in the first 90 days I want...
1) To close Guantanamo Bay prison. Everyone there gets an open and fair trial
that falls either under regular US courts or international courts. ASAP. People found guilty go to regular jail or jail in their country. People found not guilty compensated for every year they were unfairly incarcerated at 3X whatever salary they made when they were captured. And personally apologized to by the president.
CLOSE GUANTANAMO BAY. I think this is the most embarrassing thing about the US right now.
2) Give Judges the discretion to work with people in bankruptcy court to avoid foreclosure.
3)Overtrun Global gag rule on abortion and reverse the abstinence only restrictions on PEPFAR money.
4)Re-do CHIP and work toward covering 100% of kids.
There's tons of health reform to do. But I think 100% coverage of kids is something we can and should do quickly given the majorities we have. Kids are not that expensive and this would save us $$$$$ of money in the long road.
That, and going to the gym everyday, should keep him busy!
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
the playlist....
There were a lot of tough choices -- I started out with 40 songs that had to get winnowed down to one audio CD. It's a blend of straight up "ode to obama" in a variety of languages and genres songs, odd tunes that make me feel patriotic, Jenny EMO songs that work both politically and romantically, a little North Carolina pride and straight up jubilation.
(you can download for free the Reggaeton and Mariachi song at: http://www.amigosdeobama.com/)
Vote for Hope (feat. Barack Obama) -- MC Yogi
There's Hope -- India.Arie
OBAMAREGGAETON
The Revolution Will Not Be Televised -- Gil Scott-Heron
Barack Obama -- Cocoa Tea
The Body of an American -- The Pogues
America -- Simon & Garfunkel
Pink Houses -- John Mellencamp
Move On -- Mike Doughty
Changes -- Seu Jorge
Waiting On The World To Change -- John Meyer
Try -- Nelly Furtado
No Bad News -- Patty Griffin
obamamariachi
Raise Up -- Petey Pablo
Dance to the Music -- Sly & The Family Stone
I Just Want to Celebrate -- Rare Earth
Feelin` Alright -- Joe Cocker
Obama -- Extra Golden
(you can download for free the Reggaeton and Mariachi song at: http://www.amigosdeobama.com/)
Vote for Hope (feat. Barack Obama) -- MC Yogi
There's Hope -- India.Arie
OBAMAREGGAETON
The Revolution Will Not Be Televised -- Gil Scott-Heron
Barack Obama -- Cocoa Tea
The Body of an American -- The Pogues
America -- Simon & Garfunkel
Pink Houses -- John Mellencamp
Move On -- Mike Doughty
Changes -- Seu Jorge
Waiting On The World To Change -- John Meyer
Try -- Nelly Furtado
No Bad News -- Patty Griffin
obamamariachi
Raise Up -- Petey Pablo
Dance to the Music -- Sly & The Family Stone
I Just Want to Celebrate -- Rare Earth
Feelin` Alright -- Joe Cocker
Obama -- Extra Golden
Friday, November 7, 2008
The Ground Game That We Have To Keep Playing....
My friend Kristie linked to this interesting blog post about a recent "This American Life" episode.
http://www.racismreview.com/blog/2008/11/05/ground-game-anti-racist-organizing/
The show featured union organizers working on the ground to address racism in Pennsylvania. (They might just be the heroes of this election.)
It's worth a listen and some thought about the need to keep this dialog going. (I suspect racism isn't going to magically disappear now that Obama is President!)
http://www.racismreview.com/blog/2008/11/05/ground-game-anti-racist-organizing/
The show featured union organizers working on the ground to address racism in Pennsylvania. (They might just be the heroes of this election.)
It's worth a listen and some thought about the need to keep this dialog going. (I suspect racism isn't going to magically disappear now that Obama is President!)
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
"Our Son Has Won!"
So I've been talking about the election all year with Regina, the Kenyan immigrant woman who cleans our offices, when I get the cup of coffee around 5pm that gives me the insomnia that makes me late for work everyday.
And mostly, she's sort of hesitant and asks me lots of questions. She hasn't said a lot about what she thinks or hopes for.
Today she walked into my office and smiled a cruise-ship sized smile and said "How are you?" I jumped up out of my chair and we hugged.
(if you know me well, you know how utterly bizarre this hugging compulsion I have acquired is)
She said she thinks God is responsible for the election (I think she's Catholic) and that everyone in Kenya has been praying non-stop. They also held a mock election and of course, Obama won. Tomorrow is a national day of celebration:
http://www.usnews.com/articles/news/campaign-2008/2008/11/05/after-obamas-triumph-jubilation-and-tears-of-joy-in-obamas-ancestral-home-village-in-kenya-.html
And mostly, she's sort of hesitant and asks me lots of questions. She hasn't said a lot about what she thinks or hopes for.
Today she walked into my office and smiled a cruise-ship sized smile and said "How are you?" I jumped up out of my chair and we hugged.
(if you know me well, you know how utterly bizarre this hugging compulsion I have acquired is)
She said she thinks God is responsible for the election (I think she's Catholic) and that everyone in Kenya has been praying non-stop. They also held a mock election and of course, Obama won. Tomorrow is a national day of celebration:
http://www.usnews.com/articles/news/campaign-2008/2008/11/05/after-obamas-triumph-jubilation-and-tears-of-joy-in-obamas-ancestral-home-village-in-kenya-.html
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
You.
It's not really about Obama, not really.
It's about my dad who came home after voting and flew his American flag on his porch.
It's about my mom who wore her Obama button everywhere, called all her cousins in Pennsylvania and canvassed in the heart of McCain country.
It's about my aunt who ran for elected office and my uncle who tirelessly helped her.
It's Joe the brother and Embrey caucusing in Washington state
It's not about Obama...
It's about Phil appreciating the quiet while getting out the vote in Roxboro
It's about Julia, and the kid from Wyoming and the Grandmas in Durham who got thrown into canvassing with me.
It's about Dan canvassing around the neighborhood near NC Central with me before the primary
It's about the hard work of Zephyr and the Deaniacs.
It's about Rickie's "get out the gay vote" effort
It's about Aaron doing voter protection work in Virginia
It's about Sarah M's Obama - Que and Graig Meyer's endless fundraising
It's about Brian and Sarah R's phonebanking parties
It's about Jenny and Rachel getting up at dawn to go to Pennsylvania
It's about Kelly's articles and Mike's coverage of speeches and Jed's books
It's about Louis's Obamaing and Gretchen's neighborhood organizing
It's about the guy from Honduras who had to fight a war when he was just 14 years old who was in tears tonight he was so happy.
It's Not about Obama
It's about Josh and Sharon and Caleb and Ezra and Judah voting as a family
It's Jonas taking his little brother to the polls and canvassing
It's about David, the cancer scientist from Boston who was randomly alone in Durham on election day, also his birthday, who sought out volunteer opportunities in his spare time.
It's about Steny Hoyer and Elijah Cumming's tears at the National Convention
It's about my across the street neighbors and Wendy and Diane and Anna and Peter and his girlfriend and hundreds and hundreds of people all watching the returns together in the cold rain outside in downtown Durham, even though we'd all be more physically comfortable at home alone.
It's not about Obama
It's about all my friends who did all sorts of other things I'm not remembering right now because it's late and I'm still soaking in the night.
It's not about Obama
It's about all the smiles I saw when I heard over and over again "Oh, don't worry, *I* voted."
It's about Donna and Cal who taught me how to properly hug and prepared me for this night where I wanted to hug constantly, everyone, all night long.
It's about the kids tonight dancing in the rain.
It's about the older folks crying.
It's about Olivia who will be born into a new, better world.
It's not about Obama. Not really.
It's about you.
It's about my dad who came home after voting and flew his American flag on his porch.
It's about my mom who wore her Obama button everywhere, called all her cousins in Pennsylvania and canvassed in the heart of McCain country.
It's about my aunt who ran for elected office and my uncle who tirelessly helped her.
It's Joe the brother and Embrey caucusing in Washington state
It's not about Obama...
It's about Phil appreciating the quiet while getting out the vote in Roxboro
It's about Julia, and the kid from Wyoming and the Grandmas in Durham who got thrown into canvassing with me.
It's about Dan canvassing around the neighborhood near NC Central with me before the primary
It's about the hard work of Zephyr and the Deaniacs.
It's about Rickie's "get out the gay vote" effort
It's about Aaron doing voter protection work in Virginia
It's about Sarah M's Obama - Que and Graig Meyer's endless fundraising
It's about Brian and Sarah R's phonebanking parties
It's about Jenny and Rachel getting up at dawn to go to Pennsylvania
It's about Kelly's articles and Mike's coverage of speeches and Jed's books
It's about Louis's Obamaing and Gretchen's neighborhood organizing
It's about the guy from Honduras who had to fight a war when he was just 14 years old who was in tears tonight he was so happy.
It's Not about Obama
It's about Josh and Sharon and Caleb and Ezra and Judah voting as a family
It's Jonas taking his little brother to the polls and canvassing
It's about David, the cancer scientist from Boston who was randomly alone in Durham on election day, also his birthday, who sought out volunteer opportunities in his spare time.
It's about Steny Hoyer and Elijah Cumming's tears at the National Convention
It's about my across the street neighbors and Wendy and Diane and Anna and Peter and his girlfriend and hundreds and hundreds of people all watching the returns together in the cold rain outside in downtown Durham, even though we'd all be more physically comfortable at home alone.
It's not about Obama
It's about all my friends who did all sorts of other things I'm not remembering right now because it's late and I'm still soaking in the night.
It's not about Obama
It's about all the smiles I saw when I heard over and over again "Oh, don't worry, *I* voted."
It's about Donna and Cal who taught me how to properly hug and prepared me for this night where I wanted to hug constantly, everyone, all night long.
It's about the kids tonight dancing in the rain.
It's about the older folks crying.
It's about Olivia who will be born into a new, better world.
It's not about Obama. Not really.
It's about you.
Monday, November 3, 2008
Obama's Grandmother
I felt like all the air was sucked out of me when I heard the news tonight.
Can you imagine?
What I have loved about this campaign, what the GOP doesn't understand, is that it's not about Obama. Like all good leadership, it's about something much bigger that makes you, the individual, feel both incredibly large and small at the same time. This is a movement to take back the country and take care of each other. It's not about one man.
But tonight, you can't help but wonder what it feels like to be that one man.
No father, no mother, no grandparents......truly an orphan and yet, at the same time, about to be the most powerful person on the planet.
I read both of his books and acquired a great admiration and appreciation for the women who raised him. Even if he doesn't win tomorrow, the movement he has started, the inspiration and the utter grace in the face of so much ugliness he has exhibited, has illustrated to us all a new kind of politics -- a new way of thinking about each other and treating each other. We all owe a great debt to Madelyn Dunham for the amazing person she raised.
I hope she is looking on and smiling tomorrow.
Can you imagine?
What I have loved about this campaign, what the GOP doesn't understand, is that it's not about Obama. Like all good leadership, it's about something much bigger that makes you, the individual, feel both incredibly large and small at the same time. This is a movement to take back the country and take care of each other. It's not about one man.
But tonight, you can't help but wonder what it feels like to be that one man.
No father, no mother, no grandparents......truly an orphan and yet, at the same time, about to be the most powerful person on the planet.
I read both of his books and acquired a great admiration and appreciation for the women who raised him. Even if he doesn't win tomorrow, the movement he has started, the inspiration and the utter grace in the face of so much ugliness he has exhibited, has illustrated to us all a new kind of politics -- a new way of thinking about each other and treating each other. We all owe a great debt to Madelyn Dunham for the amazing person she raised.
I hope she is looking on and smiling tomorrow.
A Tale of Two Ground Games
I volunteered this weekend and today out of one of 20 decentralized Durham for Obama hubs -- Faulkner Fox's house. Faulkner was one of the very first organizers during the primary. You walk into her house and it's packed: kids playing, a room with people making phone calls, a data entry room, giant maps of the city and an endless stream of people like me picking up canvassing packets with a list of registered voters, flyers, voting location information, etc.. You take your packet, you walk a neighborhood, you bring back the information which goes to data entry, where its generated into a new walk and call sheets the next day. There are snacks, sunlight, piles of stickers and a lots of noise and gentle chaos.
My new friend Kelly, a journalist, wanted to go check out the Durham McCain headquarters.
Now, in fairness, Durham is heavily Democrat. For example, there are lots of local political offices where Dems run unopposed (which bugs me). The GOP here is weak. But still......
Can you imagine voting and some GOP jerk saying "excuse me, but she seems retarded to me, I challenge this..."
oy vey. I hope all the lawyers I know (and I know way too many lawyers) are all out there doing voter protection tomorrow......
My new friend Kelly, a journalist, wanted to go check out the Durham McCain headquarters.
Now, in fairness, Durham is heavily Democrat. For example, there are lots of local political offices where Dems run unopposed (which bugs me). The GOP here is weak. But still......
- The office is hidden in a strip mall behind a Chiles and a car dealership.
- It's full of hundreds and hundreds of signs and stickers and buttons, at 7pm the night before the election, but ....no people. I asked how on earth they were going to get all the signs distributed in time and he explained that they can't have signs anywhere overnight. That vandals steal them and they can only go out in the morning (does this make them vampire signs?) He then told a story, a "hilarious" story, about a guy he knew actually shot over the head of someone trying to steal his sign. I sucked in the giant "OMG!!!!" sound I wanted to make in the interest of journalist objectivity
- The people there are extremely nice. (of course, it's NC) But all male, all white, all over 55. I saw two women both wearing just an insane amount of make up. What's up with GOP women overusing foundation and eyeliner?
- There are no snacks that I could see, but all sorts of flyers about socialism and posters about supporting the troops
- Volunteer opportunities available included: handing out flyers at the polls or making calls, but there was no canvassing, no voter outreach
- The man in charge we talked to said the main concern was that the Dems were just "rounding up the mentally handicapped -- that's the politically correct term if you know what I mean -- and bussing them in. Same with people in nursing homes. We're just trying to challenge this stuff at the polls."
- One of the only volunteers I saw there asked how early he could come since this morning "the security guard wouldn't let him in." I asked if the security guard was for the whole strip mall or special. The GOP has hired a security guard for every McSame office in the country. Wha????? What an incredible waste of resources!
Can you imagine voting and some GOP jerk saying "excuse me, but she seems retarded to me, I challenge this..."
oy vey. I hope all the lawyers I know (and I know way too many lawyers) are all out there doing voter protection tomorrow......
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Knocking and Baracking! -- Updated
The great thing about canvassing is meeting new people (if you're the sort of person who loves meeting new people!) And the great thing about canvassing in *this* election is how it is, in many ways, shattering stereotypes.
I'm watching Meet the Press right now and Chuck Todd made a point I very much agree with:
The Bradley affect, issues with race, are much more likely to take place in northern states like Ohio and Pennsylvania. Obama is likely to perform better than expected in southern states like NC, GA, VA because these places have been openly dealing with race for a long time.
I canvassed yesterday with a tall, blonde, delightfully scruffy-faced 18 year old Duke freshman from Wyoming (a state as red as red gets) We talked with 40something white voters in a Republican neighborhood who said things like "I can't believe it but my mom is actually voting for Obama."
It's still a tight race, but like Chuck Todd, I will not be shocked to see the south turn a little more purple this cycle......
........................
so after I posted this, I went to a "Get out the gay vote" event dressed up as Sarah Palin. I encountered more McSame voters there than any other place I've been. This election is crazy....you just can't stereotype!
I'm watching Meet the Press right now and Chuck Todd made a point I very much agree with:
The Bradley affect, issues with race, are much more likely to take place in northern states like Ohio and Pennsylvania. Obama is likely to perform better than expected in southern states like NC, GA, VA because these places have been openly dealing with race for a long time.
I canvassed yesterday with a tall, blonde, delightfully scruffy-faced 18 year old Duke freshman from Wyoming (a state as red as red gets) We talked with 40something white voters in a Republican neighborhood who said things like "I can't believe it but my mom is actually voting for Obama."
It's still a tight race, but like Chuck Todd, I will not be shocked to see the south turn a little more purple this cycle......
........................
so after I posted this, I went to a "Get out the gay vote" event dressed up as Sarah Palin. I encountered more McSame voters there than any other place I've been. This election is crazy....you just can't stereotype!
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