Obama Slams McCain in Radio Address

I don't think the "Obama doesn't fight hard enough" argument applies here. 

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Video: Fact Check on McCain Tax Lies

Please take a minute to check out a new fact-check video we're releasing today to correct the record on Senator McCain's latest false attack ad, "Painful."

Numerous independent organizations have found McCain's claims on taxes to be "false," "misleading" and to represent a "pattern of deceit." In the video, our Deputy Director of Economic Policy, Brian Deese, walks viewers through the ad's laundry list of lies, and provides the truth about Barack Obama's plan to give 95 percent of American families a $1,000 tax cut, eliminate income taxes for seniors making less than $50,000, cut capital gains taxes for small businesses to zero percent-and to ensure that no one making less than $250,000 pays a dime more in taxes.

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"Untapped Enthusiasm"

Supporters have been doing Vote for Change voter registration events all summer long. And even though the summer may be coming to an end in the next few weeks, there is still plenty of time to register voters. Robert in Connecticut shared his view on registering voters and how important it is to this campaign.

I have been a regular voter over the years, but rarely have felt like I have much more than a choice of which candidate I distrust the least.  I am a lifelong independent, but I registered Democrat as a result of my interest in supporting Barack Obama this year.  I am excited this year to have a candidate I believe can make real progress on issues I care about.
         
My interest in helping Obama's campaign was strong enough to canvass neighborhoods for voters on primary day in Connecticut this Feb. 5th, even though I had surgery that morning.  I wasn't sure I would be well enough, but I was excited when I found I would be able to contribute to what became a win for him that day.  The other volunteers made it amazingly easy to pitch in, and it was incredible to realize that by taking one day off, I was effectively able to multiply my vote for the candidate I believe in.
         
I hope everyone who is able to figures out how they can be involved in voter registration and get out the vote efforts, because honestly, that is how Barack is going to win the fall.  It was amazing to me how many eligible voters I spoke to on February 5th who were excited to vote for Obama, but were not registered to do so.  There is enormous untapped enthusiasm for his campaign up here in Connecticut.  
         
Barack Obama could easily upset the entire electoral map if we mobilize voters that have long ago given up on politics, but are there waiting to be shown what they need to do to get involved.  If you are a working professional willing to give even one Saturday this summer to the voter registration drives you can find on this site, or a college/grad student with even more time to give during this period, I hope you consider doing so.

Take Robert's advice and host or attend a Vote for Change voter registration drive in your community.

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Senator Obama Delivers The Weekly Democratic
Radio Address

Senator Barack Obama delivered the Weekly Democratic Radio Address this morning, his first as the presumptive nominee. Senator Obama explained: 

Everywhere I go, I meet people who are working hard for their families – but are still falling behind. Our government has lost touch with the most fundamental American values – the belief that everyone should be able to live the American Dream; the sense that we are all in this together as Americans.

Senator McCain talks about putting our country first, but he is running for a third term of the very same policies that have set our country back. We can’t afford to take that chance. We can’t afford to keep running up record deficits while we favor the few over the many. We can’t prioritize a misguided war in Iraq over the urgent needs of the American people.

I believe that we need to move in a new direction.

You can listen to the full address below:

Read the text of Barack's remarks . . .

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Georgia On My Mind...Or How The Candidates
Respond To A 3a.m. Moment

The Russian invasion of Georgia has touched off a real-time 3 a.m.

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Voices for Change: Bob from Portsmouth, Virginia

Bob of Portsmouth, Virginia knows what it means to serve our country. He served in the Army for 24 years and has worked in the government for a total of 45 years. For 17 of his years in the Army he was a broadcaster. “I’ve talked to a lot of interesting people,” he said, “President Reagan in Korea and Bush Sr. in Japan.”

At 65 years old, he also has “long been a registered Republican. The only time I was going to vote Democratic was for JFK if he had run in 1964,” he said. After years of irritation with the current administration, Bob began to look for other candidates in this election and became inspired by Barack.

I’m from Iowa originally and was born in Des Moines. When Barack won Iowa I said, ‘Let me listen to this guy.’ I did some research online and followed him through the primaries. I was impressed. This is a man who has a lot of common sense and a hope for changing things. Without hope, there is no goal in life.

This last Wednesday, Bob and his girlfriend Silvia saw Michelle Obama and Virginia Governor Tim Kaine speak at the Harrison Opera House in Norfolk. “She was a fantastic, dynamic speaker and reflects what Barack is all about,” he said. Governor Kaine spoke of taking care of our veterans and making our country safe. As a veteran and in his current role on staff at the Norfolk Naval Base (“The largest naval base in the world,” he notes), these issues hit home with Bob.

Barack Obama cares about veterans. We need to help our soldiers who come back from overseas with no job, disabilities, and no healthcare. Barack will make this national policy. Homeland security is very important to me. I was a cop for 8 years with the Department of Defense. Some of the security even within our defense system isn’t good enough. We need to protect our sailors, soldiers and airmen.

Having a president who listens to the nation’s citizens and values their ideas is significant for Bob. Barack’s commitment to involving ordinary people is proof of this.

I like the way he cares a lot about the grassroots. He said, ‘I want you to plan the political platform for the Democratic Party.’ At the meeting I went to we talked for six hours about five different issues. One of the biggest issues was education. The students of tomorrow will run this country; we need to provide them with top notch education. We need to have a curriculum that teaches cultural differences from an early age and teaches a second language.

Bob is not a political regular. “I’ve never been involved in politics before and never donated money,” he said. In his first campaign he is fully immersed.

I give to this campaign because I believe in it. My girlfriend Silvia and I also went to two campaign office grand openings. For the office in Portsmouth, we bought banners, streamers and posters to decorate the office. We brought refreshments for all of the supporters who came. We wanted the office to look professional and to make a good impression. Then, that same Saturday afternoon, we went to the opening in Chesapeake.

Bob has surprised himself by his involvement in this campaign, but has no doubts. “I want to see this man be our president,” he said. “He’s the man for the job. With the ideas he’s got and our help, he’s going to be great.” Having inspired people around him, Bob is ready for the sprint to the general election. He wants to bring as many people into the campaign as possible. With his eye toward November, Bob said, “I’m fired up.”

Voices for Change is a series featuring profiles of Barack Obama's grassroots supporters from across the nation. The people who make up this movement come from all different backgrounds, but they share a common goal – to help bring about fundamental change in Washington.

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New TV Ad About Alternative Fuels

From the campaign blog: Today the Obama campaign unveiled a new ad that will run during the Olympics. The ad discusses Obama?s plan to invest in a green-energy economy focused on harvesting wind...

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Obama Action Wire: Spread the Truth about John
McCain

Help combat the smears and misinformation: This week John McCain's campaign hit new lows with their attacks and distortions.And all too often, the so-called "referees" in the news media are...

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Morning News

From the Honolulu Advertiser:

For the Barack Obama faithful, Ke'ehi Lagoon Beach Park was transformed yesterday into a presidential campaign event, a bit of celebrity watching and even a homecoming for a native son.

…It was all to show their appreciation for the man once known to friends and family here as Barry.

… They were among those cheering all of Obama's local references, like when he greeted them with "Howzit," and talked about ordering a Zippy's Zip Min or enjoying a plate lunch at Rainbow Drive-In.

…Many sported Obama T-shirts and pins. A few clutched Obama's two books to their sides.

Even some tourists skipped the beach for a chance to see the presidential candidate.

Karen Newman, 50, of Hawai'i Kai was the first to arrive, at 4:40 a.m., when the park was pitch black.

"This is probably the single most historic event in my lifetime, not only for us as a country, but as a state," Newman said, shortly after the sun appeared. "This is extraordinarily historical."

People drifted in over the next few hours until a line of hundreds formed to get into a barricaded area around the stage where Obama eventually spoke.

The city Parks Department estimated the final crowd at just more than 4,000.

…During Obama's remarks, people hooted and roared with applause. A few even jumped up and down with excitement.

…Despite the crowds and the high security, the day ran smoothly.

"It wasn't a political speech, it was from the heart," said [Rick] Brady, 57.

…Anosh Yaqoob, a UH-Manoa law student, arrived at Ke'ehi Lagoon at 8 a.m. and was all smiles even as he baked in the sun. He carried one of Obama's books to pass the time.

"I, too," Yaqoob said, "am a kid from Hawai'i with a funny name."

From National Public Radio:

Among the states up for grabs in this year's presidential race is a surprise: Virginia.

It hasn't voted for a Democrat since Lyndon Johnson in 1964. But in recent years, Virginia has elected back-to-back Democratic governors and a U.S. senator. And a Democrat is highly favored to win this year's Senate race — all of which has the Barack Obama campaign thinking it can turn the state from red to blue.

The Obama for President office in Winchester, Va., is just across the street from where George Washington once had an office, and around the corner from where Stonewall Jackson had his headquarters as he led Confederate troops up the Shenandoah Valley in the Civil War. In short, it's not the kind of place you would expect to find a Democratic presidential campaign headquarters, but it's an example of what the Obama campaign thinks it can do this election year.

"When we first drove out here, we were told we should organize the three Democrats out here and make sure we get all three of them," says Jason Berry, the lead field organizer in the Winchester office, a farming hub near West Virginia. "But as we've come here, we've noticed there are a lot of Republicans who want … permission to vote for Obama and a lot of people who are very upset with the way the country's going."

Berry says that about 200 people showed up when the office first opened a few weeks ago.

The Winchester office is one of 28 the campaign has opened across Virginia. Berry says the idea is to identify Obama supporters and get them to reach out to their neighbors.

"The strength of this: They know who they are. They know what the local issues are. They know the local things going on so they can speak to their fellow voters and also in a sense be almost character witnesses for Sen. Obama and build support that way."

From CNN:

Tickets for Barack Obama’s Democratic National Convention speech at the Invesco Field in Denver sold out within 24 hours, according to campaign officials.

In early July, convention organizers announced the Illinois senator would officially accept the Democratic nomination at the 75,000 seat stadium rather than a 20,000 seat hall.

According to the Colorado Campaign for Change, the application process closed Thursday afternoon after more than 60,000 seats were snatched up.

Due to unprecedented demand, the campaign has created a waitlist for Coloradans hoping to get a chance to attend the August 28 event.

…John F. Kennedy accepted the Democratic nomination for president in 1960 at Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, a 92,500-seat stadium in which an estimated 80,000 people gathered for his speech.

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Barack in Hawaii: "Welcome home"

The Honolulu Star Bulletin reported on Barack's return to Hawaii today, where he was greeted by a crowd of over 3,000 people. Mayor Mufi Hannemann introduced Barack by announcing to the crowd, "Today is the day that we say 'welcome home' to Barack Obama."

Hawaii-born Sen. Barack Obama was welcomed home this afternoon by a sweltering but adoring crowd of thousands of supporters at Keehi Lagoon Park.

Obama greeted the cheering crowd with a loud "Aloha! How's everybody doing today? Howzit!"

Obama, and his wife Michelle, were joined at the rally by U.S. Sen. Daniel Akaka, U.S. Rep. Neil Abercrombie, Mayor Mufi Hannemann and Hawaii Democrat Party Chairman Brian Schatz.

He praised Hawaii and told how he explains to people how the state has affected his character and politics.

"I try to explain to them something about the aloha spirit. I try to explain to them this basic idea that we all have obligations to each other, that we're not alone, that if we see somebody who's in need we should help," he said.

Obama said "most importantly, that when you come from Hawaii, you start understanding that what's on the surface, what people look like, that doesn't determine who they are.

"And that the power and strength of diversity, the ability of people from everywhere, whether they're black or white, whether they're Japanese-American or Korean-American or Filipino-American or whatever they are, they are just Americans, that all of us can work together and all of us can join together to create a better country.

"It's that spirit, that I'm absolutely convinced, is what America is looking for right now."

... He told the crowd that his trip to Oahu is mostly for vacation, to visit his tutu, relax, adding that he plans to get a plate lunch. "I might go to Zippy's. I might go to Rainbow Drive-in. I haven't decided yet.

"I'm going to get some shave ice. I'm going to go body surfing at an undisclosed location," he said, adding that he plans to spend a lot of time watching his daughters play on the beach.

He ended his roughly 15-minute speech by saying, "I'll see you on the beach."

... Obama's plane landed at about 2:30 p.m. at Honolulu Airport. The Illinois senator answered questions for local media for about 15 minutes and then headed by motorcade to Keehi park near the airport for the rally.

Obama supporters began arriving early today and waited in the blistering sunshine for hours to hear the presidential hopeful.

... Obama and his family are here for a week-long vacation on Oahu, where he was born and spent much of his childhood and where his grandmother who helped raise him still lives.

After the speech, Obama's motorcade took him to the Beretania Street apartment building where his 85-year-old grandmother Madelyn Dunham lives.

Obama, who graduated from Punahou in 1979, is also expected to visit with his half sister, Maya Soetoro-Ng, a teacher at La Pietra-Hawaii School for Girls.

Obama is vacationing with Michelle, and their daughters, Malia, 10, and Sasha, 7. This is Obama first trip back to Hawaii since December 2006, before he started his run for the presidency.

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