Name Calling is Not Good Enough

This is a letter from Senator Barak Obama that arrived in my inbox today. Please read it and know how very important the next 47 days are and that in Oklahoma the name calling has already begun, the push polls are already in the field, and Karl Rove is coming to dinner to raise money for Ernest. If you can give, now is the time to do it. How about making a contribution today of 47 dollars, one dollar for each of the next 47 days that we have to make sure we take the high road with our positive message of hope and opportunity. You can make a contribution online here or call us at 405.427.3366. To read the letter continue here.

Dear Lisa,

You and I both know what's coming.

In the 47 days before Election Day, we're bound to see the worst of petty right-wing name calling: cut-and-run appeasers, terrorist-emboldeners, and - coming soon to an attack ad near you - the "Defeatocrats."

That's just not good enough. The American people deserve far greater leadership.
Our nation faces serious challenges both at home and aboard. To meet those challenges, we need leaders who will appeal to the best in all of us. We need leaders unwilling to settle for equality for some, opportunity for the lucky, freedom for the few. We cannot let the politics of division and fear give such a small view of our American dream.

To succeed, we need you. . . . . It's the only way we can help our . . . . candidates answer all the name-calling with TV ads and voter contact programs that leave no doubt Democrats are ready to lead.

Today, we face a choice. We can let Karl Rove define who we are in the last few weeks of another election. Or we can make sure that [we have] every resource it needs to tell the American people just what the Democratic Party stands for.

As Democrats, we believe in a smart foreign policy that battles the forces of terrorism and fundamentalism by matching the might of our military with the power of our diplomacy and the strength of our alliances. If we have to go to war, we will always be honest with the American people about why we are there and how we will win.

We are the party of opportunity. In a global economy that's more connected and more competitive, we are the party that will guarantee every American an affordable, world-class, top-notch, life-long education - from early childhood to high school, from college to on-the-job training.

We are the party of an energy independent America. The party that's not bought and paid for by the oil companies. We will harness homegrown, alternative fuels and spur the production of fuel-efficient, hybrid cars to break our dependence on the world's most dangerous regimes.
But we can only achieve these lofty goals if we win in November.

The choice is up to you. Unless we all do our part today for victory in November, we Democrats will never have the chance to lead.

There is a fundamental difference between us and them. We believe there's no problem we can't handle. We believe no challenge is too great for a government of, for, and by the people.
They believe that government is the problem itself. That we're better off facing these challenges on our own.

It's this timidity - this smallness - that's holding us back right now. You and I both know that we can't just ignore the problems and hope they go away. You and I know that our Democratic agenda will solve them.

The first step is winning in November and seizing our chance to lead. Don't settle for anything less. Do your part today.

Sincerely,
Barak Obama