Calling For Obama
By Paul Rogat Loeb
I admit it. I'm addicted. Since the primaries and caucuses began, I've spent practically every free hour reading article after article, and poll after poll, charting the shifting sands of the Democratic presidential race. As I've become inspired by Barack Obama's potential to engage ordinary citizens, and its roots in his organizer past, I've written articles I've hoped would help, talked incessantly about the campaign, and donated repeatedly--most fruitfully in a program that's allowed me to encourage other new small donors by equaling their contributions. But as I've cheered each successive victory and each new gain in the polls, I worry that my stance is just a bit too reminiscent of rooting for my favorite baseball team. It's time to do something seemingly more mundane, but always a bit nervous-making, and that is to get on the phone.
I've made phone calls in practically every election, and it matters. In 2006, I volunteered roughly 30 hours with MoveOn's CallForChange program, working my way across the country to call states with key Senate or House races. I convinced about a dozen people to go to the polls who wouldn't have otherwise, including some who at first said their vote didn't matter, and others who simply forgot it was election day. I was hesitant at first, but the web-based system that gave me the phone numbers prevented people from getting called multiple times. The script gave initial talking points that I later replaced with my own. So long as I was polite and low-key, the people I spoke with seemed to appreciate the conversations, or at least not to mind. While a dozen votes sounds pretty minimal, given the time I spent, 100,000 fellow MoveOn members were also participating, and if their efforts each bore similar fruits, we're talking a million votes . So when John Tester won by just 1,700 votes, Jim Webb by 7,200, and Claire McCaskill by 42,000, I felt proud to have done my part.
So I've just now started calling for Obama. He's tied or ahead in Texas. He's gotten strong new union endorsements from SEIU, The Teamsters, and the United Food and Commercial Workers. Chris Dodd and civil rights icon John Lewis have backed him and more superdelegates are switching. But nothing's guaranteed. Clinton could still come back if she does well enough in Texas and Ohio, and as she launches attack after scattershot attack, I fear that she'll give legitimacy to just enough Republican talking points to damage Obama come November if indeed he is the candidate. So the March 4th votes are critical. Whether our own states have already voted or have yet to, the Obama campaign voter calling program
Paul Rogat Loeb is the author of The Impossible Will Take a Little While: A Citizen's Guide to Hope in a Time of Fear, and Soul of a Citizen: Living With Conviction in a Cynical Time. See www.paulloeb.org
While I believe that its important that we have this format to rant and rave and get stuff off our chest.....if we really want Obama to win we all have to do some volunteer work to facilitate that process. I live in New York, and I've spent the last week making phone calls to voters in Texas....and it's been a joy!
I actually changed at least 20 people's minds who who were leaning towards HRC and now they say they'll vote for Barack. I had a few hang ups, but nobody was negative, and if that were to happen, so what! The primaries in Texas and Ohio will be so close that each one us could make the difference in getting Barck the nomination. So people, go the Barack website, where you'll all the info you need, and take a couple of hours tomorrow and Sunday and make those calls.....you could be the one that makes the difference!
WALK YOUR TALK.....AND LET'S HAVE SOMETHING TO CELEBRATE THIS COMING TUESDAY!
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/Vote2008/story?id=4360446&page=1
On the other hand, Bill Clinton made NAFTA the centerpiece of his adminstration, cashing in all his political chips to pass it, and leaving demoralized environmental and labor activists staying home in the 1994 Gingrich sweep. To me, it's the height of hypocrisy for Hillary to say she'd always privately opposed it.
And if you don't like the Iraq war, I think you'd favor the candidate who actually spoke out at an anti-war rally before it happened, as opposed to the one who enabled Bush in going to war.
Why you would go on to defend by acusing someone else of something bad to excuse your candidate's position is very lame. We're talking about Obama here. We know the Clinton supported NAFTA. My gripe is that Obama has not been scrutinized enough by an objective, probing press and it is very unfair to the voters to be basing their opinions of Obama on a free pass. All we have to go on basically is what he says he is without scrutiny and this should have been done during the process so the voters could make an informed decision, and I feel it was not, and I think there are many, many inconsistencies in Obama's positions that give one pause to re-examine. People are raking Clinton over the coals and giving Obama a virtual free pass on many of the same positions that contradict their campaign rhetoric. I think the free pass will end as the general starts and I think we're going to finally get a much needed look at what is really behind the glitz. I also do not believe he is electable. I don't think HIllary Clinton may be either. I think the Democrats took a big gamble in an election they should not have gambled in and I believe they will lose unless somehow McCain encounters political controversy, etc. I have spoken out about the unfairness in the coverage in this election that eventually made its way to Hillary Clinton as well as disgusting mysogenicstic rhetoric aimed at Clinton, but I have objectively critiqued her for years now and spoken out strongly against her foreign policy positions, etc. and I feel that people are only promoting Obama here with rose colored glasses instead of doing a service to us all in stripping of the glitz and making sure that we know the candidate we are choosing. I am disappointed in your admitted cheerleading instead of doing us the real service of examing.
If he loses against McCain - it's Hillary's fault. She gets blamed. Again.
You people are freaking unbelievable.
There's one small thing you're overlooking, Mr. Loeb. You, and people like you, have tirelessly built up your candidate, while visciously tearing apart a fellow Democrat. There are those of us out here in reality-world who "really" dislike that. And who refuse to be bullied into supporting YOUR candidate of choice.
Enjoy all the focus the GOP will be bringing to Obama's (until now) glossed-over negatives. And BTW - Hillary didn't make those bone-headed mistakes for Obama. He made them all by himself.
If she loses against Obama - it's the fault of the Media/DNC/GOP "strategic voters"/a vast right-wing conspiracy/zombies; i.e., anybody & everybody but her and her campaign gets blamed.
You people are freaking unbelievable.
There's one small thing you're overlooking, vanessa04. You, and people like you, have tirelessly built up your candidate, while visciously tearing apart a fellow Democrat. There are those of us out here in "tired of politics as usual, tired of war and tired of fear-mongering"-world who are really "tired" of that. And who refuse to be bullied into supporting YOUR candidate of choice.
OBAMA '08
We should both just go have a coke.
And wait for the voters.
Sigh. The wonders of the electronic age, no?
You just have to love this. When Obama loses to McCain it will be Hillary's fault. I can just imagine the hateful headline and the unflattering picture of Hillary.
Do you believe the republicans will even need her help when they tear him limb from limb?
http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/phonebankmap
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x4578207
Glad you're getting a clue.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M70emIFxETs&eurl=http://thepage.time.com/
Check it out for yourself. Obama is right. She will say or do anything to win an election.
http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/actioncenter
There is no way Senator Clinton can stay in the race if she loses BOTH Texas and Ohio. If we can win both states we give the party elders and the superdelegates all the ammunition they need to swing behind Obama and end this in March. Please help us slam the door next Tuesday.
Remember- we are the ones we've been waiting for.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghSJsEVf0pU