On Friday, February 23, over 20,000 people braved the rain
and lines to hear Senator Obama’s message of hope and inspiration.  The
energy and enthusiasm of the diverse crowd was complemented by a sampling of
the best live music scene in the country.  Thanks again to the hard work
and dedication of the hundreds of volunteers, the leadership and organization
of the University Democrats, the Texans for Obama team, and the Obama campaign,
without which we could not have pulled off one of the biggest political events
in the history of Texas in just over two weeks time.

To see Senator Obama’s speech, click here.

Read coverage of the event here, here, and here.

Important information regarding transportation, rules, and more has been posted to the Texans for Obama site.

TRANSPORTATION INFO:
http://texansforobama.typepad.com/blog/2007/02/public_transpor.html

FAQ & RULES:
http://texansforobama.typepad.com/blog/2007/02/faqs_about_the_.html

CALL FOR LAPTOPS:
http://texansforobama.typepad.com/blog/2007/02/call_for_laptop.html

DONATIONS FOR TROOPS:
http://texansforobama.typepad.com/blog/2007/02/support_the_tro.html

SIGN MAKING PARTY TONIGHT:
http://texansforobama.typepad.com/blog/2007/02/volunteer_train.html

From the BarackObama.com:

Dear Reader,

If you’re confused about all the debate over Iraq, you’re not
alone.

People are wondering why political posturing in Washington
continues as we get drawn deeper and deeper in Iraq. I hear it
everywhere I go.

The House of Representatives took action last week on a
"non-binding" resolution. In the Senate, the Republican minority
has managed to prevent any vote at all. People perceive that the
most important issue of our day has become captive to sound
bites and cable news chatter.

You deserve better. You should demand
it.

I was opposed to this war from the beginning because, in
part, I believed it would lead to the devastating, open-ended
occupation in which we find ourselves mired today.

I’ve introduced legislation that would bring this tragic
chapter in our history to a close.

It’s called the Iraq War De-Escalation Act. It makes the U.S.
policy on Iraq crystal clear. It stops the escalation now and
begins a redeployment to bring U.S. combat forces out of Iraq by
March 31, 2008.

If you want to cut through the political games and support a
clear policy that will get us out of Iraq, sign on to support it
now and spread the word:

http://action.barackobama.com/iraq

This campaign is about the hopes and dreams of people like
you. And the cost of the continued occupation of Iraq stands in
the way of meeting the many challenges we face.

We can’t change America until we change direction in
Iraq.

We can’t be naive. It won’t happen today. It won’t happen
tomorrow.

But this campaign offers the opportunity for people like you
to organize in your own community. Together we can build the
critical mass to affect that change.

To that end, we’re going to keep the steady count of
Americans supporting de-escalation on the front page of our web
site.

Anyone who visits will see the number, learn about the bill,
express their support and spread the word.

Please support the Iraq War De-Escalation Act
now:

http://action.barackobama.com/iraq

This war happened because too many people got caught up in
the same spin cycle in Washington. Now it’s time to end this war
and transform the political culture that allowed it.

It’s not enough for an opinion poll to show that a majority
of Americans want to end this war.

We’ve got to organize and mobilize that majority.

And that’s exactly what we’re going to do.

Thank you,


Barack Obama

For our Republican allies, I’d like to pass along this message from John Martin of Republicans for Obama:

"I just want to let you guys know that we’re making the push now to
start up local chapters/blogs.  If any of your members would be
interested in having their own "Texas Republicans for Obama"
blog/site/chapter linked to our main site, they’d be pretty much given
free reign to do so.  It’s especially important for us to have a
presence there.

They’d of course be free to coordinate with you
guys locally, link to your site — whatever.  They’d also be given a
cool (I least I think it’s cool) @republicansforobama.org email address."

If you’re interested, please e-mail info@republicansforobama.org.  Senator Obama continues to inspire Americans of all political persuasions that together, we can build a more hopeful America.

Great article in the Los Angeles Times about Sen. Obama’s career as a civil rights attorney in Chicago, where he worked with other lawyers representing a whistleblower against the county for retaliation, minority voters against Chicago’s discriminatory redistricting for City Council, the first black mayor of Chicago, reformer Harold Washington, and the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN), which you may know from their current involvement in several lawsuits on behalf of Katrina survivors against Bush’s inept FEMA.

Obama Got Start in Civil Rights Practice

The Los Angeles Times | February 20, 2007

CHICAGO
– Attorney Judson Miner called Harvard to offer a job to a graduating
student named Barack Obama and didn’t expect to be showered with
gratitude. Still, he wasn’t expecting the reception he got.

"You can leave your name and take a number," the woman who answered
the phone at the Harvard Law Review said breezily. "You’re No. 647."

That was 1991 and even then Obama — the Illinois senator now
seeking the Democratic presidential nomination — was a hot commodity.

As the first black president of the Harvard Law Review, Obama had
his pick of top law firms. He chose Miner’s Chicago civil rights firm,
where he represented community organizers, discrimination victims and
black voters trying to force a redrawing of city ward boundaries.

Click here to read the rest of the story.

Senator Barack Obama will be in Austin next Friday, February 23, 2007
for his very first presidential campaign rally in Texas. It’s a rally
we hope will build on the tremendous grassroots strength this campaign
showed in its very first week, as Obama was met by thousands of
supporters in Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, and Illinois. Now
it’s your chance to show your commitment to transforming this nation
and changing politics in this country.

Please join us (NOTE: New Location): 2:00 P.M. at Auditorium
Shores, located at Riverside and South First on the south bank of the
Town Lake. (Gates open at 12:30pm)

In announcing his candidacy, Senator Obama said this campaign can’t
only be about him. He said, "It must be about us - it must be about
what we can do together. This campaign must be the occasion, the
vehicle of your hopes and your dreams."

The event is free and open to the public.  Please RSVP by clicking here. Once you’ve done that, you will recieve an e-ticket in your email that you should print and bring with you to the event.

http://action.barackobama.com/page/s/austinvid

Thank you!

Obama for America

Asian Americans for Obama is honored and excited to welcome a new leader to our grassroots team.  Mike Ng will be organizing the Northern California chapter of Asian Americans for Obama.  Mike’s energy and enthusiasm will be an invaluable contribution to our efforts to bring hope back to politics.

If you’re in the Northern California area, contact Mike at michaelkaing@gmail.com to be a part of history.  Mike will be putting together a coordinating meeting in the days to come, and organizing an Asian Americans for Obama Meetup for the Northern California folks.

Spread the word, join the movement, and most of all, keep hope alive!

I think it’s pretty telling that the Obama campaign devotes a separate page to the biography of Michelle Obama, Senator Obama’s wife and partner.  She is highly accomplished in her own field, and now serves as Vice President of Community and External Affairs at the University of Chicago Hospitals.

Click here to read more, and hear her story in her own words by watching the video featured on her biography page.  Her discussion of her and Barack’s commitment to each other and to improving the lives of all people is inspiring.

Senator Obama and his wife, Michelle, will appear in an interview with correspondent Steve Kroft on 60 MInutes tomorrow night, Sunday, February 11, at 7 PM EST/6 PM CST.

Get a little preview of the interview here.

There are many ways in which critics have questioned the candidacy of Senator Obama.  Perhaps the most play has been given to the whispers of "What will he do when the polish
comes off" or "He doesn’t have any experience."  Ironically, the skeptical line has been in many ways encouraged by the same media that has supposedly created the superstar image of Senator Obama.  I think
a lot of people’s concerns are definitely worth exploring, but we should also
remember that there is almost no narrative that isn’t encouraged by the media
itself.

If you look closely, there is plenty of data to answer concerns
over Senator Obama. 

Read the rest of this entry »