A Blog Called Hope

Reception this evening

Tonight, there is a reception with Barack Obama’s chief health-care adviser, David Cutler, and Attorney General Patrick Lynch at the Hi-Hat, 3 Davol Square, Providence.

The event will begin at 5:30pm, and you still have time to RSVP to Jeffrey Padwa. Contributions for the reception are $150 per person and $250 per couple.

Unite for Change house meetings

On Saturday, June 28th, more than a thousand supporters like you are hosting Unite for Change house meetings all across the country.

Ordinary people will be opening their homes and inviting friends and neighbors to come together and talk about our common cause of change.

See what Barack has to say about these Unite for Change events and sign up to host one in your community:

http://my.barackobama.com/uniteforchange

Senator Obama appears in Michigan to discuss the economy

Just hours ago, Senator Barack Obama delivered a speech at Kettering University in Flint, Michigan in which he laid out his plans to make the United States more competitive in the global economy.

“I know as well that more than anything else, success will depend not on our government, but on the dynamism, determination and innovation of the American people,” -Senator Barack Obama in Flint, MI on June 16, 2008.

Obama’s speech can be viewed at MLive.com.

In addition to the video, a transcript of Senator Obama’s speech is also available.

Obama and DNC announce that they will no longer accept Washington lobbyist donations

With just under five months remaining until election day, and as the race between Senator Obama and Senator McCain begins to heat up, the DNC has followed Senator Obama’s lead and will no longer accept Washington lobbyist donations.

“We will not take a dime from Washington lobbyists or special interest PACS – we’re going to change how Washington works. They will not fund my party, they will not run our White House, and they will not drown out the voice of the American people when I am president of the United States of America,” Senator Barack Obama. [ABC News]

“Our presumptive nominee has pledged not to take donations from Washington lobbyists and from today going forward the DNC makes that pledge as well. The American people’s priorities will set the agenda in an Obama Administration, not the special interests.” -DNC Chairman Howard Dean [Boston Globe]

Preliminary electoral projections show a potential neck and neck race between Senators Obama and McCain, but Gallup poll tells another story

Today, CNN released their Electoral Projections for the upcoming November election. These projections are based off of “a number of factors: polling, state voting trends and more”.

In what CNN deems “safe” states (nearly certain to vote for that candidate), Barack Obama leads with 153 electors compared to 125 for McCain. Safe states for Senator Obama include the likes of Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New York, and California. Texas, Arizona, and Mississippi are three states considered “safe” for McCain.

On the other hand, McCain has more states that CNN believes are “leaning” (showing present tendencies to vote for) McCain. The 69 electors “leaning” for McCain include states like Louisiana and Indiana. At this time, Senator Obama has Maine, New Jersey, Oregon, and Washington “leaning” his way; accounting for 37 electors.

As expected, this election will once again hinge on the “swing states” (Ohio, Florida, Pennsylvania, etc.) that CNN currently deems a “toss up”. These 12 states account for 154 electoral votes; representing 29% of the total electoral count.

Meanwhile, the most recent Gallup poll shows that Barack Obama currently holds a 6% (48% to 42%) lead over his Republican counterpart. This figure is actually up one percentage point from when Senator Obama effectively claimed the Democratic Party nomination. The 6 percentage point gap is also an encouraging number because this represents Senator Obama’s largest advantage since he and McCain have been polled against one another.

These figures, specifically CNN’s electoral projections, exhibit the close race that faces this country. It will be immensely important for Rhode Islanders to sure up support for Senator Obama within the state as well as elsewhere. Rhode Islanders who support Barack Obama have the ability to reach out to other states, such as New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey, to help Senator Obama capture the 270 electoral votes necessary to claim the Presidency and to spur the change our country needs.

For more Election coverage and a map displaying the Electoral Projections visit CNN.com.

On Sunday night, over 100 Democrats from Rhode Island came together for the 2008 State Committee Meeting in West Warwick. The members endorsed Barack Obama for President, Senator Reed for U.S. Senate, and Congressmen Langevin and Kennedy as U.S. Representatives.

Below are some highlights from the meeting.

Senator Whitehouse

Senator Reed

Attorney General Lynch

Congressman Langevin

Congressman Kennedy

Today marks the end of the 2008 Primary season as Obama and Clinton eye the Democratic nomination

At long last, after six months of battling on the campaign trail, the Democratic Primaries come to a close today.

Montana and South Dakota will hold their primaries today as Barack Obama stands a mere 42 delegates away from locking up the Democratic Party nomination. Clinton, on the other hand, needs 201 delegates to claim victory.

With only 31 delegates on the line between Montana and South Dakota, both candidates will look to the “superdelegates” to determine the party’s nomination.

The “superdelegates” are comprised of roughly 825 governors, members of Congress, as well as party officials. As of today, there remain nearly 200 superdelegates that have yet to endorse either Obama or Clinton. It is these lingering 200 superdelegates that will ultimately crown the next Democratic candidate for President.

For more election coverage and a breakdown of the delegate count, visit CNN.com.