I think at the Obama website should've contained one page dedicated to explaning the Federal laws concerning the legaility of permanent resident's making donations to the Obama campaign.
The reason being that there is a lot of conflicting information out there, some articles don't even bother to point this out just making the blanket statement that "foreigners" aren't allowed to donate. I'm not entirely clear on this myself but from what I gather if you are a permanent resident you can donate to the Democrats, but not the Republicans (because they refuse it).
Here's a story explaning it somewhat;
http://articles.latimes.com/1998/jan/10/news/mn-6813
It would also help dispell rumors that Obama has gotten contribution from foreign nationals, I'm sure most non-citizen donations are from people who have been living here for a long time but just happened to be born in another country and haven't gotten around to getting their citizenship (which is harder than most Americans can imagine).
For the record I donated and I am a permanent resident who came to this country when I was six. I love this country and I know more about US history and US government than 99% of the saps who were lucky enough to be born in this country.
One last fun fact: Male permanent resident's are required to register in case of a draft, just like male citizens. It's funny how they don't want "foreigners" like me to vote but I still have to fight and possibly die for this country if the need should arise.
Haven't written here in a while but I had to say how happy I am that the Obama campaign is bringing up The Keating Five scandal.
Of course the McCain campaign will try to dismiss it as a smear but we all know it isn't because it really happened. There's really not even a need to exaggerate because it's all there, it happened, it's real. It speaks for itself.
So of course they can spread all the lies they want, say Obama hanged out with a terrorist, he's a secret muslim whatever but we have the truth on our side.
I don't just see the Keating Five scandal as a weapon though, it's 100% important and extremely relevant because of our current financial crisis. If you don't know about it I suggest you watch the documentary, google keating five and etc. Just the Wiki page for Keating Five is educational.
McFailin is going down! Lets' go Obama-Biden!!!!
We can get lost in a blizzard of campaign promises, it's hard to know which promises a candidate will honor and not honor.
So to make it simple I personally have just one request.
Lower the citizenship fee from $675 to what it use to be; $400.
Here's a msnbc story on this;
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26639393/
I would like to become a citizen and vote but the fee has become a barrier.
That should be the sloagan of Obama's economic pitch. The Wonder Years being the Clinton years.
One of the missed opportunities which Bill Clinton has alluded too all too much is Obama not giving Clinton enough credit for those years of prosperity during his presidency. Of course he couldn't do this during the primaries but he should full-force during the general election.
It's not enough to say I'll lower taxes, I'll fight for the middle class, I'll decrease unemployment, you have to give voters a frame of reference and the Clinton years are perfect for this.
Looking at the current turmoil on Wall Street doesn't everyone instinctivley long for the Clinton years? Years of growth, surpluses, no fear of terrorism, the cold war not hanging over people's heads. Obviously it wasn't perfect but things have a way of looking better when enough time has gone by, that's nostalgia, hence The Wonder Years.
The benefit would be two-fold, you give voters a plan without being too specific that you handcuff yourself, and it also will massage Bill Clinton's ego which in turn would make him more motivated to campaign for Obama.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keating_five
Why hasn't the Obama campaign brought up this scandal. I mean it couldn't be more relevant with todays news about Lehman Brothers. Is this also one of the things off-limits on McCain? It's not a smear if it actually happened. While I do believe that McCain didn't do anything improper it shows that he has absolutley no credibility when it comes to banking crisises.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/747_Plan
I remember reading about this a while back and I think it would be a great idea for the Obama campaign to adopt.
Basically the story is that one of the south korean presidential candidates (who won by the way) used the slogan "747" which represented his promise that South Korea would achieve 7% economic growth, increase GDP to $40,000 and make Korea the 7th largest economy in the world.
The specifics aren't important, the point is that you need this kind of catchy slogan that people can memorize. You can say "George Bush's failed economic policies, people are struggling, McCain is out of touch" all you want but it doesn't stick, it sounds like what every politician says.
You need something that stands out. Something like 747 is infinitley easier to convey than "Obama will lower taxes for people who make 10,000 annually to 40,000 yada yada yada".
Now I'm not saying use exactly "747" lest you risk the Republicans accuse of plagerising. I'm just suggesting something along the same lines. Some easy to remember sloagan for Obama's economic plan.
It's not too late, and I really think something like this is needed, Obama's economic pitch needs some juice.
I'll be honest, I support Obama 100% but it's not because of the "change" message. It's great that so many people (especially young) are excited about it and I hope they vote en masse but for me it just doesn't reasonate.
Because "change" can sound very vague and philosophical sometimes and I fear the blue collar lunch pale crowd is not as likely to buy "change" as much as the young voters.
I wish Barack could make a simpler, catchier slogan like "555" (5% lower unemployment, 5% higher GDP, 5% higher income), or "vote 72 (reference to McCain's age) and be poorer too."
He needs something zippier that tells people exactly what they'll get if they vote him in. I think he's done great with his core supporters but he has not done a good job of winning over skeptical voter.
I support Obama, but I don't think that means I have to agree with everything he and his campaign decide to do. I'm not "whining" or being a "chicken little" or being a "defeatist". All my points are valid and are logical.
1. Obama is focusing too much on the economy: At first glance this seems like a smart choice. We are in a economic downturn, the economy is not McCain's strongest suit and the downturn has happened while Bush has been president.
The problem is that proving your economic plan is better than your opponents is notriously hard. Obama can say he'll cut taxes, stop jobs from being outsourced and help the working man McCain can say he'll do the same and all it does is create a stalemate. The only time voters respond to the economy is when things are REALLY bad and I don't think we've reached that point yet.
I'm not saying Obama should stop talking about the economy but it should not be the centerpiece of his campaign strategy and it should not monopolize Obama's time.
2. Obama is not focusing on foreign policy: Economics can be confusing, foreign policy can be much easier to understand and this is where the differences between Democrats and Republicans is so obvious. Obama should be telling voters that McCain is a hawk and he would inflame tensions and take us to another needless war with Iran and possibly Russia. He should remind us how Bush mislead the country on Iraq and the influence that warmongering neoconservatives had on Bush and will also have on McCain. He should make it clear that as president he would use our armed forces for defense or for national interests (such as aiding an ally) but not for regime change and nation building like we have done with Iraq. He should make it clear he's not a pacifist but he would be much more cautious when taking the country into war and paint McCain as a man with a bad temper who would be much more trigger happy than he is. He should also make it vividly clear that voting for McCain could mean your kids might be drafted into another world war with the likes of Iran or Russia.
3. Obama is not going after Palin: This infuriates me, by going after Palin I don't mean personal attacks, there are a ton of legitimate reasons and concerns that a Palin Vice Presidency presents. First if elected she would be the VP to a 72 year president. Her lack of knowledge on foreign matters borders on the dangerous, she is completley unqualified. Also despite all the talk of McCain = Bush Palin seems to be more closer to Bush in terms of being a religous zealot. If she were to become president it would again mean no money for stem cell research, ignoring global warming, and possibillity of overturning roe v wade by putting conservatives justices on the bench.
Yet again and again Obama and Biden ignore her and trying to put the focus on McCain. The fact is she is the story right now and while she has energized the republican base she presents a opportunity to peg McCain as not a maverick centrist republican but more far right than independents like. Why do they not go after her? Why do they shy away and either ignore her or throw her compliments?
4. Lack of creativity: How can it be that Obama, the candidate of change, youth is getting beaten in the arena of creativity by the campaign of the guy who can't even use a computer? Doesn't Obama have the more hip, young organization? Then why are his ads so vanilla? Yes I have seen the newer commercials including the roulette wheel one. Which is a start but still it drives me crazy. The "Celebrity" commercial may be sleazy but at least it's memorable. If the Obama campaign can't make a good commercial then just choose one of the numerous good ones on YouTube made by amateurs and air that one.
What burns me is that if the O campaign held nothing back, did not hold anything back and exposed every one of McCain's lies and hypocrisies and made every point they could i could live with it if McCain still one. Because I would know the obama campaign did their best. But that's not the case, day after day they let opportunities slip away, time after time they don't nail McCain for a lie or respond to a smear. There seems to be a confusion, you are not going negative when you are telling the truth, nobody is telilng you to sink to McCain's level, but for the love of god stop holding back so much, say everything that there is to be said about McCain so god forbid we lose at least we can hold our heads high and we can say we did EVERYTHING we could.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/04/07/report-mccains-profane-ti_n_95429.html
The guy who is so offended by sexism called his wife a c**t and laughed when a woman said "how do we beat the bitch?" Gee, I wonder what changed? Hyprocrite.
I thought you guys were the high-tech, super interactive campaign. Look people are worried, maybe they don't like to admit it but they're worried. They're worried about the new buzz that the McCain campaign has, how the media is pumping up McCain and Palin, the new polls and prospect of ONCE AGAIN getting their hearts broken. I (and many other people I'm sure) are a little freaked about the fact that The Day is getting closer and closer.
I think you owe it to the many of your supporters to respond to the criticism that you guys are hitting back at Palin and McCain's lies strong enough. Do it in a unofficial capacity, in a discreet way, a little *wink wink* at people, whatever, to show them that you're aware of this new worry and that you guys are on top of it.
Perhaps you think it's not a big deal, that it's a media/blog generated hysteria and if you ignore it it will go away. But I think perception has a way of becoming reality. If you don't demonstrate that you're going to fight, not fight in a platitude "I'm going to fight the corporations and help the working man" but really fight in the now; fight the smears literally right now I think the morale of your supporters will continue to sink. Fight them, show us that you're not going to let the Republicans get away with what they have been getting away with for eight years now.
FIGHT FOR US!!!
I feel the same way right now when one of my sports teams is about to start playing a really big game. Nervousness, fear, anticipation, hope. What would happen if they lost? How am I going to deal with the pain? The hangover? All the ups and downs like a roller coaster. In all honesty you just wish it was a blowout, double digit leads for Obama in Ohio and Florida. No problem!
Perhaps it was meant to be like this, maybe it wouldn't be so hard unless it was really worth it. You sweat, you worry, you think about it in your trippy dreams.
Then I think, no, I dream about what it would be like if Obama win. The long suffering Democrats who had to go through the agonizing loss in 2000, the scars they still carry. To finally rub the victory in the faces of the Republicans. Revenge for swiftboating, payback for 8 years of Bush. To strike a blow at the conservatives. People would smile, they would cry, they would talk about what this means for them. Who says people are indifferent to politics?
African-Americans would be happy, they would awe, they would cherish the moment.
Will Obama win comfortably? Will there be some kind of unexpected development? Would it be razor thin? Would we know early on he was winning? Would the smiles turn to shock if he did worse than expected? Will it drag on and on until all our hair fell out?
After everything that has happened, and the enormous sacrifice people have made would it be worth it?
