Now created: The Task Force to Reestablish the McHenry County Young Democrats group
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=77930898122&ref=nf
Email:
Hi all. After working with many of you who are my age (late 20's) and have the same passion for politics, I felt inspired to start a blog from our point of view and a group where we can all relate. The blog is at http://www.generationxydemocrat.blogspot.com/ and I have also stated a Facebook group where we can all sound off at http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/group.php?gid=57528568002&ref=nf. I will comment and post all OFA activites on here as well. Please join the group, and also visit the blog to read and comment often. Thank you!
- Ed
For those interested in participating in a pledge canvass on Saturday, visit http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/gptbsq for details!
I'm tired of the class-warfare accusations, especially when McCain wants to continue a practice that promotes it! Here is a small piece from my HuffPo blog today (please visit it and comment on it so your voice can be heard across the nation!):
"A recent study by the Tax Policy Center shows that a hard working individual with a total income of $19,000 would see a $100 savings under McCain's plan compared to a $900 savings under Obama's plan. So what happens to that $800 under McCain's plan? All of that money, plus some, instead goes to the family that makes $225,000, where McCain's plan gives them $4,400 in tax breaks instead of the $2,800 in tax breaks that Obama's plan does.
In other words, McCain takes $800 from someone making $19,000 a year and gives it to the family that makes $225,000."
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/edward-rotchford/mccains-tax-plans-also-re_b_135522.html
I have been fortunate enough to be an accepted blogger for the Huffington Post (at least for today...), and I have focused my first published blog on their site squarely on the Platform Meeting I hosted on July 24 in Algonquin, IL, and the areas of the 2008 Platform Draft (released yesterday) which our planks may have influenced. Please visit the link below to read, and comment on the piece! (I hope the comments are nice!)
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/edward-rotchford/reflecting-on-the-platfor_b_117783.html
Tonight, I hosted the Listening To America Platform Meeting in Algonquin, IL, and frankly, I was very impressed with the amount of participation and enthusiasm from everyone involved.
When I decided to host this platform meeting, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. After all, Senator Obama pretty much had the state of Illinois won the day he announced his candidacy. However, citizens of Illinois are hardly going to sit back and just watch! I booked a room with a capacity of 50 for the meeting in a small town 90 minutes from Chicago, and we came darn close to filling it!
The meeting started with a very short introduction of myself, and then the introduction of the policy moderator that was provided by the Obama Campaign. He explained the basics, and then after an introduction of the Chair of the McHenry County Democratic Party, we got to work!
Attendees were asked to choose from a list of topics which two they were most passionate about. The group decided upon Healthcare, Autism/Disabilities, Fiscal Policy, Economy, and Energy/Environment. We then split into five groups, with each group focusing on one topic and being responsible for coming up with a proposed policy or recommendation. Every group was passionate aobut the topic they were working on. After about 45 minutes and an additional intro of the communications director for the Robert Abboud For Congress Campaign (running in Illinois’ 16th Congressional District), we then went over the proposals as one large group and came to a consensus on each topic.
In all, everyone was very respectful about each other’s opinions, and the moderator provided by the campaign did an excellent job in not only helping us to effectively communicate our views, but also to engage us with questions that led to new ideas. We surely could not have gotten as much done if he had not been assisting us.
First of all, I must say that I am very glad to be able to concentrate now on the General Election! We knew this moment would come, but didn't know when. But we can't stop. We must go forward.
As an Obama supporter residing in Illinois, it is a bit tougher to help because our state is so democratic that Obama need not worry about campaigning here at all - in fact, I would advise him to better spend his money elsewhere. But Wisconsin worries me a bit. Yes he won by some 17% in the primary, but MSNBC has Wisconsin as a "Toss-Up" state, and Karl Rove's map (who I detest, but hey he somehow got Bush to win) has McCain up 4%. Also, do not forget that in 2004, Kerry only won by 11,000 votes our of nearly 3 million cast - and Nader got 16,000 votes!
Looking back on CNN exit polls, Obama pretty much cleaned house except for the 55 and older crowd. Now we can't take for granted the younger Clinton folks that may switch over, but the older crowd had to be evened out in rural Wisconsin. These are the places that it isn't worth money for the candidate to visit when he can spend better money running up numbers in Milwaukee, Green Bay, and Madison. This is where we come in.
Illinois supporters, now is the time to start campaigning. Take advantage of the good press that is going out - word of mouth needs to spread now. Go get the older crowd and convince them Obama is the one we want. Nursing homes, retirement communities, the smallest of small towns, we need to visit them all. Volunteer your time to these places in turn for being able to spread your message. It is never too early to start, and we need to start now to help Wisconsin stay in the Blue.
If you are interested, please comment to this post, and perhaps we can start our organization!
In case you have not heard, several members of the U.S. Congress have decided to pen a letter which urges superdelagates to overturn the will of the American people who voted in the Democratic Primaries. The letter and its authors have been pasted at the bottom of this message. If you are like me and your are outraged that these Congressmen believe elections can be overturned in the back room, then I urge you to IMMEDIATELY sign this petition: http://www.petitiononline.com/592008/petition.html
Thank you,
Edward Rotchford
The letter in question:
Dear Fellow Democrat,
We are writing to you because of our shared belief in our Party’s principles and our commitment to ensuring that we have the strongest possible nominee to lead our ticket against John McCain and the Republicans in November.
The decision about who to support to be our Party’s nominee is not one that any of us should take lightly. We haven’t. But, after giving this important decision a great deal of thought, we are convinced that Hillary Clinton has the vision, skills and commitment to make the changes our country needs. As Democrats who have run and won in competitive Congressional districts and battleground states, we believe that Hillary is best positioned to successfully lead the Democratic ticket in districts and states like ours around the country.
As you know, Hillary has racked up victories in bellwether states like Ohio, Pennsylvania and now Indiana that are absolutely vital to winning the White House and maintaining our Congressional majority in the fall. Hillary has won the big battleground states by connecting with voters whose support we must have to win the general election. Her victories in Pennsylvania and Indiana were all the more impressive after being outspent by as much as two or three to one.
Pennsylvania was not just a victory for Hillary Clinton. It was also a wake- up call for superdelegates, forcing us to ask ourselves two essential questions: 1) Which candidate can carry the magic 270 electoral votes to win in the fall? 2) Which candidate is most likely to help our fellow Democrats in down-ballot races? We believe the answer to both of these questions is Hillary Clinton.
On the first question, Hillary has shown she can win the all-important battleground states like Ohio, Pennsylvania and Florida even while being outspent. This speaks to her ability to connect with voters we must deliver in the fall, including blue collar Democrats who can sway this election as they have in the past.
On the second question, Hillary has won rural and suburban districts which we as Democrats must carry to maintain our edge in Congress. Of the fifteen districts rated “toss up” by the Cook Political Report, Hillary has now won ten. Of the 20 districts we picked up in 2006 that had gone for President Bush just two years before, Hillary has now won 16. She is strong in the places we must win to hold and expand our majority.
This is a historically close race. The candidates are separated by a mere percentage point or two and the path to victory for each candidate is the same: win in the upcoming states and secure enough pledged and automatic delegates to get to the number required to win the nomination.
The race now turns to the remaining six contests where the focus will be squarely on the economy. Voters in our states and across the country are voting on issues that affect them, their communities and their children’s future. We believe that they will decide that Hillary is the candidate who best understands those issues and has the best solutions to address them.
We Democrats are justifiably proud of both of our candidates, and if Senator Obama is our Party’s nominee, we will enthusiastically support him. But our responsibility is not to choose simply to support the eventual nominee; it is to help select the nominee who is best for our party and best for our country. Our choice is clear: Hillary Clinton is that candidate. We believe she should be your choice as well.
Thank you for consideration.
Sincerely, Rep. Michael Arcuri (NY-24) Rep. Shelley Berkley (NV-01) Rep. Marion Berry (AR-1) Rep. Henry Cuellar (TX-28) Rep. Kirsten Gillibrand (NY-20) Rep. Gene Green (TX -29) Rep. John Hall (NY-19) Rep. Darlene Hooley (OR-5) Rep. Kendrick B. Meek (FL-17) Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones (OH-11) Rep. Silvestre Reyes (TX-16) Rep. Mike Ross (AR-4) Rep. Joe Sestak (PA-8) Rep. Ike Skelton (MO-4) Rep. John Tanner (TN-8) Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-20)
I have been in contact with the campaign staff of the Democratic Candidate that is running against Donald Manzullo (R) to represent the 16th Congressional District in the US Congress. His name is Robert Abboud, and he is looking to build campaign support in the Lake in the Hills/Algonquin/Crystal Lake/Huntley area.
The campaign has asked me to see who would be interested in a "Coffee Night with Bob", where Bob would come over to someones house for a few hours, have some coffee, and discuss issues related to the campaign. He would also be fielding any questions that we might have.
What I would like to know is 1) Who would be interested in attending, 2) What nights during the week would be best for you to attend in the month of May, and 3) Would anyone with a significant amount of room in their house be willing to host?
Please email me at edman1981@yahoo.com if you are interested!! When emailing me, please leave name and full contact info!!
Please sign this ever-growing petition to ABC News demanding an apology for its terribly biased debate on April 16th: http://www.PetitionOnline.com/abc41608/petition.html
This petition is not sponsored by MoveOn.org (though I recommend you sign that one too!). This petition is completely independent and is for those who want the nation to know that it isn't just the left-wing world that is outraged at ABC!
Pass this on to everyone you know!
Were you upset with the awful questioning by ABC News on the debate last night? Let your voice be heard!
http://www.petitiononline.com/abc41608/petition.html
This is the correct petition address. Please spread the word!!!!!!!!!!!
Upset with ABC's awful questioning during the debate last night? Let your voice be heard!!!
http://www.petitiononline.com/abc4908/
So, this was my first time seeing Obama speak in person - I drove 2.5 hours after work from NW Chicago to South Bend, and it was completely worth it.
There was a lot of energy in the gym, and after standing for 3 hours waiting for him to speak, it was a good thing we all had that energy! All sorts of people of different ages and races dancing and joining for what was easily comparible to a concert. Anyone that pays attention to YouTube or MSNBC has seen the basic stump speech, so we (at least I) knew basically what he would say, but like listening to your favorite song, it still gets you anyways!
I was only about 20 feet from Obama the entire speech (which of course is already posted on YouTube by someone with a camera), so here is a link to all the pictures I took, plus a few from the SouthBend Tribune that I thought went well with my mix: http://s50.photobucket.com/albums/f313/edman1981/Obama%20Rally%204-9-08/
Thank you Indiana for letting an Illinois neighbor join in on the fun!!
7:30pm at Algonquin Main Library, Harnish Room.
More info on my page, or email edman1981@yahoo.com for questions - hope to see you there!
Millions of people have voted so far in this primary. MILLIONS! So how can Clinton claim that voters are leaning toward her based on a poll of 1,000 people? Just sayin...
This should be a question on a future ACT test:
If several million people have voted in an election, and one candidate is up by roughly 700,000 votes, will 1,000 people be enough to swing the candidate with lesser votes into the lead?
Nevermind - 2nd graders can probably figure that one out...
It seems as though the Clinton's "Kitchen Sink" strategy has paid off dividends, and the media has found out that it makes better TV by doing everything it can to dig up anything associated with Obama and make him look bad.
Attention Penn, Indiana, and North Carolina: DO NOT BUY INTO THIS!
According to Clinton, Florida and Michigan moving their primaries up is now Obama's fault too! We cannot sit back and let the media continue to run this stuff across the screen. The nation needs to know that we still stand behind Obama, and undecided voters whose opinions are only formed by the snipets of nightly news NEED TO KNOW THE TRUTH! IT IS UP TO US TO GIVE IT TO THEM!
Call, canvass, strike up conversations, get people involved, tell them about the speech, and tell them that they cannot fall into the Clinton bait trap! This country CANNOT lose its chance to have potentially the most inspirational leader of our time get his nomination stolen away from a lady whose foriegn policy experience schedules show that she left most important meetings after a brief appearance as the receiving line! Explain to people the Clinton tactics throughout this campaign, and explain Obama's true views on the issues of our nation and his potential to bring people together, not divide us apart!
Penn, Indiana, and North Carolina, we all pledge to help, but we call on you as residents of those states to spread the word the best that you possibly can! Excitement is infectious, and if you can get just one person to feel the way you do, then they get one or two, then it spreads until we have enough people to relay the truth the people and show them that Barack Obama is truly the person who should be our next president!
April 22 is too far away. Clinton is using dirty tricks to win at all costs: the race card, the Michigan and Florida votes, cherry-picking states, and my favorite, inventing a new category of delagates called "caucus-delagates", saying that caucus elections are unfair. I don't want to deal with her for 6 weeks, and I don't think anyone else does either. Even progressive radio has turned against her. No one wants her around!
To top it off, my Liberal Media Hero - Keith Olbermann - did his first "Special Comment" ever which consisted of firing on a democrat. Of course, he was firing on Clinton. It is a must-see!! See the clip here: http://youtube.com/watch?v=qXBXD2zizIY
