"We do not support government bailouts of private institutions. Government interference in the markets exacerbates problems in the marketplace and causes the free market to take longer to correct itself."
GOP: Greed over Principle - http://www.gop.com/2008Platform/Economy.htmIt's under "Rebuilding Homeownership"
Do your best to register people to vote where the pickings are good . . . out inn the sticks of Slovakia, I got one registered for Obama!
Just a few questions about how the campaign has gotten this far:
Was it a positive campaign about the changes this country needs or a constant complaint about who can bring about change?
Was the primary message about principles or personalities?
Was the theme "Yes we can" or "No they can't"?
Are we still fighting a war in Iraq which should never have been authorized and never have been waged?
What about universal healthcare, green job growth, energy independence, strengthening education, restoring the United State's standing in the world?
Was there a call for a united sacrifice for a UNITED States of America or a constant dividing of the electorate into increasingly smaller groups (Big states/small states)?
Did we find it fair fare to bring up someone's church involvement (in all of the candidates it was churches but it could be mosque, synagogue, or lack of a 'faith' identity)?
Is it time to hone the message and return to the basic message of this campaign?
. . . just wondering.
That's were the logo on my "I am one of the million" t-shirt sits. I think it's GREAT. I am a little left of center myself. I hope President Obama will be as well . . . actually, I hope he's more than just a little. This country needs to be returned from the dark path of conservatism.
Anyway, I was at the airport in Budapest today and got all kinds of looks about my shirt. Several people read "Obama" outloud. Since I don't understand Hungarian (what a CRAZY language, koszonom szipen), I don't know what was said. But the only semi-critical looks were from a group of Americans. A lot of missionary-types live in Budapest . . . so you gotta look over those types! :o)
I LOVE my t-shirt!
I'm not thrilled with Obama's embracing Bush's ill-conceived Faith Based Initiatives. I am not thrilled that a supporter of separation of church and state has no option in Obama land but join a "faithless" group. I am a person of faith who believes the government has absolutely no business supporting the work of any faith group. Government support of houses of worship weakens the church (my faith is Christian) and will always come with strings. It's a rotten idea.
I live in Slovakia, but am back in the US for a brief visit. I've stopped into a San francisco Bread Company store to enjoy some ice tea and free wireless. CNN's Situation Room has just come on. I think Wolf Blitzer is a complete dolt.
In front of me area mixed group of twenty-somethings. Mixed - male/female, white/black. But united in their belief that Barack Obama is the best choice for the next president of the United States. I am just an old, fat guy and didn't take part in the praise for OUR candidate. But I was encouraged at the wisdom and depth these folks were talking about issues, policies, and how Barack Obama is the best answer the US has right now for the situation we face. I have hope. Thank you Obama!
I just saw an interview in a NYC subway station where a woman admitted that she would not vote for Obama because he was black. My father in law has said the same thing. I think both of these people are sick. BUT, I have more tolerance for them than I do for so many people who I have encountered, received emails from, or seen interviewed on TV.
Suddenly, with Obama's victory, all that is being focused on is that Barack Obama is African-American. At first it seems sort of silly. But this is a historic day and we as proud Americans should enjoy and celebrate what this day means. Further, as we look forward to November, it is important that we not lose sight of what an Obama victory will mean vis-a-vis race. (I can't believe I just used that phrase, what a pompous ass.) But this realization brings me back to the interviewee and my father-in-law.
Sadly, racism is alive and well in the United States. But the racists (of whatever color or prejudice) for which I have the smallest bit of tolerance are those who admit that they are racists. It is the two-faced, liars who smilingly deny the hatred which has rotted their hearts who make me sick. They are evil and beyond hope. It is these people who insidiously perpetuate systemic racism by their silent, complicit support of intolerance who are the most dangerous hatemongers in the world.
Until I met people in the country I live who demand that they are not racists but who look at neighbors of different ethnic background and lament that "Hitler should have had more time to finish the job with these people" that I realized the depth of evil and self-deception in the hearts of racists. In a small way, those like my father-in-law and the woman interviewed on CNN represent the face of racists which I am more tolerable of. I am NOT tolerant of their racism, but the fact that they acknowledge their evil hearts is, to me, a sign of hope.
We have a lot to do to change the hearts and minds of voters who are opposed to voting for Obama because they've heard rumors of his religious or family background. We should do all we can to reach out to these mis-informed voters. However, there are many, many who cite these things as "concerns" which make them opposed to Obama. I am convinced that these people are racist who use these false concerns as a ruse to diguise the evil in their hearts. These people scare the hell out of me. Not only do they not deserve the title Americans, they barely deserve to be called human.
I look forward to Barack Obama as President of the UNITED States. That he is African-American is icing on the cake. The United States of America now has an opportunity to again lead the world in the cause of freedom and equality. Little more than a generation ago, Obama could not vote freely. Now, he holds the hope of the future of our nation . . . even for the admitted racists among us.
I made my first ever political contribution to Howard Dean's presidential campaign . . . I was glad to do that.
My next contribution, series of contributions is more accurate, has been to support Barack Obama's bid to be President of the UNITED States.
In response to all the email requests for funds from the DNC, I responded with a promise to donate once Obama was the nominee. I am satisfied that by midnight tonight, 3 June, I will be able to make my first ever donation to the DNC. It is important that all of Obama's Democratic supporters follow through in our support for Obama by making a contribution to the DNC as well. There's a lot of work to be done to bring the party together and to take on John McCain and the Republicans. Now is the time for us to be counted.
Join me in making two donations today - and if you are like me, that means that you will have to split a regular donation - to support Barack Obama and to support the DNC. It's time.
Barring some crazy coup of the DNC, Hillary is done as of tomorrow, May 31.
Florida delegates will be punished by losing half a vote. They'll be sat according to the election results of the bogus primary.
Michigan delegates will be punished by losing half a vote. They will be sat on a fifty-fifty split. The Michigan Governor will lose her next election for complete incompetence . . . this debacle over the bogus primary just the most recent example.
Obama does better than expected in Puerto Rico and the race is over on Tuesday!
The pressure on the Superdelegates must be intense. Though there are people who have exercised their conscience and have later been subjected to slander because of it (Gov Richardson is the clearest example I can think of), there are others who have succumbed to the pressure of the Clinton War Machine when it comes to their endorsements.
The switching of VI DNC member Kevin Rodriguez from Clinton to Obama and then back to Clinton indicates the pressure they must feel. According to others who have endorsed, Team Obama is not and has not strong-armed anyone into endorsing him. On the other hand, it is apparent that the Clinton War Machine is not only harassing superdelegates, but probably threatening them as well. Out of undue respect for the Clintons, I will only assume that the threats are political in nature and not intended to endanger life or limb.
The way you run your campaign is the way you will govern. From this campaign, we know that President Obama will: treat everyone fairly, not back down from difficulties, exercise fiscal discipline, allow conscience to guide voters/consumers, be inclusive.
On the other hand, we know that the fictional Madame President Clinton will: coerce everyone to do what she wants - from health care to supporting her agenda, wrecklessly spend money as if it grows on trees, discriminate against races and classes who dare to question her absolute rule, demonstrate a chauvinism about policies which will make us long for the good old days of the BUSH administration!
We can do better than Hillary Clinton. We can do better than John McCain. Oh YES WE CAN!
I confess that I have not always been understanding when it comes to how Team Obama has conducted this campaign. At times the reponses were slow or insufficient. But throughout this primary campaign season, Team Obama has demonstrated again and again that they not only know how to run a campaign, they know how to win!
With just over a week to go in the primary season, I congratulate Team Obama on a damn fine job! You all have done so well. Thank you!
I picked up Ron Chernow's biography, Alexander Hamilton, at a Wal-Green's sale bin. I am so glad I did! Reading this well-written biography is a powerful reminder of the difficulting in setting forth a new direction for a people.
It is especially interesting to compare the personal lives of Hamilton, Clinton, Adams, Washington, and others with the current and recent White House occupants and wannabes. Amazing how the right people have risen from modest beginnings and against all odds have excelled just when our (nascent) Nation has needed them. It gives me hope about our country's future . . . especially when I believe that Barack Obama as president and the best of our Nation's days lie ahead.
If you like history, I would highly recommend Chernow's Alexander Hamilton.
Southern trees bear strange fruit,Blood on the leaves and blood at the root,Black bodies swinging in the southern breeze,Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees.Pastoral scene of the gallant south,The bulging eyes and the twisted mouth,Scent of magnolias, sweet and fresh,Then the sudden smell of burning flesh.Here is fruit for the crows to pluck,For the rain to gather, for the wind to suck,For the sun to rot, for the trees to drop,Here is a strange and bitter crop.
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It is a national embarassment to have Hillary Clinton vying for the highest office in the land. We've had enough - as a country, as free people, as Democrats. It is time for all super delegates to drop their endorsement of her and her strange and bitter mentality.
Though I at first has seen a lot of wisdom in the "Obama must chose a white, male with executive experience (governor)" argument about who should be Obama's running mate, I always thought Governor Sebellius was the better choice. Well, if McCain is forced to chose Huckabee as VP runningmate, then I thing Sebellius becomes the odds-on favorite for Obama. Why?
Huckabee's religious background as a Southern Baptist who has expressed support for his religious organization's statement demanding that women submit to their husbands will place him in an unenviable position in a contest with Sebellius. Not only would it be a stark reminder of the opportunities women have in the Democratic party with Obama, but it will also force the Huckster to either embrace or repudiate his church's official statement. Either choice will cost the Republican's votes.
Plus, the Huckster's probably the WORST VP choice for McCain who needs someone with a good grasp of Republican economic policy - high debts, lower taxes to benefit rich, regressive taxation. These are areas where the Huckster will fail . . . not because he is such a good economist, it's because he's such a bad Republican.
Obama/Sebellius 2008!
If you are one of those type people, do you think it is possible for you to take some footage of Republicans who are admitting that they are crossing over to vote for HRC just to mess up the Democrat's primary to court under state law?
How about nailing the drug-pusher Limbaugh for breaking parole or something.
:o)
A TCK is a child who grows up in a culture which is not the "home" of them or their parents. In addition to an identity of the home culture, they also have an identity of the second culture. But in reality, they don't fit in either culture and are instead described as living in a Third Culture. Similarly, bi-racial families would also create this Third Culture. The presenter also refered to this Third Culture as a World Culture Citizen. When you think of it, this describes Obama.
Children who grow up this way have a huge advantage over the rest of us who only know one culture. They are able to move in and out of various cultures and feel at ease in each of them. It is not that they lack a cultural identity, they create a multi-cultural identity. Sometimes to people with only one point of reference, they may come across as arrogant. When I heard the presenter say this, I was struck at how accurate this insight was.
Having Obama as president would, for the first time since the Founding Fathers that the leader of our country will be a person who is blessed to be a World Culture Citizen. Additionally, that Obama comes from a bi-racial family, his added insight into both of these cultures is something a single-culture person just cannot understand or offer.
It is no wonder that the rest of the world is looking with hope at the prospect of Barack Obama becoming the next president of the UNITED States. Without overstating it, he will in many ways represent the first president of the UNITED world. Fascinating possibility!
I serve as a Christian missionary in a country in central Europe focusing on a minority population in the country we live. There is not an agreed upon population figure for these people, but conservatively speaking, they make up 10% of the total population.
More than two-thirds of them live in segregated or isolated communities, most of the time literally on the other side of natural or man-made barriers from the majority community. Only one-third live in what can be called an "integrated" setting. This mostly means they live in apartment buildings where the majority population is still the majority. I am writing this to explain the following statistic:
Only four percent of the majority population personally knows a member of this minority population. Four percent! And, when the data is examined further, it is clear that most of that four percent is skewed because it is the younger generation (up to college age) who are most likely to know of a different ethnicity. Sadly, as they age, the connections they once had to persons of a different ethnicity break down.
As I listened to Obama's speech on race in the United States, I could not help but apply his words to my situation. There are differences: chattel slavery was not really an issue here; there are language barriers which have existed for the entire six hundred years that the land has been inhabited by both groups (the minority population mostly speak both langauges - the majority population completely reject the minority language and culture); and the genocide of WW2 was committed on this land not in the US.
There are degrees of similarities: Sunday morning, while not the most segregated hour in the country, reflects the truth that the minority are actively shunned from religious organizations (having visited minority-population houses of worship, the majority population is welcomed there); distrust and perhaps even prejudice goes both ways; inequality in educational opportunities are blamed on "uncontrollable" circumstances even though official decisions of where to build schools and how to fund them are completely controllable.
Obama's inspiring words reminded me that though we have come a long way in the US, we still have a long way to go. With what I have witnessed living in a "foreign" land, I am more convinced that the power to bring about the revolutionary, transformative change required to combat the prejudices we have adjusted our lives to, lies within each and every one of us. Both minority and majority populations have responsibility for the current situation and both majority and minority populations have the power to change the situation.
It will take just a few thousand people to reach out to someone of a different race and embrace their humanity to radically change this whole country. How radically changed with the United States be if tens of thousands of people - both majority and minority populations - reach out to someone who is 'different'? All we have to lose is an enemy.
