I just got this email from Janet Hurley, the Events Coordinator for Utah for Obama:

Hello Utah for Obama members,

Last year we helped plant trees along the Jordan River Parkway with Tree Utah in the Spring and sponsored a food drive for the Utah Food bank in the Fall. This year let’s help homeless patients of the 4th Street Clinic in downtown Salt Lake City.

I will collect your donations of $5 gift cards from grocery stores from now until Election Day. These $5 gift cards will be distributed by care providers at the 4th Street Clinic to their homeless patients.

If you would like to donate more than $5, please purchase additional gift cards in $5 increments. If you would like to make a large donation, please contact me so that we can arrange for development staff at the 4th Street Clinic to get you an acknowledgement letter for your tax purposes.

If you would like to act as a bundler, collecting $5 grocery gift cards from your friends and acquantances, that would be great! Contact me and we can coordinate our efforts.

I will submit the gift cards to 4th Street as soon as I have a large number of them. If we do well, I may be able to sumbit multiple times before Election Day on November 4th.

We’ve already experienced winter conditions and yesterday’s news indicated that unemployment has begun to rise in Utah. These gift cards will help some of the most vulnerable among us get through the season and this economic downturn, at least in the short term.

You can find out more about the 4th Street Clinic and its programs here:

http://www.fourthstreetclinic.org/

To get your gift card donations to me, please call or email me so that we can arrange an exchange. Thanks for your generosity everyone!

Janet Hurley
shamba_84@msn.com
(801) 712-3564

Since Albertsons and Smiths are both located downtown, and across the valley, they are probably the best choices, if you’d like to help with this.

Tonight was a special “Utah Call Team Conference Call”, where Emily Murphy and Amy (didn’t catch her last name) gave a quick training of the neighbor to neighbor calling tool available for supporters of Senator Obama to help the campaign. Because Utah is helping drive the effort in Colorado, there were a few special guests on before that training began.

Ray Rivera, the campaign’s Colorado Director, introduced Roy Romer, former Colorado Governor. Roy talked about how we can win Colorado, but we have to reach everyone we can. Every call is critical. Sincere calls from out of state will be effective. He said: “We need you. It will be effective. There’s nothing more important you can do for the campaign.”

Ken Salazar came on and talked about how we can move the votes from 250 to 271 by winning in Colorado, and that win the election.

Amy Klobuchar, Senator from Minnesota, talked about being in Wisconsin with Barack, and is now in Colorado. She told a story about how she got stopped by State Trooper, thinking she’d be given a ticket, and have to “take one for the team”, and found out that it was just because the tags on her license plate were reversed, which was quite a relief to her. She said “You can make a difference, you taking the time out to make these calls WILL make the difference.”

Ray came on again, and said that to win, we need to get 2.5 million Colorado voters to the polls, and we need to reach them at least 2 times to make that happen.

Amy came back on and stressed that nothing is more important right now than reaching out to neighbors, and personalizing Barack’s message.

Emily then led the training, and the first thing she had to say is that if you can make it to Colorado for Get Out The Vote (GOTV), it will be fun.

Emily then walked us through Neighbor to Neighbor tool to show how it’s used. If you come to the Phone Banking set up for this Saturday or Sunday, we’ll be showing you how to use the web tool then, if you bring your laptop with you, or we can give you lists if you don’t have one.

Each state’s call script looks different, so if you switch states, make sure to read the script before you make the call. The web page is simple, and easy to use. You can even do it from home. Peak times are 6 to 9 PM, so if you can make calls during this time, please consider it. Even half an hour is great.

When looking at the script, you don’t need to read it word for word, if it doesn’t feel comfortable. However, each of the questions need to be answered, if possible, so try to make sure to fit them in when talking to the person you’re calling.

You don’t have to call every number you’re given. If you don’t get to the calls, they will go back into the queue.

It gets easier and easier as you use N2N. You’ll probably even start to love making the calls, and it definitely becomes more comfortable after you’ve started.

Amy came back on and asked us to invite friends, family and neighbors to our own house, and pointed out that there’s even a Host Guide available online.

Don’t let November 4 pass you by. Your involvement does matter. Just ask Al Gore.

I do have one minor disagreement with Ed from Park City, there at the end, though. He said there’s not much you can do from Utah to help Obama. I disagree. We might not take Utah’s electoral votes, but helping elect Democrats in Utah goes a long way towards helping Obama’s administration, not to mention how it helps Utah become just a little more progressive. So, make sure everyone you know is registered to vote, and then make sure they go vote. And don’t forget to help local candidates with door-knocking. You can also make phone calls through the Neighbor to Neighbor program, right from your home.

Once again, Saints and Sinners has offered to host a Debate Watch Party. I’m helping Becky set it up, and we’re planning on giving local candidates some time before the debate to speak to attendees. There will also be a table set up with lawns signs, bumper stickers, etc.

This debate will be Town Hall style, coming to us from Belmont University in Nashville, TN. Questions will be taken from the audience and from the internet. MySpace is the place to submit your own question.

Here are the Debate Watch Party details:

We will start at 6 pm to offer our candidates running for office in 2008 a moment to preach to the choir. Candidates will have lawn signs & email sign-up forms. (If you are a candidate who would like to participate, please call me at 801.755.3974 or Becky Isais at 702.354.2984 and we’ll get it set up!)   

The debate begins at 7 pm, and ends at 8:30.

OUR FRIENDS AT SAINTS & SINNERS ARE OFFERING………
*5 T.V.s to enjoy the debate*
(1 flat screen & 1 HUGE screen)
FREE ADMISSION & DONATED FREE MEMBERSHIPS!
FREE PIZZA!

Remember, this is a Private Club for Members, which means you must be 21 or older to attend!

This debate will be town-hall style, and questions will be taken from the audience and the internet. To submit your own question, go to http://www.myspace.com/mydebates

Time:	Tuesday, October 7 at 6:00 PM
Duration:	4 hours
Host:	Misty Fowler
Contact Phone:	8017553974
Location:	SAINTS AND SINNERS, A PRIVATE CLUB FOR MEMBERS (SALT LAKE CITY, UT)    3040 SOUTH STATE STREET SALT LAKE CITY, UT 84115 VIEW MAP: GOOGLE MAPS MAPQUEST YAHOO! MAPS

There are many more events being hosted statewide, click here to find them all. You can also sign up to host your own party at my.BarackObama.com.

Don’t forget, Monday is the last day to Register to Vote By Mail in Utah. If you or a loved one haven’t done this yet, or need to update your address, drop everything you’re doing and visit VoteForChange.com RIGHT NOW! You can’t put it off any longer!

Theodore Cowan has been one of the most active members of Utah for Obama since the beginning. He’s the Secretary of the grassroots group, Utah for Obama, and he was also elected as a delegate to the convention. As if we don’t already have enough to be proud of Theo for, he’s now been highlighted by the official Obama campaign blog.

I think that the “party official” he mentions in that blog is our very own Rob Miller. We were thrilled when Rob began his involvement with our grassroots group last fall, and has maintained that relationship ever since. Thanks, Rob!

Yesterday was the official Grand Opening of Obama’s Utah office. Rob told you it made the news, but I have a few pictures to share. I stopped by to meet Utah’s new State Director, Suzanne Gelderman. She’s absolutely great, from the few minutes I had to speak with her. I think Utah is lucky to have her.

Suzanne Gelderman

Add your name to the volunteer sign-up!!

Stop by and pick up some goodies – they’re well-stocked!

We’re here in Denver, and though the convention doesn’t start until tomorrow, we’ll be sharing our adventures throughout the day. You can also check out mini-updates from me if you use Twitter.

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!

Utah for Obama

August 22, 2008
For Immediate Release
Contact
Misty Fowler
(801) 755-3974

Utah for Obama Co-Hosts Grand Opening of Barack
Obama Campaign Office in Salt Lake City

Salt Lake City, Utah – Utah for Obama, the grassroots group that has been supporting Barack Obama’s campaign for presidency since February of 2007, will be co-hosting the Grand Opening of Barack Obama’s Salt Lake City campaign office.

Salt Lake City was the home of one of four campaign offices during the 2008 primary election. During the primary, the campaign office was staffed with over 20 field organizers, and hundreds of grassroots supporters of Barack Obama volunteered there. This greatly contributed to Senator Obama winning over 56% of the Democratic primary vote in February, 2008.

Suzanne Gelderman is the Utah State Director for the Obama campaign, and will be working with field organizers and grassroots volunteers until the November primary, making phone calls and knocking on doors. As was the case with the primary office opening in November of 2007, Barack Obama is again the first candidate to open an office in Utah.

Volunteer sign up will be available during the grand opening.

What: Obama for America Salt Lake City Campaign Office Grand Opening
When: August 23, 2008 at 2:00PM – 5:00 PM
Where: 780 East South Temple, Salt Lake City

The media, candidates for political offices and community are encouraged to attend.

###

Utah for Obama Grassroots Steering Committee
Misty Fowler, Chair: (801) 755-3974
Nikki Norton, Co-Chair: (435) 513-2606
Theo Cowan, Secretary: (801) 792-4987
Janet Hurley, Lead Event Coordinator: (801) 712-3564
Rob Skraznas, Event Coordinator: (801) 574-7686
Cori Redstone, Event Coordinator: (801) 833-6608
Gail Turpin, Committee Member: (801) 943-7899
Janet Lee, Committee Member: (801) 915-9582

(The above Press Release is available for download – PDF warning.)

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?

We’ve decided to use my Jeep for Utah for Obama in the Pride Parade this Sunday, along with the 10′ Obama puppet. Here are a couple of photos of the Jeep:

I’m hoping to find someone that has one of the following to decorate the Jeep with:

• Spare tire-cover for 31″ tire:
  Patriotic theme
  OR
  LGBT Pride
  OR
  Old one that can be redecorated
• American Flag
• Metal Poles appropriate for attaching to the roll bars to display the flag

If you have any of the above that you can help us with, please let me know ASAP. I’ll be decorating the Jeep tomorrow (Saturday). Any suggestions for other decorating ideas are also welcome.

And if you want to be in the parade with us, it’s not too late to sign up!
http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/4d3m