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Category: Faces of the Campaign

David Hatton, Neighborhood Team Leader

By Melanie on September 12, 2012 Faces of the Campaign
Name: David Hatton
Campaign role: Neighborhood Team Leader, Anthem for Obama
Based in: Henderson, Nevada

“My focus every day is to build our neighborhood teams in Nevada, to train and send out other volunteers so we can be ready to get out the vote when early voting starts on October 20th. The good thing is, today more than ever people are coming out and volunteering. The energy level in our community is amazing. The people we were calling before and asking to join us—they’re calling us now.

“You know, I used to play golf. I’ve been retired for more than a decade and golf is one of my favorite pastimes; I played every day. But a few months ago, I found something I wanted to do even more: volunteer for President Obama’s re-election. Now, the four to six hours I’d spend on the green I spend pounding the pavement, knocking on doors, calling supporters, and registering voters. I’m proud to support the President in whichever way I can.
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“This election is a matter of life or death.”

By Organizing for America New Mexico on September 8, 2012 2012 Stories Faces of the Campaign
Vanessa has a very simple reason for supporting President Barack Obama:

"For me, and a lot of folks like me, this election is a matter of life or death. Access to healthcare shouldn't be a luxury just for people who can afford the rising costs of getting the care they need."

Since 2002, Vanessa has been on Social Security Disability, due to grand mal epilepsy and bipolar disorder. And in April 2010, Vanessa she was diagnosed with Stage 1 breast cancer.

Because of Social Security Disability, Medicaid and Medicare, Vanessa was able to get the lumpectomy and radiation therapy she needed to save her life.

Vanessa knows first-hand what’s at stake in this election: Under Romney/Ryan budget plan, up to 188,000 New Mexicans could lose their access to health care through Medicaid.

That’s just one of the reasons why Vanessa is volunteering as much time as she can in Organizing for America New Mexico’s Las Vegas office.

She’s calling voters, knocking on doors and organizing in her community to ensure that no one is denied the care they need to survivesimply because they don’t have the money to pay for it.

Please help Vanessa stand up for access to life-saving health care. Sign up to volunteer now at http://ofa.bo/nmvolunteer
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Sara

By Organizing for America New Mexico on September 5, 2012 Faces of the Campaign
Sara, a seventeen-year-old high school senior in Albuquerque, has been working to re-elect Barack Obama for more than a year as a member of one of the most active high school volunteer groups in the country:

President Obama wants to see thousands of youth like me across the country succeed, and he's taking the steps that are necessary to help us do so. Our generation is smart, full of potential and brimming with promise. Between now and Election Day, I'm working to harness this wonderful energy and aim it at re-electing the President.

Sara's in. Are you? Get involved at http://ofa.bo/nmvolunteer.
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"Why I Phone Bank"

By Organizing for America New Mexico on September 4, 2012 2012 Stories Faces of the Campaign Photos
Peter from Santa Fe has two very good reasons for working so hard to re-elect President Obama: his wife and the child they are expecting.

My wife is in her 39th week of pregnancy. We want our child born in a democracy -- a country where everyone gets healthcare, where the corporations don't control the government, where women have equal rights and equal pay, where alternative energy is supported, and the middle class and impoverished get an equal chance to work and exercise their civil rights.

Will you fight for a better world for your children? Join Parents for Obama now at: http://www.barackobama.com/parents
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Blaike Bibbs, North Carolina volunteer

By Melanie on August 29, 2012 Organizing Volunteers Faces of the Campaign
Blake, left, and her friend Adrienne, showing off 2012 convention credentials

Name: Blaike Bibbs
Campaign role: Neighborhood Team Member, Chapel Hill team
Hometown: Morristown, New Jersey
Based in: Raleigh, North Carolina

How did you first come to the campaign?

In 2008, when I was 10 years old, I heard President Obama’s speech accepting the nomination. I remember I got the impression that everything he was saying was really about equality and fairness: treating people who aren’t well-off fairly, treating women fairly, treating disadvantaged people fairly. So, being the person I am, I started researching his positions on everything, and the more I learned, the more I realized that these are the same things I believe government should be about.

In 2010, I was asked to speak at a rally in North Carolina about health care reform. I talked about my family—my mom had a cerebral aneurysm and my two brothers are autistic. We were lucky because we had health care, but I can’t imagine what it would’ve been like if he didn’t have it. Again, health care is about fairness—making sure every family can afford it.

Soon after that I started volunteering, and started the North Carolina Association of Teen Democrats Minority Caucus. And next week, our group will be doing the Let’s Move! dance at the 2012 convention!
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Susana Martinez Doesn’t Speak for Me

By Ana Canales, Albuquerque on August 29, 2012 Faces of the Campaign
Tonight, New Mexican Governor Susana Martinez will endorse Mitt Romney for President.

But Susana Martinez doesn’t speak for me. And she certainly won’t be speaking for the average New Mexican when she urges voters to elect Mitt Romney as President.

New Mexico’s middle class families helped President Obama to a decisive victory in 2008, and the President has worked hard for us during his first term.

President Obama…
- Signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act into law, which has pumped more than $1.5 billion for economic recovery into counties across the state. These vital funds helped prevent an economic meltdown and supported businesses across New Mexico… including the Hobbs oil and gas outfit where Mitt Romney spoke just last week.
- Saved New Mexico families $3,400 in taxes each year, freeing up money for regular families to pay their bills, put their kids in school and afford health care.
- Worked to make college more affordable for New Mexico’s students and their families by doubling Pell Grants, signing the American Opportunity tax credit into law, and preventing student loan rates from doubling for nearly 40,000 students in the state.
- Signed the Affordable Care Act into law. Now 860,000 people in our state – including 122,000 children – can no longer be denied health insurance coverage because they have a pre-existing condition like asthma, diabetes or cancer.
But that’s just the start. He also brought the war in Iraq to a responsible end. He passed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act to help end wage discrimination against women. And he’s worked on behalf of our Native American communities like no President before him.

Healthcare, education, and opportunity: These issues are vital to New Mexico’s families.

Governor Martinez may have the microphone tonight, but it is New Mexico’s families – and what President has done to help them – that will speak loudest in this Election.

Ana Canales is a Neighborhood Team Leader in Albuquerque. Join her and take a stand for New Mexico’s middle class families. Sign up to volunteer today at http://ofa.bo/nmvolunteer.
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Twyla Griffin, Neighborhood Team Leader

By Melanie on August 22, 2012 Volunteers Faces of the Campaign
Name: Twyla Griffin
Campaign role: Neighborhood Team Leader for Redford Rocks for President Barack
Hometown: Davenport, Iowa
Based in: Redford, Michigan

How did you first come to the campaign?

I’m originally from Iowa, so watching Barack Obama win the caucus in my home state was huge. Also, I’m African-American, and my parents were born and raised in Mississippi, so for my family it was very meaningful … the epitome of hope.

So I got involved in Michigan (I couldn’t let Iowa out-organize Michigan!) and it was a bit more informal back then—just me and another lady in Redford trying to get people involved. And I’ve been at it ever since, from the health care debates in 2009, to the congressional races in 2010, to now, where I’m trying to build a full volunteer team by October so that we’re ready to get out the vote all over Redford.
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“It’s all worth it”

By Wendy Lue on August 21, 2012 Faces of the Campaign
James Madison University student Alexa turned her passion for reelecting President Obama into an organizing fellowship this summer.

As a health science major at James Madison University, Alexa wasn’t sure of her lack of formal political science training, but she was sure of her support for President Obama. Alexa knew that she had to turn her passion into action on the eve of a tough election, and dedicated her summer to working as a fellow with OFA-VA. During her summer fellowship, Alexa was able to meet and connect with others who shared her passion about the president, and she distinctly remembers how she was inspired at the Harrisonburg Obama office opening. Here were all these people from her community that she would have never seen or met otherwise, all united by their collective experiences of how President Obama had touched their lives.

When asked about her advice to others thinking about getting involved, Alexa simply states:

“The work may seem daunting, but at the end of the day, I think back to that one person I persuaded to vote for President Obama, and it’s all worth it. Though I didn’t major in political science, I brought a fresh perspective to the table with my expertise in health care, so don’t worry about being an expert, because you will find a connection with the people in your community, no matter what your background is.”

Alexa made a difference this summer as a part of the OFA-VA family, and she invites you to join us as a fellow. Alexa was never a bystander watching the action go by, but took action and worked tirelessly to keep Virginia blue. So don’t miss out on the action and join us like Alexa did by signing up to become a fellow today!

Sign Up
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“We need this guy in office”

By Maurice Hawkins on August 16, 2012 Faces of the Campaign
Kim is an Old Dominion University student studying English. She's ready to move the country forward for affordable education.

“Initially I was hesitant to volunteer,” said Kim, a 21-year-old Old Dominion University student and campus voter registration captain, “Not because I didn’t care, but because there were too many excuses to say that I couldn’t. But taking a step back, and seeing what President Obama has done for young people like me, makes me realize that we need this guy in office.”

According to Kim, it’s things like President Obama’s fight to keep student loan interest rates low so that higher education can be affordable for more Americans. It’s things like healthcare reform that gives her peace of mind while she focuses on her studies.

“I am motivated to make sure my fellow students understand the importance of this year’s election,” she said. “All the progress made that helps young people in so many ways—student loan reform, healthcare reform, women’s rights—that’s all going down the drain if we don’t reelect President Obama."

“There is too much at stake for students like me. I’m fired up to get my fellow Monarchs registered to vote—and out to vote in November. We’ve got to get the job done.”

Organize for Barack this fall
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Faces of the campaign: Eric Wolf

By Melanie on August 15, 2012 Organizing Volunteers Faces of the Campaign
Name: Eric Wolf
Campaign role: Canvass Captain/Phone Bank Captain for Team Niceville
Hometown: Dayton, Ohio
Based in: Niceville, Florida

How did you first come to the campaign?

I donated to Barack Obama's campaign in 2008, but I didn't volunteer. I'm a big news and politics junkie, and the radical actions taken by some conservative lawmakers over the past four years convinced me that I couldn't afford to sit on the sidelines this time around. However, I wasn't quite sure when or how to begin doing so until I was called up by an OFA organizer in April. And I haven't looked back since!
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