Dear Supporters of Senator Obama,
Please consider giving a small donation to Senator Obama's campaign and show the special interests that they are not going to dominate this election. Donate at the site below to meet our fundraising goal.
http://my.barackobama.com/page/outreach/view/main/iowasfbo
Fired Up! Ready to Go!
Best,
Jeremy
After a couple years of closely following the candidates' voting records and watching their debates during the primary season, I am convinced that Obama is not only the best Democratic candidate available, but that he is someone who offers genuine hope for a better America.The reasons I like Obama more than the other Democrats are listed below. I have not focused in detail on vitally important issues like Global Warming, Health Care, A Women's Right to Choose, Gay Rights and others because the differences between the Democratic candidates on these fronts is minimal at best. On those issues it's more a matter of who we can trust. Who acts out of principle and not out political convenience:1 - He was active in campaigns and rallies against the Iraq War from as early as 2002. He continued speaking out against the war at a time when polls showed 2/3 of Americans supporting an invasion. This unpopular position shows not only his independent thinking, but his sound judgment as well.2 - He showed his courage in an early debate by stating that he'd be willing to have dialogue with Iran during the first year of his Presidency. Oddly enough, Hillary attacked him on this issue. He also showed his willingness to challenge the Washington status quo by proposing to engage post-Castro Cuba. The American embargo--which because of political interest groups has not been debated--has ravaged the Cuban economy and added to the plight of the already afflicted poor. His courage in refusing to accept the mold among Washington insiders gives hope that we can change our standing in the world and regain the respect that we once had.3 - He was a part of the most major ethics reform bill to have been passed in recent years in the Senate. The same efforts were central to his career as an Illinois State Senator. There he helped write one of the rare ethics laws in Illinois, which the Washington Post described as "the most ambitious campaign reform in nearly 25 years, making Illinois one of the best in the nation on campaign finance disclosure." He has since upped the ante and refused to take any money from Washington lobbyists. Hillary Clinton has refused to do the same.4 - Democracy for America, a champion of progressive values, believes that he, along with Dennis Kucinich and John Edwards, are the only real progressive candidates out there. And his experience is a testament to that. As a state legislator, he worked with both Democrats and Republicans in drafting successful legislation on health care reform. He sponsored a law enhancing tax credits for low-income workers, and promoted increased subsidies for child care. Obama also led the passage of legislation mandating videotaping of homicide interrogations, and a law to monitor racial profiling by requiring police to record the race of drivers they stopped. He sponsored legislation to bar job and housing discrimination against gays, and he received a "100 percent rating from the Illinois Planned Parenthood Council for his support of abortion rights, family planning services and health insurance coverage for female contraceptive." Knowing this there's is little reason to doubt that he is a progressive through and through, with deep convictions that he acted on even when having had to work with a Republican controlled senate for several years as a state legislator.5- More than any of the other candidates, he realizes that acting on his values and explaining them with conviction will do far more to create a working majority than political calculation for incremental changes. This conviction and his ability to effectively express it is what makes him so appealing to voters who are not only Independent, but Republican too. That he gains their support even though he compromises his values less than his Democratic opponents is a sign that he is the most likely candidate to bring about change.6 - He was against approving a resolution which deemed that it was a "vital national interest" to act against the Iranian Revolutionary Guard. The measure labeled the military force, which is much made up in large part by ordinary Iranians, a terrorist organization and gave an opening to the Bush administration to attack Iran. Although he didn't vote in the measure because he knew it was inevitable that it would pass (76-22), he was outspoken in his opposition from before the day of the vote. His worries about the recklessness of the Bush administration proved true just recently when the NIE report came out saying that Iran had stopped actively trying to build Nuclear Weapons in 2003, proving that the Bush administration was using belligerent language to inflate the urgency of the matter (so as to pursue a military solution). This had "WMD" and "imminent threat" written all over it again. Hillary Clinton, so as to appear "tough" on foreign policy, repeated her mistake of trusting the president once again. 7 - He broadened the scope about which we must think of terrorism. He did this by acknowledging that the threat of terrorism is, among other things, tied directly to the realities of global poverty. This, I believe is a fundamental change in discourse, from one in which the only solution for national security was based on our ability to find terrorists and kill them to one which demonstrates a more complete understanding of the problem. This again shows that he is someone who can think independently and outside the box. Says Obama: "In countries wracked by poverty and conflict, citizens long to enjoy freedom from want. And since extremely poor societies and weak states provide optimal breeding grounds for disease, terrorism, and conflict, the United States has a direct national security interest in dramatically reducing global poverty and joining with our allies in sharing more of our riches to help those most in need [...] As president, I will double our annual investment in meeting these challenges to $50 billion by 2012 and ensure that those new resources are directed toward worthwhile goals. For the last 20 years, U.S. foreign assistance funding has done little more than keep pace with inflation. It is in our national security interest to do better."8 - Poll after poll has shown over the past year that he has the best chance of any Democratic candidate to beat his Republican opponent.9 - He has the best chance of beating Hillary Clinton. Clinton has become a symbol for political calculation, someone who wants to win, but who has forgotten why it is important to win. In this vein, she is the only candidate who refuses to present a concrete plan to protect social security; she is the only candidate who has not revealed when she will withdraw our troops from Iraq; and she is the only candidate who refuses to answer clearly on immigration. These recent stances come after years of taking right-wing stances on foreign policy issues, from approving the Iraq war and supporting the original Patriot Act, to voting in support of the use of cluster bombs, and even the Iran resolution. Click here for the history of posts covering Hillary Clinton on this site.10 - One final reason, which is perhaps the least concrete, but nevertheless possibly more important than all the others, is that he represents a hope for change. This campaign isn't about Obama... it's about us. Ordinary citizens, long apathetic to the process, are starting to care again. People feel like reason has a voice again. I used to not care, was apathetic, and didn't get involved. Now I care. I want to get involved. I want to do something for this country. I want to go buy energy efficient light bulbs and tutor students in math. Most of all... I am not alone. I am part of something bigger than myself. And together we're going to change the world.
This is a repost of: http://contrapuntalnews.blogspot.com/2007/12/i-support-obama.htmlPoint #10 has been significantly edited and reflects my personal experience.http://contrapuntalnews.blogspot.com/
I'm not certain whether the Obama staff were passing around the new "4 more Iowa supporter" application to the students that attended todays rally in Ames Iowa , but if they did which it appears they did , they should be recommended for that.
You have to be involved...the cynics in Washington are counting on you not paying attention...If you believe in yourselves, in your own ability to bring about change...we will transform a nation.
On Saturday June 16th we had the Webster City Potluck where Senator Obama spoke and met with folks from all over Iowa. The Daily Freeman-Journal noted that this might have been the largest political gathering in Webster City in 25 years.It’s hard to articulate just how much excitement was in the air but that quote from the Daily Freeman-Journal says it all. People are really responsive to Barack’s vision of a united country striving to meet the challenges each of us face every day. Even though the crowd was big – and it was scorching hot out – many people stuck around to talk face-to-face with Barack afterwards. Pretty impressive!I also wanted to comment on some of the behind-the-scenes work that was going on. So many volunteers gave up their Saturday just to help out, and the event ran smoothly and everybody did a fantastic job. I've never seen so many people work so hard to make sure that everything was flowing smoothly. But then again I’ve really never seen a candidate like Barack who gets people so inspired to work together and promote change. On a personal level, one of the best parts of the day was after the event when Senator Obama, probably exhausted from standing in the sun all day and talking with folks, took the time to take a picture with all the event volunteers in a nearby firehouse.I am pretty sure my mother has already framed this picture and mailed it out to all of her friends.All in all the event was a big hit and everybody who volunteered or attended had a great time.If you're in or around Ames, feel free to stop in at our field office at 303 Welch Avenue or give us a call at 515-268-3148. We'd love to see you!
