What happened to the Obama we were promised during the campaign? For those of you who have forgotten, an Obama Presidency was supposed to initiate a new direction for our country--a new embrace of the underlying principles upon which this nation was built. And after his first week in office, it seemed that he might just deliver on that promise. Since then, there has been one reversal after another. The release of the OLC memos notwithstanding, virtually every decision this administration has made after those first few days in office would have been no different had GWB still been in office. Consider three of the more recent betrayals of his stances during the campaign:
The Topeka Rescue Mission Distribution Center, 401 N.W. Norris, has a project for us to do this Saturday from 1 to 5 in the afternoon. I originally set this up for my home meeting group, but other volunteers are invited. Norris is the first street north of the railroad tracks, and the the distribution center is "almost under the Topeka Boulevard bridge" and painted like the Rescue Mission itself. The project will involve sorting donated gifts and/or helping customers in the Christmas gift store.
If you are able to come, please let me know at ian4christ41@yahoo.com! I'll check my mail just before I leave to go there. I'm not able to post this as an event tonight.
Now I've gone and done it. Since there was, apparently, no one else interested in doing this in Topeka, I've announced a "Change is Coming" meeting at my house a week from today at 3:30 p.m.
The President-elect appears to be serious about wanting to involve the people,not just party insiders and his major donor base, in his administration. And his organization has asked for participation in this through grassroots meetings. I think we should support him in this.
Since no one else has volunteered in Topeka, I have volunteered. I earnestly hope others in Topeka will follow suit, since the number who will be able to participate at my house is quite limited (and the available parking is even more limited).
Some of my church friends will likely think I've gone over to the "dark side." But the truth is that I'm not supporting the "dark side," I'm supporting the country and its elected leader, as I explain more fully on my personal blog here.
I've heard Westboro Baptist Church is going to try to picket Barack Obama's grandmother's funeral.
It's just so pointless.
But I figure if I'm doing something the WBC doesn't like (voting for Obama) I'm doing the right thing.
I was at the KDP (Kansas Democratic Party) celebration tonight and although I knew KS would go McCain I wanted to be there with others when the announcement was made. Perfect strangers were hugging each other including me. Gov Kathleen Sebelius gave a wonderful speech and I was crying with joy the whole time.
That joy was tempered with sadness that Nancy Boyda was beat by the disgusting 11th hour ugly campaigning by Lynn Jenkins who I met a few years ago.We talked a bit and when I mentioned I was not a registered Republican Jenkins pulled back the hand she had extended to shake mine as if I had the plague. I wasn't suprised she went dirty on the campaign.
I now for the first time have hope we can get this country back on track. It will be a lot of work, but we are ready. The world is ready.
It has become painfully clear during this election a large chunk of the American population does not understand the basics of how government works (legislative process, the three branches of government and their roles), the idea of the separation of church and state, who the founding fathers were and what they believed not just religiously but politically as well, how the economy works, how much to the mega corporations really pay in taxes after taking advatage of all the loopholes, among many other issues.
Fortunately more people have become interested in all this, but many have fallen victim to highly biased pundants and hate mongers so the information they get is skewed at best.
I would love to see a series of public service anouncements and even things like School House Rock for kids (because of that alone I seem to know more than most - that's scary!) explaining the basics as well as historical context on these topics. Then perhaps explanations of what (I hope with be) President Elect Obama's plans for fixing what is broken.
The 'history lessions' of course would have to be non-partisan and endorsed by a wide variety of people of all backgrounds and political affiliations before some people would accept the information. But we have a historic opportuity here. Senator Obama has received endorsements from movers and shakers in both parties, from people of all walks of life. This could be huge!
An uneducated population is easier to control but an educated population can create great things.
Many of you are aware that the Democratic Party held its national convention this week in Denver, Colorado. What you may not know is exactly what occurs at these conventions. I had the opportunity to travel with the Kansas Democratic Party and work with the staff as a page. My duties would include assisting the Kansas Delegation (which was comprised of the individuals who represented the delegate votes Obama earned from the Kansas Caucus, as well as the alternate delegates), working the daily KDP office hours (9:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m.), and running errands for and doing anything the KDP asked of me. Outside of that, I was there to enjoy the convention and, on a personal level, soak up any and every bit of information regarding politics, politicians, and the process of electing the leaders of our country. Even with that explanation, I still wasn’t quite sure what to expect. I was told repeatedly by numerous people, including Governor Kathleen Sebelius, that I would be run ragged, get very little sleep, and have the time of my life. While this was one of the greatest learning experiences of my life, it was also the biggest party to which I’ve been invited. Each of the four days was packed with political events, fundraisers, brunches, lectures, receptions, concerts, and, of course, parties, all set up to celebrate Barack Obama and democrats from all over the country. Although I am still overwhelmed with all I encountered, I will attempt to recap my trip for those of you curious about an inside look at the Democratic National Convention.
Sunday, August 24, 2008
The KDP held their office hours, so I did my first actual work, which consisted of checking in the arriving delegates and alternates, setting them up with their KDP duffle bags, and answering their questions (or directing them to the KDP staffer who could). Afterward, some of the staffers went to a concert featuring performances by Dave Matthews Band, Sheryl Crow, and Sugarland. I attended a delegate party thrown by the Friends of New Orleans. The event recognized the organizations still working to help Hurricane Katrina victims. It was here where I faced my first open bar, authentic New Orleans music and gumbo, and saw Howard Dean speak. After this party, there was a reception in our hotel for delegates from Kansas and North Carolina (the state with whom we were sharing our hotel). Only at the Democratic National Convention can Kansans and North Carolinians come together, enjoy cocktails, and talk basketball without a riot ensuing. I was disappointed because John Edwards was slated to stay in our hotel, but given the circumstances (exposure of his extra-marital affair), he was absent from the convention. Shortly after midnight the KDP held a staff meeting where we went over the details of the following day, when the convention officially began.
Monday, August 25, 2008
Was up bright and early this morning for breakfast (about 6:00 a.m.). The guest speaker was the governor of Montana, Brian Schweitzer, who I had never heard of, but is now one of my favorite governors. His speech was animated, inspiring, and had the entire room cracking up. After breakfast, Lalo Munoz, my fellow page, and I passed out the credentials that would get delegates, superdelegates, alternates, and other convention officers into the Pepsi Center, where the convention was held. There were three levels of credentials to hand out: the green “floor” level credentials, reserved for delegates, super delegates, and pages; the dark purple “hall” level pass, reserved for “honored guests”; and the light purple “hall” level passes, reserved for alternate delegates and “special guests.” Any credential was a hot ticket, since one was required to even set foot inside the Pepsi Center. Those with the green credentials had access to the convention floor, while the honored guests could sit and watch the convention from the first level of seats; the same went for the special guests/alternates, except they had to sit in the second level of seating. However, either guest could meet a person with a floor credential in the hallway and swap passes for a view of the big show from the floor level. I also saw orange “arena” credentials for members of the press and other VIP guests, which I assume provided access to every level. The two page passes were to be rotated around the KDP staff so that each member got to go to the floor of the convention at least once; my day to go was Monday.
I took a shuttle to the convention, passed through the security tent, walked into the Pepsi Center, rode up the escalator, and, once at the top, looked to my left and saw none other than Dennis Kucinich and his tall, impossibly gorgeous, red-headed wife. Just standing there. Casually giving an interview. Not but ten feet away from me. I was so dumbfounded I just watched as they finished up, went down the escalator and left. As I immediately realized what type of experience I was in for, I kicked myself for not having my camera ready. The convention floor was breathtaking. I found the Kansas delegation but could not sit still for more than two minutes. All evening I ran around like a kid in a candy store. I couldn’t believe all the celebrities, journalists, politicians, pundits, and cultural icons I saw strolling around the Pepsi Center giving interviews, signing autographs, or acting too busy to stop for a picture with star-struck individuals such as myself. Before the night was over, I had pictures of Wolf Blitzer, Anderson Cooper, Joe Scarborough, James Carville (who actually posed for me!), Katie Couric, Charles Gibson, some woman from Fox News whose picture I ended up deleting, Dan Rather, John Kerry, Jesse Jackson, Jr., Claire McCaskill, Ted Kennedy, Caroline Kennedy, Howard Dean, Nancy Pelosi, Susan Surandon, and, the main attraction and one of my heroes, Michelle Obama. All in all, I was in a state of some sort of flabbergasted paralysis, and it was all I could do to keep my mouth from hanging open.
After the convention, I had the daunting task of deciding whether to attend a party hosted by the Democratic Governors Association at Elitch Gardens Six Flags, or the Rock the Vote concert. I picked Six Flags, mostly because I was curious how the combination of roller coasters and an open bar would work.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Tuesday was a little more low-key than Monday. I attended breakfast, handed out credentials, and worked the office hours. I was assigned to look at the schedule of parties and events for the day, decide which events our delegates would be most interested in attending, and tell the KDP’s Executive Director, Mike Gaughan, so he could procure the extra tickets when he took his daily trip downtown. I ended up with special guest credentials to the convention, so I got to see Gov. Brian Schweitzer speak again, which, if not viewed on TV, is a Google-worthy speech; this man is a stand-up comedian. I also got to watch Hillary Clinton’s speech, which was simply amazing. I had always respected Hillary, but as a staunch Obama supporter, I was still programmed to listen to her speak with a defensive ear. But this woman blew me away; she is incredible and will be the first woman president of the United States someday.
After the convention, a friend and I went to a hip hop show of the old-school, beat-box, Adidas-shell top variety. Slick Rick and Biz Markie (“Obama, you! You got what we neee-eed!”) were among the performers, and it was easily one of the best nights of the convention.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
I didn’t do much on Wednesday. I worked in the office as usual, and I was successful in scoring impossible tickets to the Kanye West show for a delegate. I went shopping downtown and watched most of Bill Clinton’s speech at the MSNBC pavilion. I was thankful for the slow-paced, restful day. That evening, my friend and I went to a party sponsored by Voto Latino. We sat at a table next to actress Rosario Dawson. I asked her if I could take her picture and she refused, saying she was in the middle of a conversation. She immediately lost any appeal. Raise your hand if you saw Rent. Now raise your hand if you liked it. Exactly what I thought. Whatever Ms. Dawson. After that we went to a party sponsored by the African American Caucus. There were five different rooms representing the places where the AAC was most active: Los Angeles, New York, South Carolina, Detroit, and Miami. Each room featured its own type of food and style of music. For the record, none of the rooms could compete with Miami.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Today was the greatest day of the convention, not to mention the most stressful. Everybody wanted a credential to get into Invesco Stadium for Barack Obama’s acceptance speech. After breakfast, I spent a lot of extra time in the KDP office waiting around for phone calls. Apparently, there were extra credentials to be picked up, but they were in several different locations. Once the tickets were physically inside the KDP office, calls would be made to the lucky individual who would receive them. I hung around until almost 1:00 p.m. until the kind staffers thanked me for a job well done and told me (and I’m paraphrasing) that I had better get my rear to Invesco, as seating within the sections was first-come, first-serve. Had I known the pandemonium that would follow, I would have left right after breakfast. Lines. Lines twisting and turning for blocks and blocks. Actually, line is not an accurate description. Crowds of people huddled together, some not even knowing which line they were in. The aerial view must have been a sight. Media bigwigs tried flashing press credentials before realizing that we were created equal-we all had to wait in one line or another. I spent a good 45 minutes walking toward the end of a line and never even saw a hint of one. To be completely honest, I cut in line. Yes, I line-jumped; I cheated. I wish I could say I was ashamed to do it, but that would be a lie. After that, it took maybe an hour to get into Invesco. I watched Sheryl Crow, will.I.am, John Legend, and Stevie Wonder perform. Among the speakers I saw were Senator Dick Durbin D-Ill., Governor Bill Richardson, former Vice President Al Gore, and Vice Presidential nominee Joe Biden. I also participated in what I’ll bet was the biggest, most successful version of The Wave in history. Being a part of all this was amazing in and of itself, but I was there to see Barack Obama speak. By the time he took the podium, I was so charged with positive, Democratic energy that tears just streamed down my cheeks. I can hardly put into words how it felt to watch Barack’s historic acceptance speech, because it still has yet to sink in. Periodically, I would just look around at the packed stadium and marvel at all the people who, just like me, tearfully watched this man become the first African-American to accept the Democratic nomination for president of the United States. I managed to keep my composure during the speech, but, by the time he was finished and brought his wife and daughters out to join him on the podium, I could no longer contain my emotions. Part of it had to do with realizing this beautiful African-American family, smiling and waving to the crowd, could become the first family of the United States. The other part came from finally seeing Barack Obama in the flesh. I’ve seen him on TV, read the policies on his website, and downloaded his speeches to my iPod, but I’ve waited so long to hear him speak in person. And to get my chance with this particular venue was tremendous. This is a man who inspired me to get involved in politics beyond reading the newspaper and voting in elections. And I am just one of many. To those of you who scoff and sneer at Obama supporters, dismiss Obama as a “celebrity” candidate, and mock his feat of addressing 84,000 people, I would like to remind you of one thing: The president of the United States is supposed to be popular with the American people.
To summarize, this was the greatest week of my life. It was basically a party magnified to the size akin to that of a wholly mammoth lasting over four days. And the only way to get an invite is to be active in the Democratic Party. The more you participate, the more likely you are to receive tickets to these incredibly exclusive events. The Democratic National Convention is a week-long reward for all the hard work Democrats across the country put in all year, every year. It is too easy to say that one can put in all that work merely for the revelry, and honestly, it would be an accurate statement. But the most vital lesson to be learned here is that participation in politics is a precious human right. It is the most patriotic duty a citizen can perform, even more so than joining the military. The simplest way to partake in the political process is to vote. Too many college students and young adults brush off this most essential responsibility, concluding that their vote won’t count so they won’t waste the time. One of the biggest reasons why I support Barack Obama is because he pays attention to my demographic in a way not seen in this country for a generation. In 2004, 1,300 people turned out to vote in the Kansas Democratic Caucus; in 2008, that number blew up to 37,000; Barack Obama won nearly 75% of that vote. There is a reason why this man runs on the platform of “change.” But those numbers will not mean a thing if people do not turn up at the voting polls Tuesday, November 4. And that doesn’t apply just to those who will vote for Obama. Everyone aged 18 and older needs to get out there and cast their ballot. Who knows? It may take you down a road that ends with the greatest party you will ever experience in your entire life.
All I have to say is WOW! I am amazed on how presidential Barak Obama looked and carried himself tonight and in the previous debate.
I am so glad that he stood his ground and did it with finesse. I hope that his performances in these debates will show how American and ready Barak Obama is to be the NEXT PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES.
I am very stressed about Election Day and hope that this country can look past petty attacks and pick the person that will lead this country in the right direction and put us back on the path to being the America that we can and should be.
1%, or 1 vote out of 100There have been 12 Presidential elections that were decided by less than a 1% margin; meaning if less than 1% of the voters in certain states had changed their mind to the other candidate the outcome of the entire election would have been different. More than half were decided by less than a 2% margin.
In 2004, 57,787 votes would have given us President Kerry.In 2000, 269 votes would have given us President GoreIn 1996, 575,515 votes would have given us President Dole.
From ABC News:
http://blogs.abcnews.com/scienceandsociety/2008/09/squeakers.html
=========="Squeakers"Ned PotterABC NewsSeptember 29, 2008How close have Presidential elections been? Closer, perhaps, than we ever guessed. Mike Sheppard, a grad student in statistics at Michigan State, has done a mathematical exercise that shows it.He ran a computer program to answer this question: "What is the smallest number of total votes that need to be switched from one candidate to another, and from which states, to affect the outcome of the election?"The answer: in some years, very, very few. Take a look at his analysis HERE. It shows the powerful interaction between the popular vote and the electoral college.[...]==========
Full article here:http://blogs.abcnews.com/scienceandsociety/2008/09/squeakers.html
Detailed analysis here, including colored maps:https://www.msu.edu/~sheppa28/elections.html-Mike Sheppard
PLEASE DON'T PICK BAYH AS YOUR VP, BARACK! ALTHOUGH HE MAY HELP YOU WIN INDIANA, HE DOES NOTHING FOR YOU ELSEWHERE...BE BOLD, BARACK! I HOPE I'M WRONG...THOUGHTS?
if john mccain wants to fight dirty, let's roll. what exactly was he doing in vietnam all those years. was he collaborating.? was he affected by stockholm syndrome? was he really tortured? did he give info. to the communists? why was he kept alive, unless he was an asset to the north vietnamese. was he de-briefed? what does his captors say vis a vis; his relationship with the communists? was he forth-coming in their interrogations of him? what do other 'captors' have to say about mccain. was he given special favors? ad infinitum.
ask him these hard questions; watch him crack!
C'mon Barack...please stop giving such safe answers! McCain is driving the debate and it's not helping. Case in the point...the Surge. It's now commonly held (the media's take) that you won't admit the Surge is a success. Simply say (remember the need to keep your answer to 30 sec or less, even tho the answer is much more complicated) the question of whether the Surge is a success is the WRONG question. You opposed the Surge because you oppose an escalation of our involvement in Iraq. You oppose the sacrifice of more American blood in the Iraqi civil war. You opposed further stretching of our already overextended military.
Oh and by the way, McCain has turned totally and completely negative...it's time to hit back...HARD!
I'm still quite miffed at Barack for all his 180 degree changes recently. Actually, I'm in a snit. I might work out of it. But I'm an unhappy Obamamaniac right now.
I'm not the only one. I've talked to other BHO supporters who are no longer "fired up, ready to go" as they were because of Barack's pandering to the Right. We'll vote for him but he has to get back on the "change" and "hope" track if he wants us to get off our butts and our wallets.
Barack, I'm just sayin'.
Todd Epp
SD Watch http://www.southdakotawatch.net
Most of you know Reggie, one of Barack's biggest supporters, who is an American living in Germany. I'm writing today to support Reggie's daughter Josie. She has made special gifts for Senator Obama's daughters, Sasha and Malia, and it is her biggest wish to be able to deliver them when Senator Obama visits Germany this month. Here's an excerpt from Reggie's blog: " But there's another reason why Josie wants this so much I believe and I'd like to share that with you now. Josie is also a child of mixed race. This is not always easy for her here in Germany. She is often teased or out right insulted in school because of her skin tone or her hair. We had to change her school after the first year because her classmates repeatedly said things like "We don't play with Chocolatie" .... thats one of the nice quotes. The grand parents on her mother's side as well as the brother and his kids refuse to have anything to do with her while embracing her half brother who is not mixed. She is not invited to any birthday parties from the family or taken along on any trips. All Josie has from family here is her mother and myself. " Please visit Reggie's blog, and send an email to HQ voicing your support for Josie, along with a link to Reggie's blog. Let's do it for Josie.
http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/reggie%20montgomery/gGxlsY
During the Nuremberg trials after WWII, it was determined that the excuse "I was just following orders" was insufficient--setting an important precedent. Recently, however, Congress determined that those who administered torture to terrorist suspects should be immune from prosecution because they were, after all, just following orders--in spite of the fact that these actions were, by definition, War Crimes. Now, the House has decided that those who participated in the illegal wiretapping program of the Bush team should also be immune from prosecution. Again, it would seem that the excuse of following orders takes precedent over law. Politicians speak of personal responsibility, but when it comes to performing illegal actions at the behest of the government, apparently any action is acceptable. What has happened to personal accountability in our government? What has happened to the rule of law? It would seem that law and even the Constitution has been hijacked by the Bush cabal and been replaced with "Whatever the president says."
The president would be incapable of eviscerating our Bill of Rights without plenty of help from Congress, and he's gotten it, from his first days in office up to the present time, the switch from a Republican majority to a Democratic one has not altered this dynamic significantly. Why do the Demos think they were given majorities in both houses by the electorate in 2006? to continue to act as rubber stamp/door mat to the president whim? I know why I, an independent, voted for them--in the hopes of providing some actual resistence to this president's varied crimes against democracy. Instead, what we have mostly witnessed are the democrats falling all over themselves to queue up to the president's agenda. This president has done more than enough in the way of criminal and unconstitutional actions to warrant impeachment and conviction, but barring that, I would have hoped the Demos would have at least limited further damage. But what have we seen? A few words of condemnation, and then the Demos back the Bush policies. We see them pass every Iraq funding measure nearly exactly as Bush wanted, We saw them vote "yea" on Mukasey--the third in a series of Bush's catastrophically clueless attorneys general. And now this FISA bill, giving the Republicans more than they even thought was realistically possible. And now Obama himself, rather than take a principled stand, has decided to go along, indicating he'll make a half-hearted effort at taking out the immunity provisions of the bill. I do not believe this bodes well for the future if our candidate for president--a man who bills himself as person of strong ideals--does not stand up against this further constriction of our rights guaranteed by the Fourth Amendment--does not stand up against giving immunity to lawbreakers–does not stand up against this President and his lawless agenda.
It would seem to be a done deal--the Democrats once again, now led by Obama, will line up with the Republicans on this issue. So why should I not vote of the basis of a coin flip in the November elections? Talk is cheap. I'd like to see some principled action.
Just got back from Topeka, Kansas, site of the annual Kansas State Bar Convention. One of the time honored traditions is a bar show put on by local lawyers and judges that includes lots of singing, dancing, acting, and satire.
The chief focus of the event was Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, governor of the great state of Kansas and sometimes mentioned as a possible running mate for Sen. Barack Obama.
If left to Kansas judges and lawyers, it seems Gov. Sebelius is the shoo-in for Barack's Veep choice. The series of skits ended with her sitting at a big desk with a huge "Vice President of the USA" and the VP seal in front of it.
Who's to doubt the wisdom of members of the Kansas Bar, I ask you?! ;)
Read more at SD Watch: http://www.southdakotawatch.net
