Listening to America: Dearborn, Michigan

For the past nine days, ordinary Americans have been meeting in homes and public spaces across the country, to discuss the issues that are most important to them and to help write the 2008 Democratic Party Platform. Josh Penn is on the ground in Michigan, and was at the Dearborn platform meeting last night . . .

Last night nearly 40 people gathered in Dearborn, Michigan for a platform meeting to discuss the issues that affect their lives. Though most of the people were union members, they came from a variety of backgrounds and spanned several generations. The meeting was just one of 39 in Michigan and over 1300 held across the country over the past nine days.

To be very honest, I feel lucky to have been able to observe the meeting and to be part of the campaign that is facilitating them. It is a rare thing to get a group of people together and give them a forum to not only vocalize their struggles, but also to brainstorm and work together to come up with solutions to the problems they find in their communities and their lives. In the opening remarks one of the moderators, William, who is also a professor and the chair of the Economics department at Howard University, explained how these platform meetings were a representation of how Senator Obama sees the world and his administration working: bottom up rather than top down. He believes policies need to be created with the input, ideas and realities of the people they aim to help.

The issues, ideas and stories people told varied widely and there were far too many to recount them all here. Maria spoke about how she was working in home care for the state, but only made seven dollars an hour for three hours a day, compared to the thousands of dollars per resident that are being paid to nursing homes who provide similar services. Another woman spoke of living in Inner City Detroit with two children in an ineffective public school which is vastly less provided for than its counterparts in the suburbs. In her child’s school, funding had been cut and many teachers had been laid off, the result of which was class sizes nearly doubling.

Teachers can’t adequately provide. If we can’t educate and provide for our kids, we’re doomed.

It seemed the one thing everyone agreed on was a need for fair trade rather than free trade. One man spoke about how wages had been cut significantly as a result of the jobs being in competition with ones in Mexico. Michelle from Detroit had one job when Bush was first elected in 2000, got a second around the time of his re-election in '04 and has just recently been forced to get a third job in order to provide for her family. 

... Several of the participants talked about how they had never been asked for his input from a politician before. At one point in the evening one exclaimed:

Does the government know what we need? Are they in touch?

At a time where our country's most pressing issues include jobs moving out of America and homes being foreclosed, these workers in Michigan, the state with the highest unemployment rate in the nation, felt like they had never been consulted. Until now.

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Video: Barack at UNITY

Barack addressed the UNITY: Journalists of Color quadrennial convention in Chicago, Illinois today. He talked about his recent trip abroad, the housing bill and housing situation in the US and how to move forward in Iraq and Afghanistan. Here's the video...


video details and more



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Road Blog: London, the Day in Pictures

Barack Obama spent yesterday in London concluding his foreign trip. It was a packed day, including meetings with Prime Minister Gordon Brown, former Prime Minister Tony Blair, and opposition leader David Cameron.

When the Senator went to 10 Downing Street he was granted an opportunity to visit the garden as well as stroll with the PM through the square behind the residence. One of the things they discussed was a statue of another gentleman from Illinois, Abraham Lincoln. The Augustus Saint-Gaudens statue in Parliament Square London is an exact replica of the one in Lincoln Park in Chicago.

Enjoy the pictures of the day.

Arun Chaudhary
July 27, 2008
Chicago, IL


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Martha in Maine: "I made time"

Martha of Portland, Maine is one of our all-star grassroots phonebankers. Over the course of the primary season, she made over 3,000 calls to more than a dozen states.

And Martha’s already ready to get back on the phones. In fact, when we called her on Friday, the first question she asked was “Where do you want me to call?”

From her home far in the northeast corner of the United States, Martha was able to have an impact in primary elections across the country. She started in late February with the Ohio primary and ended with West Virginia in late May.  She says it was fun to chat with people from all over the country.

I enjoyed talking to people in the parts of Indiana near Chicago, and really enjoyed calling the Deep South very much because I used to live there.

I spoke to lots of very friendly people. There was a lot of gratitude through the phone. People were very appreciative and interested in the fact that I called them --  that another person cared enough to spend their time doing this. It was just addictive! That kept me wanting to do it even more.

She particularly enjoyed one long call with a semi-famous playwright in New York City. “We had a really long and interesting chat. There are a lot of people I’ve wanted to continue talking to,” she said.

Her experience was on the whole very rewarding. “Out of more than 3,000 phone calls, I can count on one hand the number of unpleasant ones.”

A busy teacher who works with 3rd through 5th graders, Martha made the time to phonebank because she realized what a difference it made in the election.

I made time. During the primaries, I came right home after work and got on the phone. I tried to do 90 minutes a day.

Martha’s already excited about getting on the phones for the general. “I’ll do the whole U.S. – whatever it takes,” she says. Living in Maine, she’s excited to get started on the swing states. “I will want to call the ones that are the biggest battlegrounds where I can make a real impact.”

Before the Obama campaign came along, Martha had never phonebanked before.

I decided to do it because I see Barack as the leader of the future and I believe he’s got everything it takes and more. He’s the real deal. I want him for us.

You can join Martha and the thousands of volunteers across the country by donating a few minutes of your own time to help reach out to voters. Learn how you can get involved and make calls from your own home.

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Organizing Fellows: John in Gwinnett County,
Georgia

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.

John is an Organizing Fellow in Gwinnett County, Georgia. His stories appear each Sunday.

Yesterday marked the end of the Obama Organizing Fellowships. I wish I had some watershed revelation to share with you, something spine-tingling. But here in Gwinnett County, where the other side holds the power, the seats, and the tradition of victory, I have discovered sore feet are more useful.

Here in Georgia, we may have the biggest task of any other state; we are in play, but to win, we have to register hundreds of thousands of voters, persuade tens of thousands to let go of a beloved party, and then get all of them to vote. In other words, we have to work, every day, all day.

And we have to do things we thought we never would.

Take canvassing--most people don't want strangers knocking on their door, and most of those people don't want to be the stranger knocking. But yesterday, we had over 50 first-time canvassers grab voter registration forms, walk sheets, maps, and scripts and go out to knock on over 700 doors. By voter registration numbers, it was not our most successful effort. But it was also exciting to see the volunteers, many of whom were skeptical at the idea of canvassing, return tired and sore, their hair a little disheveled, their arms a little more red, but with great beaming smiles. They all said, "This was fun. We met so many people!"

I have only canvassed a little, but all of us are discovering together that knocking on a door to sell a vacuum and knocking on a door to register voters are two different things. This campaign asks people to do nothing but take hold of their rights and responsibilities, to live up to the ideals of our nation. We ask people to be citizens, not consumers; we ask them to step into the activity of making this country work.

We don't see the other campaign here, besides the occasional yard sign and bumper stickers. We don't know what their game plan is, and we don't really want or need to know. But we see that we are the ones who are reaching out to the Georgians who have been left behind in the explosion of 'development' in this county. We see that we are the ones who want the jaded and disaffected to come out and believe in the power of a vote.

Yesterday we heard from a couple of our opponent's supporters. Some of our volunteers knocked on the door, identified themselves as Obama volunteers, and asked to register voters. The owner of the house said, "I support the other side, but I gotta tell you, I admire what your campaign is doing." Maybe that man will change his mind come November. And if there's one of him, maybe there are more like him that we will find today when we strap on our walking shoes and knock on more doors. What that means to me and our volunteers, is that we're making progress in this county.

It took me six weeks to get here, and now I see how far we have to go. But we have hope here in Gwinnett County, and the more we work for change, the more hope we have.

Check back next week for more from John in Gwinnett County, Georgia, and visit our Flickr page for more of his photos.

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"Where do you want me to call"

On Friday we made a phonecall to Martha in Portland, Maine, to ask a few questions for an upcoming post. Martha is one of our top grassroots phonebankers, and during the primaries she made thousands of calls to more than a dozen states. Once she realized that it was someone from the Chicago headquarters on the line, the very first question she asked was, “Where do you want me to call?”

During the primaries, ordinary people like Martha made millions of phone calls to voters across almost every state. These calls helped identify supporters, recruit volunteers, sway undecided voters and provide valuable election information. Their efforts helped us win hundreds of additional delegates and in some cases quite literally made the difference between winning and losing.

Yesterday we kicked off door to door canvasses in over a dozen states. We've already opened hundreds of offices across the country (with more on the way), in one of the largest field efforts in general election history. These on the ground efforts are a key part of our strategy, but as they were in the primary, our grassroots phonebankers are just as important. 

Martha understood this. And she knew instintively that it's time to get back to work.

In the coming weeks and months, you'll have the opportunity to make calls to dozens of states. Whether you've made hundreds of calls over the last seventeen months or today will be your first time, our online call tool makes it easy to reach out and share your story with undecided voters. Right now, you can make calls to voters in Iowa, Ohio, New Mexico, Nevada and New Hampshire. 

It only takes a minute to get started. We'll provide you with a script and targeted list of names to call. You can decide which state you'd like to impact and get started calling right away.

Online calling campaigns run from 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM every day. It's time to call.

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Video: Barack at Unity 08 Convention

Here' video of Sen. Barack Obama at the quadrennial Unity 08 Convention of minority journalists in Chicago. CNN's Suzanne Malveaux and Time world editor Romesh Ratnesar interview the senator on issues that include Afghanistan, Iraq and the national economy. Sen. John McCain was also invited but was unable to attend.


video details and more

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

 

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On the Ground: The First Time

Yesterday morning, hundreds of canvasses kicked off across over a dozen states.

From the Morgantown News-Herald:

On Saturday morning, Larry Williamson of Morganton [North Carolina], for the first time in his life, went out in Morganton and canvassed for a presidential candidate.

...The canvassing focuses on registering new voters and encouraging support for Obama.

Williamson, along with a few other volunteers, traveled in pairs throughout Morganton targeting homes with unregistered voters.

"I this election is so important that all Americans need to be involved," Williamson said.

Bruce Ervin of Morganton, decked out in an Obama hat and wielding, "Morganton for Obama," business cards said he was worried about registered voters who don't update their information with the Burke County Board of Elections.

…"Every vote counts and we need to get everyone involved," Ervin said.

…Both Williamson and Elliott said that they received only positive responses to their canvassing.

"This is a great experience for me. I am seeing people from all walks of life," Elliott said.

And from the Ozarks First:

Obama supporters and volunteers are joining many community leaders and elected officials in Missouri to begin a new strategy to reach more visitors.

Hundreds of volunteers are getting ready to hit the streets, canvassing rural communities throughout Missouri to help get their candidate to the White House.

"We want to hear what they have to say. We want to be able to work with them and within their communities to help make their communities stronger and for change," said Erin McCann, regional field director.

Senator Barack Obama's campaign for change is opening a total of 24 offices in rural areas across the state. Volunteers say it's the first time a presidential candidate, democrat or republican has ever done something like this.

"We're ready for change and as a community if can get together, we can really make things happen. We can really change this country and to me that is the most patriotic thing that you can do is be involved in the political process as an American," said McCann.

Volunteers say the campaign will use the statewide locations to build a strong grassroots organization aimed at bringing Obama's message of change to Missourians.

Canvasses are continuing today, and we'll have more coverage of the events on the ground throughout the afternoon. If you canvassed this weekend, let us know how it went in the comments below or email blog@barackobama.com.

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Morning News

From the Washington Post:

Sen. Barack Obama wrapped up his week-long foreign tour Saturday by meeting at length with past, present and possibly future British prime ministers.

The Democratic presidential candidate met for breakfast with former prime minister Tony Blair before going to see Prime Minister Gordon Brown at No. 10 Downing Street and later visiting with David Cameron, the leader of Britain's Conservative Party.

...Obama spent more than two hours with Brown, including an hour alone on the patio overlooking the prime minister's garden. Obama said later that the two discussed the importance of the transatlantic relationship -- the theme of Obama's speech in Berlin on Thursday night -- as well as the Middle East peace process, climate change and other topics.

...The crowds in London were no match for those that greeted Obama in Berlin and Paris, but a cluster of people gathered outside the wrought-iron security gates of Downing Street, hoping to catch a look at the senator from Illinois.

Patricia Griffin, a 47-year-old teacher from Glasgow, spotted the commotion on the street while riding the London Eye Ferris wheel across the Thames River. "Who else would it be?" she said, referring to Obama. Griffin said she came to stand outside Downing Street in the hope that one day she could say she saw the first black president of the United States.

Elaine Ferguson, a 45-year-old teaching assistant from England's Lake District, said Obama was on the "tick list" of celebrities she was hoping to see while on vacation.

Obama addressed the controversy over his planned trip to the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany to visit wounded U.S. service members. The Pentagon had raised concerns that aspects of the visit were campaign-related, and on that basis Obama decided not to go.

"I was going to be accompanied by one of my advisers, a former military officer," he said. "And we got notice that he would be treated as a campaign person, and it would therefore be perceived as political because he had endorsed my candidacy but he wasn't on the Senate staff.

"That triggered then a concern that maybe our visit was going to be perceived as political, and the last thing that I want to do is have injured soldiers and the staff at these wonderful institutions having to sort through whether this is political or not or get caught in the crossfire between campaigns."

From the Los Angeles Time:

Barack Obama turned his attention back to the stalled U.S. economy today as he wrapped up an eight-country trip abroad with a stroll through the gardens of 10 Downing St. with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

...Obama described his talks with foreign leaders as relevant to the U.S. economic downturn. Cooperation with allies in settling conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, he said, could free up money spent by the U.S. military each month on waging war.

"That's $10 billion, $15 billion that we can't spend at home to rebuild our economy," Obama said.

...On a sunny and warm London morning, Obama and Brown chatted for more than an hour on a patio at 10 Downing St. They sat in well-padded wicker chairs amid an array of flower boxes, with two glasses of water, lemon slices and cookies on a table between them. Brown appeared to do much of the talking; Obama listened, hand on cheek.

The pair also walked the gardens of the residence, having an animated conversation along the way, and spent some time in state rooms inside. They discussed Iraq, Afghanistan, terrorism, climate change, world financial markets and peace efforts in the Middle East, Obama said.

Afterward, the Illinois senator emerged alone from the famous black front door labeled "10,".... Over the last week, he has met with heads of state in Afghanistan, Iraq, Jordan, Israel, Germany and France.

A spokesman for Brown called today's talks "warm and engaging."

From the Times Herald:

Barack Obama is the first presidential candidate to establish a foothold in St. Clair County this year, and he's rented a storefront in downtown Port Huron.

Starting today, Obama's Campaign for Change -- a coordinated effort between the Obama campaign and the state's Democratic Party -- will have a regional headquarters at 221 Huron Ave., formerly Unique Boutique. To kick off the Blue Water Area campaign, state Rep. John Espinoza, D-Croswell, will speak at 2 p.m. today in the office, followed by meetings for interested volunteers and information about a voter drive.

Other presidential candidates -- including Republican John McCain, Libertarian Bob Barr, Green Party candidate Cynthia McKinney and independent Ralph Nader -- have no plans for Blue Water Area offices or paid staff.

"We think it's important we have a presence across the state, not just where Democrats have traditionally done well," said Brent Colburn, Obama's Michigan spokesman. "We anticipate doing better than people expect us to."

...Obama's campaign has hired seven paid staffers for the Port Huron office.

One employee, Mike Stroyan, is a Port Huron native. Stroyan, 23, is a graduate of Port Huron High School and currently is attending Michigan State University.

"We're really putting an emphasis on hiring Michiganders as much as possible," Colburn said, adding that the campaign has brought in two campaign veterans who have worked across the nation to lead the county effort.

"I'm really excited to know that Barack Obama is investing in St. Clair County," Susan Alderman said. Alderman is a member of the local Democratic organization, Blue November. "He's reaching out and showing that we have shared interests."

From the Tribune Star:

Live music and sunshine greeted local Democrats at the newly opened Indiana for Change campaign headquarters in downtown Terre Haute.

While a band played outside, Democrats gathered inside the new campaign headquarters Saturday at 509 Wabash Ave., hoping to help deliver Vigo County for local party candidates and the U.S. presidency to Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill.

“We could win this state,” said former Indiana House of Representatives speaker John Gregg, who spoke at the office’s grand opening.

The new Indiana for Change office in Terre Haute will remain open until the November election, said Lauren Kelly, deputy regional field director for Indiana for Change.

“We have a big opportunity in Indiana in this election,” Kelly told the gathering. That’s not always been the case, she said.

Dozens of people, including volunteers, local politicians and party leaders, crowded into the small campaign headquarters for a brief rally at noon Saturday. Some people carried away Obama for President yard signs. Many people said they will volunteer to help Sen. Obama in the upcoming presidential race.

“I think [Obama] is the right choice,” said Ora Martin of Terre Haute. Martin, who was attending the Indiana for Change grand opening with family, has already been an Obama volunteer and plans to remain one, she said.

...“We’ve got something to rally around this time,” said Todd Nation, president of the Terre Haute City Council and a speaker at the grand opening. Nation urged Democrats to support local candidates as well. “This office is not just about the top of the ticket,” he said.

Obama “gets people excited,” said Fouad Nassiri of Terre Haute, an Obama supporter and volunteer who was at the open house.

Karen Henman, another Obama supporter at the event, volunteered for the Illinois senator during the Democratic primary and is now coaxing her sister, a past Hillary Clinton supporter, into the Obama camp, she said.

“He seemed very impressive,” Henman said of the first time she saw Obama when he spoke at the 2004 Democratic party convention. Obama brought to mind John Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr., she said. Henman then read Obama’s books and has been “totally excited ever since,” she said.

There are 15 Indiana for Change offices across Indiana, according to a media statement issued by the organization. There are 100 Obama staffers working in Indiana as well, Gregg said.

“We can win” in Indiana, Gregg said. "The Hoosier state doesn’t have to be the first state to go Republican on election night," he said. “We could light up blue.”

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100 Days to go

With 100 days left until the November presidential election, Barack Obama returned to the United States for more direct campaigning.

Barack started with an appearance at the UNITY '08 Convention of minority journalists.

Sun Jul 27, 1:35 PM ET

Democratic presidential candidate, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., left, speaks during a forum at the UNITY '08 Convention in Chicago, Sunday, July 27, 2008, with CNN anchor Suzanne Malvealux and Romesh Ratnesar with Time Magazine.

(AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)


UNITY: Journalists of Color, Inc. is a coalition of the Asian American Journalists Association, the National Association of Black Journalists, the National Association of Hispanic Journalists and the Native American Journalists Association.

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

 

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