Obama Da Bama!!!

Palin's Question: Is Obama "One of Us?"

Debra — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 21:12:13 EST

Answer: What Do you think?

MCCAIN on SNL

Debra — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 21:09:40 EDT

I guess when McCain heard that 33+ million people watch O-TV on Wednesday, he panicked. Now McCain’s using HRC's play book to the letter. I can almost hear the discussion that took place:

JOHN MCCAIN: How did “that one” do with his commercial? (With clenched teeth)

RICK DAVIS: (McCain’s Chief Campaign Manager). Well according to Neilsen, the Commie pulled in 33 million.

MCCAIN: (Neck pulled back—blanked stare--but faced turns red) I don’t believe this [add curse word]. What are we going to do?

DAVIS: John, you need to humanize myself, maybe even shed a tear. But we got no more money in the kitty.

(Phone rings) What? Hey Steve [Steve Schmidt]. We need some more robo calls in Arizona?….Money?...Well sell some of Palin’s clothes. That whack job is not wearing them anyway.

MCCAIN: (Stares at the ceiling)….

DAVIS: Well we need a cheap way to get you exposure. What did Hillary do? Think, Rick, Think. (Fingers snapped) That’s it, you’ll go on SNL.

MCCAIN: (Eyes widened) Suppose my ratings are lower than Ms. Palin’s?

DAVIS: That’s a chance we need to take. Just remember, don’t force a smile, you look like a dying frog when you do that.

MCCAIN: Hey, you said that I should go on Larry King Live on Wednesday to offset that Ayers-loving Socialist’s infomercial. Now those liberal elite comedians are saying that the interview reminded them of the movie “The Bucket List.”

DAVIS: Well Hillary did it and it helped her.

MCCAIN: Yep. But didn’t she loose?

DAVIS: Yes, but she got a bump in the polls for a few days and that’s all you’ll need.

MCCAIN: Good point. Let’s do it.

DAVIS: (To self) Please don’t Obama go on SNL Monday. Perhaps I should also mention to John that he will have to by-pass swing states to do this skit. Oh forget about it, what’s the worse that could happen?

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/10/31/mccain-to-appear-on-snl/#comment-729093

All Hail the OBAMA-CANS!!

Debra — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 21:32:34 EDT

For some time I speculated that Obama will win over certain moderate GOP'ers. I am proven correct.Many moderate GOPer have openly endorsed Obama such as Scott McClennan, Christopher Buckle, and Collin Powell:Other GOPer may not say who they'll vote for pubic ally, but I'm certain they will vote for Bam such as Peggy Noonan and David Brooks. From the Regan Democrats in 1980 to Obama-Republicans or Obamicans!!!

An Open Letter to the NoBama's Supporters:

Debra — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 16:48:22 EDT

My Fellow NoBama's:

Who really knows how a president will run his administration once he's in office. Let's not forget that your current GOP president was on paper beyond experienced. MBA from Harvard--that liberal elite school, and the governor of a state that has extensive ties and repeated contacts with its foreign neighbor (unlike Alaska); Bush 43 had a history of reaching across the aisle and enacting non-partisans laws.

But Bush 43 once in the White House messed things up--Big TIME! So what went wrong???

We missed on perhaps the most important CLUE in determining how a candidate will run their administration: How they ran their election campaign. Shady campaign (Bush 43); shady administration (I need not recite here what I'm talking about). Erratic campaign (McCain); erratic administration. Disciplined campaign (Obama); disciplined administration.

And please don’t blame the so-called liberal media for McCain’s schizo campaign. As a student of politics, this may go down in history as the worst campaign ever.

Enough Said!!!

Obama is NOT a Monkey..

Debra — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 22:15:46 EDT

Hey you're not going to believe this:

http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2008/10/11/politics/fromtheroad/entry4515246.shtml

Please Look at this clip and comment. If were that boy's mother, I would have kick the daylights outta him.

Who Is REALLY Barack H. Obama????

Debra — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 14:46:28 EDT

What's a Girl to Do When She's Stressed About an Upcoming Debate

Debra — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 23:43:33 EDT

Why have a Spa day at one of your bosses' homes while prepping along a creek.

Talk about being up sh*t's creek without a paddle.

Barack Attack

Debra — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 22:57:44 EDT

Ok: Bam is getting angry. Marueen Dowd of the NYT nails it:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/21/opinion/21dowd-sorkin.html?hp

GET ANGRIER! Call them liars, because that’s what they are. Sarah Palin didn’t say “thanks but no thanks” to the Bridge to Nowhere. She just said “Thanks.”

You were raised by a single mother on food stamps — where does a guy with eight houses who was legacied into Annapolis get off calling you an elitist? And by the way, if you do nothing else, take that word back. Elite is a good word, it means well above average. I’d ask them what their problem is with excellence. While you’re at it, I want the word “patriot” back. McCain can say that the transcendent issue of our time is the spread of Islamic fanaticism or he can choose a running mate who doesn’t know the Bush doctrine from the Monroe Doctrine, but he can’t do both at the same time and call it patriotic.

They have to lie — the truth isn’t their friend right now. Get angry. Mock them mercilessly; they’ve earned it. McCain decried agents of intolerance, then chose a running mate who had to ask if she was allowed to ban books from a public library. It’s not bad enough she thinks the planet Earth was created in six days 6,000 years ago complete with a man, a woman and a talking snake, she wants schools to teach the rest of our kids to deny geology, anthropology, archaeology and common sense too? It’s not bad enough she’s forcing her own daughter into a loveless marriage to a teenage hood, she wants the rest of us to guide our daughters in that direction too? It’s not enough that a woman shouldn’t have the right to choose, it should be the law of the land that she has to carry and deliver her rapist’s baby too?

I don’t know whether or not Governor Palin has the tenacity of a pit bull, but I know for sure she’s got the qualifications of one. And you’re worried about seeming angry? You could eat their lunch, make them cry and tell their mamas about it and God himself would call it restrained. There are times when you are simply required to be impolite.

There are times when condescension is called for!

Lipstick On A Pig Fades. But Is OPRAH Next???

Debra — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 22:26:44 EDT

Nothing will make the GOP happier than to shift the narrative away from the economy by artificially stirring up controversy where they could accuse someone BIG of being “sexist” against Palin. Could that someone be Oprah Winfrey???

I recently received an email from a friend warning me of a small group of women in Florida who have created an e-petition to boycott Oprah’s Show. Why? Oprah did not want to have Palin on her show before the election. I was asked to DVR her shows to keep her ratings from potentially plummeting.

(For weeks I thought about whether Oprah could have Obama and McCain on her show—even before Palin was picked--and thought it was highly unethically for Oprah to have any candidate on her show since she’s publicly endorsed Obama.)

First I thought that the GOP would be silly to go after Oprah (remember the cattle industry). But with some of her white female supporters still harboring hurt feelings over her endorsement of a black man over a woman, Oprah may be vulnerable. And with FOX NEWS out there, who knows.

If they try to come after you, Oprah, just know that you have millions of us supporting you. But I am a believer in disarming your opponent with a simple sentence.

Thus, Oprah, if the GOP decides to come after you, just say this:

“Since when is the Republican Party a defender of women’s rights?

“If the GOP is so concerned about sexism, give us equal pay, better child care, etc.

”Every law proposed to help women causes in America has met the most resistance from Republicans. Equal pay, maternity leave, child care, universal health care, etc. was advocated by Democrats but resisted by the Republicans as too expensive a proposition for big business which also results in bigger government. (I guess giving away $1,000,000,000,000 of OUR money to bail out Wall Street this week is cheap by comparison). By allowing the McCain camp and others to call anyone sexist where they have been the sexist pigs themselves has shifted the narrative to the GOP as defender of women’s rights. That must stop and Ms. Oprah controversy I thinks could be the opening to have a strong response.

The Pain in Spain Falls Mainly on McCain

Debra — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 22:30:44 EDT

Gotta love this....

http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1842156,00.html

The GOP

Debra — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 21:41:45 EDT

McCain and the GOP always want to regulate mainstreet, but NEVER Wall Street!

Want to Stop the Corruption at the Polls

Debra — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 21:39:03 EDT

If you are interested in volunteering to make sure the poor and minorities are not given the chance to vote based on GOP "Dirty Tricks," please click on this link and sign up.

http://www.866ourvote.org/

The Decline of Wall Street & Lehman Brothers

Debra — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 23:03:49 EDT

Poor Lehman Brothers. It survived a Civil War, A Great Drepression, and two World Wars, but it couldn't survive Bush.

Frankly, I'm getting tired of Simple Talk...

Debra — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 23:49:55 EDT

masquerading as straight talk. We don't need two more simpletons in the White House. If the world is as simple as Bush/McCain/Palin said, then why is NYC bracing itself for another terrorists attack. NYC who has hit twice by Al Quaeda prefers and wants Obama. The slogan should be "Keep America Safe, but Keep NYC Safer, & NYC Wants Obama"

Slogans Needed

Debra — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 00:19:30 EDT

Obama needs our help in simplyfying his campaign. Please reply; the longer the chain the liklier the Obama campaign would read this.

I'll Start:

How could John McCain be part of the solution where he and GOP were the cause of America's economic problems?

Way to Go CNN's Campbell Brown

Debra — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 20:28:51 EDT

Awesome...

When you don't have the answer to the simplest of questions, then you are in deep trouble.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfvPxYYIdP4

I can see why McCain canceled his interview with Larry King tonight. My money is that he doesn't have an answer to that question either.

What, McCain Cries Sexism???

Debra — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 18:01:23 EDT

To introduce a woman few heard of, a new kid on the national political block, and put her on a national stage for the first time, what you expect the media to do? Their jobs of course and investigate.

Within days they found things about Palin and her family that McCain and gang hoped wouldn't be a big deal, but it turned into a life of its own. It has NOTHING to do with Obama, it's what the people want, and the media to readily served, read meat.

Now McCain and the RNC, who never been know to support women’s' rights, now cry sexism.

Wow! Some nerve. Hypocrites!!!!

McCain: Maverick or Hypocrite?

Debra — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 20:43:27 EDT

McCain to me is a hypocrite.

A man who systematically assailed Obama for his inexperience and for putting ambition before America, only to turn around and pick someone whose resume is arguably thinner than Obama's. McCain could have pick a much more qualified women such as Senators Hutchinson, Snowe or Collins, but didn't.

Who is really ambitious? It would be no different if Obama constantly criticize McCain's lack of judgment in invading and stubborn refusal to leave Iraq, only to turn around and pick Lieberman as his VP! Why pick someone who reinforces your so-called maverick image? What possible dragons McCain/Palin are going to slay if both of them agree that they're few things wrong with the world other than Iraq that couldn't be solve by drilling? Some of the reasons for his pick are clear: She's a far right conservative woman who McCain sees as immune from future criticism/debate. (Palin is very pretty--Apparently McCain don't do ugly). McCain's decision was desperate (or reckless, depending on who you asked) because the Republicans are way behind in the enthusiasm gap, and McCain needed to replicate that in his party (which would not have happened had he pick Romey or Pawlenty). (And from the $4.1 million donations McCain received since Friday, it's working) McCain's decision also reminds me of Mondale in 1984 going against Regan. (Yes, John I was alive in 1984) Mondale wanted to add a much needed boost to his failing campaign, thus Geraldine Ferraro. Surprisingly ~59% of women voted for Regan. Many women do not like to see and will not vote for a in-your-face bitch politican. (Notice the current women politicans are bitches in sheep clothing) Palin may turn off more women voters than you would imagine.

As a woman, I'm angry and insulted by this. It's no different that if Obama lost the primary and McCain picked a black person as VP.

Why A Hillary Supporter Should NEVER Vote for McCain!

Debra — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 00:24:41 EDT

As a life-long New Yorker (Deb from the Block if you prefer), I recall vividly when HRC decided to run for NYS Senator. Her first opponent was Rudy Giuliani, then mayor of NYC. The things he said about her before he dropped out were brutal. Giuliani portrayed HRC as an inauthentic, inexperienced, liberal champion of big government and make things worse a carpetbagger. He and the Republicans went so far as to write and release a 315 page dossier on her, spelling out in painful details her character flaws and mistakes.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/28/us/politics/28york.html?emc=eta1

What Giuliani was trying to do to her not so long ago was no different than what to the Republicans did to her and Bill during the 1990s: To continue treat the Clintons as the devils incarnate. Make no mistake; the Republicans NEVER liked HRC or Bill Clinton. They HATED them with each day they were in the White House. So when you hear the likes of Giuliani and McCain all of a sudden singing her praises--whereas until June 2008, she was their pariah, their antagonist--realize that they only want to exploit any lingering anger and resentment you may have and to vote for McCain.

Don’t fall for it!!!!

This pic was not altered.

http://68.142.200.12/us.f307.mail.yahoo.com/ya/securedownload?clean=0&fid=Inbox&mid=1_210450_AIfIjkQAAD%2FjSLWkKg6Uk02UWlk&pid=2&tnef=&prefFilename=American+Conservative%2C+October+22%2C+2007%2C+p.+1.htm&cred=Zr.BkGThq9dhUk7Cx8P9vOvWLNoVe0z7uKx7EghKyVXpQzaMrT4nTOy4pZNBth8TLxf869vz0mR92n5wi5sIsSHdwKi.Uc9d7D7J59oiWwI-&ts=1219894487&partner=ymail&sig=fTt6fangak2Tj35EzBn.8Q--

To the HRC supporters who may have doubts, take note: the Republicans never cared for HRC and they never will. (Go to the sites of those Republican commentators such as Limbaugh, O’Reilly, Coulter, and Sean Hannity and see for yourself.) I guarantee you that if it were HRC accepting the nod instead of Obama, they would try the same pandering tactics towards resentful blacks. And do you really think the Republican Party has been the champion for Blacks in America? Please don’t fall for the pandering bull that the McCain and the Republicans now are doing. Vote Obama!

Why A Hillary Supporter Should NEVER Vote for McCain!

Debra — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 00:24:41 EDT

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/28/us/politics/28york.html?emc=eta1

Don’t fall for it!!!!

This pic to was not altered.

Do We REALLY Need Another Jock in the White House?

Debra — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 00:18:54 EDT

Here's a suggested Obama campaign mantra:

McCain’s a fighter pilot jock who would be more dangerous than Bush if elected.

Joe Biden: Please say something like this:"My fellow Americans, we don't want four years of another jock in the White House. We already have a jock in the White House. We watched President Bush turn the White House into a Republican frat house. For 6 years, the Republicans controlled the White House and both houses with disastrous consequences: Our economy is suffering, essentials such as food and gas prices are sky-rocketing, our name is tarnished, and we have our hands out borrowing money from countries like China and Saudi Arabia to pay for a war that we should not have risked our men, our women and our future to begin with.”

Please feel free to expound.

Wow Obama is Smarter than the Average Bear

Debra — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 08:56:31 EDT

I realize around 11pm EST last nite that Obama is a genius politican. Why?

Bam had the media panting, holding on to their cell phones/pdas waiting for the announcement (heck, they were outside Biden's home...I thought they were at Paris Hilton's home).

Since McCain could not release their response ads until the it's official, the media spent prime time evening focusing on Biden's bio and all the posititives he could bring to the campaign. And did so to a larger viewing audience because of the media build up.

I wonder what time did McCain releases their ads.... And how many were us actually awake?

What Symbol Could We Use 2 Describe McCain's Platform

Debra — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 22:45:22 EDT

DEPENDS???? Genius...But our seniors suppotters wouldn't appreciate it...

Quotes From the NYT in Response to Paris Hilton

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/08/05/paris-hilton-strikes-back-at-mccain/

This is great. Lets turn this whole election into a joke. Are we seriously going to elect a guy who will wear Depends in the White House? Hell, at least we’ll laugh all the way to the ballot box. We already elected and re-elected the village idiot, so why not the grumpy old guy.

— Posted by Gerald

Paris Hilton made McSame look like the tool that he is - in every way - but he and his ridiculously inept campaign advisors asked for it. I second the above suggestion that the Dems focus on the age/intellectual deficit personified by McCain. The guy is old, man…..he is old. Keep focused on the Depends concept. The Repubs couldn’t resist waving old rubber slides at their last soiree…..let’s have the Dems bring truckloads of Depends diapers. Stark imagery. What’s Britney Spears going to do now to top this???

— Posted by Peter G.

What Do You Expect From McCain: 1 + 1 = 3

Debra — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 23:37:17 EDT

I am sure we all heard about McCain's latest ad today linking Obama to these ladies above.

Let's be clear as to what this ad represents! The reason why Paris and Britney are even in this ad is to scare you.

Without saying it, McCain is attempting to link Obama as young, inexperience and naive by assosicating him with two otherwise young, inexperience and naive women. So everytime you see these women in the news, they are forever linked to Obama as one in the same. So ipso facto, Obama is no different from Hilton and Spears. Thus scarring you to vote for McCain.

This is part of the typical Republican strategy that has elected most of their presidents for the last 40 years. (See my earlier post titled A Principled Stand)

I guess McCain realizes now what he should have in 2000, that a Republican will never win the White House on issues alone.

NYT is right: this ad is a new low for McCain. Keep It Going!!!

Was Obama's Berlin Speech All Puff Little Stuff??

Debra — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 08:37:44 EDT

I wrote this in response to an article written by David Brooks of the NYT:

While I have not watched Obama's Berlin speech in full, I was struck by your comments.

I am sure that it has occured to you that if Obama said anything more substantive about the conditions of world, the Republicans would be complaining "big time," saying that he made a political speech on foreign soil, which lends itself to their narrative that he's all too naive to be PODUS.

Since Republicans could not complain about the substance of the speech, all they could do was to complain about the "citizens of the world" phrase in the beginning (Didn't Reagan use those words as well?) and the fact he was there to begin with (which was as a result of McCain's goading Obama for not going to Iraq).

So I hope that your next article discusses why Obama's speech was so Disney-like to you.

Debra

Does McCain View Iraq and Vietnam as the Same?

Debra — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 23:29:35 EDT

Does McCain see "victory" in Iraq to make up for the failed Vietnam War.

McCain's Is No Flip-Flopper

Debra — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 11:51:07 EDT

He's worse than one.

"The term flip-flopping doesn’t do justice to Mr. McCain’s self-contradictory economic pronouncements because that implies there’s some rational, if hypocritical, logic at work. What he serves up instead is plain old incoherence, as if he were compulsively consulting one of those old Magic 8 Balls. In a single 24-hour period in April, Mr. McCain went from saying there’s been “great economic progress” during the Bush presidency to saying “Americans are not better off than they were eight years ago.” He reversed his initial condemnation of mortgage bailouts in just two weeks."

I wish the MSM would scrutinize McCain's policies and stop giving one pass after another. My wish however may be coming to pass... http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/20/opinion/20rich.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin

Obama. This article is your blueprint to beating McBush once and for all.

PLEASE forward this article to all...

Should We Drill For Oil in America?

Debra — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 23:46:55 EDT

If they want to drill for more oil, I'm fine with it, but on three conditions:

1. Build enough refineries. (Right now, there are too few and overwhelmed).

2. Agree that any and all oil that's drudge up from US soil and surrounding coastlines, must be sold to us for (which includes commonwealths, military bases, etc., but NOT US companies located abroad) and NEVER to the world market.

3. Must start the ball rolling for alternative fuels cars.

A Missed Opportunity

Debra — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 00:10:23 EDT

While I agree that this sketch above is satircal, it's satire without context. The problem with this sketch is that it failed to mention why it's there to begin with. This was supposed to be a visual compilation of what's being said and circulated daily by internet rumors, the extremists Republicans and their media their surrogates about the Obamas. But you don't see that here. The NY'er basically asked us to make that conclusion for them, which as you can see from the responses did not happen.

SADLY, this was a missed opportunity for us. Had the NY'er did as I recommended in my last blog, the debate would been have placed sqarely on Republicans' laps and would have forced them to defend publically why they are saying these things, but instead we've shot the messanger.

What's Missing in this Pic

Debra — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 19:47:42 EDT

I love political cartoons as much as the next guy, but this one is omitting one important piece: the CONTEXT. As it stands, this sketch is too vague to be funny and ends up being a cheap, tasteless joke, especially in regards to Michelle.

Instead, put that sketch in a cartoon bubble, underneath it are Bill O’Reilly, Rush Limbaugh, Ann Coulter, Sean Hannity and the GOP Elephant all thinking the same thoughts above…

Now that the New Yorker would have been funny....

To Sum Up McCain's Position on Viagra/Birth Control

Debra — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 19:31:31 EDT

McCain's Ok for health insurance to pay for the guns and bullets, but NOT for the Kevlar vests!

Are you paying attention ladies?

Take A Principled Stamd

Debra — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 19:21:53 EDT

The assassinations of King and Kennedy in 1968 introduce to America a new form of political extremism. Often spun as simple American values, modern political extremism has dominated America, which in turn has impacted our abilities to become wealthier, healthier and more powerful.

No longer permitted to speak overtly, political extremists began using code words to pander in the worst way to voters’ fears and underlying prejudices. Code words such as “law and order,” “preferential” or “special treatment” and now “immigration reform” have been used and said in such a coordinated and systematic way that many unconsciously believe there is only one way, the right way, to think about these complex American issues. Political extremists use code words particularly during elections. “I met Harold at the Playboy party” followed by “Call me Harold,” as told with a wink and a sultry smile by a young blond hair, blue-eyed white woman to a black man running for U.S. Senate in a 2006 commercial, were code words with clear objectives: to once again unleash the atavistic image of a black man having sex with a white woman, consequently unleashing fear and loathing among some whites.

These code words have transformed complex issues including race, gender and diversity into one-dimensional caricatures. Yet, political extremists’ use of code words has astounding results: they win elections because fear leads many to vote for them, even if their issues stand against voters’ best interests. Most of their presidents have been in the White House, who consequently appoint their judges to the federal bench and the U.S. Supreme Court. Their elected officials have dominated local, state and federal offices for decades.

Political extremism has tragically trickled into our everyday lives, hampering our abilities to move upwards to greater health, wealth and power. Their laws have hampered many from obtaining economic power, as those who live in poverty cannot find a way out as extremists often spin each attempt as giving “hand outs” to “welfare queens.” Health insurance is not available to all, and attempts to do so have been met with stiff resistance by the extremists. Moreover, extremists have stopped legislation to promote diversity and equality in the workplace and elsewhere by calling them preferential or special treatment.

How do we respond to political extremists that have dominated America’s “soul” for 40 years? We must take a principled stand. Every time political extremists use code words, put the brightest spotlight on them and tell all that these words are designed to scare and distract us from the real issues facing America. Our fist bumps are not terrorist gestures.

Take a principled stand against political extremism by registering to vote. If you are already registered, recruit 10 new voters.

Take a principled stand by using our law degrees to weed out felon-lists or other rules and laws designed to suppress rather than encourage voter turnout.

Lastly, but most importantly, vote! Vote in every primary and election, and not just the important ones. Elections Matter. Speak to your candidates at the local, state and federal levels. Ask them about their views on important issues such as the economy, family, health care and the judiciary. Never let fear or terror persuade you to vote for a candidate. Vote instead because you believe in their issues, which would best represent your interests.

Let us begin to eradicate political extremist’s use of code words by highlighting them, challenging all Americans to resist them, and vote NOT for the candidate(s) that uses code words to divide and conquer, but for the candidate(s) who longs to advance our wealth, health and power.

Obama has NOT SHIFTED to anything

Debra — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 00:09:55 EDT

The Audacity of Listening By GAIL COLLINS

We have to have a talk about Barack Obama.

I know, I know. You’re upset. You think the guy you fell in love with last spring is spending the summer flip-flopping his way to the right. Drifting to the center. Going all moderate on you. So you’re withholding the love. Also possibly the money.

I feel your pain. I just don’t know what candidate you’re talking about.

Think back. Why, exactly, did you prefer Obama over Hillary Clinton in the first place? Their policies were almost identical — except his health care proposal was more conservative. You liked Barack because you thought he could get us past the old brain-dead politics, right? He talked — and talked and talked — about how there were going to be no more red states and blue states, how he was going to bring Americans together, including Republicans and Democrats.

Exactly where did everybody think this gathering was going to take place? Left field?

When an extremely intelligent politician tells you over and over and over that he is tired of the take-no-prisoners politics of the last several decades, that he is going to get things done and build a “new consensus,” he is trying to explain that he is all about compromise. Even if he says it in that great Baracky way.

Here’s a helpful story: Once upon a time, there was a woman searching for a guy who was ready to commit. One day, she met an attractive young man.

“My name is Chuck,” he said, grinning an infectious grin. “I’m planning to devote my entire life to saving endangered wildlife in the Antarctic. In five weeks I leave for the South Pole, where I will live alone in a tent, trying to convince the penguins that I am part of their flock. In the meantime, would you like to go out?”

“I have just met the man I’m going to marry,” she told her friends. She had been betrayed by poor listening skills, which skipped right over the South Pole and the tent. Of course, after five weeks of heavy dating, Chuck flew away and was never heard from again.

A year and a half of campaigning and we still haven’t heard Obama’s penguins, either. It’s not his fault that we missed the message — although to be fair, he did make it sound as if getting rid of the “old politics” involved driving out the oil and pharmaceutical lobbyists rather than splitting the difference on federal wiretapping legislation. But if you look at the political fights he’s picked throughout his political career, the main theme is not any ideology. It’s that he hates stupidity. “I don’t oppose all wars. What I am opposed to is a dumb war,” he said in 2002 in his big speech against the invasion of Iraq. He did not, you will notice, say he was against unilateral military action or pre-emptive attacks or nation-building. He was antidumb.

Most of the things Obama’s taken heat for saying this summer fall into these two familiar patterns — attempts to find a rational common ground on controversial issues and dumb-avoidance.

On the common-ground front, he’s called for giving more federal money to religious groups that run social programs, but only if the services they offer are secular. People can have guns for hunting and protection, but we should crack down on unscrupulous gun sellers. Putting some restrictions on the government’s ability to wiretap is better than nothing, even though he would rather have gone further.

Dumb-avoidance would include his opposing the gas-tax holiday, backtracking on the anti-Nafta pandering he did during the primary and acknowledging that if one is planning to go all the way to Iraq to talk to the generals, one should actually pay attention to what the generals say.

Touching both bases are Obama’s positions that 1) if people are going to ask him every day why he’s not wearing a flag pin, it’s easier to just wear the pin, for heaven’s sake, and 2) there’s nothing to be gained by getting into a fight over whether the death penalty can be imposed on child rapists.

His decision to ditch public campaign financing, on the other hand, was nothing but a complete, total, purebred flip-flop. If you are a person who feels campaign finance reform is the most important issue facing America right now, you should either vote for John McCain or go home and put a pillow over your head. However, I believe I have met every single person in the country for whom campaign finance reform is the tiptop priority, and their numbers are not legion.

Meanwhile, Obama has made it clear what issues he thinks all this cleverness and compromising are supposed to serve: national health care, a smart energy policy and getting American troops out of Iraq. He has tons of other concerns, but those seem to be the top three. There’s definitely a penguin in there somewhere.

The Radical Right are like Al Qaeda...

Debra — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 13:43:49 EDT

Frankly, I am tired of radical republicans using distraction politics to win elections. They know their boy McCain is a dud; and rather than focusing on his strengths, they placed 100% attention on Obama's every word. One word, (which today is "refine") the radicals exploit it by running first to Fox with their radical spin, and the msm later eats it up using the radical spin.

Let's be clear:

(1) McCain has NO plan on Iraq either; just stay there for at least 100 years, or "it doesn't really matter" to McCain (his own words) that our boys and girls are dying in Iraq so long as we stay in Iraq.

2) McCain too has shifted his positions to the radical right on issues such as off shore drilling, tax breaks for Bill Gates, giving GH benefits to troops, courting the radicals, etc.

The radicals however don't want us to see this; so they distract us by focusing on Obama's very word and complaining by either calling Obama a liberal or a flip-flopper.

The radicals are like Al Qaeda; they are very good at coordinated attacks against their enemies and if the democrats haven't figured this out yet, they will loose again. Sadly, Obama and the DNC with one voice should be shouting against this flip flop charge from the roof-tops. Though some democrats, such as Ed Schultz on Anderson 360 on July 3 handled the radical spin brilliantly.

Flip-flops are shoes that are noisy and serve little purpose other than decoration. McCain and his new radical friends are making noise and have no purpose either. So Shut UP!!

Go Obama!

The Radical Right are like Al Qaeda...

Debra — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 13:39:14 EDT

Let’s be clear:

(1) McCain has NO plan on Iraq either; just stay there for at least 100 years, or “it doesn’t really matter” to McCain (his own words) that our boys and girls are dying in Iraq so long as we stay in Iraq. (2) McCain too has shifted his positions to the radical right on issues such as off shore drilling, tax breaks for Bill Gates, giving GH benefits to troops, courting the radicals, etc. The radicals however don’t want us to see this; so they distract us by focusing on Obama’s very word and complaining by either calling Obama a liberal or a flip-flopper. The radicals are like Al Qaeda; they are very good at coordinated attacks against their enemies and if the democrats haven’t figured this out yet, they will loose again. Sadly, Obama and the DNC with one voice should be shouting against this flip flop charge from the roof-tops. Though some democrats, such as Ed Schultz on Anderson 360 on July 3 handled the radical spin brilliantly. Flip-flops are shoes that are noisy and serve little purpose other than decoration. McCain and his new radical friends are making noise and have no purpose either. So Shut UP!!Go Obama!

OBAMA HAS PUBLIC FINANCING

Debra — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 21:11:03 EDT

1.5 MILLION of us American$ gave money to Obama'$ campaign. The purpose behind campain finance reform was to move $$$ and influence from the wealthy few to the greater masses. Obama has mastered that; McCain has not. Our small contributions will continue to talk till November and we have McCain to thank!

Terrorist Fist Pound???

Debra — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 23:04:51 EDT

Fox Calls This A Special Moment A Terriost Gesture

So I guess Geaorge HW Bush is a Terrorist As Well

Tennis Star Anna Kournikova & Former President George HW Bush

Bush's Resume Updated

Debra — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 22:47:27 EDT

This person needs a job. This individual seeks an executive position.
He will be available in January 2009, and is willing to relocate.
(Please don't skip the last section!)RESUME

GEORGE W. BUSH

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue

Washington, DC 20520

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE :

Law Enforcement:
I was arrested in Kennebunkport, Maine, in 1976 for driving under the influence of alcohol. I pled guilty, paid a fine, and had my driver's license suspended for 30 days. My Texas driving record has been "lost" and is not available.

Military:
I joined the Texas Air National Guard and went AWOL. I refused to take a drug test or answer any questions about my drug use. By joining the Texas Air National Guard, I was able to avoid combat duty in Vietnam.

College:
I graduated from Yale University with a low C average. I was a cheerleader.

PAST WORK EXPERIENCE:

I ran for U.S. Congress and lost.

I began my career in the oil business in Midland Texas , in 1975. I bought an oil company, but couldn't find any oil in Texas. The company went bankrupt shortly after I sold all my stock.

I bought the Texas Rangers baseball team in a sweetheart deal that took land using taxpayer money.

With the help of my father and our friends in the oil industry (including Enron CEO Ken Lay), I was elected governor of Texas.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS AS GOVERNOR OF TEXAS:

I changed Texas pollution laws to favor power and oil companies, making Texas the most polluted state in the Union. During my tenure, Houston replaced Los Angeles as the most smog-ridden city in America.

I cut taxes and bankrupted the Texas treasury to the tune of billions in borrowed money.

I set the record for the most executions by any governor in American history.

With the help of my brother, the governor of Florida , and my father's appointments to the Supreme Court, I became President of the United States, after losing by over 500,000 votes.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS AS PRESIDENT:

I am the first President in U.S. history to enter office with a criminal record.

I invaded and occupied two countries at a continuing cost of over one billion dollars per week.

I spent the U.S. surplus and effectively bankrupted the U.S. Treasury.

I shattered the record for the largest annual deficit in U.S. history.

I set an economic record for most private bankruptcies filed in any 12-month period.

I set the all-time record for most foreclosures in a 12-month period.

I set the all-time record for the biggest drop in the history of the U.S. stock market. In my first year in office, over 2 million Americans lost their jobs and that trend continues.

I'm proud that the members of my cabinet are the richest of any administration in U.S. history. My "poorest millionaire," Condoleezza Rice, has a Chevron oil tanker named after her.

I set the record for most campaign fund-raising trips by a U.S. President.

I am the all-time U.S. and world record -holder for receiving the most corporate campaign donations.

My largest lifetime campaign contributor, and one of my best friends, Kenneth Lay, presided over the largest corporate bankruptcy fraud in U.S. history, Enron.

My political party used Enron private jets and corporate attorneys to assure my success with the U.S. Supreme Court during my election decision.

I have protected my friends at Enron and Halliburton against investigation or prosecution. More time and money was spent investigating the Monica Lewinsky affair than has been spent investigating one of the biggest corporate rip-offs in history. I presided over the biggest energy crisis in U.S. history and refused to intervene when corruption involving the oil industry was revealed.

I presided over the highest gasoline prices in U.S. history.

I changed the U.S. policy to allow convict ed criminals to be awarded government contracts.

I appointed more convicted criminals to my administration than any President in U.S. history.

I created the Ministry of Homeland Security, the largest bureaucracy in the history of the United States Government.

I've broken more international treaties than any President in U.S. history.

I am the first President in U.S. history to have the United Nations remove the U.S. from the Human Rights Commission.

I withdrew the U.S. from the World Court of Law.

I refused to allow inspector's access to U.S. "prisoners of war" detainees and thereby have refused to abide by the Geneva Convention.

I am the first President in history to refuse United Nations election inspectors (during the 2002 US election).

I set the record for fewest numbers of press conferences of any President since the advent of television.

I set the all-time record for most days on vacation in any one-year period. After taking off the entire month of August, I presided over the worst security failure in U.S. history.

I garnered the most sympathy ever for the U.S. after the World Trade Center attacks and less than a year later made the U.S. the most hated country in the world, the largest failure of diplomacy in world history.

I have set the all-time record for most people worldwide to simultaneously protest me in public venues (15 million people), shattering the record for protests against any person in the history of mankind.

I am the first President in U.S. history to order an unprovoked, pre-emptive attack and the military occupation of a sovereign nation. I did so against the will of the United Nations, the majority of U.S. Citizens and the world community.

I have cut health care benefits for war veterans and support a cut in duty benefits for active duty troops and their families in wartime.

In my State of the Union Address, I lied about our reasons for attacking Iraq and then blamed the lies on our British friends.

I am the first President in history to have a majority of Europeans (71%) view my presidency as the biggest threat to world peace and security.

I am supporting development of a nuclear "Tactical Bunker Buster," a WMD.

I have so far failed to fulfill my pledge to bring Osama Bin Laden to justice.

RECORDS AND REFERENCES:

All records of my tenure as governor of Texas are now in my father's library, sealed and unavailable for public view.

All records of SEC investigations into my insider trading and my bankrupt companies are sealed in secrecy and unavailable for public view.

All records or minutes from meetings that I, or my Vice-President, attended regarding public energy policy are sealed in secrecy and unavailable for public review. I specified that my sealed documents will not be available for 50 years.

Thank God Fox News Wasn't Around...

Debra — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 23:49:52 EDT

I just had a thought. Supposed Fox News was around during the civil rights movement? What's the likelihood that Fox would villianized MLK King and supporting FBI Hoover's attempts to discredit King by reporting as fact Hoover's false rumors that the msm never released. Remeber that when you hear Fox reporting that the fist pound btwn Barrack/Michelle was a possible terriost hand gesture. A gesture that has been used by baseball plyers when they walk across the home base, young people, etc.

How stupid has Fox News becomes.

Who do you think...

Debra — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 22:33:17 EDT

the likes of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (Iran) and Bin Laden's Al Queda really want to be our next president, McCain or Obama? A man like McCain who wants to engage in a protracted war, thus making him the antagonist they so desperately need to continue their so-called holy war; or someone like Obama who will not play into their propaganda machine, someone who would walk with legitimacy that our government so surely lacked. I have my guess; what’s yours?

Do Town Hall Meetings Really Help McCain?

Debra — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 23:32:09 EDT

Contrary to popular belief. town hall meetings may not be the best place for McCain. He's made some major gaffes at town halls mtgs such as "Bomb Bomb Iran" song and 100 years in Iraq.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036677/#24975553

So Bring it on McCain!!!

PLEASE READ THIS SENATOR OBAMA!!!!

Debra — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 01:44:02 EDT

Congratulations on your historic victory tonight...your grace under pressure is inspiring and reassuring. I must warn however that your McBush campaign strategy may not resonate with many swing voters as the media has over the years portrayed McCain as a maverick, even though he’s more in lockstep with conservatives. If you truly want to win this election on the theory of change and McBush, and at the same time appeal possibly to Bill’s ego, then PLEASE consider a historical reference campaign strategy. The Republicans have had control of the White House for nearly 30 of the last 40 years. Since 1968, White House Republicans have set the economic, foreign and domestic agendas that run into through current administration. Ask us: See where it has gotten us today? A weak dollar, a war that many believe was a mistake; out of control gas prices, our reputation in tatters, etc. It forces people to agree that the Republican strategy have hurt Americans. It also forces us to examine McCain decisions more closely. If moreover forces us to ask ourselves, if you don’t want to continue the republican agenda, vote for Obama. Counter with the best economic, domestic and foreign policy agendas, then you will win. Your age will not be a factor at that point.How does this appeal to Bill. Mention that the times where we have economic prosperity, it was under Bill’s presidency. Please consider it. Please email me if you have any additional questions.

PLEASE READ THIS SENATOR OBAMA!!!!

Debra — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 01:44:02 EDT

Clinton's Desperate

Debra — Sat, 24 May 2008 20:30:32 EDT

Hey when you are depserate, you'll say or do anything--true or otherwise--to win. HRC's waiting ever so patiently for the assassin's bullet to kill Obama to come in as the DNC's savior is reprehensible. It's crass and low class. As Gov. Patterson-Gov. of NY and HRC supporter-- and said so correctly:

“I would say at this point we’re starting to see a little desperation on the part of the woman who I support and I’ll support until whatever time she makes a different determination,” Paterson told New York radio station WAMC, according to the New York Daily News. “I thought she was the best candidate and I thought she had the best chance of winning.”

Desparation is a tender trap, it gets you every time... (So Cruel by U2)

Hillary...you shamed women everywhere, you'll NEVER get my vote again....

Check This Out

Debra — Sat, 24 May 2008 19:45:24 EDT

Dear Fellow Americans,

Our Great-grand Nation, the United States of America
is facing and will face very critical and substantial
"Challenges" in coming, months, years, and next
decade[s].
It is very essential as well as critical that we pick
our next
President keeping in mind the following criteria.
1. A candidate who has a clear and candid " Vision
and Mission" for our Nation.
2. A candidate with " Strong Character and Stable
Integrity" in-spite of adversity during our present
election process.
3. A candidate with sound and sustained
"Presidential Temperament" and " Judgment".
4. A candidate with little "Washington exposure"
and "real connectedness with people and future
generation".
5. A candidate who "Inspires us up" rather than
"Tears us Down".
6. A candidate not based on sexism,
racism,regionalism,and ageism and as well as "
attempts to bring us together "
In my professional, political and personal opinion,
the only candidate that meets the all above
characteristics and has shown constant and consistent
coolness, calmness, and connectedness { PRESIDENTIAL
TEMPERAMENT } is Senator Barrack Obama.
As an independent registered voter since 1980. I voted
for Carter, voted for Reagan, voted for First Bush,
and second Bush in 2000 and In the process last
interest in Washington politics and I stopped voting.
Getting disinterested and disgusted in our political
process and stopping voting that was a very bad
decision in any circumstance, particularly under
present circumstances.
This time we can not afford to stay on side lines and
let "Washington" stay the same.We can not afford our
Greatgreat Nation to become less than what we are,
what we were and what we can be?
We need to send clear, careful and candid message to
the world and some time 24 hour partisan divisive
media,
that WE the American people will set the agenda for
our future and America will be back.
These partisan media outlets are trying to deprive,
dupe, and derail us and our Nation in getting it right
this time. We not let it happen this time or in
future.
Some of these partisan media and pundits are trying
their best
to deny us better future and continue focus our
weaknesses and generate bitter future for us and our
Greatgrand Nation. { Our Greatgrand Nations people
are persistently and constantly subjected to this
Psychological Terrorism" without common people's
knowledge. The
common and regular people do not have time to see
thru and sort thru this psychological terrorism
perpetuated
by some of these partisan media outlets. I find it
tragic, unfortunate, and sad [ Probably they do not
care about our Greatgrand Nation ].
We the Americans should not and would not to allow
Some these partisan media outlets psychologically
terrorized, traumatized and silence us this time or
any time in future.
I am sure that we will get it right this
time and elect Senator Obama our next President.
Let us remember that our Greatgrand is constituted of
family, friends,fellowships, faith, funds,foundation,
fun, and future with fairness and freedom and without
fear, favor, or failure .
We can not afford to lose any of above. Let us stand
up, be counted, save, build our Greatgrand Nation for
centuries to come and regain our world economic,
moral, and power status back.
God Bless our Great grand Nation and its diverse
people.
Our Greatgrand nation needs present and future
stability, security, safety,sustained progress and
restoration of our due status in this perilous Global
World at the all levels.
Yours sincerely,
COL.[retd] A.M.Khajawall M.D.
Forensic Psychiatrist.
Disables American Veteran.
- Posted by COL.[retd]A.M.Khajawall MD

Does the Black Vote Matter??

Debra — Sat, 24 May 2008 19:41:44 EDT

If you think the black vote doesn't count, ask Michael Dukakis, who lost his 1988 presidential bid partly because blacks stayed home on election day.

If you think the black vote doesn't count, ask Bill Clinton, who in 1992 went on black TV shows such as Arsenio Hall and played his little heart out in order to energize blacks to vote in large numbers.

If you think the black vote doesn't count, ask John Kerry, who if he had more blacks rallied behind him in Ohio/Michigan/Florida in 2004, he may have won those states.

If you think the black vote doesn't count, ask Travis Childers, who won a 2008 run-off election in Mississippi and in an solidly Republican district because blacks came out in significantly high numbers and overwhelmely voted for Childers.

AND If you don't think the black vote doesn't count, ask Hillary Clinton, who, if she somehow manages to get the democratic nod, will need the same record black turnout to win. She's mistaken to think she will win the election with only "hard working Americans" voting for her. She must have a solid black base, or she looses. And since she/Bill has used the Southern Strategy (among other things) to even get this far, I cannot see her getting the black vote back.

Bush Speaks, Few Listen

Debra — Thu, 15 May 2008 21:20:43 EDT

I recently spoke to a retired army major friend of mine who was wondering aloud why Rice's efforts to bring about "peace" in the middle east stalled. I said essentially that she has no credibility.

Bush is actually using diplomatic channels (hint, Rice) to bring about resolution in the Middle East, but it's failing. (Remember Bush said in the beginning of his term that he will not pressure anyone to the table; when they were ready for talks, then he'll move. When that didn't happen, he deployed Rice.)

We lost whatever leverage we had and our reputation is in tatters thanks to the Bush/Neo-cons foreign policy, which is merely an extension of the cold war politics. No matter what Rice does, no one--allies and foes alike--will take us seriously. We have become what Bin Laden wanted: to destroy our dollar and our good name, which thanks to Bush, is a "mission accomplished."

Our next president will have to do more than repeat the same rhetoric and use cold war diplomacy. It hasn't work in decades and is making matters worse. Since Bush cannot speak on this issue since he's a failure personified, I refuse to listen to anything he has say.

Not This Time!

REV WRIGHT---A HILLIARY SUPPORTER?!?

Debra — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 12:48:51 EDT

I would do only to my worst enemy what Wright did to Obama this weekend. Perhaps Wright is Obama's worst enemy and a HRC supporter. It makes sense; what other reason why Wright would appear a week before a major primary. I wouldn't be surprised if Bill put him up to this.

Read for yourself.

http://www.chron.com/commons/persona.html?newspaperUserId=eljefebob&plckPersonaPage=BlogViewPost&plckUserId=eljefebob&plckPostId=Blog%3AeljefebobPost%3A6eeedc79-b0b0-41b8-9869-760c8237d632&plckController=PersonaBlog&plckScript=personaScript&plckElementId=personaDest

Is the American Dream Over?

Debra — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 11:34:16 EDT

I cannot believe that we are a nation whose opinions are swayed by 30 sectond sound bites?

http://fish.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/04/27/much-ado/index.html

Mr. Fish, you sound like a wonderful man, the sort who’d have mixed amiably with our nation’s Founding Fathers. This column is spot on. However, in 2008, the vigorous democracy willed into being 220 years ago by brave intellectuals has been desecrated beyond recognition by a nation of selfish, lazy simpletons. To lead such sloth requires only a power to manipulate, not inspire, educate or challenge. I wish Mr. Obama the best. But the American Dream is over.

— Posted by JoeW

Senator Obama, How Badly Do you Want This?

Debra — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 23:53:01 EDT

As a Black Woman who would NEVER vote for HRC again for the disgraceful tactics to win at all costs, the one thing she has shown (by manipulating the narrative in the media), is her resolve that she wants this job NOW (This is a Democratic year, and despite reports, this year a Democratic contender for the White House is likely, and not in 2012).Senator Obama, I understand that you are sadden by the events surrounding Wright, and you looked pained today by betraying a long-time mentor, but you must now think of all those who have stuck their necks out for you, and for the good of American, not one man. Wright today has thrown your campaign and your good name under the bus. You must save your campaign and say unequivocally that (1) you are your own MAN and disagree with what he said today; (2) say that Wright does not represent the black race and neither do you; (3) I love the guy, but I have disagreed privately on many issues. (as I do with my Roman Catholic priest on many times.)

A leader must live by example, and it’s time to get ANGRY, bitter even, and say enough is enough. OBAMA, CONTROL YOUR OWN NARRATIVE!!!! Let tomorrow bring about a better stronger more assertive Obama! You may need fresh blood in your campaign. Find someone who could move your anger along in a more focused, manner. Forget the Lincoln-Debate, HRC is looking to “Lazio” you. Deal with Wright Now, or potentially loose to HRC.

WAKE UP!!!

Debra — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 21:26:02 EDT

WAKE UP!!! Have the racist attitudes on Obama cloud common sense? We have white men in the White House who have completely obliverated the truth, our dollar, and the American way. Gas is more expensive a month than auto insurance....H-E-L-L-O!!!!

But the comments here focus flag pins and stupid stuff. I've seen too many men wearing pins as nothing more that to be patronizing. Like Obama, I do not need to wear a pin to show my luv for this country...we pay enough taxes.

That Reckless Older Sibling!

Debra — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 21:20:21 EDT

We Americans make a good wage and live below our means but many are living paycheck to paycheck. Why? We pay so much in taxes, but we feel that we pay more than big businesses and those executives who are making way more than we. And with recent events in Wall St, we are sure this will result in higher taxes in the near future. But we don’t see any consequences befalling Wall St. Let's compare this to the youngest children (middle class taxpayers) being forced by our parents (the government) to bail out our reckless other siblings (Wall St. and its executives). To make matter worse, our parents don’t even chastise that older sibling (increased regulations) for their conduct; thus, rewarding them for bad behavior and inviting worse more reckless behavior in the future. Let's hope that Obama is prepared to handle Big Business.

Hill-A-Bee , You Have a Choice

Debra — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 21:20:20 EDT

I read this in the NYT blog and I thought it was really thought provoking!

You can continue on the low road. Negative campaign tactics will
further denigrate and marginalize your opponent Barack Obama. You can
diminish his leadership experiences (while falsely exaggerating yours), you
can call attention to his race (while exploiting your gender), you can
question his patriotism (while noting McCain's), you can mock his oratory
skills (as just words rather than as calls for action), and you can
reduce the nuances of his language (by resorting to sound bites). Yes,
you can! You could even search for additional inflammatory tapes of the
Reverend Wright, knowing CNN and Fox News will loop them endlessly.
Or...you can take the high road. Yes, you can!

I urge you. Take a time out. Think about what the high road would be
like.

I see two paths. You could withdraw and throw your support to Barack, a
logical choice given the miniscule chances you have of actually
winning the nomination (the math is now almost inevitable), or you could
continue to campaign...but you could choose do so in a constructive and
positive manner. Meet Barack on the high ground. Or, raise the bar! Talk
positively about your platform and his; they are virtually the same (the
economy, healthcare, the war, the environment, the supreme court, and
national security). Make it clear that you share similar plans and that
come next January, whether it is you or Barack who becomes our next
President, those plans will put our nation on the road to a better
future. Make it clear that you respect his capacity to lead. He will respect
yours. Address race and gender in a nuanced way, building on his speech
by adding weight and substance to the national conversation. If you
change your campaign rhetoric to a positive message, I am convinced
Barack will join you. If not, challenge him to meet you on higher ground,
and walk that high road together. Do this for the good of the Democratic
Party and for the good of the nation.

I am convinced that if you take the high road, you will actually
increase your chances of winning the nomination. They will remain slim, but,
in the end, super-delegates will be more willing support a positive
candidate than a negative one...and, if you do not win the nomination, you
will have at least increased our chances of winning the Presidency,
and winning greater majorities in the House and Senate. This election is
about our chances and our futures, not yours.
John McCain and Mike Huckabee took the high road in the closing weeks
of their campaigns. Mitt Romney, the negative campaigner, fell from
grace. This has left McCain less damaged than he might have been. Your
current low road tactics will leave both you and Barack looking like
damaged goods by November. The low road hurts you more than it hurts Barack
(look at the recent polls). Negativity is driving voters away from the
Democratic Party and into the McCain column. Stop! Take a moment to
think about us.

I am a life long Democrat. My baptism came in 1956, when I was
thirteen. My Uncle Bill O'Brian took me to see Adeli Stevenson at a field house
at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York. I had been
there before with him to watch RPI play hockey, and to watch the Harlem
Globe Trotters. As an eighth grader, I was on the cusp of political
awareness. I knew enough to grasp the essence of Stevenson's speech, but
certainly did not understand its full significance. Nevertheless, I was
awed by Stevenson's presentation; he was an orator, like Obama. His
message of empowering the disenfranchised resonated in my young mind, and
the poetry of his words was inspiring. I came home to my Republican
parents, who were avidly supporting Eisenhower, with a pocket full of
"Stevenson for President" buttons. I proceeded to wear them to counter my
mother's rhinestone-studded "I Like Ike" pendant that she wore that
fall. To my dismay, Eisenhower and Nixon won in a landslide.
In 1960, I was too young to vote for JFK, but as a senior in high
school I followed his campaign. I was born and raised in Albany, a town
dominated by an Irish political machine (the remnants of Tammany Hall). My
uncles were all blue collar Democrats, and many of my parent's friends
were Irish Catholics who still talked about Al Smith and his disastrous
run as the first Catholic presidential candidate. I was aware of the
emerging civil rights movement. I was aware of the poisonous rhetoric of
Joe McCarthy. I was aware of Cold War politics. I was aware of Nixon's
Checkers Speech. I watched the first televised debates. I saw hope in
JFK, and he won.

My politics came of age during the era of Martin Luther King, Pete
Seeger and the Weavers, SDS, the Black Panthers, Robert Kennedy, Eugene
McCarthy, the Vietnam War, Watergate, the Women's Liberation Movement, the
Gay Rights Movement, AIDS, and Iran Contra. At sixty-five, I am an old
school progressive, a dyed-in-the-wool leftist, but I also understand
the need for compromise and unity with those who think differently. As
this year's election cycle began, I was excited. Democrats have a real
opportunity to lead. Bush and Cheney have destroyed the Republican
revolution, and our nation. We produced a credible and exciting field of
candidates. I was happy and optimistic. Regardless of the eventual
nominee, it seemed like a win-win opportunity.
Initially, of the top three, I supported John Edwards because I thought
he offered the most progressive and detailed platform, but I was torn.
You, Hillary, and Barack seemed equally strong. The prospect of the
first woman President or the first black President was enticing. It was
not until New Hampshire and South Carolina that my preference started to
emerge. It became apparent that Edwards was not viable, and it became
apparent that you, Hillary, were willing to win at any cost. At that
point, I chose Barack. It was your emerging negativity that determined my
choice. Unfortunately, you and Bill have continued down the path of
slash and burn politics that I find so offensive. Now, I am not sure I
could vote for you in November even if you somehow garner the nomination.
It is that bad. But, for the sake of the nation, there is still time
for you to make a different choice.

Give us "a profile in courage" moment. Do a one-eighty. Continue to
campaign, but go hyper-positive. Muzzle Bill, and Geraldine, and James
Carville. Outdo Barack in your generosity. Speak on behalf of the party
and the Democratic agenda. Take on John McCain while supporting your
teammate, Barack. If you can do that, I might even vote for you in the
North Carolina primary this May. At this point, you have nothing to lose,
and we have everything to gain.
John Gamble

University of North Carolina Greensboro
- Posted by John Gamble

http://kristof.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/03/27/shooting-herself-in-the-toe/#comment-38873

Hill-A-Bee, Hill-A-Bee Go Away!

Debra — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 21:05:05 EDT

I wonder if Gallop is conducting a poll to determine how many Black Obama supporters will support HRC if she wins the nomination? Just curious.

Hill-a-Bee's experience platform is a myth; a misnomer in that she's using Bill's experiences and calling them hers. I've always questioned Hill-a-Bee's supposed "experience" credentials. Her public office experience started in January 2001, when she was sworn in as NY's Senator. Obama has more "experience" than HRC in that he's been in public office longer than she. Hill-a-Bees's has used Bill's Clintons experiences as governor of Arkansas and US President and calling them hers.

How can Hill-a-Bee's claim she was active in US foreign policy in the White House when she NEVER had security clearance? That's so important!!! Why? Because it shows that she was playing the role of first lady, which is mostly ceremonial.

Mistakenly Obama and more so Edwards should have challenged Hill-a-Bee's experience platform sooner b/c their silences implied that they agree with her experience platform. It is much harder to disprove something that has ingrained into the political lexicon for more than a year.

Like Huckabee, Hillabee should step down; no more than would she no doubt would have been saying to Obama if the shoe was on the other foot. Sadly what the Hill-a-Bee's campaign started is "Scorch Earth" politics. Even though her chances of winning the nomination are slim; the only way she perceived she could win is to convince (some say bully) superdelegates into voting for her. That can only happen if she destroys Obama. How sad; how Carl Rovian.

If The Shoe Was On The Other Foot??

Debra — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 22:42:09 EDT

I'm watching the pundits speak tonight and I wonder why hasn’t there been a stronger push from the DNC for HRC to step down. I'm certain if the roles were reversed, the Clinton machine would pressure the DNC to call for Obama to step down for the sake of the party and national unity. Is the DNC so scared of the bully Clintons that they fear reprisals of epic proportions if they insist on unify now on one candidate?

OBAMA IS A WHITE MAN AND HE IS A BLACK MAN!

Debra — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 22:03:21 EDT

Now that I got your attention, Obama is his own man. Vote or not vote for him because of the substantive issues and not what someone else has said. We have friends and family who speaks cr@p all the time and we are presumably smart enough to separate the good from the bad. Reading comments from other posts, I now know why Obama was reluctant to talk about race, because it's easier to fall back to ignorant stereotypical beliefs than to challenge oneself... and just reflexively vote for a white candidate.

Let's get back to real issues at hand, such as the economy and the war in Iraq. McCain is sounding better by the minute and we are making the case for him. Let's get back on message. Thanks.

IN A STATE OF DENIAL

Debra — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 20:42:58 EDT

Here is my response to an email sent to a group of people:

I am not sure of the racial/ethic/gender mix of this group that John M. has assembled, but as a Black woman living and working in New York City, I have heard what the pundits on CNN/Fox/MSNBC/etc. have been saying, and have read the comments from people such as you about the Rev. Wright controversy, and frankly I'm annoyed.

Why? Well for starters, I don't think Black Americans, or for that matter Hispanic Americans, Asian Americans, Native Americans, American women, etc. are not generally trying to guilt Whites into anything. What I think we are looking for are (1) sincere acknowledgment that the atrocities that Whites in government have committed in some form to every group I have mentioned is real and impacts many to this day, (2) to get it and (3) to move on to the next logical steps toward a solution. The problem is many believe that the acknowledgments are insincere b/c it's usually followed by "get over it," "it was in the past" or "it's not my fault/problem." Do you know how frustrating those responses are? No more frustrating than if someone g-d forbid murder our children and the murderer tells us years later as we are still trying to recover that he had hurt us but to "get over it", "it was in the past" or "it's not my problem." Those are insincere responses, and rightfully so as it keeps us in a permanent stalemate; a us versus them society. (Many politicians have exploited this to their advantage--and to keep all of us in our respective places.)

I was born in the West Indies with parents from the West Indies (though I am of British and Scottish descents). Race and racism were never part of my parents' lexicon or livelihood until they immigrated to America in the 1970's, when they quickly became victims to them.

John, I know you personally have nothing to do with the causes of this racist/sexist society in America (which many historians--including a prominent White male Yale historian-argued that institutional racism was created as a way to prevent poor Whites from rebelling during the slave trade). But the NYT link is another example of a modern day consequence of decades long government sponsored institutional racism. I studied Apartheid in South Africa in grad school at NYU and wrote a paper on Apartheid (which started in the 1950's and was patterned from America's Jim Crow laws), and its impact to its educational institutions. I don't have time to explain all the impacts, but take it from me that S. Africa has a long way to go towards providing equal education to all its citizens. But the important distinction is that the S. Africa government has sincerely acknowledge its role, has gotten it and are making those steps albeit slowly towards equality, but NOT America!

We are in a state of denial.

By no stretch of the imagination do I agree with what Rev. Wright said. (Though I would have like to hear the whole sermon and not the 3:51 minute clip I saw on YouTube.) But I respectfully disagree with you in that we must know what make a man racist (KKK members, Wright or anyone else), any more than our need to know what turns a child into a serial killer. We are so vested in our own personal lives that we refuse to accept or acknowledge that our neighbors are hurting. That must end and I think Obama's speech was directed towards that goal. It was a speech that's long overdue and I look forward to HRC's speech on gender bias in America (As a woman, I experienced more bias at work because I'm a woman than Black--though I am the only Black/minority attorney at work). The concerns with Obama even making this speech politically was that whites may simply deny there is a problem and refuse to start the dialogue towards that acknowledgment. I am glad that you at least wrote a response...I hope your views on refusing to understand your enemies however are in the minority. Because if you are correct, America will never move towards healing; thus, racial, ethnic and gender conflicts will long remain.

Wonderful Speech!

Debra — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 22:24:09 EDT

I am so proud of you Obama. Your speech today is exactly what this country needs to address head on the issues of race and racism. I am showing you my support by donating to your campaign.....FOR THE FIRST TIME!!! Let us support Obama with our dollars.

Hillary's Campaign is Karl Rove 2.1

Debra — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 23:12:09 EDT

Take note, Hillary Clinton, we can no longer have Karl Rove 50+1 as part of our political landscape.

WHY AM I VOTING FOR OBAMA!!!

Debra — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 18:54:53 EST

(1) He inspires those who are too young to vote and have them take a vested interest in their government. Today (3/8/2008) I heard my seven year old neighbor screamed “Hooray” when she heard on the radio that Obama was winning the Wyoming caucuses. I asked are you fan of Obama, she said “yes,” and without provocation said “I hate Hillary.” When I asked why, she paused and said “she cannot speak.” She is not the first child I heard expressed an interest in this election. My cousins (7-10 years old and all Obama supporters) were at a family party discussing the race and who had a better chance of defeating McCain: Obama or Hillary Clinton. Frankly, I have not seen children this interested in politics at this level since 1980, when children everywhere would purchase Trix cereal, cut out the election ballot located on the back, and vote for the person who young America wanted for president: Regan or Carter.

(2) Obama is a great role model for America. After 28 years of disastrous local and foreign policy decisions (Ron Paul, you are so right about 9/11), with the last 16 years having a slut and an idiot in the oval office (both caught in one scandal after another), I think we need someone who we can lift our heads high and reclaim the dignity that was America. Obama is the man! (McCain could also, but his link to the idiot would muddy his record).

(3) Obama has the best judgment above all. If the issue is really about experience, McCain should arguably win as he served as Senator long before Hillary Clinton or Obama. I am an attorney for 10 years, and I can tell you that merely having years of legal experience doesn’t make you a better attorney. What does is whether you have common sense and could exercise the right balance of judgment with experience. Clearly, Obama has exhibited this with a highly organized and disciplined campaign (unlike Hillary Clinton and McCain); and his views on the Iraq war (which I don’t care how we would like to distort history, there was a severe consequence if a politician was openly against the Iraq war)

Barack: Stay focus, maintain the high road, and don’t let Hillary and Bill Clinton TYPICAL slash and burn politics deter you. Go Obama!!!