What occurred last night is what happens when distraction to which President Obama has referred since the campaign occurs. Last night the Foreclosure Relief Bill was defeated in the Senate with 11 Democratic Senators voting against the Bill. The Senators got bought. By the same banks that got money from the government. This defeat is a stinging blow to many Americans who are in need of help to avoid losing their homes. These include people with good intentions that have always paid on time and did not participate in irresponsible practices.
It is on BIlls like this the Administration needs our voices and calls/emails to Congress, but this time the voices did not speak up. And due to the distractions exacerbated somewhat irresponsibly in my opinion by mostly the left/far left media and support groups, our TV screens, email boxes and phone lines were filled with torture and flu conversations instead of things like this Foreclosure Bill. As I have said before torture punishments can and will be handled by whatever means and I know how much this subject means to people as it should. The pressing matters in the moment like the survival of American jobs and Americans' ability to keep their homes etc. are the key subjects on which we have to make sure we stay laser focused.
In case you haven't seen it, here is a list of the Democratic Senators that voted against the Bill. Please call their switchboards or email if so inclined. It is unconscionable that in the face or our crisis and with the bailout money gone to these banks that these Senators voted against this Bill.
The main number is 1-800-962-3524. Please be cordial to the switchboard operators, but let them know exactly how you feel.
Max Baucus, Montana: http://baucus.senate.gov/contact/emailForm.cfm?subj=issue
Michael Bennet, Colorado: http://bennet.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=TransitionalSiteEmailSenatorBennet
Robert Byrd, West Virginia: http://byrd.senate.gov/
Tom Carper, Delaware: http://carper.senate.gov/index.cfm
Byron Dorgan, North Dakota: mailto:senator@dorgan.senate.gov
Tim Johnson, South Dakota: http://johnson.senate.gov/contact/
Mary Landrieu, Louisiana: http://landrieu.senate.gov/2009/index.cfm
Blanche Lincoln, Arkansas: http://lincoln.senate.gov/contact/email.cfm
Ben Nelson, Nebraska: http://bennelson.senate.gov/contact/email.cfm
Mark Pryor, Arkansas: http://pryor.senate.gov/contact/
Arlen Specter, Pennsylvania: http://specter.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Contact.ContactForm
John Tester, Montana: http://tester.senate.gov/Contact/
There has been much written and voiced regarding Proposition 8 since its passing in California on November 4. The tone of the reactions has run the gamut from anger to blame to hope. In “Prop 8 Makes The Wrong Type of History” posted in The Huffington Post last week, Brian Normoyle writes "If the Yes on 8 campaign hadn't fought so hard and spent so much money to eliminate minority rights with such an underwhelming majority of voters, then California would have remained just one of three states recognizing the value of all families and the equality of all citizens."
Normoyle’s point is well taken. However, I think the bigger “if” is if the No on 8 campaign leadership would not have failed for the second time in four years at correctly positioning, marketing, strategizing and preparing for all aspects of this equality effort then Proposition 8 would not have passed. Since the outcome of the vote we have witnessed finger pointing at the Yes on 8 supporters, the Blacks, the Hispanics and any other "culprits" that could be found, blaming them for the passing of Proposition 8. However, not nearly as much has been written about how poster-person San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom once again put himself front and center in a sloppy fashion giving ammunition to the opposition, how there was insufficient factual education and outreach to key communities, how the No on 8 leadership missed golden opportunities to effectively utilize popular sports and entertainment celebrities, and how the Proposition’s dissenting ballot language and oral rebuttal campaign was allowed to be so poorly communicated and executed. Ownership and accountability starts at the top. Yet the leaders in charge of the No on 8 effort are not being held sufficiently accountable for the passing of Proposition 8. In lieu of that fair criticism, there is instead of flurry of misguided accusations and blame that are secondary to the primary issue.
In listening to call-in talk radio programs the past two weeks I have heard more than one caller say things like “Where is the Black leadership?”, “We need Maxine Waters and Diane Watson to come to our community”, or “Why do the gays have to be left behind?”, etc. Let me give everyone some news – this type of “come to us”, arrogant and entitlement-based mindset is not going to get it done. Just because a movement wants something to happen and believes people should accept its premise does not entitle that group to any acceptance. Work needs to be done, thoughtfully and strategically in order for the movement’s message to be effectively communicated and accepted. Other civil rights groups have learned this valuable lesson over time. These groups have provided examples of how to turn ineffective lobbying instead into winning value statements and propositions. The same-sex marriage crusade failed in 2008 by not learning from these groups and from its own mistakes made in the 2004 effort.
Instead of arrogance, the same-sex marriage movement in California needs to utilize strategic thinking to achieve its goal. Imagine the success of the No on 8 crusade had it outsourced its strategy to savvy political strategists who could have prepared a holistic, proactive strategy and messaging to fend off the negative onslaught from the Right. For an example of how this would have been successful I refer you to the Obama two-year campaign lead by the intellect of David Axelrod, David Plouffe, Obama and others. They knew that a Black man would have to spend an inordinate amount of time penetrating the White and non-Democratic populous. They built bridges. They made their case.
Imagine if for just four months the No on 8 strategy would have been to focus heavily on minority and white conservative communities and to educate these key groups. It would have nipped the fear/hate-based "taught in schools/preached to children" nonsense in the bud, or at least significantly reduced it. The percentage of Blacks, Hispanics and Whites that voted Yes on 8 would have been dramatically lower. (For accurate information regarding voting demographics and how the minority vote alone could not have kept Prop 8 from passing, please see “Prop 8 Myths” ( http://www.fivethirtyeight.com/2008/11/prop-8-myths.html ) and the brilliantly written release by Kathryn Kolbert, President of People For American Way, entitled “Blaming Black Voters for Prop 8 Loss is Wrong and Destructive” ( http://site.pfaw.org/site/PageServer?pagename=issues_equality_prop_8_memo )
Until the same-sex leadership and community firmly understand and practice outreach to all key groups/demographics it may find itself defeated and angry for much longer than it needs to be. It is not surprising one of the talk-show callers did not know that Magic Johnson, perhaps the most popular and visible Black figure in Southern California was a No on 8 supporter. Johnson was not utilized sufficiently in the communities and it therefore became an out-of-sight out-of-mind scenario. It is doubtful if any of the callers know of other prominent Black activists and figures that have worked very hard over the years in favor of same-sex equality causes: Alice Huffman, Julian Bond, Coretta Scott King and John Lewis to name a few (or if they know who these people are at all). It is also not clear if the “progressive” show hosts such as Thom Hartmann, Ron Reagan, Rachel Maddow and Stephanie Miller know of these Black feats and leaders since I did not hear any of them effectively educate the callers with examples of Black figures involved in the equality movement.)
Yes it true that certain minority citizens and clergy use religious beliefs and/or their manipulation of what the “Good Book” says to wade comfortably in ignorance and hate. The argument that these people still need more time to change their thinking based on their deep religious and traditional beliefs is a feeble and outdated argument that amounts to nothing more than a free pass. Enough already. Manipulating the Bible to support your opinion while ignoring it to mask your hypocritical life practices is despicable. Your views are hateful and your efforts (non efforts) are lazy. You are not entitled to any more free passes this far along into the equality conversation. You are not allowed to celebrate your well-deserved civil rights achievements while creating and nurturing pain on others. You are not what you “preach” to be.
The failed leadership in the campaign against hate unfortunately missed an outstanding opportunity to overcome the opposition and avoid the backlash that we are now experiencing. Let's stop inaccurately blaming solely the minorities and the ignorant without accepting that the leadership failed on this one. Such sloppy, opportunistic and misplaced blame leads to more division than is necessary. It is no wonder that some Blacks that are marching in protest with all other No on 8 supporters are having the N-Word yelled at them along with other assaults. ( see http://www.pamshouseblend.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=8077 ) . Misplaced, ignorant and opportunistic scapegoating of minorities only stirs latent hate as we witnessed in the last few months of the Presidential campaign as the Republican candidates and media’s lies blamed minorities for the economic ills of the country without accepting their own Republican administration failures as the real reason for the mess.
Hopefully the equality-for-all leadership will take the steps needed to reach out and educate to the groups that need the attention. Second, hopefully the other side will listen and learn and move forward when asked. If both of these gestures happen simultaneously, the equality movement’s end-goal should be met.
All-Please take this not as alarmist news, but as factual news and a must-do call to action for us all.More information is being confirmed regarding the Republican tactics to "purge" voter names from the registers. This means you can mail in a ballot or show up to vote in person and NOT be eligible to vote or have your vote counted. This practice is happening in up to 13 states and for sure in all battleground states. To prove my point please see the article below from Rolling Stone magazine about the just-released study by Bobby Kennedy Jr. and Greg Palast. They have been making the rounds on radio and the media blogs with this vital information. Kennedy and Palast have studied the election frauds of 2000 and 2004 and are well versed in what is going on. In short, Kennedy and Palast say that "If Democrats are to win the 2008 election, they must not simply beat McCain at the polls - they must beat him by a margin that exceeds the level of GOP vote tampering." Kennedy and Palast predict that over 1.1 Million voters will be effected by the illegal purging or other practices. Shocked? We should be. Yes the Republican practices are illegal, yes they are wrong and yes we in my opinion we have NO choice but to do the following:1) Re-check NOW to make sure you are registered. Go to www.voteforchange.com to check. There you can also find links to your State's Election Officials/Registrar information should you need to contact them. (Important- even if you have received an absentee ballot, double check to make sure you are registered. Kennedy and Palast state that approximately 750,000 absentee ballots were not counted in 2004 due to the smallest of discrepancies. Be safe, not sorry!)2) EARLY VOTING...and I don't mean on Election Day!.......We must take advantage of early voting and not wait until Election Day. Why? Because should you find your name has been purged from the records once you arrive to vote you will have ample time to get it corrected, contact the Registrar, etc. and still be able to vote by 11/4. If you show up on Election Day and find you are purged, you may be out of luck. VOTE BY EARLY/MID NEXT WEEK at the latest is what I suggest. Check here to find your State's early voting dates ( www.voteforchange.com and click the "Early Voting" tab. You can also check Rock The Vote's site and see the Early Voting states http://www.rockthevote.com/electioncenter/ )3) Do not accept a "Provisional Ballot" These ballots are given to people on the spot at polling places when something is wrong with their registration or for other reasons. Demand an Official Ballot. Thousands of Provisional Ballots were not counted in the last elections. If your polling place does not have an Official Ballot, call your election officials or Registrar's Office, or check back later at the polling place if they tell you they will have them at a later time.4) Register Others and Make Sure They Vote!- This is a numbers game. The only way we win is to outnumber the others, amidst the fraud and smears. Volunteer, make calls at Neighbor to Neighbor on this site, canvass, sign up to be a poll worker, etc.5) Get FIRED UP! - Barack warned today that he has concerns we are getting complacent due to the polls. We can't afford that this time! Ignore the polls, talk to everybody you know. Light the fire!
Check with your local Obama field office for assistance as well. You can find your field office here : http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/statepages
PLEASE TAKE THIS SERIOUSLY AND DON'T THINK EVERYTHING WILL JUST WORK ITSELF OUT - "You must be the change you want to see in the world"- Mahatma Gandhi
Yes We Will!PS- See Kennedy and Palast's 24 page booklet "Steal Back Your Vote". www.stealbackyourvote.org. They ask if you download the booklet to donate anything as small as $1.
Bear with me on the length of my post because it contains vital information and great tips and tools to help gain a victory in November. It is plain and simple everybody – the key to victory on November 4, 2008 is registering to vote and turning out at the polls. Not convinced? Well, many of us may still be saying things like:
“I don’t believe the polls, they are not polling Obama voters who just have mobile phones, especially the younger voters.” Well, don’t McCain younger voters only have cell phones too?
“Once school starts and the Obama people register students at colleges all across the country, voter registration for Democrats will greatly increase.” That may be true, but why assume that Obama supporters will be the only ones registering?
The Republicans are now much more energized and will be going all out to get their base in gear. They did a great job in the final eight weeks of the 2004 election and won the thing. People, we simply have to outnumber them. We have to be at 120% not 100% if you get my point here. This is about participation and being part of the solution. It is up to us to reach out and make sure everyone gets into the game. No excuses this time!
" I'm Sure I Am Already Registered” – You May Not Be!
Here are registration traps that people may not think of when believing they are registered to vote:
Here Is What You Need To Do
1) Verify that you are currently registered to vote - Verify your registration status and fix any inaccuracies. Any inaccuracies not corrected by the date imposed by your state will disqualify you from voting on November 4.
2) Get Registered to vote and help others get registered to vote
3) Find early vote locations/procedures – This can be very key if you know you will be out of town or not be able to make it to the polls on November 4.
4) Apply to vote absentee - Voting absentee can be helpful if your area has a history of having questionable activity at or around polling places.
5) Find voter registration deadlines – time is running out and some state deadlines are just a few weeks away
6) Know your state's requirements - Some states' procedures and requirements can be tricky! As an example:
Note: If you chose to mail your ballot in and you weren't properly registered, please note that your ballot will not be counted & will be discarded by the supervisor of elections in your county. Also, this year the voting places will be so crowded that some people may even avoid them. It is important to make sure the voters have the right documentation when they go to vote.
Voter Registration and Voting...Made Easy!
Here are the links to easily to find voter registration forms, to read up on any requirements you need to fulfill for registering yourself and voters in your state, to find registration deadlines and to contact the right people for help and clarification. Deadlines may be sooner than you think!
1) Barack Obama Website “Vote For Change” Link https://www.voteforchange.com/ - this great tool will guide you through the process step by step
2) Vote 411 Website – Easy to use site. Click on your state to find out all requirements that your state imposes as well as deadlines, etc.http://www.vote411.org/bystate.php
3) In case you can’t find what you need see the State-by-State Board of Elections weblinks at the end of this email
Helping Others Get Registered
Again please encourage people to visit the new Vote For Change page on the Obama website www.voteforchange.com. Also, if you want to help them in person know that registering someone can be a quick and simple process. It literally takes just a few minutes to get a registration form completed. Consider these actions to help getting others registered:
Again, if you're going to try to register voters, be sure to find out registration requirements for your area and also please remind people about the importance of bringing proper I.D with a correct address on voting day.
Remember The Machine We Are Up Against – Remember These To Do’s
Rigged machines, voters turned away from polls, rejected ballots, uncounted votes, caging lists, long waiting lines, calls redirecting voters to wrong polling places, intimidating voters, poor ballots, secret programming of tabulators to change votes, not counting provisional ballots, preventing military overseas from voting, etc. Who knows what voters may face? The campaign and the Democratic Party is doing all they can to ensure fair voting but let's chip in to help the cause by:
Thank you for getting engaged and changing the direction of this country and restoring the direction of the world. And thanks to the people on the Obama site blog for helping to contribute such good information. Yes We WILL!
State Board of Elections Links
ALABAMA http://www.sos.state.al.us/elections/
ALASKA http://www.gov.state.ak.us/ltgov/elections/
ARIZONA http://www.azsos.gov/election/
ARKANSAS http://www.votenaturally.org/all_about_voting.html
CALIFORNIA http://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/elections.htm
COLORADO http://www.elections.colorado.gov/DDefault.aspx?
CONNECTICUThttp://www.ct.gov/sots/cwp/view.asp?a=3179&Q=411292&sotsNav=|47610|&sotsNav_GID=1846
DELAWARE http://elections.delaware.gov/ DC http://www.dcboee.org/
FLORIDA http://election.dos.state.fl.us/
GEORGIA http://www.sos.ga.gov/elections/
HAWAII http://hawaii.gov/elections/ ID http://www.idahovotes.gov/
ILLINOIS http://www.elections.state.il.us/
INDIANA http://www.in.gov/sos/elections/vote_reg.html
IOWA http://www.sos.state.ia.us/elections/
KANSAS http://www.kssos.org/elections/elections_registration.html
KENTUCKY http://elect.ky.gov/
LOUISIANA http://www.sos.louisiana.gov/tabid/68/Default.aspx
MAINE http://maine.gov/sos/cec/elec/voter_info/index.html
MARYLAND http://www.elections.state.md.us/
MASSACHUSETTS http://www.sec.state.ma.us/ele/
MICHIGAN http://www.michigan.gov/sos/0,1607,7-127-1633---,00.html
MINNESOTA http://www.sos.state.mn.us/home/index.asp?page=134
MISSISSIPPI http://www.sos.state.ms.us/elections/elections.asp
MISSOURI http://www.sos.mo.gov/elections/
MONTANA http://sos.mt.gov/elb/calendar/index.asp
NEBRASKA http://www.sos.state.ne.us/elec/
NEVADA http://sos.state.nv.us/elections/voter/index.asp
NEWS HAMPSHIRE http://www.sos.nh.gov/electionsnew.html
NEW JERSEY http://www.state.nj.us/state/elections/vote_doe.html
NEW MEXICO http://www.sos.state.nm.us/sos-VoterReg.html
NEW YORK http://www.elections.state.ny.us/
NORTH CAROLINA http://www.sboe.state.nc.us/items.aspx?id=1&s=1
NORTH DAKOTA http://www.nd.gov/sos/electvote/voting/index.html
OHIO http://www.sos.state.oh.us/sos/PublicAffairs/voterInfoGuide.aspx
OKLAHOMA http://www.elections.state.ok.us/
OREGON http://www.sos.state.or.us/elections/other.info/vr.htm
PENNSYLVANIA http://www.dos.state.pa.us/voting/
RHODE ISLAND http://www.elections.state.ri.us/registration/intro.htm
SOUTH CAROLINA http://www.scvotes.org/
SOUTH DAKOTA http://www.sdsos.gov/electionsvoteregistration/registrationvoting.shtm
TENNESSEE http://www.state.tn.us/sos/election/index.htm
TEXAS http://www.sos.state.tx.us/elections/index.shtml
UTAH http://elections.utah.gov/
VERMONT http://www.vermont-elections.org/elections1/voters.html
VIRGINIA http://www.sbe.virginia.gov/cms/Voter_Information/Registering_to_Vote/Index.html
WASHINGTON http://www.secstate.wa.gov/elections/register.aspx
WEST VIRGINIA http://www.wvsos.com/common/participate.htm
WISCONSIN http://elections.state.wi.us/faq_que_list.asp?fid=27&locid=47&linkid=
WYOMING http://soswy.state.wy.us/election/election.htm
All -I think all of this needs to be but into perspective. I also believe that much, not all, of the outrage on the blogs is coming from people who are wonderful, passionate supporters, and/or hard working canvassers and volunteers and/or perhaps new entrants to the political campaigning process and all of the posturing that is done. With that understandably comes the disappointment when not all things you want your candidate to do come true. Obama is smartly playing the game right now and come November he will do the right thing if elected. Let's understand this:
1) He HAD to support this bill and then talk tough about the retroactive part of it. This bill was a trap waiting to happen. Had he not supported it, he would have been eaten alive by the Right saying he is too soft of terrorism. Timing is everything and since there is no other option out there right now, FISA is the only thing like it to exist.
2) FISA is a solid process and worked well for years. But it got abused by Bush Cheney so badly that people have lost view of its core value. When it works right, companies obey the Executive. What Obama said today was lets put the good part of FISA back into the system but lets watch out to make sure the crooks don't do their do anymore.
3) Obama winked his eye at all his voters if one reads closely what he said yesterday. I am not sure that those who are up in arms read and fully interpreted what he said:
First key paragraph
"Under this compromise legislation, an important tool in the fight against terrorism will continue, but the President's illegal program of warrant-less surveillance will be over. It restores FISA and existing criminal wiretap statutes as the exclusive means to conduct surveillance - making it clear that the President cannot circumvent the law and disregard the civil liberties of the American people. It also firmly re-establishes basic judicial oversight over all domestic surveillance in the future. It does, however , grant retroactive immunity, and I will work in the Senate to remove this provision so that we can seek full accountability for past offenses.Second key paragraph"It is not all that I would want. But given the legitimate threats we face, providing effective intelligence collection tools with appropriate safeguards is too important to delay. So I support the compromise, but do so with a firm pledge that as President, I will carefully monitor the program, review the report by the Inspectors General, and wor k with the Congress to take any additional steps I deem necessary to protect the lives - and the liberty - of the American people."What he is saying is that he will accept the bill only after working to get the telephone company retroactive immunity provision removed. He is also telling us that as President he will re-visit this matter and take appropriate steps. Which means he will reverse as much of it as possible. This is an example of the political dance he will need to do prior to his potential Presidency - he knows the reality.
The Obama campaign people are smart and shrewd. That is why I think the public financing thing is something they knew all along they would switch on. They set McCain up. They knew he would not come clean on his intentions and would be engaging in a smear campaign. This left Obama the last chess move. Once he had McCain trapped, he knew he could fall back on his grass-roots theme and win that way. We have to understand the big picture and why certain moves are made, the timing of those moves, and the long-term strategy involved. Barack has always said that we might not always agree with what he says or does. This is a good example of that for people who disagree. You cannot throw the baby out with the bath water just because you disagree on something. Having a candidate or President who does everything in agreement with his supporters has never happened before and is completely unrealistic.
Keep the faith and BarackON!
