Thanks for Stepping Up
"I'm asking you to believe. Not just in my ability to bring about real change in Washington...I'm asking you to believe in yours." - Barack Obama
We had great response from those filling out the survey last week. There’s still room for those willing to roll up their sleeves. We still need volunteers for the Rapid Response team in Congressional districts 23 and 28. As ALAMOBAMA continues to transition from campaign mode to our new purpose, it is important that we determine areas of interest for our volunteers. This very short and quick survey (3-5 minutes) will help us devise working groups so we can begin to tackle some of the very important issues facing us here in Texas and across this nation. Your input is vital to the success of alamObama moving forward! Please take the alamObama survey to get plugged in to the place you fit best as we continue our mandate for change.
Don’t forget to mark your calendar for the monthly alamObama meeting May 7, 6:30 PM at 7122 San Pedro. Make sure to check our website www.alamobama08.com to keep up with the latest information. Help us plan by signing up for the meeting on my.BarackObama.com.
Organizing for America Listening Tour
OFA is holding a San Antonio listening tour and a chance to meet Luke Hayes, the new state director of Organizing for America in Texas. We’ll have two opportunities to meet and talk to Luke. San Antonio proper will meet Luke April 21, 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM at a location still to be determined (we’ve narrowed down to two but have bugs to work out). Those in surrounding areas can meet April 22, same time at the Universal City Public Library, 100 Northview Dr, 78148. Please sign up at this link Barack Obama and Joe Biden: The Change We Need | Event | OFA San Antonio Listening Tour. Here's some info about Luke: Obama General Election Campaign Organization, Virginia ; The Pickle: Wisconsin is the new Alamo .
Our President
President: Phillips had courage …“a model for all Americans”
Somali pirates found the United States a poor source of ransom money as the President and the US Armed Forces, particularly the Navy, worked tirelessly with a focus on saving and protecting the life of Capt. Phillips. Hopes were to bring the incident to a non-violent end and one pirate remains in US Navy custody. Here’s yesterday’s official briefing on the rescue
http://www.c-spanarchives.org/library/includes/templates/library/flash_popup.php?pID=285237-1&clipStart=&clipStop= The Washington Post is calling the dramatic and successful rescue effort “an early military victory” for President Obama calling it an early test for a new President http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/12/AR2009041203002.html.
From the White House
In the weekly address, President Obama discusses the multitude of problems and opportunities
before the world through the prism of Passover and Easter; you can retrace the President’s steps through Europe with behind-the-scenes photos; meet Bo, the first dog; watch the President’s visit in Iraq, or read his remarks unveiling improvements for their care as veterans. As always you can find links to the 2010 Budget, Recovery.gov, and the Middle Class task Force, and more at http://www.whitehouse.gov/
Congress
The Budget
The budget passed both houses before Congress went on recess. But there’s still a lot of work to be done as soon as they reconvene. We are going to need to keep watch as the budget goes into reconciliation and be prepared to act. A major concern, health care, is under siege as pointed out in this article. http://www.congressmatters.com/story/2009/4/7/104840/8840/130/881. Much is being said about the financial burden being placed on our youth, here’s a site with their voices on the issue http://fundingourfuture.campusprogress.org/tag/recess/.
Tea Party Movement
Most of you have heard about the Tea Parties being staged nationwide in protest of the President’s initiatives. San Antonio and the Alamo are scheduled to be front and center of the fray with Fox’s Glenn Beck as keynote speaker. He has backed out as keynote speaker but will host his TV show live from 4 – 5 PM from the location, host a fundraiser and be available to sign autographs. http://www.woai.com/content/blogs/headlines/story/Discuss-Glenn-Beck-backs-out-as-San-Antonio-Tea/yCHUBz36kUW7I-4SVzB0cA.cspx. Here’s a piece about the Tea Party Movement from Nobel Prize winning journalist Paul Krugman http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/13/opinion/13krugman.html?_r=1
Our Congressional Representatives’ Positions
Many of us have called or written our Senators and Congressman about the President’s agenda for recovery through ARRA and the Budget. If you’ve received a response, please forward it. We’d like to feature our representatives’ positions on the website so we all know where they’re coming from. We already have Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson’s response on ARRA and Senator Cornyn’s response on the budget. It will give us a point from which to start as we let Congress know what we want them to do on our behalf.
State Legislature
Voter ID
Several of us made the trip to Austin last Tuesday for public testimony. We were present, and appalled, when Representative Brown suggested Asian voters change their names after hearing testimony from a representative of the Organization of Chinese Americans against SB 362. http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/texassouthwest/stories/041209dntexbrownapology.1abd22b.html. One item we haven’t seen reported is the ACLU study which revealed more than 70% of provisional votes are trashed. Here’s an overview of the hearings from the Star-Telegram http://www.star-telegram.com/news/story/1305548.html
Other Legislative News
The House and Senate took an Easter break and go back in session tomorrow. There was some action before the break however. Governor Perry a number of state legislators called the federal government “oppressive” and called for a return to states’ rights through passage of House Concurrent Resolution 50. Details here http://www.statesman.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/austin/firstreading/entries/2009/04/10/_house_and_senate_are_1.html
City Election
Follow Mayoral Race
Here’s a resource http://sanantoniomayor.blogspot.com/
Sierra Club announces endorsements
The Sierra Club announced its endorsements for Mayor and City Council at alamObama’s Thursday night meeting. They will be published in the organization’s April newsletter tomorrow http://texas.sierraclub.org/alamo/index.htm.
Stonewall Democrats announce endorsements
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