The Barack Obama event in Fort Worth Thursday night was great, with a capacity crowd the Fire Marshall had to cap at just over 13,000. It was the 50-minute version of his speech on change, and how together we can achieve it in the ways this country needs most, politically speaking: internationally, economically, in energy and climate change, the education system, and more. He dismissed the charge of 'Hope-monger' that so many of his adversaries would like to pin on him with a familiar refrain of his ("I know it's not going to be easy: if it was, it would have happened already!"), pointing out that he's not promising that he will change everything, but that together, we will.

Some of the better quotes:

"A Bush won't be on the ballot in November....He'll be back here in Texas...y'all are going to have to figure out what to do with him."

"Not a single great thing was ever accomplished in this country that didn't start with someone having hope."

"Hope is not facing serious challenges and mountainous obstacles and naively pretending they don't exist. Hope is seeing those insurmountable odds and still, somehow finding something within that says, 'We're going to do this, we can make it,' and overcoming those challenges."

"This is a movement, and now, it's time to move."

"Si, se puede."

"We are the change we've been waiting for."

Special props to Matthew and Mary Beth, who are not particularly (or at all?) Obama supporters or registered Democrats, but who came anyway, not just to listen, but to be a part of something historic, something special. And a shout out to all our friends and neighbors who also got out to the event, enduring bad traffic and long lines of people to lend their ears and give change a chance.

Posted by Jonathan on 29 February, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (2)

Posted by Jonathan on 28 February, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (1)

With Super Tuesday fast approaching, those Phenomenologists over at Obey are getting into the campaigning spirit, with a call to the ballot box, urging Americans the country over to exercise their right to be the 'We' in 'We, the people.'

Of course, like me, they have a particular candidate they'd like to ask you to vote for:

...more a statesman than a politician. He was against the war when it was an unpopular position (and Hillary was for the war at that time)...he is for energy and environmental conservation. He is for healthcare reform.

And who could they be talking about? Who else:

In realizing the importance of this election, and the rare opportunity to have a real change in Washington, we are trying to get involved in any way we can. One of the new steps was to set up a fundraising page to help raise campaign support for Obama. Whatever you may have heard from pundits, the truth is this: Barack Obama's campaign is not being funded by lobbyists and special interests groups or PACs; it is being funded by regular Americans like us, and like the lady Barack likes to mention when he talks, who sent him a moneygram for $3.01, along with a verse from the Bible. (Any guess on the verse?)

Maybe Obama's not your guy. Maybe you're not so sure about giving money to a Democrat (or even a Republican for that matter). But maybe, just maybe, you are ready for some change, and maybe, just maybe, you're ready to do something about it.

Make a donation today, won't you? We can make a change together, no matter what the pundits or political curmudgeons say.

YES, WE CAN!

Posted by Jonathan on 30 January, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0)

Four years ago, I was watching CSPAN one night when a young African-American man, a political unknown, who was running for Senate came on the TV. Within seconds of his talk, painting a hopeful picture of a united United States and a return to being a great nation, I ran and got Jenni and told her she had to come see the "man who will become the first African-American President in the U.S."

After being outspent by the Big Political Machine, after being tossed under the bus and told it couldn't be done, particularly while declining special interest donations, Barack Obama was able to take a first (and huge) step in doing it: running a grassroots campaign fueled by hope and the 'whatever they could afford' donations of almost 500,000 Americans who are longing for change, who don't want Red states and Blue states, but a truly United States of America.

We have been supporting him for over a year now, and his bumper sticker has been on our car for months. This is one of this times where you know you want to be on the right side of history. And four years after that first epiphany, it's so incredibly exciting to see it beginning.

Posted by Jonathan on 4 January, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (1)