My Life is So Much Easier Than John McCain's...

Poor John seems to be having trouble remembering how many houses he owns. Me, I've got it easy - just one. And fortunately for me, like many Americans back home, my house is worth a little less now than it used to be. And as an added bonus, I get to pay higher interests rates now than I used to, because it is harder to get credit.

Which means if anyone asks me how much my house cost, how much it's worth, what interest rates I'm paying, how long I had to save to earn the deposit to buy my house in the first place - it's really fresh in my mind. Which is nice for me.

Because I don't have to face the embarrassment of figuring out whether to count the six houses on one of my estates separately, or as one home. Like John McCain does. Nor do I need to consider whether the $700,000 condo I bought for my daughter counts as a family home or not. Or whether the 2 separate properties that I bought and combined into one big one should be valued separately or at their combined cost: $4.7 Million. Like John McCain does.

But what does Barack think?

Virtually Denver

As a special treat for those of you who are out working for us this weekend and throughout the campaign, I’d like to invite you to our convention watching party at a central London location on Friday the 29th at 7:00PM.

Invitations are open to anyone who commits to at least 3 hours of volunteer efforts either this weekend or during the month of September. Wine and nibbles will be on me, but numbers are very limited, so RSVP now if you want to join us - and indicate what volunteer work you will be doing to cover your “ticket price”.

robinsonkj@dnc.org

I’m also delighted to announce a convention watch party in Scotland as well. To RSVP for the Edinburgh get together, also on Friday the 29th, or to volunteer for our Scotland efforts just e-mail:

mikeheffron@yahoo.com

Can’t make it to either of these? Why not create your own convention watch house party:

http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/organizeforchangeguide

Carnival Anyone?

This weekend tens of thousands of people will convene in West London for the Notting Hill Carnival. Can you join us there to leaflet the teeming crowds? Have you got a carnival costume you could let us use for the day to get some extra attention for our efforts? Write to rmeyersd[at]yahoo.com to volunteer.

Phelps In Town! Get Out The Vote This Sunday!!

Michael Phelps is the Master of Ceremonies for the Olympic Handover ceremony at the Mall near Buckingham Palace on Sunday.
We can expect a massive number of Americans in attendance.
We need YOU and your friends to work the crowd, passing out http://votefromabroad.org leaflets, providing on-site voter registration and catching the attention of the press, so they will in turn promote http://votefromabroad.org
PLEASE
Email robinsonkj@dnc.org to come help out.

This election will hinge on turn out. Help us put a ballot in the hands of all eligible Americans.

Faith Based Hypocrisy

At Reverend Rick Warren's Saddleback Church on Saturday, Senator McCain delivered what might be the first altogether true statement of a campaign that has to date relied on distortion, double-talk and lies: Senator McCain boasted that he has a 100 percent pro-life record.

Yes; John McCain has voted against every measure that would give women the freedom to choose how, whether and when to have children. In other words, Senator McCain has done all he can to make our physical and emotional health subject to state control.

At another moment in the same forum, Senator McCain explained his opposition to government funded healthcare, saying that individuals ought to be able to choose the care they need, not have those decisions determined by "government bureaucrats." Consistent? You decide.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGWxM6EHVIQ

I would hope that every pro-choice woman still harboring resentment against Barack Obama for winning the nomination will consider Senator Obama's contrasting positions on these issues. With regard to both abortion rights and healthcare, Barack Obama is reliably pro-choice and richly humane. Senator Obama's views don't lend themselves to the kind of glib one-liners that appeal to Senator McCain's audience and they require thought rather than reaction, a liability in recent US elections.

Here's what Barack Obama said at Saddleback about reproductive rights:

if you believe that life begins at conception, and you are consistent in that belief, then I can't argue with you on that, because that is a core issue of faith for you. What I can do is say, are there ways we can work together to reduce the number of unwanted pregnancies so that we are actually reducing the sense that women are seeking out abortions? How do we provide the resources that allow women to make the choice to keep a child? Have we given them health care they need, the support services they need, the options of adoption that are necessary. That I believe can make a genuine difference."

Ground Game

As the polls tighten, it's clear that despite prior predictions of a landslide, we will have to work for this one. Let's.

Please remind your friends and colleagues to register to vote (in the US http://www.registrationbyworkingassets.com/register/?source=homedropdown&api_key=gQKGZ9xr0iTIct4XGnRHB1ALGT4. Abroad: http://www.votefromabroad.org.).

Also, watch this space for local activities to get out the vote.

And if you can spare the time and expense, please consider traveling to a swing state to lend a hand. Go to http://www.barackobama.com/index.php, choose the "State" menu, select the place you'd like to go and sign on as a volunteer. Someone will contact you.

If you live too far from Obamalondon's voter registration and mobilization events, and can't travel back to the States before November, you can organize phone banks at home. http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/actioncenter

Call it a party, make it festive; define our future.