Greetings fellow Obama Supporters!
I trust that you are all doing well, and that you continue to support PRESIDENT OBAMA in his efforts to deliver on the promises he made during the 2008 Campaign. For the latest examples, have a look at an outstanding example of transparency just released today: Data.gov. This and other resources are always available on the the White House website.
On this topic of transparency in our government, I'm sure you've heard about the new legislation passed by Congress to improve fairness for consumers with respect to Credit Card providers. I hope you are also aware that the NRA and their political bloc managed to insert an addendum to this bill that has absolutely NOTHING to do with consumer lending practices. The addendum was to reverse a previous legal statute that prohibits carrying concealed weapons within our National Parks.
THIS is an outrageous example of the same OLD political process, concealing the work of special interests and hijacking the legislative process to achieve a goal that would not be achievable in an "open" process. Our democratic process will only survive if we take an active role in OUR government. WE must hold our legislators accountable to be sure that our representative government is truly representing US!
Much has been written and said about the risk of the "The Bradley Effect" having a significant influence on the outcome of the 2008 election for US President. This phenomenon was named for Tom Bradley, the African-American politician running for governor who ended up losing after having a huge lead in the polls.
There is, however, an alternative point of view regarding the privacy of a voting booth - and that is the potential in the 2008 election that those who do not publicly support Barack Obama may in fact vote for him when marking their ballots this year. This may come to be known as "The Obama Effect."
Are you kidding me?!
This is a *blatant* attempt by Karl Rove to capture the disaffected Hilary Clinton primary voters, and this time I believe he's reached too far.
I really, really hope that these voters are intelligent enough to recognize this for what it is - pandering to "steal" anothe relection. We must help them - so how can we do that? Please respond with your ideas...
DENVER -- John McCain has selected Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin to be his vice presidential running mate, according to the McCain campaign, a surprise pick sure to shake up the race and reinforce the idea of the Arizona senator as a reformer.
The news that Palin, the mayor of a small town in Alaska just two years ago, was the pick came after CNN reported that a private plane had traveled from the Last Frontier to Dayton, Ohio where McCain is set to unveil his vice presidential pick later today. The Palin news came after the two supposed frontrunners -- Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney -- each confirmed he would not be traveling to Dayton today.
In picking Palin, McCain is taking a calculated risk. She is totally unknown and untested on the national stage but also has impressive credentials in her short time in public life.
Of Palin, former White House political svengali Karl Rove said this morning on Fox News Channel: "It would be a clear sign from the McCain campaign that they were going to be making a very strong bid for the women whom they see up for grabs -- both the traditional, swing independent suburbanites and then the Hillary Clinton supporters who remain disillusioned."
In the best case scenario, Karl Rove will have "directed" his last election - and we will win in November in a landslide.
YES...we can!!
_ James
Most famously stated by Thomas "Tip" O'Neill, a longtime Speaker of the House in the U.S. Congress...
"All politics is local."
As we near Election Day 2008, all of us have an obligation to get involved in the political process if we expect to have an influence on the outcome. I am proud to report that I've recently joined a local group to advocate for Obama/Biden in John's Creek and Roswell, Ga.
We met for the first time on Thursday, the 20th of August and by Saturday the 22nd of August a group of us had assembled to register voters and engage citizens during a local youth football jamboree.
Enduring the harsh stares of a mostly Republican population, we were thrilled to be approached by other Obama supporters who were somewhat surprised but very happy that we were there - in a visible way. Throughout the day, we registered (5) new voters and obtained address updates for (4) others, while capturing (2) new volunteers for the Obama campaign.
What a great day!_ James
Another timely piece on the foundations of transformational leadership...
The Leader and the Moment
The brief editorial describes how Abraham Lincoln, an "inexperienced" congressman from Illinois, became one of the greatest leaders our nation has ever known.
Enjoy!
Tom Klein offers meaningful commentary on the huge investments being made to "introduce" Barack Obama to the voters in this country...
Patriot Games Obama’s Country I Love - tv ad review
My response... It certainly is the "You Tube" era, isn't it? But the American public has been progressing (?) toward the "sound bite" era for decades. Long before the Kennedy-Nixon debate introduced video images into the campaign process, there were slogans like Tippecanoe and Tyler Too used in the 1840 presidential campaign for William Henry Harrison.
While the tools have changed, the intent remains the same: simplify the message so that one might influence people who are unwilling (or unable) to understand the deeper issues when they make a snap decision in the election booth.
The majority of Americans will not invest the time or effort to more thoroughly research the candidates. Dreams from My Father and The Audacity of Hope offer a much more thorough introduction to Barack Obama - but how many people will have read them before they decide that he is (or isn't) our best choice for President?
I have done my research...and I have decided to choose Barack Obama. Have you?
In a (mostly) light-hearted article appearing in today's NY Times the authors offer a few details regarding Barack Obama's legislative efforts during his first term.
ALL OF US who support Barack Obama for President must share these details in response to the question "What has he really accomplished?" so that we can overcome this objection that threatens to derail his candidacy. Hillary Clinton will amplify this question in the Democratic Race, and John McCain will most certainly echo the question in the general election.
In brief, please be prepared to share the following details with those who question his preparedness:
> As a member of the Foreign Relations Committee, Barack Obama joined with senior Republican colleague Richard G. Lugar to visit Russia and other nuclear states to assess the security of nuclear weapons - and later to pass legislation to reduce stockpiles of conventional weapons.
"(Senator Obama) sought out senior colleagues, traveling to Russia with Senator Richard G. Lugar, Republican of Indiana, an advocate of nuclear disarmament."
> Senator Obama joined with Republican Senator Tom Coburn to oversee the development of a publicly accessible and *searchable* database that allows citizens to track government spending - and thus spotlight the pork-barrel spending secured by members of Congress.
" He worked with Senator Tom Coburn, Republican of Oklahoma and one of the most conservative in the chamber, to establish a public database to examine government spending after Hurricane Katrina."
> Finally, Barack Obama showed "real guts" by joining Senator Russ Feingold to propose *and* pass legislation designed to curb the influence of special interests in Washington through meaningful ethics reform.
"His most important accomplishment was his push for ethics reform. Party leaders named him their point person in 2006, and when the Democrats assumed the majority in Congress in January 2007, Mr. Obama and Mr. Feingold, a longtime Democratic proponent of ethics reform, proposed curtailing meals and gifts from lobbyists, restricting the use of corporate planes and requiring lobbyists who bundle donations to disclose individual donors."
The full article appears in The New York Times for Sunday March 9, 2008:
U.S. / POLITICS | March 9, 2008 The Long Run: Obama in Senate: Star Power, Minor Role By KATE ZERNIKE and JEFF ZELENY In Barack Obama’s time in the Senate, there are two competing elements: his celebrity and the realities of the job he was elected to do.
I've initiated a "duel" regarding why Barack Obama is the BEST choice as our next President of the United States.
Please join the debate on a unique new website called MonkeyBrain!
Barack Obama has Substance!
Yes - it is possible to have both!
Many of the greatest leaders in history have displayed exceptional speaking (and writing) abilities - while also demonstrating courage, conviction and character during extraordinary times.
Winston Churchill and Abraham Lincoln are two such leaders, each of whom defied their critics to rise and meet the extraordinary challenges facing their nation. The challenges currently facing our nation, and our world, demand such leadership.
It is my sincere belief that Barack Obama will rise to these challenges - yet I hear from some friends who remain undecided that they are not sure he has depth and substance that is equal to his rhetoric. Really?!
Each of us must confront such "seeds of doubt" being planted by the Clinton campaign, soon to be nurtured by John McCain. Please choose your own example of why you believe that Barack Obama is well-prepared to lead our nation - and share that with those around you who need assurances.
For example, I believe his book The Audacity of Hope reveals to us the deeply held beliefs which provide the foundation for Barack Obama's political and social philosophy. Adhering to the core principles of our founders, he has consistently demonstrated that government OF the people, BY the people, and FOR the people remains an attainable ideal.
What reason(s) will you offer?
Well...it's been a long road from Selma, AL in March of '07 to Super Tuesday in February of '08!
The time is now, the choice is clear - please let your votes be counted on Tuesday. And please urge your friends and colleagues to vote as well. If they are unclear about the choice, share with them why you believe that Barack Obama is the right choice for you, for them, and for our nation.
Barack Obama is the right choice for me because...
> he desires REAL change in Washington, not simply the prestige of the presidency,
> he WILL raise our consciousness on the most pressing issues of our time
> he CAN change the perception of the United States around the world, and
> he is NOT a part of the political establishment.
"There are always two parties,the party of the past and the party of the future;the establishment and the movement."-- Ralph Waldo Emerson
"There are always two parties,
the party of the past and the party of the future;
the establishment and the movement."
-- Ralph Waldo Emerson
To which party will you belong?!
- James
Senator Hillary Clinton "discounts" the value of a perspective gained from living among other people and cultures - revealing her own ignorance of human nature.
"I don't think that what Senator Obama did when he was 10 years old is relevant to our national security. "
Also in this article, George W. Bush appears to endorse Clinton - though I suspect this is an intentional boost to her campaign because the Republicans know they can win against Hillary Clinton as the Democratic nominee.
"President Bush offered up an unexpected endorsement, of sorts, for Clinton, insinuating in an interview with ABC News that her experience "under pressure" boosts her 2008 bid to become president." "I think she's a very formidable candidate," he said. "One of the interesting things that she brings is that she has been under pressure. She understands the klieg lights. You know what I'm talking about."
"President Bush offered up an unexpected endorsement, of sorts, for Clinton, insinuating in an interview with ABC News that her experience "under pressure" boosts her 2008 bid to become president."
"I think she's a very formidable candidate," he said. "One of the interesting things that she brings is that she has been under pressure. She understands the klieg lights. You know what I'm talking about."
"But Bush emphasized, "I'm going to try to stay out of these races."
What's most interesting, to me, is that Bush inadvertently makes the case for Barack Obama as the *best* candidate when he observes that "a set of principles from which you will not deviate" is critical to making good decisions.
"I would tell you what . . . these candidates don't really understand is how complex the environment is inside the Oval Office," Bush said. "And how important it is to have a set of principles from which you will not deviate, and so that you can make good sound decisions. . . . I think it's impossible for anybody to fully comprehend, you know, how much incoming there is."
Is there a better endorsement for Barack Obama?! Wouldn't you agree that he is the most grounded candidate among the current contenders?
- James Ray
Lower the tariff on imported ethanol!
The tariff on ethanol imported from Brazil is currently $.54 per gallon (see details below) - and I believe we should remove this tariff - along with the $.50 per gallon incentive currently paid for American production of ethanol.
This would achieve a foreign policy objective while improving the "true efficiency" of our own domestic marketplace. We currently incent our farmers to shift production to corn that is used to produce ethanol - a product that can be (and should be) produced less expensively in Brazil.
By removing the U.S. incentive, and the associated tariff on imports, we would support the agriculture industry in Latin America and improve our relations with this region at a time when Hugo Chavez has gained popularity while the Bush Administration ignores the region.
BTW, the current subsidy will also result in higher prices for Americans who purchase food products that depend upon other agricultural production (e.g., wheat and corn). The prices of these commodities have already been rising as production shifts to earn the ethanol subsidies - lowering the available supply of food available for feeding our population.
Supporting details in an excellent article by Tom Evslin:
"We pay upwards of $.50/gallon subsidy for ethanol produced in the US both to reduce the net emissions of greenhouse gasses and to reduce our dependence on imported oil from dangerous places (and to win votes in the Iowa primaries). So we must think ethanol is a good thing, right?
Well, sort of depends where it gets made. In a letter to President Bush, Republican Senator Grassley (from Iowa, natch) wrote that he doesn’t understand 'why the United States would consider spending U.S. taxpayer dollars to encourage new ethanol production in other countries.' He wants to make sure that we don’t lower the $.54/gallon tariff we now impose on imported ethanol like that made in Brazil."
Source: Link
Tonight we had an opportunity to hear Temo Figueroa, the Field Director for the Obama campaign, introduce a very large crowd of volunteers in Atlanta to the message and the meaning of the Barack Obama movement. YES...WE...CAN!!!
We can unite across this country to elect Barack Obama to the White House in 2008 - and we can do it in a way that has not been achieved before. Most importantly, the grassroots effort that will sustain this campaign will ensure that WHEN Barack becomes our President he will be "responsible only to the people."
By tapping into the energy and the financial resources of the people - he can avoid the perils of political favors that result from accepting funding from Political Action Committees and Special Interests. We've observed how that played out with the current Bush Presidency, and many speculate that Hilary will be capitalizing on the political capital earned during Bill's presidency.
My wife Suzanne and I joined the event in Selma, Alabama on the 4th of March to see and hear Senator Obama (and a few others) during the 42nd annual commemoration of Bloody Sunday on March 7, 1965. It was a powerful event - and a moment in our history representing the past and the potential of this great nation.
Imagine. Barack Obama will depend upon the African American community to achieve his dream of becoming President of the United States - and the right to vote for this community was essentially achieved through the determination of those present in Selma in 1965. They would not bow to the resistance of those who would prevent their peaceful assembly, and led by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr they would soon march to Montgomery. Six months later President Lyndon Baines Johnson would sign the Voting Rights Act.
The last one-term Senator from Illinois to be elected President of the United States was Abraham Lincoln, and I believe it's only through his courage and leadership that the people of Selma, Alabama were in a position to assert their civil rights.
Wow.
