Dear MoveOn member,

I don't mean to ruin your day, but we can still lose this. Here's how:

Right now, Obama's up in the polls. The pundits are basically calling the election over. So lots of folks think Obama's going to win with or without their vote. Many could skip voting altogether—and well-intentioned volunteers could take the weekend off instead of getting those folks out to vote.

In other words, if too many people believe the polls, then the polls will be wrong.

There's one surefire way to prevent this. All of us—yes, all—need to help get out the vote and make sure every Obama supporter knows this race isn't in the bag!

The Obama office in Roanoke needs more volunteers this week to do just that, and we've set a goal of sending 100 MoveOn members to help out—will you join in?

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Thanks for all you do.

–Adam, Daniel, Nita, Karin and the rest of the team

Dear MoveOn member,

I know something about what can happen in close elections. And we've only got 8 days left to make sure this isn't one of them.

We are witnessing history in the making. Millions of young people are getting involved in politics for the first time. A leader named Barack Obama is rising up to unite America behind his vision of progressive change. Yet we know from 2000 that progress is not inevitable. Victory can fall just out of reach. And the difference of a few thousand votes can put our country on a decidedly different path.

That's why I'm writing to you today to personally ask you to volunteer with the Obama campaign to help get out the vote this week. Everything we've worked for together hangs in the balance in these next few days. The Obama office in Roanoke still needs more volunteers and I'm hoping you can help. Click here to sign up:

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I know that MoveOn members have the power to swing elections. In 2006, you made over 7 million calls—I made some myself—and together we won back both houses of Congress. And already this year, nearly 120,000 of you have signed up to volunteer for Obama in battleground states.

But the stakes this year are too great for any of us to sit it out.  We're facing two wars and an economic meltdown. The climate crisis, in particular, is worsening more quickly than predicted and without strong leadership from the next president, we could face consequences right out of a science fiction movie.

Barack Obama will provide that leadership. But only if we all make sure he wins. Please sign up to volunteer today.

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Yes we can,

Al Gore

Want to support our work? We're entirely funded by our 4.2 million members—no corporate contributions, no big checks from CEOs. And our tiny staff ensures that small contributions go a long way. <Link Removed>

Dear MoveOn member,

If you're an Obama supporter, watching the polls or reading the news can feel pretty good right now. And we should feel good—progressives have worked hard to get this far!

But we can't listen to the pundits who say it's over—we've all got to help out to make sure Obama wins. Here are five reasons why:

1. The polls may be wrong. This is an unprecedented election. No one knows how racism may affect what voters tell pollsters—or what they do in the voting booth. And the polls are narrowing anyway. In the last few days, John McCain has gained ground in most national polls, as his campaign has gone even more negative.

2. Dirty tricks. Republicans are already illegally purging voters from the rolls in some states. They're whipping up hysteria over ACORN to justify more challenges to new voters. Misleading flyers about the voting process have started appearing in black neighborhoods. And of course, many counties still use unsecure voting machines.

3. October surprise. In politics, 15 days is a long time. The next McCain smear could dominate the news for a week. There could be a crisis with Iran, or Bin Laden could release another tape, or worse.

4. Those who forget history... In 2000, Al Gore won the popular vote, after trailing by seven points in the final days of the race. In 1980, Reagan was eight points down in the polls in late October and came back to win. Races can shift—fast!

5. Landslide. Even with Barack Obama in the White House, passing universal health care and a new clean energy policy is going to be hard. Insurance, drug and oil companies will fight us every step of the way. We need the kind of landslide that will give Barack a huge mandate.

It all boils down to this: We can't afford to take our eye off the ball. After eight long years, we're just 15 days away from turning the page on the Bush era—but we've got to keep pushing, right down to the wire, to get every last Obama supporter out to vote.

That's why we've set a goal of sending 75 MoveOn members to volunteer at the Obama office in Roanoke this week. Polls are great, but only votes count!

Will you help reach out to voters?
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Some progressives may be starting to think this one's in the bag, and that could be a fatal error. So please pass this email along to a few friends right now. And invite them to come volunteer with you.

Obama's kicking butt! Now we all have to do our part, and take this one across the finish line.

Thanks for all you do.

–Adam, Lenore, Aisling, Patrick S. and the rest of the team

Dear MoveOn member,

We're just 26 days away from Election Day and Republicans are throwing elbows. Right-wing groups funded by ultra-conservative billionaires and oil companies are spending millions to attack Democrats.

Conservative groups are actually spending more in Senate and House races than they are to stop Barack Obama from winning the White House.

We shouldn't give a single inch. No way. We can beat them back this year just like in 2006.

We've identified three candidates who need help right now, including Mark Begich, who's running for Senate in Sarah Palin's home state of Alaska. Can you take a minute to chip in $25 to help these candidates out?

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Right-wing groups have spent over $23 million in Senate races compared to just $3.3 million by progressive groups.

The group Freedom's Watch, funded by casino mogul billionaire Sheldon Adelson, has even drawn calls for investigations for allegedly breaking the law. But they're still on the march—spending millions in key Senate races.

These three candidates need our help to fight back:

• Mark Begich: Begich is running in Sarah Palin's home state of Alaska. Begich has a really strong shot at winning a Republican-held Senate seat. He's the mayor of Alaska's largest city—Anchorage—and his opponent, Ted Stevens, was indicted on corruption charges in July. A big part of Begich's issue agenda is ethics reform. Begich supports health care reform, renewable energy investments, ending the war in Iraq, and opposes privatization of Social Security.
• Kay Hagan: After five terms in the North Carolina State Senate, Kay Hagan is ready to move on to the U.S. Senate. But first, she has to beat Sen. Elizabeth Dole this fall. Hagan has led the fight for children's healthcare and she wants to tackle the climate crisis when she gets to the Senate. A few months ago, election watchers thought this race was a long-shot, but polls show Hagan and Dole running neck and neck.
• Jeanne Shaheen: We need Shaheen to represent New Hampshire—and all of us—in the United States Senate. She's the former Governor of New Hampshire; in fact, she was the first woman ever elected to that office. Now she wants to blaze the trail again and become the first woman elected senator from the state. The only thing standing in her way is pro-war incumbent Republican senator John Sununu.
  

All three of these candidates are in tight races that could come down to a few hundred votes. Can you contribute $25? Click on the link below.

<link removed>The election is less than a month away. Let's keep it up.

Thanks for all you do.

–Nita, Eli, Carrie, Karin and the rest of the team

Dear MoveOn member,

How many Tuesdays do you get to save the world?

Think about last Tuesday. You probably returned some emails. Maybe had a meeting or two. Watched your to-do list grow.

But on Tuesday, November 4th, you can help win the most important election in a generation by working with the Obama campaign to get progressives to the polls in Virginia.

Everything we've worked for together hangs in the balance that day, which is why we're sounding the alarm early. Make a plan now. Do whatever you have to do to get Tuesday—or the whole long weekend—off from work or school.

Click here if you think you might be able to help out:

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The Obama campaign has an incredible grassroots operation: tens of thousands of volunteers—many of them MoveOn members—going out every night to register voters and identify supporters.

They're building a massive list of Obama voters, some of whom won't vote without a reminder. And it'll take all of us, working together, to get those voters to the polls on Election Day. That's why we should all try to take Election Day off—or take Monday and Tuesday off and make it a long weekend.

Unlike most MoveOn members, you live in one of the key swing states where this election will be won or lost. This means you have an amazing opportunity—and responsibility—to help win Virginia and turn America around.

Why think about this now? The advance notice may help you get the time off. Plus, it gives you some time to get friends and family to join you!

If you're interested, sign up today. Then make arrangements to get the day—or long weekend—off. Closer to Election Day, we'll follow up with instructions on how to volunteer. Just click here now to tell us you're interested:

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Tuesdays are often busy. But there's only one Tuesday this fall when the future of our democracy will be decided.

On Tuesday, November 4th, your job is to save the world. Don't forget to show up for work.

Thanks for all you do.

–Anna, Michael, Andrea, Justin and the rest of the team

Dear Move On member,

Help us win a Democratic landslide this fall. Click below to donate $25 to three critical campaigns—Jeff Merkley, Larry Kissell, and me, Al Franken:

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It's not enough to merely win this election. We've got to win big.

Great—I can tell from your nodding head that you agree. Now, let's make it happen—by helping three champs win tight, crucial races: Jeff Merkley of Oregon, Larry Kissell of North Carolina, and, ahem, Al Franken of Minnesota.

I'm not asking for $700 billion—just $10, $25, or whatever you can spare. Donate by clicking below:

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Here's why this is so important. When Republicans tried to privatize Social Security back in 2005, they ran both houses of Congress and the White House—but they lost. The same thing happened to us with health care reform in 1993.

Now, they were wrong on Social Security, and we were right on health care. But the fact is, big change—for better or worse—takes big majorities and big mandates.

In fact, in the last century, there have been just a couple of truly transformative elections: 1964, when a Democratic landslide paved the way for Medicare, and 1932, when a Democratic landslide opened the door for the New Deal (and enraged generations of right-wingers by creating Social Security in the first place).

That's what we need in 2008: Not just a majority, but a landslide.

But who, you may be asking, are these three specific candidates? I'll tell you, with help from my friends in the Bullet Point department:

* Jeff Merkley, running for the Senate in Oregon, led Habitat for Humanity in Oregon and then cracked down on predatory lenders, passed ethics reform, and cut taxes for working people in the State House.

* Larry Kissell, running in North Carolina's 8th district, worked in textiles for 27 years and taught high school civics. In 2006, he ran for Congress against Republican Robin Hayes, one of the oil industry's biggest cheerleaders—and lost by 329 votes. This year, the oil industry is gushing with cash for Hayes, but my money (and, I hope, your money) is on Kissell.

* Me. I'm running for Senate in my home state of Minnesota. It's not just that six years of Norm Coleman in the Senate is already six years too much. I'm running because it's time for change, and because change is going to take progressives—like Jeff, Larry, and myself—who are willing to stand up and fight.

We need you to vote, to knock on doors, and to make phone calls. And, right now, we need you to take out your credit card, click the link, and donate some money.

This fall, the higher the stakes become, the nastier the Republicans are going to get—so we need the resource to fight back with the truth. The election is just 37 days away. Click here to donate now:

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Thanks for all that you've done, and thanks for helping MoveOn rebuild the progressive movement in America over the last ten years. Thanks for your hard-earned money (did you forget to donate? No problem! Click here. <link removed>

And thanks in advance for working side by side with me, Larry, Jeff, Barack, and the new Democratic landslide to truly, day by day, take this country back.

–Al Franken

Yesterday was one of the stranger days in presidential election history. John McCain actually asked to "suspend" Friday's much anticipated debate with Barack Obama so that he could posture on the financial crisis.1 Even the arch-conservative Wall Street Journal editorial board was mystified.2 Bottom line: This isn't presidential behavior. It's a desperate, reckless move that actually threatens to make it harder to resolve this crisis. And of course, presidents have to be able to handle lots of important issues at once—they can't panic and take their eyes off of one urgent priority when another one pops up. Obama wants the debate to go forward. So do millions of other Americans. With 40 days left until the most important election in a generation, we deserve a debate on the issues. Can you sign this emergency petition to the Commission on Presidential Debates urging them to hold strong and make sure that the debate go forward on Friday, as planned? We'll make sure they get your comments by the end of the day. What's motivating all this panicky erratic behavior from McCain? It's hard to tell, but here are what some of the experts are saying might be behind it: A drop in the polls. As Politico writer Ben Smith pointed out, "In terms of the timing of this move: The only thing that's changed in the last 48 hours is the public polling." 3 Stopping the VP debate. Last night, McCain surrogate Sen. Lindsey Graham suggested that the vice presidential debate between Gov. Palin and Sen. Biden be postponed indefinitely to accommodate his request to postpone tomorrow's debate. (Now, why would they ever want to postpone or cancel the VP debate?) 4 Pure reckless decision-making. McCain has a history of reckless decision-making. Here's how Time's Joe Klein put it yesterday, "McCain suspends his campaign because of financial crisis? Oh please. Given today's poll numbers—even Fox has him dropping—it seems another Hail Mary (like the feckless selection of Palin) to try make McCain seem a statesman, which is difficult given the puerile tenor of his campaign's message operation." 4 And the Wall Street Journal wrote last week: "In a crisis, voters want steady, calm leadership, not easy, misleading answers that will do nothing to help." 5 But whatever the cause is, McCain's wrong. Serious situations like this one are exactly the time when Americans most need a real discussion—a debate. We've got to make sure that the Debate Commission doesn't bend under Republican pressure. Can you add your signature now? Thanks for all you do. –Nita, Adam G., Noah, Ilyse and the rest of the team Sources: 1. "Obama likely to keep debate as McCain seeks delay," Associated Press, September 24, 2008 http://www.moveon.org/r?r=30384&id=14041-10466519-7nJAbsx&t=5 2. "The Candidates Vote 'Present,'" Wall Street Journal, September 25, 2008 http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122230374700773663.html 3. "McCain camp to propose postponing VP debate," CNN Political Ticker, September 24, 2008 http://www.moveon.org/r?r=30385&id=14041-10466519-7nJAbsx&t=6 4."Gimmicks 'R' Us," Time Magazine Online, September 24, 2008 http://www.moveon.org/r?r=30386&id=14041-10466519-7nJAbsx&t=7 5."McCain's Scapegoat," Wall Street Journal, September 19, 2008 http://www.wsj.com/article/SB122178318884054675.html Be Active... be strong... and support the truth!