President Barack Obama plans to accept an invitation to speak at the University of Notre Dame. However, some religious organizations are mounting a campaign to discourage his attendance.
You can fight this unfortunate effort by signing the following petition:
Visit www.ObamaCatholics.com, or email ObamaCatholics@gmail.com for an e-mail embedded form!
i want to be part of the change .
Canvassing in New Mexico was so worth while. wish i had done some canvassing here at home too .
Mi familia ha sido Demócratas desde los 1900 tempranos. En o acerca del 22 de octubre de 2008, mis padres (que son más grandes de 70 años de edad) fueron a votar temprano en la Municipalidad de Weslaco en Weslaco, Tejas. Una mujer que trabaja allí demostrando a mi madre cómo utilizar las máquinas electorales modernas, sólo le demonstro cómo votar por el partido Republicano.
Mi madre dice que la mujer le dijo, "Es así como usted vota por el partido Republicano". ¿Entonces ella preguntó, "Por quién vota usted? -- ¿Los Republicanos"?
Mi madre dice que ella se sentía presionada para votar por el Partido Republicano, pero ella en lugar pidió que la mujer se fuera. Ella votó por los Demócratas sólo después de que la mujer salió del puesto electoral. Ella me dijo acerca de su incidente, y yo decidí advertir a otros.
En Weslaco, yo he experimentado también muchas veces cuando ellos que corren los puestos de elección tratan de influir o conseguirme votar sin saberlo por los Republicanos.
Los demócratas necesitan ponerle más atención a lo que pasa aquí en Weslaco, Tejas.
¡Tenga un día feliz! ¡Long live los Demócratas!
My family have been Democrats since the early 1900s. On or about October 22, 2008, my elderly parents (who are over 70) went to vote early at the Weslaco City Hall in Weslaco, Texas. A woman working there demonstrated to my mother how to use the modern voting machines, but she kept showing her only how to vote for the Republican party.
My mother says that the woman kept saying, "This is how you vote for the Republican party." Then she asked, "Who are you voting for? -- The Republicans?"
My mother says that she felt pressured to vote for the Republican Party, but she instead asked the woman to walk out. She voted for the Democrats only after the women walked out of the voting booth. She told me about her incident, and I decided to warn others.
In Weslaco, I too have experienced many times when those running the election booths try to influence or get me to unknowingly vote Republican.
The Democrats need to pay more attention to what goes on here in Weslaco, Texas.
Have a terrific day! Viva los Democrats!
This is a reflection on the recent Wall Street bailout plan, and a few signs of human suffering that have been overlooked by elected officials.
* Note * If you want to cut straight to the chase: read the boxes below for a taste of what Americans are enduring in this current economic recession.
It is an appeal for politicians, the supposed keepers of the public voice, to do their job, and seek out the stories of real Americans suffering under the weight of such tragic life events as bankruptcy and home foreclosure.
Perhaps politicians have, for far too long, given their title an unfortunate negative slant. The meaning of the word politician, as given by the Online Etymology Dictionary, comes from the latin word politicus, which means "of citizens or the state, civil, civic," and from the Greek word politikos, "of citizens or the state." To sustain this meaning today requires that politicians must stay in contact with the actual citizens they represent on paper. This is surely the real motivation behind those who charge candidates with the capital crime of 'elitism' - simply that they fear elites will not serve faithfully as a voice for the common citizen.
When they speak, politicians are often inclined to balance their rhetoric between two extremes, selective statistical analysis and compelling but unsupported anecdotes. The rule goes something like this:
If you find a single fact that is on your side, give 'em "just the facts!"If not, introduce them to your new friend ... (insert name of hardworking average joe / jane)
If you find a single fact that is on your side, give 'em "just the facts!"
If not, introduce them to your new friend ... (insert name of hardworking average joe / jane)
And while the recent and continually unfolding economic crisis has been repeatedly discussed in bland financial terms, real Americans are upset that stories of human suffering are being tucked into the inside pages of small town newspapers, or buried in the middle of long and tedious technical tomes on the bailout plan.
Here are some telling anecdotes gleaned from other sources, that should be front page news:
This first has now become a national story, but I fear the sensationalist instinct in journalists will end up dishonoring this woman.
From NewsChannel5 in Ohio. AKRON, Ohio -- A 90-year-old homeowner who was about to be foreclosed on shot herself when Summit County sheriff's deputies attempted to serve her with a foreclosure eviction, according to Summit County Sheriff's Department officials.Officials said when the deputies knocked on the front door of the home located in the 1100 block of Lacroix Avenue they did not get an answer. They heard a banging noise coming from the second floor of the home.A neighbor arrived and said he was concerned about the homeowner, so he got a ladder and entered the home through a second-floor bathroom window. She was found in her bedroom.The homeowner likely shot herself.
From NewsChannel5 in Ohio.
AKRON, Ohio -- A 90-year-old homeowner who was about to be foreclosed on shot herself when Summit County sheriff's deputies attempted to serve her with a foreclosure eviction, according to Summit County Sheriff's Department officials.
Apparently, the woman is in critical condition at a local hospital. But what's more shocking is that Fannie Mae, her mortgage company (the one We - the U.S. taxpayer - bailed out earlier in September) then decided they would drop her loan, and give her the house. While this seems merciful, and is clearly designed to offset negative publicity, is that now the way to secure our homes? Is that a rule Fannie Mae will commit to? If you shoot yourself, we'll give you your house, no questions asked?
Here's the update on that story from CNN.com:
Fannie Mae said it will set aside the loan of a woman who shot herself as sheriff's deputies tried to evict her from her foreclosed home. Fannie Mae foreclosed on the Akron, Ohio, home of Addie Polk, 90, after acquiring the mortgage in 2007. Addie Polk, 90, of Akron, Ohio, became a symbol of the nation's home mortgage crisis when she was hospitalized after shooting herself at least twice in the upper body Wednesday afternoon. On Friday, Fannie Mae spokesman Brian Faith said the mortgage association had decided to halt action against Polk and sign the property "outright" to her. "We're going to forgive whatever outstanding balance she had on the loan and give her the house," Faith said. "Given the circumstances, we think it's appropriate."
Fannie Mae said it will set aside the loan of a woman who shot herself as sheriff's deputies tried to evict her from her foreclosed home.
Fannie Mae foreclosed on the Akron, Ohio, home of Addie Polk, 90, after acquiring the mortgage in 2007.
Addie Polk, 90, of Akron, Ohio, became a symbol of the nation's home mortgage crisis when she was hospitalized after shooting herself at least twice in the upper body Wednesday afternoon.
On Friday, Fannie Mae spokesman Brian Faith said the mortgage association had decided to halt action against Polk and sign the property "outright" to her.
"We're going to forgive whatever outstanding balance she had on the loan and give her the house," Faith said. "Given the circumstances, we think it's appropriate."
But, while it was among the more dramatic stories that captures the anguish of this financial crisis, today's story isn't an anomaly. In July, a much less talked about story that was eerily similar ran in the Boston Globe.
The Boston Globe By Michael Levenson Globe Staff / July 24, 2008 TAUNTON - The housing crunch has caused anguish and anxiety for millions of Americans. For Carlene Balderrama, a 53-year-old wife and mother, the pressure was apparently too much. Police say that Balderrama fatally shot herself Tuesday afternoon, 90 minutes before her foreclosed home was scheduled to be sold at auction. Chief Raymond O'Berg said that Balderrama faxed a letter to her mortgage company at 2:30 p.m., saying that "by the time they foreclosed on the house today she'd be dead."The mortgage company notified police, who found her body at 3:30 p.m. The auction had been scheduled to start at 5 p.m., when bidders showed up at the house and found it surrounded by police cruisers.
The Boston Globe
By Michael Levenson
TAUNTON - The housing crunch has caused anguish and anxiety for millions of Americans. For Carlene Balderrama, a 53-year-old wife and mother, the pressure was apparently too much.
Police say that Balderrama fatally shot herself Tuesday afternoon, 90 minutes before her foreclosed home was scheduled to be sold at auction. Chief Raymond O'Berg said that Balderrama faxed a letter to her mortgage company at 2:30 p.m., saying that "by the time they foreclosed on the house today she'd be dead."
The mortgage company notified police, who found her body at 3:30 p.m. The auction had been scheduled to start at 5 p.m., when bidders showed up at the house and found it surrounded by police cruisers.
Now, how about another topic, say healthcare. I came across this small anecdote, buried in a story written by The New York Times explaning why Democrats might have a chance in Florida.
From: In Florida's Economic Pain, Obama Gains GroundRepublicans, like Chris Hart, 48, [have] begun to sour on Mr. McCain. “Every time you turn around, he flips,” Mr. Hart said. A front-desk clerk at a local Y.M.C.A, he said he was also motivated by his need for health insurance, which had recently forced him to buy antibiotics at pet stores because it was cheaper than the pharmacy. While not sure that Democrats could get him the coverage he needed, Mr. Hart said he wished Mr. McCain focused more consistently on the issue. “I was in the Navy, in aviation like John McCain, so I feel like I’m getting punched by one of my own,” Mr. Hart said.
From: In Florida's Economic Pain, Obama Gains Ground
Republicans, like Chris Hart, 48, [have] begun to sour on Mr. McCain.
“Every time you turn around, he flips,” Mr. Hart said. A front-desk clerk at a local Y.M.C.A, he said he was also motivated by his need for health insurance, which had recently forced him to buy antibiotics at pet stores because it was cheaper than the pharmacy.
While not sure that Democrats could get him the coverage he needed, Mr. Hart said he wished Mr. McCain focused more consistently on the issue. “I was in the Navy, in aviation like John McCain, so I feel like I’m getting punched by one of my own,” Mr. Hart said.
What is our country coming to where folks who need medicine buy it on the cheap at pet stores? And 90 year-old residents have to shoot themselves twice to avoid foreclosure?
You can decide on your own. I'm supporting Obama, and advocating for a return to ethics-based legislation. In short: Are we doing what's right?
Hello Barack supporters: I have been working on sending letters to the editors of newpapers, adding comments to discussion groups and challenging McCain supporters who post false data against Obama and Biden.
I have started working on my phone campaign as well, I have been tied up before now handling a women's church convention.
I challenge all suppporters to do what you can to make this election for Obama and Biden a landslide victory. Call, donate, write letters, knock doors, and let's all make this final push a tidal wave to victory.
GO OBAMA/BIDEN TEAM!
We live for our nation! We die for our nation! We honor our nation, and we pay taxes to our nation. It’s good to ask what you can do for your nation as long as you also ask: What does the nation do for you?
The need for a reciprocal relationship, a win-win arrangement between people and government, is embodied in this great election. A country’s success is measured by its opportunities in Employment, Education and Health. This is a known given. Obama and Biden will make the changes in Employment, Education and Health Care (What I call the EEH of our country) when elected.
The Republican Party always neglects the Employment, Education and Health care (EEH) for all. These three elements are “the legs to the table” if government was a table. Republicans have delayed many cultural improvements in the three core loci: Employment, Education and Health (the“EEH”). McCain and the Republicans refuse to create better EEH opportunities for the people yet continue to rule them and tax them.
Enough! No more excuses! Give us a government that works! Give us better opportunities in employment, learning and secure our wellbeing. McCain, like Bush, excuses their Republican Party from making any cultural improvements for the people by instilling the fear of the “Big Government” or the “Dangerous world of terrorism.”
The Republican’s idea of a “Small Government” is one which doesn’t work; one that does nothing for the citizens other than taxes them and rule by fear. McCain, like Bush, is again promoting a false agenda of fear as an excuse for their lack of care for the people. McCain even wants to privatize Social Security.
The Republicans refuse to accept their responsibilities to the people as government officials, and, by a strategy of fear, get the people and the EEH off the spotlight. We can’t let the John McCain’s camp take us off focus with their “Big Government” lines. Big Government is what Bush and McCain have given these past eight years, a government where you pay your taxes and the government does nothing for you. Is this their idea of “small government?” Don’t lose your focus with his outright lies.
Do they think Americans are stupid? Enough!
We are a nation of intelligent people! Obama and Biden are the people’s candidates. Elect Obama and Biden on November 4.
While it might have been enough for Sen. John McCain to meet Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin once and only once before making his decision to endorse her as the best qualified person to serve second-in-line to the Presidency, I believe American voters will be a slight bit more demanding.
In a response to CNN reporter Dana Bash, seen here, Gov. Palin reacted to questions about her experience."I've appreciated the thirteen years in elected office that I've had to give me some good experience, and to get ready for this job; it's been good experience," Gov. Palin said.
In a response to CNN reporter Dana Bash, seen here, Gov. Palin reacted to questions about her experience.
"I've appreciated the thirteen years in elected office that I've had to give me some good experience, and to get ready for this job; it's been good experience," Gov. Palin said.
First of all, adding up her years of elected office, from serving as a City Council member and Mayor of the small town of Wasilla, Alaska (pop. 6715), to the first 20 months (we can round it up to two years) of her term as Governor of Alaska, gives only 12 years of elected office. Perhaps she should correct that error before she is labeled as someone who doesn't even know how much experience she has.
Well, whether it is 12 or 13 years of experience, it certainly sounds like a lot, but just what does that experience include?
City Council, City of Wasilla, AlaskaSarah Palin spent four years serving in this role, from 1992 to 1996.The 1990 population estimate for Wasilla was 4,029.For perspective, consider that in 1998, just two years after Palin left her City Council seat to serve as Mayor of Wasilla, winning candidates for the City Council were elected with slightly more and less than 350 votes. View election results.
City Council, City of Wasilla, Alaska
Sarah Palin spent four years serving in this role, from 1992 to 1996.
The 1990 population estimate for Wasilla was 4,029.
For perspective, consider that in 1998, just two years after Palin left her City Council seat to serve as Mayor of Wasilla, winning candidates for the City Council were elected with slightly more and less than 350 votes. View election results.
So, to add to the tally, 4 years experience.
Mayor, City of Wasilla, AlaskaSarah Palin spent six years serving in this role, from 1996 to 2002.The 2000 population estimate for Wasilla (US Census) was 5,469.For perspective, consider that in 1999, when she won reelection to her second term as Mayor, with a noteworthy 74 percent of the vote, only 909 people out of 1,235 cast their ballots for Palin. View results here. Her town covers just more than a dozen square miles. How this prepared her for the vice-presidency, I do not know - it will certainly be something for her to explain.
Mayor, City of Wasilla, Alaska
Sarah Palin spent six years serving in this role, from 1996 to 2002.
The 2000 population estimate for Wasilla (US Census) was 5,469.
For perspective, consider that in 1999, when she won reelection to her second term as Mayor, with a noteworthy 74 percent of the vote, only 909 people out of 1,235 cast their ballots for Palin. View results here. Her town covers just more than a dozen square miles. How this prepared her for the vice-presidency, I do not know - it will certainly be something for her to explain.
So, to add to the tally, 6 years experience, for a total of 10 years, or 83 percent (a clear majority) of her self-proclaimed experience.
Governor, State of AlaskaSarah Palin was inaugurated, and served her first day of office in December of 2006.John McCain, and the Republican Party, have already begun to argue that Gov. Palin's service as a chief executive adds unique experience to the campaign ticket. For perspective, consider that in 2000, the US Census ranked Alaska 48 out of 50 in population, with less than 623,000 residents. At current, the population is estimated at less than 700,000. This means that Gov. Palin serves less American citizens than the mayors of 16 U.S. Cities. See list here.
Governor, State of Alaska
Sarah Palin was inaugurated, and served her first day of office in December of 2006.
John McCain, and the Republican Party, have already begun to argue that Gov. Palin's service as a chief executive adds unique experience to the campaign ticket.
For perspective, consider that in 2000, the US Census ranked Alaska 48 out of 50 in population, with less than 623,000 residents. At current, the population is estimated at less than 700,000. This means that Gov. Palin serves less American citizens than the mayors of 16 U.S. Cities. See list here.
So that gives us another 2 years (again, if we round up), for a total of 12. Where did Gov. Palin gain an extra year of elected office? I have no idea. Perhaps she considered her appointed position as head of the Commission on Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation as a year of elected office, but that claim would only open her up to further criticism for over-asserting a thin resume, especially since she resigned that post in protest.
Overall we see the inconsistency of Sen. John McCain writ large, in his choice for Vice-Presidential nominee. He claims he is a maverick, yet in his race for the White House, he has forced himself into a very typical conservative Republican mold. The problem - he doesn't buy into his own transformation, and he is liable to launch character attacks in true Republican fashion one day, then back out and assert he is not in this campaign to get personal.
This is his major flaw, the dual identifies of Sen. McCain, and the odd and surprising selection of a political novice, who likely has not been properly vetted (she is currently under investigation for the firing of her recently-divorced, former Brother-in-Law as a state trooper), may cause further embarassment for Sen. McCain as the campaign intensifies.
This choice says less about experience, however, than it does about judgment. Sen. McCain has taken a roll of the dice, and that kind of uncertainty, and inconsistency (why have we not heard Gov. Palin's name mentioned once throughout this process?) do not bode well for a McCain administration.
Today I hosted a meeting to give feedback to this campaign on the DNC platform. What a unique and grassroots way to involve the people of the USA. Leave it up to someone like Barack to care enough about the entire process to involve the American people.
The meeting was very successful and our group did an outstanding job of writing our platform ideas.
On my way to my house from school a sheriff department car stopped me . I was scared because I had recently just paid a speeding ticket. So i waited anxiously for the sheriff to come to and tell me what was wrong and explain to me why he had stopped me. As I saw my rear view window i noticed a tall built mean faced Sheriff . That moment i knew i was in trouble. I got my license and insurance registration and opened my window. When he opened his mouth i was happy to hear "Where did you get a Obama Bumper sticker?" I gave him one and he said thanks and let me I practicly peed on my pants and all he wanted was a bumper sticker yeeeess!!!!
Oscar Zenteno Jr.
Laredo Texas
I read this yesterday in The Monitor:
For many Clinton supporters in the Valley, anything less than making Clinton the vice presidential candidate will mean a vote for McCain.
"I'm not a Democrat; I'm a Hilla-crat," said Sara Lopez, a volunteer for the Clinton campaign. "They're telling me, ‘You can't campaign for McCain.' It'll be weird, but I'll campaign for McCain and the Democratic people I like."
Lopez is among a group of ardent Clinton supporters petitioning Obama to name Clinton as his running mate. They're getting signatures for a petition, sending mass e-mails and even considering making up bumper stickers with the slogan, "We'll remember in November," a reference to their willingness to vote Republican.
It's people like Sara Lopez that are going to help give Texas to McCain this fall. Her Hilla-crat quote is embarassing and I hope it comes back to haunt her when she's mature enough to realize that her vote for Senator McCain is a horrible mistake. Their willingness to vote Republican is because of all the rumors they've heard secondhand, or baseless emails that question Obama's patriotism, religious affiliation, and background.
I'll admit openly that I was a Hillary supporter until just a few weeks ago when her surrogates and supporters got to be a bit too much to handle. As soon as Obama secured the nomination, I happily donated some cash AND ordered bumper stickers for my whole family.
American 1st
Texan 2nd
Democrat 3rd
Republican NEVER
I am beyond thrilled. Beyond excited. Happy. Estatic. Proud.
I'm proud that my 5 year old daughter will be witness to the first African American president in this country's history.
I am proud that this road, although hard fought, has ended with a victory for the candidate I support.
I am proud that I yelled with passion and was shoved in anger at my county convention-because it only proved a point in the end.
I am SO.EXCITED.
Yes we can, yes we did......
I am ready for the next fight, to take on my boss and my Clintonista saturated region. I am ready for CHANGE!!!!!
Mr. Obama, take a VACATION!!! You need sleep.
Hey gals & guys,
I am so happy that Obama won the nomination. I loved his speech, I thought he was gracious to Hillary and inspirational as always.
He took a firm stance against McCain's comments from earlier that evening. He did a very good job all around.
I do have to say that being a former Bill Clinton campaign volunteer, I am quite disappointed by his overall comments of Obama. His wife Hillary was someone I thought of supporting this election as well. I became quite disillusioned with them both and tonight even more so about Hillary. She showed a severe lack of respect by not congratulating Obama tonight. It just showed a total lack of class.
I know many are talking about the "dream ticket" idea, but after tonight I am even more certain that Obama should not give her the V.P. position. I just don't feel she is at all deserving of it and her lack of recognition for his achievement makes me think this even more.
What does everyone else think?
Best,Lorelai
I absolutely hate the media's coverage of the race. No substance, whatsoever! I understand the need to "make" news, that's their business. But when you go on a tangent, and focus on non-issues, while other more important issues go undiscussed you are not serving your purpose. This is what I would like to see discussed...
1. Economy
2. Price of GAS (how it's our fault and what WE can do to remedy it)
3. The war in IRAQ (in or out? did we even need to be there? why haven't we caught Bin Laden?)
4. What are we going to do about the environment
5. Less American jobs overseas
6. The looming loss of our relevance in the world. (to China, India, Russia, Europe, etc.)
7. Medicare
8. The DEFICIT, and how the REPS have indebted us for the next 5 generations.
9. How we need to investigate the outgoing administration for outright abuse of power. (I'm talking to you Cheney).
:)
As we begin to look forward to the general election, while casting an eye back to the long, still unfinished, contest for the Democratic Party nomination, it is common to search for a conclusion to this lengthy narrative.
Why is it that the "inevitable" candidate went the way of the "unsinkable" Titanic, submerged by the very weight (of history, experience, status) which gave her such great prominence?How is it possible that a relatively unknown upstart should display such impertinence and, dare I say it, audacity, as to challenge and defeat the Clintons on such familiar electoral terrain?
Why is it that the "inevitable" candidate went the way of the "unsinkable" Titanic, submerged by the very weight (of history, experience, status) which gave her such great prominence?
How is it possible that a relatively unknown upstart should display such impertinence and, dare I say it, audacity, as to challenge and defeat the Clintons on such familiar electoral terrain?
One common response to these questions is that Hillary Clinton is rooted in the past, sorrounded by decades-old loyalists, while Barack Obama is eager to inspire a future generation of politically-charged citizens.
Her premise is that if people look back and recall with fondness her husband's tenure as President, they will see that there is no better choice but to try to return to the glory of the past.
His premise is that such nostalgia glosses over the failure of Democrats to enact needed changes during that era, and an inability to sustain majorities in the Senate and House. For Barack Obama, the only way forward is, well, forward - into the unknown, but armed with judgment, and the patience to gather information from all angles before making a lasting decision.
So it is appropriate that today, May 27, 2008, according to The New York Times delegate counter, Sen. Obama has gathered a total of 1971 delegates, to Sen. Clinton's 1776.
While her delegate total reflects the year of our nation's founding, a date worthy of recollection, but unlikely to shed light on our current struggles, he is standing in the middle of an era of change, the year 1971, several years into an increasingly unpopular war, and ready to throw out a leadership hell-bent on governing in whichever way they please, irrespective of the means, be they dishonest or unprincipled.
Throughout the last several months, I have watched Sen. Barack Obama's lead in delegates (both pledged and unpledged) steadily grow. With delight I have begun to count up to that magical number, 2,026, the delegates needed for Sen. Obama to claim the nomination, and begin his march to Pennsylvania Avenue.
(It is worth noting that Sen. Clinton, perhaps clinging to a tradition of numerology, prefers another, slightly more inflated figure.)
There was 1865, the end of the Civil War, and the beginning of reconstruction. Here I recalled my surprise and near disbelief when I learned that Sen. Obama was one of only three black Senators elected to office since reconstruction. (The other two? Ed Brooke: 1966-1978, and Carol Moseley Braun: 1992-1998)
There was 1936, the year John McCain was born, in the time before Penicillin, ZIP Codes, the nation of Israel, and the states of Alaska and Hawaii even existed.
There was 1941, the year of Pearl Harbor, when good judgment was at its peak demand, and poor judgment (this time, in NOT going to war) was threatening the stability of the entire Western world.
Then there was 1968, the height of the turmoil of the 1960's, when a nation mourned the loss of Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, who died in June, yes JUNE, while still campaigning for the Democratic Party nomination for president.
And of course, 1971. And soon it will be 1972. Then 1992. Then 2001. Then 2008.
At at that time, or rather, at this time, we will have to think long and hard about the future, including 2026. And, if we are lucky, 2209.
This morning's hearing focuses on impact of recent immigration raids on children and communities.
The federal Committee on Education and Labor’s Workforce Protections Subcommittee will address the issue of workplace immigration raids this morning and their impact on children, families and communities.
Last week’s federal raid of a meatpacking plant in northeast Iowa led to 390 arrests on immigration violations and was noted to be the largest immigration raid in U.S. history, according to Immigrations and Customs Enforcement. The impact of those raids on the town of Postville was presented in an NPR piece yesterday.
In opening remarks at the hearing this morning, subcommittee chair US Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-California) noted that it had only been in the last couple of years ICE had stepped up its immigration raid enforcement.
In Fiscal Year 2004, only 454 unauthorized workers were arrested by ICE agents, said Woolsey, who labeled the Bush administration's record at the time "not particularly good." With the introduction of Operation Wagon Train and Operation Return to Sender, however, the numbers of arrests has jumped into the tens of thousands. In Texas, those workplace raids have included Shipley Do-Nuts in Houston; the Swift & Co. meatpacking plant in Cactus; and a bust of two security guard companies used by Latino nightclubs in Dallas.
Today’s hearing is intended to explore the impact of those raids on the families and children of unauthorized workers and whether ICE is following suggested, but not required, humanitarian guidelines. The committee hearing is being broadcast online.
ã Copyright May 20, 2008 by Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
CQ TODAY MIDDAY UPDATE May 8, 2008 – 1:19 p.m.
Sen. Barack Obama , D-Ill., took his campaign for presidential superdelegate votes to the House floor Thursday, triggering complaints from some supporters of rival Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton , D-N.Y.
“I have a question in my mind whether it’s kosher, whether it’s ethical,” said Grace Napolitano, D-Calif., a staunch Clinton supporter.
“It’s unusual. He’s actively soliciting the votes of superdelegates on the floor,” said Allyson Y. Schwartz , D-Pa., another Clinton backer.
Obama’s explanation: “Oh, I wasn’t campaigning. I was saying hello.
“I just wanted to make sure that I gave an update not only to my supporters, but to those who are trying to figure out what direction to go in,” he said. “Obviously some have been anxious about some of the sense of division in the party, and I just wanted to assure them that whatever happens, we will be coming together.”
But other Democrats welcomed Obama’s visit.
“Where else can you meet superdelegates? I don’t have a problem with it,” said Majority Whip James E. Clyburn , D-S.C., who is uncommitted.
A number of Republicans said they were not aware of Obama’s presence as he made his rounds on the floor.
Obama started his meet-and-greet session in the famed “Murtha corner” of the chamber, where acolytes of Defense Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman John P. Murtha , D-Pa., hang out.
Murtha, who backed Clinton in the Pennsylvania primary she won decisively, said after this week’s split decisions in Indiana and North Carolina, “A lot of the superdelegates that might have been ready to get behind Hillary after Pennsylvania are now hesitant.”
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi , D-Calif., and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid , D-Nev., made clear Wednesday they do not intend to call for an early end to the contest.
For a full version of this story and the latest coverage, please visit CQ Politics
