Michelle Burstion-Young's Blog

Attention Clinton supporters and/or undecideds

Michelle B — Thu, 22 May 2008 02:05:13 EDT

Ok I heard that some HRC supporters and undecideds are reading our blogs trying to decide whether or not to cross over and support Barack.

I just want to say welcome. And tell you that you may like some of what you hear, you may not like other things. Keep in mind that many of us think of this as a "safe space" where we can vent- which is much needed as things have been tense on both sides.

But we do welcome a debate-- a CONSRTUCTIVE debate. And I want to offer up these links- sort of a greatest hits of stories I've been following. Please read them and consider them while you make your decision.

Feminist Perspective

Democrats Unite by Clinton Supporter (and feminist) Erica Jong

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/erica-jong/democrats-unite_b_102850.html

Top 10 Reasons Women Should Support Obama- Ellen Bravo

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ellen-bravo/ten-reasons-why-women-sho_b_102973.html

An open letter to my sisters who are brave—Alice Walker

http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2008/03/31/7998/

Why Barack Obama got my Vote—Naomi Wolfe

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/naomi-wolf/why-barack-obama-got-my-v_b_89017.html

A Flawed Feminist Test—Maureen Dowd

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/13/opinion/13dowd.html

"My Mother's Painful Quandary," by Jonanthan Alter in Newsweek

http://www.newsweek.com/id/120063

Toni Morrison's Letter to Barack Obama

http://www.observer.com/2008/toni-morrisons-letter-barack-obama

Obama inherited his mother's dreams

http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080510/OPINION03/805100303/-1/BACKISSUES

The Story of Barack's Mother—Time Magazine

http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1729524-1,00.html

White Haired Women for Obama

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/04/15/new-obama-girls-white-hai_n_96860.html

Progressive Perspective

Caroline Kennedy—A President Like My Father

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/27/opinion/27kennedy.html?_r=4&ref=opinion&oref=slogin&oref=slogin&oref=slogin&oref=slogin

Ethel Kennedy (Bobby’s widow) endorses Obama

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2008/02/ethel.html

Michael Moore- Why Obama would get my vote

http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/message/index.php

Tom Hanks video endorsement

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68CKnirCxak

A New Hope—Rolling Stone Magazine

http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/story/19106551/a_new_hope

Springsteen endorses Obama

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/04/16/bruce-springsteen-endorse_n_96933.html

Joan Baez endorses Obama

http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2008/02/04/6833/

Senator Robert Byrd endorses Obama

http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0508/Sen_Robert_Byrd_endorses_Obama.html#comments

Imagine- Evan Handler

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/evan-handler/imagine_b_102502.html

The Obama Generation for Obama

http://www.theobamageneration.com/

Conservative/Religious Perspectives

Conservatives for Obama

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/beth-arnold/obama-even-the-conservat_b_93338.html

Susan Eisenhower for Obama

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/01/AR2008020102621_pf.html

Roman Catholics for Obama

http://www.romancatholicsforobama.com/

Pro life & Pro Obama—Frank Schaeffer

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/frank-schaeffer/why-im-prolife-and-pro_b_85636.html

Evangelicals for Obama

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/5/11/12945/0514/904/513708

Frank Schaeffer's call for unity

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/frank-schaeffer/mccain-is-a-threat-to-ame_b_100904.html

Jews for Obama

http://jews4barack.com/endorsements/?p=12#more-12

Obama & the Jews—Thomas Friedman

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/18/opinion/18friedman.html?em&ex=1211342400&en=bc56aaa099b3f955&ei=5087%0A

How to Market Obama to your Republican Friends

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/5/18/03541/2524/944/517720

Special thanks to all the bloggers who contributed links to this (ever-growing) list.

About WV

Michelle B — Wed, 14 May 2008 02:52:01 EDT

I'm no expert but we are still in the same place we were. We will win this nomination and the election in November. WV was always uphill for us.

When the pundits start spinning about Barack not doing well with White voters-- Don't believe the hype... our wins in Iowa, Colorado, Virginia, and elsewhere prove that is wrong.

However, if you do look at the map, the states where Obama has faced the biggest challenge are in the Appalachian region. Places like OH, PA, and WV-- where the entire state is firmly entrenched in the Appalachian mountains. To say that they are racist is unfair and oversimplified--This is a region that has faced abject poverty, is culturally more in line with republicans, and is suspicious of ANY outsider-- Black, White green or otherwise...

Yes there are racists there-- but there are racist EVERYWHERE-- even in progressive blue states...

Our problem is not that the people are racists, our issue is that we have a candidate who is basically an outsider to them going against a much beloved Clinton machine-- Bill with his heavy accent and poor Arkansas upbringing was very popular with the mountain folk.

For the general election, we need to devise a strategy to connect with this particular voting block. I think the old style cynical political approach would be to write them off and we are better than that-- I think we can make great strides with them-- after all people are basically people. If we can appeal to their values we can get their votes.

And that's my 2 cents.

Anyway

Michelle B — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 14:49:15 EDT

I love this poem. I'm not sure who wrote it, it's been credited to Mother Theresa, the Dalai Lama, and a Harvard student who wishes to reamin anonymous. But whomever is responsible these are definitely words that we and this campaign should live by.

Anyway Poem

People are often unreasonable, illogical and self-centered; Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives;Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies;Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you;Be honest and frank anyway.

What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight;Build anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous;Be happy anyway.

The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow;Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough;Give the world the best you've got anyway.

You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and God.
It is never between you and them anyway.

The Inquisition-- What a Show

Michelle B — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 00:54:43 EDT

Does anyone else feel that perhaps it’s time—past the time to stop rejecting and denouncing all of the rejecting and denouncing?! You hardly ever hear about issues anymore! Instead the candidates seem to be busy reigning in various surrogates. Granted a lot of what has been said has crossed a line, but this constant brouhaha – this gotcha game is taking the 90s “political correctness” to let’s get medieval on their *&^!

No one expects the American inquisition! How has this presidential debate become so conflated that now it’s not enough for a candidate to be above board. No, no. Everyone in the history of the world that he’s ever met, talked to, got money from… Every crazy uncle or grandparent, every racist neighbor, everyone who’s ever endorsed him or simply thought he was a good person has to have never said or done anything wrong or the candidate himself will have to answer for it. Do we not still have free speech in this country? Are we to be held accountable for that which does not even COME OUT OF OUR OWN MOUTHS?! Are you kidding me with this?

No I don’t agree with many of Rev Wright’s statements—but guess what he ain’t runnin’ for president and no I wouldn’t vote for HIM- but luckily that’s not even a choice I have to make!

I have my issues with HRC. Frankly she has said and done enough to offend me during the course of this campaign that I could give a flying baboon’s butt what ANY of her surrogates (including Ferraro) have to say about anything! Because SHE’s the one running for president and no she ain’t getting my vote either!

Then there’s John McCain. He’s had to answer for Bill Cunningham (screaming Barrack Hussein Obama) and Rev. Hagee who called Catholicism “a whore religion.” But McCain at least earned my respect for this reason—yes he did repudiate the comments but he also had the guts to say endorsements are essentially one sided. People support candidates because they support what THE CANDIDATE believes in—NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND!

And frankly it can’t work the other way around. How could it? One million of us have donated to the Obama campaign. I’m guessing that out of that million say a few hundred of us (sarcasm) have said or done some things that might be immoral, illegal, and just downright wrong. Things we wouldn’t want Senator Obama to know about or be associated with. Can you imagine HIM having to account for us publicly?

Stop the madness. At the end of the day this isn’t about anything more or less than who do you want to be the next President of the United States of America.

And when HE IS the leader of all 300,000,000 of us—imagine how much more rejecting and denouncing he would have to do if he is to be held accountable for the actions of everyone he’s associated with. Think about it.

The MANY Reasons to Support Senator Obama over Hillary Clinton

Michelle B — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 16:49:39 EDT

The MANY Reasons to Support Senator Obama over Hillary Clinton

1) Electability—Almost every poll shows he has the best shot of beating John McCain in the Fall. http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2008/president/us/general_election_mccain_vs_obama-225.html

2) “Big States Theory” is bunk! CA, NY, NJ, will be blue no matter who the nominee is… The “swing states” are the ones to focus on. In 2004 there were 15 battleground states (not counting FL and MI). So far 12 of those states have voted and Senator Obama leads 7 states to HRCs 5. More importantly, Bush carried 8 of those 12. Obama has won IA, WI, NV, MO and Co. The only battleground states won by Bush that HRC carried are AR, NM and OH. The total Electoral College impact Obama 42 electoral votes, HRC 31. That's what’s important. (Thanks Teach53 for your research which I copied & pasted)

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-creamer/clintons-big-state-myt_b_90115.html

3) Obama expanded the democratic base! People are turning out and caucusing in record numbers. He’s not just expanded the base- he put it to work and will continue to do so. Senator Clinton has not been able to mobilize the same kind of grass roots support. And her base is largely the traditional blue collar working class democrats who might be tempted to vote for McCain in the general. If she is perceived as stealing the nomination—many will abandon the DNC forever and a third party might be a viable option.

http://www.regressiveantidote.net/Articles/A_Not-So-Simple_Twist_of_Fate.html

(thanks for the link Arlene in Maine)

4) The AA vote IS crucial to the democrats and Senator Clinton’s tactics have turned MANY off— maybe for good. When the race started Senator Clinton had a 60/40 edge over Senator Obama with Black democrats but after the race baiting in South Carolina—it’s flipped to 80/20 or 90/10 for Obama. Would most African Americans still be loyal if Hillary’s name were anywhere near the ticket? Do we really want to roll the dice and find out? http://www.statesman.com/opinion/content/editorial/stories/03/07/0309phillips_edit.html

5) THE Clinton SCANDALS—There are too many to mention and frankly Senator Obama is too much of a gentleman to run a campaign that refers to them—but the REPUBLICANS WILL NOT BE! And not just the old scandals—but Peter Paul & Bill’s overseas dealings… Do we really want to live through all that again?

6) Likability-enough said

7) And most importantly –YOU SIMPLY CANNOT OVERTURN THE WILL OF THE PEOPLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That’s my two cents.

Good reads

Michelle B — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 11:19:42 EST

I'm just compiling a list of good reads for the day.

This would be a great future ad-- apparently the 3:00am girl knows who SHE wants answering the phone... and it AIN'T Hilalry

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/3/8/03755/44140/948/471959

I would REALLY LOVE IT if some OBAMA SURROGATE would make "the big states myth" argument publically.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-creamer/clintons-big-state-myt_b_90115.html

I really believe that a lot of superdelegates are offended by Hillary's reckless attempts to sabotage Barack and especially her speaking more highly of the republican candidate than him.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/gary-hart/breaking-the-final-rule_b_90420.html

All for now, more to come in the future.

How to appeal to Blue collar voters

Michelle B — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 16:31:49 EST

Ok I've been reading the posts for a while and I have some ideas about how we can draw those elusive blue collar voters but before I add my two cents I have to vent about something that's bothering me.

1) Please stop with all the racist/ backward inferences about OH and PA! Even if you think its true, lots of people from Ohio (like me) or Pennsylvania don't need to look on the Obama website and hear that that's what people think of them. We are trying to get more supporters not turn them off. And the elitist tone of "how can those people be so backward" is even making a die hard Obama supporter like myself feel slightly irritated.

2) We need to coopt the LANGUAGE of VALUES. It's how Bush got elected and we have a much smarter, stronger, more articlulate candidate. All this policy, economic talk frankly makes people glaze over. I've heard speeches where Obama talks about his grandfather being in Patton's army-- how parents need to turn off the tv and video games and create study spaces. This is how you appeal to Midwesterners! Talk to them in the language of family and values, use the Reagan quote about not expecting government to do that which we can do for ourselves, and then explain how the government CAN actually ease the burden by renegotiating NAFTA, giving healthcare, only sending us to war when we really need to go... etc.

3) For God's sake, show the man in church or leading a prayer group to quell these muslim rumors once and for all! And do it in a way that honors and respects all the muslims that are good God-fearing people. Do an ad that says that these accusations are disrespectful to him as a devout Christian and disrespectful to the millions of muslims who are Good people and have had their religion coopted by extremist and that these tactics are part of the old school politics he's fighting to change. Have evangelical Christian leaders who have endorsed him be in the ad, as well as Catholic, Jews and even Muslim supporters and say how they are united across their religious differnces to support Barack because he is the candidate of hope and change that shares VALUES THAT TRANSCEND RELIGION and that that's the kind of leader we need in today's world.

These are just some thought that might help as we head to Wyoming, Mississippi, & Pennsylvania.

Any thoughts?

A Tale of Two Campaigns

Michelle B — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 02:48:26 EST

As an Ohio voter, I feel I have to weigh in on what I've been observing as a political junkie so far. Every time I see Hillary describing Ohio and Texas as "her firewall" or touting herself as "the experienced candidate" and claiming that she has the superior leadership skills-- I want to scream at the television set: "JUST LOOK AT THE DIFFERENCE IN HOW THE CAMPAIGNS HAVE BEEN RUN!"

1) She had to loan her campaign money because they spent too much too fast-- yet I'm supposed to believe in her fiscal responsibility.

2) According to many reports she has an "insiders only" approach to her campaign and already has had major turnovers with her top personnel-- if she can't get things done within her inner circle how is she going to be able to reach across the aisle to actually pass the health care plan she already failed at the first time the Clinton's were in the White House precisely because she couldn't garner the needed support. We need a consensus builder and her campaign offers no evidence that she can do that.

3) She basically wrote off all the States where she was not favored to win. It seems to me that if you are running to be the president of the United States, you need to be about the people-- not the percentage points and PEOPLE should not be written off because OH and TX offer more delegates! If I lived in Wisconsin I'd be angry.

4) She keeps writing Barack off as some wet behind the ears youth whose time has not come yet.

I'm not even going to analyze the last comment because while I was tinkering online I found a copy of her Wellesley speech that she gave in 1969 and I have found that her own words are far more damning. I wish I could introduce Hillary Rodham of 1969 to Hillary Clinton circa now. These are the exact words of an excerpt of her speech that she directed at an establishment politician while she was an ambitious youth. Hillary Rodham (1969) says:

"What can you say about a feeling that permeates a generation and that perhaps is not even understood by those who are distrusted? All they can do is keep trying again and again and again. There's that wonderful line in East Coker by Eliot about there's only the trying, again and again and again; to win again what we've lost before.

And then respect. There's that mutuality of respect between people where you don't see people as percentage points. Where you don't manipulate people. Where you're not interested in social engineering for people. The struggle for an integrated life existing in an atmosphere of communal trust and respect is one with desperately important political and social consequences. And the word "consequences" of course catapults us into the future. " Hillary Rodham-- 1969 Wellesley address

I couldn't have said it better myself Hillary-- that's why I'm voting for Barack and deep down I think that Wellesley girl might too.