Obama for Technology | Technology for Obama

Joe Biden for Vice President!

Edmund Dantes Hamilton — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 06:03:44 EDT

Edmund --

I have some important news that I want to make official.

I've chosen Joe Biden to be my running mate.

Joe and I will appear for the first time as running mates this afternoon in Springfield, Illinois -- the same place this campaign began more than 19 months ago.

I'm excited about hitting the campaign trail with Joe, but the two of us can't do this alone. We need your help to keep building this movement for change.

Please let Joe know that you're glad he's part of our team. Share your personal welcome note and we'll make sure he gets it:

http://my.barackobama.com/welcomejoe

Thanks for your support,

Barack

P.S. -- Make sure to turn on your TV at 2:00 p.m. Central Time to join us or watch online at http://www.BarackObama.com.

Obama HQ - Put $100 Million Dollar Counter Up on Home Page Please

Edmund Dantes Hamilton — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 09:17:34 EDT

HQ you guys have lost touch with the Obama campaign fundraising base over the last 2 months since the primaries ended.

First, you stop putting up the counter which generated the most excitement - people want to see the counter "adding up" the donations.

The Hillary "pay off" also did not help you but that is another story I won't even get into because it's a touchy issue, still is crippling fundraising efforts overall.

Second, you have to come up with a BIG NUMBER. Don't do some 150,000 by July 4th deal (that number should be 1,000,000 donors not 150,000). DO A HUGE NUMBER - $100 Million!

At the average rate of $90, 1,000,000 donors would add $90 Million. We need a big score and this can happen. It doesn't matter WHEN it happens it just needs to happen. So what if it takes more than one reporting cycle, more than 30 days, who cares? We need to make this number.

Stop thinking SMALL HQ.

What happened to the Obama Mojo??? (i.e. "Yes We Can" ??? - where did that go?)

I can't believe HQ has let this happen. What are you guys thinking? Get Real and get back to the roots of what has been proven to work - THE COUNTER.

Every since you hid it donations have plummeted substantially.

Doing these "high dollar" fundraisers will make the core online contributor feel left out and is you don't need "our money" especially since most of us will never ever attend these events.

And PLEASE lay off the trickster donation crap (send in $5 to get a chance to be 1 of 10 for the Arena in Denver). This is below our intelligence here. Sure we would like to attend this and would give $5. But don't talk down to us and use trickery to entice a donation. We are not stupid.

Get back to your roots.

Come up with a HUGE NUMBER, put the counter back up. Go back to what has worked and GET REAL. Come down a notch from the "corporate" mindset, please.

Do this and you will see more donations come in.

Obama outdoes Clinton in finance game

Edmund Dantes Hamilton — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 05:05:27 EDT

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080321/ap_on_el_pr/campaign_finances;_ylt=Ap83rKPIGPcWdQwSVpCP94Zh24cA

Obama outdoes Clinton in finance game

By JIM KUHNHENN, Associated Press Writer 36 minutes ago

WASHINGTON - Hillary Rodham Clinton upped the tempo of her fundraising and her spending last month, only to be eclipsed by rival Barack Obama. At month's end, with debts of nearly $9 million, her money was nearly spent and he was sitting atop $30 million in available cash.

Obama's campaign spent at a rate of nearly $1.5 million a day in February, a crucial month that began with the Feb. 5 Super Tuesday and ended with both candidates marching to a showdown March 4 in Texas and Ohio. Clinton, riding her best fundraising period yet, spent about $1 million a day on average.

But reports filed with the Federal Election commission late Thursday showed that Obama set a single-month fundraising record, with more than $55 million in contributions.

Obama raises $55 million in February

Edmund Dantes Hamilton — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 15:15:45 EST

By JIM KUHNHENN, Associated Press Writer 26 minutes ago

WASHINGTON - Democratic Sen. Barack Obama raised a record $55 million in February for his presidential campaign, eclipsing rival Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's own substantial fundraising for the month. All told, Obama has raised $193 million during his yearlong bid for the White House.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080306/ap_on_el_pr/campaign_money

Obama Takes Vermont

Edmund Dantes Hamilton — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 21:06:12 EST

Barack Obama added one more state to his collection by taking Vermont. Polls have Closed in Rhode Island and we are awaiting results.

Hillary Clinton's '3am' ad BOMBS with undecideds (and Obama supporters)

Michael Blackburn — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 12:48:48 EST

http://www.swamppolitics.com/news/politics/blog/2008/03/focus_group_clintons_3_am_ad_d.html

Watch all the way to the end (I know, it's hard) and watch the opinions fall off a cliff when Hillary comes onscreen!

Political malpractice indeed.

Presidents Wear Many Hats

Anthony Thomalla — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 20:48:53 EST

A picture of Barack Obama trying on rural Wajir attire on a trip to Kenya was released to stir fears among conservatives and Christians. The link below shows the same picture incorporated into a collage which neutralizes the shot by pairing it with images this same group finds attractive.

A President Wears Many Hats

Obama Has Moved Decisively Ahead Of Clinton

EsquireUK — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 09:03:53 EST

Obama Overtakes Clinton, Tied With McCain, Poll Says (Update2)

By Heidi Przybyla

Feb. 27 (Bloomberg) -- Barack Obama www.barackobama.com moved ahead of Hillary Clinton in the battle for the Democratic presidential nomination, and is in a dead heat in a general-election fight against Republican John McCain, who enjoys an advantage on national-security issues

A new Bloomberg/Los Angeles Times survey shows Obama is preferred by Democratic primary voters 48 percent to 42 percent, the first time he has overtaken Clinton in a Bloomberg/Times poll. In a general-election match-up among registered voters, McCain is 2 points ahead of Obama, within the margin of error; he beats Clinton by 6 points.

McCain runs ahead of Obama on every issue except health care. The Arizona senator has a 13-point advantage on Iraq and a 37-point lead on terrorism. He also does better on managing the economy. One area where Obama has a clear edge is on the question of who would bring the most change in Washington; the Illinois senator has an almost 3-to-1 lead.

``Obama has moved decisively ahead of Clinton, but as a general-election candidate he has a tougher road to travel in a campaign against John McCain,'' says Susan Pinkus, the Los Angeles Times polling director. McCain is seen as having the right experience and is ``the person people think could be the strongest leader.''

General Election

Clinton's 9-point lead over Obama in January has vanished. Obama, 46, is increasingly viewed as the Democrat best equipped to beat McCain, 71, in the general election, leading Clinton, a New York senator, by an 18-point margin on that question among Democratic primary voters. The poll was taken before yesterday's debate between Clinton and Obama in Ohio, which along with Texas, Rhode Island and Vermont holds a presidential primary on March 4.

Obama appears to have garnered some of the voters who supported former North Carolina Senator John Edwards, who dropped out of the Democratic race last month, Pinkus says.

By a more than 2-to-1 margin, registered voters say they favor Obama's plan to use tax credits and a fund for refinancing to address the subprime-mortgage crisis. Only 20 percent support Clinton's proposal to impose a moratorium on foreclosures, when informed of Obama's criticism that the plan would raise interest rates.

Clinton splits the vote with Obama among registered Democrats, while in January she had a 10-point advantage with this group. Independents support Obama 52 percent to Clinton's 31 percent.

Women Voters

Her base of support with women, less-educated and lower- income voters is also ebbing. Last month, she had a 12-point lead with women, compared with a 1-point advantage in the latest survey.

``I'm a woman and I'm a Democrat, but I don't automatically support women,'' says Cathy Dobbs, a 52-year-old real-estate agent from Covington, Georgia, who voted for Obama in her state's Feb. 5 primary. ``I'm tired of the establishment, and I don't look at him as the establishment.''

Clinton also had a 10-point lead last month with voters who don't have a college education. That has narrowed to a 1-point lead in this survey. Obama has solid support from male voters, at 52 percent, compared with 40 percent for Clinton.

Clinton, 60, would face a tougher road than Obama as her party's nominee, with almost a third of voters saying the nation isn't ready to elect a female president. That compares with just 20 percent who say the country isn't ready to elect an African- American.

Illegal Immigration

At the same time, Clinton leads McCain on the issues where the Republican has an advantage over Obama, including the economy and illegal immigration, and she beats McCain by a wider margin than Obama on health care.

When it comes to who has the right experience to lead the nation, McCain has a 12-point lead over Clinton, compared with a 31-point advantage over Obama. Clinton leads McCain 45 percent to 23 percent when it comes to the question of who will change Washington, while Obama leads McCain 55 percent to 20 percent on that issue.

Jim Gallo, a 61-year-old business owner from Santa Clarita, California, says he was initially ``entranced'' by Obama's oratory on the stump.

Now, says Gallo, an independent voter, ``I question strongly his credentials, his experience.''

``The direction McCain wants to take this country will be far outlasting,'' he adds.

The poll of 1,246 registered voters was conducted Feb. 21- 25 and has a margin of sampling error of 3 percentage points. For the Democratic primary voters, the margin is 5 points.

Republican Satisfaction

In another sign of strength for McCain, more than half of Republican voters say they are happy with him as their nominee, including a majority of conservatives.

Still, just one in 10 says they are enthusiastic about the Arizona senator. Almost 3 in 10 conservatives and almost 40 percent who say they belong to the religious right say McCain isn't a true conservative.

Among Republican voters who say they aren't happy with McCain, half say they would either stay home or vote for another candidate. A plurality of Republicans, 42 percent, says Obama would be the more difficult Democratic candidate for McCain to beat in November, compared with 14 percent who choose Clinton.

Independents appear to be a significant problem for Clinton in a general election. While she has strong favorable ratings from Democrats, at 82 percent, just 48 percent of independents agree. Obama has a 63 percent favorable rating among independents, while McCain has a 65 percent positive rating.

Those preferences buttress Obama's more competitive position against McCain in a general election.

The poll also shows some potential signs of trouble for McCain, who has closely aligned himself with President George W. Bush on the Iraq war.

Just 35 percent of U.S. voters approve of the job Bush is doing as president, with only 16 percent strongly approving; 46 percent say they disapprove strongly. Three-fifths of voters say the situation in Iraq wasn't worth going to war over.

To contact the reporter on this story: Heidi Przybyla in Washington at hprzybyla@bloomberg.net .

Last Updated: February 27, 2008 08:02 EST

Obama Running The Model New Technology Campaign

EsquireUK — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 14:33:31 EST

Democratic presidential hopeful, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., speaks during a rally Saturday, Feb. 23, 2008, in Akron, Ohio. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer) Obama steals a march with technology

By Edward Luce in Washington

Published: February 20 2008 20:17 | Last updated: February 21 2008 01:21

This time last year a video featuring Hillary Clinton rapidly ascended to the top spot in YouTube’s rankings. In a parody of an Apple advertisement based on George Orwell’s “Big Brother” from 1984, Mrs Clinton was depicted as Big Brother. Again and again it replayed a clip culled from her own campaign website in which she said: “Let the conversation begin”.

Peter Leyden, director of the New Politics Institute, which examines how technology affects US campaigns, says the Big Brother video perfectly encapsulated the difference between Barack Obama’s www.barackobama.com campaign and that of Mrs Clinton. Mr Obama, he says, has run the model new technology campaign, in which staff and volunteers have the autonomy to make their own decisions and in which potential supporters who visit his website are offered multiple online materials.

The Obama website offers almost instant video replays of his speeches, which are also packaged by Obama officials for YouTube. A few mouse clicks from each webcast provides a simple procedure to make online donations. Users can set up blogs, join the Obama Facebook group and even download ring tones featuring recordings of his speeches.

The contrast with Mrs Clinton’s relatively conventional website is instructive. In one of her first webcasts Mrs Clinton offered to “have a conversation with America”. But the questions she received were obviously screened. The fact these “conversations” took place online could not disguise the fact they were controlled.

“Even businesses find it hard to change their organisational structure to fit the demands of new technology,” says Mr Leyden. “But for political campaigns, which are classic command-and-control operations, it is particularly difficult. Mrs Clinton maintains a competent and solid website but Mr Obama has made it the central organising tool of his campaign.”

As Mrs Clinton wages an uphill battle towards the must-win primaries of Ohio and Texas on March 4 following her 10th straight defeat to Mr Obama on Tuesday, criticisms about her organisational structure are becoming increasingly noisy.

Some blame the recent failures on her campaign’s original launch premise, which billed her as the inevitable candidate and as the candidate of experience at a stage in US history when there is an overwhelming desire for “change”. Others blame it on last month’s irascible interventions by Bill Clinton, who reminded US voters of how a “co- presidency” might function were Mrs Clinton to take the White House.

But it is hard to avoid the conclusion that Mrs Clinton has maintained a much less flexible campaign than her surging opponent, in which technology has been treated as an add-on rather than a central tool. She has also relied on a small coterie of family loyalists rather than recruiting far and wide like Mr Obama. Early on, Mr Obama hired Chris Hughes, co-founder of Facebook, the social networking site, to advise his campaign.

“Candidates get the campaigns they deserve,” says Bill Galston, a veteran of Democratic contests. “The media needs a narrative and Mrs Clinton did not provide one. It is too late now to come up with one. All she can hope to do is to sharpen her message and hope something unexpected happens to Mr Obama.”

Clinton insiders privately concede that her campaign has proved inflexible in the face of Mr Obama’s early successes. Instead of recalibrating their strategy following Mr Obama’s emphatic win in Iowa on January 3, the Clinton campaign continued to operate on the assumption the race would conclude with her victory in the “Super Tuesday” primaries on February 5.

That is why the Clinton campaign ran out of money after “Super Tuesday” and why she had to lend herself $5m to keep it going. It is also why the Clinton camp was hopelessly out-organised in the post-Super Tuesday states, such as Virginia, Nebraska, Maryland and now Wisconsin – all of which Mr Obama won.

And it explains why it is only now that the Clinton campaign is getting to grips with the hybrid caucus-primary structure of the Texas nominating vote in less than two weeks, in spite of the fact that the Lone Star state’s high Latino population ought to have made it a comfortable win for her.

Mr Obama’s better use of technology has enabled him to raise funds at more than twice the rate of Mrs Clinton in the past six weeks from an expanding universe of online donors. She, in contrast, has had to divert valuable time to attend traditional “offline” fundraising events. “Once you have your online fundraising network in place it operates at virtually zero cost – in time and overheads,” says Mr Leyden. “Mr Obama has built a kind of online ATM. Mrs Clinton doesn’t have that.”

● Mr Obama was on Wednesday endorsed by the 1.4m International Brotherhood of Teamsters. The union announced its support after a vote by its executive board

[To Campaign] Look out for this...

Time For Change - Adam Hicks — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 15:23:04 EST

Anti-Obama Film On the Way

By Leslie Wayne

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/02/08/anti-obama-film-on-the-way/

A conservative group -– Citizens United -– that has produced a film now in distribution attacking Hillary Clinton called “Hillary, the Movie,” has its sights set on a new target: Barack Obama.
The group has budgeted about $1 million to produce a documentary film about Mr. Obama that is set to be distributed this summer. At the moment, Citizens United has its researchers poring over Mr. Obama’s records as a community organizer, state legislator and United States senator in the same way that it scoured Mrs. Clinton’s record with a highly critical eye and a sharply conservative point of view.

“Obama is a completely clean slate,” said David Bossie, president of the group. “We will develop the image that we want the people to see. We’re doing the hard work of the research right now. The American people don’t know much about Obama, except that they like his speaking style.”

If the Obama movie is anything like the one about Mrs. Clinton, Mr. Obama had better prepare himself. “Hillary, the Movie,” and promotional ads for it, present statements from Dick Morris, Ann Coulter, Robert Novak, Jeff Gerth (a former New York Times reporter), Newt Gingrich and others in which she is called everything from a liar, to a European socialist to being more devious than Richard Nixon.

“If you want to hear about the Clinton scandals of the past and present, you have it here,” said the movie’s promotional materials. “Hillary the Movie is the first and last word in what the Clintons want America to forget!”

The Obama movie would be the sixth long-form documentary film made by the group, which says it is dedicated to “restoring our government to citizen control.” While some of the movies have been in theatrical release, most are distributed as DVDs on-line and in bookstores.

Cafferty File question:

Michael Blackburn — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 16:40:02 EST

Does GOP have an edge over the Democrats?

http://caffertyfile.blogs.cnn.com/2008/02/07/does-gop-have-an-edge-over-democrats/

Here are my "awaiting moderation" comments:
Absolutely not. Especially with McCain as the nominee, because his Bush Redux positions are not getting any fresher. Moreover, I had no idea, but it appears he's the Hillary Clinton of the Republican party.

In the meantime Barack Obama gets a chance to go state by state across the country. He's already proven that when voters see him, they vote for him. So yes, by all means, let's hit all fifty on the way to the nomination. What's more, he's bringing in money hand over fist, so he can be building and battle-testing his grassroots organization in each of fifty states. By the time he's the nominee (cue the shrillbots) he will have a formidible lead in mindshare. There is absolutely no way McCain can compete with the Obama juggernaught if he has to go to the wire to get the nomination.

I honestly think Hillary sees this, and is staying to help Barack win. See guys, she isn't all bad!

Michael

Skype for Obama

Chip Roberson in Sonoma, CA — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 13:47:43 EST

Super Duper Tuesday is now fading in our rearview mirror. Now what? Some may be thinking their job is done but I would argue that would be a waste! We have built local organizations in our districts and precincts with expertise and skills that now can be focused elsewhere. In particular, we have teams of people who are quite familar with using VoteBuilder to make calls on behalf of Senator Obama. It would be a shame to put those skills on a shelf.

Contributions to Obama, Barack by State Through 12/31/2007

Edmund Dantes Hamilton — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 17:06:49 EST

Contributions Individual $101,429,472 PAC $25 Party $0 Candidate $0 Transfers-In $0 Disbursements $83,544,420 Cash On Hand $18,626,248 Size of Donations $200 and Under $32,565,522 $200.01 - $499 $6,140,352 $500 - $999 $7,259,396 $1000 - $1999 $15,582,737 $2000 and Over $41,685,974

HRC Raises $26,776,409.41 for Period Ended 12/31/07

Edmund Dantes Hamilton — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 22:52:43 EST

Fourth Quarter 2007: $26,776,409.41

2007 Total: 107,056,585.66

Barack Obama's numbers should be up shortly. Here is a link to HRC numbers: http://query.nictusa.com/pres/2007/YE/C00431569.html

Obama raises $32 million in January

Edmund Dantes Hamilton — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 12:45:14 EST

By JIM KUHNHENN, Associated Press Writer 18 minutes ago

WASHINGTON - Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama raised $32 million in the single month of January, a whopping figure that has permitted the campaign to boost staff and extend advertising to states beyond the sweeping Feb. 5 contests, aides said Thursday.

Obama is now advertising in 20 of the 22 states in play for next week's Super Tuesday and plans to begin advertising in seven more states that hold primaries or caucuses later in February. Rival Hillary Rodham Clinton is advertising in 12 Super Tuesday states, including her own home state of New York.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080131/ap_on_el_pr/campaign_money

Live Nevada Caucus Results Link (http://www.nvdems08.com/)

Edmund Dantes Hamilton — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 13:30:50 EST

Check out the live Nevada Caucus results at the following link: http://www.nvdems08.com/

Watch Debate Tonight on MSNBC

Edmund Dantes Hamilton — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 17:35:28 EST

Here is a repost from the main blogs:

Tune into the debate tonight on MSNBC. The event will be broadcast live from Cashman Center in Las Vegas, Nev., from 6-8 p.m. PST.

You want a fight about the 2002 speech? Here it is.

Michael Blackburn — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 02:50:17 EST

One of the innuendos spread about Obama recently is that he "took down" the speech he made in 2002. Which is true, but not for the reason implied, that he no longer stands by those sentiments. It's still a public record, and can be found relatively easily. I'm an Obamaholic, so I've been looking around youtube for a video of it. I finally found the text of the speech, and I see now why he took it down: it's calling out the "Masters of War" by name, making it a bit more "partisan red meat" and not in line with the tone of the campaign today. He routinely uses the less partisan segments of it in campaign videos. Anyway, here's the link I found, judge for yourself:

http://usliberals.about.com/od/extraordinaryspeeches/a/Obama2002War.htm

MANDATE - NOT JUST ANOTHER CANDIDATE

Time For Change - Adam Hicks — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 15:43:34 EST

Some thoughts of late:

1. Barack kind of backed off in my opinion in NH. Not taking questions after rallies was mentioned by several NH people on CSPAN at other candidates meetings as a negative. I understand what may have been the thought of not taking chances with such poll leads. But this whole thing is a chance. Always press honestly on with the fact that you are the people listening to the people. Not to LEAD them but to STAND FOR THEM.

2. I hope the strategists at Obama stick to creating a MANDATE of change the system and the administration. The change message is getting used by everyone GOP included. Therefore, it is up to Barack to re-frame the change to where it orginated, not where James Carvelle is trying to frame it for HRC.

3. Don't get drawn into a battle by HRC Machine. Fight for a mandate, not to be another candidate.

4. Change message must be layered on. It may be difficult to sustain for 10 months. Therefore, let's start getting people's COMMITTMENTS TO CHANGE. IE After you leave Iowa, New Hampshire, etc. Treat the constiuents and the energy (after all, only 7,000 fewer votes there and still an important state in general election) with respect.

A. Get people who supported Barack in early states involved in getting out suport to other states

B. Start recording (and promoting) impact that Barack has had on people who've gotten involved. He has inspired me to reengage, get people telling their story out loud, so that they are empowered. A huge number of empowered people is a lot better than any "support" HRC can drum through the machine. AN IDEA FOR FACEBOOK CAMPAIGN: Have a I am BARACK campaign - Have people on facebook change their profile pictures to a picture of Barack (same one would be powerful), goes back to what I learned in Obama Boot Camp, "its not enough to support Barack or talk up Barack, you have to BE LIKE BARACK - taking action, being positive influence, and striving to make everyone's life better." This will help drive the mandate.

C. Start collecting people's commitment to work not just for the election but for when the country has taken itself back. "When the people replace business as usual I am COMMITED TO CHANGE...." As I've posted before, I am a small business owner and could be seen as having concerns about some policies that would come up in a Barack Administration. I say I trust Barack to make the hard choices and commit to doing the hard work ahead in full support of knowing that whatever hardship my business faces, I am alongside Barack who I trust and the other COMMITTED TO CHANGE constituents who are ready to do the hard work and excellent things we can, as soon as we trust, respect, and are inspired by our leader. Politics as usual will not inspire people during the administration of HRC and the counry will suffer as a result. Don't let this happen by forgetting the mandate and becoming another candidate.

I am FIRED UP! I am READY TO GO!

YES WE CAN.

Back to the HQ this week for me for sure.

Everyone, now is the time to get involved more and more.

The Reality Of Race Still Mattering In Electoral Politics

Pierre Clark — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 13:58:51 EST

Here's an article that raises the issues I spoke about in my last post - issues that Barack Obama will have to confront in the campaign days ahead.

http://weblogs.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/blog/2008/01/did_nh_polls_miss_effect_of_ra.html

How can Barack Obama deal with the so-called "Tom Bradley" effect? We need to talk about some possible strategies.

2008 New Hampshire State Primary Results

Edmund Dantes Hamilton — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 19:45:23 EST

2008 New Hampshire State Primary Results

Draw your own conclusions from this...

Why Barack Lost New Hampshire - Not Enough True Believers Believed And Voted

Pierre Clark — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 00:47:08 EST

Many analysts are saying die-hard registered Democrats and women won New Hampshire for Clinton. They're touting Bill Clinton's star power as shoring up crucial votes. And they're spotlighting a tear in Hillary's eye as a humanizing factor for inspiring women to vote against the "misogyny" of a man, albeit a black man, beating a woman out for the White House. I think the vote exposed a more fundamental issue facing Barack Obama's candidacy.

I believe that there are millions of people who, right up to the time they punch the ballot or pull a lever in that most secret of all places - the voting booth - are evaluating whether they truly want - and can believe in - an African-American man, however talented, insightful, visionary and competent - as President, and especially if he does possess all of those qualities, because often-times people are as resentful of the gifted as they are admiring of them, and this is especially true regarding talented African-American men.

In many ways, life in America has often been not about empowerment of people across the board and people believing in what they can be and achieve, but about the survival of large groups pitted against each other for resources and power by an elite few, about the emasculation and destruction of the psyches of people trapped as the famous poet Walden said, "leading lives of quiet desperation."

It's a leap of faith asking many millions of these Americans to believe in themselves and therefore believe, in voting for a President, in their own possibilities and empowerment. Barack Obama's achievement in finding millions who do and can believe in the audacity of hope is in itself remarkable but, as the New Hampshire vote proved tonite, the battle for the minds and hearts of the American electorate is just beginning.

What have you given since Iowa?

Michael Blackburn — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 00:07:05 EST

Are you a regular contributor to Obama's campaign? Have you, like me, been holding back since the convincing Iowa win to see if he "needs it?"

Well now he does. The bright red Donate Now button is somewhere on this screen, I know it. You've been obsessively refreshing the Blog page for the latest videos. Let's give him a big bump out of NH in cash.

Right ... Now!

yes we can!

Best Possible Outcome

Michael Blackburn — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 23:37:44 EST

Sure, a victory tonight in New Hampshire, especially a convincing cross-spectrum "pounding" like Iowa would have been nice. At that point, the MSM would have broken out the robe and crown. There was plenty of talk here about cabinet posts, and indeed even the Colin Powell "non-dorsement" was made out in the press as a detente by the General for an encore as Sec. of State. I myself was suggesting an Atty. General post for Edwards and magnanimously suggesting we find a place in the cabinet for Hillary to "wonk out." I now have to eat those words, and it reminds me of the bitter taste of the 2000 and the 2004 elections, where I knew afterward that I didn't give everything to beating Bush. To my credit, it's hard to give your all to a negative cause like that. I have a cause I believe in this year.

It will be a fight, just like all worthy goals are. We can be extremely proud of our close showing in NH. The credit goes to our volunteers there faced with ClinCorp, who have been organized in these early primary states for decades. The rest of us, maybe we relaxed a little bit. The mantle of "front-runner" wore a little easy on us. I know I haven't phone-banked this week, although I did several times for Iowa. I haven't contributed money since Iowa. If we'd won tonight, the temptation to coast could have grown even stronger, and the possibility of a Super Tuesday Suprise could have lost everything. Remember the fate of the Hare in his race with the Tortoise.

No, my friends, this is the best possible outcome for the Obama campaign. We will struggle on the ground, on the stump and on the airwaves. We will win the nomination only by the sweat and effort of every one of our movement. We will hone our organization and our campaign and we will win in Nevada and SC, win on Super Tuesday, win in November and make this country whole again.

Yes We Can.

Close Race In New Hampshire - After Pollsters Predicted Obama Victory - Why?

Pierre Clark — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 22:54:33 EST

I'm watching the New Hampshire results online, reading the NY Times website, various blogs, and watching TV. Most pollsters the last week predicted a 5-10 point victory for Barack Obama. Tonite, one Chicago station is reporting the AP declaring Hillary Clinton the winner. With about 75% of the precincts reporting, here it is:

New Hampshire Results » Democrats Vote %

Clinton 82,068 39%

Obama 75,495 36%

Edwards 35,042 17%

Richardson 9,617 5%

Kucinich 2,855 1%

Gravel 294 0

Others 3,105 1

75% reporting

What happened? How were the pollsters off by so much? Here's my simple explanation: Barack Obama is by everyone's account a great candidate - bright, charismatic, well-spoken, intelligent, an excellent writer, with a great vision and a unifying theme that is attracting millions of voter. In short, Barack has all the qualities that people who are like him - educated, intelligent, high-income earners, and successful - admire, and that people who are not like him - struggling to get by, making a working class wage, dealing with health care issues, family issues, and having had few successes in their lives - tend to envy and resent. What I think happened is this:

When all the pundits started talking about "The Obama Phenomenon", when all the TV stations and newspapers started anointing Barack the candidate with the best chance to beat the Republican nominee, all the people in New Hampshire who heard these pundits started thinking and doing what Hillary said, "Take a second look." Meaning, they may have told pollsters they liked Obama and would vote for him, but when they actually got into the voting booth and looked at the names on the ballot, they asked themselves: :"Based on what we know about him now and how we feel about ourselves and him and who we want to see representing us, do we really want this man to be President of the United States?"

The answer for many of them in New Hampshire: "No. We are more comfortable with Hillary Clinton,

who we think she is, what we think she represents, and that is who we are voting for." That's why working

class people and women voted overwhelmingly for Hillary, and why intellectuals, educated people, young

people and independents voted for Barack. I don't know if the voters in other states will follow the same reasoning. I think the vote in New Hampshire may have been an emotional one rather than on the merits (I saw some commentators saying Hillary's crying jag jarred women into seeing her as human after all and worthy of their vote, and others saying Bill's rant against Barack, though viewed as hypocritical by some, swayed working class people who want to see Hillary elected as a surrogate for a third Clinton term.

I'll think about this race tonight, because I believe there are some lessons for the Barack Obama campaign to

learn from this race. One of them is: emotional appeals can cut both ways.

Broadband in America

Jon Radoff — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 08:15:15 EST

Here is a chart of broadband access speeds by country:

http://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/Images/commentarynews/broadbandspeedchart.jpg

Obama has stated that he wants to increase the availability of broadband Internet access and increase the speed that we consider broadband to be.

Why is this important?

* Education -- The rich media needed for Internet-based classrooms, training, education require higher speeds and greater availability. In addition, Internet access to online resources (like Wikipedia) are enabling people to learn information more readily--which might have once required that they own costly books, or travel to a library.

* Economic opportunity -- high speed Internet access is what is enabling whole new types of businesses, and empowering work-at-home and telecommuting capabilities for existing businesses

* Green Industry -- the Internet is essentially a collection of knowledge-based businesses, and the more America dominates the next generation of high-speed services, the more our nation will move toward sustainable industries.

We already have the top Internet businesses in the world--Google, Yahoo, Amazon--but don't assume that it can stay this way unless we continue to invest in infrastructure. United States funding through DARPA created the Internet; why should we lag far behind a country like South Korea?

DON'T TAKE THE BAIT - DO PREPARE FOR COMMITTMENT TO CHANGE

Time For Change - Adam Hicks — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 20:42:36 EST

Hello!

Just saw Hillary crying on CNN web clilp. Not that I am for making anyone cry. I like her showing emotion. But it irritated me as tactic, which made my gut go hard.

Barack, please stick to the message and don't let this play get campaign upset. Be compassionate and considerate but don't deny you will be baited by the other candidates.

You are NOT out to win the election (alone). You ARE developing this movement.

I would like to know when Barack will move from Stand Up for Change to COMMIT TO CHANGE. Thereby, yes asking people to vote, but then, going the next step, and opening the dialogue for change by getting people's committment to change and stories of how they have already changed by being part of the election. IE> Grassroots NOW! I for one have been inspired by the talks of Barack for sure and most recently by Michelle in NH on Sunday 6th as seen on CSPAN. However, it is even more dramatic the inspriration I have felt by being part of the campaign at the headquarters in Chicago, doing a canvas in Iowa, making calls to friends and strangers.

I think the campaign would do well to start opening up to new things. IE I am a small business owner in the US. I understand (in my head and heart) that not every single program to come in a Barack administration will be the "best" one for me alone. But I blame this not on DEM socialism, but the last 7 years of insane application of surplus and total fiscal irresponsibility of the REP party, as well as just the cold hard facts of globalization. I for one TRUST Barack to make the hard decisions known, work hard to be fair, and create the solution that does lift up the nation as a whole. If there is someway to get people involved in the political change deeper than pure electioning (not instead of but in addition to) I think it would be wise. It will still be a long battle but if people are ACTING on changing the by the community not just to organize for an election but to PREPARE for the upcoming environment we can see unprecedented momementum.

STAY FIRED UP! BE READY TO GO!

NAMASTE

Adam

Barack Obama - From 1995 To Now - The Same Man Then As Now!

Pierre Clark — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 23:57:31 EST

I think many people who may still be surprised at the political phenomenon that is Barack Obama, who question whether this man's genuine message of change and unity built from the grassroots and the bottom up is just a contrived position pulled from a consultant's bag of tricks can find some real insight in the article whose link appears below:

http://www.chicagoreader.com/features/stories/archive/barackobama/

This article appeared in the December 8, 1995 issue of The Chicago Reader. It describes Obama's decision to make his first foray into elective politics as a state senator in Illinois. His observations about the problems faced by African-Americans and all people in this country and how those problems needed to be addressed, the cynicism of many elected officials and his own misgivings about whether he would be able to build the kind of grassroots coalitions he felt could drive his candidacy and his vision for change are well-worth reading now.

Today's Front Pages > Friday, January 04, 2008: 583 front pages from 53 countries

Edmund Dantes Hamilton — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 09:12:47 EST

See how Obama captured the cover pages of newspapers acrossed the world: http://www.newseum.org/todaysfrontpages/default.asp?p_size=583

Obama Iowa Caucus Results Final

Edmund Dantes Hamilton — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 00:20:07 EST

Senator Barack Obama : 37.58%
Senator John Edwards : 29.75%
Senator Hillary Clinton : 29.47%
Governor Bill Richardson : 2.11%
Senator Joe Biden : 0.93%
Uncommitted : 0.14%
Senator Chris Dodd : 0.02%
Precincts Reporting: 1781 of 1781
(Percentages are State Delegate Equivalents.)

Iowa Democratic Party Live Results Website

Edmund Dantes Hamilton — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 19:33:54 EST

http://www.iowacaucusresults.com/

Check the above link for results or sign up and get them emailed to you.

Obama '08 Campaign reaches Over 500,000 Donors

Edmund Dantes Hamilton — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 17:24:33 EST

The Donor Matching Strategy crafted by the Obama campaign has reached a milestone of over 500,000 unique donors. With just hours left before midnight January 3, over 27,000 donations are needed to reach the goal of 800,000.

Reuters/C-SPAN/Zogby Daily Tracking Poll: Obama Moves Into Lead Followed by Edwards; Huckabee Lead Widens

Edmund Dantes Hamilton — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 15:55:46 EST

Released: January 03, 2008

Reuters/C-SPAN/Zogby Daily Tracking Poll: Obama Moves Into Lead Followed by Edwards; Huckabee Lead Widens

Clinton, Romney dip as Ron Paul gains

UTICA, New York – Democrat Barack Obama continued his upward momentum through the evening before the Iowa caucuses, capturing the lead ahead of rivals John Edwards and Hillary Clinton.. Meanwhile, Republican Mike Hucakbee widened his lead over Mitt Romney down the stretch, the newest and last Reuters/C–SPAN/Zogby daily telephone tracking poll in Iowa shows.

Obama broke through the 30% barrier for the first time, gaining 31% support after another strong day leading up to the caucuses. But more dramatic was Clinton’s four-point drop in this last day of tracking. Edwards moved into second place by himself after another day where he steadily gained ground. This fifth and final daily tracking poll was conducted using live telephone operators in the Zogby call center in Upstate New York. Edwards finished this Zogby daily tracking in Iowa in the same place as four years ago, when Zogby correctly identified the finishing order of the candidates in that caucus.

Obama continued to perform very well among younger likely Democratic caucus-goers, while Clinton enjoys strong support from older voters. Among men, Obama has sprinted ahead of Edwards, who is now second. Clinton continues to lead among women, but only by a small margin.

Pollster John Zogby will host a live online chat at 1:30 p.m. Friday to recap Iowa and to discuss its implications on New Hampshire and beyond! For Zogby subscribers only – go to www.zogby.com to subscribe and see the latest polling details you cannot get anywhere else.

Democrats – Iowa Tracking

12-30/1-2-08

12-29/1-1-08

12–28/31

12–27/30

12–26/29

Clinton

24%

28%

30%

31%

Obama

31%

28%

26%

27%

Edwards

27%

26%

25%

26%

24%

Richardson

Biden

Dodd

Kucinich

<1%

Undecided

With a Huckabee surge and a Romney dip, the former Arkansas governor opened up a six-point lead over his nearest rival. Former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson also lost a point, and Arizona Sen. John McCain, who has been surging in New Hampshire, faded here into a tie for fourth place.

Huckabee’s strength among women was notable – he leads Romney by a 37% to 25% margin, while enjoying a narrow 27% to 25% edge among men. Huckabee also continued to show well among those likely caucus-goers age 25-34 and age 35-54, where he held significant leads over Romney and the rest of the field.

The telephone tracking survey of Democrats included 905 likely caucus–goers surveyed over four days. The margin of error for the Democratic survey was +/– 3.3 percentage points. For the telephone survey of likely Republican caucus–goers, the sample included 914 people and carries a margin of error of +/- 3.3 percentage points. Both the Democratic sample and the Republican sample include interviews from Dec.30, 2007, to Jan. 2, 2008.

Republicans – Iowa Tracking

12-30/1-2-08

12-29/1-1-08

12–28/31

12–27/30

12–26/29

Huckabee

31%

28%

29%

Romney

25%

26%

25%

27%

28%

McCain

10%

12%

13%

11%

Thompson

11%

12%

10%

Giuliani

Paul

10%

Hunter

Undecided

For a complete methodological statement on these surveys, please visit:

http://www.zogby.com/methodology/readmeth.dbm?ID=1246

Detailed analysis by Pollster John Zogby is available to subscribers only

For crosstab data and more details, including more analysis from Pollster John Zogby, subscribe to the Reuters/C–SPAN/Zogby polling series at www.zogby.com.

(1/3/2008)

On CSPAN Now: The Supreme Court and the Indiana Voter ID Law

Edmund Dantes Hamilton — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 10:00:00 EST

The Supreme Court and the Indiana Voter ID Law

On January 3, 2008, ACS will host a press briefing on the Supreme Court cases, Crawford v. Marion County Election Board and Indiana Democratic Party v. Rokita, both of which concern the constitutionality of an Indiana statute mandating that in-person voters produce government-issued photo identification. Experts from a variety of perspectives will discuss the justification for the Indiana law, the burden that it may place on potential voters, the standard for reviewing the law, and the possible impact of a Court decision on future voting rights challenges. The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear oral argument on these cases on January 9, 2008.

The panel will feature:

Deborah Goldberg, Democracy Program Director, Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law

Bradley A. Smith, Professor of Law, Capital University Law School; FEC Commissioner 2000-2004, Chairman 2004-2005

Jon M. Greenbaum, Director of the Voting Rights Project, The Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law

Moderator, Tova Wang, Democracy Fellow, The Century Foundation

The event will begin at 9:30 a.m. and will end at 11 a.m. A light breakfast will be served. There is no charge for this event. There is no charge for this event. To RSVP for this event, please click here. For more information about this event, please call us at 202-393-6181.

Thursday, January 3, 2008
The National Press Club
Murrow Room
529 14th Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20045

Traders Go Long on Obama Winning Iowa Caucus

Edmund Dantes Hamilton — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 16:00:15 EST

More praise for USASpending.gov

Bill Lake — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 17:16:32 EST

Here's more praise for USASpending.gov, the new source of information on government spending that was created by the Obama-Coburn bill:

http://www.bluejersey.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=6413

(See more about USASpending.gov in Craig's Dec. 14, 2007 post.)

This new database, stemming from legislation that Barack pushed through Congress, is a concrete example of what his devotion to transparency in government can achieve. As Barack's technology plan makes clear, an Obama presidency will give us much more of the same -- thus creating a new relationship between Americans and our government.

As I leave for New Hampshire with three of my children to help get out the vote, it is exciting to know that this election can bring the change our country desperately needs. Bill Lake

ND Senator and Former Governor Latest to See the Light...

vette58 — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 04:06:33 EST

Senator Obama continues to pick up endorsements around the Country as our leaders begin to visualize Senator Obama's audacity of HOPE...

North Dakota Senator Kent Conrad announced this morning that he is endorsing Barack Obama`s presidential campaign.

Conrad has been a senator since 1986, and says he hasn`t endorsed anyone in a Democratic presidential primary before. But Conrad says he believes Obama has the greatest potential among the Democratic presidential candidates to unite the country and inspire people.

He says Obama also has a good understanding of the challenges the country faces and will move the country in the right direction.

"I also think he`ll help bring the change that our country requires. He absolutely understands the imperative to reform health care, to reduce our dependence on foreign energy, restore fiscal discipline, and to conduct a foreign policy that rebuilds respect for America," says Conrad.

He also says he`ll be campaigning with Obama this weekend in Iowa.

http://www.kqcd.com/News_Stories.asp?news=14491

Former Alaska Governor Tony Knowles says he's backing Barack Obama for the Democratic nomination for president.

Knowles says Obama is electable.

The two-term governor says Obama has a vision for tackling America's toughest challenges at home and abroad.

Knowles says that includes ending the war in Iraq, keeping promises to military veterans and making health care affordable.

Knowles also says Obama can reach across party lines and unite people to bring change.

Knowles served two terms as governor of Alaska from 1994 to 2002.

http://www.ktva.com/topstory/ci_7831730

DONORS and DONATIONS Need To Increase Quickly!

Edmund Dantes Hamilton — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 02:31:28 EST

As of 1:10 AM CST Here are the averages over a 90 minute period from 11:39 PM (Dec 31) to 1:10 AM Jan 1): DONORS = 2.766 per minute DONATIONS = 3.24 per minute WHAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN: DONORS: At the current rate it would take 5.4 days to reach the DONOR goal. In order for the campaign to reach the 500,000 goal the rate will need to be at least doubled or rounded to 6 DONORS per minute. DONATIONS: At the current rate it will take 27 days to reach the the stated DONATIONS goal. The present rate needs to be increased substantially. Hopefully the latest Iowa Polls will make the numbers skyrocket after people wake up from New Year's Eve celebrations and the MSM starts to cover the results and this hits the blogoshpere.

New Iowa Poll: Obama widens lead over Clinton

Edmund Dantes Hamilton — Mon, 31 Dec 2007 22:57:43 EST

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama has widened his lead in Iowa over Hillary Clinton and John Edwards heading into Thursday's nominating caucuses, according to The Des Moines Register's final Iowa Poll before the 2008 nominating contests.

Obama's rise is the result in part of a dramatic influx of first-time caucusgoers, including a sizable bloc of political independents. Both groups prefer the Illinois senator in what has been a very competitive campaign.

Bloomberg Threat Needs to be Addressed ASAP

Edmund Dantes Hamilton — Mon, 31 Dec 2007 17:01:11 EST

My opinion is that with Independents and a strong showing of the Black Vote and Women, Barack is assured a victory in November. However, if Bloomberg enters the race the dynamics of this change drastically.

What do you think?

See Article Below:

Speculation mounts over Bloomberg White House bid

by James Hossack 2 hours, 10 minutes ago

NEW YORK (AFP) - Speculation surged, again, that New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg could launch an independent bid for the White House, just days ahead of the first nominating contests in the US presidential race.

Make Quarter Ending Contributions Today!

Edmund Dantes Hamilton — Mon, 31 Dec 2007 16:23:41 EST

Be sure and make your Quarter Ending Contribution to the campaign today. I did a small matching donation already. Every little bit helps!

Real support for war veterans

Craig from San Francisco, CA — Sun, 30 Dec 2007 15:15:48 EST

Help support the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America get real stuff done for veterans.

On New Year's Day, here's more of what you can do:

Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), the nation's first and largest nonpartisan organization for veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, is taking part in Operation New Year's Eve, an exciting holiday campaign that lets Americans send text messages in support of U.S. troops to a sign in Times Square. All messages will be collected by ³Operation New Year's Eve and broadcast on a digital LED screen at the top of 4 Times Square, the tallest building in New York's Times Square.

"It's critical that amidst all the celebration, we stop to think about the men and women who are away from their families and in harm's way," said Paul Rieckhoff, IAVA Executive Director.

Hey, I figure this is much better than the lip service veterans get from the current administration.

Call in to live Obama radio show and show your support!

vette58 — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 05:13:47 EST

With the ever so important final days leading up to the Nevada Caucus, we are very excited to have the opportunity to share the Obama vision with radio listeners in Las Vegas this weekend. On Saturday, December 29th at 11:00 a.m. PT on KCEP 88.1 FM, Patricia Cunningham will be hosting an Obama radio show with myself and other supporters. KCEP is available via webcast at
http://www.broadcasturban.net/player/kcep/player.htm.

On Sunday, Dember 30th at 3:00 p.m. PT on KKVV 1060 AM, Sister Nina Griffen will be hosting an Obama radio show with myself, and other supporters on her "Save the Lost at all Cost" show. The call in number is (702) 650-5588. This show will also broadcast live via the worldwide internet by going to www.sheepfinders.com, and is rebroadcast at www.streamingfaithfaith.com under "RED SEA RADIO."

Please turn your dials to the stations above this weekend and lend your support by calling in and telling the radio audience why you're in support of Obama for President.

Thanks so much and we look forward to hearing from you.

Yvette Williams
Group Administrator, Nevadans4Obama

Why Barack? People smarter than me say why

Craig from San Francisco, CA — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 01:09:06 EST

I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed, so it's good to have my choice reaffirmed:

Nathan Gardels:

The main issue in American foreign policy now is repairing America's image in the world. There would be no greater asset in that task than a leader like Obama, who by his very multicultural hybrid biography, renews the fundamental promise of America to the world as a society where every individual is considered worthy enough to get a chance in life.

Michael Medavoy:

We need a leader who will follow his conscience at the helm of a nation of citizens who are not afraid to vote theirs. There are those in this world who will hate us no matter what we do, but following the compass of our consciences, we will have behind us the moral and legal justifications for our actions -- actions that for the first time in too long we can support together as a nation. America can once again lead the way to hope and human dignity for all.

Madeleine Albright

I've learned from her to keep talking with people even if they think they're your enemy. Barack was smart and brave to commit to this in a recent debate.

(My personal opinion is that Hillary would be a good president, but her criticism in this matter was, at best, disingenuous.)

CLARIFICATION: Secretary Albright made this point at a couple of meetings, plus in her most recent book, The Mighty and the Almighty, which I recommend.

Where Will You Caucus in Nevada on January 19th?

vette58 — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 03:16:17 EST

This message was sent from the Nevada Democratic Party. If you live in Nevada, please make sure you get out and caucus for Senator Obama at 11:00 a.m. on January 19th. Look for your caucus location at www.nvdemscaucus.com.

Fellow Democrats and Caucus Supporters,

We have crossed another important hurdle in organizing for our caucus on Saturday, January 19th!

The Nevada Democratic Party has finalized 545 caucus locations statewide to host Nevada’s historic presidential caucus on January 19th. That is more caucus locations in 2008 than there were polling locations in 2006!

Find your caucus location by clicking here: www.nvdemscaucus.com

Some of the caucus locations aren’t your typical polling spots…. An airport, a Cowboy Café, fire stations, a fairground.

But about 75 percent of the locations are in schools, and most others are in public buildings such as community centers, libraries and even a YMCA.

State Chair Jill Derby puts it this way: “No Democrat should have to travel far to caucus on Saturday, January 19th. Finalizing these caucus locations so early shows that Nevada Democrats will be ready to caucus in January, when the eyes of the nation will be on our state. Nevada is ready to make its mark in selecting the next occupant of the White House.”

Please call the Nevada Democratic Party at (702) 737-8683 if you have any questions!

BOSTON GLOBE: For the Democrats: Barack Obama

Edmund Dantes Hamilton — Sat, 15 Dec 2007 21:50:05 EST

For the Democrats: Barack Obama

December 15, 2007

From the endorsement editorial:

The most sobering challenges that face this country — terrorism, climate change, disease pandemics — are global. America needs a president with an intuitive sense of the wider world, with all its perils and opportunities. Barack Obama has this understanding at his core. The Globe endorses his candidacy in New Hampshire’s Democratic presidential primary Jan. 8.

Many have remarked on Obama’s extraordinary biography: that he is the biracial son of a father from Kenya and a mother who had him at 18; that he was raised in the dynamic, multi-ethnic cultures of Hawaii and Indonesia; that he went from being president of the Harvard Law Review to the gritty and often thankless work of community organizing in Chicago; that, at 46, he would be the first post-baby-boom president.

It is true that all the other Democratic contenders have more conventional resumes, and have spent more time in Washington. But that exposure has tended to give them a sense of government’s constraints. Obama is more open to its possibilities.

Read the full endorsement Sunday in the Globe and on boston.com.

NV DEM PARTY & MSNBC ANNOUNCE PRESIDENTIAL BLACK AND BROWN DEBATE

vette58 — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 02:19:18 EST

Below is an excerpt from the offical press released today:

The Nevada Democratic Party will partner with the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and IMPACTO, 100 Black Men of America, and the College of Southern Nevada to hold the second Democratic presidential debate in Las Vegas. The debate will be telecast live by MSNBC and held at the Cashman Center in Las Vegas on Tuesday, January 15, 2008 from 6:00 – 8:00 pm Pacific Standard Time.

Nevada, the second state in the nation to hold a presidential caucus and the first in the West to host an early window nominating contest, was chosen as an early state in part because 40 percent of its population is minority, primarily Hispanic and African-American. Issues affecting these communities such as economic development, education, health care and the war in Iraq will be highlighted during the debate.

With 11 days between the New Hampshire primary on Jan. 8th and the Nevada caucus, the Silver State could be the a circuit breaker that halts the momentum of the candidate that wins both earlier contests; the tiebreaker if two candidates split the New Hampshire primary and Iowa Caucuses; or the validator for a candidate who wins all three.

“Nevada will play a critical role in the selection of our nominee as the first test in the West and the first test of the Hispanic vote,” said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. “We’re proud to announce this debate and applaud NBC and MSNBC for recognizing the important role of Nevada’s diverse electorate. We thank our co-sponsors – the U.S. Hispanic Chamber and IMPACTO, the 100 Black Men of America and the College of Southern Nevada – for helping to host this historic event in Nevada.”

“We are happy that the voters of Nevada will have another opportunity to hear from our candidates before the January 19th caucus,” said Democratic Party Chair Jill Derby. “I’d like to thank IMPACTO, a nonpartisan political action committee affiliated with the Las Vegas Latin Chamber of Commerce, and the African American Democratic Leadership Council for the work they did to secure this important debate in Nevada.”

The Executive Committee of the African American Democratic Leadership Council, which includes many of Nevada’s Democratic African American elected leaders, has worked since January to secure a debate that would highlight issues important to Nevada’s minority population.

Sunlight Foundation gets Obama-Coburn watchdog database done by OMB Watch

Craig from San Francisco, CA — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 01:24:52 EST

Hey, looks like a major watchdog database, USASpending.gov was launched today, inspired by Senators Obama and Coburn, done by OMBWatch and funded by Sunlight Foundation.

The story is told by the Washington Post here but the inside story is told by Micah Sifry who's involved with Sunlight:

Sunlight funded OMB Watch to build FedSpending.org (the first searchable database of all govt contracts and grants), for $325K.

They built it. Then the Obama-Coburn bill was passed (with help from a cross-partisan coalition of bloggers, who smoked out the Senator who had put a secret hold on the bill) mandating that the OMB build its own official database, for $15 million.

OMB Watch offered to help OMB get the job done...even though the watchdog group and the government agency are usually major adversaries.

As the attached story in the Washington Post explains, after some hesitation, OMB's director decided to work with OMB Watch, and they licensed the software from OMBWatch for $600K. The new site, USASpending.gov, launched today, two weeks ahead of schedule.

Disclosure: I'm involved with Sunlight, but can take no credit for anything.

Cast a Vote for Obama NOW on Dailykos

Joe — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 16:14:21 EST

Go to http://www.dailykos.com/ and cast a vote for Obama as winning today's last Iowa debate.

Hillary Clinton Suddenly About "Change" and "Standing Up"

Edmund Dantes Hamilton — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 14:56:25 EST

Amazingly, Hillary Clinton is offering to "stand up" and "change" - themes that Barack Obama has repeated everywhere. Change is even on posters, etc all over Obama's campaign. Nontheless, Clinton used her free statement in the CNN Debate today to literally take Barack Obama's campaign statements and use them as her own. This is unbelievable. I wonder how Barack feels witnessing Clinton articulate "change" and "standing up" live before his eyes on national television ?

Barack makes me support the troops

Craig from San Francisco, CA — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 14:22:47 EST

Maybe I should say "inspires", but anyway, I just talked to the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America. They do a lot of heavy lifting for a lot of troops who are being abused by politicians in high office. For example, some wounded vets aren't getting their full enlistment bonuses:

Some of our injured troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan are facing a ridiculous and unnecessary obstacle. Because they have been discharged early, they are not receiving their full enlistment bonuses. Some are even be asked to return payments they have already received.

A new bill that would ensure this does not continue is gaining momentum in Congress, and lawmakers need to hear from civilians who support it. We can help our nations' veterans on this critical issue.

Please take a minute to send a message to your representatives, and tell them you support this bill. Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America has made it easy - just visit the IAVA petition

If you really want to support the troops, this is a good way to start.

Presidential Candidate Barack Obama: Let Us Transform America Together

EsquireUK — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 18:31:43 EST

Obama: We'll 'transform America'Seattle Post-Intelligencer | December 12, 2007

By ANGELA GALLOWAY

Hundreds of supporters of presidential hopeful Barack Obama turned out Tuesday night for a spirited, late-evening Seattle appearance -- a brief detour from intense campaigning in key states where early caucuses and primaries loom.

"I know the only reason I'm standing here today is because sometime, somewhere, somebody stood up when it was risky, stood up when it wasn't popular, stood up when it was hard," Obama said in a speech built around a theme that he is the candidate with the courage to bring change. "Standing up with courage and conviction, they somehow managed to change the world.

"We will stand up in this election to bring about the change that won't just win an election, but will transform America," he said wrapping up the speech of nearly 30 minutes.

Read the full article from The Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Dear Presidential Candidate Barack Obama Supporter!

Last year, we as a nation asked and expressed our desire as voters to take America in a new direction. Presidential Candidate Barack Obama www.barackobama.com is leading and taking this challenge seriously every day to bring about that change. Together we can move forward. Together we can restore trust in our American values. Together we can reclaim that precious American dream of hope and opportunity for all. Together we can put Presidential Candidate Barack Obama on a firm path to victory in the 2008 Presidential General Election.

Presidential Candidate Barack Obama is committed to turning the page on textbook campaign politics, providing quality and affordable health care for 10 million American children - kids not poor enough to qualify for Medicaid and not lucky enough to have parents with health insurance - and passing a new national energy policy that lowers energy bills and begins to reverse global warming. And we are determined to end the war in Iraq responsibly. Presidential Candidate Barack Obama will use his power and leadership authority as our next president to help Americans live and prosper in a nation of bountiful hope and opportunity!

In a few weeks, the primaries will start across America and voters will again ask for a new direction. Let us offer with our ongoing support and dedication this nation and the world the new vision and hope which Presidential Candidate Barack Obama uniquely possess. We are all playing an important role in this historic Countdown To Change.

Wishing you best wishes this Holiday Season,

Raphael Holoman-Franklin

Presidential Candidate Barack Obama Supporter

p.s. "We are in a defining moment in our history" ... "Our nation is at war. The planet is in peril. The dream that so many generations fought for feels as if it's slowly slipping away. And that is why the same old Washington textbook campaigns just won't do it. That's why telling the American people what we think they want to hear, instead of telling the American people what they need to hear, just won't so it." "America, our moment is now," ..."I don't want to spend the next year, or the same four years, refighting the same fights we had in the 1990s. I don't want to pit red America against blue America. I want to be the president of the United States of America." (Presidential Candidate Barack Obama)

Barack Obama Wins at nationalcaucus.com

Craig from San Francisco, CA — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 12:34:47 EST

National Caucus just held the first ever national caucus, and has announced results here:

On December 7, 2007 in cities and small towns across the country, Democrat, Republican and "Open" Caucus groups formed independently online and Caucused face-to-face on National Caucus Day. The first-ever national Presidential Caucus is now history and the results are in.

Barack Obama wins over Democrat voters generating 40% of Democrat Caucus voter preferences. Obama was followed by a three-way tie for second, with John Edwards, Bill Richardson and "Undecided" each generating 20% of Democratic Caucus preferences.

Oprah Effect Delivers New Hampshire for Obama!!!

Edmund Dantes Hamilton — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 09:33:11 EST

According to the Associated Press reports...

The Associated Press6 minutes ago

THE RACE: The presidential race for Democrats and Republicans in New Hampshire

THE NUMBERS - DEMOCRATS

Hillary Rodham Clinton, 31 percent

Barack Obama, 30 percent

John Edwards, 16 percent

Bill Richardson, 7 percent

Why I'm for Barack

Craig from San Francisco, CA — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 20:01:25 EST

There are lots of good Democratic candidates, but when you run most of their proposals through the sausage factory, not much differentiation.

Barack offers something different in a big way, though, in a way where I'm quoted by Jose Antonio Vargas in the Washington Post:

"I figure we really need a guy who knows right from wrong," Newmark told The Trail, "and who can remind the world that we're the good guys."

I'm not an American "exceptionalist"; I'm a customer service rep, and have spoken with thousands of people in the US and overseas. Everyone wants Americans to be the good guys again. We need someone who can credibly remind and lead us back into good guy-ness, in terms of of our actions and how we're perceived everywhere.

Leadership means that you need to be able to bring out the best in people.

Barack's the guy to do that.

New Hampshire Live Webcast Link

Edmund Dantes Hamilton — Sun, 09 Dec 2007 19:34:53 EST

http://mfile.akamai.com/12441/live/reflector:39570.asx

Urgent-Vote Obama Time Person of the Year!

vette58 — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 03:57:00 EST

Can't ask for better media attention than for Obama to WIN the Time Person of the Year announced on Dec 31st right before the early voting states. Please help him win this honor and get a much needed push into the mass media FREE. No other candidate comes close enough to make this happen so please don't let him miss out on this opportunity and get this message out to all of his supporters. Go to the link below right now

http://www.time.com/time/specials/2007/0,28757,1672153,00.html?pkw=PSTMGLTX111207CNND1397

If you didn't hear the debate this morning you can go to www.npr.org to download the audio. Please take a minute and support Senator Obama on the Youpolls site by going to

http://www.youpolls.com/details.asp?pid=1189

Presidential Candidate Barack Obama: When A Movement Gains Momentum

EsquireUK — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 20:48:14 EST

When A Movement Gains MomentumThe Iowa Jefferson Jackson Dinner is one of the pivotal moments in the contest for the Democratic party's presidential nomination, and Barack Obama gave what could be the most important speech of the campaign to more than 9,000 Iowa Democrats in Des Moines this weekend.

He sparked new momentum on the ground in Iowa, where the January 3rd caucuses will be the first true test of our campaign and Senator Clinton's.

http://www.barackobama.com/2007/11/10/remarks_of_senator_barack_obam_33.php

See some of the overwhelming response to the performance and donate now so we can capitalize on this moment.

Des Moines Register (David Yepsen) "Yepsen: Obama's superb speech could catapult his bid":The six leading Democratic presidential candidates showed up for the Iowa Democratic Party's big Jefferson Jackson Dinner on Saturday night, and five of them gave very good speeches. Barack Obama's was excellent. It was one of the best of his campaign. The passion he showed should help him close the gap on Hillary Clinton by tipping some undecided caucusgoers his way. His oratory was moving, and he successfully contrasted himself with the others — especially Clinton — without being snide or nasty about it.
Read more from the Des Moines Register

The Garance (Garance):Barack Obama, on the other hand, finally gave the speech his supporters have been waiting for him to give all year. If anyone comes out of this dinner with The Big Mo, it will be him. Obama’s supporters used their voices, not tools, to make noise. The moment House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced his name in her introduction, she was met with screams, whoops, ululations, whistles, shouts, and cries of wordless enthusiasm. When she said, "Please welcome the next president of the United States" — a line she’d used in earlier introductions — the crowd burst into what my notes could only capture as "TOTAL ROAR."
Read more from The Garance

Washington Post (Dan Balz and Shailagh Murray) "Obama stands out in night of speeches":...In the view of many watching, he [Obama] emerged as the oratorical winner at the biggest Democratic political event in Iowa before the state's January caucuses....Before the Saturday dinner, Barbara and Mike Donnelly hadn't been certain which candidate to support in the Democratic caucuses. They left with colorful glow necklaces, handed out by Obama's campaign. "We just think he's a very strong character," said Barbara Donnelly. Obama's speech "crystallized it for me," said Mike Donnelly.
Read more from The Washington Post

ABC News (David Chalian/Eloise Harper/Sunlen Miller/Raelyn Johnson) "Democrats Rally the Troops in Iowa":... The Obama troops clearly won the contest for loudest cheers in the hall as they offered some call and response with the "fired up, ready to go" chants that have become the standard finale to the senator's stump speech.... In what appeared to be the most rousing speech of the evening, Sen. Obama was sure to revisit his theme of calling for a change in the political climate and again offering a thinly veiled swipe toward his main opponent. "This party -- of Jefferson and Jackson, of Roosevelt and Kennedy -- has made the most difference in people's lives when we've led, not by polls, but by principle; not by calculation, but by conviction," Obama said to applause.
Read more from ABC News

MSNBC (Aswini Anburajan) "Obama Shows Off Organizational Strength":Nearly one in three people at last night’s Jefferson-Jackson Dinner was an Obama supporter. The campaign brought 3,000 supporters to a dinner that had 9,000 attendees. They also made sure to have a representative from each of Iowa’s 99 counties in attendance. ... Obama’s speech was buoyed by his large crowd of supporters. They chanted, yelled and stood up and cheered as he evoked the civil rights movement to talk about how he could only stand on this stage because those who had come before him were not afraid to take the difficult positions that he is supposedly espousing now.
Read more from MSNBC First Read

Chicago Sun-Times (Jennifer Hunter) "Obama vows moral high ground for Dems, U.S.":About 9,000 activists turned up for the dinner... But Obama's followers were the most uproarious.
Read more from the Sun Times

Time (Anna Marie Cox):Obama: The excerpts give a flavor of what he delivered, but I have to say, given the low energy of the room, his performance was especially striking. Again, the applause at his introduction was thundering. He also drew the longest, loudest responses throughout his speech: hooting, hollering and he was the only candidate to draw an enthusiastic chant. He also was the only candidate that seemed, for lack of a better word, to be working it. He gave that speech as if he was trying to convince people, not just solidifying the support he already had.
Read more from Time.com

Barack Obama's Speech at the Jefferson Jackson Dinner

NBC Nightly News

ABC Nightly News

Tucker Carlson

Paid for by Obama for America

Mrs. Clinton, Please Allow Your Experience To Be Evaluated

EsquireUK — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 20:10:27 EST

Secrecy Issues Dog Giuliani, Clinton

Tuesday December 4, 2007 12:31 AM

By LIZ SIDOTI

Associated Press Writer

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - Rudy Giuliani and Hillary Rodham Clinton have secrecy issues dogging them.

The front-runners in national polls for their parties' nominations both are grappling with disclosure controversies as they seek to succeed President Bush, known as one of the most secretive chief executives in modern history.

For the Republican former New York mayor, the primary issue is Giuliani Partners, the consulting business he formed when he left City Hall. He still works for the firm but won't shed light on its business dealings or release a client list. He's not required to; the company is privately held.

``It isn't mysterious at all,'' Giuliani insists, arguing that the media has identified clients.

He's also battling - and dismissing - suggestions that security expenses for extramarital liaisons with current wife Judith Nathan were hidden in little-known city accounts. And, he is facing criticism for the handling of his mayoral records.

Clinton, the Democratic New York senator and former first lady, is taking heat over locked-away correspondence between President Clinton and her during their White House years. She often cites her experience in her campaign, and rivals argue she should expedite the opening of those records to allow her experience to be evaluated, particularly on health care policy.

She says the National Archives, which has custody of the records, ``is moving as rapidly as the Archives moves.'' Her husband said last week: ``I'm not trying to cover anything up.''

A direct comparison between the Giuliani and Clinton situations is difficult.

``There's a concern on the part of Giuliani about his behavior, a man known relatively little to the public except in flashes of post-9/11 take charge,'' said Thomas Mann, a political analyst at the Washington-based Brookings Institution. ``There are real questions about his probity, his choice of associates and potential conflicts of interest given the extraordinary amount of business he's done since leaving office and that touches on government policies.''

``With Clinton, it's a bit of a muddle,'' Mann said. ``It's appropriate that presidential documents be released and made public as soon as possible. It's a reasonable question to be raised,'' he said. But, he added: ``It's not like there's necessarily some crucial information in there that's not being revealed.''

Still, both candidates face lack-of-disclosure questions in a campaign marked by public concern about honesty and ethics.

A recent national survey by The Associated Press and Yahoo News found that both Democrats and Republicans rated those two issues as very important or extremely important qualities in a presidential candidate more often than any other trait measured.

Neither Clinton nor Giuliani was seen as particularly honest or ethical. Just 38 percent viewed Clinton as honest, while just 40 percent called her ethical. Forty-two percent called Giuliani honest, 40 percent ethical.

Secrecy questions about them could give voters pause - particularly after seven years of Bush's behind-the-curtain approach that included covert CIA prisons, warrantless wiretapping and classified memos on interrogation techniques.

Generally, a president prone to secrecy can have long-term implications for a democracy.

``The effect is sort of an imperialistic presidency that's unchecked,'' said Anne Weismann, chief counsel of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. With Bush, she said: ``We're pretty far down that road, but I don't think we're there yet.'' However, she added, given the outcry over Bush's actions, ``It's hard to imagine a president that will follow in that same course.''

Giuliani laughed, then grew agitated, when the AP asked recently whether he would ever outline his role with his firm or release a thorough client list. ``Everything I did at Giuliani Partners was totally legal, totally ethical,'' he said. ``There's nothing for me to explain about. We acted honorably, decently.''

The media have unearthed some client names that show his firm represents or has represented airlines, energy companies and communications businesses. One client, Purdue Pharma L.P., makes the controversial painkiller OxyContin.

Separately, Giuliani has called reports that he charged security expenses to obscure city offices as his affair began ``a typical political hit job with only half the story told.'' He also has dismissed criticism over the 2,000 boxes of his mayoral documents temporarily going to a private foundation his supporters ran and financed to be copied and archived.

Clinton, for her part, rejects charges that she's been secretive about her own documents. This month in Iowa, she said: ``My husband has not withheld a single document.''

But, like some of his predecessors, Bill Clinton had the power to limit what records the National Archives could immediately make public. In a 2002 letter, he asked that the archives consider withholding certain categories of information, including personal correspondence between himself and his wife.

``We're not trying to hold up anything,'' he told C-SPAN last week. ``We're getting this stuff out as soon as we can.''

^---

EDITOR'S NOTE - Liz Sidoti covers presidential politics for The Associated Press.

http://www.barackobama.com/2007/11/10/remarks_of_senator_barack_obam_33.php

Presidential Candidate Barack Obama Has Found His Voice: Reclaiming The American Dream

EsquireUK — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 15:04:11 EST

Dear Presidential Candidate Barack Obama Supporter!

The latest news from Iowa is exciting. The Des Moines Register shows that Presidential Candidate Barack Obama www.barackobama.com has pulled ahead of Mrs. Clinton and is now leading in Iowa. He is even leading among women by five points! This is superb!

The polls in Iowa show that Mrs. Clinton is running the most negative campaign of any presidential candidate. Today we need to respond to any attacks which Mrs. Clinton may direct at Presidential Candidate Barack Obama. We need to ensure that he has the resources to go from strength to strength. We need to put him firmly on a victorious path to the 2008 Presidential General Election!

We have an immediate challenge: In the next 48 hours, Presidential Candidate Barack Obama needs 10,000 people to donate.

https://donate.barackobama.com/costofnegativity

This response will show Mrs. Clinton and other opponents that our resolve to reclaim the American dream is real. The Countdown to Change movement is in full force. The momentum is starting to build.

Thank you very much,

Raphael Holoman-Franklin

Presidential Candidate Barack Obama Supporter

Op-Ed Columnist

Who’s Afraid of Barack Obama? By FRANK RICHPublished: December 2, 2007

JUST 24 hours after Hillary Clinton mowed down a skeptical Katie Couric with her certitude that she would win the Democratic nomination — “It will be me!” — her husband showed exactly how she could lose it.

Skip to next paragraph Fred R. Conrad/The New York Times

Frank Rich

Go to Columnist Page » Enlarge This Image Barry Blitt

By telling an Iowa audience on Tuesday night that he had opposed the Iraq war “from the beginning,” Bill Clinton committed a double pratfall. Not only did he refocus attention on his wife’s most hazardous issue, Iraq, just as it was receding as the nation’s Topic A, but he also revived unhappy memories of the truth-dodging nadirs of the Clinton White House.

Whatever his caveats, Mr. Clinton did not explicitly oppose the Iraq war from the beginning. But Al Gore did unequivocally and loudly in a public speech before the beginning, as did an obscure Illinois state senator named Barack Obama www.barackobama.com . What if Mrs. Clinton had led an insurrection against the war authorization in the Senate? Might she have helped impede America’s rush into one of the greatest fiascos in our history?

That history cannot be rewritten in any case, by Bill Clinton or anyone else. But future history is yet to be made. In the year to come, it will be written by the candidates and the voters, not by those journalists who, as the old saw has it, lay down history’s first draft.

Election year isn’t even here yet, and already most of the first drafts penned by the political press have proved instantly disposable, from Fred Thompson’s irresistible Reaganesque star power to the Family Research Council’s ability to abort the rise of Rudy Giuliani. The biggest Beltway myth so far — that the Clinton campaign is “textbook perfect” and “tightly disciplined” — was surely buried for good by the undisciplined former president’s seemingly panic-driven blunder last week.

The Washington wisdom about Mr. Obama has often been just as wrong as that about Mrs. Clinton. We kept being told he was making rookie mistakes and offering voters wispy idealistic sentiments rather than the real beef of policy. But what the Beltway mistook for gaffes often was the policy.

Mr. Obama’s much-derided readiness to talk promptly and directly to the leaders of Iran and Syria, for instance, was a clear alternative, agree with it or not, to Mrs. Clinton’s same-old Foggy Bottom platitudes on the subject. His supposedly reckless pledge to chase down Osama bin Laden and his gang in Pakistan, without Pakistani permission if necessary, was a pointed rebuke of both Mrs. Clinton’s and President Bush’s misplaced fealty to our terrorist-enabling “ally,” Pervez Musharraf. Like Mr. Obama’s prescient Iraq speech of 2002, his open acknowledgment of the Pakistan president’s slipperiness turned out to be ahead of the curve.

Now that the Beltway establishment, jolted by the Iowa polls, is frantically revising its premature blueprints for a Clinton coronation and declaring, as Time’s inevitable cliché would have it, that Mr. Obama has “found his voice,” it’s worth looking at some campaign story lines that have been ignored so far. They tell us more than the hyped scenarios that have fallen apart. Indeed, they flip the standard narrative of Campaign 2008 on its head: Were Mr. Obama to best Mrs. Clinton for the Democratic nomination, he may prove harder for the Republicans to rally against and defeat than the all-powerful, battle-tested Clinton machine.

The unspoken truth is that the Clinton machine is not being battle-tested at all by the Democratic primary process. When Mrs. Clinton accused John Edwards of “throwing mud” and “personally” attacking her in a sharp policy exchange in one debate, the press didn’t challenge the absurd hyperbole of her claim. In reality, neither Mr. Edwards nor any other Democratic competitor will ever hit her with the real, personal mud being stockpiled by the right. But if she’s getting a bye now, she will not from the Republican standard-bearer, whoever he may be. Clinton-bashing is the last shared article of faith (and last area of indisputable G.O.P. competence) that could yet unite the fractured and dispirited conservative electorate.

The Republicans know this and are so psychologically invested in refighting the Clinton wars that they’re giddy. Karl Rove’s first column for Newsweek last week, “How to Beat Hillary (Next) November,” proceeded from the premise that her nomination was a done deal. In the G.O.P. debates through last Thursday, the candidates mentioned the Clintons some 65 times. Barack Obama’s name has not been said once.

But much like the Clinton campaign itself, the Republicans have fallen into a trap by continuing to cling to the Hillary-is-inevitable trope. They have not allowed themselves to think the unthinkable — that they might need a Plan B to go up against a candidate who is not she. It’s far from clear that they would remotely know how to construct a Plan B to counter Mr. Obama. The repeated attempts to fan “rumors” that he is a madrassa-indoctrinated Muslim — whether on Fox News or in The Washington Post, where they resurfaced scurrilously on the front page on Thursday — are too demonstrably false to survive endless reruns even in the Swift-boating era.

Part of the Republicans’ difficulty in countering Mr. Obama, should they have to, is their own cynical racial politics. For the most part, race has been the dog that hasn’t barked in this campaign despite the (largely) white press’s endless fretting about whether the Illinois senator is too white for black voters and too black for white voters. Most Americans aren’t racist, most Republicans included. (Those who are won’t vote for the Democratic presidential candidate even if it’s not Mr. Obama.) But the G.O.P., by its own doing, is nonetheless saddled with a history that most recently includes “macaca” and Katrina, Mr. Bush’s appearance at Bob Jones University in 2000 and the nonexistent black population of its Congressional delegation.

As the Republican leadership knows, this record is an albatross, driving away not just black voters but crucial white swing voters, too. Ken Mehlman, the former G.O.P. chairman, and Mr. Rove, as recently as in that Newsweek column, have implored their party to reach out to minorities. So have Newt Gingrich and Jack Kemp. But not even conservative leaders of this stature could persuade their party’s top 2008 presidential contenders to show up for a September debate moderated by Tavis Smiley for PBS at the historically black Morgan State University.

It’s not because those no-shows are racists; it’s because they are defensive and out of touch. With the notable exception of Mike Huckabee, most of the party’s candidates have barricaded themselves from African-Americans for so long that they don’t know how to speak to or about them. As sure-footed as these Republicans are in attacking the Clintons and Streisand — or in exchanging fire with Al Sharpton and hip-hop moguls — they are strangers to the mainstream multiracial and multicultural America exemplified by an Obama or an Oprah.

An Obama candidacy would force them to engage. Or try to. A matchup between Mr. Obama and Mr. Giuliani, who was forged in the racial crucible of New York’s police brutality nightmares of the 1990s, or between Mr. Obama and Mitt Romney, who was shaped by a religion that didn’t give blacks equal membership until 1978, would be less a clash of races than of centuries.

But there’s another, even more fascinating hidden story line in the 2008 campaign that speaks to the potential prowess of an Obama candidacy. Despite the thuggish name-calling of a few right-wing die-hards (e.g., Rush Limbaugh mocking “Barack Hussein Odumbo”), the dirty secret of a number of conservatives is that they are disarmed by Mr. Obama even though they know his record is more liberal than Mrs. Clinton’s.

The drumbeat of approval has been remarkably steady. Last year Mark McKinnon, a top adviser to both the 2000 and 2004 Bush campaigns, admiringly called Mr. Obama “a walking, talking hope machine” who “may reshape American politics.” Andrew Ferguson devoted pages in The Weekly Standard to raving about “Dreams From My Father,” Mr. Obama’s memoir, before dismissing its political sequel, “The Audacity of Hope.” Rich Lowry, the editor of National Review, keeps trying to write anti-Obama articles but they’re so mild that they never really contradict his judgment of a year ago that the senator from Illinois “is the only presidential candidate from either party about whom there is a palpable excitement.” Even Tom Tancredo, the most virulent immigration demagogue of the G.O.P. presidential field, has spoken warmly of Mr. Obama.

Perhaps most striking is the case of Shelby Steele, the archconservative scholar who shares Mr. Obama’s mixed-race heritage. Though he has just written an entire book, “A Bound Man,” to argue (unpersuasively, in my view) that Mr. Obama “can’t win,” he can’t stop himself from admiring the guy throughout. Peggy Noonan wasn’t being tongue-in-cheek when she wondered in The Wall Street Journal last month whether Mr. Obama “understands the kind of quiet cheering he is beginning to garner from some Republicans.” In her view “they see him as a Democrat who could cure the Bush-Clinton-Bush-Clinton sickness.”

Or at least they do in the abstract. Should Mr. Obama upend the Beltway story line by taking Iowa, the Republicans will have every reason to be as fearful as the Clinton camp is now.

Vote for Official "2007 Obama Dog"

Anthony Thomalla — Sun, 02 Dec 2007 23:02:04 EST

Vote for the pup you think should be crowned official "2007 Obama Dog." Voting will begin at 9:00 a.m. cst on Monday December 3, 2007 and will end promptly at Midnight on Saturday December 8, 2007. You can only vote once (we'll be checking for duplicate e-mails) but you get to select your top 10 favorite hounds. Good luck! Thanks to everyone for the great support we've experienced. With regards to duplicate list serves...Lo siento.

www.puppies4obama.com Dr. Anthony Thomallaanthony@abcresources.com(800) 507-0515PO Box1176Valparaiso, IN 46304

Presidential Candidate Barack Obama: The Momentum Is Starting To Build

EsquireUK — Sun, 02 Dec 2007 16:36:05 EST

Community Blogs Login | Register | Search Blogs Post from Obama HQ: New Des Moines Register Poll: Obama leading in IowaBy Sam Graham-Felsen - Dec 1st, 2007 at 10:09 pm EST Comments | Mail to a Friend | Report Objectionable Content Tags: Iowa Bad? Brilliant?
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Register or login now and
tell us what you think.

Click here for details from the Des Moines Register.

The telecom amnesty bill; another reason for Barack

Craig from San Francisco, CA — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 10:02:25 EST

(or, a nerd who should know better tries messaging.)

You probably know how a coupla telecoms have been caught putting themselves above the law by spying on people; if not, check out the good work being done by the Electronic Frontier Foundation here. (Also, please join up, okay?)

Looks like the telecom execs don't want to "go away for a while", so they're hoping to get immunity from prosecution. It recently occured to me that the bill cited by that article is like when a library tells people they can return overdue books without penalties.

That is, seems most honest to refer to the bill as offering "telecom amnesty."

This is also another reason for supporting Barack; he gets this, which isn't true of all the candidates.

For that matter, remember that Reagan fought a much more dangerous enemy than al Qaeda without resorting to breaking the law like this. You might question other aspects of his presidency, but he really did fight the Communists without warrantless wiretapping. Perhaps we could do as well.

(This all occurred to me at a Dick Durbin fundraiser last night; special thanks to Dick for humoring me.)

"Oprama" in Iowa

Edmund Dantes Hamilton — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 15:44:25 EST

Oprah and Obama, "Oprama" as headliine news media will coin the team sooner or later, will descend upon Iowa in what will surely be the hottest pairing of presidential candidate and celebrity star power so far. How will Hillary top this one?

Chicago Tribune reports the news here: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/chi-112607-oprah,0,5791487,print.story?coll=chi_tab01_layout

Michelle Obama Co Hosts on The View!

vette58 — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 02:16:30 EST

Mark your calendars to watch our next First Lady Michelle Obama on The View, December 5th (channel 13 in Las Vegas). For more information go to

http://blackvoices.aol.com/blogs/2007/11/23/michelle-obama-joining-whoopi-and-sherri-on-the-view/

Qualifications/Experience or Quality and Expectations

Time For Change - Adam Hicks — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 17:02:53 EST

Hi ALL

What?

I would like to say the following:

What "preparation" does Hillary Clinton have as President? She "lived in" the whitehouse for 8 years. I am tired of hearing she is More Experienced. I think the Obama campaign should stress the direct experience to experience. Obama has been in the community, Hillary has been in the boardrooms, Obama has been in public office changing what he saw in the community (and he's been doing this LONGER than Hillary), Hillary has been a first lady (no offense, but fact). Finally, they have about equal experience in Senate, but Barack has been doing it for people who support him and know him because he's been involved with them for 20 years. Hillary came up and has made a name for herself in a community she chose for its political position.

Finally:

Hillary will ask you to look to Qualificatins, which I don't believe she has.

Hillary will ask you to look to Experience, which will bring us more of the same bad decisions.

Barack will bring a quality of character and committment that raises people up.

Barack will bring a higher level of expectations on the tough issues coming to this country.

Get Fired Up when you here these comments. Barack is READY TO GO!

Time for change...Time for Barack Obama.

Adam

More than just a Veep ...

Ralph — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 14:22:39 EST

Potentially, every one running on both sides of the aisle would make a good potential VP. Some, though, are not likely to want the spot or sit well being in there as we are likely going to take away their license to shoot things after January 2009 ;-) (More likely some do not "play second fiddle" well)

That said and all levity aside, the key job to fill before VP will be Secretary of State to rebuild our tarnished reputation. This person will need to pull a job on a level that American Diplomacy has never seen since, perhaps, revolutionary times and the years that followed. Right now on the democrats' side, Biden is perhaps the truly most qualified to get into THAT role which takes him out, as far as I'm concerned, from the VEEP running. That probably leaves Edwards as the best "sell" practically and otherwise as Vice President. Going through the matrix you can find on MSNBC, I am not happy with the views of the other candidates and Dodd has some issues I definitely cannot agree with. I am also thinking that 8 years later the person who is VP will likely be the main candidate of the party so there is that aspect as well.

Now truthfully, who here has not fantasized an Obama/McCain Whitehouse ;-)

Anyways, post your comments and let see were it goes.

Ralph, Musician/Computers/Dad in Edgwater Chicago

Republican Praise for Obama's Vision

Jim Robbins — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 17:31:58 EST

I subscribe to Newt Gingrish's newsletter not because I agree with his political views, but because he is an idea person, one of the few Republican leaders who has embraced the battle against climate change. Granted many of Newt's ideas have historically been wrong headed. But give the devil his due -- Newt Gingrish is nothing if not highly intelligent and elloquent.

Here is what Newt had to say about Barack in his most recent newsletter:

A Good Idea From Sen. Obama That Should be Implemented Now

When he visited the headquarters of Internet search engine giant Google, Inc. last week, Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.) had a good idea that Congress and the President should support.

Sen. Obama said that as President he would encourage more public interaction with government by putting government documents and legislation online for all Americans to see. He also said he would appoint the nation's first technology chief and encourage public participation through Internet forums.

These are good ideas that the President should make his own. He could accomplish some of them by changing government regulations. The rest he should challenge Congress to pass in his State of the Union address next year.

Barack Obama Leads Clinton in Latest Iowa Poll

Edmund Dantes Hamilton — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 07:33:20 EST

CNN reports that the latest Iowa Poll has Barack Obama ahead of Hillary Clinton by four percentage points, which is also the margin of error in the poll. This is excellent news because it is based on voters who actually intend to vote in the Iowa primary.

Go Barack!

The Nevada Obama Staff Deserve A Round of Applause!

vette58 — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 05:21:19 EST

Wow! What an incredible event. The Nevada Obama staff planned and executed an award winning event yesterday. The rally featured volunteers wearing "fire it up... he's ready to go" t-shirts, with signage (large and small), mega phones, and fired up supporters that you would have thought were on steroids. The energy level was as high as the biggest fans at the superbowl. The Obama team definately stole the show prior to the debate. And if that wasn't good enough, the team moved to the JJ Dinner at the Paris Resort and ended the night with another "tremendous" show. More on this event later.

So on behalf of Obama supporters and volunteers, CONGRATULATIONS Nevada Obama Staff on an awesome job during the CNN Las Vegas Debate. We are very proud and excited about the temendous impact the activites made and feel confident many votes were wonyesterday. A BIG HIGH FIVE. To see live footage of the Pre-debate and JJ Dinner Rally go to http://nevada.barackobama.com/page/content/nvhome

The Las Vegas Act Of Senator Hillary Clinton

EsquireUK — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 14:50:32 EST

Friday, November 16, 2007
Hillary's Vegas Act

At Last Night's Las Vegas Debate, Sen. Clinton Continued Her Calculations On Key Issues

PARSING THE POLLS ON LICENSES FOR ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS?

At Last Night's Debate, Hillary Said She Did Not Support Giving Driver's Licenses To Illegal Immigrants, Despite Endorsing The Plan Two Weeks Ago

CNN's Wolf Blitzer: "[D]o you support drivers licenses for illegal immigrants?" ... Hillary: "No." (Sen. Clinton, CNN Democrat Presidential Debate, Las Vegas, NV, 11/15/07)

Two Weeks Ago, Hillary Admitted The Proposal Made "A Lot Of Sense." Hillary: "You know, Tim, this is where everybody plays gotcha. It [Spitzer's plan] makes a lot of sense." (Sen. Clinton, MSNBC Democrat Presidential Candidate Debate, Philadelphia, PA, 10/30/07)

NOTE: In October, "Mrs. Clinton Did Not Commit To Passing Immigration Reform In Her First Term ..." (Christina Bellantoni, "Hillary Touts Bill To Unite Illegals' Kin," The Washington Times, 10/4/07)

What Happened To Make Hillary Change Her Mind? Public Polling Showed A Majority Of Americans Against The Proposal:

"Seventy-Six Percent Of Americans Oppose Giving Driver's Licenses To Illegal Immigrants, According To Poll Conducted In October For CNN By The Opinion Research Corp." (Alexis Ginsberg, "N.Y. Governor Abandons Driver's Licenses For Illegal Immigrants," CNN, www.cnn.com, 11/14/07)

A November Rasmussen Poll Showed That 66% Of Americans Oppose Giving Driver's Licenses To Illegal Immigrants. ("New Hampshire Democratic Primary Toplines - November 5, 2007," Rasmussen Reports, www.rasmussenreports.com, 11/5/07)

THE "SO-CALLED" SOCIAL SECURITY CRISIS?

During Debate, Hillary Said We Have Long-Term Challenges With Social Security:

Hillary: "We have long-term challenges with Social Security. ... So what I want to do is move back toward fiscal responsibility." (Sen. Clinton, CNN Democrat Presidential Debate, Las Vegas, NV, 11/15/07)

But Social Security Hasn't Been A Priority For Hillary, And Her Plan To Preserve It Is Unclear At Best:

Hillary: "Social Security is a problem, but it's not in my top five ..." (Thomas M. DeFrank, "Party Gotta Fight Back, Sez Hillary," [New York] Daily News, 4/12/05)

Hillary: "The so-called 'crisis' in Social Security does not exist." (Sen. Hillary Clinton, Remarks At Brandeis University's Rabb Seminar, 1/23/05)

The Wall Street Journal's Stephen Moore: "Hillary Clinton's Plan To Rescue Social Security From Financial Disaster Is As Clear As Mud." (Stephen Moore, Op-Ed, "Hillary's Entitlement Bailout Tax?" Opinion Journal's "Political Diary," 9/7/07)

The Washington Post: "The Candidate Has No Plan To Fix Social Security." (Editorial, "Sen. Clinton's Empty Table," The Washington Post, 10/1/07)

TRICKY FREE TRADE POSITION

At Debate, Hillary Claimed NAFTA "Did Not Do What Many Had Hoped":

Hillary: "Look, NAFTA did not do what many had hoped, and so we do need to take a look at it and we do need to figure out how we're going to have trade relations that are smart, that give the American worker and the American consumer rights around the world." (Sen. Clinton, CNN Democrat Presidential Debate, Las Vegas, NV, 11/15/07)

But During Campaign, Media Has Picked Up On Hillary's "Tricky" Free Trade Position:

Hillary's Position On Free Trade Is "Tricky." "For Clinton, free trade is a tricky proposition. Her husband is often identified with NAFTA, which as president he ushered into law despite union opposition. And labor is unhappy about successor trade deals ratified under the Bush administration, some with Sen. Clinton's support." (Peter Nicholas, "On Policies, Clinton Plays It Safe," Los Angeles Times, 10/4/07)

Hillary Praises NAFTA In Front Of Free Traders And Slams NAFTA In Front Of Big Labor. "Appearing before free-trade supporters, she [Hillary] has praised the landmark North American Free Trade Agreement, which is loathed by many unions. But speaking to a union audience as a presidential candidate, Clinton said NAFTA hurt workers." (Peter Nicholas, "On Policies, Clinton Plays It Safe," Los Angeles Times, 10/4/07)

PROTECTING HER LEFT FLANK ON IRAN

Hillary Continues To Attempt To Take Multiple Positions On Dealing With Iran:

Hillary Voted In Favor Of Legislation Designating Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps A Foreign Terrorist Organization. (S. Amdt. 3017 To H.R. 1585, CQ Vote #349: Adopted 76-22: R 46-2; D 29-19; I 1-1, 9/26/07, Hillary Voted Yea)

Hillary: "My understanding of the revolutionary guard in Iran is that it is promoting terrorism. ... [I]n what we voted for today, we will have an opportunity to designate it as a terrorist organization, which gives us the options to be able to impose sanctions on the primary leaders to try to begin to put some teeth into all this talk about dealing with Iran." (Sen. Clinton, MSNBC Democrat Presidential Candidate Debate, Hanover, NH, 9/26/07)

Hillary Was Criticized For Her Vote By Fellow Democrat Presidential Candidates And The Anti-War Left. "[Hillary's] vote on the Revolutionary Guard measure...has given scholars and bloggers in the antiwar netroots fodder; labeling the Iranian Army a terrorist organization, they say, gives Bush the excuse he needs to attack." (Howard Fineman, "Fineman: Democrats Divided Over Iran Policy," Newsweek, 10/15/07)

"Among The 3.3 Million Members Of Moveon.Org, Iran Last Week Replaced Iraq As The Top Issue, Says Its President, Eli Pariser. Win Without War, The Leading Iraq Antiwar Coalition, Is Planning To Shift Focus To Iran." (Howard Fineman, "Fineman: Democrats Divided Over Iran Policy," Newsweek, 10/15/07)

Hillary Responded To The Criticism By Co-Sponsoring Sen. Jim Webb's (D-VA) Legislation To Prevent The Use Of Force Against Iran Without Congressional Approval. "Clinton also...announced she would co-sponsor a bill by Sen. Jim Webb, D-VA., which would prohibit the use of funds for military operations against Iran without explicit congressional authorization." (Carla Marinucci, "Clinton Talks Of Urban Agenda In Oakland Visit," San Francisco Chronicle, 10/2/07)

Webb Was Unaware That Hillary Became The Only Co-Sponsor Of His Legislation, Which Was Introduced In March. "Last March, Sen. Jim Webb of Virginia introduced a bill to insist that President Bush get congressional authorization if he wanted to attack Iran. ... The bill languished in obscurity until last week, when Webb got his first and only cosponsor: the Democratic presidential front runner, Sen. Hillary Clinton, who was evidently in too much of a hurry to give Webb the customary senatorial heads-up. 'I found out after she announced it,' he said, laughing. Why now? It's called protection--in this case, from her antiwar left flank." (Howard Fineman, "Fineman: Democrats Divided Over Iran Policy," Newsweek, 10/15/07)

"Within Days She'd Decided To Partner With Webb, Whether He Knew It Or Not. In This Case The Medium Was The Message: She Put Out The Word First On The Internet." (Howard Fineman, "Fineman: Democrats Divided Over Iran Policy," Newsweek, 10/15/07)

NOTE: Webb Questioned Hillary's Claim That She Did Not Intend To Vote For The Use Of Force Against Iraq. MSNBC's Chris Matthews: "Senator ...I still am in wonder of how Hillary Clinton can keep saying she didn't vote for the war." Sen. Webb: "Well, I think everybody knew what that vote was about." (MSNBC's "Hardball," 10/2/07)

Quick Nov. 15 Debate Observations and other musings ...

Ralph — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 10:40:12 EST

... it was awkward to hear Barack stamering but I could tell that he was taking very special care with what he was saying albeit STILL getting the right point across. Deliberate and careful yet effective. One of the themes was having REAL people in government and it's quite clear to me now that he is REAL ...

And REALLY my choice for the Oval Office ... to bring this country back to where it used to be ... to ourselves and especially to the world.

Now to find out which of my democratic friends are for Hillary ... they are keeping quite mum about it if they are. COME OUT OF THE CRAWL SPACE YOU! ;-) (it's ok ... it's ok ... food yes food ... come ... sunshine good ... yes .... )

Did Barack ever say he was for the Cubs or Sox? :p

Ralph in Edgewater, Chicago
p.s. a nice technical bit that would be cool is some HTML code we can drop in our MySpace or Live Spaces area pointing back here.

Tech Leaders Announce Support For Presidential Candidate Barack Obama

EsquireUK — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 21:12:50 EST

Tech Leaders Announce Support for Barack ObamaChicago, IL | November 15, 2007

Chicago, IL - Technology leaders across the nation today endorsed Barack Obama www.barackobama.com the day after he unveiled his innovation agenda at Google headquarters. These entrepreneurs, academics, and innovators are drivers in the effort to recapture American competitiveness.

"Senator Obama not only understands good tech policy, but he also understands the best policy so that tech can do some good," said Lawrence Lessig, founder of Stanford Law Schoolâ€™s Center for Internet and Society. "By committing to opening government data, an Obama administration would provide all of us the tools we need to make government work for us, and not for the special interests that flourish in the shadows of a nontransparent government."

"I want my kids to grow up in an Obama America - an America in which, as Barack Obama has said, we stop setting settling for what the cynics say we have to accept and reach for what we know is possible," said Julius Genachowski, Co-founder and Managing Director of Rock Creek Ventures. "An America with a President who will summon the nation to a common purpose, who will lead not by polls, but by principle; not by calculation, but by conviction; a President who will combat the common threats of the 21st century - nuclear weapons and terrorism; climate change and poverty; genocide and disease. This is what Barack Obama has promised - they are his words. And as someone fortunate enough to know him for two decades, watching him gather extensive real-word experience and a record of great judgment, I am completely confident he will deliver on his promise."

A full list of the technology leaders endorsing Barack Obama is below:

Stuart Benjamin, Professor of Law, Duke University
Robert Blackwell, Founder and CEO, Electronic Knowledge Interchange Consulting
Joseph Farrell, Professor of Economics, University of California, Berkeley; Chief Economist, Federal Communications Commission (1996-97); Deputy Assistant Attorney General for Economics (chief economist), Antitrust Division, U.S. Department of Justice (2000-02)
Lloyd Frink, President and Co-Founder, Zillow
Julius Genachowski, Co-Founder and Managing Director, Rock Creek Ventures; former Chief of Business Operations & General Counsel, IAC/InterActiveCorp; former Chief Counsel to FCC Chairman Reed Hundt
Don Gips, Executive Vice President, Corporate Development, Level 3 Communications; former Chief Domestic Policy Advisor to Vice President Gore
Rob Glaser, Founder and CEO, Real Networks
Mark Gorenberg, Managing Director, Hummer Winblad Venture Partners
Nick Hanauer, Partner, Second Avenue Partners; Founder, aQuantive
Adam Hanft, Founder and CEO, Hanft Unlimited
Reed Hundt, Former Chairman, Federal Communications Commission (1993-97)
Mitch Kapor, President, Kapor Enterprises; Founder, Lotus Development Corp.
Jed Katz, Managing Director, DFJ Gotham Ventures
Michael Katz, Professor, NYU and UC Berkeley; former Chief Economist, FCC; former Deputy Assistant Attorney General for Economics (chief economist), Antitrust Division, U.S. Department of Justice
William Kennard, Former Chairman, Federal Communications Commission (1997-2001)
Deborah Lathen, President, Lathen Consulting; former Chief, Cable Bureau, FCC
Steve Lerner, Managing Partner, Blue Hill Group
Lawrence Lessig, Professor of Law, Stanford University
Blair Levin, Managing Director, Stifel Nicholas; former Chief of Staff, FCC
Andrew McLaughlin, Director, Global Public Policy and Government Affairs, Google
Ted Meisel, Elevation Partners
Jon Miller, Former Chairman and CEO, American Online, Inc.
Glenn Neland, Retired Senior Vice President, Dell
Robert Nelsen, Managing Director and Co-Founder, ARCH Venture Partners
Craig Newmark, Founder, Craigslist
Beth Noveck, Professor of Law, New York Law School
Chamath Palihapitiya, Executive Vice President, Product and Operations, Facebook
Deven Parekh, Partner, Insight Venture Partners
Sunil Paul, Founding Partner, Spring Ventures; Co-Founder, Brightmail
John Place, Retired General Counsel, Yahoo!, Inc.
Jeff Pulver, Founder, pulver.com
Arti Rai, Professor of Law, Duke University
John Roos, CEO, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati
Alec Ross, Senior Vice President, One Economy
Kim Scott, AdSense Director of Online Sales and Operations, Google
Carl Shapiro, Professor of Business Strategy, UC Berkeley; Deputy Assistant Attorney General for Economics (chief economist), Antitrust Division, U.S. Department of Justice (1995-96)
Howard Shelanski, Professor of Law, UC Berkeley; former Chief Economist, FCC
Steven Spinner, Executive, Danoo
Phil Weiser, Professor of Law and Telecommunications, University of Colorado
Kevin Werbach, Asst. Professor of Legal Studies and Business Ethics, The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania
Tom Wheeler, Managing Director, Core Capital Partners
Tim Wu, Professor of Law, Columbia University
Ed Zander, CEO, Motorola

Can One Person Change the World?

Time For Change - Adam Hicks — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 11:57:51 EST

In this context one person can make a huge difference, for it is always one person within a group or cluster who calls forth the highest vision, who models the grandest truth, who inspires and cajoles and agitates and awakens and ultimately produces a contextual field within which collective action is rendered possible and becomes inevitable.

Presidential Candidate Barack Obama: Changing The World...

EsquireUK — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 11:18:06 EST

At Google Obama talks of shared experienceWed Nov 14, 2007 9:49pm EST[-] Text [+]

By Adam Tanner

MOUNTAIN VIEW, California (Reuters) - Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama www.barackobama.com told Google employees on Wednesday his meteoric rise in politics mirrored the company's emergence as the lifeblood of the Internet and he surprised his hosts by answering a geeky engineering question.

"There is something improbable about this gathering," the Illinois senator told a packed cafe auditorium of hundreds of Google employees. "What we share is a belief in changing the world from the bottom up."

Obama, 46, noted that a decade ago he was a little-known Illinois state senator and the founders of Google, Sergey Brin and Larry Page, were university students with big dreams. He cited the Google founders' success when asked about his relative lack of political experience.

"I suppose Sergey and Larry did not have a lot of experience starting a Fortune 100 company," said Obama.

Some employees lined up more than an hour to hear Obama while others crowded the rafters above the auditorium.

"There's definitely been a buzz here all day," said Nicole Resz, 26, who works in Google's advertising department. "I've never seen so many people at a Google event. We've had everybody, we've had Mikhail Gorbachev."

"He's fresh, he's new, there's something about him that's Google-like."

Six other presidential candidates, including Democrats Hillary Clinton and John Edwards and Republican John McCain have already spoken at Google, which has become a major stop on the campaign trail this year.

Obama tailored his speech to an Internet-savvy audience, portraying technology as vital to winning in the global economy and in areas like health care and clean energy.

He pledged to post government data on the Internet "in universally accessible formats." Google has begun offering a suite of software products to rival those of Microsoft Corp that would benefit from such a government policy.

Obama was prepared when Google CEO Eric Schmidt, the event moderator, asked him the most efficient way to sort a million 32-bit integers.

Obama said he did not favor the bubble sort method, impressing engineers by his reference to a method of sorting out numerical algorithms.

"You answered the question correctly," Schmidt said.

(Editing by Eric Beech)

Presidential Candidate Barack Obama At Google Gathering

EsquireUK — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 09:51:03 EST

Obama pitches youth, technology at Google gathering

Carla Marinucci, Chronicle Political Writer

Thursday, November 15, 2007

More...

(11-14) 23:11 PST San Francisco -- Illinois Sen. Barack Obama www.barackobama.com , buoyed by new polls and what his campaign sees as growing momentum, highlighted his claim as the generational "change candidate" of the 2008 presidential race on Wednesday by telling a youthful crowd at Google Inc. that " if I waited 10 years (to run), I'd still be younger than most of the other candidates."

"So much is at stake that running for president can't be about just ambition this time," he told an audience of about 1,000 packed into an auditorium at Google's Mountain View campus.

"We have seen a gridlock where 45 percent of the country is on one side, 45 percent of the country is on the other ... (and) political contests just become beating down the other side and eking out a victory. And you can't govern," said the 46-year-old first-term senator.

Obama has criticized Democratic front-runner Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York as a member of the Washington establishment that has helped create political stalemate on issues from immigration to health care. He continued that theme Wednesday without naming her, saying, "Washington has been governed by ... who's got the most juice, who's got the most clout - and that has to change."

Obama is the latest 2008 presidential candidate to use Google as a backdrop for a high-tech town hall. Unlike the traditional, more predictable such gatherings in the small, early contest states of Iowa and New Hampshire, candidates at Google face a young crowd armed with detailed, sometimes quirky questions.

Democrats Clinton, former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards and New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson and Republicans Sen. John McCain of Arizona and Texas Rep. Ron Paul visited Google earlier this year, though Obama's crowd was the largest and most vocally supportive to date.

Obama used his Silicon Valley visit Wednesday - presided over by Google Chief Executive Officer Eric Schmidt with the company's founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page in the audience - to promote his five-point "innovation agenda." He also appeared Wednesday night at a rally at San Francisco's Bill Graham Civic Auditorium.

In little more than 24 hours in the Bay Area, the Illinois senator also hit four major fundraisers: two Tuesday events in San Francisco, a Wednesday morning stop in Marin County, and - prior to his Civic Center rally - a party for 300 supporters, most of whom donated the maximum $2,300 to the primary and general election campaign, in the Atherton home of former state Controller Steve Westly, a high-tech investor and major Obama fundraiser.

Obama answered questions at Google about the war in Iraq and his policy views toward Iran, and addressed what he termed key differences between himself and his Democratic rivals.

While he said he appreciated President Bill Clinton's ultimately unsuccessful effort at health care reform in 1993, Obama said his work on the issue will be open rather than developed behind closed doors. He pledged to have "a big table" with consumers, unions, health care providers and pharmaceutical firms weighing in to find solutions to the issues of rising health care costs and growing numbers of uninsured.

The senator said his effort to reach a health care reform plan would be so open "it will all be on C-SPAN." And if attack ads from opponents start, as they did during Clinton's failed effort, "I'll send out something on YouTube," he said to cheers from the crowd at Google, which owns YouTube. "And (I'll) let them know what the facts are."

Making deft use of a question about what he has learned from the political successes of former President Clinton, who is tremendously popular among Democrats, Obama appeared to use the moment to dig, however gently, at the style of the former first lady.

"One of the things Bill Clinton did was to recognize the moment," he said. "He came in and he said, 'You know what, I'm a different kind of Democrat and I'm willing to do things in new ways.' "

Now, "we are in this defining moment and we can't keep doing the same things that we have been doing, but haven't been working," he said. "Democrats lose when they are not clear about what they stand for. Democrats lose when they are attacked, and - because they don't know where they stand - they end up getting defensive instead of going on the offensive."

Obama campaign insiders said Wednesday that recent polls and events in the campaign such as the senator's well-received speech last weekend in Iowa have created a shift that has electrified his supporters - and boosted his fundraising with everyone pointing toward the opening contest of the nominating campaign Jan. 3 in Iowa.

"The rock star stuff is back," said Obama's California campaign director Mitchell Schwartz. "We have the wind at our back ... and it's a different ballgame."

"It was hard to raise money a month ago," said Westly, noting that the media was talking up Hillary Clinton's "inevitability" and the New York senator appeared to be making a flawless run toward the Democratic Party's presidential nomination.

But after Clinton stumbled recently in a debate over the issue of illegal immigration, and Obama's speech at the Jefferson-Jackson Dinner in Iowa, "it's been the easiest thing I've ever raised money for," Westly said.

Obama, Clinton and Edwards are tightly bunched in public opinion polls of Iowa Democrats and Obama has almost halved Clinton's once 20-point lead in polls of expected primary voters in New Hampshire, the second major contest.

Westly said Clinton has increasingly appeared "off her balance," while Edwards has gone on a sharp attack and Obama has remained "the statesman." Just as voters are beginning to take a look at the White House race in earnest, they are seeing Obama as "the candidate of change," he said

Obama's decision, however, to tout his "innovation agenda" at Google on Wednesday repeated many of the technology friendly proposals made earlier by the other Democratic candidates.

Clinton, appearing before the Silicon Valley Leadership Group in June, also proposed an "innovation agenda" including a $50 billion strategic energy fund to develop research on global warming - a proposal similar to Obama's call for $50 billion in federal funds for a "clean technology" venture capital fund.

Edwards, too, had used events in Silicon Valley to call for increasing the number of H-1B visas for highly trained technical foreign workers, more government support of broadband access and extension of research and development tax credits.

On Wednesday, Obama proposed creating a national "chief technology officer" position charged with making government more transparent and accessible to citizens on the Internet. The senator also proposed a "Google for Government" effort which he said would provide more Web accessibility to government records, and called for live feeds and Webcasts of government meetings and public commentary on its work via the Internet.

Presidential Candidate Barack Obama Shares Tech Plan In Silicon Valley

EsquireUK — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 18:36:43 EST

Obama shares his tech plan today in valley visitThe San Jose Mercury News | November 14, 2007

By Matt Marshall

Barack Obama www.barackobama.com will unveil several new technology policy initiatives today during a visit to Silicon Valley, including a proposal for a national technology czar called a "chief technology officer," VentureBeat has learned.

The Democratic presidential candidate comes to California seeking to bolster his standings here, where he currently trails front-runner Hillary Clinton in most opinion polls.

Obama's tech agenda, including the CTO proposal, should play well with the employees at Google, the Mountain View search engine, where Obama will visit this afternoon, among other stops.

The CTO's mandate under the plan is significantly different from the cybersecurity czar position created by the Bush administration. The CTO's main responsibility would be to ensure the government holds open meetings and records live Webcasts of those meetings, and that blogging software, wikis (Web site pages where multiple people can edit a document at the same time) and open comments be used to communicate policies with Americans.

Obama's technology plan covers everything from providing new subsidies for Internet broadband access to increasing permanent visas for skilled immigrants.

His campaign has long stressed the need for open government meetings and more transparency. But his plan reveals more specifics. He wants Cabinet officials, government executives and rule-making agencies to hold meetings open to the public and transmitted with a live feed. The
Advertisement
CTO's mandate will be to ensure this happens, according to Obama's campaign managers, who spoke with VentureBeat.

Specifically, Obama wants the public to be able to comment on the White House Web site for five days before legislation is signed.

Several well-known local figures are expected to announce their support for Obama's plan, including two former FCC chairmen under President Clinton: Stanford University legal expert Larry Lessig and John Roos, chief executive of Palo Alto law firm Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati.

Roos, one of Obama's top fundraisers, said Silicon Valley start-ups will be encouraged by Obama's call this month for a clean technology venture capital fund backed by a whopping $50 billion in federal money over five years.

In the plan, Obama also calls for more aggressive government support of broadband access. Specifically, he says subsidies for phone carriers should be given only to those offering both regular phone service and Internet broadband to rural areas. To date, carriers offering merely phone service have been able to claim subsidies from the so-called Universal Service Fund, giving them little incentive to roll out out broadband.

Obama also calls for reviewing the decision by the Federal Communications Commission to open the wireless spectrum for competition. He thinks the FCC may not have gone far enough with its recent ruling, according to campaign managers who asked not to be named. He wants to conduct a multiyear review but is leaning toward pushing for the opening of some spectrum on the 700 MHz band so third parties can lease it on a wholesale basis.

This is to ensure that the winners of a pending auction for the spectrum - expected to be large phone carriers like Verizon - don't just sit on the spectrum and not use it. Some fear they may do that to block others from competing with them.

Obama's proposals are supported by Google, which is expected to bid on the wireless spectrum.

The candidate also is in favor of network neutrality, a policy that would prevent Internet service providers from charging companies like Google extra to ensure the speedy transfer of data over the Internet.

Read the full article from The San Jose Mercury News

Paid for by Obama for America

Experts Praise Barack Obama's Technology and Innovation Agenda

Chicago, IL | November 14, 2007

For a pdf, click here.

"Barack Obama's www.barackobama.com innovation and technology agenda will end the current oil-and-gas Administration's lack of leadership on the issues shaping our future. This is a 21st century agenda, one that was developed for the American people, not the powerful, entrenched interests in Washington, DC. Barack Obama is the one candidate for president who can create the change necessary for America to enjoy real prosperity in a global economy. An Obama administration will drive investment in our communications infrastructure, our human capital and ensure we have a competitive marketplace that benefits all Americans." [Reed Hundt, Former Chairman, Federal Communications Commission (1993-1997)]

"Barack Obama's technology plan is unique because it focuses first and foremost on empowering people to connect with each other and with government to solve problems. The plan recognizes that technology is not an end in itself, but a means to improve education and health care, create jobs and make America safer. No other candidate so fully embraces technology as a way to strengthen our democracy and improve people's lives. The plan is truly innovative." [William E. Kennard, Chairman, Federal Communications Commission (1997-2001); Managing Director, The Carlyle Group]

"Senator Obama has offered a broad range of initiatives to help America recover from the destructive effects of the last seven years, and I'm happy to support all of them. I'm particularly happy to see his strong but balanced proposal for "network neutrality" legislation, which, with minimum regulation, would help to reestablish and assure a competitive platform for innovation. More interesting to me, however, is the Senator's plan for opening government up. His proposal is not just that data about our government be available. It is instead that data be made available in a form and manner that social and political innovators can use to develop new tools to hold our government accountable. Think RSS or Atom applied to the full range of data we need to measure integrity and honesty in government. The great work of groups such as Sunlight and Maplight has obviously been an inspiration for Senator Obama's program. And recognition of the potential from this relatively subtle change is a signal that Obama gets how technology can matter, both to growing the economy, and shrinking corruption within government." [ Lawrence Lessig, Professor of Law, Stanford University]

"Senator Obama's plan would help make sure that the Internet remains a free and open platform, and that America maintains an atmosphere of high-tech growth and innovation. We particularly share his aims of getting more Americans online, using the Internet to increase government transparency, and applying high-tech know how to thorny problems like education and health care. As the 2008 campaign unfolds, we hope that more candidates on both sides of the aisle will present their concrete ideas for maintaining America's competitive edge." [Eric Schmidt, Chairman and CEO, Google, Inc.]

"Barack Obama realizes the pivotal role that technology plays in the 21st century. His plan is comprehensive and progressive. The Senator has taken a clear stand on difficult issues to ensure that Americans get the best of what technology can offer while protecting us from some all too real dangers. Obama recognizes, now more than ever, that technology can and must be harnessed to improve our government, our economy, and people's lives. As President, Barack Obama's approach to technology will be indicative of his overall smart, practical, and optimistic vision for America." [Jonathan Miller, Former Chairman and CEO, America Online, Inc.]

"Senator Obama's proposal to open up government decision-making represents a powerful commitment to democracy. I am proud to support it. Barack Obama recognizes that we can use new technology to make government more transparent. But he would also ensure that citizens have the right and ability to make use of information from their government to empower themselves. He calls for citizen engagement in the work of federal agencies and thereby demonstrates his deep commitment to democracy and his respect for the intelligence and expertise of the American people. Alone among the candidates, Barack Obama understands that the time, expertise and enthusiasm that people invest in making Wikipedia better, for example, can be transformed into practices to make government work better. And Barack Obama understands that new technology, including blogs, wikis and social networking tools, can be brought to bear to modernize government, improve decision-making and deepen democracy in the digital age. The ideas set forth in the Obama plan make this the right plan for American Democracy." [Beth Noveck, Professor of Law, New York Law School]

"Barack Obama understands the power of technological innovation to revitalize American society. His unequivocal support for the policy of network neutrality will keep the Internet truly open. The creation and appointment of a national Chief Technology Officer will foster a much needed increase in the transparency of government and the re-democratization of governing processes to include all Americans. Importantly, he will also take steps to ensure America's economic competitiveness, including a much-needed reform of the patent system." [Mitch Kapor, President, Kapor Enterprises; Founder, Lotus Development Corporation]

"Sen. Obama's Innovation and Technology Policy is both innovative and far reaching. As someone who works with emerging growth companies on a day to day basis in the health care and clean technology areas, I am particularly impressed by his commitment to supporting the use of technology in these critical areas." [John Roos, CEO, Wilson, Sonsini, Goodrich & Rosati]

"Barack Obama 'gets' technology. He will be a true 21st century President, using technology to improve the lives of all Americans. Barack Obama understands the powerful role that technology must play in solving our most pressing problems like energy, climate change, health care & education. He understands that we need a strong, competitive and constantly innovating technology industry to create jobs and drive economic growth. He understands that technology is an essential tool to open up government to citizens and improve government functioning dramatically. The Obama campaign is making history in its use of technology to connect with ordinary citizens. An Obama administration will make smart and aggressive use of our country's technology expertise, one of our most unique and important resources." [Julius Genachowski, Co-Founder & Managing Director, Rock Creek Ventures; former Chief of Business Operations & General Counsel, IAC/InterActiveCorp; former Chief Counsel to FCC Chairman Reed Hundt]

"Barack Obama's Technology and Innovation plan is by far the most comprehensive roadmap of all the Presidential candidates for how digital technology and broadband networks can transform our society. Senator Obama understands the importance of an open, nondiscriminatory and universally accessible broadband Internet and balanced copyright and patent laws to robust civic discourse, innovation, creativity and competition. He also understands the importance technology plays in solving the most vexing problems our country faces: low cost health care, energy independence, cleaning up the environment, global competitiveness, providing a quality education for our children, and fortifying our first responders through modern public safety networks. Technology and innovation issues have been virtually ignored, and often politicized over the past eight years - today, more than ever, we need a President for the digital age. With this plan, Barack Obama demonstrates that he is the best candidate for the job." [Gigi Sohn, President and Co-Founder, Public Knowledge]

"Net neutrality will continue the twentieth-century tradition of competition policy in telecommunications and bring it into the twenty-first century. There are sensible arguments on both sides, but on balance I believe thoughtful enforcement of net neutrality will be a winner by protecting opportunities for web-based innovators to succeed without having to build a relationship with a cable or phone company. I also agree with Senator Obama's statement that strong antitrust enforcement makes capitalism work for consumers. It's important to strengthen consumer protection against anticompetitive mergers and monopolization." [Joseph Farrell, Professor of Economics at the University of California, Berkeley; Chief Economist at the Federal Communications Commission (1996-97); Deputy Assistant Attorney General for Economics (chief economist), Antitrust Division, U.S. Department of Justice (2000-2001)]

"I was lucky enough to work for Vice President Gore, one of the few politicians of our generation who was not afraid of technology, but rather embraced technology for its power to transform our government and our nation. With this plan, Barack Obama shows that he too has the vision and a plan to harness the power of technology to make America a more open and equal society and once again a leader in innovation around the world." [Don Gips; Executive Vice President, Corporate Development, Level 3 Communications; Former Chief Domestic Policy Advisor to Vice President Gore]

"Senator Obama has a vision to take the application of technology in our country to new levels. He believes that the thoughtful application of technology can address challenges such as government transparency, healthcare management and efficiency, energy independence, and universal broadband access. Senator Obama also has the ability to recognize opportunity where others do not. He understands that technology can be used to address some of today's most pressing issues, such as creating sustainable jobs, providing competitive wages, and leveraging the distinctive talents of the American people irrespective of where they live. Senator Obama's vision for technology is transformative and will lead to sustainable economic development â€“ and this is why I support his campaign." [Robert Blackwell; President, Electronic Knowledge Interchange]

" America's youth are growing up in an increasingly connected global economy. Barack Obama's innovation plan will ensure that this generation of young people can compete and succeed as they enter the workforce. Senator Obama understands the power of information and connectedness in the 21st century to create opportunity, make government open and accessible, and bring people together." [Alec Ross, Co-Founder and Executive Vice President, One Economy]

"Barack Obama's plan takes our country's strong technology leadership in the private sector and brings it to the public sector in a number of important ways. Significant investment in our communications infrastructure is vital both to broaden access for broadband and to foster investment in the next generation of products and services that depend on it. Upgrading the quality of our educational system particularly around math and science is the best way to not only insure continued US competitiveness but also to make sure that future job growth happens in America rather than overseas. At the same time comprehensive immigration reform is essential to make sure that we continue to be a magnet for the best talent from around the world and provide them a path to become Americans over time. Obama's plan accomplishes all of this and much more." [Deven J. Parekh, Managing Director, Insight Venture Partners]

"Among the little attended but most astounding failures of the Bush administration is the absence of a comprehensive national broadband strategy. Instead, we have been given unrealistic goals, â€˜mission accomplished' rhetoric, and federal policy that has supported entrenched incumbency over competition and innovation. The Obama plan presents a bold prescription for an open Internet to put America back on top of the world in communications technology. This is a blueprint to bring the United States universal, affordable access to next generation telecommunications, overlaying competition policy on the public airwaves and our network infrastructure to revolutionize the online marketplace of ideas and commerce." [Ben Scott, Policy Director, Free Press]

"In his technology plan, Barack Obama shows not only that he gets the power of the Internet as a means of transforming politicsâ€”which the very conduct of his campaign provesâ€”but that he also appreciates how the Internet is transforming our economy and society. From his policy commitments to spurring the availability of broadband throughout the U.S. to unleashing opportunities to make wireless spectrum more available to chartering a Public Media 2.0 for the digital age to ensuring that the U.S. government commits to the levels of transparency and participation that the Internet makes possible, Obama's plan provides an ambitious, creative, and thoughtful roadmap for his administration." [Phil Weiser, Professor of Law and Telecommunications, University of Colorado]

Campaign Announces Technology Plan, Including CTO position

Gabe Wachob — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 03:12:40 EST

A VentureBeat article announces that tomorrow (well, later today, actually), the campaign will announce its technology plan which includes a "CTO" position.

Elements of the plan include:

Open Government
Broadband Access
Open Wireless Spectrum
Network Neutrality
Immigration changes (esp. w/r/t H1B country-caps)
Privacy

Other announcements include key endorsements, including one from Larry Lessig.

Memo to Campaign: give me a call, I'd be interested in that CTO position ;)

Obama on MSNBC ... Matrixes and GMTA moments

Ralph — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 08:14:25 EST

So much news, so little time ...

In the category of "Great Minds Think Alike" (GMTA) I have been saying something about Hillary Clinton for quite sometime to everyone I get into conversation with when they ask me "why NOT Clinton." Well ... Obama is finally saying it: http://www.newsweek.com/id/67934

But that was not the reason I was going to post. I wanted everyone to check out this very, very interesting MATRIX application which shows all the candidates on both sides against their views, known or not, on various issues. Looking at each will give you video and/or news links as appropriate to "deep dive" into a particular subject. You then can "vote" to what degree you AGREE OR DISAGREE with the particular candidate. You can then SUBMIT that vote which is then aggregated with others who do the same. Right now, on the aggregaton front everyone EXCEPT Obama has some NEGATIVE scores on particular issues. That said, Ron Paul has the most positive views which can't be right ;-) Go check it out folks and pass it along so we can get a REAL picture :)

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21116732

Ralph Tech Guy/Entertainer/Trainer in Edgewater Chicago

Today Support The Call For A More Open And Transparent Government

EsquireUK — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 18:53:44 EDT

Dear Presidential Candidate Barack Obama Supporter!

..> Watch a brief video of Sen. Clinton and Barack from this week's debate:

Read Barack's plan and support his call for a more open and transparent government:

Donate.BarackObama.com/OpenGovt..>This week's presidential debate has received a lot of attention, but at least one major issue remains unresolved.

When asked several direct questions about the release of official records from her time in the White House, Senator Hillary Clinton gave a vague and dismissive answer.

These documents, according to Newsweek, include Senator Hillary Clinton's "appointment calendar as First Lady, her notes at strategy meetings, what advice she gave her husband and his advisers, what policy memos she wrote, even some key papers from her health-care task force."

It's time to turn the page on this kind of secrecy and restore trust in our government.

If Senator Hillary Clinton is going to run on her record, the American people deserve to see it.

Watch the video of Presidential Candidate Barack Obama's exchange with Senator Hillary Clinton, learn about his plan to restore trust, and support the call for a more open and transparent government.

https://donate.barackobama.com/opengovt

Throughout his career, Presidential Candidate Barack Obama has fought for increased government transparency and accountability.

He passed aggressive legislation on campaign finance reform and ethics regulation. He proposed a landmark plan to reveal earmarks in federal appropriations bills. And he is setting a new standard of openness in campaign fundraising.

Earlier this year he released a detailed plan to get us on track, titled "Restoring Trust in Government and Improving Transparency."

Presidential Candidate Barack Obama believes that when the government makes a decision that affects your life, you deserve to know about it. When government officials meet with corporate lobbyists, you should be able to watch the meeting. When your tax dollars are appropriated for a government program, you deserve to know where they are going and who requested them.

Anything less is politics-as-usual.

Learn more about how Presidential Candidate Barack Obama would restore trust in our government and bring people back into the political process:

https://donate.barackobama.com/opengovt

Senator Hillary Clinton's refusal to answer direct questions and disclose her records is a perfect example of what needs to change in Washington.

For the past seven years we have endured one of the most secretive administrations in American history. The time has come to turn the page and rebuild trust in our government.

We must demand more from those seeking the presidency.

Support the call for a more open and transparent government:

https://donate.barackobama.com/opengovt

Thank you very much for your continued support,

Raphael Holoman-Franklin

Presidential Candidate Barack Obama Supporter

Hill is not Bill...

vette58 — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 17:06:04 EDT

I just ran across an interesting article by Joseph Leonardi, a conservative republican titled "How to Halt Hillary". It was a very interesting artcle comparing Hillary to Bill and thought the slogan Joseph came up with was clever, he states "Again, I advise all the participants in the democratic primary, if you want to rally the base and win the nomination, shout it loud and clear Hillary Clinton is no Bill Clinton. Make your slogan — A vote for Hil is not a vote for Bill".

To read the entire article go to http://joeleonardi.wordpress.com/2007/10/28/how-to-halt-hillary/#comment-1003

If you haven't viewed the MSNBC debate you can view it at http://video.msn.com/?mkt=en-us&brand=msnbc&tab=m5&rf=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18296908/&fg=&from=00&vid=74d330c5-a0a8-432b-84b7-c0d9843c823c&playlist=videoByTag:mk:us:vs:0:tag:Source_MSNBC:ns:MSNVideo_Top_Cat:ps:10:sd:-1:ind:1:ff:8A

Don't forget to vote for Senator Obama in the MSNBC Poll.

Senator Barack Obama on Net Neutrality: A Good Thing to Hear

Edmund Dantes Hamilton — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 08:56:05 EDT

Barack Obama's position on Net Neutrality is nothing new, but it's a welcome departure from the constant but powerful "Iraq War" message he is pounding into the ears of whoever listens. There is actually a podcast on the Senator's website dating back to June 8, 2006 located here: http://obama.senate.gov/podcast/060608-network_neutral/ or download it directly here: http://obama.senate.gov/podcast/060608_Sen.Barack_Obama_Podcast_Network_Neutrality_31.mp3

To say I am delighted to hear him speak about this is an understatement, it's really overwhelming. But in reality it's something he has said before already. I'd love to see him beat the "Net Neutrality" issue into the minds of voters again and again, especially since Comcast was outed for slowing down traffic from subscribers using peer-to-peer (P2P) connections in their high-speed cable Internet accounts.

I'm not going to debate the issue with Comcast since the media has already covered it completely. But I will say it's such a good thing Barack is starting to add some balance to his campaign message, and I sure hope he continues to do this in a more proactive way and not in a reactive way.

Support Presidential Candidate Barack Obama: Let Change Begin Now

EsquireUK — Sun, 28 Oct 2007 10:37:04 EDT

For Obama , it's not politics as usualThe Cedar Rapids Gazette | October 27, 2007

By Rod Boshart

FAIRFAX - Barack Obama www.barackobama.com is bringing his 2008 Democratic presidential bid to Iowans' doorsteps. Obama, 46, a superstar U.S. senator who rose from the ranks as a community organizer, is taking Iowa's tradition of retail politicking to a new level by personally knocking on doors at homes, businesses and even farmsteads in search of supporters in the first-in-the-nation caucuses.

The Illinois senator has opened an unprecedented 33 field offices around the state and spent 52 days in Iowa since announcing his presidential bid. His goal: to convince voters he is a different kind of politician who can bring unifying change to Washington.

"My experience, not only as a U.S. senator, but as a state legislator, a civil rights lawyer, as a professor, as a community organizer, I think that mix of experience allows me, maybe, to speak to people in ways they can identify with, and I think that's part of the reasons we're generating such a good response," he said. "Most politicians are trained to talk a lot, but they're not always that good at listening to people," Obama said in an interview during a recent Eastern Iowa campaign swing.

"One of the first things I learned as an organizer was to find out what people are going through in their lives and not make assumptions about what issues are important to them," he added. "Usually, I found, that the problem in Washington is that there's just not a real good connect to people on the ground."

Obama and his Iowa supporters believe he is making that connection one handshake at a time now that the media frenzy over his entry has died down. He is pushing a message of hope as an African-American candidate with a viable shot at becoming president.

"Without a doubt, he brings a freshness to the race, a new perspective to the race," said Gordon Fischer, a Des Moines lawyer who chaired the Iowa Democratic Party from 2002 to 2004 and now backs Obama's 2008 bid. "I am absolutely convinced that Senator Obama is the candidate with the best chance against any of the Republicans in the field," he said.

That sentiment has been echoed from the famous - Obama has elicited the fundraising help of Oprah Winfrey in California and the celebrity power of Oscar-winning actor Forest Whitaker at a Johnson County event - to the average Iowans, such as Iowa farmer Gary Lamb, who puts Obama in the same leadership class as Franklin Roosevelt and John Kennedy.

"It's become increasingly clear we need a new vision, a new direction and a new kind of leadership in our nation's capital," said Lamb, "someone who has the common sense and good judgment to lead the nation forward."

Lamb, of Chelsea, believes Obama - who has crusaded for ethics reform at the state and national levels - has shown himself to be a person who can "challenge this culture of corruption" in Washington.

Obama was born in Hawaii in 1961 to a father from Kenya and a mother from Kansas. He moved with his family to mostly Muslim Indonesia after his mother remarried. He lived there for four years before he returned to Hawaii to live with his maternal grandparents and attend Punahou Academy.

Obama graduated from Columbia University with a political science degree and moved to Chicago's South Side, where he worked as a community organizer in an area hit hard by plant closures in the steel industry. He later earned a law degree with high honors from Harvard Law School, where he was the first African-American editor of the Harvard Law Review.

After teaching at the University of Chicago Law School, Obama spent seven years in the Illinois Senate before running a successful bid to the U.S. Senate in 2004. He landed on the national stage with an attention-grabbing speech at the Democratic National Convention that same year.

Now, locked in a hardfought three-way contest in Iowa with New York Sen. Hillary Clinton and former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards, Obama has stressed his opposition to the Iraq war dating back to 2002, his appeal to a new generation of voters, his vote-getting charisma in "red" states, and his support from "whispering" Republicans who privately tell him he has their support. He deflects criticism of his limited experience in Washington by pointing to his youngish look, telling an Amana crowd recently that his protruding ears "make me look like Opie."

At the same time, Obama concedes he likely will have to sharpen his contrast of key differences between himself and Clinton to halt poll numbers that show the New York senator forging a lead in Iowa that mirrors results in national surveys. "The key for me is to make sure that I'm talking about issues and not talking about personalities, taking gratuitous shots at people, not distorting people's records," he said. "I try to make sure that I'm not taking people's comments out of context."

Read the full article from The Cedar Rapids Gazette

Today Think About How Important A Presidential Candidate Barack Obama Victory In 2008 Is To You

Dear Presidential Candidate Barack Obama Supporter!

If there's ever been a day that shows how important victory in 2008 has become, it is today.

Despite a broad, bi-partisan effort in Congress, George Bush's veto of the State Children's Health Insurance Program remains in place. This president and his loyalists in Congress have done the unthinkable, cutting millions of American kids from the basic health care services they need.

You stood up and fought, the Democrats in Congress stood up and fought, but we just didn't have the numbers to overturn the veto.

You may be angry right now -- I sure am -- but that won't win any elections. While the stakes are so clear, think about how important a Presidential Candidate Barack Obama victory in 2008 is to you, and help us get there. Every one of the Republican candidates for president supports this veto. We'll make them feel the pain for this at the ballot box, but we have work to do

Forget about "swing voters" -- even die hard Republicans are running away from their party. Yesterday, the Washington Post reported that over a third of President Bush's largest fundraisers have yet to support a candidate in their party's primary. As one Bush Pioneer put it, "I'm just not happy with the direction of our party. I think we have a huge credibility problem, which I have not seen any of the candidates show the ability to rise above."

Everyday Republicans are sick of their party making choices they wouldn't make -- can you blame them?

While the Republican Party is coming apart, our Party is investing in infrastructure and grassroots development. We're not going to miss a single chance to cement a strong position and reach areas that Democrats ignored for decades.

I am confident that our Countdown To Change volunteers and grassroot supporters across America will give Presidential Candidate Barack Obama`s organizers on the ground the tools they need to target key areas and get out the vote on Election Day.

Come Election Day, we cannot leave anything out there on the field. Step up and do your part by donating $15, $25, $50 or more:

contribute today to: www.barackobama.com

George Bush may be gloating today, but we're not falling for it. The Republican Party is alienating more and more Americans who can't stand its narrowing, cruel agenda.

We're building an amazing and effective movement, and Presidential Candidate Barack Obama needs your help. Countdown To Change is reaching more and more Americans who are ready to fight -- and vote -- for something better.

Please do what you can to help Presidential Candidate Barack Obama today.

Thank you very much!

Raphael Holoman-Franklin
Presidential Candidate Barack Obama Supporter

Make Your Donation Online

This campaign is about building a different kind of politics. We don't take money from lobbyists or political action committees, and we're going to build a broad base of individual donors to ensure that this campaign answers to no one but the people. That starts with you. Make your donation online using the form below.

If you would like to make a monthly recurring donation, click here.

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MTV/MySpace Presidential Dialogue with Obama Live Monday

vette58 — Sat, 27 Oct 2007 01:50:53 EDT

The MTV/MySpace Presidential Dialogue with Barack Obama will take place Monday at 1:30 p.m. ET. The entire dialogue will stream live on MySpace.com, MTV's ChooseOrLose.com and MTV Mobile, and will premiere at 7 p.m. ET/PT that evening on MTV.

Come to Nevada and help us WIN the January 19th caucus for Obama!

vette58 — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 17:53:58 EDT

Campaign staff and grassroots groups in Nevada are working hard to win the Nevada Caucus for Senator Obama and could use help from our out of state supporters. If you're looking for the perfect excuse to visit Las Vegas, this is it!

This is a once in a lifetime opportunity... We're looking for out of state supporters to join us the week of January 13 - 19th and help walk our precincts, door knock, lit drop, and make phone calls to solidify Obama supporters for the Caucus on January 19th. If you're interested in being a part of winning this early state for Senator Obama, please join this very important group at http://my.barackobama.com/page/group/JoinGrassrootsVolunteersforNVCaucusRecru and provide your direct email address by sending an email to Nevadans4obama@gmail.com. More information will be forthcoming as we move closer to the date and work out the logistics of hotel discounts, etc.

On behalf of the thousands of Obama supporters in Nevada, thank you in advance for your support and consideration. We promise to make this event a memorable one.

Yvette Williams, Grassroots Group Administrator, Nevadans 4 Obama

Join Presidential Candidate Barack Obama In Boston

EsquireUK — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 02:18:09 EDT

What: A Rally in Boston with Barack Obama and Governor Deval Patrick

When: Tuesday, October 23, 2007 -- Gates Open at 5:30PM

Where: Parkman Bandstand on Boston Common
Corner of Tremont St. and Boylston St

How: The event is free and open to the public. Tickets are not required, but an RSVP is strongly encouraged. For security reasons, do not bring bags. No signs or banners allowed. Please RSVP using the form below to receive your rapid-entry pass.

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Senator Obama to Appear on Tonight Show Wed., Oct 17th

vette58 — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 02:54:47 EDT

Senator Barack Obama will be on NBC's Tonight Show on Wednesday, October 17th. Check your local time. Here in Las Vegas that would be Channel 3 at 11:35 p.m.

Enjoy!

View Obama on Hillary (Situation Room 10/11/07) YouTube.

vette58 — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 05:13:27 EDT

Thanks again to Jonathan (lovingj1) we can view the interview of Obama on Wolf Blitzer's Situation Room (10/11/07). This interview focuses on the Lieberman-Kyl Amendment on Iran and the Iraq war Hillary voted "yes" on, why he disagrees with both those votes. It's my opinion that Senator Obama is finally gaining credibility and being recognized as an outstanding leader with excellent judgement. I especially loved his final comments on why he should be our next President. I'd like to offer my two cents (for what it's worth) on Hillary running as his VP... NO, please Senator Obama don't make that mistake, she would only hinder your ability to get elected. I'd rather see someone like General Clark.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2tDkdA-GeGg&mode=user&search=

OBAMA ARMY - Article

Time For Change - Adam Hicks — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 19:15:24 EDT

Times seem rough...Polls seem low...

DON'T LET ANYONE STEAL THE MESSAGE OF HOPE AND CHANGE

STAY FIRED UP! and READY TO GO! KEEPY PUSHING FOR OBAMA

Here's a good article about how the change is already happening...

Obama's army

By Al Giordano 10/09/2007

http://ww2.sdcitybeat.com/cms/story/detail/?id=6230

Broadband Census Mapping Bill Great Idea

Edmund Dantes Hamilton — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 18:21:26 EDT

I've reviewed the FCC reports about broadband penetration in the USA and I noticed they were flawed many years ago. I asked the person listed at the end of one report why isn't there more documentation on actual subscribers by zip code. The way zip codes are treated now is if only one person in a zip code has "broadband" that zip code is deemed to have broadband. This gives an illusion that broadband is available everywhere when in fact only a few people may actually subscribe in a zip code area.

This new bill will seek to solve some of these issue above and others. Here is a draft version in PDF format: http://www.benton.org/benton_files/broadbandcensus.pdf

Hillary Takes Lead on Science Policy, Where is Obama's Science / Tech Policy Agenda???

Edmund Dantes Hamilton — Tue, 09 Oct 2007 07:43:38 EDT

By now everyone should know Hillary Clinton revealed her Science Policy. Ironically, she is also up in the Polls. No matter which way you look at it, she is taking a spin on the Rhetoric that Barack Obama has ignored: Science & Technology Platform Agenda Items and Issues.

I sure hope Team Obama wakes up soon and advises our candidate to draft some kind of Science and Technology Agenda and make it well known. Don't let Hillary Clinton completely steal all the thunder here (i.e. Q3 campaign funds, Polls, Science Policy, etc).

Let's not continue this pattern. I hope and pray someone somewhere at the campaign is working on something here...The media is having a field day with this "frontrunner" idea as if Obama has already lost the race and it hasn't even started yet!

[SPEECH] SEIU in Washington Video of Speech

Time For Change - Adam Hicks — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 19:05:24 EDT

http://webcast.seiu.org/

This page links to Obama speech at SEIU conference held September 17th in Washington.

There is a LOT of preamble of SEIU organizers (worth listening to) but Barack comes out about 20+ minutes in and speaks for about 20+ with the great FIRED UP! READY TO GO! ending.

Have seen much positive feedback from bloggers on the speech.

Anyone else?

Win Iowa...Win America...Countdown to Change

EsquireUK — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 13:14:05 EDT

Dear Senator Barack Supporter!

Watch Barack's speech at the Harkin Steak Fry. Support our efforts in Iowa and other early states: Donate.Barackobama.com/WinIowa

Iowa will be critically important in this race. But there are some unique aspects of the Iowa caucus that you need to know about. Here in the first state where the Democratic candidates will compete, people don't "vote" for their candidate in the way that you might think. In order to win, we have to turn people out to a caucus -- a process that lasts over an hour and requires supporters to publicly advocate for their candidate and persuade others to join them. That means in Iowa, it's all about organization. We have to organize all 99 counties and train over 1,700 precinct captains to lead these caucuses. We have to recruit more Obama supporters to attend their caucus and build the ground game to turn them out on caucus day. It's a massive undertaking, and with just over 100 days left before the Iowa caucuses, I'm asking for your help. Why does Iowa matter to you? Because the momentum from a win in Iowa could create a domino effect in the rest of the states that follow. In the last two presidential elections, the candidate who won the Iowa caucuses went on to win the Democratic nomination. Now is a crucial time to show your support. A donation of $12 will provide ten yard signs for Iowa lawns. $27 will send fifty Iowans a piece of mail telling them Barack's story. $53 can sponsor a college student at a Students for Barack Obama weekend training. And $114 buys enough t-shirts for canvassers to wear while knocking on every door in Evansdale, Iowa. Please make a donation now to help us win Iowa: https://donate.barackobama.com/winiowa Let me show you what kind of operation we're building here. Yesterday thousands of Obama volunteers flooded the annual Harkin Steak Fry, an institution in Democratic politics here in Iowa. The Steak Fry is the first opportunity of the fall campaign season for the campaigns to showcase the organizations and networks they've built in the state so far. See for yourself what kind of momentum we're building: Donate.BarackObama.com/WinIowa Something special is happening here in Iowa, and your help is required if we're going to build an operation to turn it into a win. I explained to a reporter the other day that when Barack is finished speaking at campaign events here, people say they feel "at peace." In a country where politics has become endless conflict and cynicism infects nearly everything, that's not a phrase you're used to hearing. In my career in politics, I've never seen anything like this before. But every day Barack reaffirms my certainty that he is the candidate who can bring this country together and lead us towards real change. But I'm not going to decide who wins Iowa. The people of Iowa will -- and what happens here will have a substantial impact on the contests in all of the states that follow. We have to hire the organizers, print the materials, put on the events, and do the voter contact to get people on Barack's side -- and get them to the caucus. Please make a donation to support the effort to win here: https://donate.barackobama.com/winiowa Thank you very much. Let us count on your support for Senator Barack Obama's victory in Iowa and throughout America!!!

P.S. -- If you're willing and able to spend a week or more in Iowa volunteering for Barack between now and January 14th, please let us know. The minimum is a week, but we will provide training and put you to work. It will be a challenging and thrilling experience that you'll never forget. Whether it's in October or January or anywhere in between, let us know if you can spend a week or more on the ground with us here: http://my.barackobama.com/earlystatevol

In mid-September 2003, national polls showed Joe Lieberman to be the frontrunner for the Democratic presidential nomination. Then John Kerry won the Iowa caucus and the New Hampshire primary, and the shift in momentum carried him to a decisive victory.

The lesson: early polls don't mean a thing and success in crucial early-state contests will win the Democratic nomination.

With the first votes in the 2008 Presidential campaign now less than 150 days away, we're entering a decisive time in our movement.

To build momentum for Barack in the early states, supporters nationwide are hosting Countdown for Change house parties on Saturday, September 15th.

my.barackobama.com/hpcountdown

Together we are counting down the days until the early primaries and caucuses -- in Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire, and South Carolina -- and now is the time to leverage our national movement to make the maximum impact in the early states.

Attend a house party and you will:

Take part in an exclusive conference call with our top staff in the four early states
Reach out and make direct contact with voters and organizers in the early states
Meet fellow Obama supporters in your community and build networks that are vital to our success

Join supporters nationwide by attending a Countdown to Change house party near you on Saturday, September 15th:

my.barackobama.com/hpcountdown

Never before in American history has the presidential nominating contest been as compressed or early as it is now.

We can only win in these essential contests if our strongest supporters combine their efforts across the country.

This phase of the campaign is when early organization must transform into on-the-ground action. You can be a leader in this action by signing up to attend a host party today:

my.barackobama.com/hpcountdown

Summer is coming to an end, but our campaign is just heating up. I hope you'll take the time to join this crucial early-state initiative.

Thank you for your continued energy and support.

David

David Plouffe
Campaign Manager
Obama for America

P.S. -- In less than 150 days, the nominating process will begin in Iowa, followed closely by the other early primaries and caucuses.

The time to redouble our efforts is now. Attend a house party on September 15th and be a part of our nationwide Countdown to Change effort.

Finding a house party near you is easy with our interactive map:

my.barackobama.com/hpcountdown

First Group Fundraisng Page

Tim Chambers — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 00:22:51 EDT

For the Group I admin, Open Source Advocates for Obama... It was an easy thing, created in 5 mintues... Nice.

See it here:

http://my.barackobama.com/page/outreach/view/maingroup/OpenSourceAdvocatesforObama

New Group Fundraising Live

Tim Chambers — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 23:23:42 EDT

The updates to my.barackobma.com are happening qickly... a cool new feature is allowing Groups to have joint group fundraising... deetails here below... Every step that allows for more communal, distributed action is a very needed and great step...

" Every group now has the ability to create a group fundraising page!

As a group you're now able to set a fundraising goal and work together to achieve it. You create a customized donation page that tracks the number of donors and dollars your group has raised. Group members can then easily send emails to friends and family to invite them to give to the customized group campaign.

The amount your group raises isn't as important as the process of bringing another donor into the campaign. You own a piece of this campaign. Now you can more easily reach out to your own network of friends and family to build this movement.

To get started, your group administrator needs to create a group fundraising page and set a goal. The admin can find the option to create the campaign on your group page. After the page is completed, everyone in the group can see the group fundraising icon on the group page and can get started right away inviting friends and family to join the movement by contributing.

In the first two fundraising quarters of this campaign, a record breaking 250,000 people donated to the campaign. If we all take this opportunity to reach out to our friends and family we can break even more records and prove that it's the American people that are the strongest interest group and anything is possible when they stand up together."

Affinity Points

Tim Chambers — Fri, 31 Aug 2007 01:41:21 EDT

I blogged about the addition of affinity points over here: http://www.ndnblog.org/?q=node/1414

Here is an excerpt:

"Affinity Points" based services aren't new: from "Frequent Flier Miles" to "Xbox Live Achievement Points," they've existed in plenty of different forms. But this is the first time to my knowledge that online based affinity points have launched as part of a major Presidential campaign... It is a newly launched feature on the Barack Obama site.

So on your profile on their site you now get your total points to date and your overall ranking compared to other supporters. Here is their description of the new feature:

"Today we’re unrolling a new way to measure your impact on the campaign: points in the My.BarackObama network. Just about every action you can take on My.BarackObama now will give you points to make it easier to see all the hard work you’re putting in to make this campaign succeed. If you host an event, that’ll show up on your profile and you’ll get 20 points. Write a blog post and you’ll get 15....Adding a points system to My.BarackObama is just a simple way to measure the impact you are having day in and day out on the campaign. You deserve credit and recognition for your involvement and this is just one way to make it clearer how much you’re doing."

It's a smart addition that will likely become a common piece of the web campaign platforms...

Why Aren't Candidates Talking More About Tech Issues?

Edmund Dantes Hamilton — Fri, 24 Aug 2007 16:11:03 EDT

Why Aren't Candidates Talking More About Tech Issues?
by Sandra Gonzalez

     When Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney confused the YouTube video-sharing site with the MySpace social network in a speech about online predators this summer, techie fingers were wagging and Romney found his technology awareness being questioned.
     Romney's staff defended him by saying that he "certainly knows the difference between MySpace and YouTube." The candidate "spoke about MySpace at five different 'Ask Mitt Anything' events in Iowa" on the day in question, a spokesman said. "In the fifth, he simply misspoke."
     The episode shows how much attention technology is getting in the 2008 race. David All, a Republican media consultant, said candidates' tech savvy is being tested and critiqued more than ever. Unfortunately, he added, candidates in both parties are "pretty pitiful" in proving that they are knowledgeable about tech-related topics.
     All said their failure to address important technology matters is largely due to the campaign staffs thinking the issues do not need to be addressed. "You're not going to find network neutrality on any poll," he said in a reference to one hot-button Internet policy topic of the past two years. "But they are issues that influential people care about."
     If the staffs aren't interested in tech issues, All said, the candidates do not get the information because they "principally rely on staff" for briefings on specific issues.
     A group called Obama For Technology is working to develop a broad-based technology platform for Democratic candidate Barack Obama. Edmund Dante Hamilton, the founder of the group, said that with voters caring more about candidates' views on issues like the Iraq war, it is no wonder technology issues are not first priority for campaigns.
     "Technology in itself is not on the same level as Iraq," Hamilton said. "People are probably telling [Obama] he's better off talking about one issue than another."
     After a group of Obama supporters from his Web site drafted a technology platform proposal for the Illinois senator, Hamilton said he had a firsthand experience with an "uninterested" staff. The group was approached by the campaign after submitting the proposal but was asked to volunteer tech skills for the candidate, not for opinions about tech issues.
     "Here we were trying to do something strategic and they wanted us to string wires and cables," he said. "I think they are missing the greater picture of how technology can affect America other than in the fundraising area."
     While Obama's campaign may have been hesitant to listen to the citizen group for advice, John Palfrey, executive director of the Berkman Center for Internet and Society at Harvard University, said Obama is actually "someone who has listened to some of the great people in the field."
     Obama's campaign said he has visited with technology leaders from Illinois, Silicon Valley and "some of the leading academics in the arena."
     "While not an expert in the mechanics of technology," a spokesman said, "Barack Obama believes in the power of innovation and technology to change lives, raise our standard of living, and better connect citizens to each other and their government."
     A spokesman for Republican candidate Ron Paul also admitted to needing assistance with technology issues, saying that while Paul "considers himself to be well-informed," he also recognizes "that there are others out there with greater, more complete knowledge."
     Romney's campaign spokesman said he "routinely" meets with tech experts but mostly "relies upon data to reach a decision [about issues], including in the area of technology."
     Other campaigns are less interested, according to Palfrey. "It's pretty clear when you go to their Web sites because you don't see a ton of technology material," Palfrey said. "You can [also] probably tell a little from their use of social mediums and the extent to which they use it" as to how important tech matters are to the candidates.
     All said that without strong online presences, candidates are likely to disregard tech issues. "Ron Paul's activity online is in part responsible for him addressing technology issues in a comprehensive way," he said, adding that accessing that audience is a crucial part of being viewed as tech savvy.
     Palfrey added that since it is still early in the campaign, he hopes tech issues will be more widely addressed. "I don't blame them for not addressing them" thus far, he said. "I think that over time, candidates will get prompted to say more things about specific issues."

Source: http://nationaljournal.com/about/technologydaily/prespackage07.htm#3

New Poll, Obama leads in Iowa

'Wale — Fri, 03 Aug 2007 04:16:35 EDT

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/02/AR2007080202621.html

Can Barack Win? Yes He Can.

Pierre Clark — Sun, 01 Jul 2007 11:08:59 EDT

Of course he can. In the next few posts, I'll share my thoughts on why he not only can win, but should win and after the February 5, 2008 primaries will be the clear front runner.

Interesting article on how to re-invigorate our campaign

'Wale — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 10:51:30 EDT

I haven't hit the panic button just yet, but I think this article from Jim Geraghty at NRO is insightful: Link hope the campaign takes note. I'm aware that the time to rev into high gear is in the fall, We can definitely still win Either Iowa or New Hampshire & South Carolina. It can be done. Happy reading:

How to Save Barack
Avoiding a crushed presidential campaign.

By Jim Geraghty

When a somewhat racy music video of a woman with the hots for a presidential candidate causes the biggest stir in about two months, as in the case of Barack Obama recently, it’s a sign that a campaign has hit a plateau. Polls over the last month have consistently shown Senator Obama a strong second, but still considerably behind frontrunner Hillary Rodham Clinton. The Illinois Democrat performed fine in both debates so far, but nothing he said or did those evenings changed the dynamics of the race. Jerome Armstrong, the former Dean campaign staffer who is one of the most influential voices among liberal bloggers, concluded, “Obama’s running a well-funded, traditional presidential campaign that’s safely pointed toward finishing a strong second based on his personal appeal. I can see Obama getting a lot of points in the game, but never the lead.”

So how does Obama get out of his current nice-but-not-enough blahs? How does he overtake Hillary?

The Washington Post conducted a usefully detailed poll on how Democratic-primary voters feel about their three leading candidates, Clinton, Obama, and John Edwards. They found voters felt that Hillary was the strongest leader, the most experienced, the most trusted to handle a crisis, and the one with the best chance of winning.

So what’s left? Well, Obama ranked just behind Hillary on “understands the problems of people like you,” was ranked the “most inspiring,” and led solidly on “most honest and trustworthy.” Those areas represent Hillary Clinton’s soft underbelly, and that is where Obama is going to have to heighten the contrast.

Obama has to do this while not appearing to go negative. And it’s not clear that he can count on any other Democratic candidate to do any real damage to the frontrunner. Edwards has hit Clinton pretty consistently since he entered the race, with limited results. Some of the other candidates, like Bill Richardson, actually defend Hillary (a.k.a auditioning for veep). The ones who truly go after her, like Dennis Kucinich and Mike Gravel, are too far out on the fringe to make an effective attack.

And the no-negative-campaigning rule in the Democratic primaries is pretty serious: When Dick Gephardt went after Howard Dean before the Iowa primaries, both candidates saw their numbers plummet, an act that campaign wags called “a murder-suicide.”

“Promises made, promises kept”
Democratic-primary voters pretty much like what Hillary is saying, but they’re nervous about how much she’ll compromise once in office. “Triangulation,” the strategy of compromise embraced by her husband during her presidency, is a dirty word in liberal circles.

Obama’s campaign has done a nice job of telling his unusual and inspiring life story; now they need to showcase him as an effective political leader. Ideally, they would point to the centerpiece of his state legislative campaign in 1996, and how he enacted that key piece of legislation, and similar cases in 1998 and 2002. Finally, they need to show that since he’s gotten to the Senate, he played “a key role” in passing the expansion of Nunn-Lugar to cover landmines and missiles and the Coburn-Obama Transparency Act, which disclosed and organized all organizations receiving federal funds… The over-arching message for this front in the fight against Hillary has to be, “He says what he means and he means what he says.” The contrast with Hillary will be unspoken but clear.

“The humility to admit when wrong, the conscience to make amends”
It’s a bit odd that the biggest gripe the antiwar crowd has with Hillary isn’t so much her view of what to do in Iraq now, so much as her steadfast refusal to apologize for her war vote. But they’ve picked their priority. Obama has ridden his antiwar stance from 2002 about as far as it can take him. Now he needs to take Hillary’s refusal to apologize — interpreted by the base as obstinacy and intractability, and compare her traits to what they hate about Bush.

Obama could, and should, spotlight some time in his career when he made the wrong decision, learned from it, and made amends. After talking about it in speeches, imagine the ad

Sometimes I get things wrong. But I’m proud that I get the big things right, like the decision to go to war in Iraq. I thought it was a bad idea, and I’ve never had to say “I was for it before I was against it.” If I’m nominated, you won’t hear anything about flip-flopping. It’ll be a straight contest between a Democrat who thinks we need to get out and face the real threat from al Qaeda verses a Republican who disagrees.

Democrats still have nightmares about the 2004 Kerry campaign; suggesting that nominating Hillary would mean a rerun of those confusing and contradictory stances on the war could shake their confidence in her.

“I can elect Democrats that Hillary can’t”
There is already at least one red state Senate Democrat up for reelection in 2008 complaining about the difficulty of running with Hillary at the top of the ticket. We also know that in 2008 will feature a significant number of red-state House Democrats running their first reelection campaigns. Sixty-one Democrats represent districts George W. Bush carried.

Would Nancy Boyda rather run for reelection in Kansas’s second district with Hillary on the top of the ticket? Would Heath Shuler, in North Carolina?

If Jim Webb isn’t willing to make this argument, then perhaps Virginia governor Tim Kaine, who has already endorsed Obama, can say something in this vein:

We knew we were facing a tough race. Our opponent had more money and more name recognition. A lot of Washington Democrats had written us off. We asked Barack Obama for help. It wasn’t so much the money as the people he brought in. We had people who hadn’t voted in years came to see him. People were asking, “who is this guy?” In a tight race, he helped make the difference. And now, thanks to Barack Obama, this district/state now has a Democrat fighting for our values. There aren’t a lot of other politicians who can say that.

Flip side: Later in the campaign, if and when Hillary is perceived to have gone negative, Team Obama could utilize A) the sensitivity of this argument and B) Democrats’ fears of reprisal from crossing the Clintons, by featuring an ad that features Democrats with their identities obscured:

If Hillary gets the nomination, we lose all kinds of down-ticket races in red states.
If we run Hillary, we lose white working-class men.
If we run Hillary, we have to fight all the old fights and go over all of the old scandals, instead of focusing on the future.
Everybody knows this, but nobody’s willing to say it, because we know she’ll come after us.

And then the tagline, to win-hungry Democrats who switched from Dean to Kerry overnight four years ago: “Hillary: Can the Democrats Afford the Risk?”

Spotlight “Republicans For Obama”
It’s very counterintuitive, and obviously, you don’t want to do this while there is still a mass of liberal voters who might switch to Edwards or some other candidate. But when George W. Bush’s former communications strategist Matthew Dowd says the only candidate he would work for in 2008 is Obama, and when McCain adviser Mark McKinnon announces he won’t work for a Republican if Obama wins the nomination, advocates for the Illinois senator can justifiably argue that something special is happening. (Could we imagine any other Democratic presidential candidate seeking advice from Colin Powell?)

It’s an inside-baseball argument, but the Obama team can persuasively argue that their man increases the number of votes (and states) in play, while Hillary would be seeking the Kerry states plus Ohio, with little margin for error (and enormous voter turnout among Republicans).

Unless Barack Obama is comfortable being considered (and most likely, passed over) as Hillary’s running mate, he will have to make some effort to sharpen the contrast between himself and the frontrunner. For now, a crush on Obama isn’t enough.