<div dir="ltr">Hey Obama/Biden supporters!<br><br><div class="gmail_quote"><div>We had a great first meeting with the 1Ls last night. Despite the long day, everyone seemed fired up and ready to get involved! That's great because we've gotten tons of requests for help with various campaign activities. Check out the list below to find out when and how you can make your contribution!<br>
<br>---<br><br><b>Canvass in Scranton, Pennsylvania THIS SATURDAY!</b><br>
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This Saturday, September 20th, we're heading to <span>Scranton</span>,
Pennsylvania to canvas neighborhoods, drop literature, and generally
help the campaign get the word out! The race is getting closer by the week in
Pennsylvania -- in July, Obama was up by 8 points, <b>but the gap has
narrowed to <a href="http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2008/president/pa/pennsylvania_mccain_vs_obama-244.html">less than 2 points</a></b>. Direct voter contact is HUGELY important in winning this race, so come out and help this weekend!
For just one day, forget about FIPing, reading, clerkships, and SAWs and make
a real impact in a close race: <b>it's one of the most important things
you'll do all year!</b><br>
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<b><u>Details</u>: </b>We're coordinating this trip with the Yale College Dems. We'll leave together around 8 am on Saturday and return by around 8 pm. <b>The College Dems have funding for gas,</b> so the trip shouldn't be too expensive. And it's supposed to be beautiful outside!<br>
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<b>Interested? </b>Email your name, school affiliation, and cell phone number to <a href="mailto:elizabeth.phelps@yale.edu" target="_blank">elizabeth.phelps@yale.edu</a>
by <u><b>Friday at noon</b></u>. Also, <b>we're in need of drivers</b>, so let us know if
you're willing to drive and how many people you can take!<br>
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---<br><br><b>Do Research for the Campaign from Home!<br><br></b>We're in the process of assembling remote support teams for several key battleground states, specifically<b> Ohio and Virginia</b> and maybe more states to come! Members of these teams will spend <b>a few (probably 3-4) hours each week from now until November</b> helping full-time campaign staff do research on election laws, compose memos and other official documents, and assemble all the materials needed to run an effective voter protection operation! <b>Interested? </b>Fill out the <a href="http://sites.google.com/site/ylsstudentsforobama/survey">Volunteer Survey</a> then send a message to <a href="mailto:scott.anderson@yale.edu">scott.anderson@yale.edu</a> indicating you want to get involved right away!<br>
<br>---<br><br><b>Volunteer for a SPECIAL RESEARCH PROJECT!</b><br>
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We also need volunteers are for a <i><b>high-priority</b></i> voter protection project. The project requires a degree of discretion, and will probably take about ten days to complete. The first meeting for htis project is <b>this Thursday at 12pm.</b> If you're interested in attending and participating, please write to <a href="mailto:alexander.tausanovitch@yale.edu" target="_blank">alexander.tausanovitch@yale.edu</a> right away!<br>
<br>---<br><br><b>Target Swing Voters in Florida!<br><br></b>We're coordinating with the campaign to <b>target certain key swing voting districts in Florida</b>! Through a special online database typically reserved for full-time campaign staff, we'll be identifying supporters and engaging voters about what issues they care about to help the campaign figure out how to best deploy literature, ad buys, and other resources! <b>This is one of the most important elements of an effective campaign</b>, and Florida needs all the help it can get! <br>
<br><b>Interested? </b>Write to <a href="mailto:scott.anderson@yale.edu">scott.anderson@yale.edu</a> and we'll pull you into the loop!<br><br>---<br><br><b>Help <span class="nfakPe">Obama</span>'s Pennsylvania Team Recruit Lawyers!<br>
</b><br>This Monday, September 15th, Pennsylvania's campaign Voter Protection office is launching a <b>Voter Protection phone bank</b> to contact local lawyers and law
students in Pennsylvania to serve as poll watchers on Election Day. If
you can help us call ten people on Monday, we'll be able to add
potentially hundreds of volunteers to our roster. We'll supply you
with a script and all the information you need. All you need is a telephone
(a cell phone is fine) and two or three hours a week. You can also help us by
recruiting additional people to make calls on behalf of the Voter Protection
Team (a template you can use is enclosed below).
<br><br><b>Interested? </b>Write <a style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);" href="mailto:voterprotection@paforchange.com"><span style="text-decoration: none;">voterprotection@paforchange.com</span></a><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);"> </span>for more information! A group of students will also be dedicating themselves to this each week, so if you're interested in making a regular contribution as part of a YLS team contact <a href="mailto:mirra.levitt@yale.edu">mirra.levitt@yale.edu</a>!<br>
<br>---<br><br><b>Graphic Designer Needed ASAP!</b><br><br>The campaign in Wisconsin needs a graphic designer to help them out
with a project as soon as possible. If you're interested, please
contact Peter Harrell at <a href="mailto:pharrell@gmail.com">pharrell@gmail.com</a> for details.<br><br>---<br><br><b>A Special Message from the Obama Health Policy Team!<br><br></b>A study coming out today in Health Affairs projects that 20 million Americans who have employment-based health insurance would lose it under the McCain plan. We need you to help us get the word out by forwarding, cross posting and talking up the following items:<br>
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<b>McCain's Radical Agenda</b><br>
by BOB HERBERT, <i>The New York Times</i><br>
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"Talk about a shock to the system. Has anyone bothered to notice the radical changes that John McCain and Sarah Palin are planning for the nation's health insurance system? These are changes that will set in motion nothing less than the dismantling of the employer-based coverage that protects most American families. A study coming out Tuesday from scholars at Columbia, Harvard, Purdue and Michigan projects that 20 million Americans who have employment-based health insurance would lose it under the McCain plan." <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/16/opinion/16herbert.html" target="_blank">Click here for more.</a><br>
<br><b>Why Obama's Health Plan is Better<br></b>by David M. Cutler, J. Bradford DeLong, and Ann Marie Marciarille, <i>Wall Street Journal<br><br></i>"Sustained growth thus requires successful health-care reform. Barack
Obama and John McCain propose to lead us in opposite directions -- and
the Obama direction is far superior.
Sen. Obama's proposal will modernize our current system of employer-
and government-provided health care, keeping what works well, and
making the investments now that will lead to a more efficient medical
system. . . . In contrast, Sen. McCain, who constantly repeats his no-new-taxes
promise on the campaign trail, proposes a big tax hike as the solution
to our health-care crisis. His plan would raise taxes on workers who
receive health benefits, with the idea of encouraging their employers
to drop coverage. A study conducted by University of Michigan economist
Tom Buchmueller and colleagues published in the journal Health Affairs
suggests that the McCain tax hike will lead employers to drop coverage
for over 20 million Americans." <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122152292213639569.html">Click here for more.</a><br>
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<b>20 million could LOSE health insurance under McCain plan</b><br>
DailyKos.com. <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/story/" target="_blank">Click here for more.</a><br>
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<b>Bake for Obama!</b><br><br>
Janice Ta, a 2L at the law school, is trying to organize a bake sale in support of the Obama/Biden campaign. She needs
volunteers to make signs, man tables, and most of all <u><b>TO BAKE</b></u>! If you think you might be at all interested, please send her an e-mail at <a href="mailto:janiceta@gmail.com" target="_blank">janiceta@gmail.com</a>. The bake sale itself hasn't been scheduled yet, but is aimed to take place sometime in early to mid-October.<br>
<br>---<br><br><b>Have an idea for an event or program? Want to play a role in coordinating future projects and trips?</b> Then e-mail <a href="mailto:scott.anderson@yale.edu" target="_blank">scott.anderson@yale.edu</a> or <a href="mailto:marisa.vansaanen@yale.edu" target="_blank">marisa.vansaanen@yale.edu</a> about <b>becoming a Student Organizer</b> and playing a leadership role in getting the Obama/Biden ticket elected!<br>
<br>---<br><br>Remember, go to <a href="http://sites.google.com/site/ylsstudentsforobama/" target="_blank">http://sites.google.com/site/ylsstudentsforobama/</a> to find out more information about upcoming events, to join the <a href="http://www.bantha.org/mailman/listinfo.cgi/yls-blue" target="_blank">mailing list</a>, and to complete our <a href="http://sites.google.com/site/ylsstudentsforobama/survey" target="_blank">volunteer survey</a>. And don't forget to <a href="http://action.barackobama.com/page/s/volunteer" target="_blank">volunteer</a> with the national <span class="nfakPe">campaign</span> (particularly for <a href="http://my.barackobama.com/counselforchange/" target="_blank">Voter Protection work</a> if you're a law student or lawyer)! <b>Please forward this blurb to anyone you think might be interested!</b><br>
<br>---<br><br>And, as always, get in touch with <a href="mailto:scott.anderson@yale.edu">scott.anderson@yale.edu</a> and <a href="mailto:marisa.vansaanen@yale.edu" target="_blank">marisa.vansaanen@yale.edu</a> if you have questions or want to get more involved!<br>
<br>Sincerely,<br><br>Marisa and Scott<br></div>
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