Get This Man Some Custom Fit ONE Bands

Sunday morning in New Hampshire, and I went to the Red Arrow Dinner in Manchester to catch up with Gov. Richardson with some ONE members.

Melissa Skinner was able to speak with Gov. Richardson about her recent trip to Namibia and thank him for talking about the need for the US to fight global AIDS and extreme poverty throughout the continent of Africa.

Gov. Richardson was very enthusiastic about ONE but told us that the ONE band was too small for his wrist. He stretched it out and put it on anyway before he headed off.

ONE member Ben who happened to be going to get some morning pancakes, thanked him for his efforts in Darfur.

Later in the day, ONE’s Marine Michael and ONE member Maria Gonzales caught up with Gov. Richardson in Dover. They told me that Gov. Richardson spoke all about the ONE Campaign and urged people to get involved. He said that Africa should be a priority in America’s foreign policy.

-Matthew Bartlett, ONE Regional Organizer

Richardson: “Africa! Poverty! AIDS! ONE Campaign!”

Gov. Bill Richardson was in New Hampshire on Sunday and made a stop at a Nashua Multicultural Street Fair. I caught up with him with ONE member Brandon Laws.

You may remember Brandon from a McCain post a while ago when he spoke with the senator about the need to fight AIDS and poverty in Africa. Brandon is a long time ONE member and even attended the 2006 Stand-Up event in Manchester. Not only is Brandon a ONE Campaign volunteer, but he is now volunteering for Gov. Richardson’s presidential campaign.

When Gov. Richardson saw my shirt, he yelled out to me “Africa! Poverty! AIDS! ONE Campaign!” Brandon and I were able to thank him for his efforts on the ground in the Sudan and for making sure that Africa was one of his top priorities in his own campaign.

Later in the day, ONE member James Leon attended a house party with Gov. Richardson and gave him a ONE band. Jim said that he instantly recognized it and Jim laughingly told him “Don’t let me catch you not wearing your ONE band”!

No matter which candidate, no matter what party, no matter what setting - ONE Vote ‘08 is there to give voice to the poorest people in the world and make sure the next president is taking action to save lives in Africa.

-Matthew Bartlett, ONE Regional Organizer

What’s Black and White and Seen by Richardson All Over NH?

On Friday, ONE member Keith Spano traveled to Peterborough, NH, to see Gov. Richardson. Keith has been a ONE member for a while and always makes sure to call Congress during ONE action alerts.

In a black ONE Vote ‘08 shirt and white ONE band, Keith made sure Gov. Richardson saw him and recognized his shirt.

All over New Hampshire, and across America - ONE members are taking to the campaign trail to make sure the bottom billion people in the world are not forgotten in the 2008 presidential campaign. ONE Vote ‘08 will ensure that the next President of the United States is a global leader in the fight against AIDS and extreme poverty in Africa.

-Matthew Bartlett, ONE Regional Organizer

Cleaning Up At The Soapboxes

What are the Iowa State Fair Soapboxes?

A twenty minute opportunity for presidential candidates to tell the crowded Iowa State Fair what they will do for our country. Rep. Duncan Hunter, Sen. John McCain, and Governor Bill Richardson were amongst the participants for the first week of the State Fair.

These candidates were hit with tough questions from ONE members about America’s role in eradicating TB and malaria and creating access to the medication needed for HIV/AIDS patients. All responded with different strong solutions. With each question ONE members asked the candidates, the crowd shouted cheers of support!

-Deborah Helsen, Iowa ONE volunteer

Duke of ONE in South Carolina

This week I visited the new campaign headquarters for Governor Bill Richardson in Columbia, South Carolina.

I received a warm welcome from Political Director James D. Dukes, Jr., who also wore a ONE shirt and wristband. Not only was Mr. Dukes enthusiastic about Richardson’s commitment to ONE issues, he also said every Democratic candidate should focus on these areas of critical concern.

A central part of Richardson’s foreign policy platform calls for the United States to serve as a leader in the global fight against poverty, with a special emphasis on fulfilling the Millennium Development Goals through international cooperation.

-Mekell Mikell, SC Co-Field Director

Richardson Rich for ONE in Iowa

This week, Juliet Reid and I attended the New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson’s Presidential “Job Interview” at the University of Iowa campus. After a brief speech outlining his qualifications, Gov. Richardson took questions from the audience. When asked about the HIV/AIDS crisis in Africa, Gov. Richardson stated that the US, needs to become part of an international community that deals with these issues and that the U.S. can’t afford to NOT give more in development aid.

He mentioned that entrepreneurial initiatives would be one way to help Africa help themselves. He also mentioned ONE co-founder Bono, saying:

“You know why Bono is so popular? Bono went around and told countries how we are saddling all these [less developed] countries with debt. He
said ‘Lets forgive the debt and help with creating infrastructure and help them.’ This is the way to go.”

He also commented that increasing accessibility to generic drugs would be something that would help African nations combat the spread of HIV/AIDS.

We were happy to see that several of his staff members were wearing ONE bands, and they helped so that we got to talk to the Governor about ONE
and hand him a band. The Governor was happy to see us there in our ONE shirts, discussing the issues and graciously posed for a photo.

-Claudia Espinosa, Iowa ONE volunteer

Richardson Pleases at Mt. Pleasant

A formal meet and greet was held today in Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina, by Robert Burton and the East Cooper Democrats for Gov. Bill Richardson of New Mexico. The debate tonight is fast approaching and candidates are beginning to pepper the low country.

We were received well by the host and what turned out to be a good many people who were well aware of the ONE Campaign and our efforts. While waiting for the governor’s appearance, we were able to answer an assortment of questions about ONE Vote ‘08.

Finally appearing to the crowd, Gov. Richardson worked his way around the room shaking hands until he reached us, and exclaimed with a loud voice, “ONE!! It is great to see you guys!”

The governor talked about many issues important to his candidacy, but what I was impressed with most was the way he spoke about the role of the United States in the fight against AIDS and the duty we have to combat extreme poverty. Read his recent endorsement of ONE.

Nailing down Nevada: Dodd, Richardson, and Elizabeth

Last weekend, ONE volunteers went to Sen. Chris Dodd’s Vegas office opening, Gov. Bill Richardson’s Reno office opening, and a BBQ with Elizabeth Edwards.

At the Dodd event, I spoke with the senator and thanked him for his support on the Foreign Operations budget this year. He spoke about the need to fight HIV/AIDS in Africa and recalled some experiences from his time in the Peace Corps.

Reno ONE volunteers attended Bill Richardson’s Northern Nevada office opening. They thanked him for his commitment in the fight against extreme poverty - and for his endorsement of ONE Vote ‘08.

Gov. Richardson mentioned that everywhere he goes, ONE volunteers are always there to greet him.

Members Make Sure To Be Seen at Dem Debate

Thurdsay night, Democratic presidential candidates Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton, Christopher Dodd, John Edwards, Mike Gravel, Dennis Kucinich, Barack Obama and Bill Richardson participated in a live, televised forum at Howard University.

ONE volunteers seized this opportunity to send these presidential candidates a message when they arrived at the forum. Each volunteer got one sign that said one of the following words, “What will you do to end extreme poverty and AIDS?” We set up across from a sea of presidential candidate supporters and signs. We could tell that lots of people were intrigued by our unique message. Cars slowed down while they passed us on busy Georgia Avenue to see what we had to say! Our group traveled a few blocks down the sidewalk (in order!), shouting our message so other groups saw us, too. A few limos and town cars with dark tinted windows passed by us, so we can only speculate on who may have been inside!

An hour into our demonstration, our shouting was overpowered by a torrential storm, but that didn’t stop us until our signs were dripping ink and unintelligible!

This was just one of many times the candidates and their supporters will see ONE in the crowd urging both to make ending extreme poverty and AIDS a top priority in the 2008 elections.

By the way, a similar forum with the Republican candidates will occur in September at Morgan State University in Baltimore. Read more on the presidential forums here.

Clinton, Richardson and Edwards Meet Nevada ONE Members

We had some great experiences in Nevada recently.

Many of our ONE members in Reno were able to attend the Hillary Clinton town hall meeting at Hug High School, including Ryan Dhindsa along with his brother Kyle and father Hardeep.

Ryan is an 8th grade student in Reno; after seeing a movie about poverty in Africa last year, Ryan had a strong desire to help raise awareness. Ryan and his classmate have raised thousands of dollars to help eradicate poverty. Ryan’s father, Dr. Hardeep Dhindsa, is a local surgeon who donates his time and skills each year in Africa performing surgeries. Upon hearing about this dynamic family Senator Clinton’s staff made sure that Senator Clinton had a chance to meet Hardeep, Ryan, Kyle as representatives of ONE.

All three were able to meet privately with Senator Clinton to discuss ONE and give her a ONE wristband which she immediately put on.

Bill Richardson was also in Carson City recently where he held a town hall meet and greet.

Richardson spoke at length about global poverty. In reference to the role of the president as an international leader, Richardson said, “We need to be concerned about helping the poor nations throughout the world. We need to focus our efforts on issues like international poverty and AIDS.”

Governor Richardson and his staff have been very helpful to ONE in Nevada. The Richardson staff even spent time handing out ONE wristbands at a union rally in March.

John Edwards visited Las Vegas last week for a town hall at UNLV.

A local ONE activist gave Edwards a ONE wristband at the VIP meet and greet and Edwards enthusiastically showed it off at the forum.

Our ONE members were given front row seats and cheered as Edwards spoke passionately about the moral duty we have to eradicate poverty at home and abroad. The local Edwards staff also sported the ONE band and let our local organizers sign up new members at the door.