We Stand Up

So I’ve failed to keep my pre-Ohio promise to keep this blog current like a politician who inherits a crippling deficit and has to scale back on all of his/her campaign promises. Maybe it’s the 14-15 hour days, the door-to-door canvassing in torrential downpours and hail storms, or it could be the 4 hours of sleep I’m getting a night. But every time I get a little tired or cranky or lazy, I remember the volunteer who took a semester off of school to be here, or the high schooler who spends her free time helping Barack, or the staff members who have dedicated a year of more of their young lives to run this campaign. And in that light, my contribution pales in comparison.

As if speaking to me (and scores of other volunteers), Barack said yesterday: “if we’re willing to reach deep down inside us, when times are tough, when it’s cold, when it’s raining, when it’s hard — that’s when we stand up.”

I’ll remember that as I go door-to-door in the snow this afternoon because on Nov 4th there will be no tomorrow.

Thank You Bob Schieffer

Dear Bob Schieffer,

Thank you for pressing the candidates on a wide range of major issues including: the inevitable economic sacrifices each will have to make, Roe v. Wade (and our inherent right to privacy), the decision-making process that prompted their vice presidential picks, and the decidedly negative tone of each campaign.* I managed to not fall asleep this time around.

Fondly,

Elizabeth Owuor

* Although, let’s be fair- McCain’s ads are much more so.

Blog Action Day 08: Poverty

Given that almost 2 billion people worldwide live below the poverty line, I’m happy to unite with bloggers around the world today to address this serious issue. Each of the candidates have dealt with this pressing topic in their own way – John McCain’s plan is conspicuously unarticulated while Barack Obama intends to expand access to jobs, raise the minimum wage, and increase access to affordable housing.

If the world economic crisis illustrates anything – global is local – which doesn’t even account for the nearly 40 million Americans who struggle to make ends meet everyday. Don’t you think it’s time to put something on paper, Senator McCain?

Interestingly enough, as the world economy teeters off-balance, Marxian ideology is again coming back in vogue in some regions of the world. Dismayed that unfettered capitalism has failed to solve all of our problems, some intellectuals have begun to seek comfort in Marx’s premise that capitalism would ultimately self-destruct in favor of communism.  While most of us can agree that a classless  isn’t the answer,  at the very  least we need to ensure that there are safeguards in place to protect the least fortunate among us.

What can you do today to combat poverty?

Photo credit: J K Velu

http://blogactionday.org/js/3683184fb6bc63b6e9d07312b0d2ece22da7c7ba

Countdown: Ohio

I’m very excited to let you know that I’ll be joining the Obama campaign in Ohio as a volunteer from October 25th through Election Day! The GOTV (get out the vote) period is the crucial week or so before any election where the campaign makes a final, grand push to ensure voters are at the polls on November 4th. And as a battleground state, Ohio is pivotal for an Obama victory.

I’ve decided to do this because I believe this election is bigger than me, bigger than all of us; because I’ve sat by for far too long as history is accomplished in this great nation. Barack Obama’s campaign is a historic achievement. But it’s also a tightly run grassroots machine where ordinary citizens can, and will, make a difference.

I know not everyone can afford to take time off work or from their families to contribute to this campaign, but there ARE things YOU can do, including: canvassing neighborhoods, participating in a phone bank (even from home), and registering those last-minute voters. Please visit www.barackobama.com and select the “States” dropdown menu to see how you can make a difference in your community.

If you’d like to follow my progress, please keep visiting this poorly maintained blog, I PROMISE to update it while in OH!

P.S. – Here’s a little bit of self-serving Obama trivia: who also has a father from Kenya and a mother from Kansas? You guessed it…me!!!

VOTEBAMA!

Photo credit: dbthayer