A Challenge to all Obama Supporters

[gerrilea]

I recently added a post that explained why I believe and support Hillary Clinton...I do not pretend that she is perfect or spew hatred towards you loyal and vociferous "O" supporters.

I would hope you could take time and read it first:


<http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=4734529&mesg_id=4734529>


I now challenge all of you to present here at DU, experiences of how he, Senator Barack Obama has helped you personally and how his help has affected you and yours...

I truly would like you to be honest and share 1st hand experiences...I need to understand what you see in him and why. What will he really give our Country, why should I change my vote?

I don't need any links to his websites with responses of read this or that from this site or that site.

If we are to become one Democratic Party in November, explain to me why I should vote for Senator Obama here and now.

It would be fantastic to hear from IL residents and what he has done for them in his own State.

If Senator Obama is to become our nominee in November, I really need to believe in him as you do and with the utmost respect, I humbly ask this.

Best wishes,

:thumbsup:

[Sarah Ibarruri]

1. I don't know him personally, and I'm not from Illinois.....

But he motivates me. I listen to him for 5 minutes and I feel like jumping up and doing something! I have a feeling he's getting the entire nation mobilized.

[LadyVT]

19. Do you actually do something, though? Not a criticism, just asking.

[Sarah Ibarruri]

31. Yes. Rather than feel hopeless, I write letters to the media, I write letters to congress....

.... I explain to people who don't know, what is at stake here (did that on Friday to someone at work who is deliberately ignorant because she's very immature despite being rather old lol - she was surprised by all I said). I ask people to register to vote. I do stuff. It may not be HUGE stuff like saving lives at an ER, but I do stuff. :hi:

[ithinkmyliverhurts]

2. Ummm, if he's the democratic nominee, that ought to be enough.

I'm not a smart man, but that seems about right.

[JimGinPA]

3. Just Consider Yourself Lucky That She'll Still Be Your Senator When She Loses This Race...

:boring:

[Thepricebreaker]

4. one word: Inspiration - you can't take that away..... EVER

Hillary doesnt have it.. its the same old same old crap with her.

[LucyParsons]

5. I think there is some small chance (hope) that he is not corrupt enough (yet) to let us down

I think maybe he really "gets" it - about Iraq, about NAFTA, about healthcare, about college costs, about energy costs, about how impossible it is becoming to survive as a middle-class American. Nevermind as a lower-class American. Obama worked in the trenches in South Chicago while Hillary was a corporate lawyer. He taught constitutional law while she was on the board of Wal-Mart. She voted for the IWR, he was against it early, and openly. She voted for the Bankruptcy bill, he didn't.

It's that simple.

I have no illusions - I don't think Obama is Jesus. Or even Elvis. As some seem to. But I am willing to give him a shot. Hillary and her ilk, the Washington-lifers, the DLC crowd, the Bush appeasers - I have no faith in their earnestness whatsoever. I can't vote for them.

I was for Kucinich, then Edwards (reluctantly), now Obama (also reluctantly). But I'm not unthinking - I have reasons.

We may disagree, but there you go.

[DesertFlower]

11. well said. i agree with you.

:toast:

[rug]

6. I feel like jumping up and doing something after only four minutes.

[MadBadger]

7. He's a democrat and not a Republican. What else do you need to know for November?

[gerrilea]

8. With all respects, I vote what I believe and know

I wish my life was a "black and white" so to speak as yours...I want to have the faith that all you "O" supporters have...is this too much to ask for...?

I just don't understand the support he gets...I do understand the "smooth" talking...it is inspiring.

[MadBadger]

10. Early opposition to the war is a big thing for me.

I like his talk about changing Washington in terms of ethics reform and getting lobbyists out.

[mkultra]

29. well, first off let me say

I have never directly benefited from his staff or him as i dont live in his state. All i have is my instinct and my own observations.


His pledge to not take corporate money is one thing that inspires me to vote for him.
Another is his willingness to try and change the pattern of politics and be "real".
He stands clearly against the war and wants to pull troops out fast and i believe he will do it.
He reminds people that if they want to fix the screwed up political system, they are going to have to do it. He is not a silver bullet or a super hero. Hes not telling us what he will do, hes telling us what he wants help doing.
He also speaks to all the injustice and inequality that has plagued America in a way that rings altruistic to me.


I say, if you have strong personal experiences with Hillary, vote for her. In the end, you are all you got.

[dkf]

9. After the '04 election and my guy Howard Dean didn't make it

I was so heartsick I didn't think I could ever become involved again. Watching Bush and seeing how he ran roughshod over our laws and our people was even more disillusioning. I no longer had faith in the will of the people.

But I listened to Obama, and I realized again, like I used to when Dean was running, that we CAN take back our country from those that run it and have shut us out. And I do believe that Obama and Hillary represent different donor constituencies. Hillary relies on Bundlers and the old rich democratic donors that Terry McAuliffe was so good at grabbing.

Obama represents us, the grassroots, and he shuns lobbyists.

When Hillary was in the lead, I felt disconnected and distant.

With Obama, I have hope that all the things that piss me off about our country, and especially the war in Iraq, can be made better. And I don't like Hillary's "get real" attitude. I want to shoot for the stars, like Obama does.

Obama is audacious. I like that!

[bellasgrams]

18. Pathetic, not 1 good reason. Only inspiration. THIS is the way

to pick a President? Not one word of accomplishments..

[mkultra]

30. barack's has just as much experience with acomplishments

as Hillary, but frankly, neither of their giant deeds reach the stratosphere for me.
I pick a president based on character and policy.

Hillary is clearly the best politician running in the race.

[dkf]

42. Oh for goodness sakes, I've seen the list of accomplishments and Hillary's also.

I could post the lists of bills that they have both passed, do we all need to see that again?

Frankly, I have a nice cushy life, so I don't need help or assistance in any way from either of them.

I'd like to get out of Iraq and am suspicious of Hillary on this issue. I like Obama better because he was where I was before we got into this thing.

Mostly what I care about is energy independence and they both have similar ideas on that, but neither go far or fast enough for me on this issue. This is the reason I like Gore, because he is a techie genius.

And I absolutely think that getting the lobbyists out of our process, which I did address in my post, is KEY to getting anything done for us. Hillary loses me big time on this issue as does McCain.

Really, what do you want from me?

[RazBerryBeret]

12. I've never met him....

But first there was the keynote address for John Kerry in 04. I, like many others were blown away.

the next time I heard him speak was a year ago. He spoke of the failing auto industry, plants closing, people losing jobs. He talked about the waiting lists for hybrid cars...(try to buy a prius right now). How the foreign auto makers were so ahead of us in that market. He said we need to gear up our hybrid/alternative auto industry and fill the need with American Made, and get people back to work. (My father was a steel worker.)
ok, I know that sounds elementary, but seriously, why are we not on top of this?

I'm a big believer that most of our elected officials are corrupt. I don't know how to reverse this. Before the campaigning began, I really wanted someone who didn't owe a lot of people, someone who didn't have an established network inside the beltway. I even commented that this would be the year I would vote for someone like Ross Perot. Then when Obama announced, I thought it was the best of both worlds, he has legislative experience on the state level. But he hasn't been in Washington too long. I have no misconception that he is completely without favors/deals, but I think he's better than most.

and the undisputable, he started his campaign without a big machine, without a huge network, without that much cash. He built it from the ground up, he does things a little differently--I like that. But he has a pretty kick ass campaign, you have to think that has something to do with management. And he campaigns for EVERY single state, whether it's red or blue, big or small--ya gotta love that!

I could go on, but I hope that's at least a little thought provoking.

[earthlover]

13. I didn't like him that much at first...but he grew on me

I am a history teacher. When he talks about hope and optimism and he goes into history to bring his points out I get the sense that he "gets it". And this is not something one gets from "experience". He understands the ideals our country was founded on and made our country great. He understands the Constitution, and he understands the diversity of our country.

As important a job as the president is, it is still serving the people. Obama wants the people to get involved, that is what I think he means when you are the person you are waiting for. This is a paradyme shift for a president. It sorta reminds me of Harry Truman when he talked about becoming a citizen again after being president and he called it being promoted. I believe that Obama has the charisma, but that is not all. His charisma is motivating people to do the right things, to get involved and help our country. Contrast this to the charisma of the fear mongers who just make the people subservient to the government.

I like Obama because I have learned that he is an idealist. Nothing wrong with that. I think this is what our country needs now after the disaster of the Bush Presidency.

He is not perfect. He is not the messiah. He will make mistakes. But he can win and he can become a great president. He has that presence about him. I think his heart is in the right place.

[gerrilea]

15. Now this is really good...

thanks for some insights..

[earthlover]

25. Thanks!

I liked your idea for this thread. Kudos to you.

[gerrilea]

40. Thanks for the vote of support!

[ErnestoG]

14. OK, here is my list

Obama passed legislation with Republican Senator Jim Talent to give gas stations a tax credit for installing E85 ethanol refueling pumps. The tax credit covers 30 percent of the costs of switching one or more traditional petroleum pumps to E85, which is an 85 percent ethanol/15 percent gasoline blend.

-After a number of inmates on death row were found innocent, Senator Obama worked with law enforcement officials to require the videotaping of interrogations and confessions in all capital cases.

-His first law was passed with Republican Tom Coburn, a measure to rebuild trust in government by allowing every American to go online and see how and where every dime of their tax dollars is spent.

-Obama created the Illinois Earned Income Tax Credit for low-income working families in 2000 and successfully sponsored a measure to make the credit permanent in 2003. The law offered about $105 million in tax relief over three years.

-Obama joined forces with former U.S. Sen. Paul Simon (D-IL) to pass the toughest campaign finance law in Illinois history. The legislation banned the personal use of campaign money by Illinois legislators and banned gifts from lobbyists. Before the law was passed, one organization ranked Illinois worst among 50 states for its campaign finance regulations.

-As a member of the Veterans' Affairs Committee, Senator Obama has fought to help Illinois veterans get the disability pay they were promised, while working to prepare the VA for the return of the thousands of veterans who will need care after Iraq and Afghanistan.

-He traveled to Russia with Republican Dick Lugar to begin a new generation of non-proliferation efforts designed to find and secure deadly weapons around the world.

-Obama has been a leading advocate for protecting the right to vote, helping to reauthorize the Voting Rights Act and leading the opposition against discriminatory barriers to voting.

- In the U.S. Senate, Obama introduced the STOP FRAUD Act to increase penalties for mortgage fraud and provide more protections for low-income homebuyers, well before the current subprime crisis began.

-Obama sponsored legislation to combat predatory payday loans, and he also was credited with lobbied the state to more closely regulate some of the most egregious predatory lending practices.

-Barack Obama introduced the Patriot Employer Act of 2007 to provide a tax credit to companies that maintain or increase the number of full-time workers in America relative to those outside the US; maintain their corporate headquarters in America; pay decent wages; prepare workers for retirement; provide health insurance; and support employees who serve in the military.

-Obama worked to pass a number of laws in Illinois and Washington to improve the health of women. His accomplishments include creating a task force on cervical cancer, providing greater access to breast and cervical cancer screenings, and helping improve prenatal and premature birth services.

-Obama has introduced and helped pass bipartisan legislation to limit the abuse of no-bid federal contracts.

-Obama and Senator Feingold (D-WI) took on both parties and proposed ethics legislation that was described as the "gold standard" for reform. It was because of their leadership that ending subsidized corporate jet travel, mandating disclosure of lobbyists' bundling of contributions, and enacting strong new restrictions of lobbyist-sponsored trips became part of the final ethics bill that was signed into law.

http://www.wral.com/golo/blogpost/2443642/">source


There are more, but I really thought that list covered the shining parts.

[gerrilea]

17. Okay, Now we're getting somewhere...thanks

[ErnestoG]

27. Sure.

[RazBerryBeret]

16. and I forgot!

"government Transparency" that was a big one for me. It's our government, I'd like to get a little ownership back. We're all willing to work for it. now the visitor lists for the WH are top secret, there's warrentless wiretapping, handing over our records, etc. Obama has said he wants to set up a google-style website for gov't bills, projects, etc...so "we the people" can follow where our money is going...how great is that? I'm just glad to be a Democrat at this time, I think it's time we take it back!

[gerrilea]

20. Really this is true...now you've got my attention(s)

[RazBerryBeret]

35. I know you said you didn't want links....

but since you questioned if this is true, check it out. Brilliant idea....

http://obama.senate.gov/news/060926-obamas_first_la/

[gerrilea]

41. Okay...this is okay...I'm impressed...honestly

WOW, WHY DIDN'T I HEAR ABOUT THIS BEFORE NOW????

This is probably the biggest first step in us taking our Government back...MY GOD!

[zulchzulu]

21. First of all, your premise is silly and secondly, here's how Obama directly affected me

It's rather preposterous to try to insinuate that in order to support a certain candidate, you have to have had a personal relationship and or a very direct experience to make you choose for a Presidential candidate. This isn't some frat house where we're nominating the Beer Captain.

I can tell you that Obama has directly affected me because of the valuable time and investment I have put into grassroots efforts for his campaign. It worked fantastically here in Wisconsin. I got about 4,000 people to sign up to volunteer since last spring. I have met Obama on several occasions in Iowa and seen him speak in rallies and meetings where I perfectly understand why he should and will be our next President.

I have had the great honor in meeting many who support him and especially people who have known him since he was a state Senator. They are the biggest fans. They can't fathom how someone who has worked directly in their community now has the chance to be President of the United States.

During these times, I have met many who know people who lost their jobs thanks to Bill Clinton. I have run into many people who have loved ones in Iraq or where there themselves who were sent into an unneeded war that was voted for by Hillary Clinton.

So many people just don't like the Clintons for many reasons. It is indeed time to turn the page.

Like Hillary said, they will be fine. With their links and investments with outsourcing interests and Bill's links to uranium dealers in the former Soviet Union and making some serious money on their behalf.

99% of Obama supporters don't hate Hillary. They just know she is not the best candidate running. And from the last 11 primary dates, she is batting a big zero. Support whoever you want.

[gerrilea]

26. I thought my question was about Obama, not your dislike of Hillary

My premise is absolutely fair, how about some inspiring true experiences from his constituents, as I'm a constituent of Hillary Clinton, and I shared, I was hoping for the same positive feed back about Obama, not trashing Bill and Hillary...I never once trashed Senator Obama in my post about Hillary please be fair here.

I'm looking for genuine conversations and insights, not the "latest line" from the MSM or their respective camps...we as Democrats truly sharing our beliefs about our candidate.

[LadyVT]

22. He inspires you to do... what? Please explain, besides campaign for him, what

have you done? Inspiration is priceless. A candidate who makes you feel like you want to change things is wonderful. How is that translating to action in the real world, apart from getting him elected?

I think many of us are concerned that Obama is making people FEEL GOOD, and that that's why, as many of you say here on this thread, they are voting for him. He's making them FEEL that they can make change happen, that those changes will be in their own best interests. And that is a great quality in a candidate. He has said all along he is working to get elected so that the people can change things.

So what are you each doing to change things?

[ErnestoG]

28. You don't sound like a real Vermonter.

When I lived there they weren't so quick to back an entitlement candidate.

[mkultra]

33. thats a good point

So what have you done?

[LadyVT]

37. I am not from Vermont.

[sandnsea]

23. Lugar-Obama Nonproliferation Legislation

He is helping to save me from WMD attacks, in a very real way, not with a phony war chasing after phony weapons.

[TheDoorbellRang]

24. Hey, I remember that post. This is a good idea

I don't have any personal stories, but then I've only been back in Illinois for less than a year now. I just posted in the Illinois forum with your question and a link to this thread, so we'll see what turns up.:hi:

[gerrilea]

34. Thanks, I hope we can change the tone here at DU...be positive

All the hate mongering has to go...let's get constructive...not destructive...I look forward to reading others thoughts

[democrattotheend]

32. He brings out the best in me

I'm 23, working in Washington, DC, and struggling to hold onto my idealism.

When I got started in politics, I was all about the grassroots, volunteering with my local Dean meetup group and believing that if we just got enough people excited about a candidate and got more people registered to vote, we could win.

After 2004, I became a little disillusioned with grassroots politics. Kerry's triumph over Dean made me feel like all the hard work we had done in the field for Dean was useless, because the establishment would always win out in the end. When Kerry lost, it seemed clear that it wasn't because people didn't turn out, but because he didn't win enough swing voters.

I lost a lot of faith in grassroots politics and the power of ordinary people, and I went through a phase where all I wanted to do was entrench myself in professional politics, because I thought that was the only way to make a difference.

After I graduated from college, I interviewed with a bunch of polling and consulting firms, as well as a few non-profits. I ended up taking a job in the labor movement, where the political program is kind of top-down but at least it's people-driven and focuses on member-to-member contact. I didn't think much about it at the time, since I was pretty disillusioned with grassroots activism at that point.

Last month, however, Obama's victory in Iowa and later contests made me realize that on-the-ground organizing and hard work by ordinary citizens can make a difference. I began to believe once again that a motivated supporter base can take on the Democratic establishment that has long been wary of candidates who attract a lot of grassroots support. I found myself wanting to get back out into the field and talk to ordinary voters again, something I had started to think I was above since I got a nice desk job in Washington.

In the past couple years, I have struggled to hang on to my idealism. I have a coworker who is a few years older than me and has worked on the labor political program for several years, and this year he was an Edwards supporter. I asked him how he was doing after Edwards dropped out, and he said "eh, they're all just politicians anyway." I told him that I didn't want to believe that, that despite everything I've witnessed over the past few years I am not quite ready to believe that politicians who give passionate speeches don't care about anything they're claiming to be fighting for. He said he doesn't want to either, and he's not ready to say for sure that Obama is just another politician.

Obama's certainly not perfect, and he's made his share of deals and compromises in his time as a state legislator and as a senator. But I think unlike most politicians, he has remained somewhat idealistic, and maybe he, like me, is fighting to hold onto that idealism. I don't expect politicians to be successful in everything they promise, but I do expect them to at least be genuinely dedicated to achieving their goals, and I think Obama genuinely believes he can change the way the game is played so that ordinary citizens have a voice in government. Maybe he is naive, maybe he is unrealistic, but I'd rather have a president who will try to change the rules of the game than a president who just accepts the status quo and says we have to work within it.

I don't know that Obama is the real deal, but I'm not so sure he isn't, and I'd rather fight for the possibility of meaningful change to the system than accept the notion that the status quo can't be changed.

[gerrilea]

38. Wow...one word...Wow...

I can't argue with that, I too am an Idealist, or should I say, I once was...reality hurts sometimes...boy does it hurt.

I want to feel that way again, thanks for the insights...

[AZBlue]

36. You think everyone who supports either candidate has been helped personally by them?

Are you joking?

[gerrilea]

39. No...I was hoping for genuine feedback...not quick snippy remarks

I was hoping for all positive feedback...not attacks against the other candidate...or why you shouldn't vote for Hillary...buy why you are voting or support Senator Obama...the good stuff...