...seen a more sh*t eating grin in your life? Check out this picture of Billary in Florida!
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/orl-bk-dempresident012908,0,7727358.story
As I sit here at my computer late at night trying to digest the events of the day, I have come to the conclusion that January 28, 2008 was a great day for this country. In fact, today was a turning point in American politics. I know that is quite a bold statement on my part but hear me out on this before you form an opinion. Then you can say "John, your nuts" but hopefully you'll be saying "John, I think you may have something there".
This day started out with Caroline, Patrick and Ted Kennedy endorsing our candidate for President of the United States, Barack Obama. The Kennedy family is the royalty of the Democratic party and has been ever since JFK was President. To have Ted and Patrick Kennedy throw their support behind Barack Obama is a fantastic turn of events. To have Caroline Kennedy throw her support behind Barack Obama is nothing short of a major coup. This is a lady that has, for the most part, stayed out of politics. Yet she has seen how Senator Obama has galvanized the Democratic electorate, how Senator Obama has instilled hope in people around this country, how Senator Obama has taken over where her father left off 40 years ago.
Now fast forward eight hours to the State of the Union address. The question that comes to my mind is "Can a State of the Union address be deemed irrelevant?" The answer, of course, is yes. Especially when delivered by a lame duck President trying to make up for eight years of failed policies. There was simply nothing in the President's speech that we, as Democrats, haven't heard before. But more importantly, there was nothing in the speech that the American public has not heard before. Iraq, entightlements, porkbarrell spending, immigration, Katrina. Every issue addressed by the President tonight was simply a repeat of past State of the Union addresses. This is a President that has thrown in the towel on a failed presidency. Mr. Bush would never admit that but it was easy to see tonight. And it was sad. I don't feel sad for the President, I feel sad for America, because we, as citizens of this great country, deserve and expect alot more of the Commander in Chief.
So how do these two different events make this day a turning point in American politics? Because today will be remembered as the day that Barack Obama became the hope and future of America. He has been handed the torch of Camelot from the family that has guarded it so well for so long. He has been entrusted with the Kennedy legacy. His entrance into the halls of Congress tonight should be proof enough that Democrats know a winner when they see one. The Senator was flanked by Senator Kennedy on one side and Senator Claire McKaskill on the other. He was mobbed like he was the President already. He sat in the gallery with Senator Kennedy by his side, listening to a man with no legacy, with no hope or future except a ranch in Texas. Tonight was the perfect storm. The bright light of American politics watching the switch turned off on the last eight years.
So remember this day. From here on out things are going to be different. Senator Obama truly became the beacon of hope, the beacon of change for this country. Today, Barack Obama became the torch bearer of Camelot. Perhaps it is not possible to bring back the feeling of 1960 and the excitement that President Kennedy instilled in us 40 years ago. Then again, with Senator Barack Obama leading the way, the path to Camelot is more brightly lit today than it has been in the last 40 years. I for one, will follow him down that path.
Hope is not just a thought when change is in the air!
John Harris
In the past week, the Democratic electorate has had to put up with our beloved past President, Bill Clinton, call the Obama campaign a "fairy tale", compare the Senator to Jesse Jackson and inject race in this contest at every turn. Just when you thought the Clinton campaign couldn't stoop any lower they come up with this. It appears that the Clinton campaign is going to contest the ruling by the DNC to not seat delegates in Michigan and Florida. The reason for this was because these two states went against the DNC directive to not move their primaries to earlier dates on the calender. All of the campaigns SIGNED a pledge not to campaign in these two states and to allow the people to vote in their primaries but not seat delegates.
Now comes word that the Clinton campaign wants these rules changed. They have come up with the false belief that not seating delegates will disenfranchise voters. What they fail to tell you is that the Clinton name was the only name on the Michigan ballot and that even though Hillary has not appeared in Florida, the polls suggest that she would win if the votes were counted and the delegates awarded.
After two weeks of dirty politics by the Clinton campaign, this shouldn't suprise anyone. Going against their word has become the standard operating procedure of the Clinton campaign. Playing dirty politics is apparently the only way the Clinton campaign knows how to run a campaign. Be it back tracking on Iraq, sending out Bill to be the pitbull, invoking Jesse Jackson or any other of a myriad of tactics, the Clinton's have crossed the line.
I'm sure that the Obama campaign and the Edwards campaign will do everything in their collective power to see to it that the Clinton campaign doesn't pull an end around. Both campaign's should be screaming at the top of their lungs that this is just another example of Hillary Clinton changing her mind on an issue that only helps herself.
The good part of this is that it shows how desperate and afraid the Clinton campaign is of Barack Obama. The win in South Carolina lines the Senator up to gain momentum leading into the Super Tuesday primaries. Even though the math shows that no candidate will come out of Super Tuesday with the nomination, Clinton is still willing to go against the grain and claim the Michigan and Florida delegates for herself.
Well, if I could whisper something in Hillary's ear it would be "forget it, it won't work". The people of this nation are onto you Hillary. They know you can't run a clean campaign. They know you change your position at the drop of a hat and they know that if you were elected it would just be politics as usual in Washington for another 4 years.
What this country wants and needs is not only hope and change, it needs character. Hillary Clinton has shown that her character is lacking with the events of the past two weeks. Now is the time for Barack Obama to stand up and question her tactics and ultimately her character. Because if Hillary is elected the 44th President of the United States this country will never regain the standing in the world that we all pine for. The only person that can restore the hope and dreams that have been squashed in the last 8 years is Senator Barack Obama. Let's hope that the Democratic electorate sees fit to nominate a man of unquestioned character, a beacon of hope to millions around the world, Senator Barack Obama. Our future depends on it.
Last night's resounding victory in South Carolina is just another step for Senator Obama on his way to the White House. It couldn't have come at a better time. After weeks of sometimes divisive campaigning, the people of South Carolina spoke. They said that race doesn't matter, we simply want what's best for this country after 8 years of failed politics by the Bush administration. They voted and they voted for Senator Obama. Now it's on to Super Tuesday!
Some other thoughts of the past week and what's coming up:
* I'm a big fan of Bill Clinton. My wife and I even have the front page of the Chicago Tribune from his 1992 victory hanging on the wall in our home. We've been to the Clinton Library and loved it. I dare say that if Bill was running today, we would probably vote for him. But after this past week we are deeply ashamed of our past president. This is a man that was expecting a free pass for his wife because of the leadership he provided for 8 years to this country. Sorry, Bill, it doesn't work that way. You've successfully alienated a large portion of the people that love you with the campaing tactics you've displayed in the past week. Using terms like "fairy tale", invoking "Jesse Jackson", and generally distorting the views of Senator Obama not only hurt your wife's campaign, they hurt your legacy. Your looking like a desperate, bitter old man and frankly, that's not the man I want to remember. So do your wife, the Democratic campaign and the country a favor. Stop with the divisive campaigning, focus on Hillary's accomplishments and let's go back to discussing the issues. The country will be better off, and more importantly, people like my wife and myself just may go back to loving you the way we did before this all started.
* I encourage everyone out there to go to the New York Times website and read the guest editorial by Caroline Kennedy and why she is supporting Senator Obama. I've always said I would have loved to have been involved in politics in the 60's. The feeling that Kennedy was making history and people believed that all things were possible was something I really wished I was part of. Well, I have that feeling now and so does Caroline Kennedy. Her eloquently stated view that Senator Obama is recreating the feeling her father created in the 60's is a must read.
* This just in: SENATOR TED KENNEDY SUPPORTS BARACK OBAMA!...YESSSSS!
* I'm not sure how the Obama campaign feels but I am of the opinion that it is time for Sen. John Edwards to drop out of the race. I know that he keeps getting 15% or more of the vote. This 15% allows him to continue to grab delegates, but what is the point? The only thing I can see is that he hopes to be a power broker at the convention in August. That said, should Sen. Edwards drop out and throw his weight and delegates behind Sen. Obama this becomes completely different race that , in my opinion, would certainly benefit Senator Obama. Let's hope that after the February 5th races that Senator Edwards will do just that.
* And last but not least, I encourage all of you who are residents of Northern Mississippi to search for the new group "Northern Mississippi for Obama 2008" and join. My wife and I are waiting to hear back from Mississippi Campaign Coordinator Johnnie Patton on what our role will be in securing the vote for this part of Mississippi in the coming month. As of now, we know that there will be a campaign office in Jackson. My wife and I are hoping to rally the troops in Northern Mississippi to help Senator Obama claim victory in Mississippi on March 11th.
Until next time - John Harris
It's been awhile since I posted to my blog. With Nevada and South Carolina coming up, I thought it would be a good time to post a few musings from the past few weeks. First of all, congratulations to the people of Iowa for seeing that the Senator is the most qualified candidate for change in the Democratic race. They saw through all of the other candidates and their false hopes. I find it amazing how just about every candidate has managed to pick up on what Senator Obama has been saying ever since he got in the race - This country needs change. Not just change in Washington, but a change in the mind set of the people. Now every other candidate has printed sign boards with the word "change" in them. And they make sure they get shown on TV. They say that imitation is the greatest form of flattery. If that is the case, then the Senator is on the right track.
After Iowa, came New Hampshire. The pundits and pollsters predicted that Senator Obama, coming off his win in Iowa would be the runaway winner, getting approximnately 37% of the vote. HC (and we know who that is) would come in a distant second. It didn't happen that way, unforunately. HC made a "comeback" aided by her crocodile tears and managed beat the Senator with around 40% of the vote. The thing that none of the pundits I've heard say is that the Senator recieved exactly the percentage of votes that he was predicted to recieve. It seems to me that HC pulled votes from Edwards and Richardson. Before the primary, Edwards was predicted to get around 22% and Richardson around 12. What happened was Edwards recieved 17% and Richardson 5%. So in the end, The Senator did exactly what he was supposed to do and HC pulled support from Edwards and Richardson. And now that Richardson is out of the race, hopefully the Senator will be able reap some benefit from those supporters in the coming races.
Now we are on to Nevada and South Carolina. In Nevada, the Senator has received the support of the largest union in the state, the Culinary union. And in South Carolina, the first true test with a large African-America populous, the Senator is polling very well. All of this leads to Super Tuesday on February 5th. With momentum gained in Nevada and South Carolina, the train that is the Barack Obama express cannot and will not be stopped. The people have had enough. It's time for change. It's all coming together and with your help, the Senator will be headed to the convention as the next Democratic nominee for president!
Once again, I received "the" e-mail. You know the one I'm talking about. The one circulating the net that says Senator Obama is muslim and electing him is like putting Al-Queda in the White House. Frankly, I'm sick and tired of getting this crap. This is the second time in less than a month. The first time I simply deleted it. This time I responded. I responded to the comment that said "I had no idea!". I responded to the comment that said "What a shame, I really liked him" And in my response, I didn't hold back.
I reminded those that received this e-mail that they shouldn't believe everything they hear. That this is just an off-shoot of a story perpetuated by FOX News months ago and that it had been deemed false by media outlets through out the country. And I reminded those that received this e-mail that this is still circulating the net because the right wing nut jobs that perpetuate this myth are afraid of Senator Obama. I pushed send and sent it to everyone that recieived it, over 40 some e-mail addresses. I got back one response. His answer? "Wrong answer, try again" Not a very intelligent response. My answer back? "You must be one of the right wing nut jobs I was talking about" His answer? "O'Reilly's my guy" Enough said.
The one thing that this proves is that the "swift boating" of Democratic candidates is NOT a thing of the past. And it will only get worse. Hopefully, Senator Obama will get the nomination from the Democratic party. Perhaps he won't. The point is that the Republican, right wing, neo-conservative, religous ideologues will stop at nothing to smear the Democratic candidates. It doesn't matter if it's in the primaries or the general election. It could be Clinton, Edwards or our own Senator, Barack Obama.
So if you get this e-mail in your inbox, don't delete it. Respond. Tell everyone on the list that it's a bunch of b.s. and you won't stand for it. It's old news and its' been debunked. It's not true and the fact of the matter is, Senator Obama is the only candidate capable of uniting this country after 8 years of George Bush.
After I pushed "send" I felt a whole lot better. I felt like I did my part to put another nail in the coffin of the "swift boaters". Do the same. I guarantee you'll feel better too.
Hellos Everyone! This is the first of many blog entries that will detail the comings and goings of Senator Obama in and through the state of Mississippi! I hope that you will join me in welcoming the Senator to Mississippi and do everything you can do to make sure that he carries Mississippi in the primary and then the general election.
With that said, I must tell you what a day, Friday, June 15th was! My wife Nancy and I were invited to a 30 person gathering in Jackson, Mississippi to welcome the Senator to our great state. We were included in a gathering of state elected officials that included State Senator Tyrone Ellis, State Senator John Hohrn, State Representitive Alyce Clark and the mayor of Jackson, MS, Mr. Frank Melton. This was all made possible by our friend Johnnie Patton.
The evening started off witha meet and greet in which the Senator mingled with the assembled guests, shaking hands, posing for pictures, autographs and general chit-chat. My wife and I had the chance to meet the Senator and have our picture taken with him. What a thrill!!! We were all then ushered into a small confernece room in which the Senator was introduced by the Mayor and others. He then spoke for about 20 minutes or so in which he thanked everyone for our support. He spoke of how important Mississippi was to him and how important it was to win Mississippi not only in the primary but also in the general election. He told us that he was in this to win, not make a name for himself. "I already have a name", he told us. He expounded on his views on Iraq, drug courts and how we can help him win Mississippi. All in all, it was an exciting day in the lives of my wife and myself!
This morning I talked with Mrs Johnnie Patton, who is the point person for the Obama campaign in Mississippi. I asked her how the fund raiser went and she informed my that it was beyond thier expectations! The goal was to raise $100,000 and the total so far was over $120,000 with more coming in all the time! But more importantly, the Senator promised her that when the time comes, he will be coming back to Mississippi for a rally. The day was a total success. My wife and I had a great time meeting the Senator and we are so pumped up for the coming months ahead! We encourage eveyone to get involved, support the Senator, and do what you can do to make sure that Senator Barack Obama not only wins Mississippi in the primary but moves on to the general election and moves to Washington, DC as our 44th president!
