Belated "Blog Action Day" Post on Poverty

I'm going to take a break from my series of California election endorsements to jump onto the "Blog Action Day" meme. Technically that was yesterday, October 15, but I didn't hear about it until this morning.

This year, Blog Action Day is addressing Poverty.

Does anybody remember when Poverty was one of the topic that Presidential candidates discussed? Well, one of them — John Edwards was. And when he dropped out of the race, he said that he had gotten commitments from the surviving Democratic candidates, Clinton and Obama, to focus on Poverty.

Well, it sure looks like Obama hasn't. So Poverty has fallen out of the limelight, again. See for instance the recent online articles "Poverty in America, A National Disgrace". Or in this article, "The Missing Debate on Poverty", the author writes:

Their strategic messages on the welfare of the middle class were loud and clear for the rest of the Nashville evening, but in this time of economic crisis, it was their silence on poverty that was truly deafening.

I've been very lackluster in supporting Obama, for many reasons like this. Yes, I want him to win, way more than the disgraceful duo of McCain/Palin. But I also think we can't be complacent about Obama just because he's better than his primary opponent.

So here's a small action you can do: Go to One.org's "Keep Our Commitments" website and sign the form to send a message to Obama (and McCain, for what it's worth) to keep an eye on the ball when it comes to poverty. The statement reads:

As you work to find a solution to the global financial crisis, please do not waver in your support for the world's poorest people. It is now more important than ever to stand up for effective, efficient solutions that save millions of lives, strengthen the global economy, and win the hearts and minds of people around the world. I’m keeping my commitment to fight global poverty, and I ask you to do the same.