We decided not to do the debate party thing. I got a bunch of people who said they would come, but at the end of the day, I sort of think the last debate will be anti-climactic, and... the Phils are the Phils. If they had swept, I was going to do it. But now that Cole Hamels will be busy no-hitting the Dodgers on Wednesday, we decided to forget it.

That said, there are three awesome events this week that I am going to:

First, in what will clearly be the coolest Presidential fundraiser in recent memory, I give you Barack Steady, the event I talked about in my little NYTimes thing:

A historic candidate. A pivotal election. A party of outrageous merriment. Yes, on October 18th these three rare occurrences will converge perfectly and turn the sleepy town of Philadelphia into a frenzied hotbed of political participation. Get ready to inspire. Get ready to sweat. Get ready to Barack Steady.

WHAT: Barack Steady, a party and fundraiser to support Barack Obama with special guest Ashley Biden, and DJ Frosty
WHEN: Saturday, October 18, 2008
DOORS OPEN@ 8pm, ASHLEY BIDEN@9pm, DOORS CLOSE@ 1am
WHERE: The Ukie Club, 847 North Franklin Street, Philadelphia, PA
TICKETS: $15 minimum donation online/$25 at the door(RSVP and donate here: http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/gs5bzk)

And what do we mean by party? We mean a great space. We mean *Free Beer* and $3 drinks. We mean co-mingling with Ashley Biden, daughter of Vice Presidential candidate Joe Biden. We mean the amazing DJ Frosty and Special Guest providing the soundtrack to the night. And we mean insane raffle prizes, delicious snacks, and an Obama campaign table with information and volunteer sign-up. But most of all what we mean is offering up an opportunity to dance, drink, discuss, debate, and DONATE with a roomful of beautiful and intelligent people inspired for change.

Please RSVP and donate through this link: http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/gs5bzk. Feel free to donate as much as you want, but for our party purposes we're asking for a minimum online donation of $15. If you don't pay in advance online, the cost at the door will be $25. Again, donate AS MUCH as you want, but please help us out by respecting the $15 online/$25 door minimum request. ALL PROCEEDS will go to Barack Obama and his campaign. Please PLEASE PLEASE!!! RSVP to give us a fair estimate of the size.

All questions and comments can be sent to baracksteady@gmail.com where you can expect a prompt response.

There is also a facebook invite, too. Seriously, this will be great. You should RSVP and go, and I can pretty much promise you that you will never have more fun at a Presidential Fundraiser.

The second awesome thing happening is that this Thursday, from 5:30 to 8:30PM (at the U Of Arts, Hamilton Hall, 320 South Broad Street) is Bread and Roses' 20th Annual Tribute for Change:

This October marks the Tribute’s 20th anniversary, and we are proud to honor five awardees for creating and leading social change movements in the Philadelphia region.

This year’s Tribute to Change honorees are Father John McNamee of St. Malachy’s Church and School; Linda Lee Alter, founder of the Leeway Foundation; Wayne MacManiman of Service Employees International Union, Local 32BJ; Thomas Robinson of Philadelphia Officers and Workers Rising; and Casino-Free Philadelphia.

This year’s honorees aren’t simply doing great work in Philadelphia; they are changing the landscape of activism within our neighborhoods. The real change they have inspired through their work is absolutely unparalleled. We are humbled by all they have achieved.

We invite you to join us in celebrating these social justice heroes!

Tickets are available online at www.breadrosesfund.org/go/tribute.

For more information, please contact Sara Zia Ebrahimi at Bread & Roses Community Fund, 215.731.1107 x206 or sarazia@breadrosesfund.org.

Bread and Roses is an absolutely awesome organization, and they are celebrating the work of some really great Philly activists. Supporting Bread and Roses is a great way to stretch your progressive dollars. The list of who they are honoring is an example of that. I will be there, and so will a number of YPP 'regulars.' (OK, that might be a negative or positive that I will be there, but you can ignore me and talk with some our more charming writers.)

And finally, also this Thursday at 5PM, Healthcare for American Now is holding a huge rally:

This Thursday at 5 p.m., three members of Congress are going to a public sign-on in downtown Philly to agree to pass real healthcare reform in 2009. These are three of the Democrats who are going to be battling for serious reform that puts people above profits when this stuff comes down next year:

Rep. Chaka Fattah, Rep. Bob Brady, and Rep. Allyson Schwartz.

They are heroes for standing up for this cause.

And they need you to show up so they know you care too.

At 5 p.m. we are having a rally on the lawn of Independence Mall to show them - and the whole country - that we are going to continue to put the pressure on no matter what.

They promise a special guest, too... I think that that special guest could be prettttty cool, and a big kickoff to a really ambitious group that will have a lot if impact over the next couple of years. That is at 5PM, which means you can head to the rally for a few minutes, then go right on over to the Tribute for Change.

To review:

Thursday, 5PM, Healthcare for America Now Rally with our Congresspeople and a 'special guest'
Thursday, 5:30PM, The Bread and Roses Tribute to Change. And then....
Saturday, Barack Steady

Awesome.