Before heading out on a bike ride this morning (the annual BridgePedal extravaganza, in which 18,000 Portlanders of all ages ride across the city's bridges--it's awesome, but I digress), I sat down to skim through the Oregonian newspaper to see the latest spin on the Presidential campaign.  I came across a brief piece headlined "Different approaches, few practical steps" which turned out to be a Cox News Service summary/comparison of Obama's and McCain's energy plans.

Now, it's really nice to see a story that focuses on actual issues and facts rather than the "celebrity" attack du jour or the latest media hand-wringing over Obama's supposed "problems."  But guess what -- the summary leaves out some key facts and misleads in several areas.  

Please join me below the fold to find out how the reporter got it wrong about each candidate's energy plan -- and what you can do to help set things straight.

Hello everyone, I don't see many other Obama "ground report" type diaries from my fellow canvassers today, so I thought I'd add a  quick snapshot from today's canvassing outing here in beautiful Portland, Oregon.

We're going thru a mini heat wave here in Portland, so I'll just state up front that Portland is ON FIRE for Obama!!!

I've been out twice before canvassing for Obama, and while admittedly the sample size is quite small, I noticed a difference today.

More below...

Hi everyone, both the candidates are doing small/invite only events today here in Portland. Desperate for details, I found a liveblog of each event at our local paper's website:

Oregonian liveblog of Obama visit

Oregonian liveblog of Clinton visit

More below the fold!

Okay, I finally got my butt off the computer and into action.  About a month ago I reported on canvassing in this diary. Hope you'll indulge me in another on-the-ground report! I'm sorry that I have no pix, but I can tell you that the rhododendrons and lilacs are in bloom and it's a cloudy but lovely spring day here in the Pacific NW. Our mail-in ballots have dropped and the streets are literally swarming with canvassers.

Results below the fold!

This will be quick because the clock is ticking.

It's been a hell of a week, but things are looking up. The latest seems to be Hillary's coffee machine problems...not to mention the fact that every economist in sight, including Paul Krugman, has denounced and rejected her gas tax pandering.  Most important, the superdelegates are finally coming to their senses.

One of the best ways we can help Obama right now is to get his April fundraising numbers up. So, I just wanted to make sure that everyone who hasn't maxed out has chipped in a little (or a lot!) tonight to Barack Obama.

Click here to see the swag you can get!

More below the fold....

Here's my story about canvassing today for Barack Obama in SW Portland, OR.  I'm a 40-something mom who has been spending way too much time online following the campaign--it was about time to leave the 101st Fighting Keyboardists and actually get out and do something!

I started by heading over to Portland Obama HQ in the former Wild Oats supermarket on SE Division St. about 10 am. It's not a fancy place (basically an empty storefront with some tables and chairs and sofas) but it is buzzing with activity and energetic young (and old!) staffers.

I got there a little early, hoping to snag some swag--but alas, they were completely sold out of stuff, and didn't know when more was coming in! (Memo to Chicago: get another factory going printing out yard signs and buttons! We need 'em!!)

I've canvassed multiple times (including for myself as a local school board candidate last year) but I have to admit,  for Kerry though I worked hard it was not with tremendous enthusiasm (I was a Dean person). Today, however, I was...fired up! And ready to go!

More below the fold....

Finally, someone is opening a can of whoop-ass on Halliburton, from the inside:

"Top U.S. Contracting Official Calls for an Inquiry in the Halliburton Case"

Erik Eckholm has the story in the NYTimes.

The official, Bunnatine H. Greenhouse, said that in at least one case she witnessed, Army officials inappropriately allowed representatives of Halliburton to sit in as they discussed the terms of a contract the company was set to receive.

Luckily, the lady's got lawyers. Let's hope this story adds to the 380 tons of bad news for BushCo.

My friend, and kick-ass activist, Joyce sent me her "standard response to otherwise intelligent Democrats who are falling for the Republican psych-out tactics." Here it is.

Dear Concerned Democrat,

In the time that you have just spent telling hardworking Democratic volunteers what THEY or the Kerry campaign should be doing "to be more effective" you could have asked any number of people to vote. You are absolutely correct that more needs to be done -- please pick one and give it a try. You'll feel so much better!

One second is all the time it takes to hand someone a copy of John Kerry's Plan for America or a summary of his platform.

Five seconds is all the time it takes to ask, "Is your voter registration current?" Six, if you hand them a reg. card, available from your state election office.

Thirty seconds is all the time it takes to cc and forward an online voter registration form to everyone you know.

One minute of one-one-one contact -- i.e, simply asking -- is the single most effective method there is of increasing Democratic turnout.

Five minutes is the average length of a talk given by an individual (such as YOU) at a Kerry house party for voters and would-be voters.

Ten minutes is all it takes to write a brief but highly effective letter to the editor -- including using the capwiz tool to send it to several newspapers at once.

One hour is all it takes to attend a meeting or MeetUp and get the scoop on how to support volunteer actions in your community.

Two hours is all it takes to canvass 50 or more houses with anywhere from 1 to 5 voters per house -- double that if you bring friends to take the other side of the street.

Many Democrats are giving month after month to a sustained volunteer effort in support of the Kerry-Edwards ticket and their state and local Democrats. By giving just one hour out of the last 1200-plus to volunteer action, you have the power to win this election.

Help us turn whining into winning! We are so much closer than you think, and we WILL succeed if you get fully on board.