Children of the Jazz and Barack on Broadway

Today finds me a little short on time to write, but there are a few things that I'd like to get up here before other commitments pull me away. A brief entry on this blog? Anything really is possible.

Now to hit the high notes:

GREAT COMMENT
A lengthy and thoughtful comment was posted to my last entry by "ridingonthetrainwithnodoughsucks" and I believe that it's really worth a read. [In the interest of intergenerational inclusiveness, I'll mention that the username is taken from a great song by the band A Tribe Called Quest.] The post ends with some questions that may have been rhetorical, but I plan to make an attempt at addressing them. Later. So in the interim, please read what this person had to say, and add your own thoughts, if you have the time.

BROOKLYN EVENT UPDATE
I am happy to report that the Brooklyn event story, the one that launched this blog, seems to be finding its way to a better resolution. My friend heard today that her refund should post properly with a couple of days. I received a phone message offerings tickets to an upcoming Obama event, as promised, on September 24.

She had taken the time to write up her interactions along the way, which is great since she's not really a person for politics. At the time of the post above, she still hadn't gotten anywhere, which was disappointing. As of this afternoon, though, the campaign office remembered who she was, and told her to expect her money shortly.

I am fascinated by the invitation to the event, called Barack on Broadway. I'd come across the story that I've linked to the event name while reading clips about Barack yesterday. When I read that ticket prices started at $250, I wondered if they had plans to hold a second event for those shut-out in Brooklyn.

Today I received a phone message from James in the New York office extending an invitation to the event. When I returned his call, he confirmed the invitation to receive complimentary tickets -- and was aware that I would need more than one. He asked how many I had purchased (so presumably he would do the same for anyone else he called), and then assured me that three would be held for me. An email with more details should follow next week.

When he asked if I had other questions, I inquired about whether or not all people who hadn't made it into the Brooklyn event were being offered seats in the theater. He told me that anyone who would like a refund was welcome to receive one (offered this detail with no specific prompting on the subject), but that there was a section of seats "roped off" for anyone who hadn't gotten in to the event on August 22.

It was encouraging to learn that they have reserved a block of seats for those $25 and $15 (student) contributors to attend this event if they choose. That really is demonstrating respect for the original contribution and making an effort to reward supporters for their patience.

Just to be clear, I'm very encouraged by this gesture, but the issues that the original incident raised still matter greatly to me. I'm glad that at the end of the night on September 24 I should have a better story to tell about the Brooklyn event. I still believe, though, that there are things that really need to change in the campaign.

More transparency is number one on my list. Which brings me to one final item...

HELLO, IDAHO

A comment on an earlier post submitted by "Reggieh" asked if I would consider adding a link on this blog to the IdahoansforObama.org website. I answered in the comments that I would, as soon as I found a logical way to include links on this site. I also mentioned that a few aspects of their website really caught my eye.

One of those is transparency. If you visit IdahoansforObama.org (worth doing no matter where you live), you'll find that they've posted contact information and bios for people involved in organizing the group. This is something that I'd love to see done more extensively both locally and at the national level. Why should we have to scan news clips to know who's using our contributions to make decisions on behalf of Barack?

The Idaho website adopts the look and feel of the main Obama campaign site, but adds details specific to Idaho. It also links to a profile for the group on the main Obama site (within My.BarackObama.com), but it's doesn't rely on it for content. IdahoansforObama.org is definitely more than a splash page, which is crucial given the limited activity options in the MyObama sandbox.

It's really a great anchor to have for people who aren't well-versed in social networking software, or the whole Web 2.0 experience. It also impressed me that it's not simply brochure-ware. It does have its own contribution mechanisms in place, and clearly explains how to donate to the local campaign or the national effort.

Nicely done, Idaho! I'll conclude by saying that it's also great to have a snapshot of what's happening in a state that seems very far away from Brooklyn. If anyone else has a link to a grassroots web outpost like that, please send it to me at thinkobama@gmail.com, or add it in a comment.