From the WaPo:
Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty -- passed over by Sen. John McCain for the No. 2 spot on the presidential ticket and one of nine GOP governors who preside over states won by Barack Obama -- offered a summary of his party's predicament at the governors' opening lunch.
"We cannot be a majority governing party when we essentially cannot compete in the Northeast, we are losing our ability to compete in Great Lakes states, we cannot compete on the West Coast, we are increasingly in danger of competing in the mid-Atlantic states, and the Democrats are now winning some of the Western states," Pawlenty said. "That is not a formula for being a majority governing party in this nation." As if that weren't enough, he ticked off a few more challenges. "Similarly we cannot compete, and prevail, as a majority governing party if we have a significant deficit, as we do, with women, where we have a large deficit with Hispanics, where we have a large deficit with African American voters, where we have a large deficit with people of modest incomes and modest financial circumstances. Those are not factors that make up a formula for success going forward."
"We cannot be a majority governing party when we essentially cannot compete in the Northeast, we are losing our ability to compete in Great Lakes states, we cannot compete on the West Coast, we are increasingly in danger of competing in the mid-Atlantic states, and the Democrats are now winning some of the Western states," Pawlenty said. "That is not a formula for being a majority governing party in this nation."
As if that weren't enough, he ticked off a few more challenges.
"Similarly we cannot compete, and prevail, as a majority governing party if we have a significant deficit, as we do, with women, where we have a large deficit with Hispanics, where we have a large deficit with African American voters, where we have a large deficit with people of modest incomes and modest financial circumstances. Those are not factors that make up a formula for success going forward."
"Republicans are losing market share at an alarming rate," mentioning young voters and Hispanics as particular concerns.
Well, I think [health care] should be a right for every American. In a country as wealthy as ours, for us to have people who are going bankrupt because they can't pay their medical bills -- for my mother to die of cancer at the age of 53 and have to spend the last months of her life in the hospital room arguing with insurance companies because they're saying that this may be a pre-existing condition and they don't have to pay her treatment--there's something fundamentally wrong about that.
When we found out you weren't registered to vote, we were a bit disappointed.When we further discovered that "rich" as you claimed to be, you hadn't paid your taxes, we were a bit MORE disappointed in you... but, okay. You're not a tax expert. You're a plumber.It was a little tough for me to take that someone making $250,000 a year in profit wouldn't be willing to pay $900 extra on his taxes so I and 95% of your neighbors could have a break, pay for gas, keep a little more of our income when we need it so much. My family struggles for groceries... but okay. What are we to you, after all? (Some of us are you five or ten years ago, but forget that... and especially forget that some of us could be you a few years in the future.)
Then we found out you weren't even a plumber. Wait, what?Lastly, we discover that you, Joe the Plumber, are possibly even related to Charles Keating, one of McCain's cronies from the Keating Five scandal. No wonder you're calling Senator Obama a socialist and suggesting he's "tap dancing like Sammy Davis, Jr." Hm. We suspect in others, as the saying goes.At least you won't be voting for McCain, seeing as how you didn't bother to register. All my Ohio friends are voting Obama, by the way.
ST. CLAIRSVILLE, Ohio -- Biden was campaigning in Ohio, but had West Virginia on his mind late this afternoon, making a bold promise to win a state that has gone Republican in the past two elections. "Which way is West-By-God-Virginia?" Biden asked the crowd Ohio University Eastern Campus, about 10 miles west of that state's border with Ohio. "I want to send a message to West Virginia -- we're going to win in West Virginia! ... We're going to shock the living devil out of y'all!"
ST. CLAIRSVILLE, Ohio -- Biden was campaigning in Ohio, but had West Virginia on his mind late this afternoon, making a bold promise to win a state that has gone Republican in the past two elections.
"Which way is West-By-God-Virginia?" Biden asked the crowd Ohio University Eastern Campus, about 10 miles west of that state's border with Ohio. "I want to send a message to West Virginia -- we're going to win in West Virginia! ... We're going to shock the living devil out of y'all!"
Some reports suggest that the campaign will simply be purchasing advertising, but there are rumors suggesting campaign stops, too.
Joe, can you bring Richard Trumka with you to speak if you come? I can guarantee you West Virginians will love him as much as we will love you.
But Ayers' views on education, though certainly reform-oriented and left-of-center, are not considered anywhere near as radical as his Vietnam-era views on war. And even if they were, there was a long list of individuals involved with the Chicago Annenberg Challenge whose positions provided them far more authority over its direction than Ayers' advisory role gave him.
Let's look at a few, starting with the funder. Annenberg was a lifelong Republican and former ambassador to the United Kingdom under President Richard Nixon. His widow, Leonore, has endorsed McCain. Kurtz might just as plausibly have accused Obama and the foundation of "translating Annenberg's conservatism into practice."
Among the other board members who served with Obama were: Stanley Ikenberry, former president of the University of Illinois; Arnold Weber, former president of Northwestern University and assistant secretary of labor in the Nixon administration; Scott Smith, then publisher of the Chicago Tribune; venture capitalist Edward Bottum; John McCarter, president of the Field Museum; Patricia Albjerg Graham, former dean of the Harvard University Graduate School of Journalism, and a host of other mainstream folks.
In short, this was a mainstream foundation funded by a mainstream, Republican business leader and led by an overwhelmingly mainstream, civic-minded group of individuals. Ayers' involvement in its inception and on an advisory committee do not make it radical – nor does the funding of programs involving the United Nations and African-American studies.
UPDATE: Links have been fixed.
"...in the inevitable moments when all seems hopeless, men know that without hope they cannot really live, and in agonizing desperation they cry for the bread of hope."Those were the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, and they came to mind as I wended my way through the crowd of an astounding 5000 in Chilicothe, Ohio. It was a drive for me; I am from a rural county in West Virginia, but Chillicothe is only a few hours away, so I did not want to miss it.
I hate crowds: despise them. They press upon me, I get panicky. A throwback to an earlier era, perhaps, I find it astounding that people discuss personal issues loudly .. phones. I find public manners and courtesy generally lacking, and I usually loathe the busy mindedness of people that prevents them from appreciating the world around them. (It recalls to me a blurb in the Onion a while back: Fall Foliage Appreciated on Walk to Car.)However, the people here were similar to the folks in my own small town. (While I live in the country, the little town I am closest to has a population of slightly above 200, and our county seat has only a few thousand.) Perhaps it was that--perhaps it was just that I was still in Appalachia. The crowd was courteous. There were cell phones, but mostly from high school aged kids who had, perhaps, been excused from classes for this event. (Two feet away from each other, I could hear one kid begging another: "Text me BACK!")I don't have a cell phone, and am not interested in getting one. Does that make me old, or just poor?Chillicothe is a pretty little town, and like many places in this area, the unemployment rate is exceedingly high. If you have ever been out of work for any period of time, you will know how easily things can go to fear and desperation. I have been; I speak from experience. I currently do some freelance writing, but I have been out of "proper" work for long enough that I am no longer even counted among the unemployment statistics, and I have a feeling there are plenty of people like me around here. I would bet the 10% figure is rather low when it comes to looking at how many people are ACTUALLY unemployed or underemployed. Do you know who is counted in the statistics, and who is not?This is why I think Obama will win Ohio: he is offering the "bread of hope." Those words kept playing over and over again in my mind. McCain and Palin, by contrast, seem to be offering only the Bread of Hate. They are feeding to their crowds the words that enflame division: when people call out for blood, they don't stop in horror. Flipping off the media (and calling out racial epithets to black members) is really the least of what that crowd has done.In Chillicothe, the tree-lined street was filled with people milling around and discussing the upcoming speeches as well as the election in general--as well as, alas, young 'uns texting each other and laughing uproariously. Most, however, were simply interested to hear what the Senator had to say.
There were speakers beforehand, Ohio Congressmen and representatives. I admit I rather grew frustrated at this point, because the texting behind me seemed to grow to a fevered pitch, and there were snorts of laughter at whatever they were saying to one another. This is too bad; the gentlemen were good speakers.Governor Ted Strickland spoke briefly, as well, and assured hunters that Senator Obama would support their second amendment rights to bear arms. The adults (and the vast majority of the kids in the crowd) were very polite, however.Strickland receives a grade of "A" from the NRA, and I could see some surprised, hopeful and relived faces in the crowd on hearing his reassurance. I hunt, too. Not moose (although give me the chance and perhaps I would). And certainly not wolves from helicopters, which seems a bit unsporting. However, since we have 45 acres or so and are rather spectacularly poor, we always do try to get a few deer in season to fill the freezer with. Hunting is important to people in this area, and I could see he touched on something people had been concerned about.Above us, I spied security on the roof of the courthouse. Normally this would oppress me, I admit. However, having seen the way in which the Bread of Hate is distributed so freely to the starving masses at recent McCain Palin rallies, having watched it grow with such horror, disgust and outrage, I found myself comforted. The Bread of Hate is unfulfilling, you see... and what can one do when one is unfulfilled by hatred? One commentator writes that "Some dupes of these reprehensible statements by Palin and McCain are going to think that a patriot must act to stop this 'terrorist' from taking over the presidency. Their shouts have already been heard from the mobs at Palin and McCain rallies this week: 'Traitor!' 'Terrorist!' 'Kill him!' Mrs. Palin nods and winks."The crowd in Chillicothe grew silent as a local person introduced Senator Obama. I'm afraid there was no "program" available (at least, not that I saw), so I don't have the speaker's name. That's too bad. He was just a regular person, but what he said was moving, and I would have liked to be able to share his name, here. He spoke quietly and looked down at his cards, but his words were powerful because he was talking about experiences many people in the crowd had shared. This young man discussed having been laid off three times in two years--working for local companies that many residents doubtless have also worked for, from which many have doubtless been laid off. In small communities like those in southern and southeastern Ohio as well as my own small community in West Virginia, if you have been lucky enough to keep your job, you still really feel for the people who have lost theirs--they may well be your friends or relatives; they may well be your childhood playmates, or the parent's of your children's classmates. In small communities, everyone knows everyone--or knows OF everyone. I wondered how familiar this young man's face was to those in the crowd, and how hard it would be to stand up in front of all the people you know and talk about your personal struggles in getting further and further behind on your mortgage payments? I wondered how hard it would be to make such a plea to your friends and neighbors: Do you want the Bread of Hope or the Bread of Hate? Do you want to vote based on your hatred and fear, or based on hope for making the future better, for fixing the economy and for helping all of us rise together?Senator Obama was greeted warmly by the crowd. It was a beautiful day. Flocks of birds swirled overhead, and the occasional pair of Canada geese circled. It was brisk and cool, but sunny, and the autumn foliage--yes, the Onion come to mind again--was in peak, although most of the trees lining Paint and Second Streets still had green. We were a block away from Main Street, in front of the courthouse.I admit I am not much of a cheerer. As I say, I'm uncomfortable amongst crowds, and cheering makes me feel as if I'm a part of a mob. I'm a cynic, remember. I applauded, but I mostly just nodded (in what I hope was) a sage and polite manner. The crowd was warm without me. Senator Obama spoke about issues in a frank and down to earth way that I imagine was a surprise to some. I find it amusing that Senator Obama is portrayed as a latte-drinking "elitist" who is out of touch with normal people. That seems to be a rather empty attack, especially in the face of the way people respond to him.
Besides... I drink latte. I noted several cuppas in the crowd, hands wrapped around the warm cups on a brisk morning. Is the McCain Palin camp suggesting that these are not "normal" down to earth people, either? Bosh. There are coffee shops in Chillicothe and in plenty of small towns. My grandmother was not a latte drinker--she liked sweet and creamy, though. In any case, I find it hard to imagine grandma scoffing at someone's coffee preferences. She didn't seem to mind my drinking latte, I have to say. The Senator seemed to speak directly to "Black coffee or death!" seems an odd tack to take when there are other considerably more pressing issues at hand.
The Senator seem to speak directly to people like me, people who have been disengaged from the political process and who don't like the direction our country has taken:
"This country and the dream it represents are being tested in a way that we haven't seen in nearly a century. And future generations will judge ours by how we respond to this test. Will they say that this was a time when America lost its way and its purpose? When we allowed our own petty differences and broken politics to plunge this country into a dark and painful recession? "Or will they say that this was another one of those moments when America overcame? When we battled back from adversity by recognizing that common stake that we have in each other's success? "This is one of those moments. I realize you're cynical and fed up with politics. I understand that you're disappointed and even angry with your leaders. You have every right to be. But despite all of this, I ask of you what's been asked of the American people in times of trial and turmoil throughout our history. I ask you to believe - to believe in yourselves, in each other, and in the future we can build together."
He must have been speaking "directly" to a great number of the crowd. As he began to speak, where there had been murmuring before, now there was silence, punctuated by applause and cheers. Even the giggling, texting kids behind me grew quiet and attentive. Then they began to hurrah with the crowd.
"It's easy to rile up a crowd by stoking anger and division. But that's not what we need right now in the United States. The times are too serious. The challenges are too great. The American people aren't looking for someone who can divide this country - they're looking for someone who will lead it."
'Again, this is a populace starving for the Bread of Hope; the vast majority of us have had little enough of that for years. Now ravening, some, in madness, seem to be stuck in this cycle of creating division. To them, the American Dream is not one in which everyone has an equal chance of improving his or her life: it is one in which they want certain people to be more equal, whether it is income inequality between genders or income inquality between the upper and middle class.I must point out, as well, that frankly no one is discussing the lower class. Why is this? Are we afraid to admit it? I honestly wonder if there really is a middle class anymore, or if we are all just deluding ourselves. Perhaps most of us should be classed as "impoverished gentility" but reject the label. I will bear that label without argument.I am poor.I suppose there is no sense in arguing the issue of what is middle and what is lower class. Either way, Senator Obama addressed the underlying problem:
"We need policies that grow our economy from the bottom-up, so that every American, everywhere has the chance to get ahead. Not just corporate CEOs, but their secretaries too. Not just the person who owns the factory, but the men and women who work on its floor. Because if we've learned anything from this economic crisis, it's that we're all connected; we're all in this together; and we will rise or fall as one nation - as one people."
His message is a striking contrast to the message of the McCain-Palin rallies, as Nate Silver reports:
The language that the two candidates used on yet another rough economic day showed contrast. For Obama's part, threaded through an extensive discussion of economic policy were repeated phrases: "I have confidence," "I believe in you," "we can do this," "we're in this together," and "together, we cannot fail." On the other hand, Palin's comments were directed at Obama -- she was in full hockey agitator mode -- "terrorist," "judgment," "ambition." As for DHL shutting down 8,000 jobs in Wilmington, "we're gonna do something about it." Obama is afraid of mavericks. And Obama is a very dangerous guy who can't be trusted. Big disconnect from the day's events. While most of the 10,500 or so people cheered loudly, I noticed a number of people who stood with arms folded as the attacks unrolled.
Do you see the little pigtailed girl in the photo below?She is cute. I wondered how old she was--probably between one and two. She might be ten years old, then, the next time there is a presidential race without an incumbent. The next president could be, to her, the only one she'll remember from her young childhood. What message would you want your kids exposed to for the next eight years: hope or hate?
"The American story has never been about things coming easy - it's been about rising to the moment when the moment is hard; about rejecting panicked division for purposeful unity; about seeing a mountaintop from the deepest valley. That's why we remember that some of the most famous words ever spoken by an American came from a President who took office in a time of turmoil - 'The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.'"
And where would you like your kids to grow up?
"I repeat: we must do more to help innocent homebuyers. I've worked on a series of proposals over the past two years to do that. But we need to do it in a responsible way. That means making sure that we're not overpaying for these mortgages and rewarding the very lenders whose recklessness helped cause this crisis. It means giving taxpayers a share of the benefit when our housing market recovers. And it means cracking down on predatory lenders by treating mortgage fraud like the crime that it is."
You see these photos: the scope is widening. I found that rather interesting. At first, I wanted to take photos of Senator Obama, to get as close as possible. As he spoke, however, his words seemed to include more and more. The crowd grew earnest and many cheered. The photos themselves seemed to include more people as I went along, mirroring the inclusiveness of his words. The more he spoke, the more he seemed one of us; a unifying force. And when the speech was over, he waded in for handshakes, becoming a part of the crowd. You may be able to tell where he is only because of the mikes held overhead:After he left, I was surprised to see how many people who had been further back in the crowd were hoping he would make another pass or two now that the folks in front had cleared away. It didn't seem likely to me, although I was sorry I didn't have the opportunity. It was as if a great energy had been here and suddely left, leaving people refreshed and happy. People were smiling. The day was warmer.
For some strange reason, the boys near me asked for the bottles of water near the podium. Were they going to try to sell it on ebay or were they just thirsty? I hope they were just thirsty, but it seemed a strange request. When things get odd, I suppose I may take it as a sign to go home to the chickens.For the most part, though, people milled about just to discuss the speech and perhaps talk about lunch plans. I was not, unfortunately, brave enough to bear sitting in a restaurant, even though I imagine there were some nice ones there downtown, and I couldn't see expense after spending so much in gas just to get there. I enjoyed imagining eating in downtown Chillicothe, though. I love "main streets" like this.
I thought this young woman had a pretty smile. She smiled almost the entire time I saw her.
Thanks for having me, Chillicothe. You have a lovely, friendly town... and I hope the majority of you will choose the Bread of Hope rather than the Bread of Hate to sustain you.
You can also read Senator Obama's complete remarks, as prepared.
