I’m an iPhone developer. It can be an exciting job: there are always puzzles to solve, you meet a lot of clever people, you’re always working late and shipping yesterday—but it can quickly start to feel like a grind. How many interactive corporate brochures can a person make before starting to wonder whether technology really has the power to change the world?

That’s why I’m so excited about the project I just finished working on: today’s update to the Organizing for America iPhone app, which gives volunteers everything they need to go door to door talking with people about what’s important to them.

The app takes the usual unwieldy accouterments of canvassing—the pen and paper, clipboards, and lists of voters—and puts them all on your mobile phone. It lets you connect with real people wherever you are and whenever you want. It gets rid of the time-consuming process of assembling lists of houses and entering data, and makes it easier for people on the ground to focus on the things that matter: the one-on-one conversations with your neighbors. (And it makes for a pretty exciting video, too.)

For me, this is exciting in a way software seldom is: it’s technology that affects the real world, that can change the lives of the people who use it and those around them. This is why I’m a programmer.

Most importantly, I think it could have the ability to bring a little spark back to the lives of those who have become jaded by the current political scene. Too many people have become disenchanted with the idea that politics can change the world for the better. In a time when moving forward can seem too difficult to bother, this old-fashioned activity—talking to neighbors about their hopes and concerns—might help remind us that change and connection can still happen. OFA volunteers are already out there knocking on doors—more than 200,000 just last weekend—and now it’s easier than ever to join in.

My favorite Obama slogan was always “We are the change we have been waiting for.” We all still are. Get out there. Talk to your friends, to your neighbors, to strangers. That change and energy is still all around us, even if it can be sometimes a little hard to see. But you’ll never find it if you don’t look.

If a simple iPhone app can help even one person to realize that, it’s worth all the e-brochures in the world.

Download the OFA iPhone app, get today’s canvassing update, or learn more here.

With two months until November’s midterm elections, Democrats are kicking off an aggressive fall campaign next week starting with appearances by DNC Chair Tim Kaine on the Daily Show and Vice President Biden on The Colbert Report. Next Wednesday, Chairman Kaine will also give a major address to highlight how Republicans would roll back all the progress we've made if they were to be put in charge this November.

Politico has more:

The nation’s Democrats next Wednesday will kick off their fall campaign with a media blitz that will include back-to-back appearances by Democratic National Committee Chairman Tim Kaine on Jon Stewart’s “The Daily Show” and Vice President Joe Biden on “The Colbert Report.”

As workers reengage after Labor Day, Kaine will go on morning shows Wednesday to preview a major speech he plans to deliver at lunchtime in the Hall of Flags at the University of Pennsylvania, in Philadelphia.

An aide said Kaine plans “the sharpest contrast that he has made to date on the direction the country would go if Republicans got back in charge.”...

The audience for Kaine's national kickoff address will include students, activists and labor leaders.

“He’ll make a strong case for what Democrats and President Obama have done, and make an analogy to how often Americans have turned to Democrats for heavy lifting in tough times,” the aide said.

Read the full article.

OFA Director Mitch Stewart just emailed supporters to share a video of the President's Oval Office address last night:

Last night President Obama marked the end of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

As the President said, the struggle for peace is not over, but the progress we've made is undeniable.

This moment also represents a promise kept. As a candidate, President Obama laid out a vision for this country -- and bringing our troops home from Iraq was a defining part of that vision. It was one of the reasons that all of us knocked on doors, made phone calls, and voted.

Keeping that promise is important, not only for our brave women and men in uniform, but also for their loved ones, and for all Americans who have hoped and prayed for a resolution to this war.

Please take a moment to watch the President's speech if you missed it last night:

Watch the President's Oval Office address:

http://my.barackobama.com/IraqAddress

Thanks,

Mitch Stewart
Director
Organizing for America

With millions of Americans still struggling to find work, the pace of our country’s economic recovery has been slower than anyone would like. But there are some bright spots as the Obama Administration works each day to get the economy back on track—like yesterday’s good news that agriculture is thriving thanks to increased exports.

The New York Times highlighted new estimates out yesterday that represent good news for farmers and other rural Americans:

Even as the broader economy falters amid signs of a weakening recovery, the nation’s agriculture sector is going strong, bolstered in part by a surge in exports, according to federal estimates of farm trade and income released on Tuesday.

The estimates confirm what economists have been saying for months: agriculture, which was generally not hit as hard by the recession as many other segments of the economy, remains a small bright spot going forward.

“We’re just having a robust rebound in the agricultural sector and promises of more growth,” Jason R. Henderson, vice president and economist at the Omaha branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, said in a recent interview.

The estimates show that American farmers will ship $107.5 billion in agricultural products abroad in the fiscal year that ends Sept. 30. That is the second-highest amount ever, behind the record $115.3 billion in exports logged in 2008, when commodity prices soared as the global demand for agricultural products was helped by fast-growing economies in the developing world....

“The better the demand, the higher the price, and it’s going to put another 10, 15, possibly 20 cents in the price of a bushel of corn,” said Bill Horan, a corn farmer in Iowa. Corn is about $4 a bushel, which is about 50 cents higher than last year. “It means my wife can go out and buy a new sofa, and I can put new tires on the pickup.”

Read the full article here.

“Tonight, I am announcing that the American combat mission in Iraq has ended.” — President Barack Obama

In 2008, many volunteers were first drawn to Barack Obama as a candidate for President because of his firm promise to end the was in Iraq.

Last night, the President made good on that campaign pledge, and spoke to the nation to mark the end of our combat mission in Iraq.

In just his second Oval Office address, President Obama thanked the millions of Americans who put their lives on the line, including the 4,400 who gave their lives in this war.

We’ve now been through nearly a decade of war.  We’ve endured a long and painful recession.  And sometimes in the midst of these storms, the future that we’re trying to build for our nation -- a future of lasting peace and long-term prosperity -- may seem beyond our reach.

But this milestone should serve as a reminder to all Americans that the future is ours to shape if we move forward with confidence and commitment.  It should also serve as a message to the world that the United States of America intends to sustain and strengthen our leadership in this young century.

From this desk, seven and a half years ago, President Bush announced the beginning of military operations in Iraq.  Much has changed since that night.  A war to disarm a state became a fight against an insurgency.  Terrorism and sectarian warfare threatened to tear Iraq apart.  Thousands of Americans gave their lives; tens of thousands have been wounded.  Our relations abroad were strained.  Our unity at home was tested.

These are the rough waters encountered during the course of one of America’s longest wars.  Yet there has been one constant amidst these shifting tides.  At every turn, America’s men and women in uniform have served with courage and resolve.  As Commander-in-Chief, I am incredibly proud of their service.  And like all Americans, I’m awed by their sacrifice, and by the sacrifices of their families.

The Americans who have served in Iraq completed every mission they were given.  They defeated a regime that had terrorized its people.  Together with Iraqis and coalition partners who made huge sacrifices of their own, our troops fought block by block to help Iraq seize the chance for a better future.  They shifted tactics to protect the Iraqi people, trained Iraqi Security Forces, and took out terrorist leaders.  Because of our troops and civilians -- and because of the resilience of the Iraqi people -- Iraq has the opportunity to embrace a new destiny, even though many challenges remain.

So tonight, I am announcing that the American combat mission in Iraq has ended.  Operation Iraqi Freedom is over, and the Iraqi people now have lead responsibility for the security of their country.

This was my pledge to the American people as a candidate for this office.

The President also emphasized his steadfast commitment to taking care of our troops once they return home as veterans:

Part of that responsibility is making sure that we honor our commitments to those who have served our country with such valor.  As long as I am President, we will maintain the finest fighting force that the world has ever known, and we will do whatever it takes to serve our veterans as well as they have served us.  This is a sacred trust.  That’s why we’ve already made one of the largest increases in funding for veterans in decades.  We’re treating the signature wounds of today’s wars -- post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury -- while providing the health care and benefits that all of our veterans have earned.  And we’re funding a Post-9/11 GI Bill that helps our veterans and their families pursue the dream of a college education.  Just as the GI Bill helped those who fought World War II -- including my grandfather -- become the backbone of our middle class, so today’s servicemen and women must have the chance to apply their gifts to expand the American economy.  Because part of ending a war responsibly is standing by those who have fought it.

Last night we witnessed a historic milestone in our nation’s history. You can join in and mark this moment by welcoming our troops home—send our men and women in uniform your personal message of thanks.

President Barack Obama just sent a message to supporters following his Oval Office address on Iraq:

Tonight marks the end of the American combat mission in Iraq.

As a candidate for this office, I pledged to end this war responsibly. And, as President, that is what I am doing.

Since I became Commander-in-Chief, we've brought home nearly 100,000 U.S. troops. We've closed or turned over to Iraq hundreds of our bases.

As Operation Iraqi Freedom ends, our commitment to a sovereign, stable, and self-reliant Iraq continues. Under Operation New Dawn, a transitional force of U.S. troops will remain to advise and assist Iraqi forces, protect our civilians on the ground, and pursue targeted counterterrorism efforts.

By the end of next year, consistent with our agreement with the Iraqi government, these men and women, too, will come home.

Ending this war is not only in Iraq's interest -- it is in our own. Our nation has paid a huge price to put Iraq's future in the hands of its people. We have sent our men and women in uniform to make enormous sacrifices. We have spent vast resources abroad in the face of several years of recession at home.

We have met our responsibility through the courage and resolve of our women and men in uniform.

In seven years, they confronted a mission as challenging and as complex as any our military has ever been asked to face.

Nearly 1.5 million Americans put their lives on the line. Many returned for multiple tours of duty, far from their loved ones who bore a heroic burden of their own. And most painfully, more than 4,400 Americans have given their lives, fighting for people they never knew, for values that have defined our people for more than two centuries.

What their country asked of them was not small. And what they sacrificed was not easy.

For that, each and every American owes them our heartfelt thanks.

Our promise to them -- to each woman or man who has donned our colors -- is that our country will serve them as faithfully as they have served us. We have already made the largest increase in funding for veterans in decades. So long as I am President, I will do whatever it takes to fulfill that sacred trust.

Tonight, we mark a milestone in our nation's history. Even at a time of great uncertainty for so many Americans, this day and our brave troops remind us that our future is in our own hands and that our best days lie ahead.

Thank you,

President Barack Obama

Over the weekend, thousands of OFA supporters and grassroots Democrats came together to reach out to voters in support of candidates who are fighting to move America forward.

Before our Moving America Forward Day of Action, Organizing for America set an ambitious goal of 200,000 doors knocked in 48 hours. Volunteers across the country stepped up—not only hitting that goal by knocking on 200,893 doors, but also making 168,330 phone calls to voters.

Check out some of the press coverage of the events and take a look at photo highlights from the weekend.

CNN - “Dems Launch Get Out the Vote Campaign”

Two major Democratic committees jointly launched their first nationwide get out the vote initiative of the fall campaign season on Saturday. The Democratic National Committee and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee set a goal of knocking on 400,000 doors (200,000 for each committee) in 75 congressional districts as part of their "National Day of Action." "This level of voter contact this early is unprecedented," DCCC chairman Chris Van Hollen said in a statement. "We will continue to meet with voters face to face and spread the message about moving the country forward."

Virginia’s NBC 29 News - “Mark Warner surprises Organizing for America”

Democrats brought in some national star power to help pound the pavement Saturday afternoon. Senator Mark Warner offered some words of advice to about 40 canvassers before they hit the streets of Charlottesville. Organizing for America teamed up with Tom Perriello's campaign to try and rally votes for the incumbent. Senator Warner told the party faithful that face-to-face time with voters is important for success in November.

Pennsylvania’s Scranton Times Tribune - “Casey rallies area Dems as party preps for midterm races”

When Democratic volunteers and activists gathered to campaign for the 2010 midterm elections Saturday, U.S. Sen.Bob Casey Jr. told them Democrats can prevail in the fall elections. "We're going to win this year, but I know we have a lot of work to do," he told the canvassers gathered in downtown Scranton, with cell phones for phone-bank calls and clipboards for door-to-door campaigning stacked on a table a few feet away. The gathering Saturday was part of a national campaign effort on behalf of Democrats over the weekend. Sixty events were planned in Pennsylvania. 

See more highlights and photos from this weekend’s Moving America Forward Day of Action.

With Congress preparing to return to session, President Obama spoke yesterday about what his Administration is doing to move our economy forward. The President also called on Republicans to stop blocking a bill that would cut taxes and increase loans for small businesses.

As the President explained, it took a decade to dig us into this hole, and it’s going to take a continued push to get us out of it. Folks are still struggling, and the Obama Administration is focused “On pushing this economy forward, repairing the damage that’s been done to the middle class over the past decade, and promoting the growth we need to get our people back to work.”

The President asked Republicans in Congress to put aside their obstruction and work together to pass the jobs bill up for consideration.

“There’s currently a jobs bill before Congress that would do two big things for small business owners:  cut more taxes and make available more loans.  It would help them get the credit they need, and eliminate capital gains taxes on key investments so they have more incentive to invest right now.  And it would accelerate $55 billion of tax relief to encourage American businesses, small and large, to expand their investments over the next 14 months.

“Unfortunately, this bill has been languishing in the Senate for months, held up by a partisan minority that won’t even allow it to go to a vote.  That makes no sense.  This bill is fully paid for.  It will not add to the deficit.  And there is no reason to block it besides pure partisan politics.”

Read the President’s full remarks.

After more than seven years, today we end our country’s combat mission in Iraq. As the President wrote yesterday, “We are at a truly historic moment in our nation’s history.”

To mark this important day, at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time tonight the President will speak to our country from the Oval Office—the second Oval Office address of his Presidency. You can watch live at WhiteHouse.gov/live or on any major television network.

President Obama has also invited all Americans to join him in sending a message to our troops thanking them for their service to our country. You can send in your salute through Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, or Flickr—and check out all the messages at WhiteHouse.gov/Salute.

On the 5th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina this weekend, President Obama spoke in New Orleans about the Administration’s recovery efforts and ongoing commitment to the Gulf Coast.

President Obama:

"We’re cutting through the red tape that has impeded rebuilding efforts for years.  We’re making government work better and smarter, in coordination with one of the most expansive non-profit efforts in American history.  We’re helping state and local leaders to address serious problems that had been neglected for decades -- problems that existed before the storm came, and have continued after the waters receded -- from the levee system to the justice system, from the health care system to the education system.

"And together, we are helping to make New Orleans a place that stands for what we can do in America -- not just for what we can’t do.  Ultimately, that must be the legacy of Katrina:  not one of neglect, but of action; not one of indifference, but of empathy; not of abandonment, but of a community working together to meet shared challenges."

It was a big surprise when I found this video, because in the past, while living in Italy, I tried many times to explain to italian friends what the Rebetico music was about! And then I found this version, and an Italian who sings like a real, genuine, ordinary, classic Rebetis. Vinicio Capossela. Respect ebetico [...]

With just 64 days until the midterm elections, OFA volunteers are stepping up their organizing game and getting out every weekend to build momentum for November. This past weekend we set a unusually ambitious goal: 200,000 doors knocked in 48 hours as part of our Moving America Forward Day of Action. As we finish our final tally of this weekend’s numbers, we wanted to share some highlights of the events that took place from coast to coast.

From Alaska to Florida, volunteers asked those they met to support allies of President Obama at the polls this year, and commit to vote on November 2nd.

In Manhattan on Saturday, volunteers took the morning train to Long Island where they joined local supporters and Rep. Tim Bishop in going door-to-door for the Congressman.

In Austin, Texas, more than a hundred people gathered at the Travis County Democratic Party offices and went block by block letting neighbors know about the governor’s, board of education, and state House races.

In Fairfax, Virginia, 70 volunteers spent their Saturday knocking on doors and making phone calls to support Rep. Gerry Connolly, who has stood with President Obama in fighting for change in Washington.

Here are volunteers, in their own words, on what it was like to take part in events this weekend:

 Janice in New York City, NY:

“We had a marvelous day. Beautiful sunny weather, great, enthusiastic volunteers and encouraging conversations with voters. We know we made a difference, and we'll be back to talk to these people again and again through Election Day.”

Bonita in Chicago, IL:

"I am excited about starting to volunteer again and and am ready to go above and beyond in these next couple of months. The upcoming election has me excited, it feels kind of like 2008 again. But this time our support will come in the form of protecting Democrats currently in office, and helping new ones get elected. These are the folks that will fight for both President Obama and the Democratic Party as a whole."

Lisa in Austin, TX:

“This is some of the best block walking since I was in Denver for the 2008 campaign. It’s a chance to reach more people—by going out walking, I got to meet some lovely people, and I listened to what they had to say. We accomplished a lot--by covering as wide a territory as we did and sending as many people out as we did we’re hoping to have a ripple effect.”

Tom in Rochester, NY:

“When people see me or you knocking on the door, in the rain or the sun, they get it. They see it matters. It matters to me, it matters to them. If they’ve forgotten how much it matters, maybe they’ll remember it. That’s what I love about it and it’s the best part of the day. That’s what I’ll carry with me during the work week until I hit the doors again next weekend.”

Thank you to everyone who took part in these great events—with every door knocked and every call made, you helped push us that much closer to winning this November.

If you joined an event this weekend, use the comments below to share your own highlights or email stories and photos to Blog@BarackObama.com.

OFA Director Mitch Stewart sent supporters the following message:

This week's Republican primary elections in Arizona, Florida, and Alaska delivered a new crop of extreme nominees that the GOP needs to elect if they want to take back Congress.

For these guys, it's not enough to return to the days of failed Bush policies -- they actually want to turn back the clock to the days before Social Security, Medicare, health reform, civil rights, voting rights, and women's rights.

Republicans want to put the Tea Party in charge. We have a plan to stop them.

We'll be reaching out to millions of voters across the country, making sure they know what the other side is offering, and getting them to the polls. But we have just 64 days to do it -- and right now, we're $242,000 short of our budgeting goal for the month of August.

Can you donate $5 today to support OFA and our efforts to make sure Republicans can't enact their Tea Party agenda?

While we've been ramping up our on-the-ground organizing in communities across the country, here's who the other side has been nominating to take power if they succeed.

There's health industry executive Rick Scott, the Republican nominee for Governor in Florida whose former company was forced to pay $1.7 billion in fines for Medicare fraud committed during his tenure and who led one of the most sickening anti-health reform groups last year. He's already spent $50 million of his own money to buy the race.

There's Joe Miller, running for Senate in Alaska. He's questioned the constitutionality of unemployment insurance and wants to phase out Social Security.

There's Dan Maes, Republican candidate for governor in Colorado, who asserted that efforts in Denver to promote bike riding could "threaten our personal freedoms." Really.

There's Sharron Angle, running for Senate in Nevada, who said she believes there are "domestic enemies" serving in Congress.

And then there's Rand Paul, the nominee for Senate in Kentucky, who has said he wouldn't have supported key provisions of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

These are the people Republicans want to hand the keys to.

That's why it's so important we give it everything we have to defend the progress we've made, elect Democrats across the country, and prevent these extremist candidates from controlling our country's agenda.

We're counting on supporters like you to help.

Please donate $5 before the end of the month:

https://donate.barackobama.com/StopTheTeaParty

Thanks,

Mitch

Mitch Stewart
Director
Organizing for America

 

Tomorrow, after nearly seven years, our country will end its combat mission in Iraq. Ending the war was one of Barack Obama’s most important campaign promises—and so far this Administration has brought home more than 90,000 troops, with all troops coming home by the end of next year.

Tomorrow at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time, the President will deliver his second Oval Office address to mark the end of our combat mission in Iraq and thank our troops and their families for their service.

President Obama has also invited all Americans to join him in sharing a message of support for our troops. Take part and salute our troops through Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, or Flickr.

In his weekly address, President Obama paid tribute to men and women in uniform and pledged that his Administration will do everything possible to care for veterans when they come home.

President Obama:

"As we mark the end of America’s combat mission in Iraq, a grateful nation must pay tribute to all who have served there.  Because part of responsibly ending this war is meeting our responsibility to those who have fought it.

"The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan now make up America’s longest continuous combat engagement.  For the better part of a decade, our troops and their families have served tour after tour with honor and heroism, risking and often giving their lives for the defense of our freedom and security.  More than one million Americans in uniform have served in Iraq – far more than any conflict since Vietnam.  And more than one million who have served in both wars have now finished their service and joined the proud ranks of America’s veterans.

"What this new generation of veterans must know is this: our nation’s commitment to all who wear its uniform is a sacred trust that is as old as our republic itself.  It is one that, as President, I consider a moral obligation to uphold."

 

Susan, a veteran volunteer and resident of Annandale, Virginia, grabs a walk packet, script, and lit for both the 11th District congressional race and OFA’s Vote 2010. After giving advice to rookie volunteers, she heads straight for her car. She knows what she’s doing—in the past few years, she’s become an experienced canvasser. Today she’s headed to the Signal Hill neighborhood in Burke, Virginia, to tell the neighbors about the importance of re-electing Gerry Connolly, a strong ally of the President, this November.

Susan, a second-grade teacher, describes herself as having been only an occasional phone banker during recent presidential election years—that is, until Barack Obama entered the national political scene. In 2008 she became heavily involved in canvassing, phone banking, and event volunteering on behalf of Obama’s candidacy.

“I read [his book] The Audacity of Hope, and he just has such a different viewpoint,” she says of the President.

Susan was chosen to be a delegate for Obama at the 2008 local and state conventions—and experience that left her “hooked.” After Obama was sworn in, she continued her work of supporting his agenda. After surgery on a broken kneecap, for example, Susan—crutches and all—made it a priority to visit Washington, D.C., area Metro train stations with a petition to pass health care.

Kneecap healed, this weekend she is able to walk the winding streets of Signal Hill in support of Congressman Gerry Connolly. For a Saturday afternoon, a surprising amount of folks are home and ready to be engaged in a conversation about the November elections—and about the 11th District election in particular, the only race that will be on the ballot in this district.

Susan speaks to many voters who haven’t made up their minds about which candidate to support. In a region that has seen many special elections over the past few years, others weren’t even aware that there was another important election coming up.

After several hours of canvassing, Susan has hit all the doors on her walk sheet. She feels good about the work she’s done and comments that it’s amazing to think that citizens around the country were knocking on thousands of doors at the same time—making sure November 2 is on the minds of American voters.

 

Εχθές το απόγευμα αποφάσισα να μείνω στο γραφείο και να δω τον Ολυμπιακό απέναντι στον Ηρακλή, στην πρώτη αγωνιστική του νέου πρωταθλήματος, και να δω τι είδους μπάλα θα έπαιζε ο νέος Ολυμπιακός του Ερνέστο Βαλβέρδε. Τελικά ο Ολυμπιακός έχασε, αλλά τα συμπεράσματά μου είναι τα εξής: 1. Καμία σχέση δεν έχει αυτή η ομάδα [...]

On a hot Virginia day, Organizing for America supporters in Virginia came together to do the real work of moving America forward, holding voter-outreach canvasses across the commonwealth. In the city of Fairfax alone, as part of OFA’s nationwide weekend of action, more than 70 supporters spent Saturday knocking on doors and making phone calls to voters across the 11th District in support of Democratic Congressman Gerry Connolly.

Congressman Connolly joined the Fairfax supporters to kick off the day’s canvasses. He reminded the crowd assembled—a coalition of OFA volunteers, Democratic Party supporters, and members of the Connolly campaign—of the economic situation President Obama and the Democrats in Congress inherited from the Republican Party:

“We were in the worst decline in 80 years. We need to remind our fellow citizens of what we inherited and what we’re doing is to clean it up. We’re not out of the hole yet, but the good news is that our economy is growing, and we’re doing the right things."

In fighting to rebuild the American economy, Congressman Connolly has been a Democratic champion for the people of Northern Virginia and a great ally of President Obama. The congressman supported both health reform and Wall Street reform—and with the help of 11th District voters will continue to fight for the change America needs.

“I’m proud of have been part of President Obama’s agenda. … We need to keep the good thing going that we started when we elected the President and the 111th Congress.

“President Obama has to have a working majority in the House and the Senate if he’s going to continue the work of changing this country. He needs partners—I want to be one of those partners.”

While you’ve likely never heard about this year’s Texas Board of Education candidates, these seemingly-small-time races could have a national impact come November. As the Washington Post recently explained, with such a large textbook market in Texas, "books assigned to the state's 4.7 million students often rocket to the top of the market, decreasing costs for other school districts and leading them to buy the same materials."

In recent years the Texas Board of Education has been moving to the far right. The Board has come into the national spotlight for attempts to promote conservative ideology and remove textbook references to the civil rights movement, leaders like Cesar Chavez and Thurgood Marshall, and words like “justice” and “equality.”

That’s why Judy Jennings and Rebecca Bell-Meteru are running for the State Board of Education, and why they joined over a hundred supporters for this morning’s Back to School Block Walk in Austin. Both women have PhDs in education, and are Democrats who want to take politics out of the classroom and leave important decisions with teachers and experts. And they both know that to be successful this year, they'll need the help of grassroots organizing like today’s event, where supporters went door to door talking with voters.

Bell-Metereau is running against an insurance businessman who has no background in education, and ran unopposed in 2006. This time he’s got a serious challenger on his hands. Bell-Meterau got the crowd fired up before the block walk:

“We are fighting for our love of our children. You’re going to go out there and reach out into your shoes for that leather to go out and block walk—reach into your dialing fingers to make phone calls, and reach into your hearts to talk to those voters—make them catch your enthusiasm.”

I joined Jennings as she went door-to-door in the West Austin area to meet voters this morning. The streets were quiet, but the first person home was receptive. She was a mother of a two-year-old son with another child on the way, and said she’d been meaning to educate herself on the races and thanked Jennings for stopping by.

As Jennings told the crowd today, this “one-on-one contact, combined with their spirit for love of kids across Texas, is how we’re going to make it happen.”

On the wall of the Travis County Democratic Party, huge letters that cover the length of the main room spell out the words ‘Turn Texas Blue.’ That goal motivated more than a hundred volunteers to gather here in Austin this morning, where they got fired up and went out to make sure voters turn out to support Democratic candidates this November.

Though they know Austin is typically an island of blue amidst an otherwise red state, it doesn’t stop them from working methodically to make a difference this year. They are laser-focused on critical and winnable races—from electing Democrat Bill White to the governor’s office to getting several great candidates on to the Board of Education, these folks are organized and ready to win.

Today's event is part of OFA's national Moving America Forward Day of Action, where thousands of volunteers are gathering all over the country with the goal of knocking on 200,000 doors.

Austin's event is called the Back to School Block Walk, and education is the focus. Republican Governor Rick Perry has refused national funding for Texas schools, and the Board of Education has gotten national attention for its extremist attempts to re-write history and and put conservative politics in the classroom.

Democratic Congressman Lloyd Doggett, who represents the Austin area, greeted the crowd this morning and mentioned another very different group that was gathering in Washington, D.C. to rally with Glenn Beck and Sarah Palin as he spoke:

“They say they want to take America back—what they really mean is they want to take America backward, and we’re not going to let them do it.”

While Congressman Doggett is in a safer seat than many this year, he isn't taking anything for granted. Rep. Doggett is running a full force campaign against his Tea Party opponent, who is part of the Tea Party Doctors group and is speaking today at a Texas event in support of the Glenn Beck rally. Congressman Doggett told the crowd that building enthusiasm this year starts with them. "There’s still hope, there’s still progress, and it begins right here because of the efforts that you’ve made," he said.

After the rally, the crowd broke up into small groups to role play what they would say at the doors and get their clipboards in order.

As volunteers headed out, I caught up with Congressman Doggett, who had a message for all OFA volunteers out knocking on doors and making phone calls today:

“Everyone who worked so long to bring change for the better to our country is in real danger of seeing that change reversed. The only thing that will prevent that from happening is to try to remember the most joyous moments in 2008 and work to repeat them this year—we have to build up the excitement—it’s that type of excitement our opponents have this year, they’re convinced they can take us backward. But despite all the prognosticators, it’s the person who comes down to make calls, talk to neighbors, get people who have been listening to too much Fox News to come to their backyard and talk about these things—that’s the only thing that will allow us to embody the change this country can become.”

It’s after 5:00 p.m. on a Friday evening in Austin, Texas, and the Travis County Democratic Party offices are still buzzing with volunteers making phone calls and getting ready for upcoming events.

In a room on the second floor, volunteers are making calls to turn folks out for Tuesday’s phone bank they’ve just named ‘Calling with Candidates.’ The event will have two House candidates compete for most calls made, and volunteers will finish their first round of calls to first-time '08 voters before the month of August is out. And an Austin event wouldn’t be complete without a potluck, which some volunteers are rumored to spend all day cooking for.

It’s OFA’s second day based out of this office, where they share space with several state House campaigns, Bill White for Governor organizers, and an assortment of candidates whose signs cover the building’s façade and front yard.

One of the volunteers I meet is Rosanne, an OFA community organizer who’s coordinating her team of phone bankers sitting around a table together under the iconic Obama ‘Hope’ poster. Rosanne has a team of 12 volunteers who work in state Rep. Donna Howard’s district, and this year they’re focusing on House, Board of Education, and the Governor’s races.

Education is a particularly important issue in Texas, and Austin is the place the President Obama chose to give a major speech on the issue earlier this month. “We don’t like being the laughingstock of the nation when it comes to education,” Rosanne explains. “Here we have two great candidates, women who are PhDs in education, promoting science instead of ideology.” These are going to be tough races—Rep. Howard was targeted by the GOP—but Rosanne is clear on how her team will win:

“They’re pouring lots of money in, so we're pouring lots of people power in. We are pouring our feet and fingers into keeping those wonderful women in office.”

Rosanne got involved after hearing Barack Obama speak at the 2004 Democratic Convention—when she made a bet with her husband that this man would one day become President. Rosanne is white, her husband is older and African American. "He just didn't think our country was ready." She volunteered in California, North Carolina, and Colorado, and organized locally as a precinct chair. When Obama spoke in Austin right after announcing his candidacy, Rosanne was just returning from the funeral of her father, who had just passed away in Iowa.

“I had just buried my father, I was in the car on my way back from Iowa for my father’s funeral, and I said ‘Drop me off.’ And it was a drizzly day and it was so what I needed to do. To see him come on stage—and he was amazed—Barack goes, ‘I have to call Michelle, she’s not going to believe this.’ They were expecting 5,000 and they got 20,000—it was a very memorable day for me. That was the first time I’d seen the President. It was good.”

Tomorrow OFA and the Travis County Democrats are holding a block walk to go door-to-door for local candidates who want to move Texas forward, specifically when it comes to giving all children a first-class education. Come down and join them if you’re in the neighborhood—or find an event closer to home.