Back on the Ground: OFA Listening Tours Kick Off
in Iowa

"What began twenty-one months ago in the depths of winter must not end on this autumn night. This victory alone is not the change we seek – it is only the chance for us to make that change. And that cannot happen if we go back to the way things were. It cannot happen without you." -- Barack Obama, Election Night 2008

On Tuesday night in Carroll, Iowa, 15 people gathered at Sam's Sodas and Sandwiches to talk to OFA staffer Derek Eadon about their community, the issues that affect everyday life in Carroll, and what they can do to help realize the change they worked so hard for as part of Barack Obama's presidential campaign. In many ways this small gathering echoed the same kinds of the meetings that took place in diners and homes in the early days of the Iowa Caucus campaign, over two years ago. 

This time however, the focus was not on Barack Obama or the caucus, or any election at all. This time the focus was on how to build support both in Iowa and in Washington D.C for the President's agenda; how to make that change. They talked about health care, shared memories of meeting Senator Obama during the campaign, and discussed ways to build on the grassroots organization that grew out of that movement. 

The Carroll meeting was the kick-off of the Iowa Listening Tour, one of many Listening Tours taking place across the country this summer. At these meetings, supporters are able to meet new state staff members, hear about some of the lessons learned during the election, and offer their thoughts on how best to organize in their communities. "We have just one goal for these events - to listen," Derek Eadon explained. "[Our supporters], more than anyone else, know what approaches will work best in Iowa and we're eager to hear their ideas."

The Quad City Times reported:

The successor to President Barack Obama’s groundbreaking grassroots campaign has opened up shop in Iowa, and over the next two weeks it will host more than a dozen forums, including one next week in Davenport.

...“These listening tours will be one of our first major undertakings as we ramp up across the country,” said Natalie Wyeth, a spokesperson.

Already, the group has a paid staffer in the state.

This kind of an effort isn’t the norm in Iowa, particularly so far from an election, according to a party veteran.

“It’s very unusual that it would happen this early,” said Dave Nagle, former chairman of the Iowa Democratic Party.

...The paid staffer in Iowa is Derek Eadon, who began work about a month ago. Eadon was a regional field director in eastern Iowa during the presidential election, and he’s now working out of the Iowa Democratic Party office in Des Moines.

...The group intends to continue relying heavily on volunteers.

Seventeen meetings have been scheduled across the state through the end of the month by Organizing for America.

In the Quad-Cities, the director of the QCA for Change group is a point of contact, Eadon said. That group has already undertaken some volunteer efforts. The group has about 50 members.

“We’re going to be a vital part of the organization,” said Roland Lamantia, director of QCA for Change.

In addition to Iowa, Listening Tours have already begun in Georgia, Wisconsin, New Mexico, Missouri, Michigan, Indiana, Colorado, and Texas. These events will be taking place throughout the summer, and we'll have updates in the coming weeks as more staff are deployed across the country. If you've attended an event this week or are planning on being at one, let us know in the comments below. 

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Obama meets with Calderon in Mexico City

video details and more


Video: Obama meets with Calderon in Mexico UPI

President Barack Obama met with Mexican President Felipe Calderon today in Mexico City.

The two leaders talked about cracking down on drug violence near the border, immigration and other matters.

Times Online

Obama to Push to Ratify Treaty on Gun Trafficking

New York Times - ?10 hours ago? By SHERYL GAY STOLBERG MEXICO CITY ? President Obama, seeking to send a strong signal that he is committed to stopping the rising tide of cross-border drug ...
Mexico drug clash kills 16 ahead of Obama trip Reuters Obama: US, Mexico will face border violence together USA Today

Paul Kekai Manansala is a freelance author and blogger from Sacramento, California.

 

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-in-mexico.html

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President Obama to Latin America: "Choosing a
Better Future in the Americas"

President Obama is in Mexico today for a meeting with President Felipe Calderón, and later in the week he will travel to Trinidad and Tobago for the Summit of the Americas with Latin American leaders. In advance of his trip, the President wrote an op-ed piece that was published today in papers throughout Latin America, as well as Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, México, Perú, Puerto Rico, Uruguay and Venezuela. The piece appeared in English, Spanish and Portuguese. You can read the full English text below:

Choosing a Better Future in the Americas
by President Barack Obama

As we approach the Summit of the Americas, our hemisphere is faced with a clear choice. We can overcome our shared challenges with a sense of common purpose, or we can stay mired in the old debates of the past. For the sake of all our people, we must choose the future.

Too often, the United States has not pursued and sustained engagement with our neighbors. We have been too easily distracted by other priorities, and have failed to see that our own progress is tied directly to progress throughout the Americas. My Administration is committed to the promise of a new day. We will renew and sustain a broader partnership between the United States and the hemisphere on behalf of our common prosperity and our common security.

In advance of the Summit, we have begun to move in a new direction. This week, we amended a Cuba policy that has failed for decades to advance liberty or opportunity for the Cuban people. In particular, the refusal to allow Cuban Americans to visit or provide resources to their families on the island made no sense – particularly after years of economic hardship in Cuba, and the devastating hurricanes that took place last year. Now, that policy has changed.

The U.S.-Cuba relationship is one example of a debate in the Americas that is too often dragged back to the 20th century. To confront our economic crisis, we don’t need a debate about whether to have a rigid, state-run economy or unbridled and unregulated capitalism – we need pragmatic and responsible action that advances our common prosperity. To combat lawlessness and violence, we don’t need a debate about whether to blame right-wing paramilitaries or left-wing insurgents – we need practical cooperation to expand our common security.

We must choose the future over the past, because we know that the future holds enormous opportunities if we work together. That is why leaders from Santiago to Brasilia to Mexico City are focused on a renewed partnership of the Americas that makes progress on fundamental issues like economic recovery, energy, and security.

There is no time to lose. The global economic crisis has hit the Americas hard, particularly our most vulnerable populations. Years of progress in combating poverty and inequality hangs in the balance. The United States is working to advance prosperity in the hemisphere by jumpstarting our own recovery. In doing so, we will help spur trade, investment, remittances, and tourism that provides a broader base for prosperity in the hemisphere.

We also need collective action. At the recent G-20 Summit, the United States pledged to seek nearly half a billion dollars in immediate assistance for vulnerable populations, while working with our G-20 partners to set aside substantial resources to help countries through difficult times. We have called upon the Inter-American Development Bank to maximize lending to restart the flow of credit, and stand ready to examine the needs and capacity of the IDB going forward. And we are working to put in place tough, clear 21st century rules of the road to prevent the abuses that caused the current crisis.

While we confront this crisis, we must build a new foundation for long-term prosperity. One area that holds out enormous promise is energy. Our hemisphere has bountiful natural resources that could make renewable energy plentiful and sustainable, while creating jobs for our people. In the process, we can confront climate change that threatens rising sea levels in the Caribbean, diminishing glaciers in the Andes, and powerful storms on the Gulf Coast of the United States.

Together, we have both the responsibility to act, and the opportunity to leave behind a legacy of greater prosperity and security. That is why I look forward to pursuing a new Energy and Climate Partnership of the Americas that will help us learn from one another, share technologies, leverage investment, and maximize our comparative advantage.

Just as we advance our common prosperity, we must advance our common security. Too many in our hemisphere are forced to live in fear. That is why the United States will strongly support respect for the rule of law, better law enforcement, and stronger judicial institutions.

Security for our citizens must be advanced through our commitment to partner with those who are courageously battling drug cartels, gangs and other criminal networks throughout the Americas. Our efforts start at home. By reducing demand for drugs and curtailing the illegal flow of weapons and bulk cash south across our border, we can advance security in the United States and beyond. And going forward, we will sustain a lasting dialogue in the hemisphere to ensure that we are building on best practices, adapting to new threats, and coordinating our efforts.

Finally, the Summit gives every democratically-elected leader in the Americas the opportunity to reaffirm our shared values. Each of our countries has pursued its own democratic journey, but we must be joined together in our commitment to liberty, equality, and human rights. That is why I look forward to the day when every country in the hemisphere can take its seat at the table consistent with the Inter-American Democratic Charter. And just as the United States seeks that goal in reaching out to the Cuban people, we expect all of our friends in the hemisphere to join together in supporting liberty, equality, and human rights for all Cubans.

This Summit offers the opportunity of a new beginning. Advancing prosperity, security and liberty for the people of the Americas depends upon 21st century partnerships, freed from the posturing of the past. That is the leadership and partnership that the United States stands ready to provide.

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Obama unveils high-speed rail plan

Nice to hear President Barack Obama pushing high-speed rail today.

Obama revealed a plan for a new national network of high-speed passenger rail lines to help solve the country's transportation and environmental problems.

The plan mentions 10 potential high-speed rail lines including California, the Pacific Northwest, the Midwest, the Southeast, the Gulf Coast, Pennsylvania, Florida, New York and New England.

"My high-speed rail proposal will lead to innovations that change the way we travel in America. We must start developing clean, energy-efficient transportation that will define our regions for centuries to come," Obama said speaking at the White House.

Some of the corridors would host trains with speeds of up to 150 mph.

Japan and Western Europe are noted for successful implementation of high-speed rail.

MiamiHerald.com

Obama says US high-speed rail "overdue"

Reuters - ?53 minutes ago? WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama outlined his plan for developing "long overdue" high-speed rail on Thursday that would rival air travel, create jobs and help curb the US transportation system's appetite for oil. Obama unveils high-speed rail plan CNN Obama Pushes Vision for High-Speed Rail Washington Post

Paul Kekai Manansala is a freelance author and blogger from Sacramento, California.

 

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rail-plan.html

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