"Hello, Unity! Hello, New Hampshire!" Clinton said as she and Obama took the stage together. "Well, Unity is not only a beautiful place as we can see, it's a wonderful feeling isn't it? And I know when we start here in this field in unity, we'll end on the steps of the Capitol when Barack Obama takes the oath of office as our next president."As she spoke from a podium, Obama, the Democrat who is competing against Republican John McCain, sat next to her on a stool, coatless with his white shirt sleeves rolled up.
Clinton noted that the Arizona senator and the Republican Party probably hoped she would not join forces with Obama.
"But I've got news for them: We are one party, we are one America and we are not going to rest until we take back our country and put it once again on the path to peace, prosperity and progress in the 21st century," Clinton said to cheers.
She encouraged her supporters to join with his "to create an unstoppable force for change we can all believe in." She noted she's had a "front-row seat" to Obama's candidacy and praised "his grace and his grit."
Stacey Brayboy is coming aboard as the deputy state director and Kevin Griffis will be the Virginia communications director. They join State Director Mitch Stewart, who was previously announced.Brayboy was the director of Obama's primary campaigns in South Carolina and Virginia, and she served in Gov. Tim Kaine's administration as the deputy director of the Virginia Human Rights Council. In 2005, she was the state Core Director for Kaine's successful gubernatorial campaign. Brayboy is a graduate of Francis Marion University and has a master's degree from Clark Atlanta University.
Griffis started with the Obama campaign as the South Carolina communications director and filled the same role during the primaries in Virginia, Mississippi, Indiana and South Dakota. He directed communications for Arizona U.S. Senate candidate Jim Pederson in 2006, the 2005 Virginia Democratic Coordinated Campaign and for America Coming Together in Nevada in 2004. Griffis has also served as communications director for the Democratic Party of Virginia.
The Obama campaign tomorrow will kick off organizing efforts in Virginia for the general election campaign with more than 260 Unite for Change house parties across the state. Events in cities and towns across the Commonwealth will bring together voters who supported Democratic candidates in the primary, but also independents and Republicans who are ready to turn the page on the failed policies of the past and commit to taking action this year. More than 4,000 Unite for Change house meetings will take place in homes nationwide.The events will help organize communities in advance of the November general election and engage and educate voters about Obama's plans to unite Americans around a sense of common purpose and deliver change to Washington.
Below you'll find information about a number of the Virginia Unite for Change events.
SAT, JUNE 28, 2008
Alexandria
When: 4 p.m.
Who: Obama volunteers
Where: 5477 Fillmore Ave.
Alexandria, VA 22311Arlington
When: 7 p.m.
Who: Obama volunteers
Where: 3000 N. Military Rd.
Arlington, VAArlington
When: 11 a.m.
Who: Arlington Young Democrats
Where: Arlington Courthouse Place
1320 N. Veitch St.
4th Floor
Arlington, VA 22201Bristol
When: 6 p.m.
Who: Obama volunteers
Where: 812 Long Crescent Dr
Bristol, VA 24201Chesterfield
When: 3 p.m.
Who: Obama volunteers
Where: 5126 Hartsdale Rd.
Chesterfield, VARichmond
When: 6 p.m.
Who: Obama volunteers
Where: 2109 Floyd Ave.
Richmond, VARoanoke
When: 7 p.m.
Who: Obama volunteers
Where: 5430 Timberwolf Cir.
Roanoke, VAThese events are open press. To RSVP, please contact Kevin Griffis at 803-727-0825 or kgriffis@barackobama.com.
I remember the first time I heard this line back in 2006...Mark Warner was saying it. It's no less true from Obama's lips than from Mark's, but it makes me nostalgic for the days when I thought Virginia's best modern-era Governor was going to be the next great American President.