I am very interested in knowing what my Obama family thought about tonight’s debate?
I thought Senator Obama did a very good job. He clearly displayed his vast knowledge of foreign affairs.
I feel that McCain was very disrespectful to Senator Obama in his facial expressions and body language. McCain could not ever look at Barack Obama in the eye. Where Senator Obama went out of his way to show respect for McCain. If I have any criticism of Barack Obama’s actions tonight is that Senator Obama bent too far over backwards to show respect. He should have been more forceful when he wanted to clarify something or make a point when McCain distorted the truth about a stand that Obama has taken. He let McCain ramble too long at times. McCain was allowed to turn questions about the economy into a discussion of his pet peeves, taxes and ear marks and not enough about how this economic situation is effecting all of us and what solution will be proposed on *our* behalf.
This was only the first debate and I believe that our next President, Senator Barack Obama, did this country proud
What do *you* think?
By MAUREEN DOWDPublished: August 5, 2008 Fred R. Conrad/The New York TimesWASHINGTON--Not since Iago and Othello obsessed on the comely Cassio, not since Richard of Gloucester killed his two nephews, not since Nixon and Johnson glowered at the glittering J.F.K., has there been such an unseemly outpouring of boy envy.Bill Clinton, Jesse Jackson and John Edwards have all been crazed with envy over the ascendance of the new “It” guy, Barack Obama.Unlike his wife, Bill Clinton ��" the master of fake sincerity ��" still continues to openly begrudge his party’s betrothed.Asked by Kate Snow of ABC News in Africa whether Obama was ready to be president, Clinton gave a classic Clintonian answer: “You could argue that no one’s ever ready to be president.”As always, the Big Dog was more concerned with himself ��" asserting that he’s not a racist ��" than his party. Bill Clinton is not a racist. We can posit that. But he did play subtle racial politics in the primary. It’s way past time for him to accept the fact that there’s a new wunderkind in town. Just as Bill Clinton looks at Obama and sees his own oblivion, so does Jesse Jackson. As Shelby Steele wrote in The Wall Street Journal, Jackson and his generation of civil rights leaders “made keeping whites ‘on the hook’ the most sacred article of the post-’60s black identity,” equality pursued by manipulating white guilt.Now John McCain is pea-green with envy. That’s the only explanation for why a man who prides himself on honor, a man who vowed not to take the low road in the campaign, having been mugged by W. and Rove in South Carolina in 2000, is engaging in a festival of juvenilia.The Arizona senator who built his reputation on being a brave proponent of big solutions is running a schoolyard campaign about tire gauges and Paris Hilton, childishly accusing his opponent of being too serious, too popular and not patriotic enough.Even his own mother, the magical 96-year-old Roberta McCain, let slip that she thought the Paris Hilton-Britney Spears ad was “kinda stupid.”McCain’s 2000 strategist, John Weaver, was equally blunt with Newsweek’s Jonathan Alter: “It’s hard to imagine America responding to ‘small ball’ when we have all these problems.” Some of McCain’s old pals in the Senate are cringing at what they see as his soulless transformation into what he once scorned.“John’s eaten up with envy,” said one. “His image of himself was always the handsome, celebrity flyboy.“Now somebody else is the celebrity,” the colleague continued, while John looks in the mirror and sees his face marred by skin cancer and looks at the TV and sees his dashing self-image replaced by visions of William Frawley, with Letterman jokes about his membership in the ham radio club and adventures with wagon trains.For McCain, being cool meant being a rogue, not a policy wonk; but Obama manages to be a cool College Bowl type, which must irk McCain, who liked to play up his bad-boy cool. Now the guy in the back of the class is shooting spitballs at the class pet and is coming off as more juvenile than daring.Around the McCain campaign, they grouse that Obama “hasn’t bled.” He hasn’t bled literally, in military service, just like W., the last holder of an E-ZPass who sped past McCain. And he hasn’t paid his dues in the Senate, since he basically just stopped by for directions to the Oval Office.As a new senator, Obama was not only precocious enough to pounce on turf that McCain had invested years in, such as campaign finance lobbying, ethics reform and earmarks. When Obama did reach across the aisle for a mentor, it was to the staid Richard Lugar of Indiana, not to the salty Republican of choice for Democrats, McCain.When the Illinois freshman took back a private promise to join McCain’s campaign finance reform effort, McCain told his aide Mark Salter to “brush him back.” Salter sent an over-the-top vituperative letter to Obama. “I guess I beaned him instead,” Salter told Newsweek’s Howard Fineman.McCain could dismiss W. as a lightweight, but he knows Obama’s smart. Obama wrote his own books, while McCain’s were written by Salter. McCain knows he’s the affirmative action scion of admirals who might not have gotten through Annapolis without being a legacy. Obama didn’t even tell Harvard Law School that he was black on his application.McCain upbraids Obama for being a poppet, while he’s becoming a puppet. His mouth is moving but the words coming out belong to his new hard-boiled strategist, Steve Schmidt, a Rove protégé, nicknamed “The Bullet” for his bald pate.Schmidt has turned Mr. Straight Talk into Mr. Desperate Straits. It’s not a good trade.
The Loud Silence Of Feminists
Posted: 22 Jun 2008 09:46 AM CDT
By Mary C. Curtis
Michelle Obama has become an issue in the presidential campaign even though she isn't running for anything. An educated, successful lawyer, devoted wifeand caring mother has been labeled "angry" and unpatriotic and snidely referred to as Barack Obama's "baby mama."
Democrats, Republicans, independents, everyone should be offended. And this black woman is wondering: Where are Obama's feminist defenders?
It's not as though they're out of practice. In 1992, Hillary Clinton was deemed too assertive and not first lady material. Similar, and worse, claims weremade this year. But just as you didn't have to be for Clinton to decry the sexism in the coverage of her campaign, you don't have to be an Obama supporterto defend Michelle Obama against similar treatment. So I want to know: What does Gloria Steinem think? She was out front with her support of Clinton, promotingthe importance of a female president. She has even endorsed Barack Obama. What's her reaction now that the knives are out for another strong woman?
How about Geraldine Ferraro, the former vice presidential nominee whose racially tinged denunciations of Barack Obama sparked a media firestorm?
Kim Gandy, president of the National Organization for Women, has said: "We're going to keep watching because we think Michelle Obama will be the recipientof the same kind of attacks that Hillary was."
A feminist ray of hope.
The campaign against Michelle Obama -- who went on "The View" this week to prove her everywoman bona fides -- has not caused a rift between black and whitewomen so much as it has exposed it.
I've long been frustrated, as a black woman and a feminist, with our national conversation. I didn't hear the cause speaking up for women of color or forwomen who have always worked in blue-collar or service jobs. Choice was not their issue.
The woman who employed my educated mother to clean her house never quite saw her as a sister in the struggle for equality. Still, I cheered Steinem whenshe spoke at my college. Her message could have been more inclusive, but it was a start. I'd like a little of that solidarity back now, not suspicion becausesomeone of my race defeated someone of our sex.
Michelle Obama is being demonized for things she allegedly said on tapes that are rumored to exist. She is a victim of sexism and racial stereotypes.Justas the Rutgers women's basketball team was miscast by Don Imus, Obama is being labeled something she clearly is not. Her achievements are being dismissed.
But in America, there's seldom a cost for disrespecting black women.
I'm waiting for feminists who speak of second-class citizenship and being pushed to the back of the bus to remember the civil rights movement that gavebirth to those words. After all, it was a black woman, Rosa Parks, who took her seat up front and pulled others there, too.
I'm not holding my breath, though.
As a journalist, I have stayed neutral about political candidates. But as an American, I would have been excited about the historic first had Hillary Clintonemerged victorious from the Democratic primary battle. Yet when an African American made a different kind of history, it seems that feminists can't sharein the triumph.
They don't have to vote for the husband to defend the wife.
Okay, I get it: Your candidate lost. You're angry.
But frankly, I'm getting a little peeved myself.
The writer is a columnist at the Charlotte (N.C.) Observer.
The Industry Radar, the leader in RSS syndicated enterprise news portals, today launched a news portal dedicated to the historic campaign of the presumptive Democratic nominee Sen. Barack Obama. Designed for the 50 state campaign, www.barackobamaradar.com aggregates news about the campaign from over 5000 traditional news sites, YouTube, flickr, local news and media outlets and national and local political blogs updated hourly. The home page has a section with the latest headlines for each state and each state has its own page listing the latest 50 articles in detail and in coming days will have links to issue feeds, local news outlets and other state congressional, senate and gubernatorial news. As always our Radar sites put the most in depth, timely information at a viewer's fingertips so that in less than 2 minutes viewer's can scan what is happening and dive in from there for the details they are interested in.
Not so long ago, the phone rang in my office. It was Barack Obama. For more than a decade, Obama was my colleague at the University of Chicago Law School.
He is also a friend. But since his election to the Senate, he does not exactly call every day.
On this occasion, he had an important topic to discuss: the controversy over President George W. Bush's warrantless surveillance of international telephone calls between Americans and suspected terrorists. I had written a short essay suggesting that the surveillance might be lawful. Before taking a public position, Obama wanted to talk the problem through.
In the space of about 20 minutes, he and I investigated the legal details. He asked me to explore all sorts of issues: the President's power as commander-in-chief, the Constitution's protection against unreasonable searches and seizures, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, the Authorization for Use of Military Force and more.
Obama wanted to consider the best possible defence of what Bush had done. To every argument I made, he listened and offered a counter-argument. After the issue had been exhausted, Obama said that he thought the programme was illegal, but now had a better understanding of both sides. He thanked me for my time.
This was a pretty amazing conversation, not only because of Obama's mastery of the legal details, but also because many prominent Democratic leaders had already blasted the Bush initiative as blatantly illegal. He did not want to take a public position until he had listened to, and explored, what might be said on the other side.
This is the Barack Obama I have known for nearly 15 years -- a careful and even-handed analyst of law and policy, unusually attentive to multiple points of view.
The University of Chicago Law School is by far the most conservative of the great American law schools. It helped to provide the academic foundations for many positions of the Reagan administration.
But at the University of Chicago, Obama is liked and admired by Republicans and Democrats alike. Some of the local Reagan enthusiasts are Obama supporters. Why? It doesn't hurt that he's a great guy, with a personal touch and a lot of warmth. It certainly helps that he is exceptionally able.
But niceness and ability are only part of the story. Obama also has a genuinely independent mind, he's a terrific listener and he goes wherever reason takes him.
Those of us who have long known Obama are impressed and not a little amazed by his rhetorical skills. Who could have expected that our colleague, a teacher of law, is also able to inspire large crowds?
The Obama we know is no rhetorician; he shines not because he can move people, but because of his problem-solving abilities, his creativity and his attention to detail.
In recent weeks, his speaking talents, and the cult-like atmosphere that occasionally surrounds him, have led people to wonder whether there is substance behind the plea for "change" - whether the soaring phrases might disguise a kind of emptiness and vagueness. But nothing could be further from the truth. He is most comfortable in the domain of policy and detail.
I do not deny that skeptics are raising legitimate questions. After all, Obama has served in the Senate for a short period (less than four years) and he has little managerial experience. Is he really equipped to lead the most powerful nation in the world?
Obama speaks of "change", but will he be able to produce large-scale changes in a short time? What if he fails? An independent issue is that all the enthusiasm might serve to insulate him from criticisms and challenges on the part of his own advisers -- and, in view of his relative youth, criticisms and challenges are exactly what he requires.
Fortunately, the candidate's campaign proposals offer strong and encouraging clues about how he would govern; what makes them distinctive is that they borrow sensible ideas from all sides.
He is strongly committed to helping the disadvantaged, but his University of Chicago background shows; he appreciates the virtues and power of free markets. In this sense, he is not only focused on details but is also a uniter, both by inclination and on principle.
Transparency and accountability matter greatly to him; they are a defining feature of his proposals. With respect to the mortgage crisis, credit cards and the broader debate over credit markets, Obama rejects heavy-handed regulation and insists above all on disclosure, so that consumers will know exactly what they are getting.
Expect transparency to be a central theme in any Obama administration, as a check on government and the private sector alike. It is highly revealing that Obama worked with Republican (and arch-conservative) Tom Coburn to produce legislation creating a publicly searchable database of all federal spending.
Obama's healthcare plan places a premium on cutting costs and on making care affordable, without requiring adults to purchase health insurance. (He would require mandatory coverage only for children.) Republican legislators are unlikely to support a mandatory approach, and his plan can be understood, in part, as a recognition of political realities.
But it is also a reflection of his keen interest in freedom of choice. He seeks universal coverage not through unenforceable mandates but through giving people good options.
It should not be surprising that in terms of helping low-income workers, Obama has long been enthusiastic about the Earned Income Tax Credit -- an approach, pioneered by Republicans, that supplements wages but does not threaten to throw people out of work.
But Obama is no a compromiser; he does not try to steer between the poles (or the polls). "Triangulation" has no appeal for him. Both internationally and domestically, he is willing to think big and to be bold. He publicly opposed the war in Iraq at a time when opposition was unpopular.
He favors high-level meetings with some of the world's worst dictators. He would rethink the embargo against Cuba.
He proposes a $150 billion research budget for climate change. He wants to hold an unprecedented national auction for the right to emit greenhouse gases. He has offered an ambitious plan for promoting technological innovation, calling for a national broadband policy, embracing network neutrality, and proposing a reform of the patent system.
His campaign has spoken of moving toward "iPod Government" -- an effort to rethink public services and national regulations in ways that will make things far simpler and more user-friendly.
These are points about policies and substance. As president, Obama would set a new tone in US politics. He refuses to demonize his political opponents; deep in his heart, I believe, he doesn't even think of them as opponents. It would not be surprising to find Republicans and independents prominent in his administration.
Obama wants to know what ideas are likely to work, not whether a Democrat or a Republican is responsible for them. Recall the most memorable passage from his keynote address at the 2004 Democratic Convention: "We coach Little League [baseball] in the blue [Democratic-voting] states, and, yes, we've got some gay friends in the red states. There are patriots who opposed the war in Iraq, and there are patriots who supported the war in Iraq."
In his book The Audacity of Hope, he asks for a politics that accepts "the possibility that the other side might sometimes have a point". Remarking that ordinary Americans "don't always understand the arguments between right and left, conservative and liberal", Obama wants politicians "to catch up with them,"
After he received an email from a pro-life doctor, Obama recalls how he softened his website's harsh rhetoric on abortion, writing: "[T]hat night, before I went to bed, I said a prayer of my own -- that I might extend the same presumption of good faith to others that the doctor had extended to me."
In short, Obama's own approach is insistently charitable. He assumes decency and good faith on the part of those who disagree with him. And he wants to hear what they have to say. Both in substance and in tone, Obama questions the conventional political distinctions between "the left" and "the right". To the extent that he is attracting support from Republicans and independents, it is largely for this reason.
From knowing Obama for many years, I have no doubts about his ability to lead. He knows a great deal, and he is a quick learner. Even better, he knows what he does not know, and there is no question that he would assemble an accomplished, experienced team of advisers. His brilliant administration of his own campaign provides helpful evidence here.
But there is some fragility to the public fervor that envelops him. Crowds and cults can be fickle, and if some of his decisions disappoint, or turn out badly, his support will diminish. Some people think it might even collapse.
My own concern involves the importance of internal debate. The greatest American presidents (above all Lincoln and Roosevelt) benefited from robust dialogue and from advisers who avoided saying, "how wonderful you are," and were willing to say: "Mr President, your thinking about this is all wrong."
Because Obama himself is exceptionally able, and because so many people are treating him as a near-messiah, his advisers might be too deferential, too unwilling to question. There is a real risk here. But I believe that his humility, and his intense desire to seek out dissenting views, will prove crucial safeguards.
In the 2000 campaign, Bush proclaimed himself a "uniter, not a divider", only to turn out to be the most divisive President in memory. Because of his own certainty, and his lack of curiosity about what others might think, Bush polarized the nation. Many of his most ambitious plans went nowhere as a result.
As president, Barack Obama would be a genuine uniter. If he proves able to achieve great things, for his nation and for the world, it will be above all for that reason.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/seth-grahamesmith/6-other-things-that-arent_b_105505.html
6 Other Things that Aren't "Change We Can Believe In"
by Seth Grahame-Smith
By now, McCain's "green speech" has been widely praised as one of the funniest half-hours of television since Arrested Development was canceled. The speechaimed to turn Obama's "Change We Can Believe In" slogan into a surprise Mac Attack by inserting the words "That's Not" at the beginning of it. As if thiswasn't exciting enough, McCain proceeded to deliver the speech with all the energy and eloquence of Frankenstein on barbiturates -- pausing awkwardly aftereach declaration to offer a snicker and yellowed smile, as if to ask the adoring crowd of several hundred, "wasn't that capital?" It was at once painfuland delightful to behold. Painful, because we have to sit through five more months of his awkward cadence. Delightful, because it's already obvious justhow badly McCain's efforts to brand himself as the "change" candidate are going to fail. That is, unless THESE are the kind of changes he's talking about:
1. Excruciating Hypocrisy - McCain delivered the green speech near New Orleans, and in it, he took the Bush administration to task for their failure torespond to Katrina. Do you know where John McCain was when Katrina made landfall? He was standing on a tarmac in Arizona, receiving a birthday cake fromhis friend George W. Bush. That's not change we can believe in.
2. Lack of Self-Control - Having a temper is one thing. But there's a difference between blowing your stack behind closed doors and McCain's tendency tosay the wrong thing in front of the wrong people. Whether it's the childish "bomb Iran" Beach Boys cover, the "100 years is fine with me" gaffe, callinghis wife a "c--t" in front of reporters, threatening other legislators with violence, or that infamous Chelsea Clinton joke he made at a GOP fundraiser-- McCain has a rare talent for putting his foot in his mouth near an open mic. That's definitely not change we can believe in.
3. Lack of Support for Our Troops - McCain knows firsthand the sacrifices made by our troops and their families, yet he won't he support the G.I. Bill-- which was co-sponsored by his Republican ally, John Warner, and which would dramatically expand educational benefits for our soldiers. And why doesn'the support it? Because the benefits are so good, the military is worried that too many soldiers will leave active duty to get their degrees. So there youhave it -- John McCain's policy on supporting our men and women in uniform: "They deserve the very best, just as long as it's not TOO good -- and assumingwe don't have to raise taxes to pay for it." That sure as hell ain't change we can believe in.
4. Coziness with Lobbyists - We all know that McCain likes to tout himself as a "maverick." But the truth is, McCain was forced to reinvent himself asa "maverick" because he got caught with his hand in the cookie jar. He was one of five Senators investigated for corruption in the Keating scandal of 1989,in which it was alleged that (in return for money and other favors) McCain sought to have the government ease off its investigation of savings and loanchairman Charles Keating. You'd think he would've learned from this political near-death experience, but as we saw in his snuggly friendship with lobbyistVicki Iseman, and the recent purging of lobbyists from his campaign (there are still over 100 of them running it), he's learned nothing. Ladies and gentlemen,you're damn right that's not change we can believe in.
5. An Antiquated World View - It's not the age of McCain's body that troubles me -- it's the age of his ideas. Like George W. Bush, he operates from abelief that America is infallible, that might makes right, and that anyone who doesn't agree with us is not only wrong - but our enemy. Here at home, hebelieves in the same trickle down economic policies that have been failing the middle class and escalating our national debt since the early 1980's. ThatIS change we can believe in, but only if it's Opposites Day.
6. Cowardice - No one can ever take away the heroic truth that John McCain sat in a cell for five torturous years on behalf his country. He was a braveyoung man. But somewhere between Hanoi and Washington, that brave young man became an old pandering coward. For eight years, we've watched McCain sucklethe teat of his political idol, George W. Bush. Especially sickening, given the fact that Bush is the same man who tried to destroy McCain's family inthe 2000 primaries. The same man who went after his daughter. And yet, because it was politically convenient to do so, John McCain threw his arms aroundBush and never let go. Threw his arms around a man he didn't even vote for. A man he secretly hated with a passion he scarcely knew he was capable of.To some, that merely makes John McCain a ruthless opportunist or a terrible father. In my eyes, it makes him a coward. How can a man who won't even standup for his family stand up for our country? How can a man who was too afraid to stand his ground against a joke like Bush stand his ground against brutaldictators? My fellow Americans...
That's not change we can believe in.
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FULL SPEECH: Obama Declares Victory
Barack Obama Delivers First Speech as Presumptive Democratic Nominee
June 3, 2008
The following remarks are the text as prepared for Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., on June 3, 2008, his first speech after declaring victory in the Democraticnomination contest over Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y. The speech was delivered in St. Paul, Minnesota, site of the Republican National Convention in August2008.
Barack Obama
On June 3, 2008, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., declared victory in the race for the Democratic nomination. Obama's speech was delivered in St. Paul, Minnesota,site of the Republican National Convention in August 2008.
(Alex Brandon/AP Photo)
Tonight, after fifty-four hard-fought contests, our primary season has finally come to an end.
Sixteen months have passed since we first stood together on the steps of the Old State Capitol in Springfield, Illinois. Thousands of miles have been traveled.Millions of voices have been heard. And because of what you said – because you decided that change must come to Washington; because you believed that thisyear must be different than all the rest; because you chose to listen not to your doubts or your fears but to your greatest hopes and highest aspirations,tonight we mark the end of one historic journey with the beginning of another – a journey that will bring a new and better day to America. Tonight, I canstand before you and say that I will be the Democratic nominee for President of the United States.
I want to thank every American who stood with us over the course of this campaign – through the good days and the bad; from the snows of Cedar Rapids tothe sunshine of Sioux Falls. And tonight I also want to thank the men and woman who took this journey with me as fellow candidates for President.
At this defining moment for our nation, we should be proud that our party put forth one of the most talented, qualified field of individuals ever to runfor this office. I have not just competed with them as rivals, I have learned from them as friends, as public servants, and as patriots who love Americaand are willing to work tirelessly to make this country better. They are leaders of this party, and leaders that America will turn to for years to come.
That is particularly true for the candidate who has traveled further on this journey than anyone else. Senator Hillary Clinton has made history in thiscampaign not just because she's a woman who has done what no woman has done before, but because she's a leader who inspires millions of Americans withher strength, her courage, and her commitment to the causes that brought us here tonight.
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We've certainly had our differences over the last sixteen months. But as someone who's shared a stage with her many times, I can tell you that what getsHillary Clinton up in the morning – even in the face of tough odds – is exactly what sent her and Bill Clinton to sign up for their first campaign in Texasall those years ago; what sent her to work at the Children's Defense Fund and made her fight for health care as First Lady; what led her to the UnitedStates Senate and fueled her barrier-breaking campaign for the presidency – an unyielding desire to improve the lives of ordinary Americans, no matterhow difficult the fight may be. And you can rest assured that when we finally win the battle for universal health care in this country, she will be centralto that victory. When we transform our energy policy and lift our children out of poverty, it will be because she worked to help make it happen. Our partyand our country are better off because of her, and I am a better candidate for having had the honor to compete with Hillary Rodham Clinton.
There are those who say that this primary has somehow left us weaker and more divided. Well I say that because of this primary, there are millions of Americanswho have cast their ballot for the very first time. There are Independents and Republicans who understand that this election isn't just about the partyin charge of Washington, it's about the need to change Washington. There are young people, and African-Americans, and Latinos, and women of all ages whohave voted in numbers that have broken records and inspired a nation.
All of you chose to support a candidate you believe in deeply. But at the end of the day, we aren't the reason you came out and waited in lines that stretchedblock after block to make your voice heard. You didn't do that because of me or Senator Clinton or anyone else. You did it because you know in your heartsthat at this moment – a moment that will define a generation – we cannot afford to keep doing what we've been doing. We owe our children a better future.We owe our country a better future. And for all those who dream of that future tonight, I say – let us begin the work together. Let us unite in commoneffort to chart a new course for America.
In just a few short months, the Republican Party will arrive in St. Paul with a very different agenda. They will come here to nominate John McCain, a manwho has served this country heroically. I honor that service, and I respect his many accomplishments, even if he chooses to deny mine. My differences withhim are not personal; they are with the policies he has proposed in this campaign.
Because while John McCain can legitimately tout moments of independence from his party in the past, such independence has not been the hallmark of his presidentialcampaign.
It's not change when John McCain decided to stand with George Bush ninety-five percent of the time, as he did in the Senate last year.
It's not change when he offers four more years of Bush economic policies that have failed to create well-paying jobs, or insure our workers, or help Americansafford the skyrocketing cost of college – policies that have lowered the real incomes of the average American family, widened the gap between Wall Streetand Main Street, and left our children with a mountain of debt.
And it's not change when he promises to continue a policy in Iraq that asks everything of our brave men and women in uniform and nothing of Iraqi politicians– a policy where all we look for are reasons to stay in Iraq, while we spend billions of dollars a month on a war that isn't making the American peopleany safer.
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So I'll say this – there are many words to describe John McCain's attempt to pass off his embrace of George Bush's policies as bipartisan and new. But changeis not one of them.
Change is a foreign policy that doesn't begin and end with a war that should've never been authorized and never been waged. I won't stand here and pretendthat there are many good options left in Iraq, but what's not an option is leaving our troops in that country for the next hundred years – especially ata time when our military is overstretched, our nation is isolated, and nearly every other threat to America is being ignored.
We must be as careful getting out of Iraq as we were careless getting in - but start leaving we must. It's time for Iraqis to take responsibility for theirfuture. It's time to rebuild our military and give our veterans the care they need and the benefits they deserve when they come home. It's time to refocusour efforts on al Qaeda's leadership and Afghanistan, and rally the world against the common threats of the 21st century – terrorism and nuclear weapons;climate change and poverty; genocide and disease. That's what change is.
Change is realizing that meeting today's threats requires not just our firepower, but the power of our diplomacy – tough, direct diplomacy where the Presidentof the United States isn't afraid to let any petty dictator know where America stands and what we stand for. We must once again have the courage and convictionto lead the free world. That is the legacy of Roosevelt, and Truman, and Kennedy. That's what the American people want. That's what change is.
Change is building an economy that rewards not just wealth, but the work and workers who created it. It's understanding that the struggles facing workingfamilies can't be solved by spending billions of dollars on more tax breaks for big corporations and wealthy CEOs, but by giving a the middle-class a taxbreak, and investing in our crumbling infrastructure, and transforming how we use energy, and improving our schools, and renewing our commitment to scienceand innovation. It's understanding that fiscal responsibility and shared prosperity can go hand-in-hand, as they did when Bill Clinton was President.
John McCain has spent a lot of time talking about trips to Iraq in the last few weeks, but maybe if he spent some time taking trips to the cities and townsthat have been hardest hit by this economy – cities in Michigan, and Ohio, and right here in Minnesota – he'd understand the kind of change that peopleare looking for.
Maybe if he went to Iowa and met the student who works the night shift after a full day of class and still can't pay the medical bills for a sister who'sill, he'd understand that she can't afford four more years of a health care plan that only takes care of the healthy and wealthy. She needs us to passhealth care plan that guarantees insurance to every American who wants it and brings down premiums for every family who needs it. That's the change weneed.
Maybe if he went to Pennsylvania and met the man who lost his job but can't even afford the gas to drive around and look for a new one, he'd understandthat we can't afford four more years of our addiction to oil from dictators. That man needs us to pass an energy policy that works with automakers to raisefuel standards, and makes corporations pay for their pollution, and oil companies invest their record profits in a clean energy future – an energy policythat will create millions of new jobs that pay well and can't be outsourced. That's the change we need.
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And maybe if he spent some time in the schools of South Carolina or St. Paul or where he spoke tonight in New Orleans, he'd understand that we can't affordto leave the money behind for No Child Left Behind; that we owe it to our children to invest in early childhood education; to recruit an army of new teachersand give them better pay and more support; to finally decide that in this global economy, the chance to get a college education should not be a privilegefor the wealthy few, but the birthright of every American. That's the change we need in America. That's why I'm running for President.
The other side will come here in September and offer a very different set of policies and positions, and that is a debate I look forward to. It is a debatethe American people deserve. But what you don't deserve is another election that's governed by fear, and innuendo, and division. What you won't hear fromthis campaign or this party is the kind of politics that uses religion as a wedge, and patriotism as a bludgeon – that sees our opponents not as competitorsto challenge, but enemies to demonize. Because we may call ourselves Democrats and Republicans, but we are Americans first. We are always Americans first.
Despite what the good Senator from Arizona said tonight, I have seen people of differing views and opinions find common cause many times during my two decadesin public life, and I have brought many together myself. I've walked arm-in-arm with community leaders on the South Side of Chicago and watched tensionsfade as black, white, and Latino fought together for good jobs and good schools. I've sat across the table from law enforcement and civil rights advocatesto reform a criminal justice system that sent thirteen innocent people to death row. And I've worked with friends in the other party to provide more childrenwith health insurance and more working families with a tax break; to curb the spread of nuclear weapons and ensure that the American people know wheretheir tax dollars are being spent; and to reduce the influence of lobbyists who have all too often set the agenda in Washington.
In our country, I have found that this cooperation happens not because we agree on everything, but because behind all the labels and false divisions andcategories that define us; beyond all the petty bickering and point-scoring in Washington, Americans are a decent, generous, compassionate people, unitedby common challenges and common hopes. And every so often, there are moments which call on that fundamental goodness to make this country great again.
So it was for that band of patriots who declared in a Philadelphia hall the formation of a more perfect union; and for all those who gave on the fieldsof Gettysburg and Antietam their last full measure of devotion to save that same union.
So it was for the Greatest Generation that conquered fear itself, and liberated a continent from tyranny, and made this country home to untold opportunityand prosperity.
So it was for the workers who stood out on the picket lines; the women who shattered glass ceilings; the children who braved a Selma bridge for freedom'scause.
So it has been for every generation that faced down the greatest challenges and the most improbable odds to leave their children a world that's better,and kinder, and more just.
And so it must be for us.
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America, this is our moment. This is our time. Our time to turn the page on the policies of the past. Our time to bring new energy and new ideas to thechallenges we face. Our time to offer a new direction for the country we love.
The journey will be difficult. The road will be long. I face this challenge with profound humility, and knowledge of my own limitations. But I also faceit with limitless faith in the capacity of the American people. Because if we are willing to work for it, and fight for it, and believe in it, then I amabsolutely certain that generations from now, we will be able to look back and tell our children that this was the moment when we began to provide carefor the sick and good jobs to the jobless; this was the moment when the rise of the oceans began to slow and our planet began to heal; this was the momentwhen we ended a war and secured our nation and restored our image as the last, best hope on Earth. This was the moment – this was the time – when we cametogether to remake this great nation so that it may always reflect our very best selves, and our highest ideals. Thank you, God Bless you, and may GodBless the United States of America.
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/WomenForObama/index.html
WOMEN FOR OBAMA, this is IMPORTANT:
1) Please stand up and identify yourself as a supporter of Barack Obama: Link
The WomenCount PAC was created by five of Hillary Clinton's friends, and claims to represent all women in America. I am copying this an online petitionto send to the DNC and the media for women who don't support "WomenCount," and who do endorse Barack Obama as our next President. Please sign the petition:(or make suggestions about how to improve it).
Senator Clinton's followers joined the WomenCount PAC in droves -- supposedly -- and donated $170,000 in three days. We can give our money directly tothe Obama Campaign, but let's show our numbers on a petition! Please forward the request to sign this petition to friends and colleagues who might signit. Also, please post the link to it on your own blog posts, or wherever you can.
I received this message tonight and I think this is a wonderful idea. So many of us are making donations to Senator Obama to celebrate, in our own way, Clinton's win in WV. People are donating any amount they want
Beginning of Message: "We all expected Senator Clinton to win.
Although to celebrate her victory I think I will donate $10.00 to Senator Obama.
Who's with me?
www.barackobama.com/contribute "
Look, I've been around politics long enough to know that it's a contact sport. Words will be abused. Phrases will be taken out of context.
But the latest distortion from the GOP, frankly, shouldn't give us all pause -- it should spring us into action.
Here's the story, if you haven't heard - yesterday, Jeffrey Goldberg published a very interesting and engaging interview with Barack Obama, where they spoke at length about Barack's ties to the Jewish community in Chicago and his views on the Middle East peace process. When speaking about the decades old violence that has threatened our ally Israel, Barack said:
But what I think is that this constant wound, that this constant sore, does infect all of our foreign policy. The lack of a resolution to this problem provides an excuse for anti-American militant jihadists to engage in inexcusable actions, and so we have a national-security interest in solving this, and I also believe that Israel has a security interest in solving this because I believe that the status quo is unsustainable.
Does anyone seriously dispute that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is a constant, open wound in the Middle East -- exploited by those who would like to see Israel and the United States driven out of the region? Of course not.
It's simply undeniable that the conflict affects all of our Middle Eastern foreign policy. For decades, these have been bi-partisan views:
There remain enemies of this peace, extremists on both sides who feel threatened by the peace and will be tempted once again to kill it with violence. We can defeat that kind of threat by building a genuine Israeli-Palestinian partnership that will stand the test of time -- Bill Clinton
Only through the process of negotiation can all the nations of the Middle East achieve a secure peace. -- Ronald Reagan
Even George W. Bush has said:
For the sake of all humanity, things must change in the Middle East. It is untenable for Israeli citizens to live in terror. It is untenable for Palestinians to live in squalor and occupation. [...]Permanent occupation threatens Israel's identity and democracy. A stable, peaceful Palestinian state is necessary to achieve the security that Israel longs for.
It is untenable for Israeli citizens to live in terror. It is untenable for Palestinians to live in squalor and occupation. [...]
Permanent occupation threatens Israel's identity and democracy. A stable, peaceful Palestinian state is necessary to achieve the security that Israel longs for.
But of course, today, rather than seriously disputing that, or, even better, offering a vision of their own on how to find peace in the Middle East and security for Israel, Rep. John Boehner and Rep. Eric Cantor - senior leadership in the House GOP -- decided to ignore the actual meaning of English words and simply invent something Barack Obama didn't say. Here is what they said
Israel is a critical American ally and a beacon of democracy in the Middle East, not a 'constant sore' as Barack Obama claims. -- John Boehner It is truly disappointing that Senator Obama called Israel a 'constant wound,' 'constant sore,' and that it 'infect[s] all of our foreign policy.' These sorts of words and characterizations are the words of a politician with a deep misunderstanding of the Middle East and an innate distrust of Israel -- Eric Cantor
It is truly disappointing that Senator Obama called Israel a 'constant wound,' 'constant sore,' and that it 'infect[s] all of our foreign policy.' These sorts of words and characterizations are the words of a politician with a deep misunderstanding of the Middle East and an innate distrust of Israel -- Eric Cantor
This is so mendacious that the objective journalist Jeffrey Goldberg himself felt compelled to reply. He writes:
I have no doubt that Mr. Boehner will issue a correction to his press release in which he states the obvious, which is that Obama expressed -- in twelve different ways -- his support for Israel to me. If he doesn't, however, I would, sadly, have to agree with my colleague, the less-forgiving Andrew Sullivan, who called Boehner's statement a "flat-out lie." In fact, I would add to Andrew's post, by calling Boehner's statement mendacious, duplicitous, gross, and comically refutable. So Mr. Boehner, do the right thing, and correct the record. I'll be happy to post the correction right here.
If he doesn't, however, I would, sadly, have to agree with my colleague, the less-forgiving Andrew Sullivan, who called Boehner's statement a "flat-out lie." In fact, I would add to Andrew's post, by calling Boehner's statement mendacious, duplicitous, gross, and comically refutable. So Mr. Boehner, do the right thing, and correct the record. I'll be happy to post the correction right here.
These statements by Representatives Boehner and Cantor are so bad they rise to the level of a danger to our foreign policy. America's allegiance to Israel has always been bi-partisan and unshakeable. It still is, with either Sen. McCain, Sen. Obama or Sen. Clinton as President. But how can we actually have a debate on foreign policy, if the other side simply makes up statements on which to base phony, contrived outrage?
No, people need to hear the truth -- now.
Here's what Barack said about his personal feelings about Israel in the very same interview:
I think the idea of Israel and the reality of Israel is one that I find important to me personally. Because it speaks to my history of being uprooted, it speaks to the African-American story of exodus, it describes the history of overcoming great odds and a courage and a commitment to carving out a democracy and prosperity in the midst of hardscrabble land. One of the things I loved about Israel when I went there is that the land itself is a metaphor for rebirth, for what's been accomplished. What I also love about Israel is the fact that people argue about these issues, and that they're asking themselves moral questions.
In other words, he said exactly the opposite of what Boehner and Cantor scurrilously allege. The Washington Post gave both Boehner and Cantor multiple Pinocchios for their performance.
Barack Obama has spoken time and time again on the importance of our alliance with Israel, and on how important Israel is to him personally. He has spoken movingly about the inspiration he draws from Israel's historic struggle for independence and its current struggle for security, as well as his deep resolve to continue working to strengthen security for all of Israel's people. He has called America's commitment to Israel's security "unshakeable," a commitment built on the bedrock of the deep friendship between the two nations.
But the Republican Party insists on twisting his words so far they resort to actually lying about their meaning.
We have a foreign policy mess in the Middle East. The Bush administration's Iraq debacle has weakened our diplomatic standing in the region and limited our options in working on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. No wonder all Representatives Boehner and Cantor can do is to create imaginary strawmen to knock down in self-righteous indignation.
I'm not alone in condemning this remark. Here's the statement from Rep. Robert Wexler:
In his dishonest and ridiculous distortion, John Boehner has shown us the new depths that a truly desperate Republican leadership will sink to in its attempt to smear Barack Obama's strong and unshakeable record of support for Israel. This absurd parsing would be laughable if it wasn't so sad to see the U.S.-Israel relationship used as a political wedge instead of a cause to unite all Americans around a common purpose.
And here's Rep. Rahm Emanuel:
On the eve of Israel's 60th anniversary, Congressman Boehner should remember that Israel enjoys bipartisan support and commitment to its security. Nothing could be worse for Israel at this time than for it to become a proxy for Congressman Boehner's political games. Senator Obama's record is clear when it comes to Israel's security and friendship with the United States.
The politics of character assassination from Republicans on the important issues needs to stop. Playing games to drive political wfedges as part of some political strategy does great disservice to our country. We need to talk about how to chart a new course, not spread these kinds of distortions.
We deserve better in this country, but we won't get it from the GOP in this election. Already we've seen John McCain trying to describe Barack Obama as Hamas' candidate. That's beneath the John McCain I used to know. But -- sadly -- that is the only way these Republicans have to try and win an election
We deserve better. We need to have an honest and important conversation about how to reorient our foreign policy to meet the challenges of the 21st century.
What we don't need are lies, distortions, and rhetoric designed only to whip up fear. That's part of what got us into this mess, and it won't get us out.
http://www.disaboom.com/barackobama
There has been much concern among the Obama groups over whether Senator Obama will find a way to bail senator Clinton out of er campaign
Debts. It has been made perfectly clear that none of the money that we, his supporters, have donated to his campaign , will be used for anything other than what it was donated for. But there is a question of Barack considering fund raising to help her out. People feel very strongly that Senator Obama should not do this. I agree the thought of donating to Hillary or doing anything to persuade others to do so makes me feel rather ill. But having said that, I think that we should make our feelings, for or against, known to Senator Obama through campaign head quarters. It has also been said that any help that
The Obama team gives Hillary to raise money will be perceived as a bribe to get her out of the way. Some have also said that they feel that this will be a deal breaker between Barack and his supporters. This possibility makes it even more inparitive that HQ knows our feelings.
Emotions are running high at this time and we should take a deep breath and step back. I feel that we should not jump to any conclusions about what the final result of all of this will be. Barack Obama is and has always been a man who is a thinker, who will lookg at all sides of a question and then do his level best to make a fare decision. This is one of the main reasons that I want to see him become President. We say that we believe in him so, now is the time to really prove it.
Economists Release Letter Opposing Clinton Gas Tax Plan
By Jonathan WeismanHillary Rodham Clinton said Sunday she'll have no truck with economists telling her where to put her gas-tax holiday.
Well, now she's got a truckload of them.
More than 230 economists -- Democrats, Republicans, advisers to past presidents and four Nobel laureates -- signed a letter today opposing proposals byClinton and presumptive Republican presidential nominee John McCain to suspend the 18-cent federal gas tax for the summer driving season.
"First, research shows that waiving the gas tax would generate major profits for oil companies rather than significantly lowering prices for consumers,"they wrote. "Second, it would encourage people to keep buying costly imported oil and do nothing to encourage conservation. Third, a tax holiday wouldprovide very little relief to families feeling squeezed."
Signatories include four Nobel laureates: Joseph Stiglitz (a Clinton White House adviser), James Heckman, Daniel Kahneman and Roger Myerson. Also signingwere: President-elect of the American Economic Association Angus Deaton; former AEA presidents Charles Schultze, Alice Rivlin and Peter Diamond; formerReagan administration economist Clyde Prestowitz and former Clinton economic adviser Jeffrey Frankel. Indeed, former president Bill Clinton's administrationis well-represented on the list, with the signatures of Jeffrey Liebman of Harvard University, Rebecca Blank of the University of Michigan and J. BradfordDeLong of the University of California, Berkeley.
Others are household names within the smaller household of the economics profession: John Shoven and Lawrence Goulder from Stanford, Alan Auerbach fromBerkeley, David Cutler from Harvard, James Galbraith from the University of Texas and Frank Levy from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Posted at 5:04 PM ET on May 5, 2008
by wargolem @ Daily Kos
Glen Beck is on CNN Headline news at 9/8 central time. Prime time for manufacturing companies that haveTelevisions in their break rooms, hospitals and everyother place you find TV's in public places. GlenBeckerhead plans to do a special on MONDAY NIGHT onhow Rev Wright issue will dominate the primary onTuesday. Please it is time to move on and we need tolet CNN know that giving a whole damn hour inprimetime to this issue is not something we want orwill support.
Let CNN know that we are monitoring their race baitingtactics and we will not stand for it. Email them atCNN FEEDBACK (http://www.cnn.com/feedback/hdlns/) andlet them know wtf we think about this attempt toinject Rev Wright back into yet another news cyclehours before people go vote. It is race baiting atits worst. At its best it is identity politics tryingto conflate Rev Wright with Obama.
Albers says no secrets or intellectual property transferred to China when Magnequench moved in 2003, despite the claims of these politicians.
CHANGE FOR Dad Remember Dad this Father's Day by giving the gift of change by making a donation to Barack Obama for President.Our Father's and Grandfathers deserve to live in a country whose leader will work hard to make their lives safe, who will work to make sure that they haveenough money to live withouth having to make life and death decisions bwtween their medication and food. Senator Obama wants to see all of the people who have worked so hard and lived their lives caring for uslive the quality of life they have earned over the years.
Will you take a moment to check out my personal page and consider making a donation?
http://my.barackobama.com/page/outreach/view/main/kena298
As Americans, we dream of a President who is honest, personable, intelligent, and wise.
Sandra, NYC
I have decided to back Senator Obama because of many reasons. The main reason is the same thing Hilary Clinton tries to use against him. That thing is hope.
I have lived without hope for my life and country or faith in this government for the past 7 years. I have been stuck with a President that I totally did not believe or have any faith in. I watched the President spoon feed this country lies to get us in a war at a time when we were extremely vulnerable. I watched money flow into the pockets of a few Americans while, I and many other citizens lost jobs, lost health care, lost hope.
I worked as an Information Specialist and earned a comfortable salary but suddenly found myself on the outside looking in, due to downsizing. One of my responsibilities was Customer Service. It is very disheartening when I speak to a Customer Service agent and realize that they are located outside of the United States. I believe Senator Obama when he says that he will offer corporations tax incentives to hire US citizens.
I believe that Senator Obama will lighten our tax load, enabling people like myself, to live a decent life.
I am 57 years of age and totally blind. I have been fighting with the Social Security Administration for almost 2 years to receive benefits. The fight goes on. I work part time, usually 1 week per month. My gross pay is usually $616 each month. My rent is $689. I am told that if I receive benefits from SSI, I will not receive full benefits. I was also told that they are still investigating to see if I am truly disabled. I was born legally blind and have been totally blind for the past 37 years. I have been told that I am 2 points shy of the work credits I need to receive SSDI.
Senator Obama has plans to help people like me find work and stop the ridiculous waste of time, money and human resources in the SSA. I have not heard of any such plans or even interest in these matters from Ms. Clinton.
It has been stated that Senator Obama does not have enough experience. I am not knocking experience but I will hold up wisdom along side experience any time.
Barack Obama was wise enough not to buy into President Bush’s emotional blackmail by going along with the Iraq war. He is wise enough not to get into cutthroat political word battles with the Clinton’s.
He is wise enough to understand all of the feelings that separate us racially and offer a mature, but some will see as, possibly unpopular way to help heal our country and have the guts to present it.
Senator Obama is wise enough to know that diplomacy and strength will secure our country and bring us back to our hard earned position of respect in the rest of the world.
I believe that Senator Obama’s racially mixed family background has taught him how to communicate and work with people of different cultures, ethnicities and backgrounds.
No President works alone. No President comes to the job knowing everything about it. All Presidents have to find people to advise him/her. I believe that Barack Obama has the wisdom to choose people who will advise him well in the interest of all citizens.
