Obama Campaign Organizes Flood Relief - Updated

Barack Obama and his campaign are using the power of their e-mail list and website to help organize relief efforts for people in the Midwest devastated by the intense floods. I recieved an e-mail from the campaign asking me to help by donating to the Red Cross relief effort. When I went to barackobama.com, I saw that the home page is dominated by an appeal for the flood victims uinder the banner:

YOUR HELP IS URGENTLY NEEDED

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Not only is the Obama campaign helping to raise money for the relief effort, the websites Community Blogs are providing information on where volunteers who live in or near the affected areas are needed to assist local residents in building sandbag levees to protect peoples' homes. They had specific information on what towns needed help and where volunteers should go to offer their help. This included an appeal for volunteers to bring cold bottled water for the folks working at sandbagging - it is grueling hard work and the floods have contaminated many of the local water supplies.

I am amazed that this story is not getting more attention in both the blogoshere and the media. When is the last time a Presidential Campaign devoted its resources to a relief effort of this kind? What a beautiful way to put the "Peolpe Power" of the Obama supporters to work.

I was moved to tears as I followed the link from BarackObama.com to the Red Cross website. I made my donation in honor of Barack Obama. I was really touched that the campaign is raising money for people in need like this.

I have gotten a little cynical lately about the barrage of fund raising e-mails and even some phonecalls that I recieve from the campaign. I know they need to do this but it can get to be a bit much. I feel reinvigorated to know that Senator Obama and his folks are willing to put those efforts aside to help our fellow Americans whose homes, and lives, are suddenly underwater.

I cannot imagine a similar effort from Senator McCain and a check of his website shows no sign that his campaign is even aware of the disaster. I think that we should do whatever we can to get this story out. It gets to the essence of what the Obama Campaign is about - ORGANIZING PEOPLE FROM THE GROUND UP TO HELP EACH OTHER AND MAKE AMERICA A BETTER COUNTRY FOR ALL ITS CITIZENS.

To see how you can help got to Obama's Website.

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