Sign in or 
Share this
Beth Bollinger from Spokane
| Hello, my name is BETH BOLLINGER! | ||
| | ||
| Short Biography: I am a lawyer in Spokane. I have been a lawyer since 1990 and have lived in Spokane since 1994, after having lived around the country and the world. Before Spokane, I spent a number of years in Washington, DC, first at law school and then working for a small law firm with a national practice. I came here to be a federal public defender, fell in love with Spokane, and stayed. I have my own law practice where I am a litigator. I do a variety of cases - family law, criminal defense, personal injury - always on the side of the "little guy." I also have volunteered in my local community. Besides taking on "pro bono" (no charge) cases, I have been on the Meals on Wheels board and the Partners/Spokane board (a nonprofit organization matching businesses with schools for educational activities). And now I have become involved with local politics because I am inspired by the message of Barack Obama. I am also an author. I wrote a novel called "Until The End Of The Ninth," based on the true story of the 1946 Spokane Indians minor league baseball team that died in a bus crash midway through the season. Nine of the players on the bus died. Eight of the nine who died had served in World War II in some capacity. I wrote the novel because they were incredible men whose story should be told. The book's website is www.untiltheendoftheninth.com. | |
WHY I'M A DELEGATE FOR OBAMA:
| I am a huge supporter of Barack Obama. I am a member of the 5th Congressional District and am running to be a national delegate. Ever since Barack's speech in 2004, I wanted him to run for president. I saw him speak in Seattle in 2006, and was the first in line for tickets. I have seen his promise from the very beginning - not only because of his politics, but because of who he is, and his style. We have needed him as our leader for a very long time. Through him, we will change the country for the better. Not from the top down, but from the bottom up. I have been very committed to the Obama campaign. I have volunteered hundreds' of hours over the past few months. I have made too many voter phone calls to count. I have traveled to Texas, North Carolina, Oregon and Montana to campaign for him. As a lawyer, I have also been a part of the Obama voter protection team, which means that I have volunteered to monitor polling places and caucuses to ensure fair process. This oversight has definitely made a difference, if only because precinct captains have been so overwhelmed by the number of voters that there have been glitches in the process that the voter protection team members have been able to identify and (often) solve. It was a good sign this past May 6 when my poll watching in North Carolina was boring. The system was working! And I just got back from poll watching in Montana, where we were allowed in the poll location itself. I was assigned to an Indian Reservation polling location, and feel that my presence there actually made the difference for a few of the voters who otherwise would not have been able to vote. It was a special experience (though I missed Barack's speech in Minnesota as I was driving back to Missoula after getting final counts from my location). I think that making me a national delegate for Barack Obama would serve our community. I can answer basically any question about Barack's background and positions on issues. I read everything I can find in the news every day. And I do think that I am the right person for this job. There have been times in my life when I was not necessarily the right person for a job. Either I was too young or too old or too new to the scene, or the task at hand. Either I didn't have the right qualifications or my lawyer title would have been too distracting. This job, though, as national delegate - it is a job for which I am ready made. When I started volunteering, I did it for love of my country without thinking about being a delegate. As time has gone on, though, I have realized that I can play a valuable role as a delegate in Denver who knows what pitfalls to watch out for. Also, I have the funds to afford the costs of the Denver trip (which we have to pay for out of our own pockets), and I can make the time to go, just like I've been making the time to volunteer. I also plan to keep a diary of events, and will want to collect information from our Washington State citizens to ensure that we are speaking about the concerns that people have locally What strikes me most about this process is how involved we all have become. Caucus rooms are chock full of people who have never been to a caucus before. I fervently agree with Barack - believe not only in his ability to bring change for this country, but believe also in ours. I hope you will consider voting for me to be a national delegate. |
MORE ABOUT ME
| I want to answer questions posed by national delegates: 1. In what ways have I been instrumental in getting Barack Obama nominated so far? Some of this I have answered above. Really what happened was I wanted so badly to help him get nominated but wasn't sure how to go about doing it. I happened to be in Coeur d'Alene shopping in January, saw an Obama For President placard, walked into the store where it was and said, what can I do to help? This began a wonderful journey of significant phone calling and all-around whatever in Idaho (a Super Tuesday state), where I volunteered almost every day, declined the opportunity to go to Boise to see Barack on the weekend before Super Tuesday (as getting out the vote was my priority), hung door hangers during the first half of the Super Bowl (!!) and, on election day, drove older voters to the Kootenai County caucus location in the middle of a blinding snowstorm, so they could "get out the(ir) vote" too. Kootenai County went over 80 percent for Obama! Having been bitten by the volunteer bug, I came back home to Spokane and worked to GOTV here, culminating into managing one of the call centers for the campaign for a couple of evenings. I also put on my lawyer hat and volunteered for the voter protection team for our February 9 caucus - something I now have done consistently in other states as well. I got drafted at the last moment to give my precinct's speech for Obama, and we ended up succeeding in turning a couple of uncommitted voters (and one Clinton voter!) to Obama for the final vote. At our legislative district convention, and as part of the voter protection team, I played intense watchdog both before and during the caucus. Let's just say it was really, really needed because of games that one person in power seemed to be playing. We ended up getting one more delegate that initially expected. In other states, I also have worked hard. I've been to Texas, North Carolina, Oregon and Montana to help either get out the vote, do voter protection on election day, or both. My recent experience in Montana is probably the most poignant of all. I was assigned to a polling place at an Indian Reservation. Some people were turned away from voting, or discouraged from doing so - all for legitimate rules, but without acknowledgment of the human factor. In the end, I feel like I was able to help these people - whether by getting them rides, or wheeling them around in the wheelchair available, or simply asking what the issue was and trying to resolve it. The disenfranchised were - well, franchised. Whatever else I do with this campaign, I will always remember Montana. 2. What do I plan to do going forward to ensure that Obama gets elected? I have big plans! I am so excited that he is the nominee. I plan to spend part of my time here and part of my time in swing states. I do think Washington is solid for Obama, though if that changes, I will be working more from home. Locally my plan is to go to meetings in Eastern Washington, including the rural areas, before the convention and ensure that people have a chance to voice their concerns so that we, as a delegation, can speak as one voice for all of Washington. I then intend to come back to those places to talk about outcomes and to spend time in rural communities to talk about the whys and hows of Obama. I already have made some connections to people in more rural communities, and would ask for their help in that regard. I also want to spend time in swing states where I have some roots. For instance, I think Oregon will need some campaign energy. In addition, places in eastern Maryland might be a good place to go (since I went to law school in Maryland and lived in Washington, DC). My intention is to receive direction from the Obama campaign where I can help the most, but I do want to travel there as the in-person efforts make a big difference. Also (and she doesn't know this yet) but I have a plan for a North Carolina Obama supporter (who I met while I was there) where the two of us go out traveling for a week or two and talk up Obama in neighborhoods where that could be helpful. Poor Gail! I probably should let her know.... 3) What unique contribution have I made as a delegate that would make the delegation stronger? That is, how have I "challenged the status quo and pushed for excellence" rather than "continuing to embrace and accept 'politics as usual'"? I think I bring experience to the delegation, not only in making phone calls but in experiencing the tone in other states. Also, through my experience on the voter protection team, I bring hands-on experience of nuances of issues that arise, and immediate ideas of how to solve those problems - just in case they arise. Also, if elected I will bring information from Eastern Washington - and not just Spokane. Also, I bring a phenomenal amount of information about Barack Obama. I know that many of us bring that. But I truly am obsessed, and always look forward to discussions with people about why he has ignited us all so. I also think that my lawyer training could be quite useful as we tackle all the issues at the convention and not just the nominating process. 4) How do I plan to use what I experience and learn in Denver leading up to the general election? I've outlined above my plans about helping Obama become our next president. I take this question to ask what I plan to do locally for our voters here. One thing that is extremely important is to understand that Barack Obama cannot do this on his own. We also need to ensure that candidates of integrity get elected this fall. Part of that process is helping voters believe that their vote actually does make a difference. By listening and then implementing, I hope to help make a difference here that has lasting effect. Add text, pictures and/or or video showing you or your favorite Obama stuff.   |
SAY HELLO!
Leave me a comment below, or send me a private message or compliment!
BethBollinger |
Latest page update: made by BethBollinger
, Jun 6 2008, 2:22 PM EDT
(about this update
About This Update
Edited by BethBollinger
275 words added 2 words deleted view changes - complete history) |
|
More Info: links to this page
|
| Started By | Thread Subject | Replies | Last Post | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BethBollinger | Do You Have Community Service Stories To Tell? | 2 | Feb 6 2009, 8:33 AM EST by BethBollinger | ||
|
Thread started: Jan 30 2009, 10:01 AM EST
Watch
Please share them with me! I have started a writer's blog and one of the segments on my blog is called "Spirit of Service," where I intend to tell the stories of people making a difference in their communities all around the country. The segment was inspired by our new president's own call out to all of us to embody a new "spirit of service." Check out the blog and email me your stories: www.accidental-rabbit-trails.blogspot.com
Do you find this valuable?
Keyword tags:
community collaboration
community service
|
||||
Showing 1 of 1 threads for this page
