Message From Michale Moore

A Note I Sent to You -- Three Years Ago Friends, I'm am speechless after listening to Barack Obama's speech last night. So I'm sending you something I wrote to you two weeks after Hurricane Katrina. It remains every bit as relevant today, on Katrina's 3rd anniversary, as when I wrote it on September 11, 2005. Please give it another look. Here it is in full: A Letter to All Who Voted for George W. Bush... from Michael Moore Dear Friends, On this, the fourth anniversary of 9/11, I'm just curious, how does it feel? How does it feel to know that, the man you re-elected to lead us AFTER we were attacked, went ahead and put a guy in charge of FEMA whose main qualification was that he ran horse shows? That's right. Horse shows. I really want to know -- and I ask you this in all sincerity and with all due respect -- how do you feel about the utter contempt Mr. Bush has shown for your safety? C'mon, give me just a moment of honesty. Don't start ranting on about how this disaster in New Orleans was the fault of one of the poorest cities in America. Put aside your hatred of Democrats and liberals and anyone with the last name of Clinton. Just look me in the eye and tell me our President did the right thing after 9/11 by naming a horse show runner as the top man to protect us in case of an emergency or catastrophe. I want you to put aside your self-affixed label of Republican/conservative/born-again/capitalist/ditto-head/right-winger and just talk to me as an American, on the common ground we both call America. Are we safer now than before 9/11? When you learn that, after the horse show runner, the #2 and #3 men in charge of emergency preparedness have... zero experience in emergency preparedness (!), do you think we are safer? When you look at Michael Chertoff, the head of Homeland Security, a man with little experience in national security, do you feel secure? When men who never served in the military, and have never seen young men die in battle, send our young people off to war, do you think they know how to conduct a war? Do they know what it means to have your legs blown off for a threat that was never there? Do you really believe that turning over important government services to private corporations has resulted in better services for the people? Why do you hate our federal government so much? You have voted for politicians for the past 25 years whose main goal has been to de-fund the federal government. Do you think that cutting federal programs like FEMA and the Army Corps of Engineers has been good or bad for America? GOOD OR BAD?! With the nation's debt at an all-time high, do you think tax cuts for the rich are still a good idea? Will you give yours back so hundreds of thousands of homeless in New Orleans can have a home? Do you believe in Jesus? Really? Didn't he say that we would be judged by how we treat the least among us? Hurricane Katrina came in and blew off the facade that we were a nation with liberty and justice for all. The wind howled and the water rose and what was revealed was that the poor in America shall be left to suffer and die while the President of the United States fiddles and tells them to eat cake. That's not a joke. The day the hurricane hit and the levees broke, Mr. Bush, John McCain and their rich pals were stuffing themselves with cake. A full day after the levees broke (the same levees whose repair funding he had cut), Mr. Bush was playing a guitar some country singer gave him at some fundraiser with John McCain. All this while New Orleans sank under water. It would take ANOTHER day before the President would do a "flyover" in his jumbo jet, peeking out the widow at the misery 2,500 feet below him as he flew back to his second home in DC. It would then be TWO MORE DAYS before a trickle of federal aid and troops would arrive. This was no seven minutes in a sitting trance while children read "My Pet Goat" to him. This was FOUR DAYS of doing nothing other than saying "Brownie (FEMA director Michael Brown), you're doing a heck of a job!" My Republican friends, does it bother you that we are the laughing stock of the world? And on this sacred day of remembrance, do you think we honor or shame those who died on 9/11/01? If we learned nothing and find ourselves today every bit as vulnerable and unprepared as we were on that bright sunny morning, then did the 3,000 die in vain? Our vulnerability is not just about dealing with terrorists or natural disasters. We are vulnerable and unsafe because we allow one in eight Americans to live in horrible poverty. We accept an education system where one in six children never graduate and most of those who do can't string a coherent sentence together. The middle class can't pay the mortgage or the hospital bills and 45 million have no health coverage whatsoever. Are we safe? Do you really feel safe? You can only move so far out and build so many gated communities before the fruit of what you've sown will be crashing through your walls and demanding retribution. Do you really want to wait until that happens? Or is it your hope that if they are left alone long enough to soil themselves and shoot themselves and drown in the filth that fills the street that maybe the problem will somehow go away? I know you know better. You gave the country and the world a man who wasn't up for the job and all he does is hire people who aren't up for the job. You did this to us, to the world, to the people of New Orleans. Please fix it. Bush is yours. And you know, for our peace and safety and security, this has to be fixed. What do you propose? I have an idea, and it isn't a horse show. Yours, Michael Moore MichaelMoore.com MMFlint@aol.com (And my idea now, some three years later, is that they seek forgiveness and redemption by voting for Barack Obama -- or just stay home on November 4.) P.S. An excellent film on Katrina, "Trouble the Water," is currently playing around the country. Go see it!   954-394-4980

DFA Night School: Online Organizing w/ Zack Exley

Join us on Wednesday, August 20th at 8:30 pm EDT as DFA Night School returns for an hour with one of the pioneers of the Netroots movement: Zack Exley. RSVP NOW AT: www.democracyforamerica.com/onlineorganizing Zack Exley was an early player in the Dean movement and later went on to work as Director of Online Organizing for the Kerry-Edwards campaign. We'll be talking about what works and what doesn't when it comes to organizing online as well as what are some of the new technologies poised to revolutionize campaigns of the future. Night School is Democracy for America's interactive online training program. Every month Night School brings top campaign experts right to your home at absolutely no cost to you. Simply visit www.democracyforamerica.com/onlineorganizing and sign up to learn how to listen to the call live on either your home computer or over the telephone. The training will last approximately one hour and will be accompanied by a slideshow you can view online or download and print out ahead of time. For more information or to RSVP, visit: www.democracyforamerica.com/onlineorganizing       954-394-4980

Unfit for Publication

One of the most vile smear peddlers of the 2004 election has found a new target. Jerome Corsi just published a new book full of rehashed distortions and the same old lies about Barack Obama, and the right-wing noise machine is in full gear promoting it. In 2004, Corsi helped launch the Swift Boat smear campaign with a book of distortions and lies he wrote about John Kerry. It's up to you to spread the truth, so here it is. We've posted some of the facts about Corsi and his desperate fabrications on this page, but there's even more in our PDF: Unfit for Publication. A LITTLE RESEARCH DISPROVES EVEN CORSI'S MOST BASIC CLAIMS LIE: "The year 1995 was a banner one for Obama. He had just married Michelle and the couple bought a Hyde Park condo, the first home Obama ever owned."[p 145] REALITY: OBAMAS MARRIED IN 1992 AND BOUGHT A CONDO IN 1993 10/3/92 Obama And Michelle Robinson Were Married. [Chicago Sun-Times, 10/3/07] 1993 Obama Bought a Condo for $277,550. [Chicago Sun-Times, 1/22/06] NONE OF CORSI'S DIVISIVE, REHASHED CLAIMS CHECKS OUT, EITHER LIE: "Senator Obama could claim to be a citizen of Kenya, as well as of the United States. Obama can trace his heritage back to his mother, who was born in the United States and was an American citizen when he was born, and to his father, who was born in Kenya and was a Kenyan citizen when Obama was born." [p 103] REALITY: OBAMA CANNOT CLAIM KENYAN CITIZENSHIP Kenya Does Not Allow Dual Citizenship Applications for People Over 21 Years of Age. The U.S. Office of Personnel Management writes of Kenya, "DUAL CITIZENSHIP: Not recognized except for persons under 21 years old." The Kenyan Constitution writes, "A person who, but for the proviso to section 87 (1), would be a citizen of Kenya by virtue of that subsection shall be entitled, upon making application before the specified date in such manner as may be prescribed by or under an Act of Parliament, to be registered as a citizen of Kenya: Provided that a person who has not attained the age of twenty-one years (other than a woman who is or has been married) may not himself make an application under this subsection, but an application may be made on his behalf by his parent or guardian." [U.S. Office of Personnel Management; Kenyan Constitution] Even if Obama Had Applied for Dual Citizenship Before He Was 21—Which He Did Not—It Would Have Expired. "A person who, upon the attainment of the age of twenty-one years, is a citizen of Kenya and also a citizen of some other country other than Kenya shall, subject to subsection (7), cease to be a citizen of Kenya upon the specified date unless he has renounced his citizenship of that other country, taken the oath of allegiance and, in the case of a person who was born outside Kenya, made and registered such declaration of his intentions concerning residence as may be prescribed by or under an Act of Parliament." [Kenyan Constitution] CORSI CAN'T EVEN RECOGNIZE REAL RESEARCH WHEN HE SEES IT LIE: "Christopher Hitchens noted on Salon.com that Michelle announces in her Princeton thesis that she has been influenced by the definition of 'black separatism' given by Stokely Carmichael and Charles Hamilton in their 1867 book Black Power: The Politics of Liberation in America." [p 232] REALITY: USING A DEFINITION IS NOT THE SAME THING AS HAVING INFLUENCE The Thesis Used Carmichael And Hamilton's Definition Of Black Separationism In Her Study But Did Not Suggest She Was "Influenced" By It. Michelle Obama wrote in her thesis, "Stokely Carmichael and Charles Hamilton's (1967) developed definitions of separationism in their discussion of Black Power which guided me in the formulation and use of this concept in the study…Thus, Carmichael and Hamilton define separationism as a necessary stage for the development of the Black community before this group integrates into the "open society". The idea of creating separate social structure and cultural structures as suggested by these authors serves to clarify definitions of separationism/pluralism as they function in the dependent variable which tries to measure the 26 respondents' ideologies concerning political and economic relations between the Black and White communities." [Michelle Obama's Thesis]

Area Nine Democrats Meeting

Broward County Democrats Fort Lauderdale & Dania Beach

Please Join Broward County Democrats from Area 9

For a candidates forum

Saturday June 28^th 2008

At 1:00 PM

Agenda:

Get Out The Vote Training And Candidate Forum

1:00 PM Introductions

Update on Calypso project

Introduction to the Neighbor to Neighbor Program

2:00 Pm Florida Senate Candidates' Forum

Introduction and moderation By Sen. Skip Campbell

3:00 Pm Florida House Candidate's Forum

Introduction and moderation by Chris Chiari

Join Fort Lauderdale and Dania Beach Democrats for a Area Meeting

June 28th 2008 1:00 PM- 4:00 PM

GOTV Training and Candidates Forum


Hosted By The GOGO's Democratic Club
Playa del Mar 3900 Galt Ocean Drive Fort Lauderdale, FL 33308
Get directions


Ron Mills Area Leader 954-394-4980

Calendar- GOTV

Step1

Volunteer Recruitment

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Step2

Voter Registration

A comprehensive voter registration campaign is a campaign's first step in executing a successful voter contact program. Voter registration is an important organizing tool for increasing voter turnout in your targeted areas, accessing untapped resources in under-represented communities, and building the base of your campaign.

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Step3

Identify Voters

To actually have a targeted conversation with both base voters and persuadable voters, your campaign needs to specifically identify them. Identifying voters as supporting, opposing, or not decided on your issue or candidate helps to focus your resources and find areas of support (where you focus on developing leaders and turning out the vote) and areas that need work (where you focus on persuasion utilizing your local precinct leaders). This is known as voter ID, and it is done in various ways.

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Step4

Persuade Voters

There are generally three tools that a field operation uses for voter persuasion: canvassing, phoning, and direct mail.

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Step5

Get Out The Vote

Get Out the Vote, or GOTV, starts the first day of the campaign. This is a line that is often heard on electoral campaigns, but many campaigns fail to really think about GOTV until the final weeks. But GOTV should be seen as the culmination of the process of base building and expansion. It is not enough to deliver a compelling message and have a well-run campaign. The true test of a campaign comes when it translates support into votes on Election Day.

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How To Help Elect Obama

BARACK OBAMA IS HEADED TO THE WHITE HOUSE...BUT WE NEED HELP ... YOUR HELP to get him there.

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- THE BASICS -
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Here are a few ways you can learn more, get the latest news, and share information with friends:

PHONEBANKING FROM HOME:
http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/phonebankmap

GET OUT THE VOTE
Your fellow supporters are coming together across the nation to knock on doors, make phone calls, and Get Out The Vote in their communities. You can have a major impact on the race for the Democratic nomination. Sign up now and help organize for Barack in your community.
http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/statepages

MEET BARACK
Watch a brief video and learn about Barack's early years, his education, his work as a community organizer and civil rights attorney, and his years in the Illinois and U.S. Senate. This is a great introduction to share with your friends:
http://my.barackobama.com/meetBarack



OFFICIAL CAMPAIGN BLOG
Catch up on the latest news, photos, and videos from the campaign trail and share your thoughts on our official campaign blog:
http://my.barackobama.com/blog



ISSUES
Learn more about Barack's positions on a variety of issues, from his opposition to the war in Iraq to his plan for universal health care:
http://my.barackobama.com/issues FACTCHECK ACTION CENTER
Barack Obama stands for a new kind of politics -- without the smear tactics that we're all fed up with. You can help push back against negative attacks and distortions right now by telling people about Barack and his background. The truth is only as strong as your voice:
http://my.barackobama.com/factcheckaction



VIDEOS
Watch a few of the more than 500 videos from the campaign trail on our YouTube channel:
http://my.barackobama.com/youtubechannel



OBAMA MOBILE
Our movement is ready to go wherever you are. Text HOPE to 62262 (OBAMA) to receive text updates on your mobile phone and advance notice about local Obama events:
http://my.barackobama.com/mobile


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- ORGANIZING -
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Barack Obama got his start as a community organizer on the South Side of Chicago, and since he declared his candidacy in 2007, a nationwide network of supporters have taken this campaign into their own hands, organizing online and their local communities. Here are some ways to get involved:



LOCAL GROUPS AND EVENTS
My.BarackObama is an organizing tool that empowers you to take this campaign into your own hands. Connect with other supporters in your area and find out about local events, or create your own organizing group and schedule your own events:
http://my.barackobama.com



SPREAD THE WORD
Introduce your friends, family, neighbors, or coworkers to Barack Obama. Let them know why you support Barack and encourage them to join our movement for change:
http://my.barackobama.com/invite



BLOGS
There are more than 25,000 supporter created blogs on My.BarackObama where they chronicle their campaign experience and interact with other supporters. Find one for your community or launch your own today:
http://my.barackobama.com



NATIONAL CALL TEAM
More than 2,000,000 phone calls have been made by volunteers using the online calling tool. Sign up for our National Call Team and you can reach out to supporters all over the country from your home:
http://my.barackobama.com/callteam



POSTERS, FLYERS, AND ORGANIZING RESOURCES
Print your own posters, flyers, fact sheets, supporter cards, and dozens of other resources from our online resource library:
http://my.barackobama.com/resources



COMMUNITIES
LGBT for Obama, Students for Obama, Veterans for Obama, Women for Obama and People of Fatih for Obama are just some of the many communities large and small supporting Barack Obama. Explore a few of them them here:
http://www.barackobama.com/people


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- FUNDRAISING -
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Barack Obama does not accept donations from Washington lobbyists or special interest groups. Instead, we depend on a network of grassroots supporters giving whatever they can afford.



PERSONAL FUNDRAISING PAGE
Take the fundraising process into your own hands. Help support the campaign by reaching out to people you know and asking them to give through your personal fundraising page:
http://my.barackobama.com/outreach



MATCH SOMEONE'S DONATION
This campaign has always been about reaching as many people as possible and bringing them into the political process. When you make a matching donation you'll learn the name and hometown of the person whose gift you match, and even exchange a note with them through our unique system:
https://donate.barackobama.com/match



STORE
Let everyone in your community know that you support Barack. All purchases through our online store go to support our campaign and are considered political donations. Show your support in style:
http://store.barackobama.com

Democratic National Committee Swings Behind Obama, Declares Him Nominee