Tag Archives: Barack Obama presidential campaign 2008

Today, “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” is officially over.

Gay men and lesbians in the military no longer have to hide who they are, and the servicemembers who were discharged under this policy can re-enlist.

This is one of the administration’s signature achievements. Countless Americans fought hard to end this law over the course of nearly two decades, and President Obama is proud to have signed the repeal.

But today’s news isn’t just a policy promise kept — it’s a personal promise kept to the thousands of people who needed and deserved this change.

I want to share a video the campaign put together about some of the people affected by this law: four stories from men and women who served in the military during “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”

You should watch the video and share it with everyone who cares about fairness and equality in America.

Before my current job, I was in the White House working on getting this done, and I can honestly say that repealing “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” is one of the greatest things I have ever been or ever will be a part of. I think about it every time I walk into my office, where I keep one of the pens the President used to sign the bill.

It’s a reminder that — as broken as Washington is and as long as change can take — people and organizations can do amazing things when they work together and never waver from the vision that unites them.

Watch four people say what today means to them — and let us know what it means to you:

http://my.barackobama.com/dadtvid

There’s a lot more to do in the months ahead. But today is one to savor.

Thanks,

Messina

Jim Messina
Campaign Manager
Obama for America

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

the 2012 election: our grassroots fundraising program…Julianna Smoot, BarackObama.com

09/06/2011 Nativegrl77

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

Gray hairs …Michelle Obama

08/04/2011 Nativegrl77

Every day, I see Barack make choices he knows will affect every American family. That’s no small task for anyone — and more proof that he’s earning every last one of those gray hairs.

This has been a busy week in Washington, but today happens to be Barack’s 50th birthday. I’m writing to you because this year, the girls and I would like to do something a little different.

I’m asking friends and supporters of this campaign to wish him a happy birthday by signing his card, and sharing why you’re on this journey with us.

Your names and notes will become part of a book that tells the story of this campaign — who’s building it, why we’re in this thing, and what he means to us. We’ll deliver a copy to Barack and send one to our campaign offices across the country.

I’ve known Barack for more than 20 of his 50 years, and we’ve been through quite a lot together.

It still amazes me that no matter how many decisions and distractions he’s faced with every day, he’s always able to focus on the bigger picture. One way he does that is by making time for stories and letters from people like you — because he knows that this job isn’t about him, but about the millions of folks around the country he’s fighting for.

This next year will challenge us all to work harder than ever before, but the crucial thing is that you’re here now, early on, helping to build this campaign.

I know that, like Barack and me, you have your own reasons why, so I hope you’ll take a moment to sign the card and share your story with him and other supporters of this campaign.

Thanks for being a part of this,

Michelle

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Here’s the deal ,,,Jim Messina, BarackObama.com

08/01/2011 Nativegrl77

The President and congressional leaders reached an agreement last night to meet our financial obligations and reduce our deficit.

Many people will have lots to say about this deal — but the President wanted to talk to you directly.

Watch the video:

Please share this video with everyone you know.

Thanks,

Messina

Jim Messina
Campaign Manager
Obama for America

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Exclusive: First look at our report … Jim Messina, BarackObama.com

07/13/2011 Nativegrl77

We’re filing this campaign‘s first financial report with the Federal Election Commission on Friday.

You own this campaign, so you deserve to get this news first.

And thanks to you and other supporters all over the country, there’s a lot of good news to share.

I’m not going to steal my own thunder here in the email — you’ve got to watch the video to get the news about what we’ve raised, how we’re spending it, and what’s next:

The Washington chatter around the report we’re releasing has focused on one number: the sum total we’ve raised.

But other numbers that the pundits often ignore — like how many field offices we and the DNC have open, how many one-on-one conversations we’ve had with potential supporters, and how many people have already decided to own a piece of this campaign — tell the real story of our campaign.

All those numbers are in the video, and they’re the ones you should be proud of today. Watch it now …above

One more thing: It’s a fact that our opponents won’t have hundreds of thousands of people giving whatever they can afford — so they’ll be relying heavily on money from two sources to fund an unprecedented barrage:

1. Washington lobbyists and special interests whose explicit aim is to influence the federal government in any way they can.

2. Outside groups that don’t have to disclose a word about what they’ve raised or who they’ve raised it from, like one of Karl Rove’s political organizations. His groups have set an astounding $120 million fundraising goal in their campaign to tear down President Obama.

The threat to our success from these determined groups — acting solely in their own interest, not the public interest — is real, and it’s growing. And it’s going to take serious commitment and vigilance from all of us to withstand their attacks while still building the grassroots campaign we’ll need to win.

Thanks to you, we’re off to a solid start. But this is just the beginning.

So now, back to work.

Thanks,

Messina

Jim Messina
Campaign Manager
Obama for America