You can check out how your taxes would look once Barack is President!
http://alchemytoday.com/obamataxcut/
Forward to all your friends that think he will raise their taxes...
The MSM is getting crazy with this new "Obama is an arrogant, cocky, presumptuous, brazen, uppity ____" meme they've been pushing. It's getting to fever pitch:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/29/AR2008072902068.html?hpid%3Dtopneavashttp://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/29/AR2008072902068.html?hpid%3Dtopneavashttp://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conten&sub=AR
Of course it's ridiculous, but it points to an ugly truth out there-- there are many people in this country who are still scared to try something new and especially scared to try something as new and (in their minds) so radically different as a black president. I think they can can be convinced otherwise but we have to work really hard these next three months to do so. We can't get complacent; we can't think we have this thing in the bag.
The national call team has started up again. I encourage everyone who can to make a few calls and let voters in swing/battleground states know about your situation and why you believe Barack is the right choice. Tell your story and don't be afraid to get personal about it-- it will help them connect to you and it will make you a more believable and trustworthy advocate for the campaign.
I'm not worried about November (well I'm always worried a little bit), but I want it to be a solid victory and not "by a hair" when we win!!
Hey Obama friends!
I am asking all of you to consider helping me with my button project. We've made and distributed 17,000 buttons so far but I need help to continue! Please respond to me on my web page or message me—I don’t check the blog very often!
http://zgbethie.googlepages.com/home
I need any or all of the following:
* Kinko's gift cards, if there is such a thing
* doing some color laser printing of my designs (I have them all in PDF) and mailing the sheets to me (if a person has access to a laser printer)
* cold hard cash in the form of a check, PayPal, or money order
* ordering button supplies from the place I get the stuff and having them ship it to me
* If there was such a thing as post office gift certificates, I'd take those, but I don't think there is
Thanks very much. Yes we Can!!
Beth
You really NEED to read this one.
Matt TaibbiPosted Jul 15, 2008 2:05 PM
Yes, I say that all the time but this time it's true.
Here's a great quote, although it's hard to pick the best quote from so many choices. The whole article is what you need to read!
<The Senator claims that he has been trying for years to increase funding for the Federally Qualified Health Care (FQHC) program, which finances community health centers across the country that give primary health care access to about 16 million Americans a year. He's seeking an additional $798 million for the program this year, which would bring the total appropriation to $2.9 billion, or about what we spend every two days in Iraq. "But for five billion a year," Sanders insists, "we could provide basic primary health care for every American. That?s how much it would cost, five billion."
As it is, though, Sanders has struggled to get any additional funding. He managed to get $250 million added to the program in last year's Labor, Health and Human Services bill, but Bush vetoed the legislation, "and we ended up getting a lot less."
Okay, now, hold that thought. While we're unable to find $5 billion for this simple program, and Sanders had to fight and claw to get even $250 million that was eventually slashed, here's something else that's going on. According to a recent report by the GAO, the Department of Defense has already "marked for disposal" hundreds of millions of dollars worth of spare parts — and not old spare parts, but new ones that are still on order! In fact, the GAO report claims that over half of the spare parts currently on order for the Air Force — some $235 million worth, or about the same amount Sanders unsuccessfully tried to get for the community health care program last year — are already marked for disposal! Our government is buying hundreds of millions of dollars worth of Defense Department crap just to throw it away!
"They're planning on throwing this stuff away and it hasn?t even come in yet," says Sanders.
According to the report, we're spending over $30 million a year, and employing over 1,400 people, just to warehouse all the defense equipment we don't need. For instance — we already have thousands of unneeded aircraft blades, but 7,460 on the way, at a cost of $2 million, which will join those already earmarked for the waste pile.
This is why you need to pay careful attention when you hear about John McCain claiming that he's going to "look at entitlement program" waste as a means of solving the budget crisis, or when you tune into the debate about the "death tax." We are in the midst of a political movement to concentrate private wealth into fewer and fewer hands while at the same time placing more and more of the burden for public expenditures on working people. If that sounds like half-baked Marxian analysis... well, shit, what can I say? That's what's happening. Repealing the estate tax (the proposal to phase it out by the year 2010 would save the Walton family alone $30 billion) and targeting "entitlement" programs for cuts while continually funneling an ever-expanding treasure trove of military appropriations down the befouled anus of pointless war profiteering, government waste and North Virginia McMansions — this is all part of a conversation we should be having about who gets what share of the national pie. But we're not going to have that conversation, because we're going to spend this fall mesmerized by the typical media-generated distractions, yammering about whether or not Michelle Obama's voice is too annoying, about flag lapel pins, about Jeremiah Wright and other such idiotic bullshit.>
I have to say I really enjoyed reading it. I am growing ever more confident that we have a candidate who knows EXACTLY what he is doing and how to go about getting it done, and I could not be happier about that. I can only imagine how tough the job of president of the US is, and the last thing I want is to have someone elected to the position who turns out to be some kind of dreamy idealist. A dreamer would get eaten alive in that environment.
I love how the Republicans seem to think that's the kind of candidate Barack is, so I suppose on one level I'm upset about this piece. I hope none of them read the article and wise up to the fact that Barack is an ambitious, smart, agressive, tough politician. I don't want them to know. They'll figure it out soon enough once he's got the job and he's handing them their you-know-whats on platters if they try to block his first term agenda.
We finally have a winner, and I just could not be more pleased about it. See ya later Dubya!
This is just wonderful. Gail Collins is usually just kind of funny but not too deep, but this is pure gold and everyone should read it.
Money quote:
"Why, exactly, did you prefer Obama over Hillary Clinton in the first place? Their policies were almost identical — except his health care proposal was more conservative. You liked Barack because you thought he could get us past the old brain-dead politics, right? He talked — and talked and talked — about how there were going to be no more red states and blue states, how he was going to bring Americans together, including Republicans and Democrats.
Exactly where did everybody think this gathering was going to take place? Left field?
When an extremely intelligent politician tells you over and over and over that he is tired of the take-no-prisoners politics of the last several decades, that he is going to get things done and build a “new consensus,” he is trying to explain that he is all about compromise. Even if he says it in that great Baracky way."
Theres more. Go read it, please.
An article in Politico today reports on Wes Clark saying McCain's service as a fighter pilot and prisoner of war was not relevant to running the country. Bad idea on Clark's part. Even worse, critics have accused McCain of war crimes for bombing targets in Hanoi in the 1960s. A widely read liberal blog on Sunday accused McCain of "disloyalty" during his captivity in Vietnam for his coerced participation in propaganda films and interviews after he had been tortured.
There are so many reasons why Barack will be a better president than McCain. We just don't need to dwell on this stuff and use these kind of tactics. Let's move on and talk about right now and what each candidate would do if elected. Wasting time on that kind of talk takes away our power as agents of change for the better and feeds right into the kind of political maneuvering that Rove-style consultants live for. Time to turn the page!!
Check these out.
This one got a good laugh out of me---
There are many things people do not know about BARACK OBAMA. It is every American's duty to read this message and pass it along to all of their friends and loved ones. Barack Obama wears a FLAG PIN at all times. Even in the shower. Barack Obama says the PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE every time he sees an American flag. He also ends every sentence by saying, "WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL." Click here for video of Obama quietly mouthing the PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE in his sleep. A tape exists of Michelle Obama saying the PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE at a conference on PATRIOTISM. Every weekend, Barack and Michelle take their daughters HUNTING. Barack Obama is a PATRIOTIC AMERICAN. He has one HAND over his HEART at all times. He occasionally switches when one arm gets tired, which is almost never because he is STRONG. Barack Obama has the DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE tattooed on his stomach. It's upside-down, so he can read it while doing sit-ups. There's only one artist on Barack Obama's iPod: FRANCIS SCOTT KEY. Barack Obama is a DEVOUT CHRISTIAN. His favorite book is the BIBLE, which he has memorized. His name means HE WHO LOVES JESUS in the ancient language of Aramaic. He is PROUD that Jesus was an American. Barack Obama goes to church every morning. He goes to church every afternoon. He goes to church every evening. He is IN CHURCH RIGHT NOW. Barack Obama's new airplane includes a conference room, a kitchen, and a MEGACHURCH. Barack Obama's skin is the color of AMERICAN SOIL. Barack Obama buys AMERICAN STUFF. He owns a FORD, a BASEBALL TEAM, and a COMPUTER HE BUILT HIMSELF FROM AMERICAN PARTS. He travels mostly by FORKLIFT. Barack Obama says that Americans cling to GUNS and RELIGION because they are AWESOME.[copied from Slate.com: http://www.slate.com/id/2193798/]
I think some were discussing this topic on our Obama Smart Growth email list--
http://www.sustainableschoolyard.org/index.php
APA (American Planning Association) will soon have a webpage of its own featuring this exhibit and our specific contributions.
It's a great idea and something that is easy to create, not too costly, and critical to educating and engaging children in good care for the environment.
I heard that Senator Graham was spewing lies about present votes on the Sunday morning shows, so I'm reposting this entry. We can't let the Repubs get away with this stuff.
...there is still widespread inaccurate information on the IL State Senate's practice of allowing senators to vote "present" in addition to aye or nay. Many seem to think that while Barack was there, he voted "present" a majority of the time.
If you run into this while canvassing or phone banking, here are the relevant facts.
Illinois has this very unique (maybe completely unique--not sure) voting option in the State Senate. Voting "present" can be used to signal personal conflict with a bill, as part of a strategy to be used against another voting bloc or party, to provide the Senator with political cover later on, and a few other reasons. Obama voted "present" about 130 times out of about 4,000 votes cast in his career in the Statehouse. In 45 of those votes he was voting as a bloc with other Democrats, mostly in budget skirmishes, and another 7 times he voted "present" as part of a strategy to keep some anti-abortion rights bills from passing, to help protect Senators from moderate/conservative districts from suffering a backlash. So take those away and you have Obama possibly casting votes 0.02% of the time in a manner which could be argued to be politically expedient, the actions of a person who was thinking about how that particular vote might affect his political aspirations down the road. And in total, he voted "present" 0.03% of the time. Hardly a majority of his votes. 99.97% of his 4,000 votes were either aye or nay. Don't let them keep on believing the lies!!!
My dad sent me an article about how brave and helpful to his fellow POWs Senator McCain had been while a POW. Here is the letter I sent back:
Hi Dad--Great to hear from you.There is no doubt that Senator McCain courageously endured horrible treatment at the hands of the VietCong and has served his country well as a war hero and a public servant. However, that in itself does not make him the perfect candidate for president. Yes, we need a brave person in the White House. But we also need a level-headed person in the White House. We need a person who can control their temper and emotions in the White House."Three reporters from Arizona, on the condition of anonymity, also let me in on another incident involving McCain's intemperateness. In his 1992 Senate bid, McCain was joined on the campaign trail by his wife, Cindy, as well as campaign aide Doug Cole and consultant Wes Gullett. At one point, Cindy playfully twirled McCain's hair and said, "You're getting a little thin up there." McCain's face reddened, and he responded, "At least I don't plaster on the makeup like a trollop, you c---." McCain's excuse was that it had been a long day. If elected president of the United States, McCain would have many long days." --The Real McCain by Cliff Schecterand from the Huffington Post:http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/02/16/mccains-sharp-tongue-an_n_87012.html
from the DCist:
(thanks to Bonnie for the link!)
We thought it might be a good idea to see where the two presumptive major party presidential candidates stand on federal priorities for transit.
Let's start with Barack Obama. Sen. Obama has been quietly hailed as the candidate with the most forward positions on mass transportation. Of course, this really shouldn't come as any surprise, as the Illinois lawmaker has been interested in the topic for years - he petitioned for more efficient transit through low-income areas of Chicago in 2003, and mentioned in May of this year that he's had interest in copying the efficiency of the Northeast Corridor system in the Midwest: "One of the things I have been talking bout for awhile is high speed rail connecting all of these Midwest cities -- Indianapolis, Chicago, Milwaukee, Detroit, St. Louis." Speaking of Amtrak, Obama is a big supporter. He was a backer of the Lautenberg-Lott Amtrak bill in 2007, which would provide about $11.6 billion to Amtrak over the next six years. Obama's energy and climate stance includes promises to "reform the tax code to make benefits for driving and public transit or ridesharing equal," and to change the "transportation funding process to ensure that smart growth considerations are taken into account." Obama also opposes a federal gas tax holiday - instead, he believes that high prices of gasoline should "give individuals much more of an incentive to look at trains and mass transit as an alternative."
Of course, most of the recent Obama love from transit-types has come from his remarks in Portland, Oregon:
"It’s time that the entire country learn from what’s happening right here in Portland with mass transit and bicycle lanes and funding alternative means of transportation. That’s the kind of solution that we need for America. That’s the kind of truth telling that we are going to do in this campaign and when I am President of the United States of America. We don’t need gimmicks.”
Then there's John McCain. Well, Sen. McCain doesn't have too much to say when it comes to national transit objectives (we suppose it's a case of 'if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all'). But if there's one thing that we do know, it's that McCain hates Amtrak - at least in its current state. The Arizona Senator has been attempting for years to dissolve Amtrak and create small, privately owned rail companies. In fact, McCain has sworn that if elected, the shuttering of Amtrak would be a "a non-negotiable issue."
We'd also imagine that if McCain were to be elected president, current Secretary of Transportation Mary Peters would either remain at her post or handpick a successor. While Peters does favor congestion pricing, she also shows no signs of wanting to change the ratio of mass transit and highway spending from current levels.
McCain's web site does have a Climate Change issues section, but doesn't mention anything regarding transit's potential to eliminate greenhouse gas emissions. He is in favor of the gas tax holiday that was so lambasted earlier in the primary season - but on the other hand, he found trouble in Michigan's primaries for failing to pander (to put it kindly) to American automobile makers. McCain on transit is anonymous at best, regularly quixotic, and could likely be a downright killer of projects like future Metro expansion.
Obviously, there are plenty of other pressing issues to vote on in this election cycle, but one that is so widely linked with economic growth and the ability of Americans to get to work should be close to the top of the list.
Poor, rural, working-class white folks in Appalachia didn’t vote for the rich urban former law professor senator from Chicago. They went for the rich urban former law professor senator born in Chicago instead. But since the vote went so overwhelmingly in one direction rather than the other, and rich urban former law professor senators with Chicago ties are otherwise largely interchangeable, there has to be another controlling factor here. I can’t think what it might be, though. Maybe it will come to me if I think about it.
Oh, wait, I know now. Poor, rural, working-class white folks from Appalachia wanted to strike a blow for feminism. Well, way to go, West Virginia! You’ve certainly done that. And now, clearly, you’ve shown that you’re the most feminist state in all the union.
And to think they once said it couldn’t happen there! They said that poor, rural, working-class folk such as yourself could never vote for a woman to be a presidential nominee, barring something being monstrously and unspeakably wrong with her opponent, perhaps at the genetic level. Well, you showed them, West Virginia. You showed them all.
Your reward is to have Gloria Steinem build a summer home in your borders, possibly in Mingo County, which, with a vote that went 88% for Clinton — a staggering 11 times what Obama got in that county — is inarguably the single most feminist-friendly county in the entire state. Heck, Gloria’s got the U-Haul ready; maybe she’ll live there all the time now. Maybe she’ll bring her friends. Quick, have the menfolk bake a welcoming apple pie. Tell them not to skimp on the cinnamon. You know men. Always skimping, they are.
I’m so proud of you, West Virginia, you glorious feminist paradise, you.
