Monday June 22 from 7:00 P.M-8:00 P.M
235 HILL ST. SANTA MONICA, CA 90405 IT'S A CHURCH
AT THE CONER OF HILL AND 2ND PARKING THE CHURCH LOT ON HILL
COME OUT N JOIN ORGANIZING FOR AMERICA IN SHOWING SUPPORT FOR PRESIDENETS OBAMA HEALTH CARE PUBLIC OPTION
So let me start off by sharing...
Thanks for the heads-up...
I think it's just par for the course for Republicans. Bush's Presidency largely succeeded at disemboweling the Depts. of any legislative power or authority (all in the guise of 'limiting gov't intrusion'--which essentially is neo-con doublespeak for, "go get 'em boys, it's a free-for-all!" ...but calling it that wouldn't sit well with the American People)
Under Bush, Labor Sect'y Elaine chao actually bragged about her success at slashing the budget of her OWN dept.! How did she accomplish that? Well..."She slashed funds for enforcing federal laws governing the workplace (including safety and labor standards), practically eliminating the department of international affairs - which fights against child labor and for higher labor standards in countries around the world. She removed labor representatives from trade and workplace safety advisory committees. Her Occupational Safety and Health Administration has withdrawn roughly two dozen planned regulations, including a rule that would have required employers to pay for workers' personal protective equipment..." (CommonDreams.org) Unions 'affectionately' called Chao, the Sect'y of ANTI-Labor.
So, now with a President who actually intends to inject the Depts. with the mandates they were MEANT to have, it's scaring the be-jeezus off the Repubs (as well as heads of major industries), who've been living high on the hog these last eight years.
Maybe by this September, we can actually have a "Labor Day Parade"!
--Mr. Soapbox
Original Post:
----------------------------------------------------------------------Message: 1Original Message: http://my.barackobama.com/page/group/BeerDrinkersforObama/listserv-message/5WwgmWslDate: Sat, 07 Feb 2009 21:07:07 -0500From: Megan Rue <rue.megan@gmail.com>Subject: [BeerDrinkersforObama] Watch this video and sign the petitionMessage-ID: <f033be6633f68b66fa937604dfd08746@freechoice.seiu.org>Hello,Last month President Obama nominated Congresswoman Hilda Solis to be our next Secretary of Labor, but conservative Republicans are blocking her confirmation simply because she supports working people.Watch this short video message about this unacceptable obstruction and how you can help. http://action.seiu.org/page/s/confirmsolis?source=tafSign the petition on that page to tell the Senate it's time to confirm Hilda Solis as Secretary of Labor.Thank you.
We met in Pasadena at the home of Lonnee. About 20 people showed up (there were many events around town including the 500 event in Los Angeles about 15 miles away). Many of the people were old friends, some were new to the campaign/movement.
We introduced ourselves, watched the video, decided on 2 upcoming events.
We decided to do to service events, one for this Saturday (food banking and clothes banking) and another on January 19th (the campaign asked everyone to do service on the 19th, which is MLK day and a traditional service day). We have a few things lined up for that day including helping out a foster kid organization (that one of the people was involved in). We also discussed some long term goals like helping local schools build gardens. There were about 20 of us there, most of us worked hard on the campaign but there was at least one new person getting involved.
What was really impressive was how quick we got going, because we all knew each other, and knew our skills, etc. We had the mailing list in place, and even had someone volunteer to be secretary and take notes and summarize our action plan. We decided to rotate locations (houses and coffeshops) and rotate who will lead the meetings, and we chose a date for the next meeting, and a leader and place. And we assigned our communication officer (same guy as on the campaign) and the person who will coordinate where the meetings are, and a secretary.
And we got great food and wine and finished early (took an hour and a half). It was, by far, the best first organization meeting I’ve ever been involved with.
FYI, just watched the video....
I must say, I was very moved by the stories, and likewise impressed by the 'humanity' he brought to the forefront. It's common for adversaries to adopt a campaign of "objectifying" your opponent. For example, we see this in wars all the time (i.e., "towel heads," "commies," and "gooks"), as a way to dehumanize your enemy. The tactic works well to erase the inherent 'humanity' of your enemy from the mind of the soldier and instill fear & hatred in the minds of civilians back home--ensuring their support of the war effort.Similarly, it's quite obvious to me that recent efforts by the McCain campaign have greatly increased efforts to objectify Obama in much the same way (i.e., cries of being a "Socialist," or "Muslim," or "Friend of Terrorists") all in order to instill the same kind of negative sentiment in the minds of voters. The only thing is, I think voters have wised up to this tactic. It appeals to a fringe of society that clings to an "us vs. them" mentality, but is a turn-off to many others. It also avoids any discussion of actual issues, and given our current state of affairs, this election is ALL ABOUT the issues.So, the real masterful stroke of this video is that Barack Obama has reminded us of his humanity. While the video merely reinforces my impression of why I've stood by Obama all this year, the REAL impact this video has, is upon undecided voters who have been under siege by an incessant barrage of negative attacks by the McCain campaign. And to counter that effort and restore a sense of Obama's humanity--this is what I believe makes this video exceptional.
Today's LA Times reports a Wall Street Journal-NBC poll found that more than half of the respondents were bothered that McCain has former lobbyists for big corporations working for his campaign.
I think it is time to tie the Keating scandal and McCain's history of helping those like Keating to the lobbyists in the McCain camp who want a McCain administration to promote policies favorable to their clients.
But we have to bring it home to people. Let's put up an ad naming names - put up the pictures of these so-far-unnamed lobbyists and list the companies they have lobbied for, how much they collected, and how recently they ended those relationships, if at all. If the poll is right it could add to the erratic behavior to cast more doubts on McCain's judgment.
1 of 3
http://jp.youtube.com/watch?v=Xcr9uAqeUqs
2 of 3
http://jp.youtube.com/watch?v=ajcEEfeZYFc
3 of 3
http://jp.youtube.com/watch?v=3bSj2aWpsQ0
Don't know what we will do if this man does not become our president.
OK,
Pass the word around... you DON'T want to miss tonight's Late Night w/David Letterman.
He's scheduled to have John McCain on..... Only, McCain called to cancel the interview, saying the 'crisis in Washington' needed his immediate attention & he'd have to get back immediately.
Well, friends, he apparently wasn't really in quite a hurry to make it back to Washington's 'crisis'... because Letterman found him right NEXT DOOR with Katie Couric!
Here's a clip of it:
http://gawker.com/5054512/letterman-pummels-mccain
Share this with your f's & f's.... it's a classic!
--Mr. S
Having trouble turning McCain supporters our way? Try this: After 8 years of lies and deceit from the Bush administration, please consider that if you can't trust John McCain to tell the truth in his political ads, how can we trust him to run the country? Many, many general media outlets are reporting the outrageous lies in McCain's recent ads (such as Sen. Obama voting for sex education for kindergarteners.)
And what about money? How do we trust John McCain with the national credit card when he voted with GWB so much of the time, has no hesitation to go to war first and ask questions later, wants to privatize social security, and wants to dismantle the health insurance system and replace it with tax credits for individual health policies? For more confirmation see Ronald Brownstein's column today in the National Journal, at http://www.nationaljournal.com/njmagazine/politicalconnections.php
Shifting the risk of our health and retirement onto individuals and away from employers has always been a goal of the Republican Party, but has never been in the interests of most Americans.
Sarah Palin cannot be trusted with the American Credit Card, either. See the LA Times story today, "Road to Nowhere." She used $8 million of the $223 million she got for the Bridge to Nowhere (instead of the $398 million she asked for) to build a Road to Nowhere (leading to the now-cancelled bridge) that locals don't want and think is wasteful. Ketchikan (the other side of Nowhere) Mayor Bob Weinstein is quoted today saying, "If Sarah Palin is not being truthful on an issue like the bridge project, what else is she not being truthful about?" Doesn't that say it all.
Tell your friends and family: We can't trust McCain-Palin. No way, no how.
Many supporters are getting worried, and not without cause. But that worry alone can be powerful thing. When we feel it we express it in many ways. And those ways may affect the undecided and voters just coming to awareness of the pending election. From a conversation with a neighbor, a relative across the country, a business associate or the clerk at the supermarket, your fear will seep out. So check your concerns at the door and find that hope that we all had at the start 20 months ago. Here are a few reasons to bolster your confidence:
Talk to your friends, your family, and the people you meet and tell them we will win. Get as many as possible to jump on our bandwagon. Put out signs, send email, text, call, write, blog. We are the change we need.
HOPE. BELIEVE. ACT.
HIT LINK NOW! GIVE MUNNY!!
http://my.barackobama.com/page/outreach/view/main/fagotsforobama
Hi all-- It's energizing to see the great new ad the Obama campaign is putting out to attack McCain's gutter tactics. Well written, well put together... I fear it might be dismissed as more liberal media pandering since they don't have a quote in there from more conservative media, but nonetheless, I think he's striking back well.
I also think it's pretty fascinating that Karl Rove is even speaking out against McCain's tactics: Karl Rove: McCain's Ads Have Gone Too Far
Mitt Romney also had some harsh words for the Senator.
Colin Powell, while still playing coy on the candidate he's backing, is calling for the campaigns -- cough, McCain, cough-- to return to the issues.
So.. What does this mean?
Dunno. I'm happy that there seems to be some pushback on the dumbing down and trivializing of this campaign so hopefully we can get back to the issues, an area where Obama/Biden seem to really have some strength and can finally undo this co-opting of the message of change and unseat these mavericks from their Ivorique tower-- I presume one of the late night shopping channels has some kind of weird Ivory substitute with an equally "my stripper name" nomenclature.
While all this news is coming in, I did have one additional thought. I know that our man, Barack, seems to have been rocked a bit by the inane yet damaging squeelings and rantings the McCain camp has presented as their campaign platform. Could be that since Obama (wisely) freed himself from the public campaign financing, he might just be biding his time, letting McCain's tantrums (and finances) dwindle. Like in boxing, letting your opponent tire themselves out with superficial blows before you wade in and finish them. Or like letting a 4 year old tire themselves out in a tantrum before you come in and explain things.
I don't know that it's a proven strategy. I don't know if it's actually Barack's strategy. But it certainly does kinda feel that way and explain why he's been so disciplined about dismissing these stupid attacks and pressing on the issues. He's given himself a lot of ammo for the debates. And hopefully it's this last sprint that's really going to seal the deal for him and get him into the White House.
Am I wrong? Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee... anyone.... Bueller?
Just thought that this was interesting and that I should post it.
An interesting analysis of Sarah Palin by someone who actually knows her from her town of Wasilla. The letter has been checked out by snopes.com and was found to be attributed to the correct person Anne Kilkenny and she admits to have written it. Apparently Palin is not quite the maverick/reformer she is being advertised to be. Here's the link http://www.snopes.com/politics/info/kilkenny.asp
