Silicon Valley for Obama

Jono Canvasses in IndianaBarack Obama was my state senator and then US senator until I moved from Hyde Park, Chicago, a few months ago. Soon he will be my president.

I’ve been frustrated and cynical about politics. I'm a software developer and only 28 so this is my third presidential election, but my first to become actively involved. Now, I’ve gone to rural Indiana, canvassing door-to-door, passing out flyers, chatting with total strangers, smiling, and urging
undecided voters to support Obama.

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Ellen WheelerWhy am I, a white, middle-aged woman, supporting Barack Obama for president? I'm a life-long Democrat who is tired of business-as-usual politics. I see Barack Obama as someone who will work to get things done in Washington for all of the people, not just insiders, and he can work with others to do it. Our system of Democrats for Democrats, Republicans for Republicans, and no one for "these United States" does not work. Like others, I was thrilled by the opening of possibilities in Obama’s Convention speech in 2004. I hadn't felt like that since the candidacies of John and Bobby Kennedy. When Barack Obama announced he was running for President I thought, "He's the one who can finally change this country for the better." I "walked the walk" by serving as a Precinct Captain in the California campaign, and continue to volunteer to help make sure this transformative leader represents us in the general election against John McCain. I look forward to Inauguration Day 2009 when we finally have a president we can all be proud of again.

--Ellen Wheeler

Mei-Hsia in Full Obama GearFor the past eight years, the mere suggestion by my husband that I should become a U.S. citizen would elicit from me a loud squawk, followed by a knee-slapping guffaw. I had little interest in politics and even less in pledging allegiance to a particular country, much less one that had voted for George W. Bush twice. I had lived in four other countries before coming to America in 1996 and never felt much patriotism toward any of them. Barack Obama changed all of this for me. His global and cultural sensitivity together with his inspiring message of hope and unity reminded me of the best of what Americans and their future can be.

All you need to do is come to our office to see for yourself the reality of Barack Obama's belief that Americans can work together as one. I have never had the privilege of working with a more diverse, spirited, and devoted group of people. Since volunteering, I’ve seen how democracy works in America, taken on meaningful responsibilities, and made some great friends. I can't wait to do more! Obama reminds me to take a role in something bigger than my own life. And I believe he can do the same for others, both in America and beyond.

My husband is thrilled with my newfound interest in politics. I’ve left behind the cynicism and am filing for citizenship. Only America could produce a leader like Obama. This is the country I want to call my own.

Join us soon!

Susan Emerick at an Obama Rally in IndyIntense discussions and happy sing-a-longs exploded in the 60’s. Right alongside were riots, curfews, injustices and inequalities. I lived in Indianapolis in 1968 when Bobby Kennedy, the last candidate I campaigned for, announced the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. His historic speech about divisiveness and understanding calmed the audience. Then, we lost Bobby also. Disillusioned, I finished school, became a wife, mother, teacher, lawyer and now grandmother.

The riots ended, but inequalities did not. Teaching high school a couple of years, I saw drop-outs at 16 unable to read even want ads. Teaching in a law school head start program for incoming students brought a small victory: all become good students and probably great lawyers. Victories outmatch resistance; but, fifty-four years after Brown, inequalities remain.

Then I read about a Senator in Illinois, a brilliant constitutional scholar. As President, Barack Obama will help return the Supreme Court to its proper role, after years of stagnation, erosion or actual reversals of individual rights. With his ability to unify, he will work with Congress through legislation. With his presidency, our personal efforts will be more effective on the path toward ending injustices and inequalities.

Thank you Silicon Valley for Obama for providing an outlet for the energy Barack inspires. I’m canvassing, phone-banking, writing, emailing, soliciting donations, registering voters, here and in Indiana, attending rallies for the first time in forty years, meeting fascinating fellow supporters, and had the delightful opportunity to talk with Ethel and Max Kennedy. Barack’s message “Now Is The Time!” is very personal to me.

--Susan Emerick

Michelle HarrisonSo proud to be part of this campaign! I read Obama’s first book and then heard him on a radio talk show in San Francisco. He was honest and straightforward, answering questions, that were intended to come in sideways or to “jab,” with common sense and thoughtfulness. I signed up in July, was called in August, went to a meeting and I was hooked. Ten or twelve of us started in Palo Alto and our “group” grew to over 1,500 volunteers. I have phone banked, canvassed, tabled, raised money, registered voters, worked the office, helped with finances, you name it. This is, by far, the most interesting, educational, inspirational and invigorating experience in which I have ever been involved!

Michelle Harrison

Donna Potterfield, Michelle Obama and Michelle O'RourkeMy decision to become an OBAMA supporter was not an immediate one. When I first came to know this candidate, as a volunteer in New Hampshire, like many I still questioned: Does he have enough experience, is voting for him a gamble? To answer my questions, I read his biography and Audacity of Hope. I listened to the debates and speeches and then came to my present questions: Could my America, an America that has made terrible choices in the past, elect a man of such integrity, intelligence, and judgement? Could we elect a man, An African American man...I came to realize that in fact, NOT voting for candidate Obama would be the biggest gamble of all.

After his speech on race and as tears ran down my face, I realized once again the importance of electing him. Now living in California, I am a volunteer at the front desk of the Palo Alto office. I am constantly amazed as people peek in our front door and give daily testimonies as to how much this man means to them and how they will do what is needed to elect him.

He has touched a nerve and ignited a passion and thoughtfulness in people that makes our democracy great, but which has not been mobilized since Robert Kennedy. Senator Obama is a man of integrity and has the power to inspire us to become a better country. I believe he is the one candidate who offers us, yes, this great hope.

Donna Potterfield

John JacobsWorking on this campaign is the culmination of a lifetime of experiences. JFK inspired me, and many of my contemporaries, to join the Peace Corps. I trained for Tanzania and learned Swahili, one of several languages spoken by some of Barack’s family in Kenya, but was eventually reassigned to Sierra Leone in West Africa, where I lived in a small up-country town of 4000, fell in love with teaching and developed a view of the world and the people in it that has everything to do with who I am today. Barack wants to expand Peace Corps, offering college tuition credit to those who are willing to perform national service. It’s a powerful idea, with the potential to do a great deal of good both here and abroad.

Upon returning to the U.S., I spent two years in a federally funded urban Teacher Corps program. Participants were roughly half black, half white and all returned Peace Corps Volunteers who had served in Africa. My wife, Pat (RPCV Burkina Faso) and I then headed for California where we continued to pursue our profession and our passion: teaching young people.

Having worked mostly with students of color in working class communities, I have learned how much the cards are stacked against kids who come from disadvantaged backgrounds. Education can be a great equalizer, but we have to level the playing field in many different areas of society simultaneously, including education, so that all kids truly have equal opportunities to succeed in schools. Barack understands all of this, and much more. He understands what we have to do to improve health care, the economy, and our foreign policy. He understands what all girls and kids of color think and feel when they look at a chart of U.S. presidents and see 43 white men in succession. He understands why there is so much resentment of our country around the globe. He understands why the politics of the past just won’t work any more, if it ever did. He understands his unique ability to mobilize people to address the serious problems that are facing all of us. He understands our deep desire to live in a country where people feel that their leaders have their best interests at heart, and that if each person is willing to do his or her part, we can become the country that we want us to be.

For these reasons and many more, working on this campaign with all of you has truly been, and will continue to be a labor of love. I’m still teaching and learning, and hopefully assisting in creating a community which will endure beyond Nov. 4. Following Barack’s lead, we will continue with our phone banking conversations, staying on the high road and speaking honestly about the issues which we all face. We will continue to listen empathetically to those with differing viewpoints, with the immediate goal being Barack’s election, but the ultimate goal being the creation of a more humane world.

Onward,
John Jacobs