Greetings from the Lone Star State! Just wanted to fill you all in on my exciting day volunteering for the all-grassroots Texans for Obama here in Austin! We're excited about our primary on March 4, with early voting February 19-29. Even though we're down 10 points to Hillary in the polls, I'm optimistic that through hard work we can pull closer. That all starts with local volunteers turning out to get involved, and as we saw today, there are a wide variety of Obama supporters here in Austin and around Central Texas!
Other Texans for Obama who were out and about around the state, feel free to check in and report on your experiences as well.
What's a Texan for Obama?
Such an amazing variety of folks showed up today at Victory Grill for this afternoon's volunteer training and phonebanking! We started by introducing ourselves and explaining why we supported Barack Obama. From life-long Democrats to folks who'd never voted before, people who were disillusioned with politics to activists from other well-known groups, we had quite a crowd. Senior citizens and high school seniors alike were well represented, and all eager to inform their respective communities about Barack. Personally, I explained how I first became aware of Obama when he was my State Senator back in Chicago, and how his Senate campaign was the first time I ever volunteered. I made myself a promise when he won that race that if he ever ran for President, I'd drop what I was doing and help him win. It's time to make good on that promise.
One volunteer really stood out to me -- an older gentleman, who pulled himself upright and balanced on his cane for an introduction, and started with, "I apologize, but I forgot my teeth today!" He talked about how he hadn't voted in a long time because he didn't feel inspired by any candidates, but when he heard Barack in 2004 that all changed. Many of these folks have been fans of Obama since that famous DNC speech, and all are very excited to finally get involved!
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How to Get Involved
There's a lot that folks can do to get involved. Live in Texas? Head over to Texans for Obama and get on the email list, and look for events in the region closest to you. If you don't live in Texas but know someone who does, email them and encourage them to support Barack, and then direct them over to that website. It's a big state, and we've got room for volunteers of all shapes and stripes. We've already got grassroots groups growing in Abilene, Austin, Dallas, El Paso, Houston, San Antonio, San Marcos, Tarrant County and Fort Worth, and Williamson County. Not in any one of those areas? Email me at keh303 (at) gmail (dot) com and I'll see how you can get connected to our volunteer network.
Texas will be up on the national phonebanking tool soon, so we'll appreciate any help you can give at that point. Some folks might be worried about calling Texas, given its Red-State Reputation. Well, though call lists aren't perfect, you'll be calling past Democratic voters or people the campaign has identified as Barack supporters. So don't be afraid -- just be polite, and tell them why you individually support Barack.
If you've still got leftover stickers, signs, and t-shirts from your state's earlier primary, let me know -- we can put them to good use! We've got grassroots groups springing up all over the state, and the more materials we can get to them, the better. Contact me at keh303 (at) gmail (dot) com and we'll arrange something.
Finally, it bears repeating that a week of good TV advertising in a state as big as Texas can cost upwards of $1.6 million dollars. If you'd like to help get Barack's message out, please consider helping to share the burden. From Odessa to Houston, Killeen to Muleshoe, Iraan to Georgetown, Barack is bringing his message of change and strong leadership to Texas.
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Ready Your Cellphones!
Want another way to help? Get your phone ready! This week, I upgraded my monthly cellphone plan to the 900 "anytime" minutes package so I can make more calls using the online phonebanking tool. I'm happy to donate to Obama, but not in the form of ridiculous overage charges! The upgrade was sorely needed -- in phonebanking for Obama this past Monday and Tuesday alone, I'd already used up 200 minutes of this month's allotment. My phone company was willing to just upgrade me for the month of February. Speaking of cellphones, anyone heading out to a phonebank, don't forget your cellphone charger!
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There's lots more going on down here in Texas, so stay updated at Texans for Obama. The Obama office in Austin will be opening this week, so watch for a liveblog of that event -- date/time is still TBA. We know Barack will be coming back to Texas before March 4, but we don't have exact dates or locations yet. So stay connected, and we'll be sure to let you know the details.
Finally, stay motivated and activated, folks! There's still a lot of work ahead of us. We may be underdogs, but we need to keep our momentum going if we're going to stay in this for the long haul.
Yes We Can! / Si Se Puede!