Today we’re launching something that could change the 2012 election: our grassroots fundraising program.

Because you’re one of this campaign’s earliest supporters, we’re counting on you to be a part of it.

Other campaigns rely on powerful special interests to grow, but we’ve rejected that top-down model from the very beginning.

Grassroots fundraising opens up the process of building this campaign to anyone who wants to take the reins, putting the power in the hands of supporters like you who have already chipped in to own a piece of it.

All you have to do to get started is to sign up for your own personal page. You can get creative and customize it however you’d like — from setting a goal for yourself to uploading a photo and telling the story of why you’re getting involved. Then you’re all set to start inspiring people in your networks to step up and support the President.

By the end of the day today, thousands of people will join the first class of 2012 grassroots fundraisers, and I think you should be one of them.

www.barackobama.com

As a 2012 grassroots fundraiser, you can recruit five new supporters or 500. Either way, the people you bring into this campaign will continue to grow it themselves, and wouldn’t be taking that step without you.

If it sounds familiar to you, it’s because that’s the basis of all of our organizing — one supporter reaching out to the next, who reaches out to two more. Before you know it, you’re no longer just a handful of people doing their best to re-elect the President. You’ve helped build a movement.

The people on the other side of the aisle have shown they believe in a very different kind of politics. So much of their strategies involve taking advantage of new ways to get around campaign finance restrictions — even allowing special interests to pool unlimited sums of money from corporations to try to influence the election for Republicans.

We’re better than that. We’re empowering everyday supporters to build this campaign themselves.

In one month, we’ll close the books on this fundraising quarter — and we’ll show that our grassroots network can go toe to toe with anyone.

But that starts with you. Sign up today:

www.barackobama.com

can’t wait to see what you can do.

Thanks,

Julianna

Julianna Smoot
Deputy Campaign Manager
Obama for America

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Congress: -Another day of Republicans avoiding their duty to Americans

09/06/2011 Nativegrl77

Senate Convenes at 2:00pm September 6, 2011

Following any Leader remarks, the Senate will be in morning business until
5:00pm with Senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each.
Following morning business, the Senate will be in Executive Session to
consider Calendar #109, Bernice Bouie Donald, of Tennessee, to be United States
Circuit Judge for the 6^th Circuit with 30 minutes of debate equally
divided and controlled between Senators Leahy and Grassley or their designees.
At approximately 5:30pm, the Senate will conduct 2 roll call votes on the
following:
- Confirmation of Bernice Bouie Donald to be US Circuit Judge for the
  6^thCircuit
- Motion to invoke cloture on the motion to proceed to H.R.1249, the Patent
  Reform bill
At approximately 5:30pm today, the Senate will conduct two roll call votes on the following:- Confirmation of Calendar #109, the nomination of Bernice Bouie Donald, of Tennessee, to be US Circuit Judge for the 6th Circuit
– Motion to invoke cloture on the motion to proceed to H.R.1249, the Patent Reform bill

5:36pm The Senate began a roll call vote on confirmation of the nomination of Bernice Bouie Donald to be United States Circuit Judge for the 6th Circuit; Confirmed: 96-0

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

6:05pm The Senate began a roll call vote on the motion to invoke cloture on the motion to proceed to H.R.1249, the Patent Reform bill; Invoked: 93-5

There will be no further roll call votes during today’s session of the Senate.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

CURRENT HOUSE FLOOR PROCEEDINGS
LEGISLATIVE DAY OF SEPTEMBER 6, 2011
112TH CONGRESS – FIRST SESSION

10:03 A.M. – The Speaker announced that the House do now adjourn pursuant to sections 3 and 4 of H.Res. 375. The next meeting is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. on September 7, 2011.DISPENSING WITH LEGISLATIVE BUSINESS – Pursuant to section 4 ofH. Res. 375, the Chair announced that no legislative business would be conducted on this day.

10:02 A.M. – PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE – The Chair led the House in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag.APPROVAL OF THE JOURNAL – Pursuant to section 5 ofH. Res. 375, the Chair announced that the Journal of the last days’ proceedings was approved.

10:00 A.M. – Today’s prayer was offered by the House Chaplain, Rev. Patrick J. Conroy.The Speaker designated the Honorable Allen B. West to act as Speaker pro tempore for today.

The House convened, starting a new legislative day.

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

upcoming transit fights …Julia Deak Sandler

09/05/2011 Nativegrl77

Dear transit supporters,

I just noticed that this petition had not been taken down yet, and people were continuing to sign it. I will take it down today, but I just wanted to reassure those who were still signing that we in fact WON on this issue, and the $20 congestion reduction charge was passed, saving metro service for the next 2 years.

Nevertheless, our fight for improved, sustainable transit options and more progressive funding sources for them is far from over. Some of you replied to my last email with deep and valid concerns about the final deal that the County Council reached, which included cutting the Free Ride Zone and funding metro with a regressive $20 fee on all car owners.

If you would like to move past such regressive funding sources and increase the share of the tax burden on those who can actually afford it, consider joining one of these groups and working on this issue over the next two years:

– the fledgling Save Our Metro campaign, which is dedicated to grassroots organizing of transit riders who are not on email
– the Moveon.org Seattle Council’s transit sub-committee, which will be fighting to make sure Seattle does all it can to support transit, bike infrastructure, and sustainable transportation options (just reply to this email to sign up)
– Transportation for Washington, a state-wide coalition of groups fighting to make sure our state has a progressive funding source for the transportation options that make the most sense for our planet, our health, and our communities.
– FUSE Washington, which fights for more tax revenue and all kinds of public services in the state
– The NO on 1125 coalition which has been organized against Tim Eyman‘s latest attempt to derail light rail in Bellevue with Kemper Freeman’s money

You can also help from home by commenting on the conservative-biased news reports you see, such as this one in the Seattle Times today about the $60 car tab fee for Seattle residents only, which will be on the ballot in November:

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2016085821_cartabs02m.html

thanks again for all you do, and so long.
Julia Deak Sandler
julia_deak@hotmail.com

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Crisis update: Water deliveries expand to Mogadishu

09/05/2011 Nativegrl77

Photo: Cassandra Nelson/Mercy CorpsOur efforts are reaching more than 825,000 people in Africa‘s drought-stricken Horn. Read the latest on our response ›

Supporter —

The crisis in Africa’s Horn may have fallen off the front pages, but the situation “continues to deteriorate,” according to the latest UN update. Children five and younger are increasingly dying from hunger and disease. Reports of cholera, measles and malaria are on the rise, too. And famine is expected to spread across even more regions of Somalia.

Here’s the latest update on our lifesaving response:

Somalia: On Friday we made the first of daily deliveries of clean drinking water to a displacement camp in Mogadishu. It’s home to tens of thousands of people who’ve flocked to Somalia’s capital seeking refuge from the drought.

Ethiopia: Seven mobile health teams in the hard-hit Somali region continue to provide vaccinations, medical check-ups and fortified food to pregnant women and children under five. We’re also trucking water to remote communities along the Somalia border, and helping herders sell their weakened cattle for cash to meet urgent needs.

Kenya: We’re reaching nearly 200,000 with clean drinking water, trucking it to several dozen villages in drought-stricken Wajir County.

With your support, teams in all three countries are working around the clock to help families survive. Forecasters are now predicting less-than-average rainfall in October, which would only prolong the current crisis — and the recovery.

Thank you for all you’re doing to save lives in Africa’s Horn.

Sincerely,