With election day passed and a couple of days worth of rest, what do I do now? For more than a year I have volunteered for the Obama Campaign and served as the state organizer for Obama Pride North Carolina. Where do I go from here?
The greatest experience of my entire life, being a part of history, helping deliver North Carolina for Barack Obama. We hosted voter registration drives in gay clubs across the state, hosted house parties, block parties and took part in the states gay pride parades and festivals.
We worked with our local campaign offices in canvassing, phone banking and raising money. Of all the excitement of this campaign my most memorable moment was when I stood next to an older African-American female as she sobbed uncontrollably as they announced Barack had won.
My own emotions were very overwhelming as I stood there with her and held her in my arms, she told me of a story which I will never forget.
When she was a young woman back in the early 1960's, while on a freedom march in Charlotte, NC, a white woman spit in her face. She stood and took it because that was what Dr. King had taught, not to fight back.
As tears poured down her face she thanked me and all the other young people in the room, which was filled with a diverse group of people under 40. I could not imagine the feeling she had and will never know how it must feel to finally see a man of color, an African-American in the truest meaning, become the 44th President of the United States.
We have been a part of history and it is over whelming. But young white people, like myself, cannot know what it is like for those who suffered through the civil rights movement.
I know how overwhelming it is for me to know, we in the LGBT community, will have a true friend in the White House. I believe Barack Obama is the real hope we have been needing. He will help bridge the gap in relations between not only race, but sexual orientation.
Next week I will begin to find something else to keep me busy. I just wanted to share these thoughts with you.
Obama Election Night Rally. Flickr Album
What a great night! Got to the gates around 730. They let people in around 830. Three security checkpoints. We sat on a hill about 150 yards from the podium. From 830 to 1000 they had CNN on the big screen. When they declared Virginia and then the election for Barack, the crowd of 65K+ erupted. Reports of 125K-200K include the overflow area where people without tickets were placed.
The following is an essay that was submitted by Ms. Angela Threatt, a marvelously talented writer who lives in the Tidewater area of Virginia. For those of us who live in Virginia, we know that our state is one of the major "battlegrounds" for the 2008 presidential campaign. We are increasingly aware that the Tidewater area is the epicenter of the Virginia battleground. Please enjoy reading Ms Threatt's essay on the Obama experience that is so common to many of us.
--Michael
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Obamamania----
I understand now that I am experiencing - Obamamania. As I mentioned earlier, when I heard on Tuesday that Obama was in Norfolk, I was in jammies and slippers. As transcendent as the experience in Newport News (NN) was, I could not bring myself to hurriedly dress and get over there, hoping I could get in. In just a few weeks, things had changed. It was cold outside. Getting dark earlier. And I am a hermit who likes to be as snug as a bug in a rug. How pitiful, I thought, that you won't go out and see that man again, after he has inspired you and so many others so. And he outside talking to people in the dark and in the rain. Ya'll know ya'll saw him on t.v. with the rain running down his face. Obama is working some imagery. He likes an outdoor rally and McCain likes an indoor rally. When McCain/Palin came to Va Beach (VB) recently, they were indoors, at the Convention Center. Obama was at the VA Beach amphitheatre. Outside. Come rain or snow is the unstated message, I'm out here with you. How smart. McCain is coming to NN Saturday. Indoors, to CNU. Obama was outside with us, in the sunshine.So I tried to convince myself to get dressed again and drive to Norfolk. I mean really, how many chances like this in a lifetime come along? This whole experience of having candidates in the state so much is new, b/c VA has never been a swing state in my life. And Obama been round here so much I was starting to wonder if he had a timeshare at the Beach. I respect his grind, and the opportunity to watch history in the making. Still, I weighed the options. Venture out in the cold to Harbor Park, not knowing what parking was like, park on Granby Street (walker friendly) and walk all the way over there by myself in the dark, or park on Tidewater Drive (not walker friendly) and feel uncomfortable, or stay home in my jammies. Hmmmm...but this is history, I thought. Yes, but it's also dark and cold, I've never been to Harbor Park (it's all about sports) and don't know what parking is like, but I do know I don't want to park and walk on Tidewater Drive by myself at night. Even though I felt guilty for being a wuss, my thoughts took me back to the Newport News rally...It was a bright and sunny Indian summer day in early October. We were literally breaking a sweat walking over, and during the speech, bottles of water were thrown into the crowd. A few people had to be escorted out b/c of the heat. The sun glinted off the James River, where a NN Fire Dept. boat floated up close to the crowd. Sailboats passed. The huge carrier, the George W. Bush, was parked at the shipyard, almost as a staged backdrop for the secret service men & women and the stage. It was great.I told myself, you're not being a wuss, it's just going to be impossible to top that day. So I stayed home. But when I heard Obama would be back in 2 days, I said, even if I can't make it out of the office at 4, which I'll need to to even remotely have a chance of making it, I'm going over there to check out the crowd.But I was ambivalent about going to this particular rally for other reasons. I thought it a good idea to hold it at the amphitheater, as it could certainly hold the crowd, but the venue didn't have the appeal to me that the NN venue did. That NN experience was transcendent b/c there were so many different types of people descending on a part of town that I believe one day will truly be revitalized, that symbolizes to me the type of communities that I believe will benefit from an Obama presidency. I didn't even care if I got in that day; I just wanted to see all those people in downtown Newport News. The way Obama has brought people together excites me, and I believe that one day the blighted inner city area of NN will be revitalized with a rainbow coalition of residents, sort of like Brookland in D.C., but maybe even better. The amphitheater I thought, was great for parking, but what symbolism would it have? I expected it would feel much like any experience driving to a concert there. There is no nearby neighborhood to park in and no need to - you're just one car in a sea of cars, typical of suburban Hampton Roads, and especially of VB. You sit in traffic on the big suburban highway as you approach the entrance, you turn in, the attendants direct you to the next empty spot on the grass. It's all very neat and ordered, just like most of VB. Manicured. Once on the lawn, you might have a transcendent, groovy, experience, but getting there is not a part of it.Back to the office. When 4:05 rolled around, things had settled down activity wise, but I wasn't feeling settled about what I'd accomplished for the day. I needed time to decompress and think about what I might have overlooked. I told myself, traffic is going to be horrendous, you're going to feel rushed and thinking about work. Stay here and tie up loose ends. I piddled around a bit, pulled out some paperwork. Couldn't concentrate. 4:30. It's too late now, you might as well forget it. 5:00. I'm going anyway. I packed my stuff and hit the road. Pulled out of the lot at 5:12. Office park traffic. Jumped off I-64 to avoid HRBT backup. Got back on at Hampton U. and inched toward the tunnel. Normal rush hour traffic. No way I'll make it before the event starts, but maybe I'll be able to be a part of the crowd in some way. Curious as to exactly where traffic would back up and I'd know this is it, this is the Obama traffic. Pitiful, I know. What's exciting about Obama traffic? But I just wanted to be a part in some way.I figured I'd make it to the 264 interchange and there would be a slight backup and I could keep going to the Indian River exit. Not. I got to the interchange, saw the people entering and traffic coming to a complete halt. I figured ok, this is it. This is the Obama traffic. This is like the 26th street exit when Obama was in NN. It's like Gandalf saying "You shall not pass!" Just like I got off then at Terminal Ave to go the back way, I got off at Newtown Rd. and started the long trek, stoplight to stoplight, down Princess Anne Rd.Bumper to bumper until I actually got close to the venue. When I got to Concert Dr., I was puzzled at how few cars were turning. Surely there were other late people expecting to be turned away? They were probably all still trapped at that interchange. At the next turn, there was only one other car going in with me. He'd gotten off at that Newtown exit with me. I parked, got out, and a few minutes later saw people walking out. It was over. Obama was on a tight schedule, not like that Saturday in early October where the event started at 10 and he spoke at 12 or 1. He was in FL in the morning, VB in the early evening, and scheduled to be in MO later tonight. So I guess he spoke and rolled out. So now it was time for Plan B - people watching. I was glad to see the huge turnout. When I first pulled in, I wished I could be above it all, so I could see the sea of cars. Once you're in it, you can't really see it. The people watching was disappointing. The people trickled out, not like the stream of us that walked back from the NN rally over the bridge from downtown NN to East End together, some still holding up signs. The atmosphere was just different. It was dark and cold. People carried signs and flyers, but the way you carry trinkets from the fair, balled up in your hands. On the way back from the NN rally people were holding up their signs in the air like the news was still taping. This was just as I expected; it felt like the dismissal of any amphitheater concert. All the fun was had inside. Even the diversity was predictable. A white couple carrying an Asian child. Two black women with an elderly white woman walking between them her arms linked through theirs. Now these were sweet sights, but my overall feeling was not excitement, b/c I've already been impressed by the diversity you can see at the amphitheater, like at the Earth, Wind, & Fire and Chicago concert. Young and old, black, white, & more. Oh well. So I sat there with everybody else for 45 minutes waiting to be let out. Finally, the huge parking lot spit us back out onto the street.Gridlock on Princess Anne again. Ambulances on the other side of the median speed past. Out of the corner of my eye, a police car speeds along the *sidewalk*, past the gridlock on our side. I sit there contemplating the skill it takes to drive that fast w/out running your tires off the curb on one side or into the fire hydrants and light posts on the other side.Took me an hour total to drive the 35 miles there. 40 minutes of that was just getting from exit to exit, and I didn't even make it to the Indian River exit. On the way back, it took me a little over 20 minutes to get from the Indian River exit all the way home. Pretty cool. So it was a fun drive.There was an image that stuck with me, that made the trip worthwhile. When you cross the water from Hampton to Norfolk, you can see the sailboats and buildings of Fort Monroe in Hampton to your left, and the ships and carriers at the Norfolk Navy Yard ahead and to your right. After I got out of the tunnel and was about to cross into Norfolk, I saw 2 helicopters above the water, just off the shore of the Naval yard. They caught my eye, b/c I seldom see copters. Planes, yes, all the time, from Langley in Hampton and Oceana in VB. When I was at Botanical Gardens a few weeks ago, I heard commercial flights taking off from the Norfolk airport next door. But copters? A rare sight. I knew it was rare, b/c I did a doubletake - the water was swirling underneath the copter, a striking and unfamiliar sight I had to figure out. It finally hit me that b/c the copter was low, the blades were making the water swirl that way, in a circular vortex. I had never seen that before. I wondered if the copters had anything to do with Obama being in town, but figured it was a weird coincidence, b/c the navy yard is pretty far from the amphitheater. Still, I enjoyed the image. I flashed back to how I began to value the military and its presence here when 9-11 happened. Later, when I arrived at the amphitheater, I watched a lone helicopter circle above and realized, yes, those are for Obama. That was it for me. That was the moment that made the drive worthwhile, but I didn't realize it until I was at home in bed, still restless, just coming to terms with my Obamamania. Thinking of those copters made me proud. Proud of our country. Proud of our region. Proud of Obama. I just know our ancestors are smiling down on us. This man is bringing people together in a way I haven't been privileged to see before in my lifetime. We are about to make history, or not, and I realize that I have crossed the line...A few weeks or months ago, a friend queried: what will we do if he loses? I answered that I for one am prepared for McCain to win. I won't be surprised at all, I said. I can't believe I said that. My cynicism has been burned away. I've been infected with hope. It's like that moment in a relationship when you realize you're not just dating anymore. Your feelings are involved. You're going to be devastated if this ends. It's like that with me and Obama. But it's not just me and Obama. It's every single person out there that I sat with for 45 minutes waiting to get out of the amphitheatre. Obama's bringing us together already. He has the power to inspire and unite. He's intelligent - imagine that, an intelligent president, after 8 years! His ideas are cohesive and progressive. Go green and maybe we can stop fighting over oil and crying over prices. Imagine that. I'm going to be devastated if this relationship ends. But you know what, I have a funny feeling that regardless of the turnout, it won't end. Just like that old standby, it's better to have loved and lost than never to have...what does that mean but that love is a cataclysmic experience that changes us, and we are never the same. And whether this experience turns out to be a poignant memory or hand-holding into old age, I think this journey has changed us all. Obama's journey has been our journey. We are forever changed.
From ABC News:
October 29, 2008 10:35 AM
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., did a live interview with Radio Mambi in Miami this morning in which he went after Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., for his connections to a “PLO spokesman.”
McCain was referring to Rashid Khalidi, who, five years ago, Obama toasted at a going-away party before Khalidi headed off to New York City to become a professor at Columbia University.
In April, the Los Angeles Times’s Peter Wallsten wrote about the toast, saying a “special tribute came from Khalidi's friend and frequent dinner companion, the young state Sen. Barack Obama. Speaking to the crowd, Obama reminisced about meals prepared by Khalidi's wife, Mona, and conversations that had challenged his thinking.
“His many talks with the Khalidis, Obama said, had been ‘consistent reminders to me of my own blind spots and my own biases...It's for that reason that I'm hoping that, for many years to come, we continue that conversation -- a conversation that is necessary, not just around Mona and Rashid's dinner table,’ but around ‘this entire world.’”
Wrote Wallsten: “In the 1970s, when Khalidi taught at a university in Beirut, he often spoke to reporters on behalf of Yasser Arafat's Palestine Liberation Organization. In the early 1990s, he advised the Palestinian delegation during peace negotiations. Khalidi now occupies a prestigious professorship of Arab studies at Columbia.
“He is seen as a moderate in Palestinian circles, having decried suicide bombings against civilians as a ‘war crime’ and criticized the conduct of Hamas and other Palestinian leaders. Still, many of Khalidi's opinions are troubling to pro-Israel activists, such as his defense of Palestinians' right to resist Israeli occupation and his critique of U.S. policy as biased toward Israel.”
Wallsten had a videotape of the Khalidi party, which conservatives and, as of today Sen. McCain, are calling upon him to release.
"The Los Angeles Times did not publish the videotape because it was provided to us by a confidential source who did so on the condition that we not release it," Russ Stanton, editor of the LA Times, has said. "The Times keeps its promises to sources."
McCain today said, “The Los Angeles Times refuses to make that videotape public...I’m not in the business of talking about media bias...but what if there was a tape of John McCain with a neo-Nazi outfit...I think the treatment of the issue would be slightly different.”
But McCain has his own connection to Khalidi.
In 1993, McCain became chairman of the International Republican Institute. He still chairs that respected organization.
That same year, Khalidi helped found the Center for Palestine Research and Studies, self-described as “an independent academic research and policy analysis institution” created to meet “the need for active Palestinian scholarship on issues related to Palestine.” (Its archived Web site is HERE.)
Khalidi was on the board of trustees through 1999.
According to tax returns, the McCain-chaired IRI funded the organization Khalidi founded and served on to the tune of $448,873 in 1998 (click HERE to see the tax return)* as first reported by Seth Couter Walls at HuffPo.
The IRI continued to give money to the CPRS after Khalidi left the group as well.
Asked to respond to this seeming contradiction, McCain-Palin spokesman Michael Goldfarb writes, “It's long been clear that Obama and Khalidi have a close relationship -- that they were frequent dinner companions. It is another in a series of questionable associations, but it is not the focus of our request that the LA Times release this tape. It's clear from the Times story that the evening featured speeches that were anti-Semitic in tone and anti-Israel in nature. As our initial statement said, 'This campaign wants to know how Barack Obama responded to that hate-speech, whether he was mingling with Ayers, who he once described as 'just a guy in my neighborhood,' and anything else that might be of interest to voters now deciding who to support in this election.'”
(Goldfarb is referring to two speakers at Khalidi's 2003 farewell party: "a young Palestinian American (who) recited a poem accusing the Israeli government of terrorism in its treatment of Palestinians and sharply criticizing U.S. support of Israel. If Palestinians cannot secure their own land, she said, 'then you will never see a day of peace,'" and another who "likened 'Zionist settlers on the West Bank' to Osama bin Laden, saying both had been 'blinded by ideology.'")
Continued Goldfarb: “Why would the media withhold information that might be damaging to a presidential candidate? It is certainly a luxury that you and your colleagues have never afforded this campaign.”
For his part, Obama was asked about his relationship with Khalidi in May at an event with Jewish voters in Boca Raton, Fla.
“I do know him because I taught at the University of Chicago,” Obama said. “And he is Palestinian. And I do know him and I have had conversations. He is not one of my advisors; he’s not one of my foreign policy people. His kids went to the Lab school where my kids go as well. He is a respected scholar, although he vehemently disagrees with a lot of Israel’s policy.
“To pluck out one person who I know and who I’ve had a conversation with who has very different views than 900 of my friends and then to suggest that somehow that shows that maybe I’m not sufficiently pro-Israel, I think, is a very problematic stand to take," Obama said. "So, we gotta be careful about guilt by association.”
- jpt
RICHMOND
A phony State Board of Elections flier advising Republicans to vote on Nov. 4 and Democrats on Nov. 5 is being circulated in several Hampton Roads localities, according to state elections officials.
In fact, Election Day, for voters of all political stripes, remains Nov. 4.
The somewhat official-looking flier - it features the state board logo and the state seal - is dated Oct. 24 and indicates that "an emergency session of the General Assembly has adopted the follwing (sic) emergency regulations to ease the load on local electorial (sic) precincts and ensure a fair electorial process."
The four-paragraph flier concludes with: "We are sorry for any inconvenience this may cause but felt this was the only way to ensure fairness to the complete electorial process."
No emergency action has been taken by the General Assembly. It is not in session and lacks the authority to change the date of a federal election.
State Board of Election officials today said they are aware of the flier but disavowed any connection to it.
"It's not even on our letterhead; they just copied the logo from our Web site," said agency staffer Ryan Enright, noting the flier has been forwarded to State Police for investigation as a possible incident of voter intimidation.
Election officials did not specify in which Hampton Roads localities the flier had been spotted.
State Police are aware of the complaint and are looking into it, said spokeswoman Corinne Geller.
In 2007, the General Assembly passed a law making it a Class 1 misdemeanor to knowingly communicate false information to registered voters about the date, time and place of the election or voters' precincts, polling places or voter registration statuses in order to impede their voting. The measure is one of the few such deceptive voting practice laws in the country, according to the watchdog group Common Cause.
Julian Walker, (804) 697-1564, dale.eisman@pilotonline.com
On the October 15 broadcast of his nationally syndicated radio show, Bob Grant said: "[W]hat is that flag that Obama's been standing in front of that looks like an American flag, but instead of having the field of 50 stars representing the 50 states, there's a circle?" He then said: "Is the circle the 'O' for Obama? Is that what it is?" Grant later said: "[D]id you notice Obama is not content with just having several American flags, plain old American flags with the 50 states represented by 50 stars? He has the 'O' flag. And that's what that 'O' is. That's what that 'O' is. Just like he did with the plane he was using. He had the flag painted over, and the 'O' for Obama. Now, these are symptom -- these things are symptomatic of a person who would like to be a potentate -- a dictator." '
Alaska enters its 50th-anniversary year in the glow of an improbable and highly memorable event: the nomination of Gov. Sarah Palin as the Republican vice presidential candidate. For the first time ever, an Alaskan is making a serious bid for national office, and in doing so she brings broad attention and recognition not only to herself, but also to the state she leads.
Gov. Palin's nomination clearly alters the landscape for Alaskans as we survey this race for the presidency -- but it does not overwhelm all other judgment. The election, after all is said and done, is not about Sarah Palin, and our sober view is that her running mate, Sen. John McCain, is the wrong choice for president at this critical time for our nation.
Sen. Barack Obama, the Democratic nominee, brings far more promise to the office. In a time of grave economic crisis, he displays thoughtful analysis, enlists wise counsel and operates with a cool, steady hand. The same cannot be said of Sen. McCain.
Since his early acknowledgement that economic policy is not his strong suit, Sen. McCain has stumbled and fumbled badly in dealing with the accelerating crisis as it emerged. He declared that "the fundamentals of our economy are strong" at 9 a.m. one day and by 11 a.m. was describing an economy in crisis. He is both a longtime advocate of less market regulation and a supporter of the huge taxpayer-funded Wall Street bailout. His behavior in this crisis -- erratic is a kind description -- shows him to be ill-equipped to lead the essential effort of reining in a runaway financial system and setting an anxious nation on course to economic recovery.
Sen. Obama warned regulators and the nation 19 months ago that the subprime lending crisis was a disaster in the making. Sen. McCain backed tighter rules for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, but didn't do much to advance that legislation. Of the two candidates, Sen. Obama better understands the mortgage meltdown's root causes and has the judgment and intelligence to shape a solution, as well as the leadership to rally the country behind it. It is easy to look at Sen. Obama and see a return to the smart, bipartisan economic policies of the last Democratic administration in Washington, which left the country with the momentum of growth and a budget surplus that President George Bush has squandered.
On the most important issue of the day, Sen. Obama is a clear choice.
Sen. McCain describes himself as a maverick, by which he seems to mean that he spent 25 years trying unsuccessfully to persuade his own party to follow his bipartisan, centrist lead. Sadly, maverick John McCain didn't show up for the campaign. Instead we have candidate McCain, who embraces the extreme Republican orthodoxy he once resisted and cynically asks Americans to buy for another four years.
It is Sen. Obama who truly promises fundamental change in Washington. You need look no further than the guilt-by-association lies and sound-bite distortions of the degenerating McCain campaign to see how readily he embraces the divisive, fear-mongering tactics of Karl Rove. And while Sen. McCain points to the fragile success of the troop surge in stabilizing conditions in Iraq, it is also plain that he was fundamentally wrong about the more crucial early decisions. Contrary to his assurances, we were not greeted as liberators; it was not a short, easy war; and Americans -- not Iraqi oil -- have had to pay for it. It was Sen. Obama who more clearly saw the danger ahead.
The unqualified endorsement of Sen. Obama by a seasoned, respected soldier and diplomat like Gen. Colin Powell, a Republican icon, should reassure all Americans that the Democratic candidate will pass muster as commander in chief.
On a matter of parochial interest, Sen. Obama opposes the opening of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, but so does Sen. McCain. We think both are wrong, and hope a President Obama can be convinced to support environmentally responsible development of that resource.
Gov. Palin has shown the country why she has been so successful in her young political career. Passionate, charismatic and indefatigable, she draws huge crowds and sows excitement in her wake. She has made it clear she's a force to be reckoned with, and you can be sure politicians and political professionals across the country have taken note. Her future, in Alaska and on the national stage, seems certain to be played out in the limelight.
Yet despite her formidable gifts, few who have worked closely with the governor would argue she is truly ready to assume command of the most important, powerful nation on earth. To step in and juggle the demands of an economic meltdown, two deadly wars and a deteriorating climate crisis would stretch the governor beyond her range. Like picking Sen. McCain for president, putting her one 72-year-old heartbeat from the leadership of the free world is just too risky at this time.
Obama has courted Republicans all along, but in Powell he gets party crossover plus military credibility. Powell is a retired U.S. Army general and served as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under the first President Bush.
As Secretary of State under the current President Bush, Powell helped to build the case for the Iraq war, a role that hurt him with many Democrats and moderates, who had viewed him as somewhat apolitical. Powell made his endorsement today on the NBC program "Meet the Press."
Powell said he had watched both Obama and Sen. John McCain in the last "six or seven weeks," since the national political conventions, and paid special attention to how they reacted to the nation's worsening economic situation.
"I must say, he seemed a little unsure about how to approach the problem," Powell said of McCain.
"He didn't have a complete grasp of the economic problems we have."
Powell also expressed concerns about McCain's selection of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate. "I don't believe she's ready to be President of the United States, which is the job of vice president," Powell said, adding that it raised "some questions in my mind" about McCain's judgment.
As for Obama, Powell said, "I think that he has a definitive way of doing business that would serve us well."
"He's thinking that all villages have values, all towns have values, not just small towns have values," Powell said, in an apparent reference to remarks Palin made earlier this week that she enjoyed visiting the "pro-America" areas of the country.
The retired general said that "John McCain is as non-discriminatory as anyone I know," but he expressed serious concerns about his campaign's, and the Republican Party's recent focus on Obama's past association with William Ayers and robocalls the campaign has placed in battleground states this past week.
"I think this goes too far. I think it's made the McCain campaign look a little narrow. I look at these kinds of approaches to the campaign, and they trouble me. The party has moved further to the right," he said,
Powell said he would not campaign for Obama, noting the short amount of time that remains until Election Day. He later said he is "in no way interested in a return to government," but said he would consider any offers made by the next president.
He said that if his endorsement of Obama were focused solely on the historic nature of his candidacy, "I could have done this six, ten, eight months ago."Powell appeared uncomfortable throughout the interview and cleared his throat several times while talking to Brokaw. He made a clear effort towards the end of the interview to make it clear his endorsement was "not out of any lack of respect or admiration of John McCain."He said: "I strongly believe that at this point in America's history, we need a president that will not just continue basically the policies we have been following in recent years. I think we need a transformational figure. I think we need a president who is a generational change."
Inspired by the ugly turn that this campaign has taken, I have created a blog called Together We Are Purple. Its sole purpose is for Obama & McCain supporters who are friends/family members/loved ones w/one another to talk about their relationships & how they are able to keep the peace & love during such a loveless race...I also suggested people to post pics of themselves wearing purple as well, just for the fun of it! :DI'm sharing the blog here just in case there are some of you out there who are in such relationships. I think it'd be nice for people to see that we're all not trying to kill each other over politics. I thank you for your contributions and time...
~K.
A message from LGBT Vote Director, Dave Noble:
Today is National Coming Out Day, an occasion in the LGBT community when we all take special pride in living our lives openly, no matter our sexual orientation or gender identity. I’m encouraged today, as every day on this campaign, by the huge numbers of out activists playing an important role in our campaign. We have organized Obama Pride networks in almost every state, and every day we are talking to fellow members of our communities about the importance of this election for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.We’ve got just 23 days left to make sure we elect Barack Obama and Joe Biden, and finally turn the page on the policies and politics of the current Administration. While we come out today to family and friends, don’t forget to also “come out” to a battleground state and knock on doors over a weekend before Election Day! Our Chicago LGBT team is out in the field and we want you to join us. Email us at pride@barackobama.com and let us know where and when you can come out – for change!
Today is National Coming Out Day, an occasion in the LGBT community when we all take special pride in living our lives openly, no matter our sexual orientation or gender identity. I’m encouraged today, as every day on this campaign, by the huge numbers of out activists playing an important role in our campaign. We have organized Obama Pride networks in almost every state, and every day we are talking to fellow members of our communities about the importance of this election for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.
We’ve got just 23 days left to make sure we elect Barack Obama and Joe Biden, and finally turn the page on the policies and politics of the current Administration. While we come out today to family and friends, don’t forget to also “come out” to a battleground state and knock on doors over a weekend before Election Day! Our Chicago LGBT team is out in the field and we want you to join us. Email us at pride@barackobama.com and let us know where and when you can come out – for change!
By Gary Kamiya
Oct. 07, 2008 | The End of Days is approaching for John McCain and Sarah Palin, and at least one member of the ticket is not likely to greet this development with religious rapture. Their numbers are tanking. Their campaign has had to pull out of Michigan, and they are trailing in most of the battleground states they must hold onto. Even Karl Rove has predicted an Obama win if the election were held today. McCain's hotheaded behavior during the Wall Street crisis and his numerous other erratic tactical swerves have backfired. And his biggest gamble, choosing Sarah Palin as vice president, is increasingly looking like a disaster.
McCain's all-too-predictable response: get ugly, as he did on Monday is his disturbing rant against Obama in New Mexico.
The man who incessantly talks about "honor" has checked his own at the door. Back in April, McCain -- himself the victim of a vicious, race-baiting smear campaign orchestrated by Karl Rove in 2000 -- disavowed a North Carolina ad attacking Obama for his association with the Rev. Jeremiah Wright. "It's not the message of the Republican Party," McCain said. "It's not the message of my campaign. I've pledged to conduct a respectful campaign."
But that was before McCain faced imminent defeat. His "pledge" has turned out to be about as credible as his sudden incarnation as a lifelong enemy of Wall Street. On Monday, McCain rolled out a new TV ad, "Dangerous," that accuses Obama of being "dishonorable." "Who is Barack Obama?" a narrator ominously asks. "He says our troops in Afghanistan are 'just air-raiding villages and killing civilians.' How dishonorable."
Of course, this is an outrageous smear. Obama was simply pointing out the well-known fact that in fighting an insurgency, over-reliance on air power is counterproductive. That's because airstrikes inevitably result in civilian deaths, which turn the population against the side carrying them out. U.S. airstrikes and the ensuing civilian casualties are one of the biggest points of contention between the U.S. and Hamid Karzai's regime in Afghanistan, and they are a huge issue in Pakistan and Iraq as well.
But none of those facts matter, because McCain desperately needs to paint Obama as a traitor, an alien, a defeatist, and un-American. The rhetorical question "Who is Barack Obama?" is not accidental: It is intended to raise fundamental doubts about whether he is a real American. It ties into the online smears that accuse him of being a Muslim, a terrorist, of not saluting the flag, hating the troops, attending a madrassa, hating Israel, and so on.
In a fear-mongering speech on Monday, McCain continued this Mysterious Stranger tactic. "Whatever the question, whatever the issue, there's always a back story with Sen. Obama," McCain said. "All people want to know is: What has this man ever actually accomplished in government? What does he plan for America? In short: Who is the real Barack Obama?" Cue a subconscious image of a dark, menacing figure planning to impose sharia law on America.
Sarah Palin, confidently pronouncing on Obama's bona fides despite the fact that she has repeatedly revealed herself to a terrified world to be someone who must be kept as far away from the presidency as possible, joined in the smear campaign. Citing Obama's acquaintance with former Weatherman founder Bill Ayers, Palin said about the Democratic presidential nominee, "This is not a man who sees America as you and I do -- as the greatest force for good in the world. This is someone who sees America as imperfect enough to pal around with terrorists who targeted their own country."
Never mind the fact that Palin herself supported, and her husband belonged to, a secessionist Alaska political party that advocated armed opposition to the U.S. Never mind the fact that Obama's relationship with Ayers, as detailed in the very New York Times story that Palin cited as her source, was utterly casual. Facts are for those in the reality-based community. The point is to paint Obama not just as a terrorist sympathizer and America-hater, but as an alien. Hence Palin's description of him as "not a man who sees America as you and I do."
McCain is also using Palin to bring up the Rev. Wright. Prompted by GOP publicist Bill Kristol, whose intellectually vacuous, water-carrying New York Times column is one of the biggest embarrassments in that paper's storied history, Palin said that "I don't know why that association isn't discussed more, because those were appalling things that that pastor had said about our great country ... But, you know, I guess that would be a John McCain call on whether he wants to bring that up."
Ah, the joys of having your vacuous, yet robotically perky, running mate do your dirty work for you, while she pretends that she isn't.
Calling Obama a traitor, un-American and dishonorable may be somewhat effective, but the best thing McCain and Palin have going for them is that Obama is ... black. The subliminal message of all their ads is "scary, black, unknown, black, alien, black, un-American, black." The challenge for McCain, however, is that he can't be explicitly racist: It's no longer acceptable to run Willie Horton-type ads. But ingenious minds find a way to get around this.
In a McCain ad called "Mum," Obama is portrayed as a tax-raising incompetent. But the real point of the ad, which is so nonsensical it's hard to believe anyone will pay attention to its ostensible message, may be to incite racial fears.
"In crisis, experience matters," a tough voice warns. "McCain and his congressional allies led. Tough rules on Wall Street. Stop CEO rip-offs. [An image of a grinning black man in a suit appears.] Protect your savings and pensions. [An image of an elderly white woman appears.] Obama and his liberal allies, 'mum on the market crisis.' Because 'no one knows what to do.' More taxes. No leadership. A risk your family can't afford."
This ad requires voters to have ignored reality in three ways. First, they must have somehow missed the fact that it was Republican congressmen, not Democrats, who stalled the bailout package. Second, they must swallow the fairy tale that McCain "led" the effort. And third, they must believe that McCain and the GOP have magically been transformed into sworn enemies of "Wall Street" and "CEO rip-offs." With all due respect for the incapacity of Americans, that's too much stupidity to ask for.
Which is why the real point of the ad may have been the image of the smirking black man who appears as the poster child for "CEO rip-offs." The man is Franklin Raines, former head of Fannie Mae, who resigned in 2004 under a cloud of scandal. It may seem odd that McCain's hit team selected a black CEO to illustrate the Wall Street meltdown -- there are about as many black CEOs as there are white defensive backs in the NFL. But it isn't odd at all. Using Raines serves the GOP's interests in two ways, both of them with explicit racial subtexts.
First, it furthers the bogus right-wing story that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, pushed by the Clinton administration to increase the number of minority homeowners, were responsible for the Wall Street meltdown. (In fact, as the New York Times has reported, rapacious Wall Street investors pushed Fannie Mae into the exotic, high-risk bundled deals that brought it down.)
More important, it associates Barack Obama with an allegedly corrupt black man. Few viewers are likely to know who that black face belongs to, but that doesn't matter. Working-class white voters have repeatedly told reporters that they're worried that if he's elected, Obama will turn the country over to black people. The "Mum" ad plays to those racial fears in a way that allows plausible deniability.
The GOP and its media allies are going into their two-minute drill, and it ain't pretty. Moving in lockstep with the GOP, as usual, Fox News ran a ludicrous Sean Hannity show Sunday night that painted Obama as a terrorist sympathizer and dangerous radical. And we can expect more smears, concealed race-baiting, overwrought accusations of "radicalism" and crude ad hominem attacks in the next month.
McCain's last-ditch smear campaign isn't surprising. The modern conservative movement came to power by playing on white racial fears, and McCain is hoping that there's one shot left in that gun.
The seeds of modern conservatism were sown by Barry Goldwater, whose anti-government ideology was crafted to appeal to Southern whites enraged at federal intervention into what they considered to be their own racial business. Richard Nixon's "Southern strategy" brought Goldwater's approach to fruition. By inciting populist white anger at do-gooder liberals and the black poor, Nixon was able to split the Democratic Party, peeling off the South and making deep inroads with blue-collar ethnic Democrats in states like Ohio, Michigan and Pennsylvania. Some analysts believe that the South will remain Republican forever, although demographic changes could weaken the GOP's grip. Ronald Reagan continued the strategy, kicking off his 1980 presidential campaign by giving a speech in Philadelphia, Miss., where three civil rights workers were killed, in which he promised to support states' rights -- a code word for institutional Southern racism.
The founding success of the modern conservative movement was that it convinced large numbers of Americans to reject "liberalism" and "big government," even if they themselves benefited from both, because they were associated with social programs aimed at helping poor blacks.
In one of the climactic political showdowns in American history, McCain and Palin are now using the GOP's time-tested tactics -- against a black man. The tactics always worked before, and one might think they would be foolproof now, with a black target. But a closer look at the very beginning of the GOP's rise to power reveals why they may not.
In fall 1964, Barry Goldwater was tanking in the polls, hammered by the media and by his Democratic opponent, Lyndon Johnson, as a radical who might start a nuclear war and would threaten cherished social programs like Social Security. As Rick Perlstein relates in "Before the Storm: Barry Goldwater and the Unmaking of the American Consensus," Goldwater realized that he needed to scare Americans. So he turned away from his high-minded speeches about freedom and started talking incessantly about moral decay and social unrest -- subjects that had never been raised by a presidential candidate before.
To spread its message about scary blacks and moral rot, the Goldwater campaign let loose a bare-knuckle political operative named Rus Walton, who "was possessed of an almost desperate need to burn conservative truths into an audience's heart by whatever means worked -- high or low, fair or foul." Walton's staff cranked out brochures depicting black Harlemites caught in the act of smashing windows and attacking policemen, with captions like "Lyndon Johnson's Administration Is Too Busy Protecting Itself to Protect You." Another brochure read, "Are you safe on the streets? What about your wife? Your kids? Your property? What about after dark? Why should we have to be afraid? This is America!" A poster linked government with race riots, braying, "Government officials make millions while in public service. They let crime run riot in the streets ..."
Goldwater commissioned a bizarre documentary film, "Choice," that interwove images of a speeding Cadillac, wild revelers, shapely, twisting derrieres, civil rights protests, naked breasts, and criminals resisting arrest. Over these images Raymond Massey intoned, "Now there are two Americas. One is words like 'allegiance' and 'Republic' ... The other America -- the other America is no longer a dream but a nightmare." It was the first shot fired in what would later come to be called the culture wars. (Goldwater chickened out and disavowed the film.)
As Joseph Lowndes argues in his book "From the New Deal to the New Right: Race and the Southern Origins of Modern Conservatism," "race was probably the most compelling issue Goldwater had on his side." And Goldwater, though himself no racist, did his best to appeal to white fears. But it didn't work. He went on to lose in a landslide, carrying only a handful of Deep South states. The reason, as Lowndes points out, was that "[c]onservatism did not yet appeal to a majority of Americans, who saw conservatism and the Republican Party as representing wealthy, elite interests."
There are some uncanny parallels between Goldwater's campaign and McCain's. The American right has come full circle in 44 years, with two allegedly maverick senators from Arizona playing bookend roles, one at the beginning, one perhaps at the end. Goldwater was the prophet of modern conservatism, but he came too early. For his part, McCain may have come too late. He may be remembered as the last, failed Republican candidate to use the GOP's four-decade-old strategy of attacking big government, demonizing liberals and mobilizing white resentment of blacks.
McCain is playing dirtier than Goldwater did. But the smear game still may not work. And if McCain loses, it will be for the same reasons that Goldwater lost: because conservatism itself -- which means the GOP, since it no longer has a moderate branch -- has been discredited. The Republican Party under Nixon and Reagan succeeded because it was able to convince enough white Democrats and swing voters that it was the party of the "average American," oppressed by federal bureaucrats and do-gooder programs like busing and affirmative action. It was able to conceal the fact that it was the party of the rich beneath a populist, race-tinged appeal to white resentment.
But the truth is that America is not a particularly ideological country, and Americans' allegiance to conservative ideas has always been fairly superficial. Yes, our frontier mythology and tradition of federalism makes us less supportive of the welfare state than European countries -- but New Deal-inspired programs like Social Security and Medicare are deeply rooted in our society. A loose, de facto centrism is America's default position. By embracing cracked ideologies like trickle-down economics, by letting big corporations do whatever they want, and by religiously refusing to raise taxes, the GOP since Reagan has tilted much too far to the right. George W. Bush pushed the party over the cliff, with the final straw being his own unique contribution, a demented and pointless war.
Now the bills are coming due. The colossal failure of the Bush administration has destroyed the right wing's appeal to most Americans. In effect, conservatism has returned to being what it was in the days of Goldwater -- a fringe movement. McCain is desperately trying to disavow the movement he has followed all his life by painting himself as a "maverick," but as Joe Biden pointed out in perhaps the most devastating retort in his "debate" with Palin, he has not voted like a maverick on any issue of importance -- he has voted like a Republican.
Which is why so much hangs on this election. An Obama victory could signal a fundamental correction in the course of American politics, one that could last for decades. If McCain wins, it will mean that all the forces that led to the rise of modern conservatism -- racial resentment, unthinking anti-governmentalism and hatred of "liberals" -- still reign supreme. And that would force us all to stare into a national chasm, one deeper than any since McCarthyism.
-- By Gary Kamiya
Not All Veterans Salute McCain
Sunday 03 August 2008 by: Dan Moffett, Palm Beach Post
Many veterans are not pleased with John McCain's voting record on veteran's issues. The growing ranks of veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan will have a lot to say about who becomes president. And what they are saying isn't what you might expect.
In theory, John McCain, with his long record of service as a Navy pilot and prisoner of war story from Vietnam, should have the market cornered on the military vote. Instead, he has drawn opposition from many veterans because of his voting record in the Senate. Sen. McCain has voted against bills that would have improved veterans' benefits, particularly health care, or measures to ease the strain on active-duty troops and their families.
The disapproval among vets for Sen. McCain has fed surprising support for Barack Obama, who has voted for many of the veterans' initiatives in the Senate that his opponent rejected. One of the last things the McCain campaign expected was to wind up in the cross hairs of angry veterans and having to fight off repeated attacks. But, then, that was also one of the last things the decorated veteran John Kerry expected in 2004.
The Internet has given rise to a new generation of veterans groups that line up from one end of the political spectrum to the other - Veterans for Peace at the left end and the Swift Boat Vets on the right. Among the many misconceptions about running for president is that a military combat record makes a candidate more electable. In fact, the converse is true, at least since the Vietnam War changed Americans' perspectives about service in the armed forces. None of the three presidents who have won two terms since the '70s has done it on the strength of his military credentials. As an Army officer during World War II, Ronald Reagan made government movies for the war effort while stationed in Culver City, Cal. Bill Clinton has no military record, and lingering questions about why he has none. George W. Bush made sure the skies were safe over Houston when he served on the homefront with the Texas Air National Guard during the height of Vietnam.
Presidential candidates with truly heroic service in World War II have been big losers in November: George McGovern was a decorated B-24 bomber pilot who flew dozens of missions over Africa and Europe; Bob Dole nearly died from wounds suffered in Italy, and lost the use of his right arm; George H.W. Bush earned the Distinguished Flying Cross after getting shot down during one of many bombing missions in the Pacific.
When it comes to winning support from veterans, Sen. McCain's voting record on their issues is an imposing obstacle. The Disabled Veterans of America gives him a 20 percent rating, compared with an 80 percent rating for Sen. Obama. The Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans for America gives Sen. McCain a D and Sen. Obama a B+. The Vietnam Veterans of America say Sen. McCain has voted against them on 15 issues. One of the most vocal and fastest-growing veterans groups to oppose the McCain campaign is VoteVets.org. Formed in 2006, the organization claims a membership of roughly 100,000, with a political action committee devoted to electing congressional candidates who oppose the handling of the Iraq war.
Especially galling to VoteVets.org is Sen. McCain's opposition to the new, bipartisan GI Bill that increases education benefits for Iraq and Afghanistan vets. Sen. Obama voted for the bill when it passed 75-22 in May; Sen. McCain was on the campaign trail and did not vote. The size of the veterans' vote is easier to calculate than its direction.
The nation has about 24 million veterans - a population the size of California - with 1.7 million of them in Florida. In 2004, roughly 80 percent of vets turned out to vote, compared with 64 percent of nonveterans. American veterans are 80 percent white non-Hispanic, 11 percent African-American, 6 percent Hispanic and 92 percent male. Their median age is 60, and 60 percent of them live in urban areas. Veterans are politically and demographically diverse - a long way from a monolithic voting bloc. But Sen. McCain is running the risk of uniting them against him.
By CATHERINE LUCEYPhiladelphia Daily News
luceyc@phillynews.com 215-854-4172
An anonymous flier circulating in African-American neighborhoods in North and West Philadelphia states that voters who are facing outstanding arrest warrants or who have unpaid traffic tickets may be arrested at the polls on Election Day.
Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Everett Gillison, who learned of the flier last week, said that the message is completely false.
"The only thing that police officers are going to do that we'll be encouraging that day is that they'll be exercising their own individual right to vote," Gillison said.
He plans to put up statements on the city and police Web sites to let citizens know that the handouts are false. He said that he also will record a public-service announcement for broadcast.
Gillison referred the matter to the U.S. Attorney's Office and the district attorney.
"We are not going to stand for any intimidation of voters," Gillison said. "Not in this city."
He said that he did not know who was behind the fliers, which appear to be targeted at supporters of Democratic candidate Barack Obama.
But telling people to beware of voting if they have outstanding warrants is an old trick. In Maryland's 2002 gubernatorial election, anonymous fliers in African-American communities warned people to pay parking tickets and resolve outstanding warrants before heading to the polls.
"It seems to be clearly aimed at lower-income voters that might have had some problems in the past and clearly aimed at discouraging people from voting," said Zack Stalberg, who heads the political-watchdog group Committee of Seventy.
Stalberg said that he feared that there could be more fliers to come.
"I'm a little surprised it appeared this far before Election Day," he said. "It's another indication of how dirty this election might become."
Local NAACP President Jerry Mondesire said that he was aware of the flier and would be watching for other intimidation efforts, but would wait until closer to Election Day to reach out to the public.
"We probably will do something closer to the election," he said. "People tend not to pay attention until two weeks out."
Mondesire said that he didn't know who was circulating the fliers, but added, "I do know one thing for sure: They're not Democrats." *
By Dana MilbankTuesday, October 7, 2008; A03
FORT MYERS, Fla., Oct. 6 John McCain is collapsing in the polls in Florida and other swing states, but Sarah Palin, God bless her, has a solution.
"For me, the heels are on, the gloves are off," she announced at high noon Monday to a group of Republican donors at the Naples Beach Club.
You betcha.
As the donors sipped their bloody marys and mimosas, she added, in a conspiratorial stage whisper, "I'm sending the message back to John McCain also: Tomorrow night in his debate, might as well take the gloves off."
Darn right.
Of course, it's not only gloves and heels; headgear has a role, too. "Okay, so, Florida, you know that you're going to have to hang on to your hats," she said at a morning rally in Clearwater, "because from now until Election Day, it may get kind of rough."
Say it ain't so, Sarah!
Sen. Lindsey Graham, a McCain confidant, told The Post's David Broder that the campaign would "go down in history as stupid if they don't unleash" Palin. Well, the self-identified pit bull has been unleashed -- if not unhinged.
Barack Obama, she told 8,000 fans at a rally here Monday afternoon, "launched his political career in the living room of a domestic terrorist!" This followed her earlier accusation that the Democrat pals around with terrorists. "This is not a man who sees America the way you and I see America," she told the Clearwater crowd. "I'm afraid this is someone who sees America as imperfect enough to work with a former domestic terrorist who had targeted his own country." The crowd replied with boos.
McCain had said that racially explosive attacks related to Obama's former pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, are off limits. But Palin told New York Times columnist Bill Kristol in an interview published Monday: "I don't know why that association isn't discussed more."
Worse, Palin's routine attacks on the media have begun to spill into ugliness. In Clearwater, arriving reporters were greeted with shouts and taunts by the crowd of about 3,000. Palin then went on to blame Katie Couric's questions for her "less-than-successful interview with kinda mainstream media." At that, Palin supporters turned on reporters in the press area, waving thunder sticks and shouting abuse. Others hurled obscenities at a camera crew. One Palin supporter shouted a racial epithet at an African American sound man for a network and told him, "Sit down, boy."
McCain's swoon is largely out of his control, the result of an economic collapse that ignited new fears Monday when the Dow Jones industrial average closed below 10,000 for the first time in four years. That's why his lead in Florida polls, which once reached as high as 15 points, has turned into a three-point deficit.
But the campaign has reacted with recriminations (the St. Petersburg Times reported that the Florida Republican Party chairman, after questioning Palin's aptitude, was told that he couldn't fly on her plane) and now Palin's rage.
The angry GOP vice presidential nominee even found a way to blame the market decline on the yet-to-be-enacted tax policies of the yet-to-be-elected Obama.
"If you turn on the news tonight when you get home, you're gonna see that, yah, this is another woeful day in the market, and the other side just doesn't understand -- no!" she said at an afternoon fundraiser at the home of mutual fund giant Jack Donahue. "Especially in a time like this, you don't propose to increase taxes. The phoniest claim in a campaign that's full of them is that Barack Obama is going to cut your taxes."
Of course, Obama never promised to cut taxes for people at $10,000-a-plate lunches in air-conditioned tents on waterfront compounds. And the crowd -- among them New York Jets owner Woody Johnson -- reacted without applause to Palin's Joe Six-Pack lines. After they didn't strike up the usual "Drill, baby, drill" or "USA" chants, Palin, rattled, read hurriedly through the rest of her speech.
The reception had been better in Clearwater, where Palin, speaking to a sea of "Palin Power" and "Sarahcuda" T-shirts, tried to link Obama to the 1960s Weather Underground. "One of his earliest supporters is a man named Bill Ayers," she said. ("Boooo!" said the crowd.) "And, according to the New York Times, he was a domestic terrorist and part of a group that, quote, 'launched a campaign of bombings that would target the Pentagon and our U.S. Capitol,' " she continued. ("Boooo!" the crowd repeated.)
"Kill him!" proposed one man in the audience.
Palin also told those gathered that Obama doesn't like American soldiers. "He said that our troops in Afghanistan are just, quote, 'air-raiding villages and killing civilians,' " she said, drawing boos from a crowd that had not been told Obama was actually appealing for more troops in Afghanistan.
"See, John McCain is a different kind of man: He believes in our troops," she said.
At times, Palin hinted at the GOP campaign's troubles. "It's going to be a hard-fought contest, especially in these swing states, some maybe we would not have expected," she admitted to donors. She allowed that "John McCain and I need to do a better job" of talking about the economy.
At other times, she had troubles of her own, as when she spoke over the weekend of "our neighboring country of Afghanistan" or when she got choked up at the Clearwater rally, saying, "Some of your signs just make me wanna cry," without explaining which ones or why.
But then the gloves came off, the heels came out, and Palin was once again talking about her opponent hanging out in a terrorist's living room.
Obama on our doorstepBy KIMBALL PAYNE |
October 5, 2008
NEWPORT NEWS - Democrat Barack Obama laid out a sweeping plan to overhaul the country's health care system Saturday at his fourth big campaign event in Hampton Roads this year.A month away from Election Day, the presidential candidate criticized Republican rival John McCain's health care proposal, calling it a "radical" plan that would offer medical tax credits but also raise income taxes.Flanked by the James River — with the under-construction aircraft carrier George H.W. Bush as a backdrop — Obama also made a last-minute plea for voters to reach out to friends and neighbors and get them registered to vote. Monday is the deadline for new voters to sign up for the November election, and campaign volunteers were feverishly working to sign up every one of the 18,000 people on hand."I want everybody to get registered by Monday," Obama told the crowd packed onto the grass at Victory Landing Park. "You cannot sit this election out. It's too important."The rally was Obama's first freewheeling event open to the public since a February speech in Virginia Beach brought out about 17,000 people.On Saturday, hundreds were lined up to see Obama as early as 5 a.m., and the line snaked for blocks through downtown Newport News, wrapping completely around City Hall. Street vendors hawked everything from Obama shirts to key chains and Obama decks of cards — with President George W. Bush as the joker.Saturday's rally was Obama's sixth campaign swing through Virginia, his fourth stop in Hampton Roads this year and his first big event on the Peninsula. The Democrat's continuing focus on Virginia highlights the state's high profile as a next-generation battleground state with 13 electoral votes. Obama has opened more than 40 campaign offices throughout Virginia, which hasn't voted for a Democrat for the White House since 1964. By comparison, McCain has campaigned in Virginia only once since securing the GOP mantle. His last visit to Hampton Roads was in early February, in the run-up to the state primary. Republicans have largely ignored Virginia during the campaign, though McCain's team opened a dozen offices last week.Both campaigns are investing heavily in advertising in Virginia for the first time in decades, and political insiders are calling the state a toss-up."We're not going to cede an inch in this state," said chief Obama strategist David Axelrod, who attended the rally.During a detailed 40-minute speech, Obama described his plan for upgrading health care in the United States. He described how the costs of treatment and medicine were busting family budgets, hamstringing small businesses and even hurting corporate giants struggling to cover workers.Obama also lamented that an estimated 45 million people were without health insurance, saying a country as wealthy and powerful as the United States should be able to afford universal health care."That's not right, that's not who we are," Obama said. "Not only is it not right, it ain't right."Obama said reforming how people got medical treatment became a deeply personal mission as he watched his mother struggle with ovarian cancer."She endured the pain and the chemotherapy with grace and dignity," Obama said.But Obama said his 53-year-old mother spent her last days in a hospital bed, fighting with her insurance company over what treatments the company would pay for."This isn't politics, this is personal," he said.Obama went on to dissect McCain's health care proposal, which would raise current tax breaks giving individuals a $2,500 tax credit for health care and families $5,000. In return, McCain would begin taxing as income health care benefits that people get through the workplace.Obama said that it appeared to be a credit but that the average family spent $12,000 on health care a year."When you read the fine print, John McCain is giving you an old Washington bait-and-switch," Obama said. "They call it the 'ownership society,' but what it really means is you're on your own."McCain's plan, Obama said, would create a dangerous domino effect, raising health care costs on businesses and forcing some companies to drop benefits for their employees. He said splintering of coverage plans could cause the entire health care system to unravel.McCain's campaign shot back quickly, saying Obama's plan would turn the system into government-run health care as "efficient as a trip to the DMV.""Barack Obama is lying to voters," McCain spokeman Tucker Bounds said. "It's a bald-faced lie because John McCain will improve the tax code, so that middle-class paychecks aren't used to pay government bureaucrats but instead will pay for the access to health care Americans deserve."Obama said his approach to skyrocketing health care costs would be wholly different. Obama told the crowd that he would negotiate with insurance providers and pharmaceutical companies to lower the cost of brand-name prescription drugs and encourage competition.Obama said he would put a premium on prevention efforts and work to reduce waste and inefficiency by moving away from pen-and-paper records and toward more electronic data.Under Obama's plan, the federal government would subsidize health care for the millions of people unable to buy it on their own. He said he would pay for the $65 billion plan by streamlining the health care system, cutting waste and repealing President Bush's tax cuts for people making more than $250,000 a year.To underscore the point, Obama asked for a show of hands."How many of you make $250,000 a year?" Obama asked. "Don't let them bamboozle you."Obama's message on health care struck a chord with Dorothy Green."I would have crawled to get out here," said the 79-year-old Newport News resident, who's wheelchair-bound, on oxygen and has a pacemaker.Green struggles with her medical bills every day, paying about $1,200 a month just on her 15 or so medications — a cost that she puts on her credit card."Obama gives me hope," Green said. "He gives me hope that I can afford my medicine and not have to worry every month."
By STEPHEN OHLEMACHERThe Associated PressSunday, October 5, 2008; 1:21 PM
WASHINGTON -- Republican presidential candidate John McCain's brother made an apparent joke at a campaign rally this weekend that might not play well in parts of newly competitive Virginia.
Joe McCain, speaking at an event in support of his brother, called two Democratic-leaning areas in Northern Virginia "communist country," according to a report on The Washington Post's Web site.
"I've lived here for at least 10 years and before that about every third duty I was in either Arlington or Alexandria, up in communist country," Joe McCain, a Navy veteran, said at an event in Loudoun County, Va.
Joe McCain then apologized, but the remark drew laughter at the event, according to the report.
Virginia has long been a Republican stronghold in presidential elections, but Democrat Barack Obama is running even or ahead of McCain in recent state polls. Obama is being helped by fast-growing communities in the Washington, D.C., suburbs of Northern Virginia, which tend to vote more Democratic than other parts of the state.
One of those areas is Arlington, Va., where John McCain owns a condominium.
"This was Joe McCain's unsuccessful attempt at humor," said McCain campaign spokeswoman Gail Gitcho. "John McCain and Sarah Palin are committed to winning the support of voters in Northern Virginia and understand the region's importance to victory statewide."
