Yes, it’s last-minute. But it’s decided. I’m going to Denver with the rest of the Utah Amicus crew! I’ll be blogging live from the Democratic National Convention, so that you, too, can experience history as it happens!

Don’t forget to check in often at the Utah Amicus for all the greatest coverage!

Barack Obama has announced that he’s taking the 50-State Strategy all the way, and there will be campaign offices in every state, including Utah. Monday morning I was able to confirm that it will likely be late July before we see them on the ground here, but that’s far earlier than I had even hoped for. So far, they’re not telling us much more than that, but I’m sure that when it gets closer, they’ll be looking for housing for staffers again. If you have the ability and willingness, please keep an eye out here for the announcement.

Here’s the email from David Plouffe about it:

Dear Misty,

I have some news that I wanted you to hear.

People like you have been the heart of Chairman Howard Dean’s 50-state strategy to rebuild our party and empower Democrats to compete everywhere. We’ve all seen the energy and enthusiasm at the grassroots level impact races up and down the ballot over the last three years.

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 network of volunteers and the infrastructure built up during the historic primary season — on behalf of all the Democratic campaigns — have given us an enormous and unprecedented opportunity in the general election.

Now it’s time to expand our network and push our organizing resources even further. No matter where you live, our success this November will depend on your involvement. Sign up to join our campaign now, and we’ll make sure you’re aware of all the latest news and opportunities to make a difference:

http://my.barackobama.com/getinvolved

Of course, some states will be more competitive than others, and we will scale our resources accordingly.

But your work building our party means that the list of competitive states will be longer than ever before — and it will include states like Virginia and Montana where your work has helped a Democratic resurgence at the state level.

And in every single state, no matter what the likelihood that we carry it in the fall, our staff will build volunteer capacity that will provide help where we need it and impact races up and down the ballot this November.

Every day counts — voters head to the polls in less than five months.  This is your opportunity to shape this election and our unprecedented 50-state campaign now:

http://my.barackobama.com/getinvolved

Thanks to your support, we are on our way to building an unprecedented organization for the November elections.

As the presumptive Democratic nominee, Barack Obama will fight to unite our party and win contests up and down the ballot.

But he cannot determine the outcome of this election on his own.

It will all come down to what you are willing to do.

It’s time to answer the call.

Thank you,
David

David Plouffe
Campaign Manager
Obama for America

Blogging is likely to be a bit sparse again for a while. I just started a new contract through the company I work for, and I’ll be doing some overtime in order to be able to take off in August to go with Rob and the rest of the Amicus gang to the DNC in Denver. And I have to admit, I’m loving the new job. It’s so odd to work for a company that has written decent, organized code, and gives good requirements. In fact, I was able to write code on my first day there, and finish it by the second. I’ll be there around 90 days, and I have a feeling I’ll be happy there right up until the end of the contract.

Nikki Norton is being drafted as my Co-Chair for Utah for Obama tomorrow night. She’s been a lifesaver as of late, and I’m glad she’s finally agreed to it. She was highlighted in this TIME.com article:

Utah is hardly the place that jumps into most Democrats’ minds when brainstorming about red states where they have a chance to make headway this November. The Beehive State was one of just three states in which President George W. Bush swept every county in 2004 — all of them except for two with more than 55% of the vote. In the state’s 2008 primaries on Super Tuesday, Republican voters outnumbered Democrats by a margin of 2.5 to 1.

None of that, however, has discouraged Nikki Norton and her band of 40 volunteers from organizing for Obama ahead of the General Election. And surprisingly, it hasn’t deterred the Obama campaign from formally helping Norton by investing in the state; Norton, co-chair of Utah for Obama’s grassroots campaign, got a call a couple of days ago telling her to expect paid staffers to arrive within the next month. “Even if we don’t win Utah we definitely want to create a downstream effect for local candidates,” Norton said. “It could also force [Republican presumptive nominee John] McCain to defend Utah; he might have to split his resources for a state like ours where he probably wouldn’t have needed to before. And our volunteers had a big effect on border swing states, particularly in rural areas in Nevada, and that was a big benefit for Obama [who won Nevada's delegate count over Hillary Clinton by dint of his rural victories].”

From the earliest days of his upstart campaign, Obama pledged to run a 50-state effort, vowing to move past the traditional partisan divide and expand the electoral map by appealing to independents and even Republicans. But few people, even in his own staff, thought he’d actually invest in every single state. As it turns out, Obama’s phenomenal fundraising has allowed him to deliver on his bold promise and place campaign staff in every one of the 50 states, as his campaign announced it would Monday. The strategy could force McCain to defend Republican strongholds, may help those lonely Democratic candidates in so-called Red States and could further expand Obama’s already massive volunteer and donor bases (indeed, the move was announced in a fundraising e-mail plea to donors).

Obama is able to do this, in part, because of the grueling, drawn-out delegate fight with Clinton that only just ended. The long primary season forced the campaign to build bases of support for the Illinois senator in every single state. The dividends of the high-profile Democratic presence are already being felt. Earlier this year, Democrats picked up three long-held GOP congressional seats in special elections in Mississippi, Louisiana and Illinois. The party is also mounting House challengers in 14 states that Bush won in 2004, including Wyoming, Alabama and Arizona. And Democratic candidates are contesting at least five GOP stronghold seats in the Senate: Alaska, Kentucky (Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s seat), Nebraska, Kansas and New Mexico. “Senator Barack Obama’s plan to compete in all 50 states is a reflection of the overwhelming desire for change that is transcending state boundaries and has energized voters in every corner of the country,&q uot; said Maryland Representative Chris Van Hollen, who runs the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, which works to elect Democratic candidates.

No one contends that the 50-state strategy is Obama’s brainchild; it actually comes from Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean, who not so long ago took a lot of heat from Democrats angry that he was squandering their limited resources on perceived long shots in the south and west. But after his gamble paid off in 2006, when Dems won both chambers of Congress, his expansive notion suddenly seemed a lot more viable. “The 50-state strategy has been historic — just the enthusiasm that our volunteers have, that our candidates have, that our party is visible and active even before the campaign, it pays off on so many levels for a state like Kansas,” said Mike Gaughan, executive director of the Kansas Democratic Party. In a state where only two out of 105 counties voted for John Kerry in 2004, Democrats took a House seat, six seats in the Kansas Legislature and the attorney general’s office from the GOP in 2006. “We saw Obama’s staff at w ork here during the primary season. They had organized on the ground back from October for the February 5 caucuses,” Gaughan said. “The way that they activated their supporters is going to pay dividends” for all Kansas Democratic candidates as the party seeks to expand its presence there.

I’ve been telling people for a while, that we’re in this to win, and that Utah for Obama is going to put effort into getting Utah to go blue this November. It’s very, very, very gratifying to find out for sure that the Obama campaign believes in us. Then again, that’s kind of why we believe in the Obama campaign, huh?

I’ve been a proud supporter of Senator Obama’s run for the White House, way back since the time we weren’t even sure he was going to run. I’ve also been very against the idea of Senator Clinton as POTUS, way back since we were all very certain that she would run.

Now that Barack has secured the nomination, I feel the need to share a secret: I’m absolutely thrilled that Hillary Clinton almost won the Democratic Nomination.

Just to clarify, the word “almost” is in there. I most certainly don’t want her for President. However, I am very glad that she’s set the stage for the future. I really think that within my lifetime I will see a woman as President of the United States. And Hillary’s run showed us all that it can be done, and isn’t something to be afraid of. Her comments about having cracked the glass ceiling are true. I really hope that when a woman finally does make it, that she will be the candidate I can believe in, and support.

Last Tuesday, I was asked how I felt “being part of this historical campaign”, and I’ve thought about that question a lot since then.

My skin is basically white, and I’ve never experienced the discrimination that many others do feel. Being female, you’d think I would have, but really it’s been very minor. I’m a software developer, and I work in a man’s world. Not because women aren’t accepted, but because many women just don’t choose this as a career, and the field is dominated by men. Yet, if I am honest with myself, I can’t say that I’ve often encountered any sort of discrimination. If anything, I’m very welcomed as either a bonus for HR’s statistics, or a “change in the scenery”. The few things that could be attributed to discrimination really haven’t been more than an excuse to myself for why someone didn’t seem to like me.

My family background is very diverse. The only heritage that I know of is that I’m about 1/4 “Native American”, and I’m pretty sure that breaks down to Cherokee and Quapaw tribes. I often claim that as my race when filling out forms. Mostly, because I think it’s really cool, and I wish I knew more about it. As far as the rest goes, it’s anyone’s guess. I am only half joking when I tell people that I’m “Heinz 57″. But, whatever the breakdown, my skin is white, and my eyes are blue. The nice tan I get in the summer from my Indian blood looks good, but I’m white, and I’ve never had to deal with the crap that so many others of various races within our country have had to.

So, when I think of the feminist movement, I identify with it as far as human rights go. I would love to call myself a feminist, but I’ve seen that taken too far, and I think we are equal, and not better than anyone else. In my mind, the feminist movement is in the same boat as making sure we don’t discriminate against blacks or Hispanics or gays or anyone else based on some superficial difference. I adore the Human Rights Campaign because, while their “main” issue seems to be GLBT, when you go to their web site, “The Issues” cover things like “People of Color” and religion.

We’re all people, ok? Whether we identify with one minority or another, we’re all working to be seen for more than that. And, if anything, we’re proud of whatever that minority is. While I live a monogamous life with a great boyfriend, and have no personal need for gay marriage to be recognized, I identify with the GLBT cause (the “B” in there), even if I didn’t personally, I have some great friends who gay, and I don’t like that they have such a struggle to be able to have their relationships recognized. If it weren’t for the fact that they need legal recognition to have what most people consider normal lives - things such as hospital visitation, financial dependence, etc - I doubt that there would be a big “gay marriage” debate in this country. That debate might exist within churches, as it rightfully should.

And so, I’m confessing my dirty little secret, that I’m thrilled that Clinton cracked the glass ceiling, because I believe she cracked that ceiling for all sorts of people. And while I’m glad that Barack will likely be the first black President, I’m mostly thrilled that we get to have a president who will do a good job, and I believe that his skin color also helped human rights fights for women, people of any race, and for those in the GLBT community - and that’s icing on the cake.

According to Dictionary.com, “respect” has 16 definitions. Here are the ones I find relevant to the subject of Hillary Clinton’s withdrawal from the Presidential race:

3.	esteem for or a sense of the worth or excellence of a person, a personal quality or ability, or something considered as a manifestation of a personal quality or ability: I have great respect for her judgment.

4.	deference to a right, privilege, privileged position, or someone or something considered to have certain rights or privileges; proper acceptance or courtesy; acknowledgment: respect for a suspect’s right to counsel; to show respect for the flag; respect for the elderly.

5.	the condition of being esteemed or honored: to be held in respect.

6.	respects, a formal expression or gesture of greeting, esteem, or friendship: Give my respects to your parents.

7.	favor or partiality.

8.	Archaic. a consideration.

–verb (used with object)

9.	to hold in esteem or honor: I cannot respect a cheat.

10.	to show regard or consideration for: to respect someone’s rights.

12.	to relate or have reference to.

—Idioms

13.	in respect of, in reference to; in regard to; concerning.

14.	in respect that, Archaic. because of; since.

15.	pay one’s respects, a. to visit in order to welcome, greet, etc.: We paid our respects to the new neighbors. b. to express one’s sympathy, esp. to survivors following a death: We paid our respects to the family.

16.	with respect to, referring to; concerning: with respect to your latest request.

Listen to what Senator Obama had to say about Hillary Clinton on Tuesday:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TgO-k3sYsDY]

We’ve spent the last year and a half looking at her as the competition. Many have other reasons for disliking or not wanting Senator Clinton to become our first woman president. But, today, that is irrelevant to our goal of having Senator Obama as the 44th President.

Do we want Senator Clinton’s supporters to now support Senator Obama as the Democratic nominee? Well, I do. In order for that to happen, we need to redirect ourselves at this point in time.

We need to understand that the bitter voters that the media told us about don’t represent all of Senator Clinton’s supporters, and I’d venture to say they are a small minority. I’ve spoken to many of her supporters, and I have yet to meet one face to face that holds that sort of resentment. Many of them are grateful to have been part of her campaign, but are ready to move on with Senator Obama as the nominee. Some of them will join us in campaigning for Barack. Some of them will watch quietly from a distance, and cast their vote for him in November. Some of them will have discussion with us, trying to decide whether they can support Barack.

As we engage in discussion with the Hillary supporters, we need to respect what she accomplished, without bringing any of our negative feelings into it. We don’t need to debate the reasons we didn’t support her. We don’t need to question her supporter’s motives. We don’t need to be negative. Period. Dot. The end.

We need to do as Senator Obama did, and recognize the positive aspects of her presidential run. We need to be gracious about Senator Obama’s win, and the role that Hillary played. If anything, her constant testing of him helped set the tone of the General election - he’s been tried and tested, and come out on top. We wouldn’t be going into the General knowing he’ll succeed against the GOP attacks, if it weren’t for that.

When we do run across Hillary supporters that have not accepted Obama as their candidate, we don’t have to convince them of anything. We do have to respect their opinions, and avoid debates. We don’t need to give the media or the Republicans any fodder for their cannons. Only when those supporters of Hillary feel that we respect them and their goals will we stand any chance of uniting with them behind Senator Obama.

August gives everyone time to gain perspective, and watch as Hillary stands behind Barack’s candidacy. August is the next big date on our timeline leading to January 20, 2009. These are exciting times for us, but we have to focus on the November election, and realize that our hard work during the primary needs to continue into the General election. That is our focus, and we no longer need to work against Senator Clinton.

I think that these two statement summarize my thoughts well:

If we want Hillary’s supporters to respect us and our candidate, we must do so first.

If we want Barack to be our leader, we must follow his lead.

When we see the media publishing crap articles like the op-ed from Maureen Dowd in such an untimely manner, we need to realize that it’s an attempt to create drama that the media thrives on. Ignore it, or deny it, but don’t be sucked into it, and don’t let it affect your ability to have respect.

URGENT: Support the Climate Security Act!

Target: US Senate
Sponsored by: Environmental Defense Fund

UPDATE (June 5, 2008): The Senate has scheduled a “cloture” vote to end the filibuster on the Climate Security Act tomorrow morning. It could come as early as tonight.
———–
The Senate is set to vote on the Climate Security Act in early June.

It is crucial that the bill gets passed this year. Each year we wait means extra effort in reducing emissions to avoid catastrophic global warming.

There are five simple but extremely important reasons why the Senate must act now:

• Every year we wait equals extra effort.
• The science is unforgiving.
• The political opportunity is ripe.
• Someone is going to win the global race to reinvent energy. It should be us.
• This is an opportunity for the 110th Congress to leave its legacy.

We have no time to lose. Help keep up the pressure so the Senate doesn’t miss this historic opportunity!

Dear Senator,

I strongly urge you to put an end to the Senate filibuster on the landmark Climate Security Act by voting Yes on cloture.

This is the most important climate vote in the Senate in three years. No time has been more critical for the environment and our future generations.

Here’s why you should vote Yes on cloture and the Climate Security Act:

1. Every year we wait equals extra effort. If we delay this bill by just two years, we will have to make twice the annual cuts in carbon emissions to hit the same cumulative reductions by 2020.

2. The science is unforgiving. As the Earth warms, we approach a “tipping point,” after which large destructive climate changes become inevitable.

3. The political opportunity is ripe. 78% of Americans want Congress to act on global warming. We need to take advantage of the tremendous momentum that exists today.

4. Someone is going to win the global race to reinvent energy. It should be us. Renewable energy promises to become one of the world’s most profitable industries. But advances in renewable energy technologies will not be fully realized without a national cap on global warming pollution. The sooner we act, the sooner these new industries will start to flourish.

5. What legacy will the 110th Congress leave? When future generations look back at this moment, they will either praise the Senate for starting us down the path to solving the global warming crisis, or blame the Senate for squandering this opportunity.

Thank you for your leadership.

Sincerely,
[Your name here]

Maybe Jim Matheson will get the hint.

Just one more reason I trust Barack Obama to do the right thing, and follow through.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48LS-Z3Wdhs]

From Boston.com:

“I’ve sent a strong signal in this campaign by refusing the contributions of registered federal lobbyists and PACs,” Obama said in a statement. “And today, I’m announcing that going forward, the Democratic National Committee will uphold the same standard and won’t take another dime from Washington lobbyists or special interest PACs. They do not fund my campaign. They will not fund our party. And they will not drown out the voices of the American people when I’m President of the United States.”

At least, according to Paul Begala.

“He says it’s a long-term strategy,” said Paul Begala, the longtime Clinton aide and Democratic strategist. “What he has spent it on, apparently, is just hiring a bunch of staff people to wander around Utah and Mississippi and pick their nose.”

You know, seeing Obama staffers here in Utah, and sometimes staying pretty late, after they’d finished making calls and wrapping up paper work, you’d think that if they were wandering around picking their noses, that I would have seen it. Oddly enough, I guess I missed that part. Or maybe that was just the 2004 election.

What I did see was them reaching to every corner of the state, organizing voter registration, calling campaigns and lots of good that was done both for the Obama campaign and for the Utah Democratic Party. They built on what we had started, and left us with organizing abilities that we did not previously have.

I believe that Utah has lots of potential for the Democratic Party, and that many Utahns, even those who may not vote for Senator Obama, appreciated that we were not ignored. Utah has far more unaffiliated voters than it does for both major parties combined. And though some may have short memories, it’s not been all that long since Utah was considered a Democratic state.

On top of which, the attention given to Utah from the Obama campaign in the primary election greatly helped the chances of Democrats running for state and local offices. People are more involved, and they are willing to work to achieve their goals. Hope, being the tagline of the Obama campaign, is really what we were given. Hope that we could make a difference in our own lives, instead of assuming that wealthy Republicans were going to win anyway, so why bother? Without that type of hope, they will win. But, with it, we are spurred to action, and we will be much better off for it.

And if staffers are brought back to Utah, I’ll buy the Kleenex, just in case.

Utah for Obama is hosting a “Yes We Did” Celebration party to watch Barack Obama’s Victory Speech tonight at SkyBox Grille at the Gateway Mall at 7:30 PM.

After Saturday’s decision to finalize the Michigan and Florida delegates, 2,118 is the magic number of delegates to reach the Democratic Nomination. As of this writing, Barack Obama needs 31.5 delegates to get there. Tonight, after the votes are counted in Montana and South Dakota, the last few names of Super Delegates who will vote for Senator Obama at the DNC in August will be announced, and Senator Obama will make his victory speech.

According to my sources, his speech will happen at 8:15 MDT, just after the polls close, so make sure that you arrive by 8!.

This campaign is a movement of the people, and I cannot think of a more appropriate title for tonight’s event than “Yes we did”. Barack won this nomination because of you, and me, and literally millions of other people’s efforts. It’s not just Barack who won, it’s all of us. We have more work to do, but tonight it’s time to celebrate what we’ve accomplished.

And tomorrow, we can get on to the work of showing John McCain for what he really is - 4 more years of Bush.

Details:
SkyBox Sports Grill, 7:30 PM
4 South Rio Grande Street
Family-friendly event
Bring your friends, too!
Use Winter Parking entrance on north side of 100 South.
SkyBox is on the west side of Rio Grande Street, on the Promenade level

Waves of support are coming Barack’s way, and some of them are due to John Edwards’ endorsement, such as this one from United Steelworkers:

May 15, 2008

USW Endorses Senator Barack Obama for President
Join John Edwards in Growing Wave of Support

Our Union today issued the following statement of endorsement of Senator Barack Obama for President:

“When the presidential primary contests began last year, our Union felt strongly that because of Senator John Edwards’s deep commitment to working people and because of our shared beliefs, he deserved our strong endorsement. His belief that unfair trade policies must be changed, his commitment to pass the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) to restore workers’ rights to freely choose workplace representation, and his proposal for universal health care were widely shared by our members.

“Today, by virtue of a unanimous vote of our International Executive Board, we find ourselves once again in agreement with Senator Edwards, this time with his decision last evening to endorse Senator Barack Obama. And thus today, the United Steelworkers enthusiastically endorses Senator Barack Obama to be the next President of the United States.

“Senator Obama’s call for a significant change of direction amounts to far more than a compelling rallying cry. It is buttressed by his record of consistent support for workers, by his call for sweeping changes to our health care system, by his unflinching support for Employee Free Choice, and by his insistence that America’s trade policies must, first and foremost, serve the interests of America’s working families.

“Senator Obama has shown his commitment to working families by proposing significant investments in the future of American manufacturing, in the revitalization of our nation’s infrastructure, and in 21^st century clean energy technologies that will lead to significant growth in domestic jobs. He is clearly the candidate who can best lead our nation out of the dark period of economic decline created by the Bush administration’s allegiance to Wall Street profiteering at the expense of worker prosperity.

“We share Senator Obama’s call for significant changes to these bankrupt policies, just as we earlier shared Senator Edwards’ And all of us, including we hope Senator Clinton for whom we have the utmost respect, must now do everything we can to ensure that Barack Obama is the next President of the United States. Now is the time for contention and division to cease, and for us to unite behind the changes for which Senator Obama and our members are calling.

“America’s workers cannot afford another four years of rehashed Bush administration policies, another four years in which the National Labor Relations Board shills for corporate misconduct, or another four years of a Secretary of the Treasury who considers it his “job” to bail out Wall Street speculators at the expense of hard working families losing their homes.

“Nor can those of us who are committed to changing the direction of the country afford any more racial profiling of an election, when either Democratic candidate would be far superior to Senator McCain’s lock-step commitment to four more years of the broken Bush economy and the broken Bush foreign policies.

“We are proud and honored to join Senator Edwards in endorsing Senator Barack Obama to be the next President of the United States. We commit ourselves to working tirelessly for his election and for a new age of cooperation among Democrats, Independents and thoughtful Republicans alike in which working Americans are restored to a place of dignity in society and in the American economy.”

I’m guessing we have 2 weeks left, tops. Just long enough for Hillary to find a graceful way to exit.

Tags: United Steelworkers

Jason, of TheSideTrack, wrote about wanting to get the Utah Democratic Party to have a better online presence, after expressing his frustrations with coverage of the Utah Democratic Convention. I couldn’t agree more!

Now, it’s one thing to gripe and complain about problems that you see. That’s part of why I’m involved with politics. I tell people that I made a deal with myself that I could only bitch about politics if I were doing something about it.

Jason has offered to help solve the problem, as many other people have. The thing is, they need buy-off from the Utah State Democratic Party. So, a petition has been created so that we can all add our voices and ask for the support that is needed. I signed it, and added this comment:

There are a lot of qualified volunteers to lead this. Pick someone to lead it, add them to the official committee, set up goals and let them have at it, with the help of all those volunteers.