Expats for Obama

No matter where you live, if you are interested in helping the Obama campaign succeed, they are interested in you. Last night I had the pleasure to attend a Democrats Abroad reception which featured discussion of registering ROK expats and a short talk by Miriam Saprio (a policy advisor and member of the Obama campaign's Finance Committee). The wine reception preceding the event was a little smaller and seemed to me a little more business-oriented than I'd expected. I was a tad under-dressed and a tad under prepared for such a networking opportunity. (Despite my willingness to spout opinions in writing, I can be a bit shy in person). But, I located a few of my business cards, drank a glass of wine, and forced myself to get to know the other folks in the room. I need to resurrect my rusty networking skills a.s.a.p, if I'm going to find a job in the fall. There might not be a recruiter holding my hand like there was in the ROK. And then, just when I opened up and started getting to know folks, the Villa Sortino's staff called us into the dining room for an excellent dinner. (You can never go wrong with Sortino's-yum!:) The short description for those stuffed mushrooms=mouth watering.)
But enough about me. Back to the Obama Campaign. Miriam Sapiro gave a relaxed, informative talk about the many strengths and current challenges of the Obama campaign. Fundraising for the remainder of the primary season is one of those challenges. I had forgotten about this issue, but there are still two separate funding pools-one for the primary season and one for the general election. Some campaign donors specifically earmark funds for the general election campaign against the Republican candidate-and no one can touch that money-even if it would really, really help the campaign- until AFTER the democratic convention. So Obama could benefit from volunteers and donations NOW. McCain is campaigning now, and Obama needs to be doing the same.
I was struck by Ms. Sapiro's speech because she was clear, informative and pleasant, even while jet-lagged. :). But what really struck me about it was that she was not slick. Back in my college days when I was a Poli-Sci major and campaign volunteer in NYC, I met a lot of slick political types. They had MPP and MIA degrees and they acted like they knew better than you. You could tell from their arrogance. Then later, when I became involved in various feminist causes, I met the political left's version of slick -the slick idealist. There was nothing slick about Ms. Sapiro. She could work a room and remember every one's name (now that is a skill I envy!) but she was genuine. She genuinely believes America needs Barak Obama to bring about crucial changes. And, while I'm perched up here on my political soapbox, so do I.
No matter where you live, if you're a US citizen or legal permanent resident, you can get involved in the Obama campaign. You can register voters. You can raise and or donate funds. The web site below is a good place to start:
http://abroad.barackobama.com/page/content/aafohome
I don't mean to preach, but I don't enjoy watching my country going to "hell in a hand basket." I'm not sure how you put hell in a hand basket, but it's bad. The USA needs real change. Democratic Change. I'm getting involved. You can, too.