Those supporting President Obama's re-election campaign received an email last night from the First Lady who introduced the Women for Obama initiative, which she will chair. The effort includes phone banks and events around the country aimed at mobilizing women voters for Obama, a voting bloc that turned out for him in 2008. The president has been criticized for a lack of women appointees in his administration, but so far that hasn't materialized into a problem at the polls.
In her letter, Michelle Obama encouraged women to "grow this campaign - one woman at a time." An excerpt of the email is below, or you can read it in its entirety on the campaign's website.
Women have always been the heart of the Obama organization. We make up nearly half of the American workforce and are the majority of students in America's colleges and universities. We're the primary caregivers for our children and seniors. We're the heads of households and workplaces across the country.
And right now, it's time for us all to dig deep, step up, and keep building this campaign together: person by person, discussion by discussion.
Today, we are officially launching Women for Obama—and I am incredibly honored to be serving as its chair. This is a special group dedicated to growing this campaign from the ground up. Because we know better than anyone that movements for real and lasting change have got to start at the grassroots—and they're sustained by the relationships we develop with one another. Together, that's what we're going to do—build relationships with supporters, new and old, and grow this campaign—one woman at a time.
I wanted to ask you myself if you'll sign on to join us.
The president's re-election campaign, Obama for America, used the hashtag "Women for #Obama2012" to tweet about the new initiative from its national and state Twitter handles. The president meanwhile spoke to a group of women at a dinner at the National Women's Law Center last week (video here via White House), praising the efforts of American women leaders but also championing what his administration has done to further women's advancement. Valerie Jarrett, chair of the White House Council on Women and Girls, a longtime adviser to the president, and one of the women in his administration, also shared some of her thoughts about the dinner through a post on the Huffington Post.
Campaign to reactivate Obama women supporters started.