Posts with the tag road to change

Video - Truckers for Obama: The Road to Change

Dan Preston — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 21:07:12 EDT

I recently took a break from grassroots organizing and canvassing to create a video that departs from the usual political commercial:

Truckers for Obama: The Road to Change

It stars a 1952 Chevy pickup truck named Betsy ... and drives viewers to VoteForChange.com.

Video: Indiana's Road to Change

Kate Albright-Hanna — Mon, 05 May 2008 15:16:04 EDT

Before he went to law school, Barack worked for three years as a community organizer in Chicago and Northwest Indiana -- where neighborhoods had been torn apart by the closing of steel mills and the loss of manufacturing jobs.

It was the beginning of a life grounded in public service -- one that recognized that ordinary people could be empowered to change their communities. Today, a lot of the same issues that Barack tackled as a community organizer are the ones he's taking on as a presidential candidate.

"This is the first economic expansion since they've been keeping these records since World War II in which the average family income actually went down. In the meantime, your cost of everything from gas at the pump to groceries to home heating to health care to college have all skyrocketed during that same period," he says.

These videos out of Indiana recall the lessons Barack learned on the ground: listen to people, and work for a positive change.

"I wasn't led to working people because of politics. I got into politics because of working people," he says.

Find your polling location. Find the nearest office to get out the vote. Make calls.

The Road to Change [Day 2]: Council Bluffs Foreign Policy Discussion

Jaime Mulligan — Mon, 20 Aug 2007 20:33:17 EDT

In Council Bluffs, Iowa, on Thursday, August 16, Barack Obama addressed a large crowd about foreign policy. Barack reminded the audience that he opposed the war in Iraq from the start, and detailed his comprehensive strategy to fight terrorism. He spoke about his plan to close Guantanamo and restore habeus corpus, because that’s not who we are as Americans. He also plans on fully implementing the 9/11 Commission recommendations to ensure that we are not shortchanging homeland security all across the country.

You can read the full blog post about the event here.

And here is some video:

Here is another blog entry with the video.

We also took some still shots in Council Bluffs – check it out:

(Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR).

The Road to Change [Day 2]: Atlantic Potluck

Caitlin Harvey — Mon, 20 Aug 2007 19:19:45 EDT

On Thursday, August 16, Barack Obama participated in a potluck with local activists in Atlantic, Iowa. He addressed the crowd for a few minutes before answering questions from the audience. One question was about the current nursing shortage. Senator Obama discussed the potential of unions in attracting more people into the field, and the importance of providing patients with the best care possible. He also responded to a question about education, advocating an increase in teachers' salaries in order to attract more teachers.

You can read the full blog about the event here.

Check out the slideshow of pictures from the event below.

(Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR).

Road to Change: Fire it up!

Sam Graham-Felsen — Mon, 20 Aug 2007 17:48:01 EDT

On Day 5 of the Road to Change, scores of passionate and sleep-deprived folks from all across the state filtered into Des Moines to cheer on Barack at the ABC debate.

They showed up at Drake University at 2:30 AM, where they were joined by hundreds of enthusiastic volunteers later on in the morning. They chanted and cheered and waved signs of "Hope" and didn't let up until Barack came out to greet them after the debate.

It was a testament to the tremendous energy for and dedication to Barack in Iowa, and a remarkable end to Barack's journey through the state. Watch the video:

Debate Review: Obama the clear winner

Nick Kimball — Sun, 19 Aug 2007 21:53:14 EDT

The reviews of yesterday's debate at Drake are coming in and the results are clear: Barack was the clear winner.

The Des Moines Register's David Yepsen writes:

Obama may be the biggest winner. He was in the cross hairs for much of the early part of the session and he stood up well to the scrutiny over his foreign policy positions and questions of whether he¹s qualified to be president …He came off as knowledgeable and temperate. He looked presidential[.]

And here's some video from one focus group in Des Moines:

And Iowa Independent:

Illinois Sen. Barack Obama showed this morning why he's in the presidential race with his best debate performance to date, one in which he commanded details, looked Oval Office ready and effectively made the case that he is indeed the candidate of true change -- and that instead of polarizing GOP voters in the fall of 2008 he may be able to pick off some of them.
Obama gained the most ground of any of the candidates in the debate...
Want a change? "I'm your guy," said Obama. "We're going to need someone to break out of the political pattern we've been in the last 20 years," Obama said.

This debate was a great way to finish off Barack's five-day swing through Iowa. He is showing that he is a complete candidate and the person best-suited to become the next president.

What did you think of the debate?

Road to Change: Video from Waverly

Jessica Slider — Sun, 19 Aug 2007 01:05:18 EDT

Barack led a discussion about energy security in Waverly, IA this morning. It was held at the Waverly Light and Power Headquarters, and after taking a quick tour, he answered folks' questions about energy and listened to their concerns. Although this was a forum about energy, one of my favorite moments came when an audience member asked Barack what is on his recommended reading list:

Road to Change: Grilling with Barack

Sam Graham-Felsen — Sat, 18 Aug 2007 22:39:49 EDT

We just left Marion, Iowa, where Barack held a special "BBQ & A" with ten people from across the state.

The guests enjoyed brats, burgers, and grilled corn as they discussed topics from education to the environment with Barack.

Molly Cassens of Fairfield, whose husband is originally from Mozambique, asked what Barack would do to fight poverty and disease in Africa. Barack said that he'd begin by pulling our troops out of Iraq, so that America could refocus its efforts and resources into making positive contributions in the world. Jason Nissen of Fairbank asked Barack what he would do to help his daughter, who has autism. Barack replied that we need to first acknowledge the exponential growth of autism and begin to figure out its causes -- and that, unlike the Bush administration, he'd fund and support scientific efforts, rather than stifle them.

Karen Osbourne of New London didn't have an issue-specific question. She said she believed most of the Democratic candidates shared the same policy perspectives, and that, as a result, she hadn't fully made up her mind about who she wanted to support.

She said she wanted to know what informs Barack's values; she wanted to understand what it is that ultimately drives him to take a stand. He told her that whenever he needs to make a decision, he tries to imagine what it's like to be someone else -- he tries to step inside the shoes of the people who will actually be affected by a policy. He said that's the way he's thought about things throughout his life, beginning from his days as a young boy, when he saw other children living in poverty. "Did I answer your question?" Barack asked Karen.

Karen nodded. "You did, yes you did."

Stay tuned for a video.

Road to Change: Video from the Wing Ding Dinner

Jessica Slider — Sat, 18 Aug 2007 14:16:53 EDT

From the Surf Ballroom where Buddy Holly, Richie Valens, and the Big Bopper played their last concert, Barack addressed the Northern Iowa Democrats. Local Dems dined on - what else? - wings and listened as Barack spoke about the need to move our country forward. In this video clip from the event last night, Barack explains how we need to channel our frustrations with the current administration into political involvement and community action.

Road to Change: Michelle in Ames, Iowa

Chris Northcross — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 22:11:50 EDT

Michelle Obama spoke to an audience of over 150 people today at the Octagon Center for the Arts in Ames, Iowa today, declaring that American voters are being presented with a brief window for change this election. Watch the video:

Road to Change: Keynote at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake

Nick Kimball — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 21:55:09 EDT

Barack is speaking now at the last event of the evening - the annual Wing-Ding Dinner hosted by the Hancock, Cerro Gordo, and Winnebago County Democrats at the famous Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake.

Many of you will recall that Buddy Holly played the Surf Ballroom the night before he, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper died in a plane crash shortly after taking off from a Mason City airport in 1959.

The ballroom was kind enough to put Barack's name up on the marquee!

Tom Miller, Iowa’s great attorney general, did the introduction. And Barack took the stage to a standing ovation.

A much-deserved shout-out goes to the Hancock, Cerro Gordo, and Winnebago County Democrats and the folks at the Surf Ballroom for this event. The decorations looked amazing!

For many of the Road to Change events Barack has kept his remarks to a minimum so he could respond to the specific issues raised by the audience. But this was a keynote speech so Barack injected a significant amount of policy into his remarks.

He hit three big issues:

Health Care

If we invest in prevention, make sure everyone has a primary-care physician and is getting regular checkups, we will save money.
...
Transitioning to electronic medical records will save us $100-$150 billion each year and we can take that money to ensure that every American has universal health care by the end of the next president's first term - by the end of my first term as president of the United States.

Education

And there is no reason we can’t fix our education system. Teachers tell me all the time that the kids who are behind are the ones who start out behind. If we want to fix that, we need to invest in early childhood education.
...
If we invest those resources early in life there is no reason these children can’t succeed.
...
And we must also invest in our teaching corps - the most important people at the head of the classroom. Why wouldn’t we pay them more money? Why wouldn't we give them more flexibility to tailor lessons to their specific classes? We should tell them don't just teach to the test, we’re not going to punish you, we’re going to reward you when you do good.

Foreign Policy

We must re-engage the world in ways we haven’t in a very long time. I imagine going before the United Nations in my first year as president and saying America is back. We’re going to lead - and not just with our military but with our values and ideals. We want to work with you to defeat terror and on nuclear proliferation.
We want to work with you on Darfur, and to build schools in the Middle East that teach math and science - not just hate of America.
...
And we're going to close Guantanamo and restore habeas corpus because that’s not who we are.

We have a small window of opportunity with this election and we need to seize it.

Barack is confident in his ability to lead our country - otherwise he wouldn't be running. But he can't do it alone. He is fond of saying that change in America never happens from the top down, it happens from the bottom up. It happens because ordinary people decide they want to make their voices heard.

You can take a look at Barack's specific policy ideas here:

http://www.barackobama.com/issues

But the fact is, nothing will happen unless everyone makes their voices heard.

If you're in Iowa, sign up as an Obama supporter here, and let us hear your voice!

Tomorrow is a big day, with several events in Waverly and Cedar Rapids. Then it's off to Des Moines for the big debate on Sunday!

Road to Change: Michelle Obama in Ames--"Are we ready to move beyond convention?"

Jaime Mulligan — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 18:36:19 EDT

Ames field organizer Joe Cupka kicked things off by talking about a Women's Equality Day event coming up, our text messaging program, and a Students for Obama organizational meeting.

Michelle then spoke about getting to know Barack.

When I first met him, he was this hotshot Harvard law student...And I thought, this guy can't be all that. And I made assumptions, like a lot of people do. I made assumptions like we do in America about people...As his advisor I had to take him out to lunch on that first day---which was good because I had to talk to him, I had to actually get to know him, and I learned that we actually had a lot in common...that integrity matters in this world, that there's nothing more important in life than your family and your community...

Michelle stressed Barack's consistency in making decisions that put principle over power, pointing out that with his experiences and his blessings he could have done anything, gone anywhere, taken any high-paying job, but in every situation, his values dictated that he choose a different path.

For example, after serving as the president of the Harvard Law Review, a position that basically guarantees a Supreme Court clerkship, Barack chose to come back to Chicago and work on voter registration projects, work for a small civil rights firm, and teach constitutional law.

He made those decisions because he didn’t go to law school to gain power, prestige or influence; he went to learn how to use the law to help solve the problems he had seen during his community organizing days.

Michelle also spoke about Barack’s experience in the Ilinois state legislature in building bridges across the aisle to solve problems and about his U.S. Senate race – which was not a cakewalk when he decided to join the race. She said:

When people tell you Barack Obama is not experienced enough to be in the race, that's the political game speaking. Are we ready to move beyond convention? It's a leap of faith that we can move away from the things that haven't worked but have felt secure to us.

What do you think about Barack’s ability to bring Republicans and Democrats together to actually start addressing some of the major issues we face? Tell us in the comments.

Road to Change: Obama Speaks at Tama Rural Summit

Sam Graham-Felsen — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 17:13:58 EDT

Barack addressed the Tama Rural Summit this afternoon, declaring that the core values of rural Americans represent the core values of all Americans. Watch the video:

Road to Change: Tama Rural Summit

Sam Graham-Felsen — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 14:28:56 EDT

Our latest stop: Tama, Iowa, where Barack is meeting with Iowa farmers to discuss agriculture policy at the Tama Rural Summit.

In conjunction with the Rural Summit, we convened an online virtual summit over the last few days. Anyone could come to our website and submit their ideas and concerns related to the three breakout sessions that summit participants have divided up into - agriculture, energy, and rural economic development and quality of life.

The number issue that the agriculture breakout session identified -- caps on farm subsidies -- was submitted online via the virtual summit. Here's the question:

Many are unaware of how harmful the subsidies that go to Agribusiness are to those who live in developing countries. While subsidies may help Agribusiness in the short term, they pose significant threats to our long-term national interests. What is the best way to restructure agricultural subsidies so that they do not exacerbate poverty abroad, benefit small farmers and not Agribusiness, and reflect a commitment to developing renewable, domestic energy sources? Our domestic agricultural subsidies and priorities are a big part of our national security.

"This breakout session is particularly important," said Barack. "Many of us have concerns about the latest Farm Bill. I think we need a more aggressive cap on payments. I want to make sure I'm listening to all of you to get a strong sense of how you think our policy needs to be directed."

Among those who shared their concerns was Mr. Joe Lyon, who we met with yesterday.

After the summit, Barack met with Joe's wife, Norma "Duffy" Lyon, who presented Barack with the Butter O.

Road to Change: For many, the war is personal

Sam Graham-Felsen — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 12:20:01 EDT

Jaime and I just spoke with Oliva, who showed up to the Saints Rest Coffee Shop in Grinnell to meet with Barack.

She pointed to a small pin with a gold star on her shirt and told us that four years ago, just before Bush made his "Mission Accomplished" speech, her grandson was killed in Iraq.

"He graduated from West Point, he spoke five languages, he could have done so much," she says. "He got a free education but paid with his life."

"I'd never been to a military funeral," she remembers. "Coming out of that church were old veterans of various wars. They didn't know him but they were there. It was amazing."

The war has left a deeply personal imprint on her family. "The war, it mushrooms all over the place. Many many people were affected by his death. His parents and his grandparents, his friends, his siblings. His mother still puts fresh flowers on his grave every week. This is happening to so many families because we're still over there and they're still dying."

She says her main priority in this election is, simply, "peace."

Road to Change: Coffee with Barack

Sam Graham-Felsen — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 12:04:14 EDT

Here in Grinnell, Barack is meeting with local activists, young and old, at the Saints Rest Coffee Shop.

"I have memories of being a young organizer, underpaid and underappreciated," said Barack. "I want to make sure I acknowledge the young underpaid and underappreciated from my campaign. Tyler Lechtenberg, the field organizer in this area, is one of these people. Tyler is from Strawberry Point, Iowa and he's an example of the young people who have energized the campaign."

"People aren't just coming out because they're against something," he said. "They want to be for something. Americans are sharing their hopes and desires that we can come together around a sense of common purpose."

Road to Change: Grinnell

Sam Graham-Felsen — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 11:25:36 EDT

This morning's stop on the Road to Change is Grinnell, Iowa, home of Grinnell College, the first four-year school west of the Mississippi River.

We're heading to Saints Rest Coffee Shop, where Barack will meet with local activists and hear about their concerns. We'll keep you updated.

Road to Change: Ed Alcock Responds

Sam Graham-Felsen — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 10:17:00 EDT

Ed Alcock, who serves as President of AFSCME Local 12 in Iowa, was leaning towards Obama but hadn't yet made up his mind. After seeing the Senator speak in Waterloo yesterday at the state AFL-CIO convention, he was convinced and signed a supporter card. Watch the video:

Road to Change: Video from Council Bluffs

Jessica Slider — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 20:58:22 EDT

In Council Bluffs this morning, Barack showed once again that he is the candidate who will turn the page on foreign policy. Here, he lays out his plan for a new direction:

Road to Change: Lyons of Iowa

Sam Graham-Felsen — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 16:26:48 EDT

On our way to the State Fair, we stopped by Tama, Iowa, to chat with Ms. Norma Lyon, who, for decades, sculpted the Butter Cow. Here she is at the local supermarket warming up after spending an hour in the refrigerator room, where she's finishing up her latest work.

Norma retired from her official duties this past year, but she and her husband Joe are Barack fans, so she made a special Butter O for tomorrow's event in Tama.

Norma invited us back to her family's dairy farm, where we got to meet some of the characters who've inspired her famous sculptures.

The Lyons have been married for 56 years. "It's been a fun ride," said Joe.

"There's been a lot of despair over the past several years. Hope is something we haven't seen for a while," said Joe, "But we see it in Obama."

Stay tuned for a short documentary on the Lyons.

Next stop on the Road to Change: Atlantic, IA

Nick Kimball — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 16:16:38 EDT

We're now in beautiful Atlantic, Iowa - otherwise known as the "Coca Cola Capital of Iowa" because of the local privately-owned bottling plant that is here in town.

Coca Cola Days are Sept. 21-23.

The local folks set up a potluck here at the Cass County Fairgrounds just outside the back show barn where Barack is speaking. And the spread wouldn't be complete without some Floats for Change!

Michelle introduced Barack again, as she did in Council Bluffs earlier today.

Barack spoke for only a short period of time before diving into questions. At some recent events, he's been spending less time on formal remarks and more time taking questions.

As he often says, Iowans like to lift the hood, kick the tires and take the candidates out for a test drive. So it's important that he spend more time on the issues they want to raise.

One question raised here was about the nursing shortage. Barack talked about the need that has arisen to bring in nurses from overseas because there so few people entering the field. And the shortage will only intensify as baby boomers retire and the need for health care increases.

To address the situation, Barack said a big thing that can happen is that nurses should unionize - it's a quality of life thing. Nurses are working long hours, and are able to spend less and less time with patients.

It's similar to the problem we're facing with teachers - an issue that was also raised today. We need to increase pay for teachers and provide incentives to enter the profession, like forgiving college debt.

Thanks for staying with us on the Road to Change! Now it's off to the Fair!

Road to Change: En Route to the Iowa State Fair

Sam Graham-Felsen — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 12:16:49 EDT

We're on our way to the Iowa State Fair, an annual tradition that's continued for over 150 years. The first state fair was in Fairfield, but since 1886, it's been held in the 400-acre Fairgrounds of Des Moines.

(from Ron Playle's Iowa State Fair postcard collection)

We'll bring you photos and video of the exhibits, the extra-large livestock, the 20-odd food-on-a-stick varieties, Barack's conversations with fairgoers, and, of course, the Butter Cow. Stay tuned.

The Road to Change goes through Council Bluffs, IA

Nick Kimball — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 11:23:33 EDT

Good morning! Welcome to our second day on the Road to Change across Iowa. Barack has taken the stage here in Council Bluffs.

He was introduced by his wife Michelle, who got fired up in her introduction. She talked about being reluctant when she and Barack made the decision for him to run for president. But in the end, she said, she was tired of living in a world where our politics were led by fear. Fear of the unknown. Fear of that which is different. It was time for something new.

And she knew that it was time for someone like Barack to lead this country back to a hopeful place.

Before Michelle took the stage, she was introduced by Chris Tinley, a Council Bluffs resident who lost his brother on 9/11.

Chris decided that Barack was the right person to be the next president when he learned that Barack opposed the Iraq war from the very beginning. It was the wrong war at the wrong time in the wrong place.

Now Barack is detailing his comprehensive vision for American foreign policy. It is a new vision that allows us to restore our standing in the world and take a leadership role once again. But it's going to take a significant change in the conventional foreign-policy thinking. And that's what Barack offers.

"The conventional thinking says we can't do these things and we shouldn't even talk about it. It says I don't have enough experience because I don't recite the typical foreign policy talking points...No one had as much as experience as Dick Cheney and Donal Rumsfeld. And look what conventional thinking got us."

Barack is in to questions now. Check back for more, including video, soon!

Road to Change: Barack addresses AFL-CIO convention

Sam Graham-Felsen — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 19:56:26 EDT

Barack just spoke at the state AFL-CIO convention in Waterloo, Iowa, a town that's been hit hard by the closing of factories.

He vowed that he'd fight to limit the influence of corporate lobbyists and give labor a prominent seat at the table when crafting legislation. He said he'd make sure we had a Department of Labor and not just a Department of Management, which is what we've seen over the past seven years. He reminded the crowd that he's been standing up for working people ever since he moved to Chicago, where he organized people who lost their jobs due to the closing of a steel plant.

Here's a video excerpt:

Road to Change: Barack at the State AFL-CIO Convention

Sam Graham-Felsen — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 19:29:06 EDT

The latest stop on the Road to Change is Waterloo, Iowa, where Barack is addressing the state AFL-CIO convention. Iowa volunteers welcomed Barack as he entered the Five Sullivan Brothers Convention Center.

Watch the video:

We'll be back in a few with some footage from his address.

Road to Change: Barack in Cedar Falls

Jessica Slider — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 19:08:07 EDT

Barack was in Cedar Falls this afternoon, where he led a discussion about government transparency. He fielded questions from the crowd on issues ranging from education to veteran's benefits and spoke about what he's done make our government accountable:

Hitting the road

Sam Graham-Felsen — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 19:56:57 EDT

We just left our Chicago HQ and we're headed down I-80 towards the Hawkeye State.

We'll be following Barack all week as he criss-crosses through Iowa, bringing you video footage, photos, and blog coverage of events every day. We'll take you through Iowa's majestic corn and soybean fields to the cities of Cedar Rapids and Waterloo, to the State Fair in Des Moines, where we'll introduce you to the world famous Butter Cow. Most importantly, we'll be profiling grassroots supporters like you and sharing stories of hope from Clear Lake to Council Bluffs.

Watch the trailer and stay tuned -- it's going to be an exciting week.

Let the Road to Change begin.

If you're a grassroots supporter in Iowa, contact us here. Let us know who you are and share your story -- we're looking to profile supporters and if possible, we'd love to meet some of you in person.

P.S. When I went to pick up the rental car this afternoon, the employee at the rental agency saw the Obama sticker on my bag. A smile immediately lit up her face. "I saw him at the Bud Billiken Parade this weekend and he was great. He's given us a lot of hope here in Chicago... Alright, well tell the Senator we're pulling for him. Stay safe in Iowa!"

It's pretty remarkable -- when the topic of Barack comes up, people have a tendency to let down their guard and speak openly about themselves and how Barack has inspired them. It's great to see how the campaign is bringing so many people together; it really does feel like a genuine community, and each one of you is a vital part of it.