Archive for August, 2010:
200,000 Doors in 48 Hours
Over the weekend, thousands of OFA supporters and grassroots Democrats came together to reach out to voters in support of candidates who are fighting to move America forward.
Before our Moving America Forward Day of Action, Organizing for America set an ambitious goal of 200,000 doors knocked in 48 hours. Volunteers across the country stepped up—not only hitting that goal by knocking on 200,893 doors, but also making 168,330 phone calls to voters.
Check out some of the press coverage of the events and take a look at photo highlights from the weekend.
CNN - “Dems Launch Get Out the Vote Campaign”
Two major Democratic committees jointly launched their first nationwide get out the vote initiative of the fall campaign season on Saturday. The Democratic National Committee and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee set a goal of knocking on 400,000 doors (200,000 for each committee) in 75 congressional districts as part of their "National Day of Action." "This level of voter contact this early is unprecedented," DCCC chairman Chris Van Hollen said in a statement. "We will continue to meet with voters face to face and spread the message about moving the country forward."
Virginia’s NBC 29 News - “Mark Warner surprises Organizing for America”
Democrats brought in some national star power to help pound the pavement Saturday afternoon. Senator Mark Warner offered some words of advice to about 40 canvassers before they hit the streets of Charlottesville. Organizing for America teamed up with Tom Perriello's campaign to try and rally votes for the incumbent. Senator Warner told the party faithful that face-to-face time with voters is important for success in November.
Pennsylvania’s Scranton Times Tribune - “Casey rallies area Dems as party preps for midterm races”
When Democratic volunteers and activists gathered to campaign for the 2010 midterm elections Saturday, U.S. Sen.Bob Casey Jr. told them Democrats can prevail in the fall elections. "We're going to win this year, but I know we have a lot of work to do," he told the canvassers gathered in downtown Scranton, with cell phones for phone-bank calls and clipboards for door-to-door campaigning stacked on a table a few feet away. The gathering Saturday was part of a national campaign effort on behalf of Democrats over the weekend. Sixty events were planned in Pennsylvania.
See more highlights and photos from this weekend’s Moving America Forward Day of Action.
Watch Tonight: President Obama on Ending the War in Iraq
After more than seven years, today we end our country’s combat mission in Iraq. As the President Buy Cialis wrote yesterday, “We are at a truly historic moment in our nation’s history.”
To mark this important day, at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time tonight the President will speak to our country from the Oval Office—the second Oval Office address of his Presidency. You can watch live at WhiteHouse.gov/live or on any major television network.
President Obama has also invited all Americans to join him in sending a message to our troops thanking them for their service to our country. You can send in your salute through Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, or Flickr—and check out all the messages at WhiteHouse.gov/Salute.
Five Years Later, a Continuing Commitment to New Orleans
On the 5th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina this weekend, President Obama spoke in New Order Generic Cialis Online without Prescription Orleans about the Administration’s recovery efforts and ongoing commitment to the Gulf Coast.
President Obama:
"We’re cutting through the red tape that has impeded rebuilding efforts for years. We’re making government work better and smarter, in coordination with one of the most expansive non-profit efforts in American history. We’re helping state and local leaders to address serious problems that had been neglected for decades -- problems that existed before the storm came, and have continued after the waters receded -- from the levee system to the justice system, from the health care system to the education system.
"And together, we are helping to make New Orleans a place that stands for what we can do in America -- not just for what we can’t do. Ultimately, that must be the legacy of Katrina: not one of neglect, but of action; not one of indifference, but of empathy; not of abandonment, but of a community working together to meet shared challenges."
“We know we made a difference”
With just 64 days until the midterm elections, OFA volunteers are stepping up their organizing game and getting out every weekend to build momentum for November. This past weekend we set a unusually ambitious goal: 200,000 doors knocked in 48 hours as part of our Moving America Forward Day of Action. As we finish our final tally of this weekend’s numbers, we wanted to share some highlights of the events that took place from coast to coast.
From Alaska to Florida, volunteers asked those they met to support allies of President Obama at the polls this year, and commit to vote on November 2nd.
In Manhattan on Saturday, volunteers took the morning train to Long Island where they joined local supporters and Rep. Tim Bishop in going door-to-door for the Congressman.
In Austin, Texas, more than a hundred people gathered at the Travis County Democratic Party offices and went block by block letting neighbors know about the governor’s, board of education, and state House races.
In Fairfax, Virginia, 70 volunteers spent their Saturday knocking on doors and making phone calls to support Rep. Gerry Connolly, who has stood with President Obama in fighting for change in Washington.
Here are volunteers, in their own words, on what it was like to take part in events this weekend:
Janice in New York City, NY:
“We had a marvelous day. Beautiful sunny weather, great, enthusiastic volunteers and encouraging conversations with voters. We know we made a difference, and we'll be back to talk to these people again and again through Election Day.”
Bonita in Chicago, IL:
"I am excited about starting to volunteer again and and am ready to go above and beyond in these next couple of months. The upcoming election has me excited, it feels kind of like 2008 again. But this Buy Accutane time our support will come in the form of protecting Democrats currently in office, and helping new ones get elected. These are the folks that will fight for both President Obama and the Democratic Party as a whole."
Lisa in Austin, TX:
“This is some of the best block walking since I was in Denver for the 2008 campaign. It’s a chance to reach more people—by going out walking, I got to meet some lovely people, and I listened to what they had to say. We accomplished a lot--by covering as wide a territory as we did and sending as many people out as we did we’re hoping to have a ripple effect.”
Tom in Rochester, NY:
“When people see me or you knocking on the door, in the rain or the sun, they get it. They see it matters. It matters to me, it matters to them. If they’ve forgotten how much it matters, maybe they’ll remember it. That’s what I love about it and it’s the best part of the day. That’s what I’ll carry with me during the work week until I hit the doors again next weekend.”
Thank you to everyone who took part in these great events—with every door knocked and every call made, you helped push us that much closer to winning this November.
If you joined an event this weekend, use the comments below to share your own highlights or email stories and photos to Blog@BarackObama.com.
“Letting the extremists take over”
OFA Director Mitch Stewart sent supporters the following message:
This week's Republican primary elections in Arizona, Florida, and Alaska delivered a new crop of extreme nominees that the GOP needs to elect if they want to take back Congress.
For these guys, it's not enough to return to the days of failed Bush policies -- they actually want to turn back the clock to the days before Social Security, Medicare, health reform, civil rights, voting rights, and women's rights.
Republicans want to put the Tea Party in charge. We have a plan to stop them.
We'll be reaching out to millions of voters across the country, making sure they know what the other side is offering, and getting them to the polls. But we have just 64 days to do it -- and right now, we're $242,000 short of our budgeting goal for the month of August.
While we've been ramping up our on-the-ground organizing in communities across the country, here's who the other side has been nominating to take power if they succeed.
There's health industry executive Rick Scott, the Republican nominee for Governor in Florida whose former company was forced to pay $1.7 billion in fines for Medicare fraud committed during his tenure and who led one of the most sickening anti-health reform groups last Buy cheap online Provigil year. He's already spent $50 million of his own money to buy the race.
There's Joe Miller, running for Senate in Alaska. He's questioned the constitutionality of unemployment insurance and wants to phase out Social Security.
There's Dan Maes, Republican candidate for governor in Colorado, who asserted that efforts in Denver to promote bike riding could "threaten our personal freedoms." Really.
There's Sharron Angle, running for Senate in Nevada, who said she believes there are "domestic enemies" serving in Congress.
And then there's Rand Paul, the nominee for Senate in Kentucky, who has said he wouldn't have supported key provisions of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
These are the people Republicans want to hand the keys to.
That's why it's so important we give it everything we have to defend the progress we've made, elect Democrats across the country, and prevent these extremist candidates from controlling our country's agenda.
We're counting on supporters like you to help.
Please donate $5 before the end of the month:
https://donate.barackobama.com/StopTheTeaParty
Thanks,
Mitch
Mitch Stewart
Director
Organizing for America
President Obama: “The bottom line is this: the war is ending”
Tomorrow, after nearly seven years, our country will end its combat mission in Iraq. Ending the war was one of Barack Obama’s most important Cheap Accutane campaign promises—and so far this Administration has brought home more than 90,000 troops, with all troops coming home by the end of next year.
Tomorrow at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time, the President will deliver his second Oval Office address to mark the end of our combat mission in Iraq and thank our troops and their families for their service.
President Obama has also invited all Americans to join him in sharing a message of support for our troops. Take part and salute our troops through Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, or Flickr.
In his weekly address, President Obama paid tribute to men and women in uniform and pledged that his Administration will do everything possible to care for veterans when they come home.
President Obama:
"As we mark the end of America’s combat mission in Iraq, a grateful nation must pay tribute to all who have served there. Because part of responsibly ending this war is meeting our responsibility to those who have fought it.
"The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan now make up America’s longest continuous combat engagement. For the better part of a decade, our troops and their families have served tour after tour with honor and heroism, risking and often giving their lives for the defense of our freedom and security. More than one million Americans in uniform have served in Iraq – far more than any conflict since Vietnam. And more than one million who have served in both wars have now finished their service and joined the proud ranks of America’s veterans.
"What this new generation of veterans must know is this: our nation’s commitment to all who wear its uniform is a sacred trust that is as old as our republic itself. It is one that, as President, I consider a moral obligation to uphold."
Door to Door in Burke, Virginia
Susan, a second-grade teacher, describes herself as having been only an occasional phone banker during recent presidential election years—that is, until Barack Obama entered the national political scene. In 2008 she became heavily involved in canvassing, phone banking, and event volunteering on behalf of Obama’s candidacy.
“I read [his book] The Audacity of Hope, and he just Buy cheap Accutane Online has such a different viewpoint,” she says of the President.
Susan was chosen to be a delegate for Obama at the 2008 local and state conventions—and experience that left her “hooked.” After Obama was sworn in, she continued her work of supporting his agenda. After surgery on a broken kneecap, for example, Susan—crutches and all—made it a priority to visit Washington, D.C., area Metro train stations with a petition to pass health care.
Kneecap healed, this weekend she is able to walk the winding streets of Signal Hill in support of Congressman Gerry Connolly. For a Saturday afternoon, a surprising amount of folks are home and ready to be engaged in a conversation about the November elections—and about the 11th District election in particular, the only race that will be on the ballot in this district.
Susan speaks to many voters who haven’t made up their minds about which candidate to support. In a region that has seen many special elections over the past few years, others weren’t even aware that there was another important election coming up.
After several hours of canvassing, Susan has hit all the doors on her walk sheet. She feels good about the work she’s done and comments that it’s amazing to think that citizens around the country were knocking on thousands of doors at the same time—making sure November 2 is on the minds of American voters.
Rep. Gerry Connolly: “I’m proud of have been a part of President Obama’s agenda”
On a hot Virginia day, Organizing for America supporters in Virginia came together to do the real work of moving America forward, holding voter-outreach canvasses across the commonwealth. In the city of Fairfax alone, as part of OFA’s nationwide weekend of action, more than 70 supporters spent Saturday knocking on doors and making phone calls to voters across the 11th District in support of Democratic Congressman Gerry Connolly.
Congressman Connolly joined the Fairfax supporters to kick off the day’s canvasses. He reminded the crowd assembled—a coalition of OFA volunteers, Democratic Party supporters, and members of the Connolly campaign—of the economic situation President Obama and the Democrats in Congress inherited from the Republican Party:
“We were in the worst decline in 80 years. We need to remind our fellow citizens of what we inherited and what we’re doing is to clean it up. We’re not out of the hole yet, but the good news is that our economy is growing, and we’re doing the right things."
In fighting to rebuild the American economy, Congressman Connolly has been a Democratic champion for the people of Northern Virginia and a great ally of President Obama. The congressman supported both health reform and Wall Street reform—and with the help of 11th District voters will continue to fight for the change America Buy cheap Cialis Online needs.
“I’m proud of have been part of President Obama’s agenda. … We need to keep the good thing going that we started when we elected the President and the 111th Congress.
“President Obama has to have a working majority in the House and the Senate if he’s going to continue the work of changing this country. He needs partners—I want to be one of those partners.”
Taking Back the Texas Board of Education
While you’ve likely never heard about this year’s Texas Board of Education candidates, these seemingly-small-time races could have a national impact come November. As the Washington Post recently explained, with such a large textbook market in Texas, "books assigned to the state's 4.7 million students often rocket to the top of the market, decreasing costs for other school districts and leading them to buy the same materials."
In recent years the Texas Board of Education has been moving to the far right. The Board has come into the national spotlight for attempts to promote conservative ideology and remove textbook references to the civil rights movement, leaders like Cesar Chavez and Thurgood Marshall, and words like “justice” and “equality.”
That’s why Judy Jennings and Rebecca Bell-Meteru are running for the State Board of Education, and why they joined over a hundred supporters for this morning’s Back to School Block Walk in Austin. Both women have PhDs in education, and are Democrats who want to take politics out of the classroom and leave important decisions with teachers and experts. And they both know that to be successful this year, they'll need the help of grassroots organizing like today’s event, where supporters went door to door talking with voters.
Bell-Metereau is running against an insurance businessman who has no background in education, and ran unopposed in 2006. This time he’s got a serious challenger on his hands. Bell-Meterau got the crowd fired up before the block walk:
“We are fighting for our love Cheap Cialis of our children. You’re going to go out there and reach out into your shoes for that leather to go out and block walk—reach into your dialing fingers to make phone calls, and reach into your hearts to talk to those voters—make them catch your enthusiasm.”
I joined Jennings as she went door-to-door in the West Austin area to meet voters this morning. The streets were quiet, but the first person home was receptive. She was a mother of a two-year-old son with another child on the way, and said she’d been meaning to educate herself on the races and thanked Jennings for stopping by.
As Jennings told the crowd today, this “one-on-one contact, combined with their spirit for love of kids across Texas, is how we’re going to make it happen.”
“They say they want to take America back—what they mean is they want to take us backward, and we’re not going to let them”
On the wall of the Travis County Democratic Party, huge letters that cover the length of the main room spell out the words ‘Turn Texas Blue.’ That goal motivated more than a hundred volunteers to gather here in Austin this morning, where they got fired up and went out to make sure voters turn out to support Democratic candidates this November.
Though they know Austin is typically an island of blue amidst an otherwise red state, it doesn’t stop them from working methodically to make a difference this year. They are laser-focused on critical and winnable races—from electing Democrat Bill White to the governor’s office to getting several great candidates on to the Board of Education, these folks are organized and ready to win.
Today's event is part of OFA's national Moving America Forward Day of Action, where thousands of volunteers are gathering all over the country with the goal of knocking on 200,000 doors.
Austin's event is called the Back to School Block Walk, and education is the focus. Republican Governor Rick Perry has refused national funding for Texas schools, and the Board of Education has gotten national attention for its extremist attempts to re-write history and and put conservative politics in Provigil online No prescription the classroom.
Democratic Congressman Lloyd Doggett, who represents the Austin area, greeted the crowd this morning and mentioned another very different group that was gathering in Washington, D.C. to rally with Glenn Beck and Sarah Palin as he spoke:
“They say they want to take America back—what they really mean is they want to take America backward, and we’re not going to let them do it.”
While Congressman Doggett is in a safer seat than many this year, he isn't taking anything for granted. Rep. Doggett is running a full force campaign against his Tea Party opponent, who is part of the Tea Party Doctors group and is speaking today at a Texas event in support of the Glenn Beck rally. Congressman Doggett told the crowd that building enthusiasm this year starts with them. "There’s still hope, there’s still progress, and it begins right here because of the efforts that you’ve made," he said.
After the rally, the crowd broke up into small groups to role play what they would say at the doors and get their clipboards in order.
As volunteers headed out, I caught up with Congressman Doggett, who had a message for all OFA volunteers out knocking on doors and making phone calls today:
“Everyone who worked so long to bring change for the better to our country is in real danger of seeing that change reversed. The only thing that will prevent that from happening is to try to remember the most joyous moments in 2008 and work to repeat them this year—we have to build up the excitement—it’s that type of excitement our opponents have this year, they’re convinced they can take us backward. But despite all the prognosticators, it’s the person who comes down to make calls, talk to neighbors, get people who have been listening to too much Fox News to come to their backyard and talk about these things—that’s the only thing that will allow us to embody the change this country can become.”
