(Musician and philosophy professor Oliver Carling of Buel’s Gore, Vermont gives us all some timely voting encouragement.   – promoted by Maggie Gundersen)

Vermont’s Obama campaign staff will be holding organizing meetings around the state over the next few weeks, some in conjunction with County Dem meetings.

In keeping with the 50 State Strategy, focus is not solely on helping Barack Obama, but on building a strong volunteer base to help elect all Democratic candidates.

Join Obama for America Vermont staff and local Obama supporters as we

discuss how to help elect Barack Obama and the rest of the Democratic

ticket. Learn how to get involved, pick up Obama gear, and become a part of

our historic movement and campaign for change! If you have any questions,

feel free to contact Morganne at 802-651-7151 or mpollie@barackobama.com

Monday, July 14th

Windsor County Democrats Meeting

Damon Hall

1 Queechee Rd, Hartland

7PM

Online signup: http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/4gr4k

Wednesday, July 16th

Rutland County for Obama Organizational Meeting

Fox Room of the Rutland Free Library

10 Court St, Rutland

7PM

Online signup: http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/4gr27

Thursday, July 17th

Chittenden County for Obama Organizational Meeting

Fletcher Free Library

235 College St, Burlington

7PM

Online signup: http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/4grh7

Monday, July 21st

Addison County for Obama Organizational Meeting

Carol’s Hungry Mind Café

24 Merchants Row, Middlebury

7PM

Online Signup: http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/4gr3l

Monday, July 21st

Lamoille County Democrats Meeting

Hyde Park Clerk’s Office

344 VT Rte 15 W, Hyde Park

7PM

Online Signup: http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/4gr54

Wednesday, July 23rd

Washington County for Obama Organizational Meeting

Kellogg-Hubbard Free Library

135 Main St, Montpelier

7PM

Online Signup: http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/4gvvz

Monday, July 28th

Bennington County for Obama Organizational Meeting

Bennington Free Library

101 Silver St, Bennington

7PM

Online Signup: http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/4gr5r

( – promoted by Jack McCullough)

Hello Obama Delegates!

Over the past 17 months — aside from family and work — I’ve had little time or energy for anything other than helping Barack Obama become the Democratic nominee and the 44th President of the United States.

It has truly been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. And I am deeply proud to have had the opportunity to assist the Obama campaign in any way that I could.

I would be deeply honored if you would consider casting your vote for me to represent Vermont as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention.

Throughout the last year and a half, I’ve tried to keep focused on the central idea of the Obama campaign — that there is far more that unites us than divides us.

And to this end, I’ve worked to try to break down barriers, actively attempting to bring together young and old, on-line and off-line organizing, top-down Chicago HQ and state-based bottom-up structures, field volunteers and fundraisers, the politically connected and the newly energized…

Some of you may already be familiar with aspects of the work that I’ve been involved with. But, I’d like to try your patience just a bit if I could, to help demonstrate why I believe I played an important role in building and maintaining the citizen-based Obama campaign in Vermont…

• In late 2006, I was one of the lead Vermont participants in the national Draft Obama movement, organized the first Obama supporters meeting in December, and launched http://vermontersforobama.org. I designed the Vermonters For Obama logo, now on many T-shirts throughout the state. And, much to my amazement, a modified version of the logo — along with the Vermonters For Obama web address — appeared on the side of Ben & Jerry’s vans (see below).
• On February 10, 2007 — the day the Obama campaign officially launched — I created the Vermonters For Obama group (540+ members) on BarackObama.com, which along with the companion website mentioned above has served as a central clearing house for Vermont’s Obama volunteer community.
• For the majority of 2007, I took the lead in organizing monthly Burlington area meetings, highlighted by the widely covered endorsement event at Club Metronome on September 12th, 2007, featuring Bill Sorrell, Jeb Spaulding, and Peter Clavelle.
• I’ve fielded questions from the local press, assisted with press releases, and exchanged thousands of emails and phone calls with supporters and Obama campaign staff to ensure that useful information got to the people that needed it. I spent five days volunteering on the ground in January for the New Hampshire primary — and led the canvassing effort in Bristol for Vermont’s March 4th primary.
• In February, I had the privilege of representing Obama supporters in an online debate with Former Gov. Madeleine Kunin, hosted by Vermont Public Television.
• I’m a member of the Obama campaign’s Grassroots Fundraising Committee Leadership Circle having helped channel over $3,600 through the Vermonters For Obama group fundraising page.
• I’ve continued to try to facilitate democratic communication among Obama supporters by helping to promote Damian Sedney’s amazing work in hosting the delegate candidate forums — and providing delegate candidates the opportunity to post candidate statements at: http://vermontersforobama.org/delegates
• In addition to my work here in Vermont, I’m an active organizer in the BarackObama.com online community — creating and moderating three of the longest-running and most active groups, Obama Rapid Response (920+ members), Citizen Strategy Think Tank (560+ members) and Website Feedback (280+ members). All three have helped build community and communication among supporters and the Obama HQ Web Team. And I’ve worked with online activists from across the country since 2006 to help ensure that Barack’s message was heard as widely and clearly as possible, including assisting with the creation and editing of One Million Strong, a nationally-focused Obama supporter website.

OK, well, there you have it… There’s probably not much more I should add except to say that I’d really, really love to go to Denver.

It would be an experience of a lifetime for me — after such a long journey — to be in that convention hall, representing Vermont and the ideals of this historic campaign, and to hear Barack Obama accept the nomination on August 28th, 2008, the 45th anniversary of Martin Luther King’s "I Have a Dream" speech.

If you’ve made it this far, thanks so much for taking the time to allow me the opportunity to make my case.

However, there are certainly many other dedicated people who’ve put in days, weeks, and months and months of hard work for Barack Obama. And we Vermonters should be proud to have so many deserving candidates to choose from.

See you all on Saturday!

Neil Jensen
Monkton, VT

P.S. I think the following excerpts help provide some further context…

From a March 6th, 2008 article on Barack’s victory in Vermont, by Dan Barlow of the Vermont Press Bureau…

http://www.timesargus.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080306/NEWS01/803060357/1002/NEWS01

Obama may have Neil Jensen of Monkton to thank for his win here Tuesday night. Jensen, a web designer, began talking to friends about the Illinois senator in the fall of 2006 — long before he was even a declared candidate.

A meet-up of Obama supporters at a restaurant in Burlington in December 2006 attracted about 30 people, Jensen said. Soon, the monthly meetings began drawing more and more interested Vermonters — a base that the campaign easily tapped into when it began its groundwork this year in the state.

“Our goal at first was to help out in New Hampshire,” Jensen said. “But once it became clear that Vermont might actually be important in this, we shifted focus.”

Thankfully, Obama’s campaign did not take a top-down approach to generating support in Vermont, he added, and instead facilitated the efforts and outreach brainstormed by supporters on the grass-roots-level, Jensen said…

A statement of support from Obama volunteer, Mark Wiznitzer…

Neil Jensen (Monkton) is well known as the creator of Vermonters for Obama on My.BarackObama.com and www.vermontersforobama.org. As such he has been an unofficial spokesman for all Obama supporters in Vermont, as well as the lead organizer of many of our grass roots activities. However, most of you probably did not realize that Neil is also the creator of the Obama Rapid Response group (in addition to the Citizen Strategy Think Tank), an informal media watchdog effort that is probably the most active and successful of all barackobama.com groups. And he has administered that group with unbelievable tact and patience. Neil also speaks eloquently to the substantive issues that have dominated the campaign and embodies the civil tone that Barack has asked us to maintain in this heated contest.

And finally: The Ben & Jerry ObamaMobile (my kids certainly thought it was cool) …

Hello Fellow Obama Delegates!

In order to help Vermonters make informed voting decisions at the VDP's State Convention on May 24th, I've begun a list of national delegate candidate statements at the Vermonters For Obama website:
http://vermontersforobama.org/delegates

A few candidates have provided information already, and I hope that many of the more than 100 national delegate candidates take advantage of this opportunity, as well.

So, please check the Vermonters For Obama candidate page from time to time over the next two weeks to learn more about the people who are vying to represent Vermont and to have the honor of casting their votes for Barack Obama at the Democratic National Convention in Denver.

Are You a Delegate Candidate for the National Convention?

If you are, I'd like to offer you space on the Vermonters For Obama website to help you make your case.

Just send me an email at info@vermontersforobama.org with a statement in support of your candidacy — and I'll post it online for you.

If you participate, your name will be posted in alphabetical order at http://vermontersforobama.org/delegates and will be linked to your candidate statement.

You can send statements either as text in an email, a Microsoft Word or PDF attachment, or just a link to another website, whichever you prefer. Be sure to include your full name and feel free to include a photo, too, if you wish.

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

Good luck and hope to see you all on May 24th!

Neil Jensen
Vermonters For Obama
Monkton, VT

P.S. Don't forget to participate in the Obama campaign's Vote for Change National Voter Registration Drive this Saturday in Burlington…

Who says John McCain can’t inspire this nation… With three simple words, Gonna Be Wars…

Hilarious.

Vermont’s very own national blogger sensation, Steve Benen, gives a bit of background on this interesting short film by Bill Simmon, about Steve’s so-called blogging life…

Several months ago, my good friend Bill Simmon, a terrific filmmaker (and blogger), came to me with an idea: he wanted to do a short film about blogging, staring … me. Now, I’ve never been entirely comfortable in front of a camera – I’m more of a behind-the-keyboard kind of guy – but Bill is practically family to me, so I couldn’t turn him down. Besides, I thought, a short film about me would be a) good publicity for The Carpetbagger Report; and b) exciting for my Mom.

So, last summer, Bill and some of filmmaking colleagues came over and spent the day interviewing me and watching me work. It led to a short that Bill titled, “Digital Pamphleteer.” I’m hardly objective about the finished product, but it did win an award at the Vermont International Film Festival last fall and will also play at this year’s Green Mountain Film Festival.

Here’s the YouTube version…

Everybody’s talkin’ ’bout Gravelism…

There’s an interesting live foreign policy discussion happening in New Hampshire today. Yes, it’s Obama related, but I think the discussion might be interesting for supporters of any candidate.

Here’s the schedule as I understand it…

9:00am EST
1st Panel: Renewing American Leadership

Panelists:  John Hutson, Tony Lake, Samantha Power, Susan Rice
Moderator:  Denis McDonough

10:00am EST
2nd Panel: Restoring America’s Military After Iraq

11:00am EST
Barack Obama
A Clear Choice for America: The Obama Foreign Policy

And here’s the live video stream…

For more info on the Forum:
http://nh.barackobam…

And if you’re having trouble with the stream, you can go here instead:
http://ustream.tv/ch…

Well, apparently Obama's very bold technology plan (full details at link) unveiled at Google today has made quite an impression on Matt Stoller. And if the past has been any guide, that's not an easy thing to do.

Stoller writes…

Today, Obama is throwing down the gauntlet on a internet freedom, telecom lobbyists, and on opening up government in general to the public. It's some genuinely radical stuff, and it includes the use of blogs, wikis, and openness in government hearings.  Significantly, Larry Lessig has endorsed Obama's platform.

He continues…

High speed broadband is a core tool for citizens to engage politically; it's not an accident that Color of Change emerged in 2006-2007, after massive growth in broadband to African-Americans.  Building this network out, as Obama is putting forward, and opening up government could create organizing opportunities the likes of which we haven't dreamed.  Imagine the innovative spirit of Silicon Valley combined with the power of government and the movement building organizing capacity of the netroots, and that's a start.  Of course, what's possible is not necessarily what will happen, and it's all in the execution, but this is reaching for something bold.

And finally (my emphasis)…

…Obama has thrown down a big gauntlet, policy-wise.  He is pushing to break up the wireless gatekeepers, net neutrality will be a strong priority in his administration, and open government will allow citizens to generate new sources of political power.  I don't trust Obama's politics and I find his post-partisan rhetoric problematic, but I believe in organizing, and I believe that if he is willing to put the government on an open level playing field for all citizens while protecting our ability to access it, good things will happen.  That's more than I can say about Clinton.  It is tough to figure out where these candidates really do disagree, but on open networks, it seems like this is a clear line of demarcation. 

I am now leaning towards Obama in my choice for President…

[More below the fold…]

Oh yeah, and on a related note, Bowers backs off his claim that Obama's campaign is dead…

At this point, with the time to make a final decision looming, and faced with a primary election that, no matter the inaccuracy of the media narrative, is still primarily a choice between Clinton and Obama, the progressive creative class has decided that it still prefers Obama to Clinton no matter what Obama may or may not have done wrong so far. This is the vote that Obama absolutely needs in order to win either Iowa or New Hampshire, and it seems as though he is keeping enough of that vote in order to stay competitive in both states.

And this…

I can't ignore that one of he two leading candidates for the Democratic nomination is potentially the best identity vessel for my ideal progressive coalition to come around in the history of American politics, bar none. I mean, even though I am a white guy who grew up in the suburbs of Syracuse, New York, I can say without a hint of irony or doubt that Barack Obama is easily the candidate with whom I can most clearly identify.

The Netroots opinion leaders have been notably fickle during this primary season, but as Iowa draws near, it's interesting to track where support is trending.

Apparently — as is the case with many other indicators in the past couple of weeks — it's trending Obama.