Morning News

July 12, 2008

Sen. Barack Obama exhorted Americans on Wednesday "to step into the strong currents of history" and volunteer for service to their country, pledging to dramatically expand opportunities for those accepting his challenge.

… "That’s the bet our Founding Fathers were making all of those years — that our individual destinies could be tied together in the common destiny of democracy, that government depends not just on the consent of the governed but on the service of citizens," he told a small audience filling a gymnasium at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs. "That’s what history calls us to do, because loving your country shouldn’t just mean watching fireworks on the Fourth of July. Loving your country must mean accepting your responsibility to do your part to change it."

Throughout the week, Obama has been striving to win over voters in Republican areas, defending his patriotism in Independence, Mo., on Monday; pledging to expand federal assistance to religious social service groups in rural Ohio on Tuesday; and preaching service in central Colorado on Wednesday. He will speak about veterans in Fargo, N.D., on Thursday, then will highlight the theme of family on Friday as he celebrates Independence Day in Butte, Mont., with his wife and two daughters.

He emphasized what he called "the enormity of the American accomplishment," touring Peterson Air Force Base here and visiting the ultra-secretive North American Aerospace Defense Command, U.S. Northern Command headquarters and the Air Force Academy.

… "There is a lesson to be learned from generations who have served: from soldiers and sailors, airmen and Marines, suffragists and freedom riders, teachers and doctors, cops and firefighters," he said. "It’s the lesson that in America, each of us is free to seek our own dreams, but we must also serve a common purpose, a higher purpose."

From the Los Angeles Times:

On day three of a campaign swing meant to showcase his values, Barack Obama spoke about the importance of national service, telling an audience here that his work as a young community organizer gave him needed direction at a time when he was adrift.

… Speaking here on Wednesday morning, Obama said: "Growing up, I wasn’t always sure who I was or where I was going. That’s what happens sometimes when you don’t have a father in the home. But during my first two years of college, perhaps because of the values my mother had taught me — values of hard work, honesty and empathy — perhaps because they had resurfaced after a long hibernation or perhaps because of the example of wonderful teachers and lasting friends, I began to notice a world beyond myself."

… He has put out a $3.5-billion national service plan that would double the size of the Peace Corps, recruit retired engineers and scientists to tutor students, and offer college students tuition aid in return for community service.

He has pledged to pay for the plan by closing corporate loopholes and ending the Iraq war, among other things.

A new piece of Obama’s plan, described Wednesday, involves training veterans for jobs in industries devoted to renewable energy sources. Obama aides said they could not yet estimate the cost of his so-called Green Vet initiative.

"To marshal [veterans'] talents in building a new energy economy, I want to launch an initiative to give our veterans the training they need to succeed in the green jobs of the future," Obama said. "It’s time to end our energy dependence at home so our national security isn’t held hostage to oil and gas from abroad."

From the Denver Post:

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama on Wednesday waded into the state’s GOP evangelical power base, encouraging Americans to serve their country by working in neighborhoods, schools and the military, and pledging to significantly expand opportunities for those who choose to shape the country’s future.

"We need your service, right now, at this moment — our moment — in history," Obama told about 300 invited guests in the aptly named Lions Den Gym on the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs campus. "Loving your country shouldn’t just mean watching fireworks on the Fourth of July. Loving your country must mean accepting your responsibility to do your part to change it."

… "Democrats should not run away from faith and service. It didn’t used to be the tradition of Democrats, but it’s happened in recent times," [U.S. Sen. Ken Salazar] said. "Obama has a sense of independence."

In Colorado Springs, Obama vowed that if he’s elected president, he will add 92,000 ground forces to the country’s military and more than triple the number of AmeriCorps workers, expanding their role to "meet national goals" of providing health care and education, as well as restoring the country’s standing in the world.

His proposals, most of which he unveiled last year, also included doubling the size of the Peace Corps, creating a tax credit making the first $4,000 of college tuition free for students who do 100 hours of public service a year, and expanding YouthBuild, a program where young people build affordable housing.

He also promised to create a "Green Vet Initiative," which would offer counseling and job placement for veterans who wanted to enter the renewable energy field.

From the Wall Street Journal:

Speaking near the foot of the Rocky Mountains, Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama pledged to create new incentives to motivate Americans to serve their country.

His campaign has laid out a more-pressing proposal: to defeat John McCain in the Republican-leaning Mountain states. Although these states account for a small portion of electoral votes, they could make the difference in a tight race.

Both presidential hopefuls have made the West a focus of their general-election strategies, with a particular emphasis on Nevada, New Mexico and Colorado, states with independent-minded voters who have mostly mostly gone Republican in recent presidential contests.

Sen. Obama has said he hopes to further expand the Democratic electoral map by capturing North Dakota and Montana, states largely ignored by the McCain campaign.

… "You have a lot of ways to get to [the] 270" electoral votes needed to win the White House, Obama campaign manager David Plouffe said at a recent briefing. "Our goal is not to be reliant on one state on Nov. 4."

… Sen. Obama has recruited Federico Peña, a former Denver mayor who served as Energy and Transportation secretary during the Clinton administration, to spearhead outreach to the large Hispanic communities in Western states.

The Illinois senator has also held several meetings with Indian tribal leaders in Western states. Wednesday, he met with military officials at the U.S. Air Force Academy and Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado.

"We’re going to fight as hard as we can in these states," Sen. Obama told reporters during a Memorial Day event in New Mexico. "We want to send the message now that … I expect to win them."

From In-Forum:

It’s a rare presidential election year when a candidate of any political party visits North Dakota more than once. In some elections, even once is a big deal. So Sen. Barack Obama’s stop in Fargo today could be a hint of what’s to come, not only from the Obama camp, but also from Sen. John McCain, the Republican standard-bearer.

Obama and Sen. Hillary Clinton packed ’em in during back-to-back campaign rallies in April in Grand Forks. The 1,000 available tickets for Obama’s visit today were hot commodities. If there were space at Fargo’s Yunker Farm, he could attract 10,000 or more.

… at least one public poll and several “internal” polls suggest Obama has a chance to beat McCain in the Peace Garden State. The polls are intriguing because they are the first indications that North Dakota’s 40-year Republican grip on presidential politics is not as strong as it once was.

… Obama said he’s running a 50-state campaign. Thus far, he’s been true to that strategy, and it’s working for him. North Dakota has rarely been a player in the outcome of a presidential contest, but if the race turns out to be as close as analysts say it will be, every state is in play. If Obama can challenge in a state that’s gone for the Republican candidate since 1964, he can challenge anywhere.