The CasaBlanca Project

The 2009 Latino Inaugural Celebration

2009-01-05T16:05:00.001-05:00

In 2008, Latinos played an invaluable role in electing Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States of America. The Latino community across the country was an integral part of the massive grassroots movement that changed the course of our nation's history.

The CasaBlanca Project and Latino Inaugural Celebration Committee formally invites you to celebrate the Latino community's participation in the U.S. presidential election! The event will take place at the Hall of the Americas of the Organization of American States (OAS) world headquarters in the heart of Washington's national monument district on the evening of Monday, January 19th, 2009. The celebration is being organized by representatives from national and local community based organizations, former campaign organizers, as well as the U.S. Hispanic Leadership Institute (USHLI), The CasaBlanca Project and Latinas Unidas for Obama. Don't miss out on the premier Inaugural Event of Inaugural Week and join us for an evening to celebrate the significant impact of the Latino vote, the new change in U.S. politics, and the grassroots movement that brought this change about.

The cost per ticket to attend the celebration is $125 (plus a 3% Pay Pal processing fee). Tickets will go on sale on January 2, 2009, at 12 pm at www.LatinoGala.com. Limit six tickets per person. The evening will begin at 7:30 p.m. and end at midnight. Enjoy light appetizers and entertainment showcasing various Latin American countries. Black tie optional.

YES WE CAN....AND WE DID!

2008-11-06T02:01:00.001-05:00

67% of Latino voters chose Barack Obama. Our voices have been heard.

This is a truly historic moment. Your countless hours of volunteering and support made the difference as we turned the "Latin swing states" of Florida, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico and Virginia blue. Now the work and healing begins...

¡MIL GRACIAS POR SU APOYO!

STILL Undecided?

2008-10-30T18:20:00.001-05:00

Latinos For Obama: VOLUNTEER NOW

2008-10-23T18:22:00.001-05:00

With just a few days until Election Day, now is a critical time for us to keep our eyes on the ball (and not just because of the World Series). McCain is unleashing increasingly false, deceptive and negative campaign smears that distract Americans from the real issues affecting them today. We cannot afford another several years of Bush-McSame policies. Please take some time to volunteer for the Obama-Biden campaign in the next few days and help bring real change to Washington.

CALL LATINOS IN KEY BATTLEGROUND STATES
During the primaries, we made thousands of phone calls into key Latino battleground states and we need your help again to reach thousands of Latino voters over the next critical 15 days. We have launched Latino to Latino calling campaigns into several key battleground states. Help do your part. Commit to making 50 calls, between now and Election Day, to share with other Latino voters why YOU support Senators Obama and Biden. Sign up HERE.

CALIFORNIANS: PLEASE VOLUNTEER IN NEVADA!
Californians sign up here.

October 31- Nov 4th - Obama Nos Llama! Caravana a Nevada
Sign-up: http://my.barackobama.com/obamanosllama
Deadline Sunday Oct 26, 3pm
Transportation & housing need-based on a first-come first-serve basis
If staying all the way through November 4th please register as an absentee voter in California.
If you are planning on bringing a team of 7 or more volunteers, please contact Alida Garcia - agarcia@obamaca.com.

VOLUNTEER IN FLORIDA
SIGN UP TO VOLUNTEER FOR OBAMA (FL RESIDENTS):

VISIT FLORIDA AS PART OF THE “DRIVE FOR CHANGE” (OUT OF STATE RESIDENTS):

Floridians, be sure to VOTE EARLY and avoid long lines on Election Day!

DC/VIRGINIA/MARYLAND: PLEASE VOLUNTEER IN VIRGINIA!
Virginia is a critical swing state that Obama needs to win. We are asking all people in the region to focus their efforts on Virginia. Contact the following people to volunteer:

Carolina Espinal leads the Coordinated Campaign Latino outreach effort: Carolina Espinal (703) 725-4025, carolina.espinal@gmail.com, carolina.espinal@vavictory08.org

Cristina Chiappe directs the Obama for America VA Latino Voter efforts:
Cristina Chiappe (804) 787-3127, chiappe_cristina@yahoo.com

MAKE SURE YOU’RE REGISTERED TO VOTE. THEN FIND YOUR EARLY VOTE LOCATION AND HOURS TO MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD TODAY.

Use our online tool to check if you're registered, and find your Early Vote location right now by clicking HERE

Call Latinos in Key Battleground States for Barack Obama

2008-10-20T18:02:00.000-05:00

During the primaries, we made thousands of phone calls into key Latino battleground states and we need your help again to reach thousands of Latino voters over the next critical 15 days.

We have launched Latino to Latino calling campaigns into several key battleground states. Help do your part.

Commit to making 50 calls, between now and Election Day, to share with other Latino voters why YOU support Senators Obama and Biden to bring about the change America so urgently needs.

Sign up HERE.

Responsible Tax Cuts For Ordinary Americans

2008-10-08T18:23:00.001-05:00

Barack Obama’s tax plan delivers broad-based tax relief to middle class families and cuts taxes for small businesses and companies that create jobs in America, while restoring fairness to our tax code and returning to fiscal responsibility. Coupled with Obama’s commitment to invest in key areas like health, clean energy, innovation and education, his tax plan will help restore bottom-up economic growth that helps create good jobs in America and empowers all families achieve the American dream.

Under the Obama Plan:
-Middle class families will see their taxes cut – and no family making less than $250,000 will see their taxes increase. The typical middle class family will receive well over $1,000 in tax relief under the Obama plan, and will pay tax rates that are 20% lower than they faced under President Reagan. According to the Tax Policy Center, the Obama plan provides three times as much tax relief for middle class families as the McCain plan.

-Families making more than $250,000 will pay either the same or lower tax rates than they paid in the 1990s. Obama will ask the wealthiest 2% of families to give back a portion of the tax cuts they have received over the past eight years to ensure we are restoring fairness and returning to fiscal responsibility. But no family will pay higher tax rates than they would have paid in the 1990s. In fact, dividend rates would be 39 percent lower than what President Bush proposed in his 2001 tax cut.

-Obama’s plan will cut taxes overall, reducing revenues to below the levels that prevailed under Ronald Reagan (less than 18.2 percent of GDP). The Obama tax plan is a net tax cut – his tax relief for middle class families is larger than the revenue raised by his tax changes for families over $250,000. Coupled with his commitment to cut unnecessary spending, Obama will pay for this tax relief while bringing down the budget deficit.

McCain Wants to Tax Your Health Benefits

2008-10-03T19:27:00.001-05:00

Call Undecided Voters on Behalf of Barack Obama

2008-09-26T19:05:00.003-05:00

Your support is instrumental in rallying support in crucial battleground states like Colorado, Florida, New Mexico, and Nevada.

We have an exciting new tool called Neighbor to Neighbor that allows you to pick up the phone and talk directly to fellow voters.

Visit Neighbor to Neighbor today and help us win key swing states by reaching out to potential supporters. CLICK HERE.

Talking directly with voters about what is at stake in this election is the single most effective way to deliver the votes we need to win. It may be a tight race, but we have something John McCain doesn't: a whole lot of passion and enthusiasm for change. I've seen it in the towns and cities I've visited in every corner of the country. But it's up to each of us to make sure we turn this energy into votes on November 4th.

Don't let this election be decided by political stunts or distractions. Join your fellow supporters, roll up your sleeves, and help carry this campaign to victory.

Make a difference by calling potential supporters in Nevada, Florida, New Mexico, or Colorado -- states where the race is extremely close and your help could put us over the top. Supporters like you are the only reason we've come as far as we have. Now, we're counting on you to get us the rest of the way.

Thanks for everything you're doing.

The Economy Is Tanking and SHE Could Be Your Leader

2008-09-26T19:05:00.001-05:00

SCARED YET? Please join us at BarackObama.com and help ensure that qualified and capable candidates are in the White House. The world is not a small town and requires big ideas to bring about REAL CHANGE.

For those with a short memory of what troubles the Republican party has led America into, here is a small list:

-a $1 TRILLION dollar disaster that is the Iraq War (a war based on lies and falsified intelligence about supposed weapons of mass destruction); no capture of Osama Bin-Laden in Afghanistan seven years after 9/11.

-a wrecked Economy

-Enron

-complete negligence following Hurricane Katrina

-lack of Health Care for 44 million American citizens

-Denial of Global Warming

-Failing educational standards and underfunding public schools

OBAMA-NOS LLAMA! Bilingual Volunteers from California: Spend a Weekend in Nevada (FREE)

2008-09-17T19:27:00.003-05:00

If you are able to spend a weekend or two in Nevada (a SWING STATE), please be sure to sign up for the OBAMA-NOS LLAMA! CARAVANA TO NEVADA.

We need Latinos and other spanish-speakers in California willing to spend one or two weekends in Nevada campaigning for Obama....conducting voter registration and related efforts in the Latino communities in Reno or Las Vegas. Let's be clear: Latinos will win this election! You, and other California Latinos, are the link to make this happen. We will be organizing Latinos statewide, strategically by having Southern CA focus on the Las Vegas area and Northern CA focus on Reno and surrounding communities.

Although Latinos represent 23% of Nevada's population, many Latinos still need to get registered and encouraged to vote in this election. Without that Latino vote, Obama will lose in Nevada. So...it's up to us....all of us to make a difference now.

Transportation and housing will be provided to those Latinos willing to travel on weekends. The basic itinerary involves vehicles picking up volunteers on late Friday afternoon, transport them to Reno or Las Vegas that same night, train them and house them for the weekend work and return them home late Sunday evening.

SIGN UP FOR SEPT 26TH - 28TH VOLUNTEERING IN NEVADA

Watch & Share the New Obama TV Spot in SPANISH

2008-09-17T19:27:00.001-05:00

Democrats in Non-Swing States: Please Sign up for Drive For Change

2008-09-13T13:29:00.001-05:00

During this troubling time when the GOP is literally running outright lies as ads and avoiding all discussion of the real issues that affect ordinary Americans, everyone must roll up their sleeves and help ensure that the Democrats take back the White House.

If you are a resident of a blue/non-swing state (CA, CT, DC, IL, MD, NY), it’s not enough to just go to the polls in your state. Please do consider spending a weekend or two in a nearby swing state; if Obama-Biden do not win in states like Pennsylvania, Nevada and Virginia, we will have another 4 years of misguided policies and a declining America.

Lastly, if you are not even registered yet with BarackObama.com , please do so – it is a great resource for activities in your area.

DRIVES FOR CHANGE (FOR VOTERS IN SOLIDLY DEMOCRATIC STATES):

CALIFORNIA Residents: Drive For Change in Nevada

CONNECTICUT Residents: Drive For Change in New Hampshire

DC Residents: Drive For Change in Virginia

ILLINOIS Residents: Drive For Change in Nearby States

MARYLAND Residents: Drive For Change In Virginia

NEW YORK Residents: Drive For Change in Pennsylvania

Sign up for Camp Obama in California

2008-09-08T01:17:00.001-05:00

We wanted to let everyone know about the upcoming Camp Obama sessions being held in California.

As you might have heard, John McCain and his Republican surrogates used their convention to attack Barack and disparage his work as a community organizer.

What they don't get is that ordinary people working together built this movement for change and will lead our campaign to victory in November.

That's why we've had such an amazing response to our Camp Obama sessions so far.

Supporters of all ages and backgrounds, some new to politics and some seasoned veterans, have expressed tremendous enthusiasm for the opportunity to learn the basic organizing principles of this movement and become Deputy Field Organizers in battleground states.

We can't do this without you, and there is still time to sign up. Learn more and apply for a Camp Obama session now. CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP.

Former POW says McCain is "not cut out to be President"

2008-09-02T23:08:00.001-05:00

Sarah Palin - the most DANGEROUS Vice Presidential Candidate In U.S. History

2008-08-31T01:33:00.001-05:00

Yesterday was John McCain's 72nd birthday. If elected, he'd be the oldest president ever inaugurated. And after months of slamming Barack Obama for "inexperience," here's who John McCain has chosen to be one heartbeat away from the presidency: a right-wing conservative with no foreign policy experience, who until recently was mayor of an Alaskan town of 9,000 people.

Huh?

Who is Sarah Palin? Here's some basic background:

-She was elected Alaska's governor a little over a year and a half ago. Her previous office was mayor of Wasilla, a small town outside Anchorage. She has no foreign policy experience.

-She's doesn't think humans are the cause of climate change.

-Palin is strongly anti-choice, opposing abortion even in the case of rape or incest.

-Palin thinks creationism should be taught in public schools.

-She's solidly in line with John McCain's "Big Oil first" energy policy. She's pushed hard for more oil drilling and says renewables won't be ready for years. She also sued the Bush administration for listing polar bears as an endangered species—she was worried it would interfere with more oil drilling in Alaska.

How closely did John McCain vet this choice? He met Sarah Palin once at a meeting. They spoke a second time, last Sunday, when he called her about being vice-president. Then he offered her the position.

In picking Sarah Palin, John McCain has made a VERY DANGEROUS decision for our country. In the next few days, many Americans will be wondering what McCain's vice-presidential choice means. Please pass this information along to your friends and family.

In the meantime, Ms. Sarah Palin has already made headlines for abuse of power. Click HERE.

Bienvenidos a los televidentes de Al Punto

2008-08-24T08:12:00.003-05:00

Si han escuchado acerca de nuestro proyecto a traves del programa de actualidades politicas, "Al Punto" con Jorge Ramos, le damos la bienvenida a nuestro proyecto. Nuestra meta es de conseguir que miembros de nuestra comunidad Latina tengan oportunidades mas tempraneras de involucrarse en los equipos de los varios candidatos a la presidencia en cada ciclo.

Para el corriente ciclo, estamos muy entusiasmados de ya contar con un candidato, el Senador Barack Obama, que estara trayendo el cambio a Washington que el pueblo tanto necesita.

Gracias por visitar el sitio, y no se olviden de registrarse en la seccion derecha de la pagina para ayudarnos en su estado.

Camp Obama in New Mexico (Hispanic Community Leadership Training - Aug. 22nd & 23rd)

2008-08-21T20:15:00.000-05:00

Become a part of the national movement that's changing our politics and transforming our country, neighborhood by neighborhood — sign up now to attend Camp Obama New Mexico, a Hispanic community leadership training, on Friday, August 22nd and Saturday, August 23rd. They will be helping local Hispanic leaders empower themselves with the skills to mobilize voters in their New Mexico communities. CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

Camp Obama New Mexico
Hispanic Community Leadership Training
Alamosa Community Center
6900 Gonzales Rd, SW (Corner of Bridge and Coors)
Albuquerque, NM 89102.

Friday, August 22nd, 5pm-9pm
Saturday, August 23rd, 9am-9pm

Free

This two-day leadership training session is designed for supporters who want a more in-depth volunteer role in the campaign. Please plan to attend for the full training.

The training is led by Marshall Ganz, professor of community organizing at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government and former United Farm Workers organizer, along with national and local campaign staff. All levels of experience accepted and all meals are included.

McCain and his McMansions

2008-08-18T19:51:00.002-05:00

John McCain is soaring to new heights of hypocrisy on his wife's personal jet. He flies around the country bent on duping the public into believing he's "one of them," a regular guy who can empathize with Americans facing an overwhelming economic crush. What's more, he disparages those who oppose his ridiculous policy proposals as “elitist.” But who's the real elitist?

The REAL McCain is a multimillionaire who owns ten luxurious homes. The REAL McCain backs President Bush's tax cuts for big corporations. The REAL McCain empathizes with the interests of our nation's wealthy minority, not its money-strapped majority. But far too many are buying into McCain's deceit because the corporate press won't present the whole picture, so we’re sharing this video to educate the public about the REAL McCain.

Deployed Troops Donate to Obama 6-1 Over McCain

2008-08-16T13:14:00.001-05:00

"Why do the troops hate the troops?"

Honestly, after years of hearing that if you don't support the Bush military policy, you don't support the troops, you have to wonder what the neo-conservatives will do now. Today, a study by the Center for Responsive Politics reported that members of the military are giving more donations to Senator Obama than Senator McCain, and when you just examine those troops who are deployed, Obama attracts more donations by a 6 to 1 factor.

Troops, of course, aren't much different than most Americans, who overwhelmingly oppose the Bush military policy that John McCain would continue (the latest AP-Ipsos poll had 62 percent disapproving of the Bush policy). It's just that troops have a lot more personal experience on this particular issue. We know that those who served believe Iraq has overstreched the military, and for years that those who have fought in Iraq and Afghanistan are solidly against the current policy.

Now, members of the military are speaking with their checkbooks, and reiterating just how strongly they believe we need to begin to redeploy from Iraq, and go on the offense against al Qaeda, which is making huge gains in Afghanistan.

Read the full article here.

Camp Obama in Orlando, FL This Weekend (Aug 8th & 9th)

2008-08-07T16:35:00.001-05:00

Call Unaffiliated Latino Voters in New Mexico

2008-08-01T20:42:00.000-05:00

Call Independent voters in New Mexico to ask who they plan to support in the general election. Once you have identified a Barack Obama supporter, invite them to volunteer in their neighborhood. Click here for more information (you do not need to reside in New Mexico to participate in this voter outreach program).

New Mexico is a swing state this year, and with 44% of its population being Hispanic, we can play a historic role in electing Barack Obama as the next president of the United States.

Latino Voters Support Obama for President Over McCain by 66% to 23% Margin, According to Pew Hispanic Center

2008-07-30T23:41:00.000-05:00

(courtesy of the Pew Hispanic Center) - Hispanic registered voters support Democrat Barack Obama for president over Republican John McCain by 66% to 23%, according to a nationwide survey of 2,015 Latinos conducted by the Pew Hispanic Center, a project of the Pew Research Center, from June 9 through July 13, 2008.

The presumptive Democratic nominee's strong showing in this survey represents a sharp reversal in his fortunes from the primaries, when Obama lost the Latino vote to Hillary Rodham Clinton by a nearly two-to-one ratio, giving rise to speculation in some quarters that Hispanics were disinclined to vote for a black candidate.

But in this new survey, three times as many respondents said being black would help Obama (32%) with Latino voters than said it would hurt him (11%); the majority (53%) said his race would make no difference to Latino voters.

Obama is rated favorably by 76% of Latino registered voters, making him much more popular among that voting group than McCain (44% favorable) and President Bush (27% favorable). Hillary Clinton's ratings among Latino registered voters are 73% favorable and 24% unfavorable; Obama's are 76% favorable and 17% unfavorable.

Also, more than three-quarters of Latinos who reported that they voted for Clinton in the primaries now say they are inclined to vote for Obama in the fall election, while just 8% say they are inclined to vote for McCain. That means that Obama is doing better among Hispanics who supported Clinton than he is among non-Hispanic white Clinton supporters, 70% of whom now say they have transferred their allegiance to Obama while 18% say they plan to vote for McCain, according to a recent survey by the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press.

Latino registered voters rank education, the cost of living, jobs and health care as the most important issues in the fall campaign, with crime lagging a bit behind those four and the war in Iraq and immigration still farther behind. On each of these seven issues, Obama is strongly favored over McCain--by lopsided ratios ranging from about three-to-one on education, jobs, health care, the cost of living and immigration, to about two-to-one on Iraq and crime.

In addition to their strong support for Obama, Latino voters have moved sharply into the Democratic camp in the past two years, reversing a pro-GOP tide that had been evident among Latinos earlier in the decade. Some 65% of Latino registered voters now say they identify with or lean toward the Democratic Party, compared with just 26% who identify with or lean toward the GOP. This 39 percentage point Democratic Party identification edge is larger than it has been at any time this decade; as recently as 2006, the partisan gap was just 21 percentage points.

Latino voters favor Obama over McCain, according to UW pollsters

2008-06-24T16:47:00.000-05:00

A new national survey of Latino voters shows Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama with a nearly 3-to-1 advantage over his rival, Republican John McCain.

The survey found that 60 percent of Latinos planned to vote for Obama, compared to 23 percent for McCain, while 16 percent were undecided. Latino Decisions, a joint effort between Pacific Market Research and University of Washington political scientists Matt Barreto and Gary Segura, conducted the poll by telephone June 1-12.

Workers reached 800 Latino voters in 21 states. Among Democrats, the survey found that during primary contests, 57 percent had supported Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton versus 35 percent who supported Obama. During those months, many political observers questioned whether Obama would successfully woo Latino voters. The results of the survey clearly suggest the Latino vote was not anti-Obama during the primaries, and that going into the general election, he has easily built a large lead among Latino voters.

Obama's lead among Latinos is consistent among those born in the U.S. and those born abroad. Among U.S.-born Latinos, Obama leads McCain 57 percent to 26 percent, and among foreign-born Latinos, 64 percent to 21 percent. Likewise, Obama does well among Latinos across many states. In California, he leads 66 percent to 20 percent; in New York, 65 percent to 20 percent; in Texas, 61 percent to 22 percent. Combining data in the four southwestern states expected to be key battlegrounds -- New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado and Nevada -- Obama leads McCain 57 percent to 31 percent among Latino voters. In Florida, where about half of Latino voters are Cuban-American, Obama has 43 percent to McCain's 42 percent. The poll's margin of error is 3.5 percent.

In 2008, the Latino vote is expected to increase to 9 million or about 8 percent. By comparison, 7.6 million Latinos voted in 2004 and 5.9 million in 2000.

Barack Obama Wins the Democratic Party Nomination; Hillary Clinton Unites Millions of Democrats and Puts Her Support Behind Obama

2008-06-23T21:49:00.001-05:00

FELICIDADES to Barack Obama on winning the Democratic party nomination. Now is the time for supporters of Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and John Edwards to unite as Democrats and help take back the White House. The United States cannot afford another four years of Republican policy that has led to a weakened U.S. economy and housing crisis, unnecessary war in Iraq, hostile immigration policies, millions of uninsured citizens and reckless disregard for our environment and global warming.

The Casablanca Project wishes to recognize Senator Clinton for making history over the past 16 months -- not just because she has broken barriers, but because she has inspired millions of Americans with her strength, her courage, and her commitment to causes like universal health care that make a difference in the lives of hardworking Americans. We welcome all Hillary Clinton supporters to our site and look forward to working with you to help bring about real change in America. Please sign up with the Casablanca Project so you can help put a Democrat who shares many of Hillary Clinton's values and policies in the White House.

WATCH THE BARACK OBAMA VICTORY SPEECH

HILLARY CLINTON UNIFIES DEMOCRATS AND ENDORSES BARACK OBAMA

The Hispanic Vote Critical in This Election and for Decades to Come

2008-06-03T22:56:00.002-05:00

According to Adam Nagourney and Jennifer Steinhauer's article in January's Politics section in the New York Times, "In Obama’s Pursuit of Latinos, Race Plays Role", in 2004 Hispanics accounted for 16 percent of the vote in the California primary; 11 percent in New York, 17 percent in Arizona and 9 percent in Florida. As such, it clear that the Hispanic vote will be a critical swing vote in November 2008 and for decades to come. Become a part of the future of politics in American and join the CasaBlanca Project and Latinos for Obama today and help Senator Obama make history.