I am almost at a loss for words. Barack Obama is the President Elect. It's stunning really. Finally, after almost two years of hard work, long hours, and tireless campaigning...we've done it!
The feelings that were going around last night were amazing and contagious. You couldn't help but smile and raise your glass every 30 seconds to propose a new toast. "To Change", we said. "Yes We Can, and Yes We Did". There was an unabaited joy in everyone that I've never seen in anybody when it comes to politics. It's something that is hard to describe, something that is a campaign slogan, but something that has been damn hard to reach for in the past 8 years. But what it boils down to, what the glow on everyone's faces last night was HOPE. No fear, no questions, no worrying, no having to go and work at it right away. For a few moments in time we were all able to bask in that sweet, sweet glow of HOPE. We could all feel it, see it on each other's face, in our speeches and hugs. Nervousness and weariness were replaced with it.
HOPE.
The time has come. This campaign is not over. It is just at another beginning. We must push onward and work to see to it that everyone American is able to share in our glow. There are those out there who would run from it, afraid of change and a new beginning. We must help them see the benefits. As Barack said last night, "I may not have won your vote tonight...I will be your President too." We can not fall into the patterns of old, balking at differing opinons, and when things don't go our way, taking our ball and going home. That cannot be. This is a time when we can reach across the aisle, shake hands with our neighbors of differing opinions and yet still get things done. We must unite and work together in order to succeed in this great nation, or we will fail seperately.
~Stephen Scheide
I cannot believe there are still people who are undecided. Last night the person sitting next to me in class said he was undecided. He liked Obama and did not like Palin but he was afraid that Obama would just raise taxes.
Ugh - that means the (IMHO) lame ads being run by McShame are working. He is telling everyone that Obama will raise taxes for everyone. I noticed that last night Obama changed the ceiling from $250,000 to $200,000 in his 30 minute Infomercial. The other day Biden said $150,000. Are these a slip of the tongue, is Obama reneging, or is McCain correct?
I tried to convince my classmate that the McShame assertions were not correct but I do not think he is convinced. People really do get scared when politicians play the scare card – after all that is how Bush got elected twice.
Obama at this point needs to address this with clarity or lose these undecided voters who are scared.
Well the second debate is over. Obama is 3 for 3 if you count the VP debate. There was no contest. I got so disgusted with the "my friend(s)" put down and the "that one" to Obama that I could not even listen to McCain’s entire dribble. I had to keep walking away.
What is wrong with the Republicans? Do they really think the rest of us Americans are low life idiots that do not recognize condescension? Do they think we are drawn to people who treat us like we are stupid?
I was so disgusted that I went out and voted. It is done. No lines. If you can vote ahead of time, do it now so you do not have to wait on Election Day. Go Obama.
For more information on the "my friends" issues read this article in the LA Times:
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2008/10/john-mccain-and.html
The other day I say McCain on TV and thought to myself that he did not look healthy - he looked exhausted and pale (paler than usual). Then I heard he was at his ranch resting. Now I believe he may be completely worn out. I do not believe he has the stamina needed to be president.
So since he is losing and worn out he sends out an unpolished, no morals, "pit bull" named Palin to make up blasphemes and outright lies about Obama. It seems all they have left in their bag of tricks are the most despicable campaign tactics I have ever seen used.
Do we want someone in the White House who would lie to us at an extreme level to get the public to do their bidding? We have had 8 years of that. At least Clinton’s lies were about sex and not anything important, at least not to me.
In my opinion neither Palin nor McCain are fit for the White House. I now question their moral compass that allows them to outright lie and avoid presenting solutions. I think they know they cannot win so they just want to bash Obama and Democrats because they have nothing else to say that anyone with any intelligence would want to listen to.
I have spoken with a number of people who cannot just sit and listen to Palin without walking out of the room. She is so green in politics that she may not realize that everything politicians do & say is remembered forever by the press. My sense is that she thinks she is running for president - she probably knows more about McCain’s bad health than the rest of us have been made aware of.
If you really want an inept, unpolished, unsophisticated, ignorant President then Palin is your choice - if not - vote early and for Obama.
It has taken me a while to consider my take on the debate. Rather than just jump in with a gut reaction, I felt it prudent to let things settle first before commenting.
I want to be objective and am having difficulty with this. There were times during the debate when John McCain spoke that I had to leave the room. As an Arizonan I have supported him in the past but am now profoundly disappointed. He started his camapign with photo ops of himself and Bush and trying to please the Republican party by looking like he was a real conservative in all ways, which he is not.
Now he is selling himself as a change agent, since it is working for Obama, and in his ads he is showing Obama agreeing with him. Does he think we are dumb? Obama says we need change and we do not need the same old Bush that we would get with McBush and so McCain transforms himself into McObama and claims that Obama has agreed with him when it is McCain that changed his stance.
From my perspective the biggest fundimental differences between the two candidates are as follows:
1 -McCain is pro war for solving problems, and wants to spend as much money as possible on defense1 - Obama wants to end wars and solve problems with deplomancy. To spend some money on defense but also support major issues facing Americans today (i.e. education, healthcare, Medicare, etc.)
2 - McCain is a maverick, not afraid to move quickly 2 - Obama is a thinker, prefering to look before he leaps
Since I believe in self defense but prefer diplomancy first I do not agree with McCain to keep on fighting any wars in the Middle East. They have been fighting with each other since before recorded history and it will never end. If we get rid of our dependence on their oil we will no longer pay them to attack us. This should be our strategy and not more war.
Our infrastructure is falling apart. health care needs to be thrown out and a new model created from scratch. Our children are so poorly educated that companies are foced to export jobs as there are not enough qualified young people to fill the jobs, a point that never seems to get mentioned.
We need to spend a billion dollars at home fixing our country and not throwing it away in the Middle East on wars that in the end will not help us.
I do not know who won the debate. I do know who has integrity, vision, and constant energy. I do know who wants change that will help strugling Americans, who will improve education, healthcare, etc. That is the kind of person I want for my president. Not a maverick that might put his finger on an atomic bomb just because someone "P....." him off.
An open letter to my friend George and other Republicans:
Please put aside ideological emotion and read this as a note from a very concerned friend, not a person who supports a candidate. The only basis I can see one holding strong to our nation's current path is if he is committed to undoing our Constitutional Democracy in favor of theocracy or another approach.
This election is about freedom. Specifically my freedom, that of my children, that of of which our Founders and Framers wrote, fought and died.
I believe that the Republican party has been hijacked. They will continue to drive to outsource our government to private companies that take our money and fail, while making a profit. I also believe that the neo-conservatives are misnamed and that they will continue to destroy the liberties we had under the constitution until 1980 (take RVW out of it if you want for now). I believe that the move toward a theocracy is anathema (as did Goldwater and other neo-cons) to the Founders' and Framers' beliefs otherwise they themselves would have managed our country that way from day one – which they did not. Moreover, I think that the sale of morality by immoral leaders is the greatest lie in the history of the USA.
I am fighting for Barack Obama, but in the end I could not care less if it were Barack Obama or any other individual that is put up for this job. I am fighting to take back our country. The Bush/Cheney-driven administration has fundamentally failed and has led us to become a country that I do not recognize. Cheney has been on this path since he worked for Nixon as did Rumsfeld and others in this administration. Whatever their reasons, they have failed us in ways that no other administration has ever failed the citizens of this country. No amount of window-dressing can refute the facts.
See the rest of this post HERE.
There's a blog going around facebook stating that on Sep 30th starting at 12am all those voting for Barack should wear BLUE in support. Wear it all day. That's part of the goal. The other part is to register two unregistered voters. If you can't register voters, try to talk to two voters who may be on the fence.
Remember, Sep 30th is Wear Blue for Barack Day!
Due It!
~Scheide
I've been watching the RNC coverage and debating with a "sea of suckers" -- an unfortunate nickname that is unfortunately accurate -- about what we saw and heard, and I can't help but feel helpless. I hate to generalize and put a large number of people under a single umbrella, but if the umbrella fits...
The bottom line is this: When I speak with an Obama/Biden supporter, I generally hear sentences that contain a subject, a predicate, possibly a prepositional phrase or two, and usually some adjectives and adverbs. When I speak with a Palin/McCain supporter, however, (and yes, the order of VP/Prez is shockingly appropriate in this case,) I hear platitudes fit for a bumper sticker offered up as apparently self-validating arguments. I find that I often have to "dumb myself down" in order to engage in the "debate." This is quite a predicament! Because, no matter the outcome of the conversation, I walk away with the sad realization that a fool's vote is exactly equal to that of a discerning individual's. And I seem to know a lot of fools!
I want to scream: This is not a football game! This is not American Idol! And we are not supposed to treat the election process as if we were audience members on the Jerry Springer Show!
There is only one way to ensure that we move our country forward by putting Barack in the White House, and that is to talk to those around you who either support him already, or who have not yet declared their support, (but respond well to an intelligent choice,) and remind them that their vote matters... that they MUST REGISTER... and that they MUST THEN ACTUALLY VOTE!!! Set an individual goal to talk to at least x-amount of your co-workers, y-amount of your family members, and z-amount of your neighbors. Take it upon yourself to ask them the basic questions: Have you registered yet? Do you know exactly where you will go to cast your vote? This doesn't have to be the Spanish Inquisition -- it can be done quite easily in casual conversation. But it has to be done. As extra incentive, try getting specific and make it official with questions like: Want to ride together? Are you up for some breakfast before/after we vote? (Seriously, a lot of well-intending supporters will choose to hit the snooze button rather than participate unless a friend makes it a REAL EVENT for them... an obligation... an opportunity.)
Remember, for every couple of McCain supporters you meet who are parroting his "Country First" b.s., only 1 of them will actually vote. Let's not allow this to be said of us! If every one of us convinces just one other person to actually get up, get out, and cast his/her vote in November, Barack will win by a landslide -- GUARANTEED.
truly and freely yours,travis"...on the lower frequencies..." (R.W. Ellison)
Obama's speech on September 15, 2005 regarding the US dependence on oil and the lessons learned form Hurricane Katrina (http://www.barackobama.com/2005/09/15/securing_our_energy_future.php) are as relevant today as they were three years ago.
The amazing part of the speech is not just that his concerns have been completely ignored by the administration but that in the entire speech Obama never mentions the fact that the Bush family and VP Chaney are all in league with big oil (they own a lot of it) and that they are in league with the Saudis (home of Osama Bin Laden who has never been found even thought everyone knows he is in Pakistan).
Obama sticks entirely to the issues and the implication of doing nothing on the future of the US and future generations. He is truly a person who can unite people and leave out all the despicable things greedy people have done to get us into this situation in the first place. As someone who survived the long gas lines in the 1970's when we thought gas was scarce, it is apparent we still have not realized that we cannot continue our dependence on oil either economically or environmentally.
We need to elect Obama and change the course of the country or there will be nothing left to leave for future generations.
Where is the revolution?I downloaded a copy of the Declaration of Independence to share with my daughters so that they would understand the basis for our upcoming celebration. At age 11 they are now beginning to understand our history and are very aware of this year's elections. When I read that awesome document this time, I found myself reading it almost as a modern document. It struck me that many of the statements used to build the case for declaring independence from King George III could, with little or no adaptation, be applied to George W. Bush, 43rd President of the United States of America. At first I thought my interpretation was driven by my personal biases. So I challenged myself to find support for the allegations (something not found in the original Declaration). The Founding Fathers’ words, slightly modified from the original source in some cases, point to the "tyranny" of Bush and his administration on much the same grounds as those used against George III (though I have foregone some of the Founders' points altogether). Each statement is substantiated with representative citations, though in most cases the evidence could be extended with further support from additional sources. "To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world." YOu can read the rest of the post HERE:
http://theliberalpatriot.spaces.live.com/default.aspx
Did you mss it? The flag has dropped. The starting gun has been fired. They're off and running. Are you ready?
Check the calendar. It is mid-June. We have about 8 weeks until the convention. Then another 8 weeks after that to the election. That is a short calendar. Are your plans in place?
I am working on mine right now. I will have it ready by the end of the weekend. I will have 8 weekly goals until the convention. Then I will reassess and be ready to create another set of 8 goals when the final push begins.
Our local efforts have been critical to our success so far. Consider what you can do this summer to increase our momentum. Hold coffees to discuss campaign issues with your neighbors. Host a picnic. Set up a table with literature in your hometown at local events - farmers' markets are great. There are an unlimiited number of things you can do. Here are a few things to think about between now and the convention.
This time is critical to our success this fall. Start your plan now and set an achievable weekly goal. Remember, "We are the ones we have been waiting for." We are the ones who will do the hard work and heavy lifting of taking back our country, reclaiming our rights, and redirecting the path for our future.
The flag has dropped and the starting gun has been fired. Go!
--Steven
Keith Olberman is the Rush Limbaugh of the left. It’s fun to see him work himself into a lather. I saw him attack Bush about the speech in Israel and his attack today on Clinton. Both were well-crafted and presented with passion. However, it was clearly schtick. Olbermann’s citations of fabrications as fact (like 50% of marriages ending in divorce) distracts from his credibility and makes me tune him out no matter how loud he gets.
The formerly conservative, now merely Republican Rush Limbaugh gained his audience by saying things his audience thought but were afraid to say. He articulated the push-back against political correctness. Olbermann, and the folks at the failed Air America are just preaching to the choir. Reciting old left-wing saws and yesterday’s talking points as if they are noteworthy. His high-volume schtick is novel, like a car chase in a movie, but his commentary lacks the depth, weight and originality to hold us for very long.
Michael Savage gained a wide audience by expressing similar passion, but in a Brooklyn everyman style. Olbermann channels similar frenzy, but the passion is unconvincing emanating from a talking head.
Olbermann is actually most like the Republican shill Michael Medved, they both grab some non-issue and intentionally twist it into something to make everyone angry about. Frankly, I get bored by these demagogic attempts to manipulate my emotions and get me all riled up about nothing.
Senator Clinton, tonight, reasserted her claim that she has received more votes. "The states I've won total 300 electoral votes. If we had the same rules as the Republicans, I would be nominee right now," she said. "We have different rules, so what we've got to figure out is who can win 270 electoral votes. My opponent has won states totaling 217 electoral votes." http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/05/20/primary.wrap/index.html
I do not want to parse sentences but let’s look at what she said.
"The states I've won total 300 electoral votes."
– True, if only Democrat votes counted in the general election.
"If we had the same rules as the Republicans, I would be nominee right now,"
-- True, but misleadingly irrelevant.
"We have different rules, so what we've got to figure out is who can win 270 electoral votes.
-- ABSOLUTELY FALSE -- this is not the inference of the rules. Clinton intends to negate our votes.
"My opponent has won states totaling 217 electoral votes."
These are the statements of a person who has no intention of following any rules.
Again, "We," says Geoff Garin, a Clinton strategist, "don't think this is just going to be about some numerical metric." Words mean things. The Clinton's are saying that they are not willing to abide by the rules and that they interpret the vote counts differently than the rest of us.
These are very interesting times for our republic when we have leaders with no regard for the rules.
Mark my words. Time will prove them true.
John McCain is the dirtiest fighter in politics.
Clinton's disdain for the truth is absolutely nothing in comparison with McCain's willingness to twist reality itself into a soundbite so utterly divorced from the truth that it sucks the air from the room. We are in for the most vile and vicious campaign of our lives. I hope that our man is up for the fight.McCain will tell the lie, Liberman will expound on how reasonable the lie is and Romney will attack Obama for his response.
McCain: “I think it’s very clear who Hamas wants to be the next president of the United States,”
Obama: “For him to toss out comments like that, I think, is an example of him losing his bearings,”
Liberman: The Obama response is “undeserved and somewhat intemperate” “The fact that a spokesman for Hamas has said he would welcome the election of Senator Obama really does raise the question of why,”
Romney: “one more clear example of a person that’s out of his depth when it comes to being the leader of the free world.”
The bottom line is that John McCain is not a gentleman. He must be dealt with in the manner of the man he is.
Gore Vidal, like John McCain, was no gentleman. During a televised debate Gore Vidal repeatedly referred to William F. Buckely, a consummate gentleman, as a Nazi. Mr. Buckley replied that if Vidal called him a Nazi again that he would "punch him in the nose and then he would stay plastered."
Amazingly, Vidal's name calling stopped. John McCain is just such a blustering, though cowardly, bully. If our man can bloody his nose right away, suggesting that McCain was losing his bearings was a good start, the bully will back off and we can conduct a real campaign.
We could trust a deal with Mephistopheles sooner that we could any truce or promise to adhere to the high road proffered by McCain. This is not to say he can not be trusted, he can be. John McCain can be trusted, absolutely, to conduct the single dirtiest campaign in our history.
I encourage you to contact Al Gore and ask him to support Barack.
He only uses snail mail at:
Honorable Al Gore2100 West End Avenue, Suite 260Nashville TN 37203
Please mail your letter today! Feel free to use all or part of what I wrote. Thank you!
YES WE CAN!!!!
28 March 2008 Dear Mr. Vice President,I am writing to appeal for your help.In 2000 our nation lost an opportunity to benefit from your leadership as president. The ensuing actions of the Bush Administration have not only failed, but severely damaged our country. You stated this very eloquently in “The End of Reason.” Now, the Democratic Party is furthering the end of reason. Senator Clinton cannot be nominated without a backroom deal that will split the party and put Senator McCain in office. He will continue the policies of the man YOU BEAT in 2000. You have a chance to help the Party take back the presidency now. Yet, with each day, your leverage decreases. Each day you delay enables the Republican Party to gain strength.One option is to publicly state that Senator Obama has an insurmountable lead and suggest that the Party acknowledge this fact and act in accordance with the vote. This stops short of endorsing Obama and does not openly condemn Clinton. A better option is to support Obama now rather than waiting until the convention. Here is the greatest irony. If you act now, you can head off a great disservice like that which stole your presidency. Like you, Barack Obama is going to win the popular vote. Moreover, he is going to have more elected delegates. Yet, like you, he may lose due to political maneuvering. Only this time, it will be from our party.So, Mr. Gore, I appeal to you to help our country put reason and fairness back into politics. Without a doubt, President Barack Obama will be a leader that we will all be proud to support. Your words can help to make that a reality for our nation and our future. Thank you for having the courage to act for all of us.Yours, Dr. Steven N. Silverman, Ph.D.
28 March 2008
Dear Mr. Vice President,
I am writing to appeal for your help.
In 2000 our nation lost an opportunity to benefit from your leadership as president. The ensuing actions of the Bush Administration have not only failed, but severely damaged our country. You stated this very eloquently in “The End of Reason.” Now, the Democratic Party is furthering the end of reason.
Senator Clinton cannot be nominated without a backroom deal that will split the party and put Senator McCain in office. He will continue the policies of the man YOU BEAT in 2000. You have a chance to help the Party take back the presidency now.
Yet, with each day, your leverage decreases. Each day you delay enables the Republican Party to gain strength.
One option is to publicly state that Senator Obama has an insurmountable lead and suggest that the Party acknowledge this fact and act in accordance with the vote. This stops short of endorsing Obama and does not openly condemn Clinton. A better option is to support Obama now rather than waiting until the convention.
Here is the greatest irony. If you act now, you can head off a great disservice like that which stole your presidency. Like you, Barack Obama is going to win the popular vote. Moreover, he is going to have more elected delegates.
Yet, like you, he may lose due to political maneuvering. Only this time, it will be from our party.
So, Mr. Gore, I appeal to you to help our country put reason and fairness back into politics.
Without a doubt, President Barack Obama will be a leader that we will all be proud to support. Your words can help to make that a reality for our nation and our future.
Thank you for having the courage to act for all of us.
Yours,
Dr. Steven N. Silverman, Ph.D.
In support of the Postcards Not Pitchforks Initiative: http://postcardsnotpitchforks.org
Many supporters of Senator Obama are sending upbeat, polite and respectful requests to uncommitted Superdelegates asking them to support Senator Obama. There are 10 primaries left to go. The final delegate count is likely to be close so the votes of the Superdelegates may decide the nominee.
The Superdelegates who are elected state or federal officials are prohibited from using their offices for campaign related work so they must be contacted via their state Democratic Party offices. Congressional courtesy rules prohibit response to emails that are not from verifiable constituents of the party being contacted. A written postcard, to the appropriate Democratic Party office carries much more weight because of the effort required.
I am posting, by state, a list of uncommitted Superdelegates and their contact information. For the entire list in one spot see my Patches Pal Blog on this site: http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/blog/frankdwyer
Indiana Democratic Party 1 N Capitol Ste 200 Indianapolis, IN 46204 800-223-3387 317-231-7129 (fax)
http://www.indems.org/
Chair: Dan Parker Vice Chair: Cordelia Lewis Burks Executive Director: Jenny Hill Weiser
