Well, it seems that Pres. Obama is right again. Washington won't change overnight. It seems that many have forgotten the months of work we did to send a message to Washington that we were ready for change. What I think is more important is that WE don't forget and get lazy, expecting them to just give it to us.
Republicans in the House and Senate are leaning toward thier tendancy not to listen and to go back to what we had for the past 8 years. We need to let them know that change has come. There were almost 2 million people in the Mall a few weeks ago. We cannot let them forget that!!!
We have to do what we did during the campaign, email and call each and every representative and let them know that we are still paying attention and we are still engaged and WILL BE ENGAGED from now on!!!
I live in Michigan and have contacted Gov. Granholm's office (D), Carl Levin (D), Debbie Stabenow(D) and Mike Rogers(R) and let them know that I want them to support the Stimulus Package. I personally feel like they need alot more Infrastructure money (we have potholes that cars get lost in and no money to repair them) But ALL Obama supporters need to contact their Govenor, and Congressional Representatives and put the pressure to work to pass this bill quickly.
I will personally be watching to see who votes for it and who votes against it. Their votes will be considered when mid term elections come around.
Go to www.congress.org if you are not sure of who you should contact. Your state website should have a contact button for your Govenor. WE HAVE GOT TO GET BACK TO WORK!!!
I had an incredible experience canvassing for the first time last weekend and plan to do it again as soon as I'm home. I'm in DC at a conference but will be involved more once I'm home Sunday. I can't wait.
It was much better for me going door to door versus making phone calls like I did during the primary. During the primary a few people made rude remarks and I think folks have a lot less tendency to do so when we're face to face with them.
For those of you who are attending the Unite For Change Potluck, please sign up through the Shiawassee County Michigan For Barack Obama site please.
I have received email from people and have no way of contacting you with acknowledgement for your RSVP's.
Thank you,
Tami
The link below will get you to Barack Obama's contact page.
http://obama.senate.gov/contact/
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/6/13/1206/21446/607/535370
Barack Obama has once again proven that he is the leader for our future. Mr. Obama proposes to actually meet one-on-one with nations such as Iran. He understands that the defacto twin Republican policies of isolationism and imperialism have been disasterous for our nation. This is true of King George II's shameful Iraq War. John McCain has made all too clear his intention of continuing these failed policies.
Mr. Obama, on the other hand, proposes an open dialogue. Any human being with an ounce of intelligence and an education can tell you that open communication is the only way to resove issues between two parties. Mr. Obama represents a shining example of intelligence among a field of hawks who seem determined to feed the war machine with no regard for the lives of their own people or for the lives of the people of other nations. Will the American people continue to blindly follow along behind King George and his Parliament of warmongers?
The choice is up to you and I. We must be certain that those in a position of power will not go quietly. Perhaps it is naive of me to assume that the majority of Americans understands the urgency of our present situation. In my opinion, it has never been more obvious, the time is now. The only candidate that represents an intelligent path to understanding and dealing with our real problems is Barack Obama. My own lifetime has never presented me with such a clear example of the right path vs. the wrong path. Our nation can not continue to charge ahead like a bull destroying everything in our path. To do so is to rush headlong into our own destruction. Mr. Obama wants us to stop and think. Please join me in building support for a movement of intelligent dialogue in world politics. The path of this nation must be determined by a leader who understands that positive change is the number one mandate. Vote Barack, but more importantly spread the movement.
"Tuition has gone up twice the rate of per capita income. If the cost of milk had risen as fast as college since 1980, as Grassley has noted, a gallon would be $15." (link)
"In a fierce contest to control the student loan market, the nation's banks and lenders have for years waged a successful campaign to limit a federal program that was intended to make borrowing less costly by having the government provide loans directly to students." "President Bush's budget reports that in 2006 for every $100 lent by private lenders, the cost to the government of subsidies, defaults and other items was $13.81, while the same amount lent through the direct loan program cost the government $3.85. The battle for dominance in the loan market has escalated as tuitions have soared and students have borrowed more. This is the context for many of the payments to universities and financial aid officials that have come to light as a result of recent investigations into student loan practices." (link)
Dean Statement on Florida and Michigan
March 5, 2008 Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean issued the following statement on Florida and Michigan:"We're glad to hear that the Governors of Michigan and Florida are willing to lend their weight to help resolve this issue. As we've said all along, we strongly encourage the Michigan and Florida state parties to follow the rules, so today's public overtures are good news. The rules, which were agreed to by the full DNC including representatives from Florida and Michigan over 18 months ago, allow for two options. First, either state can choose to resubmit a plan and run a party process to select delegates to the convention; second, they can wait until this summer and appeal to the Convention Credentials Committee, which determines and resolves any outstanding questions about the seating of delegates. We look forward to receiving their proposals should they decide to submit new delegate selection plans and will review those plans at that time. The Democratic Nominee will be determined in accordance with party rules, and out of respect for the presidential campaigns and the states that did not violate party rules, we are not going to change the rules in the middle of the game."Through all the speculation, we should also remember the overwhelming enthusiasm and turnout that we have already seen, and respect the voters of the twelve states and territories who have yet to have their say."As we head towards November, our nominee must have the united support of a strong Democratic Party that's ready to fight and ready to beat John McCain. After seven years of Republican rule, I am confident that we will elect a Democratic president who will fight for America's families in the White House. Now we must hear from the voters in twelve states and territories who have yet to make their voices heard."
By NEDRA PICKLER, Associated Press Writer
Officials in Michigan and Florida are showing renewed interest in holding repeat presidential nominating contests so that their votes will count in the epic Democratic campaign.
The Michigan governor, along with top officials in Hillary Rodham Clinton's campaign and Florida's state party chair, are now saying they would consider holding a sort of do-over contest by June. That's a change from their previous insistence that the primaries their states held in January should determine how the their delegates are allocated.
Clinton won both contests, but the results were meaningless because the elections violated national party rules.
The Democratic National Committee stripped both states of all their delegates for holding the primaries too early, and all Democratic candidates — including Clinton and rival Barack Obama — agreed not to campaign in either state. Obama's name wasn't even on the Michigan ballot.
Florida and Michigan moved up their dates to protest the party's decision to allow Iowa and New Hampshire to go first, followed by South Carolina and Nevada, giving them a disproportionate influence on the presidential selection process.
But no one predicted the race would still be very close this late in the year.
Ironically, Michigan and Florida could have held crucial primaries if they had stayed with their traditional later dates. They may yet do so if they decide to hold new contests as Clinton and Obama compete to the wire.
Clinton has been insisting that the desires of more than 2 million people who cast Democratic ballots in the two states should be reflected at the convention, which would help her catch up to Obama in the race for convention delegates. Obama has said he wants to see the delegates from the two critical swing states participate, too, but not if Clinton is rewarded for victories in boycotted primaries.
Now the Clinton campaign has begun expressing openness to a do-over. "Let's let all of the voters go again if they are willing to do it," Clinton adviser Terry McAuliffe said Tuesday night on MSNBC. "Whatever we have to do to get people in the system, let's do it."
The new contests could be part of a strategy for Clinton to come back in the race and attract votes from superdelegates who are not bound by any primary or caucus votes, Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell told the network. "Let's assume for the moment Hillary Clinton wins Ohio and Texas, she wins Pennsylvania, Florida and Michigan have primaries in June, she wins both of those," said Rendell, who has endorsed Clinton. "Then, can the superdelegates look at that and say, `Gosh, she's won the last five big primaries in a row. She's won almost every big primary since we began.'"
Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm, a Clinton supporter, told the Detroit Free Press that Clinton's victory in Ohio changes "the landscape a bit." She said it could open the door to a caucus, if it can be privately funded and both candidates agree.
Granholm, a Democrat, and Florida Gov. Charlie Crist, a Republican, issued a joint statement Wednesday demanding that their states' delegates be seated. "We each will call upon our respective state and national party chairs to resolve this matter and to ensure that the voters of Michigan and Florida are full participants in the formal selection of their parties' nominees," the statement said.
Crist told reporters at a news conference Tuesday that he does not support having another primary at taxpayer expense. He said he discussed the option with Sen. Bill Nelson, the state's senior Democrat. "He said the only way to consider the possibility of that is to have the Democratic National Committee pay for it," Crist said. The Florida Democratic Party said the state estimates the cost would be $25 million.
Getting funding from the national committee might be difficult when the party has a general election to wage. Last August, the DNC offered to spend $800,000 for a later caucus, but the Florida state party rejected the idea because the amount would have only been enough to set up 150 caucus sites for the state's 4.1 million Democrats. "It wasn't a real offer. It just wasn't. It was not something anybody could agree to with a straight face," said state party spokesman Mark Bubriski.
Michigan Democrats are discussing holding a "firehouse" contest in May or June that would be an alternative to a traditional primary or caucus and run by the state party, said a Democratic Party official who has been part of the discussions. "Firehouse" contests usually have fewer polling places and shorter voting hours than traditional state-run primary elections.
The party official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the discussions are private, said there was general consensus that it could not be held at taxpayers' expense and would attempt to generate participation from about 1 million state Democrats.
House and Senate Democrats from Florida and Michigan planned to meet Wednesday night on Capitol Hill to discuss ways of getting their state's delegates seated at the Democratic National Convention in Denver in late August, Democratic aides said.
Florida Democratic Party Chairwoman Karen Thurman said the party is open to another vote, as long as it meets three criteria. Both candidates would have to fully participate, a source of funding would have to be provided and it would have to allow all the state's Democrats to participate, including those serving in the military overseas. So far, she said, no suggested alternative has met those requirements.
"It is very possible that no satisfactory alternative plan will emerge, in which case Florida Democrats will remain committed to seating the delegates allocated by the January 29th primary," Thurman said in a statement.
Obama's campaign says whether to have a repeat contest is up to the national committee, but has signaled a willingness to participate. "We're going to abide by their rules as they exist now and whatever happens in the future," Obama campaign manager David Plouffe told reporters Wednesday.
"I don't think it's for our campaign or her campaign — we're in a heated contest here — to have to be the facilitators here," Plouffe said. "This is between the DNC and those state parties."
___
Associated Press writers Ken Thomas in Washington, Kathy Barks Hoffman in Lansing, Mich., and Brendan Farrington in Tallahassee, Fla., contributed to this report.
(This version CORRECTS Corrects Crist's position, ADDS background on DNC offer to pay for later contest.)
Copyright © 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.
Find this article at: http://www.statesman.com/news/content/region/legislature/stories/02/26/0226youngvote.html
Youth vote surging in Austin and across the country
'It's cool to care again,' vote organizer says.
By Matt Presser
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Heather Jackson, a 20-year-old St. Edward's University student, cast her vote for president Monday at an early voting site on campus, saying that voting made her feel "like a grown-up."
Across the country and here in Texas, young people such as Jackson are turning out in numbers that some experts say could challenge those from the general election of 1972, the first year 18-year-olds were allowed to vote.
At the University of Texas, the University Democrats registered about 23,000 people in five weeks.
During the first four days of early voting in Travis County, the early voting station at UT was one of the two most popular voting sites.
In all, about 80 percent of voters ages 18-29 who were polled by Rock the Vote say they plan to vote in November, compared with the 49 percent in that age group who voted in 2004.
"In elections in the past, there was a sense that the candidates just spoke to their parents, that young people were not respected as being part of the electoral process," said Marc Morgenstern, executive director of Declare Yourself, a nonpartisan group that has registered more than 300,000 young voters so far this primary season.
"What we've found is that this era of cynicism and apathy seems to be over and that it's cool to care again," Morgenstern said.
Rock the Vote, a nationwide nonprofit focused on getting young people to the polls, has been teaming up with universities across Texas and Ohio, the two biggest states with primaries March 4.
The group's newest campaign is a joint venture with AT&T to get people to text-message 10 friends urging them to vote.
"It's kind of like a modern phone tree to get as many young people as possible to vote," said Jodi Bart, Austin's spokeswoman for AT&T and Rock the Vote.
Vincent Powell, a senior at St. Edward's, said he voted Monday because "it's a huge election in history, and I wanted to be a part of it."
mpresser@statesman.com
This is a must read..
Obama's Ohio Grassroots AdvantageMonday, Feb. 25, 2008By Christopher Maag/ClevelandTIME Magazine, in cooperation with CNNEvery successful politician needs a home base, a place to go where the crowds are always friendly and the pizza is always free. For Hillary Clinton, that place of comfort in Ohio is Kamm's Corners, a neighborhood on Cleveland's west side dominated by white firefighters, cops and factory workers. One of Clinton's strongest supporters here, Pat Dorr, has driven a Buick with an "I love Hillary" bumper sticker since the mid-1990s.
Obama's Ohio Grassroots Advantage
Monday, Feb. 25, 2008
By Christopher Maag/Cleveland
Every successful politician needs a home base, a place to go where the crowds are always friendly and the pizza is always free. For Hillary Clinton, that place of comfort in Ohio is Kamm's Corners, a neighborhood on Cleveland's west side dominated by white firefighters, cops and factory workers. One of Clinton's strongest supporters here, Pat Dorr, has driven a Buick with an "I love Hillary" bumper sticker since the mid-1990s.
Dorr became active in the Clinton campaign last week, after a national campaign staffer asked her to make phone calls. "When I first came in, there was nobody here," says Dorr, 78, who has helped so many campaigns over the years that she's lost count. "This whole week, this office was basically empty." Home base for Barack Obama lies on the opposite side of town, in the Lee-Harvard neighborhood, home to mostly working-class African-American families. One of Obama's first volunteers here was Antoinette McCall, a substitute high school teacher who has never worked a campaign before in her life. McCall became active 11 months ago, donating what little money she could to Obama's campaign. She used Obama's website to recruit volunteers and run a phone bank from her living room. She convinced friends who own beauty salons to organize their customers, and created a database of hundreds of Obama supporters. "It's like we had this whole movement built up before the campaign staff even got here," says McCall, 36. In a few months, McCall, a political novice, has built an organization rivaling that of some state senators who form the backbone of Clinton's establishment support. "By the time they finally opened the office," she says, "this place was packed."
Dorr became active in the Clinton campaign last week, after a national campaign staffer asked her to make phone calls. "When I first came in, there was nobody here," says Dorr, 78, who has helped so many campaigns over the years that she's lost count. "This whole week, this office was basically empty."
Home base for Barack Obama lies on the opposite side of town, in the Lee-Harvard neighborhood, home to mostly working-class African-American families. One of Obama's first volunteers here was Antoinette McCall, a substitute high school teacher who has never worked a campaign before in her life. McCall became active 11 months ago, donating what little money she could to Obama's campaign. She used Obama's website to recruit volunteers and run a phone bank from her living room. She convinced friends who own beauty salons to organize their customers, and created a database of hundreds of Obama supporters.
"It's like we had this whole movement built up before the campaign staff even got here," says McCall, 36. In a few months, McCall, a political novice, has built an organization rivaling that of some state senators who form the backbone of Clinton's establishment support. "By the time they finally opened the office," she says, "this place was packed."
~SNIP~
Go to this web link to read the rest of the story at:
http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,1717150,00.html
I understand the intentions of an early primary, but change is not something that can be forced by an individual state in such a manner, lest we become marginalized. There is a process and it must be agree to by the party-at-large in the Democratic Party.
Surely, this did not turn out as the Democratic Leadership of Michigan had hoped or expected, but I cannot excuse their response to the predictably unfortunate outcome. Dragging this state into the battle regarding DNC primary policy was unethical.....and profoundly disastrous.
Many are calling for a second primary, but the Michigan Democratic Leadership has stated that a do-over would not be fair. Yet, the Michigan Democratic Party has put forward a plan to allocate the delegates from a seriously flawed primary. Seating those delegates based on an illegitimate primary is unambiguously unfair.
A third option is that Michigan delegates NOT be seated in Denver, which is the most logical and just option we have before us, if a legitimate primary is not held in time. Indeed it is sad and ironic that mass disenfranchisement would be the vehicle to justice, but that is the price we all must pay for the mistakes of our Michigan Democratic leadership.
I have listened to and read the opinions of our Michigan Democratic Leadership regarding the primary debacle. It became clear that they all must be reminded that their duty was and is to me and my fellow Michiganders, NOT the Clinton campaign.
I find myself outraged by a seemingly cavalier attitude towards effectively disenfranchising so many of citizens, their most important constituents, in perhaps the most pivotal presidential election of our lifetime.
We are not fools. We see what they are doing and why. They should be ashamed of themselves, but it appears their lust to win the Michigan primary for Clinton has clouded their judgment, so much so that they have cast off their duty to uphold even our most basic Democratic values.
We have only bad and worse options at this point, so we must choose wisely, for each will have long-term consequences.
What is done cannot be undone and Michigan's renegade primary results are decidedly skewed and should remain null and void. No delegates from the January Primary can be construed as legitimate and should not be seated under any circumstances at the National Convention in Denver.
It is my hope and my expectation that they do the right and correct thing. I fear the consequences to our Democratic Party, but mostly to our Nation, if the Michigan Democratic Leadership persist on their current path.
This is about stealing another presidential election to make it three in a row. I would expect as much from the GOP, but not my own party.
The DNC should fully enforce their rules. The MDP knew the rules and the consequences of breaking those rules. The Michigan Political Leadership has made it such that nothing less than DEMOCRACY is at stake.
I would again remind them that their duty was and is to the Constitution, to me and to my fellow Michiganders, NOT the Clinton campaign.
I saw an e-mail about this and just had to pass it on. Gov. Granholm will attempt to defend the "legitimacy" of the Michigan primary on Michigan Public Radio. She needs to hear your thoughts! So here is one more call to be made....
Listener call-in: Governor Jennifer M. Granholm
During LIVE broadcast Wednesday, February 27th from 9am - 10am
Please call (517) 355-WKAR (355-9527), or toll-free at (877) WKAR870 -- (877-952-7870).
Listen Live on 90.5 and AM 870
"Michigan Governor Jennifer M. Granholm takes telephone calls from across the state. The program will have an open format, with the governor fielding questions from listeners on a variety of topics. Hosted by Rick Pluta, MPRN managing editor and state capitol bureau chief. During the live broadcast, call (517) 355-WKAR (355-9527), or toll-free at (877) WKAR-870 (952-7870)."
February 26, 2008
Obama’s Support Grows Broader, New Poll Finds
By ROBIN TONER and DALIA SUSSMAN
WASHINGTON — In the past two months, Senator Barack Obama has built a commanding coalition among Democratic voters, with especially strong support among men, and is now viewed by most Democrats as the candidate best able to beat Senator John McCain in the general election, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News Poll.
After 40 Democratic primaries and caucuses, capped by a winning streak in 11 contests over the last two weeks, Mr. Obama has made substantial gains across most major demographic groups in the Democratic Party, including men and women, liberals and moderates, higher and lower income voters, and those with and without college degrees.
But there are signs of vulnerability for Mr. Obama, of Illinois, in this national poll: While he has a strong edge among Democratic voters on his ability to unite and inspire the country, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York is still viewed by more Democrats as prepared for the job of president. And while he has made progress among women, he still faces a striking gender gap: Mr. Obama is backed by two-thirds of the Democratic men and 45 percent of the women, who are equally divided in their support between the two candidates. White women remain a Clinton stronghold.
When all voters are asked to look ahead to the general election, Mr. McCain is more likely to be seen as prepared for the presidency, able to handle an international crisis and equipped to serve as commander in chief than either of the Democratic candidates.
Even so, the poll provides a snapshot of Mr. Obama’s strength after this first, frenzied round of primaries and caucuses, which knocked seven of the nine Democratic candidates out of the race. For the first time in a Times/CBS poll, he moved ahead of Mrs. Clinton nationally, with 54 percent of Democratic primary voters saying they wanted to see him nominated, while 38 percent preferred Mrs. Clinton. A USA Today/Gallup Poll released Monday showed a similar result, 51 percent for Mr. Obama to 39 percent for Mrs. Clinton.
These national polls are not predictive of the Democratic candidates’ standings in individual states, notably Ohio and Texas, which hold the next primaries, on March 4. Most recent polls there show a neck-and-neck race in Texas and Mrs. Clinton with a lead in Ohio; her campaign advisers say that if she prevails next Tuesday the race will begin anew.
Mark Penn, the chief strategist for the Clinton campaign, said the polls “reflect momentum from Senator Obama’s recent wins,” and “will snap back if we are successful in Ohio and Texas.” He added that other national polls showed a far closer race. Bill Burton, spokesman for the Obama campaign, said, “As we’ve made our case for change across the country, people have responded.”
The Times/CBS poll shows that Mr. Obama’s coalition — originally derided by critics as confined to upper-income reformers, young people and blacks — has broadened significantly. In December, for example, he had the support of 26 percent of the male Democratic primary voters; in the latest poll, that had climbed to 67 percent.
“He’s from Illinois, and I’m from Illinois, and he reminds me of Abraham Lincoln,” said Dylan Jones, 53, a laborer from Oxford, N.C., who was interviewed in a follow-up to the poll. “I can see him out there splitting rails. I don’t have anything against Hillary Clinton, so I guess it’s because he’s new blood.”
Similarly, Mr. Obama’s support among those with household incomes under $50,000 rose to 48 percent from 35 percent since December. His support among moderates rose to 59 percent from 28 percent. In contrast, Mrs. Clinton’s strength among Democratic men dropped to 28 percent from 42 percent in December; her support among voters in households making under $50,000 held stable.
Even among women, Mr. Obama made strides. He had the support of 19 percent of white women in December and 40 percent in the most recent poll. White women, however, remain Mrs. Clinton’s most loyal base of support — 51 percent backed the senator from New York, statistically unchanged from the 48 percent who backed her in December.
“I like them both,” said Ann Powers, 64, a coordinator for special education programs in Fort Dodge, Iowa. “I just think he is too inexperienced and she’s dealt with more in the last 20 years.” The national telephone poll of 1,115 registered voters was conducted Feb. 20-24. It included 427 Democratic primary voters and 327 Republican primary voters. The margin of sampling error is plus or minus three percentage points for all voters, plus or minus five percentage points for Democratic voters and plus or minus five percentage points for Republican voters.
The poll showed Republicans settling in with their likely nominee. Eight in 10 said they would be satisfied if Mr. McCain won their party’s nomination, although just 3 in 10 said they would be very satisfied. Nearly 9 in 10 said he was prepared for the presidency, and more than 8 in 10 said they had confidence in his ability to deal with an international crisis, while a remarkable 96 percent said he would likely make an effective commander in chief.
But misgivings remain among those who describe themselves as conservative Republicans, with a majority saying his positions on the issues are not conservative enough.
On the Democratic side, primary voters indicated they saw few substantive differences between their candidates on issues like the war in Iraq and health care. Most have confidence in both candidates to handle the economy, the war in Iraq and an international crisis. And large numbers think it is likely that either candidate would make an effective commander in chief.
Mr. Obama’s advantages are more apparent on other measures. Nearly 6 in 10 said he had the best chance of beating Mr. McCain, double the numbers that believed Mrs. Clinton was more electable. He is also viewed by more Democratic voters as someone who can bring about “real change” and is willing to compromise with Republicans “the right amount” to get things done.
Democratic voters are also more likely to say Mr. Obama cares a lot about them, inspires them and can unite the country. Sixty-three percent of Democratic voters said he cared a lot about them, while fewer than half thought Mrs. Clinton did. Nearly seven in 10 said he inspired them about the future of the country; 54 percent said Mrs. Clinton did. Three-quarters said he would be able to unite the country as president; 53 percent said Mrs. Clinton would.
Mrs. Clinton also has her strengths: Her supporters are, in general, more committed; nearly 8 in 10 of Mrs. Clinton’s backers said they strongly favored her, while 6 in 10 of Mr. Obama’s supporters strongly favored him. Only 18 percent of her supporters backed her with reservations; about a third of Mr. Obama’s supporters said they had reservations about their candidate.
Democratic women are also more likely to say that the news media have been harder on Mrs. Clinton than on other candidates: 56 percent felt that way, compared with 39 percent of Democratic men. Both men and women were more likely to think the news media has been harder on Mrs. Clinton than on Mr. Obama.
Not surprisingly, Democratic primary voters had an opinion on the appropriate role of the 795 superdelegates who could determine the party’s nominee. More than half said that these party leaders should vote for the candidate who received the most votes in the primaries and caucuses.
Marjorie Connelly, Megan Thee and Marina Stefan contributed reporting.
See some of the pictures from the morning rally here:
http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=58ztji3b.96fme06v&x=0&y=-kzajbc
I was so happy to finally met so many of you in person, and am honored to call myself a member of such a remarkable and passionate team! Can we keep building those bridges and expanding the base of support for Mr. Obama among our friends, relatives, neighbors and colleagues. Yes we can! And he makes it easy since he genuinely offers change we can believe in!
I think we also learned that Flint style coney dogs are the best! :) ...though I may be partial, given that I was born and raised here.
It must also acknowledge that he has the most sophisticated and grassroots friendly operation, via the website, I have ever seen....It is truly awe inspiring.
I must be off to raise him some more money. Congratulations on a great day and thank you!
Michigan 2008 Presidential Election
Michigan: Obama 47% McCain 39%
February 20, 2008
The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone poll finds that Barack Obama enjoys an eight-percentage point advantage over John McCain in an early look at the general election campaign. Obama attracts 47% of the vote while McCain earns 39%. Seven percent (7%) said they would vote for some other candidate while 7% are undecided. Obama leads McCain leads by twelve points among women and three points among men. Following his victory in the Wisconsin Presidential Primary, Obama is now seen as the overwhelming favorite to win the Democratic Presidential Nomination.
If Hillary Clinton pulls off a comeback, she and McCain are tied in Michigan, 44% to 44%. McCain leads Clinton by four points among men and trails by two among women.
McCain wins 84% of the Republican vote if Clinton is the nominee, 75% if Obama is the nominee. McCain and Clinton are essentially even among unaffiliated voters while Obama holds an eleven point advantage over McCain among those independent voters. Overall, in most states surveyed recently, Obama performs significantly better against McCain than Clinton. The same dynamic is found nationally in the Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll.
In Michigan, Obama is viewed favorably by 61% of Likely Voters, McCain by 55% and Clinton by 51%.
Forty-eight percent (48%) of Michigan voters name the economy as the top voting issue of 2008. Sixteen percent (16%) name the War in Iraq as the top issue while another 11% name national security as the highest priority. Nationally, Democrats are trusted more than Republicans on most key issues at this time.
Michigan is currently rated as “Likely Democrat” in the Rasmussen Reports Balance of Power Calculator. This Calculator provides a daily update of Electoral College projections by aggregating data from a variety of sources including the latest Rasmussen Reports poll in a state, an average of the latest polling from other firms, Rasmussen Markets data, Intrade market data, analyst ratings and more.
