September 25th, 2008 at 9:56 am | posted by Virginia Simmons
Just before temporarily suspending his presidential campaign, Senator McCain spoke at the Clinton Global Initiative this morning and addressed many of ONE’s issues.
An excerpt, plus a link to a video of his remarks, is below. Senator Obama will also be speaking at CGI later today, so we’ll be covering that here too.
As we deal with this challenge, we must also address the others that imperil our global security. Today too many around the world are excluded from the benefits of globalization. Disconnected from the prosperity that has lifted millions out of poverty, too many societies are plagued by violence, disease, and scarcity.
It need not be this way. And in places where scarcity can breed resentment, despair, and extremism – where problems cannot be contained by borders – it must not be this way. We can never guarantee our security through military means alone. True security requires a far broader approach, using non-military means to reduce threats before they gather strength. And this is especially true of our strategic interest in fighting disease and extreme poverty across the globe.
Promoting development, creating opportunities, and eliminating disease do not only serve our national interests; they also accord with our deepest American values. We are a great and generous country, and we believe that all men and women, everywhere, are created equal and endowed by God with certain rights. In fighting disease, and sparing unnumbered lives across the world, we serve not only strategic interests. We serve our moral interests, and we show the good heart of America.
Malaria alone kills more than a million people a year, mostly in Africa. Nearly three thousand children are lost every day just to this one affliction – a disease well within our ability to eradicate. To its lasting credit, the federal government in recent years has led the way in this fight. But, of course, America is more than its government. Some of the greatest advances have been the work of the Gates Foundation and other private, charitable groups. And you have my pledge that, should I be elected, I will build on these and other initiatives to ensure that malaria kills no more.
I will also make it a priority to improve maternal and child health. Millions around the world – and especially pregnant women and children – suffer from easily preventable nutritional deficiencies. As a result, a million children under age five die every year, millions more are born mentally impaired, and entire economies are left to stagnate. An international effort is needed to prevent disease and developmental disabilities among children by providing nutrients and food security. And if I am elected president, America will lead that effort.
As we have done with the scourge of HIV and AIDS, we should embark on a more concerted effort to fight tuberculosis, which accounts for nearly two million deaths each year. We should work to dramatically raise agricultural productivity in Africa: America helped to spark the Green Revolution in Asia, and they should be at the forefront of an African Green Revolution. We should reform our aid programs, to make sure they are serving the interests of people in need, and not just serving special interests in Washington.
Aid is not the whole answer. We need to promote economic growth and opportunities, especially for women, where they do not currently exist. Too often, trade restrictions – combined with costly agricultural subsidies for the special interests – choke off the opportunities for poor farmers and workers abroad to help themselves. That has to change. And by promoting free trade, and ending unfair subsides, I intend to be the agent of change.
September 24th, 2008 at 12:02 pm | posted by Chris.Scott
Just wanted to let everybody know we just passed 100,000 signers on our petition to get Just ONE Question asked at Friday’s first presidential debate. Thanks to everyone who signed up and got your friends, family, and coworkers to sign up too!
If you haven’t signed up yet, there’s still time! We’ll be delivering the petition today.
September 24th, 2008 at 9:45 am | posted by Matthew Bartlett, ONE Regional Organizer
New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson came to New Hampshire today to hold a foreign policy town hall meeting and speech on behalf of Senator Obama.
Gov. Richardson is very familiar with ONE from his own days on the campaign trail and this was no different. As soon as he came to the podium he saw ONE members in the front row, and immediately commended us on our tireless efforts throughout the NH Primary, and beyond, to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS and extreme poverty.
After a brief speech, ONE’s Marine, Michael Castaldo asked Gov. Richardson if a potential Obama administration would work to ensure the full funding and appropriations for life saving programs like PEPFAR - the newly enhanced and expanded global AIDS, malaria, and TB Bill, and the Millennium Challenge Corporation which partners responsible, but highly impoverished nations with more and better aid for healthcare and infrastructure projects.
You can see it here:
Even in such a divisive political year and in the midst of economic uncertainty, ONE members everywhere should take pride in our non-partisan commitment to the world’s poorest people. Whether it’s at the UN General Assembly, or town halls in the Granite State, good people from both sides of the political aisle are realizing what our nation can do to help save millions of lives around the world.
September 22nd, 2008 at 11:30 am | posted by Field
On Thursday, Senator John McCain came to Iowa for the first time with new running mate Governor Sarah Palin.
The event was held at an air hanger in the Cedar Rapids airport and thousands of people attended, including many University of Iowa students in ONE T-shirts!
After the event, and after Sen. McCain and Gov. Palin toured parts of Cedar Rapids to see devastation from recent flooding, their motorcade pulled up to a long line of people, including ONE members, waiting for the senator and governor to board their plane.
As they walked through the line and shook hands, Senator McCain saw our ONE shirts and said that ONE is a wonderful organization and thanked us for what we do.
Next in the line came Governor Sarah Palin who shook hands with a ONE member who handed her a ONE band. She said “right on!” and immediately put on the band. (See our video). We were so happy to have represented ONE on Gov. Palin’s first visit to Iowa!
It felt like the first day of fall in Media, PA on Tuesday when Senator Joe Biden addressed a crowd of thousands of supporters at the Linvilla Orchards. The outdoor venue was covered with fallen leaves and the stage sat in front of a trailer full of pumpkins. Senator Biden and Dr. Jill Biden stayed to greet the attendees who sat on hay and picnic tables during the speech.
I handed Dr. Biden a ONE band; she thanked me enthusiastically and immediately put it on! When Senator Biden approached and I held out the white band he laughed, “I already have so many ONE bands. I need to start wearing one regularly!” Sounds like a good idea to me!
September 19th, 2008 at 11:15 am | posted by Field
The ONE Campaign at Baylor University teamed up with Rock the Vote to encourage students to vote in the upcoming presidential election and emphasize issues facing millions of the world’s poorest people. After a one week delay due to Hurricane Ike, Baylor’s Rock the Vote concert was held on Wednesday, September 17 in one of the most heavily traveled portions of campus. Baylor ONE members tabled at the event, passed out ONE Vote ‘08 information, and encouraged students to join the campaign.
The featured musical artist Trey Duck, Shapes Stars Make, and Sleeperstar wore ONE bands as they performed their music to a crowd of Baylor students. While the concert was going on, students were encouraged to depict what voting meant to them through their artistic abilities and sign a wall with messages of the importance of voting. Overall, the night provided a great opportunity to highlight the importance of voting and the ONE Campaign to hundreds of college students.
Sic ‘Em ONE!
-Justin Kralemann, President of the ONE Campaign-Baylor
September 19th, 2008 at 10:16 am | posted by Matt Higginson, ONE member, Las Vegas, NV
This week Barack Obama held a rally here in Las Vegas, NV. We had a great showing from ONE members who wanted to hear more details about Obama’s plan to fight global poverty and disease.
With the economy dominating the current debate, global development was not discussed, but we were happy to be there and continue to make ONE’s presence known on the campaign trail.
September 18th, 2008 at 3:18 pm | posted by Chris.Scott
On Tuesday we launched our new “Just ONE Question” campaign to get a question about global poverty included in next Friday’s presidential debate. In just 48 hours, over 45,000 of you signed the petition, putting us on the verge of surpassing our ambitious goal of 50,000!
Remember—since 1960, only 2 questions about global poverty have been asked in a presidential debate. We have it within our power to change that this year.
September 18th, 2008 at 10:02 am | posted by Field
John McCain and Sarah Palin stopped in Lancaster, PA for a rally last week and local ONE members from Pennsylvania were ready. Wearing ONE shirts, we got seats directly behind the stage and were able to be in full view of the TV cameras broadcasting live nationwide.
Following the rally, we also spoke briefly with Ms. Palin and handed her a ONE band – to which she responded very enthusiastically and placed on her wrist. All in all, it was a great day for ONE PA!
September 17th, 2008 at 5:39 pm | posted by Chris.Scott
Tyler Sangermano from the University of Missouri attended a rally with Senator Joe Biden in Columbia, MO last week and managed to not only ask the senator about his plans to combat extreme poverty, but also hand deliver a ONE shirt and capture on video the senator telling a great story about his wife and he thinking about ONE the night before he was selected to be Senator Obama’s running mate.
The audio is a little rough in this video clip, so I transcribed a few key bits of what Senator Biden says below.
First he talked proudly about how he
“shepherded through the new AIDS, malaria, and Tuberculosis proposal [PEPFAR] that went from 30 billion to 50 billion and by the way, George W. Bush deserves great credit.”
And then after Tyler handed Biden a ONE shirt, which he held up for the crowd, Senator Biden told this great story:
“When Barack Obama picked me and asked me to be his vice president, I talked […to my wife]. And my wife told me the night before… I don’t know about you guys, but my wife is such a busy mother and grandmother and teacher…and all of the notes at our house are literally taped to the bathroom mirrors…so literally notes are on the mirror any where I shave.
And she had a ONE decal, you know the big decals you have like this? Only it was white with blue on it. And she had [written] underneath ONE, she had ’squared’. That’s me. ONE Squared. Between Barack Obama and me we are going to ONE Square it.”
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.
