Ron Howard asks you to take 5 mins to consider Obama
Ron Howard shares his view of the upcoming election by getting back into some very old TV characters and recruiting some of those shows’ stars. Nice mini-movie - take a look (4 mins).
Obama is the World’s choice for President
Interesting question/stat asked/noted CNN’s Jack Cafferty - people in 70 countries polled from May through Sept prefer Obama over McCain by a margin of nearly 4 to 1.
I can hear the arguments now: they don’t live here, they’re not as educated or up on the facts, they don’t know better, etc. etc. But think about it for a minute. Think about the immediate impact on our standing in the world when President Obama is elected.
And let’s be honest, there’s a significant fraction of our electorate that is simply not any better informed than many others around the world.
Election 2008 - Contribute to Important Senate and House Races
Blogger/Professor Sam Wang of Princeton University runs the Princeton Election Consortium blog which provides a scientific analysis of the current US presidential election. The blog (statistically) predicted the outcome of the 2004 election. I highly recommend it.
A week ago, Dr. Wang posted a very interesting article which essentially says that the writing is on the wall for the presidential election, and that if you’re on either side of the political fence (Republican or Democrat) and you’re still interested in supporting (via monetary contributions) your side that you should now consider supporting your party’s candidates in the House and Senate races.
Why? Because assuming that Obama wins the election, if the House and/or Senate majority tips in favor of the Democrats, then they will have a controlling influence over policy for at least the next 2 years and possibly longer. However, should Republicans hold onto their current or gain some additional seats, then they will at least have some leverage in directing policy their way.
In light of this and that I’m quite obviously an Obama supporter in favor of his administration seeing their agenda progressed, I highly recommend you take a look at Dr. Wang’s ActBlue page where you can contribute to some important races.
You should also take a look at this article that gives you good reasons for getting involved in state legislative races.
Register to Vote - Don’t wait, you don’t have much time left
Time’s a wasting. If you’re not registered to vote, get on it. In some states, you may only have a few days. Just open up a new browser window or tab and go to http://maps.google.com/vote. It’ll take less than 10 minutes; I know - I’ve done it. And if you’ve got 5 more minutes, check out this video. It’s a PSA with a bunch of celebrities, and quite a few funny moments.
The Resolution Generator
With apologies to Southwest’s Spirit magazine, I scanned this article, b/c I just couldn’t find it online. It’s essentially a recipe to help you figure out what resolution(s) you should focus on for the next year. I see it as a much more useful tool - what to do with your life!
What if Bartlet met Obama?
West Wing creator, Aaron Sorkin, came out of his ‘West Wing retirement’ to put together a fictional conversation between Barack Obama and Jed Bartlet. It’s published in the New York Times’ Maureen Dowd column. If you liked the West Wing, then you’ll love this. Here’s an excerpt.
BARTLET Imagine my surprise. What can I do for you, kid?
OBAMA I’m interested in your advice.
BARTLET I can’t give it to you.
OBAMA Why not?
BARTLET I’m supporting McCain.
OBAMA Why?
BARTLET He’s promised to eradicate evil and that was always on my “to do” list.
Barack Obama speaks to his HQ staff on what their campaign means now
Speeches like this are what reinforces my belief that Senator Obama is genuine, down-to-earth and intent on making a real difference. In case you can’t watch the video (approx 13 mins) right now, read the transcript below which captures the essence of the speech.
“When I started this campaign I wasn’t sure that I was going to be the best of candidates. But what I was absolutely positive of was that there was the possibility of creating the best organization. Because I’m a big believer in that the way great things happen is when people are willing to submerge their own egos, and… just focus on bringing their particular gifts and passions and energy and vision to a common task then great things can be accomplished. That’s my old organizing mindset. It’s not just a gimmick. It’s not just a schtick. I actually believe it….
“You worked hard. You lifted each other up. You covered for each other. You made up for each other’s mistakes. You didn’t blame each other when things went wrong. There was just a good mood, a good heart, to this campaign. That’s what I’m most proud of. Even if we had lost I would be proud of what we’ve built because nobody thought that we could build it. Everybody thought that at some point this thing was gonna be a flash in the pan. Collectively, you, most of you are I’m not even sure of drinking age… You’ve created the best political organization in America and probably the best political organization that we’ve seen in the last 30 or 40 years. That’s a pretty big deal…
“Now, we also have more work to do. And I know that had this not been so difficult a task, the primary, it would have been nice to have a couple of weeks off, or even a week off, and just get a break. And I know how tired you guys are and if some of you are feelin’ burnt out… just let us know and we’ll understand. I feel you. But we’re gonna have to turn around and work even harder, because the truth is that… a lot of the reporters were asking, ‘how come you don’t seem more exuberant?’ It’s funny because that fist pump got so much play. That was our celebration. What I’ve told the reporters is that it’s because as I’ve traveled over the course of the last 16 or 17 months and I meet people that are struggling… you really do get this enormous sense of obligation. We don’t have an option now…. If I’d lost Iowa, it would have been over. One of the other Democrats would have emerged… But because we won, we now have no choice. We have to win.”
via The Field
