|
Bloggers for Obama
A group for bloggers to post, share, and discuss their blog posts on the Obama campaign and related issues.
Convention rhetoric is over, and I have a couple of questions about the morality of motherhood as defined by the Republican party. Read More »
Blue Star Families for Obama member Anita Doberman recently had the opportunity to interview Michelle Obama about military families and about her own family. They also talked about her husband’s vision for the future…and her secret vice.
http://www.cannonconnections.com/news/never_1649___article.html/answers_obama.html
CHARLES BABINGTON from the associated Press asks; how many people, in the secrecy of the ballot booth are going to vote against Obama because he is black? I ask, how many people who won't admit to anyone that they are for Obama because he is black are going to vote for him in the secrecy of the voting booth? A friend of mine's mother is a dedicated Democrtat. Her husband and his step father is a die hard Republican and racists. His mother told him confidentially this week that his step father was going to vote for Obama. His step fater was not going to let anyone know and would not admit it to anyone. There may be just as many secretly voting for Obama as against him.
The GOP didn't even get permission to use Heart's "Barracuda" or a number of other tunes. This news comes as a true relief since I love Heart and couldn't stand the thought of them supporting "John Bush." Huff Post http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/05/heart-van-halen-orleans-j_n_124264.html This campaign season, Republicans have been using a lot of songs from artists who wouldn't have given permission if asked, and some who have spoken up to ask that their songs not be used in the future. Here's the No-Thanks-GOP playlist so far: Van Halen - Right Now Van Halen management tells us the band had no idea McCain was planning on using "Right Now" during his big entrance in Ohio telling us, "Permission was not sought or granted nor would it have been given." Jackson Browne - Running on Empty If the whole episode strikes a nostalgic tone, it's because famous musical artists and Republican presidential candidates have butted heads in the past. Bruce Springsteen publicly complained when Ronald Reagan used "Born in the U.S.A" during his campaign in 1984. Heart - Barracuda ...the Wilsons condemned the usage, adding that Universal Music Publishing and Sony BMG have sent a cease-and-desist notice to the McCain-Palin campaign, according to CNN. "We have asked the Republican campaign publicly not to use our music,'' the group said in a statement. Orleans - Still the One Proving that campaign vetting should extend beyond vice presidential contenders (or those vetting the potential veeps), McCain sparked the ire of the song's co-writer, the founding member of Orleans and current New York congressman, John Hall. Frankie Valli - Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You Warner Music Group (WMG) appears to have demanded that YouTube remove "Obama Love," a montage of press fawning over Sen. Barack Obama that had been posted on Sen. John McCain's official YouTube channel. "This video is no longer available due to a copyright claim by Warner Music Group," says a message on YouTube.
I've watched some of Barack Obama's recent talks with local people in Pennsylvania and he is stressing good points - but he must be better. The Republican convention message was clear - the same emphasis on the elite, those well off in our country and disdain for people who get down into the trenches doing unsavory work like community organizing. Senators Obama and Biden have a wonderful opportunity to make the point that they both have the great experience fighting for working class people and for those left out of the quest for the American Dream. Just as we honor the efforts of our soldiers fighting in the trenches on foreign soil, so should we honor the efforts of Americans like Barack Obama who fight for people in the trenches alongside every day working people here in America. There is no room for error now and no time for a lackadaisical effort in reaching out to those who will select our next President. Barack must continue to connect with every day Americans - he should even say, "I know I haven't convinced people that I am sincere and that I am a person capable of leading this country through the dangerous times ahead. I pledge to you to do a better job and to help everyone to see how deeply I am committed to this country and to each and every American!" I wrote brieflly about this in http://www.outsiderviews.com earlier today: Well, for starters, Dick Morris just called it: John McCain has been elected President. What Dick and the rest of the pundits seem to forget that there are about 200 million of us who will vote on November 4. ....
One thing I forgot to mention in this was that it is either the son or the nephew of the Kurdistan leader, Masoud Barzani, is the Prime Minister. Among the many questions the Adminstration has never answer is why does Kurdistan call itself a government with a President and a Prime Minister. When you visit their site at http://www.krg.org, you would think that you have visited another country. So, this fiction that the Republicans are pushing is simply a lie. I also do have one profound concern: George W. Bush may agree to a troop cut to perpetuate the fiction that in fact the situation is getting better--against the advise of his commanders. On a high note, I just caught a glimpse of Joe Biden on CNN. He was in high spirits...with fightin' Joe Biden at Barack's side, there ain't no stopping the juggernaut..and let the pundits go eat sand!!!
I received this very important email from Kenneth Traugott in the Diversity for Obama Group, and he gave me permission to send it out.I appreciate all the info that everyone is distributing in response to the RNC and about the campaign in general. I just wanted to make one point. It has been touched on before, but is worth repeating:The bottom line is that every one of us needs to make a pledge right now to do at least one of the following things every day from now until the election: Donate to the campaign Make a phone call on behalf of the campaign Canvass / knock on a neighbor’s door to talk about Barack Write a letter to the media Display your Obama banners, buttons, apparel, bumper stickers, etc.
Organize a meeting or rally - it doesn’t need to be huge, just get people together and get them talking Of course, communicating through the listservs is essential so that we are exchanging necessary information and helping to educate each other, but that can’t be your only action. We need to make sure that we’re getting outside of the Obama bubble and reaching out to the undecided voters. They are the ones we need to educate and turn on to Obama’s message because they are the ones who will decide this election! Who’s with me?! Ken http://theenlightenedpatriot.blogspot.comMy reply: I’m with you, Ken. For a while now, I’ve been worried that we are “preaching to the choir” too much. Did you know that the people Carl Rove put in charge of the internet site and blogs for McCain, have a strategy for exactly that? They expected the Obama bloggers to stay busy blogging within their own groups. They put Trolls into our groups to start blogs that would have no effect on voters, cause chaos and waste our valuable time as we react and email them back. Check out http://www.johnmccain.com/ActionCenter/BlogInteract/BlogInteract.aspx and you will see that this one site lists Daily Kos (a liberal site) to troll on, and there are many more. It is time to pull ourselves off of the internet after an hour or two of gathering information we can use, and get busy campaigning to people face to face, by phone, or by letter, contact our local campaign offices to see what we can do, sign up people to vote, etc.! I know this is harder work, but we must do it to win. Time is short!!! I pledge to do one of your list each and every day. In fact, I’m going to post the list on my fridge as a reminder! And I’ve added a few things and typed up a list for everyone to copy& print. If you don’t mind, I’d like to put your letter on my blog. Let me know. Thanks,Donna from Obamanewsyoucanuse.blogspot.com Read More »I'm sure we all volunteer but, there is a simple thing we all can do....
WE NEED TO SHOW OUR SUPPORT! Wear buttons! Put up YARD SIGNS! Use BUMPER STICKERS! (Put them on the outside window, you can take it off with a razor-blade) I drove to NC from Indiana on vacation and saw 2 McCain bumper stickers and about 10 Obama in 10 days... THAT'S NOT GOOD ENOUGH! I wore my button everyday and didn't see ONE other person doing that! THAT'S NOT GOOD ENOUGH! The general population needs to see that YOU, normal, good, nice, friendly, people support Barack.... then, when they ask you why, TELL THEM... IN YOUR OWN WORDS. This is as good as knocking on doors.... and you can do it anywhere, anytime. In the grocery, the gas station, the pizza restaurant... Show that you are a PROUD supporter! OUR DIVERSITY IS AN ASSET, BUT WE HAVE TO SHOW IT! People need to see that middle aged women support him, that people of all ages, not just the young, support him. Supporters are of all colors and creeds, of all religions and sexual orientations. It is so simple, and will offer you the opportunity of gaining voters for our cause without saying a word... Just be the nice caring people you are and others will take note. IT WILL TAKE US ALL TO WIN THIS! SHOW YOUR SUPPORT! People will follow a winner... the more support they see the more it will snowball. We can battle media imbalance in this way... WE HAVE TO WIN THIS...OUR COUNTRY AND OUR CHILDRENS' FUTURE IS AT STAKE. Feel free to reuse this post anywhere! Get the word out! peace, marsha I am voting Republican because I believe McCain when he says our economy is healthy (Economy Shed 84,000 Jobs in August; Unemployment Rate Jumped to 6.1%.)I’m voting Republican because under George W. Bush our national debt is up to $3 TRILLION dollars (see http://www.lafn.org/politics/gvdc/Natl_Debt_Chart.html from US National Treasury)I am voting Republican because Vice-Presidential Nominee, Sarah Palin, wants Creationism taught in the schools.I am voting Republican because this party does not have to stand up for my parents, my children, and myself when we have difficulty standing up for ourselves. Little things like social security, medicare, student loans, and school lunch programs come to mind.I am voting Republican because they do not support workers rights to organize. Unfortunately, that gave us a shorter work week, higher salaries, and a middle class so strong that we forgot the two class society that previously existed in America. I am voting Republican because the wealthiest 1% needs more of my money. The Democrats will lower my taxes because I make less than $250,000.I am voting Republican because I should have to pay taxes on my company paid health care premiums so that John McCain can have lower taxes.I am voting Republican because children with special needs, the poor, the elderly, returning vets should be left alone to fend for themselves.I am voting Republican because we believe that the only people who should be listening to our phone calls is the person I am talking to and the government. I am voting Republican because I believe that everyone has a right to worship whomever they choose without judgment as long as it is Christian (I am Christian).I am voting Republican because I want a Vice President who supports a group for secession from the United States.I am voting Republican because every time since 1932 when our country was in the greatest need...war, depression, civil rights and more my party did not deliver.I’m voting Republican because I believe that Global Warming is not happening.I am voting Republican because I believe the president should kiss up to the Chinese so that they will keep loaning us money.I am voting Republican because I believe the president should kiss up to the Saudis so they will sell us oil for insane prices and use that money to fund Al Qaeda. I am voting Republican because I believe that telling teens to not have sex will cause them not to have sex and not to become pregnant before they are married..I am voting Republican because I believe that the same torture techniques that caused John McCain to denounce the USA can be used to extract reliable information from the prisoners we have taken.I am voting Republican because I believe the war in Iraq was justified from the start, and we should stay there until we win no matter how many casualties. I am voting Republican because believe that India and China should lead the way in science and technology.
I am voting Republican because I believe the world should look to Europe and not the US for moral leadership. Yeah, Right!!!!!I am voting Democratic because right now it is too important not to.
My Response to an Email from a Republican Friend on Why He Would Vote Democrat . Feel free to use it if you receive the same email or one similar. (Read on ) Read More »Make sure you are registered and if you are going to be out of state make sure you turn in your absentee ballot. Or if you live in a state where you can mail in your vote ahead of time then cast your vote now.
Governor Palin's one-liner last night was effective. It demands an equally effective one-line response. She said "I guess a small-town mayor is sort of like a ‘community organizer,’ except that you have actual responsibilities." My response: "A community organizer does things for the people that the mayor, the city council, and other politicians and public officials can't or won't do. " I think this is a good response to anyone we call on the phone-banks who questions the relevance of Senator Obama's early experience. Follow it up with the observation that it's a lot harder to actually get things done when you're working from the outside of the system and don't have the authority to 'just do it', but Barack did get things done.
Source: http://www.outsiderviews.com, retrieved September 5, 2008 The Final Day of the Republican Convention is drawing to a close. Just like the Democratic Convention, it had its share of music, speeches and cheerleading yet again. The attack dogs were at it, though. The most notable one was Lindsay Graham. I respect Senator Graham for some of the principled stance he has taken. For instance, he bucked his party on Social Security. He bucked his party when he joined the so-called gang of 14 to help broker the compromise on filibusters. He has also served in Iraq because he was a Colonel in the U.S. Army Reserves. But, his attacks on Senator Obama were in my view, simply sad. It was also pathetic because his message was that because Senator Obama opposed to war, his conduct was tantamount to treason. Cindy McCain's eloquence was commendable in defense of her husband. I commend the able and eloquent writers who supported her in this endeavor. Cindy and John have been a hell of a team and I have written about both of them. Their commitment to America is absolute and their humanity should never be questioned. Senator McCain reminded us to get involved to help change Government. In this regard, he is absolutely right. He also paid homage to Senator Obama. As I listened to him, I also believed that we are indeed here to serve a cause better than ourselves. I have tried to do that as well and by the grace of the Lord, will continue to do so. Senator McCain also told us that "...Americans want us to stop yelling at each other..." and told the country that the Republicans will get back to the basics of the belief that has driven the Republicans. He implored all to fight for all that there is important. He took credit for the "surge". But, he forgot to remind the country that the war began with a lie. His so-called straight-talk failed in this regard. The Russian-Georgian conflict was one such example. He forgot to tell the world that the reckless and stupid President of Georgia fell into the trap that the Russians laid out for him. Now, Dick Cheney is giving money the U.S. does not have to a country that truly does not deserve it. Senator McCain also said that he would reach across the aisle. He said that he would invite Democrats and Independents to his Administration. That's what George W. Bush told the country in 2000. Look at the past is 8 years. Throughout the day, the pundits only focused on how "great" Sarah Palin's speech was. Senator McCain also told the country and the world why Governor Palin is the right choice. She is the Governor. That is to be commended. But, Alaska is one of the richest states in the union. I wonder what Governor Palin would have done if she was in Governor Granholm of Michigan's shoes or Governor Strickland of Ohio. Further, Governor Palin's speech broke the very edict John McCain laid down when he said that we should stop yelling at each other. How those two protesters from Iraq Veterans against the War and Code Pink made it in is also a testament to the ingenuity of America. The arrests of journalists (which I wrote about earlier) are simply sad and deplorable. The Republicans again said that John McCain was a fighter, a POW and a military man. That's fine and we must honor that. But, that is yesterday. What about tomorrow? I did not hear that answer. America spends more than the rest of the world on the military. According to an analysis in Tom's Dispatch, America has over 700 military installations around the world. America is the world's garrison. Yet, Americans have to continually be reminded to be afraid. Why? As the Republicans continued to party, life did go on. The Dow lost over 300 points. Unemployment rose again. Retail sales were down and Europe has continued to Senator Obama appeared on Bill O'Reilly. It was probably because of the truce Rupert Murdoch brokered. Fox has a place in the discourse of American Life. Fox has also been relentless. Bill O'Reilly was as tough as nails. But, Barrack isn’t no pushover either. You don't get to be the Democratic Nominee for President by being a pushover. I give him that. I also liked the fact that he took all the attacks in stride and reminded the world that he has been called worst on the Basketball court. To me, that's simply cool!!! I have noted a FactCheck.Org link (available at http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/gop_convention_spin_part_ii.html, retrieved September 5,2008) about some of the over the top misstatements by the Republicans. It is interesting reading. As we bid the Republican Convention farewell, it is clear that the battle lines are drawn. Senator McCain and his friends made the case for him. I will remind all that his service and sacrifice for America must be honored and never forgotten. But, that does not give him the right to be "crowned" President. The Republicans told the country and the world that to be the case. Although Senator McCain himself dismissed it, that’s in effect the message.
Every Cindy McCain agreed that today is the day the real battle begins....and it will be quite a battle...... P.S: France, Qatar and Turkey have stepped into the vaccum left by the engagement the United States has had in Iraq. Among the many things, the Republicans forgot to address reality. "Education is the civil rights issue of the 21st century". John McCain, Republican Nomination Speech, September 4th, 2008.
If so, why did John McCain oppose the new GI Bill? This legislation provides access to higher education for our veterans and their families. Barack Obama understands this and supported this landmark legislation and is dedicated to ensuring its full implementation. Unfortunately even now the Bush-McCain team is working to undermine this law by poor management and leaving it to contractors instead of VA education specialists to administer The question is: Which do you think is better experience for someone running for the White House? Small town mayor, community organizer, or no difference are the options. link: http://www.cnn.com/
The "Juneau For President" cartoon is Funny. But... Folks, like it or not, like her or not, she hit on all cylinders in her convention speech and focused brilliantly on the target audience she was hired to bring home to McCain. She also motivated those on the right who were discouraged by Obama's strengths. I am also willing to bet she has McCain pumped up to give the kind of acceptance speech which--though rare--he is capable of. Rest assured we will hear her speech again and again between now and November. This is a serious threat and we must treat it as such. We can respond effectively, but we must be absolutely clear on what we are dealing with here. The media line this morning is she far exceed the bar set for her and in 24-hours she's gone from a punch line to someone they are taking seriously. "Mainstream Media" folks are already backing off on their critiques and, in fact, they love the fact that she has given them a real fight to cover. Her soundbites are being run over and over and over. Meanwhile, the right wing media is fired up. Furthermore (again, like itor not, factual or not) she effectively demonstrated how she will be used to lock Obama and Biden into the definition McCain and the GOP have already set for them while changing the agenda to one McCain can use to his advantage. We can exchange emails allday about her many errors of fact and inference. We can make jokes and snarky attacks and be self righteous. All we're doing in the process is further frustrating ourselves and motivating the GOP base while not communicating with those we have to reach, convince, mobilize, and turnout in a little more than 60 days. Palin will be very effective in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and in the Rocky Mountain Western states that are in play. She can also make a real difference in Virginia and the Carolinas. And, by the way, rest assured that if Obama-Biden do win in November, Palin will still come out as a GOP hero. She will be their biggest fundraiser and speaker. She will lead the charge to bring more GOP into the House and Senate in 2010 and to win back the White House in 2012. She can be countered and defeated, but do not make the mistake of thinking we can ridiculeSarah Palin and dismiss her as a pushover. She may stumble and fall, but take nothing for granted. Counter, not counterattack. Respond not with personal attacks and dismissive insults but with hard facts--facts about Obama's actual record and actual proposals and facts about the state of the nation and the world--that matter not just to you but to the working families and the middle class suffering in this economy. When the GOP and the hard right lie and distort, shoot back immediately with straightforward, verifiable data. Meanwhile, raise money and keep all eyes on election day. Stop reinforcing your anger and angst by stewing with those who already agree with you. Stop directing your energy and anger at those who are already hardwired to vote McCain-Palin. Get off the email loops and into the local Obama-Biden/Democratic Hq. Reach out to undecideds and independents. Work on those who are soft supporters of McCain and reinforce those who are soft for Obama. Remember that an Obama Presidency cannot do the job without Democrats in the House and Senate. Remember that the Democrats elected to legislatures and Governor's mansions this year will be able to affect the Congressional redistricting battles in 2011-2012. The time for jokes and personal attacksis done. The stakes are too high and the risks are too great. There is much to do and little time to waste. We have two months to get serious and take back our country. Fired up! JayParker Colonel United States Army (ret) Visiting Associate Professor of Government at Georgetown University. I subscribe to BL Ochman's newsletter. Today, this newsletter grabbed my attention. Ochman, makes salient arguments in this article. Eventually, the Republicans are going to use race as a divisive and nasty campaign strategy. Obama needs to address the 'elephant in the room.'
Please note: These are simply the last two days' posts from What's Next Blog. You can read all my recent posts, and add comments if you like, at What's Next Blog You will need to read the blog online in order to see the videos in the posts. Thanks for subscribing! Follow me on Twitter. B.L. I COPIED AND PASTED THIS BECAUSE THIS INFORMATION IS TRUE AND IMPORTANT! How to Market Obama Now: Play the Race Card Love them or hate them, (and I hate them) Sarah Palin’s views are transparent. What’s not transparent is the race issue, and Barak Obama needs to address it now. Then we can move on to the real issues, without the whispering. Otherwise, the GOP puppet masters will find a way to poison the well of hope, and we can’t let that happen again. Race is the whispered undercurrent of this campaign. Friends ask each other: “Do you really think a black man can win?” “Is America really ready for a black president?” And in their private conversations, people say things that no politician or pundit would dare to utter in public, like “Black people will think they can do whatever they want if he’s elected” (This from a liberal professor at a New York City University.) If I was on the marketing team, I'd advise Obama to come out and say “I know race is the whispered issue, but we need to talk about it. I’m what happens when – no matter where you come from – you work hard, you dream big and you nevergive up. And I’m here to tell you that if you worry about the color of my skin, you are worrying about the wrong issue.” I'd tell him to do it on YouTube, in blog advertising, in email, in text messages to his supporters, content sponsorship, and on his website. Bypass mainstream media and let them get the news online where millions turn instead of TV or newspapers. The race issue may be over in tennis and golf, but it’s not over around dining room tables across the country, in gated communities or in the projects. It needs to be discussed on a national stage, because until it is, we’re stuck in the past.Posted by B.L. Ochman Categories: Alternative Marketing, B.L. Ochman, Conferences, Internet strategy,Marketing Strategy, Politics, Reality Marketing, Social Media, Social Media Marketing, Thought Leaders, Trends, Word of MouthTags: Barack Obama Obama 08 race and politics Internet strategy politicalcommentary racial profiling political strategy political marketingBL Ochman | Sep 3 08 1:01 | Permanent Link | Comments (6) | TrackBack (0)Subscribe to What's Next News
GOOD NEWS: Which Candidate is Winning Online? Hint: Not McCain
The vast majority of forum discussions on McCain Space, the candidate's social network, have fewer than 10 replies, and most have none as of 3 pm today. Most of the groups have 50 members or less, and less than 50 user-made videos have been uploaded to the site, where the most popular video, with 470 votes is "some random rifle spinning" by a Texas supporter who never says a word. The McCain Blog's posts have about half the number of comments as the Obama Blog.McCain News on Twitter is following 119 and has 1,686 followers. Comments on Obama Blog posts range from 450 to 1200+ per post. Obama has 496,701 friends on MySpace, 1,662,290 supporters on Facebook, Obama's campaign is following 75,287 people on Twitter, where he has 72,367 followers. Following others is a key indicator that a person using Twitter in actually participating in the community.
The proof is in the numbers, says ITbusiness. On Web traffic-tracking site Alexa, BrackObama.com ranks 535 and JohnMcCain.com 4,497 out of all Web pages, as of Aug. 29. That stark contrast wasn't heightened by the timing of the Democratic convention – over the past several months, Obama's site has ranked an average of 7,000 positions higher than his opponent's site. Categories: Internet strategy, Marketing Strategy, Politics, Social Media, Social Media Marketing, Word of Mouth Adrienne Zurub http://adriennezurub.typepad.com
“You know, I’ve been called worse on the basketball court.”
For an interesting take on Mike Huckabee's speech last night, check out this insightful blog by Kenneth Traugott: http://theenlightenedpatriot.blogspot.com/2008/09/great-veteran-exploitation-of-2008.html For the record, I don't believe that Senator McCain thinks he is owed the presidency because of his military service. But there is a very fine line between highlighting one's honorable service to country and implying that it makes one uniquely capable of running it. The former shows a well-deserved pride in the military. The latter just sounds militaristic I just found a very useful link to a site called PolitiFact.com. It is operated by the St. Petersburg Times and Congressional Quarterly.
http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter Karl Rove says someone who is a former mayor and short-term governor is unqualified to be vice president and choosing such a person as a running mate would be a purely political move. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/04/jon-stewart-hits-karl-rov_n_123852.html Also: http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.jhtml?videoId=184086&title=sarah-palin-gender-card Content on blogs in My.BarackObama represents the opinions of community members and in no way should be interpreted as endorsed or approved by the campaign.
|
Which presidential candidate is winning on the Internet? Let the numbers tell the story.
Politicians have been using the Internet to reach confirmed and potential supporters for more than a decade. But once the Obama campaign won MoveOn.org's support, it became able to use the web to build a two-way conversation and recruit MoveOn's remarkably organized members to quick, strong action and donations.
Posts