Please join Asian Americans for Obama’s Austin Chapter and Texans for Obama to watch the first presidential debate of the year.  The event is a potluck dinner, so come share some great food, gab about the campaign, and cheer on Senator Obama as he spreads his message of hope to the country.

What: Debate Watching Party and Potluck Dinner
When: Thursday, April 26, 6:00 PM
Where: Mitchie’s Gallery, 6406 North I-35, Suite #2800, Austin, TX 78752

This letter from the campaign struck a deeply personal chord with me as I spent a year living abroad from 2002 to 2003 as an English teacher in Japan.  Many of my fellow Americans abroad and I were eyewitnesses to the decline in prestige and regard for the policies and leadership of the United States as President Bush pushed for war.  Even in Japan, a stalwart member of the Coalition of the Willing, the citizens frequently expressed to me their distaste for Bush and the otherwise popular Prime Minister Koizumi’s support for Bush’s policies.  Many of the Americans I knew were angry that they felt forced to conceal or downplay the fact that they were Americans as they traveled around Japan and Asia, that they were forced to be apologists for US policies, and that they had to remind many of our frustrated and disenchanted admirers that many Americans disagreed strongly with what Bush was doing.

As Tom Friedman recently wrote in the New York Times, one of the strongest yet most frequently overlooked reasons for Sen. Obama’s candidacy is his potential to restore respect, love, and admiration for America abroad through his personal background and experiences, and most of all, his willingness to listen with respect.

I believe that many nations and peoples around the world recognize that America is still the best and greatest hope for freedom and democracy, but many of them have become disappointed and disheartened by not just the ideology and rhetoric of the current administration, but also its sheer unreliability and incompetence.  I know in my heart that they are ready and willing to stand by our side, as soon as we are ready and willing to confront our mistakes of the past few years.

Dear Ramey, 

Our foreign policy shapes America’s image
abroad, but America’s role in the world is deeply personal for many of
us here at home. 

We remember how it felt when the American president had the moral authority to speak for free people everywhere. 

Maybe
you’ve traveled abroad and seen firsthand how in a few years George
Bush has squandered the goodwill America earned over half a century.
Maybe the decisions George Bush has made has sent your friend or family
member into a war that should have never happened in the first place. 

Barack
wants to know why a new direction for our foreign policy and restoring
America’s moral leadership in the world is personal for you. Share your
story here: 

http://my.barackobama.com/stories

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From Democracy for America (the grassroots organization that emerged out of the Dean campaign in 2004):

Dear Supporter,

Watch Senator Obama’s Response

The
presidential primaries continue to heat up and the war in Iraq
is front and center in the fight for the nomination. DFA members
asked the candidates to oppose any escalation of the Iraq War,
demand a swift end to the occupation, and propose a plan that
brings our brave men and women home.

We continue to bring the candidates’ responses directly to
you with this message made especially for DFA members by Senator
Barack Obama:

http://www.democracyforamerica.com/obama

In 2004, we were proud to endorse Barack in our first "Dean
Dozen" in his race for the U.S. Senate. Now, Senator Obama is
working hard to earn your support for the White House in
2008.

Senator Obama believes it "is time to admit that no amount of
American lives will resolve the political disagreement that lies
at the heart of someone else’s civil war." His plan to bring the
troops home by the end of 2008 will "pressure the Sunni and
Shiite to come to the table and find peace." He challenges us to
be "the generation that honors our [veteran's] courage" by
providing the care they need when they return. Senator Obama
also wants to thank you:

"I want to say thanks to Democracy for America…. if
all of you are [active and engaged] then I am absolutely
confident that over time things will change. That’s how change
happens in America from the bottom up… So, I thank you again
for your extraordinary efforts."

http://www.democracyforamerica.com/obama

The road to the Democratic nomination is a long one and each
candidate will be working hard for your endorsement and your
vote. DFA members will continue to work together and pressure
the presidential candidates on the most important issues.
Victory in 2008 is up to us.

Thank you for everything you do,

Tom Hughes
Executive Director

P.S. Senator Barack Obama took the time to respond directly
to you. If you like what you see and hear, I encourage you to
sign up for his campaign and help in any way you can:

http://www.barackobama.com

That said, this message should not be construed as DFA’s
endorsement of Senator Obama’s candidacy. In the months ahead,
other candidates for president will be reaching out to Democracy
for America members too, because you have the power to shape the
presidential primaries in a way no one else can.

Many of you have probably already seen the news about Senator Clinton’s record-breaking first quarter $26 million raised.  But all across America, from the grassroots to the pundits and the press, people are noticing the real story: Senator Obama’s astonishing $25 million raised, with $23.5 million of that raised just for the primary.

Upon closer examination, the details are even more impressive.  The 100,000 Americans who donated to Senator Obama are double the number who gave to Senator Clinton.  $6.9 million was raised through the Internet, compared to $4.2 million for Senator Clinton.  Add to that the fact that Senator Clinton solicited a significant number of $4600 contributions (taking $2300 for both the primary and the general), something that Senator Obama abandoned early after deciding to keep the option of public financing for the general election open, and the power of Senator Obama’s small donor, grassroots support becomes apparent.

In early 2004, a handsome, charismatic one-term Senator that many considered a less than serious contender for the Democratic nomination astonished many by placing second in the Iowa Caucuses.  Suddenly, he was in contention, and though he did not end up winning the nomination, John Edwards likely rode that success to secure the nomination for Vice President.  Like many outsiders or unlikely candidates before him, Senator Obama is proving the maxim that a strong, surprising second place finish can make you the real winner.

The latest letter from the campaign about this terrific news is after the jump.

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