If you couldn’t tell, I’ve been keeping myself busy. Besides working a full-time job, I’ve been planning something big – something awesome.
Let me fill you in.
It’s no secret that I enthusiastically support Barack Obama as the next President of the United States of America. From the moment he spoke at the Democratic Convention in 2004, I’ve always kept him in my consciousness. Soon after its release, I read The Audacity of Hope and again fell in love with Barack’s policies, personality, and eloquence.
When there were close to a dozen Democratic Presidential candidates, I publicly supported Senator Obama. Much later, a week before Super Tuesday, I made time in my hectic life to put up signs around Dover Plains in support of his candidacy.
If you don’t recall, it was clear that Hillary Clinton would claim a clear majority of the delegates in New York state. Nonetheless, I still felt compelled to show support for Barack. There was virtually no political presence in the town from any political party and I found this apathy to be disgraceful. I couldn’t do much, but I did something.
Now, let’s fast forward. Obama’s deputy campaign manager, Steve Hildebrand, announced that the campaign will compete all over the country this fall, as opposed to solely in swing states.
Today, I am proud to announce that our presidential campaign will be the first in a generation to deploy and maintain staff in every single state.
The Obama campaign is following Howard Dean’s 50-state strategy, an idea with merit. I share the contention that by campaigning everywhere, a truly powerful grassroots movement can take hold.
Before graduating high school some weeks ago, I created a Facebook group called Dover Plains for Obama. There, I threw around the idea that progressive Dover students should organize a campaign event in support of the Illinois Senator. Fifty-four students joined the Facebook group, and a vocal subset agreed with my idea.
That’s when I started doing some serious research. I went to BarackObama.com’s social network, MyBo, and searched for campaign events within 50 miles of Dover Plains. Here’s a map of the results:
Notice something? There’s a geographic hole in that map, a gap where seemingly no events are being held. That void is Dover Plains and its surrounding communities. This is unacceptable, but luckily, we can change this.
In the last two weeks, I made some calls to the Dover Town Hall to check up on a group’s right to peacefully assemble, say, in the middle of town. After a well-received presentation at the public Town Council meeting this last Wednesday, I obtained the town’s blessing to hold an event of some sort.
Here are the details as they stand right now:
- Name: Register for Change
- Tag-line: Register for Change, Rally for Hope, Learn about Obama
- August 9th
- All day (9AM to 6PM)
- Intersection of Route 22 and Mill Street in Dover Plains (map)
- Voter registration drive
- Information tables about Barack Obama
- Encouragement of Obama supporters to honk horns as they drive by
My personal goals for Register for Change are straightforward. I’d like to…
- Encourage people to participate in the democratic process. Our right to vote is our most important and powerful asset as Americans.
- Clear up misconceptions, often caused by hatred and intolerance, about Senator Obama.
- Show Dover Plains and its surrounding communities that the young people of Dover can do something positive. I want to send a clear message that Dover’s young people aren’t all about gangs, drugs, or fighting.
It’s easy to respond that an event like this won’t have a tangible effect on the election. One can say, “New York state will vote Democratic, no matter what you do. What’s the point?” To that, I have a simple response.
If we can register one person to vote, it will be worth our time. If we can correct one misconception about Senator Obama, it will be worth our effort. If we can get one person to start thinking, we’ve made change.
I hope you can join me in preparing and executing Register for Change. I’ve made events on the major social networking sites. I encourage you to sign up.
BarackObama.com: http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/44kjt
Facebook.com: http://www.new.facebook.com/event.php?eid=68562510053
Upcoming.org: http://upcoming.yahoo.com/event/933115/
Let me know if you’re coming and how much you’d like to be involved. If you just want to show up, that’s fine. If you’d like to be involved with the planning, setup, and execution, please get in touch with me as soon as possible. Anyone is welcome to email me with questions, ideas, or much-appreciated offers of help. If you contact me, please leave a phone number so I can stay organized and get back to you as soon as possible.
My Doverian friends, and my friends in Dutchess County, now is our moment. Let’s do it.
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