Cross-posted at One Million Strong and MyDD
I support Barack Obama for many reasons but one of them is his commitment to the 50 State Strategy. Obama has opened offices in places like Utah and Idaho that haven't seen any presidential campaigns much less a Democratic campaign in years. Now Obama is gaining momentum in Alabama. He has opened three campaign offices and today got the endorsement of a important political group, the Alabama New South Coalition.
First the offices. Obama has three different offices in Alabama already. His campaign is holding a opening celebration for the third one this Monday. Last Monday they opened a office in Montgomery and on Wednesday they opened a office in Birmingham. How many offices have Obama's rivals opened? There are 7 of them. So they've got to have more offices then him right? Nope, a total of zero other candidates have offices in Alabama.
But offices are only any good if they get results. And Obama's field team is getting results. Today they got the endorsement of a important group the predominantly black Alabama New South Coalition. It looks like he won it pretty easily too.
Longtime New South leader state Sen. Hank Sanders, D-Selma, would not say how close the vote to endorse Obama was, but many of the 100 or so delegates attending Saturday's endorsement meeting said Obama won the group's endorsement easily.
Obama's Alabama State Chairman Artur Davis (Who outside of his support for Obama I am not a fan of) made a compelling case for Obama:
"I passionately believe you can rise above race, you can rise beyond doubts and elect in Obama someone who more than any other candidate for president in my life offers real change"
Amen to that.
Obama is probably opening the offices because Alabama is a key February 5th state but I would not be surprised if he kept at least one office open. He might not be able to win Alabama but if he can register new voters and get new people actively involved in the political process like Jesse Jackson did in his presidental runs then I think it's definitely worth the investment. We simply can't as a party abandon portions of the country because they have been deemed "red" by the pundits. Part of the reason that the "red" states are "red" is because the Democratic Party hasn't been investing resources in them and because good candidates haven't stepped forward. We have a great canidate in Barack Obama and his campaign is investing the resources to at least start building the party even if he doesn't win this go around. That's the key to the 50 State Strategy. 2006 proved that even a short time of the 50 State Strategy can provide results, imagine what 10 years of the 50 State Strategy will do. Could it could help create a new progressive governing majority? There is only one way to find out.
These people:
Believe that this man:
Can change America.
So do millions of others. Won't you join us? This is the most important time in possibly the most important election in American history. There is too much on stake to sit on the sidelines, there is to much at stake to just go with a good canidate. We need someone who will be transformational. After 8 years of incompetent criminals running our government we need someone who will unite the nation around honest, progressive principles and create a new progressive governing majority. We need to change America. Together we can do it.
33 days 'till the Iowa caucuses, 33 days 'till change.