Thoughts from John Tener

Dear Friends (and friends of friends),
As we all begin to focus more closely on the first three now completed  years of President Obama’s presidency, the following poem  seems to present an appropriate theme for what we have seen, and experienced with our President.
                       SOMETIMES

                      Sometimes things don’t go, after all,
                      From bad to worse.  Some years, muscadel
                      faces down frost; green thrives; the crops don’t fail,
                      sometimes a man aims high, and all goes well.
                      A people sometimes will step back from war;
                      elect an honest man; decide they care
                      enough, that they can’t leave some stranger poor.
                      Some men become what they were born for.
                      Sometimes our best efforts do not go
                      Amiss; sometimes we do as we meant to.
                      The sun will  sometimes melt a field of sorrow
                      that seemed hard frozen; may it happen for you.
                                                          (Anonymous by request)
And it has happened to you, and me, and all of us  these past three years.  We elected an honest man  November three years ago.  We stepped back from war.  The  man, indeed the  nation aimed high. We passed laws that improved things:  that  provided better and less costly health care for our nation; that stopped  discrimination against women in pay, and health services;  that strengthened the  rules for financial dealings; that put millions back to work; that saved an auto industry from collapse; that saved our financial system from collapse;  that changed and improved our schools; that brought down a tyrant; that gave hope  and change to millions living under tyranny.
He  stopped torture.  He honored all religious faiths. He  obeyed the law.   He  appointed thousands of selfless  and talented  public servants who also  obeyed the law.  He  governed with integrity, transparency, fidelity to the Constitution, and with good humor and quiet aplomb.  He told the truth.
Some men indeed become what they were born for.  Our president fits that description.  A natural leader.   Born in  unconventional  circumstances, raised in multi-cultural lands, educated in challenging surroundings, excelling in all he has pursued.  Caring enough so as to reach out to strangers, poor and in need.  Asking us to do the same.   And things have not gone from bad to worse.  We have done as we meant to.  We have changed, not all of us perhaps, but many, perhaps most.  We try to  speak more respectfully, we try to  listen more attentively, we prepare more thoroughly.  We do adult things in adult ways.
Our crops have not failed. Our green things hold renewed  hope for thriving.   Sometimes, this time, the hard frozen fields have begun to melt.  Good will, compassion sometimes, this time,  has won out.
Warm regards,
John

NESC Update

 Dear New England Steering Committee,

Happy Friday! Thank you to everyone who joined us as today’s NESC meeting. We have a lot of exciting upcoming events, please see our list and let us know how you would like to be involved.

Campaign Ads

Santorum on Romney-  “Rombo”

Romney links Santorum to Hillary – “Votes”

Have a great Presidents’ Day weekend,

Kathy, Justin, Ryan and Rachel

Truth Team: from our inbox

 

If we’ve learned anything from the Republican primaries, it’s that this is no ordinary campaign.

The GOP candidates are spending a huge amount of time attacking President Obama — no surprise. But instead of basing their attacks on our differences of opinion, they’ve chosen to run on claims about his record that just aren’t true.

Mitt Romney says that, despite 23 consecutive months of job growth under the President’s watch, he’s made the recession “worse.”

And they’re not acting alone: with the newfound power of outside groups, these lies can be instantly amplified with millions of dollars in special-interest ad spending.

If the other guys are going to run a campaign based on misrepresenting the President’s record — and their own — we have two options: sit back and let these lies go unchallenged, or fight back with the truth.

We’re fighting back. Today the Obama Campaign introduced a new program to recruit an army of volunteers who want to make sure that when voters go to the polls in November, they know the truth– and you should be a part of it.

Will you sign up to be a member of the Truth Team? www.BarackObama.com/truthteam

The website has three sections to reflect the team’s goals: Keeping his Word, where we’ll communicate about President Obama’s record and promises kept; Attack Watch, to fight back against false attacks on the President; and Keeping the GOP Honest, where we’ll debunk the Republicans’ false claims about their own record.

In short, the Truth Teams are the grassroots communications team of the Obama 2012 campaign. And the web site will provide resources for you to learn everything you need to know, and tools to help you share it with undecided voters in your life.

The power of the Truth Teams is that they will allow people to hear the truth about the campaign from the family and friends they trust.

To win the battle this fall, we need  to roll up our sleeves, stand with President Obama, and get the truth out all over the country.

So the next time you hear Mitt Romney accusing the President of “crony capitalism” or someone asking, “What has President Obama really accomplished?” you’ll know what to do.

If you’re ready to fight lies with the truth, sign up now:

www.BarackObama.com/truthteam

 

Chefs for Obama in the News

Be There!  Click here to attend.

http://blog.zagat.com/2012/01/star-chefs-gather-to-support-obama.html

http://www.examiner.com/restaurant-in-boston/chefs-for-obama-plan-competition-tasting-event?CID=examiner_alerts_article

http://southend.patch.com/articles/event-spotlight-chefs-for-obama-on-the-31st?ncid=edlinkuspatc00000001&utm_source=OutsideIn&utm_medium=OutsideInAPI&utm_campaign=OutsideInAPI

http://obamafoodorama.blogspot.com/2012/01/massachusetts-chefs-for-obama.html

http://bakingmehungry.com/2012/01/27/obama-victory-fund-2012-cooking-competition-food-tasting-chefs-for-obama-south-end/

empowering women and girls

Women and Girls and the Obama Administration

Look at the various images captured during 2010 as the Administration, Federal Agencies and you focused efforts on empowering women and girls.