Stew 4 Obama

Campaign Update

2010-07-25T17:01:00.000-07:00

I'm working hard to earn your vote to become your next State Representative.

I'm very excited about the amazing support we've already won from the community, including:

- Endorsed by Washington Federation of State Employees
- Endorsed by Sierra Club
- Endorsed by Washington Conservation Voters
- Endorsed by Washington Stonewall Democrats
- Endorsed by 20 local elected officials, and hundreds of our neighbors and friends

Check out our new TV ad, and the updated campaign website! Thank you very much.

Stew for 22

2010-01-21T13:26:00.000-08:00

Stew Henderson officially a candidate for WA State Representative

State Representative Brendan Williams has announced that he will not seek re-election after the 2010 session. The 22nd Legislative District needs another strong voice in the Legislature, someone who will fight as hard as Brendan has for the citizens of Olympia, Lacey, and Tumwater. I’m ready to go to work for you, bringing all the skills I’ve learned in over 25 years of service, including:

Service in the Peace Corps
20 years experience helping government work better
6 years as a manager in state government, under Governors Locke and Gregoire
Founding and running a small business
Helping lead our local Obama campaign
Helping bring a $1 million grant to promote energy efficiency for Thurston County homes and businesses, as part of the Thurston Climate Action Team (TCAT)

My wife and I live in unincorporated Thurston County. Our two sons went through the local public schools, and are now off at college.

I’m proud that our State Senator, Karen Fraser, has described me as “exceptionally well qualified and well prepared for this race and this seat.”

I’m even more proud of the grassroots support I’m getting from state workers, retirees, union members, young people, professionals, environmentalists, and many others who are all working together to give me the chance to serve as “A Strong Voice for a Great Community.”

Please learn more at my campaign website, including an updated list of endorsers, and how you can donate to my campaign.

Thank you!

Stew Henderson

Surge in younger voters seen favoring Obama

2008-10-08T16:23:00.001-07:00

Interesting article in Reuters (the title is the link): "Surge in younger voters seen favoring Obama"

My thoughts: Young people are critical in this election. They are critical because they are more true to America's ideals and values than their elders.

It is a sad but true element of this election that older voters (60+) grew up in an era when it was inconceivable for a black man to be President of the United States. And, we are seeing, many of them are unable to move past that belief.

Younger voters, in contrast, are much less affected by such perceptions, and are better able to evaluate the two candidates dispassionately and objectively.

This election really comes down to a choice -- who will decide the near-term future of this country: the voices of the past, or the voices of the present and the future?

God bless the young people for speaking up.

Obama leads in 15 of the 16 battleground states!

2008-10-04T22:12:00.000-07:00

Here's a great link to a map that shows who's ahead in every state, according to all the latest polls. The best thing about this map? Of the 16 states the Washington Post identifies as "battleground" states... Obama is ahead in 15 of them! Yahoo!

I've been through enough of these races to know anything can happen, so we have to keep working our butts off. But it's nice to see something so encouraging.

(It's also good to know, so we can start swinging some resources to support our great Governor, Chris Gregoire. I was planning to go to one of the swing states to campaign for Barack all during October, but now I'm planning to stay home and work on our joint Obama/Gregoire Get-Out-The-Vote effort, at least until the last week or so.)

Here's the link: Cool map

Thank You to Obama Supporters

2008-10-02T16:06:00.000-07:00

Here's the text of a letter I just sent to the Editor of our local paper, The Olympian:

On behalf of Olympia for Obama, I want to thank the 800 community participants and over 100 volunteers who made our "Thurston County is the Well" fundraiser such a success last Sunday.

While we missed our audacious goal of raising $100,000 in one night, we're claiming victory for several reasons: 1) We still raised nearly $62,000 -- an amazing feat; 2) over 50 people signed up as volunteers for the Obama and Gregoire campaigns for these critical final weeks; and 3) it was a ton of fun!

People were excited to get together and see the grass-roots support that Barack Obama's campaign has generated. We understand government in Olympia, and we know that our country, our economy, our Constitution, and our international reputation cannot stand four more years of Republican mismanagement.

As we announced Sunday, we are not giving up on our $100,000 goal. People can still donate on-line at www.OlympiaforObama.com, or drop off checks at the Thurston County Democratic Party Headquarters, 2120 Pacific NE (just up from Ralph's Thriftway).

We'll have updates and further suggestions on how you can make a difference this year both on that site and on my blog (Stew4Obama.blogspot.com).

Again, thank you , Olympia, for standing up for what you believe in. What's different about this election is not that we believe in Barack Obama -- what's different is that we have a candidate who believes in us.

We can get our country back on track. And if we work as hard as we did last Sunday, we're going to win.

[For a link to the article on the event in the local paper, click here: Obama backers raise $61,702]

A vet who's still serving his country

2008-09-20T00:01:00.000-07:00

Major Matthew J. Parkinson wanted help getting his word out. He's the brother of a friend of my friend Sima Sarrafan, one of the Obama national delegates for Washington. I know that guys like him can really catch get some flack for speaking up like this, and I'm very grateful they do it.

There's more than one way to serve your country. Bless these men and women who don't stop serving when they come home.

Follow the link, too, to read views from other vets.

Everything that follows is straight from him:

I am a veteran. I have served in the Army National Guard and Army Reserve since 4 April 1989. I was mobilized in November of 2003 with the Army National Guard and served in Iraq from March 2004 to February 2005. While in Iraq, I was the operations officer of an infantry task force. One of the mission we had as a task force was securing seven polling sites in East Mosul during the 2005 election.

I would like to point out that being pro war is very different from being pro troops.

Supporting the troops is supporting policies that:
Deploy the troops to the right mission at the right time.
Ensure the troops are deployed with the right equipment to do the job.
Taking the advice of senior military leadership about the number of troops needed to do the job.

Supporting the troops is taking care of soldiers by:
Ensuring when wounded they have world class care.
Ensuring that their families and loved one are taken care of when they pay the ultimate price.

Supporting the troops is NOT:
A yellow ribbon magnet on an SUV.
An American Flag lapel pin.
E-mailing heart wrenching stories about the sacrifices of soldiers.

I serve to protect and defend to Constitution of the United States of America, the country I love, from all enemies foreign and domestic. As a soldier in a volunteer army, I choose to serve. I do not feel you owe me anything. If you choose to honor and appreciate the service of soldiers, please make it real. Don't buy the lip service and photo ops.

As we enter this election cycle, if you want to truly honor the troops, please look at the policies of the candidates that really support the troops and protect America and then join me in voting for Barack Obama. http://vetsforobama.org/our-stories/

MAJ Parkinson, Matthew J

Palin -- Beyond the Pale

2008-09-19T15:56:00.000-07:00

I haven't joined in with the anti-Palin attacks that are very popular on the left right now. A lot of them actually have a very arrogant, elitist streak to them, in my opinion. How can we build a progressive movement that can win a majority if we let ourselves make fun of ordinary Americans?

More importantly, from a political perspective, I think Palin is just a distraction. We need to keep our eyes on the prize: We have a great candidate for president, who is right on the war, right on the economy, right on taxes.... And they have McCain, a one-time "maverick" who's now peddling "more of the same," when it becomes more obvious with every passing day (and every daily crisis) that we need CHANGE!

However, I think it is both legitimate and important to highlight Palin's politics. If people want to elect an extremist, fine. But I don't think people have any idea what an extremist Palin really is. It's one thing to oppose abortion... but to oppose abortion in cases of rape and incest?

What about this piece from Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., about someone Palin admiringly quoted in her big speech at the convention? Here's Kennedy's comment:

Fascist writer Westbrook Pegler, an avowed racist who Sarah Palin approvingly quoted in her acceptance speech for the moral superiority of small town values, expressed his fervent hope about my father, Robert F. Kennedy, as he contemplated his own run for the presidency in 1965, that "some white patriot of the Southern tier will spatter his spoonful of brains in public premises before the snow flies."

It might be worth asking Governor Palin for a tally of the other favorites from her reading list.

link

Will America stand up to the lies?

2008-09-15T23:53:00.000-07:00

Several people have been asking me, "When is Barack going to get tough?" They'll probably like the latest ad, called Honor. Here's the link: Watch "Honor."

I think the McCain people are digging themselves a hole. They are flat out lying (about things like Obama voting for sex education for kindergartners), and people are calling them on it, and they won't back down. Sarah Palin is still claiming she opposed the Bridge to Nowhere and earmarks, when she's clearly on the record, over and over again, supporting the one and asking for the other.

I think this is a real turning point for our country. Can people just lie and get away with it? Does the Press not serve any purpose anymore? It's like we've drifted into some form of McCarthyism. Who's going to be the one to say, "Sir, have you no decency?"

[Reference: "Joseph Welch confronts McCarthy"]

Just Before Obama Stepped on That Stage

2008-08-30T13:42:00.000-07:00

Denny Heck passed along this "cartoon" from Denver. He said he couldn't recall an editorial cartoon that made him cry. (Click on the title above for the link.)

8 is Enough

2008-08-28T20:38:00.000-07:00

We just heard the speech. I'm sure you heard it, too.

It was the speech of our generation.

It's not that he's a great orator. It's not about pretty words. It's not about clever words. It's not about delivery. It's not about style.

It's not even about Barack Obama.

It's about the Truth.

Barack Obama just told the true story about what America stands for. The true story about what a mess a small group of foolish and greedy men have made of our economy, our Constitution, our international relations, and the war against terrorism.

And the truth about what it will take to restore America to it's rightful place in the world.

Barack Obama did not create the movement that is going to change America this fall. He is just the man who found the words to express our frustrations, and our dreams, and our commitment to act.

And what is so wonderful is that he knows it. He knows he will not change America.

We will.

Our wisdom. Our solutions. Our personal responsibility. Our Faith. Our hard work. Our commitment.

Obama is where he is because he learned in church basements in the South Side of Chicago that Democracy is not a spectator sport. He has held up the flag that we have rallied to. But we are the army that will take our country back in November. We are the troops who will rebuild our country, and restore everything Bush and McCain have squandered.

I walked into this stadium committed. I'm walking out far more committed... and looking at the faces of these thousands, I know I am not alone.

Watch what comes of this.
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What a Republican 4-Star General Has to Say

2008-08-28T10:28:00.001-07:00

This morning at breakfast I heard the clearest and most persuasive argument yet for electing Barack Obama President... from the most unlikely source.

Former Air Force Chief of Staff, Four-Star General Merrill McPeak, spoke to us this morning. He personally knows and has worked closely with John McCain and Barack Obama. He was a registered Republican who helped run George Bush's campaign in Oregon in 2000.

Then he watched what Bush did to the military. He became Independent in 2004, and registered as a Democrat this year. He's going around campaigning now for Barack Obama. As he put it, "I'm here because I'm ready for a competent Commander-in-Chief."

Talking about Iraq, Afghanistan, Georgia, he said, "This administration has shown its typical clumsiness in how it deals with difficult problems." Trying to make hard problems simple... which leads to terrible results. And McCain, a man who still doesn't really understand the difference between Shias and Sunnis, just promises more of the same.

McPeak said he knows John McCain, in fact he's a friend of John McCain. He described being the target of McCain's legendary anger. But the difference with McCain, he said, is that good leaders get angry, get their message out, but then are ready to let it go and move on 20 seconds later. But McCain can't. He's overly emotional. He holds onto things.

From the General: "Even when he was yelling at me, I liked John McCain. He was a maverick. He really did have the Straight Talk Express. But he's changed over the years. He's no longer a maverick. The presidential campaign process has changed him. He's completely lost his maverick streak. And it's a long time since we've heard straight talk from him."

He described how his respect and confidence in McCain has gone on a steady, downward path for many, many years. Basically, every time he hears something new from McCain, his respect for him goes down. "But my experience with Obama has been the opposite. Every time I see him, I get more behind him."

"First of all, he's scary smart."

"Second, having spent a career studying and practicing leadership -- and still, the only way I could get people to follow me was to buy them free whiskey -- this guy Obama has a gift. He is a leader. He speaks, and 20,000 people are ready to do follow him."

"Third, there's the issue of temperament. I'm the one who invented the phrase 'No shock Barack, No drama Obama. Hillary asked the right question: Who do you want answering the phone at 3 AM? You want a guy like Barrack answering that phone. 'Stay calm. We'll talk about it in the morning.' "

"Unlike McCain," whose anger and unreasonableness makes him dangerous.

General McPeak finished up with, "I like his choice of Biden. With these man, I think we're in great shape for the next 8 years. And Barrack Obama will be a great Commander-in-Chief."

So, Obama's lining up the support groups: we've got "Grandparents for Obama," "Rednecks for Obama," and now "Republican 4-Star Generals Who Value Wisdom and Leadership for Obama."

We're Not Here to Witness History...

2008-08-28T09:38:00.000-07:00

So, this is the day. The culmination of so many people's work. So many people's hopes and dreams. I wish you could have heard all the personal stories I've heard this week.

There's a lot of talk today about witnessing history.

The most important thing I've heard so far today is this reminder: Our job is not to witness history.

Our job is to make history.

To get out and do the work, to overcome so many people's concerns and fear of the unknown.

See you at the stadium!

This place is gonna go NUTS!

2008-08-27T19:43:00.000-07:00

Joe Biden is giving a great speech. And I just found out Barack is going to join him on stage at the end of the speech.

It will be pandemonium in this joint.
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Democrats Honor Veterans, and Iraq War Veterans Speak Out Against the War

2008-08-27T19:18:00.000-07:00

You HAVE TO see the video they just ran in honor of American veterans. Find it and view it. You must.

And try to catch this live speech from Tammy Duckworth, the wounded Iraqi war vet helicopter pilot. Laying out the Republicans disgusting betrayal of our wounded and homeless vets.

I love being part of a new Democratic Party, that can fight against a war but fully honor the warriors.

At least one party learned the lessons of the Viet Nam War.
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Bill Nails It

2008-08-27T19:08:00.000-07:00

Bill Clinton just used everything he had to support Barack Obama -- without any doubt, without any question, without the slightest shred of ambiguity.

Like so many, I have some ambiguous feelings about Bill. I love the work he did, to get America out of debt, to support equality in this country, and to support peace around the world.

And I'll never quite forgive him for his personal failings.

This room overlooked that tonight -- me, too -- and we roared our support for the man.

He did one of the things he does so well -- describe things clearly: "This election is about two things: Rebuilding the American Dream, and restoring America's leadership in the world."

Talking about restoring America's leadership in the world, he also gave the truest statement of the week, describing America: "People have always been more impressed by the power of our example, than the example of our power."

And talking about rebuilding the American Dream, he listed the simple statistics that lay out the backward economic slide we've suffered in the past 8 years under the Bush policies McCain wants to continue. An on-going disaster for the Middle Class. And he said: "They want us to reward them for the last 8 years, by giving them 4 more. We need to tell them, 'Thanks, but no thanks."

A Hall full of Obama and Clinton delegates, cheering for a Clinton, and cheering louder when Clinton called on us all to vote and work for Obama.

Whatever his issues, the man's a leader. He just led this crowd even more firmly into unity.
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Thank you Hillary

2008-08-27T15:58:00.000-07:00

And speaking from the New York delegation, Hillary Clinton moves to suspend the rules of the convention, so that Barack Obama can be nominated by unanimous acclamation.

When the chair asks for a second, the whole hall roars. 4000 seconds.

And then they vote unanimously to make Barack Obama the nominee of the Democratic Party.

Hillary Clinton handed it to him, with grace and aplomb.
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Unbelievable

2008-08-27T15:43:00.000-07:00

And Illinois, home of Barack Obama, yields to the great state of New York, home of Hillary Clinton....
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Almost there

2008-08-27T15:41:00.000-07:00

New Mexico yields to Illinois, "The home of the next President of the United States."
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Wow

2008-08-27T15:40:00.000-07:00

New Jersey, unanimous with 127 votes for Barack Obama. The hall erupts into, "Yes we can! Yes we can!"
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More Roll Call

2008-08-27T15:37:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it. I know how this is going to work out, but as state after state goes overwhelmingly for Obama -- proving we HAVE the unity we need for the fall -- I just have tears coming down my face.

Idaho, 20 to 3 Obama. Montana 18 to 7, Obama. New Hampshire, "Where unity isn't just a town," all 30 votes for Obama.
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While the Roll Call Rolls...

2008-08-27T15:27:00.000-07:00

We had some great speeches this morning. Amy Klobuchar, Senator from Minnesota is going places -- she's very real, and very smart.

She talked about all the energy for Obama from young people, including her 13 year old daughter. Her daughter e-mailed her this morning from camp: "Hi, Mom. There's ants at the bottom of my cot, but it's okay -- I can still sleep. I haven't had a tick yet. How's Barack doing?"

Mayor Ray Nagin of New Orleans came by. Friday is the anniversary of Katrina. As we speak, New Orleans is on the projected track of another hurricane, and a third of the owners of ruined homes haven't seen a dime of assistance (although Republican-linked contractors got billions in no-bid contracts). And the dikes still haven't been rebuilt. More Republican mismanagement, with peoples lives at stake.

Said Nagin, "We still have some struggles, but we're going to make it, because that's what we do. We're Americans."

And our Congressman Brian Baird shared the motto of his campaign, which he said needs to be all our motto from here on in: "If they're working, we're working. If they're sleeping, we're working."
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God Bless Our Veterans

2008-08-27T15:19:00.000-07:00

State after state is giving lopsided votes for Obama.

A two-tour Iraq war vet, wearing the combat boots he wore in Baghdad, in honor of his brothers and sisters still over there, cast Iowa's votes -- lopsided for Obama.. Obama's path to victory started in Iowa -- or as he put it, "On a cold day in January, Iowans planted the seeds for a new field of dreams."

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Roll Call Shocker -- corrected

2008-08-27T15:03:00.000-07:00

Arkansas just cast ALL its 47 votes for OBAMA. WOW. I guess that makes it clear where the Clintons are on this.

People are very excited in here.
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Roll call Shocker

2008-08-27T14:58:00.000-07:00

Arkansas just cast ALL its 47 votes for Arkansas. WOW. I guess that makes it clear where the Clintons are on this.

People are very excited in here.
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Nomination Begins

2008-08-27T14:39:00.000-07:00

They are about to start the Presidential nominating process. We know how it will end, but we don't know exactly how we'll get there.

Lot of great conversations last night and today. You run into delegates all over town -- I had a long discussion with a couple of Clinton folks on the train downtown from our hotel.

Some folks are still working things through, but Hillary really moved things along with her speech last night. The consensus is that her speech was spectacular. I even heard a couple Obama supporters whisper, "Wow, if she'd spoken like that all along, I might have voted for HER!"

Obama just got nominated by a white, registered republican, Iraq combat veteran good old boy from Tennessee. That's what I'm talking about. As the nominator said, after describing the unnecessary deaths he'd seen, and the inadequate health care given to his fellow returning vets by this administration, "If you do what you always did, you'll get what you always got. It's time for a change in the White House."
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Unity in Diversity

2008-08-27T14:03:00.000-07:00

My favorite scene from the Convention. (Hope this works.)
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Hillary Hits it Out of the Park

2008-08-26T20:32:00.000-07:00

Wow. Hillary Clinton just showed why she got the votes of 18 million Americans. She just gave the greatest speech of her life.

And, contrary to the cries of her critics, who said she only cared about herself, she gave her greatest speech on behalf of someone else -- on behalf of the candidate who now has the job of carrying Hillary's values and aspirations into the White House.

The press has been trying to scrape up a fight between Hillary's and Barack's supporters all week. But let me tell you, I was in the Hall here tonight, and Hillary was loved and honored and appreciated by everyone in this room. This place went wild for her -- not just her supporters -- everyone roared.

And I couldn't imagine a stronger endorsement of Barack, and a stronger condemnation of McCain, than what she just delivered.

Could anyone who believes in the things Hillary fought for support McCain? Hillary summed it up perfectly -- "No way. No how. No McCain."
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Patty Murray on working with Barack

2008-08-26T07:12:00.000-07:00

Senator Patty Murray at breakfast: "I've worked alongside Barack Obama. He is not the kind of guy who talks & talks & talks & talks. He listens. And when he finally speaks, I watch my colleagues nod, and then follow him."

Patty Murray is tiny! My vertically challenged wife will be happy to know that she's taller than the highest ranking woman in the US Senate!
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Michelle ROCKS!

2008-08-25T20:39:00.000-07:00

Michelle Obama -- and her children -- stole the hearts of everyone in this room tonight.

As Barack said in his video feed from Kansas, "Now you know why I asked her out so many times" (referring to the fact that she turned down all his attempts to date her when they first met). Then he added, in such a goofy, cute way, "You want a President who's persistent."

Michelle talked a lot tonight about the American Dream. What's most powerful, though, is not anything she had to say, it's who she IS. Father who went to work straight out of high school, and worked for 30 years to support his family, despite his worsening disease. Michelle being the first in her family (with her brother) to go to college. Marries Barack, the son of a single mother, who's now poised to become the next President of the United States.

They completely embody everything America stands for. Especially in contrast to McCain, the son and grandson of admirals, who can't even remember how many houses he owns. Geez -- when was the last time you lost count of how many houses you owned? Some life.

And then there are the choices she's made with her life. To leave the prestigious law firm to do community service. To refuse to campaign until she was sure her Mom would be there to take care of her daughters.

It's especially ironic in the face of the vicious caricature that Karl Rove's attack machine has tried to paint of her -- as radical and unpatriotic. When it's so obvious that this is just regular Mom, a very talented woman, a hard-working American who obviously loves her country because she knows that there is no other country in the world where her and her husband's life story would be even remotely possible.

They say Bush won because he was the guy you'd want to have a beer with. Well, Michelle Obama sure seems like the kind of person you'd want to share burgers with in the backyard. In fact, she seems like the kind of person who if, God forbid, something horrible were to happen, you'd want her to raise your kids after you were gone.

That's how grounded and solid in her values she seems.

Listening to her, learning about her, makes me even more proud to be an American.

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Caroline Kennedy Speaks

2008-08-25T18:20:00.000-07:00

Guy next to me: "God, she looks like her Dad."

I start getting tears in my eyes just seeing her up there. It's like she brings the spirit of her father and her uncle into the room -- men who inspired and were so beloved by so many Americans.

Caroline: "I've never had anyone inspire me the way people tell me my father inspired them... until now. Barack Obama inspires me that way.".
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From the Convention Hall

2008-08-25T18:02:00.000-07:00

So here we are in the Hall, leading up to the big speaker of the night, Michelle Obama. So far it's been an endless stream of short videos and speeches by state politicians no one's ever heard of.

Right now they're working on getting us all worked up with music. They're doing pretty good. Had some great Earth, Wind and Fire (that dates me), and Aretha Franklin just insisted on a little "Respect.". If that won't rile up the crowd, I don't know what will.

Here's the typical convention day:

- 7:00 am - delegation breakfast and meeting. Howard Dean spoke to us this morning, along with a bunch of other folks.

- 9:00 am - Obama caucus meeting -- getting our marching orders for the day.

- 11-3 - The downtown hotels & convention center are filled with all kinds of interesting speakers, sponsored by every imaginable political group. A great chance to meet and hear in person from people you usually only see on TV.

3-9 - The actual convention.

(Big flurry here... we're sitting right in front of the NBC booth, and Maria Shriver just came through. Everyone's taking pictures.)

Great little speech by Barack's sister, Maya Soetero-Ng. She looked right in our eyes and talked about their mother. The charisma runs in the family.

Another big flurry -- Joe Biden just went by below our balcony -- I think I got a picture of the top of his head! The gal next to me went to lean over & look at him. She came back & said, "It was really cute - he was sitting with his daughter and rubbing her back. He seems like a really nice guy!"

Everyone's very jazzed by Joe -- they flash his mug on the big screen, and the crowd goes wild. Looks like Obama made a great call.

...more later...
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James Yee -- American hero, Obama delegate

2008-08-25T00:53:00.001-07:00

James Yee and me at a delegation gathering this evening. James is one of the amazing members of the Washington Obama delegation -- a true American hero. He graduated from West Point, became the first Muslim chaplain in the army, was working in Guantanamo, was falsely accused of treason, got imprisoned, and fought until he was completely exonerated of all charges.

(You can read more about James at his website, JusticeForYee.com. His book is called FOR GOD AND COUNTRY -- Faith and Patriotism Under Fire.)

Faith in Action

2008-08-24T22:48:00.000-07:00

Wow -- I've only been to one event at this convention, and already the trip to Denver has been worthwhile.

We rushed from the airport to get to "Faith in Action -- An Interfaith Gathering," the opening event of the Democratic convention. (There's a switch -- Democrats opening their convention with prayer. Something new is going on in the America.)

I have not been so deeply moved in a long time.

A gospel choir singing, then local Indians beginning the event with drumming and chanting. Then over a thousand Democrats -- not every delegate, but those of us who felt moved gather in this way on a Sunday -- a thousand Democrats praying together, led by a Protestant minister, a Muslim imam, a Jewish rabbi, and a Catholic lay leader.

Followed by two hours of prayer, music, sermons, and readings from sacred texts -- the Torah, a Buddhist sutra, the Holy Qur'an, and the Holy Bible -- beautiful passages that anyone from any sect (or even any good-hearted non-believer) could assent to and by uplifted by.

I'm pretty leery of mixing religion and politics, from so often having seen religion used as part of political theatre -- where people are saying things they know people want to hear, but that are really insincere and hypocritical.

This was different. I felt the sincerity all the way through. No preaching. No "Look at us, how special we are." Just a bunch of people speaking from their hearts... and talking about how their deeply held religious views drive their values, and push them to do the work they do in the world, to make the world a better place. To do God's work on Earth.

Some highlights:

From the Rev. Leah D. Daughtry, a 4th-generation black preacher from Washington, DC, and CEO of the 2008 Democratic National Convention: "People said we needed to bring faith to the Democratic Party. But we didn't need to bring faith to the Democratic Party -- faith has always been in the Democratic Party." (That brought a chorus of "Amens"!)

A stunning sermon against the death penalty by Sister Helen Prejean, the nun who wrote "Dead Man Walking." Having walked with men to their death, having sat with the families of the victims and helped them heal, she brought a profound and moving perspective. I don't know if I agree with her, but I was moved by the way her faith moves her.

Remarks from the President of the Islamic Society of North America: "Muslims in other nations hear about discrimination against Muslims in America, and asked me in hushed tones, 'Are you okay?' I tell them this is the best country in the world in which to practice Islam [because of the freedoms we Americans enjoy]." "It is Christian leaders and Jewish leaders and leaders of other religions who have stood up for my people every single day over the past 5 or 6 years." And, "It saddens me that much of the evil being done in the world is being done in the name of my religion."

The most amazing part was a sermon by Bishop Charles Blake, Presiding Bishop of the Church of God in Christ, who spoke on "Our Sacred Responsibility to Our Children." Most of his speech was a clear exposition of our duty to our children, and how society has failed in that duty to so many children (both in this country and around the world), and that we are called to change that. Good Democratic stuff.

Then, I think he stunned half the crowd by talking about abortion, and stating his case that abortion is contrary to the same values of protecting children that most Democrats hold dear.

I couldn't believe what was happening, and you could feel the room stirring.

But he didn't criticize anyone, or curse anyone, or judge anyone. What he said was, "Can you not hear us when we tell you about our agony about this continuing tragedy?"

Then he really took it home. He said that despite his moral sorrow about abortion, and his conviction that Democrats were in error, he solidly supports the Democratic party, because of all the things they stand for that are right. And he spoke out forcefully against those who seem to care so much about unborn lives, but then completely forget about those same children the moment they are born, showing no commitment to help those children be fed, or clothed, or housed in decent housing, or given adequate medical care, or provided with adequate schools. Because "Love thy neighbor" does not refer to a feeling... it refers to action. "Love is to feed and clothe the poor. Love is action." (Needless to say, the room was on its feet to that. I am apparently not the only one who is fed up with religious and political hypocrisy on the right.)

The most significant thing for me, though, was this: It felt so good to sit in a room of Democrats where political correctness was dead. Where people could say hard things, upsetting things, and still stick together. Where friends could disagree, and speak about their disagreements in ways that would not divide them, but instead would cause each side to think differently about what the other had to say, and maybe change their minds.

That's the kind of America I grew up believing in, and that's the kind of America I'm excited to be part of building today, side by side with so many others -- millions of citizens across the country, of whom we in Denver are only the representatives.

At the start of the event, Rev. Daughtry referenced scripture (paraphrased from Isaiah 58), "You shall be called the repairers of walls, the restorers of the breach, the rebuilders of the city."

Of course not all Democrats have their values rooted in faith. But millions of us do. And today, a roomful of people from different faiths found a way to express their common cause. They were reminded again that, even though they read different holy texts, the same message comes through, calling them to common action. Calling us to act in such a way, as Rev. Daughtry put it, that future generations would look back on us and say, "You were the repairers of walls, the restorers of the breach, the rebuilders of the city."

Meet the media

2008-08-24T12:31:00.000-07:00

Whoa! We came up an escalator into the Denver airport and right into the middle of the filming of a Fox News segment. Let the circus begin!
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Flight to Denver

2008-08-24T11:45:00.000-07:00

Changing planes in Salt Lake City. So far, this trip is like the trip I took down to Texas to campaign during the last week before their primary -- at every turn, I join with a larger stream of Obama fans, all heading the same way.

The day started at 5am in Olympia, when Olympia Obama delegate Debbie Pattin picked me up at the house. We met up with Richard May, an alternate from Blaine (the Canadian border) at SeaTac airport.

Things really picked up at the gate in Salt Lake. Little knots of Obama people -- recognizing each other by our buttons -- were all meeting and greeting. On our small plane to Denver we have a delegate from Hawaii and her daughter from California, a delegate from Salt Lake City, two delegates from Oregon, a volunteer from Seattle and another from Washington, DC. Everyone is very friendly and excited, chatting and taking photos.

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Biden for VP!

2008-08-23T01:23:00.000-07:00

The text message is out -- Obama has picked Sen. Joseph Biden as his running mate!

Great call! Biden's Roman Catholic, has working class roots, grew up in Pennsylvania (a critical state to win). He's not afraid to fight back if the other side attacks. He also brings big foreign policy credentials that some say Obama doesn't carry -- he just got back from Georgia, having been called in to help by the president of that nation.

I look forward to hearing Biden speak on Wednesday night at the convention. This is the line-up for keynote speakers:

- Monday, Michelle Obama (heard her in Seattle -- very down-to-Earth, and very inspiring)
- Tuesday, Hillary (the 2nd best presidential candidate in the past 20 years) and Mark Warner, dynamic leader from Virginia
- Wednesday, VP nominee Joe Biden (with a brief earlier apperance from Bill Clinton)
- Thursday, Obama, accepting the nomination in the stadium

I'm getting very excited about heading to Denver on Sunday. This is going to be a blast. I hate parties... but I love getting organized to win the Presidency!! Let's go!

The Purpose of This Blog -- Keeping a Promise

2008-08-21T23:10:00.000-07:00

Earlier this year, tens of thousands of ordinary Washington citizens joined in a stunning display of American democracy, gathering with their neighbors in churches, firehouses and school gyms to help choose the next President of the United States. Most, like me, chose to support Barack Obama.

At each local neighborhood ("precinct") caucus, a handful of people were selected to represent Barack Obama at their county convention. Out of the thousands of those local delegates who gathered at the Thurston County Convention, a few dozen were chosen to go on to their Congressional District caucuses and the State Convention. Out of the hundreds of state delegates chosen across the 3rd Congressional District (which stretches from Olympia down to the Columbia Gorge, from the Cascades to the Pacific), only 6 individuals were chosen to represent Barack Obama at the national convention in Denver.

In the past, national delegate positions were doled out to old-time party regulars or big donors. Not this year. Obama supporters -- many of them completely new to politics -- were asked to chose delegates from among themselves. When I campaigned for a delegate position, I promised, "If you vote for me, we'll all go to Denver," because I would write to them, live, about what it was like.

I missed being elected delegate by 2 votes... but that meant I was chosen as an alternate, and so I still get to go to Denver. To keep my promise, I will be writing here at least twice every day of the convention -- more if I can -- giving everyone who wants to read this blog an inside view of this historic event.