Obamas send message to Edwards family

John and Elizabeth Edwards today announced that Elizabeth was still positive for cancer although a slow-growing type without symptoms.

Barack and Michelle Obama sent a message in response to the news which can be found by clicking the image link below:

SFO's rapid rise

I've prepared some documentation on the rapid organizing success of Sacramento for Obama (SFO), which has been able to produce its own website, t-shirts, media coverage, newsletter, etc. in only a few weeks. The file is in pdf format:

Documentation of Sacramento for Obama

Some observations on the success of SFO:

* Enthusiasm breeds enthusiasm. Get motivated and others will share your motivation and then the sparks fly.

* People like to come to fun campaign events. There will be a time for grueling-type campaigning particularly in the last couple of weeks before voting starts in your area, but for now all campaigning should be fun while still being productive.

* The media is interested in Barack Obama, so make every effort to contact them and cultivate relationships with them.

* Broadcast your group and events widely. Use local media, bulletin boards, craigslist, forums, meetings, calendars of events, etc. to publicize your stuff. Hold your meetings in public places rather than private homes. Wear your Obama t-shirts and campaign gear at these public meetings and events.

* Constantly engage and update your group, and stay active. Staying active, keeps people engaged and hones your performance.

Yahoo Answers

Barack Obama has posted a question on Yahoo! Answers: "How Can We Engage More People In the Democratic Process?".

Click here to answer.

Video-maker unveiled

Arianna Huffington has managed to smoke out the maker of the "1984" anti-Hillary video.

Phillip de Vellis, an employee of Blue State Digital, admitted to creating the popular YouTube.com spoof.

Blue State Digital handles the techical side of Obama's website and one of the founders of the company is on leave while managing the new media division of the Obama campaign. However, de Vellis, who resigned from his job, stated that he made the video on his own and that neither his company or the Obama campaign knew anything about it.

An official Obama response also denied any knowledge of the making of the video. And the head of Blue State Digital released the following statement:

Our Statement On The 1984 Video

Statement from Thomas Gensemer, Managing Director, Blue State Digital

This afternoon, an employee at our firm, Phillip de Vellis, received a call from Arianna Huffington of "The Huffington Post" regarding the "1984" video currently circulating online. Initially, de Vellis refused to respond to her requests. He has since acknowledged to Blue State Digital that he was the creator of the video.

Pursuant to company policy regarding outside political work or commentary on behalf of our clients or otherwise, Mr. de Vellis has been terminated from Blue State Digital effective immediately.

Blue State Digital is under contract with the Obama Campaign for technology pursuits including software development and hosting. Additionally, one of our founding partners is on leave from the company to work directly for the campaign at headquarters.

However, Blue State Digital is not currently engaged in any relationship with the Obama Campaign for creative or non-technical services.

Mr. de Vellis created this video on his own time. It was done without the knowledge of management, and was in no way tied to his work at the firm or our formal engagement [on technology pursuits] with the Obama campaign.

I have spoken with David Plouffe, Sen. Obama's campaign manager, to inform him of this action and am appreciative of his understanding and ongoing support of our work.

We wish Mr. de Vellis well in his future endeavors.

http://www.bluestatedigital.com/2007/03/on_the_1984_video.html

Democracy for America (DFA) is having a straw poll that they will use to select their endorsement for next year's Democratic primary.

DFA is run by the old Deaniac group and has cells throughout the nation. The endorsement would likely muster significant support for a candidate. All Barack supporters should head on down to the DFA site and vote for Obama.

Campaigns clash over Barack's anti-war stance

Consultants from the Hillary and Barack campaigns collided on tv over Barack Obama's consistent position against the Iraq War. The Clinton camp used some quotes in which Obama admitted he did not have all the information available to congressional legislators in 2002. However, that apparently is a non-issue. No one is suggesting that the legislators were privy to any substantive information different than that presented to the public as the case for going to war.

Indeed, John Edwards, John Kerry and others have admitted that they were wrong in approving the war based on the evidence they had at the time.

From 1984 to the Iraq War Timeline

Barack Obama did a fine job on Larry King last night. As Hillary Clinton and John McCain declined to show up, Barack was the star of the show.

One thing Larry brought up is the remake of a "1986" Apple ad recast as a pro-Obama video. This video is getting lots of playtime over at YouTube.com.

Click here for 1984 video.

Obama said his campaign did not know who created the video. The type of overlays require sophisticated equipment that personal computers and even most movie software does not have.

barackobama.com has new Iraq War timeline

The Obama campaign site now has a new timeline showing Barack's opposition to the war since 2002. The campaign is also asking for video, letters to the editor, and other support for the senator's de-escalation plan.

Obama as "Neo" or "Magic Negro?"

A fascinating article appeared in the New York Times exploring Barack Obama's growing up in Hawai'i and his angst over being the only black student at the prestigious Punahou School.

Tonight, Larry King, who just recovered from surgery, will interview Obama on CNN. I hope he digs more into the candidate's background and youth.

An off-the-mark piece in the Los Angeles Times asks whether Barack is the sociological "Magic Negro" a proposed archtype of non-threatening, non-"Mandingo" African who helps absolve the progressive white person's guilt feelings over slavery and segregation.

While I can't deny that some of this may be going on, I think rather that many see Obama as representing America's future. A real future where interracial "miscegenation" and multi-culturalism will be more prevalent than they are even today.

Such a clashing and blending of cultures has already existed in places like Hawai'i where Obama grew up. He has inherited a unique ability as a negotiator between races, cultures, ideologies, etc. that is readily apparent in his every action.