Greetings From Nancy Pelosi

Speaker of the United States House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi just sent along this submission for us at the ONE Blog.

Greetings from the Democratic National Convention in Denver!   I am excited to be here this week for the nomination of Barack Obama and Joe Biden to be the next President and Vice President of the United States.  This week is the culmination of an historic race that has brought millions of voters to the polls - many voting for the first time.
The ONE Campaign knows firsthand about how to energize people for action.  They are building a global movement, inspiring millions of people - both young and old - to raise awareness for the challenges facing Africa.  We know that inside maneuvering cannot be successful without outside mobilization.  The ONE Campaign is a model of effective mobilization to support the cause of ending extreme poverty and disease in the poorest countries of the world.

Young people all over the world are making their voices heard - through conversations, emails, and blogs - about their hopes for a brighter future - of their desire for peace and prosperity.  They are weary of war, poverty, and disease.  They are demanding a brighter future for themselves and all the citizens of the world.   It is the impatience of youth that gives me hope.

Everywhere I travel, the call is clear: the world needs America to lead.  We must reclaim our rightful place in the community of nations, with a sustainable foreign policy that reflects American values.  We must have goals as ambitious as the risks we face.  We must be at the forefront of the fight against the long-term conditions that breed poverty, disease, instability and environmental degradation. 

The moral case is reason alone to act, but as we have seen in the cases of (more…)

Pelosi and Shea-Porter in NH

Late in the day on Wednesday, I found myself in Portsmouth at a public press conference with NH Rep. Carol Shea-Porter and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. Marine Michael was there, and so was Chaz Proulx, who handed out ONE Campaign literature at an event for Rep. Shea-Porter last month.

After the short press conference and some questions from reporters, I was able to talk with Speaker Pelosi. I thanked her for the brave and bold leadership by the Congress during the CR that saw an additional 1.45 billion dollars to fight global AIDS, Malaria, and TB in fiscal 2007 - truly a high point for all ONE members. She thanked me and accepted a ONE band that she immediately recognized. She told me how much she loves the ONE Campaign and how her family loves Bono for his work in Africa. I told her how important it was to maintain that leadership this year by passing the bi-partisan Education for All Act, and the Global Poverty Act in the House.

As always, Michael was there to politely ask for a picture with Speaker Pelosi in his ONE shirt!

We also spoke with Rep. Shea-Porter who commented how important ONE’s work is. She told me that our issues are beyond Republican and Democrat differences and she told me that ONE was about humanitarian issues that we should all unite around. Rep. Shea-Porter also commented on how happy she was to see ONE Vote ‘08 in action and urged us to keep on all of the candidates’ “feet to the fire” on global disease and global extreme poverty.

Later that night, a ONE member Stefany was able to attend a private event with both Speaker Pelosi and Rep. Shea-Porter. Stefany noted how Rep. Shea-Porter said that she was going to represent the best interest of the nations’ children AND the world’s children. Stefany also spoke with Speaker Pelosi who told her how she had just seen and heard from the ONE Campaign and reiterated her support on ONE’s global priorities.

-Matthew Bartlett, ONE Regional Organizer