Netroots for Obama

Are we winning or existing w/out a win?

"NERVIE" — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 19:12:15 EST

Today, in the preview video by Buck McKeon, http://www.youtube.com/user/BuckMcKeon

McKeon, our local Congressional representative, said he would be watching for the following points in President Obama’s speech:

Hopefully Obama will provide the number of troops requested by General McCrystal.

Having spoken to McCrystal, McKeon said that 400,000 internal security force would be required to secure the country and that there was ½ that number in Afghanistan right now. This would put a lot of people to work.

Time is another consideration: How soon will we be able to get the troops there?

McCrystal said we needed additional troops in the area w/in 1 year. We are 3 months behind in momentum, so catch up is required.

Winning is also a consideration.

Will the President say that we will have troops exiting after “winning” or “exiting (whether we win or not) Afghanistan w/in the 18 months”, which direction are we going. What is the exit strategy?

Meantime, we can only hope that Obama’s speech covers these concerns and Buck McKeon will find Obama’s momentum favorable for all Americans including our fighting troops in Afghanistan.

Looking forward to Obama’s speech, we can only pray that consensus from the right and left is coming.

The Long Version of Buck McKeon

"NERVIE" — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 09:32:06 EDT

http://www.youtube.com/crazycatherder

http://www.youtube.com/BuckMcKeon#play/uploads/1/PAg_Gx_0VZs

Well Saturday's September 26th event turned out to the largest LA COUNTY Townhall meeting to date since the Congressman Adam Schiff’s event in San Gabriel Valley. McKeon and his staff were busy pleasing themselves over the 800 RSVP’s. I watched them giving one another high fives.

Someone had left a visible unlabeled box under the stairwell and the sheriff department responded cautiously to its contents. After one bold sheriff realized that it wasn't ticking, he opened it. And all disgustingly shook their heads to find La Rouche magazines with Obama w/a Hitler mustache on the cover . . . They reclosed the box and shoved it back but out of view, I agreed with their disgust, but this is a country of Free Speech, exhibit #1.

There were close to 1,500 people there. Of course, the repubs say that it was 2,000. The initial anxious and alert crowd snaked around the building well before 8:15AM. One event planner was giving the others high fives in relaying “we have up to 2,000 RSVP's”. They had done their job. NOT. For it to be a healthcare meeting, the elevator didn't work for the physically impaired. Although, later in the morning, I heard the janitor exclaim to the sheriffs “it was working on Tuesday, I checked it myself”. Funny, there was little signage to let the public know that the elevator was even there.

I heard the janitor explain to the sheriff officers that the spring wasn't leveling as it should, hence it wasn’t usable. One officer offered that it was a safety violation and should be fixed quickly. I watched the janitor huffing up the stairs. I thought to myself, he’s in relatively good shape, not lean, but if he is huffing up the stairs and stopping at the first landing, what did he expect from moms with a child in a stroller? Some wheelchair bound and motor cart attendees looked dejected when they saw the final set of stairs. There was no signage telling them to keep going up the 20 degree hill to the side entrance of the gym. Some turned around expressing angry others called up asking for assistance.

I saw one young woman run down the stairs and offer to walk the man around the building. The person concerned, but not sure responded, “if you will take me all the way”. The guest obliged him.

She asked me if I knew where the side door would be, I told her it was my first time there also, “I don’t know”. I thought if democrats were in charge, we would have known to facilitate the handicapped and physically challenged. It is a requirement to holding a democratic event.

Eventually a guy in a white Boys and Girl’s Club polo called on a phone and a man came up with a golf cart. The cart man wheeled around to help the gentleman on the canes. I watched Good Samaritans grabbed the front of baby strollers to assist several mothers and a father. I saw audience members descend the stairs to aid physically exhausted elderly men and women, who were measuring their steps to ascend the stairs. One lady I ran down to help pulled her arm away. “I can help myself thank you, ” she was feisty but physically unstable. I retreated. Another man who had seen her too, came down behind me and she allowed him to help her up the last landing. “Thank you sweetie”, I heard her smile and say to him, as she turned around and sneared at me. He and I bodily shrugged at the same time and simultaneously shook our heads . Another form of Free Speech, I thought.

If the planners were concerned about healthcare wouldn’t they have had a plan for this situation I thought. But maybe that was the ultimate message “everybody for themselves”, because they have pulled themselves up by their boot straps why worry about anyone else? No one ever considers that someone made those boots. We can’t get there by ourselves, it takes all of us to make a village and I was taught this years before Hillary Clinton ever wrote the book! (to be continued)

MYTH BUSTERS: Health insurance reform vs. small business

Tom Hayes, working for change — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 16:41:03 EDT

There’s no shortage of allegations that small business will be hurt by healthcare legislation, as Nancy Duff Campbell, a founder and co-president of the National Women’s Law Center, points out today at Reuters, with: “Women small business owners really need healthcare reform“ (subtitled: We need reform.)

Small businesses owners are suffering from the current system. That graduated surcharge that some say is a job killer? Campbell found that only 1.2% of all taxpayers, including 4-5% of those with some business income, would be affected. Not exactly a death-knell for job creation when you examine the spin coming from big insurance companies more closely.

Health Care reform is not just a good idea, it's an overdue necessity.

Tom Hayes, working for change — Mon, 11 May 2009 00:38:03 EDT

President Obama has arranged for several large trade groups, including the AMA, to join an event Monday afternoon to discuss ways to wring cost savings from the health system through more efficient practices, according to officials who briefed reporters on tomorrow's meeting. The President is expected to say that we can't continue the same way we've been going, with costs that are out of control -- that reform is not a luxury that can be postponed, but a pressing necessity.

According to a Reuter's article published on Sunday:

"A centerpiece of Obama's health proposal would be a new government health insurance plan that would compete with private insurers. The administration says the public plan would help cut costs by introducing competition, and cover the uninsured.
Republicans and insurers oppose a government plan, arguing that it would undermine the private healthcare market.
By focusing on delivering more efficient care, Obama is weighing in on one of the least controversial aspects of his healthcare proposal rather than the much more heated topic of whether to establish a new public insurance plan."

While you're wondering why anybody would oppose a plan that would both cut costs and cover the uninsured, do ask your friends that same question. Health Care is a 2 trillion dollar per year industry. Maybe somebody's making some serious green? Point friends at the article, perhaps.
It's at: http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSTRE54A01P20090511?sp=true

The fight's not over.

Call or write your Senators TODAY!

Chris in West Seattle — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 14:00:53 EST

The full Democratic Caucus is set to vote on Joe Lieberman's Chairmanship of the Homeland Security Committee next week. Write to your Senators, or call them, today!

Here's what I sent to WA Senators Murray and Cantwell today:

Dear Senator Murray: First, thank you for visiting our Canvassing Kickoff with Howard Dean and Governor Gregoire on the Saturday before the Election!

I am writing, as a constituent from West Seattle, to beg you on bended knee to vote to remove Senator Joe Lieberman (Joe Lieberman for Joe Lieberman party, CT) from his chairmanship of the Homeland Security committee when the Democratic Caucus convenes next week to vote on this issue. While I'm sure you're receiving plenty of emails, letters, and phone calls from constituents urging Sen. Lieberman's ouster from his committee Chair assignment for more partisan reasons (and his broken promise that he would support Senator McCain's candidacy, but refrain from attacking Senator Obama, is certainly a breach of faith with the Party, the Caucus, and his own word), there's something just as important to consider, if not more so:

Joe Lieberman has been incredibly ineffectual in his role as chair of the Homeland Security committee - particularly when it comes to the role he, and the committee, were supposed to play in standing up to the shameful actions of the Bush White House during these past years. Unlike its much more effective and active counterpart in the House, the Committee, under Joe Lieberman, failed to challenge the Bush Administration on its failures and offenses on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the "war on terror", torture, Hurricane Katrina, and a host of other issues the Committee was charged to oversee and investigate. It could be argued that Joe Lieberman's inaction as head of the Committee enabled and shielded a whole laundry list of failures of the Bush Administration, resulting in countless wasted tax dollars - and lives.

But there's ample reason to be suspicious, given his past behavior patterns, that an embarrassed, embittered Joe Lieberman may abuse his Chairmanship to "go after" the Obama Administration in a way he abjectly failed to do under the Bush Administration.

While Joe Lieberman's personal and political conduct during the Presidential election of 2008 (and his campaigning in support of other Republican candidates to the House and Senate in the recent past) are shameful enough, it's his dereliction of duty, lack of leadership, and failure to fulfill his role as chair of his Committee that should be the primary rationale for stripping him of his Committee assignment.

Let Joe Lieberman continue to caucus with the Democrats if he so chooses. Offer him Chairmanship of a different Committee - something that Mr. "Agreed with us on everything but the War" can be trusted with. But he's been an embarrassingly ineffective Chair of the Homeland Security Committee, and has failed at his duties in that role.

It's time to give someone else a chance to do a better job. If I dared to exhibit such lackluster performance and failure at my job, I would have been fired a long time ago.

Please vote to strip Joe Lieberman of his Committee Chair assignment.

Chris Roy

Precinct SEA 34-1545 / 34th District Democrats

---- 15th Avenue Southwest

Seattle WA 98136

206-_-__ nullemail@nullemail.com

Proudest Vote of My Life...

Vermonter — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 11:14:59 EST

My Own Closing Arguments

Cliff Sharples — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 02:58:32 EST

After volunteering, writing, learning, participating, caucusing, speaking and experiencing the Race for the White House for almost 14 months now, I feel like I owe it to myself to make my own closing argument for why I have voted for Senator Barack Obama and ask that you join me. You may have your own set of reasons, whether they be pro-Obama or pro-McCain. These are a few of mine, not necessarily all-inclusive, but reasons that have stuck with me as we reach this historic week.

If you are also an Obama supporter, please take the time to send out your own closing argument to your family, friends, business associates and neighbors. Encourage them to do the same and ask for your network’s vote for Obama-Biden on November 4th. Election Day is upon us, and the stakes for our nation and our future could not be higher.

If you are a McCain supporter, I respect your decision and seek no further debate. The important thing is that we all participate in the process, take careful measure of the facts, discard the slanders and negativity, and vote for the kind of leader we want in these challenging times.

OK, so here are my closing arguments, being as brief as possible!

Barack Obama has the leadership qualities I look for in business and politics. Empathy, vision, courage, conviction, decisiveness. He is a listener, he balances opposing views, he seeks common ground, he understands that everyone’s perspectives are valid. He is steady, assured, articulate, energizing, compassionate, consistent. He is analytical, incredibly intelligent, a student of history, has a vast appreciation and understanding of our country’s constitution. He is diverse, global, and the most human of any of the Presidential candidates that I have seen in a long time.
As an entrepreneur, I have an appreciation for change and innovation, which I think is needed more than ever. America has been a beacon of light for the past 2 centuries. We have had good times and bad. We have had periods where maintaining the status quo was prudent. And we have had times when we needed a fresh, new approach. I believe we are sitting at a critical moment where America very badly needs a fresh approach. I can’t say that Barack Obama will fix all of our problems, but he represents the only candidate who has challenged many of the status quo policies and philosophies that have been increasingly decaying our country. It is time to take a chance on a new kind of leader with a new set of life experiences, from a new generation.
I want to reverse the downward spiral of America’s standing in the world. I’ve been fortunate to have the opportunity to visit many nations and experience several cultures around the world. I believe that we are part of a worldwide community of nations that must continue to work together to make peace, heal our planet, and fight for the rights of all individuals. Our reputation around the world has plummeted in the past 8 years under Bush-Cheney, coinciding with our waning ability to provide leadership and action on these critical areas. We have been behaving more like bullies than a beacon of hope and light. The world, however, knows how amazing the American People can be, which is why the entire planet is holding its breadth to see how resilient and self-governed we Americans can be. A President Obama will not solve world peace, world hunger or global warming all on his own. But just the mere act of electing for the first time a person of color, with a rich global upbringing and an inclusive world view that appreciates all perspectives will give a new hope around the world that America can reverse course from the treacherous path we have been lead down by the Republican Party and the Bush-Cheney Administration. Obama’s Presidency begins to create a climate where we can have a fresh start with our community of nations and make progress on the important collaboration we so desperately need.
I want my children to be inspired to participate and love this country as I do. I look at John McCain and I see the past. I am so ready for new leadership in Washington who will reject old-style politics, understand how we Americans live our day to day life and have a fresh perspective on the enormous problems we face in our economy, in our foreign policy and in our domestic agenda. I’ve seen Senator Obama speak in person a couple of times, and I have studied endless speeches, talks and writings he has done throughout his career. There is a genuineness in intent, an inspiration in his message and an understanding of our daily lives that I have not seen from any other political figure. I’m not a mindless believer. I am not typically prone to to “drink the Kool-Aid.” But this man has activated and inspired me in a way I have not previously been before. And in 14 months of working on and off on his behalf, that feeling has only grown. I care so much because I have kids who I want to have a passion for their government and their participation in the governing of their lives. I think there is an opportunity in Barack Obama to inspire my children's’ generation and prepare them for the enormous challenges and opportunities that await them in the future.
We can not pass up the opportunity Barack Obama represents. I would not have ever predicted 2 years ago that I would feel that America has an opportunity to once again reinvent itself to become even better and stronger than ever. But here we are, on the eve of making the most important national decision in my lifetime, and I feel optimistic and hopeful. And it’s not Obama the President that will solve all our problems and take us forward as a people. It’s going to be us. With President Obama, we will be more energized, passionate and motivated to take personal responsibility and action. We will be able to make faster progress at turning the page on racial divides. We will find a voice and a place to engage on issues we care about. We will be excited to embrace the next set of huge challenges affecting our lives.

Entrepreneurs Need President Obama!

Cliff Sharples — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 15:44:24 EDT

I am an entrepreneur and small business owner, self-funding a consumer Internet business. In the 15 years that I have been at this, I have never faced a more hostile, volatile business climate thanks to the failed policies of the past 8 years. Credit has dried up. Investors are battening down the hatches. Talent is afraid to leave their sub-optimal job in a big company for a riskier start up.

What does this mean? It means innovation is stifled. It means small business owners keep getting squeezed by huge corporate interests. It means costs are sky rocketing on our overhead, such as energy and health care.

We need emergency help for our small businesses. We need tax relief. We need lower health care and energy costs. We need to have a President who turns a deaf ear to special interests.

That President is Barack Obama. In these last few days of the election, I implore you to highlight this message and help restore the backbone of the American Economy - small businesses and the entrepreneurs that lead them. Spread the word. Make calls. Do your part!

Joe the plumber's union endorses Obama

Jonathan from Acton, MA — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 12:37:32 EDT

Dan Rodricks of the Baltimore Sun says that John McCain's repeated mentions of an Ohio guy -- Joe "The Plumber" Wurzelbacher -- failed to land a knockout blow. Partly that's because, as Obama pointed out, McCain's math does not add up. But there's another reason: many "regular Joe" plumbers across the country are rooting for Obama.

Plumbers and Gasfitters Local 12 in Boston has a message: Go Obama. These plumbers from my hometown have officially endorsed Barack Obama for President.

But these are not the only plumbers to endorse Obama. Check this out. The United Association (UA) became the first International Union to endorse Senator Barack Obama for President of the United States. Who does UA represent? Plumbers like Joe.

The Ugly New McCain

Dorothiea — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 14:54:09 EDT

The Ugly New McCain

By Richard Cohen
Wednesday, September 17, 2008;

Following his loss to George W. Bush in the 2000 South Carolina primary, John McCain did something extraordinary: He confessed to lying about how he felt about the Confederate battle flag, which he actually abhorred. "I broke my promise to always tell the truth," McCain said. Now he has broken that promise so completely that the John McCain of old is unrecognizable. He has become the sort of politician he once despised.

The precise moment of McCain's abasement came, would you believe, not at some news conference or on one of the Sunday shows but on "The View," the daytime TV show created by Barbara Walters. Last week, one of the co-hosts, Joy Behar, took McCain to task for some of the ads his campaign has been running. One deliberately mischaracterized what Barack Obama had said about putting lipstick on a pig -- an Americanism that McCain himself has used. The other asserted that Obama supported teaching sex education to kindergarteners.

"We know that those two ads are untrue," Behar said. "They are lies."

Freeze. Close in on McCain. This was the moment. He has largely been avoiding the press. The Straight Talk Express is now just a brand, an ad slogan like "Home Cooking" or "We Will Not Be Undersold." Until then, it was possible for McCain to say that he had not really known about the ads, that the formulation "I approve this message" was just boilerplate. But he didn't.

"Actually, they are not lies," he said.

Actually, they are.

McCain has turned ugly. His dishonesty would be unacceptable in any politician, but McCain has always set his own bar higher than most. He has contempt for most of his colleagues for that very reason: They lie. He tells the truth. He internalizes the code of the McCains -- his grandfather, his father: both admirals of the shining sea. He serves his country differently, that's all -- but just as honorably. No more, though.

I am one of the journalists accused over the years of being in the tank for McCain. Guilty. Those doing the accusing usually attributed my feelings to McCain being accessible. This is the journalist-as-puppy school of thought: Give us a treat, and we will leap into a politician's lap.

Not so. What impressed me most about McCain was the effect he had on his audiences, particularly young people. When he talked about service to a cause greater than oneself, he struck a chord. He expressed his message in words, but he packaged it in the McCain story -- that man, beaten to a pulp, who chose honor over freedom. This had nothing to do with access. It had to do with integrity.

McCain has soiled all that. His opportunistic and irresponsible choice of Sarah Palin as his political heir -- the person in whose hands he would leave the country -- is a form of personal treason, a betrayal of all he once stood for. Palin, no matter what her other attributes, is shockingly unprepared to become president. McCain knows that. He means to win, which is all right; he means to win at all costs, which is not.

At a forum last week at Columbia University, McCain said, "But right now we have to restore trust and confidence in government." This was always the promise of John McCain, the single best reason to vote for him. America has been cheated on too many times -- the lies of Vietnam and Watergate and Iraq. So many lies. Who believes that in Afghanistan last month, only five civilians were killed by the American military in an airstrike, instead of the approximately 90 claimed by the Afghan government? Not me. I first gave up on the military during Vietnam and then again when it covered up the death of Pat Tillman, the Army Ranger and former NFL player who was killed in 2004 by friendly fire.

McCain was going to fix all that. He was going to look the American people in the eyes and say, not me. I will not lie to you. I am John McCain, son and grandson of admirals. I tell the truth.

But Joy Behar knew better. And so McCain lied about his lying and maybe thinks that if he wins the election, he can -- as he did in South Carolina -- renounce who he was and what he did and resume his old persona. It won't work. Karl Marx got one thing right -- what he said about history repeating itself. Once is tragedy, a second time is farce. John McCain is both.

cohenr@washpost.com

Very Important.

Merrilee — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 21:30:03 EDT

Get this whole story out there. Flags stolen from Dem. Convention then given to McCain campaign saying the Dems. trashed them. False, lies,.......halfway reported get the up to date facts here

I think this may be too important to let it slide. Please read this.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/06/thrown-away-flags-story-f_n_124499.html

Community organizing is how ordinary people respond...

highacidity — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 17:04:49 EDT

...to out-of-touch politicians and their failed policies.
I wasn't planning on sending you something tonight. But if you saw what I saw from the Republican convention, you know that it demands a response. I saw John McCain's attack squad of negative, cynical politicians. They lied about Barack Obama and Joe Biden, and they attacked you for being a part of this campaign. But worst of all — and this deserves to be noted — they insulted the very idea that ordinary people have a role to play in our political proces. [...]

The title and quotes are from an email from David Plouffe referring to the hate fest formerly known as the Republican National Convention.

McCain's dangerous choice

Dorothiea — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 16:50:09 EDT

Dear Friends,

Yesterday was John McCain's 72nd birthday. If elected, he'd be the oldest president ever inaugurated. And after months of slamming Barack Obama for "inexperience," here's who John McCain has chosen to be one heartbeat away from the presidency: a right-wing religious conservative with no foreign policy experience, who until recently was mayor of a town of 9,000 people.

Huh?

Who is Sarah Palin? Here's some basic background:

She was elected Alaska's governor a little over a year and a half ago. Her previous office was mayor of Wasilla, a small town outside Anchorage. She has no foreign policy experience.1
Palin is strongly anti-choice, opposing abortion even in the case of rape or incest.2
She supported right-wing extremist Pat Buchanan for president in 2000. 3
Palin thinks creationism should be taught in public schools.4
She's doesn't think humans are the cause of climate change.5
She's solidly in line with John McCain's "Big Oil first" energy policy. She's pushed hard for more oil drilling and says renewables won't be ready for years. She also sued the Bush administration for listing polar bears as an endangered species—she was worried it would interfere with more oil drilling in Alaska.6
How closely did John McCain vet this choice? He met Sarah Palin once at a meeting. They spoke a second time, last Sunday, when he called her about being vice-president. Then he offered her the position.7

This is information the American people need to see. Please take a moment to forward this email to your friends and family.

We also asked Alaska MoveOn members what the rest of us should know about their governor. The response was striking. Here's a sample:

She is really just a mayor from a small town outside Anchorage who has been a governor for only 1.5 years, and has ZERO national and international experience. I shudder to think that she could be the person taking that 3AM call on the White House hotline, and the one who could potentially be charged with leading the US in the volatile international scene that exists today. —Rose M., Fairbanks, AK

She is VERY, VERY conservative, and far from perfect. She's a hunter and fisherwoman, but votes against the environment again and again. She ran on ethics reform, but is currently under investigation for several charges involving hiring and firing of state officials. She has NO experience beyond Alaska. —Christine B., Denali Park, AK

As an Alaskan and a feminist, I am beyond words at this announcement. Palin is not a feminist, and she is not the reformer she claims to be. —Karen L., Anchorage, AK

Alaskans, collectively, are just as stunned as the rest of the nation. She is doing well running our State, but is totally inexperienced on the national level, and very much unequipped to run the nation, if it came to that. She is as far right as one can get, which has already been communicated on the news. In our office of thirty employees (dems, republicans, and nonpartisans), not one person feels she is ready for the V.P. position.—Sherry C., Anchorage, AK

She's vehemently anti-choice and doesn't care about protecting our natural resources, even though she has worked as a fisherman. McCain chose her to pick up the Hillary voters, but Palin is no Hillary. —Marina L., Juneau, AK

I think she's far too inexperienced to be in this position. I'm all for a woman in the White House, but not one who hasn't done anything to deserve it. There are far many other women who have worked their way up and have much more experience that would have been better choices. This is a patronizing decision on John McCain's part- and insulting to females everywhere that he would assume he'll get our vote by putting "A Woman" in that position.—Jennifer M., Anchorage, AK

So Governor Palin is a staunch anti-choice religious conservative. She's a global warming denier who shares John McCain's commitment to Big Oil. And she's dramatically inexperienced.

In picking Sarah Palin, John McCain has made the religious right very happy. And he's made a very dangerous decision for our country.

In the next few days, many Americans will be wondering what McCain's vice-presidential choice means. Please pass this information along to your friends and family.

Thanks for all you do.

–Ilyse, Noah, Justin, Karin and the rest of the team

Sources:

1. "Sarah Palin," Wikipedia, Accessed August 29, 2008
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah_Palin

2. "McCain Selects Anti-Choice Sarah Palin as Running Mate," NARAL Pro-Choice America, August 29, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=17515&id=13661-3005361-o9XSo8x&t=1

3. "Sarah Palin, Buchananite," The Nation, August 29, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=17736&id=13661-3005361-o9XSo8x&t=2

4. "'Creation science' enters the race," Anchorage Daily News, October 27, 2006
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=17737&id=13661-3005361-o9XSo8x&t=3

5. "Palin buys climate denial PR spin—ignores science," Huffington Post, August 29, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=17517&id=13661-3005361-o9XSo8x&t=4

6. "McCain VP Pick Completes Shift to Bush Energy Policy," Sierra Club, August 29, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=17518&id=13661-3005361-o9XSo8x&t=5

"Choice of Palin Promises Failed Energy Policies of the Past," League of Conservation Voters, August 29, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=17519&id=13661-3005361-o9XSo8x&t=6

"Protecting polar bears gets in way of drilling for oil, says governor," The Times of London, May 23, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=17520&id=13661-3005361-o9XSo8x&t=7

7 "McCain met Palin once before yesterday," MSNBC, August 29, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=21119&id=13661-3005361-o9XSo8x&t=8

What a night!

Renee (bijoudesigncom) Renton, WA — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 20:52:38 EDT

What a fun evening! We watched history and made new friends at our convention watch party last night. Our evening started about an hour before the speech as our guests trickled in after work. Being on the west coast and dealing with rush hour traffic, we decided to have a dinner of chili, beans, cornbread, chips and queso and margaritas ready for everyone so we could be fueled up and ready to go for the big night:

That's Vicki, Linda and Roseanne

Here's Julie and Les

And here's Jerry, Velma and Brett.

We watched the speeches leading up to Barack's and had a great time hearing their unique stories. And we LOVED Barney Smith's zinger! We also got the chance to tell our stories of why we are supporting Barack Obama and how everyone knew how important this election is going to be.

And then the speech. To say the energy in our living room was electric would be an understatement. We were a vocal group and I'm sure our neighbors heard every cheer. :)

We ended our night taking pictures, exchanging numbers and reflecting on the speech. I can't tell you how proud I was last night to watch history being made with all our new friends. Most of us were strangers at the beginning of the night and we came away with the profound responsibility that we, together, have to get this man elected President and it's up to us.

That's Janet, cardboard Barack and Julie!

That's Shawn, Brett, Vicki and Linda

Our group photo with Woody, our dog, wondering if the signs were edible.

Thanks for reading my blog. Hope you enjoyed it and I can't wait for the Debate House Party! Whoo hoo!

McCain has no trouble with reinstating Draft!

Merrilee — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 20:55:07 EDT

Oh this is something that parents and kids need to know. McCain has said today in an answer at a town hall meeting that he agrees that if he is going to follow "Osama Bin Laden to the gates of Hell" (as he is so fond of saying) that we may have to reinstate the Draft. Oh this man has got to be stopped! We are in the heat of veep right now. I just want to say that I think Biden would be a great choice! There are many good choices maybe some we haven't even been hearing about. Well anyway...have fun watching your phones everyone. I had a few meetings today that made my text sound go off, I can tell you made my heart stop several times. I'm sure watching for it.

The Real John McCain

Robin Lee — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 15:09:03 EDT

Take a look at this latest video by Brave New Films. It it one of us, a middle class American, describes her experiences as she and her family lost their house to foreclosure. Juxtaposed against that is a series of clips which highlight (1) John McCain's complete lack of empathy and (2) the fact (one systematically ignored by the traditional media) that he and his wife own 6 houses and a corporate jet. If you saw McCain at Saddleback Church this weekend you saw that he thinks that to be rich in America you need to make something like $5 million a year! Now I don't know if that is too much, or too little, I do know however that in this whole country less than 1/10th of 1 percent of the people earn that much money in a year. In the America I grew up in and the one I think we need to move back to being, the rich constitute a bit more than .001 of the population.

Come watch the convention with us!

Renee (bijoudesigncom) Renton, WA — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 13:11:05 EDT

Yay! I FINALLY decided to host an event. Brett and I are hosting a convention watching party to watch history being made as Obama accepts the nomination for POTUS.

We're hosting it Texas-style with a pot of chili, margaritas, beer, (softdrinks for the non-drinkers) chips and salsa, etc.

We also have yard signs, buttons, bumperstickers, etc., available and I'll run by the Darcy Burner campaign in Bellevue to see if there are some things I can have if folks would also like to show support for Darcy, too!

We LOVE a big boisterous crowd in our home, so don't be shy! Y'all join us for the fun!

OH! EXTRA BONUS: You get to meet our dog, Woody, a staunch Democrat and proud progressive:

Barack Morning Buzz - 8-13-08

Barack Daily Buzz - Victory2008.net — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 08:44:16 EDT

Barack Morning Buzz - 8-13-08
See You at the Convention

(1) Obama Raises $1.3 Million at Hawaiian Fundraiser
Maria Gavrilovic-CBS News-From The Road
http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2008/08/13/politics/fromtheroad/entry4346881.shtml

(2) Ohio Voting Law May Be a Boon for Obama
Philip Elliott-Associated Press
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gmJpgsrR27lwSUQ24_WSSrU0W-JwD92H8JE06

(3) Obama Maintains Eight Point Lead over McCain among Registered Voters
MarketWatch-HarrisInteractive
http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/obama-maintains-eight-point-lead/story.aspx?guid=%7B7CBB1C0D-DD32-47C1-947D-BAF3666752BA%7D&dist=hppr

(4) Obama Leads McCain among New Jersey Voters-51% to 41%
Angela Delli Santi-Associated Press
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/newjersey/ny-bc-nj--presidentialrace-0813aug13,0,683058.story

(5) Nebraska GOP Senator Chuck Hagel as Obama Veep Draws Concern from Both Sides
Anna Jo Bratton-Associated Press
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080813/ap_on_el_pr/hagel_obama_2

(6) Obama Links a Country's Development to Treatment of Women
Agence France Presse-AFP
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080813/ts_alt_afp/usvotedemocratswomen_080813100211

(7) Obama and McCain Fight for Biker Vote
Kate Linthicum-Los Angeles Times
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-trailmotor13-2008aug13,0,2322711.story

(8) Fundraiser Now on Obama Team
G. Jeffers-Dallas Morning News
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/localnews/columnists/gjeffers/stories/DN-jeffers_13met.ART.State.Edition1.4d6dd7f.html

(9) Christian Fundamentalist Group Prays for "Abundant Torrential" Downpours to Flood Denver and Silence Obama
Times-UK
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article4520147.ece

(10) The Front Runner's Fall
Joshua Green-TheAtlantic.com
http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200809/hillary-clinton-campaign

(11) Iowa Expert Says an Early Edwards Exit Would Have Aided Obama Not Clinton
Don Frederick-Los Angeles Times-Top of the Ticket
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2008/08/iowa-expert-an.html

(12) Clinton Was Urged to Paint Obama as Foreign
Peter Nicholas-Los Angeles Times
http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-na-clinton13-2008aug13,0,7223975.story

Several Kansan's made news in Boston

Merrilee — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 23:02:24 EDT

This is from an interview the Boston Globe conducted with John Patterson and myself and several other Kansans. About turning Red states Blue. Nice Video of John's nifty Obama Van. here is a link

http://www.boston.com:80/news/politics/2008/articles/2008/07/20/grass_roots_networks_in_kansas_connecting_online/?page=1

Blogging for Obama, 10 posts in 10 weeks!

Antdevamp — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 23:25:53 EDT

My blog posts for the 'Blogging for Obama' event can be found on http://www0khancorner.blogspot.com/.

9 weeks more!

Ant!

glares at the cool kids

Antdevamp — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 16:09:14 EDT

I hate the cool kids...being all...cool all the time! I could have been at Netroots Nation if I wanted to. *grumbles*

Barack Morning Buzz - 7-14-08

Barack Daily Buzz - Victory2008.net — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 08:48:19 EDT

Barack Morning Buzz - 7-14-08
On to Victory in November

(1) Obama and McCain will Speak to NAACP this Week
William Douglas-McClatchy Newspapers
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politics/2008050126_naacp14.html

(2) NAACP Chairman Julian Bond Says Obama Win Won't Solve Racial Injustice
Associated Press
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5g-oYDBobF55nZ8rdR6VfRbbeRsYwD91TC9J00

(3) Obama Proposes Health Care Tax Credit for Small Businesses
Louise Roug-Los Angeles Times
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-campaign14-2008jul14,0,7130939.story

(4) Obama Invites Latinos to "Walk Together" into the White House
Mary Anne Ostrom-San Jose Mercury News
http://www.mercurynews.com/news/ci_9875287

(5) Courting the Latino Vote
John Marelius and Leslie Berestein-San Diego Union-Tribune
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/politics/20080714-9999-1n14obama.html

(6) Latino Vote is Courted by Obama
Dan Nowicki-Arizona Republic
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/2008/07/14/20080714obama-immig0714.html

(7) The Obama-McCain Immigration Wars
Jake Tapper-ABC News-Political Punch
http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2008/07/the-mccain-obam.html

(8) Obama Says Troops in Afghanistan Need Help
Jeff Zeleny-New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/14/us/politics/14campaign.html?ref=politics

(9) Obama Shifts Focus from Iraq and Eyes More Troops for Afghanistan
Camilla Hall-Bloomberg
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aE6JSzRJpiw0&refer=home

(10) Palestinian Official Says Obama will Visit West Bank Next Week
CNNPolitics
http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/07/14/obama.westbank/index.html?section=cnn

(11) Obama to Meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Middle East Tour
Peter Walker-Guardian
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/jul/14/barackobama.uselections2008

(12) Obama Vows Not to Seek Permanent US Bases in Iraq
Maxim Kniazkov-Agence France Presse
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080714/wl_afp/usvoteiraqobama_080714073411

(13) Obama Tells Former NBA Star Bill Walton and Other Donors-"I'm Skinny but I'm Tough"
Perry Bacon Jr.-Washington Post
http://blog.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/07/13/obama_to_donors_im_skinny_but.html?hpid=topnews

(14) Two Senators Who are Military Veterans will Travel with Obama to War Zones
USA Today and Wire Reports
http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/election2008/2008-07-14-campaign_N.htm

(15) Hedge Funds Show Obama the Money
Andrew Ross Sorkin-DealBook
http://dealbook.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/07/14/hedge-funds-show-obama-the-money/

(16) Sounds like California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger Would Accept an Obama Cabinet Post
Evan Halper-Los Angeles Times-Top of the Ticket
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2008/07/obama-schwarzen.html

(17) Michelle Obama has an Empathetic Ear to Women's Concerns
Laura Scott-Kansas City Star
http://www.kansascity.com/281/story/703664.html

(18) McCain Says Obama Should Visit South America
Steve Holland-Reuters
http://www.reuters.com/article/featuredCrisis/idUSN14328397

From James Dobson to Jesse Jackson

Tom Hayes, working for change — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 15:02:41 EDT

While both these Christian pastors are entitled to their comments and opinions, they have each lately acted in ways to remind us that they are both abundantly human. I choose to make my decisions about politics and politicians based on a wide variety of factors, some of which are surely at odds with the choices made by Reverend Jackson and/or Pastor Dobson. I don’t speak for them.

I wish both of these so-called leaders would exhibit the same sort of moral rectitude and Christian charity they call for from those who follow their exhortations rather than talking about fruitcake and nuts. I wish we all practiced respect in dealing with each other. I wish we weren’t at war in Iraq. I wish there was one reliable, objective source of information reporting. I wish there was a quick solution to hunger and poverty in the world, too.

I don’t, however, wish harm, even in some metaphorical sense, on anyone brave enough to run for public office - even those I disagree with on many issues. I work to insure the one I trust and admire has the best chance to exert leadership.

I speak for myself; I make up my own mind; I allow others to disagree, and hope they do so without behaving disagreeably.

I know the difference between a person and a person’s thoughts and actions.

Jesse Jackson doesn’t speak for me.

T Boone Pickens Energy Plan

Merrilee — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 20:19:17 EDT

I would like to get some feedback from fellow Obama supporters on the Plan laid out by T. Boone Pickens. I would also like to know what Sen. Obama thinks about this plan.

here is a link. Please tell me what you think.

Are you going to Netroots Nation next week?

Renee (bijoudesigncom) Renton, WA — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 01:25:14 EDT

Netroots Nation (formerly known as YearlyKos) starts a week from tomorrow in Austin, TX. Brett and I are going and would love to meet up with some other folks from Western Washington state.

We'll take lots of pictures and write about our experiences. Hope to meet a bunch of new friends and share a Shiner!

leaping out of comfort zones

Merrilee — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 19:49:41 EDT

Boy did I ever leap out of a comfort zone Friday! So glad that I did. I met a great gentleman who really has the best of the campaign in his heart and who lives it. He has started a new Blog page which I have linked here..... http://ksforobama.blogspot.com/ Well worth a look at his great idea and his wonderful setup in his KS4Obama Van.

WA-08 Darcy Burner's Home Destroyed in Fire

Renee (bijoudesigncom) Renton, WA — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 14:38:40 EDT

Shocking news about Darcy Burner's home here: http://www.nwcn.com/topstories/stories/NW_070108WAB_darcy_burner_home_fire_KS.125af691.html

Entire family including pup are safe. Please consider giving to her campaign at: http://www.darcyburner.com/. Please keep your good thoughts for Darcy and her family at this difficult time.

United for Change Event, Renton WA

Renee (bijoudesigncom) Renton, WA — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 01:56:22 EDT

We had about 40 or so people: 2 Obama fellows, State Rep. Bob Hasagawa and our host Keith. 3 Hillary supporters, several independents. Here's a few pics. (couldn't move around office; it was too crowded!)

Obama fellow (Allie?) with voluteer:

Rep. Bob Hasagawa (11th) with Obama fellow (Ryan):

Watching video:

Meet and greet afterwards with host, Keith (far right):

Media conflict of interest - covering funding of PACs and 527s

Tom Hayes, working for change — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 12:39:24 EDT

Once Senator John McCain and the RNC began circumventing the McCain/Feingold limits via the creation of the “McCain Victory ‘08 Fund” with its $70,000 per individual donations they really left presumptive Democratic nominee Senator Barack Obama with no reason to keep extending his offer to limit campaign spending by accepting public financing. They sprang into faux outrage, of course, ready to accuse him of a flip-flop despite the fact they’d not accepted Obama’s conditional offer. Follow the money, not the spin, and you discover that this has gone virtually unreported. The commercial media outlets have a conflict of interest; reporting on the McCain fund undermines their profits.

Here’s the simple truth:

New Facebook group re: telco amnesty!

Dante Atkins (hekebolos) — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 19:52:20 EDT

I've created a Facebook group: "If Barack Obama says NO to telco amnesty, I'll give him $100!"

It's designed to help Barack make the right choice the easy choice by standing up to this capitulation on FISA.

Why do Democrats continue to lose the war of words?

Brett — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 22:41:43 EDT

How is it that with all the brilliant minds in the Democratic party that we continue to allow right-wingers to win with their word?

I am getting at the Fight the Smears website. We have to learn to take away their words rather than refute them. The so called brilliant minds running the Kerry campaign let them cast him as a flip-flopper and NEVER took that term away from them.

Now it's Barack HUSSEIN Obama, He's a Muslim, Never been proud of my country, Cling to their bibles....etc etc. We CANNOT continue to explain these. Our candidate MUST take these terms and phrases and TAKE THEM AWAY!! He needs to do it himself, not a website.

How about, "I'm proud of my heritage and the name my parents chose for me. If others want to scare you with a name, just know that it's not me that they are scared of, it's all of you. They are afraid that you will see how scared they really are of the change you desire. They don't want change. They want the status quo........" Yadda Yadda Yadda.

I'm no speech writer as you can obviously tell but we have to own the words, turn them around so they can't be used against us. I am so tired of the namby pamby responses like this website.

Obama wins the 269-269 tie

Dante Atkins (hekebolos) — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 21:56:39 EDT

I posted an entry on DailyKos regarding a possible 269-269 tie in the Electoral College. The end result: Obama's likely to win it.

Follow the link for the full details!

Advice, please?

Renee (bijoudesigncom) Renton, WA — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 01:02:25 EDT

I need some advice on organizing an event. I love entertaining, politics and meeting interesting new people. To me, that sounds tailor-made to throw an event.

Are there any kind souls out there that can give me tips on planning a successful event?

And now, a cute pic of my dog:

More About the Court

Robin Lee — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 12:07:30 EDT

Apropos of my two previous posts on the Supreme Court Brad DeLong (my favorite academic Blogger) presents the following which I am including in total for your edification and pleasure:

Jack Balkin says that the Bush legal revolution has failed. He is wrong: it has just not yet succeeded. A McCain victory in November and another statist Supreme Court appointee, and that's it for the rights of any whom the president classifies as an outlaw.
Balkin acknowledges this at the end. Better he had done so at the beginning:
Balkinization: This is what a failed revolution looks like: It is still available to the President and Congress to try to suspend the writ [of habeas corpus], and the Court could then decide whether the suspension was successful. However, there is almost no chance that the current Congress would agree to suspend the writ. It is also likely that the Congress that passed the MCA would not have voted to suspend the writ if the choice were clearly posed on those terms.... And that is precisely the point... the constitutional revolution proposed by the Bush Administration after September 11, 2001 has failed.
Following the 9/11 attacks, George W. Bush and his supporters proposed a significant change in constitutional norms... preemptive war... new surveillance techniques, including domestic surveillance... preventive detention, including detention of american citizens without access to courts... legal black holes... torture and torture-lite... enhanced secrecy and classification... unitary executive theory that claimed that Congress could not constitutionally limit the President when he claimed to act under his powers as Commander-in-Chief... [the power to] disregard certain features of laws passed by Congress without telling the public any details about... non-enforcement....
[W]e can say that this attempt at a constitutional revolution has failed.... Hamdi, Rasul, Hamdan, and now Boumediene... the Supreme Court... does not get behind a proposed constitutional revolution unless it is quite clear that the country is also behind it and demonstrates this support over a sustained period of time....
Bush's proposed revolution lost steam for three reasons... there was no successful terrorist attack on U.S. soil after 9/11... the public grew increasingly concerned about reports of torture and mistreatment... [that] greatly damaged America's image as a symbol of liberty around the world and distrubed Americans image of themselves as the good guys... Bush's adventure in Iraq, which he repeatedly claimed was intrinsically connected to the global war on terror, did not succeed.... Bush is now one of the most unpopular presidents in modern American history....
And then Balkin takes it back:
Even failed constitutional revolutions, however, may have lasting effects. The next president will be stuck... Iraq... Gitmo... preventive detention... surveillance... the Bush Administration's attempt at a constitutional revolution... may revive.... John McCain... may appoint additional movement conservatives to the Supreme Court, who may be more than happy to carry out a constitutional transformation... The country may face a new terror attack... the future is... likely to surprise us.

5-4 vs. 4-5 . . .Whew!

Robin Lee — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 15:59:11 EDT

Today the Supreme Court reversed a lower court decision and granted prisoners at Guantanamo the right to petition for writs of habeas corpus. By invoking this right to have the legality of their detention reviewed by a U.S. federal court, these petitioners could be released altogether or at least be placed under the control of the regular American criminal justice system. The decision which was yet another rebuke of the Bush Administration would probably not have come out this way if Bush had been able to appoint another Justice to the High Court. That should be sufficient cause for every Democrat, and most Republicans (Cheney, Addington and Yoo of course not among them) to elect Barack Obama in November. Its really chilling to think that for one vote the Supreme Court would side with the Unitary Executive against the Constitution.

PC or Mac?

Robin Lee — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 07:51:37 EDT

Awhile back during the Republican Primaries Yahoo News asked the candidates whether they used PCs or Macs. McCain offered up that he was:

Neither, I'm an illiterate that has to rely on my wife for all of the assistance I can get.

Are you kidding? Senator McCain, personal computers and the internet are not some fad that's going away anytime soon. Maybe I am making too much of this but how can someone really function in this economy without knowing how to use a computer? I guess we should take some comfort in the fact that in 2008 the Republicans have nominated a Luddite to be the next President of the United States.

Straight Talk Express: Lost in New York

Chris in West Seattle — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 18:13:21 EDT

Well, that didn't take long.

John McCain's "Straight Talk Express" is desperately in need of roadside assistance.

This time, the McCain campaign has set what may be a new record in going back on its word. A mere three days after promising to the American public that McCain fundraising events would now be open to press pool reporters, John McCain has scheduled a series of New York fundraising events for Tuesday - one a reception for a whopping $28,500 per person - that will be closed to the press.

Confirmed:hrc brought Barack to Bilderberg Meeting IS THIS TRUE IF SO...Saturday, June 7, 2008 8:00 AM

Danielle Clarke USA Vietnam Vet — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 08:20:13 EDT

Confirmed:hrc brought Barack to Bilderberg Meeting IS THIS TRUE IF SO... Saturday, June 7, 2008 8:00 AMIf this is true then Barack needs to come clean ASAP about what was spoken at the meeting. We the people who are so called less thans or so called not important need to be respected as this campaign is a bottom up campaign not a top down one. If we are ignored it will be futile to this effort to get Barack Elected.

We do not want more of the same.. politicians who think they know better or shouldn't share so and so or such and such with the people...

I am not judging this so called report as being confirmed but like i said way back in Apr 26th 2007 in my MYBO blog

""BARACK SHOULD DECLARE HE HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH BILDERBERG - SEE - http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&aq=t&ie=UTF-8&rls=TSHB,TSHB:2006-45,TSHB:en&q=BARACK+OBAMA+BILDERBERG""
=
http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/danielleclarke/Cr9z

I am Barack Obama
You are Barack Obama
We are Barack Obama

always fired up and ready to go

Danielle Hussein Clarke = working for all Obamanites 10 to 12 hours a day since feb 11th 2007

Bush/Clinton/Bush/Clinton: Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results is the definition of insanity.

--- On Sat, 6/7/08, joan ambers wrote:

> Subject: [DiversityforObama] Confirmed:hrc brought Barack to Bilderberg Meeting

> Date: Saturday, June 7, 2008, 2:58 AM
> WND THE NEW WORLD DISORDER
> Did they or didn't they?
> Speculation about Obama, Clinton attending Bilderberger
> meeting
> Posted: June 07, 2008
> 12:22 am Eastern
>
> By Alyssa Farah
> © 2008 WorldNetDaily
>
>
> Westfields Marriott in Chantilly, Va., site of the
> Bilderberg conference this weekend
>
> WASHINGTON - Sen. Barack Obama ditched his unsuspecting
> press entourage yesterday to attend a secretive meeting
> with Sen. Hillary Clinton.
>
> But where did that meeting take place? Was it at the
> secretive Bilderberg conference in Chantilly, Va.? So far,
> neither campaign is talking.
>
> The 56th Bilderberg meeting is still going on this weekend
> at the Westfields Marriott, according to various sources.
> But attendance is a well-guarded secret - along with the
> agenda, which tends toward the promotion of globalist
> ideas.
>
> Obama's spokesman Robert Gibbs confirmed Clinton and
> Obama met but declined to inform the press of the location
> of the meeting. However, it was reportedly not held at
> Clinton's Washington home. Hillary's spokesman also
> declined to give the location of the rendezvous.
>
> Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., told Fox News the two
> candidates met at her house in Washington. Feinstein said
> she was working upstairs while Clinton and Obama sat by her
> fireplace.
>
> Asked if Obama attended more than one meeting last night,
> Gibbs declined to "get into all the details."
>
> (Story continues below)
>
>
> Speculation about the pair meeting yesterday began when
> reporters traveling with Obama arrived at Dulles
> International Airport, in Northern Virginia, to find Obama
> was not aboard the plane, as was scheduled.
>
> "Reporters traveling with Obama sensed something might
> be happening between the pair when they arrived at Dulles
> International Airport after an event in Northern Virginia
> and Obama was not aboard the airplane," the Associated
> Press reported.
>
> Members of the press were outraged over the way Obama's
> campaign organizers covered up the meeting. Reporters were
> led to believe they would be getting on a plane back to
> Obama's campaign headquarters in Chicago with the
> senator. But while they were in the airport, the
> presidential candidate remained in the area for a secret
> meeting.
>
> Dulles is just three miles from the Westfields Marriott
> Hotel in Chantilly, where Henry Kissinger and David
> Rockefeller, among other globalists, are gathered for the
> annual Bilderberg Group conference.
>
> "Asked at the time about the Illinois senator's
> whereabouts, Gibbs smiled and declined to comment,"
> the AP report continued.
>
> Bilderberg is a highly-secretive meeting where the most
> influential men and women of North America and Western
> Europe meet ostensibly to discuss policy. But the group has
> spent years promoting a globalist agenda, according to
> reports from journalists who have penetrated the meeting.
>
> The Bilderberg Group made a press release available
> explaining the agenda for the meeting.
>
> "The conference will deal mainly with a nuclear free
> world, cyber terrorism, Africa, Russia, finance,
> protectionism, U.S.-European Union relations, Afghanistan
> and Pakistan, Islam and Iran. Approximately 140
> participants will attend, of whom about two-thirds come
> from Europe and the balance from North America," the
> release stated. "About one-third is from government
> and politics, and two-thirds are from finance, industry,
> labor, education and communications. The meeting is private
> in order to encourage frank and open discussion."
>
> Additionally, a list of the conference's attendees was
> released and included James A. Johnson, who was named this
> week to the three-person team vetting possible running
> mates for Obama. Rampant speculation in the blogosphere
> says the Obama-Clinton meeting last night was held to
> arrange the New York senator as Obama's
> vice-presidential candidate.
>
> Attendees at the Bilderberg conference included Secretary
> of State Condoleezza Rice, former Senate majority leader
> Tom Daschle and Ben Bernanke, the chairman of the board of
> governors for the Federal Reserve.
>
> Hillary Clinton is no stranger to Bilderberg. Bill Clinton
> attended the 1991 meeting in Germany shortly before he was
> elected president. According to reports, he attended again
> in 1999 when the meeting was held in Sintra, Portugal, and
> Hillary herself may have attended the 2006 meeting in
> Ottawa, Canada.
>
> "Why were we not told about this meeting until we were
> on the plane, the doors were shut and the plane was about to
> taxi to take off?" one reporter asked Obama spokesman
> Gibbs in a heated exchange caught on camera by CNN.
>
> "Senator Obama had a desire to do some meetings,
> others had a desire to meet with him tonight in a private
> way, and that is what we are doing." Gibbs replied.
>
> "Is there more than one meeting, is there more than
> one person with whom he is meeting?" asked another
> reporter.
>
> "I am not going to get into all the details of the
> meeting." Gibbs replied.
>
> Obama's spokesman explained the Clinton meeting was not
> planned in advance, and it was a last minute decision to
> attend.
>
> If you would like to sound off on this issue, participate
> in today's WND Poll.
>
> Related offers:
>
> Get "The True Story of the Bilderberg Group" by
> Daniel Estulin
>
>

Democratic Rules Committee Settles Delegate Count for FL, MI

Jill 4 Obama — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 07:45:11 EDT

Democrats Settle Obama, Clinton Dispute on Delegates

By Brian Faler and Edwin Chen

May 31 (Bloomberg) -- The Democratic Party reached a compromise over how to count disputed delegates in Florida and Michigan, in a bid to resolve a months-long quarrel that has helped prolong the presidential-nomination race.

A party committee voted to seat delegations from the two states at the August nominating convention, though with only a half-vote for each delegate. The deal, reached after a sometimes raucous daylong meeting, gives Hillary Clinton a net gain of 24 delegates, a margin that's unlikely to stall Barack Obama's momentum toward getting the nomination.

While Clinton's backers say they were satisfied with the Florida accord, they raised the prospect of a floor fight at the convention over the way the Michigan dispute was resolved, saying Obama had been awarded too many delegates.

Harold Ickes, a Clinton adviser, said he ``strongly'' objects to the Michigan plan, saying it would cost her four delegates. He said Clinton reserved the right to appeal the decision to another committee, a warning that was met with both cheers and catcalls from activists at the meeting.

``Hijacking four delegates, notwithstanding the flawed aspect of this, is not a good way to start down the path of party unity,'' Ickes told the panel in Washington.

Punished for Violation

The Michigan resolution was closer to the Obama campaign's demand that the delegates be evenly split between the two candidates. Clinton won both of the disputed primaries.

The party's rules and bylaws committee voted 27-0 to seat Florida's delegation and give Clinton 52.5 delegates; Obama would get 33.5. The panel voted 19-8 to similarly seat the Michigan delegation, giving Clinton 34.5 delegate votes and Obama 29.5. Superdelegates -- the lawmakers and party officials who get an automatic vote at the convention and who are likely to decide the nomination -- will also get only half votes.

Both states were punished for violating party rules and moving up the dates of their primaries.

Obama, 46, applauded today's solution.

He said Clinton, 60, would gain a ``substantial'' number of delegates and that ``many members of the Florida and Michigan delegations feel satisfied that the decision was fair.'' He won't try to dissuade the Clinton campaign from contesting the party's decision, he told reporters in Aberdeen, South Dakota, where he's campaigning. ``I trust they will do the right thing'' and ``will be motivated by an interest in bringing the party together.''

Rally Party

Democrats are counting on the compromise -- which came after several hours of private deliberations among panel members -- to help the party rally around a single candidate and avoid alienating voters in the two crucial states.

Either way, the accord solidifies Obama's lead in the delegate race. With the addition of the Michigan and Florida contingents, 2,118 delegates are needed to secure the nomination. Before today, Obama had 1,984.5 delegates and Clinton 1,784.5, according to a tally of pledged delegates and campaign lists of superdelegate endorsements.

Today's decision gives the Illinois senator an additional 33.5 votes in Florida and 29.5 in Michigan, giving him a total of 2047.5. Clinton, a New York senator, picked up 52.5 delegates in Florida and 34.5 in Michigan, bringing her total to 1,871.5.

Half-votes for each of the states' pledged superdelegates add at least 7.5 votes to Clinton's total and three to Obama's, bringing Obama within 67.5 delegates of securing the nomination. Only 86 pledged delegates remain to be awarded, with 55 at stake in tomorrow's Puerto Rico primary and another 31 total in the June 3 Montana and South Dakota primaries.

John McCain was glad Bush denied health insurance to children.

Hopeful in NJ — Thu, 29 May 2008 17:04:18 EDT

John McCain praised President Bush for vetoing the SCHIP program:

Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, told CNN Wednesday he agrees with President Bush's veto of legislation expanding a children's health insurance program, saying the bill provided a "phony smoke and mirrors way of paying for it.

Children's health insurance, of course, would cost 7 billion dollars a year -- a few weeks of the cost of occupying Iraq. John McCain would rather have 10 million children go without doctors.

REPOSTING : = The great ethanol lie ..... Tuesday, May 27, 2008 12:56 PM

Danielle Clarke USA Vietnam Vet — Tue, 27 May 2008 13:30:18 EDT

The great ethanol lie Tuesday, May 27, 2008 12:56 PMFrom: "Dan Luther" dan@theluthers.netTo: "Writers for Obama" <WritersforObama@groups.barackobama.com>

Keen observers have noticed their cars getting somewhat lower gas mileage over the past year. Some have attributed this to a normal side-effect of ageing vehicles, others with new cars didn’t notice it at all and thought it was the normal state of affairs. However, I have some news, and most of you aren’t going to like it.

Last year, the Bush administration introduced the Renewable Fuel Standards program under the Environmental Protection Agency. This was part of the Energy Policy Act of 2005, which was one of the last vestiges of a Republican-controlled Congress that allowed most Republican backed legislation to be enacted with little or no input by the Democrats. What this RFS program does is require that American refineries use a minimum amount of renewable fuel between 2007 and 2012. This “renewable fuel” is ethanol, and most states are now using a minimum of E10 in all their gasoline products, which is 10% ethanol.

Some people see this as A Good Thing, since ethanol is supposed to give us some freedom from imported oil and give us cleaner air, but as I’m going to show you, it ain’t necessarily so.

Going back to my opening statement, some drivers have noticed their automobiles getting lower gas mileage. One particularly keen observer noticed that his gas mileage went from an average of 32 miles per gallon to 29 miles per gallon. This person is very keen on vehicle maintenance and performance, and since he lives very close to the Wisconsin/Minnesota border, he was able to verify his results by recording his average fuel consumption with E10 from Minnesota, and comparing it to straight gasoline (E0) from Wisconsin. His findings showed that the E10 gasoline affected his gas mileage by 10%.

I’m sure that many are thinking the difference between 29MPG and 32MPG really isn’t that much of a difference, but let’s take a theoretical 320 mile trip. Using straight gasoline, that trip would require 10 gallons of fuel. Using E10, that same trip requires 11 gallons of fuel. Now pay attention, because here’s where the numbers start to do interesting things. Since E10 is 10% ethanol, the remaining 90% is gasoline, so this theoretical 320 mile trip still takes 9.9 gallons of gasoline! That means whether we use E10 or E0, we still use nearly the exact same amount of gasoline – the extra ethanol didn’t really do anything for us. And here’s the kicker: E10 costs almost exactly the same as regular gasoline!

Now this is just one example, and one might be inclined to think this might be an anomalous observation, unique to only one person. Luckily, the US Department of Transportation keeps records on the number of miles driven and fuel burned in all 50 states (http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/policy/ohim/hs06/motor_fuel.htm) and these numbers say quite a bit.

Using 2005 data (the latest numbers available), drivers in Minnesota drove 56.6 billion miles and consumed 2.7 billion gallons of fuel, making their fuel average 20.6MPG. Drivers in Wisconsin drove 60.3 billion miles and consumed 2.6 billion gallons of fuel, making their rating 23.3MPG. In other words the E10 state (Minnesota) got 12% less fuel efficiency than the E0 state (Wisconsin).

Wow.

The bottom line here is that ethanol as a fuel additive is a losing game. It doesn’t remove our dependence on foreign oil because we use only a fraction less gasoline to achieve the exact same results.

Today, 46% of all gasoline in the USA is at least a 10% ethanol blend, with that number reaching 100% by 2012 under current guidelines. The problem is that the ethanol is coming from corn; 98% of domestic ethanol is from domestic corn crops. There are currently 158 ethanol refineries online, 51 under construction, and hundreds more pending air quality permits from the various state Environmental Protection Agencies. With that kind of growth, ethanol from corn is likely to be our source of ethanol for many years to come because these plants can only convert corn into ethanol. Not cellulosic ethanol, or algae-bearing ethanol – these plants are essentially huge stills, designed to ferment corn and turn it into alcohol.

The problem of ethanol from corn isn’t that the corn we eat is being used to make fuel – it isn’t. The problem is that farmers are growing less of the food crops we use to make more of the ethanol-producing dent corn. Farmers are planting less sweet corn, wheat, soybeans, rice, and even cotton to make room for the new cash crop: dent corn. When you combine a shortage of feed crops with an all-time high cost for fuel necessary to grow, harvest, and process those crops, you get a huge spike in food prices just like we’re seeing today, and the really bad news is that it’s only going to get worse.

Ethanol is a lie. There are other, more effective methods for turning vegetable matter into fuel. As an example, there is a technology called “thermal depolymerization”, which mimics the way mother earth converts decaying plant and animal matter into crude oil, except on a radically faster timeline. Think about that – we can take our grass clippings and chicken guts and make a light, sweet crude suitable for refining. I’ll bet you didn’t know about that. Most people don’t. Of course that won’t solve our energy crisis, no single solution will. But a common-sense approach to energy production that combines the best of all available and emerging technologies will certainly get us where we need to be.

It is my sincere hope that President Obama has a full understanding of the emergency situation the current ethanol policy has on the domestic economy, as well as the humanitarian crisis it is causing abroad. Whatever happens, the insane energy policy of the Bush Administration needs to be corrected in the next administration.

"Baracks talk to the nation after he is elected"

Danielle Clarke USA Vietnam Vet — Mon, 26 May 2008 07:34:31 EDT

"Baracks talk to the nation after he is elected"

Baracks Bills -
1. 2006 Transparency bill = expose corrupt lobby $ that lobbyist give to politicians so we the people can either impeach them or not re-elect them
2. TECH PLAN = 2007 = http://www.USAspending.gov = expose all government spending so the citzens can see where their tax money goes
3. 2008 = SUNSHINE bill = SUNLIGHT FOUNDATION = http://www.sunlightfoundation.com/ = http://www.sunshineweek.org/sunshineweek/candidates = EXPOSE future spending. This is acomplished as Barack and his newly elected cabinet point out to WE THE PEOPLE , negative porkbarrel spending so we the people can rally against a certain senator or congress person or committee to stop it before it goes up for vote or support it if it is good for we the people = honest government finally controlled by WE THE PEOPLE. Who knows maybe one day in the future we won't need politicians as we the people stay involved in what is going on in all 3 branches of government and we use the computer to approve the direction of our country / government.

Barack will be holding weekly / monthly speeches, to WE THE PEOPLE, guiding them as to which negative earmark / porkbarrel spending should be stopped (removed from a future bill) by the people rallying together online before a bill with that earmark goes up for vote!
..................................

Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL)

Obama has outlined an ambitious transparency plan that incorporates technology to "help connect government to its citizens and engage citizens in a democracy."

Among the proposals in Obama's plan to open government are: putting government data online in accessible formats; airing live webcasts of agency meetings; restoring scientific integrity; allowing people to track federal grants, contracts, earmarks and lobbyist contacts online; and allowing five days for public to review and comment on legislation online before its signed.

In an October 2007 speech, Obama pledged to "turn the page on a growing empire of classified information, and restore the balance we've lost between the necessarily secret and the necessity of openness in a democratic society by creating a new National Declassification Center."

Past is Prologue

One of Obama's most visible Senate actions on the open government front was his co-sponsorship of the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act, which went into effect Jan. 1, 2008 with the launch of USAspending.gov, a Web site that gives people access to information on government contracts, grants and other awards.

As an Illinois state senator, Obama co-sponsored the Verbatim Record Bill, requiring public agencies to video or audio record closed door meetings, The First Amendment Center reported, noting the law was the first of its kind enacted by any state.

Obama is the only remaining candidate to have signed the Reason Foundation's Oath of Presidential Transparency, and, according to The Washington Post he is the only leading candidate to have released his income tax returns.

....................................

What other aspects do you seek Barack to address to the nation?

Senator Obama for Senator Kennedy at Wesleyan

Jill 4 Obama — Fri, 23 May 2008 10:19:24 EDT

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2008/05/23/obama_to_stand_in_at_wesleyan_graduation/

Obama to Stand In at Wesleyan Graduation

Accepts Request from Colleague

By Michael Levenson and David Abel Globe Staff / May 23, 2008

HYANNIS PORT - US Senator Edward M. Kennedy yesterday canceled his first major public event after being diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor, a commencement address at Wesleyan University on Sunday. But he arranged for a replacement who should have no problem generating headlines: Barack Obama.

more stories like this

Yet even as Kennedy canceled the speaking appearance, he stood on a dock outside his family compound in Hyannis Port, pleading with his wife, Victoria Reggie Kennedy, to let him race his schooner Mya in the Figawi Regatta off Cape Cod this weekend. The race is a cherished part of the senator's Memorial Day tradition and something he has been talking about since he walked out of Massachusetts General Hospital Wednesday.

Kennedy's decision not to speak at the university but to push ahead with his regatta plans underscores how he is negotiating, moment by moment, how active he can be since his diagnosis. Yesterday, he read through papers on the porch of his home, but was also on the phone with aides in Washington, weighing in on pending legislation. The days ahead will include more personal decisions: what course of treatment to seek, where to seek treatment, and whether to try an experimental treatment.

His decision to yield the spotlight at Wesleyan to Obama, whom Kennedy has endorsed for president, was clearly the most significant shift in his immediate plans, and it immediately reverberated on campus.

The possibility of Obama replacing Kennedy first surfaced Sunday, when Obama spoke by telephone to Kennedy in the hospital, according to those familiar with the Kennedys' plans. Obama offered to help in whatever way he could, and the Kennedy camp followed up yesterday, initiating a call to Obama. The senators talked about Obama delivering the speech, and Obama immediately accepted the invitation.

"Considering what he's done for me and for our country, there's nothing I wouldn't do for him," Obama said in a statement yesterday, "so I'm looking forward to standing in his place on Sunday, even though I know I won't be able to fill his shoes."

Kennedy called it "an historic opportunity for the school and all those attending." His stepdaughter, Caroline Raclin, will graduate from Wesleyan on Sunday, and his son Edward Jr. will be celebrating his 25th reunion with the class of 1983.

Kennedy has no plans to attend the graduation ceremonies in Middletown, Conn., which would involve a full day of travel, said those familiar with his plans.

Students at Wesleyan said they were saddened to learn that his illness would prevent Kennedy from attending, but added that they were overjoyed that he had secured Obama to take his place.

Students had been told that Kennedy would get a prominent replacement if he was unable to attend.

But "I never, never in my wildest dreams would have thought Barack Obama," said Elyssa Pachico, 22, a humanities major who will graduate Sunday. "The reaction here is just a combination of thrill and shock . . . It's like Santa Claus is coming to commencement. It's better than Santa Claus! It's very exciting."

Matthew Connolly, 21, a junior, said: "It's a great surprise, and it's going to attract at lot of people. People will make the trip to campus just to hear him speak."

Throughout yesterday, Kennedy's aides in Washington were busy accepting a bipartisan outpouring of baked goods from his Senate colleagues. The offerings included doughnuts and pizza from Senator Mike Enzi, bagels and cream cheese from Senator Barbara Mikulski, and homemade brownies baked by Senator Sherrod Brown's wife, Connie Schultz.

Kennedy's son Patrick, a congressman from Rhode Island, was back on the Hill after spending much of the week at his father's bedside. His voice shaking, Patrick Kennedy took the House floor and thanked his colleagues for their good wishes. "It means so much to me and to my family that all of you have us in your prayers," he said.

Back in Hyannis Port, the elder Kennedy said he had also been buoyed by the outpouring of support.

"It's been very uplifting," he said. "Very touching."

Susan Milligan of the Globe staff contributed to this report. Michael Levenson can be reached at mlevenson@globe.com.

How a moribund party apparatus can kill the enthusiasm

John Messerly — Wed, 21 May 2008 15:27:03 EDT

Our local Campaign organizer, Brian Schatz is running for our state party chair and he had some wise words last night in his speach at a large meet up we had here in Honolulu to watch the Kentucky and Oregon returns.

He made the point that we have to move from this just being a one time surge of enthusiasm to retaining folks and channeling the enthusiasm into an ongoing thing for our local party. It was an excellent point. Standing in stark counterpoint to his message was my experience at a local precinct meeting I drove to immediately after the Obama event.

We spent nearly the entire meeting on procedural matters- when and where the next meeting would be dominated an unusual amount of time, an extended speculation about some state campaigning rules that no one present had any expert knowlege of, and so on. I probably shouldn't be blunt, but honestly, it was mind numbing, and I wondered to myself how other new folks would feel after attending several of these meetings. I kept looking for the next button. At one point I suggested that many topics could be discussed on the local precinct web site in the form of Blog posts usings software like what the DNC, Obama and Hillary sites are using.

I was simply suggesting the physical meeting process could be augmented by online discussions for those who have the access.

There was a lot of skepticism, but I regard this resistance is transitionary noise. We must move forcefully towards demonstrating transparency and the effectiveness of getting involved online.

I am especially skeptical of the flame wars that go on at the DNC site, and the lack of any substantial policy discussions any of the sites. You have to go to the major blogs like dailykos etc for that sort of thing, but we really should figure out how to do this on party sites.

People really care about local issues, but there is no way they can connect the dots between anything they do online and changing something that is happening locally. That has got to change. I am going to be looking at getting PartyBuilder on our local site, but to be honest I have doubts not just about how well we can "connect the dots" online, but how we can do it in a way that is not so dull that our traffic doesn't go into the toilet.

It's tough especially in the local culture to get people to write things online. Folks are unusually circumspect even in daily conversation unless they already know you.

It shall be an interesting journey to make this work, and we are only beginning on this path.

We'll see.

Are some "isms" less repungnant than others?

Tom Hayes, working for change — Wed, 21 May 2008 11:49:35 EDT

David Gergen slipped in a gem during the CNN coverage, although it's been hard to document. Here was his comment on Senator Clinton:

She’s raised the issue of sexism in this race and she’s complained some about it the in the last 24 hours? Race is playing … it’s an increasing issue. That raises the question in my judgement, whether she shouldn’t say, “You know, if you want to vote against him because he’s black, then I don’t want your vote.”

I'm one of those who accepts Senator Clinton's ongoing campaign as a way to keep media focus on the Democrats. I recognize her supporters have valid reasons for advocating her candidacy. I'd just like to see her adopt a stand on racism that's consistent with the platform we all expect to endorse at the Denver convention.

Senator Edward M. Kennedy's Address to the Democratic National Convention of 1980

Jill 4 Obama — Wed, 21 May 2008 09:27:44 EDT

Address to the Democratic National Convention Senator Edward M. Kennedy
New York City
August 12, 1980

Listen to this speech
     Thank you very much.

     Thank you very much, Barbara Mikulski, for your very eloquent, your eloquent introduction. Distinguished legislator, great spokeswoman for economic democracy and social justice in this country, I thank you for your eloquent introduction.

     Well, things worked out a little different from the way I thought, but let me tell you, I still love New York.

     My fellow Democrats and my fellow Americans, I have come here tonight not to argue as a candidate but to affirm a cause. I'm asking you--I am asking you to renew the commitment of the Democratic Party to economic justice.

     I am asking you to renew our commitment to a fair and lasting prosperity that can put America back to work.

     This is the cause that brought me into the campaign and that sustained me for nine months across 100,000 miles in 40 different states. We had our losses, but the pain of our defeats is far, far less than the pain of the people that I have met.

     We have learned that it is important to take issues seriously, but never to take ourselves too seriously.

     The serious issue before us tonight is the cause for which the Democratic Party has stood in its finest hours, the cause that keeps our Party young and makes it, in the second century of its age, the largest political party in this republic and the longest lasting political party on this planet.

     Our cause has been, since the days of Thomas Jefferson, the cause of the common man and the common woman.

     Our commitment has been, since the days of Andrew Jackson, to all those he called "the humble members of society--the farmers, mechanics, and laborers." On this foundation we have defined our values, refined our policies and refreshed our faith.

     Now I take the unusual step of carrying the cause and the commitment of my campaign personally to our national convention. I speak out of a deep sense of urgency about the anguish and anxiety I have seen across America.

     I speak out of a deep belief in the ideals of the Democratic Party, and in the potential of that Party and of a President to make a difference. And I speak out of a deep trust in our capacity to proceed with boldness and a common vision that will feel and heal the suffering of our time and the divisions of our Party.

     The economic plank of this platform on its face concerns only material things, but it is also a moral issue that I raise tonight. It has taken many forms over many years. In this campaign and in this country that we seek to lead, the challenge in 1980 is to give our voice and our vote for these fundamental democratic principles.

     Let us pledge that we will never misuse unemployment, high interest rates, and human misery as false weapons against inflation.

     Let us pledge that employment will be the first priority of our economic policy.

     Let us pledge that there will be security for all those who are now at work, and let us pledge that there will be jobs for all who are out of work; and we will not compromise on the issue of jobs.

     These are not simplistic pledges. Simply put, they are the heart of our tradition, and they have been the soul of our Party across the generations. It is the glory and the greatness of our tradition to speak for those who have no voice, to remember those who are forgotten, to respond to the frustrations and fulfill the aspirations of all Americans seeking a better life in a better land.

     We dare not forsake that tradition. We cannot let the great purposes of the Democratic Party become the bygone passages of history.

     We must not permit the Republicans to seize and run on the slogans of prosperity. We heard the orators at their convention all trying to talk like Democrats. They proved that even Republican nominees can quote Franklin Roosevelt to their own purpose.

     The Grand Old Party thinks it has found a great new trick, but 40 years ago an earlier generation of Republicans attempted the same trick. And Franklin Roosevelt himself replied, "Most Republican leaders have bitterly fought and blocked the forward surge of average men and women in their pursuit of happiness. Let us not be deluded that overnight those leaders have suddenly become the friends of average men and women."

     "You know," he continued, "very few of us are that gullible." And four years later when the Republicans tried that trick again, Franklin Roosevelt asked "Can the Old Guard pass itself off as the New Deal? I think not. We have all seen many marvelous stunts in the circus, but no performing elephant could turn a handspring without falling flat on its back."

     The 1980 Republican convention was awash with crocodile tears for our economic distress, but it is by their long record and not their recent words that you shall know them.

     The same Republicans who are talking about the crisis of unemployment have nominated a man who once said, and I quote, "Unemployment insurance is a prepaid vacation plan for freeloaders." And that nominee is no friend of labor.

     The same Republicans who are talking about the problems of the inner cities have nominated a man who said, and I quote, "I have included in my morning and evening prayers every day the prayer that the Federal Government not bail out New York." And that nominee is no friend of this city and our great urban centers across this Nation.

     The same Republicans who are talking about security for the elderly have nominated a man who said just four years ago that "Participation in social security should be made voluntary." And that nominee is no friend of the senior citizens of this Nation.

     The same Republicans who are talking about preserving the environment have nominated a man who last year made the preposterous statement, and I quote, "Eighty percent of our air pollution comes from plants and trees."

     And that nominee is no friend of the environment.

     And the same Republicans who are invoking Franklin Roosevelt have nominated a man who said in 1976, and these are his exact words, "Fascism was really the basis of the New Deal." And that nominee whose name is Ronald Reagan has no right to quote Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

     The great adventures which our opponents offer is a voyage into the past. Progress is our heritage, not theirs. What is right for us as Democrats is also the right way for Democrats to win.

     The commitment I seek is not to outworn views but to old values that will never wear out. Programs may sometimes become obsolete, but the ideal of fairness always endures.

     Circumstances may change, but the work of compassion must continue. It is surely correct that we cannot solve problems by throwing money at them, but it is also correct that we dare not throw out our national problems onto a scrap heap of inattention and indifference. The poor may be out of political fashion, but they are not without human needs. The middle class may be angry, but they have not lost the dream that all Americans can advance together.

     The demand of our people in 1980 is not for smaller government or bigger government but for better government. Some say that government is always bad and that spending for basic social programs is the root of our economic evils. But we reply: The present inflation and recession cost our economy $200 billion a year. We reply: Inflation and unemployment are the biggest spenders of all.

     The task of leadership in 1980 is not to parade scapegoats or to seek refuge in reaction, but to match our power to the possibilities of progress. While others talked of free enterprise, it was the Democratic Party that acted and we ended excessive regulation in the airline and trucking industry and we restored competition to the marketplace. And I take some satisfaction that this deregulation was legislation that I sponsored and passed in the Congress of the United States.

     As Democrats we recognize that each generation of Americans has a rendezvous with a different reality. The answers of one generation become the questions of the next generation. But there is a guiding star in the American firmament. It is as old as the revolutionary belief that all people are created equal, and as clear as the contemporary condition of Liberty City and the South Bronx.

     Again and again Democratic leaders have followed that star and they have given new meaning to the old values of liberty and justice for all.

     We are the party. We are the party of the New Freedom, the New Deal and the New Frontier. We have always been the party of hope. So this year let us offer new hope, new hope to an America uncertain about the present, but unsurpassed in its potential for the future.

     To all those who are idle in the cities and industries of America let us provide new hope for the dignity of useful work. Democrats have always believed that a basic civil right of all Americans is their right to earn their own way. The party of the people must always be the party of full employment. To all those who doubt the future of our economy, let us provide new hope for the reindustrialization of America. And let our vision reach beyond the next election or the next year to a new generation of prosperity. If we could rebuild Germany and Japan after World War II, then surely we can reindustrialize our own nation and revive our inner cities in the 1980's.

     To all those who work hard for a living wage let us provide new hope that the price of their employment shall not be an unsafe workplace and a death at an earlier age.

     To all those who inhabit our land from California to the New York Island, from the Redwood Forest to the Gulfstream waters, let us provide new hope that prosperity shall not be purchased by poisoning the air, the rivers and the natural resources that are the greatest gift of this continent.

     We must insist that our children and our grandchildren shall inherit a land which they can truly call America the beautiful.

     To all those who see the worth of their work and their savings taken by inflation, let us offer new hope for a stable economy. We must meet the pressures of the present by invoking the full power of government to master increasing prices.

     In candor, we must say that the Federal budget can be balanced only by policies that bring us to a balanced prosperity of full employment and price restraint.

     And to all those overburdened by an unfair tax structure, let us provide new hope for real tax reform. Instead of shutting down classrooms, let us shut off tax shelters.

     Instead of cutting out school lunches, let us cut off tax subsidies for expensive business lunches that are nothing more than food stamps for the rich.

     The tax cut of our Republican opponents takes the name of tax reform in vain. It is a wonderfully Republican idea that would redistribute income in the wrong direction. It is good news for any of you with incomes over $200,000 a year. For the few of you, it offers a pot of gold worth $14,000. But the Republican tax cut is bad news for the middle income families.

     For the many of you, they plan a pittance of $200 a year, and that is not what the Democratic Party means when we say tax reform.

     The vast majority of Americans cannot afford this panacea from a Republican nominee who has denounced the progressive income tax as the invention of Karl Marx. I am afraid he has confused Karl Marx with Theodore Roosevelt--that obscure Republican president who sought and fought for a tax system based on ability to pay. Theodore Roosevelt was not Karl Marx, and the Republican tax scheme is not tax reform.

     Finally, we cannot have a fair prosperity in isolation from a fair society. So I will continue to stand for a national health insurance.

     We must not surrender to the relentless medical inflation that can bankrupt almost anyone and that may soon break the budgets of government at every level. Let us insist on real control over what doctors and hospitals can charge, and let us resolve that the state of a family's health shall never depend on the size of a family's wealth.

     The President, the Vice President, the members of Congress have a medical plan that meets their needs in full, and whenever senators and representatives catch a little cold, the Capitol physician will see them immediately, treat them promptly, fill a prescription on the spot. We do not get a bill even if we ask for it, and when do you. think was the last time a member of Congress asked for a bill from the Federal Government?

     I say again, as I have before, if health insurance is good enough for the President, the Vice President and the Congress of the United States, then it is good enough for you and every family in America.

     There were some who said we should be silent about our differences on issues during this convention, but the heritage of the Democratic Party has been a history of democracy. We fight hard because we care deeply about our principles and purposes. We did not flee this struggle. We welcome the contrast with the empty and expedient spectacle last month in Detroit where no nomination was contested, no question was debated, and no one dared to raise any doubt or dissent.

     Democrats can be proud that we chose a different course and a different platform. We can be proud that our party stands for investment in safe energy instead of a nuclear future that may threaten the future itself .

     We must not permit the neighborhoods of America to be permanently shadowed by the fear of another Three Mile Island.

     We can be proud that our party stands for a fair housing law to unlock the doors of discrimination once and for all. The American house will be divided against itself so long as there is prejudice against any American buying or renting a home.

     And we can be proud that our party stands plainly and publicly and persistently for the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment.

     Women hold their rightful place at our convention, and women must have their rightful place in the Constitution of the United States. On this issue we will not yield, we will not equivocate, we will not rationalize, explain or excuse. We will stand for E.R.A. and for the recognition at long last that our nation was made up of founding mothers as well as founding fathers.

     A fair prosperity and a just society are within our vision and our grasp, and we do not have every answer. There are questions not yet asked, waiting for us in the recesses of the future, but of this much we can be certain because it is the lesson of all our history: Together a president and the people can make a difference. I have found that faith still alive wherever I have traveled across this land. So let us reject the counsel of retreat and the call to reaction. Let us go forward in the knowledge that history only helps those who help themselves.

     There will be setbacks and sacrifices in the years ahead; but I am convinced that we as a people are ready to give something back to our country in return for all it has given to us.

     Let this be our commitment: Whatever sacrifices must be made will be shared and shared fairly. And let this be our confidence: At the end of our journey and always before us shines that ideal of liberty and justice for all.

     In closing, let me say a few words to all those that I have met and to all those who have supported me, at this convention and across the country. There were hard hours on our journey, and often we sailed against the wind. But always we kept our rudder true, and there were so many of you who stayed the course and shared our hope. You gave your help; but even more, you gave your hearts.

     Because of you, this has been a happy campaign. You welcomed Joan, me and our family into your homes and neighborhoods, your churches, your campuses, your union halls. When I think back of all the miles and all the months and all the memories, I think of you. I recall the poet's words, and I say: What golden friends I have.

     Among you, my golden friends across this land, I have listened and learned.

     I have listened to Kenny Dubois, a glassblower in Charleston, West Virginia, who has ten children to support but has lost his job after 35 years, just three years short of qualifying for his pension.

     I have listened to the Trachta family who farm in Iowa and who wonder whether they can pass the good life and the good earth on to their children.

     I have listened to the grandmother in East Oakland who no longer has a phone to call her grandchildren because she gave it up to pay the rent on her small apartment.

     I have listened to young workers out of work, to students without the tuition for college, and to families without the chance to own a home. I have seen the closed factories and the stalled assembly lines of Anderson, Indiana and South Gate, California, and I have seen too many, far too many idle men and women desperate to work. I have seen too many, far too many working families desperate to protect the value of their wages from the ravages of inflation.

     Yet I have also sensed a yearning for new hope among the people in every state where I have been. And I have felt it in their handshakes, I saw it in their faces, and I shall never forget the mothers who carried children to our rallies. I shall always remember the elderly who have lived in an America of high purpose and who believe that it can all happen again.

     Tonight, in their name, I have come here to speak for them. And for their sake, I ask you to stand with them. On their behalf I ask you to restate and reaffirm the timeless truth of our party.

     I congratulate President Carter on his victory here.

     I am confident that the Democratic Party will reunite on the basis of Democratic principles, and that together we will march towards a Democratic victory in 1980.

     And someday, long after this convention, long after the signs come down, and the crowds stop cheering, and the bands stop playing, may it be said of our campaign that we kept the faith. May it be said of our Party in 1980 that we found our faith again.

     And may it be said of us, both in dark passages and in bright days, in the words of Tennyson that my brothers quoted and loved, and that have special meaning for me now:

I am a part of all that I have met
Tho much is taken, much abides
That which we are, we are--
One equal temper of heroic hearts
strong in will
To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.

     For me, a few hours ago, this campaign came to an end. For all those whose cares have been our concern, the work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives, and the dream shall never die.

     Thank you, and let's proceed with the Convention.

John Edwards Endorses Obama!

Jill 4 Obama — Fri, 16 May 2008 07:04:01 EDT

Barack Obama is joined by his former rival for the Democratic presidential nomination, John Edwards, at a rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan. (Jae C. Hong/The Associated Press) John Edwards endorses Obama By Jim Rutenberg Published: May 15, 2008 document.writeln('');

GRAND RAPIDS, Michigan: John Edwards gave his long-awaited endorsement to Senator Barack Obama, bolstering Obama's efforts to rally the Democratic Party around his candidacy and offering potential help in his attempts to win over working-class white voters in the general election this autumn.

"The Democratic voters in America have made their choice, and so have I," Edwards told a roaring crowd of more than 12,000 in the Van Andel Arena here Wednesday, a day when Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton was trying to capitalize on her big win Tuesday in West Virginia and convince superdelegates and contributors that she still had a chance to capture the Democratic nomination.

"There is one man who knows in his heart that we have to build one America - not two - and that man is Barack Obama," Edwards said.

Edwards, a former senator from North Carolina who dropped his bid for the Democratic nomination in January, said that Obama represented hope and reconciliation to a nation buffeted by war and economic distress.

His endorsement came after victories by Clinton in West Virginia, Pennsylvania and other states with large working-class populations indicated potential weaknesses with voters along racial and class divides - weaknesses that Clinton has tried to exploit to convince superdelegates, contributors and voters in the five remaining contests that she has a better chance to beat Senator John McCain, the presumptive Republican nominee.

Edwards could help Obama with that group of voters. A Southerner, he had directed his candidacy at working-class people and had made a pitch to the same white and working-class voters Obama is trying to woo.

"I'll just point out the obvious," Edwards said when he was campaigning in Iowa last year. "In the last - can I do the math, 45, 50 years - what is it, the last two Democrats who actually got elected president? Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton. Both of 'em talk like I do."

His endorsement was as much about Obama as it was a populist cry for universal health care, job creation, better schools and an end to the war in Iraq.

The value of endorsements is often unclear, and Obama was not greatly helped when Caroline Kennedy, Senator Edward Kennedy and other big-name Democrats announced their support this year. But for Wednesday, at least, the endorsement, televised live on cable news and on ABC News, put the focus on Obama and distracted from several television interviews that Clinton had given earlier in the day to make the case for her continuation in the race.

Edwards spent several minutes praising Hillary Clinton, which at first drew loud boos from the largely white crowd, who had filled the arena with no knowledge of the endorsement to come.

He called Clinton a capable senator and a stalwart campaigner who deserved respect for tenacity and service. "We are a strong party because Hillary Clinton is a Democrat, we are a strong country because of her years of public service, and we are going to be a stronger party in November because of her work," he said.

But the drama and excitement of the moment was reserved for Obama, with Edwards's endorsement meant to send a sharp and clear signal that the long race was nearly over.

David Axelrod, Obama's chief strategist, said there were no plans yet for advertisements featuring Edwards or for the two to campaign together.

The endorsement came one day after Obama suffered a 41-point loss to Clinton in West Virginia, where polls gave the strongest indication yet that Obama's race could be a factor in November.

Clinton's team played down the endorsement with a terse statement from its campaign chairman, Terry McAuliffe: "We respect John Edwards," it read. "But as the voters of West Virginia showed last night, this thing is far from over."

The endorsement was sealed Tuesday evening in a telephone call, initiated by Obama. In that call, Edwards told Obama that he would like to endorse him as soon as possible.

Missing from the event was Elizabeth Edwards, Edwards's wife, who has been a passionate proponent of universal health care. The Edwardses were said to be split on the endorsement, with Elizabeth Edwards said to favor Clinton because of her preference for parts of the Clinton health care plan.

Obama, who accepted Edwards's endorsement with praise for the speech and the man, also praised Elizabeth Edwards and her commitment to health care.

As the campaign proceeds, aides to both men said, Edwards is sure to be included on a short list of vice presidential prospects. But Edwards has said he is not interested in a second turn on the ticket.

Edwards has carefully played down his aspirations for an administration role. In January, he said he would not accept a vice presidential spot or cabinet post. "No, absolutely not," he said, shaking his head emphatically. But privately, he told aides that he would consider the vice presidency and favored the position of attorney general.

Clinton spent Wednesday making her case, in a round of network and cable interviews, that she planned to stay in the race through the final primaries on June 3 and that she still believed she could win. She also said, on Fox News, that she was "not entertaining" the idea of angling to be Obama's running mate.

In response to a question from Wolf Blitzer of CNN, Clinton also said that it was "probably right" that she had made a foolish comment when she claimed that more "white Americans" were supporting her than Obama. In making that admission to CNN, she was responding to a remark by one of her supporters, Representative Charles Rangel, that her original "white Americans" comment was "the dumbest thing" she could have said.

Julie Bosman and Patrick Healy contributed reporting from New York, Jeff Zeleny and John M. Broder from Washington and Elisabeth Bumiller from Columbus, Ohio.

Thank you John Edwards!

Cliff Sharples — Wed, 14 May 2008 18:04:14 EDT

I'd like to say "about time" but instead I'll say "Perfect timing!"

As an admirer of John Edwards, I am so excited to see that he'll be joining us on our campaign to rescue America from the Republicans and support Senator Obama. I feel a great weight beginning to lift as we inch towards this first finish line and clear the way to the general election.

More hard work to do in the coming days - I am focused on my neighbors in Oregon to make sure he gets the landslide he deserves... But for just a couple of minutes, I am going to revel in the moment!

Obama-Clinton Democratic Joint Fund-Raising Effort

Jill 4 Obama — Wed, 14 May 2008 16:35:45 EDT

Text size – + Democrats announce joint fund-raising effort Email|Link|Comments (0) Posted by Foon Rhee, deputy national political editor May 14, 2008 03:48 PM

As the Democratic nomination battle nears a close, the national party announced today that it has signed an agreement with Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama for a joint fund-raising committee to maximize campaign cash for the fall.

The "Democratic White House Victory Fund" will accept money for the nominee's primary and general election and for the Democratic National Committee.

John McCain already has a similar account set up with the Republican National Committee.

"The Democratic Party is incredibly fortunate to have two strong candidates who have generated transformational enthusiasm across the country. We've seen historic turnout as new voters have come out to show their support for our candidates and fundraising numbers have been through the roof," DNC Chairman Howard Dean said in a statement. "While this is a close primary, at the end of the day both of our candidates understand that this election is about the future of our country. In signing this agreement, Senator Clinton and Senator Obama are demonstrating their commitment to unifying our party and ensuring that we have the resources needed to win the White House, no matter who the nominee is. The message is clear. Democrats are unified to put a Democrat back in the White House so we can get our economy back on track, bring our troops home and finally do something about our ailing health care system."

The UNITED States of America

Tom Hayes, working for change — Mon, 12 May 2008 22:59:02 EDT

There could hardly be a more fundamental difference between the two candidates for the Democratic nomination.

Having witnessed from close range the stunning effectiveness of the Republican machine at shaving just enough votes in key places in many recent campaign cycles, the Clintons set out to use their hard-won savvy. Arguably comfortable with their data and their sense of how the trends would develop they set out confidently atop a well-tuned campaign machine with a distinctive message implicit in the Senator's campaign for the nomination. It ran something along the lines: The Republican old boy network can't attack the patriotism of a female U.S. Senator who voted to support Bush's Iraq mission.

Yes, it would take work. Still, the country was in a mood to reverse course, the political pendulum was swinging back, and the attacks that had been launched during President Clinton's term in office had cemented Hillary's celebrity, as demonstrated by her success running for the Senate in a "new" home state. Now, having carefully orchestrated her voting record and honed her campaigning and rhetorical skills in the interim, (and make no mistake about it, the skill-set needed to campaign effectively is distinct from what's needed to actually be President,) the Senator Clinton could take back the White House. The Clintons are campaigning with the Rove tactical toolset, targeting whatever gives them leverage within specific groups to shave a few points off their opponent(s) in carefully selected spots, trying to apply just enough pressure to energize specific voters, while the Obama vision of "strength through unity" dictates reliance on an appeal to selflessness, turning on voters who have not been engaged, and a reliance on the intelligence of the voters to consider the issues we must confront, like it or not.

Spotlight on Sound-bites

And now, as Andrew Sullivan has been documenting insightfully for months, those differences are being tested, and the soundness of the forecasts has come to dominate the limelight. The Obama message, which critics have derided via sound-bites combat, is at once both complex and simple, and judging by recent history that's a real gamble. Why craft policy papers and present your stand on the issues in nuanced ways? Simple talking points are what has won elections, after all.

Why? Because Obama has faith in Americans. He has worked alongside the men and women who did not complete college. He understands that it's not indicative of their intelligence, that there are brilliant thinkers scattered throughout rural and urban areas of the U.S., that it's possible to talk to people who have had different opportunities without deprecating their wisdom. In other words, he knows that data-analysis and statistics which refer to groups of voters inevitably diminish the richness of those individuals.

Senator Clinton has recently suggested, for example, that other journalists refer to an Associated Press story including, "how whites in both states who had not completed college were supporting me." Most of those 'uneducated' white voters are capable of hearing the underlying text, and being insulted at the implication that their support is linked to their educational level in a sort of class-based oppression that's familiar to them, but not welcome. Visit any Union hall, or construction site, and you will find that most know who among their "peers" is conversant with the subtleties of any major issue, that there are on-site pundits without college degrees who garner more respect than most of the talking heads and media experts. No, not everybody agrees with them, the differences are present, but that's just the point: differences ARE present, and Senator Clinton arrogantly lumps all of them together as though none will notice.

Obama's experience

Senator Obama, having spent more time in the last 35 years associating with less-educated people, respects the diversity and intelligence of the people he has met. He knows college and grad school afforded him opportunities denied many who don't get that experience, and that while it's not unusual for folks to gravitate to the familiar it's foolish to underestimate individuals based solely, for instance, on their level of education. Sullivan cites an event filled with predominantly black donors and activists, when Obama recounted how a supporter greeted him at the anniversary of Martin Luther King's march on Selma."That was a great celebration of African-American history," the supporter said.

Empathy Support Groups: Repost from Wade Hudson's Blog

Jill 4 Obama — Sun, 11 May 2008 12:55:53 EDT

Post from Wade Hudson's Blog: Obama Support Groups: A Proposal for Action By Wade Hudson - May 8th, 2008 at 2:50 pm EDT Also listed in: 6 groups Comments | Mail to a Friend | Report Objectionable Content Tags: Obama

Barack Obama speaks eloquently about self-reformation. At a commencement in New Hampshire, he affirmed overcoming selfishness. On Martin Luther King Day, he discussed enhancing empathy. In The Audacity of Hope, he presented a vision of profound moral renewal. In his speeches, he regularly addresses the importance of taking personal responsibility.

We, the American people, need to help each other practice what he preaches.

One way you could achieve that goal would be to invite friends and/or relatives who want to work together in support of the Obama campaign to participate in an "Obama Support Group." The proposed agenda for the gathering could be something like the following:

Obama Support Group
--to increase our effectiveness by promoting self-improvement—
Time and Place

Proposed Agenda:

1) A shared meal. Please contact [name, phone/email] concerning what you might bring.

2) Adoption of the agenda.

3) Extended personal introductions. Participants will have a few minutes to introduce themselves.

4) How shall we participate in the campaign? Information concerning upcoming events and options will be discussed. The group will explore engaging in the same activity together, which would provide common experience for future reflections.

5) How can I become a better person? Participants will be invited to report on how they might become more effective in their support for Obama's election by improving themselves in some way -- for example, by becoming a better listener. Merely putting these matters into words, resolving to work on them, and being heard by others can be fruitful.

6) An evaluation of this meeting. Participants will be invited to express what they liked and disliked about the gathering.

7) Agenda items for the next meeting.

8) Adjournment.

This group could begin with two or three people, and probably shouldn’t be larger than twelve or so. It could meet monthly, or more frequently.

Participants could agree to keep confidential the specific content of what others say during the meeting.

The participants in each meeting could decide together whom to invite to subsequent meetings, perhaps agreeing that if one person objects, the individual in question would not be invited. In this way, trust and comfort could be maximized.

During the mutual-support portion of the gathering, each participant would be free to discuss any issue. Individuals would decide for themselves how they want to better themselves. If and when they want to, they could ask for advice or suggestions, but there would be no assumption that they would do so. The group would not engage in group therapy or conflict resolution. Any interpersonal issues that arise would be addressed later, if needed.

The primary purpose would be to reflect on one’s own efforts, listen carefully to others, and get to know one another more fully.

If you convene an Obama Support Group, I’d appreciate hearing about your experience. In particular, I’d like to know if you modify this proposed format and, if so, how.

I will compile reports that I receive and send my digest to all respondents. By sharing this information with one another, we might refine the format and eventually develop a model, or models, that could be widely reproduced. To receive a copy of my latest report, email me at wadehudsonATprogressiveresourcecatalogDOTorg.

Members of other organizations and informal networks, like extended families, could adopt this model by undertaking some form of joint political action other than the Obama campaign and strengthening those efforts with mutual support and self-betterment. I would like to know about any such efforts.

Feel free to share this proposal with others.

With compassionate support, we can better ourselves and participate more fully in the transformation of our institutions and our culture. If not us, who?

Obama: Proud to be an American

Tom Hayes, working for change — Fri, 09 May 2008 13:20:25 EDT

Have you seen this video yet? Featuring the Lee Greenwood song, God Bless the USA, this is an amazing video. It's circulating around on several blogs, and you should check it out and rate it up at youtube.

Here's the direct youtube URL: www.youtube.com/watch?v=55ZFDUvHj-I

Now, DIGG this!

Congressman David Wu Endorses Barack Obama for President

Carole@www.Americans-Away-From-Home.com — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 14:44:52 EDT

Today, David Wu, U.S. Congressman from Oregon, announced he supports Obama, citing Obama's ability to make real change.

"I think we are blessed to have two strong candidates for president," Congressman David Wu said. "I am endorsing Barack Obama for president today because I believe that he is best suited to turn the page on this sorry episode in American history. He and I both had the judgment to oppose the Iraq War from the very beginning.

"Every dollar that we have spent in Iraq—which adds up to over $500 billion so far—is a dollar not spent at home, a school not built, a bridge not repaired," continued Wu. "We need new policies both at home and abroad. Like Americans, the international community wants to see real change in America and I believe that Senator Obama embodies that change."

Congressman Wu is in his fifth term representing Oregon’s First Congressional District.

Wu is Senator Obama’s 240th Superdelegate endorsement. Senator Obama is now 291 delegates away from winning the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination.

Carole

April Surprise Contest

Carole@www.Americans-Away-From-Home.com — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 15:45:48 EDT

Hillary has had a surprise a day or two before each recent major primary.

For one, she cried.

For another, she bragged about "throwing the kitchen sink."

For another, there were NAFTA leaks, which may - or may not - have been orchestrated by Hillary Clinton's supporters.

What will be Hillary's April Surprise?

Contest entries will be published in Americans-Away-From-Home. And perhaps we'll find a suitable prize!

Here's the first suggestion for what Hillary's April Surprise might be:

"I think her surprise will be endorsing McCain."

What's your guess?

Carole

STAND WITH BARACK! BE THERE! 6:00 P.M.-Independence Mall

Jill 4 Obama — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 19:29:59 EDT

STAND WITH BARACK! FRIDAY -- April 18

BE THERE!

BARACK OBAMA IN PERSON!

INDEPENDENCE MALL
GATES OPEN AT 6 P.M.

A "Bitter" Hillary

Cliff Sharples — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 20:04:14 EDT

The latest attacks by Senator Clinton on Barack Obama's personal character once again provides voters with an insight into what a Clinton presidency would be like. Incapable of standing on her own merits, she demonstrates time and time again that her only strategy is to tear her opponents down and her only interest is winning - at any cost. It is as if Karl Rove is paying her behind the scenes to pull off what should have been almost impossible after the Bush-Cheney disaster: a Republican winning in November.

Barack Obama is not out of touch with Americans in small towns or big cities. If he is guilty of anything, however, it is that he is out of step with Washington's broken ways. And that is a very good thing.

A bitter pill to swallow

Tom Hayes, working for change — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 01:02:49 EDT

MISHAWAKA, Ind. - A political tempest over Hillary Clinton and John McCain's faux outraged reactions Barack Obama's comments about bitter voters in small towns has given Obama a new opening to court working class Democrats 10 days before Pennsylvanians hold a primary that he hopes to use to show that his lead is dominant.

Obama enjoyed the furor Saturday, explaining his remarks while also conceding he had chosen his words poorly."If I worded things in a way that made people offended, I deeply regret that," Obama said in an interview with the Winston-Salem (N.C.) Journal.

But the Clinton campaign fueled the controversy in every place and every way it could, hoping charges that Obama is elitist and arrogant will make the swing voters the candidates are vying for not only in Pennsylvania, but in upcoming primaries in Indiana and North Carolina as well, forget that she's almost as rich and elitist as John McCain.

Political insiders differed on whether Clinton's comments would become a full-blown political disaster that could prompt party leaders to try to steer the nomination to Obama who already has has more pledged delegates. Clinton supporters were blind to the possibility, failing to realize that voters are bitter about the sort of insiders who have controlled Washginton for decades, and haven't yet forgotten the previous "out of context" attempt to make Obama look like he can't fit in with the experienced politicos.

Obama's mother

Tom Hayes, working for change — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 12:37:17 EDT

Unlike her son who has been teased and queried about his middle name, Ann Soetoro had an atypical first name: Stanley. Her father wanted a boy.

"It turns out that Obama's nascent career peddling hope is a family business. He inherited it. And while it is true that he has not been profoundly tested, he was raised by someone who was.
In most elections, the deceased mother of a candidate in the primaries is not the subject of a magazine profile. But Ann Soetoro was not like most mothers."

Indeed, her son is not like most sons, either. Time magazine had put Obama on their cover in December 2007. Now, as we head for the Pennsylvania primary on April 22nd, the magazine turns to examine his mother in an article full of information about the woman who first shaped the person we know today as U.S. Senator Barack Obama.

find audacious blogs | read the TIME article | digg story

John McCain has every right to smile

Tom Hayes, working for change — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 14:33:27 EDT

Senator John McCain is surely delighted to have Senators Obama and Clinton, among others, chide him over his reply when Dave Tiffany asked him how long the U.S. military may continue its occupation of Iraq: “…maybe 100 years.” I’m guessing, of course, because McCain hasn’t talked with me directly; I find no reason to take much of what’s said in most campaigns literally in any case. The majority of those re-elected to the U.S. House and Senate clearly find it conducive their retention of their position(s) to typically limit their candor, relying instead on stock phrases and talking points. They use any expedients deemed necessary to get over the obstacles to reelection, which becomes in point of fact the goal of many who attain an elected office without term limits, while limiting that which an opponent might use to truncate their tenure. Yes, I can understand why John McCain’s smiling more lately.

McCain, in fact, can comfortably ride his presumed affinity for the military as General Petraeus testifies before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee today. The General’s visit will inevitably feature posturing from each Senator. Who can forget, for instance, that Senator Clinton used her time in September of 2007 to imply Petraeus might have misspoken in preparing his reports by asserting it took a, “willing suspension of disbelief,” to accept them? One can hardly expect her to pass up this opportunity to showcase her putative skill as a potential Commander-In-Chief, which needs shoring up in the wake of her deprecation of the judgment of the officers charged with her safety during the trip to Tuzla, Bosnia by repeatedly alluding to non-existent sniper fire when describing her arrival.

Veterans of the Washington political scene are not so different from the rest of us: they prefer working with people they already know, enjoying competency within a system they’ve mastered. It’s fascinating to contrast the manifestations of campaign strategies playing out during the current presidential contest. Three Senators, who might otherwise be expected to avoid jeopardizing their power, are jostling in a contest that only one can win. Obama has built a movement of unexpected dimensions – and while he works hard on the campaign trail he has clearly cast this as an opportunity for voters to express their will. He candidly states his positions, and more so than any politician since the late Senator Paul Wellstone adopted a, “what you see is what you’ll get,” approach, right down to shedding the help of PAC money for this campaign. He’s reshaping the nature of politics and campaigns. Clinton has relied on more traditional, old-school political strategies – she’s got savvy help, wealthy connections, and a tough-minded willingness to do whatever’s expedient in pursuit of her ambition, the very epitome of an eristic politico. If her rival was traditional she might even lead in the polls.

Ed Rendell.

ATW — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 16:58:54 EDT

Ed Rendell has been a force in PA politics for over 3 decades now. He is someone who is far more familiar with how systems and elections are processed in this state then our campaign and campaign lawyers.

If we are serious about winning PA we need to be aware that highly unethical and illegal tactics will be employed in trying to secure HRC a 4-9% win here in PA and Ed Rendell a shot at the VP.

We need to alert all agencies and departments that could potentially influence PAs primary, that they are being documented and watched extraordinarily closely.

Unfortunately workers in these offices and departments are extremely loyal to Rendell and his cause, being that they are employed by his Gov't.

We need to be beyond vigilant in terms of insuring a fair and equitable election in PA. It's NOT going to simply happen that way. PA was recently ranked 3rd most susceptible to election tampering (blackboxvoting.org).

Ed Rendell has the potential to be the Katherine Harris of PA. Let’s do what we can to make sure that doesn’t happen.

Email Ed Rendell and demand a transparent process here in PA. Let him and all of his Gov't we, the people are watching very close.

Thanks,

Tim

PS -- If you watch Meet the Press from this week, it's creepy how sure PA he is that HRC will win by %4-9.

Ethics and Transparency.

ATW — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 09:43:24 EDT

Attention Obama community,

After 2 weeks of consistant canvassing, I am pleased to report we are making signifigant inroads against the Clinton Machine here. A substantial block of voters have moved from favoring Clinton to undecided, many leaning Obama or strong Obama backers after I speak with them.

I have found a highly effective tactic for communicating with the undecided demographic. Here it is, both candidates are very similar on the issues. There is however one issue where there is clear seperation, ethics and transparency. Now more then ever we need a role model for America, someone who young people can look up to and respect. Hillary Clinton simply is not that person. Take the past couple of weeks as a microcosm of her charactor, Bosnia, etc. HRC, American children all over the Country want to know the difference between misspeaking, and flatly lying.

If we make ethics and transparency the focal point of the campaign down the homestreth I believe we can win the state outright, that's a fact.

I sincerely hope this message gets conveyed to the proper channels. Thanks!

Barack Morning Buzz - 4-3-08

Barack Daily Buzz - Victory2008.net — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 08:45:16 EDT

Barack Morning Buzz - 4-3-08
On to Victory in November

(1) Obama and Clinton Focus on Economy in Pennsylvania
Caren Bohan-Reuters
http://www.reuters.com/article/politicsNews/idUSN3143245420080403

(2) Obama Says He Would Give Al Gore a Major Role in His Administration
Devilin Barrett-Associated Press
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gmnaFOEfLjNPmCWEdB7bv9NuDDAwD8VQ8EJ00

(3) Obama Gains Two Super Delegates Including Former Indiana Representative Lee Hamilton
Dallas Morning News-Associated Press
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/politics/national/stories/DN-dems_03pol.ART.State.Edition1.462745e.html

(4) Obama Vows to Support Unions
John L. Micek-TheMorningCall.com
http://www.mcall.com/news/local/all-obama-04022008cn,0,7835393.story

(5) The Obama Difference
Walter Shapiro-Salon
http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2008/04/03/obama/

(6) Obama Campaign Faults Clinton for Unfulfilled Upstate New York Job Promise
Jerrry Zremski-Buffalo News
http://www.buffalonews.com/home/story/314130.html

(7) Political Scientist, Social Critic and Activist Howard Zinn on Obama in American History
Kaveh L Afrasiabi-Asia Times
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Front_Page/JD04Aa01.html

(8) McCain Eyes Battle with Obama
Stephen Collinson-Agence France Presse-AFP
http://www.thetimes.co.za/News/Article.aspx?id=740055

(9) Hillary's Biggest Mistake
Dick Morris-The Hillary Project
http://www.hillaryproject.com/index.php?/en/story-details/hillarys_biggest_mistake/

(10) Obama and Clinton Add Campaign Staff in North Carolina
Associated Press
http://www.charlotte.com/204/story/564606.html

KUDOS to Veteran for Obama - SPC JANN

Erick — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 22:00:19 EDT

Now she is civilian Tammi Hetherington. Read her story here: http://pennsylvaniaprogressive.typepad.com/my_weblog/2008/03/bosnian-vet-acc.html

See it here: http://www.campaigncarolinas.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2248&Itemid=456

Liberal Tag Article in Washington Post

Cliff Sharples — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 12:37:04 EDT

I appreciated Alec MacGillis's treatment of the "liberal" tag that the Republicans and the Clinton Campaign are trying to be stcik on Senator Obama in his article "In Obama's Message, Some Foes See Old Liberalism." It is a fairly balanced article, but I wish he had delved further on two fronts: why these labels are confusing and unprodcutive; and why Hillary Clinton continues to destroy her Party in her win-at-any-cost campaign strategy.

The reality is that we the electorate no longer have a use for these labels. They are divisive, rooted in 50+1% politics, and do not accurately characterize the political landscape.

Mrs. Clinton of all people should know this. But, in her classic win-at-any-cost strategy that has characterized her entire career, she has no problem both supporting the dysfunctional stereotypes and further ripping apart her Party.

Let'call for more OpEd columns about the rejection of labels on both sides of the aisle. Certainly for Senator Obama and even John McCain, these labels just do not fit.

PA4OBAMA: Voices for Change

ATW — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 10:08:33 EDT

In the true spirit of Barack Obama's grassroots candidacy for President, I am pleased to announce Voices for Change, as an official campaign event. Voices for Change is a concert and art show to raise awareness and funds for Obama's 2008 run for the White House. In light of the event being a formal fundraiser all FEC guidelines will be followed to the letter of the law. Please see the following link to RSVP and more importantly, be sure to select the "pledge online" option, not the "pledge onsite" option. Tickets are selling fast and wil likely be soldout soon, as there are only 350 available.

http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/fundraising/4r722

In addition to the music and art show, there will be a tent with Victory beer, a campaign information center, offiicial campaign merch, food, and limited edition event posters. As of now there are a couple of names being floated as MCs for the night, we will have this aspect solidifed by the end of the week. There will be auctioning off of services, including, a life coach, and a vacation. Please contact me if you'd like to donate services for the evening. We are still in need of "in kynd" contributions. Please contact Tim @ 6109090429 with interest.

Attention DNC: Please STOP the Devastation!

Cliff Sharples — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 17:25:56 EDT

Whether you support Senator Clinton or Senator Obama, on behalf of all of us ordinary citizens desperately hoping for real change in this election, please stop the attacks going back and forth between the two campaign representatives. We're watching the Democrats degrade their image and standing day by day, especially with all of us Independents who have recently flocked to the Democratic Party.

The win-at-any-cost attitude of the Clinton camp is brimming over to create a combative environment that is bringing out the worst on both sides. It must end. Top Democrat figures need to stop this now or risk losing not just us Independent votes to John McCain, but also the entire election.

It's time for the Party to do more than throw its hands up in the air and say "Let's have the lunch-bucket white male democrats of PA decide" and begin gravitating towards the most likely winner of this contest now: Barack Obama. This is far better than waiting for the entire nominating contest to play out, which still looks likely to award the nomination to Senator Obama, and deliver a bruised and half-supported candidate to the general election contest.

Beyond Grass Roots: swarming rugged individualists

John Messerly — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 15:11:39 EDT

Is Barack in some respects like a scout bee that calls a swarm to collective action? Notice is being taken of the connection between new phenomena: Swarm politics, Blog swarms, Fear in the ranks of traditional party and PAC professionals towards armies of volunteers that are indifferent and even hostile towards their efforts at command and control.

Folks may find this article interesting in the context of the newly dominant role of internet communications which is enabling a revolution in the way politics and collective activities like Wikipedia or Kiva can and are working today. The Obama administration stirs in the womb of this revolution. We must consider how the various policy proposals will leverage the dynamics of swarm theory to rapidly and decisively attack social problems.

For example, with energy independence in addition to working with traditional centralized energy producers, take a cue from Germany's Renewable Energies Law (EEG) that established a system where electricity companies were required to purchace alternative energy from independent producers at a higher rate. This allowed small investors and homeowners to swarm at the problem and discover the best fit of technology to local conditions. In the case of the US, this would likely not be a german subsidy system, but a mechanism where surcharges for electricity used to replace expensive gasoline are used to pay small producers of alternative energy- including homeowners and mom and pop operations. (more on this proposal here)

From National Geographic July 2007

"Swarm Theory", By Peter Miller.

...
Seeley's team applied paint dots and tiny plastic tags to identify all 4,000 bees in each of several small swarms that they ferried to Appledore Island, home of the Shoals Marine Laboratory. There, in a series of experiments, they released each swarm to locate nest boxes they'd placed on one side of the half-mile-long (one kilometer) island, which has plenty of shrubs but almost no trees or other places for nests.
In one test they put out five nest boxes, four that weren't quite big enough and one that was just about perfect. Scout bees soon appeared at all five. When they returned to the swarm, each performed a waggle dance urging other scouts to go have a look. (These dances include a code giving directions to a box's location.) The strength of each dance reflected the scout's enthusiasm for the site. After a while, dozens of scouts were dancing their little feet off, some for one site, some for another, and a small cloud of bees was buzzing around each box.
The decisive moment didn't take place in the main cluster of bees, but out at the boxes, where scouts were building up. As soon as the number of scouts visible near the entrance to a box reached about 15—a threshold confirmed by other experiments—the bees at that box sensed that a quorum had been reached, and they returned to the swarm with the news.
"It was a race," Seeley says. "Which site was going to build up 15 bees first?"
Scouts from the chosen box then spread through the swarm, signaling that it was time to move. Once all the bees had warmed up, they lifted off for their new home, which, to no one's surprise, turned out to be the best of the five boxes.
The bees' rules for decision-making—seek a diversity of options, encourage a free competition among ideas, and use an effective mechanism to narrow choices—so impressed Seeley that he now uses them at Cornell as chairman of his department.
"I've applied what I've learned from the bees to run faculty meetings," he says. To avoid going into a meeting with his mind made up, hearing only what he wants to hear, and pressuring people to conform, Seeley asks his group to identify all the possibilities, kick their ideas around for a while, then vote by secret ballot. "It's exactly what the swarm bees do, which gives a group time to let the best ideas emerge and win. People are usually quite amenable to that."
In fact, almost any group that follows the bees' rules will make itself smarter, says James Surowiecki, author of The Wisdom of Crowds. "The analogy is really quite powerful. The bees are predicting which nest site will be best, and humans can do the same thing, even in the face of exceptionally complex decisions." Investors in the stock market, scientists on a research project, even kids at a county fair guessing the number of beans in a jar can be smart groups, he says, if their members are diverse, independent minded, and use a mechanism such as voting, auctioning, or averaging to reach a collective decision.
Take bettors at a horse race. Why are they so accurate at predicting the outcome of a race? At the moment the horses leave the starting gate, the odds posted on the pari-mutuel board, which are calculated from all bets put down, almost always predict the race's outcome: Horses with the lowest odds normally finish first, those with second lowest odds finish second, and so on. The reason, Surowiecki says, is that pari-mutuel betting is a nearly perfect machine for tapping into the wisdom of the crowd.
...

Social and political groups have already adopted crude swarm tactics. During mass protests eight years ago in Seattle, anti-globalization activists used mobile communications devices to spread news quickly about police movements, turning an otherwise unruly crowd into a "smart mob" that was able to disperse and re-form like a school of fish.
The biggest changes may be on the Internet. Consider the way Google uses group smarts to find what you're looking for. When you type in a search query, Google surveys billions of Web pages on its index servers to identify the most relevant ones. It then ranks them by the number of pages that link to them, counting links as votes (the most popular sites get weighted votes, since they're more likely to be reliable). The pages that receive the most votes are listed first in the search results. In this way, Google says, it "uses the collective intelligence of the Web to determine a page's importance."
Wikipedia, a free collaborative encyclopedia, has also proved to be a big success, with millions of articles in more than 200 languages about everything under the sun, each of which can be contributed by anyone or edited by anyone. "It's now possible for huge numbers of people to think together in ways we never imagined a few decades ago," says Thomas Malone of MIT's new Center for Collective Intelligence. "No single person knows everything that's needed to deal with problems we face as a society, such as health care or climate change, but collectively we know far more than we've been able to tap so far."
Such thoughts underline an important truth about collective intelligence: Crowds tend to be wise only if individual members act responsibly and make their own decisions. A group won't be smart if its members imitate one another, slavishly follow fads, or wait for someone to tell them what to do. When a group is being intelligent, whether it's made up of ants or attorneys, it relies on its members to do their own part.

Oops she did it again!

Erick — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 15:39:13 EDT

It sure looked like HRC was running to her car to avoid snipers!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOsGo_HWP-c

LOL

http://www. washingtonpost. com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/21/AR2008032102989. html?wpisrc=newsletter

Re: C. Krauthammer OpEd "The Speech: A Brilliant Fraud”

Cliff Sharples — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 12:20:00 EDT

In today's Washington Post, Charles Krauthammer continues the tradition of Fox News in distorting facts and cobbling together his own version of reality. Like the McCain staffer who was fired yesterday for distributing a personal attack video on You Tube, Krauthammer gives his readers a narrow, edited picture of both Senator Obama and Reverend Wright.

Read it Here.

While certainly Wright's comments being played endlessly on the news are ridiculous and outrageous, several of those comments would appear a lot less controversial if the clips included the entire sermon. Further, as Senator Obama has said repeatedly, his church is a mainstream organization that has churches throughout the country and has an extremely large following of whites and blacks; rich and poor; celebrities and regular citizens.

But most importantly, in Senator Obama's brand of leadership, representing all perspectives and points of view is a critical tenant of his new vision for American politics. Rather than simply dismissing entire groups because they don't play well in the media, he rightly acknowledges that there are some uncomfortable, real sentiments lying just beneath the surface of our National consciousness. To move forward, solve all of our problems and evolve our standing in the international community, we must recognize and consider all of the various constituencies that make up our Republic, and move forward together.

Rejecting Personal Attacks and Distortion

Cliff Sharples — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 20:54:15 EDT

Followong up from my last post, I sent this email to soe media outlets... Do the same!

Reject Political Distortion & Attack Ads

As the Democratic nominating process and the Presidential election proceed, I am urging all newspapers and media outlets to reject the manipulation and distortion tactics that are already beginning to show up in response to Barack Obama's "A More Perfect Union" speech.

With the prevalence and ease of video production and You Tube, the ethics by which political campaigns are run seem to be disappearing faster than the decline of our economy. Unrelated events, isolated clips, and out of context sound bytes are strung together and presented as an allegedly coherent package. These attack videos and ads that have and will continue to appear are designed to confuse and numb the electorate. They are designed to stir people's often ignorant inner fears. They prey on weak minds fueled by outrageous spectacle.

With such an unprecedented campaign of historic proportions, combined with a a surge of true citizenship of so many people who used to sit on the sidelines, we must not let this race disintegrate into the usual mud and muck of our past. Please be diligent in keeping the conversation about the things that matter: the candidates' positions, ethics, abilities and career. Together, we may actually effect real change.

Who is the real Barack Obama?

Tom Hayes, working for change — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 14:13:02 EDT

In the attempt to distract voters from learning about Senator Barack Obama before the next primaries, the media narrative has turned back to the provocative rhetoric of Jeremiah Wright. Rather than present us with issues, they prefer to revive a smear which is at best a “guilt by association” tactic (and if we use that logic there’s likely not a politician in the country that would be left in office.)

But not only is the old-school tactic old news, not only is the attempt to use Wright’s rhetoric old news, but Wright himself is old news - he’s been slated to retire for close to two years now. So before we worry about how gullible a Harvard Law educated U.S. Senator might have to be to fall under the influence of religion (are we really worried about a Democrat being too Christian? Didn’t Kennedy put that to rest in 1960?) let’s meet Obama’s pastor, shall we?

Meet: Reverend Otis Moss…

Reverend Moss probably hadn’t imagined the sudden notoriety that would engulf him when the limelight first swung onto Wright’s rhetoric, but he seems to have stepped up to the challenge.

Meanwhile, the real questions for voters are:

Why cover a smear again, when there are issues that matter today?
Who decides which story to promote at various media outlets?
What matters most to us: the War in Iraq, the economy, health care, or the ratings of a “news service”?
Where can we learn what we need to know, not what they want us to think?
How is this story more important than Darfur, Afghanistan, poverty, pollution, or the price of gasoline?
When will objectivity be valued by news agencies more than smear mongering?

Is this the sort of political advantage Ms. Ferraro alluded to when she tried to backhand Senator Obama’s ethnicity into the narrative again un-noticed?

Good Op Ed in SeattlePI: What Wouldn't Clinton do to Secure Power?

Cliff Sharples — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 20:38:39 EDT

Read it here.

The piece discusses what the Clintons won't do to win the nomination... it echoes sentiments that I am sure many of us in this community feel.

"Obama and the Bigots"

Cliff Sharples — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 01:59:36 EDT

Nicholas Kristof wrote an interesting column in today's New York Times entitled "Obama and the Bigots."

Read here.

In it, Kristof explores the undertones of bigotry in this election. He highlights the ugliness of the religious bigotry being shameless exploited in a continued smear campaign against Senator Obama. He wonders aloud why any candidate being accused of being a Muslim, Catholic or any other religion wouldn't be able to say "so what if I am?"even though Senator Obama is not and never has been a Muslim.

This for me goes right to the heart of a serious problem we face in this Country, and echoes the themes that Senator Obama has used to bring so many people into the political process. The divisions and hatred that flow through our Country are tearing us apart as a Nation. We need leadership that rejects these divisions, doesn't play off of bigotry and gives voice to so many of us Americans who desperately want to evolve, build each other up, and work together to find solutions.

Senator Clinton can't understand this with her "win at any cost" attitude. Her postscript on 60 Minutes in answering the question of whether she thinks Senator Obama is a Muslim "as far as I know" is just plain ugly and all people who stand against bigotry should stand up and notice. We as a Nation cannot withstand more leaders who divide us, put their personal interests before those of America and work to exploit bigots of any kind.

Write a letter to the editor today in Pennsylvania and national media outlets.

It is time for Colin Powell to step up!

Erick — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 18:06:41 EDT

I just finished reading this article: http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2008/03/17/080317fa_fact_lizza?currentPage=1

I would recommend it for members of CSTT, as it points out some areas where Obama can neutralize the HRC/Penn strategy.

Last month the name of Colin Powell was thrown around as a potential supporter of Obama. It was thought by many that Powell could better be used in the General Election, since many "Move-On.Org" types (no offense meant) are critical of the retired General/Sec. State. IF it is true that Powell does harbor private enthusiasm for Obama, then the time is now to encourage his support. This support would help neutralize (IMHO) the HRC National Security/Experience attack against Obama.

Powell, and his aide Col. Wilkerson, have been critical of the Bush Administration . . .and how Cheney bullied the State Department . . . so I am on Powell's side - in that he was not part of the war-mongering crew, but a muzzled voice of reason.

Feel free to reply with your thoughts on this idea/strategy . . .then maybe we can ACTION it from here.

E

More from the BIG WIN in Congress!!

Erick — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 11:20:59 EDT

More quotes are out this morning after Obama's website and advertisement helped the Democrats in an upset victory last night.

This needs to get into the Monday morning news cycle. PUSH the DNC and all outlets you have worked in the past, as it shows Obama's strength over HRC in strengthening the party. We all know what happened with Congress under the Clinton's in 1994.

========================================================
http://www.suntimes.com/news/elections/833484,election030908.article

March 9, 2008
BY ABDON M. PALLASCH AND DAN ROZEK

In a major blow to the Republican Party, Democratic former physicist Bill Foster on Saturday took the solidly Republican far west suburban seat held for the last 21 years by former Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert. . . .

Obama = Down ticket dominance!

Erick — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 03:19:14 EDT

WE MUST GET THIS OUT TO ALL MSM OUTLETS - - ASAP!!

The article below gives some facts about tonight's big win in Illinois' 14th CD. Obama pitted his machine against the RNC . . .and his candidate won. National leaders were looking at this race, as a microcosm of the general election. I just moved from the Chicagoland area, and can attest that the district leaned "strong-Republican" . . .heck it was Speaker Hastert's district.

The GOP was testing messages for the General Election campaign in this district, but Obama's organization carried the day! This is my feeble analysis of the importance of tonight's win, but feel free to add to how we can capitalize on this to show how Obama is a UNITER and STRENGTH to ALL DOWN TICKET DEMOCRATS.

Six of one, half of dozen of the other? Not this time; not this year; not this election!

... — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 17:57:30 EST

OK - I think I get it. Many are now beginning to suggest that if not Obama at least HRC is not McCain. Well, stop the dirge - I caution all to remember this: the whole world is watching.

We must not, as a matter of strategy, float the notion that we are ready to hold hands and sing kumbaya while the reactionary forces within the Democratic Party work feverishly to hoodwink and bamboozle us into supporting HRC in November. All I hear is the rattle of a snake every time they float another scheme for seating the Florida and Michigan delegations.

We need to take a step back in order to appreciate the forest for the trees.

Let's not kid ourselves; the election of the POTUS is about the realignment of world power. They are not exactly going to lay out the red carpet for the gentleman from Illinois. On the contrary, Fredrick Douglass teaches us, "Power concedes nothing without a demand - it never has and it never will." If nothing else, Reagan had it right when he suggested that we should negotiate from a position of power. It is scary and it might even make some uncomfortable but history beckons us with examples of megalomaniacs who gladly traded the wellbeing of the dispossessed for their personal quest for power and fame. What exactly is it that we owe such people? We need to take a stand and declare that we will not be complicit in their games any more. That we will hold the line as Malcolm said, "By any means necessary" – as harsh as that sounds, it is exactly that kind of talk that will give them pause. For if the consequences aren't clear or if the ramifications so soft that the fallout is considered negligible they will slither their way across the rose garden up the steps and into the oval office.

The election of Sen. Obama, an outsider, represents the possible demise of the so-called "new world order" that began to take shape during the Reagan-Bush years and came to full bloom during the Clinton era as multi-national corporations proliferated in the dawn of such internationalist' economic instruments such as NAFTA. The Clinton's, with their triangulation strategy, facilitated the outsourcing of American jobs while continuing the reaganomic initiatives that called for devolution of federal government services against true fiscal responsibility. The dismal results: good blue collar jobs were shipped overseas while Americans celebrated with glee because their federal taxes were being lowered but all the while their long-term economic interests were being undermined.

Six of one, half of dozen of the other? And, here’s the kicker, soon after these initiatives began to take hold blue collar workers began showing up at Wal-Mart, Target, and McDonalds competing with poor people who had been phased-out of the public assistance rolls in the aftermath of the Clinton's welfare reform. Moreover, their state and local taxes were going up while local government services were being streamed lined for the sake of Clinton's balanced budget. And, don't get me started on the crime bill and its effects on the inner city poor and the expansion of the prisons industries and the cry of the innocent who fell to genocide in Rwanda.

The bottom line is that the nostalgia over the Clinton era is misplaced. Certainly it was an improvement over Reagan-Bush but it was no utopia. We can do better. However, we need to be cognizant of the forces that lurk in the shadows. Those forces are neither white nor black; neither Republican nor Democrat. There is plenty of evidence that would suggest that the Clinton's seem have applied for full-fledged membership to that international power-elite which trades in political influence over human lives. To wit, remember the biblical admonition, "You shall know them by their works (fruit)." [Matthew 7:16]

I really hope that we make an effort to re-familiarize ourselves with the works of Steven Luke and John Gaventa and the three faces of power. We mustn't shy away from harnessing the power of ordinary people and the ramifications that [that exercise] might entail. MLK teaches us that, “Power is the ability to achieve a purpose. Whether or not it is good or bad depends upon the purpose.” If this election is going to be more than your usual us-versus-them contest we will need an honest appraisal of the paradigm under which we labor. As similar as their platforms may appear, we mustn't make the fatal mistake of thinking that Clinton and Obama share the same world view. That is a fallacy.

What this movement seeks is a breakaway from the stranglehold that the greedy few have on the middle class and dispossessed. The election of Sen. Obama represents a giant step in that direction. However, even upon his election we must continue to struggle for justice and equality by creating paradigms of possibility while engaging in informed-action or praxis. In the end, we must take heed of Paulo Freire's advice, "Freedom is acquired by conquest, not by gift. It must be pursued constantly and responsibly. Freedom is not an ideal located outside of man; nor is it an idea which becomes myth. It is rather the indispensable condition for the quest for human completion."

I am reminded of Harriet Tubman's lament, “I freed a thousand slaves I could have freed a thousand more if only they knew they were slaves.” Make no mistake that ol' ‘peculiar institution’ has morphed into a very sophisticated multi-national consortium of interest whose inductees are card-carrying members of both the Republican and Democratic parties. Of course we're not in shackles today but, isn't drug addiction a form of bondage? Yet neither coca nor poppy grows in the inner cities – as Arsenio Hall use to say, “Things that make you go Hmmm?” How about the fact that Americans by comparison to Europeans work longer hours and take less vacations just to maintain a decent standard of living with no universal healthcare. Isn't such ingrained hyper-consumerism yet another (albeit self-inflicted) form of bondage?

Lastly, there are things that some of us hold sacred. Among these we believe that the struggle for social and economic justice is paramount to our democracy. We [do] hold that these truths are self-evident; that all men [are] created equal. However, if we are to make gains in this contest then we need remember as Malcolm said, "A man who stands for nothing will fall for anything."

To which I say, not this time; not this year; not this election!

rafa "Hussein" vega

Barack Afternoon Buzz - 3-8-08

Barack Daily Buzz - Victory2008.net — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 12:27:45 EST

Barack Afternoon Buzz-3-8-08
On to Victory in Wyoming

(1) Obama and Clinton Face Off in Wyoming
Agence France Presse-AFP
http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5iI8v6uFXkGCBLFk1Di2JGi5aZm1A

(2) Michigan "Firehouse Primary" Nixed by Obama Camp
Mark Silva-Chicago Tribune-The Swamp
http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/news/politics/blog/2008/03/michigan_firehouse_primary_nix.html

(3) Will Democracy Win?-Democrats Need to Remember the Ramifications of an Extended Primary Battle
The Nation-Editors
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/03/07/opinion/main3917668.shtml

(4) Obama Attacks Clinton over Iraq
Tim Shipman-Telegraph-UK
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2008/03/08/wuspols408.xml

(5) Obama Town Hall Meeting in Columbus, Mississippi-3-10-08
Mississippi University for Women - Pohl-Stark Recreation Center - 522 11th Street South
Doors open at 9:30 AM - Event is free and open to public - Tickets required
No bags, signs or banners permitted for security reasons
http://my.barackobama.com/page/s/columbusms

(6) Obama Stand for Change Rally in Jackson, Mississippi-3-10-08
Jackson State University - Lee E. Williams Athletic Center - 1400 Lynch Street
Doors open at 5:00 PM - Event is free and open to public - Tickets not required
No bags, signs or banners permitted for security reasons
http://my.barackobama.com/page/s/jackson

(7) Super Delegates-The Most Powerful People in American Politics
Paul Harris-Guardian-UK
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/mar/08/uselections2008.barackobama

(8) Obama and Gore Would be a Dream Team
Diane Francis-Financial Post
http://www.nationalpost.com/opinion/columnists/story.html?id=3e845262-56ca-4d7e-ad0f-2fcef1aa3ab0&k=14920

(9) Obama-Clinton Dream Team-Oh Dream On!
Clarence Page-Chicago Tribune
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/columnists/chi-clinton-obama-dream-team-page-column,1,6057264.column

(10) Stalemate Continues-Obama and Clinton Tied in New Poll
Tony Dokoupil-Newsweek
http://www.newsweek.com/id/119953

(11) Time for Obama to Find the Right Words
Eugene Robinson-Washington Post
http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080308/OPINION/803080301/1301/OPINION

(12) No Room at the Inn for Some Democratic Delegates?
Christopher Reynolds-Los Angeles Times
http://travel.latimes.com/daily-deal-blog/?p=1457

HRC Ralph Nader John McCain...

ATW — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 13:25:49 EST

Dear Democratic Party,

Please consider the vitrialic hate that many Obama supportors/Democrats feel towards the Clinton's, due to the way they have run their campaign. Please understand there will be a organized mobilization of Obama backers to support Ralph Nader should HRC somehow end up with the nomination. Thanks,

Tim

This is very confusing, but important . . .

Erick — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 18:27:54 EST

I am sorry, but I must bring up some more MATH :o(

We are not going to win using the math argument alone, but it is very important to understand the math involved in Obama's almost insurmountable advantage.

Read this confusing article : http://tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com/talk/2008/03/convention-math-remember-the-u.php

Responding to attacks . . .

Erick — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 18:25:14 EST

Below is some AMMO when responding to attacks from THE MOST SECRETIVE POLITICIAN IN AMERICA.

This gives a great argument to debunk her ability to lead:

Leadership: The Means Determine the Ends - http://208.122.14.138/thefield/?p=855

This argument debunks the "GOP states are not important' fallacy:

SurveyUSA: Nebraska Does Matter in November - http://208.122.14.138/thefield/?p=853

DO NOT let HRC define us in PA

Erick — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 18:23:10 EST

We MUST beat THE MOST SECRETIVE POLITICIAN IN AMERICA to the Social Security issue.

She will kill us in PA, if she uses the Rove-ian tactic of mischaracterizing Obama's Social Security stance!

----------------------------------------------------------
Here are some talking points from his platform -

PA in play...

ATW — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 10:32:00 EST

Hi, my name is Tim. I am a regional canvass coordinator for PA. If you have any interest in getting involved here please email or call me. As for out of stater’s, you can make an impact by sending us buttons and bumper stickers. Here’s a great site for order Obama merchandise….

http://www.buttonsonline.com/2008/obama.html

Tim

86 Kelmar Ave

Frazer, Pa 19355

6109090429

rideatw@hotmail.com

Obama, Go There

JW Randolph — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 09:36:36 EST

And I don't mean negative.

The key to an Obama victory in the primary and the GE now lies nowhere else but in the misty mountains of Appalachia. So strap on your geeek glasses and lets have some fun. We've got work to do.
<img src=http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2391/2313772131_5af9596624.jpg?v=0 width=500 height=220>

I am writing this diary out of a desire to see Barack Obama win the primary and general election. There is no doubt that Appalachia is the absolute KEY area to electoral victory for Obama. With the Appalachian vote goes the potential swing of WV, OH, VA, NC, PA and potentially KY and TN depending on the numbers come November.

So far, Obama is under-preforming 44% in Appalachian areas. Tennessee hinted at it (-41), Virginia seconded (-61), and SE Ohio (-31) has made it exceedingly clear. But it can, and will be his.

Dive in with me to see how Obama locks up the primary, and crushes John McCain in the General Election.

Lincoln-Douglas: "just words" mean big things

Avery in Minnesota — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 18:01:26 EST

I was talking with my mom just now, who lives in a town full of Clinton supporters. They are still pushing the "words and actions" thing to anyone who will listen, and I made a connection I hadn't before.

I brought up a Daily Show interview I watched a couple weeks back about the Lincoln-Douglas debates. You can watch it here!

Previously unknown politician comes out of nowhere, known only for his great oration... I'd say Obama has more experience than Lincoln did when he ran for President.

I can't believe the media give weight to Clinton's argument rather than knocking her down with examples like this. Go ahead and remind your friends that a skilled orator can be an historic president!

Letter to Editor Text: An Independent's View of the Democratic Nomination

Cliff Sharples — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 12:55:11 EST

I’m a pretty ordinary person. Dad of three kids, husband. My wife and I both work. I have never been involved in politics, until this Presidential Race.
Like many people in this country, I am frustrated and fed up with a broken, arrogant, divided government that is eroding our Republic’s foundations and sending it down the same path as many great empires before us. I’m frustrated by the politics of fear, hate, division and attack. Admittedly, for me and most of the people I know, we became calloused and disenfranchised by the last 10 to 15 years of a worsening situation in America.

Then along came Barack Obama, who in both his speeches and his actions throughout his career and life, spoke to me. Clearly something new in politics, his vision is based on common sense, compassion, practicality, sound judgment and optimism. Like an oasis in a desert, I was immediately drawn to his mission, and for the first time activated into service to work for his campaign. So it is true for over a million others across the nation, and we’re bound together by a collective sense of “finally!”

In contrast, as I watched the last week of the Democratic nomination process unfold, I see Senator Obama’s rival as exactly the opposite. In all her actions and speeches over the past couple of weeks, she attacked, finger pointed and manipulated. She trumped up incidents that would prey on our fears. She used negative, fear-based advertising. She even went so far as to keep the “Muslim” smear campaign alive in her 60-Minutes interview. This “win” she claims out of March 4th was not a win based on her own merits. It is a “win” based on making the other guy look bad. Shame on the media for not calling her to the carpet for this behavior. Shame on the Democratic Party for not calling foul.

I can tell you one thing. For me, and a lot of my fellow independents, if Hillary Clinton is the Democratic nominee, we will be looking very hard at a reason not to vote for John McCain. At least he is honorable, ethical and civil. He is a far better choice than Senator Clinton, however mis-guided his policy choices are for the Country. It makes me sick to think that the Democrats might actually throw away this amazing opportunity in the form of Senator Obama to get the Country back on track.

An Independent's View of the Democratic Nomination Process

Cliff Sharples — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 12:51:47 EST

As much as I am frustrated by the Democratic Party in not realizing the amazing opportunity it has in Senator Obama to win back the White House, I am emboldened by the past 2 weeks of the campaign. Senator Clinton is proving to be exactly the political relic of the past we all thought she was. I just hope Barack's message of hope, optimism, common sense, sound judgment and compassion can break through the tried and true politics of negativity and fear.

With that, I wrote a letter to the editor of a few newspapers today to in part cleanse myself of the past week and start marching forward to do what I can to win this nomination for all of us on the Obama campaign.I encourage all of you to do the same. Flood the news outlets of Pennsylvania and the Nation with letters of support for Senator Obama and a rejection of George Bush style attacks and negativity.

I'll include the text of my letter in the next post. I know many of you may not agree with my sentiment as an Independent, who may, if Barack does not get the nomination, look to John McCain as a potential receiver of my vote. I'm not an irrational Hillary-Hater. But I also can not condone or support her win-at-any-cost attitude. That is exactly the kind of arrogance that has put our great Nation in its current situation.

MORE THAN A ROSE IN TEXAS

Citizen20854 — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 12:00:19 EST

Where does a 97 year old, republican, white female Texas Obama supporter find company to form a voting bloc? The ultimate Rose of Texas, whose life spans nearly a century should have her voice heard. I have little doubt that she has more to say about her decision than the youngest generation of new voters. The matriarch of four generations of women, where feminism remains the family middle name, could shed light on the great mystery of why so many women have not lined up behind the first female candidate for President. And, as the columnists would like everyone to believe, its not about gender or race, it's about who we think will be the best leader for our country at the critical juncture we are at.

Solutions will abound and policy makers will exercise their influence but when it all comes down to it, the USA has deep problems and they will not be easy to solve. Much of which is our reputation as freedom leaders here and abroad. To believe that we are still in the 60's, waiting for a President to be awoken in the middle of the night, hearing we are under nuclear attack, sleepily answering a red phone, is an ideal example of how Hillary still sees Presidential decision making, hers alone to decide. The new world, the new century needs fresh approaches, sound judgement and not a leader frozen in the political ways of the past.

With gender politics in full swing, we're missing a quiet truth, not all women who support Obama are the young restless ones. For those who study gender politics, its no surprise that women have independent minds.

The women's rights movement has a ways to go. We have earned the right to choose in more ways than one. The "choice" movement brought in respect and recognition that women have the right to choose in more ways than one. Women have the right to go to work or stay at home while raising families. Women have the right to choose field of study, careers, the right to choose their spouse and the right to choose which candidate is best for our country, best for their family and best for the future. We have moved beyond thinking that gender, race or ethnicity would dictate which makes for the better candidate. The revolution has matured and some cards are slowly falling off the table.

The revolutionary primary we are witnessing has demonstrated a subtle transition away from the bloc power politics that dominated the last century where the voice of many were lead by a few. Women are questioning why they just don't want Hillary the person, not Hillary the woman, as our next President. Many feel guilty about their decision. African Americans are faced with a similar choice. In the end, a woman of equality is only equal when she exercises sound judgement based on her choice and her views.

I am more deeply concerned about the effects Hillary's campaign tactics have had on young women across this nation. It's hard to ruffle the feathers of the 97 year old woman in Texas who has seen it all, but what kind of example has Hillary set for women who aspire to be President one day.

Here is a talented, expressive example of how some of these students are fighting back. I couldn't help but feel the tremendous passion that must have gone into this response to the mocking of Barack Obama's middle name, Hussein.

Please go to the link, just to see there are more ways than nasty ads to beat back ethinic discrimination and racism:

http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/4rfjv

Thoughts from March 3rd

Erick — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 18:21:15 EST

1.) Evan Handler (known by many for his current role on the TV show 'Californication') explains candidly why he is for Obama, after voting for HRC in February. Handler attacks her 3AM ad, and does something he didn't see coming . . .stand up for Obama.

Here is an excerpt :

". . . Senators Clinton and Obama were asked during their most recent debate whether they'd come to regret any votes they've cast while holding public office. I have a regret to confess to. When I voted in the California primary less than four weeks ago, I pulled the lever for Senator Clinton. I now believe I was wrong. If Senator Obama had carried California the contest might be over by now. I hope the people of Texas, Ohio, Rhode Island, and Vermont will make better choices than I did last month, and settle the race decisively -- before Senator Clinton has the chance to do more damage in her quest to protect us while we sleep. I've come to trust the candidate who's encouraging us to wake up, and to protect ourselves - even, if need be, from our own government. . . ."

READ it ALL at - http://www.huffingtonpost.com/evan-handler/i-cant-believe-im-stand_b_89448.html

STOP Limbaugh!!

Erick — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 23:46:54 EST

I plead with all of you to join me in calling Ohio tomorrow. The student list was very receptive, and we will need high turnout to block the push by Rush Limbaugh to mobilize his listeners to vote for HRC. He wants her to stick around, so Obama is weakened in a drawn out fight.

See the clip : http://www.redlasso.com/ClipPlayer.aspx?id=f552a822-fe33-4e84-8957-1c198e51021e

I am "Hussein"!

... — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 23:29:34 EST

Friends, Romans, Countrymen let me your middle-name!

As you all know, our candidate has been under attack lately for nothing more insignificant than the fact that his middle name is Hussein. Well, some of us think that is just ridiculous or as Sen. Obama would say, “it’s silly season.”

In honor of a great man whose first name means blessed; and, whose middle name means handsome-one; and, whose last name means lion-like. Or, all together something like, “The Blessed Lion-like Handsome-one” (if that is not a name befitting a head of state – I don’t know what is!) I have decided to take “Hussein” as my middle name all the way through the election.

Let’s show America and the rest of the world that we will not kowtow to the xenophobe and ignorant. We are proud of our candidate and will demonstrate our commitment to Sen. Obama by taking his middle name as badge of honor.

Yes We Can!

Rafael “Hussein” Vega

Contact the TX Democratic party!

Erick — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 09:23:22 EST

HRC surrogates are already talking up the "unfair" Texas system:

Cisneros also urged Clinton supporters to vote and then show up for the post-election caucuses, which will award 67 of Texas' 228 delegates. Saying the so-called "Texas Two-Step" was "not fair," Cisneros noted: "This is a very complex election — I wish it weren't that way."
Reported at - http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/metro/stories/MYSA030108.01A.demsreturn.3e52322.html

-----------------------------------
The TX Democratic Party needs to know the rest of the Nation is watching, and we will not stand for these dirty games that will only divide the electorate!

Contact info at : http://www.txdemocrats.org/the_party/tdp_staff/

Is this how her Alamo looks?

Erick — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 08:16:07 EST

Read this play-by-play of the dueling rallies near San Antonio:

http://ruralvotes.com/thefield/?p=802

STOP the HRC spin cycle in TX

Erick — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 07:36:42 EST

HRC wants to keep the TX caucus results out of the Tuesday night news cycle. This will only hurt the party, as she hopes to gain positive headlines on Wednesday morning. Her staff KNOW that they WILL end the night down BIG after the caucus results come back.

We need to keep pushing the MSM outlets & the TX Democratic Party to denounce & reject this suppression of public information.

en.wiki.whitehouse.gov

John Messerly — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 23:23:38 EST

Consider the thought experiment: Assume that President Obama had a White House Wiki that encouraged massive public collaboration on proposals for White House policy. What would it look like? Maybe it would look something like this.

Like wikipedia, anyone could edit it. Like WP, there would be thousands of folks on it all the time.

Certainly, there would have to be an official disclaimer that content on the wiki is not necessarily an accurate expression of policies of the President, but is a dynamic document reflecting the collective wisdom of its citizen-contributors regarding White House policies and actions.

Fast forward several years. It would become an institution and resource like the library of congress. Can you imagine how bezerk a republican president would be if they tried to "take control" of such a wiki to force top down control of messages to the masses? It would never work and but they would run into huge opposition if they attempted to shut it down/ elminate it after 8 years of successful activity. Another site could simply mirror it, and it would have a life of it's own outside of control of such a president predisposed to ignore the collective collaboration of citizens regarding public policy.

A rose by any other name

Tom Hayes, working for change — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 00:20:10 EST

The attempts to feign plausibility while employing "Hussein" to imply connections between Senator Obama and fundamentalist Islamic extremists fall apart when compared to behaviors by those writers and/or speakers in analogous situations. Political candidates are referred to by any serious commentator in whatever way the campaigns prefer. It's respectful to not refer to Senator Clinton as Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton even though she employed Rodham deliberately earlier this decade. Willard chose to be known as Mitt Romney, and that wish was respected. Some years back now, J. Danforth Quayle was greeted by the pundits and columnists on both ends of the political spectrum as "Dan" which was obviously a political decision to make him sound less snobbish (or more folksy and normal.) How many voters today know that Senator McCain's middle name is Sidney, or that he's John Sidney McCain III?

Why don't we hear these full names? Primarily because it's not respectful. We all know that.

Obama cuts Clinton's lead in PA!

... — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 09:09:18 EST

February 27, 2008 - Young Voters Help Obama Narrow Gap in Pennsylvania, Quinnipiac University Poll Finds; McCain Runs Neck and Neck against Either Democrat

Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, surging among younger voters, has cut Sen. Hillary Clinton's lead among Pennsylvania likely Democratic primary voters to 6 points, 49 - 43 percent, after trailing by 16 points just two weeks ago, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today.

This compares to a 52 - 36 percent lead for Sen. Clinton February 14.

In a general election matchup, Sen. Clinton has 44 percent to 42 percent of registered voters for Arizona Sen. John McCain, the Republican front-runner. Sen. Obama has 42 percent to Sen. McCain's 40 percent, the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN uh-pe-ack) University poll finds.

Among likely Democratic primary voters, women back Clinton 53 - 39 percent, while men back Obama 50 - 43 percent; white voters go with Clinton 56 - 37 percent while black voters support Obama 69 - 23 percent. Democrats with a college degree favor Obama 53 - 41 percent, while voters without a degree back Clinton 52 - 39 percent.

This biggest movement is among younger voters who went from 52 - 41 percent for Clinton February 14 to 58 - 41 percent for Obama today, a shift of 28 points.

"Sen. Obama is closing in fast on Sen. Clinton in Pennsylvania, but it will probably be the voters in Ohio and Texas who decide what role the Keystone primary will play in the 2008 presidential election. If Sen. Clinton survives next week to fight another day, Pennsylvania could become the last battleground of the long Democratic contest. But an Obama win in Texas and Ohio would make it difficult for Clinton to halt her rival's momentum," said Clay F. Richards, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute.

"Sen. John McCain is within striking distance of either Democratic candidate at this time in Pennsylvania, an indication that the likely Republican nominee, particularly popular in a state with a large veteran population, will make the Keystone State a battleground in the November election," Richards added.

By a 50 - 27 percent margin, Pennsylvania voters have a favorable opinion of McCain. Clinton gets a split 46 - 44 percent favorability rating while Obama gets a 49 - 26 percent score.

Bush Approval - Pennsylvania voters disapprove 65 - 30 percent of the job President George W. Bush is doing, one of his lowest scores ever in the state. Going to war in Iraq was the wrong thing to do, voters say 59 - 35 percent. The U.S. economy is in a recession, voters say 60 - 35 percent, but 60 percent say their personal finances are "excellent" or "good," while 39 percent say their finances are "not so good" or "poor."

From February 21 - 25, Quinnipiac University surveyed 1,872 Pennsylvania voters with a margin of error of +/- 2.3 percentage points. The survey includes 506 likely Democratic primary voters with a margin of error of +/- 4.4 percentage points.

The Quinnipiac University Poll, directed by Douglas Schwartz, Ph.D., conducts public opinion surveys in Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Florida, Ohio and the nation as a public service and for research.

For more data -- http://www.quinnipiac.edu/x271.xml, or call (203) 582-5201.

Quinnipiac University • 275 Mount Carmel Ave. • Hamden, CT 06518-1908 • 203-582-8200

Source:http://www.quinnipiac.edu/x1327.xml?ReleaseID=1148

Reject and Denounce: Grab the Thesaurus, Hillary!

Jonathan from Acton, MA — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 03:46:19 EST

When Senator Barack Obama denounced Louis Farrakhan, he publicly deplored anti-Semitic statements by the Nation of Islam leader. Senator Hillary Clinton chided Obama during the Ohio debate for not rejecting Farrakhan as well as denouncing him. Obama said that there is little distinction between denunciation and rejection. Clinton said that he was wrong; rejection, in her estimation, seemed even stronger. Ultimately, Obama graciously conceded the point and said that he both rejected and denounced Farrakhan.

What does the thesaurus teach us?

Obama Solidifies His Dominance Tonight

Cliff Sharples — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 23:04:25 EST

I'm sure we all watched the debate in Ohio this evening, and agree that Senator Obama came across as not only the dominant candidate but the most competent, effective choice for leading our nation. Instead of spending time complaining or mincing words, Barack focused on issues, substance and vision.

I'v enever been prouder of being a part of this amazing movement.

FEB 26 thoughts

Erick — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 16:50:17 EST

1.) Can anyone think of a reason (other than loyalty) why Richardson would endorse HRC this late in the game? I think he will endorse Obama, but even I can't think of a 'Devil's Advocate' reason to endorse HRC if I were him.