Pat-eA4
Cl’1
O pinion
Obama has Already Made History
in the south under Jim Crow laws,
which denied him that right.
Moreover, there have been mo
ments in my life when I have con
sidered running for public office.
And w ho knows, I still may.
This year I am attentive to the
race for the office of the President
o f the United States unlike any
time in history. With the first African
American nominated as the candidate
for a major political party, no matter
what outcome, I believe America has
turned a com er as it relates to the is
sue o f race and the nation’s highest
office. Yet, there is still much that needs
to be done.
Moreover, I am aware that I must
continue doing my part by writing let
ters to the editor, and contacting my
state and national lawmakers.
W hat leads me to vote? It is my
constitutional right. I implore you to
let your voice be heard by doing the
same. Vote!
in B entley de B ardelaben
As a black man, 1 understand
that my having my right to
vote has com e at a very high
price. Many o f my ancestors,
directly and indirectly, were
d enied, harassed and even
murdered to secure the right to vote.
Thus, I take my civic duty to be en
gaged in the process o f equal access
to the government of, by and for the
people, seriously.
As a teenager, 1 recall how my mom
participated in our community as a citi
zen. She canvassed our neighborhood
with leaflets, served on boards and
served as a poll worker. Currently at
age 69, she is still active.
I realize that my political awareness
was formed by my m other’s modeling,
teaching and her sharing stories re
garding the plight of our family from
Alabama. I still get chills reflecting on
the first time that I registered to vote
and then voted, especially when I think
on how my great uncle was murdered
October 29. 2008
Opinion articles do not necessarily represent the views o f the Portland Observer. We welcome
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voting ¡s the only course of Action
Let your voice be heard
ffibserUCr
Campaign
transcends race
by J udge G reg
M atiiis
Sen. Barack O bam a broke new
ground when he becam e the first
A frican A m erican m ajo r-p arty
presidential candidate. T he historical
significance o f his candidacy has given
hope to voters young and old and in
spired an interest in the political process
for millions o f Am ericans from all walks
o f life. But O b am a’s cam paign tra n
scends race. His efforts to m obilize and
energize voters have, literally and figu
ratively, changed the face o f politics.
The O bam a cam paign raised a reeord
$150 m illion in September. Overall, the
S en ato r and w o u ld -b e p resid en t has
raised an unprecedented $600 million.
This num ber almost equals the com bined
am ount G eorge Bush and John Kerry
raised during the 2004 presidential cam
paign.
For years, p olitical fundraising fo
cused on expensive dinners that catered
to the elite. The crow ds at these shindigs
w ere highly educated, w ell-connected
Bentley deBardelaben is Minister
for Communication in Justice Minis
tries for the United Church o f Christ.
RMMMMNM
and, to be blunt mostly white.
O bam a took a different ap
proach to fundraising. A ccord
ing to his cam paign, the aver
age donation for their record-
breaking Septem ber was under
$100.
He has not relied on a small
contingent o f w ealthy donors to fund
his efforts. Indeed, the cam paign has
several high-level, high profile donors.
But it’s those contributions from the av
erag e A m erican - stu d en ts, retirees,
single mothers - that have fed O bam a’s
coffers. More than three-m illion donors
have contributed to the cam paign, many
o f them giving ju st $10 or $15.
Most o f the cam paign’s donations are
made via the internet, another tool that
O bam a has used to his advantage.
W hile he is certainly not the first can
d id a te to e m b ra c e th e in te rn e t as a
fundraising m echanism , O b am a’s ap
proach - sending regular em ails to sub
scribers, debunking rum ors spread by
his co m p etitio n , uploading first look
cam paign videos, announcing his V P
choice - has certainly changed the game.
Much o f the funds O bam a has raised
has been sp en t on ad v e rtisin g . A nd
though he has invested heavily in tradi
tional m edia - television and radio ads -
O bam a has, once again, stepped outside
o f the box, buying ads in video gam es
and on the sidelines at sporting events.
This untraditional approach to ad spend
ing has reached voters w ho have, in the
past, been overlooked.
T h e e le c tio n is le ss th an a w eek
aw ay. A nd, if the p olls can be tru sted ,
it seem s that O b a m a ’s inn o v atio n has
paid off. H e ’s leading his o p p o n en t in
several key states and is p ick in g up
new u n d ecid ed voters everyday. It ap
pears that A m erica is set to elect its
first black p resident.
W hile the election is far from over and
your support is critical during this final
stretch, one thing is certain: Years from
now, presidential candidates hoping to
follow in his footsteps, will borrow from
the O bam a playbook and hope that some
o f his strategic brilliance rubs o ff on
them.
Judge Greg Mathis is vice president
o f Rainbow PUSH and a board member
o f the Southern Christian Leadership
Conference.
Obama for America
‘A bright day
will come!’
J une P otter A costa
T here are only days re
m aining before one o f the
m ost im portant elections in
our history.
I believe that Sen. Barack Obama
is the m ost charism atic and supe
rior candidate for president in many
generations!
I’ve been volunteering at O bam a
h e a d q u a rte rs in so u th e ast P o rt
land. T he level o f enthusiasm is
p h en o m en a l, both in the a tm o
sphere o f the office as well as the
telephone responses.
I remember how delighted and ex
cited I was when the Civil Rights
m o v e m en t b egan in e a rn e st so
many decades ago. African A m eri
cans were fighting back, refusing
to to le r a te th e in s u lts an d
putdow ns!
So, too, I sense that same attitude
among so many white people today;
by
now happy to support O bam a, a
black man of superior intelligence
and achievement.
I never envisioned the
joyful acceptance of a black
presidential candidate, so
soon! 1 thought perhaps, 70
or 80 years in the future a
black candidate might be reluctantly
supported. So I am th rilled that
O bam a is here and now!
In the campaign office and among
us, there is a marvelous cam arade
rie. We smile at each spontaneously.
We are bonded by mutual devotion
to a new political messiah!
Consider this quote from a speech
that O bam a m ade in 2004, when
D em ocrats so hoped that positive
change would com e with the last
presidential election.
"The people will rise up in Novem
ber - and out o f this long political
darkness, a bright day will come!”
It will com e to pass! I do believe!
June Potter Acosta is a regular
contributor to the Portland Ob
server.
Caring hands in your time of need
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Nov. 4 General Election
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• Measure 54: Yes
• Measure 60: No
A llow s 18-year-old voters in school board elections.
U nfair to teachers.
• Measure 55: Yes
• Measure 61: No
Allows legislators tofinish term in original district after
redistricting.
W ay too costly. D oesn’t address root cause
o f crime.
• Measure 56: Yes
• Measure 62: No
Elim inatesdouble-m ajority election requirem ent
Takes away money from schools.
• Measure 57: No
• Measure 63: No
D oesn’t address root cause o f crim e. Costly, but better
alternative to M easure 61.
Sacrifices safety in building perm it process.
• Measure 58: No
Lim its political rights o f public em ployees.
U nw ise m andate on bilingual education.
• Measure 59: No
Dr. Leory Haynes
• U.S. Senator:
Jeff Merkley
Unlim ited federal tax deduction w ould reduce state
budget by $ 1.2 billion.
• Measure 64: No
• Measure 65: No
Limits rights o f political parties to nom inate
candidates.
1st Time Homebuyers
Now is a great time to buy! Why rent when you can own?
The US Government is offering a $7,500 tax credit to
1st
l ime home buyers.
I his won't be available forever so, act quickly to take
advantage.
INVEST IN YOUR FUTURE.
Pastor's
Willie X. Hurst II
&
P e g g ie R. Hurst
"Bringing Out
The Victory In You'
2 Corinthians 4:7
( all Today 503,890.1181
John R. Paris
Sunday Service - Sunday's @12:00pm
Mid-week Service - Wednesday's @ 7:00pm
BroLct/Realtor
7200 SE Sunnybraok i<W Surte #400 CiKlWML OR 97015
Office
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KEULER WILLIAMS
,
P M A R
MU i r o f K e allo'i
□
MLS
â
C ell 503.890.1181
ÌPHris(ÉLk»,M>m
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(O ff o f 1 7 2 nd a n d H a ls e y )