Does anyone really believe that by opening up every corner of America for drilling that our dependence on foreign oil will disappear?
I smell more election-year pandering. There are resources here in this country that we need to tap into, but do not let these things distract us from broad solutions. Drilling gets headlines and gets attention. There are so many alternative energy sources that we need to invest in and develop besides the quick and easy phantom solution of drilling.
Senator Obama has proposed over $100 billion in investment into alternative energy--a meaningful and diverse energy policy. It is money that will return huge dividends to us and to future generations of Americans. It is a policy that goes beyond tax breaks and giveaways to oil companies. Don't get me wrong, I am not trying to invoke the specter of the big bad oil companies. They provide a service and a product we all use (for a slightly tidy profit).
That said, there are so many other ways to create energy and it is time we elected someone who understands that energy policy goes beyond more drilling. It is time for a new vision on our energy future, it is time for Senator Obama's leadership.
It's Friday, there's a lot to talk about so let's get right to it:
The unemployment numbers came out today--up to 5.5% from 5.0% with 49,000 lost jobs. Of the over 8.5 million unemployed Americans, 1.5 million have been jobless for 27 weeks or more.
Unfortunately the plan for economic growth proposed by John McCain is the continuation of the Bush tax cuts--tax cuts he voted against BUT now supports. The economies under both Reagan and George W Bush have been held up as examples of economic growth.
I am not an economist, but I can see and smell B.S. when I run across it. Both economies were achieved running up a huge national debt, and accompanied by financial mismanagement on a national scale.
Reagan's tenure was marked by a gigantic Savings and Loan scandal that helped fuel growth in the housing and real estate sector. Eventually the taxpayers payed the tab to take care of the financial industry. Sounds familiar doesn't it?
We need both vision and someone to chart a course for sustainable growth and job creation. We need a plan rooted in common sense and built on solid rock. Just last week in my weekly mass we heard a reading about the man who built his house on sand and the man who built his house on rock.
Barack Obama has sweeping plans to help create jobs in industries old and new. His plan is one that will use our technological advantages and our innovative spirit to create jobs that can not be sent overseas. He also has plans to help working families with tax breaks and by cutting costs for education.
One of the biggest problems we have when we compete internationally are health care costs. Two years ago in a published report, General Motors reported $1,500 in health care costs for EVERY car they built here in the U.S.
Barack Obama has a plan to help cover all Americans and help rein in costs in a way that is fair to our workers and restores international competitiveness. That is what it will take--not just cutting taxes.
The economy is much bigger than just tax policy--the leadership in Washington has yet to figure that out even after several years in power.
Barack Obama will build our house on Rock while McCain will continue to keep building our house on sand.
On to topic number two--the NBA Finals began last night. In the interest of full disclosure, I am a Celtics fan. More importantly, I am a fan of sports played well and competition at a high level.
Whether you like the Lakers, the Celtics or hate them both you had to be inspired if you watched last night. Celtics star Paul Pierce was knocked down hard in the third quarter, spraining his knee. He had to be carried off the court--it looked to be a series-ending injury.
A few minutes later he bounced back out onto the court--athough a bit gingerly at first. He drained two three-point shots in a 20-second span and played lights out defense the rest of the game. The Celtics won game one.
Our guy Senator Obama has been knocked down all primary season and keeps coming back and hitting big shots, playing great defense and winning promaries. He's won the conference finals and now moves onto the finals--and we are all on his team.
The results of this contest are much more important than any sporting contest--so much is at stake. Let's get up and hit some shots, play some defense and help this team win in November.
Finally I want to comment on a quote I saw from Barack Obama. Asked what he will be doing on Saturday he mentioned going home "taking my wife on a date, and riding bikes with my kids".
I hope we all just take a moment to think about the sacrifices that Senator Obama and his family have made for all of us. There are days, and moments that he has missed as a father and there are days and moments his daughters have missed with their father. We all should appreciate and respect what they have done.
From one husband/father to another have a great weekend Mr Democratic Presidential Nominee. Your Saturday plans sound simple yet wonderful, so enjoy a piece of heaven--you and your family have certainly earned it.
This morning word surfaces that Senator Clinton will call it a race on Saturday and endorse Senator Obama. While I have never been a fan of Senator Clinton, I relish the competition that has been waged with her over the course of this campaign. Competition is a positive, it that forces us to push ourselves beyond our perceived limits.
I have been involved in major college football for over 20 seasons and in this world it is about competition every day. Practice is great, but how do we ever find anything about ourselves if we don't take the field and compete?
We line up opposite a worthy adversary and we compete from the first play of the game until the final whistle. We challenge ourselves to prepare and to train and to get better every day. When the game is on, it is only through the preparation that has been done prior to the game that we are successful.
Our Head Coach at Penn State Joe Paterno says three things all the time that ring true in anything you do in life:
#1. Take care of the little things and the big things will take care of themselves.
#2. You either get better or you get worse, you never stay the same.
#3. The will to win is important, but the will to prepare is vital.
These are 3 things that became evident in the course of the campaign. Senator Obama's campaign takes care of the little things, gets better every day, and has a will to prepare. Only because Senator Clinton pushed every day was there pressure to keep improving. There was never a time to coast or rest on a win from the previous contest.
This will hold us in good stead as we move ahead to face Senator McCain in the general election. He will be a formidable adversary. To win, we all must be willing to prepare, strive to improve every day and take care of the little things.
Everyone can get involved on any level. I've helped canvass for voters, get voters to the polls, register voters, stuffed envelopes and even helped my own children make banners for the Obama Rally here at Penn State.
It is going to be the little things that make the difference--registering voters and getting them out to vote. It all begins now. Get involved on any level you can--no matter how big or small your perceive your role to be.
We can not fear to compete, because that fear leads to a failure to compete. This campaign has proven that we can compete with anyone we face--and we will prove ourselves again in November.
Is it any coincidence that the backdrop for John McCain's speech last night was all green--as in money--as in it's all about money?
Folks, it is all about the money--but not the way they want it to be. It is not about funneling $10 billion a month into a war in Iraq. It is about the mortgage payments, the gas bills, the college tuition bills, the food bills and the health care bills. I haven't even mentioned the fact that people who use heating oil will be in for an even bigger shock this winter.
It all starts at home. John McCain tried to sell his idea of "change". His idea of "change" is keeping the Bush tax cuts. His idea of "change" is staying the course in Iraq, He says that the surge is working in Iraq.
I have a confession to make. Initially I did support the war in Iraq--with reservations about the lives of young people we were putting in harm's way. I wanted to believe that on the world stage we were more honest. I wanted to believe that if our government was saying something that contradicted with what Saddam Hussein's government was saying about weapons of mass destruction....
I was wrong on supporting the war, but a man like John McCain with access to all the intelligence was even more wrong than I was--and now he wants us to trust him. He wants to sell us the idea that he has better judgement on foreign affairs that Barack Obama. McCain with all his experience, was wrong on a huge foreign policy blunder.
Now all these years later there is money flying out of Washington, DC with almost no accountability. It saddens me to think of what has been lost. This administration came into office with a tax code that enabled us to have budget surplusses and look forward to a day when we could pay down a portion of our national debt.
This administration had the opportunity and the financial ability to accomplish extraordinary things that would make us better in so many ways. Instead we took that money and sent out rebate checks to get votes. We cut taxes--when we didn't need to--the economy was humming along nicely.
Now we have plodded along without any policy on energy, or global warming, or education or health care. We've let billions of dollars slip through our hands, and all the lost opportunities that come with those dollars.
It is now time to move on to the battle in November. John McCain will try and sell the idea that he is an agent of change, and that he has so much experience. He may make changes and he may have experience but they are the wrong changes, and he has the wrong experience in public service for these times.
Just remember that we need to control our destiny. It is all about how you want your government to spend our tax dollars, and how we want our government to respond to the very real challenges we face here at home. We can speak in a voice that is unified--and loud and clear. We can take back OUR White House, OUR Government and force them to respond to our calls for change.
This is our time and this is our moment. It has to be our time now and it has to be our time come election night. I am happy today, but we have higher mountains to climb--it is on to November.
When I say "This is Our time" I mean that it is a time for ALL americans to celebrate. Barack Obama will break through the ever-changing delegate ceiling for the nomination today or tomorrow and it will be a two-horse race.
We are blessed to have two good candidates squaring off this fall. Both are people worthy of respect and admiration. Both have the convictions of their beliefs and visions for the future.
However, their beliefs and their visions for the future are vastly different. For that reason we must be excited that the nomination process has yielded a candidate in Barack Obama with a new vision for America's future.
As he said almost 4 years ago it is not a country of Blue States and Red State but of the UNITED States of America. His vision is one that bridges divides and helps ALL people reach for a better future.
Some of my wealthy friends are pannicked about what will happen to their Bush tax cuts. Many worry that the proposals burden future generations. I was inspired by something I saw President George W Bush say yesterday about the global warming bill being discussed in the Senate.
He said "I would warn the congress not to burden the country with expensive plans that would unfairly burden future generations of Americans."
Wow---I want to respond with a phrase from a book that President Bush reads--The Bible--"Let he who is without sin cast the first stone".
The idea of being fiscally conservative is a new idea for an administration that wages wars, cuts taxes and expands spending.
To my friends who worry about their Bush Tax Cuts--I say this; "the party is over" and now those who reaped the benefits from the party are going to have to help pay the bills.
To those who worry about the impact to future generations if Obama changes the culture of Washington--no matter what the costs are now they will be much cheaper than continuing the policies of George W Bush under John McCain.
For the last 8 years we have become a unilateralist power--one who preaches one thing and acts another way. We talk human rights yet we tortured and abused prisoners in Iraq and in Gitmo. We have lost the moral high ground when the world can plainly view our hypocrisy.
The times are changing--and now This Is Our Time--it is time to take back the United States of America. It is time to be a proud member of the world community again. It is time to reach out to each other and lift those who are hurting. It is time for new visions on education, energy, and the economy.
THIS IS OUR TIME--we have all helped Senator Obama get through the first stage. Now let us all Unite behind him--no matter who you supported previously. We can't afford the results of another 4 years of Republican rule in the White House.
THIS IS OUR TIME.
Go to Andrew Sullivan's post on The Atlantic site and read about how Geraldine Ferraro is once again playing the fool for the Clintons. She and many others have portrayed everyone who has not been a Clinton supporter as somehow being sexist. They have even called out the media for the "negative","harsh" or even "sexist" treatment of Hillary Clinton.
Geraldine Ferraro went so far as to call for a study by the Shorenstein Center at Harvard...whoops already done. Guess what they found? They essentially found that both candidates have had a fairly equal ride from the media.
Well that takes away one of the myths Barack Obama's victory.
Could it just be that his organization and campaign designed "from the ground up" was just better prepared, smarter and had a better candidate to rally behind?
They don't want anyone to believe that. They want to make comments about his resume. Well who has more years in elective office? Barack Obama does. They want to say that he is only where he is because he is African-American. Really? What country do they live in--I can tell you that this country has never been one to give a free pass to people because they are black.
For that matter--we KNOW that Senator Clinton was elected ONLY because she was married to Bill Clinton. Don't believe me? How many other lawyers who practiced in Arkansas, lived in Washington, DC for 8 years could then move into New York to run for and win a Senate seat? The answer ZERO.
It is time to stop the whining, and fighting. It is time to focus on November and days like today, where the DNC is meeting, just create another distraction from the inevitable victory in November. Barack Obama is the BEST candidate in EITHER party to take the USA where we need to be.
We are closing in and heading forward. Get ready, because it's going to be a tough fight. Nothing in life ever worth having is easy and this is one of those things. Barack Obama has won the first stage of this race--the next one is an uphill run and one that he will win.
Earlier I mentioned that his "from the ground up" campaign was a big factor in winning the nomination. It will be even more important in the next stage--so get on board, get involved and help make a huge difference.
Here is the link to the Atlantic post by Andrew Sullivan:
http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2008/05/sexism-sexism-s.html#more
Here is a link to the entire 44-page study by the Shorenstein Center if you want to read it:
http://www.hks.harvard.edu/presspol/research_publications/reports/Character%20and%20the%20Primaries%20of%202008.pdf
In Philadelphia there is a small place called Washington Square. Washington Square became the final resting place for many unknown soldiers who died during the Revolutionary War. In the square there is a statue of George Washington and a flame that is kept burning to honor those who lie buried beneath the square.
On the wall behind Washington is an inscription which states "FREEDOM IS A LIGHT FOR WHICH MANY MEN HAVE DIED IN DARKNESS".
Memorial Day is the day to remember how many Men and Women have died (and continue to die) in darkness so that we may bask in the light of Freedom. It is a day to give thanks for those who gave the ultimate sacrifice for the good of countless others in this nation.
As we look to the future it is important that we elect leadership in this country that will not put our men and women in harm's way when the stakes do not warrant it. The willingness of our troops and their families to serve our nation must not be taken lightly. Their commitment, and the deployment of those troops should be seen only as a last resort when all other avenues are exhausted.
Senator Obama is that leader.
For Memorial Day, it is time to put politics aside and honor those who have given us so much. It is time to honor those who have protected the freedoms of this country. We live in a country that no matter how we may differ in opinions, we all get the chance to speak our mind and have our say in the ballot box.
For today, all can agree that we owe a great debt to the men and women who have served, and are serving us. Without their gifts of talent and, in many cases, their lives we would not have the rights to our own voices in this democracy.
That is the message for this day of rememberance.
Despite the unfortunate comments by Hillary Clinton about the assasination of Robert F. Kennedy, we must stay focused on what truly matters. What she said was, at best, a reminder of a terrible time in our history, and, at worst, a suggestion that there may be a threat lurking out there.
Robert F Kennedy was not alone in his assasination during that time. From the John F Kennedy Assasination in Dallas to the assasinations of Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, Jr. and RFK--it became apparent that the America of the 1960s had decided to resolve our political differences violently.
Despite the uproar that has accompanied Senator Clinton's remarks, do not lose focus on what this campaign is about. This campaign has been about uniting people, bringing people together and working together through our political differences to find solutions for our common future.
We must not fail to act out of fear for ourselves or for Senator Obama. We must feel compelled to act to bridge the gaps that divide us. We must feel compelled to believe and have hope that our country is ready to make the changes need to restore our excellence as a "One Nation, under God, indivisible with Liberty and Justice for all."
Believe in our hearts, and pray to the almighty you hold sacred, for a peaceful future for all of us. No one can stop the power of millions of voices calling for change--NO ONE.
Stay focused, keep fighting for Senator Obama and with our eyes on the prize we will see Victory in November. Do not let the careless words of anyone cause us to lose that drive, determination and focus on the goal of our common cause.
There is a bigger fight looming just keep your mind on that. That battle will be hard enough. Take the energy and the passion you have and direct it towards that end--not at the words of one we have already defeated.
Senator Barack Obama -- Portland, Oregon May 18, 2008
These are the words that America needs to hear from Barack Obama. These are the words that remind us all that, although we may differ from one another, we are bound together in a common destiny as a Nation.
We have a choice to make about what path we choose, and what destiny that path will lead to. In my mind there is only one choice--vote for Senator Barack Obama.
His vision, and his plans for our common destiny are a future time of peace and prosperity for those on the bottom rungs of society as well as those on the top rungs. A future greatness for America is not a zero-sum game where if someone succeeds, someone else must fail.
America's future under Barack Obama will be one where we can ALL rise together and see that everyone in this country can wake up each day with hope. Everyone can get access to food, shelter, clothing, education and health care.
This is the wealthiest nation on earth and it is about time that we see that we don't have to leave part of our population behind. We are only as strong as our weakest link. Those who don't or won't understand and accept that fail to realize that ultimately we will all fall together.
I am of the same generation as Senator Obama. It is our time, it is time for us "to shed the fears and doubts and cynicism". I have done so, in large part, due to the influence of Barack Obama.
It is time to continue the Fight together for more glorious days ahead in this country--a country that inspired so many people from all over the world to come to her shores. They came because they left their fears behind and believed in America and believed in a better future. We are at a similar point in time where we can build a better nation, a better future and a better world.
This weekend is graduation weekend at Penn State. The months of May and June mark the graduation of yet another class of graduates from Colleges and Universities from across the country.
These same months also mark the time when governing boards of these same institutions start to deliberate or decide what the price tag on the next year's tuition will be. These governing boards are faced with increased costs, much like every person and every business in this country. From the increasing cost of health care to gas these institutions face higher operating costs.
Every year these institutions pass their increased costs on to the students in the form of higher tuition and fees. It is a never-ending cycle that has seen tuition increases consistently outpace the rate of inflation.
While the outrage over the cost of gasoline has been very real there has been much less discussion of the cost of higher education. The average college graduate will complete school with $19,000 in student loans and debt. That is before graduate school.
That debt load is a big burden to a young man or woman starting out in a new career. It is something that can be remedied.
Senator Obama has supported one proposal and proposed another program that will be significant options for young men and women in this country.
The first proposal is a new G.I. Bill--a bill that will help educate people who have served this country in the armed forces. Some have criticized the proposal for being too generous and for being something that will increase turnover in the military. How can anything benefiting our veterans ever be too generous?
The second plan is a program proposed by Senator Obama that would give $4,000 a year to students who perform 100 hours of community service (that's a rate of $40 an hour--not bad!). Under the Obama proposal that student debt level would drop from $19,000 to just $3,000--a huge difference.
The common thread among the two plans is a service component to this country. Whether it is military service or community service, the lesson is that to receive you must give back. It is a powerful lesson for young people to learn as they head out of college and on to their lives as husbands or wives or mothers and fathers.
It harkens back to a day when a young President stood on the steps of the capital and said during his inaugural address "Ask not what your country can do for you, but ask what you can do for your country..."
Much has been made about comments from President Bush about talking to enemies, and his reference to those who wanted to appease the Nazis.
Talking to one's enemy is not the same as what Chamberlain did at Munich when he gave away the Sudetenland--a large chunk of Czechoslovakia inhabited by many German-speaking people.
From a purely philospohical perspective, if our government doesn't talk to our enemies there are a few bad results that occur. Number one we do not gain any understanding of what they want and we gain no perspective in learning how they see the world.
The second result is this: If we only talk to countries on our side then we will only hear what we already know or want to know. We come out of the diplomatic process with only the knowledge we entered the process with.
Talking to an unfriendly nation is not giving up or giving in--it is merely an attempt to reach across a divide and find common ground so that both sides can come together peacefully. We have an administration that has taken a course that is unilateral and the result has been two wars.
There are times when a unilateral approach is in fact necessary, but there are also times when diplomacy with our allies and non-allies is vital to solving the world's problems. I applaud Barack Obama's willingness to talk to friends and foes alike.
We have nothing to lose and everything to gain when we engage the world community in diplomacy. Anyone who suggests otherwise is trying to scare voters in this country into believing that diplomcay is a sign of weakness.
Believing that the State Department has as big a role in Foreign Policy as the Defense Department is not weakness--it is wisdom.
Barack Obama's administration will lead America with both strength and wisdom. That is what makes a great nation, strength alone will not do it. When he takes office in January of 2009 it will mark a new era for American Foreign Policy one that will restore the United States to our rightful place as the world's leader.
Sunday, while I was seated in my weekly Catholic mass one of our priests, Father Mathew was giving his sermon. In it he quoted St. Paul who wrote “Hope is not Hope if it is for something that can be seen”. His discussion of Hope and Faith got my attention, because they are both very powerful words in my life.
I am not perfect, nor do I claim any level of righteousness because I attend mass regularly. As I have learned, we are all imperfect sinners but every day I try and do the right things.
Despite my college education, I do consider myself a “hard-working” white American. Some politicians would have you believe that my college education precludes me from relating to hard-working Americans.
No one is really quite sure when college-educated people suddenly became “elitists” in this country or when we stopped working hard. Granted I do not work in a manual labor job, but I work long hours.
I work several 90+ hour weeks annually in my job—including a lot of weekends and holidays. Those are hours I spend working so that my children can have food, health care, clothing, a roof over their heads and get an education.
The point is not who works hard, or who is college-educated or not college educated. The point is that when you are a parent and have a family, it doesn’t matter what your education level is, and it doesn’t matter what you do for a living.
Every parent has big dreams for the lives of our children.
My work takes me to schools and communities around the country. My work puts me in contact with young men and their families. These young men and their families come from different races, religions, and socio-economic backgrounds. As a coach I have the chance to see young men and their families reach for opportunities that can change their lives.
When I first meet these young men and their families many of the young men are just 16 or 17 years old. I see parents that have the same goals—the same Hopes for and the same Faith in their children as my parents had in me, and I have in my children.
We get to see them grow up and mature from children to men ready to make their own way in the world. I have coached and recruited young men who were the first member of their families to graduate from college. Some have even gone on the NFL and become millionaires.
It all comes down to Hope and Faith and that is what Barack Obama’s campaign is all about. It should be a uniting force for people who Hope for a better country and a better world. We can not see the future so it is truly Hope for, and Faith in something yet unseen.
If we keep the Faith and we hold fast to the Hopes we have for the future, we can collectively will this campaign and Senator Obama to the Presidency. We have not seen the finish line in November yet, but our faith and perseverance will see us through. Faith will guide us until Hope gives way to a bright reality, illuminating a new golden American future.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/04/opinion/04friedman.html?em&ex=1210305600&en=bbf6e9bdf2870076&ei=5087%0A
In case you didn't see this column by Thomas Friedman in the New York Times this past Sunday, go to the link above and read it.
He makes some great points about this country--about where we are, where we've been and where we can go in the future. He says he is looking for a President that will be tough enough to tell the truth.
Hasn't that been the thrust of the Obama Campaign from Day One? It still is the bedrock foundation of this campaign, a campaign steadily marching towards victory. If you doubt this just look at how he handled the "Gas Tax Holiday". Rather than rushing in and agreeing so he can grab a few easy votes, Barack stood on principle and told us the truth.
Read his speech on Race--if you haven't already. Barack's speech on race, a sometimes difficult and sensitive topic, did not shy away from any issues. He spoke the truth and challenged us to form "A More Perfect Union".
Beyond wanting a President that speaks the truth, Thomas Friedman discusses the influx of youth and hope into this election. This influx was inspired by and is directly attributable to Senator Obama's campaign.
Friedman warns against those who would discount the importance of these young people and the importance of Hope. When the chips are down and you're standing at a place in history where there are many paths to take you need Hope. It is a force that can drive people to perform under pressure beyond what they ever imagined was possible.
It will be Obama's plans, as well as his inspiration that will lead our Nation back to greatness. It will lead us back to the place that inspired my great-grandfather, a young sailor from Italy, to jump ship in New York City. With that act he began a family line that flows through me to my children.
As I look at my children I am filled with Hopes, and Dreams and I envision a radiant future, a future made possible by this campaign and the imminent Presidency of Barack Obama.
Barack will lead and inspire us but above all he will tell us the truth, and for that we can all look to a great American future.
Tonight live from Raleigh...What A Speech.
Greatest lines of the night:
"We Know What's Coming"
"It is Not the type of Campaign that they are going to run, it is the type of campaign that WE are going to run."
The speech was fantastic, it was a speech designed to reach out to all people. It was a speech aimed at unifying--all this amid the talking media heads discussing the divisions. It was a speech with a core message that basically said to the Nation "We Know What's Coming, and we are ready for the fight".
It was a speech that talked about our basic values--"These values aren't conservative values, they aren't liberal values, THEY ARE AMERICAN VALUES."
It was a speech that talked about the Veterans--including his grandfather. He talked about the flag that covered his grandfather's coffin.
There is no doubt that given the huge margin in North Carolina and the tight Indiana race he has widened his already insurmountable delegate lead and popular vote lead. (**note as of 10 pm eastern time as I write this, Indiana was not yet called).
The nomination is all but his, but we all must soldier on, keep fighting and never let up on the imminent march to victory.
Just remember that the Victory is not about Obama--as he said tonight it is about us--the American people. It is about bringing change from the bottom up, as evidenced by the 1,500,000 donors who donated and gained ownership of this campaign.
In just a few short hours the voters from the Hoosier State and the Tar Heel State will go to the polls to make their decisions. Here is hoping that the voting falls our way--the way that will benefit ALL Americans.
Let's hope that they vote for New Politics--for the man who will change the way business is done in Washington. These people and their votes will help us all take another step towards reclaiming the White House for the citizens, the ordinary people of this country.
A vote for Obama is about something so big that it transcends description. It is a vote for Health Care, affordable education, child care, peace, alternative energy and aggressive new inclusive approaches to old problems.
Contrary to what Hillary Clinton may say--the problems we face now are not the work of one President alone. The eight years of the Clinton White House were also a time of divisive politics. It was also a time when special interests held great sway over the business of the White House.
A Vote for Obama is a vote for a new direction, a dramatic change, a glorious future and the restoration of the United States as a trusted leader in the world.
The Polls open shortly so all you Hoosiers and Tar Heels go do your thing and get us a big win.
At this hour Guam looks like it is going well for Barack and that will provide some more delegates. There are just 277 left to go (before the Guam results). By Wednesday morning he'll have, at most, about 180.
He is Closing in....let me correct that WE ARE CLOSING IN. That is one element of this campaign that I love--it has been all about WE and US. The slogans Yes WE Can, Change WE Can Believe In. When he wins WE all win. It will be OUR White House.
There are so many things that you look at in this country and you see so little hope. People with inadequate food, shelter, health care. You see soldiers going off to a war that looks like it may never end. You see gas approaching--and in some places surpassing $4.00 a gallon. The pressures on working Americans and working American families are mounting. The list goes on and on and on...
Then you allow yourself to HOPE. You look at January of 2009 and you begin to realize that Barack Obama will stand before the nation and the world and take the oath of office for President of the United States and suddenly you know that the change is coming. You know that WE will be standing there too. You know that the future is one of dynamic leadership and change--a future that WE made happen.
You know that it is in fact true that "WE are the ones WE'VE been waiting for." Whatever you can do, go do it--realize that "The Fierce Urgency of Now" demands our action.
As part of my job as a football coach, I spend several weeks a year traveling to see high school student-athletes and recruit them to come to Penn State. I see wealthy suburban and city high schools, I see poor inner-city and rural schools as well. I see private and public high schools all over this country.
In my career, I have recruited in 25 different states--as far west as California and Washington--as far east as Connecticut--as far south as Mississippi, Louisiana and Florida and into the heartland in places like Texas, Kansas, Illinois and Ohio.
One truth I have taken away from all of those places is that there is a great disparity in the educational opportunities in this country. The disparities fall along socio-economic lines. It is a lot harder to compete in the world economy when you aren't armed to compete, and a poor environment makes it more difficult for children to attain success.
The other truth is that most, if not all parents dream big dreams for their children. When they look at their children they want their lives to be filled with joy and they want their lives to be fruitful and productive.
In the book Dreams From My Father, Senator Obama talks about his early days as a community organizer. He discusses a trip to a poor elementary school. The children smile and laugh and wave at him---a stranger to them.
The principal points out to him that the children are still smiling, they don't realize the circumstances of their lives yet. She says that in a few years they will and while they will still laugh, their eyes will betray a hollowness inside. She goes on to say that it seems to hit the kids earlier and earlier.
I have been in many of those schools where there is little hope. I have been blessed to have gone into some of those schools and offered hope in the form of a college football scholarship to young men. It is a very rewarding experience to see someone succeed and overcome the obstacles of their lives.
I support Senator Obama because he has seen the same things I have seen. I support him because he knows that the status quo in our educational system means that we will fall further and further behind the rest of the world.
We can not afford to ignore the educational challenges we face--every child is one of OUR children. We can not let them down and we can not have a great nation in the future if we fail them.
The latest "non-issue" to hit us is the Gas Tax Holiday--originally proposed by Senator John McCain and seized upon as a political opportunity by Hillary Clinton. The fact is that if we suspend the gas tax there will not suddenly be a huge windfall for all of us.
What there will be is a loss of budget revenue--money that is supposed to go to the states for roads, bridges and infrastructure. Infrastructure investments make transportation safer and more efficent and help us be more competitive in the world economy.
The suspension of the gas tax makes headlines, and is nothing more than cheap pandering for votes at the expense of investment down the road. It is this same type of short-sighted leadership that has already gotten us into a huge budget deficit.
I applaud Senator Obama for his courage on this issue. Instead of proposing a short-term summer "fix" for high gas prices, Barack Obama is proposing big initiatives to develop alternative energy and lower our demand for oil. He has proposed $150 billion in alternative energy investments--ones that will pay off.
Already in Pennsylvania, we have wind farms, are building an ethanol refinery in Clearfield County and are drilling for natural gas in a huge deposit found under our state. These home-grown and alternative energy solutions found right here around us and beneath our feet--they are the real solutions--not an easy gas-tax holiday that will change little in the short-term and set us back long-term.
Barack Obama has the COURAGE to challenge the conventional wisdom and CHANGE the short-term thinking and the faulty leadership that we have endured in Washington for many years.
I was in Indianapolis on business today and while downtown I drove by the Obama office. Across the street were Hillary supporters. They wore yellow ponchos in the rain and stood next to a yellow limousine that had a giant chicken head on the roof. They were holding up signs that said "Are You Chicken?" and "If You Can't Stand the Heat get out of the Kitchen."
All this was in reference to the fact that Barack Obama doesn't believe that a 22nd debate is necessary---that is accurate, the next debate would be the 22nd one. Hillary has proposed that they have a Douglass-Lincoln debate--my guess is that she would play the part of the short, stout bitter Mr. Douglass to Barack's part of the tall hopeful and visionary Lincoln.
It is time to stick to campaigning, wage a successful ground war and get out the vote operation in Indiana and sweep the Guam, North Carolina and Indiana primaries.
On NPR today, Maura Liasson was in Indiana and she spoke to a noted Indiana political analyst and pollster. His data shows that the Democrats in Indiana are evenly split between the two candidates but that with the open primary--there may be a large number of Independents and Republicans who vote in the Democratic Primary.
He mentioned that those two groups will likely decide the winner.
We all know that Republicans who are Obama supporters have a name--Obamacans. Republicans who vote in the Democratic primary for Hillary so that McCain will have an easier run in November need a name--"Haters".
In this campaign I support Obama because I am FOR Obama not against Hillary. This country has enough problems without haters like the chickens on Meridian Avenue in Indianaplois protesting across from the Obama office.
Their presence suggests that they are against Obama because Hillary has not given them anything to stand for.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JiVqhXx6Xc
Check out Obama supporter and Philly guy John Legend's cover of U2's Pride--a song that honors Martin Luter King, Jr. The History Channel will have a special on MLK Sunday night. It has been just over 40 years since Dr. King's life was cut short, and just under 40 years ago that Robert F Kennedy's life was cut short.
Those two assasinations mark two huge losses in the history of our country. They were giants, men who were forged and created amid turbulent times.
Now 40 years later trubulent times have forged another giant of a man, a man who can turn this country back onto the right course. Barack Obama is just that man--a man with big plans and a man who has the charisma and leadership to get this nation to follow him.
