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    <title>Iowa State University Students For Barack Obama</title>
    <link>http://iowa.barackobama.com/page/community/group_rss/ISUStudentsForBarackObama/html</link>
    <description>We are the official Students For Barack Obama student organization at Iowa State University. With over 150 student members at ISU and over 60,000 in our national organization, we represent part of the whole of student supporters for Senator Obama. Please join and invite your friends! If you are interested in volunteering, please e-mail Jeremy at Jeremy@studentsforbarackobama.com.</description>
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            <title>Corporate governance</title>
            <description>&lt;p&gt;Shareholders own the corporation and those owning common stock can vote on items presented to them by the board of directors. Shareholders vote on board members and it is the board of directors that sets policy, hires the corporate officers and sets their compensation. That is how it is supposed to work, but does NOT in practice in many cases.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Ownership of stock is divorced now from exercising the rights of ownership because so much stock is now held by mutual funds. Mutual fund managers are interested mostly in making as much money as possible. If management delivers, then the mutual fund managers don&#039;t exercise their rights as stock owners. They frequently buy and sell stock quickly, holding it only for a short time. They support current management most of the time. That allows management to pack the corporate boards with friends who go along to get along. Congress enacted the law creating mutual funds, and now it needs to revise the law so that the rights of shareholders receive greater protection.&lt;/p&gt;</description>
            <link>http://iowa.barackobama.com/page/community/post/walterhecht/gGM99L</link>
            <comments>http://iowa.barackobama.com/page/community/post/walterhecht/gGM99L/commentary#comments</comments>
            <pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov 2009 20:23:56 EST</pubDate>
            <guid>http://iowa.barackobama.com/page/community/post/walterhecht/gGM99L</guid>
            <dc:creator>Walt</dc:creator>
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            <title>Enhanced interrogation</title>
            <description>George W. has said, &amp;quot;We do not torture&amp;quot; so often that I think that he actually believes that lie. At some point, not yet, the American people are going to demand the truth. By then Dick Cheney will probably be too old or ill to be prosecuted and Barack will probably pardon George W. Those who facilitated torture and the many who carried it out will face prosecution.&lt;br /&gt;</description>
            <link>http://iowa.barackobama.com/page/community/post/walterhecht/gGMyVX</link>
            <comments>http://iowa.barackobama.com/page/community/post/walterhecht/gGMyVX/commentary#comments</comments>
            <pubDate>Sat, 21 Nov 2009 10:56:54 EST</pubDate>
            <guid>http://iowa.barackobama.com/page/community/post/walterhecht/gGMyVX</guid>
            <dc:creator>Walt</dc:creator>
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            <title>It&#039;s the economy</title>
            <description>It&#039;s the economy, stupid&lt;br /&gt;Polls from the Right and&lt;br /&gt;Polls from the Left&lt;br /&gt;Polls and more polls everywhere&lt;br /&gt;The only polls that matter&lt;br /&gt;November 2008 and 2010&lt;br /&gt;The media must poll and poll&lt;br /&gt;Or else what is there to discuss?&lt;br /&gt;Forget healthcare reform&lt;br /&gt;Forget Iraq and Afghanistan&lt;br /&gt;It&#039;s the economy, stupid&lt;br /&gt;Forget the polls, Mr. President&lt;br /&gt;They do not matter&lt;br /&gt;Barack and we all know&lt;br /&gt;All the nation&#039;s problems&lt;br /&gt;Are linked and intertwined&lt;br /&gt;You can&#039;t solve one&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;Without solving another.&lt;br /&gt;It&#039;s not just the economy, stupid.</description>
            <link>http://iowa.barackobama.com/page/community/post/walterhecht/gGM9m9</link>
            <comments>http://iowa.barackobama.com/page/community/post/walterhecht/gGM9m9/commentary#comments</comments>
            <pubDate>Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:51:05 EST</pubDate>
            <guid>http://iowa.barackobama.com/page/community/post/walterhecht/gGM9m9</guid>
            <dc:creator>Walt</dc:creator>
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            <title>Patrick Henry Caucus</title>
            <description>The Patrick Henry Caucus was started here in Utah by state representative Carl Wimmer in May. The organization is going to have a rally here in Saint George on Saturday October 17 at Worthen Park, 400 East and 300 South, 4-6pm. I intend to attend to see what they have to say. Apparently they are strict constructionists of the US Constitution and emphasize the 10th amendment which leaves all powers to the states not expressly granted to the federal government. I thought that the strict constructionist argument went out of fashion with the Civil War. Ah, what some people won&#039;t do to oppose change they don&#039;t like. I will report on the rally after it occurs. I want to see how many attend and what they have say. There will be question and answer session. The local newspaper is providing publicity.</description>
            <link>http://iowa.barackobama.com/page/community/post/walterhecht/gGMmb9</link>
            <comments>http://iowa.barackobama.com/page/community/post/walterhecht/gGMmb9/commentary#comments</comments>
            <pubDate>Wed, 07 Oct 2009 18:48:02 EDT</pubDate>
            <guid>http://iowa.barackobama.com/page/community/post/walterhecht/gGMmb9</guid>
            <dc:creator>Walt</dc:creator>
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            <title>Racism</title>
            <description>I have just re-read James Baldwin&#039;s book, Go tell it on the Mountain, first published in 1953 while he was living an&amp;nbsp;expatriate&amp;nbsp;life in France, It is his version of what life in the US was like for blacks in the middle of the&amp;nbsp;20th&amp;nbsp;century. Things have changed but some things have not. Read the book and try to put yourself in the place of a black man in the US. Empathy can be improved with practice. James&amp;nbsp;Baldwin&amp;nbsp;was one of our most influential black writers and he died in 1987.&lt;br /&gt;</description>
            <link>http://iowa.barackobama.com/page/community/post/walterhecht/gGM7RQ</link>
            <comments>http://iowa.barackobama.com/page/community/post/walterhecht/gGM7RQ/commentary#comments</comments>
            <pubDate>Wed, 16 Sep 2009 12:28:11 EDT</pubDate>
            <guid>http://iowa.barackobama.com/page/community/post/walterhecht/gGM7RQ</guid>
            <dc:creator>Walt</dc:creator>
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            <title>Efficiency</title>
            <description>&lt;p&gt;What price efficiency? How much is efficiency in financial markets worth? How much is it worth to you or to me? The hedge fund owner/manager who clears $billion in a single year, $500,000 per hour, thinks he/she is worth the price. If we put the job out for bids, I am sure that someone would volunteer to do it for $500,000 per day and then someone else would offer to do it for $500,000 per week and then another for $500,000 per month and finally $500,000 per year. I don&#039;t care if the financial markets are super efficient or not. I might be willing to pay $500,000 per year or I might not.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The standard argument heard from Wall Street is that huge salaries and bonuses are necessary to keep the talented from joining competitive firms. So what? If the talented were not profitable to an individual firm, it would not matter who they worked for.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Then there is the other false argument thrown out by those who support the present tax structure, that the US has a high rate of taxation. That may be true on paper but it does not reflect the real world of tax loopholes and tax havens. If the hedge fund owner/manager really believes this, let him/her take his firm elsewhere and start paying taxes in a foreign country with a lower tax rate that lacks the tax loopholes that exist here in the US.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The numbers describing the US economy are huge, in the $trillions, but that is not an infinite number. If some pay themselves and friends in the $billions, that leaves less to be divided among the rest of us. How much is enough and how much is too much? We can read about how much is more than enough when we read about Wall Street&#039;s greed.&lt;/p&gt;</description>
            <link>http://iowa.barackobama.com/page/community/post/walterhecht/gGM7jt</link>
            <comments>http://iowa.barackobama.com/page/community/post/walterhecht/gGM7jt/commentary#comments</comments>
            <pubDate>Tue, 15 Sep 2009 10:58:45 EDT</pubDate>
            <guid>http://iowa.barackobama.com/page/community/post/walterhecht/gGM7jt</guid>
            <dc:creator>Walt</dc:creator>
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            <title>Writing</title>
            <description>When I was a student, writing was hard. What do I&amp;nbsp;say? Now as a senior citizen, I have something to say and writing down&amp;nbsp;my&amp;nbsp;thoughts and opinions is easier. The more practice I get, the easier it becomes. If you want to make your thoughts known and possibly have an influence on national or local issues, write to your Congressman/woman, US Senators and local newspaper. You can find their email addresses by using&amp;nbsp;Google. Use your own words, just don&#039;t forward someone else&#039;s work. Once is not enough. To have an effect, you must write repeatedly and redouble your efforts when an election looms. Write to those you agree with and those you don&#039;t. Here are the email addresses of a liberal and a conservative to get you started. &amp;nbsp;rachel@msnbc.com &amp;nbsp;and georgewill@washpost.com&lt;br /&gt;</description>
            <link>http://iowa.barackobama.com/page/community/post/walterhecht/gGM4zF</link>
            <comments>http://iowa.barackobama.com/page/community/post/walterhecht/gGM4zF/commentary#comments</comments>
            <pubDate>Tue, 08 Sep 2009 16:04:05 EDT</pubDate>
            <guid>http://iowa.barackobama.com/page/community/post/walterhecht/gGM4zF</guid>
            <dc:creator>Walt</dc:creator>
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            <title>Medicare versus insurance</title>
            <description>&lt;p&gt;About one month ago I had my first bout of vertigo and I didn&#039;t know what was happening. I had difficulty walking a straight line and I felt like I might fall on my face. I have osteoporosis and a fear of falling. After resisting it for 4 days, on the fifth day while at work in a hospital ER taking&amp;nbsp;xrays, I asked an ER doctor what I should do. He wanted to run some tests sooner rather later. I&amp;nbsp;punched&amp;nbsp;out on the&amp;nbsp;time clock&amp;nbsp;and checked into the ER.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Two and a half hours later, I had a diagnosis and a&amp;nbsp;prescription&amp;nbsp;for some medication. I was told to go home and rest and that I could work the following day. I felt much better knowing that my condition was not serious. That is I felt better until I received the bill about one week later, $2600.00.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;$2600.00 oh my! &amp;nbsp; $2600.00 oh MY! &amp;nbsp; $2600,00 OH MY!&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Something new to worry about. I have both Medicare, the public option, and a Medicare supplement insurance, the private option. Medicare costs about $100 per month and the Medicare supplement which is private insurance about $50 per month. How much would they pay and how much must I pay? About 3 weeks later, I learned from the hospital that Medicare was paying about $2200.00, leaving $450 on the table still owing. We have yet to hear from the Medicare supplement insurer. Based on past performance, I estimate they will pay $10 to $100. That will leave me owing $350 plus.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;If you watch TV at all, you have seen the glowing ads for Medicare supplement insurance. Sign me up they say and claim you MAY save thousands of dollars on the 20% of charges not covered by Medicare. The operative word is MAY. I MAY be struck by lighting while in a bathtub, but is it likely? NO to both. I expect to hear from the Medicare supplement insurer in the next 30 days. I am not holding my breath.&lt;/p&gt;</description>
            <link>http://iowa.barackobama.com/page/community/post/walterhecht/gGM4KQ</link>
            <comments>http://iowa.barackobama.com/page/community/post/walterhecht/gGM4KQ/commentary#comments</comments>
            <pubDate>Fri, 04 Sep 2009 09:52:28 EDT</pubDate>
            <guid>http://iowa.barackobama.com/page/community/post/walterhecht/gGM4KQ</guid>
            <dc:creator>Walt</dc:creator>
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            <title>Death panels</title>
            <description>Thank you, Sarah Palin, for bringing the existence of death panels to the attention of the American public. Society wanted those decisions made by someone and no one volunteered for the job, so health insurers got the job by default, which they preformed in back rooms out of sight of the public. Now that the public is aware of the insurance company death panels, I am confident that they will be abolished and no one will be willing to suggest that the government use health care reform as an excuse to set up public ones.&lt;br /&gt;</description>
            <link>http://iowa.barackobama.com/page/community/post/walterhecht/gGMPGD</link>
            <comments>http://iowa.barackobama.com/page/community/post/walterhecht/gGMPGD/commentary#comments</comments>
            <pubDate>Sat, 29 Aug 2009 10:01:54 EDT</pubDate>
            <guid>http://iowa.barackobama.com/page/community/post/walterhecht/gGMPGD</guid>
            <dc:creator>Walt</dc:creator>
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            <title>Yes we can</title>
            <description>The Democrats are the party of yes we can. The Republicans are the party of no we can&#039;t. That is why I have modified the name of the party to the Republican&#039;ts.&lt;br /&gt;</description>
            <link>http://iowa.barackobama.com/page/community/post/walterhecht/gGM7K9</link>
            <comments>http://iowa.barackobama.com/page/community/post/walterhecht/gGM7K9/commentary#comments</comments>
            <pubDate>Tue, 18 Aug 2009 10:43:39 EDT</pubDate>
            <guid>http://iowa.barackobama.com/page/community/post/walterhecht/gGM7K9</guid>
            <dc:creator>Walt</dc:creator>
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                <db:author_name>Walt</db:author_name>
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            <title>Reagan/Obama</title>
            <description>&lt;p&gt;My two favorite presidents have been Ronald Reagan and&amp;nbsp;Barack&amp;nbsp;Obama. Strange combination you say. Well yes in a way but both led or are leading the way in a new cycle of American politics. Both speak the truth and lead in a positive manner.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;American politics is cyclical, conservative for 25-30 years and then liberal for 25-30 years. Reagan began the conservative cycle in 1980 which ended badly when George&amp;nbsp;W. Bush went off the rails.&amp;nbsp;Barack&amp;nbsp;Obama&amp;nbsp;is beginning a liberal cycle which will probably end in 25-30 years. Let&#039;s hope it does not end with the&amp;nbsp;Democratic&amp;nbsp;equivalent of George&amp;nbsp;W. Bush. The Republicans just are unable to recognize the change. They will eventually get the message. It is in our interest to speed that day.&lt;/p&gt;</description>
            <link>http://iowa.barackobama.com/page/community/post/walterhecht/gGMPSv</link>
            <comments>http://iowa.barackobama.com/page/community/post/walterhecht/gGMPSv/commentary#comments</comments>
            <pubDate>Tue, 04 Aug 2009 11:18:49 EDT</pubDate>
            <guid>http://iowa.barackobama.com/page/community/post/walterhecht/gGMPSv</guid>
            <dc:creator>Walt</dc:creator>
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                <db:author_name>Walt</db:author_name>
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            <wfw:commentRss>http://iowa.barackobama.com/page/community/comment_rss/gGMPSv/</wfw:commentRss>
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            <title>Thumbs</title>
            <description>What good are thumbs? They are good for at least three things. They allow you to grip things using the other four fingers on a hand. They are good for writing on, short reminders to yourself, the rules of thumb. If you are a butcher or sell things by weight, they are good for pressing on the scale at the point of sale.&lt;br /&gt;</description>
            <link>http://iowa.barackobama.com/page/community/post/walterhecht/gGMPJM</link>
            <comments>http://iowa.barackobama.com/page/community/post/walterhecht/gGMPJM/commentary#comments</comments>
            <pubDate>Fri, 31 Jul 2009 12:43:41 EDT</pubDate>
            <guid>http://iowa.barackobama.com/page/community/post/walterhecht/gGMPJM</guid>
            <dc:creator>Walt</dc:creator>
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            <title>Beck/Buchanan</title>
            <description>Just finished a book by Pat Buchanan, Where the Right Went wrong. I find that reading or listening to Glenn Beck or Pat Buchanan that I actually agree with them some of the time, maybe 10% with a disagreement rate of about 90%. I wish there were some Republicans with the courage to say that they actually agree with&amp;nbsp;Barack&amp;nbsp;some of the time. I respect honesty and courage even if I disagree with the opinions expressed. After&amp;nbsp;Barack&amp;nbsp;was on TV pitching healthcare reform, one network interviewed Senator Charles&amp;nbsp;Grassley, Republican from Iowa. He actually said that he agreed with everything that&amp;nbsp;Barack&amp;nbsp;had said; he just disagreed on the means of achieving common goals. I think that I just saw a glimmer of hope.&lt;br /&gt;</description>
            <link>http://iowa.barackobama.com/page/community/post/walterhecht/gGMPCW</link>
            <comments>http://iowa.barackobama.com/page/community/post/walterhecht/gGMPCW/commentary#comments</comments>
            <pubDate>Thu, 30 Jul 2009 10:47:06 EDT</pubDate>
            <guid>http://iowa.barackobama.com/page/community/post/walterhecht/gGMPCW</guid>
            <dc:creator>Walt</dc:creator>
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            <title>2010</title>
            <description>&lt;p&gt;The November 2010 election will be a challenge and an opportunity. It will be a challenge since the party out of power usually gains seats in Congress. It will be an opportunity to increase Democratic majorities and make Barack&#039;s change agenda easier to achieve. If the Republicans manage to hold their own, they will increase their obstruction and Barack will be able to do little in 2011 and 2012 as both parties jockey for position. The 2010 election is critical since we cannot afford to wait two more years for reforms.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;My goal is to reduce the Republicans in Congress by 25%. I don&#039;t know the exact numbers in the House, but in the Senate that would be a reduction in the Republican ranks from 40 seats to 30. It will be difficult to achieve, but well worth the doing.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Consider the 2010 election as one of the 12 labors of Hercules: the cleaning of the Augean stables in one day. Hercules diverted a river to wash the stables clean. We must channel the desire for change on election day to further cleanse Congress of corruption and indifference to the well being of the majority. We began this process in 2006 and continued it in 2008. Many in Congress have still not gotten the message.&lt;/p&gt;</description>
            <link>http://iowa.barackobama.com/page/community/post/walterhecht/gGGMLy</link>
            <comments>http://iowa.barackobama.com/page/community/post/walterhecht/gGGMLy/commentary#comments</comments>
            <pubDate>Tue, 21 Jul 2009 10:03:30 EDT</pubDate>
            <guid>http://iowa.barackobama.com/page/community/post/walterhecht/gGGMLy</guid>
            <dc:creator>Walt</dc:creator>
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            <title>2020</title>
            <description>During the recent campaign, the McCain campaign used a number of signs saying Country First. However, the Republican party puts themselves first, special interests including big business second, and country third or fourth or fifth. They have just lost two elections, 2006 and 2008. I think that it will take two more losses in 2010 and 2012 before the Republicans begin to reassess their positions. Then they will be so far behind in voter&#039;s estimation that it will be 2020 before they can mount an effective challenge to Barack&#039;s successor&#039;s efforts at reelection.</description>
            <link>http://iowa.barackobama.com/page/community/post/walterhecht/gGxqtJ</link>
            <comments>http://iowa.barackobama.com/page/community/post/walterhecht/gGxqtJ/commentary#comments</comments>
            <pubDate>Wed, 12 Nov 2008 10:34:15 EST</pubDate>
            <guid>http://iowa.barackobama.com/page/community/post/walterhecht/gGxqtJ</guid>
            <dc:creator>Walt</dc:creator>
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                    <item>
            <title>Nuts</title>
            <description>During WW2 at Bastogne, American troops were surrounded by the Germans and asked to surrender. The American commander&#039;s response was, &amp;quot;Nuts.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Now the Republicans are surrounded by the Democrats superior troops and resources and are&amp;nbsp;using ACORN to make a false case that the Democrats are committing vote fraud. ACORN marked many of the suspicious signatures when it submitted the registration forms that the GOP is making so much of. The Republicans are all for democracy when&amp;nbsp;they approve of the result, but not when&amp;nbsp;they do not. A high rate of citizen participation is good for democracy but not good for the GOP. The more people vote, the more likely the Republicans will lose.</description>
            <link>http://iowa.barackobama.com/page/community/post/walterhecht/gGglgh</link>
            <comments>http://iowa.barackobama.com/page/community/post/walterhecht/gGglgh/commentary#comments</comments>
            <pubDate>Fri, 24 Oct 2008 22:13:25 EDT</pubDate>
            <guid>http://iowa.barackobama.com/page/community/post/walterhecht/gGglgh</guid>
            <dc:creator>Walt</dc:creator>
                        <db:profile>
                <db:picture></db:picture>
                <db:author_name>Walt</db:author_name>
                <db:school></db:school>
            </db:profile>
            <db:comment_count>0</db:comment_count>
            <wfw:commentRss>http://iowa.barackobama.com/page/community/comment_rss/gGglgh/</wfw:commentRss>
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                    <item>
            <title>I Voted</title>
            <description>I voted yesterday. It was quick and easy, took about 10 minutes start to finish. Only one person in line in front of me and only four voting machines. However, when I was finished there were about twenty people in line to vote.</description>
            <link>http://iowa.barackobama.com/page/community/post/walterhecht/gGgdBM</link>
            <comments>http://iowa.barackobama.com/page/community/post/walterhecht/gGgdBM/commentary#comments</comments>
            <pubDate>Thu, 23 Oct 2008 11:12:49 EDT</pubDate>
            <guid>http://iowa.barackobama.com/page/community/post/walterhecht/gGgdBM</guid>
            <dc:creator>Walt</dc:creator>
                        <db:profile>
                <db:picture></db:picture>
                <db:author_name>Walt</db:author_name>
                <db:school></db:school>
            </db:profile>
            <db:comment_count>0</db:comment_count>
            <wfw:commentRss>http://iowa.barackobama.com/page/community/comment_rss/gGgdBM/</wfw:commentRss>
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                    <item>
            <title>Socialism</title>
            <description>Capitalism failed in 1929, 1930, 1931 and 1932. It was rescued in the 1930s by FDR&#039;s socialistic experiments; some worked and some didn&#039;t. The conservatives of the Republican party want to abolish all of FDR&#039;s successful efforts including Social Security. They have already repealed many union protections and the Glass-Steagall act which prevented many of the abuses which led to the continuing Wall Street meltdown.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Now the McCain campaign has called Barack a socialist and I am hearing muttering in the workplace about creeping socialism. Capitalism decries socialism when government affects profits but seeks government help whenever it gets into trouble. Capitalism is alive and well today only because of government regulation and the occasional bailout.</description>
            <link>http://iowa.barackobama.com/page/community/post/walterhecht/gGg3b7</link>
            <comments>http://iowa.barackobama.com/page/community/post/walterhecht/gGg3b7/commentary#comments</comments>
            <pubDate>Tue, 21 Oct 2008 12:34:13 EDT</pubDate>
            <guid>http://iowa.barackobama.com/page/community/post/walterhecht/gGg3b7</guid>
            <dc:creator>Walt</dc:creator>
                        <db:profile>
                <db:picture></db:picture>
                <db:author_name>Walt</db:author_name>
                <db:school></db:school>
            </db:profile>
            <db:comment_count>1</db:comment_count>
            <wfw:commentRss>http://iowa.barackobama.com/page/community/comment_rss/gGg3b7/</wfw:commentRss>
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            <title>I am optimistic</title>
            <description>I am optimistic that Barack will deliver a rousing speech tomorrow. Jimmy Carter was interviewed today and he is optimistic too and he has no axe to grind. Michelle, Hillary and Bill all gave great speeches. Joe Biden has yet to speak as&amp;nbsp;I write. I am sure the Obama campaign selected Biden for what he could bring to the campaign. I have complete faith in the ability of Barack&#039;s people. If we get out Barack&#039;s supporters, we and he will prevail.</description>
            <link>http://iowa.barackobama.com/page/community/post/walterhecht/gG5lsC</link>
            <comments>http://iowa.barackobama.com/page/community/post/walterhecht/gG5lsC/commentary#comments</comments>
            <pubDate>Wed, 27 Aug 2008 21:53:46 EDT</pubDate>
            <guid>http://iowa.barackobama.com/page/community/post/walterhecht/gG5lsC</guid>
            <dc:creator>Walt</dc:creator>
                        <db:profile>
                <db:picture></db:picture>
                <db:author_name>Walt</db:author_name>
                <db:school></db:school>
            </db:profile>
            <db:comment_count>0</db:comment_count>
            <wfw:commentRss>http://iowa.barackobama.com/page/community/comment_rss/gG5lsC/</wfw:commentRss>
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                    <item>
            <title>The Beginning</title>
            <description>&lt;p&gt;I am setting up this blog for Obama supporters to share their ideas. Obama is a unique leader thus we need unique ideas about how to approach this political process. I will make some suggestions as I think of them, but please add your own thoughts as well. Every idea is a stone in the foundation of something bigger so please don&#039;t hold back in fear of looking stupid. Many of my suggestions will surely be silly in nature. Thanks to all of you who read and contribute to this effort. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;quot;An invasion of armies can be resisted, but not an idea whose time has come.&amp;quot; --Victor Hugo&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;First Idea: A New Way to Campaign&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I think we should campaign for Obama by demonstrating his message rather than just talking about it. What I mean is coming up with ways to improve our community through campaigning. Typically we knock on doors and make tons of calls. As an Iowan (though I know this wouldn&#039;t work everywhere), I can imagine us helping people with their groceries to their car while talking with them about Obama. Or maybe just making a statement by going through the community with several people picking up trash. I think these types of action would draw all sorts of media attention, let people see the power of Obama&#039;s message, and demonstrate the reality of this movement.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;</description>
            <link>http://iowa.barackobama.com/page/community/post/obamabrainstorm/gGggRG</link>
            <comments>http://iowa.barackobama.com/page/community/post/obamabrainstorm/gGggRG/commentary#comments</comments>
            <pubDate>Sat, 01 Mar 2008 11:02:11 EST</pubDate>
            <guid>http://iowa.barackobama.com/page/community/post/obamabrainstorm/gGggRG</guid>
            <dc:creator>Josh Woods</dc:creator>
                        <db:profile>
                <db:picture>http://iowa.barackobama.com/page/community/profile_picture/e356b9f9a0faa241ce_lzm6bvjxp.jpg</db:picture>
                <db:author_name>Josh Woods</db:author_name>
                <db:school></db:school>
            </db:profile>
            <db:comment_count>0</db:comment_count>
            <wfw:commentRss>http://iowa.barackobama.com/page/community/comment_rss/gGggRG/</wfw:commentRss>
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                    <item>
            <title>Fire it Up!</title>
            <description>&lt;p&gt;Dear Supporters of Senator Obama,&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Please consider giving a small donation to Senator Obama&#039;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.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;http://my.barackobama.com/page/outreach/view/main/iowasfbo&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Fired Up! Ready to Go!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Best,&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Jeremy&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
            <link>http://iowa.barackobama.com/page/community/post/jeremyziemer/CGgT7</link>
            <comments>http://iowa.barackobama.com/page/community/post/jeremyziemer/CGgT7/commentary#comments</comments>
            <pubDate>Sat, 19 Jan 2008 19:22:53 EST</pubDate>
            <guid>http://iowa.barackobama.com/page/community/post/jeremyziemer/CGgT7</guid>
            <dc:creator>Jeremy Ziemer</dc:creator>
                        <db:profile>
                <db:picture>http://iowa.barackobama.com/page/community/profile_picture/4014b18eb2a4756440_itzmvya04.jpg</db:picture>
                <db:author_name>Jeremy Ziemer</db:author_name>
                <db:school></db:school>
            </db:profile>
            <db:comment_count>1</db:comment_count>
            <wfw:commentRss>http://iowa.barackobama.com/page/community/comment_rss/CGgT7/</wfw:commentRss>
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            <title>2 Hopes</title>
            <description>Mike Huckabee&#039;s most recent book is From Hope to Higher Ground. Barack&#039;s most recent book is the Audacity of Hope. Mike&#039;s book is the easier read and is rather folkesy. Barack&#039;s book is a bit long in places and more intellectual. Read them both for a preview of this year&#039;s coming campaign.</description>
            <link>http://iowa.barackobama.com/page/community/post/walterhecht/CCKp</link>
            <comments>http://iowa.barackobama.com/page/community/post/walterhecht/CCKp/commentary#comments</comments>
            <pubDate>Fri, 04 Jan 2008 20:12:20 EST</pubDate>
            <guid>http://iowa.barackobama.com/page/community/post/walterhecht/CCKp</guid>
            <dc:creator>Walt</dc:creator>
                        <db:profile>
                <db:picture></db:picture>
                <db:author_name>Walt</db:author_name>
                <db:school></db:school>
            </db:profile>
            <db:comment_count>1</db:comment_count>
            <wfw:commentRss>http://iowa.barackobama.com/page/community/comment_rss/CCKp/</wfw:commentRss>
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            <title>Video:  A must see interview of good judgement.</title>
            <description>&lt;p&gt;Iowa newspaper interviews Obama in a no glitz setting. This video shows why I support Obama. He is a candidate of good&amp;nbsp; judgent!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Please copy link below and past to your address bar (browser):&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://videos.qctimes.com/p/video?id=1609167&quot;&gt;http://videos.qctimes.com/p/video?id=1609167&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;He is a measured, thoughtful, non-conventional leader, who doesn&#039;t just take a poll of what&#039;s most popular, but actually has convictions and principles which guide his decisions and his vision. I think everyone should watch this. I think Obama clearly makes the case as to why he would be the best qualified person to be our next President.&lt;/p&gt;</description>
            <link>http://iowa.barackobama.com/page/community/post/bloggering/CgXX</link>
            <comments>http://iowa.barackobama.com/page/community/post/bloggering/CgXX/commentary#comments</comments>
            <pubDate>Sun, 30 Dec 2007 09:17:13 EST</pubDate>
            <guid>http://iowa.barackobama.com/page/community/post/bloggering/CgXX</guid>
            <dc:creator>Mr. Mr.</dc:creator>
                        <db:profile>
                <db:picture>http://iowa.barackobama.com/page/community/profile_picture/db463aa1f9f4b5522d_scm6idkdo.jpg</db:picture>
                <db:author_name>Mr. Mr.</db:author_name>
                <db:school></db:school>
            </db:profile>
            <db:comment_count>1</db:comment_count>
            <wfw:commentRss>http://iowa.barackobama.com/page/community/comment_rss/CgXX/</wfw:commentRss>
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            <title>When Encouraging Iowans to Caucus for Obama</title>
            <description>&lt;p&gt;Help Iowans to understand they&amp;nbsp;can&amp;nbsp;be a part of making history by supporting Obama on January 3rd. Caucusing for Obama is transforming the country and the world positively. The world will take notice.&amp;nbsp;It will be like the era of J. F. Kennedy! Good judgement and new approaches.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;John Edweards could not deliver his home state for Kerry in 2004. He does not have the funds or organization to go all the way.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In relation to&amp;nbsp;Hillary,&amp;nbsp;I just don&#039;t want the same old approach, boring, divisive, cautious managing of the status quo which Hillary would bring. She would unite the Republicans and&amp;nbsp;the country will end up more divided than ever before.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://youtube.com/watch?v=LrXARjssOOM&quot;&gt;http://youtube.com/watch?v=LrXARjssOOM&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
            <link>http://iowa.barackobama.com/page/community/post/bloggering/Cgcs</link>
            <comments>http://iowa.barackobama.com/page/community/post/bloggering/Cgcs/commentary#comments</comments>
            <pubDate>Fri, 28 Dec 2007 19:35:15 EST</pubDate>
            <guid>http://iowa.barackobama.com/page/community/post/bloggering/Cgcs</guid>
            <dc:creator>Mr. Mr.</dc:creator>
                        <db:profile>
                <db:picture>http://iowa.barackobama.com/page/community/profile_picture/db463aa1f9f4b5522d_scm6idkdo.jpg</db:picture>
                <db:author_name>Mr. Mr.</db:author_name>
                <db:school></db:school>
            </db:profile>
            <db:comment_count>0</db:comment_count>
            <wfw:commentRss>http://iowa.barackobama.com/page/community/comment_rss/Cgcs/</wfw:commentRss>
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            <title>Obama is a canidate for change</title>
            <description>The size of the national expenditure on the military now reaches over one trillion dollars.  The US foreign policies have led us to mortgage the future of our country and our children.  The war in Iraq has little to do with the 9/11 attack and while many people here in the homeland over look this point- few in the countries we have invaded will.  How can fiscal and social responsibility be so overlooked by our current administration?  How can we reconcile the indefensible misleading of our soldiers?  It takes only one signature.  It takes only one mind to make real change towards fairness- towards transparency- towards making the decisions that will keep America strong for generations to come.  The only candidate for change in the upcoming election is Obama.</description>
            <link>http://iowa.barackobama.com/page/community/post/masondixon/Cx33</link>
            <comments>http://iowa.barackobama.com/page/community/post/masondixon/Cx33/commentary#comments</comments>
            <pubDate>Tue, 20 Nov 2007 13:33:58 EST</pubDate>
            <guid>http://iowa.barackobama.com/page/community/post/masondixon/Cx33</guid>
            <dc:creator>Mason Dixon</dc:creator>
                        <db:profile>
                <db:picture>http://iowa.barackobama.com/page/community/profile_picture/c34f6f823c4815933f_dcymv24bc.jpg</db:picture>
                <db:author_name>Mason Dixon</db:author_name>
                <db:school></db:school>
            </db:profile>
            <db:comment_count>1</db:comment_count>
            <wfw:commentRss>http://iowa.barackobama.com/page/community/comment_rss/Cx33/</wfw:commentRss>
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            <title>What&#039;s in a name?</title>
            <description>&lt;p style=&quot;margin: 0in 0in 0pt&quot; class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Barack Hussein Obama.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;margin: 0in 0in 0pt&quot; class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;It is unfortunate that Barack Obama has a middle name and a last name similar to two of today&amp;rsquo;s most notorious villains, Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden. Those who would oppose him anyway will use any excuse to do so, even pointing to his name. We could respond that Barack means blessed by God in Swahili and lightning in Hebrew, and we are working to ensure that lightning does strike his campaign for the presidency in 2008.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;margin: 0in 0in 0pt&quot; class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;margin: 0in 0in 0pt&quot; class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;A most effective response is Barack&amp;rsquo;s words themselves as delivered on the campaign DVD. I give copies of the DVD to potential voters and ask them to pass it on to friends if they feel the message is worthwhile. In today&amp;rsquo;s environment, the printed word does not receive the same attention that it once did. Audiences are more attuned to visual presentations and the words and images of the campaign DVD are very effective in getting Barack&amp;rsquo;s message across.&lt;/p&gt;</description>
            <link>http://iowa.barackobama.com/page/community/post/walterhecht/CSrK</link>
            <comments>http://iowa.barackobama.com/page/community/post/walterhecht/CSrK/commentary#comments</comments>
            <pubDate>Tue, 02 Oct 2007 11:49:29 EDT</pubDate>
            <guid>http://iowa.barackobama.com/page/community/post/walterhecht/CSrK</guid>
            <dc:creator>Walt</dc:creator>
                        <db:profile>
                <db:picture></db:picture>
                <db:author_name>Walt</db:author_name>
                <db:school></db:school>
            </db:profile>
            <db:comment_count>0</db:comment_count>
            <wfw:commentRss>http://iowa.barackobama.com/page/community/comment_rss/CSrK/</wfw:commentRss>
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            <title>Cyclones Come Out for Barack</title>
            <description>This afternoon, 4000+ students gathered in Central Campus to hear Barack&#039;s message of hope and change.&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; He discussed the need to end the game playing that has characterized the political process in this country for so long. But he also talked about how in order for that to happen, it isn&#039;t enough for him to even be elected---that true change comes from the bottom up, and it will require all of us, especially the younger generation, to come together and leave the cynicism about the political process at the door.&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; &lt;blockquote&gt;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.&lt;br /&gt; &lt;/blockquote&gt; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1092/1420272736_be823c0fcd.jpg?v=0&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; Barack also asked any supporters in the crowd to participate in our &lt;a href=&quot;http://iowa.barackobama.com/4more&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&amp;quot;4 more&amp;quot; program&lt;/a&gt;. Two Iowans who recruit four new Iowa Obama supporters will be selected to represent Iowa and join Barack at one of our biggest and most historic rallies to date in New York City next Thursday. You can click here for more info on the contest: &lt;a href=&quot;http://iowa.barackobama.com/4more&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;http://iowa.barackobama.com/4more&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1094/1419460991_8003dae67f.jpg?v=0&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; &lt;em&gt;(One of the 4 more supporter cards.)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; Were you at the rally? &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.flickr.com/photos/barackobamadotcom/sets/72157602113357533/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Click here&lt;/a&gt; to see more pictures. Tell us your thoughts in the comments.</description>
            <link>http://iowa.barackobama.com/page/community/post/jaimemulligan/CW8l</link>
            <comments>http://iowa.barackobama.com/page/community/post/jaimemulligan/CW8l/commentary#comments</comments>
            <pubDate>Fri, 21 Sep 2007 15:59:33 EDT</pubDate>
            <guid>http://iowa.barackobama.com/page/community/post/jaimemulligan/CW8l</guid>
            <dc:creator>Jaime Mulligan</dc:creator>
                        <db:profile>
                <db:picture>http://iowa.barackobama.com/page/community/profile_picture/2e7ff10e534833bb4a_lbzmvy0ur.jpg</db:picture>
                <db:author_name>Jaime Mulligan</db:author_name>
                <db:school></db:school>
            </db:profile>
            <db:comment_count>7</db:comment_count>
            <wfw:commentRss>http://iowa.barackobama.com/page/community/comment_rss/CW8l/</wfw:commentRss>
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            <title>First Spouse</title>
            <description>The Clintons are coming. The Clintons are coming. Hillary and Bill will appear soon and separately on Letterman, Oprah and Ellen. This to maximize their impact. As in 1992, we are again promised two for the price of one. So now it is fair to ask, is Bill Clinton qualified to be First Husband? After all, he was the second US President to be impeached, but not convicted. Do we really want him as First Husband?&lt;br /&gt;Let us compare the qualifications of Bill Clinton and Michelle Obama to be First Spouse. Michelle has never been elected President but neither has she been impeached.Michelle is the mother of two girls and Bill is the father of one. Both are smart lawyers. Michelle is younger and dynamic; Bill is showing the wear and tear of eight years in the Presidency. It is time to turn the page.</description>
            <link>http://iowa.barackobama.com/page/community/post/walterhecht/CcMj</link>
            <comments>http://iowa.barackobama.com/page/community/post/walterhecht/CcMj/commentary#comments</comments>
            <pubDate>Fri, 31 Aug 2007 21:58:24 EDT</pubDate>
            <guid>http://iowa.barackobama.com/page/community/post/walterhecht/CcMj</guid>
            <dc:creator>Walt</dc:creator>
                        <db:profile>
                <db:picture></db:picture>
                <db:author_name>Walt</db:author_name>
                <db:school></db:school>
            </db:profile>
            <db:comment_count>1</db:comment_count>
            <wfw:commentRss>http://iowa.barackobama.com/page/community/comment_rss/CcMj/</wfw:commentRss>
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            <title>Why poll results in critical states are not as important as in previous years</title>
            <description>Why poll results in critical states are not as important as in previous years. Obama is attracting thousands of new supporters in these states that are not showing up in polls. A lot of these supporters are newly registered or have never voted, so pollsters do not have their phone numbers to call to ask poll questions. Many of these that Obama have attracted to politics are young people with cell phones who&amp;rsquo;ll not be called by pollsters. It&amp;rsquo;s interesting that in straw polls, for example one straw poll at a fair in Iowa, Obama came out on top. The key is, we must continue to sign up people for Obama, get them registered, and get them out to vote in Jan-Feb. If this means picking them up, finding baby sitters for them etc; we must get them out to vote.. It will be tough getting the young people out to vote in the primaries. They have let down past campaigns who relied on them, but we can change this. We must strategies on how to get EACH person we enroll in the Obama dream, out to vote! Iowa, NH, South Carolina, Nevada, and Florida are critical. Let&amp;rsquo;s individually make a difference. We all know people in one or more of these states. Think on how you can individually be a campaign manager for Obama, marshaling forces to get him nominated as the Democratic candidate. Hold those who support him close so you can get them out to vote on that crucial day. My favorite mantra is: &amp;lsquo;If it&amp;rsquo;s going to be, it&amp;rsquo;s up to me!</description>
            <link>http://iowa.barackobama.com/page/community/post/bloggering/Cpvh</link>
            <comments>http://iowa.barackobama.com/page/community/post/bloggering/Cpvh/commentary#comments</comments>
            <pubDate>Sun, 29 Jul 2007 18:03:37 EDT</pubDate>
            <guid>http://iowa.barackobama.com/page/community/post/bloggering/Cpvh</guid>
            <dc:creator>Mr. Mr.</dc:creator>
                        <db:profile>
                <db:picture>http://iowa.barackobama.com/page/community/profile_picture/db463aa1f9f4b5522d_scm6idkdo.jpg</db:picture>
                <db:author_name>Mr. Mr.</db:author_name>
                <db:school></db:school>
            </db:profile>
            <db:comment_count>0</db:comment_count>
            <wfw:commentRss>http://iowa.barackobama.com/page/community/comment_rss/Cpvh/</wfw:commentRss>
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            <title>Obama took lead in straw poll at Iowa fair</title>
            <description>&lt;p&gt;Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., took the lead Thursday in a mock election at the Johnson County Fair, according to a news release sent out by the Auditor&amp;#39;s Office.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As of 11 a.m. Thursday, 632 people had used touch-screen voting machines and paper ballots to cast votes, the release said. Obama, a Democratic presidential candidate, took the lead with 163 votes. Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., came in second with 115 votes, and former U.S. Sen. John Edwards, a Democrat, came in third with 82 votes.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A total of 474 Democratic ballots were cast.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.press-citizen.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070727/NEWS01/707270330/1079&quot;&gt;http://www.press-citizen.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070727/NEWS01/707270330/1079&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
            <link>http://iowa.barackobama.com/page/community/post/bloggering/Cpny</link>
            <comments>http://iowa.barackobama.com/page/community/post/bloggering/Cpny/commentary#comments</comments>
            <pubDate>Fri, 27 Jul 2007 10:32:28 EDT</pubDate>
            <guid>http://iowa.barackobama.com/page/community/post/bloggering/Cpny</guid>
            <dc:creator>Mr. Mr.</dc:creator>
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                <db:picture>http://iowa.barackobama.com/page/community/profile_picture/db463aa1f9f4b5522d_scm6idkdo.jpg</db:picture>
                <db:author_name>Mr. Mr.</db:author_name>
                <db:school></db:school>
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            <db:comment_count>0</db:comment_count>
            <wfw:commentRss>http://iowa.barackobama.com/page/community/comment_rss/Cpny/</wfw:commentRss>
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            <title>Barack inspires Webster City</title>
            <description>&lt;p&gt;On Saturday June 16th we had the Webster City Potluck where Senator Obama spoke and met with folks from all over Iowa. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.webstercitynews.com/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;The Daily Freeman-Journal&lt;/a&gt; noted that this might have been the largest political gathering in Webster City in 25 years.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It&amp;rsquo;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&amp;rsquo;s vision of a united country striving to meet the challenges each of us face every day. Even though the crowd was big &amp;ndash; and it was scorching hot out &amp;ndash; many people stuck around to talk face-to-face with Barack afterwards. Pretty impressive!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;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&amp;#39;ve never seen so many people work so hard to make sure that everything was flowing smoothly. But then again I&amp;rsquo;ve really never seen a candidate like Barack who gets people so inspired to work together and promote change.&lt;br /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;br /&gt;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.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1367/632013490_372bc950ea.jpg?v=0&quot; alt=&quot; &quot; /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I am pretty sure my mother has already framed this picture and mailed it out to all of her friends.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;All in all the event was a big hit and&amp;nbsp; everybody who volunteered or attended had a great time.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;If you&amp;#39;re in or around Ames, feel free to stop in at our field office at&lt;a href=&quot;http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&amp;amp;hl=en&amp;amp;q=303+Welch+Avenue+Ames+Iowa&amp;amp;sll=37.0625,-95.677071&amp;amp;sspn=32.335236,59.0625&amp;amp;ie=UTF8&amp;amp;ll=42.021291,-93.650122&amp;amp;spn=0.007397,0.01442&amp;amp;z=16&amp;amp;om=1%3C/a%3E%5D%3Cbr&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt; 303 Welch Avenue&lt;/a&gt; or give us a call at 515-268-3148. We&amp;#39;d love to see you!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
            <link>http://iowa.barackobama.com/page/community/post/chrisotness/CXgq</link>
            <comments>http://iowa.barackobama.com/page/community/post/chrisotness/CXgq/commentary#comments</comments>
            <pubDate>Tue, 26 Jun 2007 11:40:17 EDT</pubDate>
            <guid>http://iowa.barackobama.com/page/community/post/chrisotness/CXgq</guid>
            <dc:creator>Chris Otness</dc:creator>
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                <db:picture>http://iowa.barackobama.com/page/community/profile_picture/841a6623c16f393d21_of2mv267l.jpg</db:picture>
                <db:author_name>Chris Otness</db:author_name>
                <db:school></db:school>
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            <db:comment_count>2</db:comment_count>
            <wfw:commentRss>http://iowa.barackobama.com/page/community/comment_rss/CXgq/</wfw:commentRss>
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            <title>Iowa Internships!</title>
            <description>My name is Joe Lindsay, and I&amp;#39;m currently interning at Campaign headquarters in Chicago.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; We are working to find new interns to work full-time in Iowa.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; If you are interested e-mail campobama@barackobama.com.&amp;nbsp; There are plenty of spots available, and we need all the help we can get.&amp;nbsp; Thank you very much, and I&amp;#39;m looking forward to hearing from you guys soon!</description>
            <link>http://iowa.barackobama.com/page/community/post/CampObama/CrrY</link>
            <comments>http://iowa.barackobama.com/page/community/post/CampObama/CrrY/commentary#comments</comments>
            <pubDate>Wed, 30 May 2007 12:16:27 EDT</pubDate>
            <guid>http://iowa.barackobama.com/page/community/post/CampObama/CrrY</guid>
            <dc:creator>Camp Obama</dc:creator>
                        <db:profile>
                <db:picture></db:picture>
                <db:author_name>Camp Obama</db:author_name>
                <db:school></db:school>
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            <db:comment_count>0</db:comment_count>
            <wfw:commentRss>http://iowa.barackobama.com/page/community/comment_rss/CrrY/</wfw:commentRss>
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            <title>Election Day Registration: A Positive for Obama?</title>
            <description>&lt;p&gt;In today&amp;#39;s NY Times Op-Ed page, there is an excellent discussion on Election Day Registration (EDR) and why it is important to ensure that every citizen should be able to register (and vote) on election day. Both of the writers of the article are secretaries of states who believe there is sound evidence that it can work effectively and safely.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The article briefly mentions young voters who often forget to register in time and are prevented from voting on election day. I would also mention that many minority voters are often in the same category. And as we know, these are two large voting consituencies&amp;nbsp;that represent a significant portion of Senator Obama&amp;#39;s potential supporters.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For that reason alone (as well as others), we should consider lobbying our state legislators to pass the necessary laws to require local authorities to permit EDR.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Our advantage? We have the grassroots organizations in every state to do it.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The more young and minority voters we can get to the poll in our states....the greater the likelihood Senator Obama will be our next President.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;What are we waiting for?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Jose Torres, Latinos 4 Obama&lt;/p&gt;</description>
            <link>http://iowa.barackobama.com/page/community/post/joetorres/Cclg</link>
            <comments>http://iowa.barackobama.com/page/community/post/joetorres/Cclg/commentary#comments</comments>
            <pubDate>Fri, 11 May 2007 14:05:03 EDT</pubDate>
            <guid>http://iowa.barackobama.com/page/community/post/joetorres/Cclg</guid>
            <dc:creator>Jose</dc:creator>
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                <db:picture></db:picture>
                <db:author_name>Jose</db:author_name>
                <db:school></db:school>
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            <db:comment_count>1</db:comment_count>
            <wfw:commentRss>http://iowa.barackobama.com/page/community/comment_rss/Cclg/</wfw:commentRss>
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            <title>MILLION GOAL! SELECTION OF IA, IL, IN NATIONAL OR LARGE MINDED GROUPS PLUS A TOP 25 LIST JOIN ONE MILLION MYSPACE FRIENDS FOR OBAMA&#039;08 AND POST YOUR EVENTS AND BLOGS ON OUR PAGES!</title>
            <description>&amp;nbsp;JOIN ONE MILLION MYSPACE FRIENDS FOR OBAMA&amp;#39;08 AND POST YOUR EVENTS AND BLOGS ON OUR PAGES!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;1.) My.BarackObama.com: &lt;a href=&quot;http://my.barackobama.com/page/group/OneMillionMySpaceFriendsforObama08&quot;&gt;Link&lt;/a&gt; (PLACE HOLDER)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;2.) Official MySpace profile: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.myspace.com/friendsofobama08&quot;&gt;Link&lt;/a&gt; (under construction)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;3.) Official Group profile on MySpace: &lt;a href=&quot;http://groups.myspace.com/OneMillionMySpaceFriendsforObama08&quot;&gt;Link&lt;/a&gt; (PLACE HOLDER)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;****************************************************************************************&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Following is a SELECTION OF IA, IL, IN GROUPS list INCLUDING A TOP 25 of National OR Large Testimonial Groups that need everyone to join TODAY regardless of their State of residence in most instances. If you would like your group URL(s) to be added or deleted from my list please let me know. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;****************************************************************************************&lt;br /&gt;1.) Relay for Life Obama Team, Cedar Falls, April 13: &lt;a href=&quot;http://my.barackobama.com/page/group/RelayforLifeObamaTeamCedarFalls&quot;&gt;Link&lt;/a&gt; (PLACE HOLDER)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;2.) Ragbrai riders for OBAMA: &lt;a href=&quot;http://my.barackobama.com/page/group/RagbrairidersforOBAMA&quot;&gt;Link&lt;/a&gt; (PLACE HOLDER)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;3.) Single Parents Support Barack: &lt;a href=&quot;http://my.barackobama.com/page/group/SingleParentsSupportBarack&quot;&gt;Link&lt;/a&gt; (PLACE HOLDER)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;4.) Barack the Vote: &lt;a href=&quot;http://my.barackobama.com/page/group/BaracktheVote696&quot;&gt;Link&lt;/a&gt; (PLACE HOLDER)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;5.) Diversity4Obama: &lt;a href=&quot;http://my.barackobama.com/page/group/DiversityforObama&quot;&gt;Link&lt;/a&gt; (PLACE HOLDER)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;6.) Minorityspacers for Obama &amp;#39;08!: &lt;a href=&quot;http://my.barackobama.com/page/group/MinorityspacersforObama08&quot;&gt;Link&lt;/a&gt; (PLACE HOLDER)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;7.) Youth for Obama: &lt;a href=&quot;http://my.barackobama.com/page/group/YouthforObama&quot;&gt;Link&lt;/a&gt; (PLACE HOLDER)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;8.) America for Obama: &lt;a href=&quot;http://my.barackobama.com/page/group/AmericaforObama774&quot;&gt;Link&lt;/a&gt; (PLACE HOLDER)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;9.) Military for Barack Obama: &lt;a href=&quot;http://my.barackobama.com/page/group/MilitaryforBarackObama&quot;&gt;Link&lt;/a&gt; (PLACE HOLDER)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;10.) Vietnam Veterans for Obama: &lt;a href=&quot;http://my.barackobama.com/page/group/VietnamVeteransforObama&quot;&gt;Link&lt;/a&gt; (PLACE HOLDER)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;11.) 1,000,000 Americans for Obama: &lt;a href=&quot;http://my.barackobama.com/page/group/1000AmericansforObama&quot;&gt;Link&lt;/a&gt; (PLACE HOLDER)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;12.) Caregivers for Barack: &lt;a href=&quot;http://my.barackobama.com/page/group/CaregiversforBarack&quot;&gt;Link&lt;/a&gt; (PLACE HOLDER)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;13.) One Million MySpace Friends for Obama&amp;#39;08!: &lt;a href=&quot;http://my.barackobama.com/page/group/OneMillionMySpaceFriendsforObama08&quot;&gt;Link&lt;/a&gt; (PLACE HOLDER)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The Official Profile on MySpace: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.myspace.com/friendsofobama08&quot;&gt;Link&lt;/a&gt; (PLACE HOLDER)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The Official Group on Myspace: &lt;a href=&quot;http://groups.myspace.com/OneMillionMySpaceFriendsforObama08&quot;&gt;Link&lt;/a&gt; (PLACE HOLDER)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;14.) Barack Obama (One Million Strong for Barack): &lt;a href=&quot;http://my.barackobama.com/page/group/BarackObamaOneMillionStrongforBarack&quot;&gt;Link&lt;/a&gt; (PLACE HOLDER)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The Official profile of the outstanding Facebook group on Myspace: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.myspace.com/1millionstrongforobama&quot;&gt;Link&lt;/a&gt; (PLACE HOLDER)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;15.) Illinois Students for Barack Obama (Official Chapter): &lt;a href=&quot;http://my.barackobama.com/page/group/IllinoisStudentsforBarackObamaOfficialCh&quot;&gt;Link&lt;/a&gt; (PLACE HOLDER)&lt;br /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;16.) Iowa Students For Barack Obama (Official State Chapter): &lt;a href=&quot;http://my.barackobama.com/page/group/IowaStudentsForBarackObamaOfficialStateC&quot;&gt;Link&lt;/a&gt; (PLACE HOLDER)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;17.) Mamas for Obama: &lt;a href=&quot;http://my.barackobama.com/page/group/MamasforObama&quot;&gt;Link&lt;/a&gt; (PLACE HOLDER)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;18.) Dads for Obama: &lt;a href=&quot;http://my.barackobama.com/page/group/DadsforObama&quot;&gt;Link&lt;/a&gt; (PLACE HOLDER)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;19.) Bark for Barack: &lt;a href=&quot;http://my.barackobama.com/page/group/BarkforBarack&quot;&gt;Link&lt;/a&gt; (PLACE HOLDER)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;20.) Peace and Justice Voters for Obama: &lt;a href=&quot;http://my.barackobama.com/page/group/PeaceandJusticeVotersforObama&quot;&gt;Link&lt;/a&gt; (PLACE HOLDER)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;21.) Organized Labor for Obama: &lt;a href=&quot;http://my.barackobama.com/page/group/OrganizedLaborforObama&quot;&gt;Link&lt;/a&gt; (PLACE HOLDER)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;22.) Moodlers for Obama: &lt;a href=&quot;http://my.barackobama.com/page/group&quot;&gt;Link&lt;/a&gt; (PLACE HOLDER)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;23.) Young Women Voters Support Obama: &lt;a href=&quot;http://my.barackobama.com/page/group/YoungWomenVotersSupportObama&quot;&gt;Link&lt;/a&gt; (PLACE HOLDER)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;24.) Indiana Obama Backers: &lt;a href=&quot;http://my.barackobama.com/page/group/IndianaObamaBackers&quot;&gt;Link&lt;/a&gt; (PLACE HOLDER)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;25.) So. Indiana for Obama: &lt;a href=&quot;http://my.barackobama.com/page/group/SoIndianaforObama&quot;&gt;Link&lt;/a&gt; (PLACE HOLDER)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;</description>
            <link>http://iowa.barackobama.com/page/community/post/onemillionmyspacefriendsforobama081B/CQXh</link>
            <comments>http://iowa.barackobama.com/page/community/post/onemillionmyspacefriendsforobama081B/CQXh/commentary#comments</comments>
            <pubDate>Fri, 30 Mar 2007 12:49:58 EDT</pubDate>
            <guid>http://iowa.barackobama.com/page/community/post/onemillionmyspacefriendsforobama081B/CQXh</guid>
            <dc:creator>blueball3</dc:creator>
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                <db:author_name>blueball3</db:author_name>
                <db:school></db:school>
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            <wfw:commentRss>http://iowa.barackobama.com/page/community/comment_rss/CQXh/</wfw:commentRss>
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            <title>What&#039;s in a Name???</title>
            <description>&lt;p&gt;Today on the way to work, like many-a-days, I was listening to the radio and the station I was listening to has these completely idiotic DJs pretending to be witty and sarcastic.&amp;nbsp; It just doesn&amp;#39;t work.&amp;nbsp; They were having this conversation regarding Barack Obama&amp;#39;s name...&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;DJ One: &amp;quot;You know, I gotta tell ya, I&amp;#39;m not sure I can handle having a president with &amp;#39;Bomb&amp;#39; in his name. (snicker-snort)&amp;quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;DJ Two: &amp;quot;Yeah, I know.&amp;nbsp; I valid point. (guffaw-snicker)&amp;quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;DJ One: &amp;quot;I just doesn&amp;#39;t sound right.&amp;nbsp; Like, &amp;#39;Hello my fellow Americans, this is President O&lt;em&gt;bam&lt;/em&gt;a.&amp;quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;...etc., etc., etc.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Can anyone believe what these two were talking about?&amp;nbsp; And I know they were not/are not the only ones to be thinking this.&amp;nbsp; COME ON *MY* FELLOW AMERICANS!!!&amp;nbsp; Since when did this country steer away from the foundations of Dr. Martin Luther King&amp;#39;s anti-prejudice talks and ideals and decide that A NAME is what determines the worth of a man?!?!&amp;nbsp; Since when does this country feel that A NAME is what decides the outcome of the 2008 election?!?!&amp;nbsp;HIS NAME HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH HOW HE *WILL* ACT AS PRESIDENT!!!&amp;nbsp; It only shows how poorly our character is as Americans to be so shallow and shady to someone who can possibly be&amp;nbsp;THE defining factor of America&amp;#39;s future.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;FOR SHAME ALL OF YOU...for shame....&lt;/p&gt;</description>
            <link>http://iowa.barackobama.com/page/community/post/Jubilee1904/CqTs</link>
            <comments>http://iowa.barackobama.com/page/community/post/Jubilee1904/CqTs/commentary#comments</comments>
            <pubDate>Mon, 05 Mar 2007 11:50:17 EST</pubDate>
            <guid>http://iowa.barackobama.com/page/community/post/Jubilee1904/CqTs</guid>
            <dc:creator>Becca</dc:creator>
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                <db:author_name>Becca</db:author_name>
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            <db:comment_count>3</db:comment_count>
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