Republican National Convection, Day 1
[caption id="attachment_1948" align="alignright" width="371"]
Craig Warga/ NY Daily News[/caption]
So as McKay Coppins pointed out on BuzzFeed, "Within minutes of Mitt Romney officially winning the Republican nomination, the Facebook page for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints posted a blunt reminder that it is “politically diverse.” And so I will attempt to express that political diversity with my own comments about the first day of the Republican National Convention. See below for the LDS Church's new video.
In case you didn't happen to watch the RNC's first day, (yesterday having been scrapped for fears that Hurricane Isaac would wipe out Tampa Bay like what Vesuvius did for Pompeii,) then you didn't miss nothing but a lot of hot air blowing around. A bunch of people spoke including John Boehner who proved that the swirling special effects behind his head can be more interesting than all his "a guy walked into a bar" jokes that never got to the punchline. And then the pink governors on parade began: the Governors of Ohio, Nevada, Oklahoma, New Jersey, Wisconsin, and Virginia all got up there as if to remind their constituents, "You voted Republican once, why not again?" Also we heard from Santorum, and he was only interesting because everyone knew he'd say something crazy. They also showcased the engaging Mia Love - (have you heard of her yet?) But then there was turncoat Arthur Davis. He is an anomaly to me. But considering how he flipped from being an Obama supporter to stumping for Romney in just four years, maybe he is the perfect speaker at a convention to nominate the biggest flip-flopper of them all.
Well, if you wanted to hear what Ann Romney had to say, it started like this, "This is gonna be so exciting!" And I wondered... what? the convention? a Romney presidency? or her talk? (She is Mormon, so it was most definitely a talk.) But let me get all my snark out of the way: I couldn't decide if Ann Romney sounded more like Sarah Palin (I LOOOOVE YOU WOMEEN!) or a second counselor in a bygone-era RS Presidency. (Have you noticed that some of the women speakers in General Conference smile all through their talks? Ann Romney sure has.) But her smiling laughter and awkward guffaws aside, I am bothered that she spent so much time talking about the poor and the downtrodden of America, when her husband's plan to help these people is to raise taxes on the poor and middle class and slash taxes for the rich, with some expectation that these wealthy Americans will hopefully create more jobs (or give to more charities) and trickle that wealth on down like rain water through a sewage ditch. (Click here to see my last trickle-down economics metaphor.)
However, Ann Romney appeared to be genuine in her praise for her husband. Of course, she has an incredible amount of love and respect for him. She has seen his hard work and dedication as a leader in church and as governor of Massachusetts. At one point, she said of Romney, "No one will work harder, no one will care more, and no one will move heaven and earth like Mitt Romney to make this country a better place to live." She also spoke of Mitt's passion for serving, and how he doesn't brag about it: "Mitt doesn't like to talk about how he's helped others, because he sees it as a privilege, not a political talking point."
Clearly, Ann Romney was on the stage to humanize her husband and to show America the side of him that only she might see. Well, I guess I wasn't expecting her to seem so awkward herself. I guess that both Mitt and Ann are a little on the socially inept end of the spectrum, (hence, their "real marriage"). I will be interested to see how "America" (whoever that is) views her address.
The night closed with Governor Christie, who proved he isn't as likable as he you'd imagine him to be, and who also proved that he was running for the President of New Jersey (or of the USA 2016). But I'm not complaining; his speech spurred the instant-classic moment of the evening: a guy in the convention hall gets projected onto the screen behind Christie while yelling, "YES WE CAN! YES WE CAN!" Wrong convention, wrong candidate. (Watch for him at 17:17.)
And Condoleezza Rice looked so tired. Did somebody force her to be there? By the way, if you check back tomorrow, you may or may not find a review of day 2. We may want to go to bed early, and unlike Condi, nobody is forcing us to show up.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSxbEbxeQVo?rel=0]
Craig Warga/ NY Daily News[/caption]So as McKay Coppins pointed out on BuzzFeed, "Within minutes of Mitt Romney officially winning the Republican nomination, the Facebook page for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints posted a blunt reminder that it is “politically diverse.” And so I will attempt to express that political diversity with my own comments about the first day of the Republican National Convention. See below for the LDS Church's new video.
In case you didn't happen to watch the RNC's first day, (yesterday having been scrapped for fears that Hurricane Isaac would wipe out Tampa Bay like what Vesuvius did for Pompeii,) then you didn't miss nothing but a lot of hot air blowing around. A bunch of people spoke including John Boehner who proved that the swirling special effects behind his head can be more interesting than all his "a guy walked into a bar" jokes that never got to the punchline. And then the pink governors on parade began: the Governors of Ohio, Nevada, Oklahoma, New Jersey, Wisconsin, and Virginia all got up there as if to remind their constituents, "You voted Republican once, why not again?" Also we heard from Santorum, and he was only interesting because everyone knew he'd say something crazy. They also showcased the engaging Mia Love - (have you heard of her yet?) But then there was turncoat Arthur Davis. He is an anomaly to me. But considering how he flipped from being an Obama supporter to stumping for Romney in just four years, maybe he is the perfect speaker at a convention to nominate the biggest flip-flopper of them all.
Well, if you wanted to hear what Ann Romney had to say, it started like this, "This is gonna be so exciting!" And I wondered... what? the convention? a Romney presidency? or her talk? (She is Mormon, so it was most definitely a talk.) But let me get all my snark out of the way: I couldn't decide if Ann Romney sounded more like Sarah Palin (I LOOOOVE YOU WOMEEN!) or a second counselor in a bygone-era RS Presidency. (Have you noticed that some of the women speakers in General Conference smile all through their talks? Ann Romney sure has.) But her smiling laughter and awkward guffaws aside, I am bothered that she spent so much time talking about the poor and the downtrodden of America, when her husband's plan to help these people is to raise taxes on the poor and middle class and slash taxes for the rich, with some expectation that these wealthy Americans will hopefully create more jobs (or give to more charities) and trickle that wealth on down like rain water through a sewage ditch. (Click here to see my last trickle-down economics metaphor.)
However, Ann Romney appeared to be genuine in her praise for her husband. Of course, she has an incredible amount of love and respect for him. She has seen his hard work and dedication as a leader in church and as governor of Massachusetts. At one point, she said of Romney, "No one will work harder, no one will care more, and no one will move heaven and earth like Mitt Romney to make this country a better place to live." She also spoke of Mitt's passion for serving, and how he doesn't brag about it: "Mitt doesn't like to talk about how he's helped others, because he sees it as a privilege, not a political talking point."
Clearly, Ann Romney was on the stage to humanize her husband and to show America the side of him that only she might see. Well, I guess I wasn't expecting her to seem so awkward herself. I guess that both Mitt and Ann are a little on the socially inept end of the spectrum, (hence, their "real marriage"). I will be interested to see how "America" (whoever that is) views her address.
The night closed with Governor Christie, who proved he isn't as likable as he you'd imagine him to be, and who also proved that he was running for the President of New Jersey (or of the USA 2016). But I'm not complaining; his speech spurred the instant-classic moment of the evening: a guy in the convention hall gets projected onto the screen behind Christie while yelling, "YES WE CAN! YES WE CAN!" Wrong convention, wrong candidate. (Watch for him at 17:17.)
And Condoleezza Rice looked so tired. Did somebody force her to be there? By the way, if you check back tomorrow, you may or may not find a review of day 2. We may want to go to bed early, and unlike Condi, nobody is forcing us to show up.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSxbEbxeQVo?rel=0]
Mormons for Obama: Kyle
Kyle shares some of the reasons he's voting for President Obama this November:
We've Come Too Far to Turn Back Now
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TSPtk6qJXQo]
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8FQYyPX7WDM]
Give it up for Obama's new campaign video - and with a music track that is half Friday Night Lights and half this song that I've posted below (which, by the way, looks like it was filmed on the set of FNL), there's no stopping us right now.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8FQYyPX7WDM]
Mormons for Obama: Nick Miller
Another Obama supporter adds his voice to call for a second term for President Obama:
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6UBEiSJjO8&w=560&h=315]
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6UBEiSJjO8&w=560&h=315]
A Brief Explanation of Why I'm Voting for Barack Obama
There are many, many reasons why I support President Obama. Here are just a few of them.
A Great New Spot for Maria Cantwell:
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=roljttm97NM]
For those of us in Seattle, you may have seen this spot for Maria Cantwell already. Read more about this TV ad and Maria Cantwell for Washington on her website.
For those of us in Seattle, you may have seen this spot for Maria Cantwell already. Read more about this TV ad and Maria Cantwell for Washington on her website.
Why We Love Obamacare, Part 1
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vyPl2vDIn4&w=560&h=315]
Thanks to Rob and Sarah for sharing their video on YouTube and putting this out there!
Thanks to Rob and Sarah for sharing their video on YouTube and putting this out there!
How to Become Anxiously Engaged in Obama’s Campaign
Post by Hannah Wheelwright -
With Barack Obama and Mitt Romney so close in many national polls and Mitt Romney outspending the President in both May and June, it is imperative that we do more than just “like” Barack Obama on Facebook. We all have busy lives, and we all have pressing demands on our checkbooks that limit us from making more financial contributions to causes that we believe in; but for all of us who believe that President Obama is the best candidate, we must volunteer our time as well. Even just one hour each week, or a few minutes whenever you have time, could be the tipping point for helping our President win another four years in office.
STEP 1:
Join Dashboard! Go to www.dashboard.barackobama.com and sign up. Dashboard is the official, brand-new, online campaign organizing tool for President Obama, the likes of which has never been seen before. It is a one-stop shop for all your election needs: you can connect with fellow pro-Obama people near you, get in touch with your local Obama for America office, access resources and videos about President Obama’s accomplishments, make calls on behalf of the campaign, see the calendar for events in your area, and report your efforts at the end of each day to better help the campaign crunch numbers and analyze data.
You can also join groups on Dashboard to get more updates and information about events specific to different issues. Consider joining the Mormons for Obama group found here!
http://www.facebook.com/#!/barackobama
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3eXqbzSe9x4?rel=0&w=560&h=315]
If you live in a red state, it is possible that your Obama for America office is a single-staff office, meaning that the only person paid by the Obama campaign to work there is the state director. The rest of the staff is unpaid. On the west coast for example, single-staff states include Utah, Idaho, Alaska, and Hawaii. If this is the case, your Obama for America office probably shares office space with your state’s Democratic Party. Other states have their own office for Obama for America. These offices act as exciting campaign hubs for Obama supporters, and the volunteers would love to have you stop by!
STEP 2:
Contact your local Obama for America team! When you sign up for Dashboard, it should put you automatically onto your local team and send an email with your name to whoever is the field organizer. For example, I am the field organizer for the Utah County, Utah team, so I get an email every time someone joins Dashboard who lives in my geographic area. I personally try to contact everyone on my team to let them know of opportunities they could take advantage of- but every team is different, so do some exploring and contact your field organizer if you don’t hear from them.
Depending on where you live, the closest official Obama for America events might be out of driving distance. Be still your soul! It is easy to host your own event and invite people from your area to join you. You could host a screening to watch The Road We’ve Traveled, the 17 minute documentary about President Obama’s first four years in office. You could invite someone from your community to come speak about why your community should support President Obama and have a discussion. Your local Obama for America office can give you specific tips, resources, and guidelines for how to make the event a success.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2POembdArVo]
STEP 3:
Get involved with your neighborhood team! Your local Obama for America office will help you find out which volunteers in your area have already formed one. Neighborhood teams are the nucleus of the grassroots organizing structure- the idea is that by promoting President Obama’s achievements on the community level, you will have much more influence. Check out this short video for more explanation on what a neighborhood team looks like.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nl1CjHMMGVA]
As you get more involved with efforts to re-elect our President, I believe you will feel the satisfaction that you participated in something you believe in. On the night of November 6th, as the poll numbers are coming in and the nation sits on the brink of one presidency or another, you will know you contributed and did your part. If you think that President Obama is the better candidate, I urge you to take these small and simple steps to help re-elect him.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1WbQe-wVK9E&feature=player_embedded]
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QhWDFgRfi1Q?rel=0]
With Barack Obama and Mitt Romney so close in many national polls and Mitt Romney outspending the President in both May and June, it is imperative that we do more than just “like” Barack Obama on Facebook. We all have busy lives, and we all have pressing demands on our checkbooks that limit us from making more financial contributions to causes that we believe in; but for all of us who believe that President Obama is the best candidate, we must volunteer our time as well. Even just one hour each week, or a few minutes whenever you have time, could be the tipping point for helping our President win another four years in office.
STEP 1:
Join Dashboard! Go to www.dashboard.barackobama.com and sign up. Dashboard is the official, brand-new, online campaign organizing tool for President Obama, the likes of which has never been seen before. It is a one-stop shop for all your election needs: you can connect with fellow pro-Obama people near you, get in touch with your local Obama for America office, access resources and videos about President Obama’s accomplishments, make calls on behalf of the campaign, see the calendar for events in your area, and report your efforts at the end of each day to better help the campaign crunch numbers and analyze data.
You can also join groups on Dashboard to get more updates and information about events specific to different issues. Consider joining the Mormons for Obama group found here!
http://www.facebook.com/#!/barackobama
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3eXqbzSe9x4?rel=0&w=560&h=315]
If you live in a red state, it is possible that your Obama for America office is a single-staff office, meaning that the only person paid by the Obama campaign to work there is the state director. The rest of the staff is unpaid. On the west coast for example, single-staff states include Utah, Idaho, Alaska, and Hawaii. If this is the case, your Obama for America office probably shares office space with your state’s Democratic Party. Other states have their own office for Obama for America. These offices act as exciting campaign hubs for Obama supporters, and the volunteers would love to have you stop by!
STEP 2:
Contact your local Obama for America team! When you sign up for Dashboard, it should put you automatically onto your local team and send an email with your name to whoever is the field organizer. For example, I am the field organizer for the Utah County, Utah team, so I get an email every time someone joins Dashboard who lives in my geographic area. I personally try to contact everyone on my team to let them know of opportunities they could take advantage of- but every team is different, so do some exploring and contact your field organizer if you don’t hear from them.
Depending on where you live, the closest official Obama for America events might be out of driving distance. Be still your soul! It is easy to host your own event and invite people from your area to join you. You could host a screening to watch The Road We’ve Traveled, the 17 minute documentary about President Obama’s first four years in office. You could invite someone from your community to come speak about why your community should support President Obama and have a discussion. Your local Obama for America office can give you specific tips, resources, and guidelines for how to make the event a success.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2POembdArVo]
STEP 3:
Get involved with your neighborhood team! Your local Obama for America office will help you find out which volunteers in your area have already formed one. Neighborhood teams are the nucleus of the grassroots organizing structure- the idea is that by promoting President Obama’s achievements on the community level, you will have much more influence. Check out this short video for more explanation on what a neighborhood team looks like.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nl1CjHMMGVA]
STEP 4:
Attend events, host events, and participate online! Any amount of effort you can spare goes a long, long way. On Dashboard, you can click on Make Calls, then choose which state and for what issue you'd like to call. There are multiple scripts (Women for Obama, Environmentalists, Economy, etc) you can use to call people and discuss President Obama's strengths on that issue to try to sway undecided voters. You can make calls anytime during day time and evening hours right from your own home on your own time. At the end of the day, you can Report Your Activity so that the campaign can better analyze their data and hours submitted by volunteers. If you can also get involved with events, that is even better.
As you get more involved with efforts to re-elect our President, I believe you will feel the satisfaction that you participated in something you believe in. On the night of November 6th, as the poll numbers are coming in and the nation sits on the brink of one presidency or another, you will know you contributed and did your part. If you think that President Obama is the better candidate, I urge you to take these small and simple steps to help re-elect him.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1WbQe-wVK9E&feature=player_embedded]
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QhWDFgRfi1Q?rel=0]
118 DAYS TILL ELECTION 2012
Forward... and my car is famous.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1WbQe-wVK9E]
The Obama campaign has produced a new video establishing some clear reasons for a second presidential term. I am so happy that I am on the right side of history on this one.
Also, my car and its accompanying bumper sticker is now famous... check out Democratic Underground for more on this historic occasion.
The Obama campaign has produced a new video establishing some clear reasons for a second presidential term. I am so happy that I am on the right side of history on this one.
Also, my car and its accompanying bumper sticker is now famous... check out Democratic Underground for more on this historic occasion.