I didn't expect I would have an emotional response from Barack's infomercial last night. He's my Senator, we used to run into him occasionally in Springfield at our favorite lunchtime restaurant while he was a State Senator, and I have been enveloped in this campaign along with many of you. Mostly I have been fired up, called to action and energized by his thoughtfulness and his encouragement of Citizen Participation.
But then came the segment of the gentleman who was retired but was now working at Walmart to ensure that they can afford medications for his wife, it caught my heart and I began to weep.
This is because his story hit home. My father is 73 and still working part-time so they can keep insurance for my Stepmom until she qualifies for Medicare which thankfully will be this year. She developed rheumatoid arthritis along with an inflammatory disease a few years ago and it took a long time to get a proper diagnosis. They have paid private insurance for many years in order to maintain continuous coverage. He's worked for 55 years, 20 years as a water district manager of a small township. Their 4 employees had high group insurance premiums especially if dependents were added. The rest of those years he was an operating engineer, good pay by any standards although the work was not always full-time especially when he was young and raising our family. He's been working for 55 years!
And still that is not enough to give them the savings cushion they should have in retirement. It's not as if they don't have savings. They use foresight, are thifty and rely upon themselves to save enough money to pay for the neccessities like the occasional new used car, the high property taxes brought on by half and quarter million dollar homes being built in the surrounding area or the roofing shingles we will be applying on Saturday. And still he chooses to work hard rather than take out a mortgage to pay for healthcare, vehicles or shingles, taking local jobs when they are offered even if it is in the freezing cold or stifling heat of summer. He may jest about the discomfort but doesn't complain. This is the story of America, people ungrudgingly paying their fair share of taxes into systems that provide for the common good. But for our national leaders of the past 28 years, this has not been enough. They have allowed healthcare to be dominated by corporate greed without regard of the cost to hard working Citizens let alone their exorbitant charges to treat the least of us. Paying several thousands of dollars for healthcare each year really bites into your budget and the tears I shed were of frustration and embarrassment of our government whose inadequate respect for our elders costs them dearly even after decades of hard work.
On the brighter side, my Dad is a republican and will be voting on Tuesday for Barack, his first vote for a democrat.
What a great time to be alive and working toward the renewal of Democracy! I am happy to report that 17 out of 25 people I spoke to tonight in Ohio have already voted for Barack! Keep up the fantastic work Ohioans! Everyone said they encountered no problems and one Citizen did say they had to wait around 45 minutes in line. You made my evening and raised my hopes for a better future.
A great article from Chuck Lasker.
http://open.salon.com/content.php?cid=35856
The Republican Party is dead. Yes, I'm saying this before the election. Even if McCain wins, which could happen if Obama supporters stay home thinking the election is in the bag, the GOP still has lost its way along with a substantial number of members. While high-profile Republicans like Susan Eisenhower and Frank Schaeffer have made the headlines, the real exodus is on Main Street.
........The Republican Party was created in 1854 as an anti-slavery party. Republican President Dwight D. Eisenhower created the interstate highway system, worked to integrate black and white public schools nationwide, and expanded Social Security. Republicans pushed through the Civil Rights Act of 1964. President Richard Nixon sat down with Communist China and the Soviet Union "without preconditions" and negotiated new trade and arms agreements, expanded Social Security, tried to pass minimum wage and universal health care plans (unsuccessfully), created the EPA and OSHA, and created The Philadelphia Plan, which was the U.S. government's first affirmative action program. President Gerald Ford pushed through the Equal Rights Amendment, proclaiming, "In this Land of the Free, it is right, and by nature it ought to be, that all men and all women are equal before the law."Does this sound like the party of Bush/Cheney/McCain/Palin? Is this the kind of progress you hear from Republicans while promoting McCain on the news today? How did our Party get to this point? A little more history is in order, which again will probably surprise (and possibly anger) most Republicans.President Reagan was the first president in American history to lower the highest tax rate and raise the lowest tax rate, beginning a shift in tax burden to the middle class that has continued through to the "Bush Tax Cuts." Reagan increased the national debt from $700 billion to $3 trillion. Reagan was the first Republican President to truly court the evangelical vote, moving the Republican platform far to the right. Reagan's coalition with evangelical leaders like Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson, James Dobson and others began the anti-Democracy tactics of voter suppression of the poor and minorities. Paul Weyrich, a cofounder of the Moral Majority, said,
"Many of our Christians have what I call the 'goo goo' syndrome -- good government. They want everybody to vote. I don't want everybody to vote. . . . As a matter of fact, our leverage in the elections quite candidly goes up as the voting populace goes down."
Clearly, Ronald Reagan was doing what he thought was best for the country, and had no idea what evil would be wrought by allowing the Religious Right a seat at the GOP table. Reagan ended the Cold War, lead through a prosperous time in America, and made us safer than we'd been since before World War II. But an honest analysis shows that Reagan began the slide to the current neoconservative Party.
I think our Republican leaders have been out of touch for a very long time. Policies were enacted by the Reagan Administration with tacit complicity by Congress in the 1980's where we began to see the dominance of corporate wealth. Part of their platform was to shrink big government and they accomplished this partly by outsourcing. Outsourcing to their corporate friends. It is one way to accumulate power and gives you the ability to tap your friends for future necessary campaign contributions. Unfortunately the Clinton Administration adopted this strategy and increased it to a measurable extent. This selfish platform did not diminish during the Bush’s administrations and has dominated us for almost 28 years.
This selfishness has proven detrimental to the majority of Citizens and ALL taxpayers as we have continually had to bail out the financial sector for Savings and Loan crises, Enron/WorldCom failures, now Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae to point out a few. Instead of increasing wages to workers for their increased productivity, the profit has been skimmed off at the top with the lion’s share going to top executives and a lesser extent to stockholders. Stagnant wages prevail, even in good paying jobs. We have been getting by with less income but more personal debt, some have had to adopt multiple employment, millions cannot find work. It is time to end this culture of selfishness and I am thankful that we are working diligently toward this goal.
Anne Kilkenny is a resident of Wasilla who has first hand experience of Mrs. Palin. The link below is insightful to what we could expect from this candidate and it speaks volumes about her ethics and character (or lack thereof). I appreciate Anne's courage for speaking up despite possible repercussions.
Are you ALL FIRED UP now that the Republican Convention is over? Groaning from the lies bandied forth from Republicannots who claim to be leaders?
Who needs yard signs? Can we rally together to get more yard signs out in Springfield? Does it matter more to canvas in the surrounding states than in Springfield? What do you think Springfield?
As if Mrs. Palin's questionable ethics are not enough, John Dean, the former White House Counsel to Richard Nixon, has raised valid concerns to whether she meets the qualifications for assuming the presidency.
http://writ.lp.findlaw.com/dean/20080905.html
Good Morning, I hope you have read the good news about Barack coming to the Old State Capitol in Springfield on Saturday. It will be another very exciting moment for the campaign and also hope you plan to attend the event. I live in Springfield so can be camped out at the event as early in the morning as reasonable. Once the time is established, I'll know how early to arrive.
If you are driving into Springfield for the event, and need parking tips, or info about where to grab a cup of coffee in the morning just email me. If you want to join me in line that would be great, we'll create an event. As a group, everyone will have a chance to step away from the line in case they need to get some coffee, make a run for breakfast/lunch or find a bathroom. The Downtown Farmers Market will begin around 7AM and one of the local coffee houses will be open, they are a half block due west of the Old State Capitol. I have ordered lapel stickers and a few signs for anyone interested.
Hope to see you Saturday!
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/25/opinion/25brooks.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
"For nearly 20 years, she has been encased in the apparatus of political celebrity. Look at her schedule as first lady and ever since. Think of the thousands of staged events, the tens of thousands of times she has pretended to be delighted to see someone she doesn’t know, the hundreds of thousands times she has recited empty clichés and exhortatory banalities, the millions of photos she has posed for in which she is supposed to appear empathetic or tough, the billions of politically opportune half-truths that have bounced around her head.
No wonder the Clinton campaign feels impersonal. It’s like a machine for the production of politics. It plows ahead from event to event following its own iron logic. The only question is whether Clinton herself can step outside the apparatus long enough to turn it off and withdraw voluntarily or whether she will force the rest of her party to intervene and jam the gears. "
No empty cliches or exhortatory banalities here! Thank you President Barack Obama! Say it loud! Say it Proud!
Below are some things you can do that others have suggested to express your thoughts about what is going on with seating of delegates/re-vote from MI and FL and other topics regarding talk about the Clinton campaign forcing her nomination.
Make a few phone calls - preferably to the Obama campaign (866) 675-2008 - once the voice system starts in press 6 to speak with a volunteer.
If you'd like to share your thoughts with DNC Chairman Gov. Howard Dean, fill out this form at Democrats.org: http://www.democrats.org/page/petition/chairman/fchsbl
For those of you wishing to sign a petition, the only Obama campaign approved one is at http://my.barackobama.com/page/s/superdelstory
Another is to contact Nancy Pelosi - The offices of Nancy Pelosi - (202) 225-4965 in support of her official statement to move past seating MI and FL delegates.
I am also contacting my Democratic US Congressmen and Senator directly and feel I can use stronger language with them.
We will need the strong leadership of Barack in the White House to begin addressing fundamental Citizens needs and assisting Federal Agencies into moving in a positive direction. What is more elemental than water? I generically filter my water, but think I better invest in a more expensive system if I am going to remove more of the contaminants from the water I drink. I can afford to invest into one of these pricy filtering devices, but what about everyone else? They deserve clean water too, especially infants and children.
If anyone would like to check out their local water supply just check out this web site: EWG Investigation | U.S. Tap Water Quality Database
The future is NOT written, I don't care what this guy says. I can't buy into this lack of confidence that Barack will not win over the electorate in the upcoming primaries. The writer may say that the both campaigns agree to his arguement but I do not. I still have GREAT HOPE! They keep underestimating our volunteer power that has provided a shiny example of true democracy. Keep up the great work everyone, this author needs to learn about the power of our Hope!
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23636352/
Is she delusional? What is she trying to pull now?
Clinton Says Committed Obama Delegates Could Switch Votes http://www.wgal.com/news/15567797/detail.html
The following exchange then took place between Shannon and Clinton: Shannon: "So you think it's possible that some states that have already been decided, so to speak, once they sit back and look at what's best for the country, they may indeed get to the convention and instead cast their vote for Sen. Hillary Clinton?"
Clinton: "Well that certainly is possible under the rules for a lot of states. Some states, you're obligated for the first ballot and after that you are free. We haven't had this for quite awhile so it's sort of new and people are a little bit curious about it. But that used to be the common way that nominees were selected."
Clinton said that one reason delegates might switch their votes now is because circumstances have changed. She said she thinks her success in Ohio in Texas indicated that voters thought she matched up better against Republican Sen. John McCain, who by the time of those primaries and caucus had emerged as the Republican nominee.
Here we go again with the shifting, moving bar. Some leaders have taken up the rally cry of Mrs. Clinton to seat delegates from states who knowingly broke the rules.
The recent comments from Republican Florida Govenor, the DNC Chairman and by Clinton supporters Florida Senator Bill Nelson, New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine and Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell smack of collusion. While I am against deliberately leaving out the electorate of any state, Rule Are Rules. Period.
This is fragmenting the party, what the heck is going on? The leaders mobilizing this do not care?
I know Mrs. Clinton has been working diligently to ensure that she is the Democratic party nominee, she has been planning it for almost a decade. The Citizens are America, and while Mrs. Clinton disparages us, Barack has asked us to go forth with him. Go forth we do, not just for ourselves but for all Citizens.
Keep up the great work everyone!
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/vote2004/demconvention/speeches/obama.html
"Yet even as we speak, there are those who are preparing to divide us, the spin masters and negative ad peddlers who embrace the politics of anything goes. Well, I say to them tonight, there's not a liberal America and a conservative America -- there's the United States of America. There's not a black America and white America and Latino America and Asian America; there's the United States of America. The pundits like to slice-and-dice our country into Red States and Blue States; Red States for Republicans, Blue States for Democrats. But I've got news for them, too. We worship an awesome God in the Blue States, and we don't like federal agents poking around our libraries in the Red States. We coach Little League in the Blue States and have gay friends in the Red States. There are patriots who opposed the war in Iraq and patriots who supported it. We are one people, all of us pledging allegiance to the stars and stripes, all of us defending the United States of America." - Barack Obama 2004 DNC Keynote
GO OHIO, GO TEXAS, GO RHODE ISLAND, GO VERMONT
GIVE US BACK OUR COUNTRY!
From my favorite French news service, Radio France Internationalhttp://www.rfi.fr/actufr/articles/098/article_63260.asp
Agacés, tendus, mais toujours très polis : Hillary Clinton et Barack Obama se sont affrontés sur tous les sujets hier soir, et notamment sur leur tactique électorale, pour leur 20e débat télévisé depuis un an. Irak, Traité de libre-échange avec le Mexique, assurance sociale : les échanges ont été vifs, mais sans coup d'éclat.
Que dire de neuf, lorsque l’on s’est affronté vingt fois en moins d’un an, dont trois fois en tête-à-tête... La règle des campagnes électorales veut que les candidats débattent dans chaque Etat important. Hillary Clinton et Barack Obama se sont donc retrouvés à Cleveland, en Ohio, une semaine tout juste après leur dernier affrontement à Austin, au Texas.
Un affrontement poli, après une semaine tendue.
Le seul élément nouveau, intervenu au cours des derniers jours, a été la cascade d’accusations qu’ont échangées les deux campagnes. Samedi dernier, Hillary Clinton a interpelé son rival dans une spectaculaire colère publique. « Vous devriez avoir honte Barack Obama ! » a-t-elle-dit en brandissant une série de tracts qui l’accusaient de vouloir forcer les Américains à payer une assurance maladie, même s’ils n’en avaient pas les moyens.
La campagne Obama s’est, elle, indignée d’une photo diffusée sur internet, montrant le candidat coiffé d’un turban. Elle a été prise pendant un voyage au Kenya, lorsque Barack Obama avait revêtu par courtoisie une tenue traditionnelle. La diffusion de ce cliché semble suggérer de façon subliminale qu’il est musulman, une rumeur persistante et qu’il dément régulièrement. L’épisode de la photo a d’ailleurs rapidement été éclusé mardi soir : Barack Obama a dit s’en tenir à la parole d’Hillary Clinton affirmant, qu’à sa connaissance, sa campagne n’était pas impliquée dans cette affaire.
