The Obama '08 Historical Archive Project

I am starting an archive of this historical election and asking for help. After the election, the site will be at www.obama08.org. The archive will be made up of stories, photos and videos from Obama supporters sharing their experiences. If you'd like to be kept informed, sign up for our newsletter at http://69.16.213.75/~obama/.

I've also created a Yes We Did! store to help raise funds for the project.

http://www.cafepress.com/yeswedid

Obama Supporter Team Meeting: Focus Focus Focus!

I’d like to have a little team meeting with my fellow Obama supporters. If you’re not an Obama supporter, I’ll ask you to leave the room for a few minutes, please, while we talk.

Okay, now that we’re alone, I want you to know you’ve been doing a great job. Senator Obama is consistently higher in the polls than McCain, at a 5-7% level that would mean an electoral sweep in November if the numbers stay the same. Keep up the good work! However, we need to talk a minute about something important.

People, we need to focus! I am a member of dozens of MYBO groups (my.barackobama.com member groups for those that don’t know), and I’ve been noticing a large number of discussions that have to do with obscure policies, rumors, smears, Obama’s speeches, Hillary Clinton, John Edwards, racism, the flag, who should be VP, whether “the campaign” is treating us right or doing the right thing, and sometimes even tin-foil-hat level conspiracy theories. Many discussions have become argumentative, devolving to Republican-esque name calling. Some members have become so involved in individual issues, they’re pushing their positions throughout the lists, hoping to influence Senator Obama somehow, as if he’s reading the thousands and thousands of posts on all groups each day.

Remember, these MYBO groups exist to help us help Senator Obama get elected. That’s it. Period. After the election, we can argue the fine points of policy. It’s not feasible that anyone in the campaign is reading group emails, there are just too many, so we’re just talking amongst ourselves. And McCain supporters are clearly in many groups trying to cause strife and division amongst Obama supporters. Don’t take the bait! If we stay focused on one goal, to get Barack Obama elected, and not let anything else distract us, we will win in a landslide. If we lose focus, start fighting amongst ourselves, and go off-message, we’ll have a Kerry-level loss and pundits will be discussing the issue for years as the Republicans continue the current disastrous path.

My good friend in Germany, Dr. Steffen Seidel, today pointed out that, while we’ve lost focus by fighting amongst ourselves, McCain supporters have been overtaking us for Internet superiority. Steffen’s basis for this is the poor Digg results for Obama blogs, such as this one. We need to take the time we would have spent typing a 900 word homily on why Obama should choose Rachel Maddow for VP, and, instead, go into forums, blogs and news sites and Digg, Buzz Up, del.icio.us, rate, and comment with positive Obama messages.

Even better, let’s go out to register new voters, especially young voters at colleges, concerts and public events. We need to stop bothering trying to change the minds of closed-minded family members, neighbors and people who send out smear emails. In the 20 hours we spend trying to change one person’s mind, we can register 200 new voters who want change in America. Contact your local Obama office and volunteer. It’s harder, sure, than popping off opinion emails, but it’s the most important thing you can do as an American today.

I’ll leave you with this thought. In 1992, Ronald Reagan created “The Eleventh Commandment” for Republicans. It was, “Thou shalt not speak ill of any fellow Republican.” It has worked extremely well in winning elections. We need the same kind of Commandment, “Thou shalt not speak ill of Barack Obama or other Obama supporters.” If we follow that, and get back to focused work, we can fight all we want under the new President Obama.

That’s it, teammates! Let’s get back to work. Everyone else can come back in now.

To be clear

I'd like to clarify my position on "being positive." I am not in any way advocating saying only nice things about Senator Obama's opponents. Instead, I'm suggesting, tell the complete truth, but do it respectfully. The "What Would Obama Do?" concept is not literal, either, in that, as grass roots campaigners, we can and should talk about issues in detail that often Obama cannot.

For example, Senator McCain has clearly stated that one of his essential goals is to appoint Supreme Court justices specifically to overturn Roe vs. Wade.

http://www.johnmccain.com/Informing/Issues/95b18512-d5b6-456e-90a2-12028d71df58.htm

It is not negative campaigning to point this out. It is not "dirty" to provide truthful and complete information on the opponent's positions. With the above issue, it is also not negative to mention that no previous modern presidential candidate has admitted that they would select Supreme Court justices based on a "litmus test" of this kind, either for or against an issue. It would be negative, though, to say something like, "John McCain hates women," which would not be productive or influential at all.

Negative campaigning about McCain would include, for example, his age, his personal relationship/marriage issues, his temper, or the Internet-based "Manchurian Candidate" issue. You'll never hear Obama talk about these things, but, instead, you'll hear him honor McCain's military service, then talk about the issues McCain has stated his position on.

Cindy McCain is off limits, other than her public statements, such as her comments about Michelle Obama. The reason is, if the Republicans bait us into attacking Cindy, it will blur the evilness of their attacks on Michelle. We MUST take the high ground, and let the Republicans look like fools throwing their poop at us like chimpanzees as we march proudly to the White House.

The key is, we don't need to go negative to win, and, in fact, it would only serve to hurt us. We're winning now, and we will continue to do so as people finally get to know McCain for who he is now (versus the "maverick" he was in 2000), and as people who were not paying attention to the primary start listening to Obama and learning who he is. We should be positive, hopeful, respectful, and understanding that there are valid other viewpoints than ours, so we can use this new form of campaigning to usher in a new era of politics along with a new President.