Thursday, January 17, 2008

Obama: Rural America is on Board and We're Making History

From December 21st, 2007

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Today Barack Obama's campaign picked up another newspaper endorsement. The Woodbine Twiner. The Twiner is the weekly newspaper of Woodbine, a town with an estimated population of about 1600 people in 2006. It may not make the same amount of national news as the Des Monies Register but lets think for a second about what that would mean to the community of Woodbine. Say you are a resident of Woodbine. Which newspaper is more likely to sway you, the Des Monies Register that is produced far away in a different part of Iowa or you're town paper. The first newspaper that got me interested in politics was my local community newspaper. I never really paid attention to the big daily papers, they were long and boring. Eventually I found DailyKos and the rest of the netroots but I would have never gotten interested in politics without my community newspaper. That probably isn't the case for most Iowans but my point is that a local community newspaper has a lot more sway with most people then a larger state or national paper.

But back to the Twiner's endorsement. Here is some good parts from the endorsement:

After speaking with each Democratic candidate, we endorse Barack Obama for president. If Obama can run the United States and surround himself with professionals as he has his campaign, we're confident he can be that agent of change. The junior senator from Illinois has electrified crowds all over the Hawkeye State, yet he's still new enough in the Beltway to inspire our hopes that things can change in Washington, D.C.

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Obama has not forgotten that we must all work together to get things accomplished. Sure, Republicans and Democrats will forever bicker. But Obama gives us some sort of hope that the two parties can work as Americans – not divide as partisans...As we repair our image around the world and begin to focus on issues back home, Obama gives us the hope both can happen.

Read it all here.

Strategically this is important too because you have to do well in rural Iowa to win. Dean and Gephardt didn't do well and they came up short on caucus night. At the start Obama didn't do to well in rural Iowa, but just like in his Senate race once he got out into Rural America his support quickly started to rise. A big reason for his victory in the Senate primary was his strong downstate support. He campaigned in places where no Democrat had gone for years, places that where considered strong Republican territory. And he won them over in the primary and again in the General Election. We are seeing that again in the presidental race where his numbers in rural places are surging.

Back about two months ago he released a comprehensive plan to revitalize Rural America. His "Real Leadership for Rural America" plan has won wide praise from rural advocates. You can read it all here.

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His campaign has also launched a historic fundraising drive. They are aiming to get 500,000 individual donors before the voting starts which would be a record for the presidental campaign. Think about that. He has the widest grassroots financial support of any presidental canidate in the HISTORY of our country. That's huge. He's got the momentum going into Iowa but he needs a financial boost to win it. You can be a part of it and get you're donation matched but someone else and get a note from whoever matched you're donation. Via the HQ Blog here are some of the notes that people are writing:

Jay in New Hampshire:

"Rachel, thanks very much for your generous donation that matches others gifts. I'm really happy to know that the donation I've made just got doubled.

Also, in case this lifts your spirits. I'm a New Hampshire voter, definitely voting for Obama, and I think in the last couple weeks I've been able to convince a number of others who were on the fence. I'm very hopeful he can pull off a win here."

Kimberly in Utah:

"Senator Barack Obama is refreshing in the face of the other presidential candidates. He is the first candidate to excite me in many many years. I'm so happy that he has set up an office in Salt Lake City... a city no other democrat has touched."

Robert in Ohio:

"Hi Emily, I chose $114 cause of H.J. 114 RES: the Authorization to Use Force in Iraq. A resolution that Obama wisely opposed."

Phillip in California:

"I haven't worked for a presidential candidate since Kennedy (I was in my first year of college.) I am a precinct captain here... So thank you for you efforts. Let's get him into the White House."

Join them and become one of the 458,33 and counting people who have taken ownership of this historic campaign. Join them today.

His historic grassroots financial support and rural support are part of this historic campaign. For the first time we have someone who is running a campaign with the principles of the 50 State Stratagy and someone who has the grassroots base to pull it off. Here is someone who can campaign anywhere and win people over. Here is a truly progressive canidate who can unite America and build a new progressive majority. Who can call America to a higher purpose and restore our standing in the world.

This is historic. And you can be a part of it. Won't you join us? Together we are going to change America.

12 days, 22 hours, 50 minutes and 3 seconds 'till change.

Also One Million Strong

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