By the time many of you read this, I will be already up and working since 5:30 AM in Virginia as part of the Obama Victory Counsel. Our job is to see that every eligible voter votes and to report any incidents of voter intimidation or suppression. My emotions are high at this time. I value protecting the vote. It is the fundamental basis of democracy. And I am saddened that there are so many forces that are attempting to take away the votes of many citizens. There will be many organizations in full force with thousands of lawyers to protect this historic election. It is historic because we stand on the eve of electing President Barack Obama to a second term.
I really feel that the Obama campaign has put together a first class campaign operation—second to none. I mean that seriously. The details in registering voters, calling voters, getting voters out to early vote and finally tomorrow getting voters to the polls on election day has even surpassed the 2008 operation. I believe in President Obama and truly believe that he deserves a second term. He has not done all that I wanted or expected him to do. He is not a perfect president. There has never been one. He has been passionate about caring for America and all that America can become. Perhaps change did not come the way some of us expected it. But things have changed for the better under President Obama. I believe that his heart has always been in the right place.
And if it was not for the recalcitrant Republicans, many of his actions could have matched his heart. Four more years will give President Obama the time to continue to move forward and to build on all that he started.
In his words, I ask everyone who has not voted to cast a vote for President Obama. I ask those who have already voted, to find another person who does not intend to vote and ask them to vote for President Obama.
I leave with the words of President Obama and why he wants your vote. Read the full text of his op ed that appeared in the Wall Street Journal and reprinted here. A portion is printed below:
For the past few days, all of us have been properly focused on one of the worst storms of our lifetimes. We mourn those who were lost. And we pledge to stand with those whose lives have been turned upside down for as long as it takes them to recover and rebuild.
Because when hardship hits, America is at its best. The petty differences that consume us in normal times quickly melt away. There are no Democrats or Republicans during a storm — only fellow Americans. That’s how we get through the most trying times: together.
Four years ago, we were mired in two wars and the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. Together, we’ve battled our way back. The war in Iraq is over, Osama bin Laden is dead, and our heroes are coming home. Our businesses have created nearly 5 and a half million new jobs in the last two and half years. Home values and 401(k)s are rising. We are less dependent on foreign oil than at any time in the last 20 years. And the American auto industry is back.
We’re not there yet. But we’ve made real progress. And on Tuesday, America will get to choose between two fundamentally different visions of what makes America strong.
I believe America’s prosperity was built on the strength of our middle class. We don’t succeed when a few at the top do well while everyone else struggles to get by — we’re better off when everyone gets a fair shot, everyone does their fair share, and everyone plays by the same rules. {continued at site}
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Vote for victory—vote for Barack Obama on November 6, 2012. I make no predictions other than President Obama will win.
Debbie Hines is founder of LegalSpeaks, a progressive blog on women and race in law and politics. As a legal and political commentator she has appeared in national, international and local media including the Michael Eric Dyson Show, local NBC, ABC and CBS affiliates, RT TV, CBC- Canadian TV, NPR, XM Sirius radio, the Baltimore Sun, Washington Post and Washington Times among others. She also contributes articles to the Huffington Post and the Women’s Media Center.
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