August 28th, 2008 at 8:39 pm | posted by John Ryan
If you’re at Senator Obama’s acceptance speech or watching it from home, keep your eyes peeled for one of us sitting up front during the speech. Megan Kline, long time ONE member, has been selected out of the 70,000 people in attendance to sit in the “donut” in front of the podium. They’re moving people around but as of the last report, she’s sitting in the front row.
And like any proud ONE member, she’s wearing her ONE shirt!
So, keep an eye out for her and post a comment here if you see her.
Thanks Megan for making sure ONE is seen and thanks to all ONE members for making sure our issues are heard by so many in Washington and across the country.
August 27th, 2008 at 2:10 pm | posted by Chris.Scott
A little over a week ago, I went with a team of ONE volunteers and ONE staff member Brian Sweeney to meet with Congressman Tim Holden. He was very receptive and graciously listened as we introduce ourselves, talked about our passion for fighting for the world’s poorest people, and talked about ONE’s work in the presidential election. During the meeting, we made sure to thank him for his support of PEPFAR (the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief).
At the end, Congressman Holden signed the ONE Declaration and expressed an interest in becoming a PA ONE Honorary Ambassador. All in all, it was a very encouraging meeting.
August 25th, 2008 at 4:19 pm | posted by Chris.Scott
Last week the Ohio ONE Vote ’08 staff and interns attended an Obama Register for Change event at Columbus State Community College in Columbus, OH. DNC Chairman Howard Dean was there along with Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, and actor Kal Penn who plays Kumar in movies such as Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle.
The trio are touring the country on their way to Denver and encouraging people who are not registered to vote to do so. After the event we had an opportunity to speak with Dean, Klobuchar, and Penn. Dean had very kind words for us and accepted a ONE Vote ’08 t-shirt.
Senator Klobuchar, who recently became a ONE Vote ’08 Co-Chair for Minnesota, proudly told us of her involvement with the ONE Campaign. She was especially excited for this week’s state ONE Vote ‘08 kickoff. Penn, who spoke at length about the great things that young people can accomplish was happy to see us out there talking about how we can make poverty history.
“And could I also recognize another organization that is very, very popular and a very important one, not only here in New Hampshire but across the country, and that’s an organization called ONE.
This is an organization inspired by a lot of people including Bono and they have over 2 million volunteers in this nation, and they go all over the world, especially Africa, to help cure malaria, AIDS, cholera, and help people. This is one the great examples of what America is all about.
I’m proud that Cindy, and a group, a number of other people, are in Africa as we speak, with the organization called ONE trying to do what we can to help those people and that organization and publicize their great work.
Thank you to the group from ONE, will you guys stand? Thank you very much. Thank you.”
Last Thursday ONE Members in Portsmouth Ohio attended a Town Hall Meeting for John McCain. The Senator reiterated his commitment to the ONE Campaign and its issues - and our volunteers were all anxious to have an opportunity to show the Senator their support for fighting extreme poverty around the world.
ONE’s presence at presidential campaign events is nothing new to the campaign trail and we work to have our members and volunteers attend events for both Senator’s Obama and McCain. It wasn’t long after we arrived that we were given an incredibly warm welcome by the McCain staff, thanking us for our continued presence at events.
Shortly after McCain delivered his remarks, he singled out the ONE Vote ‘08 members, asking them to stand and briefly discuss the ONE Campaign and our mission. Before calling on ONE members, McCain stated that we were some of the best citizens of our generation, in that we are working for a cause bigger than ourselves. When asked what his administration would do to combat HIV/AIDS, Malaria and TB, McCain responded by stating that he would increase funding for vaccines and to the World Health Organization.
After McCain’s remarks, ONE members greeted McCain and wife, Cindy, handing them both ONE wristbands. Cindy quickly put her wristband on, telling the ONE members how excited she was to travel to Rwanda with the bi-partisan ONE delegation later this week.
As we were leaving one of the town hall attendees shouted through the crowd, “thanks, and you guys are doing incredible, incredible work.”
July 15th, 2008 at 5:46 pm | posted by Virginia Simmons
Senator Obama delivered a long speech in Washington, DC this morning. A relevant part to our work:
“We will have to provide meaningful resources to meet critical priorities. I know development assistance is not the most popular program, but as President, I will make the case to the American people that it can be our best investment in increasing the common security of the entire world. That was true with the Marshall Plan, and that must be true today. That’s why I’ll double our foreign assistance to $50 billion by 2012, and use it to support a stable future in failing states, and sustainable growth in Africa; to halve global poverty and to roll back disease. To send once more a message to those yearning faces beyond our shores that says, “You matter to us. Your future is our future. And our moment is now.”
Yesterday, Presidential candidate Senator Barack Obama promoted national service at home and abroad in an effort to renew American diplomacy, asking individual citizens to stand up and “change history’s course.”
He addressed an audience at the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs:
“I am running for President, right now, because of what Dr. King called the fierce urgency of now…Our country faces determined enemies abroad, and definitive challenges at home. But I have no doubt that in the face of these odds, people who love their country can change it. That is why I am running for President. That is why I’m determined to reach out - not just to Democrats, but to Independents and Republicans who want to move in a new direction. And that is why I won’t just ask for your vote as a candidate - I will ask for your service and your active citizenship when I am President of the United States.”
His plan on voluntary public service, according to the campaign website, includes, among other things:
Expanding Americorps from 75,000 to 250,000 and Peace Corps to 16,000 slots.
Extending opportunities for professionals and senior citizens to serve overseas.
A $4000 American Opportunity Tax credit for college students who volunteer 100 hours of community service.
Creating an agency within the Corporation for National and Community Service to promote the effectiveness of nonprofit organizations.
The senator noted:
“This will not be a call issued in one speech or one program - this will be a central cause of my presidency.”
I’m happy to announce that ONE is forging some common ground here in the Keystone State.
Former Senators—and former political opponents—Rick Santorum (a Republican) and Harris Wofford (a Democrat) have signed on to serve as Pennsylvania ONE Vote ’08 co-chairs. As co-chairs, Sens. Santorum and Wofford will help lead ONE’s efforts here in Pennsylvania to showcase the opportunity the next president—whoever it is—has to make a lifesaving, game-changing difference in the fight against global poverty.
From Philly to Pittsburgh, I’ve already seen ONE’s message breaking through on the campaign trail. The candidates are fielding questions on how they, as president, will fight HIV/AIDS and malaria, help save the lives of babies and mothers from preventable diseases and work to put more children in school across Africa.
Now with Sens. Wofford and Santorum signed on, we are ready to turn up the volume on our efforts.
“I look forward to hearing from Senators McCain and Obama on how they intend to address these vital issues should they enter the White House,” Sen. Santorum told us.
June 30th, 2008 at 10:50 am | posted by Matthew Bartlett, ONE Regional Organizer
On Friday, Sen. Obama returned to the Granite State to campaign for President with Sen. Clinton. Some ONE members and I made it out to the event as early as possible to try and reach the two senators and make sure that the world’s poorest people were not forgotten in Unity, NH.
Waiting in the crowd, I was amazed by the number of ONE bands I saw on people everywhere! As New Hampshire Rep. Paul Hodes made his way to the stage, ONE member Tucker Jadczak was able to reach out to him and offer him a ONE band, which he immediately put on.
Sen. Clinton and Sen. Obama finally made their way down to the stage and even through the large crowd, we were able to slip them ONE bands to remind them of the world’s bottom people.
You can see us with Sen. Clinton here:
And with Sen. Obama here, when Tucker thanks him for his efforts to fight AIDS and poverty in Africa:
In much of the media coverage and in many newspapers in New Hampshire and across the nation, you could prominently see Sen. Clinton’s ONE band on her left wrist!
As we move forward in the general election it can be tougher and tougher to have direct engagement with the candidates - but ONE members everywhere are helping to advocate for the world’s poorest people by wearing a ONE shirt, passing a ONE band to a candidate, and finding ways to make our voices heard like writing letters to the editor, and calling their own congressional representatives.
June 19th, 2008 at 1:04 pm | posted by Virginia Simmons
I just got this email from our legislative director Tom Hart!
“Friends, we have some good news. McCain confirmed he will add his name as a cosponsor of the Biden-Lugar bill, perhaps as early as today. This should help “unstick” the bill. Great collective effort, particularly from Porter Delaney here in DC and Matthew Bartlett in NH.
So just this week, we have both Obama and McCain added as cosponsors.
The ONE Blog is a daily log of the anti-poverty movement. The site is operated by ONE staff, volunteers, members and coalition partners.
The content of each post and each comment represent the views of that author and does not necessarily reflect the views of the ONE Campaign or ONE Action. ONE does not support or oppose any candidate for elected office, and any posts expressing support or opposition for a candidate is not endorsed by ONE.
