Obama - What He'd Do With All This Palin Stuff

So the MYBO lists are still flurries of anti-Palin activity (I call it "Palinating"). We're completely engrossed by this ridiculous selection of Vice President. But in the name of this blog, I wonder, What Would Obama Do? Here is an excerpt from a speech from last night, while Hurricane Gustav has been slamming the Gulf Coast:

That spirit of looking out for one another, that core value that says I am my brothers’ keeper, I am my sister’s keeper, that spirit is most evident during times of great tragedy, it’s most evident during times of great hardship, it’s most evident when natural disasters strike because we understand that only God has control and so it takes it out of the realm of politics. We all understand that we have to come together.

But that spirit can’t just be restricted to moments of great catastrophe. Because as I stand here today and look out at the thousands of folks who have gathered here today, I know that there’s some folks that are going through their own quiet storms.

[…]

There’re people out there who’ve seen their jobs shipped overseas. There’re people out there who don’t have healthcare, maybe they’ve been trying to pay it on a credit card but mostly they’ve just been putting off trying to see a doctor. There’re seniors out there that don’t know how they’re going to pay their home heating bill this winter. There are folks out there that don’t know how they’re going to fill up the gas tank. There are young people in this audience right now that have graduated from high school, have the grades and want to go to college, but don’t have the money. There are young people being born in the inner cities, right here in Milwaukee, that don’t see any prospects for the future that think the only path available to them is a casket or a jail cell.

All across America there are quiet storms taking place. There are lives of quiet desperation. People who need just a little bit of help. Now, Americans are a self-reliant people, we’re an independent people. We don’t like asking somebody else to do what we can do ourselves but you know what we understand is that every once in a while somebody’s going to get knocked down. Every once in a while somebody’s going to go through some hard times. When we least expect it tragedy may strike. And what has always made this country great is the understanding that we rise and fall as one nation, that values and family, community and neighborhood, they have to express themselves in our government. Those are national values. Those are values that we all subscribe to. And so that the spirit that we extend today and in the days to come as we monitor what happens on the Gulf that’s the spirit that we’ve got to carry with us each and every day. That’s the spirit that we need in our own homes and it’s the spirit that we need in the White House. And that’s why I’m running for president of the United States of America.

Because if there’s a poor child out there, that’s my child. If there’s a senior that’s having trouble, that’s my grandparent. If there’s a guy who’s lost his job, that’s my brother. If there’s a woman out there without healthcare, that’s my sister. Those are the values that built this country. Those are the values we are fighting for.

So, what would Obama do? He'd keep moving on, talking about the issues, talking about a new dawn in America. Palin is a non-issue, so let's follow Obama and shape the future together.

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.