not big on quitting

Dear john,

Here's the most important thing you need to know about this race: it's neck-and-neck.

Only 130 delegates separate Hillary from Senator Obama -- and that's not counting Florida and Michigan. The difference in popular vote is less than 1 percent, and millions of voters have yet to make their voices heard. This election should be about their choice.

But now we're hearing people -- elected officials, party members, and Obama campaign surrogates -- call for Hillary to pull out.

With the race this close, it sure doesn't make sense to me that she'd leave now -- does it make sense to you?

There's no better way to tell Hillary that you support her staying in than to make a contribution to her campaign -- and no better time to contribute than right now.

We're facing a big deadline on Monday. Our opponents and the media will scrutinize our fundraising reports and look for any sign of weakness. By making a contribution today, you can help make sure we show nothing but strength.

Contribute by our midnight Monday deadline to help us show our strength.

I know that Hillary never forgets exactly why she is running. Her commitment to the people of this country never wavers.

At this critical moment, all of us supporting Hillary must make sure we are just as focused as she is. With all the talk of the state of the race, all the people telling her she should just give up, you and I must make sure she has everything she needs to stay in this race.

With our big fundraising deadline coming up midnight Monday, we need to show the critics and the doubters that this campaign is running full steam ahead with the determination to win.

Contribute now to help us reach our $3 million goal by midnight Monday.

My family isn't big on quitting. Hillary's in this race to win, and she's in it thanks to you.

Sincerely,


Bill Clinton

The Pattern

Dear john, Have you noticed the pattern? Every time our campaign demonstrates its strength and resilience, people start to suggest we should end our pursuit of the Democratic nomination. Those anxious to force us to the sidelines aren't doing it because they think we're going to lose the upcoming primaries. The fact is, they're reading the same polls we are, and they know we are in a position to win. In three days, we're facing a critical March filing deadline -- another chance to show the strength of our campaign. Let's take these three days to make something absolutely clear: we aren't going to simply step aside. You and I are going to keep fighting for what we believe in, and together, we're going to win. Contribute today to help us raise $3 million by the March filing deadline at midnight Monday. Every time we are challenged to prove the strength and durability of our appeal to voters, we meet our goals. We did it in New Hampshire, we did it on February 5, and we did it again this month in Texas and Ohio. With the March filing deadline, we have the chance to show our strength again. This is a crucial test as we approach the next big primary in Pennsylvania and the contests that follow. Millions of voters are still waiting to have their say. Let's make sure they have a chance to be heard. Contribute today to help us raise $3 million by the March filing deadline at midnight Monday. At times like this, with everything on the line, it means so much to me to know that I can rely on you to meet the challenges we face head-on. Thank you for everything, Hillary Rodham Clinton

darfur crisis: made in china

[not particularly "politics"-worthy, but it deserves to be put to the public.] Dear matt, Seize this opportunity to save lives in Darfur Donate today to Human Rights First’s Made In China campaign to stop the deadly arms flow from China! Sitting at your computer, it’s hard to grasp the horrible atrocities still taking place in Darfur every day. How can the killing continue, years later? One major contributor: China’s continued sale of guns and bullets to Sudan – the very weapons used to kill, maim, and terrorize in Darfur. Our recent report, “Investing in Tragedy,” reveals the link in stark relief, and newspapers and government officials are starting to take notice of the facts. The Chinese government has publicly denounced our report. Now Human Rights First is launching a major campaign to stop China from fueling the violence in Darfur and you play an important part. Your tax-deductible gift of $35 or more today can help support this important work. We need to reach $30,000 by April 9. Why is April 9th our deadline for gifts? On that day, the Olympic torch for the 2008 Beijing Games will stop in North America. Protesters will rally, further exposing China’s role in Darfur’s deadly crisis. From now until the Olympics, China is in a vulnerable place. We need to act while China is feeling the heat. Let’s be clear about the vicious cycle that sustains the violence in Darfur: China buys Sudan’s oil; Sudan buys China’s guns; the guns are used to massacre the people of Darfur. This cycle must end now. If we can stop the guns - and we believe it’s possible - we can stop the killing. China has stopped selling arms under pressure in the past. If we can do it again, we can save countless lives. Contribute today to Human Rights First’s campaign to stop the deadly flow of arms. Consider the fact that China was ratcheting up its sales of arms to Sudan when other countries were decreasing their sales. By stopping the flow of arms to the conflict, we’ll get guns off the ground in Darfur and send a loud signal to Sudan that China, its main protector, expects a permanent resolution to this crisis. The death, displacement and destruction must stop, and it is our responsibility to help – that means you and me. Many of you have already done much, but there is more for us to do that can and will make a difference. Today. Please help us end the continuing suffering in Darfur. My deepest gratitude for your support, Maureen Byrnes Executive Director

The McCain Update 2

The McCain Update - March 28, 2008

Next week, John McCain will embark on a "Service to America" tour visiting numerous locations that have played a significant role in shaping who he is today. Throughout the stops, he will introduce himself to the nation through a series of speeches and visits that trace the life of a man indebted to his nation, humbled by the opportunity to serve his country, honored by his family's love and deeply moved by his fellow Americans' courage and sacrifice.

The tour will highlight the events and figures that shaped his views of right and wrong, forgiveness and grace and the tradition of service and sacrifice ingrained in him from generations of McCains. The tour will include stops in Mississippi, Virginia, Maryland, Florida and his home state of Arizona. The "Service to America" tour will be about the future of America and the change John McCain will bring as president.

Visit www.JohnMcCain.com throughout next week for the latest updates from the tour as John McCain visits with voters, listening to their concerns and offering his vision for the future.

Ride the Bus Update: As you may have heard, we are offering another opportunity to join John McCain aboard the Straight Talk Express for a day on the campaign trail during his upcoming "Service to America" bus tour. You and a friend can join John McCain in Jacksonville, Florida for the day, riding the bus and attending events including his speech at Cecil Field. Remember, if you can give $50 or more, not only will you be entered to win a ride on the Straight Talk Express, but you'll receive a commemorative Straight Talk Express tick et, so be sure to make a contribution before midnight on March 31st.

First Post-Primary Election Ad

Today, the campaign released its first television ad since John McCain became the Republican Party's presumptive nominee. The ad, entitled "624787," poses important questions to the American people about what values they want in their next president, and highlights John McCain's experience, character and optimistic vision for our future. "624787" will run statewide in the important battleground state of New Mexico.

To watch the ad, click here. Be sure to tell your friends and family to visit www.JohnMcCain.com/Service to watch the ad as well.

Major Foreign Policy Address

John McCain spoke to the World Affairs Council in Los Angeles, California this week about his foreign policy positions and how he would lead as president. He articulated his vision which centers on building an enduring peace based on freedom that would secure our interests and those of our allies, and would make the world safer and freer. He made clear that he is an idealist with a deep understanding of the world's realities.

He also laid out his vision of collaborative relations with our allies in Europe, Latin America, Asia and Africa that will strengthen our alliances and our security. Such a course would allow us to better address diverse global challenges such as climate change, treatment of terrorist detainees, while enhancing the use of "smart power" to counter radical Islamic extremism. Click here to read the entire speech.

The Housing Crisis

John McCain addressed the Orange County Hispanic Small Business Roundtable with some "straight talk" about the housing crisis and the economic situation facing our country. He discussed his proposed principles for addressing the housing crisis in the short-term as well as in the long-term to assure it never happens again.

He gave a clear explanation of the challenges facing America's economy and a lucid explanation of how we got here. He will not play election year politics with the housing crisis; he will evaluate everything in terms of whether it might be harmful or helpful to our effort to deal with the crisis we face now and its implications for long term growth. He made clear that it is not the duty of government to bail out and reward those who act irresponsibly. He called for several specific steps to strengthen the foundations of the millions of businesses small and large that provide jobs for American workers. These steps would also strengthen the U.S. dollar and help to control the rising cost of living that hurts our families. To read his full speech, click here.

Latest News

Below are some of the top news articles from this week. For more news articles and press releases, go to www.JohnMcCain.com.

• David Brooks: (McCain) Tested Over Time
  
• National Review On Democrats' "100 Years War" Distortion
• The Arizona Republic: McCain's Policy
• Wall Street Journal: The No-Name Generation
• Associated Press: McCain, Romney to Campaign Together
• Washington Post: McCain Details His Foreign Policy
• San Diego Union-Tribune: McCain Makes Visit to County
• Wheeling (WV) News-Register: McCain Health Care Plan More Responsible
• McCain Press Release: Nancy Reagan Endorses John McCain For President
• Washington Post: The Next President's Plan...
• San Francisco Chronicle: Nobody likes mortgage buyout but everyone supports it

one answer

Dear matthew,

Senate Republicans are on a record pace for filibusters and obstruction. They only have one answer to all the changes we need in America: No. They say no to curbing global warming, no to fixing our economy, and no to ending the war in Iraq. And they are not going to change.

The only way to stop the obstructionism and deliver progress is to build a sustainable, overwhelming Senate majority. That means more than the fifty-one seats we have today. That's why the DSCC is aggressively on the offensive in red states and blue states and everywhere in between.

But victory is going to take all the right preparations now, especially when the spotlight is shining far away from the Senate races. The single best way you can achieve results in November's elections is by making a contribution to the DSCC - they know how to win.

The DSCC needs $1,103,843 before the critical March 31 end-of-quarter fundraising deadline - just 3 days away! Give now and a group of Democratic Senators will match your contribution 2-to-1.

Click here to make an immediate, secure contribution of $50, $75, or more. Give before March 31 and your contribution will be instantly tripled.

I've seen first hand what happens when Republican Minority Leader Mitch McConnell controls a Republican caucus that would rather rubber stamp the Bush Administration than make real progress on the most important challenges facing our country.

More than five years after the Iraq war began, Senate Republicans continue to block any responsible proposals to end this tragic war and bring our brave men and women home. Democrats have proposed plans again and again to change course in Iraq and each time, Republicans have blocked our efforts.

We also have a President who refuses to tackle the global warming crisis or reduce our dependence on foreign oil and a Republican Minority that all too often just follows his lead. Time and again, when Senate Democrats act to clean up the environment, the Republicans stand in our way. Like so many Americans, I was outraged when Republicans blocked our efforts to increase investments in renewable and alternative energy.

The only way to pass our agenda is to elect more Democratic Senators. The DSCC knows exactly how to win these races. They proved it in 2006, and have built a terrific foundation so they can do it again in 2008.

Click here to make an immediate, secure contribution of $50, $75, or more. An overwhelming Senate majority is within our reach, but we still have plenty of work to do.

Right now - this moment - we stand at the brink of an amazing opportunity. This time next year, we could have a Democrat in the White House and an overwhelming Democratic majority in both houses of Congress.

But it won't happen if we don't do everything necessary for victory between now and then.

Please help the DSCC meet their goal at this critical end-of-quarter deadline. The media and all the right-wing operatives will be looking at our fundraising numbers to see if we have what it takes to fight for every seat. If we are going to win, we must do everything we can - starting today.

I hope we can count on your support.

Sincerely,

Barbara Boxer

now more than ever

Dear matt,

John McCain is raising money and campaigning across the country -- he's looking at the White House.

Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are also raising money and campaigning across the country -- but they're still looking at the nomination.

Hillary and Barack can't build an organization to take on John McCain directly yet, but we can. And we have to -- it's our responsibility as Democrats to make sure we're prepared.

I need you to make a contribution now so we can make sure John McCain doesn't get a free ride -- Americans everywhere need to know the truth, and we're going to make sure they get it.

http://www.democrats.org/NoFreeRides

Over the past three years, you've invested heavily in our 50-State Strategy. We put resources in all 50 states, committing to make sure each state has the resources and infrastructure to compete at every level.

We saw the results from this strategy in 2005, 2006, and 2007. And, with your help, it will help us take back the White House in 2008.

Why? The Republican Party is in trouble. Just read what the Web site Politico reported...

At a time when the GOP presidential nominee will need more assistance than ever, a number of state Republican parties are struggling through troubled times, suffering from internal strife, poor fundraising, onerous debt, scandal or voting trends that are conspiring to relegate the local branches of the party to near-irrelevance.

In some of the largest, smallest, reddest and bluest states in the nation, many state Republican organizations are still reeling in the aftermath of the devastating 2006 election cycle, raising questions about how much grassroots help the state parties will be able to deliver to presumptive GOP nominee John McCain.

We've worn them down, but we can't be complacent -- we've seen what they will do to win. We can't let up -- every day that goes by where we don't answer John McCain's attacks means another opportunity missed, and it erases the work we've done so far.

Make a donation today and support our efforts to help elect Hillary or Barack. We're fighting John McCain so he doesn't get ahead.

http://www.democrats.org/NoFreeRides

We can't allow John McCain to crisscross the country, fooling the American people with his "more of the same" agenda.

Your donation today helps us take him head-on everywhere.

Thank you,

Howard Dean

meet barack for dinner

Matthew --

If you're wondering what it might be like to join Barack Obama and three fellow supporters for a casual dinner, you should watch this video.

From the very beginning of this campaign, Barack has rejected contributions from Washington lobbyists and special interest PACs. Instead, he has relied on grassroots donors like you to support this campaign, and this is not the first time he's invited you to join him for an intimate dinner for five.

Get a glimpse of a previous dinner with Barack, and make a donation before 11:59 p.m. EDT on March 31st. You could join Barack and three other guests for an evening of good food and good conversation:

https://donate.barackobama.com/dinner

One of the folks in that video is Michael Griffith, a miner from Fernley, Nevada -- he was one of Barack's guests at a dinner last year.

We gave him a call this week and asked him to talk about the experience so that we could share it with you. Here's what he had to say about it:

"It was an awesome experience -- Barack spent hours talking to us, and at the dinner table he was just like any other guy. It really felt like somebody invited friends over for dinner and good conversation.

My dad is a paralyzed vet, and his health care costs are huge, so I talked to the Senator about how he planned to provide for our veterans. He gave a thoughtful, detailed answer, and I could tell that taking care of our veterans was a big concern to him.

But we didn't just talk about politics. He talked about his children, and his wife, and how much he misses his family when he's on the road. And those of us with children shared stories about our families, too. He was a funny guy, and there was a good amount of joking around. All in all, it was a great conversation.

Ever since the dinner, I've remained active in the campaign. I was the precinct captain for my neighborhood here in Fernley, Nevada, and we won our caucus. I also went to the county convention, and we won there too.

I'm grateful to have been a part of this, because I know that beyond winning an election, we're also changing the way politics works in this country."

People like Michael are transforming politics in this country -- not just by changing the way campaigns are funded, but by getting involved on a grassroots level and working for change in their communities.

While Senator Clinton and Senator McCain have accepted millions from Washington lobbyists and special interest PACs, this campaign has relied on more than a million individual donors giving only what they can afford. Just last month, more than 90% of the donations to Obama for America were for $100 or less.

If you make a donation in any amount between now and 11:59 pm EDT on Monday, March 31st, you could join Barack and three other supporters for dinner and a conversation about the issues that matter most to you.

Make a donation and share your story, and you could join Barack for an intimate dinner for five:

https://donate.barackobama.com/dinner

Thank you for your support,

David

David Plouffe
Campaign Manager
Obama for America

my friend tom udall

Dear matthew,

I've known Tom Udall for more than 25 years. But more than just being my good friend, he has shown himself time and again to be a voice for reason and solid Democratic values.

In fact, he was one of the very few Members of Congress to have the courage to vote against the War in Iraq, even when George W. Bush was stampeding the entire country into an invasion that we now know was completely unjustified and ultimately deeply damaging to America. You can hear Tom talk very eloquently about his plan to end the war by clicking here.

You, I and all of America need his wisdom now in the U.S. Senate--particularly when we've seen how 49 Republicans can block the entire progress of the country through political maneuvering and threats of filibuster.

Today I'm asking you to join all of us who support Tom by becoming part of his New Mexico Progressive Action Network. All New Mexicans--and all Americans--must be united in our resolve to take back our country after eight years of the Bush-Cheney Administration.

Without Tom in the Senate, along with a veto-proof Democratic majority, we cannot begin to undo the terrible damage George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, and the Republicans have done to our economy, our environment and our future.

Millions of Americans now face home foreclosure while trillions of dollars in personal wealth have been wiped out because of Republican aversion to financial regulation.

37 million Americans face every day without health insurance because of Republican devotion to insurance company profits.

And America is hobbled by its dependence on foreign oil while the Republicans have blocked a meaningful renewable energy policy for the future.

Tom Udall is exactly what New Mexico and America needs right now. And with your help, he can represent us all in the U.S. Senate.

I know that right now the media and many voters are focused on the presidential election. And there is no question that it is critically important. But it is every bit as important that we elect as many Democrats to the Senate as possible.

A Democratic president will need a Senate that will fully support the change America needs now. And if, despite our best efforts, the Republicans hold onto the White House, it will be like a third term for George W. Bush and Dick Cheney unless we have a veto-proof majority in the Senate.

Even though my own presidential bid is over, I remain keenly engaged in this election at every level of government. We have an opportunity to take our country back now that we simply must not miss.

My fondest hope for you, matthew, and every other activist is that you remain engaged in this election as well. And that you support my friend Tom Udall's campaign for the U.S. Senate.

Thank you for being the kind of American who is willing to stand up for what you believe.

All the best,

Bill

help these vets build a stronger majority

Dear matthew, There's nothing our johnkerry.com community has done these last four years that I'm more proud of than our work to elect veterans - "Fighting Democrats" - to Congress. In races the cynics said we couldn't win, you gave early and often to elect some special candidates who shook up Washington and reminded Karl Rove and his Republican allies that patriotism doesn't have a political label, and the flag of the United States doesn't belong to a Party, it belongs to the American people. And these vets have reminded the political class what patriotism really is: just a couple weeks ago, for instance, the House of Representatives stood up to George Bush on his illegal wiretapping scheme and refused to budge in the face of fear-mongering attacks from the right. And some of the veterans you helped elect (people like Patrick Murphy and Tim Walz) were right in the middle of it, reminding America that there's a way to safeguard our security without shedding our values. But we're not done yet. We need more Democrats in Congress to finally achieve a true working majority, and we need more Democratic veterans to help chart a new national security course and help us end the disastrous Bush/McCain Iraq policy. So please click here and do what you can to help some great Democrats - and veterans of our armed services - win in November: http://www.actblue.com/page/strongermajority We have some great new candidates running to take over Republican seats:

In New York, Tom Reynolds just retired, spooked by my friend and young Iraq war veteran Jon Powers. Capt. Powers saw the devastation of the Iraq War up close and personal when he served in Baghdad and decided to do something about it. As soon as he got back home, he started a charitable organization to help Iraqi children. Jon and I have been friends for three years now; I believe that if we seize this moment and send him to Congress he will be a real leader for our Party and country for decades to come.

And in California, we have the Deputy Commander of all Joint Special Forces Operations in Iraq running to replace arch-conservative Duncan Hunter. Mike Lumpkin has served 8 operational tours as a Navy SEAL, so he knows the realities of 21st century conflicts intimately. He knows we need to change course in the Middle East and knows a strong nation depends on good jobs and an economy that works for working people.

We also have two incumbents you all helped elect in 2006 we need to help. They've been targeted by Republicans for their courage in standing up for us, and we need to have their backs:

Patrick Murphy was the first Iraq war veteran elected to Congress, and he's been a great ally in the drive to keep our promises to those who wear the uniform of our country. He's worked tirelessly to end the Bush policy in Iraq. Patrick has been one of the best fresh young Democrats in Congress; and that's exactly why he earned a place on the list of top GOP targets this fall.

Minnesota's Tim Walz, who started his service when he was 17 on the first day he was eligible to join the National Guard, stood with Patrick and other Democrats a couple of weeks ago and refused to let the White House scare the Congress about illegal wiretapping and domestic spying. Tim stood up for the Constitution and stared down the fear-mongering ads the rightwing threw at him. But by doing so, he made himself a target for the right, and we need to stand up for gutsy public servants like Tim when they stand up for us.

So please do what you can to help these great Democrats hold and expand our Democratic majority in the fall: http://www.actblue.com/page/strongermajority I firmly believe we'll have a new Democratic President next year, and that President will need a strong Democratic Congress to deliver the kind of change our country needs. In the last election, we fought off the worst of the Republican policies, and now it's time to get our country moving forward. Thanks so much for your help, John Kerry

please join me!

Dear john, When I heard that Elton John was throwing a concert in New York for my mom's campaign, I knew it was going to be a night I didn't want to miss. Want to join me there? My mom's campaign is bringing two supporters and their guests to New York on April 9 for both Elton John's one-night-only concert and the party after the concert. It's going to be a great night and a great time. It's such an important time to support my mom's campaign. There are big contests coming up, starting with Pennsylvania, and I know she can win with your support. She's working so hard out on the campaign trail, and I know that your support makes a real difference to her and this campaign. Enter now and you might join me, my mom, and Elton John for his one-night-only concert in New York on April 9. Make a contribution today. I talk to a lot of people who are excited to see my mom win and be the president we all need -- and who are working hard to help make that happen. It means so much to me to know that there are so many people like you who believe in my mom and are working to help her win. I know that she'll be such a great president and she will win, but not without all our help. And what better time to help than right now? Please contribute today. Enter and you might be joining me, my mom, and Elton John for a concert in New York! I'm so grateful for everything you're doing to help my mom win! Thank you! Chelsea

mccain bus tour

As our campaign works to build a national grassroots effort to elect John McCain in November, we are counting on the support from each and every one of you as we face either Senator Clinton or Senator Obama in the general election.

We've come up with a special offer for our most dedicated supporters as a token of appreciation. We're offering another opportunity to join Senator McCain aboard the Straight Talk Express for a day on the campaign trail during his upcoming "Service to America" bus tour. You and a friend can join Senator McCain in his home state of Arizona for the day, riding the bus and attending events culminating in a speech at the Grand Canyon.

If you can make a donation of any amount between today and March 31st, you will be entered for the chance to win. Please follow this link to make your donation right away. If you're able to give $50 or more, we'll send you an exclusive, commemorative Straight Talk Express Ticket.

Our campaign is working to build the financial resources necessary to take on the Democrats in November, and we're approaching a crucial deadline on March 31st. On that day, our campaign will report the amount of money we have raised during the first three months of 2008. The liberals and the media will use the amount we report as a sign of the strength of our campaign. That's why it is so important for you to make a donation of $50, $100, $250, $500, $1,000 or $2,300 today.

We fully expect our Democratic challenger to be better funded as we head into the summer and fall months. We must work to close the fundraising gap now so we have the resources necessary to bring John McCain's goals, record and accomplishments to the American people.

Your financial support is more critical to our campaign than ever before. Please follow this link to make your donation today. And remember, as a special way of thanking our most generous supporters, if you make a donation before March 31st, you will be entered to win a trip on the Straight Talk Express with John McCain! If you're able to give $50 or more, we'll send you a commemorative Straight Talk Expr ess ticket. Thank you for your generous support.

Sincerely,



Rick Davis
Campaign Manager

P.S. I can speak from first-hand experience that nothing is more exciting than seeing John McCain in action on the campaign trail aboard the Straight Talk Express. He is truly a man with a bold vision for our nation and is the only candidate in this race who is ready to serve as commander in chief on day one in the White House. Please enter the contest to join us for a day on the Straight Talk Express by making an immediate donation more before March 31st. If you can give $50 or more today, remember, we'll send you a very special Straight Talk Express ticket. Thank you.

clinton donors threaten party

Dear MoveOn member,

This is pretty outrageous: a group of Clinton-supporting big Democratic donors are threatening to stop supporting Democrats in Congress because Nancy Pelosi said that the people, not the superdelegates, should decide the Presidential nomination.¹

It's the worst kind of insider politics—billionaires bullying our elected leaders into ignoring the will of the voters.

But when we all pool our resources, together we're stronger than the fat cats. So let's tell Nancy Pelosi that if she keeps standing up for regular Americans, thousands of us will have her back. And we can more than match whatever the CEOs and billionaires refuse to contribute. Clicking here will add your name to our statement:

http://pol.moveon.org/democracy/o.pl?id=12391-4820096-ZidjKo&t=273

The statement reads: "The Democratic nomination should be decided by the voters—not by superdelegates or party high-rollers. We've given money—and time—to progressive candidates and causes, and we'll support Speaker Pelosi and others who stand up for Democracy in the Democratic Party."

We're launching it today with our friends at the blog OpenLeft.com. Our goal is to deliver tens of thousands of signatures to Nancy Pelosi and other Democratic leaders later this week.

A few weeks ago, Speaker Pelosi told ABC News, "If the votes of the superdelegates overturn what happened in the elections, it would be harmful to the Democratic Party."²

She's right, but Clinton's top fundraisers want her to back off. According to the New York Times, their letter "carries an ominous tone, which stops just short of delivering a threat. The donors remind Ms. Pelosi that they are 'strong supporters' of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee."³ Their language was careful, but their implied threat was universally understood. (Roll Call carried this headline: "Clinton donors threaten Pelosi and DCCC."⁴)

They're the old guard, and this is how the Democratic Party used to function—the big donors called the shots. But the small donor revolution has changed that. The 20 people who signed this letter have given Democrats an average of $2.4 million per year over the last 10 years.⁵ Small donations now dwarf that: In February alone, Obama and Clinton raised $47 million in small donations.⁶

Still, old habits die hard. We need to send a strong signal that we, the small donors, will back Democratic leaders who have the courage to stand up and do the right thing. Please sign our statement today.

http://pol.moveon.org/democracy/o.pl?id=12391-4820096-ZidjKo&t=274

Thanks for all you do,

–Noah, Justin, Ilyse, Wes, and the MoveOn.org Political Action Team
Thursday, March 27th, 2008
Sources:

1. "Clinton Donors Warn on Superdelegate Fight," New York Times, March 27, 2008.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/27/us/politics/27dems.html

2. Ibid.

3. "Clinton donors ask Pelosi to Back Off," New York Times Caucus Blog, March 26, 2008.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=3534&id=12391-4820096-ZidjKo&t=276

4. "Clinton Donors Threaten Pelosi and DCCC," Roll Call, March 26, 2008.
http://www.rollcall.com/issues/1_1/breakingnews/22683-1.html

5. "Pelosi's hecklers gave $24 million," Politico, March 27, 2008.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=3535&id=12391-4820096-ZidjKo&t=278

6. "February Fundraising Frenzy for Presidential Candidates," Campaign Finance Institute, March 21, 2008.
http://www.cfinst.org/pr/prRelease.aspx?ReleaseID=187

Barack in Indiana

Dear Matthew,

Thanks to supporters like you, Barack has won twice as many states, more delegates, and more votes than Senator Clinton.

Now you can help build on that momentum in nearby Indiana.

Volunteers are registering voters across the state.

This Saturday, March 29th at 12:00 p.m. local time, Obama for America is organizing voter registration canvasses. Come to Indiana, join our campaign staff and fellow supporters, and help build our movement for change.

Sign up to help register voters in the Hoosier State:

http://in.barackobama.com/INcanvass

As we enter the final stages of this election, it's important to show how strong our movement is across the Midwest, and you can help by registering voters in Indiana.

Our campaign has always relied on grassroots supporters to build our movement and spread the word about Barack Obama.

You can help keep the momentum going by joining your fellow supporters in Indiana this Saturday:

http://in.barackobama.com/INcanvass

Hope you can make it!

Mitch

Mitch Stewart
Indiana State Director
Obama for America

re: dinner with barack

Matthew --

Refusing money from PACs and Washington lobbyists makes this campaign different in one very important respect.

We are not beholden to anyone but you.

We've rejected the traditional Washington fundraising strategy -- including countless dinners hosted by lobbyists -- and put our trust in millions of Americans owning a piece of this campaign.

Senator Clinton and Senator McCain have a different approach.

Both have accepted millions from lobbyists and special interests, and both have relied on high dollar donors for the majority of their funding.

This campaign is different, and I'm looking forward to supporters like you joining me for a different kind of fundraising dinner.

If you make a donation in any amount between now and 11:59 pm EDT on Monday, March 31st, you could join me and three other supporters for an intimate dinner for five:

https://donate.barackobama.com/dinner

On Monday, at 11:44 am, Bonnie Lochetta of Rushville, Indiana made her first donation of $25.

I'm pleased to announce that Bonnie will be one of my dinner guests. Here's what she told us about herself:

"I come from an incredibly Republican county in a little tiny town.

I've always been the rebel in my family. I had a fantastic government teacher in high school who really opened my eyes to a lot of things. I haven't always voted Democratic, but I wanted to vote for someone who spoke to me personally.

Now my kids are doing well in school, but I'm praying for scholarships. I have no savings, and I don't know how I'm going to put them through college.

I have never contributed to a political candidate before, but I have started an organizing group in my very Republican county. My children are very active in their support, and I will do all I can to show my neighbors that together, YES WE CAN."

I'm looking forward to having dinner with Bonnie, but there are still three seats left at the table. Will you be in one of them?

If you make a donation by 11:59 pm EDT on Monday, March 31st, you could join us:

https://donate.barackobama.com/dinner

We'll pay for your trip and the meal -- all you need to bring is your story and your ideas about how to make this a better country for all Americans.

Small donations from ordinary Americans have set our campaign apart and allowed us to reject the influence of Washington lobbyists and special interest groups. Not only is your support the key to our success, it's essential to reclaiming a government that is of the people, by the people, and for the people.

I hope you will make a donation now to participate in this opportunity. Continue to support this campaign and strengthen your role in our movement:

https://donate.barackobama.com/dinner

Together we can put an end to pay-for-influence politics.

We can turn the page in Washington, and it all begins with you.

Thank you for your support,

Barack

Gen. Wesley Clark

Dear matthew,

It's been five years since the disastrous Iraq War began.

And the Bush administration remains every bit as out of touch as they were when George Bush ridiculously proclaimed "Mission Accomplished" in 2003.

Last week, Dick Cheney went to Iraq and remarked that the war was a "successful endeavor" that has been "well worth the effort."

This Alice in Wonderland worldview is the hallmark of the Bush presidency and the defining trait of the congressional Republicans who have been right at his side for seven years, aiding and abetting his disastrous decisions.

That's why you need to help the DSCC expand Democrats' narrow 51-seat majority in the Senate.

With the election only months away and the crucial first quarter fundraising deadline upon us, the only way to make sure that Democrats have the resources necessary to make this year's plan a success is to give right now.

Click here to make a donation of $50, $75 or more to help expand the Democratic Senate majority in 2008. The March 31 deadline is so important that if you give today, your contribution will be matched 2-to-1 by a group of Democratic senators, effectively tripling your contribution.

For all you could say about the disastrous reign of Republicans, I think the defining feature of their rule has been their complete detachment from reality.

They claim to be spreading freedom around the world, when in fact they've created perhaps the fiercest and most alarming anti-American backlash in history.

They say we're taking the offensive against terrorists when in fact, al Qaeda is as dangerous as it's been at anytime since 2001.

And this disturbing trend can be seen in every issue of importance to the American people.

They say we're making progress on health care, while every year more Americans go without coverage.

They say they've got a plan for energy independence, and yet our dependence on foreign oil - and its price - feels like it increases every day.

George Bush denies we're in a recession, while business luminaries like Warren Buffet say, "by any commonsense definition, we're in a recession."

George Bush has given us nothing but doublespeak for seven years and by supporting his disastrous agenda, Senate Republicans are equally responsible for this mess we're in.

The DSCC is doing everything they can to make sure they no longer damage our nation from those positions of leadership. As the DSCC stares down this decisive fundraising deadline, we have got to get behind their efforts. Remember, if you give now, a group of Democratic senators will match you 2-to-1, effectively tripling your contribution.

Click here to make a donation of $50, $75 or more to help expand the Democratic Senate majority in 2008.

I have no question that the United States will regain its stature in the world and its strength at home. But I am equally certain that Democratic leadership is necessary to make it happen.

These changes won't come to pass on their own.

We need you.

Sincerely,

Gen. Wesley Clark

hillary and elton

Dear john,

In the interest of harmony -- and melody -- I promise you there won't be any duets.

I'm really looking forward to the solo concert my friend Elton John is throwing in New York to help our campaign -- and I would very much like the chance to meet you there.

We're sending two supporters, along with their guests, to New York with VIP tickets for this very special, one-night-only concert on April 9, and it could be you. We will have a chance to talk just you and I -- and you will get to meet Elton John at the party we're throwing afterwards. It's going to be a great night.

Your support is so important to my campaign right now. As we ramp up our campaign in Pennsylvania, I need your help to make sure we have the resources we need to win. If you enter, you and I might see each other in New York on April 9. Make a contribution today.

Enter now for a chance to join me at Elton's solo concert in New York on April 9.

Elton's concert comes at such an exciting moment in our campaign. I'm seeing incredible enthusiasm as I travel across Pennsylvania and other states with upcoming contests.

We've got momentum at our backs, but a big task ahead of us. The Obama campaign is in the middle of a $3 million ad blitz in Pennsylvania, and we've got to do everything we can to overcome their fundraising advantage. Then we face competitive contests in Indiana, North Carolina, West Virginia, Kentucky, Oregon, and Puerto Rico -- and we are already getting started in those states.

There's no better time to support our campaign, and no better way to do it than to make a contribution. And if you enter today, you may join me and Elton for a one-of-a-kind concert.

Enter now for a chance to join me at Elton's solo concert in New York on April 9.

Thank you so much for all your support. I hope you know how much you mean to me and my campaign.

Sincerely,


Hillary Rodham Clinton

ride with me on the straight talk express

My Friends,

Next week, I will embark on a "Service to America" tour visiting numerous locations that have played a significant role in shaping who I am today; places where I have had the honor of serving our nation. This tour will take me through Mississippi, Virginia, Florida and my home state of Arizona. I look forward to visiting sites that have left an imprint on my life aboard my campaign bus, the Straight Talk Express.

My campaign has come up with an opportunity for a supporter to join me on the Straight Talk Express for a day of conversation and campaigning. As a token of my appreciation for your financial support, you will be entered to win this seat aboard the Straight Talk Express if you make a contribution before midnight on March 31st. I hope you'll consider joining me by making a donation today. If you can give $50 or more, not only will you be entered to win a ride on the Straight Talk Express, but you'll receive a commemorative Straight Talk Express ticket.

March 31, 2008 marks an important deadline for our campaign. We will file a report with the FEC outlining the amount of money we have raised during the past three months. I'm reaching out to you to ask for your support by following this link to make a donation of $50, $100, $250, $500, $1,000 - anything you can contribute up to the legal limit of $2,300.

I have said many times before that this campaign will be the most expensive campaign in our history, and I have no doubt that both Senators Clinton and Obama will continue to report historic, record-breaking fundraising numbers. With your support today, my campaign will have the resources necessary to compete with either Senator Clinton or Obama in what will be a great contest come November.

I'm looking forward to traveling on the Straight Talk Express again next week, visiting directly with voters, hearing their concerns, offering my vision for the future and highlighting those among us who are serving our country and communities, dedicating themselves to causes greater than their own self interest. Your support makes this possible, and I am grateful for any assistance you are able to give.

Sincerely,

John McCain

P.S. You have an opportunity to join me aboard the Straight Talk Express by making a generous contribution before March 31st. With your donation of $50 or more, we will send you an exclusive, commemorative Straight Talk Express ticket as a symbol of your commitment to our campaign. Thank you.

human rights campaign

Dear matt,

Eric Breidenbaugh knew something was wrong.

His partner and his partner's parents were all missing – hours overdue from a family flight aboard a small private plane.

Eric called his local airport, near Pinellas Park, Florida, to see if they had any information. They did, but they wouldn't give it to him. They said he was "not an actual family member," so they couldn't tell him whether his partner was alive or dead.

He searched the TV news, where he soon saw footage of the plane he himself had ridden in many times. That was how he found out that his life partner of six years, Joseph Bellamy, had been killed with his parents in a plane crash. Watch Eric speak about the experience »

It's simply wrong that GLBT Americans should be treated like second-class citizens, denied the right to care for their loved ones. Yet even in Eric's' own state of Florida, anti-GLBT groups won't rest. They're trying to write a ban on marriage equality into the constitution, and get right-wing voters to the polls while they're at it.

We need to strengthen our field program so we can fight this battle and others, including electing fair-minded candidates and passing key legislation. Your activism and your commitment are critical, as is the financial support so instrumental to our efforts.

Help HRC defeat anti-GLBT amendments and advance our pro-equality agenda across the country.

The coming weeks are critical. In Florida, the referendum to enshrine discrimination against GLBT couples in the constitution has officially qualified for the November ballot, and opponents are already gearing up and spending cash. A dirty campaign is likely. And in California, right-wing groups are collecting signatures for a similar measure, with a deadline of mid-April.

If either measure passes, our community could be unable to pass laws preventing heartbreaking stories like Eric Breidenbaugh's. Basic information or access to your partner denied in an emergency. Right-wing extremists that much closer to making inequality permanent nationwide.

So HRC is already mobilizing NOW with help from supporters like you, including:

• Sending in full-time field staff to recruit and train hundreds of volunteers.
• Donating hundreds of thousands of dollars to state groups in Florida and California.
• Helping staff a "Decline to Sign" campaign in California that is already gumming up right-wing signature gathering efforts.
• Mobilizing our 700,000 supporters to fight anti-GLBT amendments nationally.
• Electing fair-minded candidates who will help oppose initiatives like this.

I hope you'll become a part of these critical campaigns by making a donation today.

Think for a moment about the pain and suffering experienced by countless people like Eric Breidenbaugh every single day. Then, resolve to make those injustices a thing of the past by renewing your commitment to this ongoing struggle.

Warmly,

Joe Solmonese
President

P.S. If you have already joined as a member for 2008 – please accept our sincere thanks and disregard this request.

dinner with Barack

Matthew --

You've heard about all of these political fundraising dinners, hosted by Washington lobbyists and filled with representatives of special interests.

Contributions like these are at the root of what's wrong with politics. And John McCain and Hillary Clinton have built campaigns fueled by them.

But our campaign is different.

In February alone, more than 94% of our donors gave in amounts of $200 or less. Meanwhile, campaign finance reports show that donations of $200 or less make up just 13% of Senator McCain's total campaign funds, and only 26% of Senator Clinton's.

Our funding comes from a movement of more than one million people giving whatever they can afford.

And in the next week, four supporters will be selected for a new kind of fundraising dinner.

Make a donation in any amount between now and 11:59 pm EDT on Monday, March 31st, and you could join Barack and three other supporters for an intimate dinner for five.

We're reserving two of those seats for previous donors like you. Make your donation now:

https://donate.barackobama.com/dinner

This movement is changing the way campaigns are funded.

More than one million individual donors have demonstrated that this election is about more than a candidate -- it's about each of us having a personal stake in the future of American politics.

Meanwhile, Senator McCain has raised more than 70% of his total campaign funds from high-dollar donors giving $1,000 or more. Senator Clinton has raised 60% of her funds from $1,000-and-up donors. And both Senator McCain and Senator Clinton have accepted millions of dollars from Washington lobbyists and special interest PACs.

Refusing to accept donations from lobbyists and special interests has allowed this campaign to answer only to ordinary Americans like you. And this dinner will be an opportunity for you to sit down with Barack and your fellow supporters and talk about the issues that matter in your life and in your community.

Get the kind of treatment that John McCain and Hillary Clinton reserve for special interests -- make a donation in the next week, and you could share your story and your ideas with Barack in person:

https://donate.barackobama.com/dinner

With every single donation, we're building a movement to change American politics. Help the movement grow, and own a piece of this campaign today.

Thanks for your support,

David

David Plouffe
Campaign Manager
Obama for America

join president clinton for KY socialite brown-nose event

I'm from Kentucky, so I would know what to call these things. Also, there will be much drinking. Also, since there's not one in Lexington or Louisville I have a feeling that they're hoping for a good showing rather than a sweep of the state (louisville= a lot of black voters, Lexington = looking for a progressive candidate [I would hope]).

four steps

Dear john,

You and I both want Hillary to win. So let me be frank about the challenge our campaign faces right now.

It couldn't be any simpler than this: we cannot be competitive politically unless we are competitive financially -- and right now we are at a financial disadvantage. The Obama campaign is already spending more than $1 million on an aggressive ad buy in Pennsylvania. For us to win, we have to:

• Fund critical voter contact efforts in Pennsylvania.
• Get our ads on the air in Pennsylvania's six separate media markets to avoid being overwhelmed by a $1 million, four-day Obama campaign TV ad blitz.
• Produce a massive get-out-the-vote effort as April 22 approaches.
• Put more resources into our campaign in Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina, Oregon, Puerto Rico, and West Virginia so that we can capitalize on our momentum coming out of Pennsylvania.

Despite the spirited support from Hillary's best supporters, including you, we are still being outraised and outspent by the Obama campaign. He outspent us by more than $10 million in February alone. Let's close the gap so Hillary can win in Pennsylvania, keep on winning, and be our next president.

Contribute today to help Hillary win.

Just like Hillary, you've worked hard to get us this far. We cannot let up our efforts now and let this race be decided by a shortfall of funds.

One thing I know for sure about Hillary -- if we give her the support she needs, she will never let us down, not as a candidate and not as president. She'll work just as hard for you in the White House as she is on the campaign trail.

Let's match Hillary's efforts with our own. Contribute to help us raise as much as we can by midnight tonight.

I appreciate everything you are doing for Hillary so much. Let's keep working and winning.

Sincerely,

Bill Clinton

help barack in kentucky

Dear Matthew,

The Kentucky primary is coming up soon -- on Tuesday, May 20th -- and we want to let you know how you can get involved in our campaign in the Bluegrass State.

Organization is crucial here in Kentucky, and now's the time to start building the grassroots network that will help Barack succeed on Primary Day.

Sign up to organize for Barack in your community:

http://ky.barackobama.com/kyvolunteer

After more than 40 contests all across the country, Barack has won more than twice as many states, the most delegates, and the most votes. But this race is still close, and the Kentucky primary is one of only ten remaining contests.

Supporters across the state are needed to reach out to potential voters, organize their communities, and make sure as many supporters as possible are ready and excited for Primary Day.

No prior political experience is necessary. All you need is a hunger for change -- and a willingness to turn your enthusiasm into action.

Sign up now to help Barack in Kentucky:

http://ky.barackobama.com/kyvolunteer

Our campaign is just getting started here in Kentucky, and you'll be hearing a lot more from us as the primary approaches.

We're looking forward to working with you and getting to know you in the weeks ahead.

Thank you,

Obama for America

obama video update

Matthew --

Barack talked earlier this week about bridging divides and bringing people together to solve our common problems.

That's not just the theme of this campaign -- it's been the theme of his life's work.

When Barack came back to Chicago after law school, he led a voter registration drive to attract people to the political process.

Watch this short video about Barack's voter registration efforts and do something to help register new voters in the upcoming states:

http://ky.barackobama.com/KYmorevoicesvideo

Registering voters and bringing more voices into the political process is what this campaign is all about.

In the ten contests left in this race, we have an opportunity to build a base of support that will lead Democrats to victory up and down the ballot in November.

But more importantly, we have the chance to transform our party and our politics.

By bringing in new voters and encouraging voters who have gotten fed up to get involved again, we can move beyond the divisive and petty tactics that have dominated our politics for far too long. We can send a message that we're ready for something new -- something positive that brings us together around a shared goal of a better future for all Americans.

You can help build our movement and create a lasting change in our party and in our country.

In Kentucky, you must be registered as a Democrat by April 21st in order to vote in the Democratic primary.

If you aren't a registered Democrat, register now:

http://ky.barackobama.com/KYvote

If you are registered, watch the video and learn more about what you can do to bring as many voters as possible into political process:

http://ky.barackobama.com/KYmorevoicesvideo

One of the special things about this campaign is that it's inspired people from all walks of life to take action.

Supporters are organizing in their neighborhoods and traveling across the country to help register voters. People like you are making calls to crucial states and talking to potential voters about a new kind of leadership and a new kind of politics.

There are ten contests left in this race, and your voice can make a difference in how they turn out. You can have an important impact on the direction of the Democratic Party and politics in this country.

Be a voice for change and bring more voices into the political process:

http://ky.barackobama.com/KYmorevoicesvideo

Thank you for everything you're doing,

Jon

Jon Carson
National Voter Contact Director
Obama for America

The McCain Update

The McCain Update - March 21, 2008 Along with John McCain, the McCain campaign team wishes you and your family a happy and peaceful Easter weekend. As families and friends gather to enjoy this Easter season, and give thanks for our many blessings, please remember those less fortunate and our brave men and women serving around the world. John McCain's Trip Abroad John McCain traveled on official Senate business this week to the Middle East and Europe. He was joined by fellow Armed Services Committee members, Senators Joe Lieberman and Lindsey Graham. In Iraq, John McCain met with General David Petraeus and other military leaders, toured Baghdad and talked with both Iraqi and American service members. This was John McCain's eighth official trip to Iraq since 2003. While in Israel, he met with the country's leaders and promoted peace talks between Israel and Palestine. He also traveled throughout the country, visiting Sderot, the Yad VaShem Holocaust Memorial, Jerusalem's Western Wall, the Gaza Strip, and other historic sites. British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and John McCain met to discuss Iraq, climate change and the global economy. John McCain will meet with French President Nicolas Sarkozy in Paris before he returns to the United States. Latest News Below are some of the top news articles from this week. For more news articles and press releases, go to www.JohnMcCain.com. Fortune: Why McCain Has The Best Health-Care Plan Financial Times Op-ed: John McCain: America Must Be A Good Role Model Stamford Advocate: Lieberman Explains Support For McCain Weekly Standard: Looking Presidential East Valley Tribune: Exploring McCain's Political Roots Philadelphia Inquirer: McCain Is A Good Friend To The Unborn Wall Street Journal: The Conservative Case For McCain Washington Post: Hard-Won Progress In Baghdad Philadelphia Inquirer (PA): Raising McCain In Pennsylvania Wall Street Journal: McCain Expands High-Tech Toehold

one of those moments

Dear john,

As much as I enjoy talking to you by email, there are times in this campaign when I wish you and I could sit down right next to one another and just talk. This is one of those moments.

Despite the spirited efforts of our online community, we are facing a serious financial disadvantage against the Obama campaign. In February alone, they were able to spend $10 million more than we were.

If we were talking together right now, here's what I would tell you. At this critical moment, our campaign needs a public show of strength that only you can provide. What you do right now could determine the outcome of Pennsylvania and beyond.

Will you act immediately to help us close the fundraising gap by making a contribution? Your action is vital to our chances for victory.

We need a massive show of support by midnight Saturday. Contribute now to help us win in Pennsylvania and beyond.

I am seeing incredible enthusiasm for our campaign and our ideas from people across Pennsylvania. I know that on a level playing field, you and I will be successful, just as we were in Texas, Ohio, and other states big and small across the nation.

But only an immediate infusion of financial support from you and others like you can give my campaign the resources needed to turn our hard-earned political momentum into victory in Pennsylvania and beyond.

We need to raise every dollar we can by midnight Saturday. Contribute now to make a difference.

All through this remarkable experience, the success of our campaign has been as much in your hands as it is in mine. And that has never been more true than it is right now.

I'm really counting on hearing from you.

Sincerely,


Hillary Rodham Clinton

big endorsement

Dear Matthew,

Watch Bill Richardson's endorsement and make a donation to support this campaign:

This morning Governor Bill Richardson endorsed Barack Obama's candidacy for president.

Governor Richardson called for a new generation of leadership that would bring us together here at home and strengthen our relationships with our allies abroad.

He praised Barack's speech on race in America this week as an example of courageous, thoughtful, and inspiring leadership. He thanked Barack for speaking to us as adults, and reminding us that cynicism is not realism, and that hope is not folly.

Governor Richardson also said Barack would be an outstanding Commander-in-Chief. He recognized Barack's opposition to the Iraq war before it began, and emphasized the need for a President that understands the national security challenges facing America.

Watch the video of Bill Richardson and Barack Obama, and make a donation of $25 today:

https://donate.barackobama.com/billrichardson

Thank you,

David

David Plouffe
Campaign Manager
Obama for America

Richardson Endorses Obama.

Dear matthew,

During the last year, I have shared with you my vision and hopes for this nation as we look to repair the damage of the last seven years. And you have shared your support, your ideas and your encouragement to my campaign. We have been through a lot together and that is why I wanted to tell you that, after careful and thoughtful deliberation, I have made a decision to endorse Barack Obama for President.

We are blessed to have two great American leaders and great Democrats running for President. My affection and admiration for Hillary Clinton and President Bill Clinton will never waver. It is time, however, for Democrats to stop fighting amongst ourselves and to prepare for the tough fight we will face against John McCain in the fall. The 1990's were a decade of peace and prosperity because of the competent and enlightened leadership of the Clinton administration, but it is now time for a new generation of leadership to lead America forward. Barack Obama will be a historic and a great President, who can bring us the change we so desperately need by bringing us together as a nation here at home and with our allies abroad.

Earlier this week, Senator Barack Obama gave an historic speech. that addressed the issue of race with the eloquence, sincerity, and optimism we have come to expect of him. He inspired us by reminding us of the awesome potential residing in our own responsibility. He asked us to rise above our racially divided past, and to seize the opportunity to carry forward the work of many patriots of all races, who struggled and died to bring us together.

As a Hispanic, I was particularly touched by his words. I have been troubled by the demonization of immigrants--specifically Hispanics-- by too many in this country. Hate crimes against Hispanics are rising as a direct result and now, in tough economic times, people look for scapegoats and I fear that people will continue to exploit our racial differences--and place blame on others not like them . We all know the real culprit -- the disastrous economic policies of the Bush Administration!

Senator Obama has started a discussion in this country long overdue and rejects the politics of pitting race against race. He understands clearly that only by bringing people together, only by bridging our differences can we all succeed together as Americans.

His words are those of a courageous, thoughtful and inspiring leader, who understands that a house divided against itself cannot stand. And, after nearly eight years of George W. Bush, we desperately need such a leader.

To reverse the disastrous policies of the last seven years, rebuild our economy, address the housing and mortgage crisis, bring our troops home from Iraq and restore America's international standing, we need a President who can bring us together as a nation so we can confront our urgent challenges at home and abroad.

During the past year, I got to know Senator Obama as we campaigned against each other for the Presidency, and I felt a kinship with him because we both grew up between words, in a sense, living both abroad and here in America. In part because of these experiences, Barack and I share a deep sense of our nation's special responsibilities in the world.

So, once again, thank you for all you have done for me and my campaign. I wanted to make sure you understood my reasons for my endorsement of Senator Obama. I know that you, no matter what your choice, will do so with the best interests of this nation, in your heart.

Sincerely,

Bill Richardson

[I like this guy a lot, but he needs a spell- and grammar-check before he puts out another email....]

our challenge

Matthew --

Senator Clinton and Senator McCain are reading from the same political playbook as they attack Barack on foreign policy.

They have both criticized Barack's commitment to act against top al Qaeda terrorists if others can't or won't act.

And they have both dismissed his call for renewed diplomacy as naïve while mistakenly standing behind George Bush's policy of non-engagement that just isn't working.

But most of all -- after five years of overwhelming evidence that we are less safe, less able to shape events abroad, and more divided at home -- Senator Clinton and Senator McCain are failing to address the consequences of a war they both supported that should have never been authorized and never been waged.

We need a leader who had the judgment to oppose this war before it began and who has a clear plan to end it.

But Barack is facing a two-front battle against Senator Clinton and Senator McCain. Make a donation of $25 to support this campaign today:

https://donate.barackobama.com/twofronts

We knew at the beginning of this campaign that we'd be up against the full force of the conventional thinking that grips Washington.

But no one could have imagined it would go on this long, or that we'd have to fight this battle on two fronts at the same time.

Senator Clinton's campaign, with her chances of winning dwindling and our delegate lead even larger than it was before her so-called comeback on March 4th, has adopted a "kitchen-sink" strategy to throw everything they can at us. Her campaign has made it clear they will do and say anything to win this nomination.

Senator McCain, now the presumptive Republican nominee, is already running his general election campaign. He's so eager to justify another 100 years of war in Iraq and drum up conflict with Iran that he and his campaign have been making sloppy and woefully false assertions about links between Iran and al Qaeda in Iraq.

We've got to take on both Senator Clinton and Senator McCain at the same time.

Your support now is more important than ever -- please make a donation of $25:

https://donate.barackobama.com/twofronts

Yesterday, Barack laid out a clear plan to make America more secure and end the war in Iraq.

Today, he laid out the economic costs of the war that Senator Clinton and Senator McCain supported.

In both speeches -- and in his speech on race in America earlier this week -- Barack Obama demonstrated that he is the candidate with the courage and judgment to tackle the challenges we face.

The choice Americans have in this election is clear -- and your support right now sends a message to those who support the status quo that it is time for a new kind of leadership.

Please do what you can to help fight this two-front battle for change:

https://donate.barackobama.com/twofronts

Thank you,

David

David Plouffe
Campaign Manager
Obama for America

FW: Obama's Advantage

Dear john,

Hillary is depending on you to help her win! Let's make sure our momentum -- and not Sen. Obama's fundraising advantage -- is what determines the victory in this race.

With Sen. Obama's campaign up on the air with ads in Pennsylvania, this is a critical moment for our campaign, and you are making a real difference.

We're seeing incredible energy and enthusiasm for Hillary across Pennsylvania, and your support is adding to our incredible momentum. Once again, you are stepping up when Hillary needs you.

Keep our momentum going with your contribution.

Thank you for all you do!

Terry McAuliffe
Chairman
Hillary Clinton for President

obama's advantage

Dear john, The Obama campaign is already on the air with their first ad in Pennsylvania, putting their fundraising advantage to work. They're going to spend every dollar they've got to end this race in Pennsylvania, and we can't let that happen. In Texas and Ohio, your incredible support kept us competitive, and today this race is close thanks to what you did for Hillary. Now the Obama campaign is going to do everything they can to try to beat Hillary in Pennsylvania. They're going to try to outspend us 3-1 on the air -- and their first ads are already up and running. We cannot let them have that advantage. Hillary needs your help now to level the playing field in Pennsylvania and beyond. Contribute now to help Hillary win. You and I trust Hillary to lead America in a bold new direction -- to fix the problems George Bush leaves behind and to accomplish goals we once thought were out of reach. Hillary is trusting us to make sure she has the resources she needs to win. We need to get up on the air in Pennsylvania to match Obama's spending, and Hillary is depending on you to help. We can't let this race be decided by a fundraising advantage. Contribute now to level the playing field in Pennsylvania and beyond. With your help, Hillary can win in Pennsylvania on April 22 and go all the way to the White House. It all depends on what you do today, so please act now to help Hillary win. Sincerely, Bill Clinton

sign a pledge of support for john mccain

My Friends,

I am not running for president to be somebody, but to serve our country with honor. I seek the office of the President of the United States because I am as confident today as I was when I first entered public life as a foot soldier in the Reagan Revolution that the principles of the Republican Party - our trust in the good sense and resourcefulness of free people - are always in America's best interests.

I am convinced that every challenge I have confronted during my years of serving our country and its ideals, has made me better able to lead and ready to serve as president from day one.

I realize this is going to be an extremely tough, hard-fought campaign, but I've faced and overcome great challenges before . That is why I am reaching out to you today to ask you to sign my 2008 Presidential Pledge of Support and make a campaign contribution of $50, $100, $500 or even the maximum allowable amount of $2,300 by following this link today.

As we have seen in recent years, elections are often fought within the margins of small differences. This one clearly will not be. The differences between our campaign and the Democrats could not be greater. And I intend to fight as hard as I can to ensure that our principles prevail.

Today I hope you will join me in this fight by following this link to sign the Pledge of Support and make a campaign contribution of any amount you can afford - up to the legal limit of $2,300.

I need to be able to reach out to all Americans, and continue to build our national grassroots campaign. It is no secret that both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama have raised enormous, historic sums of money in their battle for the nomination. National liberal Democratic groups like MoveOn.org, the Democratic National Committee, and others are plotting to spend and do whatever it takes to bring my campaign down.

With your support, I will have the resources to take my campaign to America's voters, present my vision for America and my accomplishments and outline how I will provide the leadership to solve our nation's most serious problems and move our country toward a safe and prosperous future for all.

Please, sign my Ple dge of Support today and make a generous contribution to help our campaign take my message to the American people.

As I pursue the Office of the President of The United States, I make you this promise: I will always put America - her strength, her ideals, her future - before every other consideration.

I hope you will respond soon.

Thank you,

John McCain

P.S. If you believe as I do that the differences between me and Senators Clinton and Obama are very real and very important, and that the stakes are indeed great, then I urge you to join me today. Because what we do to set the course and lay the foundation of this campaign beginning right now, will mean the difference between victory and defeat in November. Please, sign our Pledge of Support and make your contribution of $50, $100, $500, $1,000 or $2,300 today. Thank you.

big changes

Dear matthew,

I have lived my life with the abiding belief that we, as citizens and as a government, have a moral responsibility to each other.

But the lies and cynicism of the Bush years have torn apart that compact, and left us with a government indifferent to the 37 million people in poverty, our crumbling public schools, and a war without end.

America has an epic cleanup job ahead of it that is best tackled by a Democratic president. But the difficult trench work of passing new laws begins in Congress, and our country can't afford a progressive agenda continuing to be bogged down by obstructionist Republican senators wedded to the radical ideology of George W. Bush.

The DSCC began its work to expand our Democratic majority in battleground states months ago, but now they're entering a critical time. March 31 marks the first of three vital quarterly fundraising deadlines the DSCC will face this year, and they've got to outpace the GOP. Elections aren't until November, but they can be won or lost depending on what you do right now. Please give today.

Click here to make a donation of $50, $75 or more to help expand the Democratic Senate majority in 2008. The March 31 deadline is so important that if you give today, your contribution will be matched by a group of Democratic Senators, effectively tripling your contribution.

The damage that George Bush and the Republicans have done to this country is so immense, that nothing short of sweeping reforms will get America back on the right track again.

The next administration will have to find a way to provide coverage for 47 million Americans without health insurance, drastically reduce the amount of fossil fuels we use to stop global warming, and write a more equitable tax code to restore fairness and opportunity to our economy.

These reforms would constitute the biggest domestic changes America has attempted since Medicare and Medicaid were created in the 1960s.

And they simply will not happen without expanding the Democrats' 51 seat Senate majority.

2008 is our chance because Democrats are competitive everywhere. In years past, no one imagined that we could pick up Republican Senate seats in places like Mississippi and Kentucky, but this year, on the backs of record Democratic turnout, we can win.

We're going to be fighting Republicans in blue states, red states and everywhere in between, and the DSCC needs your help to expand our opportunities.

The task in front of us is to help the DSCC build a fundraising advantage now, so that we can give Democratic candidates across the country the support they need in the frantic months ahead. Give today, and your contribution will be matched by a group of Democratic Senators, effectively tripling your contribution.

Click here to make a donation of $50, $75 or more to help expand the Democratic Senate majority in 2008.

This time can be different. This time we can truly advance the cause of economic justice, and help this country live up to its highest ideals.

Please join me in supporting the DSCC today.

Sincerely,

Sen. John Edwards

the biggest untold story in Iraq

Dear MoveOn member,

The biggest untold story in politics today is the historic chance we've got to win a decisive majority in the Senate this fall.

Electing Obama or Clinton isn't enough—to win big progressive changes, a Democratic president will need to overcome Republican obstruction in Congress. And with 23 Republican Senate seats up for grabs, the 60-seat majority needed to block Republican filibusters is in reach.¹ This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity—the last time that many Senate seats changed hands was 1980.²

MoveOn members made seven million calls to voters in 2006 and helped win the House and the Senate. Together, we can lead the way again this year with a massive get-out-the-vote campaign in key Senate races and swing states.

But we need to know we have the resources to pull it off. More than 13,500 MoveOn members are already contributing monthly, and we need to get to 20,000. Can you contribute $15 per month from now through Election Day (you can cancel at any time) to win the White House and the Senate? Click here:

http://pol.moveon.org/donate/60votes.html?id=12343-4820096-kPd4ka&t=99

From Kentucky to Maine to Oregon, we'll combine paid ads with member contributions to candidates and an ambitious grassroots campaign to get our message out. And we'll follow it up with the most sophisticated voter-turnout campaign progressives have ever run.

Here are a few highlights:

• A voter persuasion program—to tip swing voters our way.
• New sophisticated tools to connect volunteers to voters who probably won't vote without a reminder.
• Fun and effective voter-contact house parties, modeled on our 2006 calling parties.
• Cutting-edge "microtargeting" to find every progressive voter, even those in Republican neighborhoods.
• A new effort to target people who vote by mail and need to hear from us well before Election Day.
  

With 60 seats in the Senate and a progressive in the White House, we can overcome Republican opposition to bringing our troops home, providing health care for all Americans, and taking bold steps to fight the climate crisis.

But there's no time to waste. Can you contribute $15 per month until Election Day to help us win? Click here to get started.

http://pol.moveon.org/donate/60votes.html?id=12343-4820096-kPd4ka&t=100

Thanks for all you do.

–Nita, Karin, Matt, Justin, and the MoveOn.org Political Action Team
Thursday, March 20th, 2008

1. "Senate Democrats Hope for a Majority Not Seen in 30 Years: 60 Seats," The New York Times, March 7, 2008
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/07/us/politics/07senate.html

2. "History Working Against GOP," The Rothenberg Political Report, January 22, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=3348&id=12343-4820096-kPd4ka&t=101

Five years later

Dear Matthew,

Five years ago today, President George W. Bush launched a war that should never have been authorized based on faulty premises and bad intelligence.

This war has now lasted longer than World War I, World War II, or the Civil War.

Nearly four thousand Americans have given their lives. Thousands more have been wounded. Even under the best-case scenarios, this war will cost American taxpayers well over a trillion dollars.

And where are we for all of this sacrifice?

We are less safe and less able to shape events abroad. We are divided at home, and our alliances around the world have been strained. The threats of a new century have roiled the waters of peace and stability, and yet America remains anchored in Iraq.

I am running for President because it's time to turn the page on a failed ideology and a fundamentally flawed political strategy, so that we can make pragmatic judgments to keep our country safe.

That's what I did when I stood up and opposed this war from the start and said that we needed to finish the fight against al Qaeda. And that's what I'll do as President of the United States.

Please take a few minutes to read my strategy for ending the war in Iraq and making America safer. I hope you will sign on and show your support:

http://my.barackobama.com/fiveyearslater

Senator Clinton says that she and Senator McCain have passed a "Commander-in-Chief test" -- not because of the judgments they've made, but because of the years they've spent in Washington.

She made a similar argument when she said her vote for war was based on her experience at both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue.

But here is the stark reality: there is a security gap in this country -- a gap between the rhetoric of those who claim to be tough on national security, and the reality of growing insecurity caused by their decisions.

It is time to have a debate with Senator McCain about the future of our national security. And the way to win that debate and keep America safe is to offer a clear contrast -- a clean break from the failed policies and politics of the past.

Nowhere is that break more badly needed than in Iraq.

Join me in supporting an end to this war and a plan for a safer America:

http://my.barackobama.com/fiveyearslater

The judgment that matters most on Iraq -- and on any decision to deploy military force -- is the judgment made first.

If you believe we are fighting the right war, then the problems we face are purely tactical in nature. That is what Senator McCain wants to discuss -- tactics. What he and the Administration have failed to present is an overarching strategy: how the war in Iraq enhances our long-term security, or will in the future.

That's why this Administration cannot answer the simple question posed by Senator John Warner in hearings last year: Are we safer because of this war? And that is why Senator McCain can argue -- as he did last year -- that we couldn't leave Iraq because violence was up, and then argue this year that we can't leave Iraq because violence is down.

When you have no overarching strategy, there is no clear definition of success.

Success comes to be defined as the ability to maintain a flawed policy indefinitely. Here is the truth: fighting a war without end will not force the Iraqis to take responsibility for their own future. And fighting in a war without end will not make the American people safer.

When I am Commander-in-Chief, I will set a new goal on Day One: I will end this war. Not because politics compels it. Not because our troops cannot bear the burden -- as heavy as it is. But because it is the right thing to do for our national security, and it will ultimately make us safer.

Show your support for a clear strategy to end the war in Iraq and focus our national security efforts on making America safer:

http://my.barackobama.com/fiveyearslater

Here are the core elements of my strategy to address our critical national security challenges in the 21st century:

• End the war in Iraq, removing our troops at a pace of 1 to 2 combat brigades per month;
• Finally finish the fight against the Taliban, root out al Qaeda and invest in the people of Afghanistan and Pakistan, while making aid to the Pakistani government conditional;
• Act aggressively to stop nuclear proliferation and to secure all loose nuclear materials around the world;
• Double our foreign assistance to cut extreme poverty in half;
• Invest in a clean energy future to wean the U.S. off of foreign oil and to lead the world against the threat of global climate change;
• Rebuild our military capability by increasing the number of soldiers, marines, and special forces troops, and insist on adequate training and time off between deployments;
• Renew American diplomacy by talking to our adversaries as well as our friends; increasing the size of the Foreign Service and the Peace Corps; and creating an America's Voice Corps.

Please take a minute to show your support for this plan:

http://my.barackobama.com/fiveyearslater

We are at a defining moment in our history.

This must be the election when America comes together behind a common purpose on behalf of our security and our values.

That is what we do as Americans. It's how we founded a republic based on freedom, and faced down fascism. It's how we defended democracy through a Cold War, and shined a light of hope bright enough to be seen in the darkest corners of the world.

When America leads with principle and pragmatism, hope can triumph over fear. It is time, once again, for America to lead.

Thank you,

Barack Obama

obama for kentucky

Dear Matthew,

When Michelle and I decided to enter this race more than a year ago, one of our hopes was to bring people back into the political process.

Like so many Americans, we'd been exhausted and frustrated by the slash-and-burn politics that had come to dominate our elections. Smallness and pettiness were the rule, not the exception. And it seemed like every day, more and more Americans were tuning out their democracy.

This election, we're seeing something different.

Nearly as many people have participated in the Democratic primary this year than in 2000 and 2004 combined. And there are still ten contests left to go.

As we enter the final stretch of elections, we have a unique opportunity to shape the outcome -- and the outcomes of elections up and down the ballot this November.

So today we're launching a national initiative to register an unprecedented number of voters in each of the upcoming states.

In Kentucky, you must be registered as a Democrat by April 21st in order to vote in the Democratic primary.

If you aren't a registered Democrat, register now:

http://my.barackobama.com/KYvote

If you are registered, learn more about what you can do to bring as many voters as possible into political process:

http://my.barackobama.com/morevoicesKY

Young voters have shaped this presidential primary like no other.

In Iowa, South Carolina, Georgia, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas, and Mississippi, the youth vote has tripled since 2004. And in all other states it has reached record levels. And these young voters are breaking 2-to-1 Democratic.

Statistics show that if we can get young people to vote Democratic now, they are far more likely to vote regularly -- and vote for Democrats -- throughout their lives.

So by getting involved and helping to register voters, you're not just increasing the number of voters in this election. You're increasing the number of people who will be engaged Democratic voters for the rest of their lives.

Sign up to help bring More Voices into the Democratic primary today:

http://my.barackobama.com/morevoicesKY

More than fifteen years ago, after I finished law school, I came back to Chicago and led a voter registration drive on the South Side.

For months, our passionate and hardworking volunteers pounded the pavement -- registering folks everywhere they could, from barber shops to grocery stores to apartment building lobbies to local fairs. One particularly enthusiastic woman -- who until then had never been involved in politics -- made it her personal goal to register 100 voters a day, and ultimately registered 3,000 new voters.

In the end, we made a real difference in Illinois. Our team registered more than 150,000 new voters, not only impacting local elections, but helping to shift the balance in state and national races as well. Illinois went from voting Republican in 1988 to Democratic in 1992.

That lesson has informed how we've run this campaign. And now we have an unbelievable opportunity to apply it on a massive scale.

When new or returning voters participate in the Democratic primary, they are far more likely to come back and participate in the general election.

That's not just good for presidential candidates; it's good for Democrats up and down the ticket. More engaged, committed Democratic voters in the primaries means more votes this November in all 50 states -- from competitive statewide races to state legislative and city council seats everywhere.

You can make a difference right now. Encourage someone to register in time to participate in the presidential race in their state.

Learn more and get involved here:

http://my.barackobama.com/morevoicesKY

Thanks for all your hard work,

Barack

open letter

Dear matt,

The Democratic race for President has lost its focus. We have John McCain to beat in November, instead we fight each other.

Geraldine Ferraro. Reverend Wright. Rezko ties. Secret tax returns. If you're like me; you're sick of it.

We have a war to end, an economy in trouble, and $4 gas.

With hundreds of progressives to elect at all levels of office, it's time to leave the character attacks to Ann Coulter and Bill O'Reilly.

America needs to know why our candidates are better than John McCain and we need to hear it from Senators Clinton and Obama.

Fight McCain, not each other. Join me in signing an open letter to the candidates now:

www.DemocracyforAmerica.com/OpenLetter

We have an historic nomination battle, driving record Democratic turnout and commanding the nation's attention.

America needs to know our nominee will fight global warming with new jobs, technologies, and investment. Our nominee will expand health coverage to 10 million kids immediately, allow lifesaving research on stem cells, and work toward health care for all by the end of a first term. We will ban torture, restore habeas corpus, and build renewed respect for America around the world.

A Democratic President will end the war in Iraq and bring our brave men and women home.

A long primary battle is healthy as long as we make the case for how we'll win, not how the other candidate will lose. We need to fight McCain, not each other. Join me in demanding Senators Clinton and Obama keep their eyes on the ball.

www.DemocracyforAmerica.com/OpenLetter

Let voters choose our nominee based on the best we have to offer, not the worst we can imagine.

Senators Clinton and Obama say they are ready to lead. Now is their chance to prove it.

Thank you for everything you do to move America forward.

-Jim

Jim Dean
Chair

Howard Dean Update

Dear matt,

A year ago, no one would have guessed our party's primary season would still be going this strong. But that's not the only surprise of this election season.

Democrats are voting in larger numbers than anyone expected, and this record turnout shows incredible promise for the general election ahead of us.

But we also have a problem. John McCain has already sewn up the Republican nomination, and he's free to raise money and campaign all across the country.

The past few days, he's taken his campaign on a world tour at taxpayer expense. This weekend, he made a "surprise" stop in Iraq, trying to re-frame five years of steadfast support for George Bush's war with photo ops and press releases.

We can't afford to wait for Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama to win the Democratic nomination -- they're focused on winning the nomination while John McCain is focused on winning the White House. We are the only organization that can look beyond the primaries and lay the groundwork for Hillary or Barack to inherit if they win. They can't run against John McCain yet, but we can do it for them.

I need you to make a donation now so that we can continue our campaign against John McCain. Hillary or Barack will need the infrastructure in place as soon as they're nominated:

http://www.democrats.org/LookingAhead

Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are generating the sort of passion this country hasn't seen in a long time. Both of them are bringing new Democrats into the process -- and reactivating old ones who haven't voted in years.

In Texas, 2.8 million Democratic ballots were cast in our Party's primary. That's more votes than Al Gore or John Kerry received in Texas in the past two general elections.

Now states like Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Oregon, and Kentucky will have their chance to impact the presidential nomination process. That's more states that Barack or Hillary may never have visited if not for the enthusiasm everyone has for them. It's also more states where voters will show up in record numbers for the primary and general elections.

The energy we're seeing across the country is what the 50-State Strategy is all about: giving Democrats a party that can compete in areas we've continually ignored in past elections. It's not easy, and it's not cheap, but it's the best way for our party to win.

But every day that the Democratic primary continues, John McCain is hitting the campaign trail, misleading the American people about his record, contradicting himself on the issues, and attacking Hillary and Barack.

I need you to contribute right now so Hillary or Barack can make it to the White House in November:

http://www.democrats.org/LookingAhead

It's clear that there are benefits to a healthy, contested primary. But right now, John McCain thinks he can get a free pass while our campaigns are focused on each other.

You and I aren't going to let John McCain get ahead -- and we're going to do that by making sure Americans hear the truth about him.

From the war in Iraq and tax cuts for corporate special interests, McCain has put forth an astonishingly simple agenda: continue the Bush Administration's failed policies for another four years.

It's not just the Iraq War and tax breaks for the wealthy where John McCain falls in line with President Bush. Even on the unconventional issues that gave John McCain his "maverick" reputation, he has traded his integrity for a chance at the presidency.

This may not be news to you, but too many Americans don't know the facts about the Republican candidate for president, and Hillary or Barack can't get started just yet. Make a donation today and support our efforts to take him head-on and lay the groundwork for them:

http://www.democrats.org/LookingAhead

Thank you,

Howard Dean

Day 1

Dear matthew,

I am proud and excited to be writing to you on this, my first day on the job as president of People For the American Way.

At this pivotal moment in American history, I could not think of a better place to make an impact on the future of the country and the progressive movement.

People For is truly a movement organization. I can't wait to work with you and fight by your side in the crucial battles to come. The country needs us more than ever. At stake this year is nothing short of the future and the fate of the U.S. Constitution and the rights enshrined within -- our rights.

As you get to know me, you'll learn that I have a profound respect, and really a deep love for the Constitution. Separation of powers, checks and balances, accountability . . . these, the most basic American principles, have been undermined over and over again by the Bush administration's policies, its right-wing allies in Congress and, as we will see more and more in the coming years, by its right-wing judicial appointments.

But this can be the year that we save the Constitution -- what happens in November's elections will echo for a generation.

The Supreme Court is already wreaking havoc. And it is just one justice away from a solid ultraconservative majority that will consistently vote to overturn well-established rights -- rights we depend on -- and block Americans from using the federal courts to seek justice. Our work in 2008 could decide if the Far Right gets its five, six, or even seven-justice majority, or if we pull the Court back from its rightward drift, back toward respect for constitutional rights and a Court that Americans can count on to protect them.

We need to make sure Americans know what's at stake when they think about voting for president and U.S. senators. It's our core constitutional values and how they affect our lives.

You have a right to privacy. And you have a right to make decisions about your own life and body -- who you love and how, or whether, you procreate.

You have a right to due process of law -- that means the government should not be able to arbitrarily detain you, seize your property, tap your phone calls without a warrant, and much more.

You have a right to vote and not to be disenfranchised because of your race, socioeconomic status or anything else.

You have religious freedom -- a right to worship any way you want, or not to worship at all, and you certainly have the right not to have the religious views of others forced upon you by the government.

You have a right to free speech.

You have a right to be treated equally to anyone else under the law.

The Constitution gives you these rights as an American, but to make sure those rights are protected, it takes vigilance -- mine and yours -- and it takes action.

I've fought my entire life to defend Americans' rights and I've argued for them before the Supreme Court. Now, I join you and the entire People For family to carry on this fight. And to hold out a vision for the kind of country we want, and give Americans a way to make it a reality.

Thanks for the support, and the opportunity!

Yours,

Kathryn Kolbert, President
People For the American Way

"test your luck", or McCain goes for the sports fan vote

Happy St. Patrick's Day! With the "Luck O' the Irish" on your side, head over to JohnMcCain.com/brackets to join in the McCain 2008 Basketball Brackets. John McCain has made his picks, and this is your chance to compare your picks with his. You'll also be eligible for great McCain 2008 prizes.

Click here to sign up and fill out your bracket. Picks must be made before the start of the first games on Thursday, March 20th so make your picks today! After you've signed up, send your friends a quick note to invite them to join in the fun.

We're also offering another way to join in the bracket fun this year and get your friends involved as well. When you make your picks, you can select your favorite college or university and your points from your correct picks will go to your school. The school with the most points will win - so the more people you get to play, the better chance your school will have! Whether you're an alumni, current student or a fan, every correct point will help show your support for your school, even if they're not still playing in March! Be sure to spread the word to all of your friends to make sure they sign up today.

We're all looking forward to some great games in the weeks ahead, but even the excitement of March basketball doesn't compare with the excitement of electing the next President of the United States! While you're watching the games with your friends or lamenting your busted bracket over the water cooler, don't forget to tell your friends about your support for John McCain. We want to invite everyone to join our team as we continue our campaign to elect the man who has the experience, judgment and character to lead as commander in chief from day one, and your help building our team is critical.

Good luck with your bracket and don't forget to click here to make your picks before Thursday!

P.S. You can still get your "Irish for McCain" gear at the McCain Online Store. Visit today to get great McCain 2008 gear and show your friends that you support John McCain!

the mccain update

The McCain Update - March 15, 2008

Today marks John McCain's 35th anniversary of his release as a prisoner of war in Vietnam. Click here to watch a video commemorating this important day in John McCain's life.

This week John McCain returned to New Hampshire to kick-off his general election campaign. As the state that started his journey to the Republican Nomination, it was a fitting place to begin the next phase of John McCain's campaign for president.

At the town hall meeting in Exeter, John McCain continued the tradition of taking the time to listen and to speak directly with the voters; both those who agree with him and those who do not. In the unscripted discussion, John McCain spoke on topics from Social Security and the war in Iraq, to fighting AIDS and malaria in Africa. He looks forward to continuing similar town hall meetings in New Hampshire and across the country as he begins his campaign for President. Click here to see pictures of the event.

Stop the Earmarks

While John McCain has spent years fighting wasteful government spending, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama have asked for millions in government "earmarks". John McCain continues to fight against the practice of earmarking and wasteful pork-barrel spending. Although it has often been a lonely fight, John McCain knows it is one worth winning. The American people demand that we introduce transparency and good judgment in to how we spend their tax dollars. If projects like the proposed taxpayer-funded Woodstock concert museum were worthy national priorities, their funding would not be sought through appropriations pork-barrel earmarks.

Sign this petition today to help us put an end to wasteful spending and reject the Washington insider, earmark-as-usual politicians being presented by the Democrats.

Become a McCain Ace!

With a donation of $25 dollars or more, you will become a 'McCain Ace' and your name will be permanently featured on our website's 'McCain Aces' board. This wall of recognition will be a record of your support for John McCain. It takes courage to stand with the right presidential candidate through thick and thin, and we want to recognize your efforts and commitment.

Latest News

Below are some of the top news articles from this week. For more news articles and press releases, go to www.JohnMcCain.com.

• New Hampshire Union Leader: McCain Reborn: Taking NH Nationwide
• The Politico: Maverick Wants to Paint Blue States Red
• Wisconsin State Journal: McCain Leads Pack to Stop Pork
• Weekly Standard: Looking Presidential
• Washington Times: McCain Leads In Crossover Votes
• Miami Herald: McCain Brings his Campaign to Florida
• Atlanta Journal-Constitution: McCain Holds Town Hall at Chick-Fil-A Headquarters
  

my interpretation?: "look at me! I'm so cute and fuzzy!"

Dear john,

Throughout this campaign, one of the things that has touched me the most has been the incredible show of support I've seen from the people I meet every day.

I'm energized by the crowds of thousands cheering on my campaign. I'm moved by the mother who takes my arm and tells me to fight to make sure the insurance companies don't deny her son coverage.

And I am inspired by all you have done for my campaign. You've made calls, you've volunteered, you've voted, you've given -- and I'm so grateful for all you've done.

My campaign has put together an album of some recent photos from the campaign trail in Texas, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. I hope you'll take a look and enjoy!

Thank you for everything,


Hillary Rodham Clinton

excitement

Dear john,

Want to see what a great start we've gotten off to in Pennsylvania? Folks, the reception Hillary has gotten in the Keystone State has been just incredible. Thousands of people are showing up everywhere she goes, cheering her on and signing up to help Hillary win big on April 22.

But you don't have to take my word for it -- take a look at a recent rally at Temple University in Philadelphia.

People in Pennsylvania want a president who is ready on day one to be Commander-in-Chief and to put our economy back to work for the middle class, and they know Hillary is the woman for the job!

Thanks,

Terry McAuliffe
Chairman, Hillary Clinton for President

The Journey To Freedom

Dear Matt,

March is a memorable time for the Americans who were released from captivity in North Vietnam during the month back in 1973. The pathway to freedom began in February, as the war in Vietnam was concluding for America.

John McCain, one of those American heroes, returned to freedom on March 15th, 1973, released from Hanoi that day along with other very happy American Prisoners of War. His journey home was the continuation of a remarkable story with chapters yet to be written. Having survived life-threatening and disabling injuries, along with the brutality of the POW experience, John had steadfastly resisted communist efforts to exploit him and his fellow POWs. John's homecoming began a new phase of his life. His courageous service and his political career are well known today, and now he is the presumptive nominee for the Republican Party to be the next President of the United States.

We are but representatives of over eighty former POWs who shared those heady days of freedom and those years of captivity and suffering with John McCain. Collectively, we are proudly doing all we can to help our dear friend, John McCain, become our next commander in chief. We are campaigning with him, helping him raise money, speaking on his behalf and, in constant conversations, promoting his candidacy among our friends and family all over the country. We are doing so because we believe in John McCain.

Our convictions about John's character were born in the crucible of adversity. We have witnessed his courage, integrity, character and intellect. We know and respect his sense of honor and his tenacity in the face of grave danger and prolonged hardship. These qualities, combined with his life experiences, make John ready for the enormous challenges facing the leader of our country. No one -- no one -- is more qualified to be president, to lead our country, to protect our nation and our children and grandchildren. We know him. We know his strengths, his love of country and his commitment to serve it. He has been severely tested, and we have witnessed him under pressure. We trust his judgment and his ability to lead our country in these difficult times.

We are joined in that trust by over 130 retired Flag and General officers who are members of Senator McCain's Military Advisory Council. They know and have worked with John McCain over the past three decades dealing with major national security challenges. They know leadership and they know danger and challenges. They know experience. They know quality. And they chose John McCain for president.

Please join us in this effort by click here to watch a video to remember this memorable day in John McCain's life.

We must elect a leader who is ready on day one for these difficult and dangerous times. We need a leader who will insist that we win in the struggle against radical Islam. John is committed to let our troops win! We need a leader who will take on the big problems that most politicians seek to avoid. Leaders take on the tough issues. John McCain is that sort of leader. He knows the American spirit -- he has lived it like no other candidate. He knows we can do better and that America's best days are ahead.

Sincerely,

Commander Everett Alvarez, USN (Ret.)
POW for 8 1/2 years

Colonel Bud Day, USAF (Ret.)
Medal of Honor
POW Over 5 Years

Rear Admiral Robert Shumaker, USN (Ret.)
POW for 8 years

Colonel Leo Thorsness, USAF (Ret.)
Medal of Honor
POW for 6 years

Commander Paul Galanti, USN (Ret.)
POW for over 6 1/2 Years

Captain Mike Cronin, USN (Ret.)
POW for over 6 years

Major General John Borling, USAF (Ret.)
POW for over 6 1/2 years

Captain Richard Stratton, USN (Ret.)
POW for over 6 years

Lt Colonel Orson Swindle, USMC (Ret.)
POW for over 6 years.

DSCC Rant - Sorry for the huge delay!

Road to Victory: Economic Worries in Texas

Filling up the gas tank. Keeping their jobs. Making sure their kids get the health care they need.

These are the issues that keep real Texans up at night as they struggle to get by in today's economy. We know because we asked.

As part of our "Road to Victory" video series, we went to the Lone Star State to find out what Republican incumbent John Cornyn is doing to solve the real economic issues facing his state. Turns out, he's not doing much.

Click here to see exactly what real people think about Republican John Cornyn's response to our slumping economy. It's not pretty.

Cornyn voted against expanding the SCHIP, the Children's Health Insurance Program. He has been quoted as saying Americans need to "come to terms" with having their good-paying jobs shipped overseas. And do you think we can rely on him to lower gas prices when he's the 4th biggest recipient of campaign contributions from oil and gas companies?

Once again, we're seeing an overwhelming desire for change from real voters in key states. They are angry because, for too long, Republicans in Washington have ignored the issues they really care about.

If we were John Cornyn, we'd be awfully worried about our reelection prospects.

Yes Man

Admiral William Fallon, the Pentagon's top commander on the Middle East, had long been one of the few voices of sanity in the Bush administration opposing an invasion of Iran. The bad news is that he abruptly resigned earlier this week.

While many pundits are debating whether or not Fallon's resignation is a sign that military action against Iran is imminent, what is clear is that Bush has managed to silence one of the few dissenting voices left in his administration.

Admiral Fallon spoke truth to power and is now out of the military. What do you want to bet that the Bush administration finds a willing yes-man to replace him?

South Dakota: Kirby Won't Run

Another Republican challenger, whom the NRSC called an "absolute heavyweight," backed out of the race in South Dakota this week when multi-millionaire Steve Kirby declined to run against Democratic Senator Tim Johnson. Kirby could have potentially spent his vast fortune attacking Senator Johnson and trying to make it a close race. But when faced with Senator Johnson's sky-high approval ratings and strong campaign organization, Kirby made the smart choice and decided to sit this one out.

Senator Johnson could still face a tough race, but for now Republicans are scrambling to find anyone who resembles a legitimate challenger. Given Senator Johnson's strong record of working for South Dakota, the GOP is sure to have a tough time coming up with anyone.

Arkansas: Republicans Draw a Blank

In Arkansas the situation is even worse for Republicans - they failed to find a single candidate to oppose Democrat Mark Pryor. That's right, the filing deadline came and went this week and not one Republican in the entire state of Arkansas was willing to run against Senator Pryor. That's a huge victory in a red state like Arkansas.

The Republican's failure in Arkansas is an early indication that this year could be big for Democrats. The first step in expanding our majority in the Senate is to protect incumbent Democrats. When the GOP can't find a single recruit in Arkansas, that frees up valuable resources we can use to go on the offense against Republican incumbents in other states.

Minnesota: Franken Focused

One incumbent we aim to topple is Republican Norm Coleman in Minnesota. And with the news this week that Democrat Mike Ciresi has dropped out of the primary race, author and comedian Al Franken is poised to be the Democratic nominee.

The early polling shows Franken running neck and neck with Coleman. Since Franken has been out-fundraising and out-working the Republican incumbent, we should have a real advantage on the campaign trail.

The national Republicans have already named this race one of their top targets. You can be sure that Norm Coleman is running very, very scared.

Taking it to the Republicans

So why are Republicans having so much trouble finding candidates in traditionally red states? It's pretty simple - because of you. In 2007 Democrats out-raised, out-performed, and out-hustled the Republicans. Your support helped us to respond to Republican attacks, recruit amazing Democratic challengers, and build up a cash-on-hand advantage that's scaring the dickens out of potential Republican challengers.

Election Day will be here sooner than you think. We can't sit back and be content with just re-electing our Democrats - we need to take it to the Republicans while there's still time.

Help us keep the pressure on the GOP by making a contribution today.

georgie loves you

Dear Matt,

During the last seven years, you have stood shoulder to shoulder with me to meet the challenges that faced our country.

Laura and I are forever grateful for your help and steadfast commitment.

As the 2008 elections draw closer, I ask for your continued support for our Party and our important principles. The outcome of these elections will set our nation's course for a generation.

The mission of every Republican must be to keep the White House and retake the U.S. House and Senate. We must elect a new Republican president in order to defend America and extend our nation's prosperity.

A Democrat victory in November would turn back the clock on all that we have accomplished to strengthen our national security, grow our economy and improve our schools.

The Republican National Committee is at the forefront of the effort to retain the White House. As the umbrella organization for the entire Republican Party, the RNC has the responsibility to give our candidates the maximum support they need to defeat the Democrats.

Vice President Cheney, Laura and I are doing everything we can to ensure the RNC has the resources to provide our candidates with the tools they need to build, strong effective campaigns.

Matt, will you stand with us again by making a special 2008 campaign contribution to the Republican National Committee today?

Your special online gift of $1,000, $500, $100, $50 or $25 to the RNC will go a long way towards electing a Republican president, retaking control of Congress and regaining a majority of statehouses.

Your financial support of the Republican National Committee is essential to our success in November. The RNC is leading our Party's national campaign drive.

We must raise the millions of dollars that federal election law allows the RNC, and only the RNC, to expend directly on the presidential campaign after our Convention in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota.

This is the only way grassroots Republicans like you can directly defend our nominee against Democrat attacks during the general election campaign. Having twice been the nominee, I can tell you how vital this assistance was to my own campaigns in 2000 and 2004. I would not have won election or re-election without the RNC's strong and effective efforts.

The RNC also provides Republican candidates at all levels with research, polling data, volunteer training, direct financial support -- and makes certain our vital voter identification, voter registration and get-out-the vote efforts are fully funded.

To keep these critical campaign programs moving forward, the RNC must raise $27.8 million in the first quarter of 2008. I hope you will make a special online campaign contribution of $1,000, $500, $100, $50 or $25 today to help reach that goal.

Matt, our Party must win the 2008 elections to ensure the continued prosperity and security of our nation. I urge you to give as generously as you can.

Sincerely,

George W. Bush

P.S. Matt, if we are to keep America moving forward and create a safer, more prosperous future, we must elect a Republican president and Congress in November. Please make a secure online contribution of $1,000, $500, $100, $50 or $25 to the RNC today to help reach the first quarter goal of $27.8 million. Thank you.

pennsylvania

Dear john,

It happened after Iowa. It happened again in February. People counted Hillary out. They tried to say the race was over.

But you knew better. You sustained her with your support. You kept the campaign going with your contributions. You made more than a million phone calls. You believed in Hillary when she needed you the most. And in Texas and Ohio, she proved you right.

Thanks to you, this race is neck-and-neck despite the Obama campaign outraising us by $20 million in February. Now we have six weeks to make our case in Pennsylvania.

We know it's a fight. We know our opponent will outspend us. But we cannot let him have a head start in Pennsylvania, the critical next state. Hillary needs your support now -- today -- to make sure we're fighting on a level playing field.

Contribute today to help Hillary win.

You and I know Hillary can win. We have a strategy in place and a clear path to the nomination. All she needs is for you to keep standing up for her every single day.

The road ahead is long, but your dedication will see us through. Back in February, you accomplished something truly amazing for Hillary, with 300,000 of you raising $35 million to fund her campaign.

You kept us competitive even as the Obama campaign outraised us by $20 million -- an advantage they will use as they best can in Pennsylvania.

Now we all face a few weeks before Pennsylvania and all the states that follow. Hillary has to build on her victories in Texas, Ohio and Rhode Island. Can you help us sustain that energy over the next six weeks?

Hillary needs your help more than ever. As she proved in Ohio and Texas, where she was outspent by millions but won anyway, you can put her over the top.

So please make a contribution today to help us win in Pennsylvania.

There's no way Hillary would be in the position she is in today without your enthusiastic and dedicated support. I know it, she knows it, and we both tell everyone we know about everything you are doing to help her win.

Sincerely,

Bill Clinton

from the desk of john mccain

My Friends,

Last week, I was humbled to win the support of 1,191 delegates and officially become the presumptive nominee of our party. It was a great honor to also receive the endorsement of President Bush and visit the Republican National Committee to begin laying out our strategy for victory in November. We face a tough challenge, but I'm confident that together we will win.

It's been a long journey. While I would like to sit back and reflect on what we've been through over these many months, there will be time for that later. Right now, beginning today, we must join together as a party. We must unite as we face either Senator Clinton or Senator Obama in November. I ask that you join me today and make a financial commitment to help our campaign replenish our resources to achieve our goals.

Now we move into the second phase of this campaign. Together, we must convince the American people that our shared conservative principles and my election as president, are in the best interests of the country we love.

And this will be, without question, the toughest phase. From this moment forward, whomever the Democrats choose, we will face a candidate directly opposed to us on every important issue facing our nation. The Democratic nominee will increase the size of the federal government, raise your taxes, and withdraw our armed forces from Iraq's front lines based on an arbitrary timetable. My commitment will be to cut taxes, reduce the size of government and bring the war to the swiftest possible conclusion without leaving the region in chaos, or an enemy emboldened to attack us elsewhere with weapons we dare not allow them to possess.

As I've said many times, this election is about big things. And it will be the most expensive election battle in history. The Democrats have demonstrated their ability to raise an astonishing amount of money for their campaign. Soon those resources will be focused on me. We must be ready. I am asking today to help replenish our resources and begin the long difficult march to victory by making a contribution of $50, $100, $250, $500 or even $1,000.

We have prepared for this fight for a long, long time. It begins today. We've come this far. Let's go on to victory.

Thank you,

John McCain

P.S. I cannot overemphasize how critical it is to rebuild our campaign resources as quickly as possible. I urge you to please make whatever contribution you can today, right now, by following this link. There will be no second chances in this fight. This is our moment to join together and show the strength of our party. Thank you.

spun out

Dear Matthew,

When we won Iowa, the Clinton campaign said it's not the number of states you win, it's "a contest for delegates."

When we won a significant lead in delegates, they said it's really about which states you win.

When we won South Carolina, they discounted the votes of African-Americans.

When we won predominantly white, rural states like Idaho, Utah, and Nebraska, they said those didn't count because they won't be competitive in the general election.

When we won in Washington State, Wisconsin, and Missouri -- general election battlegrounds where polls show Barack is a stronger candidate against John McCain -- the Clinton campaign attacked those voters as "latte-sipping" elitists.

And now that we've won more than twice as many states, the Clinton spin is that only certain states really count.

But the facts are clear.

For all their attempts to discount, distract, and distort, we have won more delegates, more states, and more votes.

Meanwhile, more than half of the votes that Senator Clinton has won so far have come from just five states. And in four of these five states, polls show that Barack would be a stronger general election candidate against McCain than Clinton.

We're ready to take on John McCain. But we also need to build operations in places like Pennsylvania, Indiana, North Carolina, and Oregon that will hold their primaries in April and May.

Barack Obama needs your support to fight this two-front battle. Please make a donation of $25 right now:

https://donate.barackobama.com/math

With our overwhelming victory in the Mississippi primary yesterday, our lead in earned delegates is now wider than it was on March 3rd, before the contests in Ohio and Texas.

And thanks to your help, we have dramatically increased our support among so-called "superdelegates" -- Governors, Members of Congress, and party officials who have a vote at the Democratic National Convention in August.

As the number of remaining delegates dwindles, Hillary Clinton's path to the nomination seems less and less plausible.

Now that Mississippi is behind us, we move on to the next ten contests. The Clinton campaign would like to focus your attention only on Pennsylvania -- a state in which they have already declared that they are "unbeatable."

But Pennsylvania is only one of those 10 remaining contests, each important in terms of allocating delegates and ultimately deciding who our nominee will be.

We have activated our volunteer networks in each of these upcoming battlegrounds. We're putting staff on the ground and building our organization everywhere.

The key to victory is not who wins the states that the Clinton campaign thinks are important. The key to victory is realizing that every vote and every voter matters.

Throughout this entire process, the Clinton campaign has cherry-picked states, diminished caucuses, and moved the goal posts to create a shifting, twisted rationale for why they should win the nomination despite winning fewer primaries, fewer states, fewer delegates, and fewer votes.

We must stand up to the same-old Washington politics. Barack has won twice as many states, large and small, in every region of the country -- many by landslide margins. And this movement is expanding the base of the Democratic Party by attracting new voters in record numbers and bringing those who had lost hope back into the political process.

Push back against the spin and help build the operation to win more delegates in these upcoming contests:

https://donate.barackobama.com/math

Thank you for your support and for everything you've done to build a movement that is engaging voters and winning contests in every part of this country.

David

David Plouffe
Campaign Manager
Obama for America

victories and attacks

Matthew --

It's tough to think of two states more different than Wyoming and Mississippi.

But we won Wyoming on Saturday, and we just learned that we won Mississippi by a large margin tonight.

Between those two states, we picked up enough delegates to erase the gains by Senator Clinton last Tuesday and add to our substantial lead in earned delegates. And in doing so we showed the strength and breadth of this movement.

But just turn on the news and you'll see that Senator Clinton continues to run an expensive, negative campaign against us. Each day her campaign launches a new set of desperate attacks.

They're not just attacking me; they're attacking you.

Over the weekend, an aide to Senator Clinton attempted to diminish the overwhelming number of contests we've won by referring to places we've prevailed as "boutique" states and our supporters as the "latte-sipping crowd."

I'm not sure how those terms apply to Mississippi and Wyoming -- or Virginia, Iowa, Louisiana, or Idaho for that matter.

I know that our victories in all of these states demonstrate a rejection of this kind of petty, divisive campaigning.

But the fact remains that Senator Clinton's campaign will continue to attack us using the same old Washington playbook. And now that John McCain is the Republican nominee, we are forced to campaign on two fronts.

It's up to you to fight back. Please make a donation of $25 today:

https://donate.barackobama.com/math

Thank you,

Barack

take a look

Dear john,

Your hard work and dedication mean so much to me, and I know you played a critical role in our wins on March 4.

I recorded a special message for you the night of March 4, and I hope you'll take a look.

Click here to watch.

We still have challenges ahead, but I know that we can win if we work together, just like we did in Ohio, Texas, and Rhode Island.

I'm so proud to have your support. Thank you for everything you do.

Sincerely,


Hillary Rodham Clinton

Huckabee out.

It seems as if winter is chasing me wherever I go! It's snowing hard in Little Rock today--in March, for heaven's sake! After spending the past few months mostly in Iowa, New Hampshire, Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin, and other "snow states," I thought we'd seen the last of winter. But NO--it snowed in Texas and now in Little Rock. I would head to South Florida, but would hate to cause a snowstorm in Miami.

I want to thank all of you for the incredible encouragement that you've been giving to Janet and me these past few days. We read the blogs daily and get such a lift from the thoughtful and gracious things people are saying. It really does overwhelm us with gratitude.

While many of our staff have left to find jobs and to head to wherever home is for a while, a few are still in the office trying to pack things up and go through the process of closing the doors. This will take a while--we weren't planning on this, but rather had planned on not closing until January of 2009.

We will keep the website active, although it may be updated on a more limited basis instead of hourly--we will communicate with you what's next. We are trying to formulate the plans for transitioning into an effort to work to help the cause in this year's elections and then to continue having an impact on policy and issues beyond.

One thing I'm convinced of--you have worked too hard and made too many sacrifices for us to just "quit." That's not an option for any of us. The reason we all worked so hard is to make a better future for coming generations--as I often said, this isn't about just the next election, but the next generation. That battle is far from over.

I've spent the past couple of days trying to find the bottom of my desk, make calls, and re-connect with our "boys" (the 3 dogs--Jet, Sonic, and Toby) who haven't seen much of us the past few months. We are trying to find some time to get away for a few days, but not sure when or where just yet. There's still a lot of things to get done right now.

One of my immediate concerns is for our incredible staff. Pray for them that they will all find good jobs soon. Many gave up very good careers to come to work for us at a fraction of their salaries. They have worked 20 hour days for months without rest or vacation. One of my priorities is to make sure they land on their feet. We have some amazing people with truly remarkable gifts.

I will keep in touch through the website and hope to be able to announce in the near future some plans that will hopefully keep us all connected for what the future might still hold. I do not for one moment believe that our mission has been accomplished--just started. I hope you feel the same. We may be delayed, but not deterred!

I appreciate you all more than I have the capacity to communicate. Have a great weekend. Janet and I will be in our own church for the first time in a long time and that will be great.

Now, it's time to get back to sorting through months of things that have been stacking up and watching the snow makes me think I'm back in Iowa! God bless you all!

With deep love for all,

mccain update

The McCain Update - March 7, 2008

With the wins in Texas, Ohio, Rhode Island and Vermont, John McCain officially became the Republican nominee on March 4th. He now has over 1,191 delegates. For an update on the final delegate totals, go to JohnMcCain.com/PathtoVictory. If you missed John McCain's speech on Tuesday night in Texas, click here to watch it online.

Man in the Arena

This week we launched a new video,"The Man in the Arena," highlighting John McCain's optimistic vision and leadership in these historic and challenging times.

Like Teddy Roosevelt's famous quote, John McCain is the "Man in the Arena" in this presidential race. John McCain has been tested in life, but never backed down. Whether arguing against the original Iraq strategy or calling for the now-successful troop surge, John McCain has always been the man in the arena.

Because of John McCain's leadership and experience, he is ready to lead on Day One. Click here to watch "Man in the Arena."

Party Unites Behind McCain

After obtaining the number of delegates needed to win the Republican Nomination, President George Bush endorsed John McCain at the White House in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday. John and Cindy McCain had lunch at the White House, followed by a press conference in the Rose Garden.

Later in the afternoon, John McCain met with RNC Chairman Mike Duncan at the party's national headquarters in Washington. They discussed plans for uniting the Republican party and joining together to defeat the Democratic nominee in the fall. President Bush and Chairman Duncan join the ever-growing list of John McCain supporters. Click here to see the latest update.

Latest News

Below are some of the top news articles from this week. For more news articles and press releases, go to www.JohnMcCain.com.

• Bloomberg: McCain Balances
• Washington Times: McCain Leads In Crossover Votes
• New York Times: It’s Official: Party And President Back McCain
• Los Angeles Times: McCain Gets Bush's Blessing
• Washington Post: McCain Clinches GOP Presidential Nomination
• Boston Globe: McCain Sweeps To Nomination
• Los Angeles Times: McCain: Every Vote Is In Play
• Wall Street Journal: McCain Blasts Russian Election
• New York Post: Barack's Iraq Attack
• Associated Press: Dems Take McCain Out Of Context On Iraq

that was you

Dear john,

Did you feel the race shift?

Those last few days before Hillary's big wins, could you feel the difference? The crowds, the energy, the momentum of the whole race seemed to be shifting in Hillary's direction.

That was you.

You fueled Hillary's stunning comeback, and she and I both know that this campaign would not be where it is today without you. You should be incredibly proud of what you have accomplished.

And in the last 24 hours, you did it again, raising an extraordinary $3 million.

We worked too hard to get to this point to do anything except drive towards victory in Pennsylvania and beyond. And doubling the $3 million you just raised -- reaching $6 million in 48 hours -- will make it clear to everyone watching that we're playing to win.

Give Hillary a head start with another $3 million day.

Let me put what you accomplished yesterday in perspective. More than 45,000 of you contributed to Hillary's campaign in the wake of her wins in Texas, Ohio, and Rhode Island.

You didn't just make her comeback possible. You are providing the resources it takes to win big races. We need to hit the ground running in Pennsylvania, and thanks to your commitment to Hillary, we are doing exactly that.

No one thought we could compete on the air in Ohio and Texas -- but thanks to you, we did. You are making the impossible possible and meeting every challenge.

That's just what Hillary will do as president, just so long as we keep working with her to win. Can you help put Hillary in the position to win Pennsylvania with your contribution today? Hitting another $3 million goal in 24 hours will give her a big head start.

Contribute now to give Hillary another $3 million day.

I know I speak for Hillary when I tell you that we both know how deep your commitment to her campaign runs. And she is matching that commitment with her effort every day on the campaign trail, because your support deserves nothing less.

Thank you so much for everything you are doing to help Hillary win.

Sincerely,

Bill Clinton

Meet Paddy

Dear Matt,

As a top supporter of the RNC, I am offering you a special opportunity to help elect GOP candidates and give a gift to your favorite Republican this St. Patrick's Day.

Meet Paddy, the newest member of the Republican National Committee's family of elephants.

Paddy is available for a limited-time only and is sure to be snapped up quickly. Embroidered with the official logo of the RNC, Paddy is a wonderful plush toy and makes a perfect gift for St. Patrick's Day. Or give Paddy to the "Green" Republican in your life who is dedicated to improving the environment.

Matt, we'll send you Paddy today with your special contribution of at least $35.

Your donation today is vital to helping fund the RNC's candidate support and get-out-the-vote programs.

As the umbrella organization for the entire Republican Party, the RNC provides more strategic guidance, research, polling data and direct financial assistance to Republican candidates than any other GOP committee. And the RNC is responsible for conducting the vital voter registration and voter education drives that are crucial to getting our voters to the polls on Election Day.

Click here to order yours today. This special offer is only available while supplies last.

Give Paddy as a gift this St. Patrick's Day to your favorite Republican friend, child or grandchild, or keep him for yourself. Thank you for your continuing commitment to our Party and our cause.

Sincerely,

Sue Gazdo
Director, RNC Membership Service

the math

Matthew --

I want to add some more news to David's note about the state of the race.

As you know, we've won 27 of 41 contests and have maintained our commanding lead among pledged delegates.

But today I want to share another staggering number: supporters like you donated more than $55 million to this campaign in the month of February.

That's a humbling achievement, and I am very grateful for your support.

No campaign has ever raised this much in a single month in the history of presidential primaries. But more important than the total is how we did it -- more than 90% of donations were $100 or less, and more than 385,000 new donors in February pushed us past our goal of more than 1,000,000 people owning a piece of this campaign.

From the beginning, this campaign has always been funded by a movement of grassroots supporters giving whatever they can afford. And unlike Senator Clinton and Senator McCain, we have never taken money from lobbyists or PACs.

Senator Clinton has decided to use her resources to wage a negative, throw-everything-including-the-kitchen-sink campaign. John McCain has clinched the Republican nomination and is attacking us daily. But I will continue to vigorously defend my record and make the case for change that will improve the lives of all Americans.

Despite your generosity in February, I need your help to continue this battle on two separate fronts.

Please make a donation of $25 today:

https://donate.barackobama.com/math

Thank you for your support,

Barack

DSCC - the rant

The Road to Victory

You're going to love our new video series, "The Road to Victory."

For the first time, the DSCC is hitting the campaign trail to give you a behind-the-scenes look at the Democratic Senate candidates, their Republican opponents, and the real people who make our efforts to expand the Democratic majority so important.

Click here to watch our new video and learn why real people think 51 Democrats in the Senate just aren't enough.

In this first episode, we went to the streets of Washington to do just that and we were so impressed by the clear and honest calls for change in November.

We're cooking up some great ideas for future episodes, so watch this space for the latest dispatch from the road.

Texas: Under the Radar

The energy and enthusiasm we saw in Texas this week was amazing. Nearly as many Democrats voted in this week's primary as voted for John Kerry in the 2004 general election.

Not only did they cast votes for president, but they also elected National Guard veteran and State Representative Rick Noriega to be our Democratic Senate candidate. Noriega will be aiming to topple Republican incumbent Senator John Cornyn in November.

Noriega has combined an engaging personal story - he was on the front lines in Afghanistan for 14 months - with a strong record of progressive leadership in the state House to build an energetic grassroots following.

Remember, John Cornyn is one of George Bush's most reliable votes in the Senate. He led the way as Republicans tried to pack our federal courts with right-wing judges. And Cornyn was ranked as the third-most conservative Senator by National Journal in 2006.

Defeating Cornyn won't be easy, but you can be certain that the DSCC and the Texas grassroots will do everything possible to elect Rick Noriega in November.

Alaska: Serious Challenger to Stevens

The DSCC continued our recruiting success in Alaska when Anchorage mayor Mark Begich announced last week that he is forming an exploratory committee in the race to take on Mr. "The Internet is a Series of Tubes" himself, Republican Senator Ted Stevens.

Stevens has been under scrutiny for alleged ties to two oil industry executives who have pled guilty to federal conspiracy, bribery, and tax charges.

Begich, on the other hand, is drawing on his experience as a successful two-term mayor of Alaska's largest city to build a 6-point lead in early polling.

Stevens is in trouble, but he hasn't served in the Senate for 40 years without building an impressive political operation in Alaska. This is sure to be a close race. But now that it looks like a very strong Democrat will be entering the contest, it's one we can win.

New Mexico: A Special Screening of An Inconvenient Truth Needed

Al Gore has taught us that if we don't do something about global warming, it will spell disaster for our planet and potentially even our civilization.

So how do you explain that New Mexico Republican Senate candidate Rep. Steve Pearce earned a shocking zero percent rating in the latest congressional scorecard from the League of Conservation Voters?

Steve Pearce didn't vote the right way on any of LCV's top legislative priorities last year. And now this guy wants to be Senator? From one of the states leading the way on alternative energy? Do we need to schedule a special screening of An Inconvenient Truth?

The worst part? Pearce's opponent in the Republican primary didn't fare much better. Congresswoman Heather Wilson managed to score a 15% on the LCV scorecard in part because she voted in favor of an extremely controversial (warning: sarcasm) bill to provide Americans with clean water.

The bottom line is that it doesn't matter which Republican wins the Senate primary in New Mexico. If we're going to get serious about global warming, we have to elect Democratic Congressman Tom Udall. After all, he earned a sky-high 95% on that same LCV scorecard.

Sounds like he's the only one who's seen the movie, doesn't it?

John McCain: Another Bush

Sometimes it seems like John McCain is somehow just trying to trick America into thinking his presidency would be anything other than a virtual third term of George Bush.

How else can you explain McCain's deafening silence yesterday? That's when, on the same day Bush was giving the Arizona senator a formal endorsement, he was also vetoing a Democratic-led effort to finally ban American personnel from using torture.

McCain has long been a passionate advocate against the use of torture, stemming from his own experiences as a POW, but when it's time to take Bush's endorsement, he mysteriously drops his objections.

This is just the kind of McCain flip-flop that you never seem to read about in the mainstream media. But we know better, and we're not going to let the country fall for it this time.

George Bush: From Bad to Worse

Now, we know George Bush leaves office in 319 days (but who's counting?). Still, we just can't stop writing about him. He always gives us new mind-boggling material.

It's bad enough that George Bush was completely befuddled by the prospect that gas prices could rise to $4 a gallon this spring. Remember, a price jump like that will have a real impact on the household budget of working American families.

When asked about this prospect, Bush called it "interesting." We call it "catastrophic."

Bush claimed - despite having an entire Council of Economic Advisors - that he "hadn't heard that." We think he should be walking the streets of Washington looking for gas stations if no one in the White House will tell him how working Americans are struggling.

But we just about lost it when - just a few minutes later during the exact same press conference - Bush refused to answer a question he didn't like, citing a pretty amazing reason.

"I, frankly, have been focused elsewhere," Bush said, "like on gasoline prices."

Are you kidding us!? We couldn't make up this kind of ridiculousness. You just wouldn't believe it. But there's video:

Click here to see George Bush's stupefying press conference. You won't believe it.

We'll say one thing, though. It's going be great to have a Democratic president next year who - you know - pays attention to the needs of working Americans and manages to maintain logical consistency. You know, little things like that.

The Latest News

Finally, just a reminder that in addition to The Rant, you can always get the absolute latest news from Senate races around the country at the official DSCC blog, From the Roots:

http://www.fromtheroots.org

PFAW email

Dear matthew,

Remember the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth?

It was the organization that ran TV ads against John Kerry in 2004 attacking his war record in Vietnam, even going so far as to characterize him as a potential war criminal.

The "Swift Boat ads" were based on lies. But the Bush campaign was able to distance itself from these heinous smears because the group running them was technically independent. Well, the right-wing donors and fundraisers behind the Swift Boat ads are back with a vengeance in 2008.

But you can help counter their efforts. Here's how.

People For the American Way Action Fund is an independent political organization affiliated with PFAW. The Action Fund will be running ads in key states that expose the true records of candidates as well as who's behind the right-wing smear machine.

Help counter 2008's swift-boaters by supporting PFAW Action Fund with a critical donation today.

The Action Fund is needed more than ever, as the right-wing groups have already begun.

Defense of Democracies is one that has already started running ads against vulnerable freshman Democrats in some "red" districts -- ads that include images of terrorists including Osama bin Laden, in an obvious attempt to whoop up hysteria around terrorism and mischaracterizing their positions.

Freedom's Watch, a right-wing political organization that spent tens of millions of dollars in ad buys supporting the administration's "surge" in Iraq, will be targeting progressives in 2008 and will have an IMMENSE war chest. In January, the Washington Post reported:

Freedom's Watch will have money -- a lot of money. While initial reports suggested a budget of $200 million, people who have talked to the group in recent weeks say the figure is closer to $250 million, more than double the amount spent by the largest independent liberal groups in the 2004 election cycle.

Progressive candidates -- for the House, the Senate AND the White House -- can only do so much to fend off these attacks from so many angles. But while the right-wing groups are smearing progressive candidates, you can help People For the American Way Action Fund tell the TRUTH about the Right.

Please contribute now.

And let your friends know about People For the American Way Action Fund, and that help is on the way.

Mary Jean Collins, Political Director
People For the American Way

P.S. In recent weeks, we've seen the White House use lies and smears against members of Congress who have tried to defend Americans' constitutional rights against warrantless spying. These groups want to use their hundreds of millions of dollars to escalate those smears, on the airwaves and in your communities. You don't have to sit back and let them.

Help out mccain

Dear Matt,

The Presidential election is eight months away - just 244 days from today. There are two things you can do right now to help support John McCain's Presidential election effort.

If you are not registered to vote, click here to fill out a voter registration form. You may also forward the voter registration link to fellow family members and friends today by clicking here.

Joining the GOP Team is easy! Type in your contact information and indicate how you'd like to help volunteer or join a team. Then, recruit your family, friends, and neighbors. Together we'll bring new faces into the GOP and help elect John McCain our next President.

Best Wishes,

Jo Ann Davidson
Co-Chairman
Republican National Committee

sorry for not keeping up with posts

So here's a Friday Night Email Extravaganza!
_____

Dear Matt,

Last night, Senator John McCain wrapped up the Republican Presidential nomination. Today, he met with President Bush at the White House to accept the President's congratulations for securing the support to claim our Party's nomination.

As President Bush said, "He's going to win."

Matt, Senator McCain is an exceptional leader with a distinguished record.

He began his lifetime of courageous service to our country as a naval aviator. His honors during his 22-year career in the Navy include the Silver Star, Bronze Star, Legion of Merit, Purple Heart, and Distinguished Flying Cross.

After leaving the Navy in 1981, he continued his service in the U.S. Congress, first being elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from Arizona in 1982. After serving two terms in the U.S. House, he was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1986, where he is currently serving his fourth term.

Throughout his career, John McCain has fought for a reform agenda of reducing federal spending, lowering taxes, and strengthening our nation's Armed Forces. As the Republican Presidential nominee, the Senator will unify our Party around our core conservative principles of a strong national defense, fiscal discipline, lower taxes, protecting traditional values, and nominating judges who will not legislate from the bench.

As we move forward in this critical campaign, Senator McCain is counting on the help of Republican grassroots leaders like you to ensure we can enact our responsible agenda by electing him the next President of the United States, and re-establishing Republican majorities in Congress.

That's why I hope you will make a secure online contribution of $1,000, $500, $100, $50, or $25 to support the RNC Presidential Trust.

Matt, under federal election law, the RNC is the ONLY Republican Party organization permitted to directly support our presidential nominee during the general election campaign. This, along with support for all our candidates, is done through the RNC Presidential Trust.

The RNC, Senator McCain, and Republican candidates across the country need your immediate help to prepare for the challenges ahead. Please make a secure online contribution right now of $1,000, $500, $100, $50, or $25 to the RNC Presidential Trust. Your donation is an important investment in keeping the White House in Republican hands and winning back Congress.

On behalf of Senator McCain and all Republican candidates, thank you for your generous support.

Best Wishes,

Robert M. "Mike" Duncan
Chairman, Republican National Committee

P.S. Matt, the RNC is the ONLY Party organization permitted to directly support our presidential nominee, John McCain. Your immediate secure online contribution of $1,000, $500, $100, $50, or $25 is vital to our cause. Thank you.

Huckabee concedes

Dear Faithful Friends,

Last night was a tough one for all of us. While Janet and I stood on the stage, we felt as if we were surrounded by a much larger family than our immediate family. We have been surrounded throughout the process by a large and growing family of faithful friends whose efforts in the campaign have humbled and amazed us day after day. I regularly wept or choked back tears just reading comments on the blog when I realized the sacrifices that so many have made for the campaign.

We had held out hope that we would win enough delegates to keep the contest going, but had vowed that if Senator McCain actually got the 1191 delegates, we would accept the will of the voters. In the end, the relentless hammering of the media that we "couldn't win" influenced enough voters and while we campaigned long and hard in the final states, it simply wasn't enough. I congratulate Senator McCain and will do what I can to assist him and influence him to take strong stands for issues that we conservatives cherish.

I don't see the long journey having reached its destination, but merely taking a detour. As my Marine friend Clebe McLary says, "I didn't lose--it's just that the game ended before I got finished playing."

In the immediate days ahead, we will be transitioning from campaign mode. For 14 months, there have been a lot of things put on hold in our lives. We have to join the many incredible people on our staff to figure out "what's next?" But this much I can tell you---we want to stay in touch and start now building a platform to continue addressing issues that brought us together in the first place.

Throughout my life, I've found that there are sometimes three possible answers to our prayers--"Yes," "No," or "Not Now." I would like to think our prayers were answered with a "Not Now."

We will keep our website up and as we transition, will want to create a way to keep in touch and continue the battle for our families, our freedom, and our future. We will also focus on assisting conservative Senate and House candidates, in places where we know our investment of time and energy can make a real difference. You can expect us to be active online as we do this and to regularly solicit your opinions and support. Too many big issues are at stake for us to sit on the sidelines.

In the immediate time, we have to make sure that we help our staff find ways to earn a living, and make sure that we don't lose the momentum of the past 14 months, but instead follow the plan:

REFLECT, REST, RENEW, and RE-BOOT!

I really welcome your input and thoughts during these coming days. Pray for us as we seek wisdom as to what steps we take now. Despite what some have thought, we really didn't have a "Plan B' in the wings--we always thought we'd be in this until the inauguration in January of 2009!

God has been so good to us! We can never fully express our gratitude for all you have done and how you have touched and blessed our lives. I truly hope I didn't let you down. I promise to you that I gave it all I had to the last minute and left it "all on the field." What is more amazing is how you were willing to be "poured out" to the point of empty in order to be with us all the way. I stand amazed by it all and overwhelmed with gratitude.

We will dust off, pick ourselves up off the canvas, and answer the bell for the next round, whatever that may be. We love you all, and trust that the journey has just begun!

With tired bodies and grateful hearts,

Mike and Janet Huckabee

Stunning

Dear john,

We defied the odds last night -- yes, WE -- and with our stunning victories, the momentum is now all on our side. We're going on, we're going strong, and we're going all the way.

Against all the odds, facing an opponent with more momentum and twice as many ads on the air, you kept working, giving, and believing. And that hard work is going to put us in the White House.

We put everything on the line for these wins, and now it's time to put our hard-earned momentum to work. Without skipping a beat, we need to match the Obama campaign's effort in Pennsylvania -- our next big contest -- and that means I am relying on you again. We need $3 million in the next 24 hours to ramp up our efforts immediately.

Contribute now to help us reach $3 million in 24 hours.

Millions of Americans have yet to speak. In states like Wyoming, Mississippi, and Pennsylvania, people are watching this campaign and want their voices to count. It's up to us to give them that chance.

That means keeping this race competitive. Thanks to you, we cut his four-to-one advertising advantage in half in March 4 states. Now our next step is to quickly replenish our resources. We don't intend to play catch-up with the Obama campaign.

With your help, we're opening volunteer headquarters all across the state of Pennsylvania before the week is out. We will launch a campaign ready, willing, and able to reach out to voters all across a state that now finds itself at the absolute center of the 2008 campaign.

Help us kick off our Pennsylvania campaign by reaching $3 million in the next 24 hours.

Contribute now to help us reach $3 million in 24 hours.

This nation is coming back, and so is this campaign.

The speed and energy with which we take advantage of our regained momentum is up to you. Thank you for being there for me. I promise in the White House, I will be there for you every day.

Sincerely,


Hillary Rodham Clinton

An Incredible Feeling

It's a pretty incredible feeling, isn't it? After our victories tonight we have the momentum, thanks to your will, determination, and hard work.

Some people were ready to count us out. But you and I proved them wrong, just as we have every time they tried to declare this race over prematurely. And we're going to keep showing them exactly what we can do.

We're going to do it for everyone across America who's been counted out -- but refused to be knocked out. For everyone who's stumbled -- but stood right back up. And for everyone who works hard -- but never gives up.

I hope you enjoy our victories tonight as much as I am. We won this one together, and that makes it that much better. Thank you so very much for all you have done for our campaign.

Let's build on this remarkable momentum. Each and every one of you can make a statement tonight by going to www.hillaryclinton.com

Thank you so much for everything you did to make this night possible.

All the best,
Hillary

Bush Endorses McCain

ear matthew,

John McCain formally won the Republican nomination last night. So what did he do today? He didn't meet with voters, didn't take a break, didn't even attack our candidates -- he headed to the White House to stand with George W. Bush.

There's no question that George Bush knows that John McCain will pick up where he leaves off. Make no mistake, McCain is the closest Bush will have to a third term, and the White House will do anything to get him elected.

In fact, they're so similar, John McCain had little to say -- George Bush did most of the talking for both of them.

He even suggested that McCain doesn't represent change, saying that it's something candidates have to run on because it's what the American people want to hear. Once again, McCain and Bush are both telling the American people what they want to hear, rather than the truth.

It's frightening how much George Bush likes John McCain, and it should tell you all you need to know.

We've had a few late nights around here, and I'm sure we'll have a few more. We're working non-stop to beat John McCain and George Bush. Now that McCain is formally the Republican nominee, he has the Republican establishment lined up firmly behind him.

We need your help matthew. While Sen. Clinton and Sen. Obama continue their campaign, we have to be focused on John McCain. We can't afford to let him get ahead:

http://www.democrats.org/BushEndorsement

Governor Dean will be in touch soon, but I wanted to send you a note right away. This election is just too important to let John McCain and George Bush get a head start.

Tom McMahon
Executive Director
Democratic National Committee

McCain wins nomination

Dear Friend, Last night, we did it. We won the Republican nomination for President. It was a long, up and down journey, but we worked hard, spoke honestly to the American people, and our steadfast determination has paid off. As we come to the end of our party's primary contest, we begin what will certainly be a spirited and hard-fought campaign against the Democratic nominee. In November, Americans will have a clear choice to make. And I intend to fight as hard as I can to make it very clear that I am the candidate with the experience and leadership to serve as our commander in chief from day one. My friends, I write to you today because I know we have a great challenge ahead of us. This campaign will be more expensive than any other in our history and I ask you today to support my campaign by making a generous contribution of $50, $100, $250, $500 or $1,000. As president, I intend to reduce the size of the federal government, reduce your tax burden and win the war against Islamic extremists. My Democratic opponents will increase the size of the federal government, raise your taxes and withdraw our troops from the front lines based on an arbitrary timeline. I have said before that this election will be about big things, not small things. And as president, I will make the hard but necessary decisions to lead our country in solving our greatest challenges. Today, we must unite as we face either Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama in November. I ask that you join me today and make a financial commitment to help our campaign replenish our resources. I thank you for your support and look forward to the campaign that lies ahead of us. Sincerely, John McCain P.S. My friends, now that I have secured enough delegates to be the Republican nominee for president, I ask that you support my campaign by making a contribution right away to replenish our campaign funds. As we end our primary contest and begin what will be a competitive general election against the Democratic nominee, I stand ready to lead our nation as we face great challenges, and it is my hope that you will join my campaign today. Thank you.

The Math

Matthew --

Our projections show the most likely outcome of yesterday's elections will be that Hillary Clinton gained 187 delegates, and we gained 183.

That's a net gain of 4 delegates out of more than 370 delegates available from all the states that voted.

For comparison, that's less than half our net gain of 9 delegates from the District of Columbia alone. It's also less than our net gain of 8 from Nebraska, or 12 from Washington State. And it's considerably less than our net gain of 33 delegates from Georgia.

The task for the Clinton campaign yesterday was clear. In order to have a plausible path to the nomination, they needed to score huge delegate victories and cut into our lead.

They failed.

It's clear, though, that Senator Clinton wants to continue an increasingly desperate, increasingly negative -- and increasingly expensive -- campaign to tear us down.

That's her decision. But it's not stopping John McCain, who clinched the Republican nomination last night, from going on the offensive. He's already made news attacking Barack, and that will only become more frequent in the coming days.

Right now, it's essential for every single supporter of Barack Obama to step up and help fight this two-front battle. In the face of attacks from Hillary Clinton and John McCain, we need to be ready to take them on.

Will you make an online donation of $25 right now?

https://donate.barackobama.com/math

The chatter among pundits may have gotten better for the Clinton campaign after last night, but by failing to cut into our lead, the math -- and their chances of winning -- got considerably worse.

Today, we still have a lead of more than 150 delegates, and there are only 611 pledged delegates left to win in the upcoming contests.

By a week from today, we will have competed in Wyoming and Mississippi. Two more states and 45 more delegates will be off the table.

But if Senator Clinton wants to continue this, let's show that we're ready.

Make an online donation of $25 now to show you're willing to fight for this:

https://donate.barackobama.com/math

This nomination process is an opportunity to decide what our party needs to stand for in this election.

We can either take on John McCain with a candidate who's already united Republicans and Independents against us, or we can do it with a campaign that's united Americans from all parties around a common purpose.

We can debate John McCain about who can clean up Washington by nominating a candidate who's taken more money from lobbyists than he has, or we can do it with a campaign that hasn't taken a dime of their money because we've been funded by you.

We can present the American people with a candidate who stood shoulder-to-shoulder with McCain on the worst foreign policy disaster of our generation, and agrees with him that George Bush deserves the benefit of the doubt on Iran, or we can nominate someone who opposed the war in Iraq from the beginning and will not support a march to war with Iran.

John McCain may have a long history of straight talk and independent thinking, but he has made the decision in this campaign to offer four more years of the very same policies that have failed us for the last eight.

We need a Democratic candidate who will present the starkest contrast to those failed policies of the past.

And that candidate is Barack Obama.

Please make a donation of $25 now:

https://donate.barackobama.com/math

Thank you,

David

David Plouffe
Campaign Manager
Obama for America

What Happened Today

Matthew --

We may not know the final outcome of today's voting until morning, but the results so far make one thing clear.

When the dust settles from today's contests, we will maintain our substantial lead in delegates. And thanks to millions of people standing for change, we will keep adding delegates and capture the Democratic nomination.

We knew from the day we began this journey that the road would be long. And we knew what we were up against.

We knew that the closer we got to the change we seek, the more we'd see of the politics we're trying to end -- the attacks and distortions that try to distract us from the issues that matter to people's lives, the stunts and the tactics that ask us to fear instead of hope.

But this time -- this year -- it will not work. The challenges are too great. The stakes are too high.

Americans need real change.

In the coming weeks, we will begin a great debate about the future of this country with a man who has served it bravely and loves it dearly. And we will offer two very different visions of the America we see in the twenty-first century.

John McCain has already dismissed our call for change as eloquent but empty.

But he should know that it's a call that did not begin with my words. It's the resounding call from every corner of this country, from first-time voters and lifelong cynics, from Democrats and Republicans alike.

And together you and I are going to grow this movement to deliver that change in November.

Thank you,

Barack

Hey Folks...

I would like to ask the 3 people who read my blog: guys and girls, what do you like or dislike about the way I do things around here? Please leave me a comment.

Additionally, as soon as all the candidates for each party are set in stone (when huckabee drops out and when hillary or barack drops out), I think I'm going to start changing the style here.
I will begin to start adding my own commentary, while keeping everyone informed as to what each campaigns' emails are. I'll call it a two-fer, if you will.


Anyways, let me know what you guys think! I hope my experiment in the end is moderately interesting.

Voices Of Our Party Today and Tomorrow

I am campaigning across Texas today. While I am on the road, I ask that you read and then share with your friends, family and neighbors something very special: 1,800+ individual endorsements of my campaign from voters just like you.

They are from the people that I meet everyday on the campaign trail. They are the voices of our Republican Party today and tomorrow.

To leave your own endorsement you need to sign up as a Ranger today. You can do so here.

Please share these endorsements with friends and family. Help us finish strong.

With deep gratitude,

The 2nd Super Tuesday

Dear Supporter, The Second Super Tuesday arrives tomorrow. Tomorrow, voters go to the polls in Ohio, Texas, Vermont and Rhode Island to vote on their choice for our party's nominee. John McCain has been on the road campaigning almost non-stop. We need just 101 more delegates from these states to become the nominee of the GOP. And we can do that tomorrow with your help! With wins in these states, John McCain will go "over the top" and secure enough delegates to win the Republican nomination for President of the United States. No matter who the Democrats nominate as their candidate, this will be a campaign about issues. Never have the differences on the issues been more stark than today: Lower taxes vs tax increases Success in Iraq vs surrender in Iraq Strict constructionist judges vs judges who legislate from the bench Health care for American families vs government-run health care Fiscal discipline vs continued pork, wasteful government spending and earmarks The future will look very different if we do not nominate and elect John McCain. Tomorrow, with your help, he will secure the nomination. Won't you please support the campaign with an immediate contribution of $101, $200 or even $1000? Thank you in advance for your unflagging help and support. Rick Davis Campaign Manager P.S. - Just 101 delegates are needed on Super Tuesday to secure the nomination of John McCain to be President of the United States. We couldn't have gotten this far without your help - we need your contribution now to go all the way.

the next 24 hours

Dear john,

Over a million people will go to the polls tomorrow in Ohio, Texas, Rhode Island, and Vermont to vote for Hillary, and I hope you know that you helped get them there.

In one incredible month, you've contributed tens of millions of dollars and made more than a million phone calls for Hillary. And in the last 72 hours, 50,000 of you stood up and spoke out by making a contribution to our campaign.

That means we put more ads on the air, knocked on more doors, and reached more voters leading up to tomorrow's primaries. It means we can offer more rides to the polls. You have given us the energy and momentum we need, and our victories are your victories.

We're in our final push to win tomorrow, and you can still lend a hand. You are Hillary's best supporters and her best surrogates, and voters need to hear from you in the final 24 hours!

You can call voters in the March 4 states from your own home by getting on our online calling tool.

Click here to call voters in Texas, Ohio, Rhode Island, and Vermont.

Thank you so much for everything you have done to help Hillary win -- it means so much to her to know you are with her all the way.

Sincerely,

Terry McAuliffe
Chairman, Hillary Clinton for President

P.S. Don't forget to tune in tonight to "The Stories of Texas: A Texas-Sized Town Hall" where in the Lone Star State, Hillary will talk to voters and give them a chance to make their voices heard. Tune in at 7:30 p.m. EST to www.hillaryclinton.com.

Critical Momentum

Dear john,

Yesterday, I asked you to make a statement, and you shouted from the rooftops.

I set an ambitious goal -- 30,000 contributions in 48 hours -- and you're almost there just one day later. So we're setting a new goal to reflect your commitment to this campaign: 50,000 contributions in 72 hours.

Your energy and enthusiasm match what I'm seeing on the campaign trail. Every day I talk to crowds of thousands of people in the March 4 states who are ready to get to work to solve America's biggest problems. Just like you and me, they want to win this race, and together, I know we will.

But first, let's make it to this big new goal: 50,000 contributions in 72 hours.

Contribute and help us win on March 4.

Together we are doing the hard work it's going to take to win. You are giving us the support, the resources, and the momentum we need at this critical moment, and I can't possibly thank you enough.

Sincerely,


Hillary Rodham Clinton

The McCain Update

The McCain Update - February 29, 2008 This week, John McCain traveled through Ohio and Texas in advance of Tuesday's primaries in each state. From Tyler and San Antonio to Cleveland and Cincinnati, the crowds at all of John McCain's events were excited, and the energy was contagious. In West Chester, Ohio, John McCain visited the Armor Holdings factory where they assemble armored vehicles used in Iraq. After touring the plant, he held a town hall meeting, speaking to hundreds of employees before answering questions. John McCain also held a town hall meeting at Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy in Houston, Texas. After the event, former Secretary of State James Baker endorsed John McCain. Secretary Baker said, "I support John McCain because he has the critical leadership qualities, real-world experience, and resolute moral compass that our next president will need in order to responsibly address the daunting global and domestic challenges that lie ahead." Click here to read the press release of this endorsement. To read our growing list of supporters, click here. The Democrats Attack This week we witnessed the first of the negative TV attacks that will be waged against John McCain. The liberal group VoteVets.org has begun airing an attack ad on cable television that flat out lies about John McCain's positions. We saw a similar attack from the New York Times last week, and it is only the beginning. National Liberal Democratic groups are rolling out their strategy for the General Election, and we need your help now to combat the upcoming attacks. It appears that the politics of "hope and change" are euphemisms for even more vicious attacks than we've ever seen before. All the usual liberal suspects - MoveOn.org, the Democratic National Committee, The New York Times and others - are adding to the efforts under way by VoteVets.org and are plotting to spend over $20 million to smear John McCain. We need your immediate help to fight back against this attack from the angry Liberal Left. There is nothing they will hold back, no limit to what they will spend, and we have to be ready to fight back and tell voters what we already know: that John McCain is the right person to lead our country on day one. Click here to contribute today. Show Your McCain Pride To show our appreciation for your on-going support of John McCain, we are offering a special thank you. With your immediate contribution of $100 or more, you will be sent an official John McCain 2008 lapel pin that identifies you as a key McCain supporter. John McCain remains steadfast in his commitment to leadership that promotes principle over politics, and now he needs a commitment from you. As a supporter of John McCain's presidential campaign, you will receive a special McCain 2008 lapel pin with your donation of $100 or more today. We need your financial support now more than ever as we build our campaign funds to take on the Democrats in the fall. Please show your support by making a donation and proudly wearing the McCain lapel pin. Thank you. Latest News Below are some of the top news articles from this week. For more news articles and press releases, go to www.JohnMcCain.com for the latest update. AP: McCain Returning To Say Thanks To NH Tyler (TX) Morning Telegraph: McCain Played to His Strengths Houston Chronicle (TX): Poll: McCain And Obama Lead In Texas Washington Times: McCain, Obama Spar Over Iraq War Policy Fort Worth Star-Telegram (TX): McCain Chides Obama Over War Los Angeles Times: McCain Has Edge Over Democrats New York Times: The Real McCain Akron Beacon Journal (OH): McCain Says Ohio To See Lots Of Him USA Today: Democrats Promise A Lot, But Who Will Pay The Bill? Indianapolis Star (IN): McCain Stays On Message In Meeting

MoveOn Call Parties

Dear MoveOn member,

Together, we did it! MoveOn members beat our original goal of calling 125,000 Texas voters this Sunday—instead making 400,000 calls at nearly 1,800 "Yes We Can" Obama parties across the nation.

Today's Austin American-Statesman called it "a big boost" for Obama, while the Dallas Morning News called it "a virtual blitzkrieg effort to rally Obama supporters to the polls and caucuses."¹

We heard lots of inspiring stories about the call parties, such as this one from Dorothy S. in Lakeway, Texas: "I talked to Obama supporters who didn't know anything about the caucus. I felt good telling them about it and getting their commitment to go." More stories are below.

Texas votes tomorrow. If you'd like to continue making calls for Obama in these final hours, you can do it from your home computer through the Obama campaign website. Click here:

http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/phonebankmap

Our original goal was to call all 125,000 Texas MoveOn members, letting them know they are allowed to vote twice for Obama tomorrow—once in the primary, and then again at a local caucus. Since so many people signed up, we were able to call hundreds of thousands more voters! Here are a few reports we received from around the nation:

The best part was talking to someone who had already voted early in the primary and didn't know about the caucus option who was excited about the opportunity.—Katie D., Oregon

Everyone was on the phone in every corner of the house and my four-year-old son was walking around offering everyone food.—Deirdre G., California

Six people made 220 phone calls. One person was 87 years old.—Katharine C., Maine

I called a woman and she told me she was voting for Clinton and I convinced her that Obama was a better choice. —Kate J., Mississippi

My best moment was a conversation I had with a woman in Dallas who had voted early but who knew nothing about the upcoming caucus. We talked for about 5 minutes, both about the caucus details and about our shared enthusiasm for Obama. She signed off telling me she was going to spread the caucus word to all her friends.—Robert M., California

In a national conference call at the start of the call parties, Sen. Edward Kennedy said, "I salute MoveOn for endorsing Barack Obama and being such a big part of the Democratic primary process."

We are making a difference. Thanks for all you do.

An Important Moment

Dear Matthew,

March 4th could be the decisive day in the race for the Democratic nomination, and you can help put this movement over the top.

Tuesday is Primary Day in Ohio, and we still need people to help Get Out The Vote for Barack in Columbus.

The race in Ohio is extremely close, and what we do -- or don't do -- on Primary Day will make all the difference.

Come to Columbus on Tuesday, and make sure turnout for Barack is as strong as possible:

http://my.barackobama.com/CometoColumbus

Volunteers here in Ohio are already busy this weekend knocking on one million doors across the state.

They're doing a fantastic job of growing support for Barack -- but on Primary Day, it will take people on the ground to make sure that support turns into votes.

Our campaign has always counted on our amazing grassroots network to build this movement for change -- but on Tuesday in Ohio, we need you more than ever.

Sign up now to join us in Columbus and make a difference on Primary Day:

http://my.barackobama.com/CometoColumbus

Thanks,

Chelsea

Chelsea Kammerer
Ohio Field Director
Obama for America