"No Party Lines"

I know that many of you reading this have already made up your minds about who you're going to vote for in the presidential election. I was, however, thinking about the candidates' plans and this is what I've come up with: they both want the same things, they just want to take different routes to get there.

"5 Point Plans" and "6 Point Plans" have become a core part of this election. Here's what both candidates' plans look like:

Mitt Romney
1. Energy: Achieve energy independence by using the resources we have on this continent.
2. Trade: Have "trade that works for America" by making sure that other countries don't cheat when they trade.
3. Education: Better schools (public schools, colleges, and skills training).
4. Economics: Cut the deficit.
5. Small Business: "Champion small business" by lowering taxes on small businesses and the middle class, as well as getting rid of "Obamacare" and "replacing it with "real healthcare reform."

Barack Obama
1. Jobs: Create jobs in America by changing trade barriers.
2. Taxes: Change the code to cut the deficit.
3. Nation-Building: Rebuild at home and stop the wars.
4. Energy: Invest in American energy.
5. Education: Have more college graduates.
6. Healthcare: More access and lower costs.

So, if we take these plans and combine them, here's what it looks like (Red = Romney, Blue = Obama, Purple = Both):
Energy: Invest in the resources we have on our continent.
Education: Better schools, especially higher education institutions.
Economics: Cut the deficit.
Nation-Building: Lower taxes to champion small business so we can rebuild here at home.
Trade: Have trade that works for America by changing the trade barriers.
Healthcare: There is no overlap on this. Not sure why, since "Obamacare" is essentially "Romneycare," but in these plans, there is no common ground except for the fact that both candidates think they have the best answer for our healthcare problem.

By looking at this, it seems like both candidates want the same things. Back when the United States was founded, the president was the candidate who got the most votes and the vice president was the candidate who got the second most votes. I know that this isn't going to happen now because we have running mates, but it sure shows a willingness to cross party lines once the election is over to get things done.

In the last couple of days, both candidates have been flying the "there-are-no-party-lines" flag. If there are really no party lines, then come together. Stop airing the attack ads. Appear together at a function to help the victims of Sandy.

I'm not saying that these candidates are equal in how they're going to run the country. I'm saying that they need to acknowledge the validity of the other candidate's platform, though. They are literally saying they want the same thing on 5 out of 6 of the points on their "Plans."

I am very aware that there are a bunch of social issues that are not on these plans on which they disagree by immense amounts, but they're not talking about those. Sure, every now and again Obama mentions the repeal of DADT and getting to "marry who you love," but that's not what he's running on. This is a very economic-minded election and their plans both reflect that.

I think if Sandy has taught us anything, it's that we never know what's going to happen tomorrow. Cross party lines. If you have friends or family who are die-hard supporters of the "other" candidate, have dinner with them and talk about good things. We're not all that different from each other.

Take this weekend to get out there and make that last push for your candidate; but make the push for your candidate, not against the other candidate.

Stay safe, stay strong.

"Be the change you wish to be in the world." --Gandhi

Face-to-Face campaigning is the most effective. Here is my "Face-to-" campaign photo.
Share your "Face" campaign photo to complete the cycle.

Sarah Jessica Parker in Cincinnati for President Obama

Sarah Jessica Parker

Over the weekend I had the distinct pleasure of seeing Sarah Jessica Parker, Valerie Jarrett, and Alfre Woodard speak at the downtown Cincinnati Obama for America campaign office! It was so great! Sarah Jessica Parker spoke about how it's important for women to stand together in this election, that this election is the most important election in our lifetimes, and that women always put ourselves last in terms of making sure we're healthy, but now, it's time to vote for President Obama so that we can get the healthcare we need.

SJP

It was absolutely amazing to see SJP talking about the same issues I care about. It was anaintimate setting and I was in the front row after the first couple minutes, so it really felt like we were almost having a conversation. It was great to see that women care about the same issues, no matter where we come from.

SJP listening to Valerie Jarrett

Fired up!

After SJP talked, President Obama's top advisor, Valerie Jarrett spoke. She was so "Fired Up!" She mentioned that she normally travels with the president, but he sent her to go get people voting in the early-vote swing states: Virginia and Ohio. Jarrett got us excited and on board to vote early in Ohio. She ran down President Obama's plan about energy, education, and small businesses. She also used the phrase, "Romney doesn't have a five-point plan, he has a one-point plan." Catchy, and it got the crowd excited, but we've already heard that. I think it's a cheap shot and it's not a good way to get undecided voters on your side. Slamming the other candidate without anything to back it up just makes it look like you don't have anything substantive to say. And I know that the Obama campaign has something substantive to say!

Anyway, getting to hear Valerie Jarrett and Sarah Jessica Parker talk about why President Obama needs to be re-elected was great; then Alfre Woodard took the stage! I'd never heard of her by name, but when I saw her, I immediately recognized her. She's been in a lot of movies. Woodard was such a good speaker! She got the crowd really going. Apparently, most of the crowd knew and loved her even more than SJP! Woodard also gave the reasons that the president is the best man for the job.

SJP and Valerie Jarrett excited by Alfre Woodard's energy!

The rally was great! We had a wonderful time and after it was over, we had a huge group of canvassers hit the streets to knock on some doors. Getting ready for GOTV (Get Out The Vote) is so hectic, but these amazing celebs and VIPs keep us going. They said "thank you" to the volunteers for spending our time on the campaign, but I want to say "thanks" to them. I so appreciate people who have fame using it as an influence for good!

After the rally, I was interviewed by the Cincinnati NBC affiliate, WLWT. They haven't run the story yet, but I'm keeping my eye out. I'm not speaking in these two clips, but you can see me in the reddish-black sweater right in the front! In the first clip from our ABC affiliate, WCPO, I am seen around 1:09 for just a couple of seconds. In the second clip from WKRC, Cincinnati's CBS affiliate, I'm shown about 35 seconds into the clip. I have no idea what I'm doing with my mouth, but that's okay! 

I had brought my Sex and the City DVD with me to get it signed. Since I was right next to the stage, I put the DVD and Sharpie on the stage at one point so I could clap. SJP looked at me and smiled. She knew I wanted to get it signed...and then she left out the back after the rally was over. I was pretty bummed out about that. But I did get to see all three of these amazing women speak about something that I feel extremely passionate about, so I think that constitutes a pretty good day!

Here are some more photos I took at the event! Have a great Monday! Please watch the debate tonight at 9/8c and if you live somewhere you can vote early, please vote!

SJP listening to Valerie Jarrett.

SJP

SJP looking at my camera!

Valerie Jarrett and SJP listening to Alfre Woodard.

"Be the change you wish to see in the world." --Gandhi

Politicians Just Want to Help

I've been working on the Obama campaign for about a month now. It has been one of the most interesting experiences I've ever had! Most of the times when I go into the campaign office, there is such a high level of excitement and hope. The people who work there, myself included, are so sure that President Obama is going to continue to help the people of the United States!

I don't, however, like all parts of the campaign. Some of it is so negative! The campaign ads are infuriating. I can't believe that the Obama campaign put one out earlier this week about Big Bird! The fact that he is spending campaign money on Romney's silly comment instead of telling us what he is going to do to continue to work with the American people is very frustrating to me.

Getting frustrated at the same time you believe so strongly in something makes only one thing look like the solution: getting involved! I don't have a degree in political science or anything related to economics or anything, but I would really like to get more involved in local issues because I would like to help people get what they need and help make the world a better place, and what better place to start than your own community?

Thinking about why I want to get more involved in politics made me think about the reasons the politicians we already have got involved in politics in the first place. Every congressman, congresswoman, judge, president, governor, etc. that I can think of has told us that they got involved because they wanted to help people and lead our communities in the "correct" direction. While we don't all agree on which direction is the "correct" direction, we're all in this for the same reason: to help people. Seeing the campaign ads that tell us what a horrible person the "other guy" in the race is, is incredibly sad to me because if you look at the other person for who they are, he or she is in this for the same reason you are.

Take today to appreciate the people around you for who they are, even if they don't agree with you, especially if they don't agree with you! I have people in my own family and inner circle of friends who are die-hard conservatives. I don't agree with most of their views, but I understand why they have them and why they think those views are valid. There is no reason that I should tell them they're wrong or they should tell me that I'm wrong in my own views. We all have our own views on a bunch of different issues, but at the end of the day, we can all unite in the fact that we want the best for ourselves and our children.

Have a great weekend!

"Be the change you wish to see in the world." --Gandhi

Three Personal Reasons I Support President Obama

Last night, Mitt Romney performed well in the first presidential debate. He was well prepared and was finally specific on some of his policies. President Obama seemed tired and annoyed. It's no secret that I've been working for the Obama campaign for the last month and last night I got a lot of texts, emails, and messages about how Obama was "dominated" by Romney and asking why I support President Obama when Romney is such a "clear choice." Here are a few reasons why President Obama has personally made my life better in his first term.

First, I am a woman.

• Obama signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act as the first bill he signed of his first term. Mitt Romney still refuses to answer whether or not he would have signed this bill. I can't imagine being a woman and voting for someone who refuses to answer whether or not he thinks I should get equal pay for equal work.
• Under Obamacare, starting in 2014, I will no longer have to pay more for my health insurance than men pay. If Romney is elected and gets rid of Obamacare, I will continue to have to pay more for my health insurance than men simply because I am a woman.
• Under Obamacare, my birth control is covered. I pay a fraction of what I used to pay to get my prescription birth control. I have had a lot of people ask me, "Why should I pay for your birth control? Just don't have sex." Here's the thing: people are going to have sex whether they are on birth control or not. I think it's more important to keep women who can't afford to have children from getting pregnant, instead of complaining about the kids being born into poverty and the "irresponsibility" of the mothers.
• Mitt Romney is going to make all abortions illegal. There will be no exceptions for pregnancies that occurred because of rape or incest. I have a friend who was raped at 17 and became pregnant. She ended up miscarrying, but was planning on getting an abortion because she was absolutely not in a place financially or physically where she could have had the child. What would have happened to her if she hadn't miscarried and abortion wasn't legal? Making abortions illegal is terrifying because if women can't get them safely and legally, they will get them illegally or try to perform them themselves. This is really scary because it is going to put many more women at risk for infections, diseases from unclean instruments, and death than if abortion was legal and they could have it done safely. Last night Romney said that he didn't want a board of people making decisions about his healthcare (in regard to Obamacare). I don't want him making decisions about my healthcare.

Second, I am someone who is currently benefiting from Obamacare.

• Last night, Romney said that his plan would allow young people up to 26 years old to stay on their parents' health insurance plans--if their private health insurance company allowed it. I know that before Obamacare was passed my parents' health insurance plan did not allow that. I am 23 years old and unemployed. Now, because of Obamacare, I get to stay on my parents' plan and I have health insurance.
• Last night, Romney said that his plan would make it possible for people with pre-existing conditions to have insurance--if they were already on an insurance plan that allows that. I know that my parents' health insurance plan doesn't cover pre-existing conditions. I don't know how I could find insurance while being unemployed that I can afford that would cover pre-existing conditions. Because of Obamacare, I will get to have health insurance even though I have a pre-existing condition.

Third, I am part of the LGBT community and so is my older sister, who was married to her wife in 2008 when it was legal in San Francisco.

• Obama supports same-sex marriage. Romney is going to amend the constitution to ban same-sex marriage.
• Obama repealed "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" so now people can serve their country without hiding a part of who they are.
• Obama made it possible for my sister to visit her wife in the hospital. Romney would take that right away.
• Mitt Romney favors allowing states to ban civil unions, which means that people of the LGBT community would not be allowed to even be in a union. This is a problem because this affects LGBT couples' health insurance, life insurance, adoption plans, visitation rights, and also the right that they don't have just because they are in the LGBT community: to marry the person you love.

This is the second sentence of our Declaration of Independence:

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, 

that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, 

that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness."

Obviously, it was written at a time when only men (white men who owned property) were "created equal." But times have changed. If these rights are "self-evident" then why are we (women and the LGBT community) having to fight so hard to get our rights? President Obama has, and is going to continue to finally grant us our "unalienable Rights." If Romney is elected, we, the mothers, daughters, sisters, and leaders of the community, will not get the self-evident truths upon which our country was founded.

I agree: this is a very clear choice.

"Be the change you wish to see in the world." --Gandhi

Sources for this article include:

women.barackobama.com

lgbt.barackobama.com

gobackteam.com

barackobama.com/truthteam

Michelle Obama in Cincinnati!

My sister and me in line.

Yesterday was an absolutely amazing experience! Getting to see Michelle Obama speak in person was phenomenal. She is more stunning in person than on TV; something I didn't know was possible!

The crowd waiting to go in.

The crowd was huge: 6,800 people! It was great because there were people from all different backgrounds and there were a lot of different views on issues even within the people who were there for this unifying event. It was really interesting, because even though we were all there for the same thing, everyone still wanted to be in their own groups: "African-Americans for Obama," "Women for Obama," "LGBT for Obama," "Latinos for Obama," "People of Faith for Obama," etc. It was almost like high school clicks all over again, except this time people were advertising what groups they were in.

Here are some photos of the event before Michelle took the stage:

We were so close!

Early voting started in OH yesterday!

Sherrod Brown, US Senator

Emily with her sign that the guy next to her ended up taking.
We had interactions with so many charming people...

One of our future leaders sitting with Dad.

The next generation of voters on Dad's shoulders!

This video isn't great, but this woman who is introducing Michelle Obama talked about her family's struggle with healthcare. Her son, standing next to her, was born with a liver problem and had a liver transplant at age 2. They had already reached his "lifetime cap" with their health insurance because of the transplant. When Obama passed the Affordable Care Act, they got to have affordable health insurance again! It was so great to hear their story and I love that she got to introduce the FLOTUS!

Michelle talked about so much! I wish I could have gotten it all. :) She told us why she loves Barack (Happy 20 Year Anniversary Today!!!), the reasons that it is so incredibly important to vote, and why Barack needs to be re-elected! Here is a clip about the great things he's done and why you need to re-elect this president. Listen carefully; the audio is terrible, but the message is great!

I loved watching her speak! She was so into it. :) Amazing experience.

This is the end of her speech. What a fantastic time we had! She is an inspiration and a great woman.

We were so close to getting to shake her hand!
This photo is with no zoom!

All in all, it was a great day! As you saw in yesterday's post, there were definitely some issues, but Michelle was absolutely perfect. :)

Here are some links both about her visit yesterday and about the campaign:
WCPO.com's Story About Her Visit
Huff Post's Story on FLOTUS's Visit and Why Ohio is So Important
Hamilton County, OH Voting Information
BarackObama.com

"Be the change you wish to see in the world." --Gandhi

Ohio Women Vote 2012 Summit (Natalie Portman Speaks!)

Union Terminal

The ceiling of Union Terminal.

Yesterday I had the privilege of attending Obama for America's Ohio Women Vote 2012 Summit! It was such a fantastic experience. It was at Union Terminal in Cincinnati. I had never been there, and just fell in love with the architecture! There were about 200 women there--and maybe 10 guys! :) We stood in line for about 30 minutes before we went in to the auditorium and it was so cool to talk with the other women in line. I was next to a woman who drove here all the way from Springfield, Ohio because it was so important to her to be here for this event. She was fantastic! She did her Master's thesis on the abuse of slave women and we got to talking about that for a while...it was really interesting. Another woman I met was a high school senior from Cincinnati who is a super-feminist! She was hilarious and I absolutely loved her knowledge of the feminist movement starting all the way back in the 1700s! She was so passionate and I can't wait to see what she ends up doing with her life. Another woman who was sitting behind me goes to school online and the thing that excites her most about Obama is his commitment to student loans and keeping up Pell grants so she might be able to go to the University of Cincinnati after she gets her Associate's degree. The energy was amazing--everyone was hyped up!

Kate Chapek

Kate Chapek is the Obama Campaign National Women's Vote Director. She was the best MC of this event! She had so much energy and she was fun! My favorite thing she said when talking about what this election means for our country is, "It's not about making history, it's about protecting history." Love it! She also mentioned that statistics show that women trust other women when it comes to deciding who to vote for. When women talk to other women, they don't even realize that the other woman on the other end of the phone is going to be taking in your opinions and will be using that to help shape their own opinion.

The former First Lady of Ohio, Frances Strickland, also spoke. I can honestly say I barely remember what she said. She was kind of monotonous and my mind wandered.

Mary Shelton

This woman, Mary Shelton, is one of the most inspiring women I've ever had the pleasure of hearing speak. She is a campaign volunteer for Obama for America - Ohio and has a developmentally disabled daughter, now 48, who still lives with her. She opened her own small business (this is her website) to help other developmentally disabled people get the care they need, because she realized there are not a lot of people helping that demographic. It's taken off! Her agency is helping people in the Greater Cincinnati Area and they take care of these people who cannot take care of themselves. She said, "The day the Supreme Court deemed the Affordable Care Act constitutional is the day I signed up to volunteer for Obama's campaign." I think the reason she was so amazing to me is that she is a real person with a real story about how Obama has helped her.

Alicia Reece

Alicia Reece (D) is an Ohio representative. She was such a great speaker! Her story is about how her mom and dad started a small business to have their own part of the 'American Dream' and were very successful--until her mom woke up blind in one eye one Christmas morning. They went to the hospital, but the doctors didn't want to diagnose her because her insurance would drop her if she ended up having anything serious. So, she kept trying to live without knowing what was going on with her body. She ended up in a wheelchair and finally got diagnosed with MS. The day she got diagnosed is the day her insurance company said she was no longer covered. Unfortunately, Alicia's mother died in December 2008. Had she still been alive today, the Affordable Care Act would have given her insurance again. Alicia is fighting for Obama because people like her mom can't. We all need to fight for Obama so our loved ones can live to fight another day. Alicia was an absolutely phenomenal speaker and I was so "Fired Up" after her speech! People like her are the reason people like me get up and volunteer!

Natalie Portman

So, of course, the headline speaker of this Summit was Natalie Portman! She was good! I was talking with Lara, a volunteer friend of mine, after the summit and we love the way celebrities use their status and influence to campaign for people. It's amazing, because you know, even if some people don't pay attention to politics but Natalie Portman is their favorite actress, once they get to the polls they might think, "Oh I don't know who to vote for, but I know Natalie is voting for Obama, so I will, too." It was great! She talked about education and about being a woman, and how we've been having some crazy things being said about our bodies by Republicans lately; and how Obama doesn't agree with that at all. I got parts of her speech on video and it was just so great to see one of my favorite actresses ("Black Swan" is one of my favorite movies!) saying things that are so in line with what I believe! It was a very exciting experience. I wish we had gotten some time after her speech to take photos and get autographs with her, but, you know, I still got to hear her speak while I was sitting in the fourth row, and that's pretty cool. :)

These are a couple of sound-bytes of Natalie's speech. Unfortunately, my phone ran out of space at the end of the second video (still had Obama's speech on it!) so I didn't catch the end of her speech, but I thought you all might like these.

I love this photo of her. She is happy about Obama! :) How cool!

So, women: this election is about us. We are the majority in this country; we are going to decide this election. So let's make it about us! Let's put the work in: phone bank, canvass, talk to people, share your opinion! Remember: women trust other women. If you influence three women and then they each influence three women, how far can we go?

"Be the change you wish to see in the world." --Gandhi

Romney's Secret Video

Oh, Mitt. This video may be another thread pulled in your undoing. Why, in this age of technology and social media, would you say something controversial to the 1% that you assume is going to stay in that room? Nothing that happens in ________ stays in ________ anymore, no matter where that place is.

I enjoyed Obama's response on the Letterman Show last night. It is the president's responsibility to be the president of the country, not just the 47% who vote for him. In my opinion, it's almost more important to work with the citizens who do not agree with him, than the ones who do. I mean, although I am reveling in the fact that Romney keeps metaphorically shooting himself in the foot, he almost has a  case in saying that there are people who are going to vote for Obama just because he's Obama and their minds will not be changed by anything he says. But, that doesn't mean he shouldn't reach out to them. Working with the opposing side is almost always more important than catering to the people you already know are on your side. You need to keep your allies happy, don't misunderstand, but they will stay by your side while you work on bringing people on the other side around.

I hope everyone has a fantastic day! I will--I'm headed off to see Natalie Portman speak at the Obama for America's Ohio Women Vote 2012 Summit (that name is too long)! I'll update throughout the day on twitter and facebook, so if you want to follow the Summit, that's great. If not, I'll let you know how it went tomorrow... :)

"Be the change you wish to see in the world." --Gandhi

Obama 2012!

Happy Monday, everyone!

This weekend I started volunteering for the Obama 2012 campaign! It's something I've considered doing for a while, and the opportunity presented itself, so I seized it! Barack is coming to Cincinnati today, so I stopped by the campaign headquarters Friday to find out how to get tickets. They told me how to get them (that they would be free and available for pickup on Saturday), but then they mentioned that if you volunteered on Saturday to help with the distribution of the tickets, you would be guaranteed a ticket. I called Emily back in Louisville, she came up Saturday morning, and we went to volunteer at the campaign headquarters in Cincinnati!

It was such an amazing experience! Emily's and my job was to make sure people filled out their tickets before they left, so we literally saw every person who came through. There were so many different kinds of people: homeschool families who are using this opportunity as a social studies lesson, girls all dressed up with Michael Kors handbags, homeless people who asked if they should put their pastor's address down since they didn't have one, college students who looked like they'd just gotten out of bed,  people with dogs, high school teachers, goth people, middle school boys who were trying so hard not to care about any of this but were so jazzed up inside, delightfully stereotypical gay couples, people who had just come from working out, blind people, beautiful old couples, stressed out moms with a few kids in tow, and I'm sure there are others I missed! And the languages being spoken! French, Russian, Arabic, Spanish, Ukrainian, Dutch, and English, just to name a few! Just seeing all those people there from so many different backgrounds for the same cause was inspiring!

Today all of us, young to old, male and female, gay to straight, quiet and loud, will gather together to rally behind our President. We are choosing to put all differences aside to promote one common goal: our country's continued progress. I love it! I am so excited!

"Be the change you wish to see in the world." --Gandhi