Dear O-Train members and Barack Obama supporters,
By the time you read this, you will likely already know that, for the time being, Barack Obama is going to abide by the DNC ruling and not campaign actively in any of the states that have been found to be in violation of moving up their primary elections earlier than February 5th. This includes Florida. The Obama campaign also urged states in danger of violating DNC rules to adjust their plans to comply with the DNC's calendar, so that every state contributes delegates to the nominating process. As of last weekend's ruling, there is still a 30 day window to try to work out a solution to lift the penalty and allow Florida delegates to be seated at the National Democratic Convention. While Barack will not be doing active political campaigning, he will make his commitment to be in Tampa Bay later this month. Therefore, we will still have Senator Obama in the Tampa Bay area on September 30th for the planned fundraising events.
I know this situation is extremely frustrating and disappointing to many people. Here is the reality: Barack is between a rock and hard place. No candidate from either party has ever won the nomination without winning at least two of the early states. If Barack ignored the DNC he risks alienating early states. If he made Florida happy and campaigned here, he likely would lose the early states and almost be guaranteed to lose the nomination. I don't like what is happening with the DNC. But I also want Barack to win the nomination and then the general election. I'm supporting him to be President of the United Sates not just to be a candidate in the Florida Primary. Am I pleased with this situation? NO! Still, I'm going to cut Barack some slack because I'm keeping my eye on the prize: putting Barack Obama in the White House. That is the O-Train's mission. As supporters in Florida, there are still plenty of things that we can do get him elected. We are not limited by the Florida border. Our O-Train team can support the campaign efforts in the early states of Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire and South Carolina.
In the coming weeks, we will be discussing the activities that we, as strong supporters of Barack Obama, can continue to do, so that he wins the nomination and ultimately wins the White House in November 2008. I, along with our Chair, Co-Chairs and Executive Committee, look forward to seeing everyone at the next O-Train Meeting, where we will be able to answer any of your questions regarding this.
Thank you for your continued support on behalf of Senator Barack Obama. It is an honor to work with each and every one of you.
Frank Sanchez
Obama For America Finance Chair Tampa Bay
National Finance Committee
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1 comment:
good letter and great message. While the rules are not to our liking, they are the rules that the nation works with.
Now, during a presidential campaign, is NOT the time to make changes and try to fight the rules. We, as O-Trainers, want Barack Obama as the Democratic party nominee for the general election come November.
The O-Train's emphasis now, as I see it, is that we must help spread the news, the electability and the hope of Barack Obama across the nation. He'll be president to more than just Floridians - so let's start reaching out and assisting fellow Obama fans in other states to create a volunteer base as great as the O-Train's.
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