It is easy to get upset and frustrated when we lose important fights in Congress, especially after working so hard in 2006 to win us a Democratic majority in the House and the Senate. We shouldn't forget that some of the people we fought hard for and gave money for have our backs now. The lesson of 2007 is that we need to fight even harder to keep the Representatives who have done good by us get more good people in Congress who share our values who have courage, integrity and honor, who will step up and speak for the American people, our troops and take seriously their oath to defend the Constitution. As kos wrote, "This is it. This is the way to change our party."

Thanksgiving is the most American of holidays. It is rooted in our founding myths, in the struggle of European immigrants to understand and survive in a new land. In the triumph of perseverance and neighborly virtue over the harshness of the world we find ourselves in. We gather together with family and friends and eat new world foods to celebrate the survival of our founding settlers and the most beautiful time of the year for much of our country.

This is my third Thanksgiving in America since spending the prior five Thanksgivings in England. Living there gave me a much greater appreciation of what it means to be an American, to have rights, and to fight for those rights. I am immensely thankful that I am an American and that we have rights for me to defend.

As most of you already know the race between David Oh and Jack Kelly for a city council seat here in Philly is still too close to call. Although they are both Republicans there are real differences in what they plan for our city, who is backing them, and who they are most likely to work with in City Hall. They need volunteers to help count votes today and tomorrow to make sure that all of the votes cast are valid and that valid votes are all counted. If you can afford the time, please come out and help ensure that our democracy is working and our votes are counted and that fraud is prevented. This is a very close election and every vote will count and any fraudulent votes could disenfranchise all of us.

I heard a statement from Barack Obama in his Meet the Press Interview on Sunday that is very important to me. He said "there will be no permanent bases." Personally, I think that this is the most important commitment on Iraq that a candidate for our Presidency can make before taking the oath of office. I think that it is the that our bases are permanent most clearly takes us across that line between liberator or peace keeper and occupier. It arrogantly assumes that there will be no sovereign Iraq which might not want our troops in their country for the foreseeable future creates a mentally among both Iraqi nationals and our troops that we are in this for the long haul.

For most on you the most exciting part of last Tuesday night's Democratic Debate here in Philadelphia was what was said by the candidates inside the debate. For me it was all the people outside the debate screaming in support of their candidates. That isn't because I am unhappy with how my candidate did, in fact I agree with the Drexel students watching just outside. It is because I was the volunteer organizer responsible for making sure that Obama supporters were out in force showing their enthusiasm for Barack Obama.

This weekend marked the beginning of Philadelphia for Obama's Get Out the Vote project for this year's State and Local election on November 6th. Even though Barack Obama is not on that ballot, and won't be until April 22nd we believe that we need to be spending our time and energy helping get Democrats to the polls for this Fall's elections. To that end, the grassroots team for Barack Obama here in Pennsylvania has decided to push getting our volunteers to participate in Get Out the Vote activities statewide and help out with local candidates they like in the run up to this coming general election.