Obama CT 3rd CD meeting - GObama!

I attended a meeting of CT-3rd Congressional District Obama supporters last night at the Afro-American Center at Yale. Jen Just and her team had gathered together key 3rd CD volunteers for some group affirmation and as a way to encourage and reinforce the work of various threads of efforts (phone calling and postcard writing to Pennsalvania, canvassing opportunities there, ObamaWorks neighborhood clean-ups in New Haven, etc.). More on that in my next post.

Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro was a featured participant, revving up the gathering with her personal insights and passionate support of Barack's candidacy. She began by recounting to us her roots in New Haven as a community organizer, her efforts to help get Chis Dodd elected to the US Senate way back when, and her pioneering work as his chief of staff at a time when very few women were offered such roles in Washington. By way of emphasizing the need for women in politics she also noted her work heading up EMILY's List, just before her own election to the House of Representatives.

Rosa then told us how she began the 2008 presidential campaign as a dedicated supporter of Dodd's run, and highlighted his commitment to the constitution as what she considered to be his most important contribution to the primary race. (A bit later she expressed disgust over the recently revealed Yoo memo on torture, saying "How can this guy be a university professor, with this kind of take on our constitution? I don't understand that!")

When Dodd's candidacy came to an end in January, she initially thought she would stand back and simply observe. But then she said, "That's not something I can do! I just can't stand on the sidelines!" She described two phone calls she had to make, one to Hillary Clinton and one to Bill Clinton, to tell them that she would be supporting Barack Obama for president.

Rosa told us why she choose to endorse Obama, saying "He has the potential to change the way things are done. He is unique. He will get people involved who have never been involved before. When you listen to him, you believe that HE BELIEVES in what he is saying!" In Rosa's experience, this is what makes all the difference -- and we can't pass up the chance to elect a president who believes in us this way.

She took questions from the group then and gave her opinion of when the nomination would be wrapped up. The group corrected her when she said "If Obama wins Pennsylvania..." with a hearty "No, you mean WHEN Obama wins Pennsylvania!" But Rosa wants us to be clear-eyed, and she described how we must keep going even if we might face disappointments along the way. And, she added, if Obama comes even within a few points of winning in Pennsylvania, he will in effect have won because of how far he was able to progress having trailed by up to 20 points in the state's initial polling. This kind of impressive drive, combined with his showing in North Carolina will carry the day. She also talked about the Super Delegates and how we should expect to see more and more people weighing in now, in support of Obama. "It's happening," she said. "And it will keep happening."

Rosa encouraged us to "plug-in" and make a difference outside of CT, after explaining how during the last election she and John Larson (CT 1st CD) decided to ask their pumped-up constituents to help in the three other Congressional races in CT, since she and John were not facing significant challenges. Of course, the Democrats won two of those three other races, and Rosa was proud that the people of her district helped make that happen.

Rosa ended her talk by noting the 40th anniversary of the death of Martin Luther King Jr. She spoke of Dr. King's vision that in the future we would judge our children not by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character. She said, "This progress is what is happening with the presidential campaign of Barack Obama. It's about his character -- and people are responding!"