Comments on: Live Q&A with Obama state director Ray Rivera

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By: rayrivera

rayrivera — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 11:34:42 +0000

Thanks everyone for having me on today, please come visit at any of our Colorado field offices. You can find them at colorado.barackobama.com. Let's go change the world.

Ray

By: wendynorris

wendynorris — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 11:34:32 +0000

Ray, thanks so much for joining us today.

This live forum is now closed.

Note to readers: an invitation is also being extended to Tom Kise, the state director for John McCain's presidential campaign, to participate in a live Q&A.; Stay tuned for that announcement.

By: rayrivera

rayrivera — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 11:33:26 +0000

There is one incredibly clear difference between Sen. McCain and Sen. Obama. Sen. Obama knows that we can't drill our way out of this energy crisis and our dependence on foreign oil. That's why Obama wants to double funding for science and research in the field of clean energy and create a Green Jobs Corps which would be responsible for the implementation of those technologies. Here in Colorado, Obama agrees with Gov. Ritter that we need to expand protected areas on the Roan Plateau.

By: wendynorris

wendynorris — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 11:30:56 +0000

The Obama campaign nationally and at the state level have definitely taken some cues from Bill Bradley's grassroots presidential bid in 2000 and, of course, Howard Dean's in 2004.

From your perspective how has the Obama campaign improved upon or rejected tactics developed by those presidential grassroots pioneers?

By: naomizeveloff

naomizeveloff — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 11:27:46 +0000

Hi Ray.

Thanks for being here. You've already touched on Obama's outreach to Latino voters in the area. Can you comment on his stance on immigration policy? Here in Colorado state lawmakers have attempted to legislate immigration on the state level, in many instances making life even harder for undocumented immigrants. Will Obama work to create a path for citizenship for these individuals nationwide?

By: rayrivera

rayrivera — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 11:27:25 +0000

Thanks for your question Bill – A fact of campaigning is that there are mediums out there that will inevitably try to dilute your candidate's message either consciously or not. But the constant here is that what wins campaigns and will win this election, is one on one contact with voters throughout the state. The grassroots component of our campaign is arguably our strongest. With house meetings, social networking tools, and offices and staff across the state, we are building relationships with neighbors and empowering communities to change.

By: cdegette

cdegette — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 11:23:21 +0000

Thanks, Ray

Can you provide us with a couple of specific examples of how Obama differs from McCain, who is from Arizona, on issues dear to the Rocky Mountain interior, like public land management, water and energy development?

By: rayrivera

rayrivera — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 11:22:19 +0000

Thanks for your question wildflower – Sen. Obama has been consistent on his opinions of the war. He was one of the few national political figures to speakout against the war in 2002, even when that stance was incredibly unpopular. He has believed and still believes that we need to bring our troops home, starting on his first day as Commander-in-Chief. There has been some widespread misinformation on this topic, but the facts remain. President Obama would end this war.

By: rayrivera

rayrivera — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 11:18:11 +0000

Thanks Cara – Sen. Obama has an undeniable appeal here in the West. He won decisive victories in primaries all over the West…though it was a little tighter in my home state of New Mexico! Western voters tend to independent, forward-thinking, and optimistic, which have been cornerstone characteristics of Sen. Obama's campaign. What is truly amazing is that Sen. Obama has brought an entire region – and the issues therein – into play on the national stage. Public land use, water, energy development – these are certainly going to be some of the most important issues as this general election campaign heats up.