My Barack Obama Fundraiser
 

My fellow swankers,

Please have a look at my Obama Fundraising page.

As I say there, do not feel obligated. Please give if you believe that this election matters. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Obama '08! :)

~Jennie


(I've placed this in the Lounge in the hopes that the most people possible will see it, as I know many do not venture into the Daily Grind. I ask that we keep it here for a week at least. Thank you.)

What happened to the party?



(alas, i was supposed to help throw a party for my pet electoral issue ... but i can't even afford to donate to that cause. So no Obama donation from me, i'm so sorry ... but he's got my vote. That's all I can afford right now. Waaaaaa.)

I want to give but the link isn't working.

Now I can sleep peacefully tonight...

Edit: I got the main page but server problems prevented me from going to Contribute.
Must be very busy tonight...

Way to go, Michelle!

Hah, of course the site is having trouble after the convention. It's working at this very moment...

I figured I'd kick off the fundraising now, during the convention. Party TBD.

...but where's the link to give the funds to Hillary? I like her !




...OK, I'm an Aussie and allowed to get away with this. Allright?

It's the same link. I'll pass it on, I swear :p

:snap: That reply may just be worth a donation...

It is working now.

I gave what I could.


Which isn't much...

Viva Obama!

Pass the Victory gin!

I love the write-up you did, J.
Nicely done.
:)

Libertarians for Obama?

Libertarian Librarians for Obama!
:D

Now that sounds pretty hot...

Nympho Libertarian Librarians for Obama? (NSFW image)

(Okay, off topic, but, has anybody here actually got a copy of Nympho Librarian? Just curious.)

Perhaps you could be a Grammarian Contrarian Libertarian Librarian for Obama.

I'm a registered Libertarian, and I'm for Obama....though I thought that was pretty straightforward ;)

A Lascivious Libertarian Librarian - got it

Sorry for the librarian derail...

At this time, I can't donate anything. But as soon as I can, I'm going to route it through J's page.

I think it's wonderful that you're taking the initiative to act, J.
:)

I'm going to also. I guess it will be a minor amount, but I'm going to scrape up some cash and split it between the No on 8 campaign and Barack Obama's presidential bid.

I'll route the Barack donation thru Jen's page, frankly, because she's inspired me to look forward to his presidency and to give a little more than my vote if I can. I'll find a way.

Hi Ms. Pallor,

Quite a while ago I created an ePassporte Account (it's like a virtual Visa that you top up, and can only be debited so it limits the liability of rip-offs).

When I read your thread, I figured I'd send whatever balance was still there to your Obama cause (boy - talk about a chick on a mission...you go girl!).

So I tried to access the account, but it told me it had been "blocked". I used the Contact Us link, and after several days, had still not heard back. I sent another email threatening to "out them" for stealing my money, and heard back in 10 minutes...but I have to wait 7-10 days for them to "unblock" the account (WTF - it's just a checkbox in the software), as it hadn't been used for 150 days.

Imagine what would happen if a bank did that to folks accounts...

So anyway, please be patitent my pet, and I will send funds to Obama for you.

Love and hugs,

The Stoat XXX.

Dear Mr. Stoat,

Is it possible that you can't donate because you are in another country? Or is it the ePassport account that is locked?

Thanks guys. Whenever you can will be lovely.

Darling Stoat ~ I'll check the rules on foreign donations when I get a minute, to make sure where the fault lies. Thanks for trying!

Hi Ladies,

I'm not being blocked from paying to the Obama fund - I'm being blocked from using the account for anything at all...

I really hope the World hasn't degenerated to the point that I can't donate to any fund of my choosing ('cos if it has, we're all screwed, and may as well live in China, which has less access to info than the Arkansas Information Center at Sunday midnight, and less rights than a left-turn only lane during peak hour).

After all, if I wanna give bucks to the "One legged pregnant lesbian whale watching tree huggers" then I fully expect to be able to (not that I would, and not that I have anything against One legged pregnant lesbian whale watching tree huggers).

I'll get back to you after the account has had an enema.

Love and hugs,

The Stoat XXX.

It is illegal for foreign nationals to contribute to US elections.

2 U.S.C. Sec 441e

But it's ok to give to one legged pregnant lesbian whales watching tree huggers. If they're not running for office.

We build a wall and exert so much energy to keep Mexican citizens from opportunity, but Rupert Murdoch, a right-wing crank with control over so much of the world's media, is given a free pass.

Hey CP,

I think I owe you a few bucks for that very expensive cocktail you purchased for me during my USA visit last year.

I'll send it soon...Oh sorry...is this the wrong thread for reimbursement? My bad.

Love and hugs,

The Stoat XXX.

I know it is (probably) a joke, but it is also illegal to accept money from a foreign national with the intent to funnel it into a campaign (just as it is to accept money from a citizen who has reached their contribution limits)

I guess the Lashes need to get working on that relocation and citizenship then.

I would like to state publicly that I will not break any laws in my support for Obama and the Democratic party.

Thanks for the attempt, Stoat. Talk to you soon. :)

Yes, and they'll even be able to finally get married, if they funnel enough money into the No on 8 campaign. ;)

Or just immigrate to Massachusetts.

I believe California has neither residency nor citizenship requirements for a marriage license.

While I certainly can not stand Obama- I am all for the Lashies moving here

Let's start a petition!

No, but it does have a not insignificant risk of the right to marry being revoked soon, which does not exist for MA.

So if one wanted to marry in the United States and was moving here for it explicitly I'd choose Massachusetts over California for at least a little bit longer. Plus, Massachusetts has a state budget and a form of universal health coverage. And silly accents so said foreigners won't stand out.

People are getting married at Mouse Adventure?

Yes.

But only because intentional misunderstanding at every possible juncture never gets old and is hilarious every time.

Dear Alex,

The only funnel I require is the one down which my cocktails are poured.

Speaking of which here comes one now: :cheers:

So I guess I'll sit back, enjoy my drink, and pray like the rest of the World. We may not get a say, but we wear it almost as much as you do.

Hugs,

The Stoat.

Ok, you knew I'd bump this at the end of the convention. :) I promise not to harp too much.

Please, if you agree this moment is important, help it happen.

Many thanks,
Jen

I would, but it's down for maintenance.

...and BTD did donate. Thank you, so much! :)

Cross posted from the other thread:

Can't do anything in CA, eh? Check this out.

I will be in Europe for this first drive, but Oct, hmmmmmmmmm

I stole Leo's credit card. Can I send a contribution for him?

:D

What are they doing on these drives? I'm willing to consider helping so long as it doesn't involve me giving money (Lani can if she wants, and does, but I don't support campaigns financially; sorry CP, an Obama presidency isn't worth the endless solicitations that will follow) or talking to strangers.

Though if they need someone to go to Vegas, wear a lot of Obama regalia and play roulette while shouting things like "come on... baby needs to buy an 8th house!...or is it 9th?" then I could do that. If they stake me...which I think Obama can afford. Or I could go to a Nevada natural history museum and talk about having proof that the Earth is only 6000 years old and the bible is true and we know this because John McCain was there; honest, he doesn't have a bellybutton.

I did not give my phone number. I already throw out a ton of junk mail and election mail as it is. And since I don't have time to give I gave what I could, which isn't much, but maybe it can provide some regalia for Alex to wear in Vegas.

I totally understand that some aren't comfortable with donations or talking to strangers. Personally, I'm frustrated because what the campaign wants CA supporters to do it call people. I hate getting those phone calls myself, so how could I do that to others? Battleground states give you door to door assignments but there are none in CA. I even emailed them to ask about it, and they said "phone calls only". Even then, I put in my zip code and they want me to call (310) LA numbers. I feel like I maybe could have pulled off calling locals and saying "I'm one of you" but as it is, it's outside my own comfort zone, and I won't do it.

Heehee. Inside this hilarity there's a real question, and here's the trip to NV FAQ.

Sounds like you're out, Alex. :) This is the type of thing I'd love to do...

Yeah, I had that same problem with volunteering for the No on 8 campaign ... all they want you to do is make those phone calls that I myself hate getting. Sorry, no.

Hey, I'm willing to walk door-to-door. Just so long as the don't expect me to knock on them.

I'm totally willing to do that on the evening of Oct. 31st. ;)

I'll even make a costume entirely out of Obama bumper stickers too.

I wonder how many drag Gov Palins there will be on Santa Monica Blvd this year....


ETA: The 31st is my Friday of. Hmmmmm....

I've got one (non-swanker) friend who wants to come help in NV....so now it's pretty much on. :)

Oct 17-19

They've got a cheap deal on a cheap place, and as this is not for Vegas-ness for me, that's probably where we'd stay. (GD will come and gamble, which is totally cool by me.)



*stands up* So, who's coming with?

I told Lani you were pulling for something like this and she might be interested. But just as you'll be in Europe for the first events, we'll be in Rome for this one.

I will be in Vegas late afternoon on the 19th for a conference

Heh, if I weren't taking so much vacation time around then I'd take the 20th off and meet you for cocktails that evening :cheers:

Since contributing, Obama and Biden are my new email BFF's!

Honestly, that's fine by me. They have links to their speeches and other stuff I would otherwise miss.

Viva Obama!

Ok, I'm officially going. If you're interested, PM me so we can work out details. :)

Get a 15% discount at the Obama Store - and help my fundraising effort!


1. Go to http://store.barackobama.com

2. After adding the items you'd like to purchase to your shopping cart, enter GFC08 into the coupon code box to receive a 15% discount.

3. Click on Proceed To Check Out. On the donation page where you enter your credit card information, find the Referred By box and enter my full name. (My full name can be found at the bottom of my donation page here.)

This is a great opportunity to get cheaper Obama swag and help my thermometer go up. Thanks for looking! :)

And, as always, the link in my sig line will help you donate to the campaign, fast and easy. Ohio is a dead heat - do what you can to tip it blue.

:)

bump.


I'm off to Vegas tomorrow night for a weekend of helping the campaign and probably won't have time to post that evening. Wish me luck.

Thanks again (and again and again) to all of you who have donated. I thought there wouldn't be any more in recent weeks but there have been! :) As the campaign just said in an email to me:
I love that I can be a part of this, and the moral support I receive from each of you keeps me going.

:)

Back from NV.


I photo blogged a bit over at Facebook, using my status for mini posts.


I had a great time. The campaign there is awesome. I wonder what the numbers were on people who drove in from CA since my regional office probably had a hundred people show up, and the one my friend went to had something like 500. That was just two offices (we were region 3 and region 6 and who knows how many there were total) and just one weekend!

We were then sent to a smaller regional office for true orientation and packet pickup, where I met many wonderful people.

Voter registration time is over in NV but early voting just started on Saturday, so our goal was to get people to vote right now. The lists we were given were for homes that were pro-Obama or leaning Obama so it wasn't really about persuasion. We were given one brochure about his medical coverage policy but I never even had to talk that up. We were to tell them their local early vote site and ask if they wanted a ride to the polls. I was bummed that no one I talked to seemed interested in the ride, since we could actually call it in and they'd send someone over immediately.

We asked whether they were voting for a local Dem, Shelley Berkeley. The other local Dem, Kelvin Atkinson, was a lock so we didn't have to worry about him, but we handed out flyers for both. Berkeley's flyer included a caricature of her sitting on the Welcome to Las Vegas sign. She's a classic Vegas old lady, heh.

Bill Clinton was in town, at a rally on Sunday, so we talked that up too. People seemed the most excited about that pitch and many said they'd be interested in going. I never in my life thought I'd be advertising a Bill Clinton appearance. :)

The last thing we asked for is volunteers but I had no real takers. A couple of people asked for the number to call. There were only 16 days left so we were supposed to actually get people to commit to a day and time.

So the pitch was pretty easy, though I did get some people who were annoyed that we were hitting their houses even though they had already told us they were pro-Obama. The worst person I dealt with was an Obama delegate. He was livid that we were bugging him. I tried to explain that this was about early voting but he wasn't having it.

The neighborhoods we were in were middle class tract homes. You'd go from one block to another and you'd jump up and down the tax brackets. One strip was early 70's architecture and large families, all at home on a Saturday, and the next neighborhood was late 90's two story places with humongous front doors and almost no one at home. All areas were predominately black, with latinos and whites the even minority.

I have to say, when a big black man answers the door and I, the little white girl from out of town, asks "are you voting for Barack Obama", it seems kind of stupid. I got a lot of, "Um, yeah", with a silent "DUH!" tacked on. But not in a negative way. They seemed really happy to see me, a little white girl, spending her weekend walking in the sun to visit them, wearing my buttons and t-shirt.

I think any time I meet another supporter, regardless of their race or how involved they are, I feel just that much better about everything. I could see it in their eyes, too. :) This made the whole task that much more rewarding.

Most people weren't home. The best ratio was about 7 to 1. But when I got that one person, it made the rest easy.

The list included specific voters, so I'd knock on the door and the 45 year old dad would answer, but I didn't want to talk to him. I'd ask for his teen son and then his dad would hang around the doorway while I chatted the kid up. Talking to enthusiastic teens and their supportive parents happened a few times and it was amazing.

I did have a couple doors literally slammed in my face, and it was liberating, in a way, because I had worried about how that would be, and it wasn't a big deal, I just moved on. I vastly prefer it to a true debate (which never happened to me, no one asked me word one about his policies). I was kind of excited when the sheet said they were registered Republican or Independent, gearing myself up to tell my own story, but even they were 100% Obama at this point and needed no persuasion.

I did have some people shoo me away, refuse to open the door, pretend they weren't home, etc.....and there was one scary white guy who looked like a serial killer and said in a slow, deliberate way, "We're not interested." When I drove past the same house later, he was on the lawn talking to someone else and totally stared me down as I passed. Kinda scary. We were out in pairs, but at that point my partner was a lady who wanted to have her own car, so we were rather separated. After a while I realized that these 80% black neighborhoods were the safest place for me to be while wearing all my O stuff. :)

Have to go, more later perhaps....

CP, my hat's off to you for all the work you've done. Great job! :snap:

Indeed, and public mojo to CP. I am totally admirational. :cheers:

As am I. :snap:

It sounds like you did a great job and had a little fun too! Thank you for doing your part!

CP

I may not support your candidate (I honestly haven't decided yet as I do not like either choice), but I do admire your commitment to what you believe in. You have made a choice and stuck with your commitment. You are not just talking the talk, but (quite literally) walking the walk.

Wait: I thought you were there to support a Presidential candidate; not a Cirque du Soleil show. :D

Oprah for President!

I thought she was wearing an Orgasm shirt. I wonder what one would look like?

:snap:

CP - I think it's great that you went out and campaigned in support of your candidate. So very few get involved in anything more than armchair quarterbacking. Good job!

Nappy?

Six degrees of separation - Obama to Diaper. Go.