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Fellows Training: Heading to Cleveland

post from Obama HQ on 14 June 2008 10:53:17 PM. © Obama HQ

Here are some fellows who will be working in Cleveland for the summer...

Angela from Phoenix...

I found out about fellows from a friend at a "Save Dafur" fundraiser at her high school. I volunteered in February before Super Tuesday and loved to canvass. I'm excited about meeting new people, the experience, growing, and the stories I'll be able to tell.

Karen from Ohio...

I was nervous because I thought she would be older then everyone else at the training, but I believe in what Barack's doing. He's giving us hope. I'm very enthusiastic about the process and I want to be a part of this.

Adam from Maryland...

Being a part of this gives me a purpose, a mission. It gets me involved instead of sitting on my couch and playing video games all day during the summer. I was a supporter of Edwards at first, but then he dropped out of the race. I started listening to Barack, and the more I listened the more I like him. He wants to bring us change.

Andy from Ohio...

I just graduated from high school and am going to the college in the fall. I wanted to be productive and feel good about something. This is the first election that I can vote in and I want to have a place in it. Having an opportunity to be a part of such a historic election is something I'll always remember.

Matt from Ohio...

This is a place to do something different. I have a chance to do something, be involved in something that is important to me. I'm inspired by Barack -- I was able to watch him when I lived in Chicago and he ran his second Senate campaign. I've wanted to get involved in this campaign for a long time, and this opportunity came about when I had the time to do it.

To keep following the Fellows, even after training, visit the Fellows page.

Read The Full Article:
http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/amandascott/gG5MlY

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Fellows Training: Your Story Matters

post from Obama HQ on 14 June 2008 09:58:52 PM. © Obama HQ

Organizing fellows learned more about Barack's story today and why their own story is important.

Jeremy Bird said...

As an Organizing Fellow you will be in direct contact with voters and volunteers who look to you for leadership. A critical part of taking leadership is being able to articulate for others who you are, where you come from and what challenges have shaped the life choices that led you to this campaign. As a leader you must tell people who you are and why you're there.

Stories motivate others by invoking our emotions. Some emotions inhibit action, but other emotions facilitate actions. Stories convey the values of the storyteller when we know what the challenged she was faced, what choices she made in response, and what the outcome was.

The fellows then reflected on their own stories; the challenges they've had to face, the choices they've had to make, and what they taught them about themselves, their family, their peers, their community, their nation, and the world around them. Fellows told each other their stories during this session.

With each diverse story, the fellows will be able to connect with the members of the communities they will be going into. And these stories will spur on more stories, as the movement grows and we change America -- starting with ourselves. Share your story with others at a Unite for Change event on June 28.

Read The Full Article:
http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/amandascott/gG5Mff

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Fellows Training: Stuart and Theresa

post from Obama HQ on 14 June 2008 08:45:31 PM. © Obama HQ

Stuart and Theresa spent two months doing nothing but working and volunteering for Barack this past spring.

They saw his speech at the 2004 Democratic National Convention and started following his career. When he announced that he was running for President, they were so excited. Theresa got involved online but when the Ohio primary start to come up, she felt compelled to do more.

I felt so motivated to be active. He is the only candidate that is talking about - and pushing for - bringing people together. I just started pushing for him, and then we got involved full-time.

We opened a 4-H office in Cleveland with our daughter. We donated all the supplies so that they could get running. Then we would go from office to office getting walk packets to canvass the city.

Theresa is a high school history teacher who tells her students about her volunteer experiences, and Stuart is an IT manager. They will be spending their Fellows time in their hometown of Cleveland.

Even though both work full-time, after the Ohio primary they knew they had to continue their volunteer efforts. Stuart said they decided to head to Pittsburgh to canvass for the Pennsylvania Primary.

We went six-weekends in a row. Two for voter registration and four for Get Out The Vote efforts. At first, they didn't know what to do with us because they were used to young people doing visibility. But they gave us walk-packets and we registered over 100 people in two weekends. We're still friends and keep in touch with the people we met in Pittsburgh.

We love it. We would get up at 5AM, be in Pittsburgh by 10, walk in, grab walk packets, and canvass until 6PM straight. We had a 300 percent voter turnout, with a 95 percent vote for Obama in our primary.

Theresa has the summer off, so she will be doing this full-time, but I still have my IT job. This will be like a second job to me - I'll do it at night and on the weekends. But we can't think of anything better that we would want to do.

If you have time available after work or on the weekends you can start volunteering today; by holding voter registration drives, house parties, or fundraisers.

Read The Full Article:
http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/amandascott/gG5MLj

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Fellows Training: Relationships Are a Priority

post from Obama HQ on 14 June 2008 07:38:05 PM. © Obama HQ

Just like in the Primary Season, this campaign will be built from the bottom up. Fellows had a training session on building relationships throughout their communities this afternoon.

Field Organizer Max Blachman said...

Organizing begins with relationships. In Dreams From My Father, Barack Obama describes how one relationship after another influenced his life and the lives of those around him, as he came to understand his own calling, as he began his work as a community organizer where he turned one-on-one relationships into entire networks, and as he stepped onto his pathway to elected office. It is by harnessing this power - building on our own relationships to reach out to others - that we can create the kind of organization we need to win this campaign.

Relationships are the threads from which communities, organizations, and movements are woven. They create the context within which we become who we become, form the values we share, define the goals we seek, and mobilize the resources we need to achieve these goals.

As Obama Organizing Fellows you will be building relationships with current volunteers, supporters who could become volunteers, and voters who could become supporters. The goal of building these relationships is to create community together, always with the ultimate goal of moving that community into productive, goal-oriented action.

Our supporters have built relationships throughout this campaign, and we hope that you will continue to build relationships through the General Election. One of the best ways to build relationships with other Obama supporters is to host a house party. Sign up for an Unite for Change event to come together in your community.

Read The Full Article:
http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/amandascott/gG5M3R

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Video: Obama Meets with Seniors in Columbus, Ohio

post from Obama HQ on 14 June 2008 07:36:21 PM. © Obama HQ

On yesterday's stop in the Change that Works for You tour, Obama discussed his plan to provide seniors with secure retirements. Watch the video...

video details and more

Click here to read more about Obama's plan to provide seniors with the dignity they deserve.

Read The Full Article:
http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/samgrahamfelsen/gG5M3D

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Fellows Training: Ohio Fellows

post from Obama HQ on 14 June 2008 06:23:16 PM. © Obama HQ

Here are some pictures of Fellows who will spend the next six-weeks in Ohio...

To keep updated on Fellows throughout the summer, be sure to visit the Fellows page.

And you don't have to wait for Fellows to come to your community to start organizing - you can sign up to host a Vote for Change event to help register voters.

Read The Full Article:
http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/amandascott/gG5M9C

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Fellows Training: Volunteers Build the Movement

post from Obama HQ on 14 June 2008 05:48:48 PM. © Obama HQ

Two field organizers spoke to the fellows about volunteers and the importance of bringing in more people into the process.

Here's what they had to say...

Nothing will have a bigger impact on our success or failure as a campaign than recruiting/not recruiting volunteers. From canvassing to phoning, writing letters to the editor, performing office tasks, bringing food for other volunteers and staff, walking in parades, putting up lawn signs, speaking at community gatherings on our behalf and helping with our GOTV program, there are countless ways volunteers can become an active part of our campaign.

A campaign without volunteers is a campaign without a soul. People who invest their time and their skills in our campaign effort are infinitely more likely to vote than those to whom we have not reached out. People like to be a part of an active, effective, organized campaign. We are fortunate that we already have a great source of volunteers -- all we have to do is "shake up the base" by asking more to join us.

There are thousands of people that you will meet who will want to get involved but don't know how or haven't been asked. That is your job -- bringing in the people who want to be a part of this movement.

Fellows will be reaching out to communities across the country this summer, but if you want to start volunteering now, you can sign up to join the movement.

Read The Full Article:
http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/amandascott/gG5MsW

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Obama and Volunteers Pitch in with Flood Relief
and Prevention

Today, Barack travelled to Quincy, Illinois to inspect the flood-damaged area and join grassroots volunteers in loading sandbags to help prevent further flooding.

The Mississippi River is expected to crest in Quincy on Monday or Tuesday. If you're in the Quincy area, the sandbagging operation is going on until 6:00 pm today and throughout the weekend. Local officials have put out a public call for all volunteers who are able to help. If you can assist, please travel to the Oakley-Lindsey Civic Center in Quincy this weekend.

For those of from elsewhere in the country who want to pitch in, please visit the Red Cross website to learn how you can help.

Thanks to all of you who have stepped up and lent a hand to your neighbors and fellow Americans. This campaign is more than about winning an election, it's about building a movement and rekindling the sense that we are all our brothers' keepers -- that we are all in this together.

Read The Full Article:
http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/samgrahamfelsen/gG5MQm

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Fellows Training: Meet Dave, Wes and Carolyn

Meet some of the campaign's Fellows who will be working in Ohio...

Wes, from California, decided to be a fellow because he is interested in Barack's style of politics. He is tired of "old politics" and agrees with where Barack stands on policies.

Dave lives in Akron, Ohio, and has never been involved in a political campaign before. As a PH.d student, he had the time available and Barack has inspired him to help the campaign.

Carolyn from New York told me a little bit about her story. Here's what she said...

I believe in Barack's message and I want to be a part of the process of change. I'm interested in issues that affect seniors, and this will provide me with with the skills to continue with movements when I go back to New York.

We'll be providing more coverage of the Fellows training and continuing to tell their stories, so stay tuned.

Read The Full Article:
http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/amandascott/gG5M9N

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McCain Quote of the Day

Wow, this isn't quite Alaska-douchebag-Ted-Stevens-bad (i.e. the internet is "a series of tubes") but, well, this isn't a great way to mollify questions about your age.

?We?re going through a process where you get a whole bunch of names, and ya ? well, basically, it?s a Google. You just, you know, what you can find out now on the Internet. It?s remarkable, you know.?

- John McCain on his campaign vetting process.