama's budget next week, it's absolutely crucial that citizens make their voices heard and send that message to Washington.
Log on now and ask fellow supporters to contact their representatives.
Thank you,
Jeremy
Jeremy Bird
Deputy Director
Organizing for America
New York supporters are also on the phones today, making calls GOTV calls (as well as canvassing door to door) for Tuesday's special election for the Congressional seat in New York's 20th District. If you're in New York and helping out, use the comments below to let us know how it's going . . .