Keeping Faith With Those Who Serve

Zach Edwards is on the ground in Iowa where, along with the help of our loyal Iowa grassroots volunteers, he's working to get our initial wave of offices up and running:

If you come into our Des Moines, Iowa office, something you are going to immediately notice is the beautiful artwork covering our walls and the stenciled drawings of work in progress. One of our best volunteers, Steve, has been working day after day, painting and making sure our office is ready to go-- but this isn’t the first we’ve seen of him. Steve was also one of the first volunteers into our Des Moines office when we hit the ground to prepare for the caucuses, and he has been a staple ever since.

I asked Steve about how he first got involved and about his support for Barack.

“My father was on the ground on D-Day and lost his hearing. He was initially denied benefits, and continued to re-apply every 10 years, but without any success. He missed hearing my youth sermon, missed hearing my name read at graduation, and missed his grandson saying grandpa. One time I even overheard my 10 year-old son say, ‘don’t ask grandpa, he doesn’t listen.’ It was difficult, but everything changed when my dad got his benefits in 2006, and his hearing aid. 

That brings me to the crux of my story -- I first heard about Barack because he helped re-open my dad’s case-file and ended his struggle with the Veterans Administration. Barack made a big impact on our family, but he also helped thousands of disabled veterans across Illinois who were denied benefits. In short, I was already a supporter even before he announced he was running for president.”

Steve is a teacher here in Des Moines, and his personal story parallels Barack’s in so many ways. They are both passionate advocates for education and ensuring that we give our children every opportunity that was available to ourselves, and then some. They were both raised by World War II veterans and they both understand that veterans benefits are not about some policy made in Washington, but about the people who are struggling for the recognition and respect they deserve. By seeing firsthand how legislation affects neighborhoods, how it affects families, and how many of these people have been fighting for decades, it instills a sense of urgency for real change.

Following reports that veterans in Illinois were receiving less in disability benefits than those nearly anywhere else in the country, Barack led efforts to correct the problems that created these disparities. As a result of his efforts, the VA opened an investigation into the matter and agreed to re-examine the claims of veterans who felt they had been treated unfairly. Senator Obama worked with Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) to force the VA to notify traditionally underserved veterans in Illinois, Connecticut, Indiana, Michigan, New Jersey and Ohio, with a total of 326,000 letters,  about their right to seek a review of their past claims.

After this effort, a significant numbers of veterans ended up getting the benefits they deserve, including Steve’s father.

Thousands of veterans and the family members of veterans have been supporting and volunteering for Barack, and we encourage you to read about Barack’s work on the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee. If you would like to join Veterans for Obama, click here.

"Keeping faith with those who serve must always be a core American value and a cornerstone of American patriotism. Because America's commitment to its servicemen and women begins at enlistment, and it must never end."

— Barack Obama, Speech in Kansas City, MO, August 21, 2007

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Excerpts from today's online policy chat about
women's economic security

This afternoon on the Obama headquarters' blog, three top policy advisors to the campaign -- Deputy National Policy Director Danielle Gray, Domestic Policy Director Neera Tanden, and Economic Policy Advisor Brian Deese -- joined readers in an online chat about Barack's economic security plan for women, which he discussed earlier this week in a town hall meeting in Fairfax, Virginia. (In conjunction with the event, the campaign rolled out a report on the impact the Obama economic plan would have on American women.)

Below are some of the exchanges between readers and the policy advisors.

Miss Mary writes:

...Have you discussed bridge programs for parents who work part time or in volunteer programs with young children, so that they can transition back into full time work? Specifically recruitment programs or tax incentives to hire them?

Christine writes:

I'm a former trial lawyer who left my job when I had my first child because I was offered 2 weeks of paid maternity leave, and no part time work upon my return (I works an average of 60 hours a week). It would be great if part of that "bridge" was mandatory part-time options.

Brian responds:

Hi Miss Mary and Christine:

Great questions. This is an important issue, and one that Senator Obama is really focused on. One of the things he would do is extend the Family Medical Leave Act to cover more employers. As you point out, in its current form millions of employees are not even protected from being fired for taking maternity leave. Senator Obama has committed to expanding the FMLA to cover smaller employers, and also to ensure that the FMLA covers all of the following circumstances:

• workers taking leave for elder care needs.
• parents taking 24 hours of leave each year to participate in their children's academic activities at school.
•leave to be taken for purposes of caring for individuals who reside in the home for 6 months or more.

Mrs. W asks:

What can we SPECIFICALLY ask for legislators to change for companies showing disparities in payrolls drawn on racial and gender lines?

Danielle answers

Thanks for the question.

As Barack said in his speech yesterday, the gender gap is unfortunately even wider for women of color -- particularly African American women and Latinas.

It's hard to pinpoint a single reason why this is so, but economists have identified a number of explanations,including employment discrimination, the overrepresentation of women in low-paying fields, and different choices made by men and women with respect to work/family balance.

Barack's plan will help close this gap by taking a number of steps. First, he wills sign into law the Fair Pay Restoration Act, legislation that he introduced with a bipartisan group of Senators to overturn last year's Supreme Court decision that made it harder for women to file pay discrimination claims after they become victims of discriminatory compensation.

Second, Barack will increase funding for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Office of Federal Contract Compliance. This support will help strengthen enforcement at the nation's leading civil rights agencies by providing the resources and staff necessary to process charges filed and effectively remedy equal pay violations.

Third, Barack will help propmote policies such as paid leave and flexible work schedules to help women better balance work and family, and increase their participation in the workforce.

Finally, by increasing the minimum wage and indexing it to inflation, Barack will help close the gender gap for low-wage working women.

Taken together, these steps will move us closer to equal pay.

Stephen asks:

...Barack has said he will pay as he goes. Is there a specific way of expressing this now? ...(H)ow do we deflect the general argument that no matter who is elected we will face a larger deficit going out than we now have?

Brian responds:

Stephen: What you can say is that Senator Obama has shown throughout the entire campaign exactly how he would pay for all his new initiatives. He's been specific, and he's made tough choices. This is an indication of the type of responsibility he'd bring to governing.

Where will the money come from? Again, he's been specific -- he will end the Iraq war, cut wasteful spending including overpayments to HMOs in medicare and excessive subsidies to student loan companies, close corporate and international tax loopholes, and roll back the Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans.

The independent groups that have looked into our budget numbers have found that they add up -- that these savings will cover our new investments in healthcare, infrastructure, education and other vital areas while helping to reduce the deficit.

Kim writes:

...I want to know more about the woman business owners, getting help with contracts because in my field, its impossible. ...

Danielle responds:

Dear Kim,

Happy Friday. Unfortunately, your experience is shared: too many women have difficulty accessing government contracts. That's why one of Barack's proposals calls for implementing the Women Owned Business Contracting Program -- a program designed to increase the participation of women who want to compete for federal contracts that was signed into law by President Clinton, but never implemented under the Bush Administration. To find out more about how female businessowners like yourself will benefit from Barack's plans, click here.

Tiffany asks:

I noted that Sen. Obama has proposed expanding after school care programs. I live in NYC and most working moms can hardly afford child care for pre-K children. In fact, pre-K is not available to everyone and is by lottery. For example, in my neighborhood, 90 kids applied for 36 pre-K seats. What specific plans does Sen. Obama have to make pre-K universal and available to all?

Neera responds:

Pre-k is essential to ensuring children enter school ready to learn AND helping parents balance work and family. That is why Senator Obama has a bold plan to provide universal access to high quality pre-k programs, investing billions of dollars a year to do so. His initiative builds on what's working in the states to ensure all families have access to good, high quality pre-k program for their children.

Maeabr shares:

I make less than $30,000 a year, and already only pay less than $1000 in fed tax, so cutting that won't make a lot of difference. Is there anything in the plans that will make rents lower, and electric bills? The electric bills during the winter is what causes me to go in the hole every year, and then nearly imposible to get out before the next winter sets in! I'm a single mom, one child just moved out, and the other just turned 18 and trying to get him in jr college in sept.

Brian responds:

Marti: there are a number of components of the Obama plan that will address your situation.

First, he thinks we need to pass a second round of stimulus. With soaring gas prices and six months of job loss, he doesn't think we can wait 6 months to change course. He'd offer a second round of energy rebates for families like yours, as well as help for people facing foreclosure.

His broader tax agenda is aimed to help you as well. He'd institute a Making Work Pay tax credit of $500 per worker, and that credit would be refundable. So you could access it even if you do not make enough to pay income taxes.

He'd also substantially expand the EITC and the child care tax credit.

Finally, he'd make the "Savers Credit" refundable, so it would provide a 50 cent match on every dollar that you save in a retirement account.

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"Same as Bush" - Response to Dishonest McCain/RNC
Attack Ad

John McCain and the Republican National Committee recently launched a dishonest attach ad aimed at Barack Obama and his tax policies -- an dishonest ad that was quickly debunked by a number of independent sources. 

The McCain ad makes the false claim that Obama voted to raise taxes on Americans who make as little as $32,000 per year. But the non-partisan FactCheck.org shot down that assertion.

In response, the campaign released a new 60 second radio ad, "Same as Bush."

“Obama’s plan cuts taxes on the middle class – and won’t raise taxes on anybody making less than two hundred fifty thousand a year,” the husband in the ad says to his wife. “But McCain wants billions in new corporate tax breaks…and no way to pay for it.”
 
The new spot is running on radio stations in northern Virginia and Dayton, Ohio where the RNC reportedly aired its misleading attack ad.
 
According to an analysis done on the tax plans put forward by Obama and McCain by the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center, FactCheck.org writes that a “hypothetical taxpayer with the $32,000 in taxable income would get a $502 tax cut under Obama's plan. McCain's plan, by contrast, would leave that person's taxes unchanged.”

According to FactCheck.org, “We do find that the McCain campaign is simply wrong to say Obama supported raising taxes on those making ‘as little as $32,000 a year.’”

You can listen to the ad below...

You can read the full script below...
 

“Same as Bush,” :60 seconds
 
MAN: Oh man – he’s starting already…
 
WOMAN: What now, honey?
 
MAN: John McCain.  He’s got new ads attacking Barack Obama on taxes.
 
WOMAN: Well, that’s not new. Bush, McCain, Karl Rove – that’s how those guys work.
 
MAN: Oh yeah, but this is shameful.   He’s just makin’ stuff up.
 
WOMAN: Yeah?
 
MAN: But get this.  Independent sources are putting McCain in his place.  I went to FactCheck dot org.  They said quote “it’s not true.”
 
WOMAN: Huh.
 
MAN: And look what Time says.  Quote, “It makes sense that McCain is returning to the old playbook.  But that doesn’t mean he can just make up his own facts.”  End Quote.
 
WOMAN: Yowza!  So what’s the truth?
 
MAN: Obama’s plan cuts taxes on the middle class – and won’t raise taxes on anybody making less than two hundred fifty thousand a year.  But McCain wants billions in new corporate tax breaks…and no way to pay for it.
 
WOMAN: Hmm.  Sounds like George Bush all over again.
 
MAN: Guess that’s why they say: John McCain – McSame as Bush!
 
WOMAN: Uh-huh.
 
Voiceover: On taxes, get the facts. Visit BarackObama.com
 
Obama: I’m Barack Obama, candidate for President, and I approve this message.
 
Paid for by Obama for America.

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Obama Campaign Ad Responds to Discredited McCain,
RNC Radio Spot

John McCain and the Republican National Committee recently launched a dishonest attach ad aimed at Barack Obama and his tax policies -- an dishonest ad that was quickly debunked by a number of independent sources. 

The McCain ad makes the false claim that Obama voted to raise taxes on Americans who make as little as $32,000 per year. But the non-partisan FactCheck.org shot down that assertion.

In response, the campaign released a new 60 second radio ad, "Same as Bush."

“Obama’s plan cuts taxes on the middle class – and won’t raise taxes on anybody making less than two hundred fifty thousand a year,” the husband in the ad says to his wife. “But McCain wants billions in new corporate tax breaks…and no way to pay for it.”
 
The new spot is running on radio stations in northern Virginia and Dayton, Ohio where the RNC reportedly aired its misleading attack ad.
 
According to an analysis done on the tax plans put forward by Obama and McCain by the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center, FactCheck.org writes that a “hypothetical taxpayer with the $32,000 in taxable income would get a $502 tax cut under Obama's plan. McCain's plan, by contrast, would leave that person's taxes unchanged.”

According to FactCheck.org, “We do find that the McCain campaign is simply wrong to say Obama supported raising taxes on those making ‘as little as $32,000 a year.’”

You can listen to the ad below...

You can read the full script below...
 

“Same as Bush,” :60 seconds
 
MAN: Oh man – he’s starting already…
 
WOMAN: What now, honey?
 
MAN: John McCain.  He’s got new ads attacking Barack Obama on taxes.
 
WOMAN: Well, that’s not new. Bush, McCain, Karl Rove – that’s how those guys work.
 
MAN: Oh yeah, but this is shameful.   He’s just makin’ stuff up.
 
WOMAN: Yeah?
 
MAN: But get this.  Independent sources are putting McCain in his place.  I went to FactCheck dot org.  They said quote “it’s not true.”
 
WOMAN: Huh.
 
MAN: And look what Time says.  Quote, “It makes sense that McCain is returning to the old playbook.  But that doesn’t mean he can just make up his own facts.”  End Quote.
 
WOMAN: Yowza!  So what’s the truth?
 
MAN: Obama’s plan cuts taxes on the middle class – and won’t raise taxes on anybody making less than two hundred fifty thousand a year.  But McCain wants billions in new corporate tax breaks…and no way to pay for it.
 
WOMAN: Hmm.  Sounds like George Bush all over again.
 
MAN: Guess that’s why they say: John McCain – McSame as Bush!
 
WOMAN: Uh-huh.
 
Voiceover: On taxes, get the facts. Visit BarackObama.com
 
Obama: I’m Barack Obama, candidate for President, and I approve this message.
 
Paid for by Obama for America.

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Organizing Fellows: Ben in Pennsylvania

As part of a continuing series, we're following Obama Organizing Fellows as they share their stories and their experiences. They discuss the people they meet, the hardships of organizing, what the campaign means to them, and how this summer is changing their perspective.

Ben is an Organizing Fellow in Pennsylvania.  His stories appear each Friday.

There are countless stories from this organizing fellowship that I could share with you. I could tell you about the time we went to register voters at a nearby mall only to be chased away by a security officer on a Segway scooter. I could tell you about the house party where one of the attendees performed a folk song that he wrote about Senator Obama as another guest played backup percussion with two metal spoons. Or I could tell you about the time that we woke up at a ridiculous hour (at least for a recent college graduate like myself) to go to a local train station to recruit volunteers and register people on their way to work.

But I'm not going to do that. At least not right now. Maybe next week.

The stories I want to share with you this week are about empowerment. They are about people of all ages taking hold of their future. Over the past four weeks here in Pennsylvania, I've watched this happen firsthand. The Obama supporters I've met are more diverse than I could have ever imagined, but they are united in their desire to change the direction in which our country is headed. They recognize that they have a unique opportunity to build a better world for future generations.

Take Abby, for example. She has been an active volunteer with the campaign since the primary season because she recognizes the impact that an Obama presidency would have on her daughter, Anna, who she adopted from China. It is Abby's hope that a President Obama would show Anna that anyone, regardless of skin color or family background, can achieve their goals in America.

Johanna and Cassady are eight and nine years old, respectively, and are huge Obama fans. Cassady even canvassed door-to-door before the primary. Their mom, Stephanie, hosted a house party a couple weeks ago and made sure to include them. While the adults conversed inside, Cassady, Johanna and their friends made posters out on the deck. They feel like they're making a difference. One of their posters now hangs in our office. Stephanie told me she thinks it makes them feel famous. Well, I hope this shout-out on the blog makes them feel even more famous.

Blossom is 85 years old, but has the energy of a much younger woman. When we met, she informed me that she wants to phonebank at least three days each week. At her age, Blossom acknowledges that she is not invested in this campaign for herself, but rather for those who will come after her.

And then there's me. Despite falling into that historically politically apathetic 18 to 30 year old demographic, I'm working my heart out every day. Now, don't get me wrong, there are times when I just want to give up. Whether I'm spending twelve consecutive hours in an office with no air conditioning, getting kicked out of establishment after establishment, or having heated conversations with undecided voters, this fellowship can be physically and emotionally exhausting. But whenever I feel like calling it quits, I remind myself that every new voter we register takes us one step closer to fulfilling Abby's hopes. Every volunteer we recruit moves us toward a brighter tomorrow for Johanna and Cassady. And every phone call we make helps Blossom lay a strong foundation for generations to come.

I don't think I have ever felt so in control of my country's future.

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Live chat with Obama policy advisors about
Barack's plan for women's economic security

Yesterday Barack led a town hall meeting on economic security for America's women in Fairfax, Virginia. In conjunction with the event, the campaign rolled out a report on the impact the Obama economic plan would have on American women. (Watch the speech here.) Also, this week Michelle Obama talked with women in Pontiac, Michigan and Kansas City, Missouri about women's economic security. (Check out local blog coverage of the sessions here and here.)

This afternoon at 2 PM Eastern/1 PM Central, the Obama for America blog will feature a dialogue on Barack's economic plan with particular emphasis on economic security for women. Campaign Deputy National Policy Director Danielle Gray, Domestic Policy Director Neera Tanden, and Economic Policy Advisor Brian Deese will field questions for approximately 45 minutes.

Here are some details of Barack's plan for women's economic security in America:

Obama's Plan for Economic Security for America's Working Women

Tax cut for working women. Barack Obama will provide 71 million working women with a tax cut of up to $500--or $1000 per family--to help offset the impact of stagnant wages and skyrocketing costs.

Balancing work and family. Obama will help address the challenge of balancing work and family by guaranteeing seven days of paid sick leave to the 22 million working women who currently have none. Obama will also expand child care tax credits, double funding for afterschool programs to serve 1 million more children, and will create a summer learning program to serve an additional 1 million young people.

Health care for every American. As President, Obama will reduce health care costs by $2,500 for a typical family, while providing affordable health care for every American.

A secure retirement. Obama will strengthen retirement security for working women, who currently enter retirement with less than half the retirement savings of men. Obama's plan will automatically enroll workers in retirement accounts (with the option to opt-out) and make these accounts portable to help working parents save while balancing their family obligations.

Equal Pay. Obama will fight for paycheck equity and to close the pay gap that leaves women earning only 78 cents for every dollar earned by men. The pay gap is even more pronounced for minority working women--with Hispanic women earning only 53 cents and African American women only 62 cents for every dollar of male earnings.

Affordable college. Obama will put the cost of college in reach for by providing a $4,000 refundable tax credit available at the time of enrollment in exchange for community service.

Raise the minimum wage. Obama will help low-wage working women move into the middle class by increasing the minimum wage to $9.50 by 2011, and indexing it to inflation--and expanding the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC).

Support Women-Owned Small Businesses. Obama will help women-owned small businesses innovate, grow and create jobs by cutting their capital gains tax rate to zero, and implementing the Women Owned Business contracting program that has been abandoned by the Bush Administration.

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Obama in Dayton, Ohio: A Secure Energy Future

Barack held a town hall meeting at the Stivers School for the Arts in Dayton, Ohio this morning. He spoke about making sure that this country has a secure energy future. He said...

I’ve often said that the decisions we make in this election and in the next few years will set the course for the next generation.  That is true of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.  It’s true of our economy.  And it is especially true of our energy policy. 
 
The urgency of this challenge is clear to anyone who’s tried to fill up their tank with gas that’s now over $4 a gallon.  It’s clear to the legions of scientists who believe that we are nearing a point of no return when it comes to our global climate crisis.  And with each passing day, it is clear that our addiction to fossil fuels is one of the most serious threats to our national security in the 21st century.

...An even more immediate and direct security threat comes from our dependence on foreign oil.  The price of a barrel of oil is now one of the most dangerous weapons in the world.  Tyrants from Caracas to Tehran use it to prop up their regimes, intimidate the international community, and hold us hostage to a market that is subject to their whims.  If Iran decided to shut down the petroleum-rich Strait of Hormuz tomorrow, they believe oil would skyrocket to $300-a-barrel in minutes, a price that one speculator predicted would result in $12-a-gallon gas.  $12 a gallon. 
 
The nearly $700 million a day we send to unstable or hostile nations also funds both sides of the war on terror, paying for everything from the madrassas that plant the seeds of terror in young minds to the bombs that go off in Baghdad and Kabul.  Our oil addiction even presents a target for Osama bin Laden, who has told al Qaeda, “focus your operations on oil, since this will cause [the Americans] to die off on their own.” 
 
If we stay on our current course, the rapid growth of nations like China and India will rise about one-third by 2030.  In that same year, Middle Eastern regimes will be sitting on 83% of our global oil reserves.  Imagine that – the very source of energy that fuels nearly all of our transportation, controlled almost entirely by some of the world’s most unstable and undemocratic governments.
 
This is not the future I want for America.  We are not a country that places our fate in the hands of dictators and tyrants – we are a nation that controls our own destiny.  That’s who we are.  That’s who we’ve always been.  It’s what led us to wage a revolution that brought down an Empire.  It’s why we built an Arsenal of Democracy to defeat Fascism, and stopped the spread of Communism with the power of our ideals.  And it’s why we must end the tyranny of oil in our time.

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Obama Campaign on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac

Obama campaign spokesman Bill Burton...

Senator Obama has long believed we should take all necessary steps to ensure affordable homeownership for millions of American families, and that includes an essential role for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.  Nearly a year ago, Senator Obama called for a major response to the housing crisis and significant relief for struggling homeowners.  It took Senator McCain three different tries to figure out a real response to the housing crisis, and his current plan does nothing to help more than two million homeowners who are facing foreclosure.

Click here to read more about Obama's plan to address the housing crisis and help middle class families reclaim the American dream.

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Carly Fiorina Lies About McCain Abortion Position

Carly Fiorina has turned out to be a perfect Rove-style surrogate for McCain, i.e. a lying hack who will say anything, even if easily contradicted by the facts.

THE LIE: In a recent speech in Ohio where Fiorina was trying to court female voters, she floated this bald-faced easily-debunked lie:

[John McCain] has never signed on to efforts to overturn Roe vs. Wade."

John McCain believes Roe v. Wade is a flawed decision that must be overturned, and as president he will nominate judges who understand that courts should not be in the business of legislating from the bench.

[Fiorina is being] buffeted by intense criticism that, as a star campaign surrogate, she is playing fast and loose with the facts.

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The Week That Should Have Ended McCain

There is a new must-read post up on the Huffington Post that outlines the fundamental earthquakes that the McCain campaign should have caused this week in an alternate reality where the mainstream media didn't love McCain so much.

If ANY of these items had come out of the Obama campaign, we would undoubtedly be subjected to a week-long endless 24x7 cable news loop of puerile fill-in-the-blank statements such as "Do the [____] statements coming out the Obama campaign call into question Obama's [____]?"

Please go check it out, it's truly breathtaking.

Here's the key points. See the article for the full analysis.

1. McCain unambiguously called Social Security "an absolute disgrace."
2. McCain's top economic policy adviser calls Americans a bunch of "whiners" for being worried about the slumping economy.
3. Iraqi leaders call for a timetable for U.S. withdrawal, McCain gets caught in a bizarre denial and flip flop.
4. McCain's economic plan to cut the deficit has no details and is simply not believable.
5. McCain's deficit plan includes bringing the troops home represents a major Iraq flip-flop.
6. McCain campaign [lies] about economists support [for his "economic plan"].
7. McCain makes a joke about killing Iranians [with American-exported cigarettes].
8. McCain denies, flatly, that he ever said that he is not an expert in economics.
9. McCain distorts his record on veterans benefits in response to a question from Vietnam Veteran, who then proceeds to call McCain out on it.
10. McCain demonstrates he knows nothing about Afghanistan and Pakistan.

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