In Hibbing last night, Hillary Clinton drew on her years of public service and made a lucid observation on the choice Minnesotans have in this election.
This election is really coming down to one simple slogan. It's a slogan that embodies what Democrats stand for, what we fight for, what we believe: "Jobs, baby, jobs!" That's what it's about and that's why we need Barack Obama and Joe Biden. With Democrats in the White House and in the Congress, we will end the tax breaks for shipping jobs overseas, we're going to start creating jobs in America again. We did it before and we can do it again.
This election is really coming down to one simple slogan. It's a slogan that embodies what Democrats stand for, what we fight for, what we believe: "Jobs, baby, jobs!" That's what it's about and that's why we need Barack Obama and Joe Biden.
With Democrats in the White House and in the Congress, we will end the tax breaks for shipping jobs overseas, we're going to start creating jobs in America again. We did it before and we can do it again.
Barack Obama has a plan to jumpstart the American economy, provide middle class tax relief, and provide quality, affordable healthcare to every American. This fact, and the reality that on every one of these issues John McCain is disturbingly out of touch with middle class families, was not lost on Hillary:
Senator McCain has repeatedly said that "the fundamentals of our economy are strong." Well, maybe they are if you're looking through rose-colored glasses. But if you're living with both feet on the ground and you're going in and out of people's homes and you're listening to what's on your minds, there isn't any way you could reach that conclusion. But to George Bush and John McCain the middle class isn't fundamental, it's ornamental. They don't understand that if you don't have a strong and prosperous middle class, we will not have a strong and prosperous America.
Senator McCain has repeatedly said that "the fundamentals of our economy are strong."
Well, maybe they are if you're looking through rose-colored glasses. But if you're living with both feet on the ground
and you're going in and out of people's homes and you're listening to what's on your minds, there isn't any way you could reach that conclusion.
But to George Bush and John McCain the middle class isn't fundamental, it's ornamental. They don't understand that if you don't have a strong and prosperous middle class, we will not have a strong and prosperous America.
"The evidence is clear," continued Hillary, a champion for working families in her own right, "Barack Obama and the Democrats are for you. And that's why I hope you will be for the DFL candidates up and down the ballot to delivver the change we need."
Folks in Minnesota are struggling to cope with a failing economy and looking for real leadership from the next President. Since President Bush has taken office, health care costs have risen 4.3 times faster than average wages in Minnesota, and over 430,000 Minnesota residents – and over 45 million nationally – lack health insurance today.
The situation in Minnesota is just a microcosm of what's happening across the country, a situation which will only get worse if John McCain is allowed to continue the failed policies of the last eight years.
That's why we have to take action to prevent that from happening:
There isn't anybody who really thinks we could survive the next 4 years if they're like the last 8 years and recognize our country. The income inequality will continue to expand, people will start losing their hope and their belief in the American dream. I know that you probably have friends and even families, coworkers and neighbors who are not yet decided; who may even be thinking of voting for the McCain-Palin ticket. That dog don't hunt anymore. You can't keep rewarding the same bad policies and expect to get anything better.
There isn't anybody who really thinks we could survive the next 4 years if they're like the last 8 years and recognize our country. The income inequality will continue to expand, people will start losing their hope and their belief in the American dream.
I know that you probably have friends and even families, coworkers and neighbors who are not yet decided; who may even be thinking of voting for the McCain-Palin ticket.
That dog don't hunt anymore. You can't keep rewarding the same bad policies and expect to get anything better.
"So I hope each and everyone of you will go out and talk to those who are yet undecided. Maybe try to persuade those you think are heading in the wrong direction," added Hillary.
Join the tens of thousands of volunteers across Minnesota who have responded to Barack's call to service. You can phonebank, go door-to-door, volunteer in your Campaign for Change office, or even clean up a local park or roadway in your community.
It's all about making change in your community, and we're proud that you're making a difference.
Or, as Hillary put it in Hibbing last night: "This is our moment, this is our time."
With just 33 days until Election Day we need to step up our efforts to convince undecided voters to vote for Barack Obama.
To put him over the top here in Minnesota, Barack needs us to step up in our own communities, because we know our neighbors better than anyone.
Sign up now to join a weekend canvass in your area and make a difference in your community.
Nick Kimball, the Obama campaign's Minnesota spokesman issued the following statement regarding the brief McCain-Palin airport stop planned for this Friday:
We welcome Senator McCain and Governor Palin back to Minnesota for their brief stop at the airport. Senator McCain's stubborn insistence that the "fundamentals of the economy are strong" shows that he is disturbingly out of touch with what's going on in the lives of middle-class Minnesotans.And, unfortunately, not leaving the airport grounds won't do anything to change his out of touch perspective. Barack Obama understands the fundamentals of the economy and will cut taxes for 95 percent of Americans.
We welcome Senator McCain and Governor Palin back to Minnesota for their brief stop at the airport. Senator McCain's stubborn insistence that the "fundamentals of the economy are strong" shows that he is disturbingly out of touch with what's going on in the lives of middle-class Minnesotans.
And, unfortunately, not leaving the airport grounds won't do anything to change his out of touch perspective. Barack Obama understands the fundamentals of the economy and will cut taxes for 95 percent of Americans.
In remembrance of the seventh anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, Senator Obama released the following statement:
Today, we honor the memory of the lives that were lost on September 11, 2001, and grieve with the families and friends who lost someone they loved in New York City, at the Pentagon, and in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. We will never forget those who died. We will always remember the extraordinary efforts of our firefighters, police and emergency responders, and those who sacrificed their own lives on Flight 93 to protect their fellow Americans. And we give thanks for the Americans defending us every day in our communities at home, and in our military abroad. On 9/11, Americans across our great country came together to stand with the families of the victims, to donate blood, to give to charity, and to say a prayer for our country. Let us renew that spirit of service and that sense of common purpose. Let us remember that the terrorists responsible for 9/11 are still at large, and must be brought to justice. Let us resolve to defeat terrorist networks, defend the American homeland, stand up for the enduring American values that we cherish, and seek a new birth of freedom at home and around the world.
Whether combating anti-Semitism in post-World War II Minneapolis or standing up for farmers facing foreclosure and the loss of their livelihood during the Farm Crisis of the mid-80s, community organizers like Hubert Humphrey and Paul Wellstone empowered ordinary people to do extraordinary things on behalf of the common good.
During the Republican National Convention, thousands of ordinary Minnesotans came together, driven by their belief that America can't afford another four years like the last eight, to support for Barack Obama and Joe Biden's campaign for change.
These "everyday organizers" developed their community organizing skills at Camp Obama, where over 500 grassroots supporters from every corner of Minnesota learned the techniques and strategy that will drive this campaign to victory.
And while the Republicans were in St. Paul talking to their special interest and lobbyist friends, these ordinary Minnesotans were making phone calls and going door-to-door talking to their friends and neighbors about Barack Obama's plan to make the economy work for American families.
Women reached out to women and neighbors to neighbors, with remarkable success. Over the last three days, more than 1000 volunteers knocked on over 25,000 doors and identified thousands of Obama supporters across Minnesota, spreading Barack's message of change directly to the people.
While the Republicans were in town, deriding community organizing, the Campaign for Change was out in the community doing just that--bringing new voices into the process by registering voters, encouraging folks to help those affected by Hurricane Gustav, and coming together at benefit concerts and on college campuses to change this country.
Tomorrow, after the lobbyists and the McCain attack squad have left St. Paul, the Minnesota Campaign for Change will still be out in the community, making phone calls, knocking on doors, and spreading Barack's message of hope and change.
For years, Minnesotans have proved that when ordinary folks devote part of their busy lives to organizing and building their communities, they have the power to affect change. And that's what's happening today across this state, and across this country.
If you haven't already, please sign up to volunteer in your community and consider joining your neighborhood Team Obama. Together, we can bring change to Minnesota and to America.
Check out some of the best photos from Minnesota's Week of Action:
Our thoughts and prayers continue to be with our friends in the Gulf Coast region. As we all come together to help in the recovery efforts (click here to donate), the Campaign for Change also plans to get volunteers out into the community and talk with their neighbors about Barack Obama's ideas to bring the change we need.
Click here to sign up for a Week of Action event near you.
Hi!!
Do you know about the new discussion group for people around the world?
Democrats_Worldwide - has members in Afghanistan, Thailand, Serbia, Korea, England, France....Virgin Islands, etc.
If you are an American away from the U.S., please come talk.
This is not a typical chatlist. It's for intelligent conversation with Democrats. No personal attacks are allowed. Not too many messages, we have 57 members.
Democrats_Worldwide-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
If you are outside the U.S., please come talk to other Democrats out of the U.S.
Looking forward to meeting you!
Carole
www.Americans-Away-From-Home.com
It seems to rear its ugly head all too frequently when issues affecting everyday citizens arise.
Here we are in the midst of a crucial primary and with the stakes so high that we know deep down inside that it will take the best, most competent person to lead us, to guide us through these most troubling circumstances. But once again the past plague of our nation overshadows what should be an event which galvanizes all to the most unifying candidate. That Barack Obama is viewed as "the other" or "not one of us" is troubling in the most sinister terms. A quote found on the pages of the Chicago Tribune of a voter in Kentucky really should hit a nerve with ALL citizens. We would hope that we have come past this but that thought is for naught. Racism is alive and (NOT) well. Here is a disturbing comment.
"They won't vote for a black man," Rife said of the people he has lived around all his 57 years. "That's all there is to it. They just can't bring themselves to do it."
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-kentucky-votersmay20,0,3690855.story
It seems that some people would seemingly forgo an educated, qualified candidate because of perceived differences. That their bitter animosity would be brought to the voting booth is tantamount to throwing the baby out with the bath water. It is a sad statement about the values of some people in this country. It would seem that they are indeed mean if not ignorant.
As the title states, here quoted so poetically from that most eloquent statesman, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, ("The only thing we have to fear is fear itself"). Our worst enemies are possibly a lack of fortitude and self doubt.
I am reminded of the challenges our brave predecessors faced when trying to overcome some of the most distasteful actions by some of our fellow citizens during the latter half of the 20th century in the fight for the rights of ALL our fellow citizens. That they would encounter racism and ignorance, and often brutality calls to mind the struggles of the early Christians in their efforts to worship in the manner that they chose. We know that there are obstacles. We know that the impediments are many and the chasms deep. But we also know that the rewards are bountiful. So we press on. This article bodes ill for us but we will not be detered.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24588813/
After reading this article I was deeply saddened while at the same time uplifted by the thoughts and memories of those who gave so much that we could be here at this point in time. We must not falter. We must not be dissuaded. The world needs us, and WANTS us to succeed. If any of you have visited the many, many Obama sites based around the world you also have been, or will be encouraged.
So, in the face of what may appear at times to be insurmountable odds we must continue. so many are counting on us. And we can do it. Yes we can!
As the primary season winds down we are coming to the point where nerves are becoming frayed, sides are being taken and lines are semi-permanently drawn. Now comes the propaganda season. We have to be ever vigilant to keep the sails billowed and the stern steady. Voices are shouting from all quarters now and it seems that any imaginable utterance can be volatiie.
This comment, on the Fox News (Yes, Fox News) web site by a person who goes by the name, "Chris" sums up the fragile feelings of some citizens who harbor deep seated antipathy, often without really knowing why except that it has always been that way. This person gives credence to the adage that "Ignorance is bliss." After reading the following quote think about any other possible excuses this person may have used to rationalize his not voting for Sen. Obama.
"Yes I am voting for Mcain 1 reason is I will not forgive Obama and his pastor for his coments about 911 us New yorkers had it coming. He can go Fu–k himself. New yorkers are still waiting for an apology from Obama and his Pastor."
This p erson obviously does not get much news as he would know that many, many other religious personages had more vehemently blamed the September 11 disaster on such things as, "Gays" and "abortion". But those trumpeters obviously were not heard. Only the pulpit sermon snippets of Rev. Dr. Wright.
And why he would demand an apology from Sen. Obama for what the pastor said is beyond belief. One cannot help but sense an overt racism within this man's being. He is, or was looking for any excuse to demonize Sen. Obama. Sad to say, this person will be next to impossible to reach rationally. Let us keep the boat steady and navigate this rough sea with a steady rudder.
As the contests come to a definitive conclusion with the mathematical improbability of success for the Clintons their exit strategy comes into the conversation. It has been floated that Sen. Obm, upon finalizing his position as the presumptive nominee, shoulder the hideous debt of which the Clintons have burdened themselves nd their supporters.
Most Obama supporters agree that funds from the Obma campaign should NOT be used to bail out the Clintons in a Bear/Stearns type of manuever. this has been commented on in numuerous post, like the HuffPost.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/05/08/obama-camp-faces-major-ob_n_100928.html
And to further aggravate the situation it is known that the "elite" Clintons have amassed a fortune from their combined financial endeavor. so why should ANYBODY give them any money to pay for debts which they brought upon themselves by bad management and questionable campaign investments? mark Penn is still owed a sizeable amount even for his terrible handling of the Clntons campaign (He said the Clintons would gain ALL of California's 307 delegates with a win there, even though every H.S. students knows the Democratic delegates are allocated proportionatly).
The Clintons must shoulder the burden of the defeat and their bad campaign management. Let it be a lesson for future nominees: 1.) Don't be presumptive 2.) Trust the people 3.) Leave your ego at the door.
There is no better way to make a statement about all of the relentless chatter and incessant tabloid coverage of the perceived controversy about Senator Obama and the pastor of the Trinity United Church of Christ than to stand back and evoke the words of Max Ehrmann's 1927 poem "Desiderata"
"Go placidly amid the noise and haste."
We are challenged today with a confrontation unprecedented in United States politics; the placement of a person, a man, son of a Kenyan and a Kansan on the Democratic ticket to be the President of the United States. But the road is not straight and narrow. It is twisted and mangled with the intricacies of social malaise and historical angst among the citizens of the country.
Some, who are descended from Africans fear for the safety of the candidate. Others fear for the backlash if he wins OR if he loses. Both of those opinions are valid and need to be addressed BEFORE the process goes on any further.
The complication of the furor, mostly by "White" Americans who feel like they have cause to be concerned about Obama's "patriotism" due to his pastor's sermons and speeches is not going to end any time soon-if ever. There are those who say openly, candidly, and secretively that they would NEVER vote for a "Colored" man to be president. Some say we should emulate the phrase in Ehrmann's poem,
"What peace there may be in silence"
Some people want Rev. Wright to, "Go away" and "Shut up". But why should he? He is a citizen. And he is a religious clergy. He SHOULD speak up. It reminds me of the poem whose first line goes,
"First they came for the Jews, and I did not speak up. because I was not a Jew."
The clergy have ALWAYS been the vocal exponent of the community, especially the African-American community which often had to meet in private or even hiding to teach, educate, uplift and motivate a populace demeaned by the majority population which held them in such contempt and low regard.
But that has been a problem for the last 2-3-400 years. People, mostly white people have not wanted to admit or own up to the atrocity of slavery and the stigma it has placed on this nation; not only people of African descent but people of European descent as well. people are literally scared of the future, the perceived unknown, the challenges of change, the alternative to the desecration of our great nation.
The adage that F.D. Roosevelt left us with is alive and well.
"The only thing we have to fear is fear itself."
So my fellow citizens and supporters of Illinois Senator Barack Hussein Obama, I implore you to be vigilant, observant and forthright. The challenges which lie ahead are no less imposing than the ones embarked upon by the liberated slaves gathered by the prolific Harriet Tubman. We know the road is long, arduous and bumpy but we will continue amid the noise and haste.
As many of us have been quietly and rather impatiently enduring an all out assault by the Republican Propagnada Machine (McCain, Hannity, Hillary et al.) the notion that Sen. Obama is elitist and out of touch has hit more than a fragile nerve.
There seems to be a preference for mediocrity and "homeboy" chumminess that is beyond pale. That someone would pull himself up by his own bootstraps to achieve an education and be berated for it is truly something that can only be described as, "Orwellian" This insult to our tradition of social elevation is really a bitter pill to swallow.
And the stinging rebuke of an intuitive observation is so despicable tbat it should not be dignified with a commment. But reason demands that a qualitative understanding of the origins should be processed so some may have a better understanding of the historical and religious context of its premise.
I personally remember singing this classic Christian hymn and thinking of the phrase, "Cling to the old rugged cross" with reverence. It is an admittance of the strength of the conviction one has. Now the opposition has turned it on its heels for the sake of political "Gotcha" points. Here is the time honored song's refrain stanza, which many of you may know from religious circles and a link to a site displaying it.
So I’ll cherish the old rugged cross, Till my trophies at last I lay down; I will cling to the old rugged cross, And exchange it some day for a crown.
http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/o/r/oruggedc.htm
Demeaning such a beautiful hymn is tantamount to blasphemy. It is truly an insult, to the intelligent mind that these kinds of tactics would be employed for such socially divisive shenanigans. This finagling of the social fabric of our beloved nation makes one truly bitter. So here we stand at the crossroads of a truly historic event; the nomination of an intelligent, educated, patriotic citizen. He is more than qualified to lead this country and for reasons we all know to be true he is demonized for his qualities and attributes in favor of mediocre, conniving, socially out-of-touch and archaic alternatives-all for the sake of "Keeping the reigns of power in the hands of, - well you know who i am talking about. It need not be elucidated as it confronts and challenges us everyday.
So as we stand on the pecipice of history, let us keep our eyes on the prize and not be deterred by Soviet style, Nazi propaganda emulating deceptive rhetoric.
As Obama himself states, the stakes are too high to be dissuaded. I join with all of you in challenging our nation to be inspired and move forward with a fervor to cling to the desire to become a more perfect union.
My friends (And I say this out of mutual association, unlike the pandering McCain who says this knowing full well that many people who are listening to him - even his Republican party members - hate his guts), we have recently witnessed one of the most despicable entries in the political forum; the Pennsylvania Debate. Why it was called a debate is beyon comprehension. It was a Slice-&-Dice tabloid influence headline driven media frenzy.
And besides all this questionable laundry in Obama’s life, another serious question is why is Obama protected and promoted by the media? Is this also being directed from behind the scenes? The American public has been fooled before and I guess those in power know we can be fooled again. (Kennedy’s assassination, Martin Luther King’s assassination, the invasion of Iraq…).
Why have some of us elected to move to panic city?
All this expressed concern when we know, or should have known that once the opponent's mask came off and her husband opened his big mouth and inserted both feet within during the South Carolina primsry, the black voters formerly squarely in her camp were put off by their derision and that was the start of MSM's decision to play up the portrayal of Barack as a 'black' candididate, with no regard to the fact that he's won more than a few predominantly white states.
The MSM attacks are and continue to be unfair and unbalanced. We shouldn't whine but recognize that the double standard is real and it exists, it seems to me white pastors of conservative leanings can say what they want, when they want. They receive not so much as a slap on the wrist and instead are invited into the white house for prayer breakfasts( case in point Rev. Graham), yet Barack is held responsible for one Wright soundbyte out of 36yrs of ministery, countless sermons, tireless community service, service to his nation and in the line of fire as a marine, 4 aquired degrees, 1 PhD and several honourary academic degrees.
How's 'fair and balanced' looking now?
Barack is held to standards that are lofty by anyone's measure when disparaging news reports about our opponents are few and far between. I happen to disagree with his denounciation of Wrights words, they were ill timed to be sure but on the whole-nothing but the truth delivered in a somewhat forceful manner.
Some are worried about these sounbytes making their way into adverts put out by republican 527's. I'm not worried about the 527's during the general, I think Brarack's party has learnt a thing or two about winning elections and I would not be surprised if the DNC had several 527's operating on the nominee's behalf. What's worrying me is the treacherous path TO the actual nomination as the closer we get, the worse it will get for us in my opinion. Those threatened by change in the status quo hve alot to lose and they're using every weapon at their disposal to quash the movement and Barack's candidacy.
It is true racism is their weapon of last resort-as Wright said, and I paraphrase: this country has failed to live up to it's promise of equality and freedom for all irrespective of skin colour. So the naysayers tactic ahve been :why not reassure people that the old constructs need to remain in place? Why not encourage them to remain in their comfort zones as opposed to challenging such out dated and repulsive pre-conceived notions? Everything is fine as is, why disrupt it?
Change, as Barack often says, is hard. I can safely say we're all waking up to that realization, and we do one another no favours by assuming we can skim over the issue of historic prejudice and dicrimination that has had an effect and continues to affect how black people see themselves, see their place in this country and struggle with how to express their anger, dissapointment and hurt. For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction (Newtons 3rd law of motion) pushback and blowback are a fact of life and this is why I think that rather than denounce Wright's words, Barack should have first put them into context then reinvigorate his change message by saying the country needs change in people's relations to one another and change in how it relates to the world at large.
But in the final analysis this is Barack's campaign, though we each own apart of it by contributing our money, time and effort to donating, calling and canvassing to GOTV; strategic decision making stops with him and I will not stop or in any way lessen my support for his candidature-I believe he stands more than head and shoulders above the alternatives..
So why the perceived dents to his public image? Again, Barack's public image is only threatened by those harbouring out dated and repulsive pre-conceived notions that those whose skin is a different hue are to be feared, have suspect motives or to be outright hated. If this country cannot see it's way past such ugliness then in my opinion, it does not deserve Barack-perhaps a taste of McCain with a 100yr war in Iraq + war on a new front with Iran meanwhile the economy continues to tank and debt to the Chinese soars is just what is needed to shock everyone back into reality.
Support a new dawn for the politics of the future:http://my.barackobama.com/page/outreach/view/main/Ishara~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I adopted the name Hussein to denounce the politics of fear, suspicion and hatred.
For those that have spoken out in support of Pastor Wright, you are not alone.
I have been saying this since this supposed "controversy" broke that there is nothing, not one thing patently false, misleading or duplicitous about what the MSM recently attributed to Wright.
My new slogan: Wright is right!
I have read all sorts of abuse and insults directed at this man-from idiot to fool, from jerk to clown all to ridicule and deride him.
Why does Pastor Wright have to be "an idiot" or "clown"?
Does the name calling enhance the argument, encourage people to join a discussion or elucidate matters for the undecided?
More importantly, is that our version of disagreeing while being disagreeable?
Isn't it funny how people who does not follow Baracks terms of engagement (on disagreement) have the nreve to question Barack on being sufficiently inclusive of all races?
There are many who do not share one another's belief or faith, many who do nat share one another's thoughts or opinions...why not examine the argument closely as opposed to a wholesale dismissal that what Wright had to say is "junk" or "terrible" just becuase you happened not to agree with him?
While we're at it we could also ask why not once, not once did some of these know-it-alls ask themselves why the MSM chose to unearth 7yr old sermons or why it is his sermons needed to be examined now or even what shaped and informed the man's opinions and views.
I happen to have zero tolerance for those that are not tolerant. That make any amount of sense?
For those without here, that makes them the idiots and them the clowns in question and what's more,they are the individuals spewing junk and saying terrible things.
Where's their point of reference? Where's their context in rushing to judgement?
Did they have to live through what Wright and others lived through during the civil rights movement?
Have they ever experienced prejudice, harrassment, discrimination and hatred elevated to the levels he and those living through that experienced?
Do they think that just because equality and justice is enshrined in the constitution, all ugliness associated with racism is no more?
Do they believe that just because we have made some, again some preogress with race relations in America the issue is dead and buried?
So by their decree, it is so,eh?
Until each of them have walked in Wright's skin, in Wright's shoes-NONE ARE IN ANY POSITION TO SIT IN MORAL JUDGEMENT.
I happen to disagree with Barack and think Wright's opinion on racism is a valid one and sadly, even true today. That does not in anyway interfere with or affect my support of Barack. In my opinion and those my ancestors-one cannot see where they are going (future) until they know where they have been (past).
On a related tangent, I'm also a catholic and I WILL NOT stop attending mass because my mon seigneur says it is a sin for the flock to use birth control or file for divorce or have an abortion; that those who do will go to hell.
I WILL NOT stop going to mass because of the rampant pedophiliac scandals my faith has been embroiled in and the clergy they continue to vociferously defend to this day.
Other catholics and none catholics are free to disagree with me-and I WILL NOT condemn them or judge them for doing so.
THAT IS CALLED TOLERANCE.
THE CORRUPTION WE ARE TRYING TO GET OUT OF WASHINGTON. PLEASE WATCH AND LET ME KNOW UR TAKE...........................................................................................................
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xq8aopATYyw&feature=related for Part 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMfUajhL24I&feature=related for part 2
and supporting document below
http://www.hillcap.org/images/fec_conciliation_letter.bmp
I had the opportunity to review an interesting documentary about the lady that may well become our first woman president. Hillary Uncensored, is a very unflattering look at this woman and her modus operandi.
I contacted Peter Paul about his documentary with an interview in mind. We don’t have the interview yet, but what he had to say was illuminating.
It certainly gave me pause for thought, enjoy….
An abbreviated time line of the whole thing may help- Please keep in mind that the DOJ Prosecutor Schwager told Rosen’s jury that it was a felony to deny the people the right to know that Peter Paul gave more than $1.2 million to Hillary’s campaign” And it is a crime for a candidate or their agent to solicit and coordinate excessive contributions knowingly accepting more than $25,000.
Kelly Craighead and Jim Levin- agents of Hillary and Bill- conceived of the Gala Event 39, to coincide with the DNC convention, on June 23, 2000 after a Hillary fundraiser in Chicago when Hillary detailed them to vet my agent, Aaron Tonken who I had paid the expenses for him to supply Olivia Newton John to entertain the fundraising event at Howard Tulman’s apartment.
June 24, 2000- Jim Levin as an agent for President Clinton who was acting as Hillary, the candidate’s agent, called me in my office to solicit my underwriting and producing of the Gala fundraiser they conceived of the night before on Hillary’s behalf
June 25, 2000 Levin calls back saying he will be seeing President Clinton on July 4 weekend if I would pay for the event he will discuss my interests with Clinton- I say if Clinton will work with me (as both Hillary and Tonken personally advised him from June 9 and in a limo ride with the President on June 16) I will pay for and produce event. (Levin confirmed in his Rosen trial testimony he called me June 24 and said he would meet with President and come and see me)
July 5, 2000- Levin visits with me in LA vetts me and my company July 11, 2000 he arranges a conference call with Kelly Craighead he and Rosen in my office and Howard Wolfson on the phone where we discussed the $1.1 million budget and that I would pay at least $525k, and the structure of event- This is how Wolfson and Hillary knew two days after the event that the event cost more than $1 million as Hillary was quoted through Wolfson in the Washington Post)
July 14, 2000- Levin flew to Washington where he saw the President at Camp David and got Clinton to confirm he would accept my $17 million employment package for 1 yr of post White House rainmaking for SLM and my other company Mondo English. Levin called from Washington to confirm the deal.
Sunday - July 16, 2000 - Rosen and event producers have meeting at my house to begin deciding on printing and sending out 25.000 invitations etc- I begin paying for the event.
Monday, July 17, 2000- Hillary calls me at my office where Stan Lee and others are present to thank me for agreeing to pay for and produce the event and she discusses her role in helping produce and ensure the success of the event.( I video taped that conversation and the videotape was subpoenaed by the US Attorney for the Eastern Dist of NY in 2001 and withheld from every investigation, grand jury and the criminal trial of David Rosen until April, 2007 enabling the Rosen federal judge and prosecutor and the FEC and Senate Ethics Committee, and all Clinton apologists and media supporters to conclude there was no evidence that Hillary was involved in any direct way!)
August 12, 2000 - Hillary, Bill and Chelsea confirm at the Gala when I spent over 6 hours with them that we had a deal
August 13, 2000 - At a Clinton Library fundraising brunch at Barbara Streisand’s, Chelsea spends 45 minutes sitting with me, my wife, Oto and Haim Saban describing the nite before when she played Scrabble with her parents after the Gala and they were excited about working with us when they left the White House. Hillary introduced my wife to Barbara Streisand as the wife of the man who underwrote the Gala, Bill speaks to Oto about his agreement to share the $17 million employment package with me.
Aug. 13 - Tendo Oto and SLM make their deal for Asian partnership - Oto gives $5 mil and promises another $5-7 mil in November for the American joint venture…On Aug. 12 he had paid $27K to attend the federal fundraiser gala. Giving money was illegal. Attending was illegal. Since Oto had no social security number to check out when he showed up at the event with his camera crew, the Secret Service said no way. Clinton had the Secret Service stand down, and Oto sat directly behind the president and first lady.
Aug 14 - Ed Rendell calls Peter Paul in a panic. Lloyd Grove is preparing a story for the WASHPOST about Paul’s felony record for “The Cuban Coffee Caper” two decades previous when he was an international attorney in Miami. Rendell tells Paul to deny he gave any money and just play along. Shortly after the warning call, Grove called. Here is the callsheet from SLM, certified by the government as evidence.
Aug 15 - Lloyd Grove writes the story in the WASHPOST about Paul’s felony past from two decades previous involving the Cuban Coffee Caper and defrauding Fidel Castro of $8.7 million … Howard Wolfson vows that they would never take any money from Peter Paul
Aug 17 - Grove writes a second story about $2,000 given by Paul at Spago … Wolfson says they will return the money, and a check is immediately cut and sent to Paul … Wolfson actually admits Hillary knew the gala cost over a million dollars when he says to Grove on Hillary’s behalf that Paul gave no money to the event and that “it cost more than $1 million but was an in-kind contribution.”
Aug 18 - behind the scenes, while disavowing him in public, the Clintons write personal notes to Paul, dated Aug 18, and sent Aug 21, almost a week after the Washington Post disavowals, espressing their gratitude … Hillary: “We will remember it always”… Bill’s note… Even Chelsea got into the act.
Aug 24 - Campaign Finance Chairman David Rosen is directed by Hillary to send a fax to Paul asking for another $100,000 (actually, one of several faxes)as payment for the $150,000 pledge he made to host the unreported Spago lunch fundraiser for her (videotaped by Paul but never reported to the FEC according to the FBI)… Hillary had promised the money for the Working Families Party in New York … Paul will send no more money until he hears it face to face from Bill Clinton that they still have a deal (second document shows Gordon’s acknowledgement that it was “done”)
Sept. 22, 2000 - Clinton steps off AF-1 in Los Angeles (we have photo) and assures Paul that the deal is still a go … Paul has Steven Gordon send a stock transfer of $55K to the Working Families Party for Hillary… we can find no evidence that they ever declared that donation. If the Clintons were disavowing Paul in public, claimed he gave no money, and had no business arrangement with the President as claimed by Hillary, why would the President of the United States be meeting Paul in public as he stepped off AF-1? For what possible purpose? That’s not hard to figure out, is it?<
Nov 7 - Hillary is elected
Nov 13 - just six days after Hillary's election, an agreement for Venture Soft USA Inc is recorded in Illinois between Jim Levin, Clinton’s business adviser, and Tendo Oto … Levin was Clinton’s “eyes and ears” in dealing with Paul, got proprietary business information, and with Clinton’s knowing assistance stole the Japanese partner for their own deal
Dec 2000 - Stan Lee Media collapses when Clinton’s interference with his business partner… the additional $5-7 million promised in November from partner Tendo Oto was not invested due to the Clinton/Levin interference by convincing Oto to reneg on his promise and incorporate his US subsidiary with Clinton through his agent Jim Levin in Illinois instead of Hollywood, it will be proven that Oto’s money would have kept the company solvent until Clinton came aboard as he had promised Peter Paul.
Early 2001 - Paul discovers that the campaign has filed two fraudulent FEC reports, only reporting 366K for the cost of Event 39 … he spent over a million dollars on it. Paul hires Judicial watch in March, 2001 at the request of the US Attorney in new Jersey to proffer Paul’s evidence against the Clintons to 4 AUSA’s from NY, CA and NJ.
June 18, 2001 - Paul files initial civil fraud lawsuit against the Clintons and several others for business fraud>
July 3 - Treasurer Andrew Grossman is served with the lawsuit that includes documentation for $1.6 million spent by Paul
July 11 - David Kendall accepts service for Hillary along with the exhibits that corroborate more than $1.6 million documented expenses paid by Paul as an in kind contribution to Hillary’s campaign
July 18 - press conference at National Press Club . Paul has messenger hand deliver a demand letter to Hillary’s senate office
July 30 2001 - despite Paul’s demand letter to Hillary Clinton, the ABC 20/20 expose on Paul’s claims, and all of the documentation attached to the civil complaint, a third false FEC report is filed by Hillary’s campaign… this time they declare $401K to be the final cost for Event 39 … continuing what the FEC itself found to be the fabrication that Stan Lee Media donated the money.
October 17, 2003- Paul refiled the Civil Fraud suit against the Clintons and the AP reported that Hillary’s office stonewalled their questions for two days, never oproviding any comment about Paul’s suit or claims. Hillary has never denied Paul’s claims and in her sworn Declaration in the case.
Jan 2005 - criminal indictment of David Rosen is unsealed.
May 2005 - Rosen acquitted in criminal trial in Los Angeles…the perjury in this trial was astounding…the judge (appointed by the Clintons) and prosecutor (directed by Chief of Public Integrity Noel Hillman who protected Bill and Sandy Berger in the destruction of National Security documents) went out of their way to condemn Paul and claim that Hillary had nothing to do with it… FBI affidavit during the trial documenting $1.2 mil from Paul that was not declared was confirmed by the prosecutor as the basis of the prosecution of Rosen- Denying the public’s right to know what peter Paul gave to Hillary’s campaign. The prosecution does not call Paul, Aaron Tonken, or key witness Kelly Craighead (Craighead was also never called by the FEC - she will be a key witness in Paul v Clinton) or Howard Wolfson whose quote on behalf of Hillary Clinton in the Washington Post Aug 17, 2000 confirms Hillary knew the Gala cost more than $1million, was an in kind contribution- …. The prosecution does not use damaging evidence against Rosen obtained while Ray Reggie (brother in law of Ted Kennedy) was wearing a wire. In Tonken’s book, KING OF CONS, he tells how he sat in a van with Hillary detailing all of the money that was being spent on her.
Dec 2005 - FEC determines that Hillary’s campaign deliberately under reported $721,000, but finds no evidence Hillary personally knew of the illegal contribution and fines the campaign treasurer a mere $35,000, and orders a new amended FEC filing in exchange for immunity from further investigation for everyone connected with the campaign…treasurer Andrew Grossman signs conciliation agreement with the FEC, the equivalent of a nolo contendre plea.
Jan 2006 - the fourth fraudulent FEC report is filed … among the false statementsare that Stan Lee (whom we have on tape in a deposition swearing that he gave no money) is credited with a 225K personal donation and two of Paul’s holding companies are credited with RECIVING $839,000 rather than paying $1.2 million that the DOJ Prosecutor told the Rosen jury Paul personally paid. Paul is still never named personally as the donor of ANY money as he has demanded- This leads to the conclusion that the FEC has aided and abetted what the DOJ prosecutor described as a felony- denying the public again the right to know what peter Paul donated to Hillary’s campaign! This time the crime was done 6 months after it was described by the DOJ and with the apparent complicity of the FEC NO MEDIA OUTLET REPORTED on this FEC report being filed or that it omitted any mention of peter Paul’s contributions again.
April 7, 2006 - Hillary removed as defendant but judge made clear to Kendall that she would be testifying … Hillary’s sworn declaration turned into the court by Kendall can only be described as a work of fiction … no reporters attended the hearing and not one mainstream media source wrote that a trial date had been set for defendant Bill Clinton (trial date postponed until appeal is hear to bring Hillary back in as a defendant) … Chelsea will be one of the witnesses called … although her mom claims no knowledge of the business deal, if Chelsea testifies honestly, she will tell how the family stayed up late after the gala playing scrabble and discussing the excitement of daddy going to work for the creator of Spiderman … from a private fundraiser at Zev Braun’s house in early 2000, Paul has home video of Hillary laughing and discussing with him how he had arranged in 1993 for Fabio to chase her around the room and pick her up in a romance pose…the president referenced that event the next year at the Italian-American Foundation Dinner…. her declaration claiming that she met Paul in early 2000 is simply a lie.
June 2006 - Senate Ethics Committee announces it will not investigate Hillary on Ethics charges because the Judge, prosecutor in the Rosen case and the FEC failed to find any culpability of Hillary they refuse Paul’s offer to appear and testity.
is delivered to Hillary’s DC office with copy delivered to Sen. Voinovich, chair of the Senate Ethics Committee.
Jan. 10, 2007 - Paul counsel files Appellate Brief to bring Hillary back into the case as a defendant (that delays the trial date for Bill, set for March 27, 2007…it also delays depositions)….no mainstream media source had reported that defendant Bill Clinton had a trial date in a case involving the collapse of Spiderman Stan Lee’s company).
April 2007 - after a two-year battle for the return of evidence, including home videos, an assistant US atty provides Paul with a list of items they will return to him…..included was the “smoking gun video”: July 17, 5-minute conference call, Hillary Clinton….. when the numerous pieces of evidence were finally sent, the shipment did not include that video…..Paul’s counsel argues vehemently for that to be sent….Paul believes that a low-level functionary screwed up by putting that piece of evidence on the manifest — Hillary never thought it would see the light of day…that video was finally sent because they could not deny its possession.
http://checkthevotes.com/index.php?party=DEMOCRATS
http://www.counterpunch.org/lindorff01112008.html
For more information read the Antlantic free press
http://www.atlanticfreepress.com/content/view/3220/81/
Could someone have messed with the vote in New Hampshire?
That is what some people are wondering, after looking closely at the totals in the votes for surprise Democratic primary victor Hillary Clinton, and for Barack Obama, who placed instead of winning as all the polls had predicted he would. And thanks to candidate Dennis Kucinich, we are likely to find out. Kucinich today filed a request, and a required $2000 fee, to order up a manual recount of the machine ballots cast in the state.
Polls taken as late as the day before the Tuesday vote showed Obama up by 10 to 15 points over Clinton, whom he had just beaten the week before in Iowa, but when the votes were counted, Clinton ended up beating Obama in New Hampshire 39.4 per cent to 36.8 per cent. In a replay of what happened in Ohio in 2004, exit polling reportedly also showed Obama to be winning the New Hampshire primary.
When that's not what happened, shocked polling firms and surprised pundits, all of whom had been expecting a big Obama win, were left stumbling for explanations for the Hillary comeback from an 8 per cent drubbing in Iowa (even the Clinton campaign, whose own internal polling had predicted her defeat, were at a loss). Explanations ranged from her teary eyed final public appearance before primary day and some sexist heckling she had received, to dark talk about a wave of hidden racism in the voting booth.
But there were anomalies in the numbers that have some people suggesting something else: vote fraud.
What has had eyebrows raised is a significant discrepancy between the vote counts done by voting machine, and the ones done by hand.
In New Hampshire, 81 per cent of the voting was done in towns and cities that had purchased optical scan machines from the Diebold Election Systems (now called Premiere Election Solutions), a division of Diebold Corp., a company founded by and still linked to wealthy right-wing investors. In those towns, all voting was done on the devices, called Accuvote machines, which read paper ballots completed by voters who use pens or pencils to fill in little ovals next to the candidate of their choice. The ballots are then fed into, read, and tallied by the machines. The other 19 per cent of voting was done in towns that had opted not to use the machine, and to use hand-counted paper ballots instead.
The machine tally was Clinton 39.6 per cent, Obama 36.3 per cent - fairly close to the final outcome. But the hand-counted ballot count broke significantly differently: Clinton 34.9 per cent, Obama 38.6 per cent.
Could something have happened in those machines to shift some votes away from Obama or some of the other candidates in the race, and over to the Clinton total?
If all the votes cast had split the way the hand counts split, Obama would have won New Hampshire by over 10,000 votes, instead of losing to Clinton by about 5500 votes.
"My suspicion is that nothing untoward happened here," says Doug Jones, a professor of computer sciences at the University of Iowa and a member of the board of examiners that approved the use of the same Diebold optical scanning machines in Iowa. "But at the same time, the Diebold machines are vulnerable to viruses that can be spread through the machines by the PCMCIA memory cards, and there are other things that can go wrong too. I'd be much happier if they had a routine random audit procedure in New Hampshire."
A random audit, he says, would involve doing hand counts of some towns' optical scan ballots, and comparing those results with the results of the machine reading of those same ballots, as recorded election night.
While California does conduct such random audits as a matter of course, most states, including New Hampshire, do not. According to the New Hampshire Secretary of State's office, any recount of ballots would have to be requested by a candidate, and would have to be paid for by the candidate making the request.
An official in the press office of Obama's campaign in Chicago, contacted on Wednesday, claimed not to know about the discrepancy between the machine and hand-counted ballots. She said that there was no plan to call for a hand count of machine ballots.As Prof. Jones notes, requiring a candidate to initiate any hand count makes such hand counts unlikely, since unless the evidence of vote tampering or fraud is overwhelming, such a call would open the candidate to charges of "poor loser."
Kucinich, in making his recount request, resolved that problem.
There is good reason to be suspicious of the results. The counting of the machine totals, in New Hampshire as in all states using the Diebold machines, is handled by a private contract firm, in this case Massachusetts-based LHS Associates, which controls and programs the machines' memory cards. Several studies have demonstrated the ease with which the memory cards in the Accuvote machines can be hacked, with some testers breaking into the system in minutes.
There are, to be sure, alternative quite innocent possible explanations for the discrepancy between the machine and hand votes for Clinton and Obama. All the state's larger towns and cities, like Nashua, Concord and Portsmouth, have gone to voting machines. While there are many small communities that have also opted for machines, it is almost exclusively the smaller towns and villages across the state that have stayed with hand counts-most of them in the more rural northern part of the state. So if Obama did better than Clinton in the small towns, and Clinton did better in the large ones, that could be the answer.
But that explanation flies in the face of logic, historic voting patterns, and most of the post election prognosticating.
If it is true that there was "behind the curtain" racism involved in people saying to pollsters that they were for Obama, while privately voting against him, surely it would be more likely that this would happen in the isolated towns of northern New Hampshire where black people are rarely to be seen. Clinton was also said to have fared better among people with lower incomes-again a demographic that is more prominent in the rural parts of the Granite State. Finally, Obama, in New Hampshire as in Iowa, did better among younger voters, and that is the demographic group that is typically in shorter supply in small towns, where job opportunities are limited. Furthermore, in Iowa, it was in the larger municipalities that Obama fared best, not in the rural towns, so how likely is it that his geographic appeal would be reversed in New Hampshire?
David Scanlan, New Hampshire's deputy secretary of state for elections, whom I contacted Thursday, said that while town election officials are required to do test runs of the Diebold machines in the days before an election, "to make sure that they are reading the ballot markings accurately," and that at that point the machines and the memory cards are sealed until the actual election day, there is no way for his office to independently conduct a post balloting test. The ballot boxes are sealed and the only way they can be opened if for a candidate to request (and pay for) a manual recount, or for a court to order one." Scanlan says that the same is true for the voting machines and the memory cards. While the sealed ballots are retained "for years," however, the memory cards will be back in the hands of the contractor, LHS Associates, in "a few months," to be erased and prepared for use in the general election next November.
Scanlan says that the state legislature is currently considering legislation to provide for routine audits of machines after elections, but that won't help this election cycle.
Scanlan said that because the machines are freestanding, there is no chance of their being hacked from the outside, but critics note that the hacking can be done in advance to the memory cards, which can pass changes to each other like a virus as each is programmed for a particular election.
Jonathan Simon, an attorney and co-founder of the group Election Defense Alliance, says that the vote discrepancies between machine and hand counts in New Hampshire's Democratic primary are troubling, and defy easy explanation.
"The trouble is, whenever you have a surprise result in an election, and it runs counter to the polls, the media always say the problem is the polling, not the counting." But he adds, "The thing is, these things always work in one direction-in favor of the more conservative candidate, and that defies the law of quantum mechanics."
