Update:  Enjoy the trip in the diary here; but folks, we need help in PA.  If you can come here and canvas, the campaign will likely find you a place to stay.  Call from home on the phones.  Pray, if you are into praying.  Order a pizza for a campaign office (we really need food, see comments for how send food to the West Philly field office).  We've got the job of all jobs here.

So yesterday I woke up and had no idea I would be spending the evening with Barack Obama at a volunteer training with 1500 other Obama activists.

Early in the morning, my housemate was bragging about being invited to a training with Barack Obama.  She made it sound like this exclusive invite-only, hand picked kind of thing.  I was beside myself with jealousy; although I tried to hide it.  I have been volunteering with the campaign much more than my housemate.  So after I calmed down a little; I called the office and asked about getting a ticket.  The staffer said "sure, come to the office and get one."  OMG: I'm going to see Barack, I was beside myself with excitment; so much so I called for Obama for 2 hours at the West Philly office when I went to get my ticket.  

This was not a public rally; it was billed as a training for volunteers.  

My housemate got a call yesterday and was invited to be trained as a community organizer in Philadelphia this evening.  The trainer?  Barak Obama.  

I met Steve Young 10 years ago in the hills of Wyoming; we both attended a Trial Lawyers workshop.   Steve is a people's lawyer; he  has been fighting for ordinary people and he is going to take that spirit to Washington.  Steve is a true progressive.  

Take a few moments and meet him on his web site here.

Yesterday was the last day to register to vote for Pennsylvania's closed primary on April 22.  The Obama campaign launched a massive effort to reach it's goal of registering 100,000 voters for the Democratic Party. We rallied up and covered every Easter service, train station, busy street in West Philadelphia with people to get people registered.  

Yesterday, I was signing people up in a park on West Philadelphia.  Most notable, I ran into an illiterate man who wanted to change his registration from Republican to Democrat.  I filled out the form for him and he signed it.  As we finished, I witnessed a glimmer of hope in his eye; even through through his obvious poverty.  

Obama is going to sweep Philadelphia.  More PA results below.  

So my non-blogging friends would ask me why I go to blogs to get my news.  One of my reasons, I would say, is we have a built in system of accountability for the information contained in it, especially at Dkos.  Just post something that is wrong and people will surely jump all over you in the comments.  It's part of the culture; if you see something false, inaccurate, misleading, leave a comment and say so.

But something is changing here, and it's becoming more noticable everyday.  

...a Democrat.  

From Obama's annoucement of his presidential candidacy on Feb. 10, 2007

What's stopped us from meeting these challenges is not the absence of sound policies and sensible plans. What's stopped us is the failure of leadership, the smallness of our politics - the ease with which we're distracted by the petty and trivial, our chronic avoidance of tough decisions, our preference for scoring cheap political points instead of rolling up our sleeves and building a working consensus to tackle big problems.

Many Americans have big issues around debt; and these issues are reflected in how some of our leaders manage their political organizations.  The basic philosphy is this:  spend now and worry about paying later.  This is the great gift of the Bush years; just a reflection of what we have done on a micro level with our own household finances.  

Follow me below for what you came for.  

Looks like the New Hampshire drama is not over yet.

My friend gave this speech on Yom Kippur to our congregation.  I was pretty floored by it and thought it needs to be shared; and many in this community will appreciate it (cross posted on Street Prophets).  I feel it really captures the essence of what Yom Kippur is all about.  

Tomorrow evening, Friday, Yom Kippur starts; a Jewish tradition where we stand together to ask forgivness for all the ways we have collectively "missed the mark" ("sins" as is it is commonly translated as).  Unfortunately, going to synagogue and following the traditional prayers can drain all the meaning out of this process.