Barack Obama.  The 44th President Of The United States, 11/4/08 11:00pm est.

Jamie –

I’m about to head to Grant Park to talk to everyone gathered there, but I wanted to write to you first.

We just made history.

And I don’t want you to forget how we did it.

You made history every single day during this campaign — every day you knocked on doors, made a donation, or talked to your family, friends, and neighbors about why you believe it’s time for change.

I want to thank all of you who gave your time, talent, and passion to this campaign.

We have a lot of work to do to get our country back on track, and I’ll be in touch soon about what comes next.

But I want to be very clear about one thing…

All of this happened because of you.

Thank you,

Barack

      http://www.barackobama.com/live/

Dear Jamie,

Take a bow. You rewrote history for animals.

Thanks to you, 20 million animals in California will soon be spared the worst abuses of factory farms. And I’m confident that we’ll look back at Prop 2 as a pivotal moment in how our nation treats animals who are raised for food.

Early returns tonight show that more than 60% of Californians voted for Prop 2. This is a tremendous victory for animals, for The Humane Society of the United States…and for you. We were able to reach millions of California voters with our message of compassion only because you stood with us – by taking action, by donating to the campaign, and by telling those you knew in California about Prop 2 and what it would do for animals and for citizens there.

This was a momentous election for the nation. I’m so grateful and honored for everything you did to make Prop 2 a big part of the story. Please read my blog over the coming days for my take on Prop 2 and what it means for animal protection.

Sincerely,

Wayne Pacelle
President & CEO
The Humane Society of the United States

On the other side of the country, Question 3 passed, which will ban greyhound racing in the state of Massachusetts by 2010. We have long supported the fabulous team of activists there and thank all of you who have worked so tirelessly to see this victory become a reality. Dogs who are used for racing typically spend 20 hours per day confined to cages measuring only 32 in. by 42 in. by 34 in. Many of the dogs can’t even stand completely upright. The animals are also highly susceptible to injuries, including fractures, dislocations, lacerations, and amputations. And because injured dogs are no longer of use to the industry, they are often simply killed.

Together, we can keep the momentum going!

Sincerely,

 Ingrid E. Newkirk

Peta, Humane Society Global Team Inc.

Dear Jamie,

I’ve been on the road non-stop these last few weeks, campaigning in support of a ballot measure that, if passed, will be the greatest victory for farm animals in U.S. history — a mandate with the power to alleviate animal suffering on a national scale.

And, to be perfectly honest with you, we’ve never faced a bigger fight.

Proposition 2, on the ballot in California, would give farm animals the ability to stand up, lie down, turn around, and stretch their limbs — a very modest request, but one that has sent the factory farming industry into a tailspin. It has really been the campaign of a lifetime, not only for me personally, but for The Humane Society of the United States as an organization.

You might wonder why I feel particularly passionate about Prop 2. For me, it comes down to this: Animals built to move need room to move — whether they are the dogs and cats we share our lives with, or the animals who provide us with food. It’s such a small thing, really, but it’s a giant step towards the humane society so many of us devote our lives to helping create, and I’m honored to be a part of it.

As commonsense as Prop 2 sounds, Big Agribusiness is fighting us tooth and nail — shocking, isn’t it?! I just watched their outrageous new TV attack ad — it was rife with misinformation and scare tactics, and it left me fuming. I don’t know where we’d be without the support of thousands of animal advocates like you who have given so generously to help keep our ads on the air through Election Day.

But just last night, I learned that our planned media buy may not be enough — because factory farms have added $736,000 to their existing multi-million dollar ad campaign opposing Prop 2.

We simply can’t let them have any advantage over us. That’s why I want us to match them by raising an additional $170,000 over the next few critical days, so we can answer their deceptive ads.

In short: With so much at stake, we need to increase our TV advertising buy. I know many of you have given before, but I hope you’ll consider making an emergency donation today.

We have just 12 days to the election, and hundreds of thousands of Californians are voting by mail every day.

It sickens me to watch how the fat cat companies bankrolling the “Californians for Safe Food” front group are peddling lies about Prop 2’s supposed impact on food prices. The truth? Industry economists themselves concede that farmers’ production costs will increase less than a penny per egg. 

It’s about their profit motives conflicting with the humane society you and I are working to create. 

I understand what a difficult time it is for folks. And I’ve seen the factory farming industry use every rationalization imaginable to cut costs and continue lining their pockets at the expense of millions of creatures. But they’ve reached a new low by exploiting voters’ fears during these uncertain times with such egregious misinformation.

I don’t want to even imagine what will happen if we don’t raise the funds we need to step up our campaign in its final days — and reach out to the millions of voters whose only exposure to Prop 2 might be industry doublespeak. That’s simply not an option in my book.

Now is our last shot to make history for millions of animals living in misery. We can’t afford to stop now — and millions of suffering animals can’t afford it either. Please — help us raise the $170,000 we need to match the opposition and ensure that voters in California hear the unvarnished truth about what Prop 2 means for animals and for them.

As nerve-racking as it can be to know how much is on the line, I can’t tell you how comforting and affirming it is to know that when I go out on the campaign trail, I have the force of thousands of animals advocates like you behind me. I’m energized by your commitment to animals, and moved by your letters and comments of support.

Thank you so much, Jamie.

Sincerely,

Wayne Pacelle
President & CEO
The Humane Society of the United States

P.S. Please take action now: Contribute to YES! on Prop 2, then forward this email to friends you know who care about animals — we urgently need to fight these lies.