An urgent call to action

Dear friends,

I know that many of you are passionate about this elections as I am, and want to see Barack Obama elected in November with all your heart. (if you are reading this post and you are planning to vote for McCain, that’s OK. But please, please, verify the information you take for granted, and vote for him because you are convinced he and Sarah Palin are the right choice for America, rather than for the comfortable lies and inventions you hear in the TV ads.)

Dear friends, I read all your twitters and your posts on Facebook. I’m grateful for them. I’ve learned a good deal from what you have posted and I appreciate you spreading the world. It feels good to have people around me who believe in a more compassionate and committed America and in the chance to return to America’s profoundly democratic values.

But both you and I know that we are preaching to the choir. Most—if not all—of our friends and Twitter followers already think like us and know a lot about these elections. They don’t need to be convinced, they don’t need to learn the facts, they don’t need to be warned about the dangers of electing John McCain and Sarah Palin, or to learn about the amazing opportunity to rethink this Country once again. We are wasting our wit and persuasion power with people that don’t need them.

There are only 49 days left to November 4th. Look at this electoral map from the New York Times. Obama’s margin is slim, and depending on how the toss-up states vote, McCain can still win by a broad margin (see map below). The situation is still very very fragile. How do you feel about having Sarah Palin as our future President?

We need to take action now. Obama’s message is one of activism, responsibility, and bottom-up influence. The hope Obama talks about is not an excuse to stay home and keep things as they are. It’s a powerful motivation to change what we think is wrong or not working. We need to get out and talk to the world who doesn’t think like us. We need to meet the people who are still undecided, or not yet registered to vote, or fearful, or misinformed.

Please do something. You can donate money, but we both know that is not enough. This election is about changing minds and hearts, one at the time. Find your field office and call them to learn how you can help. Find events close to you. Make phone calls, register people to vote, talk to your neighbors, spread the message. Use your remarkable dialectic, knowledge, and wit to connect with people who are still not sure who they should vote for or if they should vote.

Let’s get out of our homes, away from our computers and mobile devices, and practice what we all believe in: that change starts with us and requires our action.

Thank you,

Antonella