A Few Dollars More at the End of the Quarter

I never stop thinking about the Obama campaign these days, but I sometimes do stop writing about it. I took an end of week break starting Friday. I'm not sure that pause is over, but I do have a few things to say as Q3 fund-raising comes to a close tonight.


1. Last Week

The first is what I was up to last week. I alluded to working feverishly after Monday night's event to put something together. Well, it begins with the buffalo heads above. That's a preview of what's to come around here. Something other than words. Yup.
This is not an unveiling -- the pensive buffaloes above are my own esoteric handiwork -- but the real goods are soon to come. With the help of a talented friend, and the input of a few other generous pals of mine, a mini-campaign was put together last week. I have a full-blown, print-ready couple of sloganeering designs set to go.

The campaign to come is going to focus on promoting agility and opportunity, as well as some specific ideas: connecting the youth vote with seniors (GenerationS Obama, anyone? Building intergenerational relationships to court older voters and ensure turnout by younger ones...), pushing harder in local diasporic populations and fighting countrywide for endorsements from our elected representatives at every level.

2. Big and Small

I'm talking campaign concerns here.

I haven't heard back yet about my "why no signs?" inquiry on Thursday. Fortunately, I was not promised to expect an answer immediately by the Obama volunteer at the HQ number. It might be nice to have a speedier answer, but it makes all the difference that someone was trained well enough to be helpful without overpromising.

Of somewhat greater concern are a couple of emails that I've received from one of the NYC volunteer groups. Apparently, the deadline for independent voters (or registered Republicans who've caught the fever) to switch party affiliations in order to vote in the February 5 Democratic primary here is October 12. Someone checked the data and found a huge number of independents statewide -- enough to make a big difference in the contest between Barack and Hillary.

I'm glad that the word is getting out and that people are talking about how to make a public plea for Obama-leaning independents to walk in Democratic shoes for a few miles, but this seems like a big miss by the campaign. This is exactly the sort of issue that NYC volunteers could have been pushing for the last seven months. Given the way independent votes are likely to fall, it would have made sense to have a systematic campaign to recruit one-time, "Obama Democrats" for the primary vote earlier in the year.

I realize that it's my duty to pitch in and figure out how to make the most of the next 12 days, rather than beginning a postmortem. I'd just like to cite this as one concrete example of why it makes sense for creative people to start thinking ahead and acting, NOT just to wait for direction from HQ. I think I've spent the last month making this case to myself, hoping secretly that I'd be proven wrong, but I'm done with that. Complimentary efforts can only help the cause.

3. Good News

The good news as of tonight's email box is that Barack has gotten a bump in Iowa. According to a Newsweek story cited in an email and available on BarackObama.com, Obama holds a small lead over Hillary among likely caucus-goers. Granted, the margin of error given the sample size basically has the potential to eradicate any candidate's lead in this particular survey, but the Obama ahead spin is coming from Newsweek, not just Obama's guy, David Plouffe. In that sense, the data means less than the fact that one major media outlet is refraining from the "presumptive winner" line for at least a week.

4. The MONEY

Also, the campaign hit its mark for donors and donations. Before the deadline hit, they'd already crossed the 350,000 donor mark and claimed to have received more than 500,000 donations, as well. This will not win the race, but it's not definitely not bad news. Before signing on here, I anted up another $10 (freelance writer=big spender) to flip the counter just a little bit higher.

5. URL Hiccup Ahead

Finally, and this really ought not be at the bottom of this post, I will be redirecting the www.thinkobama.com domain in the next day or two. I know I have readers of different ages and levels of comfort online, so it's hard to know what level of detail is helpful to communicate. I just want to advise you not to be worried if you have any trouble bringing up the site this week.

For anyone using thinkobama.com to get here, there may be a day or two of oddities. I hope not. If you have any trouble, you can always get here directly, using http://thinkobama.blogspot.com in your browser.

Once the transfer is complete, there may be more to this place than just a blog. The end of this year promises to be a wild political ride.

An Excellent Volunteer at Obama HQ

I promise you that I am always looking for good news. I believe that when mistakes are made, there is still the possibility for a positive message to come from them. That's why I'm posting a quick entry about a call that I just had with a volunteer answering the main number at Obama HQ.

Last night I wrote about my dismay at the discovery that signs and banners weren't going to be permitted at the Washington Square Park rally today in NYC. I did some online research last night to try to find an explanation and came up empty-handed. Today I picked up the phone.

I still don't have an answer, but I had a great experience with an earnest and well-trained volunteer named Eric. He listened to me identify myself as a supporter, writer and blogger, and had no qualms. He focused on trying to get me an answer to my question.

When I said that my question generally pertained to a matter of policy about the rapid-entry tickets, he mentioned that there had been some other calls about them and checked the information at his disposal (presumably via an online call-response system). He offered me some details about what I could do if I hadn't received a pass, and said that they weren't required for entry in any case. This was much better than a scripted response -- this was an appropriate improvisation based on the training he'd received.

I thanked him for that information, but told him that my question was actually about the "No signs or banners permitted" in the fine print of the pass that I had received. He checked his system for information about that particular concern, but also conversationally said that he, too, found it surprising. There was no information at his disposal to answer the question, so he said that he would be very willing to pass my inquiry on to the correspondence department and he hoped that someone would respond to me in a timely way.

He was also willing to speculate, as a matter of personal opinion, that it might be related to city or park regulations, or even be a clerical error. In short, he admitted without hesitation that he didn't know the answer. More importantly, he was willing to acknowledge and even share -- speaking clearly as one individual supporter to another -- the spirit of my concern without saying anything that the organization might consider inappropriate.

Eric handled the call perfectly. He took my information, thanked me for my support and expressed his hope that someone would get back to me before the rally, acknowledging that the response might not be quite that quick. I couldn't and wouldn't ask for more.

I look forward to this candid style of communication being practiced throughout the organization. As always, a lot depends on the ability of a particular individual, but I strongly believe that organizations (including government bureaucracies) can create cultures that reward people for doing their work in the spirit of this volunteer -- which is to say, in the spirit of what Barack Obama is promising.

A Bad Sign for Obama NYC Rally

I received this "rapid access pass" graphic in an email from the Obama campaign today at about 8 p.m. ET. I was glad to see it arrive in the inbox in advance of tomorrow's rally in Washington Square Park. Then I read it.

One voice, I was told Monday night by Barack, can change the world. But signs and banners aren't welcome at a political rally. No further explanation.

I've been working furiously to translate an idea inspired by Monday night's speech into meaningful action. Friends -- not yet supporters of Barack Obama -- have generously donated their time to help me, believing in nothing but my commitment and the meaning of friendship. I won't stop working on the full realization of that idea, but I have now been given another side project.

I will be looking for answers to this inconceivably bad decision starting tomorrow. Not at the rally, though. I consider myself officially uninvited.

One Promise Kept

One story on this blog has reached its conclusion. The ending was fundamentally a happy one. As promised, we received three tickets for the "Barack on Broadway" benefit last night to make up for being shut out of the Brooklyn event on August 22.

The young man I mentor, who is now 17 years old, got to experience Barack in person. That mattered to me symbolically, but also personally, and I'm grateful that the campaign found a way to connect with one young voter they almost let get away.

There's more I'd like to say about this, but those three tickets say enough for now. This blog will remain a supportively critical look at the progress of both the campaign and the larger 2008 race, but I will also be trying to shift emphasis to more ideas for action.

I was inspired by Barack's speech at the end of the program, but also motivated to attempt more by missed opportunities that I saw on the ground. Barack reiterated his commitment to telling difficult truths to the people who need to hear them. That's the battle that I'm fighting right now.

The campaign needs to be more agile, more aggressive and more aware of its own resources. It's time to do more, and do more things differently.

If we (supporters and campaign) hold back now, there's not going to be a later for Barack Obama's candidacy. This takes more than two disconnected fields of roots (net and grass).

I have a couple of things in mind to extend this conversation to the street, and start making more direct links between the two worlds. The phone calls have begun, and I'm lining up the resources at my disposal to get this moving.

I am not willing to settle for a "Countdown to Change" in this country. It can begin now, and I'm doing my best to give it a hand.

Activism of All Stripes

Hello, readers. Handful of you that there are, friends of mine and possibly a few unknown visitors, I don't want to neglect you another day. I'm going to comment on my two-day absence, because it has relevance to what I've been publishing here.

In addition to working (for money) during the last two days, I've spent a great deal of time preparing a very short application for a fellowship being offered by MoveOn.org. After several months of intermittent involvement in all things Obama, and a month of engaged blogging, I've realized that I cannot escape an urgent sense that change is required in this country. I firmly believe that now is the time, and I believe that Barack Obama's campaign is one possible road to making a meaningful difference.

I think Barack would be the first to tell you, though, that there are many other ways to achieve some of the same ends. These include small, personal decisions about the ways one leads one's own life, as well as public arenas outside of mainstream political races. I'm currently shopping around for something public, and I don't anticipate limiting myself to one vein of activity.

I have mixed feelings about the tactics employed by MoveOn.org in some of their campaigns, but I respect the effort that they've been making for years to establish a left-leaning power base outside of the Democratic Party. This is less controversial than third-party politics; it's no party politics. That's an idea that I can embrace. Actions that center on shared causes, rather than strategic calculations built on the entangled legacies of our two dominant power machines.

Regardless of the outcome of my last-minute (that's an understatement) fellowship application, completing it proved a challenging exercise in concision -- no 1200 word answers allowed -- and self-inquiry. I walk away with a newly condensed take on my politics.

I'll share question ten with you as an example. I don't think my answer quite says it all for me, but it was fun to try.


10. Tell us your political philosophy in 10 words or less.

people not profits / open borders open minds / means always matter
(my political philosophy as haiku - 10 words, 17 syllables)

Now take a little time time to answer the question for yourself. I can guess one thing about your response that I learned from mine: It's going to contain more than a candidate's name.

Comment Boosting Barack on The Caucus

Having given full expression to my frustrations yesterday, I have felt a little more free today to remind the world why I'm a supporter of Barack Obama. As any reader will quickly realize, I spend very little time on this blog examining what's going well, but that doesn't mean that I don't see it.

I came across this post, "Obama Targets Manhattan," on one of the New York Times' blogs today. The lede mentions shut out supporters at the August 22 Brooklyn event; this immediately drew my attention. The author seems to imply that the Obama campaign organized September 27 in response to the sidewalk full of disappointed people in Brooklyn.

This may not be inaccurate strictly speaking, because that event certainly demonstrated NYC is ready for a large, free Obama rally. Nonetheless, it's incomplete; the good news is missing. In deciding to offer all shut out supporters seats at a $250 per ticket fund-raiser, the campaign had quietly created a great story that wasn't being reported.

I'm guessing the Obama media team didn't give much thought to publicity, because the story begins with a logistical mistake. As far as I'm concerned, the mistake is out there, but the response is another opportunity entirely to demonstrate what Barack Obama stands for in this race.

This is what I submitted and I hope it makes it up on the site, or at least catches the attention of Gerry Mullany, who penned the post:

One important detail regarding the first paragraph of this post from one of the supporters who was shut out in Brooklyn. The Obama campaign has offered every supporter who didn't make it into the Marriott on August 22 a seat at Barack on Broadway, the $250 per ticket fund-raising event on September 24. The NYC office has reached out by email and phone to extend this offer and an apology.

The free September 27 rally is a great, separate event, but it should be reported that the campaign is making a point of recognizing the value of $25 contributors and their time by offering them this access upgrade. This is early proof of a candidate who finds ways to make inclusiveness and respect part of the campaign, not just the speeches.

I write this as one of Barack's most critical supporters, complaining loudly online under the heading "Think, Obama" when the campaign falls short of its own high standards. They make mistakes, but I don't see anyone doing better by small donors.

Any other candidates out there ready to sacrifice $225 per seat at a fund-raiser to translate their principles into action? That's not just hope, that's actual change.

Other comments had already taken on the title (a little dubious indeed), and then launched into a Barack v. Hillary exchange. Perfectly appropriate, but I hope that my contribution will help spread the upside of the Brooklyn shut out story.

Of course, as I mentioned yesterday, I'm still holding my breath and hoping that all will proceed smoothly on Monday. The happy ending is not yet fully in hand.

I'm thankful that the campaign has done enough to give me a good story to tell in response to a piece like today's from the Times. I have the facts to share, and I want people to know about them.

I'm looking for more good stories, and I'll keep suggesting ways the campaign can create them. In this space, though, I'm always going to write candidly about whatever I find along the way.

Comment on Hillary's Secrecy Compulsion

The emotionally charged tone of my posts yesterday may suggest that I was on a critical bender directed only at my candidate, Barack Obama. As it happens, I also took the time to comment in a public forum on the latest example of Hillary Clinton's astounding propensity to obscure her decision-making from public view.

A story on HuffPo's Off The Bus site described a press conference held by Hillary's campaign in conjunction with the announcement of her healthcare plan. The briefing was intended to provide journalists with access to policy experts from the team that had put it together, presumably to help improve the quality of their coverage by allowing them to ask detailed questions.

The following if an excerpt of Beverly Davis' description of how it began:

[...] before we could start querying the three member panel, the Clinton press handlers attempted to control the spin by announcing, "This will be for background only." That's press-speak for: "It's off the record."

What?

Was this a bad flashback to the secretive Clinton White House years?

[...]

"Why is it [the meeting] background?" asked a testy Dan Balz of the Washington Post, who was sitting next to me.

"Well, unless there's some brilliant quote, we want this to be just background," said Jay Carson, Clinton's National Press Secretary.

"But why? That's why we're here; to find out who these people are and what their contribution has been and is," I chimed in.

"Unless we're going to have a revolt, this will be background," Carson responded coolly.

More grumbling and grousing by Balz and Huffington Post's OffTheBus until Carson relented to our demands that the meeting be on record and the policy team of Neera Tanden, Gene Sperling, and Laurie Rubiner began explaining the finer details of Senator Clinton's latest health care plan for the nation.

This is why I really value Barack's focus on openness and think it is significant that he keeps encouraging a change in politics. It's also the reason why I think we should all push harder to see that his standard is put into practice.

After my previous post on the subject of policy, the Chicago Tribune published a story providing some details about the 200-person network of policy advisers working on the Obama campaign. Why not extend the website to include a list with short bios for this engine of policy development? What better way to underscore the contrast with Hillary Clinton on one of the issues that is central to many people's aversion to her?

Several of the reactions in the comments following the story were dismissive of the knee-jerk secrecy, and went straight to claims of journalistic bias, slander and ad hominem attack. This is the default attack posture of right-wing radio. The press event may have had an adequate resolution this time, but the tendency is a real problem in our politics.

This is the comment that I offered on the site:

SiskoKid and linfar,

I appreciate your feeling that Hillary is a frequent target on this site. I'm personally an Obama supporter, but I understand that the tone of comments about Hillary is often vitriolic.

That said, please do not neglect the issue of secrecy and press handling. This is a CRUCIAL question.

People seriously discussing change in this country are seeking an end to the opacity and deception of the Bush White House. I believe Tinuviel and BevDavis both express this anger in their comments, though they take aim at the press' complacency and complicity in the face of being "handled."

This issue cuts across ALL policy debates. We must all hold the candidates we support accountable for setting a different tone. If we don't demand honesty now, we're not going to get it in 2008.

What's wrong with starting that conference "off the record" is the mindset it betrays. Secrecy for its own sake is a pernicious foe of democracy. It's fine that campaign PR relented in this case, but what might the outcome if the PR had the leverage of the WH behind it?

I'd like to see all campaigns disclose the identities of their policy teams publicly. Why should these decisions ever be made in the shadows?

Defend Hillary's plan and laud her ability, but don't ignore a dangerous tendency in her organization. Ask better of your candidate, so others might be persuaded to join your cause.

posted 05:07 pm on 09/18/2007

Frankly, I don't see Hillary changing her approach to politics anytime soon. That is a real difference between candidates, and it's a crucial strength that we Obama supporters should highlight and the Obama campaign should put into practice at every opportunity.

We must build more concrete examples of what Barack IS doing differently, not just in legislation, not just in speeches, but in the day to day operations of the campaign. As this article illustrates, the contrast will be glaring. Let's make the most of this opportunity to win new supporters by doing the right thing.