This past weekend, OFA Iowa hosted a training for our Community Organizers from across Iowa in Des Moines. Our Community Organizers are volunteer leaders that have been helping with health reform events, and other OFA events since April. Whether it was phone banks, attending public events, or hosting their own trai. You can always sign up online to attend OFA activities near you.
During our all day training, we had sections on volunteer recruitment, the basics of organizing, and work groups on how OFA will organize here in Iowa the rest of the year. These leaders were able to discuss experiences organizing their communities and hosting activities, and sit down with staff to plan what OFA should do next.
We are very lucky to have such a great group of committed leaders.Whether it is Laura, who came in all the way to Riceville, or Susan who made the drive from Council Bluffs, it is clear that health reform organizing in Iowa couldn't be in better hands.
Yesterday evening at CSPS in Cedar Rapids, OFA volunteers and former campaign volunteers gathered to discuss their experiences on the campaign, and how to get involved with Organizing for America. Cedar Rapids is a special place for me, in 2007 I was lucky enough to help with President Obama's first campaign stop at Iowa, and I had the chance to work for the campaign in Linn County until election day last year. The event was right after the announcement speech in Springfield, and Kennedy High School had a packed gym to welcome the President. We had a standing room only crowd on a very cold day.
Many of our volunteers, including our Marion Community Organizer Gretchen Lawyer, got to see the President for the first time that day and are still involved with OFA. Other former staff for OFA Iowa that worked in our Cedar Rapids office include our Iowa Field Director Shira Miller, and our current OFA Regional Field Director Matt Beltrami.
Last night two of the President's earliest supporters spoke to the crowd, County Supervisor Lu Barron, and State Representative Tyler Olson. Both Lu and Tyler know the importance of the volunteers that helped get the President to where we are today. Volunteers working with OFA are going to be the deciding factor in making sure those issues that we were knocking doors for in the winter of 2007, become a reality in Washington today.
We are continuing our live blog from Des Moines, where we have a "Pre-Premiere" phone bank at Smokey Row Restaurant. We have a great crowd on hand to make calls and everyone is excited to hear what the president has to say when he gives his speech at 8:00 p.m. EDT. You can watch it live by clicking on this link: http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/oct20watch
The red carpet is out for our best volunteers coming in from all over the state to help with calls. Our Regional Field Director Trent Schacht has the lists ready, and a lot of calls are being made. When supporters hear that today is such an important day for calling their Members of Congress, our volunteers can't give out the phone numbers to call fast enough! With word that we have made history with how many calls we have made so far, volunteers are fired up to make sure that our representatives know that Iowans support real reform. You can show your support by calling now: http://my.barackobama.com/timetodeliver
Big day for OFA today -- in Iowa we have events going on across the state, and our staff couldn't be more excited. Our first event is a Senior Phone Bank in Cedar Rapids at the home of Lynn and Bob Ocken, which we will have updates and pictures from later today. I will also be live blogging from our Des Moines phone bank at Smokey Row restaurant this afternoon. Thank you to our Community Organizers and volunteer leaders that have helped us plan and set up events for this historic day.
We have phone banks in every district -- ranging from campus events at UNI and Iowa to phone banks in Decorah, Council Bluffs, and Emmetsburg. We also have a dedicated group of nurses in Iowa City that will be reaching out to other nurses here in Iowa from a phone bank at Bobbie Paxton's home.
After months of calling, door knocking, hosting community events, and having conversations with neighbors, our OFA Iowa volunteers are ready to deliver.
What a better way to start the day, then by calling your member of Congress!
Click here to find their number and call now.
In the first in our series of community organizer profiles, we are going to profile Gary Goldstein from Cedar Rapids, one of our newest Community Organizers. Organizing for America in Iowa is lucky to have some of the best volunteer leaders in the country. Community Organizers are popping up all over the state who are ready to take the lead organizing their local communities.Gary Goldstein has been actively volunteering with Democratic organizations for the last four years. Gary has always had an interest in politics, as a high school history teacher one of the things Gary would teach his students is about the political process. Gary has been volunteering for President Obama since 2007 after attending an event in Cedar Rapids. Shortly after that event Gary signed up to volunteer and was a precinct captain and team leader for the campaign during Caucus and General Election.
Gary believes that volunteering with OFA is a way to help make a difference, and can help create accountable government, just like he taught his students. “In order to achieve a better government we need to work for it” Gary says. By volunteering with OFA, Gary has found the opportunity to add his voice to the debate.
Gary recently became a Community Organizer on the east side of Cedar Rapids and looks forward to helping continue to build support for health insurance reform.
Last week OFA Iowa hosted a “Week of Action”. We had over 40 events across the state, all designed to let our Members of Congress know the support behind President Obama’s plan for real health insurance reform. We want to thank our Neighborhood Team Leaders and Community Organizers that held potlucks, phone banks, canvasses, coffees, discussions, phone booths, and other events.
With every event we host, we aim to learn about reform, plan next steps, and most importantly get supporters to commit to contacting their members of congress through a phone call, letter, or visiting their local office.
Our next series of events will be on October 20th. Sign up for your local event.
OFA Iowa has had a great start to our Week of Action. Across the state we have seen volunteers host events at their homes, local libraries, on campus, or at local businesses all in an effort to contact members of Congress and let them know that the time for reform is now.
Thank you to those that have participated so far. There is still time to sign up for our remaining events this week!
This week OFA Iowa will be organizing a “Week of Action” all across Iowa to show support for health insurance reform. Each community in the state will have letter writing parties, reunion events, phone banks, and other events that will show Congress the support that President Obama has here in Iowa. Sign up for your local events
Last week in Iowa we had organizing workshops in Sioux City, Marion, Dubuque, Bettendorf, and Des Moines and our volunteers are organized and motivated to help finally pass real reform and to plan our “Week of Action”. The picture below is from our Des Moines Workshop last weekend:
After the great day in Denver, we hopped back on the bus and drove all night through Colorado and Nebraska. When we pulled into Des Moines Saturday evening, hundreds of health care reform activists were gathered at the steps of the state capital.
One of the earliest supporters in the Obama campaign was Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller. He reminded us that when Obama was campaigning in Iowa, then-Senator Obama knew it wouldn’t be easy — and nor would governing be easy, if elected. Miller said:
This health care issue is not easy. But Barack didn’t get elected to do the easy things. He got elected because he could do the hard things that are important to us.
Des Moines was a perfect example of this ethic: regular people coming together and organizing not because it’s easy, or because the odds were in their favor. The people in Des Moines—just like those in Phoenix, Albuquerque, Denver, Austin, New York, and cities all over the country this week—are here because they refuse to let the health care reform debate be dictated by talking heads on cable TV or political pundits in D.C. Iowans and others are organizing for change not because it is easy, but because the status quo is unacceptable.
As OFA Deputy Director Jeremy Bird wrote yesterday, over 1.5 million activists from OFA and other health insurance reform coalition groups have taken direct action over the past 11 weeks. And after seeing supporters of health care reform across the country firsthand, it’s even clearer that we have a historic opportunity to ensure that all Americans have quality and affordable health care.
We’re almost to St. Louis for another rally. We can’t wait to get there. If you want to change health care in America, come down and join us.
About 30 Iowans met at T-Bock's Sports Bar and Grill in Decorah to talk about health care. People at the meeting talked about the need to change the current health care system and President Obama’s principles of reform. They also spent time planning health care service projects, such as a food drive. The meeting was part of the health care organizing kickoff, and was one of thousands of neighborhood meetings in Iowa and around the country. The Decorah Journal reported:
Twenty-seven Decorah area residents met recently to discuss healthcare reform legislation as it is developing in Congress.In attendance were healthcare providers, representatives of the health insurance industry, and consumers of healthcare in a variety of its forms.The Organizing for America network encouraged such events nationwide and provided information and suggestions for consideration.Meeting in the back room of T-Bock's Sports Bar and Grill, local participants first looked at President Obama's principles for the plan that will emerge from Congress, including reduced costs, guaranteed choice and ensuring that all Americans have quality, affordable health care.Each attendee spoke of his or her own experiences with the current healthcare system and expressed views concerning the changes needed.Organizing for America asked each of its participating groups to become involved in healthcare service projects in their local communities in addition to lobbying their Congressional representatives for passage of reform legislation. Projects that Decorah attendees plan to aid include the local food pantries, the free clinic, and upcoming Habitat for Humanity builds.
Pictured below are residents of Ames, Iowa, discussing the need for healthcare reform. The meeting was hosted by local organizer Jan Bauer.
President Obama returned to Iowa yesterday, where he toured a wind production facility which now occupies part of a factory that had been shuttered in 2007. The factory, the President Obama noted, is "alive again with new industry," as a symbol of a new energy economy.
From WhiteHouse.gov:
The President placed what was happening in Iowa in the context of two centuries of energy innovation in America, but noted America’s leadership in innovation had always been coupled with an alarming rise consumption. The President ran down the all-too-familiar list of problems our energy consumption and oil dependence brings, from those people face every day like prices at the gas pump, to those that have a broader but equally serious impact like the trade deficit, constraints on foreign policy, and the prospect of irrevocable climate change left as a burden for out children. As the President has stated again and again, these problems also represent a fundamental weakness in our economy which will prevent long term stability as long as we refuse to address them. And while those interests who have profited off of this weakness have aligned to defend the status quo and paint change as a danger, the President forcefully framed what this choice is all about: "We can't afford that approach anymore -- not when the cost for our economy, for our country, and for our planet is so high. So on this Earth Day, it is time for us to lay a new foundation for economic growth by beginning a new era of energy exploration in America. That's why I'm here. Now, the choice we face is not between saving our environment and saving our economy. The choice we face is between prosperity and decline. We can remain the world's leading importer of oil, or we can become the world's leading exporter of clean energy. We can allow climate change to wreak unnatural havoc across the landscape, or we can create jobs working to prevent its worst effects. We can hand over the jobs of the 21st century to our competitors, or we can confront what countries in Europe and Asia have already recognized as both a challenge and an opportunity: The nation that leads the world in creating new energy sources will be the nation that leads the 21st-century global economy. America can be that nation. America must be that nation."
Read the President's full remarks . . .
"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.
From Derek Eadon, the new Iowa State Director for Organizing for America:
Since Inauguration Day, Organizing for America has been dedicated to making real the change we fought for during the election. But to be successful, we need to hear from you -- your effort and commitment are the backbone of this movement and this organization. That's why I'm so excited to announce that we're back on the ground in Iowa and, starting this week, we'll be hosting Listening Tour Town Halls across the state. Will you make your voice heard and join us on the Listening Tour? At Listening Tour meetings, you'll get a chance to meet new state staff members, hear about some lessons learned during the general election, and offer your thoughts on how we can organize Iowa going forward. Your ideas will be used to write an Iowa-specific plan for Organizing for America in 2009 and beyond. The campaign brought an unprecedented number of new voices into the process -- we need to make sure those voices remain at the center of the debate as the President and Congress work on providing solutions for our economy. But these meetings are not just for folks who were involved in the campaign -- we're hopeful that every Iowan will get involved. We can't stop growing our movement now. We've never had a better opportunity to shape our future -- and just like during the election, we'll do it from the bottom up. Sign up now to attend a Listening Tour event.I look forward to seeing you, Derek Derek Eadon Iowa State Director Organizing for America P.S. -- If you can't make it to a Listening Tour event, you can still get involved with Organizing for America in Iowa. Let us know how you'd like to see Iowa organized.
On Thursday President Obama delivered his budget outline to Congress, a document that represents the ideas he campaigned on and millions of supporters fought for. "Because it represents real and dramatic change," the President explained, "it also represents a threat to the status quo in Washington." He acknowledged the fight ahead to bring this budget plan from outline to final legislation, but he also sent a clear message:
Two years ago, we set out on a journey to change the way that Washington works. We sought a government that served not the interests of powerful lobbyists or the wealthiest few, but the middle-class Americans I met every day in every community along the campaign trail – responsible men and women who are working harder than ever, worrying about their jobs, and struggling to raise their families. In so many town halls and backyards, they spoke of their hopes for a government that finally confronts the challenges that their families face every day; a government that treats their tax dollars as responsibly as they treat their own hard-earned paychecks. That is the change I promised as a candidate for president. It is the change the American people voted for in November. And it is the change represented by the budget I sent to Congress this week.... I realize that passing this budget won’t be easy. Because it represents real and dramatic change, it also represents a threat to the status quo in Washington. I know that the insurance industry won’t like the idea that they’ll have to bid competitively to continue offering Medicare coverage, but that’s how we’ll help preserve and protect Medicare and lower health care costs for American families. I know that banks and big student lenders won’t like the idea that we’re ending their huge taxpayer subsidies, but that’s how we’ll save taxpayers nearly $50 billion and make college more affordable. I know that oil and gas companies won’t like us ending nearly $30 billion in tax breaks, but that’s how we’ll help fund a renewable energy economy that will create new jobs and new industries. In other words, I know these steps won’t sit well with the special interests and lobbyists who are invested in the old way of doing business, and I know they’re gearing up for a fight as we speak. My message to them is this:So am I. The system we have now might work for the powerful and well-connected interests that have run Washington for far too long, but I don’t. I work for the American people. I didn’t come here to do the same thing we’ve been doing or to take small steps forward, I came to provide the sweeping change that this country demanded when it went to the polls in November. That is the change this budget starts to make, and that is the change I’ll be fighting for in the weeks ahead – change that will grow our economy, expand our middle-class, and keep the American Dream alive for all those men and women who have believed in this journey from the day it began.
Two years ago, we set out on a journey to change the way that Washington works. We sought a government that served not the interests of powerful lobbyists or the wealthiest few, but the middle-class Americans I met every day in every community along the campaign trail – responsible men and women who are working harder than ever, worrying about their jobs, and struggling to raise their families. In so many town halls and backyards, they spoke of their hopes for a government that finally confronts the challenges that their families face every day; a government that treats their tax dollars as responsibly as they treat their own hard-earned paychecks. That is the change I promised as a candidate for president. It is the change the American people voted for in November. And it is the change represented by the budget I sent to Congress this week.
... I realize that passing this budget won’t be easy. Because it represents real and dramatic change, it also represents a threat to the status quo in Washington. I know that the insurance industry won’t like the idea that they’ll have to bid competitively to continue offering Medicare coverage, but that’s how we’ll help preserve and protect Medicare and lower health care costs for American families. I know that banks and big student lenders won’t like the idea that we’re ending their huge taxpayer subsidies, but that’s how we’ll save taxpayers nearly $50 billion and make college more affordable. I know that oil and gas companies won’t like us ending nearly $30 billion in tax breaks, but that’s how we’ll help fund a renewable energy economy that will create new jobs and new industries.
In other words, I know these steps won’t sit well with the special interests and lobbyists who are invested in the old way of doing business, and I know they’re gearing up for a fight as we speak. My message to them is this:So am I. The system we have now might work for the powerful and well-connected interests that have run Washington for far too long, but I don’t. I work for the American people. I didn’t come here to do the same thing we’ve been doing or to take small steps forward, I came to provide the sweeping change that this country demanded when it went to the polls in November. That is the change this budget starts to make, and that is the change I’ll be fighting for in the weeks ahead – change that will grow our economy, expand our middle-class, and keep the American Dream alive for all those men and women who have believed in this journey from the day it began.
Read the full text of the President's address . . .
Today David Plouffe sent out the following message to supporters, inviting them to attend one the many grassroots house meetings taking place throughout the country later this month:
Exactly one month ago, you made history by giving all Americans a real opportunity for change. Now it's time to start preparing and working for change in our communities. On December 13th and 14th, supporters are coming together in every part of the country to reflect on what we've accomplished and plan the future of this movement. Your ideas and feedback will be collected and used to guide this movement in the months and years ahead. Join your friends and neighbors -- sign up to host or attend a Change is Coming house meeting near you. Since the election, the challenges we face -- and our responsibility to take action -- have only gotten more urgent. You can connect with fellow supporters, make progress on the issues you care about, and help shape the future of your community and our country. Learn what you can do now to support President-elect Obama's agenda for change and continue to make a difference in your community. Take the first important step by hosting or attending a Change is Coming house meeting. Sign up right now. To get our country back on track, it will take all of us working together. Barack and Joe have a clear agenda and an unprecedented opportunity for change. But they can't do it alone. Will you join us at a house meeting and help plan the next steps for this movement? Thanks, David David Plouffe Campaign Manager Obama for America
"I will never forget who this victory truly belongs to – it belongs to you." - Barack Obama, Election Night 2008
Read the full speech, as prepared for delivery . . .
Iowa is where this campaign started, and we need to make sure we finish it here.
Check out this quick video of Barack’s trip here last week and then MAKE CALLS RIGHT NOW.
If you haven’t voted yet, you have until 9 PM to cast your ballot. Click here to find your polling location. If you are in line by 9 PM, you have the right to vote.
There are still a few hours to make a big difference in this election. Before the polls close in Iowa -- a crucial battleground state -- here's what you can do:
1. If you haven't already -- VOTE RIGHT NOW—you have until 9:00 PM: Find out where to vote
2. Call or email everyone you know and make sure they've voted.
3. Help turn out voters at a volunteer event near you: Find the closest event
4. Go back to your polling location and encourage everyone to stay in line until they vote. Anyone who is in line before the polls close can cast their ballot, no matter how long the line.
5. If you can't leave your house, get out the vote by calling voters: Choose the state you'd like to call
The election in your state is going to be close -- and you can help bring the change we need. Make history right now by voting and helping others vote.
This is your last chance to take part in this historic election. Polls are open right now in Iowa until 9:00 p.m.
Find your polling place and vote now.
After you've voted, talk to your fellow Iowans.
Pick up the phone, go door-to-door, and help your neighbors get to the polls.
Find your nearest staging location and get involved.
One person can make the difference in this election and that person could be you.
