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Americans in Malaysia, Americans Abroad. Please vote. Please print and post this flyer.
Get your request for absentee ballots mailed in by September 15th if you are in Southeast Asia.
The wizard at votefromabroad.org should only take 5 minutes of your time. Here is a postage paid envelope template to send your forms in.
Great post over at DailyKos with a ton of information for Democrats Abroad and Americans Abroad for Obama.
Obama/Biden ‘08 !
Popularity: 99% [?]
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Back in November 2003 I was pulling for and blogging about Howard Dean. As an American living overseas, I found it exhilarating that I could participate in the US political process from my computer sitting in Malaysia. I had the idea for the Dean blimp while reading about how an HMO used a blimp for advertising at college football games. I posted on the Dean blog forums and a few people agreed it was a cool idea. An hour later I’d photoshopped a Dean blimp from the Blockbuster blimp and then put up a crude page to give the idea a home. I contacted a blimp company, got quotes and put the pricing info out there for Dean folks to respond. A few weeks later an email arrived from Dean supporter, Ken Leach.
I was with Howard Dean last Tuesday in Houston. He had no idea there is an idea about a DEAN BLIMP and recoiled at the mention of 2.5 million. I told him it would be the best 2.5 million he could spend and it would pay out more attention for the campaign than any other money he could spend. As he was leaving, I said, “Think about it - A Dean Blimp!” He smiled and gave me the thumbs up. The seed has been planted.
Alas, Dean never went for the blimp idea. Still though, how cool is it that a supporter all the way in Malaysia can have an idea, post it on the web and a few weeks later it is pitched to the man himself ?
Although I’m for Obama - I really admire Ron Paul and the guts he has. When he stood there at one of the early GOP primary debates talking about “blowback” to a crowd filled with Rudy Giuliani suck ups - that took hutzpah and Paul didn’t even flinch. He’s kooky, but I’ll take kooky over Evil any day. I admire people that tell you what you need to hear even if it’s not going to be popular.
The Ron Paul movement reminded me allot of the Dean movement. Paul’s campaign was also bringing new people into the fold of politics and they were using the internet to organize. Much of what was happening was not being directed by the Paul campaign, it was just happening organically. Millions of dollars were getting raised daily and most of it was being raised and organized off site and by volunteers. I had almost forgotten about the Dean blimp and then one day to my surprise, Paul folks launched a Blimp. Still halfway around the World, I smiled.
The Dean blimp never flew and the Paul blimp did not get him the nomination. Some mock the idea of course, but what did happen is a powerful demonstration of internet enabled democracy in modern political campaigns. The power of communication and internet publishing can make your ideas literally take flight.
Howard Dean said, “You have the power!” And we did, and still do have the power. As head of the DNC and architect of the 50 State Strategy - Dean wields a bit of power himself these days.
Obama blimp in 2012?
Popularity: 57% [?]
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photo by Getty images
Like everyone else I’m waiting to see who will be Obama’s VP pick. I think best choice would be Senator Jim Webb of VA. The odds are 40 to 1 against it happening but I’ll go out on a limb here and make the prediction.
UPDATE: good thing I’m not a betting man. An hour after I posted this the AP was running a story that Biden is the man. Congrats to Joe Biden. Obama / Biden ‘08 - fine with me :)
Popularity: 43% [?]
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OK, call me an Obama fanboy. I don’t care. I give Obama ‘mad props’ for getting where he is today with that name. Forget that he’s black or from a broken family raised by a cool and kooky expat mom in the Indonesia kampung. Last election cycle around this time I was pretty darn sad about the prospects. John Kerry was Bob Dole. The longer you’re in the senate the worse your chances of being president are. Dean.. Scream.. Sad.. But today, this is a whole other thing.
I’m proud that 47% of my countrymen are ready to look beyond the face and name of an unknown and be inspired by a man who personifies the American dream. He’s not the Messiah. He’s just a messenger of change and a reminder that every page will turn eventually. To the 43% of McCain supporters out there, see you at the finish line.
More Obama love here
Popularity: 8% [?]
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photo by Delta Niner
Indeed, one of the more impressive achievements of Obama’s organization is the way it churns out video after video–more than 1,165 posted and 14.8 million views on YouTube alone. Much of that is the work of Obama’s director of field video production, 32-year-old Arun Chaudhary. Obama’s YouTube guru shared some of his insights at an event Wednesday sponsored by frog design, the NYU’s Tisch Interactive Telecommunications Program and Fast Company.
Obama’s biggest advantage, Chaudhary said, was that his organization took video seriously from the start. The campaign has 50 staffers shooting, editing and posting video, most of it for online. Where Clinton would have just one staffer videotaping an event in Iowa, Obama often had five to provide multiple camera angles. They posted new video constantly, and quickly — 19 minutes from shoot to post, in one case. And they’d ping community voters via email to alert them to new video.
more via AlleyInsider
Popularity: 14% [?]
