Posts from — July 2008

Almost 2 million supporters have come together to build up a movement for change since Barack announced his candidacy for president last February. And over the past 17 months, supporters have joined this effort to bring Americans together, end the divisive politics of Washington, and give government back to the people.

Jackie in New Mexico:

I am a 59-year-old female and have never donated to a political candidate before Barack. I heard him speak here at Santa Fe Community College where I work and, I guess like so many others, for the first time in such a very long time, I did have hope again, and I cried.

I’d all but given up on ever again believing in our political system, in ever again thinking that it could work for the good of the people or that anyone would make any sense again. And then I heard him speak and my heart nearly broke. I really didn’t want to trust again. I was so crushed by what had happened to our idealism, in the sixties but he really did give me hope.

Travis in Washington, DC:

I recently started what I am calling the "Obama Diet" (no, I am not trying to become as skinny as Obama). For the past two years, I have gone out and paid for lunch every single day. Now, I keep a loaf of bread at my desk so I can make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches at lunch.

The money I save goes to Obama. This is not much of a sacrifice when compared to what people in much more difficult financial circumstances are doing for Obama - like my grandmother, who saves money from her Social Security checks to donate - but it’s a fun way to help the campaign.

Cindi in Utah:

Barack Obama has inspired me to become involved with the political process for the first time in my life. I am a 42-year-old typical white woman who grew up in Texas in a "backward, redneck" home.

My oldest son heard Barack speak at an event in Los Angeles (my son is attending Occidental College) and was so impressed by Barack. I started watching the primary process and listening to Barack myself. I became inspired to get involved. I have never voted in a primary, a city or a state election, nor have I ever campaigned or donated to a campaign until this year.
I heard on the radio that the Obama campaign had an office here in St. George, Utah, and I called the radio station to find out the address and went immediately to the office and started making phone calls. I also went door to door asking people to get out and vote. This is quite a feat because I tend to suffer from social anxiety, but I did it – while having anxiety attacks – because I felt it was so important for our country.

Barack inspired me to want to make a difference and to be a better person. Barack Obama is what our country needs at this time. His time is NOW! I feel Barack is the one candidate who can bring this change about. I wanted to do all I could to make a difference even with being a busy mother of 7 (5 of my own and 2 step-children).

We cannot do it alone but together we can make a difference – Yes, we can!!!

Anthony in California:

I have been a registered Republican for some time and changed my registration to independent in 2007 because I became disillusioned with the party. I am inspired by Barack Obama. I am proud to donate to the campaign, inform others about the truth and fight the smears as well as make it to the polls in November and bringing as many as I can with me.

With fewer than 100 days to go, our supporters are coming together and bringing their friends into this movement. Join them today.

Barack Obama’s return to Iowa today was bittersweet. The Senator received a warm welcome from many who remember his visits in 2007, long before the first vote was cast in any of the historic primaries or caucuses of this cycle’s nominating contest. But the city was far different today, still in recovery from severe flooding suffered last month.

Hardships faced by the people of Cedar Rapids are only compounded by economic challenges facing all Americans, whether it be increasing job insecurity or higher prices at the gas pump. Barack took some time this morning to meet with officials and residents to see how the federal government can enter into a partnership in the face of such tragedy.

At a town hall in Cedar Rapids, Senator Obama reminded those in attendance of the clear choice we have in this election: To choose a way to move forward or to stick with the policies of the last eight years.

On this day in Iowa, there was no doubt that Americans are ready for something new, whether it be an energy policy that makes sense, or an end to "low road" politics.

It was also clear that the Iowans here felt a sense of ownership and pride in a Presidential campaign that began in VFW halls and high school gymnasiums all across their great state.

Arun Chaudhary
July 31st 2008
En route to St. Petersburg, Florida

This summer the Obama campaign is building a robust, 50-state campaign. We’re going to make sure that every voice is heard and every supporter has a chance to get involved. Throughout the primaries, people declared their support for Barack and took action in their communities - and for many, this was their first political experience.

Martin in Nevada:

I am a self-employed Certified Public Accountant who started my own firm one year ago. Money is tight. We, my wife and two teenage children, have had to manage our money carefully and are able to make ends meet on my wife’s earnings (she is working three jobs) plus my small contributions from my fledgling business. To date we have both donated to Barack Obama’s campaign in amounts that are significant for us.

Although I am 57-years-old, I have NEVER made a contribution to ANY candidate. I was a registered Republican before changing my party affiliation to Democrat in order to vote for Barack in Nevada’s caucus. America is at the crossroads of history. I believe we must take this path to heal our national soul and to return us to the path of moral high ground. In the past eight years, we, as a nation, have deviated from this path and now find ourselves on the WRONG side of too many issues. 

Linda in North Carolina:

I’m 60-years-old and will be 61 before the election. I was raised in a politically active (albeit Republican) family and was a “child of the sixties,” graduating from college in 1969. But until this year, I had never worked for nor donated to any political campaign . . . NEVER. I know my story isn’t unique, which is precisely what is so wonderful about this election. (As a note, not ALL of those ‘over 60 white women’ are for McCain.)

Vanessa in New York:

It’s sad to say, but true, that this is the first time I’ve donated to a presidential campaign. But finally someone has come along who truly inspires me to be a better person, to try to make change happen in the world and in my life, AND to believe that big dreams can come true. I believe in Barack Obama and what he can do for our country. I will be so proud as an American to be able to introduce this man as the president of our fine country!

With your help, we can keep the momentum going and continue to involve the American people in this campaign, this movement. Join us today.

Today the Obama campaign released the following statement on the unveiling of LowRoadExpress.com:

Obama Campaign Launches LowRoadExpress.com

New Website will Fact check and Correct McCain Campaign’s False Attacks

CHICAGO, IL - The Obama campaign launched a new website, LowRoadExpress.com, to answer the barrage of false, negative attacks launched by the McCain campaign. "The Low Road Express" is a new website that will document and fact check the McCain campaign’s misleading and increasingly negative ads. At LowRoadExpress.com the Obama campaign will correct the record and fact check the barrage of false attacks the McCain campaign continues to launch.

In a March strategy memo from John McCain’s campaign manager Rick Davis, McCain pledged to run a "respectful campaign focused on issues". In the past John McCain touted his "straight talk" and "civil" campaigning, but there are no signs of that McCain in this campaign.

With fewer than 100 days before Election Day, Senator McCain and his campaign have increasingly resorted to the low road. The tone of the McCain campaign has drawn criticism and disappointment even from loyal McCain supporters. John Weaver, McCain’s former top aide told ABC News that the celebrity ad is "childish," adding that "The new negative strategy reduces McCain."

The media has taken notice that McCain, who started off talking about running an honorable campaign, has fallen back into negative attacks and false statements.

The New York Times says that McCain’s campaign is turning into the "Low Road Express," saying that "the candidate who started out talking about high-minded, civil debate has wholeheartedly adopted Mr. Rove’s low-minded and uncivil playbook."

In Florida, the St. Petersburg Times says, "The Straight Talk Express has taken a nasty turn into the gutter," and that McCain has gone "from ’straight talk’ to a smear campaign.""

The Cincinnati Enquirer, in cooperation with The Canton Repository, The Plain Dealer, The Columbus Dispatch and Dayton Daily News denounced the new McCain ad comparing Obama to celebrities as "dubious" and rated it a zero out of 10 with zero being misleading and 10 being truthful.

"With fewer than 100 days before Election Day, Senator McCain and his campaign have increasingly resorted to the low road," said Obama campaign manager David Plouffe. "Given our enormous challenges from energy and healthcare to our economic and foreign policy challenges, the American people deserve a serious debate. Instead all we’ve been getting from the McCain campaign are misleading attacks and Paris Hilton and Britney Spears. All of the time the McCain campaign spends attacking Barack Obama is time they are not focusing on helping American families meet the challenges of the 21st century."

The Low Road Express is a new website that will document the McCain campaign’s false statements and negative attacks. At LowRoadExpress.com the Obama campaign will correct the record and fact check the barrage of false attacks the McCain campaign continues to launch.

In his opening remarks to today’s town hall meeting in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Barack directly addressed John McCain’s most recent misleading attacks:

Given the magnitude of our challenges, when it comes to energy, and healthcare, and jobs, and our foreign policy, you’d think that we’d be having a serious debate. But so far, all we’ve been hearing about is Paris Hilton, and Britney Spears.

I do have to ask my opponent — is that the best you can come up with?

Is that really what this election is about? Is that worthy of the American people?

Watch the video of Barack’s full response . . .

Behind the accusations from the two campaigns lies a furious battle to frame the racially charged conflict. See also: CBC defends Obama 

The Google advertising market says “John McCain” is more valuable than “Barack Obama.”

Barack just sent out this email . . .

Amanda —

A few hours ago John McCain, the same man who just months ago promised to run a "respectful campaign," said he is "proud" of his latest attack ad.

That’s the one attacking your enthusiasm, comparing me to Paris Hilton and Britney Spears, and making false claims about my energy plan.

Now, we’re facing some serious challenges in this country — our economy is struggling, energy costs are skyrocketing, and families don’t have health care.

Given the seriousness of these issues, you’d think we’d be having a serious debate. But instead, John McCain is running an expensive, negative campaign against us. Each day brings a desperate new set of attacks.

And they’re not just attacking me. They’re attacking you.

They’re mocking the desire of millions of Americans to step up and take ownership of the political process.

They’re trying to convince you that your enthusiasm won’t amount to anything — that the people you persuade, the phone calls you make, the donations you give, the doors you knock on are all an illusion. They believe that in this election the same old smears and negative attacks will prevail again.

They’re wrong.

And right now, we have a few hours left to prove them wrong in a very concrete way.

Can you make a donation right now before the July fundraising deadline at midnight tonight?

Show the strength of our movement for change.

Thank you,

Barack

With over 1.7 million donors, there are a variety of reasons why people donate to the campaign. And many supporters submitted their stories to tell us why they chose to give.

Gordon in Texas recently wrote us a letter explaining his story…

I wrote this on my first donation to the Obama campaign, and after multiple donations, it is still just as true.

To The Barack Obama Campaign,

I’ve been agonizing over the decision to donate to a political campaign for a while. I have never done it before, because I largely thought that politicians were the type of people that would "say anything to get elected." Unfortunately, I have been proven right time and again.

I was raised in a very Republican household and the joke around our table was that my father would likely disown my sisters if they ever dated a Democrat. I have all of the Christmas cards that my father received from the Reagan years in the White House.

Over the past ten years or so, however, I have become very disenchanted with the Republican party.

…Then I started reading about Barack Obama’s positions and how he runs his campaigns.

Then I started to investigate how he was setting up his campaign.

Then I started to get excited about the possibilities that we might really have an agent for change in the "way that things are done."

Then I started to truly believe that we might really be able to start talking about the real issues in a real way and make things happen in Washington that doesn’t pander to the lobbyists and political insiders.

My wife has told me that I am "obsessed" with this election. In a way, I am.

I not only voted for Mr. Obama in the Texas primary, I also attended the Caucus. I have never voted in a primary election before because I was so disenchanted with government in general. Mr. Obama has changed all that!

When I casually mentioned to my wife that I was considering donating to the campaign, she told me to "Go For It!" While I’m not able to help some of the grass roots efforts by calling, or any other ways supporting, I do want to support Mr. Obama’s campaign efforts with a contribution.

I want him to know that I believe in him and his message of change, and I hope that he will prevail in this contest. I want him to know how important I think his campaign is to all Americans, and how much he has touched my life just by running and being about change and living that message. I hope that he succeeds in bringing about change in politics.

So, I am very proud that my very first, EVER, political campaign donation is going to the best cause that I can imagine: to support Barack Obama’s bid for President of the United States.

Best Regards,
Gordon

The grassroots supporters of this campaign are a diverse group.  Many of them are first time canvassers, have never been involved in politics, and are looking at this election as the first of its kind. No matter the city or state, our supporters are taking action and making their voice heard.

Bryan in Pennsylvania:

I never cared about a politician, donated to a campaign, or took more than a minor interest in politics before Barack Obama. I was struck by his energy, eloquence, and his honesty. He is unlike any politician I’ve ever seen. Barack is living proof of the American Dream, and I know as president he would do his best to make sure every American got their piece of that dream too.

Martin in Michigan:

I’ve always considered myself a moderate, but I’ve never been excited, though, in the way I am about Barack Obama. I always just voted because I believed it was a civic duty. I’ve also never donated to a political campaign before, and it still feels weird every time I do it for Obama. This year was also the first time I ever voted in a primary (or in my case, a caucus), and it felt good to be so involved with the process. I’m very proud of Barack Obama, and as long as he keeps giving this country hope, I’ll keep giving him donations

Laurel in Arizona:

My husband is a police officer, and I am a homemaker to two wonderful children. I am finishing my bachelor’s degree this year, and our funds are extremely limited in the meantime. However, the hope that we both feel when we hear Obama speak and the desperation we feel in the need for change have driven us to pinch pennies, stop eating out, and donate to Barack Obama’s campaign. We want this for our country more than we want dinner out or a new pair of shoes.

I will graduate from college in December, and that month will be the best month of my life because my degree will offer me hope for my future financially, and Obama as president will be offering hope for the future of Americans in every way possible.

Carolyn in Tennessee:

I am 54 and have not voted in years. It was always the same old rhetoric every election cycle but a different face. We, as a country, are at a crossroads, and Senator Obama has given me hope for the future. I have never donated to a campaign before Senator Obama inspired me with his message. I feel we are at a pivotal moment in history and as a country. Senator Obama is the man to turn things around. Both my daughters have become very active on the volunteer scene, doing voter registration, among other things. Both are inspired by Senator Obama.

Lori in California:

Likes thousands and thousands of others, Senator Obama has inspired me to action. Having never donated in the past to any political campaign, I have been inspired to submit several donations to the Senator and several other democratic campaigns and organizations. I attend local meetings and house parties. I have hope, faith and inspiration at a level I have never experienced. Thank you, Senator Obama!

This campaign is about change. It’s about coming together as Americans and moving toward the future in a new direction. It’s about real solutions to the long term challenges we face. But we can’t do it without you. Every grassroots supporters is an important part of this campaign.

ARLINGTON, VA — U.S. Senator John McCain’s presidential campaign issued the following statement from Doug Holtz-Eakin, McCain 2008 Senior Policy Adviser, on today’s GDP data:

John McCain and Country Music Star John Rich (from the Big & Rich Country music band and Nashville Star TV show) are coming to Panama City next Friday, August 1st.

Senator Obama was in Cedar Rapids, Iowa earlier today for an Economic Security Town Hall. The trip marked Barack’s first return to Iowa since the end of the presidential primary. In his opening remarks, Barack explained:

After I announced my run for the presidency, our very first campaign stop was right here in Cedar Rapids. It was the dead of winter. The skeptics predicted we wouldn’t get very far. The cynics dismissed us as a lot of hype and a little too much hope. And by the fall, the pundits in Washington had all but counted us out.

But the people of Iowa believed that this moment could be different.

Barack spoke of the need to ease the economic burden on working families, to lower gas prices, and invest in alternative energy. 

When all is said and done, my plan will create entire new industries and thousands of new businesses, while working to strengthen our national security and save our planet. These steps are not far-off, pie-in-the-sky solutions – the American people are ready to make this change. Today, there are waiting lists for fuel-efficient cars. I’ve seen a steel mill in Pennsylvania that has become the home of a new wind turbine factory, a small business in Nevada powered entirely by solar power, and farmers here in Iowa who are testing the new, efficient generation of biofuels that can drive our economy. Across the planet, countries like Germany and the United Kingdom have already implemented clean energy polices. Now it’s America’s turn to lead.

Read the full remarks, as prepared for delivery . . .

Elizabeth, who has just moved to Kentucky from South Florida, has faced challenges recently. After the death of her husband, she broke her back in a car accident, which caused her to lose her job and health insurance. She was turned down for Social Security disability payments and, as a consequence, lost her house. She moved in with her mother, only to see that house destroyed by Hurricane Wilma. With two college degrees, Elizabeth found herself waiting tables to survive. Through sheer determination, she’s managed to overcome these challenges, now working both a full and part time job in addition to going to graduate school.

I didn’t do anything wrong, and yet life happened. It doesn’t matter what happens to you.  It’s how you choose to deal with it. I’m still a little bitter in that I was legitimately injured in an auto accident that was not my fault, and I lost my job, lost my healthcare, and started going through my retirement savings while I was waiting for disability payments. They said they reject everyone the first three times… I lost my home and my retirement savings, and then Hurricane Wilma hit 30 days after Katrina on Halloween. Parts of Broward County, Florida were destroyed just like New Orleans. … I was in a home filled with water and with no roof for 21 days, and no one came to help. … I feel like the government has let me down.

Elizabeth’s two brothers and her boyfriend served in the military, and she currently lives near Fort Campbell.

I’ve gone to all these farewell dinners for the boys at Fort Campbell. They come home, they do a semester of college, and they go right back to Iraq. They go back three times. My boyfriend just came back from Iraq. He went over there so gung ho, and he didn’t come back the same way. He’s been in the military since he was 18 and has always been a staunch Republican. He came back and said, ‘We need to elect Barack Obama. We can’t continue like this.’

Having grown up in a middle class town, Elizabeth is concerned that there really is no middle class in America anymore.

I grew up with a real belief in America, and I feel like in the last 8 years it has been eroded with this horrible corruption at the highest levels. 90% of us are really hurting today…I honestly believe that Barack can change things. I know he can’t change it overnight, but I have hope for America again.

Even working the equivalent of two and a half jobs and having to get by on less than $30,000 a year, she’s contributed time and money to the campaign.

I feel like that money’s going to go to the right place instead of just lining some lobbyist’s pocket.

You can join Elizabeth and our 1.7 million American strong network of donors - make a contribution today. Every cent counts.

Voices for Change is a series featuring profiles of Barack Obama’s grassroots supporters from across the nation. The people who make up this movement come from all walks of life, but they share a common goal: to help bring about fundamental change in Washington.

Below is a statement from Senator Barack Obama on record Exxon Mobil profits while Americans pay skyrocketing gas prices at the pump:

Perhaps the only thing more outrageous than Exxon Mobil making record profits while Americans are paying record prices at the pump is the fact that Senator McCain has proposed giving them an additional $1.2 billion tax break. While Senator McCain’s plan has succeeded in helping his campaign raise over $1 million from oil and gas company executives and employees just last month, it won’t lower gas prices or end our dangerous dependence on foreign oil. Instead of an energy policy that reads like an oil-company wish list, it’s time to create a new American energy economy by investing in alternative energy, creating millions of new jobs, increasing fuel efficiency standards, and ending the tyranny of oil once and for all," said Senator Barack Obama.

ARLINGTON, VA — Today, Dr. Danny Jazarevic, who served as the Chief of Trauma, Critical Care and Vascular Surgery at Landstuhl, issued the following statement on Barack Obama’s canceled visit to Ramstein and Landstuhl:

“Yesterday, he suggested we put air in our tires to save on gas. My friends, let’s do that, but do you think that’s enough to break our dependence on Middle Eastern oil? I don’t think so.” – John McCain

Freddie Mac has canceled plans to host convention events. See also: Congress jets without fuel price fix

Earlier today, Campaign Manager David Plouffe sent out the following email . . .

Amanda —

As we face the fundraising deadline at midnight tonight, I want you to know what we are up against.

Less than 24 hours ago, the McCain campaign launched the latest and lowest in a series of misleading attack ads.

This Karl Rove-style ploy misleads people about Barack’s energy plan and even mocks his ability to inspire voters and bring Americans back into the political process.

Watchdogs in the media are calling McCain’s accusations "bogus," "desperate," "wrong," "misleading," "ugly," "offensive," "reckless," and "a nasty turn into the gutter."

Some of McCain’s own supporters agree. One senior Republican strategist quoted by the Washington Post called the latest ad a "wild swing at Obama" that reflects his campaign’s "increasing bitterness" and the lack of "any coherent strategy to elect McCain."

Even John Weaver, a strategist who worked for McCain’s presidential campaign in 2000 and on his current campaign last year, called the ad "childish," adding that this negative strategy "diminishes John McCain" and "needs to stop."

But we will not let any attack stand. Barack himself responded quickly and forcefully, and within hours our campaign created a response ad to take their smear tactics head-on.

Can you make a donation now to get our response on the air and show the McCain campaign that there is a cost to this kind of negative politics?

With the election less than 100 days away, media pundits and Washington insiders will be watching our fundraising numbers more closely than ever.

In the face of these new attacks, you can help demonstrate that a movement funded by grassroots supporters giving only what they can afford is ready to take on the Republican fundraising machine and its onslaught of negativity.

Your support will also give this campaign a crucial boost in momentum as we build our organization to compete in all 50 states.

There are only hours left to make an impact in July.

Watch the new ad and make a donation before the midnight deadline.

Thanks,

David

David Plouffe
Campaign Manager
Obama for America

U.S. Senator John McCain’s presidential campaign today announced that John McCain will stop by the Country First Concert featuring John Rich on Friday, August 1st.

From the Washington Post:

Sen. Barack Obama campaigned through the conservative heart of rural Missouri on Wednesday, determined to prove that a Democrat can capture this bellwether state by winning over voters in its far-flung small towns as well as in its urban centers.

With a town hall meeting and rally in Springfield, another in Rolla, a stop in Lebanon, and a rainy barbecue here, Obama is trying to mimic Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill’s winning game plan from 2006 and get beyond more traditional strategies that left Vice President Al Gore and Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.) narrow losers in the Show-Me State. Democrats have traditionally counted on huge margins in St. Louis and Kansas City to counter GOP strength in the rest of the state, and it hasn’t worked.

"We are going to be fighting for every vote here in Missouri," Obama told an audience in Rolla. "Don’t let the other side scare you from what you know in your gut. You know in your gut we have to bring about change…"

[T]he Obama campaign is making a run at it, with 24 offices in rural Missouri and 150 paid staff members, an unprecedented total that is triple the number Kerry deployed.

"It’s the difference between winning and losing," said McCaskill, who squeaked past Republican Jim Talent with 49.6 percent of the vote in 2006. "People all over the state need to have a sense that a candidate cares about them, and if you don’t bother to show up in rural Missouri, if you don’t bother to ask for people’s votes all over the state, then you’re not going to win statewide in Missouri."

From the Los Angeles Times:

Barack Obama campaigned deep in Republican strongholds in southwest Missouri on Wednesday, stressing economic themes to woo fence-sitters and scoffing at rival John McCain for "tired old answers."

Obama’s forays into conservative-dominated districts were designed to highlight his economic offensive against McCain, but the Missouri thrust was also carefully aimed at easing swing-state voters’ qualms about the Illinois senator’s background and political resume.

"We can’t afford to have eight more years of what we’ve been having," Obama told a crowd of 1,500 people crowded into the gym of Glendale High School in downtown Springfield.

… Obama repeatedly linked [John] McCain with President Bush, who handily won southwest Missouri counties in the 2000 and 2004 elections but whose popularity has eroded, Democratic Party operatives here say, because of the tanking national economy and the drawn-out war in Iraq.

"John McCain believes we’re on the right track. He’s said our economy has made great progress these past eight years," Obama said, drawing a wave of laughter. "He’s embraced the Bush economic policies and promises to continue them."

Even as he castigated McCain, Obama also took care to urge Missouri voters to spurn Internet rumors and intensifying GOP assaults that have taken a toll on his poll ratings.

"The only way they figure they’re going to win this election is if they make you scared of me," Obama later told a crowd of 1,200 in a college recreation center in the small central Missouri town of Rolla. " ‘He’s new. He doesn’t look like the other presidents on the dollar bills. He’s got a funny name. . . .’ The argument is that I’m too risky."

The real risk, Obama insisted, is "doing the same things we’ve done the last eight years." He implored the Rolla crowd: "Don’t let them scare you."

Obama aides said his appeals were part of the campaign’s calibrated effort to take on misinformation and GOP broadsides even in conservative enclaves that might otherwise be written off.

"He’s here to talk about the economy, but he’s also here to address people’s concerns about him," said Jen Psaki, a campaign spokeswoman. "These are districts where the vote was 65% to 35% for Bush in the last two elections. It shows we intend to be competitive in places where Democrats have tended to shy away from in the past."

In 2004, Sen. John F. Kerry’s presidential campaign made a strong display of committing campaign cash and staffers to Missouri but in the end did not make a concerted final push, Obama advisors said — a mistake they insisted Obama would not repeat.

From the Quad-City Times:

Fresh from an overseas tour, Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama plans to focus on economic issues today in his first stop in Iowa since he clinched his party’s nomination.

Obama will be in Cedar Rapids visiting with flood victims, then will host a town hall meeting on the economy.

Campaign officials say Obama recognizes that people are struggling with the economy and with flood recovery in Iowa.

"Senator Obama wants to hear directly from Iowans affected by the floods and listen to their concerns and the challenges they’re facing and talk about a way ahead," said Jenni Lee, a spokesperson.

From the Wall Street Journal:

Money won’t get you into Denver’s Invesco Field when Barack Obama gives his acceptance speech at next month’s Democratic convention, but a pledge to volunteer time to his campaign might do the trick.

Colorado’s Democratic Party and the Obama campaign are talking about distributing tickets to the Thursday, Aug. 28, speech to those who pledge to do door-to-door canvassing, make phone calls, register voters, work on get-out-the-vote projects and otherwise help the party in Colorado this fall.

After years as a reliably Republican state, Colorado is seen as an important swing state this year. Obama and his Republican rival, John McCain, are in a neck-and-neck race for the state’s nine electoral votes, and Democrat Mark Udall is narrowly favored to replace Republican Sen. Wayne Allard, who is retiring.

Colorado Democratic Chair Pat Waak says that when she last checked a couple of weeks ago, she and the state party had received 15,000 requests for tickets to the 76,000-seat field where the Denver Broncos play. That’s separate from requests going to the campaign and the national party.

State-party workers will have first dibs on the tickets, she says, but the party and campaign also are talking about distributing tickets to outsiders in return for "a commitment of time." They haven’t decided how much time they’ll ask ticket holders to pledge, or how or if they’ll enforce those pledges, she adds.

From the McKeesport Daily News:

… Gov. Ed Rendell [announced] the opening of 24 of 27 regional offices for the Obama campaign in Pennsylvania.

"That’s 10 times the number of offices John McCain has," Obama state director Craig Schirmer said.

"That is unprecedented in all the presidential campaigns I have been involved in, dating back over 30 years," Rendell said. "I am confident that we will win the state, not overconfident, although Pennsylvania’s economy is doing slightly better than the rest of the nation."

"Pennsylvania is generally and typically an important battleground state," Obama national deputy campaign manager Steve Hildebrand said. "It is a state that we cannot take for granted. We plan to run a very aggressive campaign there."

Hildebrand said Pennsylvania, with 21 electoral votes, is second only to Florida (27) among battleground states.

Campaign officials said no office was located in McKeesport, though the Mon Valley for Obama organization has been looking for a larger office for local activities.

Schirmer and Hildebrand said offices in the statewide network are located within a 30-minute drive for 93 percent of the Illinois senator’s volunteers. A map released by the campaign shows 15 offices are open or are scheduled to open in Southeastern Pennsylvania.

Five are in Northeastern Pennsylvania, with the rest in Pittsburgh, Greensburg, Erie, Altoona, Johnstown and State College. A Beaver office also is scheduled to open.

Still, Schirmer insisted, "rural communities have been ignored far too long. You will hear more of us on rural outreaches."

ARLINGTON, VA — U.S. Senator John McCain’s presidential campaign today issued the following statement from McCain Campaign Manager Rick Davis in response to Barack Obama’s comments in Springfield, Rolla and Union, Missouri, yesterday:

“Barack Obama has played the race card, and he played it from the bottom of the deck. It’s divisive, negative, shameful and wrong.”

We have had the honor and privilege of serving as career officers in the United States Armed Forces, and of serving shoulder to shoulder with so many of the fine young men and women who are the backbone of America’s Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and Coast Guard. It is that experience that informs our judgment that John McCain is the presidential candidate best suited to serve as America’s Commander-in Chief from the day of his inauguration.

With Obama the source of jokes even for David Letterman, the McCain campaign piles on with an ad aimed at casting the Democrat as out of touch.

“Today, McCain unveiled a new ad in eleven states, flashing images of Britney Spears and Paris Hilton, suggesting Obama is just another vapid celebrity.”– ABC’s David Wright