January 18th, 2008 at 11:49 am | posted by Matthew Bartlett, ONE Regional Organizer
Gov. Huckabee held a campaign rally at Clemson University yesterday and I met up with some great ONE members to lend our voice to the world’s bottom billion people.
During the rally, Gov. Huckabee played bass with a local band, and also had Chuck Norris and Ric Flair with him to campaign. Some of us, including Clemson student Emily Burchfield who went to the ONE Power 100 Summit - were in our ONE shirts in hopes that Gov. Huckabee would see us.
After the rally we snuck out by the campaign bus to try and talk with Gov. Huckabee. Just before they got on the bus, ONE member Chip was able to snap a quick photo with Chuck Norris and Emily spoke with Gov. Huckabee about ONE and US efforts to fight global AIDS. He thanked her for her work with ONE.
As we were leaving, we ran into FOX New Chief Political Correspondent, “Campaign” Carl Cameron - who always wears his ONE band on the campaign trail and even cut a promo for our ONE Student/ONE Vote event back in November. Check it out:
Chip and Emily thanked Carl for wearing his ONE band and told him about the work of ONE at Clemson.
At Clemson, just like to many other colleges and universities all over America, students like Chip and Emily are organizing and using their voice and talents to find ways to spread the word about ONE and let our leaders know that our generation can…and will, make poverty history.
January 18th, 2008 at 11:24 am | posted by Matthew Bartlett, ONE Regional Organizer
Sen. McCain campaigned in Greenville and Spartanburg, SC, on Wednesday and I caught up with him at a few stops with some ONE members.
After a town hall meeting, ONE member Bianca was able to talk with Sen. McCain. As soon as she approached him he instantly recognized her shirt and told her how much he loves ONE. Bianca was able to thank him for his efforts to reform the Farm Bill to allow poor African farmers a chance to bring their goods to market. Sen. McCain thanked her and Cindy McCain told Bianca that she was trying to point her out to the senator during the town hall.
Sen. McCain had a few more stops in South Carolina and I hear that he ran into another group of ONE members later on in the night. Just one more event, town hall, and candidate engagement, that is making ONE a real force here in the Palmetto State.
January 18th, 2008 at 11:16 am | posted by Matthew Bartlett, ONE Regional Organizer
On Tuesday I was in Lexington, SC with Gov. Mike Huckabee to watch the results of the Michigan Primary come in.
Gov. Huckabee gave a short stump speech and I was there with a few other ONE members to make sure that he remembered the poorest of the poor while campaigning in the first-in-the-south SC Primary.
Just as the Gov. was walking out the door, I got a few seconds to talk with him and thanked him for his strong endorsement of PEPFAR and slipped him a ONE band.
There were many people packed into the small restaurant, but I know that Gov. Huckabee will come across many more ONE members hitting the trail in South Carolina and across the nation to make sure that our next president knows that saving lives in Africa is a priority!
The College of Charleston hosted Barack Obama on Thursday - at the event where Senator John Kerry endorsed by former Democratic presidential nominee.
More than 80 new members joined ONE at the event - and I could see ONE shirts throughout the crowd of thousands, including among those seated on stage with Senator Obama.
On Friday night I attended Senator John McCain’s meet-and-greet at an American Legion Post on James Island. The Senator spoke for more than twenty minutes, and at one point, he paused and pointed me out to the crowd.
I was handed a microphone and the opportunity to explain to over 100 people what the ONE Campaign is, and why we are involved in the election process. Senator McCain thanked us for what we are doing for this country and the cause that we are so adamantly pursuing.
-Jesse Pruitt, SC Volunteer Coordinator, ONE Vote ‘08
We met with Senator John McCain in North Augusta. SC, on Tuesday. Attorney General Henry McMaster and our Senator Lindsey Graham also attended the event. We thanked Senator McCain for going on-the-record. He thanked us in response and said that he enjoyed the opportunity.
On Saturday morning I attended a rally for Governor Mike Huckabee at Lizard’s Thicket (yes, this is a restaurant!) in Columbia, SC. It was our first encounter with the Governor since he went “On The Record” for ONE.
I thanked him for participating. He told me that he enjoyed the opportunity and said that making the presidential candidates go on the record about our issues is a great idea. Although we were not able to take a photo with him, we did present him another ONE band, which he gladly accepted it.
Giuliani was questioned on whether he would renew PEPFAR, or the President’s Plan for Emergency AIDS Relief, which is due to expire in 2008….
“I would continue that and if necessary expand it and am very open to it,” Giuliani said. “I talked to the president about it a long time back. That is something I would very much support.”
“I would try to increase dramatically trade with Africa,” Giuliani said. “Because what we’re really trying to do is help Africa get to the point where the African countries can take care of this problem themselves.”
“There’s nothing better than to help to make people self-sufficient, and aid helps them get through crisis, but then trade helps them to self-sufficiency.”
November 7th, 2007 at 11:14 am | posted by Virginia Simmons
ONE Vote 08’s core mission is to make global poverty and diseases priorities in the 2008 election, and yet global poverty wasn’t even mentioned once in the last two presidential debates. It’s time that we step up our game.
Right now, ONE members are urging every man and woman running for president to tell us, in writing, where they stand and what plans they have for:
Eradicating malaria;
Improving child and maternal health;
Reversing the spread of HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis;
Achieving universal primary education; and
Providing access to food and clean water for all.
At the same time, we’re asking all the candidates to speak on camera to ONE members about these commitments.
To increase the impact of this campaign, we’ll be placing newspaper ads in the four critical early primary states asking the candidates to tell us where they stand - and in those ads we’ll let the candidates know just how many ONE Campaign members have already signed the petition.
We are only a few weeks away from the start of the primary elections and the actions we take now could matter even more than they do on Election Day 2008.
ONE offices in Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina are humming, as we prepare for the upcoming SONICFLOOd concert!! Known as the “fathers of modern worship music,” the band has agreed to perform at a free concert to raise awareness of global poverty and disease, and to help kick off our new faith-based campaign, ONE Sabbath.
Concerts are at:
The Crossing Church in Las Vegas at 7:00pm on November 7th;
TBD location in New Hampshire at 7:00pm on November 13th:
TBD location in South Carolina at 7:00pm on November 14th :
Lutheran Church of Hope in West Des Moines at 8:30 on November 15th
We’d love to have you and your friends join us!! If you want to help us get ready for this awesome event, give us a call or swing your state’s local office! See you there!!!
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.
