“On the Record”
November 2007 - December 2008
In 2008, more than 60,000 U.S. ONE members got nine of the leading presidential candidates to make history by going "On the Record" with their detailed plans to tackle global poverty and preventable disease.
Overview
At the heart of ONE Vote '08 was the goal of getting the U.S. presidential candidates from both parties to make the struggle to end global poverty a priority. In early primary and caucus states, ONE members engaged the candidates at town hall meetings, campaign rallies, debates and other events to ask questions about their positions on issues related to global poverty and preventable diseases. In November 2007, ONE members took that effort nationwide, sending a petition with more than 60,000 signatures to each of the presidential candidates asking them to go "On the Record" with their plans to combat extreme poverty and global disease.
One by one, the candidates responded with written plans and video commentary, directly answering the calls from ONE members for solutions to the challenges posed by global poverty. Specifically, the candidates submitted written plans on:
- Reversing the spread of HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis;
- Eliminating deaths from malaria;
- Improving child and maternal health;
- Achieving universal primary education;
- Improving access to clean water and sufficient amounts of food;
- Providing debt cancellation to African countries;
- Making trade work for Africa; and
- Increasing development assistance to help reach all the above goals.
On video, the candidates spoke directly to ONE members and outlined their commitments to these issues. All of this material was posted on the "On the Record" campaign site, which featured a comparison tool allowing users to contrast the candidates' positions and commitments.
The final product was a breakthrough success, both as an indicator that the candidates were engaging on issues related to global poverty and as an advocacy resource that could be used to make the sure the candidates kept their promises.
Campaign Milestones
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Nov 7 2007
“On the Record” Petition Launches
ONE's "On the Record” petition launches, and ONE members add their names to call on the presidential candidates to go “On the Record” -- in writing and on camera -- with their plans to tackle extreme poverty and global disease.
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Nov 18 2007
Petition Delivered to McCain and Kucinich
Petition deliveries begin, with the New Hampshire campaign offices of Senator John McCain and Representative Dennis Kucinich receiving the petition.
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Nov 19 2007
Petition Delivered to Dodd, Biden, Huckabee and Obama
Petitions are delivered in Iowa to Senator Chris Dodd, Senator Joe Biden, Governor Mike Huckabee, and Senator Barack Obama.
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Nov 20 2007
Petition Delivered to Romney and Edwards
ONE members in Nevada hand petitions directly to Governor Mitt Romney and Senator John Edwards at campaign events.
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Nov 23 2007
Petition Delivered to Thompson and Biden
ONE staff deliver petitions to Senator Joe Biden and former Senator Fred Thompson in Iowa.
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Nov 28 2007
ONE Members Call Candidates
ONE members begin calling the presidential candidates’ campaign headquarters to make one final push to get them “On the Record” on global poverty.
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Nov 29 2007
Petitions Delivered to Giuliani and Paul
Petitions are delivered to Mayor Rudy Giuliani and Congressman Ron Paul in Iowa.
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Dec 6 2008
On The Record Site Goes Live
Unprecedented “On the Record” website goes live with the candidates’ plans and videos. It eventually features content from Senator Hillary Clinton, Senator John McCain, Senator Joe Biden, Senator Chris Dodd, Senator John Edwards, Governor Mike Huckabee, Governor Bill Richardson, Congressman Dennis Kucinich, Governor Mitt Romney and Mayor Rudy Giuliani.
Related Press Releases
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ONE Puts Presidential Candidates ‘On the Record’ with Plans to Combat Extreme Poverty and Global Disease
Major Candidates-from Hillary Clinton to Mitt Romney-Participate in Video and Web Initiative. MORE
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Presidential Candidates Challenged: Go “On the Record” With Plans to Combat Global Poverty and Disease
Video and Web Initiative Targets Candidates for Concrete Proposals. MORE
Quick Facts
A first-of-its-kind campaign
"On the Record" was an unprecedented effort to get the candidates for the highest office in the United States to talk directly to ONE members and voters about their plans to tackle global poverty.
9 leading candidates
9 leading candidates including Senators Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, John McCain, Joe Biden, Chris Dodd, and John Edwards; Governors Mike Huckabee, Bill Richardson, and Mitt Romney; and Congressman Dennis Kucinich all went “On the Record” with their plans to fight global poverty and preventable disease.
More than 60,000
More than 60,000 ONE members signed the “On the Record” petition to the 15 Republican and Democratic presidential candidates.
Impact
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“On The Record”
"On the Record" was the centerpiece of the ONE Vote '08 campaign, which received the prestigious Center for Global Development Commitment to Development Award for 2008. Most importantly, "On The Record" was key to the successful effort to make global poverty a leading foreign policy issue in 2008.
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