Over 60,000 Ohioans turned out Sunday afternoon, November 2, for a campaign rally held on the west lawn of Ohio's state house in downtown Columbus. The whole Obama family -- Barack, Michelle, and their daughters Malia and Sasha -- made a final swing through the Buckeye State on the brink of Tuesday's Election Day.
Barack greeted the crowd with a reminder that voting is already underway in Ohio. "If you haven't voted yet, it would be a shame for you to come to a rally and not vote!" He pointed out that the early voting location in Franklin County is merely a few blocks from the state house and encouraged the rally-goers to take the opportunity after the rally to go vote. (Click here to learn more about early voting in Ohio. Click here to see more photos from the rally.)
Visit www.voteforchange.com to find out what you need to know to cast your vote and usher in a new era of change in this country. Click here to volunteer in your neighborhood on Election Day.
Here's a summary of UAPA's position on ballot issues 1, 2, 5 and 6:
Issue 1: Vote YES.
Issue 2: Vote YES.
Issue 5: Vote YES.
Issue 6: Vote NO.
ProgressOhio has conveniently deciphered the ballot issues and summarized them in a one page document. And here's a sample ballot of endorsed Democratic candidates to print and take with you to the polls.
UAPA's positions on the ballot issues align closely with those of the editors from Ohio's largest daily newspapers:
Police departments in cities across the country are beefing up their ranks for Election Day, preparing for possible civil unrest and riots after the historic presidential contest.
Public safety officials said in interviews with The Hill that the election, which will end with either the nation’s first black president or its first female vice president, demanded a stronger police presence.
Some worry that if Barack Obama loses and there is suspicion of foul play in the election, violence could ensue in cities with large black populations. Others based the need for enhanced patrols on past riots in urban areas (following professional sports events) and also on Internet rumors . . .
Political observers such as Hilary Shelton and James Carville fear that record voter turnout could overload polling places on Election Day and could raise tension levels.
Catholics for Obama has found common ground on the single most divisive issue in American politics today: abortion.
Their booklet, 'The Catholic Case for Obama', is an expose on Obama's core values and how he put them into practice as a community organizer working with Catholic parishes on the south side of Chicago.
They tackle the big questions head on:
Reducing abortion now vs. criminalizing it later
Stem cell research and the origins of life
On the death penalty
On the question of health care for all Americans
On the question of preemptive war and the tragedy in Iraq
"Are you better off than you were four years ago? Is it easier for you to go and buy things in the stores than it was four years ago? Is America as respected throughout the world as it was? If you don't think that this course that we've been on for the last four years is what you would like to see us follow for the next four, then I could suggest another choice that you have."
As part of UAPA's letter writing campaign, two members' Letters to the Editor were published as lead editorials in the Opinion section of the Columbus Dispatch this week --- one on Monday and the other on Tuesday.
Deb Linville and Mike Lorz both made strong progressive arguments that caught the attention of the Dispatch editors. With the volume of editorials submitted in the weeks before an election, this is quite an accomplishment
Mike is a pro-life Catholic who makes a strong case that Obama's policies and his Christian values supporting those policies "represent a culture of life, not just birth."
As a long-time Upper Arlington resident, Deb has watched Tim Rankin's divisive political tactics and far-right agenda over the years. In her LTE she calls him out on some of his most divisive wedge issues he championed during his time on City Council in UA.
UAPA has further elaborated on Deb's editorial on Tim Rankin on our web site.
Also this week, the UANews published these two LTEs from UAPA members:
Police departments in cities across the country are beefing up their ranks for Election Day, preparing for possible civil unrest and riots after the historic presidential contest.
