OK, maybe that won't catch on as a campaign slogan, but I liked it.
Anyway, I am thrilled with the pick of Sen. Joe Biden as the vice presidential candidate. I always felt that Sen. Obama had a better understanding of international affairs than many other candidates (cough: Republicans) but Sen. Biden's expertise is welcome. He also has shown great strengths on bread-and-butter economic issues, and he comes across as authentic.
He will be a formidable campaigner, and during the VP debate, he will have the Republican candidate for lunch.
I just had to share this. I went to fill up my car today, and there was a line of cars with people apparently waiting to check their tire pressure and fill their tires.
Apparently America has taken Sen. Obama's advice to heart. Bet those Republicans feel pretty stupid now, eh?
Snaps to Sen. Obama and the Obama campaign for finally hitting back HARD against the inanity that John McCain and the Republicans have been spewing. (And even Paris Hilton has a better energy plan that John McCain.)
I'm sure many of you have seen Obama's new ads and heard some of his new points while he's out campaigning.
"It's like these guys take pride in being ignorant."
"It will be interesting to watch this debate between John McCain and John McCain."
I especially like the ad using John McCain's voice talking about how much he has supported President Bush, voting with him 90% of the time.
One of the reasons John Kerry lost was that he looked weak when he didn't respond to the swift-boat liars. We can't afford to do the same.
Great job all around!
The McCain campaign has come out with several negative, hard-hitting ads in the last week. It doesn't matter that they're not true -- people see a snippet of them, and that's all they remember. It doesn't matter that they're so bad that reporters laugh. Voters see them and take them to heart. Now that McCain has Karl Rove's minions working for him, we can expect them nonstop.
Of course Barack Obama is not responsible for high gas prices. But the Obama campaign's response ad isn't very strong (an "old politics" approach). Instead of coming out and calling McCain and his campaign liars for pushing the narrative of Obama not supporting the troops because he canceled a visit to see wounded troops in Germany, the Obama campaign says it's "unfortunate" and "dishonorable." No. Call them what they are -- liars.
Where's the Obama ad listing all of the times McCain voted against veterans' benefits -- or how he hasn't even bothered to show up ONCE in the Senate since April? Where's the Obama ad listing how John McCain has received millions in oil company money since he announced his support for offshore drilling? Where's the Obama ad explaining Obama's ideas on gas prices -- in a quick, digestible manner?
We haven't won this yet. There's still three months to go. These negative ads are having a positive effect on John McCain's poll numbers, just as the ads (and free publicity) from the swift-boat liars did for George Bush against John Kerry.
Sen. Obama used to say, "I won't be swift-boated." But that's what's happening. He used to say, "I'm tough -- I'm from Chicago." But we're not seeing any tough responses. Come ON, campaign!
In an interview with a German newspaper reported by Reuters, Maliki said Obama's 16-month plan is the "right timeframe" and that he prefers Obama's plan to McCain's plan of having troops stay indefiinitely. "Artificially extending the stay of U.S. troops would cause problems." This is after Bush announced a "time horizon" yesterday.
How can they possibly spin this to the Republican advantage?
Here's the link:
http://www.reuters.com/article/vcCandidateFeed2/idUSL198009020080719
Brilliant comeback by Barack Obama after chief McCain economic adviser Phil Gramm said that the U.S. is a nation of "whiners" and that the country is only in a "mental recession."
The McCain camp tried to distance itself from Gramm's remarks.The Obama camp needs to keep reminding everyone: PHIL GRAMM HAS WRITTEN JOHN McCAIN'S ENTIRE ECONOMIC "PLAN" (and I'm using that term loosely, as it's so poorly put together that it doesn't even bother to include any numbers).
Go Barack! Don't forget to mention that you want to overhaul the bankruptcy bill, too.
I saw a little of the Access Hollywood interview with the Obama family. It was great to see a loving family with normal kids, talking about the kinds of things famililes talk about. It will be great to see a normal, loving family in the White House.
I agree -- once is enough (they are only 7 and 10, after all). We can see them again on stage when Obama makes his acceptance speech, and then we can see them when he takes the oath of office.
Oh, and maybe we can see them when they adopt their new dog from an animal shelter (much better than buying a purebreed).
First, that "seal" on display during the Democratic governors' meeting was pretty lame. Sen. Obama, you know we love you and we're willing to donate, volunteer and make phone calls on your behalf. But you haven't been elected president yet, so don't start acting like it with something that looks like a quasi-presidential seal. (Don't forget that you've still got to get rid of the "elitist" label with some voters.) I'm still hoping that it was a one-time joke. And the "Yes We Can" in Latin reminded me of Hogwarts.
Second, many of your supporters are very disappointed with your statement on the FISA "compromise." This was no compromise; this was total capitulation. Senator, you taught constitutional law. You KNOW this breaks the Fourth Amendment. Please reconsider voting in favor of this bad law. Then, when you become president and you have a bigger majority in both the House and Senate, you can redo the FISA law with the proper protections. And no immunity.
This is from Firedoglake:
John McCain has received a ZERO rating on women's issues every single year from NARAL from 2001 to 2007. A zero. He's against emergency contraception and funding for teen pregnancy prevention programs. He thinks Roe should be overturned. He voted against having health insurers cover birth control. And, as Joe Conason points out, he's not exactly Mr. Candor, including about sex education and contraception use to prevent the spread of AIDS.
A reporter followed up by inquiring whether McCain supports sex education that candidly discusses contraception and preventing the spread of AIDS and other disease, or whether he backs President Bush's abstinence-only education program. After a long pause, he said, "I think I support the president's policy." Does he believe that contraceptives help stop the spread of HIV? After another long pause, he replied, "You've stumped me."
The words blithering, pandering moh-ron leap to mind here. Equal pay? McCain opposed it, saying Congress shouldn't pass any laws that hold corporations accountable for screwing their female employees. Hell, he didn't even bother to show up for the last vote on this issue. I guess Lily Ledbetter had it coming, eh, Maverick?
Instead, McCain think he's going to appeal to women voters with a new approach. In a new blog on his Web site, he says, "Attention, disaffected Hillary supporters. John McCain is a huge ABBA fan. Seriously."
Somehow, I don't think that's going to work.
I know many Clinton supporters are feeling disapointed -- and even angry -- that Sen. Clinton didn't get the nomination. As a middle-aged woman, I, too, want to see a woman president. But his year, I just wanted the best one, and that was Barack Obama.
There have been numerous stories about and interviews with African-Americans and how they feel about Barack Obama's candidacy. It took me back to the early 1980s in Chicago.
Jane Byrne was the mayor. Cook County State's Attorney Richard M. Daley (who later became mayor) challenged her in the Democratic primary. But there was a third challenger: Harold Washington, an African-American congressman from Chicago.
There's racism to some degree in all parts of the country, and Chicago was no different. There was (and still is) a lot of segregation. And many didn't put much faith into someone challenging an incumbent mayor and a Daley. But Washington won the primary. (And in Chicago, if you win the Democratic primary for mayor, you've really won the election.)
I will never forget taking the bus to work the next morning. Every African-American person on the bus, from the driver to the passengers, had huge grins on their faces. Many were sporting "Washington" buttons. A line had been crossed, and a barrier had been broken.
I think we crossed a line Tuesday night, and I think we'll cross another one in November.
And then someday in the not-too-distant future, we'll break another barrier, and we WILL have a woman president.
In the meantime, keep donating and keep volunteering! And register more people to vote!
Fellow Obama supporters, donors and volunteers:
We need a UNITED Democratic Party in November. Whatever feelings we might have about Sen. Clinton, her staff or her surrogates, it's time to come together.
We won this by a nose, not a landslide. Given the dirty tricks of the Republican operatives, we're going to need every vote we can get. Let's all work to elect Democrats this fall -- from the presidency to both houses of Congress to state races.
But there's no reason we can't give a great big
WHOO-HOO!
I think it's up to us to reach out to supporters of Sen. Clinton and get them on board for Sen. Obama. My phone banking over the last several months has told me that the vast majority of Democratic voters still liked both candidates and don't want McCain, despite the picture the media tries to paint.
Yes, there are some rabid Hillary supporters like the few we saw online and on TV today and yesterday. But consider: There were supposed to be 10,000 Hillary supporters in D.C. yesterday. There were a few hundred. The loud and rude behavior in the RBC meeting room was from only a handful of people.
So talk personally to someone you know at work, at church, in the neighborhood, wherever. Voters are understandably disappointed when their candidate loses, but when we remind them of the disasters our country will face if John McCain is elected next November, most will come around.
The good news is: In the South Dakota phone banking I did today and yesterday, I didn't get one Clinton supporter.
Earlier today, I wrote a post that perhaps the Obama campaign should consider Clinton for the VP slot. After the assassination slur, it's obvious that this woman shouldn't be anywhere near the White House, much less Sen. Obama.
If you haven't already, watch Keith Olberman's "Special Comment" on the Countdown rebroadcast, or watch it on the MSNBC Web site.
Now, please don't jump all over this with spam comments. The Obama campaign seriously needs to consider adding Sen. Clinton to the ticket.
More than anything else, we need to win this in November. I think we are most likely to do this with an Obama-Clinton ticket. Why, you may ask. Here are some reasons:
1) We didn't win this 70-30, or 60-40, or 55-45. We barely squeaked by with a win in pledged delegates and a (luckily) growing lead in superdelegates. We can't ignore all of the Democrats who didn't vote for Barack. Whatever their reasons, they see them as legitimate, even if we don't. Putting Clinton on the ticket is the best chance for Democratic Party unity. And doing so will immediately shut up the most strident of her supporters.
2) There are plenty of things for a strong VP to head up: health care, the environment, etc. The vice presidency has been growing in strength since Al Gore was VP. Of course, Dick Cheney's secretive "fourth branch of government" argument is ridiculous, but imagine how much more could get done in our country with a positive strong VP.
3) The other names being bandied about just aren't that strong. Kathleen Sebelius of Kansas? Does anyone remember her lame Democratic response to the Bush state of the Union last year? Evan Bayh? He puts everyone to sleep. Same can be said of many of those names.
4) I don't want to lose in November and have to tell my daughters that our stubborness and that of Clinton supporters is the reason Roe v. Wade has been overturned. Bush's two appointments to the Supreme Court have been a disaster for civil liberties; we can't afford any others from John McCain. Indeed, we can't afford ANY of the disasters, especially in Iraq, that a McCain presidency would bring.
5) Putting Hillary on the ticket doesn't make Obama look weak. It reflects the will of Democratic voters. This may not be a "dream" ticket, but it's not a "nightmare" ticket, either.
Rumors are flying all over TV and the Internet that the campaigns are talking; the campaigns aren't talking; Hillary backers and Bill Clinton are shamelessly demanding a joint ticket. Who knows what's really happening?
Finally, Barack Obama is the only one who will make the ultimate decision of running mate. And he's not going to ask us anyway.
The Clinton campaign may be living in an alternate universe, but they're just saying what they have to tonight after a big win. They know it's over (they're probably just looking for more money!). We know it's over. Everyone knows it's over. Obama will probably get another slew of superdelegates tomorrow, and he'll win big in Oregon next week.
Democrats are going to have to work together in the coming months to win the election, from the presidency on down the ticket, in November. No one needs to start alienating anyone else.
Sure, Obama lost big tonight, but look at all of the states where he creamed Clinton. And he's changing the map: There are a new group of swing states out west that are going to be in play with Obama as the candidate.
Nor do we need to be disparaging of West Virginia voters. They made their choices today (however wrong they were). We all knew those kinds of voters were going to be a tough sell no matter what. A big win in Oregon will show that he can win majorities of white voters and women (that's what the polls are showing now).
So however much we don't like the Clinton campaign, let's refrain from anger, name-calling, etc. Let's get back to making phone calls in Oregon, Kentucky, Montana and South Dakota.
I just finished making 50 phone calls to West Virginia voters. Granted, many people weren't home, so I left a message. Some people just don't want to talk to volunteers talking about candidates, and they told me they weren't interested, or they didn't want to share who they supported.
But here's the thing -- NOBODY said they were for Hillary. And several said they were for Obama!
In every other state I've called, I always got people saying they were voting for Hillary. And certainly some of the people who said they weren't interested might be voting for her. But if she's supposed to be ahead in the polls by 30 or 40 points, you would think that SOMEONE would admit it.
I even had one "undecided" tell me that for him, it's between Barack and McCain. I urged him to vote for Barack on Tuesday so he'll be our nominee, and he agreed to do that.
Granted, it was only 50 calls. But it makes me wonder what the real outcome will be on Tuesday night.
Today I did my usual Sunday afternoon phone calls for Obama to voters in Indiana. I dialed 72 numbers and got actual human beings about half the time. Surprisingly, more voters were undecided than decided for either candidate, and for the ones who had decided, they were 50/50 for Barack and Hillary.
The undecideds were willing to listen and seemed to appreciate the details of Sen. Obama's accomplishments. The campaign doesn't stress these as much as I would like, but he's got nearly 12 years of legislative experience, he passed health care for the children of Illinois, he cut taxes for working-class families and he passed new ethics rules at the state and federal level, all by working across the aisle with Republicans to get the job done. People were impressed. (And by the way, they WEREN'T impressed with Hillary's "gas tax holiday" proposal).
The questions I got from voters were about Jeremiah Wright -- people are concerned. Here were my answers:
A church is a lot more than just one pastor. There are eight preachers at Trinity United Church of Christ, all of whom have different styles and messages. That church has done incredible things for the South Side of Chicago, including food pantries, homeless shelters, AIDS ministries, day care -- the list goes on and on.
In my own church-going experience, I've been faced with choices when I found myself disagreeing with a pastor's comments in a sermon. Barack and Michelle Obama have said they decided to stick with their church because they knew Wright would be retiring soon. My family was faced with the same choice, and we're glad we stayed where we were. It's heart-wrenching to leave a church, especially when it's a church where you found your faith in the first place.
The other thing I stressed was one of the big reasons I'm supporting Barack. He's honest. He tells you the blunt truth, even if it's not what an audience wants to hear, as he did in Detroit before automakers, telling them they need to change the way they're making cars.
I think people really relate if they feel you're telling an honest story, and not just repeating talking points.
The more people we talk to, the better our chances.
Good for Sen. Obama for standing up and speaking out against the Rev. Jeremiah Wright. I'm sure it wasn't easy.
After seeing the Bill Moyers interview on Friday night on PBS, I had a very different (and positive) view of Wright. But his antics at the NAACP dinner Sunday night, however humorous, and the National Press Club on Monday, went too far. Obama didn't have a choice.
We can only hope that this doesn't hurt Obama too much. Will the media move on? Probably not. And now we learn that the person who invited Wright to speak at the National Press Club event is a Clinton supporter. Somehow, I'm not surprised.
I'm sure you'll agree with me that Charlie Gibson and George Stephanopolous should both be fired. They actually got BOOED as they left the hall. They were more interested in asking about Jeremiah Wright, flag pins and a 1960s radical than about the economy, Iraq, energy, the environment, torture, etc., etc.
That wasn't a debate; it was a game of two millionaire ego trips playing tabloid "gotcha" instead of asking real questions about policy. "We're running out of time," Gibson said at the end. Of COURSE you were running out of time -- you wasted more than an hour asking questions that had been fed to you by Fox News personalities.
A pretty sad day for American journalism. You can leave a message at the ABC switchboard:
212-456-7777
Apparently there have been 4,000 negative comments left at the ABC message site already. They had to shut it down. Let's keep hammering them tomorrow.
All in all, I thought Obama came off well, politely telling them, "You're wasting all of our time concentrating on this nonsense."
This blowup over Sen. Obama's comments has given him a chance to shore up his populist message. Because he has to respond to Sen. Clinton's and Sen. McCain's criticisms, it gives him an opportunity to attack while defending himself.
How can someone who has earned $109 million over the last 7 years claim she knows what a working-class voter thinks? How can someone who owns eight houses and is married to a beer heiress understand what it's like to not be able to pay your bills? Actually, that's the ONLY thing Clinton and McCain have in common with poor folks who have lost their jobs -- their campaigns both are short on cash, and Clinton has bill collectors across the country demanding that they pay up.
Meanwhile, you see photos of Hillary talking about guns, doing shots with guys at a bar. Does she honestly believe that is going to enhance her credibility?
Barack Obama's comments over the next few days, and at Wednesday's debate, will be very important in this area. His comments Friday night and Saturday were right on the mark. He cannot apologize or back down -- he must look and remain strong.
