Barack Obama and his runningmate Joe Biden visited Pennsylvania today, their first stop after the Democratic National Convention in Denver.

They campaigned in the western section of the state, visiting the Pennsylvania Biodiesel plant in Monaca (subject of an earlier post) and then stopping for ice cream at the Windmill Ice Cream Shop in Aliquippa.Barack had butter pecan and Joe had a heaping helping of both chocolate and vanilla.

I ran for vice president just so I could get ice cream. That's why I'm here.

Barack had this to say about campaigning with Joe:

I'm really pleased with Joe Biden. You know, our families have just really hit it off. We had some of his grandkids over for a sleepover with Malia and Sasha and they just had a great time. I'm absolutely convinced that Joe Biden is the right person to help move this country in the direction where working families have a shot.

Joe elaborated on his commitment to working families at a rally in Beaver, speaking about his roots in Scranton and his debt of gratitude to the United Steel Workers, the first union to endorse Biden, in his very first political race.

A crowd of over 8.000 people in Irving Park listened the pair speak about the clear choices they have in this election and heard them brag a bit about getting to meet Mike Tomlin, coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Enjoy the day in pictures,

Arun Chaudhary
August 29th, 2008
Youngstown, Ohio

The campaign just sent out this email...

Amanda --

On Thursday night, August 28th, Barack Obama accepted the Democratic nomination for President of the United States.

More than 80,000 people joined him in Denver to be part of the moment, and tens of millions more shared the experience across the country.

Watch Barack's historic speech and share it with your friends and family today:

http://my.barackobama.com/barackspeech

This campaign belongs to supporters like you who have built a nationwide movement for change.

Thank you for everything you're doing,

Obama for America

 

Barack and Michelle Obama joined Joe and Jill Biden today in the Keystone state, in their first events since the convention in Denver.

Before the town hall in Beaver tonight, the four of them toured the Pennsylvanian Biodeisel Inc, a startup company in Monaca, that aims to deliver four to five million gallons of biodiesel fuel for tractors and trailers in its first year.
 
Joe Biden was quick to point out that the chicken fat used to produced the fuel here comes from Delaware, and that this self-sustaining process of reducing waste and making fuel out of it is a "win-win" for jobs and the environment.
 
Here's the video of their visit to the plant:

Peter Rubi
August 29, 2008
Pittsburgh, PA

Barack and Michelle Obama joined Joe and Jill Biden today in the Keystone state, in their first event since the convention in Denver.

Before the town hall in Beaver tonight, the four of them toured the Pennsylvanian Biodeisel Inc, a startup company in Monaca, that aims to deliver four to five million gallons of biodiesel fuel for tractors and trailers in its first year.
 
Joe Biden was quick to point out that the chicken fat used to produced the fuel here comes from Delaware, and that this self-sustaining process of reducing waste and making fuel out of it is a "win-win" for jobs and the environment.
 
Here's the video of their visit to the plant:

Peter Rubi
August 29, 2008
Pittsburgh, PA

A single mom with a three-year-old son, convention delegate Chelsie from Rosenberg, Texas considers herself a very blessed person.

Two years ago, Chelsie, now 22, was in an abusive relationship. When she broke up with her abusive ex-boyfriend, he continued to follow her. She got a protective order from a judge, but that didn’t stop him. One day he followed her home and shot her in the head with a gun he stole from a neighbor’s house.

If it wasn’t for the grace of God I wouldn’t be here today. But also thanks to Joe Biden and his Violence Against Women Act, my ex is in prison and can’t hurt me again.

Chelsie’s ex-boyfriend was convicted and will spend the next 25 years in prison. And Chelsie came out of the experience a strong advocate for smarter gun control.

There are too many instances of people committing crimes with guns they’re not supposed to have. We need to control that better. In my home state of Texas, it’s very easy to get a gun. All you have to do is go to a pawnshop. They will hold it for three days ad if you pass a simple background check, they’ll give you a gun. 

Chelsie hopes Barack will help create a smart gun control policy to help protect others from becoming victims of violence.

Since her ordeal, she’s become an advocate for the Violence Against Women Act.

So many people don’t realize what a problem domestic violence is. I know many women who have experienced violence at home and didn’t do anything about it. Joe Biden has brought some much-needed attention to this issue. I was thrilled to see him selected as the nominee for Vice President. We need to let people know that violence is not right, and there is help out there.

Vice Presidential Candidate Joe Biden drafted and sponsored the Violence Against Women Act in the 1990s. This act put violence against women on the national agenda and held batterers accountable. Joe said, "I consider the Violence Against Women Act the single most significant legislation that I’ve crafted during my 35-year tenure in the Senate. [S]ince we passed the Act in 1994 over a million women have found justice in our courtrooms and obtained domestic violence protective orders." Read more about the Obama-Biden plan to strengthen the lives of American women.

Chelsie was excited to attend the convention to share her story and bring attention to two important issues. She raised money to get to the convention by holding bake sales, yard sales, and passing around pledge forms to her friends and neighbors. She raised nearly $2,000 to pay for her flight and hotel.

“I very much enjoyed the convention,” she says. This was my first convention, but it definitely won’t be my last. It’s been so great to be involved. I was deputized to register voters and have been doing that every day in a local minority neighborhood. If I’m not at work, I’m usually out registering new voters.

Chelsie says she supports Barack because he will work for ordinary Americans.

Barack represents all Americans. He’s a true Democrat and understands we need important Democratic social programs to succeed. My son is on the SCHIP (State Children's Health Insurance Program) program in Texas, and I was on Medicaid when I first had my son. I used it as a stepping-stone until I got a better job that provided health insurance. I think I represent a true Democrat – the kind of person Barack is working for.

Barack wants to do something to help everybody – no matter what color they are of what walk of life they come from. He’s lived the American dream, and it’s so beautiful to see someone actually make it.

Chelsie says she will do everything she can between now and November to get Barack elected.

I got a second chance in life. Now I want to be involved in politics so that my son will have a better future.

Join Chelsie and find out how you can get more involved in the Obama-Biden campaign and create a better future for all Americans.

Today Barack, Michelle, Joe and Jill headed to Pennsylvania to kick off the “On the Road to Change” bus tour through Pennsylvania, Ohio and Michigan. They will host their first event as the official Democratic nominees at Irvine Park in Beaver, Pennsylvania.

Watch the event live below...

Today Barack, Michelle, Joe and Jill headed to Pennsylvania to kick off the “On the Road to Change” bus tour through Pennsylvania, Ohio and Michigan. They will host their first event as the official Democratic nominees at Irvine Park in Beaver, Pennsylvania.

Watch the event live below...

[UPDATE] This event has ended. Check back for more coverage from our road team.

Originally from New Orleans, Lauren Mayeaux is a Field Organizer in Las Vegas for the Campaign for Change.

The semester that Katrina hit, I was studying Homeland Security and Emergency Management in Louisiana. I was looking at statistical data and correlating it with data from local, state, and federal agencies to minimize damage and save lives. My graduating class would to be the first hires of the new hurricane center to be being built on the West Bank of New Orleans.

“We just did a study,” one of my professors told me. “Hospitals will need seven days of food and water for a fully occupied hospital in order to be fully prepared for a storm. Right now the law only requires that they have enough for three.”

That was August 24, 2005. Katrina would hit five days later.

The night the storm hit I was in Marksville, Louisiana. My mother was lost in McComb, Mississippi, right in the path of the storm. My father was on his way to save her. I was busy trying to find a way to get his medication. He has leukemia, and in our rush to evacuate had left his pills at home. We didn’t go back for them because we thought we would be gone for only three days.

When exhaustion claimed me, I thought that life would be bad for a while, but at least our government would be prepared for this kind of thing.

The next morning, my parents home safe, we waited for news. The one moment that we learned our fates happened with no fanfare. The out of state reporter for Fox News clearly didn’t understand the magnitude of his broadcast.

“I don’t know if you can see this...the water behind us has been rising steadily over the last hour or so.”

It hadn’t been announced officially, but if you grew up in New Orleans, you knew what that meant. A levee had broken.

Read more...

Last night, there were over one hundred convention watching parties across Illinois. In communities all over the state, people got together to show their support and listen to Barack accept the Democratic nomination.

The convention watching party in Berwyn was packed with people excited about Barack and the opportunity to watch his speech with other supporters. Pamela from Chicago said she was there to "be part of history in the making."

For some people, the party was the first time they'd attended an event for Barack. Kelin just moved to Oak Park from Kentucky, and she and her husband were there together to watch Barack's speech.

William, Karen, Ed and Lynise met up at the party, even though they live in the same area in Chicago. "We're neighbors, but we didn't know it until we got here," said William. They wanted to share the experience with other people.

Karen was going to watch Barack's speech at her house, but "this is so much better. We can't be in Denver, so we're out here. You want to be with other people - part of this energy, this movement."

Bo from Western Springs was there with his family. They wanted to be with other people to watch Barack's acceptance speech. Bo said he didn't want to feel like he was just watching a TV show - this speech was more important than that.

Hearing the enthusiasm of the crowd is fantastic. It makes you feel connected, like you're part of something bigger.

Bo also said he wanted to do more for the campaign. "It's time to get involved," he said. He was sitting near Ernest and Erlena from Chicago, who were also excited to get involved. They like Barack because they feel his experiences have given him the strength to change this country.

For Terrie from River Forest, this was one in a long line of campaign events that she's helped out at. She likes going to events because

You meet people from all walks of life. There's a sense of camaraderie - you feel like you're making a difference.

Did you go to a convention watching party last night? What was it like? Share your stories in the comments.