The Obama campaign hosted a conference call to unveil a new, unique voter registration initiative geared towards reaching out to unregistered voters in the African American community. The call featured appearances by Obama campaign senior advisor Rick Wade as well as actress Kerry Washington and actor Blair Underwood.

Obama’s team discussed how they plan to connect with African American voters by recognizing the importance of barbers and beauticians in the lives of young people. They said they will pay particular attention to the black communities of Detroit, Atlanta, and Jacksonville, although noted that their “barbershop program” is a nationwide effort to mobilize voters.

The campaign explained that their focus on targeting community- based small businesses, will teach the “boys who become men” in barbershops about politics. Also, the campaign will provide barbers in African American communities with videos telling “the story of Senator Obama” to be played while people are getting their hair cut.

The Obama campaign held a conference call to discuss their plan to reach out to unregistered voters in African American communities. They will promote the Senator’s message and “story” in barbershops and beauty salons. (28:13)

 

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Col. Ted Martin, commander of the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, stationed in south Baghdad, says he pledges that all of his soldiers will have a ballot and a chance to vote in the upcoming election. (0:36)

 

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Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama discusses the many consequences of war in Iraq during foreign policy and national security speech. Obama mentions how he wants “America once again to lead.” (1:36)

 

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Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama discusses the ways America could have acted following the terrorist attacks of September 11th, 2001 during his speech on foreign policy and national security. (2:01)

 

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Senator John McCain’s (D-Ariz.) presidential campaign held a conference call in response to Senator Barack Obama’s (D-Ill.) recent comments on Iran. Senator John Thune (R-SD), said that Obama is hypocritical on the issue of Iran’s national security threat to the U.S – calling for tougher sanctions, while calling Iran a “tiny threat.” Thune said Obama has been “consistently weak” on the topic. He said there is no doubt that Iran is a growing threat and Obama’s weakness on the issue contrasts with McCain’s preparedness to assume the presidency. Randy Scheunemann, the senior foreign policy adviser for the McCain 2008 campaign said Obama’s lack of strength and consistency on the issue of Iran proves his inexperience on a serious matter of national security. (15:11)

 

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The Obama campaign manager Davide Plouffe spoke about the goals and attitude of the Obama campaign as they look toward the fall campaign season. In looking over the electoral map of the 2004 campaign, Plouffe said that Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) will not hold much sway in the Kerry states. Obama is looking to have more of an offensive campaign and will be campaigning harder in Ohio and Florida then any presidential nominee in history, Plouffe said.

In New Mexico and Colorado the Obama campaign feels they have a significant lead and a big lead with Hispanic voters, 60 percent more saying they will vote democratically then in 2004, Plouffe said. The “west is a place of enormous opportunity for us,” Plouffe said, while the Midwest will be the battleground states. Many independent voters who self identify with democrats are growing and will be the votes that the campaign is fighting for.

The Obama campaign has several goals it is looking to focus on and accomplish my November: having a historically high African American turnout and a high turnout with voters under 40, register people to vote, help elect democrats down the ballot and to build grassroots organizations in every state. The state by state grassroots organizations will give the campaign a “persuasion army” to pull independents and others to vote for Obama.

Obama presidential campaign supporters Senator Bill Nelson (D-FL) and former Iowa Governor Vilsack discuss their opposition to the energy policies and “offshore drilling” ideas proposed by the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, Senator John McCain. (27:10)

 

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The Obama campaign hosted a conference call with Senator Bill Nelson (D-FL) and former Iowa Governor Vilsack to discuss Republican Senator John McCain’s “failed approach” to drilling for energy independence.

Senator Obama’s supporters argued McCain’s calls for drilling for oil off the U.S. coast will not succeed in lowering our oil prices, nor will McCain’s calls for a “gas tax holiday” help our country in the future.

The Obama campaign portrayed McCain as a candidate who has “flip flopped” on how to solve the energy crisis facing our nation, and said that the best way to help America’s struggling middle class and to become less dependent on foreign oil was to be more efficient with our energy use and to develop alternative fuel sources for automobiles. Obama’s supporters said he has the “vision” to lead America to use energy and fuel properly.

Republican Senator John McCain’s presidential campaign alleged that McCain’s democratic adversary, Barack Obama, does not know how to properly combat terrorism in a conference call. The call, which featured appearances by McCain’s foreign policy advisor Randy Scheunemann and former CIA Director Jim Woolsey, claimed that Obama’s plans to defend America are exactly the problems that led to the attacks of September 11th, 2001 and said the Illinois senator was a “perfect manifestation of a September 11th attitude.”

McCain’s supporters argued Obama does not understand the “nature” of the enemy we face in the “War on Terror.” Kori Schake, McCain’s senior policy advisor, emphasized that Obama’s law-enforcement based approach to interrogating and prosecuting terrorists was inadequate, and that, if elected, his presidency would put our country at great risk.

Also during the call, McCain’s campaign discussed the “wrong” decision made by the Supreme Court last week to grant Guantanamo Bay detainees habeas corpus rights. They said McCain believes Guantanamo should be closed, and that if the dangerous prisoners there are to be released they will likely commit attacks against America again.