I've been yelling at Obama & the WH all month - you know what, I'm hushing my mouth now.

[quiet.american]

What I saw last night was not only someone who holds the office of President, but someone who *is* a President and a true leader.

All that remains for me to do is let Obama get on with it, hush my mouth, and look around to see how I can help on a local level.

[Cha]

1. He can't do it without all of

us..

"I just finished delivering my first State of the Union address.

I set out an urgent plan for restoring economic security for struggling middle class families. This is my top priority, but I cannot do it alone -- and that's why I'm writing to you now.

Tonight, I called on Congress to enact reforms and new initiatives to defend the middle class -- to create millions of new jobs, support small businesses, and drive up wages; to invest in the education of our children and the clean energy technology that must power our future; and to protect the economy from reckless Wall Street abuses.

And I made my position on health reform clear: We must not walk away. We are too close, and the stakes are too high for too many. I called on legislators of both parties to find a way to come together and finish the job for the American people.

I have no illusions -- there have been setbacks, and there will be more to come. The special interests who have shaped the status quo will keep fighting tooth and nail to preserve it.

So tonight, I'm asking you to join me in the work ahead. I need your voice. I need your passion. And I need your support.

We have just finished a difficult year. We have come through a difficult decade. But a new year has come. A new decade stretches before us. We don't quit. I don't quit. Let's seize this moment -- to start anew, to carry the dream forward, and to strengthen our union once more.

Thank you for making it possible,"

President Barack Obama

[quiet.american]

2. Thanks for posting that, Cha. I'm going to make it my business this week to really get involved.

Typing away on blogs is amusing and sometimes useful, but now I really need to find a way to lend my "voice, passion and support" to the Democratic Party.

[Cha]

3. He's calling us to

service:patriot::patriot:

Bless his heart..there are those who would scoff and those who actually know what this means for our country.

[quiet.american]

4. Hey, I've served once (USAF), time to serve in a different way now. :) nt

[Cha]

5. Bless your heart!

[quiet.american]

7. Aw... thanks & cheers, Cha! nt

[RoyGBiv]

8. A suggestion ...

Volunteer to be a voter registrar.

In a lot of places, this is really simple to do, and it can have substantial return on investment. You do have to put some effort into it and explore the avenues it presents, but that's the point. It opens a lot of avenues.

I'd done this back in Oklahoma in my early 20s but I let my "license" expire. I decided to do it again in Texas last year, and -- long story short -- I ended up at the watch party for Houston's new mayor because of all that happened after becoming a registrar.

I like it a lot better than canvassing, phone banking, etc., and doing it opened doors for me to meet and get involved with a lot of people and issues.

[quiet.american]

9. That sounds great, Roy. Thanks for that. Will look into it. nt

[DFLforever]

11. Me too.

I'm going to attend my precinct caucus next week even though I don't like party politics at all. (I do enjoy electoral politics with a good candidate).

I'm weary of politics as a consumer activity which blogs by their nature promote.

[goclark]

12. That's fantastic! The BO group is really the place to learn

all the latest ways to help our Party!

[greenbird]

6. Good for you!

K&R

[quiet.american]

10. Thanks for the shout-out, Greenbird. :) nt

[NYC_SKP]

13. Right on, quiet.american!

I go back and forth between different DU forums.

Many of the articles posted and recced are later disputed, debunked, but any casual read of these can make a person believe the RW talking points that are embedded in many of them.

:toast:

[quiet.american]

14. Thanks for the shout-out, NYC_SKP, but that's not exactly what I meant! :)

No, I've spent too much of my time on DU battling the nonsense to get taken in by wingnut propaganda. My frustration was with wanting to see Obama put the fear of God into the hyenas that have been trying to bring him down since day 1. And I spent most of January upset about 1) Why in the world didn't the WH realize that Coakley was bungling it in Massachusetts 2) Where is the WH Communications office? When it comes to the daily nonsense put out by the usual suspects, I'm getting tired of standing in the bleachers shouting "Defense! Defense!" at the WH. :)

In any case, needless to say, seeing Obama speak last night helped calmed me the heck down.

Thanks for the shout-out!

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

15. Contact your local DFA

or go to www.barackobama.com and join "Organizing for America."

If you don't have a local group, well, you know what to do.