After watching Obama give a detailed account of what he means be change, I expected (foolishly) the RebubliCONS to offer at least a hint of what they were going to do to help the economy and what they were really going to do to change things. There was nothing, nada, zip, zero in the way of detail of how they were to fix anything. A bunch of platitudes and highly charge rhetoric was all I heard.
Actually, as I expected the RepubliCONS did come though with their negativity and gloom and doom. During the part of their convention speeches I could bear to hear, I heard only tearing down, sarcasm and shrillness but nothing positive. How they can say this is not part of the last 8 years insults our intelligence.
I guess if you have nothing new to offer, no new ideas, or really solutions the only other tactic is to insult and make fun of the other side. The lemmings certainly were willing to cheer and encourage this negative rhetoric. When the only argument you have is that you know about war, that's not much to run on, but I guess they're following the Rudy playbook - a noun, a verb and 9-11.
I can't wait to have someone with intelligence and gravitas as our president. I can't wait for someone who will actually follow the law and the constitution to be sitting in the White House. With Obama and Biden leading our country I know we will all see better days.
It's been a long few months and I'm so glad I finally got to cast my primary vote for Obama. I actually cast my ballot earlier last week during the states early voting time. I not only voted, but also gave my neighbors a ride to the polls so they too could cast their vote for Obama.
I have a good feeling about the results here in NC. I think there is a tremendous amount of support for Obama locally, as well in other heavily populated areas of the state. There as so many colleges and university sites in the state that I find it impossible to believe that these areas won't turn out in a big way for Obama. This is a state with a lot of transplants from all over the country so it's not a 'traditionally' southern state.
No matter what happens today, I think that Obama is on his way to the Democratic nominiation and then on to the White House. It will be a grand day, when on January 20th, Obama takes the oath of office as the next President of the United State of America.
It's so good to see the hope that Obama is bringing to people all across this country. I have a friend who has never, ever voted for a Democrat. He has always backed a RepubliCON candidate and told me yesterday that he would vote for Obama if he were nominated, but would NEVER, NEVER, NEVER vote for Clinton. He believes that Obama will actually try to keep his promises and he said that Clinton would never do anything. Hope lives folks. It shows that Obama has a greater appeal across party lines than any other candidate.
I hope you got to see Michelle Obama on Larry King Live. She was so impressive and so straight forward with her answers. It'll be a great day in America when she is First Lady. She, like her husband, will do work for the people of this country and not be self-serving. I was so glad to hear that they are taking nothing for granted in this election. Even though Obama has the Big Mo right now, it's still going to be a long hard battle to get the nomination.
When CNN reported on the primaries/caucuses on Tuesday I found it very telling that they only showed a portion of Clinton's speech in VA, but they showed the entire speech by Obama. This gives me hope that they realize that something great is happening in this country and they want to get his message to as many people as possible.
It seemed so impossible a few months ago that Obama would be in the position he's in today. This election is proving to everyone that it's time for something better and so long as the hope stays alive we can be victorious and win the nomination.
I can't believe that the garbage about Obama being a Muslim, being sworn in on the Koran and that he turns his back on the US flag is still being circulated. I know there are a lot of gullible people, but how gullible do you have to be to believe these outright lies? I'm glad to see that Obama has addressed these on his website and is now speaking out about this. Just proves that there are a lot of crazy people out there who have nothing better to do than to make things up, perhaps for their 15 minutes of fame.
I agree with Obama, he gives us credit for being smarter than to fall for some of the things that are being said by not only other candidates, but also the pundants who seem to permeate the airwaves 24/7. Yes, there are naive people that will take just about anything they hear as the truth, but I think the majority of us are too smart to base our opinions based on sound bites and bias.
I think it's a shame that Obama has to defend himself against this type of nonsense. I know that this is going to be a hard fight and having to deal with all of this just takes away from the message. This may soon die down as the campaign continues for the Democratic nomination, but it will probably reappear after Obama is nominated, especially when the RepubliCONs are so determined to continue the Bush doctrine for as long as they can.
I am 57 year old, white, Jewish, and female from NC and I support Obama. I am amazed that the media is still harping about baby boomer females supporting Clinton. Just because I am from the same generation and female doesn't mean that it's a given that I would support someone just because of that. Perhaps I'm a little bit different from what the media is presenting because I've been following it ISSUES and not the personalities.
I know that there has been a lot of mud slinging in the past few weeks and I wish Obama would just step back and quit getting into the pit with the Clintons. Like the old saying goes, "If you lay down with dogs you get fleas". Obama needs to stay above this garbage and keep pressing on the issues. Yes, I know he needs to make is record clear, especially to those watching on TV, but there is a better way to do it than get into the kind of rhetoric that took place at the last debate.
If the Clinton's want to wallow in the mud, let them be the ones who continue to get dirty. Barack needs to keep it real and keep in focused on issues. These pesky little snipes at him and his voting record in Illinois can be explained in a clear, concise and tactful manner. I hate to see his candidacy take him down the same path that has been part of the history of these types of campaigns. He is better than that and needs to make sure voters know that.
One particular gauling thing that I think Obama needs to address is his health care plan - IN DETAIL! I think it's time for this country to have the right health care plan for all it's citizens, but not if it isn't going to address the cost factor. I have to admit that the Clinton plan does address this as well, but when it demands that everyone buy into a plan without explaining if there will be financial consequences if a person doesn't, that doesn't seem right. I don't think the Edwards plan really addresses this issue at all, but his chance of being nominated is pretty much determined at this point, it's really not a concern. One issue in particualar that Obama addresses in his health policy, is malpractice insurance costs. I don't see that in Clinton's plan at all. I think this is an important issue that needs to be addressed.
One other thing I noticed, the only candidate who has sites for ALL the states is Obama. The others only have specific states on the websites. Since my state will be one having a primary way after Super Tuesday, I guess they don't think it's important to pay an heed to us. If Clinton is for ALL Americans, why is she ignoring so many of us? I guess Edwards is right, there are two Americas, ones who vote before February 6th, and those who vote after and the ones coming afterward don't count.
I will continue to try to cut through all the garbage and keep focusing on issues. It's getting harder to do I know, but the real issue is, who can been the RepubliCONs? This 57 year old, Southern white Jewish female thinks it can only be Barack Obama.
I know it's easier to reach more people to have large rallies in these early primary states, but I think it would help the cause more to have more town hall meetings. Why? In the next few weeks, there is going to be more and more criticism of Obama from the Clinton machine. They are beginning to talk as if Obama has no substance to his message. If the voters could ask the tough questions and get specific answers to those questions I think it would dispel doubt that Obama is all talk and no action.
Watching C-Span prior to the NH primary, I think Clinton made some real headway at one of the town hall meetings she had. She let the audience ask questions and she gave some pretty detailed and specific answers. This was a large gathering, but she managed to make sure that as many people as possible got into this forum and spent a lot of time addressing specific issues.
I think it would serve the Obama campaign to consider this type of forum over simply having a rally and letting Obama speak from a prepared speech. Most people are NOT going to go to a website to get information on the candidates, especially in these early primary states. These folks want to see the candidates, want to know the specifics of their ideas, but won't spend time trying to find it on the web.
The debates don't really allow time for an expansion of a candidates positions, since they are resticted to one minutes and 30 second answers. To call these forums debates is really ludicrous since they really don't debate in the true style of a debate.
I think it would do more for the Obama campaign to have him answer questions and be able to elaborate on all the issues that the voters find important. We all know that Obama is an eloquent speaker, but as this thing moves on to February 5th, Bill Clinton is going to be more on the attack, pointing his finger and making voters believe that Obama has no substance to his bid for the White House.
It is a free country and one can vote for whomever that feel good about, but it's hard for me to take NH seriously when there were people voting for two candidates who were no longer in the race. Perhaps the people voting for Dodd and Biden (1% for each) didn't get the news that neither one was still a legitimate candidate.
Secondly, the entire process is so skewed when one realizes that there are only about a million people in the entire state of NH. Dismiss those too young to vote and there are only about one-half million who can vote. This doesn't really represent a large percentage of the population of the United States. Of course, the same can be said for Iowa, with less than one-half million actually voting. The media has made such a big deal about this that people are swayed too easily bythe results of this two minor contests.
Thirdly, they (the media) are all sitting with egg on their faces after the polls were wrong. What they don't tell us is that NH voters are VERY, VERY independent and are insulted when asked who they voted for. They consider their choice personal and private and are not apt to tell the truth if asked.
The real contests are yet to come. "Super Tuesday" will be the real deal. 22 states will be casting votes either in a caucus or a primary on that day. It's way too early to know which way things will go based on two minor states.
One emotional moment supposedly changed the minds of NH voters in large numbers and made it possible for Clinton to edge out Obama by 3 percentage points. This is pure rubbish. There was a last minute push by the powers in the Democratic party to get out and rally for Clinton. Perhaps this small emotional moment swayed a few voters, but I have doubts that it really had that much impact. Besides, Obama has shown more passion about this country and what he wants for all of us from the very beginning. This last minute emotion was more about being a tired candidate than a candidate for a real passion for change.
What all should be looking toward is who is best suited to defeat the other party in November. It's been clear to me for almost a year, that Obama is the only one running who can capture the imagination of this country and really change how things are done in Washington.
Passion, drive, hope and hard work has been the life-long mantra of Obama. This is not pie-in-the-sky dreaming, this is what we need right now. I am still supporting Obama and know that he is the right person to be our president.
Has everyone forgotten that Bush himself announced benchmarks in his January 2007 speech to the nation? When he went on national television and explained his "new" stategy for Iraq he gave a list of things that the Iraqi government needed to do in order to move forward. He talked about them appointing a miliary commander and two deputy commanders for Baghdad. He said that Iraqi government would deploy Iraqi Army and National Police brigades across the nine districts in Baghdad. Bush went on to say that he has made it clear that the American commitment is not open-ended.
To quote Bush exactly: "A successful strategy for Iraq goes beyond miliary operations. Ordinary Iraqi citizens must see that military operations are accompanied by visible improvements in their neighborhoods and communities. So America will hold the Iraqi government to the BENCHMARKS it has announced."
There it is. I took this directly from the White House website - there was more of the speech, but I remembered that Bush had used the term BENCHMARK in regard to this latest scheme he proposed. Now, he is saying that he will veto anything that comes from Congress that includes benchmarks. What does that mean?
Does it mean that Bush will only allow benchmarks that he proposes? Does it mean that only benchmarks that the Iraqi government wants will be set? I knew when he made this speech that the Iraqi governement would not be able to hold up their end of this deal. They seem to want America to keep shouldering the burden for them. Did Bush not know this when he gave this speech? The government is too weak to follow through on the multitude of promises they made.
It's time to realize that a military solution will not work and that diplomacy must be the effort put forward NOW! There will not be an end to the violence, suidice bombings and widespread corruption in Iraq without diplomacy.
I look forward to the best benchmark of all: When Obama becomes President the war in Iraq will be a thing of the past and intelligence and common sense will prevail.
Anyone who watched the RepubliCON presidential candidate debate the other night on MSNBC soon realized that the CONS are living in the 80's. They invoked the name of Reagan so many times I half expected his image to appear on the stage and take a bow. What does this tell us? It says that they have not had anyone in their party who commands any kind of respect since Reagan.
The CONS are indeed on the wrong path. A big part of their time was spent talking about abortion. They all, for the most part, followed the party line and made a point to say that they valued life above all. Isn't this a double standard when they are also for continuing a war that is claiming American lives every day? What this says to me is this; they value a fetus but they don't value anyone over 18! More to the point, they value American babies, but have nothing to say about babies and children in the rest of the world. There was no mention of Darfur and what is happening to women and children there. There was no mention of Afghanistan and the dying soldiers there. So, if they are so concerned with life, as they all said they were, where is their concern for all the other lives that are being taken every day because of war, murder, and starvation?
The CONS talked about the deficit and said they were going to fix this when they got to the White House. Hey fellows, if you want to fix the deficit isn't it obvious that by ending the war you could save billions of dollars? I didn't hear any concrete idea on how they were going to fix this problem except to taut the idea of helping businesses and businessmen. Aren't most businesses doing quite well? How much profit did Exxon-Mobil have in the first quarter of this year? Wasn't it the largest profit they have ever had in their history?
Not one of these candidates offered anything that showed they were going to change a thing if they get elected. Giuliani is living in the past, invoking September 11 every chance he gets. Gilmore comes across like a circuit preacher from the 60's, thumping his Bible and promoting Christianity as the national religion. Romney proves to be as stubborn as the current Commander Guy. Romney said he doesn't believe polls and doesn't follow them. So, he doesn't care what the majority wants? Does this sound familiar?
There are so many issues that are too important to be pushed aside in order to focus on abortion as a main platform. The genocide in Sudan, the war in Afghanistan, North Korea, the Israel/Palestine conflict, Iran. Domestic issues that didn't get much attention from the CONS; health care and the cost of care, jobs, the economy, gas prices and alternative energy, global warming, and education to name a few.
This is why Obama is the only choice - he wants to take us in a new direction and make us the kind of country that we are meant to be. We need someone like Obama to move us forward and not take us back to the 80's.
I make it a point to keep up with what is going on with all those right wing pundits. Ann Coulter, Sean Hannity, Rush Limburgh, etc. What I'm seeing is that they are all so critical of Barack Obama that it means they see him as a serious candiate. They used to reserve most of the venom for Hillary, but Obama is becoming more and more a sore spot for them.
I've always known that none of the abovementioned are really to be taken seriously. They are all in this for the recogniton and the money, but they seem to be the voice that most of the misguided RepubliCONs follow.
Right now their main criticism of all the Democratic candidates seem to be that they are not really concerned about the things they say they are. Limbaugh pointed on on Friday, after the debate, that all the candidate flew to SC for the debate on private jets. How did he expect them to get there on time? When they were in the Senate voting on the bill that would set a deadline for troop withdrawal on Thursday afternoon, there was no other way for them to get to the debate on time. Certainly, I would like to see more of the candidates take a much stronger position on global warming, but to criticize them for this was just being petty and trying to find fault with anything done by a Democrat. Rush also is following his mush-for-brains leader by calling it the Democrat party. It's really a hoot to listen to him sound so illiterate on the radio.
Sean Hannity has increased his attacks on Obama over the past few days. All this proves is that Obama is a serious threat to him and his ilk. Of course, one has to question the mentality of anyone who still supports Bush after all the miscues and deceit that has been perpetrated by his administation over the past 7 years.
My favorite ultra-conservation, Ann Coulter, is certainly good for laughs at anytime. She is part of a site called Human Events. They have a paper called "Barack Obama EXPOSED" that is full of hate and mis-information and based on nothing but personal opinion and hate baiting. I find it amazing that Coulter can make all kinds of outlandish statements, critical of ever group, and still keep her job and thrive. She is the epitome of name-calling, but seems to retain her ability to appear regularly on Fox(News?) as an expert on politics. I've long ago realized that she is good for one thing - comic relief. She has made a career out of being controversial in order to increase her book sales and her net worth. Once I got past her fonfer voice, I found her rather entertaining.
Anyway, all of the ultra right wingers are making Obama a big part of their schtick and I take that to mean that they are aware that he is the real thing and has a good chance of making good on his promises. I'm sure, in private, their shaking in their boots, fearing that Obama will be our next president. God bless 'em. Maybe if that happens they will follow Gravel under that rock he's been hidding under.
The pundits on MSNBC got it wrong! The winner was not Hillary - it was Obama. Some of their analysis was dead wrong. When asked about what she would do if there were two American cities attacked Clinton immediately talked about retaliation. The pundits said this was a good thing. Doesn't this sound exactly like the current administation? Isn't it time for a more level headed approach?
Obama was asked the same question and his response was one would expect from the leader of the greatest country in the world. He said we should first deal with the victims and survivors and then make a determination as to who did this to our country. He continually talked about diplomacy and talking and listening instead of just dropping bombs on anyone and everyone.
I do wish that Obama hadn't done what most other candidates do time and again. I wish he had stayed on subject with each question and not gone back to something else. I wish he had answered the envirmonmental question more thoroughly and not gone off on a tangent. I expect this from Edwards because that's how he gets by without ever giving a direct answer to any question. I hope Obama will stay on subject during the next debate so he can distinguish himself from the rest of the field.
Finally, I thought Obama showed extreme constraint when dealing with Gravel. Who let this guy in there anyway? Is anyone going to take him seriously? I think having this guy participate hurt the who process. His demeanor and his attitude took away from the seriousness of what we need in this country. We don't have time to deal with this kind of nonsense. We need a SERIOUS LEADER like Obama and not someone with wild, half-baked ideas.
There is much excitement about tonight's debate. Even though the election is more than a year away, I think that Obama's mere presence will make this a highly watched event. To all those who do not have access to MSNBC, I hope you find a friend who can receive this channel and make a point to watch this debate.
Now that the national polls show that Obama has the same percentage of support at the supposed front runner I know that tonight will show a great many people at Obama IS the candidate for 2008. I think these polls are a little skewed (more than 3%). I think that Obama has really be ahead in these polls since he announced he was a candidate. All of my friends are certainly supporting Obama.
No matter what the pundits may say tomorrow, I think Obama will run away with the debate and let the nation see that he is for real - our next president - a real LEADER! Tonight the nation will see that this is the man we need to more our country forward.
The fact that this campaign has raised $25 million dollars and a good portion of it has come from on-line and from people all over the country proves to me that the media is out of touch with this country as much as the current administration. I'm not sure where they get their information, but it seems to me that there is a countrywide ground swell for Barack Obama. The proof is in the numbers!
We are being told daily that the front runner in this election on the Democratic side is Hillary Clinton and John McCain on the Republican side. The media would have us believe that they are in the know and have the pulse of this country. I say that we need to stop listening to their propoganda and begin to realize that we have someone in Obama who speaks to many more American's than the so called front runners.
Obama and his wife are in this campaign to LISTEN to the real concerns of this country. We do not need another candidate who has an agenda that doesn't include the American people. We need a candidate who listens and speaks for us! Is should be apparent that there is only one who stands for us! It is not audacity to say that Barack Obama is the only viable candidate that will represent us - the American people!
I got a call this morning with a message from Newt Gingrich. He was saying some things about the people not really wanting to elect the Democrats but the vote was a vote against Republicans. He was trying to revive his old program with the same old rhetoric. This is the problem with "experienced" politicians. They don't listen to the people, but TELL us what they want. They are pusing the same agenda as they did years ago. I told the caller that I was not a Republican and thought it was the same old song they have been singing for decades. She abruptly hung up on me. See, they don't want to hear anything. If you don't agree, you are cut off and ignored.
This is why I'm so excited about Obama. He has a message of moving forward and is obviously in touch with what people want. The majority of real Americans are against the war in Iraq and he is willing to address the issue. He understands the state of health care in this country and wants to fix it for the good of all.
Obama is the candidate that will take us into a new day and not promote the same old stale ideas that have been presented to us year after year. I am so ready for this to happen.
Even though the primarys and the election are a long way off I'm more excited about Obama than I've been for any other candidate. I know that the people of this country can't be fooled into voting for a carpet-bagger from New York and put up with four years of more lies and deceit. When the real primary season starts and the election rolls around the other candidates will have crashed and burned and we'll finally have a real choice.
I knew that the road wouldn't be easy because of what the media is trying to do to my candidate, but I'm proud that he is focusing on the issues and not getting caught up in the snide and unfounded comments by those trying to dig up as much dirt as possible.
Barack needs to keep on the positive track - needs to focus on the real issues and leave the sniping and whining to the rest of the crowd. This is the kind of positve energy we need in this country - no the same old tired finger pointing and excuses.
It certainly didn't take long for the mud to start flying from the other candidates did it? It seems that everyday someone is trying to find a reason to discount Obama as a viable candidate. However, you can't fool all the people all the time can you! Just look at the turnout in Austin! A lot of Americans have had enough of the usual and are ready for a voice that represents them.
There have been very few candidates that I've felt this good about - the last one that comes to mind is JFK - and that was before I was even old enough to vote. When I look at the other contenders it's clear to me that Obama is ahead of the rest of them by miles. I refuse to let the press or any political party tell me who has my best interest at heart.
The election is a long way off and I know there will be more mud throw and efforts to undermine what Obama is trying to do. I for one will not let the press and the pundits dictate what I think and how I vote. Obama has shown himself to be a leader and he can weather any of their petty insults and snipes.
This will be the most expensive campaign ever run and I for one do not begrudge any effort on Obama's part to raise money to help defeat the other less qualified candidtates. To criticize anyone for supporting him, or for contributing to his campaign is nothing more than sour grapes. This is still a free country (although less so with GWB ignoring the Constitution) and everyone has the right to chose who to support either with money or vocal support. Those who act as if they are the royal family of America need to remember that.
I'm so ready to throw the bums out and have a real change in this country. My hope is that Barack Obama will be true to his word and really work for the people of this country. Obama is the only legitimate candidate who opposed the invasion of Iraq and he's the only one who doesn't have to back peddle and make excuses. I know the neo-conservatives will say he's way to liberal as if that's a bad thing. We don't need a dictatorship or a monarchy, we need to take our country back and make our voices heard. We have to quit letting party politics dictate how we vote and for whom we vote.
My hope is that a grass roots effort will make it possible to get rid of the old guard. I am proud to say that I've hoped since the last presidential election that Barack would run in 2008. To see his appeal to all age groups and social-economic groups makes me so hopeful that he will prevail and win the nomination. This country is so ready for a real leader!
