Bay Area Women for Barack

Complaint to KOFY TV 20 for airing Coral Ridge

Jane Jax — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 03:09:36 EDT

I sent the following to KOFY TV20 because the aired a very biased piece on a supposed religious program called Coral Ridge. You can view the clip I am complaining about at this link

http://www.coralridge.org/medialibrary/default.aspx?mediaID=CRH0934_F

I am writing to complain about the program "Coral Ridge" that aired on your station Sunday morning from 7:30-8am. I only caught the last 10 minutes of this program but was APPALLED by the lies about the proposed Federal Health care program that this show propagated. In an effort to garner donations from it's viewers, this program stated the "Obamacare" (this is the word they used) would cause rationing of medicines and procedures using a graphic example of an old man who needed a special drug when he was very ill in the hospital. Coral Ridge insinuated if this man had been cared for under the “Obamacare” he would be dead because he would not receive the needed medicine. It also perpetuated the myth that there would be “death panels” and old people would not be given care and left to die as younger folks would be deemed more valuable to society.

These are lies, propaganda and political speech on a supposed religious program. I strongly protest and request that this misleading program be removed from your airwaves.
Thank you for your consideration.

I urge anyone reading this to also complain to KOFY TV 20 for airing this program. You can do so here: http://www.kofytv.com/feedback/30516734.html

President Obama Needs Our Support Now!

Dr. Barbara Palmer — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 14:12:00 EDT

Let's get moving with the same enthusiasm we had in getting President Obama elected. Those who are shouting and disrupting do NOT represent the majority of Americans. Our voices need to be heard. Now more than ever, we must be a united America. "Health Care For All", "Homes For All", "Jobs For All", "Education For All", " Peace For All", these are our rallying calls. Knock on doors, make phone calls, write letters to the editor. Be heard.

Health Care Reform Kickoff

Catherine Kavasch — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 00:17:40 EDT

I'm so glad that all the wonderful folks who attended the Health Care Reform Kickoff at my house yesterday took the time to attend, to share their personal stories, and take the first step in building support for National Health Care Reform.
I asked my guest to do two things at www.barackobama.com 1) Declare support for President Obama's 3 key principles for real health care reform at http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/organizingforhealthcare 2) Post their Health Care story at http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/healthcarestory

We were able to accomplish the three objectives of the kick off meeting: 1) Practice telling our personal stories - which is our most essential tool we will use as we talk to our friends and neighbors about the urgency of Health Care Reform. 2) Learn President Obama's three key principles for health care reform - reduce costs, guaranteed choice, and affordable care for all. 3) Plan for action - assist in the Blood Drive and Health Fair on Saturday, June 27 from 11:00- 3:00 pm by planning to attend, spreading the word, distributing flyers or even contacting local health care and healthy lifestyle organizations either non-profit or for-profit to see if they will come and man a table or just send literature or give-aways. We began recruiting our neighbors by making phone calls. In less than 20 minutes, we were able to make 55 phone calls, contacted 8 people, 5 of whom committed to support the three key principles, one who also committed and one who might attend our Blood Drive and Health Fair. This kickoff meeting was so fun it was like running a mini Camp Obama!

Re: Senate reaches "agreement" - now what?

Holly Jaramillo — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 10:21:51 EST

Dear All,

The following is an important post from "We Are The Change" on where things stand with the stimulus package, what has been taken OUT of the package, what's up next, and what can still be put back INTO the package. This is a good synopsis and let's us know what WE can do to effect change here. - Holly

Marta Evry sent a message to the members of We Are The Change.

--------------------
Subject: UPDATE - Senate reaches an "agreement" on Stimulus Bill. Now what?

Hi all,

As you probably already know, the Senate has reached an agreement to pass ARRP (American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan) with some pretty major amendments proposed by the so-called "gang of 16" moderate Senators. The amendments gut funding for states and "income support" provisions for COBRA and medicare for the unemployed (and a bunch of other stuff too) in order to make it easier to swallow for the few Senate Republicans willing to come along for the ride.

However, the Senate has yet to cast an actual vote. That's expected to happen on Sunday. The bill, as proposed, will pass with 61 votes. Hopefully. Or not. We'll see.

Specter, Snowe and Collins are going to be under some very intense pressure from the Limbaugh Screaming Clown Brigade for the next 48 hours...........

Once the bill passes, it has to go back to conference committee to be reconciled with the House version. This is where things could get really interesting, because once the bill is in committee, whatever changes are agreed to there can't be filibustered.

Let me repeat that.

Whatever changes happen in committee CAN NOT BE FILIBUSTERED. We only need an up and down majority vote in the House and Senate to make this happen.

We will not need a single Republican vote to pass the ARRP.

Not a one.

So what do we need to do now?

Keep calling.

Focus on Specter, Snowe and Collins. Tell them you support their brave stance. DO NOT CRITICIZE THEM for gutting the bill. We need to keep them strong and focused for the next few days.

Then call your own Senator and tell them once the bill is in committee, to restore the gutted provisions to the House version pronto.

It's that simple.

Below, is a "Cliff Notes" version of an impact report on the House version of ARRP prepared by Mark Zandi, the Chief Economist for Moody's.

If you want to read the entire thing, go to this link: http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http://www.economy.com%2Fmark-zandi%2Fdocuments%2FEconomic_Stimulus_House_Plan_012109.pdf

This will be your secret weapon, your silver bullet. Keep it close to your heart but spread it far and wide. It explains in simple layman's terms what AARP is, and how and why it works.

Have at it.

- Marta Evry

________________________

AMERICAN RECOVERY AND REINVESTMENT PLAN FACT SHEET
Source: Mark Zandi - Chief Economist , Moody's http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http://Economy.com

Overview

The fiscal stimulus plan proposed by the House Democrats includes a reasonably designed mix of government spending increases and tax cuts. The spending increases total about $550 billion in 2009-2010, and there are $275 billion in tax cuts. (total $875 billion)

Increased government spending provides a large economic bang for the buck and thus significantly boosts the economy. The benefits begin as soon as the money is disbursed and are less likely than tax cuts to be diluted by an increase in imports. The most effective proposals included in the House stimulus plan are extending unemployment insurance benefits, expanding the food stamp program, and increasing aid to state and local governments.

Increasing infrastructure spending will also greatly boost the economy, particularly as the current downturn is expected to last for an extended period. Most of the infrastructure money will be spent on hiring workers and on materials and equipment produced domestically.

Tax cuts generally provide less of an economic boost, particularly if they are temporary; on the other hand they can be implemented quickly. A particular plus for individual tax cuts included in the House stimulus plan such as the payroll tax and earned income tax credits is that they are targeted to benefit lower- and middle-income households that are more likely to spend the extra cash quickly. Investment and job tax benefits for businesses are less economically effective, but are not very costly and more widely distribute the benefits of the stimulus plan.

Income support

The House stimulus plan includes some $100 billion over two years in income support for those households under significant financial pressure.

This includes extra benefits for workers who exhaust their regular 26 weeks of unemployment insurance benefits; expanded food stamp payments; and help meeting COBRA payments for unemployed workers trying to hold onto their health insurance.

People who receive these benefits are hard pressed and will spend any financial aid they receive very quickly.

Another advantage is that these programs are already operating and can quickly deliver a benefit increase to recipients. The virtue of extending UI benefits goes beyond simply providing aid for the jobless to more broadly shoring up household confidence. Nothing is more psychologically debilitating, even to those still employed, than watching unemployed friends and relatives lose their sources of support. Increasing food stamp benefits has the added virtue of helping people ineligible for UI such as part-time workers.

Aid to state and local governments

Another potent tool included in the House stimulus plan consists of some $200 billion in aid to state and local governments over two years. This takes the form of a temporary increase in the Medicaid matching rate to ease the costs of healthcare coverage; help to local school districts; and broader fiscal relief to states to prevent cuts in key programs.

More than 40 states and a rapidly increasing number of localities are grappling with significant fiscal problems. Tax revenue growth has slowed as home sales, property values, retail sales and corporate profits have all fallen. Personal income tax receipts have begun to suffer as the job market slumps. Big states including California and Florida are under severe financial pressure, and smaller states including Arizona, Minnesota and Maryland are struggling significantly. The gap between state and local government revenues and expenditures ballooned to over $100 billion.

Arguments that state governments should be forced to cut spending because they have grown bloated and irresponsible are strained, at best. State government spending and employment are no larger today as a share of total economic activity and employment than they were three decades ago.

Infrastructure Spending

Increased infrastructure spending is also a particularly effective way to stimulate the economy included in the House stimulus plan.

The plan includes $160 billion in such spending over two years, with $90 billion in more traditional infrastructure such as highway construction, public transit and waterways; a $70 billion for a variety of energy, science and healthcare projects. The boost to GDP from every dollar spent on public infrastructure is large—an estimated $1.59—and there is little doubt that the nation has underinvested in infrastructure for some time, to the increasing detriment of the nation's long-term growth prospects.

The argument against including infrastructure spending as a part of any fiscal stimulus plan is that it takes substantial time for the funds to flow into the broader economy. Infrastructure projects can take years from planning to completion. Moreover, even if the funds are used to finance only projects that are well along in their planning—so-called shovel-ready projects—it is difficult to know just when projects will get under way and when the money will be spent.

These are reasonable concerns in most recessions, but the economy's current problems appear likely to continue for some time. It is also reasonable to be worried that this spending will be used on pork-barrel projects chosen not for political rather than economic reasons. To address this worry, policymakers plan to put in place tight controls to monitor the spending.

Tax Cuts

The House stimulus plan includes an estimated $165 billion in tax cuts for individuals and $110 billion in business tax cuts over two years. The largest part of the individual tax cut is a permanent payroll tax credit for workers, amounting to as much as $1,000 for married couples.

The payroll tax credit will be particularly effective, as the benefit will go to lower income households that do not necessarily earn enough to pay income tax. These households are much more likely to spend any tax benefit they receive.

The temporary tax incentives to support business investment and hiring in the House stimulus plan do not provide a particularly large economic benefit.

Accelerated depreciation by large businesses and expensing of investment by small businesses lowers the cost of capital only modestly and is not a critical factor in businesses' investment decisions, particularly when sales and pricing are so weak. The carry-back of business losses helps cash-strapped businesses, perhaps forestalling some cuts in investment and jobs, but it is unlikely to prompt much additional business expansion as it does not improve businesses' prospects.

However, including business tax cuts in the stimulus plan is not very expensive, and they distribute the benefits of the stimulus more widely. This is useful if it expands political support for the stimulus plan and thus accelerates its adoption. Moreover, the depreciation benefits included in last year’s fiscal stimulus have expired, and extending them through 2010 would forestall a badly timed additional factor (however small) depressing business investment.

The National Economic impact

Implementation of the House Democratic fiscal stimulus plan in early 2009 would provide a sub tantial benefit to the economy.

The stimulus will not keep the downturn from becoming the worst since the Great Depression, but it will ensure that the current episode remains a recession and not a depression.
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To reply to this message, follow the link below:
http://www.facebook.com/n/?inbox/readmessage.php&t=50985392763&aref=381382

Washington Blog

Jill 4 Obama — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 07:04:26 EST

THE BRIEFING ROOM • THE BLOG
Monday, January 26th, 2009 at 4:35 pm From peril to progress (Update 1: Full Remarks) "This moment of peril must be turned to one of progress," President Barack Obama said this morning, as he signed his first two Presidential Memoranda aimed at getting us on the path to energy independence. In what he called "a down payment on a broader and sustained effort to reduce our dependence on foreign oil," President Obama directed the Department of Transportation (DOT) to establish higher fuel efficiency standards for carmakers' 2011 model year. The standard, known as Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE), was established in 1975 in the wake of the Arab Oil Embargo.
The second memo paves the way for California and more than a dozen other states to raise emissions standards above and beyond the national standard. They'd asked to do so before, but the Bush administration had denied the request.
"Instead of serving as a partner, Washington stood in their way," President Obama said. "The days of Washington dragging its heels are over."
Before he opened his remarks, President Obama took a moment to address the new raft of bad economic news of the past few days -- including job cuts at Microsoft, The Home Depot, and Sprint/Nextel.

Read the President's full remarks below.
Remarks by the President
on Jobs, Energy Independence, and Climate Change
East Room of the White House
January 26, 2009

Good morning. Before I begin today's announcement, I want to say a few words about the deepening economic crisis that we've inherited and the need for urgent action.

Over the last few days we've learned that Microsoft, Intel, United Airlines, Home Depot, Sprint Nextel, and Caterpillar are each cutting thousands of jobs. These are not just numbers on a page. As with the millions of jobs lost in 2008, these are working men and women whose families have been disrupted and whose dreams have been put on hold.

We owe it to each of them and to every, single American to act with a sense of urgency and common purpose. We can't afford distractions and we cannot afford delays. And that is why I look forward to signing an American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan that will put millions of Americans to work and lay the foundation for stable growth that our economy needs and that our people demand. These are extraordinary times and it calls for swift and extraordinary action.

At a time of such great challenge for America, no single issue is as fundamental to our future as energy. America's dependence on oil is one of the most serious threats that our nation has faced. It bankrolls dictators, pays for nuclear proliferation, and funds both sides of our struggle against terrorism. It puts the American people at the mercy of shifting gas prices, stifles innovation and sets back our ability to compete.

These urgent dangers to our national and economic security are compounded by the long-term threat of climate change, which if left unchecked could result in violent conflict, terrible storms, shrinking coastlines and irreversible catastrophe. These are the facts and they are well known to the American people -- after all, there is nothing new about these warnings. Presidents have been sounding the alarm about energy dependence for decades. President Nixon promised to make our energy -- our nation energy independent by the end of the 1970s. When he spoke, we imported about a third of our oil; we now import more than half.

Year after year, decade after decade, we've chosen delay over decisive action. Rigid ideology has overruled sound science. Special interests have overshadowed common sense. Rhetoric has not led to the hard work needed to achieve results. Our leaders raise their voices each time there's a spike in gas prices, only to grow quiet when the price falls at the pump.

Now America has arrived at a crossroads. Embedded in American soil and the wind and the sun, we have the resources to change. Our scientists, businesses and workers have the capacity to move us forward. It falls on us to choose whether to risk the peril that comes with our current course or to seize the promise of energy independence. For the sake of our security, our economy and our planet, we must have the courage and commitment to change.

It will be the policy of my administration to reverse our dependence on foreign oil, while building a new energy economy that will create millions of jobs. We hold no illusion about the task that lies ahead. I cannot promise a quick fix; no single technology or set of regulations will get the job done. But we will commit ourselves to steady, focused, pragmatic pursuit of an America that is free from our energy dependence and empowered by a new energy economy that puts millions of our citizens to work.

Today, I'm announcing the first steps on our journey toward energy independence, as we develop new energy, set new fuel efficiency standards, and address greenhouse gas emissions. Each step begins to move us in a new direction, while giving us the tools that we need to change.

First, we must take bold action to create a new American energy economy that creates millions of jobs for our people. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan before Congress places a down payment on this economy. It will put 460,000 Americans to work, with clean energy investments and double the capacity to generate alternative energy over the next three years. It will lay down 3,000 miles of transmission lines to deliver this energy to every corner of our country. It will save taxpayers $2 billion a year by making 75 percent of federal buildings more efficient. And it will save working families hundreds of dollars on their energy bills by weatherizing 2 million homes.

This is the boost that our economy needs, and the new beginning that our future demands. By passing the bill, Congress can act where Washington has failed to act over and over again for 30 years. We need more than the same old empty promises. We need to show that this time it will be different. This is the time that Americans must come together on behalf of our common prosperity and security.

Second, we must ensure that the fuel-efficient cars of tomorrow are built right here in the United States of America. Increasing fuel efficiency in our cars and trucks is one of the most important steps that we can take to break our cycle of dependence on foreign oil. It will also help spark the innovation needed to ensure that our auto industry keeps pace with competitors around the world.

We will start by implementing new standards for model year 2011 so that we use less oil and families have access to cleaner, more efficient cars and trucks. This rule will be a down payment on a broader and sustained effort to reduce our dependence on foreign oil. Congress has passed legislation to increase standards to at least 35 miles per gallon by 2020. That 40 percent increase in fuel efficiency for our cars and trucks could save over 2 million barrels of oil every day -- nearly the entire amount of oil that we import from the Persian Gulf.

Going forward, my administration will work on a bipartisan basis in Washington and with industry partners across the country to forge a comprehensive approach that makes our economy stronger and our nation more secure.

Third, the federal government must work with, not against, states to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. California has shown bold and bipartisan leadership through its effort to forge 21st century standards, and over a dozen states have followed its lead. But instead of serving as a partner, Washington stood in their way. This refusal to lead risks the creation of a confusing and patchwork set of standards that hurts the environment and the auto industry.

The days of Washington dragging its heels are over. My administration will not deny facts, we will be guided by them. We cannot afford to pass the buck or push the burden onto the states. And that's why I'm directing the Environmental Protection Agency to immediately review the denial of the California waiver request and determine the best way forward. This will help us create incentives to develop new energy that will make us less dependent on oil that endangers our security, our economy, and our planet.

As we move forward, we will fully take into account the unique challenges facing the American auto industry and the taxpayer dollars that now support it. And let me be clear: Our goal is not to further burden an already struggling industry. It is to help America's automakers prepare for the future. This commitment must extend beyond the short-term assistance for businesses and workers. We must help them thrive by building the cars of tomorrow, and galvanizing a dynamic and viable industry for decades to come.

Finally, we will make it clear to the world that America is ready to lead. To protect our climate and our collective security, we must call together a truly global coalition. I've made it clear that we will act, but so too must the world. That's how we will deny leverage to dictators and dollars to terrorists. And that's how we will ensure that nations like China and India are doing their part, just as we are now willing to do ours.

It's time for America to lead, because this moment of peril must be turned into one of progress. If we take action, we can create new industries and revive old ones; we can open new factories and power new farms; we can lower costs and revive our economy. We can do that, and we must do that. There's much work to be done. There is much further for us to go.

But I want to be clear from the beginning of this administration that we have made our choice. America will not be held hostage to dwindling resources, hostile regimes, and a warming planet. We will not be put off from action because action is hard. Now is the time to make the tough choices. Now is the time to meet the challenge at this crossroad of history by choosing a future that is safer for our country, prosperous for our planet, and sustainable.

Those are my priorities, and they're reflected in the executive orders that I'm about to sign. Thank you so much for being here.

YES WE DID, YES WE MUST

Carla Mays — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 10:01:37 EST

YES WE DID! YES WE MUST:

Þ Protect him from harm both verbal & phyiscal

Þ Stay "FIRED UP" by staying active

Þ Work Bi-Partisan to bring "Change" together

Þ Don't just bitch, get active and stay engaged

Þ Start and join a local "Change" group

Þ Be philanthropic, serve your community, state and nation

Þ Stick by Obama, STOP smears on the Right & the Left!!!! Hold yourself responsible as you hold Barack!

Join the future of this movement!!

http://change.gov/joinus

http://www.communityorganize.com

http://www.ourpresidency.com

http://www.usaservice.org

http://www.whitehouse.gov

Barack's DNC 2004 Speech

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWynt87PaJ0&feature=PlayList&p=B1939005B8A4D4ED&index=188

Barack's DNC 2008 Speech

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ato7BtisXzE&feature=channel

Barack’s Election Acceptance Speech

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7wJ-2Zu_Iic&feature=channel

Barack’s Inauguration Speech

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjnygQ02aW4

Yes We Can :: From Barack Obama, President-Elect

Sarah Gallagher — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 22:20:11 EST

I'm about to head to Grant Park to talk to everyone gathered there, but I wanted to write to you first.

We just made history.

And I don't want you to forget how we did it.

You made history every single day during this campaign -- every day you knocked on doors, made a donation, or talked to your family, friends, and neighbors about why you believe it's time for change.

I want to thank all of you who gave your time, talent, and passion to this campaign.

We have a lot of work to do to get our country back on track, and I'll be in touch soon about what comes next.

But I want to be very clear about one thing...

All of this happened because of you.

Thank you,

Barack

Our Time is Now: Vote Today

Sarah Gallagher — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 08:15:00 EST

Make sure you know your polling place and get out to vote today. Take a friend and cast your votes.

Change is within our reach. We're counting on you to get us there today.
www.voteforchange.com

Obama Supporters Rally for Change in California

Sarah Gallagher — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 21:01:52 EST

Obama supporters held rallies in San Francisco, San Diego, Los Angeles and Sacramento today. Hundreds of Obama supporters and local elected officials came together to show their support for Obama and rally to get everyone fired up to vote.

After the rallies, the supporters hit area phone banks to make phone calls to swing state voters, encouraging them to get to their polling places and cast their ballots for Obama.

Find a polling place near you at Last Call for Change.

Count your vote Make it count

Duane Kuehn — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 12:59:38 EST

Hi All,

     Election Day is upon us, then we can go back to regular commercials on television.
     Congratulations, it appears that everyone's hard work will surely "pay-off".

    Unfortunately, one major problem remains unaddressed and appears to be worse this year, more widespread, than the 2004 election. Vote Fraud. Not, mind you, voter fraud, but computer dysfunction, hacking, and even built in "flip" voting.

     Do we remember the 2004 election? All the networks declared John Kerry the winner, except Fox News. As the very important Florida votes came in, Fox News declared George Bush the winner. The other networks checked their own figures and "gosh darn" George Bush was the winner. How did that happen, all the other networks somehow had the wrong figures, or more exactly, suddenly those figures "flipped".

     Later, December 2004, a man named Clint Curtis testified under oath before the House Judiciary Committee on vote fraud.

      http://www.brasschecktv.com/page/465.html

     Mr. Curtis testified that he worked for Yang Enterprises Incorporated (which proudly proclaims on its site, "To provide high quality engineering and computer services for both the government and private industries"). Clint Curtis testified under oath that he was approached to create and did create a program that would “flip” a percentage of the votes to the other candidate. I hope you will click the link and watch the full video (from a movie insert but apparently the true testimony)

     The House Judiciary Committee did find vote "flipping" in the Presidential election of 2004. One "hint" of this happening is the flicker on the screen. The program which Curtis mentions, however, does not "flip" as the individual votes, a person flips a specific percentage of the votes after the voting is finished. Did the 2004 Florida vote “flip” at the last minute? We the People should be very worried.

     Already, some machines are showing flickers, many called “over or under sensitive screen problems etc. This is not some programmer or screen-maker error. This could easily be resolved in programming, why was it not done. We like to believe in honesty, especially in the election process, however, it is just no longer feasible to believe this.

     Like it or not, we need to take back our country, "change from the ground-upward" as we have been told. Our politicians will do nothing to address this problem but "We the People" will, in order to KEEP this more perfect Union more perfect!

     Election Day, Tuesday November 4, 2008, I plan to go to my appointed voting place, vote and stay there, all day if I must.

     I will take with me a large cardboard box having a hole cut in the top. I will take thousands of slips of scratch paper and a gang of pencils. Staying at least 25 feet from the building entrance, I will ask voters to please write "M" or "McCain or "O" or "Obama" on a slip and put it, unseen, into the box.

     Explaining that this is an anonymous gathering of the votes to check with the computer totals at this precinct to make sure there is no large difference between the ballots cast inside and the intended receiver of that individual vote. The ballot is the private business of the individual voter but the total of votes cast and for whom is important to keep the system honest.

     I will wear no campaign materials, this is not for campaigning, supporters are to take the day off, says Obama. You deserve that.

     This situation, however, demands our time. We are doing this for the honesty of this election and the protection of future elections in this country. If the other candidate wins in our individual districts, one need not be happy but we know that we are able to accept what comes.

     We are much stronger than to tamper with the paper trail we are creating in our individual districts. Tampering, with our own totals, will only do us harm and is out of the question. This is for the future voting rights of all Americans.

     I am inviting anyone to volunteer for this with me. Regardless of political affiliation, color, creed, etc. This is for the nation at large, not for our individual egos. Wherever you live, gather and do your individual precincts.

     I hope you will join me in this. Some may scoff at me but I do not care, this very Democracy deserves my time. Be it alone all day, I wholly plan to do this.
     I hope that you will do the same at your precincts. We have come too far to trust this election to others. Nobody will watch out for us, We must take action. If the results are true, then great. If the results are incorrect and we have done nothing, we get what we get, like it or not.

     For input or more information please contact me at   de-wah@usa.com
Loveya,
Duane Kuehn

California Phone Bankers Don't Quit

Sarah Gallagher — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 10:47:43 EST

Californians made a record number of phone calls to Obama supporters across the country, encouraging them to get to the polls and cast their votes.
Joined by celebrities like Orlando Bloom and Eliza Dushku, volunteers overflowed offices across California, sitting on file cabinets, in garages, in alleyways, on yards so that they could call for change all day.Check out the slideshow for more, then join us at a phone bank near you to make history!

Ryan Phillippe Works for Change

Sarah Gallagher — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 01:46:52 EDT

On Friday, Oct 31, Ryan Phillippe joined volunteers at the Obama for America California HQ to make phone calls asking voters in critical battleground states to get to the polls and cast their votes.

To learn more about what Ryan's volunteer effort and how you can get involved too, watch below and then go to Last Call For Change to find a phone bank near your house.

Adrian Grenier Gets to Work at Barack TV

Sarah Gallagher — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 17:09:07 EDT

Adrian Grenier, from HBO's hit show Entourage, joined volunteers at California Obama HQ to work for change, making phone calls to battleground states.

Adrian made calls to swing state voters, encouraging them to get to the polls to cast their votes for Barack Obama.

The volunteers took a break to watch Barack's 30 minute address to America on TV, then were fired by a quick speech from Mary Jane Stevenson, our Field Director. Everyone then got back on the phones, the office was quickly buzzing again with the voices of volunteers working to Get Out the Vote! Join volunteers at a phone bank near you to help Barack Get Out the Vote in the final days of this election!: ca.barackobama.com/LastCallCA

Make History for Barack, Alameda! Call Voters in Battleground States This Weekend!

V, aka VCubed/Virginia V — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 17:07:35 EDT

VCubed to alamedaforobama show details 2:02 PM Reply As our candidate said in his 'closing argument':

"In one week, at this defining moment in history, you can give this country the change we need.... We can't afford to slow down, sit back, or let up for one day, one minute, or one second in this last week. Not now. Not when so much is at stake." For more, select link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XDw5_d0M-wc&NR=1

Sign up now, to put Alameda on the map as history-makers, when we break yet another record phone banking battleground states for Barack! If you hate to call, come tally or enter data when lists are done, or bring snacks for hardworking callers. Pass on this email to every friend you have in Alameda!

Saturday, pick a 2-hr shift or two, or three!
http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/gprtf3

Sunday, pick a 2-hr shift or two, or three!
http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/gprtzl

Oakland HOPE Mural

Sarah Gallagher — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 13:32:10 EDT

Faced with some open wall space next to the Oakland Obama office, Volunteers decided to create a mural as a tribute to the amazing campaign efforts of the East Bay community and their dedication to HOPE over fear.

The team plans to add a large white cloud beneath the "HOPE" with the
question: "What are you hoping for?" so that folks can add their thoughts to the mural.

If you're in the Oakland / Berkeley area, please stop by and add to the wall!

One more fundraiser

Margaret S. — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 01:27:20 EDT

We had an amazing Fundraiser this past weekend. It was held at Margarido House in Oakland, CA, the first Northern CA LEED certified home-this means its super "green." It is a beautiful home that is a great example of what homes and businesses could be in a sustainable environment under Barack Obama.

We raised over $5000, had over 100 guests touring the home and just hanging out, there were loads of young kids racing around, live music, and such a great Obama vibe. Several guests and donors came to me to thank us for giving them a place to participate. One man siad he wanted to give and support the campaign but just didn't know how. Finally, this was a place that he could "plug in."

When people say they don't have time, I now ask if they have any money to give instead. If they say they have no money I ask what extra time might they have, even if just 30 minutes for a few phone calls.

I am a mother of two small children and work full time. Perhaps I am not like a normal person as I am more than willing to sacrifice my time and relationships for this brief period to help make history. This is too important. If we don't have time now, when will we have time?

Making a difference by bus, plane or phone: Palo Alto Rally Wrap Up from Giselle Schmitz

Sarah Gallagher — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 17:41:07 EDT

Sunday's Obama rally at Palo Alto City Hall energized the troops.

Red, white and blue balloons brightened the plaza and a vast array of Obama T-Shirts and buttons adorned rally goers.

State Senator Leland Yee delivered a stirring speech on the importance of electing Barack Obama for both the country and the world. State Senator Elaine Alquist also spoke. Obama for America Regional Field Director Giselle Schmitz urged everyone to either travel to a battleground state, or to reach out to voters non-stop until election day on the phone banks.

More than 200 callers showed up, with the top award for "Top Agent of Change" going to Stanford student Marisa Juárez with 162 calls. Congratulations Marissa! Phone bankers were divided up into teams, named "hope," "inspiration" and "change." Callers sat scattered throughout the plaza working their phone lists, enjoying the balmy late October weather. The excitement was palpable, in the air a sense of hope and expectation, and recognition of the work still to be done.

Capitalism Unmasked

Mon, 27 Oct 2008 14:51:41 EDT

The economic crisis we are facing poses particular problems for the new administration. Any president will have to confront the dregs of a failed policy, but also a system that has perpetrated greed and avarice for the few at the expense of most of us. It is my view and that of many others, however, that it will take more than a policy shift as suggested by Senator Obama to put our country back to work, solve the many social and economic problems the masses face and get us out of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. I want to share the thoughts of my compatriot, an unrepentent anticapitalist, whose views on this issue I endorse 100%. -- Fran Beal

Capitalism: The Great Unmasking

by Linda Burnham

Capitalism in crisis is a sight to behold. Most of the time the system seems to hum along quite nicely. Oh, maybe a passel of people loses their jobs when some big-headed suit at the top decides to up and move on to a cheaper labor market. And maybe a city or two, or even a whole region, goes bankrupt and destitute, shops boarded up, ghosts in the street. Maybe a generation of young people ends up poorly educated because nobody could figure out how to turn a decent profit schooling ten-year-olds, so it slid down to the bottom of the priority list. Maybe there’s an aberration here or there, like the positive incentive to filling up prisons. But overall, the thing has the reputation of the proverbial well-oiled machine, humming along and delivering the greatest good to the greatest number. And besides, it’s the only machine in town.

But then it breaks down. Spectacularly.

And it turns out that this highest possible form of human development has more than a few foundational flaws, the relevant one at the moment being that it is subject, inevitably and constitutionally, to periodic, devastating crisis.

At such moments the verities of capital are called into question, and not by the closet Marxists and nostalgic revolutionaries. No, the capitalists themselves, in deed if not in word, are heaving great chunks of their ideology overboard. Invisible hand of the market? Heave ho. Limited government intervention in business? Heave ho. Self-correcting system? Heave ho. Whatever it takes to re-stabilize the system, let’s do it. Principles be damned.

The pragmatic and temporary abandonment of core ideological beliefs is a great unmasking. And behind the mask – fear, befuddlement, bravado.

The lords of finance live in a universe in which they are rewarded for being both insatiable and delusional. With maximizing profits as their single imperative they toil daily at the task of turning every human relationship and every form of matter – animal, vegetable or mineral – into a monetized asset. The only limits on how many ways that monetized asset can be reconfigured and repackaged; the only limits on how many times it can be resold; the only limits on how many ways profit can be wrung out of it are the limits of the imagination. We’re human; our imagination is without limits. We’ve figured out how to buy, sell and lease the air space above buildings and the wind blowing across the plains. And here you thought “inherit the wind” was just a metaphor. But at least the air is a substance you can feel and hear and, on a crisp fall day, smell. Our boys are way beyond that, having long since abandoned the molecular to trade in the entirely immaterial.

So those are the rules they’ve been playing by. Did the current crop of players make up those rules? No, they are the rules of the reproduction of capital and the current players just happen to be in the game at a time when, abetted by the information superhighway and in the context of globalization, they’ve triggered a crisis that may yet turn out to be steeper, wider and deeper than any in recent history. As anybody standing on the corner could tell you, don’t hate the player, hate the game.

And the rest of us? What are we to them? We are the human embodiment of the capacity to carry and pay off debt. That’s it, that’s all. We are our credit scores. We might as well have them flashing on an LED display implanted in our foreheads.

We’ve been suckered, cajoled, manipulated and coerced into joining them in their world of delusion, ensnared as bit players in the grievous overproduction of imaginary wealth. And while the realm of the fictitious expanded infinitely, the realm of our real lives contracted and shrank. Our wages flatlined or fell; we lived in fear of acquiring an uninsured health problem; our mortgages turned into a leaden ball and chain. The loans and debts multiplied and the interest rates kept rising. One administration after the other enabled a regime of trickle up profits and trickle down pain.

So while they’re frantically hustling to salvage the system, let’s stop for a moment to consider where we stand.

We collectively face three major, inter-related crises: the global crisis of capitalism; the crisis of planetary sustainability; and the crisis of war, militarism and empire.

The crisis of capitalism will be temporarily resolved. On our backs, to be sure, and it will undoubtedly take a while, but the markets will stabilize, borrowing and lending will resume, and profit-taking will be back on track. The mask, now in the repair shop for a custom remodel job, will be back in place, firmly affixed to once again show the face of capital triumphant. And capital triumphant will have firmly in hand the one chunk of ideology that was never tossed – there is no alternative, or TINA.

Which brings me to the fourth crisis, hardly acknowledged and barely discussed, at least here in the U.S.: the crisis of the political impotence of the left.

We stand at the brink of multiple disasters in the howling absence of an alternative vision for sustainable, people-centered human development, or an alternative platform for deep reform, or an organized base capable of challenging and shifting power.

And so this moment – the great unmasking – should serve as an urgent reminder that we have a multi-generational project at hand. That is, to construct a viable politic and effective organizational forms capable of acting on the belief that it is possible to build a society that lifts up that which is generous and creative and humane while curbing the greedy, the short-sighted and the predatory. There must be an alternative.

Otherwise we, and generations to come, will remain at the mercy of the players and their game.

Greetings from (North) Las Vegas!!!

Cynthia in Sunnyvale — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 00:01:51 EDT

I'm here in North Las Vegas helping Get Out The Vote. As the Sunnyvale for Obama voter registration lead, I felt at loose ends after registration closed. I voted early and I put out that I wanted to help the campaign full time for the last 14 days, I got a call, got in my car and here I am! I canvass during the day to encourage early voting and help with Data Entry at night. Another volunteer put me up in a house he rented for the staging campaign activities. The house is a staging platform for canvassing. If you can travel to a swing state for the last four days, you'll really help GOTV.

What is needed most:
1: Vote early
2: Travel to a swing state to help on the ground
3: Phone a swing state

Los Angeles Early Vote and Phonebank Wrap Up

Sarah Gallagher — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 18:47:34 EDT

Over 500 people gathered at the LA County Registrar's office to cast their votes early for Barack Obama. They joined California Field Director Mary Jane Stevenson and Obama for America staffers, who were fired up to vote for Obama and then get back outside to make phone calls for change!

You can still vote early in California, go to VoteForChange.com to find the early vote location for your county.

Once you vote early, join us to get out the vote by making calls into swing states from now through election day, or sign up now to drive for change to a swing state and make a big difference in this election!

Endorsements

Democrat For Change — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 20:05:47 EDT

Well this was interesting. I just wanted to know. So I Googled and here's what I found ::

Endorsements for Barack Obama

See: List of prominent Republicans and Conservatives backing Obama

Endorsements for John McCain

Eric Garcetti, LA Council President, on Driving for Change

Sarah Gallagher — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 13:34:36 EDT

Last weekend, I traveled with 150 friends to the battleground state of Nevada, joining thousands of Californians in campaigning for Senator Barack Obama.

Over the weekend, our group knocked on over 5,000 doors. We spread out across Las Vegas, meeting people in their homes and talking to them about their hopes and concerns. What we heard is that Nevadans, like many of their fellow Americans, are worried. They are yearning for change and strong leadership to put our country back on track. Most were responsive to Senator Obama's economic plan of tax cuts for the middle class and smarter regulation of our financial sector.

I know that an Obama administration would bring renewed focus toward reviving our urban centers, and I will be working to bring that message to other voters between now and Election Day.

Join us on another Drive for Change for the final Get Out the Vote Weekend.

Oakland Rally Phonebank Wrap Up

Sarah Gallagher — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 17:39:59 EDT

Last weekend, the California Obama Campaign held a rally phonebank at an Oakland park. We are fired up to do it again next weekend bigger and better.

Over 300 supporters gathered at an Oakland city park, kicking off the rally with music and speakers. Then we got to work. Volunteers split up into groups calling different battleground states and relaxed on the grass while making calls to swing state voters.

Groups of friends and families enjoyed beautiful, sunny weather and were excited about the opportunity to make such a big difference in such a great setting. We had a bouncer and art table for the kids, Obama gear to buy, balloons, music, and local food vendors who set up shop next to the park.

In less than 3 hours, we made over 16,000 calls - more than 5000 calls an hour! We're fired up to do it bigger and better this weekend. Join us at our SF Rally on Saturday and make a difference in the final days of this election.

Stop It Palin! You Are a Nut Case!

swimmer — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 22:19:29 EDT

NEW YORK – Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin says she supports a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage, a break with John McCain who has said he believes states should be left to define what marriage is.
In an interview with Christian Broadcasting Network, the Alaska governor said she had voted in 1998 for a state amendment banning same sex marriage and hoped to see a federal ban on such unions.
"I have voted along with the vast majority of Alaskans who had the opportunity to vote to amend our Constitution defining marriage as between one man and one woman. I wish on a federal level that's where we would go. I don't support gay marriage," Palin said. She said she believed traditional marriage is the foundation for strong families.
McCain, an Arizona senator, is supporting a ballot initiative in his state this year that would ban gay marriage. But he has consistently and forcefully opposed a federal marriage amendment, saying it would usurp states' authority on such matters.
As governor, Palin vetoed a bill that would have denied benefits to the partners of gay state employees. In a debate with Democratic rival Joe Biden, Palin said she was "tolerant" of gays and said she supported certain legal protections for same-sex couples, like hospital visitation rights.
Biden, meanwhile, said during an appearance Monday on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" that if he lived in California he would vote against a ballot measure that seeks to ban gay marriage. DeGeneres, who is gay and newly wed to actress Portia de Rossi, has urged Californians to reject Proposition 8.
"I think it's regressive," the Delaware senator said. "I think it's unfair, and so I vote 'no.'"
Biden added that he and Barack Obama, the Democratic presidential nominee, opposed a similar initiative nationally. In the debate with Palin, Biden said he supporters partnerships rights for gays and lesbians, although he also opposes same-sex marriage.
In the CBN interview, Palin also said she would speak out if she heard a supporter at a rally yell violent or threatening comments about Barack Obama, the Democratic presidential nominee.
"What we have heard through some mainstream media is that folks have hollered out some atrocious and unacceptable things like 'kill him,'" Palin said, referring to a Washington Post story two weeks ago about angry supporters at a Palin rally in Florida. "If I ever were to hear that standing up there at the podium with the mike, I would call them out on that, and I would tell these people, no, that's unacceptable."
CBN released excerpts of the interview Monday and planned to broadcast it in its entirety Tuesday.
Palin also claimed religion and God had been "mocked" during the campaign, although she offered no evidence to support that.
"Faith in God in general has been mocked through this campaign, and that breaks my heart and that is unfair for others who share a faith in God and choose to worship our Lord in whatever private manner that they deem fit," she said.
Palin is a conservative Christian who was baptized and grew up attending Pentecostal churches. In September, Obama defended Palin's religious beliefs and said it would be "offensive" to portray her faith as strange or wrong.
Palin also reaffirmed her view that Obama had been "palling around with terrorists" because of his association with Bill Ayers, a 1960s-era radical who helped found the violent Weather Underground group to protest the Vietnam war. The group was responsible for bombings of several government buildings.
"I would say it again," she said.
Ayers and Obama live in the same Chicago neighborhood and have served together on charity boards. Ayers also hosted a house party for Obama when he was first running for the Illinois state Senate.

Phonebanking Old Hollywood Style: A Post from Nancy D in LA

Sarah Gallagher — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 19:07:02 EDT

This weekend, the Obama campaign held four ginormous super phonebanks in the Los Angeles area. Harnessing the amazing enthusiasm here in the final weeks of the Presidential campaign, these phonebanks are full of great energy, dedication, and cell phone waves (oh, and yummy snacks). In my neck of the woods, our Hollywood-Los Feliz-Silver Lake phonebanks joined forces at the fabled Sunset-Gower Studios, located at the corner of Sunset Blvd. and Gower St. (This intersection was once known as "Gower Gulch" - silver-screen cowboys used to gather there looking for work as extras on western films.) Last weekend, this particular phonebank drew 200 volunteers who made 13,000 calls to battleground states and, in phonebanks throughout California, over 500,000 voters were called! This weekend our goal was higher - the campaign has challenged California volunteers to reach at least 625,000 voters - the Last Call For Change!

Former home of Columbia Pictures ("It Happened One Night", "Funny Girl" and "The Caine Mutiny") and current home to such TV shows as Dexter and Heroes, Sunset-Gower houses many independent film and television production companies. It was also the former home of one of my all-time personal favorites: Six Feet Under. (You can read more about the studio's history here.)

Last weekend, entering data from calls to Colorado, I was really heartened by the number of voters solidly in the Obama camp, versus the ones for McCain. The polls there are bearing this out. This weekend, we're over halfway toward beating last week's totals - 111 volunteers on Saturday, making nearly 9,000 calls! Sunday will surely rock.

Thanks to the incredible volunteer coordinators who are making this phonebank happen every weekend. Your dedication is inspiring. And of course, the roomful of volunteers who didn't want to leave.

Folks, if you haven't tried it yet, it's not too late - get thee to CA.BarackObama.com and find the nearest phonebank. You can make calls, enter data, sell swag, bring snacks - the possibilities are endless. You won't regret it!

Blog from Veterans for Obama Co-Chair Dee Dee Gilliam

Sarah Gallagher — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 15:54:01 EDT

It's been 4 months since I was asked to take a leadership role with Veterans for Obama. Being a non-combat veteran, I knew who I would be representing; I had served with many of them during my 15 years as an Army Reserve nurse. The folks I represent are the finest of American citizens. They are soldiers, sailors, and airmen representing all branches of the uniformed services. They are veterans from World War II, Korea, Viet Nam, Somalia, Bosnia, Iraq x 2, Kuwait and Afghanistan, plus numerous other missions that would take too much space to name. They are the ones that I looked up to, every one of them, as heroes, and always wondered if I was made of the same mettle. Some of the best days of my life were when I was at drill. No matter how much I would moan and groan about going every month, I always came home happy, having spent time with some of the best friends I will ever make in my life.

I have not regretted a moment of the time I've spent doing this. I have met new friends, including many new heroes, and have learned more about the political process than I ever thought I would know. I have learned so much about veterans and military issues, and the various advocacy groups working these issues, that I know this is going to continue to be a part of my life long after Nov. 4. And I have learned so much about how much Barack Obama cares about veterans. I was a supporter before I took on this role, but what I have learned about this man, who has never served a day in uniform, but who, with his wife, goes out of his way to reach out not only to the person serving, but to the family members of that person, has not just reinforced my faith in his abilities as a leader, but as a human being who cares for his fellow man.

Barack Obama believes America has a sacred trust with our veterans. He is committed to creating a 21st Century Department of Veterans' Affairs that provides the care and benefits our nation's veterans deserve. Obama will demand that the military and the VA coordinate to provide a seamless transition from active duty to civilian life, and improve mental health treatment at every stage of military service. He will require that they work to recruit more health professionals, improve screening processes, offer more support to families and make PTSD benefits claims fairer. We shouldn't have to hear stories about veterans losing their families and careers after they come home because they cannot deal with the emotional scars created by repeated deployments. There shouldn't be more stories of veterans committing suicide because they can't re-integrate into civilian life.

Letter from Mary Jane, California Field Director, to All California Activists

Sarah Gallagher — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 19:01:33 EDT

Bravo, California!

This weekend, we exceeded our 500,000 call goal! You made 543,000 calls to Nevada, Colorado and New Mexico, crucial battleground states that will make the difference in this election. Thank you so much for all your hard work and dedication.

Catch your breath and then get ready - we are three weeks from Election Day. Our goals will grow. And we will continue to exceed them. Now is the time to recruit all your friends who have been saying 'What can I do?'.

Join us this weekend at another Last Call For Change phonebank.

I am proud to be in the company of so many amazing volunteers.

Yes We Can,
Mary Jane Stevenson
California Field Director

Voters being removed from voter registration lists...

naomid2u — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 10:34:57 EDT

I find this article disturbing not because of the errors and incompetence occurring with people charged with the responsibility of maintaining voter registration information but because it is suspiciously occurring in the states that are swing states or states where Obama and McCain are neck-in-neck. We cannot let another "Florida voting card shad" fiasco happen again. To this day, I am not convinced the Republicans aren't playing dirty under the covers again. Am I overreacting?

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081009/ap_on_el_ge/voter_purges

November 4 is Coming: Take a Moment To Smile & Watch These...

Dr. Barbara Palmer — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 14:25:13 EDT

Takin' It Back with Barack, Jack

Very smooth…

http://www.devradowrite.com/

VP Debate Open: Palin / Biden

Sen. Biden and Gov. Palin go head to head

Watch…

http://www.hulu.com/watch/37730/saturday-night-live-vp-debate-open-palin--biden#s-p1-st-i1

Donate Here: http://my.barackobama.com/page/outreach/view/main/DrPalmer

The Rolling Stone Article: Have you read it?

Slim — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 03:24:40 EDT

http://www.rollingstone.com/news/coverstory/make_believe_maverick_the_real_john_mccain

If you haven't read this article, I strongly encourage you to read it. Its data conveys, with facts, that John McCain is not a reformer.

Personally, I am tired of the marketing principles, the branding and remaking of oneself, that are being used in the McCain/Palin campaign. John McCain and Sarah Palin cannot run on integrity or sound judgment. They are part of the problem and neither will represent us well. I have no doubt that John McCain has cheated, lied, and called his 2nd wife, Cindy, a c*nt; he's straight BS and we are in dire need of some integrity and thoughtfulness after 8 years of recklessness. Access to the truth could help many make informed decisions, so please read and share the above link/research.

Taxpayers and future taxpayers are the true victims of the last 8 years of failed policies and we all deserve better. Now is the time to advocate for a real rescue plan and it can start with an Obama/Biden victory in November.

African-Americans - Drive For Change and Make Sure Our Voices are Heard

Sarah Gallagher — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 00:47:37 EDT

An Open Letter from Ciji McBride

California African-Americans:
Nevada is a crucial battleground in the race for the presidency, and Barack needs support not just from all Nevadans, but also from Nevada's neighbors -- especially California. This is the chance for Californians to have a major impact on this historic race.

The African-Americans - Drive for Change to Nevada will focus on getting out the vote in Nevada's African-American neighborhoods.
We will caravan to Nevada and work to get out the vote and make sure that our voices are heard.

Sign up now: my.barackobama.com/nvdfcgroup

If you have any questions about Drive for Change, please contact Ciji McBride at cijimcb@gmail.com or call 641-715-3900 ext 83786.

Yes, We Can!
Ciji McBride
641-715-3900 ext 83786
Out-of-State Travel Coordinator, African-American Constituency

Official Debate Watch Parties on Tuesday!

Sarah Gallagher — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 15:22:36 EDT

With John McCain's announcement that he would rather spend the last month of this election smearing Barack's character instead of talking about the top priority issue for voters, it's more important than ever that you show your support for Obama at an Official California Debate Watch Party in LA, SF, Sacramento or San Diego!

Sign up at my.barackobama.com/cadebatewatch!

The California Obama campaign is hosting debate watch parties across the state.

We'll cheer on Barack at the second presidential debate, hear from local elected officials, discuss the issues, and get to work organizing our communities for change. You'll be able to meet field staff and sign up to make a difference in this campaign. Join us and fellow supporters on Tuesday, October 7th.

Sign up at my.barackobama.com/cadebatewatch!

VP Debate Watch Party - Los Angeles

Sarah Gallagher — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 15:22:46 EDT

Kit, a volunteer at our California HQ, was fired up at last night's VP Debate Watch Party at Hollywood Social in LA.

The VP Debate Watch Party at Social Hollywood drew an even larger crowd than the first Presidential debate for what was one of the most highly anticipated events of the campaign. As the two candidates approached their podiums, the excitement in the room reached fever pitch, and everyone was thrilled to see Joe Biden deliver! The statesman from Scranton clearly outlined how the Obama-Biden administration would bring the change the country so desperately needs to the White House. The hundreds of spectators in LA cheered loudly as Senator Biden advocated for the middle class and showed how we could restore America's leadership in the world. While Governor Palin defended the policies of the last eight years, Joe Biden showed the vision and judgement the country an expect from an Obama-Biden administration. And the crowd last night couldn't have been more proud!

Michelle Obama Guest Post on MOMocrats

MOMocrats — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 19:56:10 EDT

Michelle Obama wrote a guest post for MOMocrats.com today on the importance of voting. Please read it and welcome her as a guest blogger on our site:

http://momocrats.typepad.com/momocrats/2008/09/guest-post-mi-1.html

You can leave a message for her in the comments.

Californians on Change: Tom Mullens, CA Veterans for Obama

Sarah Gallagher — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 19:55:54 EDT

Tom Mullens is the Co-Chair of California Veterans for Obama

"Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!"- Admiral David Farragut

It's only in the last couple of years that I learned how long my family has been part of this country. I found out that I have ancestors who served in the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, the Civil War and nearly every conflict where the country called. I also found that, according to U.S. Census data, up to the beginning of the 20th Century many of them could not read and write.

My dad, as a Navy veteran of the Korean War, was able to take advantage of the G.I. Bill. He became the first member of his family, after more than 250 years in America, to attend college. Unfortunately, he didn't get a degree. Feeding four hungry kids and keeping a roof over our heads eventually took precedence.

I served in the Navy during the Vietnam War and enrolled in college within weeks of my separation from active duty. The G.I. Bill allowed me to attend school full-time while I worked part-time. Four years later, I was the first member of my father's family to graduate from college. Almost as important, I had no student loans hanging over my head so I could afford to choose a career in education. Unfortunately, after Vietnam veterans' education benefits diminished sharply, what had been a major engine of upward advancement for working and middle-class Americans became an afterthought. But last year things changed.

Oh No! Palin Spoke Again!

Susan Federighi — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 05:19:46 EDT

Just another couple of jaw droppers! OMG when are they going to pack her back to AK? Wait! They can't do that. It would a cruel thing to do to all the beautiful indigenous animals for her to continue her bloody reign on the pristine wilderness. Susan Federighi (sfed)

Latest Palin Gaffe: Can't Name Supreme Court Case Other Than Roe V. Wade

September 29, 2008 06:30 PM

Today, the Washington Post's Howard Kurtz reported on potentially embarrassing clips of Sarah Palin being interviewed by Katie Couric that haven't yet been aired. The Politico has more information on one in particular:

Of concern to McCain's campaign, however, is a remaining and still-undisclosed clip from Palin's interview with Couric last week that has the political world buzzing.

The Palin aide, after first noting how "infuriating" it was for CBS to purportedly leak word about the gaffe, revealed that it came in response to a question about Supreme Court decisions.
After noting Roe vs. Wade, Palin was apparently unable to discuss any major court cases.
There was no verbal fumbling with this particular question as there was with some others, the aide said, but rather silence.

Campaign '08 Palin treads carefully between fundamentalist beliefs and public policyHer faith views are strong and sometimes controversial. Her aides say she seeks to share but not impose her faith; her critics say she has 'a fine-tuned sense of how far to push.'By Stephen Braun, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
September 28, 2008 ANCHORAGE -- Soon after Sarah Palin was elected mayor of the foothill town of Wasilla, Alaska, she startled a local music teacher by insisting in casual conversation that men and dinosaurs coexisted on an Earth created 6,000 years ago -- about 65 million years after scientists say most dinosaurs became extinct -- the teacher said.

After conducting a college band and watching Palin deliver a commencement address to a small group of home-schooled students in June 1997, Wasilla resident Philip Munger said, he asked the young mayor about her religious beliefs.

Palin told him that "dinosaurs and humans walked the Earth at the same time," Munger said. When he asked her about prehistoric fossils and tracks dating back millions of years, Palin said "she had seen pictures of human footprints inside the tracks," recalled Munger, who teaches music at the University of Alaska in Anchorage and has regularly criticized Palin in recent years on his liberal political blog, called Progressive Alaska.

The idea of a "young Earth" -- that God created the Earth about 6,000 years ago, and dinosaurs and humans coexisted early on -- is a popular strain of creationism.

Though in her race for governor she called for faith-based "intelligent design" to be taught along with evolution in Alaska's schools, Gov. Palin has not sought to require it, state educators say.

Recap: Californians Drive for Change

Sarah Gallagher — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 17:08:13 EDT

Elizabeth Kim is a volunteer in Nevada.

This weekend Californians drove across state lines to canvass for Barack Obama alongside their Nevadan neighbors. The day started off with training sessions across the state. One group of Golden Staters got a quick tutorial on Nevada issues from NW Las Vegas Regional Field Director Evan Sutton.

Why is Nevada so important? Al Gore lost Nevada by 2% in 2000. If Nevada had turned, Gore would have won the election. The good news is that in previous cycles Democrats had a net negative of 8,000 registered voters in Nevada compared to Republicans. We now have a positive advantage of 75,000 registered Democrats over Republicans thanks to the hard work of our volunteers.

Click here to continue reading…

McCain Misstates Record on Veterans Issues

Heidi & Blue Star Families, Blue Star Voices — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 08:33:04 EDT

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McCain Misstates Record on Veterans Issues

Friday night, John McCain said “I know the veterans, I know them well, and I know that they know that I'll take care of them, and I have been proud of their support and their recognition of my service to the veterans, and I love them, and I'll take care of them, and they know that I'll take care of them.”

However, McCain’s record in the Senate contradicts this statement. And America’s veterans know this – which is why groups like the Disabled American Veterans and Iraq & Afghanistan Veterans of America have given McCain failing grades for his voting record on issues facing veterans and military families.

· McCain Opposes the 21st Century GI Bill Because It Is Too Generous. McCain did not vote on the GI Bill that will provide better educational opportunities to veterans of the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, paying full tuition at in-state schools and living expenses for those who have served at least three years since the 9/11 attacks. McCain said he opposes the bill because he thinks the generous benefits would “encourage more people to leave the military.” (S.Amdt. 4803 to H.R. 2642, Vote 137, 5/22/08; Chattanooga Times Free Press, 6/2/08; Boston Globe, 5/23/08; ABCNews.com, 5/26/08)

· McCain Voted Against Increased Funding for Veterans’ Health Care. Although McCain told voters at a campaign rally that improving veterans’ health care was his top domestic priority, he voted against increasing funding for veterans’ health care in 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007. (Greenville News, 12/12/2007; S.Amdt. 2745 to S.C.R. 95, Vote 40, 3/10/04; Senate S.C.R. 18, Vote 55, 3/16/05; S.Amdt. 3007 to S.C.R. 83, Vote 41, 3/14/06; H.R. 1591, Vote 126, 3/29/07)

· Opposed an Assured Funding Stream for Veterans’ Health Care. McCain opposed providing an assured funding stream for veterans’ health care, taking into account annual changes in veterans’ population and inflation. (S.Amdt. 3141 to S.C.R. 83, Vote 63, 3/16/06)

· McCain Voted Against Adding More Than $400 Million for Veterans’ Care. McCain was one of 13 Republicans to vote against providing an additional $430 million to the Department of Veterans Affairs for outpatient care and treatment for veterans. (S.Amdt. 3642 to H.R. 4939, Vote 98, 4/26/06)

· Voted Against Establishing a $1 Billion Trust Fund for Military Health Facilities. McCain voted against establishing a $1 billion trust fund to improve military health facilities by refusing to repeal tax cuts for those making more than $1 million a year. (S.Amdt. 2735 to S.Amdt. 2707 to H.R. 4297, Vote 7, 2/2/06)

· McCain Opposed $500 Million for Counseling Services for Veterans with Mental Disorders. McCain voted against an amendment to appropriate $500 million annually from 2006-2010 for counseling, mental health and rehabilitation services for veterans diagnosed with mental illness, posttraumatic stress disorder or substance abuse. (S. 2020, S.Amdt. 2634, Vote 343, 11/17/05)

· McCain Voted Against Providing Automatic Cost-of-Living Adjustments to Veterans. McCain voted against providing automatic annual cost-ofliving adjustments for certain veterans’ benefits. (S. 869, Vote 259, 11/20/91)

· McCain Opposed Increasing Spending on TRICARE and Giving Greater Access to National Guard and Reservists. Although his campaign website devotes a large section to veterans issues, including expanding benefits for reservists and members of the National Guard, McCain voted against increasing spending on the TRICARE program by $20.3 billion over 10 years to give members of the National Guard and Reserves and their families greater access to the health care program. The increase would be offset by a reduction in tax cuts for the wealthy. (www.johnmccain.com/Informing/ Issues/9cb5d2aa-f237-464e-9cdf-a5ad32771b9f.htm; S.Amdt. 324 to S.C.R. 23, Vote 81, 3/25/03)

· McCain Supported Outsourcing VA Jobs. McCain opposed an amendment that would have prevented the Department of Veterans Affairs from outsourcing jobs, many held by blue-collar veterans, without first giving the workers a chance to compete. (S.Amdt. 2673 to H.R. 2642, Vote 315, 9/6/07)

· McCain Also Supported Outsourcing at Walter Reed. McCain opposed an amendment to prevent the outsourcing of 350 federal employee jobs at Walter Reed Army Medical Center—outsourcing that contributed to the scandalous treatment of veterans at Walter Reed that McCain called a “disgrace.” (S.Amdt. 4895 to H.R. 5631, Vote 234, 9/6/06; Speech to VFW in Kansas City, Mo., 4/4/08)

· McCain Voted Against $122.7 Billion for Department of Veterans Affairs. McCain voted against an appropriations bill that included $122.7 billion in fiscal 2004 for the Department of Veterans Affairs, Housing and Urban Development and other related agencies. (H.R. 2861, Vote 449, 11/12/03)

· McCain Voted Against $51 Billion in Veterans Funding. McCain was one of five senators to vote against the bill and seven to vote against the conference report that provided $51.1 billion for the Department of Veterans Affairs, as well as funding for the federal housing, environmental and emergency management agencies and NASA. (H.R. 2620, Vote 334, 11/8/01; Vote 269, 8/2/01)

· McCain Voted Against $47 Billion for the Department of Veterans Affairs. McCain was one of eight senators to vote against a bill that provided $47 billion for the Department of Veterans Affairs. (H.R. 4635, Vote 272, 10/12/00)

· McCain Voted Against $44.3 Billion for Veterans Programs. McCain was one of five senators to vote against a bill providing $44.3 billion for the Department of Veterans Affairs, plus funding for other federal agencies. (H.R. 2684, Vote 328, 10/15/99)

· McCain Voted Against a $13 Billion Increase in Funding for Veterans Programs. McCain voted against an amendment to increase spending on veterans programs by $13 billion. (S.C.R. 57, Vote 115, 5/16/96)

· McCain Voted to Underfund Department of Veterans Affairs. McCain voted for an appropriations bill that underfunded the Departments of Veterans Affairs and Housing and Urban Development by $8.9 billion. (H.R. 2099, Vote 470, 9/27/95)

The Palin Horror Picture Show

Susan Federighi — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 04:07:18 EDT

Sarah Palin and The Comedy of Errors

"The Palin Horror Picture Show"

I am 62 years old. I have never, in my lifetime, witnessed anything as horrifying as this aggressive, uninformed cartoon character who has left her yard, in which she views Russia, and all it's political complexities, and has sadly stumbled onto the stage of the continental U.S. Her purpose is to placate the religious extremists in the Republican Party as well as any woman who voted for Hillary dumb enough to vote gender over policy, vision, and her own rights over her own body. She also appeals to the just plain dumb who relate to a soccer mom and thinks relating is good enough for a vote. You know, sage decisions like Little League Coach for President - no other qualifications needed - after all men could relate- right?It would be the stuff that sit-coms are made of if Sarah Palin was not a 72 year old's heartbeat away from the Commander and Chief if McCain is elected. It would be a complete comedy if the polls were a runaway for Obama.

It would be hilarious if it was not for the idiot Palin fan factor in this country who (oops - here it is - a fact - those who do not or cannot follow politics, but worship their guns - semi automatic assault weapons included) as well as a radical, tongue speaking, right wing, segregating God who will rapture them and send the rest of us to hell with all the Jews who do not accept Jesus. This idiot block of backwoods voters don't know she's an idiot because they are idiots - funny YES! Deadly - yes! It would be fall on the floor ridiculous to think the GOP trainer wheels/tutors can teach a journalism major foreign relations, economics, geography, history, current events, in a crash course like Cliff Notes on "Experience", if it was not a pass/fail test which translates to a life and death course that she is failing. This wacko wolf in sheep's clothing (an appropriate metaphor for the bloodthirsty brutal animal killer) could, with her ignorant view of global warming actually contribute to the destruction of our planet. With her tunnel vision on women's rights, she could send women back to the time in which they found women's corpses mutilated in botched abortions they attempted themselves (even using coat hangars), in basements of renegade doctors,or in filthy conditions at the mercy of foreign charlatans in the dark years before Roe v.Wade.

It would be a laugh riot to think of the cartoons of the outbreak of teen pregnancy when our youth are denied age appropriate information in sex education, or would it? Well, all those children having children would be a photo op for the success of the Palin abstinence education program anyway.Oh yes, my favorite joke on the nation. Palin would have her gun "shootin' paw on the panic button triggering our nation's nuclear reaction to a crisis. And who would be the final word on that determination - Right! The same woman interviewed by Katie Couric & Charlie Gibson (in what respect Charlie?) Hey, this would be slightly more difficult than shootin a moose (fish in a barrel) or some cowardly aerial slaughter of the magnificent indigenous, ethereal wolves who people come from all over the world just to catch a glimpse of them running free in the Alaskan wilderness. They are shot when the ground is covered in snow as this makes these mystical (I mean in the same beautiful way that dolphins touch us deeply) splattering their terrified blood across their white home, left to die slowly as no shots are clean. Palin participates in the bloodletting, and may equally enjoy the prospect of war, (using her Gibson interview as an example) as she is ready to go to war with Russia over Georgia when she has Georgia admitted to the UN.

Bottom line, is that her interviews and her very presence on the political stage is a sick, self serving, joke that McCain is pulling on the American people to get himself elected. The Maverick of Lies will try to quiet his idiot until the bill of goods is sold to those who do not think beyond their weapons and the takeover by the Evangelical/ Pentecostal faction taking over our government. These radical zealots have even helped Jew settlers in Israel financially. They need the Jews in place for the Biblical scripture to come to fruition for the second coming in which Jesus will return and meet out his punishment of the Jews who have not converted, and of course, the Palin righteous will have had their bodies lifted to the heavens, raptured "out of here" so they need not be part of the tribulation In other words, these fundamentalists have actually aided the Jews as a lure (like baiting) to serve their own disturbed prophecies:

___________________________________________________________________

Fundamentalism's Bloody Homeland for Jews

Well known is this highly embarrassing, and therefore actively covered up, aspect of modern fundamentalism, namely, the movement's substitution of Jews for Christians as the victims of a supposedly future (but actually past) "Great Tribulation." Fundamentalists actively support the State of Israel, despite their belief that by doing so, they are helping to lure millions of Jews into a horrible death: "Holocaust II." They do so for a reason: they expect to escape death personally. This is a powerful incentive. "The Great Tribulation" is the phrase used by fundamentalists to describe a future time of persecution and slaughter of the Jews. Gruesome enough? Disgusting enough? And she speaks of defending Israel? How crazy is this?

_______________________________________________________

So, to add to the human comedy/tragedy here, we could have a President who is delightfully anticipating the Rapture heralding the end of this world as we know it. Sarah Palin is, as every Evangelical, joyously "saved" waiting to be lifted to Heaven. Now, just imagine this woman with this theology with her finger on the World trigger - judgement by faith and God's audible word - no experience needed there.

So, the two faces of Sarah Palin, comedy and tragedy (comedy if she is not taken seriously as a candidate but rather a Calamity Jane sitcom, and tragedy if McCain succeeds) is the most serious threat to the World, I have seen in my lifetime. I truly believe that the current threat of a depression is less frightening than a mad woman who could either destroy our planet by her belief system, or by incredible stupidity. John McCain is playing a dangerous and horrifying hoax on this country and can no longer be thought of outside of this betrayal in which he has thrown the safety of our country out the window along with his ethics. He wants to win at any cost - literally at any cost.

Susan Federighi (sfed)

San Francisco Presidential Debate Watch Party Recap

Sarah Gallagher — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 01:19:27 EDT

Ruby Reid is a volunteer with the Obama for America Campaign in Oakland, CA

I had the pleasure of watching the first Presidential Debate with hundreds of Obama supporters at a fabulous club venue in San Francisco. Kamala Harris (San Francisco District Attorney) gave a rousing speech before the debate started, encouraging attendees to think about what they could do to help elect Barack Obama--then to do TWICE that much! The audience certainly took this message to heart, because over 200 volunteers signed up to phonebank and travel to battleground states!

Join us at the next debate watch party! Sign up at my.barackobama.com/cadebate.

Since I've been working all hours of the day and night to get Barack Obama elected as our next President, I have not had much time in recent weeks to sit and listen to his speeches--the debate watch party offered me a rare opportunity to pause for reflection. I got goosebumps at several points in the debate--all I could think was how Presidential his demeanor is and how John McCain seemed to be floundering. McCain was grasping at straws, trying to divert the blame for this country's economic crisis from the deregulation of the banking industry (of which McCain was a strong proponent) to anyone/anything else.

John McCain once again showcased his allegiance to the failed economic policies of the Bush Administration and even hearkened back to "Reagonomics" in which benefits offered to wealthy individuals and corporations are supposed to "trickle-down" to the rest of us. It seems to me that John McCain and a few wealthy Republicans who have disproportionally benefitted from these policies are the only people who think that the "trickle-down" system actually works. McCain made it clear that he is not reflective, not willing/able to be accountable for his mistakes, and not capable of changing the direction of this country's economy.

Murky Shades of Gray

Natasha — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 13:41:23 EDT

I keep thinking about this issue and am rolling it over again and again in my mind.

Feminism is murky the more we discuss power, gender, race and class. In today's world feminism has evolved; it is not black or white but vibrant and subtle shades of gray.

Ultimately I would prefer to let a man win if he is the better choice, and for me the better candidate is Obama. I don't think Obama is more qualified just because he's a man--he needs to prove himself as a candidate just as John McCain does, and I do not think it is a fair comparison between Obama and Palin as man vs. woman; but of anyone in the bunch, I think Obama is the true feminist. Obama is a strong man with a great wife and two lovely daughters. He loves his woman and wants the best for his kids. He sees women as women and equals, and to move forward together we need to see men and women as partners, not enemies.

Governor Palin did not break through the glass ceiling; Hilary did. Clinton proved herself over the past two years, whereas Sarah just climbed through the glass shards, with the help of John McCain.

Sarah Palin is an intelligent person with a lot of political savvy and ambition, but I do not agree with most, if not all, of her policies. She may have experience as a Governor, but this is of a very sparsely populated state, compared to being a Senator from Illinois which is far more diverse and has urban areas which better reflect the make-up and pertinent issues of this nation. She has made decisions, but I think they were bad ones. I do not feel she is very honest in her dealings with financial matters, nor do I trust her ethics in her political maneuvering to achieve more power.

Sarah Palin is able to function in a man's world because she seems to have a lot of people helping her to orchestrate a complex psychological theatre. I am not fooled by this strategy, however. She is now playing the "1950's mother card", and although this country is in very bad shape, we do not need a mother to mend us. What this country, and the world needs now is a compassionate, caring political figure to heal the corporate wounds of greed, violence and war that we've waged for 8 years plus. We need someone with word skills to bring us a political message of hope rather than the same old negative divisive scheme. I do not think that the leader we need is John McCain or Sarah Palin. I think that Obama represents what I need to move forward to feel good about the United States as a nation.

Now let's play the race card: I want an educated person of color with a compassionate message of hope in the White House more than I want a white woman with questionable views. I think this nation has a lot of healing to do around its racial history. It's an even deeper root than the battle between man and woman. It speaks to an ancient dispute that rings true the world over, which is what is probably scaring the Republicans and some white folks in this nation to the tips of their toes: having a person of color in a leadership role is counter to totalitarian beliefs of white superiority. Obama's presidency would send a message of equality and power to the entire world. People don't like to have their power challenged, especially if it suits them better to keep a colored person down.

But what I don't like most about this turn of events is that we are comparing Palin with Obama, which totally distracts the issue. Palin is not the Presidential candidate, McCain is. McCain is not a politician whom I trust or share values with. Palin's opponent is Sen. Joseph Biden who, of the foursome, has more experience and know-how but is not getting any of the press, which is a shame. That's why I think McCain's strategy is divisive and insidious.

If John McCain had picked a woman with REAL power, then I would respect his choice; but since she is not very experienced, it feels more like a token selection than an actual nod to progressive, feminist change. Palin may be more family and more feminine than Clinton but she is not qualified to be VP and certainly not president of a nuclear power. This is a chilling yet vitally important debate.

READ/REC/SHARE: Former Federal Prosecutor Speaks Out About Palin

Susan Federighi — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 10:28:38 EDT

Please forward- This is horrible if you care about women. The fired Commissioner wanted to assign some law officials to cover “sex crimes” (like SVU) and Palin forbade him to do it.

Tania Tetlow, Associate Professor and Director, Tulane Law School Domestic Violence Clinic and Former Assistant U.S. Attorney,has written a must-see article on Palin and her record as mayr and governor dealing with the issue of rape:

http://www.motleymoose.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=166

"When asked why we were attacked on 9/11, Sarah Palin answered because the terrorists hate our freedoms. While she has been derided for her lack of foreign policy experience, she may have come up with the most innovative program yet to deter terrorists: taking those freedoms away. Just like many Middle Eastern countries, Mayor Palin punished the women of Wasilla for reporting rape. Her administration charged them substantial fees for the rape kits used to prove the crime.

After being attacked, a Wasilla woman could look forward to being billed up to $1200 in return for a grueling forensic pelvic exam."

A diary referencing the article is currently top of rec list at DKOS:

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/9/17/16937/2631/149/601917

-chris

The Moose is Loose!

http://motleymoose.com

Palin's Favorability Ratings Begin to Falter

Susan Federighi — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 04:37:57 EDT

Posted Tuesday, September 16, 2008 12:29 PM

Palin's Favorability Ratings Begin to Falter

http://blog.newsweek.com/blogs/stumper/archive/2008/09/16/palin-s-favorability-ratings-begin-to-falter.aspx

Volunteering is Addicting

Jackie — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 22:12:40 EDT

I have never been inspired by a campaign before, though I have always felt that it is my duty as a citizen to vote. I did donate a little and make a few GOTV phone calls for Kerry, but that was as much about getting rid of Bush as being for Kerry. My oldest son (age 23) was the one who first asked me to give Obama a honest look as a candidate. Truthfully until that point I had felt that all of the Democratic candidates were acceptable to me, but I was inspired by my son's enthusiasm for Obama, quickly matched by that of my daughter and youngest son. This election is about the future of our children and grandchildren.

I started out slow, just donating to Obama, then getting involved in voter registration drives. I think volunteering is addicting! I have enjoyed it so much that I work 3 - 4 voter registration events per week, plus carry my forms in the car everywhere I go and ask people everywhere if they are registered to vote. I've traveled to Reno twice to register voters, phone bank and canvass. And I've been using the Neighbor-to-Neighbor tool to phone bank to California and Nevada. I don't want to wake up on Nov 5th and think "I should have done more." I want to do the more now and win. Please join me.

Also please consider donating to Obama through my son's fundraising page:

http://my.barackobama.com/page/outreach/view/main/TeamAwesome

For every dollar he raises I make a phone call to a swing state.

Vote YES for Troopergate

Mary Lou Loomis "Obama Mama from El Cerrito, CA" — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 01:16:49 EDT

http://www.ktuu.com/Global/story.asp?S=8999475

Lipstick Liberal

Natasha — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 13:09:55 EDT

Ladies and Gents, it's time to go a bit DEMO-CRAZY...

Get out and buy a lipstick.

Write HOPE anywhere you can: on the sidewalk, on windows, on the mirror at home.

Write it loud and clear to stop this nonsense of Palin-drama.

Hope is more important than this silly chess-game;

political strategy does not run a country,

that job is for the President.

That job is for BARACK OBAMA.

Deepak Chopra -- Obama and the Palin Effect

Mary Lou Loomis "Obama Mama from El Cerrito, CA" — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 03:47:36 EDT

Obama and the Palin Effect

--------------------------------------------------

"[Sarah Palin] is the reverse of Barack Obama, in essence his shadow, deriding his idealism and turning negativity into a cause for pride. In psychological terms the shadow is that part of the psyche that hides out of sight, countering our aspirations, virtue, and vision with qualities we are ashamed to face: anger, fear, revenge, violence, selfishness, and suspicion of "the other.""---------------------------------------------------Sometimes politics has the uncanny effect of mirroring the national psyche even when nobody intended to do that. This is perfectly illustrated by the rousing effect that Gov. Sarah Palin had on the Republican convention in Minneapolis this week. On the surface, she outdoes former Vice President Dan Quayle as an unlikely choice, given her negligent parochial expertise in the complex affairs of governing. Her state of Alaska has less than 700,000 residents, which reduces the job of governor to the scale of running one-tenth of New York City. By comparison, Rudy Giuliani is a towering international figure. Palin's pluck has been admired, and her forthrightness, but her real appeal goes deeper.She is the reverse of Barack Obama, in essence his shadow, deriding his idealism and turning negativity into a cause for pride. In psychological terms the shadow is that part of the psyche that hides out of sight, countering our aspirations, virtue, and vision with qualities we are ashamed to face: anger, fear, revenge, violence, selfishness, and suspicion of "the other." For millions of Americans, Obama triggers those feelings, but they don't want to express them. He is calling for us to reach for our higher selves, and frankly, that stirs up hidden reactions of an unsavory kind. (Just to be perfectly clear, I am not making a verbal play out of the fact that Sen. Obama is black. The shadow is a metaphor widely in use before his arrival on the scene.) I recognize that psychological analysis of politics is usually not welcome by the public, but I believe such a perspective can be helpful here to understand Palin's message. In her acceptance speech Gov. Palin sent a rousing call to those who want to celebrate their resistance to change and a higher visionLook at what she stands for:· Small town values -- a nostaligic return to simpler times disguises a denial of America's global role, a return to petty, small-minded parochialism. · Ignorance of world affairs -- a repudiation of the need to repair America's image abroad. · Family values -- a code for walling out anybody who makes a claim for social justice. Such strangers, being outside the family, don't need to be needed. · Rigid stands on guns and abortion -- a scornful repudiation that these issues can be negotiated with those who disagree. · Patriotism -- the usual fallback in a failed war. · "Reform" -- an italicized term, since in addition to cleaning out corruption and excessive spending, one also throws out anyone who doesn't fit your ideology.Palin reinforces the overall message of the reactionary right, which has been in play since 1980, that social justice is liberal-radical, that minorities and immigrants, being different from "us" pure American types, can be ignored, that progressivism takes too much effort and globalism is a foreign threat. The radical right marches under the banners of "I'm all right, Jack," and "Why change? Everything's OK as it is." The irony, of course, is that Gov. Palin is a woman and a reactionary at the same time. She can add mom to apple pie on her resume, while blithely reversing forty years of feminist progress. The irony is superficial; there are millions of women who stand on the side of conservatism, however obviously they are voting against their own good. The Republicans have won multiple national elections by raising shadow issues based on fear, rejection, hostility to change, and narrow-mindednessObama's call for higher ideals in politics can't be seen in a vacuum. The shadow is real; it was bound to respond. Not just conservatives possess a shadow -- we all do. So what comes next is a contest between the two forces of progress and inertia. Will the shadow win again, or has its furtive appeal become exhausted? No one can predict. The best thing about Gov. Palin is that she brought this conflict to light, which makes the upcoming debate honest. It would be a shame to elect another Reagan, whose smiling persona was a stalking horse for the reactionary forces that have brought us to the demoralized state we are in. We deserve to see what we are getting, without disguise.DEEPAK CHOPRA, M.D. Chairman and co-Founder of the Chopra Center for Wellbeing in Carlsbad, California

Barbara Streisand Sings for Barack!

Mary Lou Loomis "Obama Mama from El Cerrito, CA" — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 03:35:47 EDT

http://www.nme.com/news/barbra-streisand/39602

Les Misbarack - An Opera

Mary Lou Loomis "Obama Mama from El Cerrito, CA" — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 03:05:48 EDT

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W3ijYVyhnn0&feature=email

An Essay by Susan Straight, a mother and author

Mary Lou Loomis "Obama Mama from El Cerrito, CA" — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 02:28:39 EDT

Tonight, there will be an interview with Sarah Palin on ABC. This is what I’ve heard. And all I can say – as a single mother of three teenagers who has no plane, not much lipstick, and no moose – is that I hope she talks about corn.

Because I went to the store last night and peanut butter was $7. Not a huge industrial size. Not anything special or organic. It was Jif, Creamy, ordinary size. The kind I’ve been buying for nineteen years, since my first kid was born.

A loaf of ordinary bread was $3.29. Milk was $3.99. And Wesson corn oil – the most ordinary thing, the one we make pancakes with – was $6.

I almost cried. A woman in front of me was actually teary eyed. She had four kids. She looked at the five magazine covers near the checkout with Sarah Palin on the cover and shook her head. “Those glasses. I wonder how much they cost,” she said.

Last week, Palin gave her historic speech to the Republican National Convention, sparking worldwide media scrutiny and thunderous applause – supposedly from mothers. Like me.

I’m not a hockey mom. I live in southern California, where last week it was still 102 degrees here in Riverside. We don’t have much ice. I’ve been a basketball mom – including administrative booster club jobs – for nine years. I’ve been a PTA mom forever, and a school volunteer. This fall I will be a tennis mom.

I also work every day, and after twenty years of teaching at the same university, I have pretty good hours – usually 9-3. So I’m the mom whose house kids come to early, before school, and stay late, after school. I have a foot in so many camps I feel like a centipede. A centipede who goes through three to four loaves of bread a week, with all those kids around. And a lot of peanut butter.

I saw parts of the speech. It was a Wednesday night, remember? I was spraying weeds outside, and came in periodically to see what people were saying. They were saying a lot about Palin’s family, and her clothes. I sprayed more weeds and came in, finished, to wash my hands and then hang up the laundry.

My seventeen-year-old daughter sat on the couch, doing homework. My thirteen-year-old was beside her, doing homework.

I stood and stared at the screen. She was talking about being a hockey mom, selling a plane, getting rid of a driver and a chef. OK. Not much to relate to for me. She made me feel a little small. I liked her jacket, though.

In that perfectly deadpan voice of a seventeen year old, my daughter said, “What’s with the glasses?”

I thought she was talking to me. After seven years with the same pair, I’d gotten new glasses. But then she said, “Are those her kids? Is that her daughter?”

Yes.

“Shouldn’t they be in school? It’s Wednesday. Isn’t she a senior?”

My thirteen-year-old said, “Is that her younger daughter?”

Yes.

“Isn’t it – like, eleven at night there? And she has to hold the baby? She must be tired.”

That was the sole extent of their comments.

But I realized all we were hearing about was Palin - her family, her life, and her story.

Amid the outraged reactions the next day, I asked women friends for their opinions. At work, my friend N, an academic advisor, said, “Speech? I have a 102 fever and I’m still coming in because we’re so shorthanded. I was asleep last night.”

My kids’ godmother, D, who is an accountant in Pennsylvania, called. “Speech? I worked really late, and then the Baltimore office called with some crisis. By the time that was over, I watched Bones.”

I called my friend T, a supervisor at the IRS, who laughed. “Watch that? Girl, I had so much to do after work I wasn’t even home yet.”

After I finished work, I went to the post office. My friend Y, who works the counter, frowned and looked puzzled? “Oh, that. We’re shortstaffed this week, so I had to work til 8. And my daughter has an early class, so I went straight to bed.”

At the grocery store, my friend L, a checker, rolled her eyes at me. “Susan, I’ve been working swing shift for so long, I don’t know when I’ve watched TV. Please.”

At home, I talked to my two neighbors. M is a mother of six grown children; she was born in the Philippines and has been married to American servicemen all her adult life. She said, “I’m scared of that woman.” Then she told me a story about a former neighbor of hers in the Philippines who was a person by day and an animal by night. She has a lot of stories like that.

But our other neighbor was close to tears. “She doesn’t speak for me,” she said vehemently. S and her husband are in dire straits. The California budget stalemate means that her husband, a principal at our local adult school, had no job all summer. The school was closed, for the first time in its history (depriving low income youth, dropouts, and non-native speakers their chance at classes, by the way). And S, whose nineteen-year-old son has severe autism, hasn’t been away from him for more than a few hours for months, since he doesn’t qualify anymore for respite care or even a social worker.

That evening, my eldest daughter, a sophomore in college in Ohio, called. “Did you watch the speech?” I said. “What did you think?”

She told me she’d had a meeting about her tutoring project, where she helps junior high kids with history twice a week. She’s interested in Teach America all of a sudden. Her college was the first to admit African-Americans, and to admit women. Social causes and community service are passions for most students.

When I hung up, I remembered that Barack Obama’s campaign talked about community service for tuition points, among other things. I’ll have two in college next year, and one in high school. The thought brings me to my knees at night, when I pray – yes, I pray, as a Methodist, which seems to be a distinctly unglamorous religion these days, and yet my family went off to Gulfport with our church to rebuild houses after Katrina – for strength, patience, and vision for how to accomplish what I think I might be here to accomplish.

(I’ve heard that “end of days” is a major tenet of Sarah Palin’s evangelical faith, but I can’t quite bring myself to imagine that my three daughters – the fervent loves of my life – wouldn’t have this world to live in. I won’t think that way.)

College, service, good food, and some pleasure. That’s what I’ve always wanted for my children, and I don’t want those things to be out of reach for them.

I want the Palin interview tonight to be about that – rising college costs – and corn. And maybe someone could pay attention to the fact that here, in California, we still have no budget. My neighbors are suffering. This is a county with one of the highest foreclosure rates in the nation, and the highest gas prices.

And peanut butter is $7. I didn’t have a coupon.

I don’t care about the plane. My van is fourteen years old. I don’t care about the lipstick – be serious. I don’t care about the moose. I have five chickens, because we like having the eggs, along with fertilizer for my vegetable garden, and they’re eating table scraps because chicken feed has gone up so high. That’s cracked corn.

We don’t have moose at the grocery store, so I don’t care if she shoots one.

I’m writing this during my lunchtime. Peanut butter sandwich, like I make for everyone else.

By tomorrow, I hope things won’t feel so dire for us all.

But tonight, I’ll try to watch the interview. One kid has basketball tryouts – yeah, the beginning of basketball mom season for me, and she sure as heck needs that scholarship – and after that I’ll be hanging laundry out to dry. It’s gone down to 88 here today, which feels very fall-like to us, but still hot enough to dry clothes for free.

I hope they talk about corn.

The above essay was written by Susan Straight, author of Highwire Moon, a novel of love, separation, strength and survival focused on Serafina, an illegal alien from Oaxaca, and her American born daughter, Elvia, who is placed in the foster care system when Serafina is deported. Her second book, A Million Nightingales, is a luminous novel set in 19th century Louisianna about Moinette, a young “mulatresse” who is taken from her slave mother at age 14 and sold to an abusive slave-owner. The story explores family bonds, slavery and freedom in a dark period of American history.

Total destruction - Lets get back to work, Volunteer, Talk to Your Neighbours, Work mates

Working Mom For Obama — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 23:37:53 EDT

It looks like Palin is no 1 on ticket. Please lets get ourselves together, we are making Sarah win the white house. McCain has so many gaffes. I am making Videos, I focus on McCain.

Let us help Obama, he can not do this alone, and his campaign is a let down. I am disappointed, with the Obama Campaign. Why should Biden accept defeat before he is defeated. GOPs would have done the same to Hillary, actually it would have been worse with Hillary, considering the way the primary went. No need to start regretting that Obama made a mistake not to pick Hillary. We can do it guys, do not be threatened, we can do it. Pray Pray Pray , the same God is Our God too.

I just want to express my gratitude for your visit to my blog.

As a woman and a mother who truly loves this country, I feel this election is very important, to turn it into American Idol. Each one of us had a reason , we felt the country is going in a wrong direction. This year ’s election is important and very personal to me.

I will support and donate to a candidate I feel strongly that will help to unite us and take this country into the right direction. I am disgusted, with the way this election has turned into personal attacks and smears with a lot of lies, just to win the white house.

I am completely disgusted and put off. I am fed up with the Sarah Palin stories. I am not interested talking about Sarah , because I feel there is more at stake than Sarah Palin. The Karl Rove politics of lies, Hatred and division is what made this country go in the wrong direction, and many of us not take part in politics. Since the claim of us being Christians in the name of wining votes, seem to work . I promise that I will pray about this election day and night.

God loves each one of us. No one can claim ownership of God, as we are all God’s children. We are equal in his eyes. The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Misheck and Abednego will protect the innocent and rebuke all the lies.

This weekend I am taking a moment alone, as this election is very critical. If it means fasting I will, until I make a break through. I am moderate and liberal, having said that, does not make me unchristian, or a sinner. I believe in critical thinking and staying open minded.

Each one of us,Republican, Independent or democrat, should sit back and revisit our heads, ask ourselves, What is number one issue that is important for this country ?

I am so saddened ,by the fact that some of us can not accept diversity that has made this country so Unique. Trying to go back to 1600’s will not work. Those who cannot stand different should move to England and France where their forefathers came from, who believed in white Supremacy.

Good luck-

Dissing Sarah Aint Enuf!

Wed, 10 Sep 2008 15:25:18 EDT

There's a lot of stuff flying around about Sarah Palin. This is one of more thoughtful pieces I've seen, and it warns not to get stuck with just the facts. Emotions are just as important.

The Palin Choice

The Reality of the Political Mind

By George Lakoff (Submitted on Labor Day to BuzzFlash by Mr. Lakoff)

This election matters because of realities—the realities of global warming, the economy, the Middle East, nuclear proliferation, civil liberties, species extinction, poverty here and around the world, and on and on. Such realities are what make this election so very crucial, and how to deal with them is the substance of the Democratic platform (http://www.demconvention.com/assets/downloads/2008-Democratic-Platform-by-Cmte-08-13-08.pdf).

Election campaigns matter because who gets elected can change reality. But election campaigns are primarily about the realities of voters' minds, which depend on how the candidates and the external realities are cognitively framed. They can be framed honestly or deceptively, effectively or clumsily. And they are always framed from the perspective of a worldview.

The Obama campaign has learned this. The Republicans have long known it, and the choice of Sarah Palin as their Vice-Presidential candidate reflects their expert understanding of the political mind and political marketing. Democrats who simply belittle the Palin choice are courting disaster. It must be taken with the utmost seriousness.

The Democratic responses so far reflect external realities: she is inexperienced, knowing little or nothing about foreign policy or national issues; she is really an anti-feminist, wanting the government to enter women's lives to block abortion, but not wanting the government to guarantee equal pay for equal work, or provide adequate child health coverage, or child care, or early childhood education; she shills for the oil and gas industry on drilling; she denies the scientific truths of global warming and evolution; she misuses her political authority; she opposes sex education and her daughter is pregnant; and, rather than being a maverick, she is on the whole a radical right-wing ideologue.

All true, so far as we can tell.

But such truths may nonetheless be largely irrelevant to this campaign. That is the lesson Democrats must learn. They must learn the reality of the political mind.

The Obama campaign has done this very well so far. The convention events and speeches were orchestrated both to cast light on external realities, traditional political themes, and to focus on values at once classically American and progressive: empathy, responsibility both for oneself and others, and aspiration to make things better both for oneself and the world. Obama did all this masterfully in his nomination speech, while replying to, and undercutting, the main Republican attacks.

But the Palin nomination changes the game. The initial response has been to try to keep the focus on external realities, the "issues," and differences on the issues. But the Palin nomination is not basically about external realities and what Democrats call "issues," but about the symbolic mechanisms of the political mind—the worldviews, frames, metaphors, cultural narratives, and stereotypes. The Republicans can't win on realities. Her job is to speak the language of conservatism, activate the conservative view of the world, and use the advantages that conservatives have in dominating political discourse.

Our national political dialogue is fundamentally metaphorical, with family values at the center of our discourse. There is a reason why Obama and Biden spoke so much about the family, the nurturant family, with caring fathers and the family values that Obama put front and center in his Father's day speech: empathy, responsibility and aspiration. Obama's reference in the nomination speech to "The American Family" was hardly accidental, nor were the references to the Obama and Biden families as living and fulfilling the American Dream. Real nurturance requires strength and toughness, which Obama displayed in body language and voice in his responses to McCain. The strength of the Obama campaign has been the seamless marriage of reality and symbolic thought.

The Republican strength has been mostly symbolic. The McCain campaign is well aware of how Reagan and W won—running on character: values, communication, (apparent) authenticity, trust, and identity — not issues and policies. That is how campaigns work, and symbolism is central.

Conservative family values are strict and apply via metaphorical thought to the nation: good vs. evil, authority, the use of force, toughness and discipline, individual (versus social) responsibility, and tough love. Hence, social programs are immoral because they violate discipline and individual responsibility. Guns and the military show force and discipline. Man is above nature; hence no serious environmentalism. The market is the ultimate financial authority, requiring market discipline. In foreign policy, strength is use of the force. In fundamentalist religion, the Bible is the ultimate authority; hence no gay marriage. Such values are at the heart of radical conservatism. This is how John McCain was raised and how he plans to govern. And it is what he shares with Sarah Palin.

Palin is the mom in the strict father family, upholding conservative values. Palin is tough: she shoots, skins, and eats caribou. She is disciplined: raising five kids with a major career. She lives her values: she has a Downs-syndrome baby that she refused to abort. She has the image of the ideal conservative mom: pretty, perky, feminine, Bible-toting, and fitting into the ideal conservative family. And she fits the stereotype of America as small-town America. It is Reagan's morning-in-America image. Where Obama thought of capturing the West, she is running for Sweetheart of the West.

And Palin, a member of Feminism For Life, is at the heart of the conservative feminist movement, which Ronee Schreiber has written about in her recent book, Righting Feminism. It is a powerful and growing movement that Democrats have barely paid attention to.

At the same time, Palin is masterful at the Republican game of taking the Democrats' language and reframing it—putting conservative frames to progressive words: Reform, prosperity, peace. She is also masterful at using the progressive narratives: she's from the working class, working her way up from hockey mom and the PTA to Mayor, Governor, and VP candidate. Her husband is a union member. She can say to the conservative populists that she is one of them—all the things that Obama and Biden have been saying. Bottom-up, not top-down.

Yes, the McCain-Palin ticket is weak on the major realities. But it is strong on the symbolic dimension of politics that Republicans are so good at marketing. Just arguing the realities, the issues, the hard truths should be enough in times this bad, but the political mind and its response to symbolism cannot be ignored. The initial Democratic response to Palin — the response based on realities alone — indicates that many Democrats have not learned the lessons of the Reagan and Bush years.

They have not learned the nature of conservative populism. A great many working-class folks are what I call "bi-conceptual," that is, they are split between conservative and progressive modes of thought. Conservative on patriotism and certain social and family issues, which they have been led to see as "moral", progressive in loving the land, living in communities of care, and practical kitchen table issues like mortgages, health care, wages, retirement, and so on.

Conservative theorists won them over in two ways: Inventing and promulgating the idea of "liberal elite" and focusing campaigns on social and family issues. They have been doing this for many years and have changed a lot of brains through repetition. Palin will appeal strongly to conservative populists, attacking Obama and Biden as pointy-headed, tax-and-spend, latte liberals. The tactic is to divert attention from difficult realities to powerful symbolism.

What Democrats have shied away from is a frontal attack on radical conservatism itself as an un-American and harmful ideology. I think Obama is right when he says that America is based on people caring about each other and working together for a better future—empathy, responsibility (both personal and social), and aspiration. These lead to a concept of government based on protection (environmental, consumer, worker, health care, and retirement protection) and empowerment (through infrastructure, public education, the banking system, the stock market, and the courts). Nobody can achieve the American Dream or live an American lifestyle without protection and empowerment by the government. The alternative, as Obama said in his nomination speech, is being on your own, with no one caring for anybody else, with force as a first resort in foreign affairs, with threatened civil liberties and a right-wing government making your most important decisions for you. That is not what American democracy has ever been about.

What is at stake in this election are our ideals and our view of the future, as well as current realities. The Palin choice brings both front and center. Democrats, being Democrats, will mostly talk about the realities nonstop without paying attention to the dimensions of values and symbolism. Democrats, in addition, need to call an extremist an extremist: to shine a light on the shared anti-democratic ideology of McCain and Palin, the same ideology shared by Bush and Cheney. They share values antithetical to our democracy. That needs to be said loud and clear, if not by the Obama campaign itself, then by the rest of us who share democratic American values.

Our job is to bring external realities together with the reality of the political mind. Don't ignore the cognitive dimension. It is through cultural narratives, metaphors, and frames that we understand and express our ideals.

George Lakoff is the author of The Political Mind: Why You Can't Understand 20th Century Politics With and 18th Century Brain.

PALIN'S RADICAL CHURCH PROMOTES GAY CONVERSION

Susan Federighi — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 02:24:31 EDT

PALIN'S RADICAL CHURCH PROMOTES GAY CONVERSION - THEY BELIEVE YOU CAN "PRAY AWAY THE GAY"

http://news.aol.com/elections/article/palins-church-promotes-gay-conversion/165471?icid=200100397x1208835546x1200532764

As a woman...

Clara — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 00:06:29 EDT

I think Barack Obama is going to represent me as a woman well because he respects women. He seems to be surrounded by strong women, don't you think? Look at his mother and his grandmother...he admires them so greatly. Michelle is a worthy strong partner, who is well equipped to be First Lady.

I believe that he wants to empower women...and he has.

I am out here blogging, tomorrow I am going to go register new citizens in SF.

I am going to put him in office because he gives me hope.

Working Class Women and Sarah Palin

Abigail — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 23:02:39 EDT

Sarah Palin's appeal to working-class women may be limited

Los Angeles Times, September 7, 2008:

"I wanted Hillary to win so bad, but I saw Sarah, and it just didn't work for me," said Heckman, taking a break in the empty courtyard of J. Paul's restaurant in a downtown struggling to revive. "I have no retirement. Obama understands it's the economy. He knows how we live."

Heckman, like many others in this former coal-mining town at the western foot of the Appalachians, is the type of voter that both presidential campaigns will target in the final two months. Polls show that working-class women have emerged as one of the most critical categories of swing voters at a time when McCain and Barack Obama have galvanized their party bases but still need more votes to win.

Is Mrs. Sarah Palin's speech consider Manifest Destiny

funkfresh01 — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 23:00:35 EDT

Is Mrs. Sarah Palin's speech consider Manifest Destiny

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a--9ZEf42rE

http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-77413

What is your Opinion?

Barack Says Palin's Speech Full of Lies

Susan Federighi — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 08:18:34 EDT

BARACK FIRES BACK: PALIN'S SPEECH FULL OF LIESBy GEOFF EARLE, Post Correspondent

Posted: 11:31 am
September 4, 2008

PITTSBURGH – Barack Obama's camp is unloading on Republican Vice Presidential nominee Sarah Palin after Palin described herself as a "pit bull" and then tore into Obama in a tough convention speech.

"There wasn't one thing that she said about Obama or what he's proposing that's true," fumed Obama's strategist David Axelrod, speaking to reporters aboard Obama's campaign plane.

Axelrod defended Obama against one of Palin's most biting lines, when she ridiculed a favorite part of Obama's resume, saying: "I guess a small town mayor is sort of like a community organizer -- except that you have actual responsibilities."

"They can demean service in the community but I think most people appreciate it," Axelrod shot back.

"He's proud of those three years that he spent as a young person working in those communities," Axelrod said, referencing Obama's time working in Chicago after college.

He accused Palin of trying to "ignore his work as a constitutional lawyer, as a professor at the University of Chicago, his eight years in the legislature, his years in the United States Senate." Obama himself rarely mentions his time spent in academia or at Harvard Law.

Axelrod said the little-known Palin should answer reporters' questions. "I don't think the American people are going to tolerate candidates who are unwilling to answer basic questions about their record, about issues, about the country."

"It's an extraordinary event, shedding an awful lot of heat and no light. It almost defies the laws of physics," he said of the GOP convention so far. "These are serious, serious times. People understand that we've got big problems. The fact that they don't add any of them I think will be noted."

Michelle Obama: Let's Talk

EsquireUK — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 22:29:03 EDT

Let's Talk by Michelle Obama

Hi everybody,

I’m excited to be posting on BlogHer. Not only because blogging is something I’ve actually been able to beat my daughters to; but because it gives me the opportunity to tell you a little bit about them, my husband, myself, and our experiences traveling all over this great country.

Over the course of this campaign, I’ve been hosting roundtable discussions with working women all across America. I’m there to talk about my husband, of course – but more importantly, I’m there to listen. We talk about what it’s like to play multiple roles at once and what it’s like to feel stretched thin between the demands of a career and family.

And of course, we talk about our children. How they’re the first thing we think about when we wake up in the morning, and the last thing we think about when we go to bed at night. I know that no matter where I am – work, the campaign trail, wherever – my girls are always on my mind.

What I find is that our stories are similar. But what I also hear at each roundtable is that women are struggling. They are working hard and playing by the rules, doing the most important job of raising the next generation, but somehow can never get ahead. They’re desperate for change.

I’ve heard from mothers struggling to make ends meet because their salaries aren’t keeping up with the cost of groceries. But if they take a second job, they can’t afford the additional cost of childcare. Or the moms who are nervous about taking time from their jobs to care for a sick child. Or the moms-to-be who are scared of getting fired if the boss finds out they’re pregnant.

Then there are women who work hard every day doing the same jobs as men, but earning less. And the military families, who struggle to make ends meet with one paycheck where there used to be two. They welcome their loved ones home with full hearts but little support from their government for their service.

I hear similar stories everywhere I go. These struggles – the struggles of working women and families across America – aren’t new to me or to any of us. And they’re certainly not new to Barack.

He was raised by two strong, working women – his mother and his grandmother. Growing up, he saw his single mother put herself through school while raising him and his sister alone. She was determined to show them that in America, there are no barriers to success if you’re willing to work for it. But he also saw her struggle to make ends meet, at times worrying about how she would pay the bills.

He saw his grandmother, the primary breadwinner for his family, work her way up at a bank. But he also saw how, once she got to a certain level, she hit a glass ceiling despite her hard work and abilities. He saw that she was passed over and underpaid, a problem that persists today for too many women.

And he sees me, his wife, trying to juggle jobs and raise kids; often feeling like when I’m with the kids, I’m shortchanging work, and when I’m at work or campaigning, I’m shortchanging the kids. I know you understand these struggles. Barack understands them too.

That’s why he’s worked to give families the tools they need to make a better life for their kids for over twenty years – from his years in Chicago working with a group of churches to help families devastated when local steel plants shut down; to the Illinois State Senate, where he worked to move families from welfare to work and expand early childhood education and child health care; to his fights in the U.S. Senate for equal pay and a fair economy.

As President, he’ll continue these fights. And he’ll build an economy that rewards work over wealth, ensures a world-class education, and creates quality, affordable health care for everyone who wants it.

He’ll do all this because he’s determined to change Washington so that instead of just talking about family values, we actually have policies that value families. Policies that actually make it easier for women to support, care for, and raise their families without having to choose between their kids and their careers.

I’ll be honest – when Barack first told me he was thinking about running for President, I had mixed feelings. I worried about my girls and what a campaign might do to their lives. I wanted the best life possible for them, and a presidential campaign wasn’t part of that equation.

But then I thought about it. And the world I want for them is a world where they’re paid fairly and equally for their work; where they don’t have to choose between kids and careers; where they can dream without limits without a glass ceiling standing in their way. And I realized that if that’s the world I want for them, then I had to do my part to elect someone like my husband.

We all need to do our part to keep women’s issues at the forefront of the national debate. That’s why communities like BlogHer are so important. It’s not just a forum or sounding board; it’s an energetic space that lets women know they’re not alone. It’s our own national virtual roundtable. But we need to take these online conversations offline as well. I’ll do my part, and so will Barack. But we need you all too.

Thanks for allowing me to post here. I plan to continue blogging – and listening.

http://www.blogher.com/lets-talk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTFsB09KhqI

http://www.emilyslist.org/

http://www.cctvcambridge.org/node/4444

http://www.cctvcambridge.org/node/4438

NorCal Obama Headquarters Grand Opening!!

Allison Ruby Reid-Cunningham — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 15:21:09 EDT

I drove home from the DNC to Berkeley (from Reno today) because I had a feeling that I should be at the Grand Opening for the Northern Cali HQ of the Obama campaign, and I thought it would be fun to surprise people at the event.

The East Bay Field Office is also home to the NorCal Headquarters, and tonight was the GRAND OPENING!!

When I drove up to the office tonight, I was astonished.

Before I could see any of the crowd,

I could hear them chanting, "Yes We Can!"

There were hundreds of people lining the streets and clamoring to volunteer and express their support for Obama.

I got goosebumps and (finally) a parking spot...

The office was absolutely overun with people all fired up about Obama--we had over 500 people at the event!!!

Hundreds of people signed up to volunteer for phone-banking, traveling, and other help for the Obama campaign!!

I hadn't realized when I left Nevada this morning what a big event this was--I could hardly get into the office through the flood of people trying to get in to sign up to help.

We had an amazing set of speakers, who addressed the crowd from the upper balcony. Included in the program were San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, Congresswoman Barbara Lee (CD-9), and Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates.

Assemblymember Loni Hancock (CD-14), Alameda Central Labor Council Executive Director Sharon Cornu, Alameda County Supervisor Keith Carson, and Executive Secretary-Treasurer of the California Labor Foundation Art Pulaski, and a representative from Ron Dellums office were also featured speakers.

The speeches engaged the crowd, which responded with cheers, emphatic chants of "Yes We CAN," and winning smiles!!

Mayor Gavin Newson mentioned that it is was better to be here at this grand opening event than to be watching Fox News; he continued by expressing that the Republicans are out of touch with the priorities of this country. He reminded us that the future is not in front of us: the future is within us!

Mayor Tom Bates spoke about taking our country back, and now is the time to do that together. These past years have been very hard on Americans and we have a chance right now to turn that around and take our country back.

Congresswoman Barbara Lee was stirring, eloquent, and as wonderful as a speaker can possibly be. The crowd loved her--they went wild when she spoke, when she raised her arms up, they cheered. When she finished speaking, the crowd began chanting, "Barbara Lee speaks for me." I couldn't agree more--as a fellow social worker and Obama supporter, Barbara Lee definitely speaks for me!! This was my first time meeting her, and she was as lovely and genuine in person as I imagined she would be.

Our Deputy Field Director for California, the dynamic and phenomenal Peggy Moore introduced the speakers and fired up the crowd! Her comments were inspiring and it was truly impressive to see how she was able to engage with the hundreds of people gathered below in a way that felt direct and personal, as if she were speaking to each person individually.

Peggy introduced Pam Coukos, our Regional Field Director for Northern California/SF & East Bay. Pam gave a rousing speech highlighting the work that needs to be done in the next 60 days. Check out the video by clicking here.

Peggy Moore, Barbara Lee, and Pam Coukos

Sarah Palin - A cold-hearted woman

Mary Lou Loomis "Obama Mama from El Cerrito, CA" — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 03:00:14 EDT

I listened to both speeches, John McCain tonight and Sarah Palin yesterday. I found myself somewhat softening towards McCain tonight because he seemed almost sincere, but I have to remind myself that even if he has good intentions, he is surrounded by power mongering demons who are willing to forfeit democracy and freedom for their own selfish greed and political agenda. Therefore, I must conclude that McCain is simply a pawn in a political power game.

As for Sarah Palin; she disgusts me! Yes, she gave a good speech yesterday and everyone seemed riveted while she spoke. But watching her body language and facial expressions, I saw a very cold and mean-spirited person whose primary interest is promoting her own agenda. Clearly, she is a religious fanatic and does not refrain from injecting or referring to "God's will" in every other statement she uttered. She frightens me and I consider her quite dangerous.Sarah Palin publicly paraded her pregnant daughter at the convention, despite having previously announced that Bristol's circumstances are a "family matter". How can she have it both ways? But, if that weren't enough, she also paraded and dangled Trig, her Down Syndrome baby, for all to see and gawk at. How can this woman be trusted to care about our country, when she appears to be so insensitive and lacking in compassion towards her own children?

I believe that Sarah Palin is ruthless and will stop at nothing to get what she wants. The thought of having her in any position of power terrifies me. As a sidenote, the disregard and cruelty with which she treats animals is horrifying and reveals just what kind of person she is. She may be smart and superficially attractive, but Sarah Palin is shallow, treacherous and bone cold chilling.

Mary Lou

El Cerrito, CA 94530

Sarah Palin is a messenger of God?

naomid2u — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 17:38:08 EDT

Check this video and article out. This woman is scary and definitely not fit for running this country.

http://richarddawkins.net/article,3067,Palins-Church-May-Have-Shaped-Controversial-Worldview,Nico-Pitney-and-Sam-Stein-Huffington-Post

Hillary Clinton Will Do What She Can To Help...

EsquireUK — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 13:20:20 EDT

Monday, 1st September 2008

By PATRICK HEALY Published: August 31, 2008

Advisers to Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton said on Sunday that Senator John McCain's selection of Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska as his running mate would lead to a greater role for Mrs. Clinton as she campaigned this fall on behalf of her former rival, Senator Barack Obama.

Mrs. Clinton's friends said she was galled that Ms. Palin might try to capitalize on a movement that Mrs. Clinton, of New York, built among women in the primaries. And Democrats used strong words on Sunday to rebut the notion: Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts said that women would not be "seduced" by the Republican ticket, and Guy Cecil, the former political director of Mrs. Clinton's campaign, said it was "insulting" for Republicans to compare Ms. Palin to Mrs. Clinton.

Nevertheless, Clinton advisers said they expected that a bloc of her female supporters would give Mr. McCain a second look because of Ms. Palin, and that Mrs. Clinton was probably Mr. Obama's best weapon in response. But asked if the Palin pick would lead to a new political marriage between Mr. Obama and Mrs. Clinton, a senior Clinton adviser, Ann Lewis, said: "Not a political marriage. She is not on the ticket. Senator Obama chose Joe Biden as his running mate. Hillary will do what she can to help."

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/01/us/politics/01clinton.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=268ncnoitEc

Monday, 1st September 2008

Cambridge, MA

Americans we really can help others especially during and after Hurricane Gustav in our Gulf Coast area. Barack sent me this urgent message today:

Raphael --

Today, the thoughts and prayers of all Americans are with those in the path of Hurricane Gustav -- and many of you are asking what you can do to help.

We do not yet know what the impact of Hurricane Gustav will be, and we hope with all our hearts that the damage will not be as great as it was three years ago.

But we know there will be damage, and there is something you can do right now.

Your financial support will strengthen organizations like the American Red Cross that are evacuating Gulf Coast residents and planning to help communities get back on their feet.

Make a donation to support the American Red Cross today.

At times like this, it is our compassion and resilience that define who we are as a nation.

Please give whatever you can afford, even $10, to make sure the American Red Cross has the resources to help those in the path of this storm:

https://donate.barackobama.com/redcross

Thank you for your generosity, and I hope you will join Michelle and me in praying for the safety of those in the path of the storm and the first responders who are doing all they can to ensure the safety of their communities.

Barack

http://american.redcross.org

Post from Molly Claflin: "Someone who puts Americans first" By Molly Claflin - Sep 1st, 2008 at 7:26 pm EDT Comments | Mail to a Friend | Report Objectionable Content

From his time working as a community organizer to his years in public office, Barack has worked hard for the Latino community on issues like fair pay, healthcare, and comprehensive immigration reform.

At a speech to Latinos in July, Barack said:

It's about making sure our government knows that when there's a Hispanic girl stuck in a crumbling school who graduates without learning to read or doesn't graduate at all, that isn't just a Hispanic-American problem, that's an American problem.

When Hispanics lose their jobs faster than almost anybody else, or work jobs that pay less, and come with fewer benefits than almost anybody else, that isn't a Hispanic-American problem, that's an American problem.

When 12 million people live in hiding in this country and hundreds of thousands of people cross our borders illegally each year; when companies hire undocumented workers instead of legal citizens to avoid paying overtime or to avoid a union; and a nursing mother is torn away from her baby by an immigration raid, that is a problem that all of us - black, white, and brown - must solve as one nation.

A government that works for all Americans - that's the kind of government I'm talking about. And that's the kind of government I've been fighting to build throughout my over 20 years in public service.

As Barack stands up for Latino Americans, more and more Latino voters are standing up for Barack – becoming a part of our historic movement for change. Here are a few of their stories:

Cecelia from Apopka, Florida says:

I came to this wonderful country on 1988 -- not too long ago, but long enough to love, respect and want the best for this my home-sweet-home, United States of America. Barack Obama is the best for America, he talks -- and most importantly acts -- with the love and respect that the people who live in this country of ours desperately needs. I give thanks to his family -- as I know how hard is to have to leave your family to pursue a dream. A dream that we Latinos share is to have someone like Obama as a President, someone with courage to say ‘no’ to the special interests and lobbyists, and someone who puts real Americans first. I just became an American citizen. Now I will have the happiness of having my first vote to be cast for Obama.

Rigoberto in Austin, Texas says:

I support Obama because he speaks what the people need to hear and not what the people want to hear. I watched him speak on C-SPAN recently and I was absolutely moved by every topic he touched and the answers he gave people. And because I believe he will do the right thing for all Hispanics, including the immigrants who are now part of this nation.

Carolina in Phoenix, Arizona says:

I want change! We need change! When I vote, you are actually hearing the voices of six people. My parents and other family members are not yet citizens and do not have this right. They are responsible, functional, taxpayers in this society. Like my father told me ‘We are created equal but not treated so.’ Education is the main reason for me personally voting. My children are not in a wel-performing school. I would like for my child to have the same opportunities as other Americans. I want to help my community, not run away so someone else can inherit my problem. I hope Obama will help us. Our community is holding its breath, but we're exicited about the possibility of change.

Willa in Charlottesville, Virginia says:

I appreciate Senator Obama's support of the immigrant population. A couple of generations ago, one of my great aunts received immigrant's social service care during her first pregnancy and gave birth to a son at what is now the University of Chicago Hospital. The boy, given a good start, grew up to become a professor of Physics at Illinois Tech. America’s history of generosity need not be considered wasted. Obama understands how much we Latinos have to contribute.

Join Latinos for Obama to connect with other supporters and find out how you can be a part of the movement. You can also read the Latino Blueprint for Change here.

Check Out "Barack Photo Timeline"

Mary Lou Loomis "Obama Mama from El Cerrito, CA" — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 16:01:10 EDT

Hey Everyone,

Just click on the following link to see a great photo chronology of Barack Obama!

http://kronomy.com/user/Barack_Obama/

Mary Lou

Sen. Obama Welcomes Endorsement of the Business and Professional Women/USA PAC

Anne Brewer, Women's Vote Coordinator — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 12:54:34 EDT

Following yesterday's endorsement from the Business and Professional Women/USA PAC, Senator Obama responded with the statement below. The BPW PAC endorsement signals how critical this election will be for its members and shines a light on the stark contrast between Senator Obama and Senator McCain on issues of concern to working women. Senator Obama has a long record of standing up for working women and their families – on everything from pay equity and Family and Medical Leave, to strong support for women-owned businesses. Click here to learn more about the 50-state impact of Sen. Obama's Plan for Working Women.

CHICAGO, IL - Today Senator Obama released the following statement after receiving the endorsement from the Business and Professional Women/PAC:

"Since the early 1980's the Business and Professional Women/USA has led the way in mobilizing women to ensure equality in the workplace. From equal pay, to healthcare and social security benefits, the BPW/PAC has been a consistent voice advocating on behalf of working women and I am honored to have their support because I have been a fighter for their issues," said Senator Barack Obama.
"As a state senator in Illinois I fought for working women and families everywhere - from extending equal pay protections to 330,000 working women to increasing childcare funding and expanding affordable health care to more than 150,000 working parents and their kids. Unlike John McCain, I will stand with women to close the equal pay gap that exists today and ensure that we are doing our part as a nation to help them to balance work and family, from expanding access to adequate afterschool programs to guaranteed sick days. For generations ordinary women have taken on extraordinary odds to give their daughters the chance for more opportunities than they everhad. In so many ways we have succeeded, but in so many areas we have much work left to do and I look forward to tackling these issues as President with the support of BPW/USA and BPW/PAC. "

###

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Contact: Obama Press Office; (312) 819-2423

El Cerrito fund raising event was a huge success!

Mary Lou Loomis "Obama Mama from El Cerrito, CA" — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 23:44:08 EDT

This past weekend, a group of El Cerrito Obammers held a bake sale & yard sale on Central Avenue in El Cerrito. Public response was very enthsiastic. Not only did we raise several hundred dollars for the campaign, but we also got to meet some great Obama supporters who stopped by to buy window signs, bumper stickers, buttons and, of course, some home baked treats and yard sale bargains. It was great fun!

The event was documented. A slide presentation can be viewed by clicking on the following link: http://s174.photobucket.com/albums/w85/Baylynx/?action=view&current=7eb7c7ad.pbr

Business and Professional Women/USA Endorses Senator Obama for President

Anne Brewer, Women's Vote Coordinator — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 15:19:48 EDT

Business and Professional Women/USA PAC issued the following statement today to announce their endorsement of Senator Obama for President. The organization will use its voice to educate its members, and working women across the country, on the contrasts between Senator Obama and Senator McCain on many issues affecting them in this "critical" election....

   Business and Professional Women PAC Endorses Barack Obama for President;

            Points to Strong Support for Working Women and their Families

[August 25, 2008 -- Washington, DC] --Citing Senator Barack Obama’s strong support of working women and their families, BPW/PAC, the political arm of Business and Professional Women/USA (BPW/USA) has endorsed Senator Obama for President of the United States.

“The Trustees of BPW/PAC carefully analyzed the positions of both candidates before deciding to endorse Senator Obama,” said BPW/PAC Board of Trustees Chair Terri Freer of Texas. “The Senator’s commitment to sign the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, increase retirement savings opportunities for women, expand paid sick leave and FMLA, along with his support of workplace flexibility and affordable healthcare made it clear that he was the candidate most supportive of our mission to achieve equity for all women in the workplace.”

“In addition, Senator Obama’s assurance that he will ratify the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and his support of reproductive rights, programs to fight violence against women and passage of the Equal Rights Amendment makes it clear that he is committed to ensuring that women’s voices will be heard in his administration,” concluded Board Chair Freer.

“2008 is a critical election for working women. Our wages, our ability to care for our families, our access to health care and our retirement security are at stake,” said Trish Knight of Michigan, BPW/PAC Board Vice-Chair. “That is why BPW/PAC felt it was essential to let working women know which presidential candidate will best promote and protect the rights of workingwomen.”

Established in 1979, the nonpartisan Business and Professional Women Political Action Committee (BPW/PAC) helps shape the national agenda on workingwomen’s issues. Through education, endorsements and financial contributions, BPW/PAC supports federal candidates who will be strong advocates for equity for all women in the workplace.

For more information on BPW/PAC visit www.bpwusa.org.

###

Top 10 Headlines - Women's Health Policy Report

darlene matthews — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 14:24:20 EDT

From: "Marilyn Keefe, National Partnership" <info@nationalpartnership.org>Date: August 21, 2008 10:44:03 AM PDTTo: go2thesun@mac.comSubject: Top 10 Headlines - Women's Health Policy ReportReply-To: "Marilyn Keefe, National Partnership" <info@nationalpartnership.org>
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WOMEN'S HEALTH POLICY REPORT | August 21, 2008
The weekly version of the Daily Women's Health Policy Report highlights the week's top 10 news stories on reproductive health and rights. The complete list of stories is available online, and you may also subscribe to the daily version here.

Top 10 Headlines:

ELECTION 2008 | 'Narrative' of Presidential Candidates on Abortion Issues Changing, Washington PostReports [Aug. 20, 2008]
The "narrative" of presidential candidates Sens. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) and John McCain (R-Ariz.) on abortion appeared to have been set with Obama as the abortion-rights supporter and McCain as the abortion-rights opponent, but those impressions have been "altered" since Saturday's forum moderated by influential evangelical minister Rick Warren at Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif., the Washington Post reports.
>>Read more

CONTRACEPTION & FAMILY PLANNING | Percentage of U.S. Women Receiving Contraceptive Services Increases, Study Finds [Aug 15, 2008]
The percentage of U.S. women who reported receiving contraceptive services increased from 36% in 1995 to 41% in 2002, and about one-fourth of women who obtained services utilized publicly funded clinics, according to a study conducted by the Guttmacher Institute and published in the October issue of the American Journal of Public Health,HealthDay News/Washington Post reports.
>>Read more

PUBLIC HEALTH & EDUCATION | New York Times Examines Development, Advertising of HPV Vaccines[Aug. 20, 2008]
In the last two years, cervical cancer has gone from an "obscure killer confined mostly to developing countries" to the "West's disease of the moment" through the "lightning-fast" transition of new human papillomavirus vaccines from development to "must-have injection[s]" in the U.S. and Europe, the New York Times reports.
>>Read more

STATE POLITICS & POLICY | Indiana Abortion Opponents Press for County Ordinances to Limit Access[Aug. 18, 2008]
Abortion-rights opponents in Indiana recently have been seeking county ordinances to require doctors who perform the procedure to have admitting privileges at a local hospital after efforts to enact statewide legislation stalled, theAP/WHAS reports.
>>Read more

IN THE COURTS | Law Barring Discrimination Based on Sexual Orientation Applies to Doctors, Calif. Supreme Court Rules [Aug. 19, 2008]
The California Supreme Court on Monday unanimously ruled that physicians cannot refuse medical treatment to gays and lesbians based on the physicians' religious beliefs, the Los Angeles Times reports.
>>Read more

ELECTION 2008 | Potential Vice Presidential Candidates Kaine, Ridge Address Abortion Issues on Sunday Shows [Aug. 18, 2008]
Former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge (R) on Sunday said that he believes Republicans would accept an abortion-rights supporter as a vice presidential candidate but added that whomever Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) picks as his running mate should defer to McCain on the issue, the AP/Google.com reports.
>>Read more

PUBLIC HEALTH & EDUCATION | HPV Vaccine Gardasil Might Not Be Cost-Effective for Adult Women, NEJM Study Says [Aug. 21, 2008]
Vaccinating young teens to prevent cervical cancer might be cost-effective, but a new study questions the cost-effectiveness of vaccinating older teenagers and women in their 20s, the Wall Street Journal reports.
>>Read more

NATIONAL POLITICS & POLICY | FDA Approval, Oversight of Mifeprex 'Consistent' With Other Drugs, GAO Report Says [Aug. 19, 2008]
FDA's approval process and postmarket oversight of Danco Laboratories' medication abortion drug Mifeprex, also known as RU-486, were "consisten[t]" with how the agency handles other drugs with restricted distribution, according to a Government Accountability Office report released Tuesday, Bloomberg reports.
>>Read more

PREGNANCY & CHILDBIRTH | Census Bureau Report Finds Women Having Fewer Children, Giving Birth Later in Life [Aug. 20, 2008]
More U.S. women in their early 40s do not have children, and women who are having children are having fewer than ever before, according to a Census Bureau report released Monday, the AP/Long Island Newsday reports.
>>Read more

IN THE COURTS | N.H. Must Reimburse Planned Parenthood for Legal Costs in Suit Over Abortion-Related Law, Federal Judge Rules [Aug. 19, 2008]
U.S. District Court Judge Joseph DeClerico last week ruled that New Hampshire must reimburse Planned Parenthood of Northern New England for legal costs the group incurred when filing a lawsuit to block a 2003 state law (HB 763) that would have required health care providers to notify a parent or guardian at least 48 hours before performing an abortion on a minor, the Nashua Telegraph reports.
>>Read more

The Editors:

Daily Report Editorial Staff:

~ Debra Ness, publisher & president, National Partnership
~ Marilyn Keefe, managing editor & director of reproductive health & rights, National Partnership
~ Sabrina Corlette, associate editor & director of health policy, National Partnership
~ Laura Hessburg, associate editor & senior health policy advisor, National Partnership
~ Lisa Summers, associate editor & health policy advisor, National Partnership
~ Christine Broderick, associate editor & health policy analyst, National Partnership
~ Vince Blaser, associate editor
~ Kimberley Lufkin, editor
~ Amanda Wolfe, editor-in-chief
~ Sarah Mann, Emily Picillo, Christopher Rottler, staff writers
~ Alyssa Mitchell, copy editor

Syndication and Outreach Staff:

~ Tucker Ball, director of online marketing, National Partnership
~ Sarah Heynen, communications coordinator, National Partnership
~ Travis Hunter, senior IT manager, National Partnership

Contact Information:

For questions, comments, story submissions, and further information about the National Partnership, the Daily Report, or your e-mail subscription:

Phone: 202-986-2600
Fax: 202-986-2539
E-mail: dailyreport@nationalpartnership.org
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The Daily Women's Health Policy Report is a free service of the National Partnership for Women & Families,
by The Advisory Board Company. © 2008 The Advisory Board Company. All rights reserved.

East Bay for Obama Office/Northern CA Headquarters!!

Allison Ruby Reid-Cunningham — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 23:59:54 EDT

With 100 DAYS UNTIL THE ELECTION...

The East Bay Field Office for Obama
is FIRED UP & READY TO GO!!!

We had 350+ people at the opening!!!! and we've been selected as the Northern California Obama Headquarters!!! If you would like to get involved, please stop by the office--we're open 10am-8pm every day. Click here for more info.

We're located at 3225 Adeline St
2 blocks south of Ashby BART.
At the grand opening, people registered to vote, got to know their neighbors, and enjoyed a beautiful afternoon together while expressing support for Barack Obama!

Tons of folks signed up to volunteer for different jobs, such as phone-banking, voter registration, working in the office, and campaigning in other states. Others donated items on the wishlist.

Kids made origami for Obama, read books about Obama (from Rebecca's Books: she's donating 10% of profits from Obama book sales to the campaign!), and made art about Obama at a special kids area. They seemed to have a lot of fun. I wish they could vote--kids all over the place seem to love Obama.

We had amazing speakers:

The Mayor of Berkeley, Jason Varano, spoke to a large and very responsive crowd gathered outside the office.

He invoked Berkeley's spirit of activism and participation in the political process and expressed his great joy that the East Bay Headquarters is located in the heart of this community.

He emphasized the importance of this election and praised Obama as our next President!

Berkeley Council Member Max Anderson spoke eloquently about the local and national need for change.

Throughout the speeches, cars driving by honked in support!!

Other speakers talked about the urgency of NOW!

This moment is so important in our country's history.

We have the opportunity NOW to make a change.

The Richmond Council Member Harpreet Sandhu opened his speech by saying that as a person wearing a turban in America, this is the change we've been waiting for!

Sikhs and other minority groups have endured terrible discrimination and abuse since September 11th (although of course they have NOTHING to do with terrorism etc.).

Obama's Presidency would usher in a new time in America--a time of unity, or understanding and listening, a time when we respond reasonably to realistic threats and seek to replace prejudice with brotherhood.

Margot Reed, a long-time Obama volunteer, organizer, and member of Obama Pride (LGBT Constituent Group) gave a rousing speech that stirred the audience and inspired everyone.

Union leaders expressed their support for Obama's Presidency, and the crowd went wild. People were cheering and cars were honking like crazy during these speeches.

The final speaker was Nancy Skinner, who is running for State Assembly in the 14th District. She gave an inspiring speech about how we can do this together. She was so excited about Obama!!!

She mentioned that she turned 18 the year that 18-yr-olds got the right to vote (nobody do the math; she's only 23!). She voted for Shirley Chisholm--and now she is even more excited to vote for Barack Obama, who will be the first African-American President of the United States.

After the speakers, there were some amazing performances--pics coming soon!

Kid Beyond is a singer, songwriter, live looper, beatboxer and one-man-band. An amazing guy and spectacular performer, he is also a proud Obama supporter!

Hello fellow citizens! Kid B here.

If I haven't made it blissfully clear, I'm going to be working my patootie off to make sure Barack Obama gets elected this November. That's why I'm excited to be performing at the opening of Obama's East Bay HQ.

There were yummy refreshments generously donated by local establishments.

There was media coverage by KTVU and CBS, and we were covered on at least three local stations. Several folks came into the office this week to volunteer or get information after they saw the opening event on the news. It was so neat to see how much the first big event in the new space is already growing the movement and engaging more people in the political process.

If you would like to get involved, please stop by the office--we're open 10am-8pm every day. Click here for more info.

We're located at 3225 Adeline St
2 blocks south of Ashby BART.

We'd love to see you soon!!

YES WE CAN!!!

LIVE VIDEO: Michelle Obama with military spouses at roundtable in Virginia

Anne Brewer, Women's Vote Coordinator — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 13:38:54 EDT

Watch a live stream of Michelle Obama talking with military spouses at a town hall event in Norfolk, VA!

Click here and then click on "WAVY Live Streaming Webcast" in the upper left hand side of the screen

Connie Schultz interviews Michelle Obama

Anne Brewer, Women's Vote Coordinator — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 10:53:34 EDT

Connie Schultz, Pulitzer Prize-winning syndicated columnist for the Cleveland Plain Dealer, had the chance to sit down with Michelle Obama and talk at length about Michelle's devotion to the role of mother while balancing the role of "auditioning for first lady."

When you're trying to schedule an interview with Michelle Obama, one of the first things you notice is the time zone she navigates.
Regardless of where you are calling from, you will heed Chicago's time zone, which is probably best understood as Malia-and-Sasha Time. They are the young daughters of Barack and Michelle Obama. Every interview, every campaign event for their mother is weighed by this test: How will it affect the daily lives of 10-year-old Malia and 7-year-old Sasha?
Michelle's mother, Marian Robinson, helps with child care, but Michelle joins them most days, and the goal on every day is to get home sooner rather than later.
As her communications director, Katie McCormick Lelyveld, stressed, "Michelle wants to be home when they get home from camp."
It is a willful attempt at normalcy in an all-too-abnormal life these days, but she insists that her daughters will not suffer the skyrocket highs and deep-valley lows of her husband's presidential race. Even as she rides the wave in her own travels across the country to raise money and to reach out to women and working-class voters in Ohio, there's a part of Michelle Obama who wants to believe that her family's life hasn't changed. Not too much, anyway.
"We've always been the kind of people who go to the soccer games, shop at Target, go for bike rides and make sure the girls get to the sleepovers they've been invited to," she said in an interview Wednesday. "We still do that, but we usually have a lot of people watching now."

I wanted to talk with Michelle Obama because she is, indeed, auditioning for first lady and a lot of voters don't know much about her beyond media controversies.

Click here to read the entire article...

work and politics

Kirsten Fisher — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 13:00:57 EDT

I was in an uncomfortable situation the other day. Normally I do not bring up politics among people I am unsure what their political views are. The situation with my other blog was when the other women approached me. I was sitting in a car with my supervisor and 2 other co-workers going to a birthday lunch when my supervisor started on a rant. She started stating that liberal democrats are ruining this country, causing big government and wasting money on stupid things like the new rule that San Francisco is no longer allowing cigarettes to be sold at pharmacies. You can buy malt liquor at Walgreens but no longer cigarettes.

I agree with her logic regarding the cigarettes. Hey if you want to kill yourself smoking them, it is your choice. We have been trying to get my husband’s mother to quit for years. She promised that she would quit if we had a second child. We did.(we were planning on having one anyway) Two years later she is still smoking. When she comes over to visit, we request that she smoke outside of our home and away from the children. She smokes on our deck but brings the ashes into the house and dumps them in the trashcan so our house still smells like an ashtray. Anyway I digress.

Anyway, she was still ranting on “liberal democrats” which I can drown out but she said something that struck a cord. She said, “this is another example how liberal democrats and their PC b___ s___ try to control our lives and tell us what we can and cannot do with our own lives.”

That statement made me angry. I wanted to argue with her. What about Bush trying to take away our right to chose an abortion? He has already taken away the right for partial birth abortions. Something that should only be decided between the doctor and the mother. What about him taking away the right of federal employees of obtaining birth control through their insurance? How about regulating who can and cannot be married? How is that not controlling what we can or cannot do with our lives?

Unfortunately I have only been with this supervisor for a couple months. Everyone one else was quiet so I stayed quiet. Do I think I made the right decision? Yes. Does it make me feel any better? No.

a group in west oakland- being the change

darlene matthews — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 09:08:57 EDT

Flavors of the Garden Tasting Event

Join us for our new "Flavors of the Garden" Tasting Event! Saturday, July 26 and August 23rd at our 55th St. Garden (just west of San Pablo) from 11am - 1pm. This is a special thank you celebration for all our volunteers, donors, & supporters live music, delicious appetizers and yummy beverages made from produce grown at People's Grocery farm and gardens. Come taste the flavors of summer! Check out pictures of the June's "Flavors" on Brahm's blog.

A series of three tasting events celebrating our supporters, volunteers and donors. Visit our beautiful 55th St. Garden for a sampling of delicious appetizers & beverages crafted by local Bay Area chefs made with organic seasonal produce straight from our gardens and farm. See the new Grub Box, meet the people who are People's Grocery, listen to live music and taste the flavor of summer with People's Grocery.

Dates: (4th Saturday of the month) June 28, July 26 and August 23

Time: 11am - 1pm

Where: 1167 - 55th St., in Oakland, about a block west of San Pablo.

Click here to register online now.

For more information or to RSVP: please call Victoria Fabella at 510-652-7607, or email her at victoria@peoplesgrocery.org.

san fran event july 28

darlene matthews — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 18:37:24 EDT

im homeless and too broke so please go for me!

From: alan@anyscale.com

Subject: [council] Bush McCain Redux! Monday in San Francisco

Date: July 25, 2008 1:06:52 PM PDT

To: everyone-3594-6jJ5lE@ml.moveon.org

This is a forwarded message sent to the San Francisco Council members, but all are invited! This should get plenty of Media attention. We will be using the Berkeley Council's set from a few month's ago.

Hi Council Members -
John McCain is coming our way next Monday, July 28, for a $1000/plate fundraising extravaganza at the Fairmont Hotel.  What a great opportunity to reinvigorate MoveOn's Bush-McCain Challenge! Help quiz McCain's supporters and passersby to see how well they score answering MoveOn's Challenge of "who said what - Bush, McCain or Both - Can You Tell the Difference?" See the action at the Union Street Fair and imagine the fun at the Fairmont!

http://current.com/items/89024711_the_bush_mccain_challenge

We'll gather at 5:30pm, and stay until 7:30. We'll have tootsie-roll pops for passersby who get 3 out of 5 questions right.

Bring signs to let people know what you think of Bush and McCain. Make signs with "No Bush 3rd Term", "McCain = McSame as McBush", "100 Years War McCain", "McCain's Double-Talk Express" and variations thereof are all VERY appropriate.

What:  A very appropriate San Francisco greeting for John McCain
When: 5:30-7:30pm Monday, July 28
Where: Fairmont Hotel, Mason Street between California & Sacramento Streets
Why:  Publicize how McCain would be Bush's "third term"
How:  You - along with lots of other people, signs & The Bush-McCain Challenge--Can You Tell the Difference?

Join us for this genuine San Francisco response to McCain, another disaster in the making.

RSVP to Elena Rogan erogan@earthlink.net
_______________________________________________
This message was sent from the MoveOn Operation Democracy system. Log into your council page here: http://www.moveon.org/team/members/index.html

To report abuse of the email system, click here: http://www.moveon.org/team/members/abuse.html

To leave this council, click here: http://www.moveon.org/team/members/roster.html

now asks to honor this woman

darlene matthews — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 18:24:48 EDT

digg this NOW - Honor a Legacy http://www.capwiz.com/now/issues/alert/?alertid=11688876

Senator Obama visits with German Chancellor Angela Merkel

Anne Brewer, Women's Vote Coordinator — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 13:35:09 EDT

Earlier today, Senator Obama met with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Below is the campaign's statement on their discussions, as well as a photo from their visit...

Earlier this morning, Senator Obama had a warm and productive conversation with Chancellor Merkel. They covered a wide range of foreign policy issues, including Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, the Middle East peace process, Russia, and NATO. Senator Obama offered an overview of his trip and key impressions from discussions with leaders in the region, focusing, in particular, on the urgency of stopping Iran’s pursuit of nuclear weapons. They also discussed climate change and broader economic challenges. He applauded the Chancellor’s leading role in promoting international efforts on climate change and affirmed his own pledge to pursue an 80% reduction in US green house gas emissions by 2050.

Click here to read more about the visit

Obama Rocks the WORLD!

Allison Ruby Reid-Cunningham — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 20:36:23 EDT

Obama is the world's candidate! Here is a link to a 5-minute video from ABC news about the world's reaction to Obama's presidential campaign. Here is an LA Times article about Obama's initial reception in Afghanistan and an overview of the destinations on this historic trip to Europe and the Middle East. Here's a Herald Tribune article about the trip. Reuters reported that Germans are very excited about Obama's upcoming trip, but authorities are concerned about the logistical problems invoked when possibly hundreds of thousands of people show up to the main event at the Siegessäule in Berlin's Tiergarten.

AFP reports that Obama's reception in the Middle East may be more tentative than the excitement that the candidate may anticipate in Europe.

"While Barack Obama can expect to be feted as a hero as "Obamamania" strikes Europe, he faces a more uncertain welcome on the Middle East leg of his international campaign swing this week.
The presumptive Democratic White House nominee is less popular in Israel than his Republican rival John McCain, and his offer of direct talks with Iranian leaders has caused some consternation in the Jewish state.
Obama also crossed swords with the Palestinian leadership, after vowing in June that "Jerusalem will remain the capital of Israel and it must remain undivided," a comment which seemed to prejudge final status peace talks.... Obama has however hinted at a return to a fully engaged US role in Israeli-Palestinian peacemaking, which President George W. Bush avoided until late in his second term....
Obama... is expected to arrive in Jordan for talks with King Abdullah II on Monday, after making crucial war zone visits to Afghanistan Sunday, and an expected onward journey to Iraq. Jordanian sources said King Abdullah would take the opportunity to stress the importance of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.....
Obama will then move to Israel for talks with the full spectrum of top officials, including Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, President Shimon Peres, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, Defense Minister Ehud Barak and opposition Likud leader Benjamin Netanyahu. The Israeli government officials will be delighted to meet Obama and "exchange ideas" with him, Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev said.... In a poll by Israel's Mutagim survey institute in June, Israeli Jews favored McCain over Obama 36 to 27 percent."

Barack Obama attended a ceremony in the Hall of Remembrance at Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial in Jerusalem today (July 23, 2008).

There is more on Barack and Israel from AP. You may be interested to read how TIME covered Barack's trip to Israel:

Obama's last stop of the day was at the embattled Prime Minister's residence. "I'm very happy that you found the time to come and visit with us in the tradition of all the great friends of the state of Israel and I know how friendly you are and how much you care for us," Ehud Olmert told Obama in the courtyard.

As they say in diplomacy and politics, everyone was right on message.

Barack Obama has also been called upon to revisit his comment that he would meet with world leaders of nations such as Iran, Syria, and other nations with whom American Presidents have recently boycotted meeting (preferring to bully these nations without direct contact). He defended and expanded upon his original statement, and you can read more (CNN coverage) here.

John McCain has complained that the networks are sending their best news anchors and devoting a lot of airtime to Obama's trip, and McCain is arguing for fair time. He's also mad that the NY Times rejected his essay. I was thinking maybe he should do something (or write something) newsworthy rather than complaining, "it's not fair!" Then I heard rumors about a possible VP announcement from the Repubs this week. interesting...

His friends aren't afraid to stick up for him either:

Rupert Murdoch’s New York Post published the article on Tuesday and carried an editorial accusing the New York Times of bias: “The New York Times is showing its true colour again (i.e. cobalt blue): just days after running an essay by Barack Obama slamming John McCain’s Iraq policy proposals, the paper summarily nixed the Arizona senator’s rejoinder.” — © Guardian Newspapers Limited, 2008

So that's all the "fair time" John McCain is going to get on my blog...

Back to Obama... the world loves him!

Events at NEW OAKLAND FIELD OFFICE

Allison Ruby Reid-Cunningham — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 15:02:01 EDT

I wanted to let everyone know about some events happening at the NEW OALKAND FIELD OFFICE which is officially opening next weekend!

To join the group affiliated with the new office for Berkeley-Oakland, click here (or go to this link: http://my.barackobama.com/page/group/EastBay4Obama)

Tomorrow (Sunday July 20) we will be phone-banking to New Mexico. To sign up for this event, please click here (or go to this link: http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/44pgc)

Come one, come all, we need your help! Join us for this phone bank and get a sneak preview of the new East Bay Obama for America HQ (we don't officially open until 7/26).

The #1 most important thing we can do right now to help Barack win in November is to support other states with phone calls. Our current task is to call voters in New Mexico. In order to identify all the voters needed to win the state in November, they need us to get on the phones immediately and hit it hard. New Mexico has been a battleground state for quite some time. And though it's not the biggest swing state in the west, it's certainly the most competitive. While Nevada, Colorado and Arizona have only recently become somewhat viable turf for the Democratic Party, there's a long history of hotly contested political battles here in New Mexico. In 2000 and 2004, the margins of victory in the presidential elections were less than 1%. In 2000 Al Gore beat George W. Bush by 366 votes in New Mexico; in 2004 John Kerry lost by 3,998. This year we have a great opportunity to win in New Mexico. They will have a substantial voter registration advantage, Barack will be spending lots of time here, the grassroots are fired up and forming teams, and the early polling is looking good. But they need California's help push it over the top.

So please come join us for for Sunday's phone bank. We'll have the call lists and scripts for you, and if you've never phone banked before, we'll provide training. No phone lines are currently hooked up in the office, so PLEASE BRING YOUR CELL PHONES. Hope to see you Sunday!

On Tuesday July 22, there will be a volunteer meeting at 7pm, which you can sign up for by clicking here (or go to this link: http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/44y78)

It's OFFICIAL...the new East Bay for Obama Field Office (EBFO) is opening in almost 1 week!! I know all of you have been super excited to find out how you can continue to be involved in the campaign, and to participate in Obama related-activities. I'd like to invite you to our first Volunteer Meet-Up. The purpose of the meet-up is to: 1) discuss all of the exciting volunteer opportunities that are available out of the EBFO; 2) learn about upcoming events and activities; and 3) get more information about the pending weekly volunteer orientations and other training opportunities (ie Camp Obama) for those who are interested in community organizing. What you'll need for the meeting: - A fired up and ready to go attitude!! - A small notebook to jot down any information you feel may be important for you to remember.

I hope to see you at some of these events!!

"Let's Talk" -- Michelle Obama on BlogHer.com

Anne Brewer, Women's Vote Coordinator — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 13:28:31 EDT

Today, Michelle Obama published her first blog entry on BlogHer.com, introducing herself to the nation's number-one community for and guide to blogs by women. BlogHer's mission is to create opportunities for women who blog to pursue exposure, education, community and economic empowerment. As of July, 2008, more than 26,000 members have listed over 15,000 blogs by women on BlogHer.com.

"Let's Talk"

by Michelle Obama

Hi everybody,
I’m excited to be posting on BlogHer. Not only because blogging is something I’ve actually been able to beat my daughters to; but because it gives me the opportunity to tell you a little bit about them, my husband, myself, and our experiences traveling all over this great country.

Over the course of this campaign, I’ve been hosting roundtable discussions with working women all across America. I’m there to talk about my husband, of course – but more importantly, I’m there to listen. We talk about what it’s like to play multiple roles at once and what it’s like to feel stretched thin between the demands of a career and family.

And of course, we talk about our children. How they’re the first thing we think about when we wake up in the morning, and the last thing we think about when we go to bed at night. I know that no matter where I am – work, the campaign trail, wherever – my girls are always on my mind.

What I find is that our stories are similar. But what I also hear at each roundtable is that women are struggling. They are working hard and playing by the rules, doing the most important job of raising the next generation, but somehow can never get ahead. They’re desperate for change.

I’ve heard from mothers struggling to make ends meet because their salaries aren’t keeping up with the cost of groceries. But if they take a second job, they can’t afford the additional cost of childcare. Or the moms who are nervous about taking time from their jobs to care for a sick child. Or the moms-to-be who are scared of getting fired if the boss finds out they’re pregnant.

Then there are women who work hard every day doing the same jobs as men, but earning less. And the military families, who struggle to make ends meet with one paycheck where there used to be two. They welcome their loved ones home with full hearts but little support from their government for their service.

I hear similar stories everywhere I go. These struggles – the struggles of working women and families across America – aren’t new to me or to any of us. And they’re certainly not new to Barack.

Click here to read more of Michelle's blog!

Political Phone calls

Kirsten Fisher — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 00:12:34 EDT

It is amazing what type of telephone calls you get when one of your household is registered as a Republican. My husband is the registered Republican. I am hoping that he would change his party to Independant but he is hoping to change his party. You see my husband is a moderate republican. He voted for Clinton twice, Gore and then Kerry. He cannot stand Bush and how the Republican Party is run by the extreme conservatives.

Unfortunately, we are getting calls from those extreme conservatives and unfortunately I am the one who has to listen to the beginnings of the phone call because I am the only one here when they call. And they are recorded so I cannot tell them to shove their views where the sun wont shine.

Both my husband and I are pro-choice- We get calls stating which candidate is the baby killer

I support gay marriage- I pick up calls from some woman says our values are being threatened.

Today I got a call from the "freedom fighters" claiming democrats are holding millions of gallons of oil hostage that will decrease our gas prices because they will not approve drilling along our coast. I wanted to scream down the phone that even Governer Arnold does not want oil wells off our coasts and he is a Republican.

The funniest call I ever got was for this June's election. Someone called me and asked me if I was going to support this woman (I cannot recall her name) for assembly. I asked if she was a Republican or Democrat. He actually told me that he did not know. He started laughing, then apologized and hung up on me.

The sad part of this all is that all the calls are for the Republican stand point. I never get calls from any Democrat or any "liberal" issue to support. At the last presidental election my husband (or me since I am anwering the phone) got at least 15 calls from Bush supporters. You want to know how many I got from Kerry? "ZERO"!!!

I can ignore all the calls but I still have to hear them over my answering machine.

One positive I can say about this election is that I have met two nice people at my door step asking my support for Obama. Maybe this year I will get phone calls I like to hear.

New Yorker Cover: WRITE A LETTER TO THE EDITOR!!!

Allison Ruby Reid-Cunningham — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 19:23:20 EDT

I couldn't believe what is on the cover of The New Yorker. I usually look forward to the funny and often deeply satirical cover art, but this one shocked and outraged me.

The cover shows Obama in a turban and traditional Muslim garb and his wife Michelle dressed in fatigues--rocking an afro and combat boots--and packing an assault rifle. They are giving one another a congratulatory "fist-bump." There is a portrait of Osama Bin Laden above the fireplace where the American flag is burning. Oh, and by the way, the room they're standing in... it's the Oval Office!

Now I know that The New Yorker is known for cartoons that people either "get" or "don't get"...

But I have to say, "I don't get it!"

Could someone please explain the joke to me?

The New Yorker described Barry Blitt's work as lampooning of "scare tactics and misinformation in the Presidential election to derail Barack Obama's campaign."

"The New Yorker may think, as one of their staff explained to us, that their cover is a satirical lampoon of the caricature Senator Obama's right-wing critics have tried to create," Obama campaign spokesman Bill Burton said.

"But most readers will see it as tasteless and offensive. And we agree," Burton added.

Cartoonist Barry Blitt defended his work, saying this:

I think the idea that the Obamas are branded as unpatriotic [let alone as terrorists] in certain sectors is preposterous. It seemed to me that depicting the concept would show it as the fear-mongering ridiculousness that it is.

Although this may be the intention, the damaging impact of reinforcing rumors of the "Manchurian Candidate" variety by depicting imagery like this in the American popular media cannot be underestimated.

Throughout America, it is still widely believed that Barack Obama is a Muslim--and many readers may not realize that the cover is meant to be satirical. In its attempt to point out the obvious--that Obama is NOT a terrorist or Muslim or Black Power/"kill whitey" candidate--it may unfortunately have the opposite effect.

I'm not including the cover image here because I don't want to proliferate it unnecessarily, but I would like to encourage you to write a letter to the editor of the New Yorker to express your outrage at this racist, divisive, offensive and generally unfunny cover art.

Reports of Mosque Surveillance Concerns Muslims

funkfresh01 — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 23:00:53 EDT

http://religion.info/english/articles/article_385.shtml

Source: Religioscope

Author: Richard Cimino

While there have been allegations in the past of government investigation of mosques on issues relating to terrorism, the recent report, first featured in the San Diego Union-Tribune newspaper, is said to be the first confirmation that surveillance is taking place.

An article in the Los Angeles Times (May 29) reports that information about the alleged spying surfaced in a case about classified files concerning terrorism that were stolen from a secure office used by military and civilian law enforcement officials at Camp Pendleton. Some of these classified records referred to the surveillance of Muslim communities in Southern California, specifically, the Islamic Center of San Diego. The records alleged that the mosque had been monitored as part of a federal surveillance program targeting Muslim groups, according to the Union-Tribune article.

McCain: Viagra or Birth Control

Anne Brewer, Women's Vote Coordinator — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 19:25:15 EDT

This video captures a reporter questioning John McCain on comments earlier this week from Carly Fiorina, one of his top campaign advisors. Ms. Fiorina suggested that it is unfair for health insurance companies to cover Viagra and not birth control -- meanwhile, Senator McCain previously voted against requiring health insurance companies to cover birth control.

Click here to watch Senator McCain's response...

Barack Obama is 100% Pro-Choice. Period.

Anne Brewer, Women's Vote Coordinator — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 10:28:00 EDT

Please take the time to read this superb blog piece written by Erin Kotecki Vest, Political Director and Election '08 Producer for BlogHer.com and a regular contributor to the Huffington Post.

PunditMom is considering NOT voting, Cynematic has warning bells blazing, Gloria Feldt is closing her wallet, and AnnRose is recounting her days at a hospital specializing in late abortion.
This is too big.
This has too many women wondering.
I am not comfortable wondering, and I have no intention of wondering my way to November.
I'm taking action.
I talked with Pam Sutherland today, President and CEO of the Illinois Planned Parenthood Council.
We each had one thing on our minds and we both understood it's importance. There was no small talk. There was no chit-chat.
This conversation was arranged knowing what was at stake. She knew what she needed to say, and I knew what I hoped to hear.
And now I get to tell you.

Pam Sutherland does NOT have ONE doubt in her mind that Senator Barack Obama is anything but 100% pro-choice.
And she should know.

Click here to read the entire piece.

The Truth About McCain's Record on Birth Control -- NARAL Pro-Choice America Press Release

Anne Brewer, Women's Vote Coordinator — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 13:34:54 EDT

Carly Fiorina Slips Up on McCain’s Record

McCain adviser brings up insurance coverage for birth control, even though he voted against such coverage

Washington, D.C. – Nancy Keenan, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America, said the organization is sending a copy of Sen. John McCain’s voting record on women’s health issues to Carly Fiorina, an adviser to the anti-choice candidate, who yesterday made a statement in direct conflict with McCain’s position on birth control.

According to the Washington Post, during a discussion with reporters about women and health insurance, Fiorina said, "a real, live example which I've been hearing a lot about from women: There are many health insurance plans that will cover Viagra but won't cover birth-control medication. Those women would like a choice." [Washington Post, July 8, 2008]

Fiorina’s comments are in direct contradiction with McCain’s record. In fact, McCain voted against a proposal that would have required insurance companies to cover prescription contraception in the same way they pay for Viagra. [Clinton/Reid amendment to FY’06 Budget Resolution, S.Con.Res.18, 3/17/05.]

“If Carly Fiorina is so concerned about making sure women have choices that include coverage for birth control, than she should support the only presidential candidate who actually supports health insurance coverage for birth control…Barack Obama,” Keenan said. “Women are concerned about health-care inequities—and that’s why we are working to elect Sen. Barack Obama as the next president. Unlike McCain, who has voted against family planning 22 times, Sen. Obama supports legislation that would ensure fairness in insurance coverage for birth control, which represents one of the best ways to prevent unintended pregnancy and thus reduce the need for abortion. That’s a clear difference between these candidates.”

Keenan cited McCain’s extensive record of votes against birth control, including a vote to eliminate the Title X family-planning program, which provides millions of women with health-care services ranging from birth control to breast cancer screenings. [Weicker motion to table Helms amendment to FY’89 Labor, HHS, and Education appropriations bill, H.R.4783, 7/25/88; motion to invoke cloture on Family Planning Amendments Act, S.110, 9/26/90.] For a complete listing of McCain’s votes against family planning, please visit

http://www.prochoiceamerica.org/assets/files/mccain_fact_sheet.pdf

In addition, Keenan said McCain’s votes against birth control would be especially troublesome for the unique audience of women voters NARAL Pro-Choice America is targeting: Independent and Republican pro-choice women in suburban and exurban swing districts that will play a pivotal role in the presidential election. Recent polling confirms how, once these voters know McCain’s opposition to a woman’s right to choose and votes against family planning, they will switch parties to support Sen. Barack Obama. The polling may be found at the following link:

http://www.prochoiceamerica.org/assets/files/naralpollmemo061608.pdf

###

Planned Parenthood Endorses Barack Obama

Anne Brewer, Women's Vote Coordinator — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 20:22:10 EDT

PRESS RELEASE: Planned Parenthood Action Fund Endorses Barack Obama

Applauds Obama's Record of Standing Up for Women's Health Care

July 7, 2008

Washington, DC - The Planned Parenthood Action Fund, the political and advocacy arm of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, today announced its endorsement of Sen. Barack Obama for president of the United States.
"The Planned Parenthood Action Fund is proud to endorse Barack Obama for president of the United States," said Action Fund president Cecile Richards. "He is a passionate advocate for women's rights, and has a long and consistent record of standing up for women's health care. As president, he will improve access to quality health care for women, support and protect a woman's right to choose, support comprehensive sex education to keep our young people healthy and safe, and invest in prevention programs, including family planning services and breast cancer screenings."
On a conference call today with Planned Parenthood Action Fund members from all across the country, Sen. Obama said, "As president I'll make sure women have access to affordable health care, including affordable reproductive services. I thank you for your endorsement and your leadership."
This marks only the second time in Planned Parenthood's history that the Action Fund has made an endorsement in a presidential campaign. Last month, the board of the national Planned Parenthood Action Fund voted unanimously to recommend endorsing Senator Obama. That recommendation was ratified by Planned Parenthood's local action organizations, which represent the interests of all 100 Planned Parenthood affiliates.
Sen. Obama has received a 100 percent rating from the Planned Parenthood Action Fund. As a state senator in Illinois and a U.S. senator, Sen. Obama has a strong voting record when it comes to women's health.
- Sen. Obama is the co-sponsor of multiple pieces of legislation that focus on common sense prevention measures to reduce the number of unintended pregnancies, including the Prevention First Act; the Communities of Color Teen Pregnancy Prevention Act; and the Responsible Education About Life (REAL) Act.
- Sen. Obama supports affordable quality health care, including family planning services, breast cancer screenings, and other preventive health care that Planned Parenthood provides.
- Sen. Obama supports a woman's right to choose and is a co-sponsor of the Freedom of Choice Act, which would codify and protect a woman's right to choose.
- Sen. Obama supports expanding access to affordable birth control and is a co-sponsor of the Prevention Through Affordable Access Act, which would restore affordable birth control to safety-net clinics and college health clinics.
- Sen. Obama is a champion of family planning access for women worldwide and voted to repeal the destructive global gag rule, which bars any U.S. aid for international family planning organizations that perform or promote abortions.
- Sen. Obama supports medically accurate comprehensive sex education to keep our young people healthy and safe, and voted in favor of legislation to fund medically accurate sex education.
In contrast, Sen. John McCain, the presumptive Republican nominee, has a zero percent voting record on women's reproductive health and has stated he wants to overturn Roe v. Wade. In 25 years in Washington, DC, Sen. McCain has cast 125 votes against women's health.
Earlier this year, the Planned Parenthood Action Fund launched its One Million Strong Campaign, a grass-roots program to educate voters about women's health care issues, and turn out one million pro-choice and pro-women's health care voters in the fall. From house parties to online education to one-on-one conversations, the One Million Strong Campaign will educate voters about women's health issues and turn out women voters, a key demographic in the election.
Planned Parenthood is a trusted health care provider and educator to millions of women and young adults, with a presence in all 50 states. One in four American women visits a Planned Parenthood health center sometime during her lifetime.
"It has never been more important to elect a president who will partner with us in our work," said Richards. "And there is no organization better positioned to reach out to women voters than the Planned Parenthood Action Fund. We will do all that we can to support Barack Obama and ensure that all women have access to quality, affordable health care."

Fist Bumps...

Jill - One Hopeful Mom — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 01:32:58 EDT

Okay, so the June 3rd fist bump between the Obamas is pretty old news. And I had happily filed the insane Fox News commentary on it away in a dusty part of my brain...

until I saw the US Army commercial with two soldiers exchanging fist bumps.

Fist bumps=terrorist=US Army?

hmmm... Oh, Daily Show... how did you miss this one?

Bumps to all!

Frederick Douglass' Legacy for July 4th

Sat, 05 Jul 2008 16:13:48 EDT

I wrote this in 2002 but it still makes good reading for Independence Day and represents the kind of patriotism we must take back for the people of this great nation.

Frederick Douglass' Legacy for Our Times
By Frances M. Beal, 9 July 2002

This year's celebration of the 4th of July marks the 150th [156th] anniversary of Frederick Douglass' presentation at the Rochester Ladies' Anti-Slavery Society, "What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?" Douglass used the occasion to expose the full shame and treachery of slavery and in unmitigated terms castigated the nation's pieties, in particular the cherished memories of its revolution, its principles of liberty and its moral and religious ethos.

"Fellow-citizens," he proclaimed, "above your national, tumultuous joy, I hear the mournful wail of millions! whose chains, heavy and grievous yesterday, are, today, rendered more intolerable
by the jubilee shouts that reach them.

"If I do forget, if I do not faithfully remember those bleeding children of sorrow this day, 'may my right hand forget her cunning, and may my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth!' To forget them, to pass lightly over their wrongs, and to chime in with the popular theme, would be treason most scandalous and shocking, and
would make me a reproach before God and the world."

In all too many ways, the Douglass speech has as many lessons for us today
as it did for people who despised racism and tyranny in 1852. One is
reminded that the colonies suffered under the boot of the British crown,
which gave rise to resisters who "had not adopted the fashionable idea of
this day, of the infallibility of government, and the absolute character of
its acts, and who presumed to differ from the home government in respect to
the wisdom and the justice of some of those burdens and restraints. They
went so far in their excitement as to pronounce the measures of government
unjust, unreasonable, and oppressive, and altogether such as ought not to
be quietly submitted to."

As the fireworks and firecrackers explode around us this year, let us take
to heart Frederick Douglass' reminder that "there was a time when to
pronounce against England, and in favor of the cause of the colonies, tried
men's souls. They who did so were accounted in their day, plotters of
mischief, agitators and rebels, dangerous men. To side with the right,
against the wrong, with the weak against the strong, and with the oppressed
against the oppressor! Here lies the merit, and the one, which, of all
others, seems unfashionable in our day. The cause of liberty may be stabbed
by the men who glory in the deeds of your fathers."

And so it is today in the year 2002, when those who wrap themselves so
tightly in the U.S. flag in order to justify the erosion of the civil
rights and civil liberties are not the ones who carry the legacy of
Independence Day. In fact, Ashcroft [then U.S. Attorney General] and friends and the rest of the Bush
regime are the ideological inheritors of the Tories who opposed any
alteration in the social and economic relations of society, who relished
the privileges of the status quo, and hated all change except "silver, gold
and copper change!" as Douglass declared.

One has to ask then, where is the Frederick (or Frederica) Douglass of the
year 2002? [I would also suggest that it can be heard in the speeches by Barack Obama in 2008.]

Though the voice may be muted, it is there. It can be heard in cities from
Cambridge to Berkeley, which have passed resolutions that call the U.S.
Patriot Act a threat to the civil rights of the residents of their
communities. The unlikely town of Carrboro, North Carolina is among their
ranks as is Ann Arbor and Detroit, Michigan and Denver, Colorado. The
California City of Fremont is considering a similar resolution this week.
It can be heard among Japanese Americans who are all too cognizant of their
shameful internment in concentration camps during World War II brought on
by a distorted and racist implementation of national security concerns.
That voice is raised in organizations like the Black Radical Congress and
Black Voices for Peace and among courageous congressional representatives
like Barbara Lee, Cynthia McKinney [former U.S. rep from Georgia] and Jesse Jackson, Jr. among others.
Even some voices from the Federal bench have been raised to curb the
unrelenting and unconstitutional congressional abuses of immigrants,
Muslims, South Asians and Middle Easterners, and to stem the resurgence of
racial profiling as a legitimate police practice.

When all is said and done, however, many of our freedoms have been
seriously curtailed. In conjunction with Independence Day, the American
Civil Liberties Union of Northern California (ACLU-NC) has released a
scorecard summarizing the toll of the Bush Administration's policies on
constitutional freedoms. The tally: Bush Administration, 20; Constitution, 0. The scorecard and an accompanying chronology itemize dozens of
government actions that have limited constitutional freedoms since
September 11th. They include the expansion of wiretapping and secret search
powers under the U.S. Patriot Act; the Attorney General's directives
ordering broad questioning sweeps of young men of Middle Eastern and South
Asian origin; the erosion of attorney-client privilege, media freedom and
immigrants' rights; and the dismantling of regulations governing
intelligence-gathering procedures.

Freedom is a constant struggle, says a well-known gospel, and so it is
today. As we celebrate the courage it took to break the chains of
colonialism in the 18th Century, as well as noting the lack of grit in
allowing slavery to stain this nation's history for years to follow let us
ponder these final remarks by Frederick Douglass:

"Pride and patriotism, not less than gratitude, prompt you to celebrate and
to hold [July 4th] in perpetual remembrance. I have said that the
Declaration of Independence is the ringbolt to the chain of your nation's
destiny; so, indeed, I regard it. The principles contained in that
instrument are saving principles. Stand by those principles, be true to them on all occasions, in all places, against all foes, and at whatever cost."

Frances M. Beal is a former political columnist for the San Francisco Bay View newspaper and retired as the Research Associate of the Racial Justice Project of the ACLU of Northern California.
Contact: fmbeal@igc.org

Ralph Who

Zo — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 08:01:27 EDT

" ...Nader added, ' ... first of all, the number one thing that a black American politician aspiring to the presidency should be [doing] is to candidly describe the plight of the poor, especially in the inner cities and the rural areas ... Haven't heard a thing.'"

Get the crap out of your ears, Ralph. Or is it just old age.

"He wants to show that he is not ... another politically threatening African-American politician ... He wants to appeal to white guilt ... Basically he's coming on as someone who is not going to threaten the white power structure, whether it's corporate or whether it's simply oligarchic. And they love it. Whites just eat it up.'"

Let this be the last we hear of the man. Whose "political" message no one ever, ever "ate up." Because he doesn't have one.

But Ralph? Thanks for the seatbelts. Really.

reblogged from humorlessbitch.com

McCain's temper and reaction to Wes Clark's remarks

naomid2u — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 20:49:53 EDT

I was watching a news clip of a reporter interviewing McCain about the remarks made by Wes Clark. Of course, he was quite gracious. But then the reporter asked him point blank why his past military experience qualifies him to be the president and McCain lost it. He was so angry he could not respond. Reminded me of this article I read (below). This guy's temper is dangerous!

On the other hand, maybe all we need to do is plant someone in tha audience at all of his public appearances to ask the same question. Should push him over the edge...

http://www.truthout.org/article/the-real-mccain

Unity has invigorated this campaign!

V, aka VCubed/Virginia V — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 22:01:29 EDT

In the past month, especially just since our Unity district-wide event this past Saturday in Fremont, CA, that drew 150 mostly brand new volunteers for Obama, I've seen a thunderclap of energy erupt in this campaign that I only dreamed of in the primary season.

Don't get me wrong, we've had great energetic volunteers throughout this odyssey. We wouldn't have gotten here without them, and we share the beginnings of this astounding movement that's taken the nation, and the world, by storm - we were at the birth, together.

But there are three new groups, new additions to the Obama Family, that we are all so happy to be working with, at last: Hillary's devoted supporters, the entire local Democratic Party family, and all the new or reenergized political participants fired up to be part the historical triumph of the grassroots in November.

I want you all to have a sense of how intense this desire to be part of change, to get out of the armchair, turn off the TV, and get out and talk to people, has become, because you won't know it from the media. Not from mainstream media, not from the pundits trying to out-yell each other, not even from the liberal blogosphere. Those are all competing for the same audience, thriving on conflict more than solutions, parsing people into categories as if we were still more separate than united. To see the reality, let me share our events.

Obama and Ant Traps: the Feminist Candidate

Anne Brewer, Women's Vote Coordinator — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 15:27:45 EDT

Obama and Ant Traps: the Feminist Candidate

by Susan Neiman

Huffington Post - June 27, 2008

Obama got my attention with ant traps -- not the 2004 convention speech many view as a model of eloquence. True, "We worship an awesome God in the blue states" did a masterful job of returning the word "awesome" from its tawdry place in contemporary culture to its original meaning. But it was The Audacity of Hope that first really struck me -- as much for its stories as for its policy discussions. With remarkably unpolitical openness, Obama wrote about the strain that becoming a senator had put on his marriage. He had married a woman as tough and as smart as he is, and both were committed to equal balance -- hard enough, as we know, with normal jobs, but when one partner is commuting to the U.S. Senate, and the other is keeping the home fires burning while keeping up a fast-paced career of her own, things can get rough. The Senator described the night he proudly called home to tell his wife about a bill he'd cosponsored to restrict black-market arms sales, eager to share his success with the woman he loves. Michelle's response was simple: "We have ants in the kitchen. And the bathroom upstairs." He'd better remember to pick up ant traps on the way home from Washington, because she would be busy taking the children to a doctor's appointment after school. Obama concludes the story bemused, but exhausted: "I hung up the receiver, wondering if Ted Kennedy or John McCain bought ant traps on the way home from work."

This is a man with his feet on the ground, in love with a woman who's determined to keep them there. It is a very new place to be. Some women played professional roles in earlier eras, but if they had families, they had servants to handle the details. We are the first to struggle (and try not to fight!) over who picks up the children and organizes the carpools, to fret over whether the groceries will be unpacked in time for someone to cook them, and on top of all that we are now learning how to recycle. We are the first to hope we are not missing our children's recitals on some days and underperforming in our jobs on others, to scout out time, just occasionally, to remember why we fell in love with the person who is juggling the balls alongside us. We are the first generation to think about ant traps.

Click here to read the entire piece:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/susan-neiman/obama-and-ant-traps-the-f_b_109699.html

The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream

Jane Jax — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 04:14:42 EDT

The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream

I am listening to this book on CD, and now I see why the opposition has to make up stuff about Barack Obama in order to get at him. He has laid out all of his ideals and visions on all of the important issues of today and in his life in this book. It is a wonderful first-person account of how a person becomes and senator and what exactly a senator does. It is also a manifesto of how Barack Obama sees the world and this country, where it's been and where it could go in the future.

Senator Obama's lays out his ideals, insights and stances on everything, are all he is truly an open book.

I especially love that it is read in his own voice. When he speaks of his visits with President Bush and Senator Bird, he gives a slight hint of doing an impression of both men. good stuff.

ALSO: An interesting article on the electric car GM is building http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200807/general-motors/

Michelle and Former Gov. Jeanne Shaheen Host Women's Forum in NH

Anne Brewer, Women's Vote Coordinator — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 12:47:26 EDT

Obama, Shaheen rally women

By John Distaso, Senior Political Reporter

Union Leader - June 27, 2008

MANCHESTER, N.H. – Michelle Obama yesterday set the table for today's Barack Obama-Hillary Clinton "unity" rally in Unity by praising his former rival as a ground-breaking leader on issues that matter to women and working families.
Campaigning with Democratic U.S. Senate candidate and former Gov. Jeanne Shaheen, the would-be first lady told a women's forum at the Center of New Hampshire Radisson Hotel that her husband will be a champion for issues important to women. She quickly stressed that the nation is closer than ever to ensuring equal pay for women, expanded sick time and paid family leave "because of an extraordinary woman who's not in this room, but she's traveling with my husband tomorrow, and that woman is Hillary Clinton.
"Because of Hillary Clinton's work, the issues of importance to women who work and the working family are front and center in this election," Obama said. "We are so incredibly proud and pleased to have her support."

Continue reading the entire article...

Will Pro-Choice Women Back McCain?

Anne Brewer, Women's Vote Coordinator — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 11:41:56 EDT

Will Pro-Choice Women Back McCain?

By Amy Sullivan

TIME - Jun. 23, 2008

The 2008 presidential race may have been branded a "change" election, but abortion rights advocates have seen this movie before. Once again they face a Republican nominee who supports abortion restrictions yet is widely viewed as moderate and unthreatening to pro-choice voters. Eight years ago, it was George W. Bush who convinced pro-choice Republican and independent women that he was a safe bet, asserting that "America is not ready to ban abortions." This time, according to a poll released last week by NARAL Pro-Choice America, voters have a fuzzy sense of John McCain's views on abortion — which is just the way the McCain campaign wants it.
The NARAL survey found that when pro-choice women are told that McCain believes the Roe v. Wade decision should be overturned, their support for him drops substantially. Among pro-choice independent women, who are already more inclined to back Obama, information about the two candidates' abortion positions improves Obama's edge from 53-35 to 66-26, for a net gain of 22 percentage points. Even pro-choice Republican women shift their support after hearing about McCain's opposition to Roe: 76% initially say they will vote for McCain in November, but that number drops to 63%.
The problem for Democrats is that most voters don't sit through phone calls with pollsters walking them through the respective positions of the two nominees. That sets up a messaging battle, and it's one Republicans enter from a position of strength. In the 35 years since the Roe v. Wade decision was handed down, abortion has reigned as the single most controversial issue in American politics. Nevertheless, G.O.P. presidential candidates have demonstrated a remarkable ability to strike a politically successful balance, quietly reassuring their conservative base of their anti-abortion commitment while publicly hewing to language that appeals to the pro-choice majority.

Click here to read the entire article:
http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1817314,00.html

who is your local under 30 hero?

darlene matthews — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 13:35:10 EDT

http://bravenation.com/heroes.php

nominate!

Michelle Obama speaks at National Partnership for Women & Families annual luncheon

Anne Brewer, Women's Vote Coordinator — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 18:33:17 EDT

Michelle Obama discusses experience as working mom

by Ann Sanner

June 20, 2008

WASHINGTON (AP) — Michelle Obama on Friday drew from her experience as a working mother to emphasize the importance of fairness in the workplace and her support for family friendly policies.
"It's time for the leaders of this country not only to champion these causes, but to fight for the issues every single day," Obama told about 1,000 people at the National Partnership for Women and Families' annual luncheon.
The nonprofit group advocates for equality in the workplace, access to health care and policies that help Americans balance work and family.
Obama, wife of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, said the group's work "is a cause that I carry deep in my heart. It's a cause that I have championed and will continue to champion no matter what the outcome of this election."

Click here to read the full article:

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gF6i4iEHstfMbiVDziPEgI7m6pFAD91E0LR80

Obama has significant lead among women in three battleground states - FL, OH, PA

Anne Brewer, Women's Vote Coordinator — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 18:31:03 EDT

Marc Ambinder from The Atlantic takes a look at some just-released polling data from Quinnipiac -- check it out! Obama is leading McCain among women likely voters by large margins in these three key swing states.

FLORIDA

Florida women likely voters back Obama 50 - 40 percent, while men go 47 percent for McCain and 44 percent for Obama. White voters back McCain 50 - 40 percent while black voters back Obama 95 - 4 percent. Obama leads 57 -35 percent with voters 18 to 34 years old; he splits 48 - 46 percent with McCain among voters 35 to 54, and 44 - 46 percent with voters over 55.

OHIO

Obama leads 51 - 39 percent among Ohio women likely voters, while men go 46 percent for McCain and 45 percent for Obama. White voters also are narrowly divided with 47 percent for McCain and 44 percent for Obama, but Obama commands black voters 90 - 6 percent. The Democrat also leads 58 - 36 percent among voters 18 to 34 and 49 - 42 percent among voters 35 to 54, while McCain has the 47 - 43 percent edge among voters over 55.

PENNSYLVANIA

Obama tops McCain 57 - 34 percent with women as men go 47 percent for McCain to 45 percent for Obama. Obama leads 61 - 33 percent among voters 18 to 34 years old, 51 - 41 percent among voters 35 to 54 and 48 - 43 percent with voters over 55. The Democrat inches ahead 47 - 44 percent among white voters and leads among black voters 95 - 1 percent.

Click here to read more:

http://marcambinder.theatlantic.com/archives/2008/06/heres_your_bounce_obama_up_in.php

Michelle Obama Co-Hosting THE VIEW Tomorrow - Wednesday, June 18

Anne Brewer, Women's Vote Coordinator — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 11:26:50 EDT

Tune in to watch Michelle Obama make an appearance as a guest co-host on The View on ABC live TOMORROW - Wednesday morning, June 18!

In most states, it airs at either 10:00am or 11:00am. Click here to find your local listing:

http://abc.go.com/daytime/theview/whentowatch

If you aren't able to catch it live, but can record the episode, invite you friends over in the evening to watch together!

NARAL Presidential Battleground Poll on Choice

Anne Brewer, Women's Vote Coordinator — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 21:25:20 EDT

June 16, 2008

NARAL Pro-Choice America Releases
Presidential Battleground Poll

Survey shows choice issue can move key blocs of women voters to Obama

Washington, DC – Today, NARAL Pro-Choice America released a general election battleground poll that shows choice creates a sharp contrast between the pro-choice candidate Sen. Barack Obama and the anti-choice Sen. John McCain and is a top issue for moving pro-choice Republican and Independent women to support Obama. When this critical bloc of swing voters hears just how anti-choice McCain is and his belief that Roe v. Wade should be overturned, they leave him in significant numbers. Additionally, the poll shows that choice helps Obama shore up the Democratic women voters that some thought would not support him following Sen. Hillary Clinton’s suspension of her campaign.

Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research conducted the poll, which included an oversample of pro-choice Republican and Independent women from 12 presidential battleground states: Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Michigan, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Wisconsin.

“The data shows that choice is an important issue that can move key voting blocs of pro-choice Republican and Independent women who can play an important role in building Obama’s winning coalition,” said Al Quinlan, president of Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research. “Because NARAL Pro-Choice America communicates extensively with this unique swing constituency, NARAL’s efforts in 2008 can help Barack Obama win what may be a close election.”

Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research’s poll shows that once pro-choice Republican and Independent women hear a balanced description of the candidates’ respective positions on choice, Obama gains ground:

·         Obama gains 13 points among pro-choice Independent women (who make up nine percent of this electorate) and nine points among pro-choice Republican women (who account for five percent of this electorate), when they hear McCain’s anti-choice record.
·         When these groups are combined, this movement equates to a gain of 1.6 points overall in the general election race against McCain.

Choice is the top issue for moving these key audiences to Obama, trumping other traditional Democratic issues and attacks on McCain. Among key voting blocs of pro-choice Independent and Republican women, McCain’s anti-choice record concerns them more than attacks on his economic plan and his position on the war in Iraq.

·         Among pro-choice Independent women, 83 percent said that McCain’s opposition to abortion for many women – even in cases of rape, incest or when a woman’s life is in danger – causes serious doubts about McCain.
·         For these same voters, 79 percent say that McCain’s votes against birth control access raises serious doubts in their minds about McCain.
·         Among pro-choice Republican women, 71 percent said that McCain’s opposition to abortion for many women – even in cases of rape, incest or when a woman’s life is in danger – causes serious doubts about McCain.
·         For these same voters, 61 percent say that McCain’s votes against birth control access raises serious doubts in their minds about McCain.

Finally, the polling shows that choice can help Obama gain more ground among women voters considered to be Hillary Clinton strongholds: non-college educated women, older women, and suburban women.

·         Among non-college women, Obama’s margin over McCain grows by 12 points between the initial vote and the vote after their choice positions are known.
·         Among older women, Obama’s margin over McCain grows by 11 points between the initial vote and the vote after their choice positions are known.
·         Among suburban women, Obama’s margin over McCain grows by nine points between the initial vote and the vote after their choice positions are known.
·         Among Democratic women generally, Obama’s margin over McCain grows by 12 points between the initial vote and the vote after their choice positions are known.

“This poll confirms what we’ve known for a long time now,” said Nancy Keenan, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America. “NARAL Pro-Choice America is uniquely positioned to help pro-choice candidates win elections from the White House to the state house. We will be working tirelessly over the next five months to ensure NARAL Pro-Choice America’s endorsed candidate, Sen. Obama, becomes president-elect Obama on November 4, 2008.”

Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research conducted this poll for NARAL Pro-Choice America between May 29 and June 8, 2008 in 12 battleground states. This survey of 1,788 likely November voters (1,000 representative likely voters plus oversamples of 424 likely-voting Republican women and 364 likely-voting Independent women) is subject to a margin of error of +/- 3.1 percentage points.

Links:

Please go to http://www.prochoiceamerica.org/assets/files/naralpollmemo061608.pdf for a summary of the polls findings and http://www.prochoiceamerica.org/assets/files/naralpollslides061608.pdf to access additional information in the complete poll presentation.

Angry Clinton Women Love McCain? -- Frank Rich, NYT Op-Ed

Anne Brewer, Women's Vote Coordinator — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 00:04:50 EDT

Check out this great op-ed by Frank Rich published in today's New York Times. The numbers are very encouraging!

Angry Clinton Women ♥ McCain?
By FRANK RICH

TEN years ago John McCain had to apologize for regaling a Republican audience with a crude sexual joke about Hillary and Chelsea Clinton and Janet Reno. Last year he had to explain why he didn’t so much as flinch when a supporter asked him on camera, “How do we beat the bitch?” But these days Mr. McCain just loves the women.
In his televised address on Barack Obama’s victory night of June 3, he dismissed Mr. Obama in a single patronizing line but devoted four fulsome sentences to praising Mrs. Clinton for “inspiring millions of women.” The McCain Web site is showcasing a new blogger who crooned of the “genuine affection” for Mrs. Clinton “here at McCain HQ” after she lost. One of the few visible women in the McCain campaign hierarchy, Carly Fiorina, has declared herself “enormously proud” of Mrs. Clinton and is barnstorming to win over Democratic women to her guy’s cause.
How heartwarming. You’d never guess that Mr. McCain is a fierce foe of abortion rights or that he voted to terminate the federal family-planning program that provides breast-cancer screenings. You’d never know that his new campaign blogger, recruited from The Weekly Standard, had shown his genuine affection for Mrs. Clinton earlier this year by portraying her as a liar and whiner and by piling on with a locker-room jeer after she’d been called a monster. “Tell us something we don’t know,” he wrote.
But while the McCain campaign apparently believes that women are easy marks for its latent feminist cross-dressing, a reality check suggests that most women can instantly identify any man who’s hitting on them for selfish ends. New polls show Mr. Obama opening up a huge lead among female voters — beating Mr. McCain by 13 percentage points in the Gallup and Rasmussen polls and by 19 points in the latest Wall Street Journal-NBC News survey.
How huge is a 13- to 19-percentage-point lead? John Kerry won women by only 3 points, Al Gore by 11.
The real question is how Mr. McCain and his press enablers could seriously assert that he will pick up disaffected female voters in the aftermath of the brutal Obama-Clinton nomination battle. Even among Democrats, Mr. Obama lost only the oldest female voters to Mrs. Clinton.

Click here to read the entire piece:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/15/opinion/15rich.html?_r=1&hp=&pagewanted=print&oref=slogin