Scripting News: To Obama: I'm not an ATM (Scripting News)
Anthony Citrano
· 1 year ago
Dave: if you don't want to feel like an ATM, max out. (It's $4600, not $2300.) Or, unsubscribe from the e-mails.
The campaign needs money. It's painfully expensive, and given they aren't taking PAC money, they need it from regular folks. And the best (the only realistic) way to raise it is to ask - and I can tell you, having raised money for many things, Obama included - people are cheap and you often have to ask several times before you get a nickel.
As for tapping your considerable wisdom and experience to the benefit of the campaign, there are millions of people whom they could/should tap. They can't tap most of them. Some they will, most they won't. Who they tap is going to depend largely on who they know and trust. Sorry to ask the obvious, but are you in touch with anyone on the campaign's policy side? Sending thoughts, ideas, etc.? I assume so but thought I'd ask..
I've been thinking about starting some kind of non-profit that distills the ideas/policies/interests of people "like us" - whomever "us" is - and perhaps we should all talk about that instead. Grumbling about fundraising and feeling underappreciated / under-recognized doesn't help anyone.
ontarioemperor
· 1 year ago
Anthony, maxing out isn't a solution. Should Dave give the entire $4600, then he'll get on the email list entitled "Could you introduce us to your friends and family?"
Anthony Citrano
· 1 year ago
Yes, I know how it works. And actually it is a solution. As is accepting the fact that the camp needs money to operate, and to get that money they need to ask for it.
Michael Markman (Mickeleh)
· 1 year ago
A Teller is a silent partner of new vaudeville magician Penn Gillette. Emphasis on slient. Teller gets the laughs. But only Penn gets voice-over gigs.
ontarioemperor
· 1 year ago
And Teller also has some really bad things done to him. :)
roadkill refugee
· 1 year ago
I admire you and your writing, but this post is embarrassingly petty. You're not the only bright, well educated guy in this country of 250 million with some good ideas. Do you really want Obama spending the next 5 months sitting down for one on one meetings with contributors with a notepad? You can communicate your ideas on your blog and via HuffPo -- that's more than most folks can say -- and you can get more involved in the campaign. But to suggest this mass email should be a personalized invitation for a personal interview with the candidate is absurd. And to suggest that the call for contributions, which is the lifeblood of a successful challenge to the GOP, is some kind of personal insult to you is pure silliness. Ironically, check out Obama's remarks reported in today's Washington Post about what he said to former Hillary contributors: he specifically said he's not just looking for their cash -- he wants their network, their organizing efforts and ideas. I think that's true -- his campaign wants and needs your help. Are you doing a house party this Saturday night, for example, as some 5,000 supporters around the country are? There's a lot to do and he needs your help. But he needs money, too -- there's no denying it.
dave
· 1 year ago
Keep your admiration intact, you're reading way way too much into this piece. I never said Obama should "spend the next 5 months for one on one meetings, etc." Did you ever watch the SNL sketch with Emily Litella where she goes off on a long rant based on a simple misunderstanding. This is one of those moments (for you).
Anthony Citrano
· 1 year ago
I don't think Roadkill is alone in his misunderstanding. As I hint at in my longer response above, I took it that way, too.
dave
· 1 year ago
Well, then you got it wrong too. What else can I say it just isn't there, in the piece, or in my head.
roadkill refugee
· 1 year ago
I don't see the misunderstanding based on this excerpt below, but I'm happy to consider it one and move on, because that's just the kind of happy go lucky guy I am. Admiration in tact. Although you could follow me back on twitter. Just sayin.
"When I saw the email in my inbox entitled Strategy Briefing For You I thought for a brief instant that the Obama campaign had figured out that I have a mind, that I have an education and a resume, and I might be someone worth briefing. Three paragraphs later the disappointment hits. Watch the video then give us money. Permalink to this paragraph
I (like to) think Obama needs more than my money. I think Obama needs my mind and my influence and experience. My creativity. I think Obama might, from time to time, want to brief me, without asking for money."
Amon
· 1 year ago
Obama is in fact meeting with people to get their input. He just hasn't met with *you*. So how has Roadkill got it wrong? Are you saying, "Well, he doesn't have to meet with *me*, but he has to put me on a committee where I help approve who he does meet with"?
Pa_2
· 1 year ago
And I thought it was just me. Thanks for bringing this to light.
davingreenwell
· 1 year ago
I have heard that the Obama camp will have some amazing online fundraising campaign for the election ... is this it? Hrm.
Chelsea Hardaway
· 1 year ago
I'm surprised it took you so long to get here. I felt this way as soon as I gave my first donation. I even called people I knew in the Obama campaign and requested they try sending some communications that DON'T request money. I wrote emails with creative communication ideas along the same lines -- give donors have behind-the-scenes access to life on the campaign trail (what the TV doesn't show). Have some blogger go around and film Obama in action and that would be what donors and supporters would get "special access" to. They of course listened to none of my suggestions, and continue to barrage me with emails, all of which end with a red "Donate Now" button. Pisses me off. For all his campaign has done right, this is one element they have gotten incredibly wrong. Will they ever wake up?
Hao
· 1 year ago
What is this "teller" you speak of?
whitscott
· 1 year ago
More then your mind, right now he needs your money. He needs the people without the minds really. Isn't that his struggle right now, getting the un-educated behind him?
But come on Dave, You know you love getting e-mails from Obama, just like I do. Everyday I get to come in the office and say "Hey! I got another e-mail from Obama."
tmomaslomez
· 1 year ago
I got the same email, but the ask was only for $25. It does not bother me, I'm not a strategist or uniquely influential, but I feel I have been able to contribute with various LGBT conference calls, lists and the like. There's the my.barackobama.com where you can hook up with different groups; any kind of group you could imagine, actually.
jamesoclark
· 1 year ago
Yep, for those of us that have been involved in financially support his campaign for over a year now, these emails are getting a bit tiresome. I'd like to see more substantial content and outreach and that helps me continue to drive the word of mouth that is keeping this campaign alive. More content that hits hard, that calls out differentiation with McCain, ties into emotive issues like global warming, protecting the 4th amendment, off-shore drilling and delivers it a way that makes it simple for me to repeat it. Not stupid simple like two word catch phrases, but simple to carry on.
Don
· 1 year ago
Just proves that Obama is just another politician! Just like all the rest with their hands in our pockets.
radix42
· 1 year ago
Regardless of what you think about McCain's $300 prize for a better electric car battery prize idea, it reportedly had its genesis from one of his campaign strategists reading a blog.
Yes, the dems seem to be exploiting the internet better for many purposes this election cycle, including donations, but it appears that the gop is farther along in mining it for substantive policy ideas (whether you agree with them or not).
roadkill refugee
· 1 year ago
It wasn't a $300 prize it was $300M prize, and if your point was that because the idea came from a blog that it's proof the GOP isn't far behind the Dems in using the Internet, this is a terrible example. The prize makes no sense. First, you only get the prize if you invent something prize-worthy, like a game-changing battery. But if you've invented such a thing, you don't need the prize -- you're sitting on an IP asset worth over a billion. You needed the money when you were scratching together loose change to fund the pre-invention stage. Not to mention the issue of where in the budget the money comes from, and the wisdom of having taxpayers fund this private initiative that the inventor will profit from and exploit instead of the public. And do you exclude GM, Honda, etc, that have been working on such technology for years, let alone Tesla? A stupid gimmick, not an energy policy. But hey, it came from a blog!
~julz
· 1 year ago
It would be cool if he and his team read this post and thought about what you are saying. Politics 3.0?
Havent you seen anything about the organizing fellows and the house gatherings? Why arent you hosting one, or are you?
Michael Markman (Mickeleh)
· 1 year ago
Obama Organizing Fellows have not been assigned to California, as far as I know. But you don't need a Fellow to find (or volunteer to host) a house party on barackobama.com. There are a lot of them scheduled for tomorrow (Sat. Jun 28)
The Fellows are a cadre of 3600 students and recent graduates dispersed to 17 swing states. According to Chris Bowers (OpenLeft) the states are:
Colorado Florida Georgia Iowa Michigan Missouri North Carolina New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico Nevada Ohio Oregon Pennsylvania Virginia Washington Wisconsin
Fellows were each given three days of training at HQ and are expected to volunteer (at least) 30 hours a week for six weeks this summer. After that time, they may be offered paid gigs with the campaign. The program is no longer accepting applicants.
While it is questionable whether any major party national political candidate can truly interact with people in a two-way conversation, you have a valid point in noting that Obama's (and Ron Paul's) vaunted Web 2.0 strategy is in fact a one-way street.
While you are stable enough to digest your epiphany and act accordingly, I'm sure that there will be a few people who will sink into deep depression upon discovering that Obama is not the perfect savior, but a savvy politician.
This raises the question - can all of the technologies that we play with truly have a revolutionary impact on politics? I haven't read all of Robert Scoble's material from his Washington trip, but I get the feeling that the tools are only having limited effects on the national level. A couple of tweeting Congresspeople do not a revolution make.
But perhaps there's hope on the local level. The local level is sometimes ignored because it isn't as sexy as the Beltway, but many of the things that impact our lives actually occur in city councils and county boards. Perhaps interactivity tools can REALLY bear fruit in our neighborhoods.
Glenn Stauffer
· 1 year ago
The smart thing to do is understand that MONEY MATTERS in politics. Votes are just a popularity contest that is won by the candidate with the best marketing campaign. If you start with that premise, then what you do is take like-minded folks, pool together that money, make it known that you now have a huge amount to give and that you and your friends have an agenda. Put enough cash on the line and your agenda items will get the attention of the candidate. Then your cash matters - otherwise, it is filler and the big corporate interests will continue to call the shots. Obama or McCain - same s***...different party.
ethioblog
· 1 year ago
I couldn't agree more.
I get lost of similar emails, and it kind of hurts to be hit everytime for money, rather than asked to participate in other ways.
RacerRick
· 1 year ago
He can talk your money now (donation) and then he'll take your money later (dividend and capital gains).
Either way you're gonna pay, Dave.
mashmaul
· 1 year ago
yea we all want to feel important and we are ! do your part to make some thing work something new screw it give it a shot.besides we been gettig rip off our whole life believe it or not ,well at least i have.(crap)
lemon obrien
· 1 year ago
i'm voting mccain. i voted obama during the california primary, cause i hate hilary. i thought obama was actually true; but he's playing all this religious stereotypical "democrat" crap. i want the problems of america solved in a non-partisan smart way.
what's wrong with nuclear power if it works, look at germany. wha's wrong with giving 300 million to smart people willing to take a risk ad change the world, what's wrong with living by the constitution. criminals don't legally buy guns. give a man a job, and crime will go down.
he's turning out to be a retard run by intellectuals who think everything should be give to them for free; cause... life is sooo hard.
why are we even selling cars with combustion engines? why are they allowed to be imported into america? why do we need to continue fucking up our world; what about the kids. i guess the women will survive as prostitutes for the chinese and arabians.
i've never owned a car. i think only retards live in the suburbs; they'll turn into the new ghettos cause the price of oil; all cause americas have massive egos and produce nothing.
remember vietnam, they won cause they were stronger, mentally. no ego, a bowl of rice, a gun, and a spider hole. look at iraq. think their stupid; they just have to wait. we can't eve afford to have our army over there anymore.
americas have been living off of home mortgage loans for the last 10 years; all these people have no real skill, no worth. they're not even plumbers or electricians... those are the illegals. thats why democrats are so lenient toward illegal immigration.
i feel sorry for the young kids. i guess i got the best of america. the 70s/80s clean air, lots of innovation, fun, new, exciting.
NOTE: i lived in japan an china for over 10 years after i graduaded college. i speak both languages. when i lived there, i worked for japanese companies and did not speak english.
i know how pussified america is. wait, billions of hardcore tough chinese wants their share. if you wanna know tough, go to chinatown in san francisco/oakland, and compete against the old little chinese ladies with pink plastic bags to get on a bus. they'll kick your ass.
i really don't want to vote for either candidate.; but choice do i really have?
sameasiteverwas
· 1 year ago
i really don't want to vote for either candidate.; but choice do i really have?
You know, he only asked me for $25. Perhaps you're more valuable than I am regardless.
dave
· 1 year ago
Nah. I've given him 10 donations of $100. They took a guess that my next donation would also be $100.
jaxn
· 1 year ago
For sake of understanding their decisions...
I have given several times totaling $450 or so. I got asked for $100 as well.
I do hope that he will make use of more than just my bank account, but I will cut him some slack on this one in order to get him in the White House. Then we can fix America.
Anthony Bullock
· 1 year ago
bush's latest 'vision' for Iraq...the military will get 50 bases and unlimited freedom of action in Iraq..the Iraqis will be untermenschen with no rights....the country will be a Wal-Mart. He wants to wrap this up by the end of July...it's been classified. www.gwu.edu/~nsarchive/NSAEEB/NSAEBB252/index.htm
kirkk
· 1 year ago
I can certainly understand your feeling as I've felt the same way in the past. I've donated 6 x $100 so far and will donate more but having that big DONATE button on every message sometimes makes me feel like the rest of the correspondence doesn't really mean anything and is just a way to not-so-stealthily send out a donation request. Sometimes it would be nice to receive an email without the request to send more money.
However, that feeling goes away pretty quickly after I remind myself what the last 8 years have done to this country and what 4/8 years of McCain would do. I have a feeling that this is going to be an ugly campaign and Obama is going to need all the cash he can get to fight the Repubs propaganda machine. What really gets me hot is thinking about the Millions that were wasted battling the HRC vanity campaign... Millions that could have gone towards defeating McCain in the GE.
athard
· 1 year ago
I think that the fundraising will continue. This year, more than any other, I think that we'll see a lot more ads from both candidates. One trying to create doubts in the minds of voters and the other trying to clear his bad name. Also, the advent of the internet has changed things. Although there were a lot of users in the past two elections, the internet generation is probably old enough to vote now. There are also so many sites on the elections now, that they need to constantly spend money on SEO as well as adwords campaigns.
I am dissappointed at the note he sent you though. But at this point, it is probably his advisors doing most of the thinking for him. I do hope that changes when he takes the white house.
Rk
· 1 year ago
How to embed video in gmail ?
Anthony Bullock
· 1 year ago
further to my previous post, U.S. forces are to have unfettered freedom in Iraq, complete freedom of action to arrest and detain Iraqis, U.S forces and civilian contractors to have total immunity from Iraqi law. Boy for a 'sovereign nation' Iraq doesn't look very sovereign. Bush wants to push this through so he can then declare a military victory. What kind of mentality thinks up schemes like this?
hardaway
· 1 year ago
I feel the same way, Dave. I have been talking to friends and virtual friends about Obama for over a year now, and I also have thirty years of communications experiences -- probably more than anyone on his team. But no one has ever asked me for input into what he's saying or should say, how he ought to phrase things, or anything else, for that matter. The interative nature of the campaign is not really conversational. I have stopped responding.
mager
· 1 year ago
I totally agree. I get discouraged when he asks for my money. I think he should be able to run a campaign without emailing people asking for money. Maybe he doesn't realize it, but we hold email up pretty high these days. If you spam us, we will block ya.
rmpenguino
· 1 year ago
Hopefully these examples from politics and public radio are behavior patterns from the last century. Believing that citizens, customers, users, etc only need to vet your legitimacy through whatever applicable means, falls short of fully engaging them in the process. Politically it trivializes supporter involvement, as though those people in the campaign or cabinet are the only ones worth listening. Because activists, thinkers and trendsetters are passively involved or sidestepped altogether the control remains centralized, but so does the influence and scope of personal engagement. Although supporting Obama and public radio as well, it truly is sad to rarely, if ever, feel genuine engagement and ownership with those causes. Perhaps what we both want are candidates and public services that ask for more than just money. Perhaps what we all want are causes and presidents that ask more of us than just to dig into our pockets and shop. Perhaps what we all want is just to for once truly participate and belong to those causes we make our own.
justinhamilton
· 1 year ago
.
kevinmil
· 1 year ago
It seems deeply ironic that this criticism is made 1) of Obama, who's running the most inclusive and citizen-based campaign I've seen in >20 years of voting, and 2) in the context of a rather open and transparent broadcast of their strategy.
We were both excited by Howard Dean's candidacy 4 years ago. I think that Dean failed to find a way to scale up that initial enthusiasm and build a broader, coherent campaign. Obama has done that, in ways that have costs as well (how do you listen even to the million volunteers they claim?).
What I have found, working with the campaign on a local level is that it is impressively open to local voices. I don't think I have any special access as a contributor, but I think I do as a volunteer. And, when I think about it, that dissociation is a pretty good thing.
Finding a way to scale up two-way conversations to the scope of a national campaign is something that is going to require software as well as good will. I do worry that Obama is increasingly moving into a bubble where it may be hard for him to listen and learn. I went to a fundraiser for him and it was nice to see him up close and shake his hand, but the press of people was such that I doubt he learned anything from it. So I think you've identified a big problem. I don't think it has anything in particular to do with fund-raising, but it has everything to do with how you scale a conversation up to include hundreds of millions of people.
The neat thing about an American political campaign is the way it is a learning experience as candidates confront a variety of hurdles. I think Howard Dean failed to pass the one that involves scaling up an organization to communicate with a broader public. So far Obama has managed to jump all the hurdles to date with creativity and aplomb. The next one is a big one, and it seems to me that you might have something to say about how to get over it.
Y-J
· 1 year ago
The Obama fundraising machine is relentless and, sadly, incredibly effective. I've only donated $30 so far, but the stream of emails gently pleading and tacitly demanding for more is truly overwhelming. My friends and I can't bring ourselves to read any more of them. Too bad this aggressive strategy has worked so well for them so far. I'll probably end up donating much more in the months to come, but I am becoming a bit disenchanted with the whole thing.
kidmercury
· 1 year ago
i dont blame obama. the american people are willing to put up with double digit inflation, $4+ gas prices, and a government that taxes them for more than half of their income while offering virtually nothing of value in return. let's not kid ourselves, we americans obviously ain't the sharpest bunch, and are clearly quite open to being robbed.
Colin Faulkingham
· 1 year ago
I just received a invitation to contribute to the platform without being asked to give them money. Maybe they heard what you said?
How about all of you keep your money until he actually keeps his word? As of late, this man has not done anything he said he would have. Albeit, he's a far superior candidate than McCain, but I have my own reservations about Obama as well. FISA/Iran ring a bell?
All Comments
The campaign needs money. It's painfully expensive, and given they aren't taking PAC money, they need it from regular folks. And the best (the only realistic) way to raise it is to ask - and I can tell you, having raised money for many things, Obama included - people are cheap and you often have to ask several times before you get a nickel.
As for tapping your considerable wisdom and experience to the benefit of the campaign, there are millions of people whom they could/should tap. They can't tap most of them. Some they will, most they won't. Who they tap is going to depend largely on who they know and trust. Sorry to ask the obvious, but are you in touch with anyone on the campaign's policy side? Sending thoughts, ideas, etc.? I assume so but thought I'd ask..
I've been thinking about starting some kind of non-profit that distills the ideas/policies/interests of people "like us" - whomever "us" is - and perhaps we should all talk about that instead. Grumbling about fundraising and feeling underappreciated / under-recognized doesn't help anyone.
"When I saw the email in my inbox entitled Strategy Briefing For You I thought for a brief instant that the Obama campaign had figured out that I have a mind, that I have an education and a resume, and I might be someone worth briefing. Three paragraphs later the disappointment hits. Watch the video then give us money. Permalink to this paragraph
I (like to) think Obama needs more than my money. I think Obama needs my mind and my influence and experience. My creativity. I think Obama might, from time to time, want to brief me, without asking for money."
But come on Dave, You know you love getting e-mails from Obama, just like I do. Everyday I get to come in the office and say "Hey! I got another e-mail from Obama."
It does not bother me, I'm not a strategist or uniquely influential, but I feel I have been able to contribute with various LGBT conference calls, lists and the like. There's the my.barackobama.com where you can hook up with different groups; any kind of group you could imagine, actually.
Yes, the dems seem to be exploiting the internet better for many purposes this election cycle, including donations, but it appears that the gop is farther along in mining it for substantive policy ideas (whether you agree with them or not).
The Fellows are a cadre of 3600 students and recent graduates dispersed to 17 swing states. According to Chris Bowers (OpenLeft) the states are:
Fellows were each given three days of training at HQ and are expected to volunteer (at least) 30 hours a week for six weeks this summer. After that time, they may be offered paid gigs with the campaign. The program is no longer accepting applicants.
Many of the fellows are posting about their experiences.
While you are stable enough to digest your epiphany and act accordingly, I'm sure that there will be a few people who will sink into deep depression upon discovering that Obama is not the perfect savior, but a savvy politician.
This raises the question - can all of the technologies that we play with truly have a revolutionary impact on politics? I haven't read all of Robert Scoble's material from his Washington trip, but I get the feeling that the tools are only having limited effects on the national level. A couple of tweeting Congresspeople do not a revolution make.
But perhaps there's hope on the local level. The local level is sometimes ignored because it isn't as sexy as the Beltway, but many of the things that impact our lives actually occur in city councils and county boards. Perhaps interactivity tools can REALLY bear fruit in our neighborhoods.
I get lost of similar emails, and it kind of hurts to be hit everytime for money, rather than asked to participate in other ways.
Either way you're gonna pay, Dave.
what's wrong with nuclear power if it works, look at germany. wha's wrong with giving 300 million to smart people willing to take a risk ad change the world, what's wrong with living by the constitution. criminals don't legally buy guns. give a man a job, and crime will go down.
he's turning out to be a retard run by intellectuals who think everything should be give to them for free; cause... life is sooo hard.
why are we even selling cars with combustion engines? why are they allowed to be imported into america? why do we need to continue fucking up our world; what about the kids. i guess the women will survive as prostitutes for the chinese and arabians.
i've never owned a car. i think only retards live in the suburbs; they'll turn into the new ghettos cause the price of oil; all cause americas have massive egos and produce nothing.
remember vietnam, they won cause they were stronger, mentally. no ego, a bowl of rice, a gun, and a spider hole. look at iraq. think their stupid; they just have to wait. we can't eve afford to have our army over there anymore.
americas have been living off of home mortgage loans for the last 10 years; all these people have no real skill, no worth. they're not even plumbers or electricians... those are the illegals. thats why democrats are so lenient toward illegal immigration.
i feel sorry for the young kids. i guess i got the best of america. the 70s/80s clean air, lots of innovation, fun, new, exciting.
NOTE: i lived in japan an china for over 10 years after i graduaded college. i speak both languages. when i lived there, i worked for japanese companies and did not speak english.
i know how pussified america is. wait, billions of hardcore tough chinese wants their share. if you wanna know tough, go to chinatown in san francisco/oakland, and compete against the old little chinese ladies with pink plastic bags to get on a bus. they'll kick your ass.
i really don't want to vote for either candidate.; but choice do i really have?
Here's one option.
I have given several times totaling $450 or so. I got asked for $100 as well.
I do hope that he will make use of more than just my bank account, but I will cut him some slack on this one in order to get him in the White House. Then we can fix America.
www.gwu.edu/~nsarchive/NSAEEB/NSAEBB252/index.htm
However, that feeling goes away pretty quickly after I remind myself what the last 8 years have done to this country and what 4/8 years of McCain would do. I have a feeling that this is going to be an ugly campaign and Obama is going to need all the cash he can get to fight the Repubs propaganda machine. What really gets me hot is thinking about the Millions that were wasted battling the HRC vanity campaign... Millions that could have gone towards defeating McCain in the GE.
I am dissappointed at the note he sent you though. But at this point, it is probably his advisors doing most of the thinking for him. I do hope that changes when he takes the white house.
Iraqi law. Boy for a 'sovereign nation' Iraq doesn't look very sovereign.
Bush wants to push this through so he can then declare a military victory. What kind of mentality thinks up schemes like this?
We were both excited by Howard Dean's candidacy 4 years ago. I think that Dean failed to find a way to scale up that initial enthusiasm and build a broader, coherent campaign. Obama has done that, in ways that have costs as well (how do you listen even to the million volunteers they claim?).
What I have found, working with the campaign on a local level is that it is impressively open to local voices. I don't think I have any special access as a contributor, but I think I do as a volunteer. And, when I think about it, that dissociation is a pretty good thing.
Finding a way to scale up two-way conversations to the scope of a national campaign is something that is going to require software as well as good will. I do worry that Obama is increasingly moving into a bubble where it may be hard for him to listen and learn. I went to a fundraiser for him and it was nice to see him up close and shake his hand, but the press of people was such that I doubt he learned anything from it. So I think you've identified a big problem. I don't think it has anything in particular to do with fund-raising, but it has everything to do with how you scale a conversation up to include hundreds of millions of people.
The neat thing about an American political campaign is the way it is a learning experience as candidates confront a variety of hurdles. I think Howard Dean failed to pass the one that involves scaling up an organization to communicate with a broader public. So far Obama has managed to jump all the hurdles to date with creativity and aplomb. The next one is a big one, and it seems to me that you might have something to say about how to get over it.
See,
http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/listening/